Takasaki can learn the Three Body Technique through hard work.
Hinata can last 3 minutes under him through hard work.
So, can he change his Caged Bird-like destiny through hard work?
Neji didn't have time to ponder these thoughts.
Apologizing to Takasaki was the priority now.
Since Hinata could become stronger by being motivated by Takasaki, he certainly could too, and maintaining a good relationship with Takasaki was very important.
Neji arrived at Takasaki's door, and just as he was about to knock, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
Since he was coming to apologize, appearing empty-handed seemed very insincere.
Having grown up in the Hyuga Branch Family, influenced by his elders, he naturally understood some social etiquette.
At this moment.
Takasaki was already sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat.
His Chakra was depleted, and even his stamina was more than half gone.
Checking the proficiency of his Clone Technique, it had already increased to 45/500 points.
"It's so convenient to see Ninjutsu proficiency; I get feedback every time I train."
Takasaki went to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and wet a towel to wash his face.
Heaven rewards diligence; you reap what you sow. As long as he kept grinding like this, he would soon be able to raise his Clone Technique to Level 3.
However, he was terribly hungry.
He was too embarrassed to shamelessly go to Hinata for a free meal; even if Hinata agreed, he'd probably get beaten out by Neji.
He could only endure it and eat a bucket of instant noodles that had expired a few days ago.
Just as he tore open the instant noodle packaging, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
As Takasaki got up to open the door, he smelled an enticing aroma of barbecue wafting in through the gap.
Opening the door, he saw Neji standing there.
Takasaki's first reaction was caution; this guy had fought him at the Hyuga Residence earlier and been tricked three times.
He wasn't here to beat him up, was he?
When he saw Neji holding a large package of foil-wrapped skewers, Takasaki was a little confused: "Neji, what are you doing? Did you come here specifically to get revenge on me, to eat skewers in front of me while I'm starving?"
"Takasaki-kun, I'm here to apologize to you!"
Neji didn't step inside but stood with his head bowed at Takasaki's wooden door, his Byakugan filled with apology: "Earlier at my house, I shouldn't have been so rude to you. You were clearly motivating Hinata to improve. Hinata is the Young Lady of our Hyuga Clan, and by helping Hinata, you are helping our entire Hyuga family. Yet I maliciously speculated about you. It was truly wrong. I feel ashamed of my actions. I'm sorry, Takasaki-kun!"
Takasaki was completely stunned, utterly confused.
That usually arrogant genius of the Hyuga Clan, who clearly disliked him, had actually come in person to his humble abode to apologize late at night?
What was going on?
Takasaki was indeed caught off guard, but he did hear something unusual.
Neji said he helped Hinata improve, which seemed to be the main reason.
Yet he truly didn't know how he had helped Hinata.
If anything, it should have been Hinata helping him; without Hinata acting as a tutor, his Chakra usage for Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique wouldn't have improved so easily.
Moreover, before he left the Hyuga Residence, he had tricked Neji three times. Logically speaking, it shouldn't have been Neji coming to his door to apologize.
Takasaki felt something was off: "Neji, I don't understand what you mean."
He said it, but...
Takasaki's gaze couldn't help but fix on the dozens of foil-wrapped skewers in Neji's hand.
The scent of Sichuan peppercorns and cumin wafted into Takasaki's nostrils with the night breeze, stimulating his brain nerves and releasing dopamine.
Already hungry, he found it truly hard to resist at that moment. He pointed at the skewers: "Neji, what is the meaning of this?"
He extended both hands forward: "This… this is my sincerity."
"For me to eat?"
"Of course! If it's not enough, I'll buy more."
The dozens of skewers wrapped in foil were piping hot, making Neji's palms tingle. Neji didn't mind in the slightest; compared to that, he was more afraid that Takasaki wouldn't accept his apology.
"Enough, enough, come in. I forgive you," Takasaki said with a warm smile, opening the wooden door completely.
He didn't know the exact reason for Neji's apology, but it didn't matter; he could ask later.
Neji was, after all, his future wife's cousin, so he had to give him face.
The most important thing right now was to fill his stomach.
Dinner from Hinata, late-night snack from Neji. He didn't spend a single coin. What more could he ask for?
Takasaki took the dozens of foil-wrapped skewers from Neji's hands and placed them on the wooden table in the room. Neji, however, remained standing at the door, looking guilty.
Born into a wealthy family, he naturally didn't know how alluring this barbecue was to Takasaki.
He spoke with a very reserved expression: "Takasaki-kun, have you truly forgiven me?"
"I have. Come in, let's eat and talk," Takasaki waved, inviting Neji inside.
Neji, however, still felt uneasy.
He had been scolded by Hyuga Hiashi and sent to apologize, arriving hastily, merely buying a barbecue from a street vendor as a token of sincerity.
In reality, the money spent on the barbecue was nothing to him.
As a result, Neji always felt his sincerity was insufficient.
"My home is a bit simple, please don't mind it. I'd like to move to a better house, but unfortunately, I don't have the money right now," Takasaki said casually, as if making small talk, as he pulled out two low stools and placed them by the table.
His casual remark, however, was taken very seriously by Neji, who was already feeling uneasy.
As Neji entered the house, he took a moment to observe Takasaki's living environment. It was indeed quite poor; his own bathroom was larger than Takasaki's living room.
The decor, of course, was incomparable.
His bathroom ceiling had a crystal chandelier, while Takasaki's living room only had a low-wattage screw-in light bulb, operated by a pull-cord switch.
Takasaki wanted to move to a better house?
Hearing this, Neji felt a little more at ease.
He knew how to apologize in a way that showed sincerity.
"Come sit, Neji."
Takasaki casually grabbed a skewer of grilled gluten and ate it, the spicy Sichuan peppercorn flavor hitting him hard: "Only by eating barbecue together can our friendship last forever."
"What? Eating barbecue together absolutely requires beer?"
Neji, who was deep in thought, stopped in his tracks: "Takasaki-kun, please wait for me. I'll go buy some beer."
With that, he turned and left.
Takasaki stared, dumbfounded: "What's with Neji, so preoccupied? I said 'friendship lasts forever,' and he thought I wanted him to buy beer?"
"The key is, he actually went."
"Good heavens, how guilty does he feel towards me right now?"
Takasaki vaguely sensed something was off. In the original plot, Neji was a very principled person with strong boundaries, always very arrogant. Why would he be so reserved now?
Suddenly coming to his house to apologize, his purpose might not just be an apology; there must be other reasons.
No problem.
They could talk about it properly later.
Takasaki initially thought Neji would return quickly, as beer could easily be bought at the night market street nearby.
It wasn't until he had waited for a full half hour that Neji returned with a pitcher of beer, and Takasaki felt a little puzzled: "Why did you take so long? The skewers are going to get cold."
Takasaki didn't bother with more small talk. He easily pried open the beer bottle cap with chopsticks, poured a cup into his disposable cup, and tilted his head back, gulping it down.
The cool, refreshing sensation fizzed in his mouth.
Getting a free barbecue and having someone bring you ice-cold beer.
So satisfying!
Neji, however, showed no intention of sitting down to eat the barbecue.
He stood in front of Takasaki and pulled out two anti-theft door keys and a property deed for a house in the Konoha commercial center from his pocket.
He had graduated from the Ninja Academy a year ago, completed many tasks for his clan, and accumulated substantial savings from Ninja missions and dispatched requests. He had enough money to buy a house.
He held the property deed in both hands and handed it to Takasaki: "Takasaki-kun, this is a gift for you, and also my sincerity. Please, you must accept it."
What was happening?
Takasaki felt completely caught off guard.
No wonder Neji took half an hour to buy beer; he had apparently bought a house as well.
The crucial thing was, the house was for him?!
Takasaki looked at Neji's sincere apologetic expression with suspicion, then at the property deed Neji was offering, and finally at the disposable wine glass in his own hand: "Am I drunk?"
Could such a good thing, like pie falling from the sky, truly exist?
Impossible!
Takasaki still felt something was off. Why was Neji suddenly so good to him?
So good that it made him a little scared.
Why him? Did he deserve it?
He had only agreed to eat barbecue with Neji, and Neji immediately gave him a house.
Even a simp proposing to his goddess wouldn't be this hasty.
As Takasaki observed Neji, he suddenly thought of something.
In the original plot, Neji didn't seem to have a female companion, nor did he show any hint of liking girls.
Takasaki suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and blurted out instinctively: "Neji, you're not trying to… fence with me, are you?"