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Three days after the night of the Uchiha massacre, the village still hadn't stopped buzzing.
At the academy, the news was on everyone's lips.
Neji slid into his seat just as Tenten hurried over, her face a mixture of curiosity and discomfort.
"Neji," she whispered, leaning in, "did that annoying Uchiha in our class... did he really...?"
She trailed off.
It was different hearing about random deaths on missions that were abstract and distant. But losing someone you'd seen laughing and shouting beside you every day, even if they were obnoxious, left a hollow ache.
Neji understood the feeling.
It was a primitive instinct sorrow for the fallen, fear for oneself.
He could have brushed it off.
He could have mocked the weakness.
But he didn't.
"Yeah," Neji said softly. "Only Sasuke survived. It happened so suddenly... it still feels unreal."
He offered a small, rueful smile.
"Even though that guy loved picking fights with me, I can't say I'm happy he's gone. It's... a little lonely."
The faint regret in his voice surprised Tenten. It mirrored her own emotions so perfectly that she instinctively reached out, patting his shoulder in comfort.
"Maybe this is our first real taste of what it means to be shinobi," she said quietly.
The loss was part of their future.
Every teacher had warned them, again and again.
Neji nodded.
That's why he trained relentlessly and why he studied medical ninjutsu as well.
To save who he could.
If he could.
The Hyuga's prized Byakugan, so suited for seeing internal structures and tracking chakra networks, had endless potential in healing arts.
Yet the clan stubbornly clung to ancient traditions, wasting their gift on nothing but close-combat techniques like the Gentle Fist.
'What a waste' Neji thought, a familiar irritation simmering in his chest.
The world has changed... but the Hyuga haven't.
Still, it wasn't worth arguing about.
Strength decided everything.
"You're studying medical ninjutsu?" Tenten asked, brightening a little. "That's amazing! Maybe one day you'll save me if I get hurt!"
Neji chuckled softly.
"Of course," he said. "But it would be better if you worked hard enough to never need saving."
Tenten flushed, smiling despite herself.
As she babbled about Lee's reckless training, Neji tuned her out a little, smiling internally.
She's too innocent.
She didn't yet realize it, but the strongest forces in this world were the underdogs.
The ones everyone mocked the dead last, the hopeless dreamers.
In the shinobi world, the losers rose faster than anyone.
When the bell rang for class, Tenten returned to her seat. Lee arrived a moment later, beaming and energetic as ever.
Neji glanced at him thoughtfully.
Lee might seem like a fool now.
But someday... he would be a storm.
'Just a little longer, and you'll be worth fighting seriously' Neji thought with a faint smirk.
The day passed in a quiet routine.
After escorting Hinata partway home, Neji veered off, heading toward his personal laboratory.
---
As she watched him leave, Hinata hesitated.
'Neji-nii-san... has been busy lately.'
He hadn't helped with her training as much these past few days.
Worry flickered across her face.
'Maybe… if I get stronger… I could help him someday.'
Resolve hardened in her small hands.
She would train harder than ever.
For him.
---
Meanwhile, Neji made a quick stop at the market, picking up supplies before returning to his hidden base.
Entering the house, he immediately scanned the rooms.
Nothing was out of place.
Good.
Izumi had obeyed his instructions, staying confined to the lower level.
He descended into the basement, carrying two bags.
Inside, he found Izumi perched awkwardly at a table, still wearing the experimental helmet.
She was flipping through one of the medical textbooks he'd left out.
At the sound of his approach, she snapped the book shut, stiffening like a child caught stealing cookies.
Neji raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
He simply set the bags down on the table.
"Have you eaten?"
Izumi fidgeted. "N-no... not yet."
Neji pulled out takeout boxes, the familiar aroma of Ichiraku ramen and fresh dango filling the room.
"I figured you'd be hungry. Come eat."
"...Okay," she said, voice small.
Still moving a little stiffly, Izumi shuffled over and sat down.
She bowed her head slightly.
"Itadakimasu," she murmured a prayer of gratitude before the meal and dug in.
Neji watched her for a moment.
She ate with unhidden hunger, scarfing down noodles with abandon.
Not surprising. Her injuries were healing, and she hadn't eaten properly for days.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"You didn't eat lunch?"
Izumi, mouth half-full of dango, shook her head.
"I was still too weak earlier... only just managed to get up."
She slurped another mouthful of noodles, clearly too hungry to worry about appearances.
Neji leaned back, mildly amused.
"...Tell me what you're good at," he said casually.
Izumi blinked, swallowing hastily.
"Mmm — taijutsu!" she blurted out between bites.
Of course.
Another close-range fighter.
Neji sighed internally.
'Why is everyone I pick up obsessed with hitting things?'
Still, it didn't matter much.
For now, he needed muscle not finesse.
"Finish your food. Afterward, keep studying the medical texts and work on your chakra control."
"If you can manage that," he added, "I'll teach you basic medical ninjutsu. And Earth Release."
Izumi's eyes widened slightly.
"Earth Release?"
"You'll need it for digging," Neji said flatly.
"And for helping expand this place."
Her expression darkened, but she nodded silently.
Burying the past beneath new responsibilities was probably the best medicine for her right now.
Neji watched her carefully.
Good.
No dramatics.
No self-pity.
She was already adapting.
"I'll teach you two basic Earth jutsu once you're ready," Neji continued."One liquefies soil into mud. The other hardens it into bricks."
Izumi gaped at him.
"You invented those?!"
He shrugged.
"Not really. Just tweaked some existing techniques. It's not hard."
Izumi stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
Not hard...?
Modifying jutsu was supposed to be extremely difficult.
It required a deep understanding of both chakra theory and practical application.
But for Neji, it seemed to come as naturally as breathing.
He made it sound so simple so effortless that it almost hurt to hear.
"You'll understand in time," Neji said calmly, jotting down a few notes in a ledger. "The Hyuga cling to old ways, but power comes from adaptation."
"Got it," Izumi said, bowing her head respectfully.
She ate the last of her ramen slowly, her thoughts racing.
He was serious.
He really meant to rebuild everything himself, his power, even her from scratch.
'This is what a true prodigy looks like...' she thought.
Someone who remakes the world, one careful piece at a time.
Neji stood, packing away the empty containers.
Before leaving, he pointed toward the cabinet and a small adjoining door.
"There's food inside. The other rooms are for private needs. Use them as necessary."
His bluntness made Izumi flush faintly.
Only now did she remember her clothes, her bandages...
Neji must have taken care of everything while she was unconscious.
She lowered her head, hiding the deepening blush on her pale cheeks.
"Rest for another day," Neji said. "Once you're stable, you can move around the house but not open the windows. No unnecessary noise."
Izumi nodded quickly.
She understood perfectly.
One misstep, and her "death" would be exposed.
Satisfied, Neji turned toward the stairs.
"I have school tomorrow," he said, almost offhandedly.
Izumi blinked, suddenly struck again by the absurdity of it all.
This terrifying, brilliant boy... still just a student.
She watched him disappear up the staircase, the faintest smile playing on her lips.
Maybe this really is a golden cage.
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