> "Host escorted Hyuga Hanabi home."
"Reward obtained: Chakra reserves doubled."
Double chakra?!
Neji's eyes lit up.
This was the perfect foundation for future dual cultivation of body and chakra.
In simple terms—
he'd never have to worry about running out of chakra again.
Gurgle… gurgle…
His stomach betrayed him.
Neji rubbed it helplessly, glanced at the sky, and figured there was still time to deal with food first.
With that, he turned and headed toward the next house.
After Neji left, Hanabi quietly peeked out from behind the door, nibbling on her index finger.
"Big Brother Neji… feels kind of different today."
—
After dinner, Neji returned to the training grounds and continued practicing against the wooden dummies.
Everything he did was for the sake of becoming stronger.
Feeling his progress increase at a pace visible to the naked eye, Neji was extremely satisfied.
"As expected… only consistent effort pays off."
A genius was ninety-nine percent hard work, and one percent inspiration.
"Hm?"
Just then, Neji noticed two figures walking toward him.
Hyuga Hinata.
Hyuga Hanabi.
Why were they here?
"Big Brother Neji…"
"Good evening, Big Brother Neji."
Seeing him turn around, the sisters greeted him.
"What brings you here?" Neji frowned slightly.
On the inside, he panicked—
had they discovered that the Caged Bird Seal was gone?
"We… we wanted…" Hinata stammered, clearly still affected by what happened earlier.
"We want Big Brother Neji to practice with us!" Hanabi blurted out.
In truth, they had sensed that Neji was in a good mood today and wanted to ease their strained relationship with him.
"Practice?"
Neji relaxed, then felt a surge of satisfaction.
Rewards were practically delivering themselves to his doorstep.
He glanced around.
"Alright. Let's begin."
By "practice," they meant sparring—one-on-one.
"Who's first?" Neji asked.
"Me!" Hanabi shot her hand up.
"Come on, then." Neji nodded lightly.
"Hmph! Take this, Big Brother Neji!"
Hanabi charged forward, swinging her small pink fists.
To be honest, Neji was under immense pressure.
What if he accidentally made her cry with a single hit?
Left with no choice, he focused on dodging.
No matter how talented she was, Hanabi was still very young.
The gap between her and an elite chunin like Neji was enormous.
To Neji, her openings were everywhere.
After a few exchanges, he simply lifted her up by the waist, ending the match.
"Your attacks are too slow. You haven't memorized the chakra points. Your power is insufficient," he listed calmly.
Pointing out flaws directly would help them improve faster.
Neji genuinely wanted them to be strong enough to protect themselves.
Hanabi puffed up her cheeks.
"Hmph! I'll train harder!"
She ran off to punch a wooden post by herself.
> "Host trained with Hyuga Hanabi."
"Reward obtained: Eight Trigrams Empty Palm."
Eight Trigrams Empty Palm—a long-range taijutsu derived from the Byakugan, releasing high-density chakra shockwaves through the air to strike enemies from a distance.
Neji smiled.
Finally—a ranged Gentle Fist technique.
This neatly filled one of his biggest weaknesses.
Next came sparring with Hinata.
He wondered what kind of reward she would bring.
"Hinata, please guide me," Neji said calmly, forming the sign of confrontation.
Meeting his serious gaze, Hinata took a deep breath.
"Big Brother Neji, please guide me."
That hand sign represented respect.
Neji had never treated her this formally before.
"I'm coming, Big Brother Neji!"
The moment her voice fell, she dashed forward and struck.
At one time, Hanabi might have been stronger—but after graduating, Hinata had gone on numerous missions under Kurenai Yuhi. Her experience and technique now surpassed her younger sister's.
In the original timeline, after being inspired by Naruto, she had even fought Neji head-on for a short time.
Neji calmly shifted his stance, evading her pink fist.
Hinata spun and thrust a Gentle Fist strike toward one of his chakra points.
Neji deflected it effortlessly and reached out to grab her.
Hinata jumped back, her hands flashing.
"Byakugan!"
"Gentle Fist!"
Her palms blurred into afterimages as she rushed him again.
Good reaction speed—but the pattern was too predictable.
Neji adjusted his footwork, slipped past her attack, seized her wrist, and subdued her in one smooth motion.
"Hinata," he said sternly, "you rely too much on striking chakra points, and your attacks are all linear. You need to adapt."
"If you can't hit your opponent, even the strongest technique is meaningless."
"And your timid nature—it's holding you back."
The Chunin Exams were approaching. She needed enough strength to survive on her own.
"Yes! Please guide me again, Big Brother Neji!"
Hinata's eyes sparkled.
She was genuinely happy to receive his instruction.
Seeing her determination, Neji nodded in approval.
A serious Hinata radiated a completely different presence.
For a long while after that, Neji sparred with her repeatedly, pointing out every flaw in her movements.
Eventually, Hinata began to pant heavily, her stamina clearly running low.
Neji frowned.
"That's your second major weakness—insufficient stamina. For a taijutsu user, that's fatal."
"That's enough for today. Meet me here at dawn tomorrow."
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
The system reward had already arrived.
"Today really is my lucky day."
—
After returning home, Neji activated his Byakugan, carefully checking his surroundings before closing the doors and windows.
Konoha was under constant surveillance—from both the Third Hokage and Danzo.
After the Uchiha clan's downfall, the Hyuga had become Konoha's strongest remaining clan.
Naturally, the Hokage's office and Danzo would keep a closer eye on them.
Over ninety percent of Hyuga clan members possessed the Byakugan.
Root and ANBU couldn't hide anything from them.
Still, in order to put the Hokage and Danzo at ease, the clan chose to turn a blind eye.
A fragile balance was maintained.
But what Neji planned to do next…
Had to be hidden even from the Hyuga themselves.