The Hyuga clan's residential complex was vast, almost like a village within Konoha itself. Wide courtyards connected simple houses, each housing families who shared the same blood and destiny. The silence there held a weight, broken only by the distant sound of birds and the gentle wind gliding through the trees.
Neji walked through the gates without exchanging a word with anyone. The guards, also from the secondary branch, merely looked away for a few seconds, with a mixture of respect and empathy. Then they returned to their positions as if nothing had happened.
His house was small: one bedroom, a simple kitchen, and a bathroom. Since his father's death, he had been forced to live alone there. This isolation had only fueled the resentment the young Hyuuga had harbored.
For Li Shang, however, it was perfect.
'The smaller, the better. I spent years in damp, cold caves, living on hatred and the will to survive. Compared to that, this place is almost paradise.'
He sat silently in the center of the room, meditating. He waited for an elder or even Hiashi to call out to him, but nothing happened. The clan's indifference to his plight was complete.
'Excellent. Looks like I don't have to worry about anyone watching me.'
The next morning, he decided to explore. He went to the Hyuuga's secluded training grounds, a vast space surrounded by high walls and trees that muffled the sound of blows. There, he would be alone to test the limits of this new body.
He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the unique energy coursing through his veins. It was different from qi, but the essence was the same: power flowing through his body. He forced his concentration, following Neji's memories.
Suddenly, he felt something snap in his eyes. The veins around them pulsated, and his vision transformed. The walls disappeared, the trees opened into transparency. He saw the flow of chakra coursing through the trunks, through the hidden insects, even through small human forms passing in the distance.
"So... this is the Byakugan."
His heart skipped a beat, not from surprise, but from the sheer scope of it. The sight was absolute. He couldn't remember any cultivator from his previous life possessing anything so refined.
He walked to one of the wooden logs erected for training and assumed the Juuken stance. He moved slowly, striking imaginary points. Each palm produced a gentle, controlled impact, targeting invisible meridians.
After dozens of repetitions, he lowered his arms. His gaze hardened.
'This is powerful against mortals. But against a true cultivator...'
Memories of his past life surfaced in his mind. As soon as cultivators completed the first realm of cultivation, theBody RefinementEach stage of this realm purified the body. Bones hardened like iron, muscles dense as stone, skin capable of withstanding blades.
'A simple touch wouldn't be able to penetrate that level of defense. The Juuken is formidable against frail bodies, but in the face of a cultivator at the peak of refinement, it would be useless.'
He took a deep breath, adjusting his mind.
'In the second realm, the Core Realm, the difference became even greater. A cultivator with a formed core possessed such vast energy reserves that clogging meridians with mere touches would be impossible.'
Clenching his fists, Li Shang struck the trunk harder, the impact echoing across the empty field.
'If I want to survive in this world, I can't rely solely on this clan's techniques. I need to combine my cultivation knowledge with this power called chakra. Only then will I achieve something that surpasses both.'
He returned to the lotus position, still in the field, letting the Byakugan slowly deactivate. The flow of energy in his body now seemed sharper, more malleable.
A slight smile appeared on his lips.
'This body is a perfect foundation. If the old world gave me chains, this new one has given me the key to break them.'
The sky was already tinged with orange hues when Neji left the training grounds. His body still pulsed after five hours of silent cultivation. His clear eyes reflected determination as he walked back home. The first thing he did was plunge into a cold shower, washing away the sweat and tension.
Dressed simply, he set out again, this time to explore the village.
In inherited memories, Neji was called "the genius of the Hyuuga clan." Among the gennin, he was reputed to be the strongest of his generation. However, to Li Shang, it almost sounded like a joke.
'The strength of a genius? This Juuken... is nothing more than a refined trick. In the face of cultivators fighting for their lives or deaths, it would be worthless.'
His gaze hardened.
'What I need now is simple: cultivate. Break through the first realm, purify my body. If I reach that level, I will have security in the short term.'
TheFirst Kingdom – Body Refinement.
For him, it was the basics. Even the worst cultivator could complete it in two years. Young talents from major sects, supported by rare resources, could pass this stage in just a few months.
'Unfortunately... the concentration of energy in this world is too scattered. There is no abundant qi like in the mountains of my past. This place is too empty.'
Despite his dissatisfaction, there was something he learned early on: where there is power, there is always a way to find it. So he changed his path untilpublic library of Konoha.
The interior was quiet, the scent of ancient parchments mingling with the scent of polished wood. Massive bookshelves lined the walls, laden with books chronicling the village's history, traditions, and lore.
Li Shang calmly browsed the shelves. A cultivator sought not only strength in his fist, but also knowledge.
After flipping through dozens of irrelevant pages, his eyes landed on one passage. A historical account describing how shinobi survived on the front lines of war.
"...with the strength of their will, the brave ninjas of Konoha fought day and night, sustaining themselves only with ration pills, developed to maintain vital energy and resistance even in prolonged battles."
Neji looked up thoughtfully.
'Pills...?'
For any cultivator, words carried weight. Herbs, elixirs, pills. These were the pillars for transcending limits. If this world possessed something equivalent, then perhaps it had found an answer to the lack of natural energy.
He approached the counter, where a young, dark-haired clerk was arranging scrolls of parchment. Her eyes were wide, and there was a distinct shyness in her movements.
"Excuse me," Neji said, his voice calm and steady. "Those ration pills... where can I find them?"
The girl looked up in surprise. For a moment, her lips opened and closed without sound, until, embarrassed, she stammered,
"A-ah... these pills... s-are sold... usually... in shops run by the Akimichi clan."
Neji raised an eyebrow.
'Clã Akimichi... Choji.'
He remembered the chubby boy he'd seen a few times before graduating from the academy. He'd never paid him any attention, but now the name echoed in his mind like a possible key.
He thanked her briefly and turned to leave.
The attendant followed him with her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed. She thought to herself as her heart beat faster:
'That was... Neji Hyuuga? He's so beautiful... he doesn't seem real.'
Outside, Li Shang walked with firm steps. The sky was already dark, illuminated only by the lanterns lit on the village streets.
"So that's it. If this clan truly masters these pills, perhaps there's a way to refine energy more efficiently. Even if they're just ninja supplements, to me they can be used as spiritual crystals."
His cold gaze rose to the stars, which shone above the peaceful village.
'Juuken, Byakugan, chakra... all of these can be useful. But what really matters is turning this world into my foundation. This time, I won't just break through Body Refinement in months... I'll surpass any limit. Divine Realm...'
The wind blew, blowing away the silence. Fate had given him a clue. And for someone who had already survived hell, that was more than enough.
[Author's Note:
This story was originally written in Portuguese, so there may be some translation errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix them. Thank you for reading!]