Since the courtyard where Neji lived was spacious enough, the moment he agreed to the wager, there was no need to look for another training ground.
Neji assumed the opening stance of Gentle Fist. As he activated his Byakugan, veins bulged around his temples. Though young, he held the upper hand in vision alone.
Kei, unable to use the Byakugan, remained standing in place. Still, he mirrored the same Gentle Fist stance.
The next moment, both moved at once.
Neji struck first, swinging his right palm, blade-shaped, toward Kei's left side.
Kei didn't back down. His left palm met Neji's strike head-on, and in the same breath, his right palm arced toward Neji's torso.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
In just a few short seconds, they had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.
From the outside, it looked like the two were evenly matched in pure Gentle Fist combat.
But precisely because of that… Neji felt stunned.
After another clash, he took the initiative to pull back and create distance.
"How?" he asked. "You don't have a Byakugan, how are you reading my attacks so clearly?"
Kei stepped forward with a faint smile. "Neji, the Byakugan lets you see farther. But it doesn't let you see higher."
"If you want to gain a higher perspective, you can't rely solely on your eyes."
"You don't want to answer, so you're feeding me excuses," Neji said coldly.
Kei shook his head. "It's not an excuse. I just hope you'll start seeing things from a different angle."
Neji gave up on trying to talk.
To deal with a smooth-talking therapist, the most direct way was to shut him up with fists.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
Though he wasn't channeling chakra, the Eight Trigrams technique, reduced to pure taijutsu, was still formidable under the guidance of his Byakugan.
This time, Neji was sure that Kei couldn't keep up.
Kei still smiled… and responded with the same Eight Trigrams technique.
Two palms. Four palms. Eight palms…
As Neji focused harder, his strikes grew faster, so fast they began to blur.
And yet… Kei kept up with every strike.
What's more, with every passing moment, Kei wasn't just keeping up, he was beginning to suppress him.
Impossible. No. This is absolutely impossible!
If Kei still had the Byakugan, Neji could understand losing in skill and timing. Gentle Fist always favored experience and control.
But Kei couldn't even see.
How was he losing to a blind man?
The disbelief hit him hard. Still, Neji's pride refused to yield.
He doubled down, striking faster, harder, throwing all his focus into the match.
But the cold, inescapable truth was that, no matter how fast he went, Kei kept pace.
Round after round, clash after clash.
Kei felt like an immovable mountain… one Neji simply couldn't overcome.
Tap.
Neji froze.
Kei's fingertip was now gently pressing against his forehead.
"This is far enough, Neji." Kei lowered his hand. "Your heart is unsettled. There's no point in continuing."
Neji stood stunned, slowly dropping his stance.
A hollow feeling settled in his chest.
Every day, he trained like his life depended on it, desperate to grow stronger for the future…
And now?
He hadn't even come close to touching Kei, not even a graze on his sleeve.
The difference between them was overwhelming.
"…I lost."
Neji didn't want to say it, but the truth couldn't be denied.
Kei could see the storm brewing behind Neji's silence.
Now was the critical moment to pierce his psychological wall.
"Do you know why you lost, Neji?"
"Why did I lose?"
Neji lifted his head, looking at Kei.
His face wore a warm, comforting smile, gentle as spring wind. Not a trace of arrogance, only calm.
After a long pause, Neji answered slowly:
"My Gentle Fist isn't as refined. I couldn't suppress your strikes…"
"No. That's only the surface." Kei shook his head.
"Even if I matched your speed, even if I pressured your attacks… you shouldn't have lost this easily."
"Neji, your real defeat wasn't in your technique. It was in your mind."
"You weren't calm. You were obsessed with winning in the moment, and that blinded you to what's truly dangerous down the road."
"So when a real crisis comes, the power you cling to won't be able to change anything. Your defiance might give you a momentary sense of control, but in the end, it changes nothing."
Kei stepped closer.
"Instead of chasing surface-level strength, you need to focus on inner growth."
Neji took a step back.
"So you're saying, if I develop this so-called inner strength… I'll get what I want?"
"I'm not a god," Kei replied, not making any guarantees. "But life is like a game of chess."
"One mistake, and the entire board falls apart."
"And life is worse than chess, because you don't get to start a new game. There are no take-backs."
"But if you further develop your inner self, you'll start making better choices. The board will tilt more in your favor."
Neji studied Kei carefully.
Some of what he said made sense. Some of it was vague.
He thought he understood, but also didn't.
Kei could sense his confusion. It was enough.
This was just like Kakashi, he needed to be given time.
So Kei gave his signature gentle smile again.
"It's okay if you don't understand right now. At your age, that's perfectly normal."
"Here's what we'll do: get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, come with me somewhere. Once you see it for yourself, you'll understand what you're missing."
"Remember, experience is the only true test of truth."
"Whatever you think, save it until after tomorrow."
As Kei turned to leave, Neji stood motionless in the courtyard, watching his back disappear into the night.
He didn't want to listen to Kei…
But today's defeat had shaken something inside him.
Maybe, just maybe…
Something needs to change.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters