Neji looked at the mere handful of scrolls in his hands no more than three or five and couldn't help feeling disappointed. Still, he understood.
The Hyuga Clan was large, bound tightly by strict family rules. Virtually everything of worth was held by the Main House, while the Branch House usually had little in reserve.
"Just these few scrolls? At this rate, when will I ever make something of my ninjutsu?" Neji muttered in frustration.
"System," he called silently in his mind, "open the status panel."
[Host: Hyuga Neji]
[Age: 13]
[Chakra Affinities: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning]
[Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Pure)]
[Taijutsu: Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, Twin Lion Fists]
[Ninjutsu: The Three Basic Jutsu (Transformation, Substitution, Clone), Fire Style: Great Fireball, Medical Palm Technique, Summoning Technique (Tools)]
[Overall Strength: Elite Chūnin]
Elite Chūnin. That might sound impressive, but this level of strength still wasn't enough to defeat Gaara.
Gaara's power clearly rivaled that of a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
There wasn't enough time to improve his taijutsu the only viable path now was to focus on ninjutsu. But...
He had finally gathered all five chakra natures, yet now he could only sit here and twiddle his thumbs?
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Neji blinked. Who could it be at this hour?
"Neji, it's me." A voice called from outside.
Hearing that voice, Neji's gaze sharpened slightly.
"So, the moment I've been expecting is finally here."
He swept the ninja scrolls off the table and stood to answer the door.
Hyuga Hiashi. As the clan head, he was certainly qualified. But as a father there were many things he had failed at.
In the end, the same man who once upheld the clan rules with iron will became the one who broke them most profoundly.
At least, that's how Neji saw it.
Still, he had no intention of voicing that opinion. Clan rules had their good and bad sides. As the saying goes, "Don't preach virtue to those whose burdens you've never carried."
"What brings you here?" Neji asked calmly, looking at the man outside.
Hiashi stared at Neji, clearly torn hesitant to speak, but struggling to stay silent.
After a long pause, he finally said, "May I have a moment of your time?"
"I came to tell you the truth. About that day."
"The truth?"
Neji raised an eyebrow, surprised. He had thought Hiashi had come because of Hinata or Hanabi, not expecting this.
Most likely, he'd heard something from them recently that spurred this visit.
Still, it wasn't a bad turn of events. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to squeeze a few things out of him.
"Come in," Neji said.
Hiashi stepped inside and pulled out a scroll from within his robes. "This contains the truth behind your father's death."
Neji cast only a cursory glance at it before setting it aside.
He already knew. Though the orders came from the higher-ups, it had ultimately been Hizashi's own decision a choice made to protect the older brother he respected.
So Neji harbored no resentment over that matter. Besides, he was no longer the same Neji he once was.
Hiashi had expected some intense reaction, but Neji remained remarkably composed.
"Neji, you…" Hiashi began, puzzled by the calm.
"Lord Hiashi," Neji replied with solemn dignity, "the dead are gone. I've learned to look forward now."
Then, shifting his tone slightly, he added, "But if you truly feel any regret about what you owe me, perhaps you could offer a bit of assistance."
For some reason, seeing Neji speak like this gave Hiashi the sudden feeling he was a lamb stepping into a tiger's den.
Still, guilt pressed heavy on his heart, and he clenched his jaw as he asked, "What is it you want?"
"Let me see the clan's scrolls. The ones with advanced techniques."
"…What?"
Hiashi froze, stunned. He had prepared himself for a painful demand was even willing to give his daughter away if it came to that. But all Neji asked for was access to some scrolls?
For the first time in years, Hiashi's ever-stern face twitched with visible expression.
And so, Neji got his wish. Hiashi granted him permission to freely browse the clan's archive of jutsu scrolls.
After seeing Hiashi off, Neji allowed himself a faint smile.
"Having the Hyuga Clan under my wing might not be such a bad thing after all."
In this world, individual strength mattered but even more crucial was having a powerful faction behind you.
Think of Uchiha Madara or Otsutsuki Kaguya. No matter how strong you were, you couldn't stand alone against an army.
The next morning, Neji was still asleep in bed when someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it, this early in the morning?" he mumbled, bleary-eyed as he slowly opened his eyes.
After gaining Hiashi's permission last night, he had eagerly pulled a few advanced scrolls and thrown himself into training. It was well past midnight before exhaustion finally overtook him.
All in all, he'd only slept for four hours. But the results were promising his Dragon Fire Technique was already starting to take shape.
Knock knock knock...
The knocking continued.
Still half-asleep, Neji dragged himself out of bed, threw on some clothes, and shuffled to the door.
That morning, Hinata had been unusually nervous. She'd gone to the training ground early and was immediately informed that she had been selected for the Chūnin Exams.
She wanted to refuse but Kurenai only smiled and said, "It's a three-person team. If you don't go, then Shino and Kiba can't either."
Caught off-guard by the gentle reasoning, Hinata was quickly outmaneuvered. She didn't even know what she said, but somehow ended up agreeing to go fetch Neji.
"Hinata, do your best. Team Eight's future depends on you," Kurenai said with a warm smile.
With her teacher watching expectantly, Hinata clenched her small fists and nodded with determination. Her young face was set with resolve.
"I'll do my best!"
But standing now at Neji's front door, all that bravado vanished into thin air. All that was left was a shy girl overwhelmed by nerves.
She realized this was the first time she'd ever come to a boy's house alone.
So embarrassing...
Even with Kurenai's praise still ringing in her ears, and the weight of a mission on her shoulders, Hinata could only knock softly. She didn't even dare to call his name.
Creak
The door opened.
Neji appeared in the doorway, his face a little haggard, and behind him, the entire room was a chaotic mess.
"Neji-nii-san, you..."
"Oh, Hinata."
Before she could finish, Neji spoke. Noticing her wide-eyed stare, he followed her gaze around the room.
It was a disaster the result of tearing through every box and shelf the night before while looking for scrolls. He hadn't cleaned up yet.
He assumed Hinata was shocked at how messy his place was and scratched his head sheepishly.
A girl visiting a boy's place only to find it like this? It was bound to ruin her impression of him.
That just wouldn't do.
He quickly crouched down to start tidying.
"Wait a sec, Hinata. Let me clean this up a bit."
"No, Neji-nii-san... I'll help too!"