Time passed quickly; a year had gone by since the Ninja Academy, and Neji was now seven years old.
Dressed in white robes with his straight hair flowing down his back, Neji looked like a miniature adult.
However, the white blindfold on his head made everyone who saw him for the first time feel a deep sense of pity.
Even without eyes, the Hyuga Clan member's performance at the Ninja Academy was beyond what ordinary people could achieve.
Even though Neji didn't train too hard, as a normal Transmigrator, he knew why most Ninja had short lifespans—not just because of war.
It was more due to excessive training at a young age and refining Chakra too early and too much.
Even though people in this world had stronger vitality, they couldn't be over-exploited.
However, with only moderate exercise, his strength was already beyond what mere civilian Ninja could keep up with.
His Rank had already reached Five, and the experience gained from training and sparring was simply too scarce.
But his Mind's Eye had been cultivated to be very powerful, and he had completely mastered Life Return... In front of the Yamanaka Family flower shop.
Today was Hizashi's memorial day, so Neji picked out a few suitable flowers and paid for them.
"Thank you, Aunt Yamanaka, and also Ino-senpai!"
Neji received the flowers from little Ino's hand, very politely, which pleased everyone.
Even after walking some distance, Neji could still hear Ino's mother praising him.
"That child Neji is so polite, it's just a shame, if only it hadn't been for... sigh!"
Matters of great Families were not easy to discuss; even their smaller Families had some unspeakable difficulties.
Ino, however, tilted her head, looking at Neji's retreating figure, curious about this senior who was often mentioned by the adults.
Arriving at the cemetery, Neji looked at his father's tombstone, placing the fresh flowers before it.
He gently removed his blindfold, took out the fake eyes, leaving behind tightly closed, sunken eyelids.
He murmured to himself, "Two years have passed, and I am doing very well."
"These fake eyes, simulating Meridians and Chakra flow for so long, are enough to deal with the Byakugan's peep , it's time to recover."
In reality, no one would use Byakugan on him because it would be impolite, but due to sparring and other issues, he had made full preparations.
During this time, he learned Medical Ninjutsu through Hiashi's guilt.
He studied the Meridians of the eyes, step by step filling the fake eyes with simulated Meridian flow Chakra, making them indistinguishable from real ones.
To others, he said it was to restore normal vision, to fulfill his promise to his father to become stronger.
After all, restoring vision with artificial eyes was a known possibility, so Hiashi strongly supported him.
With all the prerequisites met, Neji didn't hesitate and began his recovery.
After all, he had mastered Life Return from the Pirate World, which allowed him to control any part of his body by infusing his consciousness.
And restoring missing body parts, the original [Life Return] might not have been able to do it.
But now... Neji whispered softly, "The special nature of Chakra, combined with the Yang-attribute Chakra of Medical Ninjutsu, is finally enough for me to recover my eyes. Any further delay would not be good for future development."
He crushed the fake eyes in his hand, and Chakra began to circulate, causing an unbearable itching as granulation tissue continuously formed in his eye sockets.
With his head down and hands covering his eyes, Chakra was rapidly consumed, and in his eye sockets, a pair of Byakugan gradually recovered.
Being truly blind and pretending to be blind are two different psychological states; who would willingly lose their sight!
As long as there wasn't the [Caged Bird Seal], that dog chain that could control life and death, it was fine!
A low hum escaped Neji's lips; that indescribable itch was truly a form of torture.
However, it all passed quickly, and a pair of brand new Byakugan appeared in Neji's eye sockets.
His tightly closed eyes wept, tears mixed with traces of clotted blood, flowing out as bloody tears, which Neji gently wiped away.
Only after putting on his blindfold again did Neji dare to look up, no longer turning his back to the sun.
His newly formed eyes were very delicate, so they couldn't be exposed to overly strong light.
He lived within the Hyuga Clan Estate, making recovery there impossible.
So he chose the cemetery, before his father's tomb, as a form of remembrance.
Neji, with his eyes restored, felt no excessive joy, as this was all a given.
Moreover, although his eyes had recovered, he couldn't use them yet, maintaining his persona as a sightless person.
Neji stood before Hizashi's tomb for a long time, in silence, thinking to himself, "It's time to start laying out my plans. In others' eyes, I am still blind."
Clearing away all traces, even the bloody tears, Neji then left the cemetery.
After all, having the ability to recover and not doing so would be foolish; who would enjoy that colorless world?
After all, his Kenbunshoku Haki had only been cultivated for a short time and had not yet reached the level of visual projection like Usopp or Katakuri.
He truly envied that little girl on Skypiea, with her innate and incredibly powerful Mind's Eye... Within the Hyuga Clan Estate, at Hiashi's home.
In the dojo-like training room, Neji, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, sat opposite Hiashi, with little Hinata secretly peeking from outside the door.
"Clan Leader, I wish to use my father's inheritance!" Neji said to Hiashi, neither humble nor arrogant.
This caused Hiashi's brow to furrow slightly, looking at Neji with some confusion.
Although Neji was very opinionated and precocious, as his uncle and guardian, he still needed to inquire about the reason.
"Give me a reason!"
"I need a laboratory and a stable source of income."
Neji stated his purpose; he had been laying the groundwork for many things over the past year.
Medical Ninjutsu, restoring normal human vision, and the promise to his father to become stronger.
All interconnected, without any reason for suspicion. As for being overly precocious, was that so rare in this world?
Could only the Uchiha Clan produce Geniuses, but not the Hyuga Clan?
"So, what do you plan to use your father's inheritance for?" Hiashi continued to ask.
The reason was clearly acceptable, but how and for what it would be used still needed Hiashi's approval; he would never allow Neji to misuse it.
"To purchase two properties: one for a personal laboratory, and the other to open a shop!"
"Open a shop?" Hiashi raised an eyebrow, looking at Neji with a hint of displeasure.
He said earnestly, "Neji, opening a shop isn't as easy as you imagine, so..."
Slap!
A business plan was placed before him by Neji, interrupting his heartfelt advice.
"This is my plan and the shop I intend to open. Please review it, Clan Leader. I also welcome Family investment."
Hiashi looked at Neji; it seemed this wasn't a momentary whim, but something he had prepared for a long time.
He opened the business plan, and the words "Hot Pot" immediately caught his eye. This rather novel term piqued his interest.
Neji sat quietly. Hot pot restaurants had long been overused in various novels, but most people still used them.
This indicated one thing: it was effective, simple as that.
Don't fear old tropes, as long as they eat it, it's a good trope.
The hot pot restaurant was the same: simple, convenient, guaranteed taste, suitable for gatherings, and expenses could range from small to large.
No one could refuse hot pot, because the taste was addictive, and there was no feeling of being tired of it. As long as there were enough types of ingredients, there was nothing that hot pot couldn't handle.
There would always be a few dishes you liked, as well as corresponding soup bases.
After all, the basic hot pot base recipes, those things, were no secret in his previous life; they could be found anywhere.
They were already sufficient for this place, as they didn't yet have such novel flavors.
It must be said that those who enforce rules are not necessarily enemies; it merely reflects reality.
Setting aside whether the Caged Bird Seal contained personal malice, its essence was still to protect the Clan members.
As for whether controlling life and death was personal malice, Kishimoto didn't say, so it's unclear. Any interpretation is fine; there's no need to argue.