Chinya was incredibly surprised when he saw Neji Hyuga activate his Byakugan.
He actually awakened it at such a young age.
But soon, Chinya understood.
The Caged Bird seal had limited many Hyuga talents, eventually turning them into average mediocrities.
And for Neji, bearing the Caged Bird seal yet still becoming a genius fully proved how extraordinary his talent truly was.
A slight smile curved Chinya's lips.
The cage that held the bird had finally been broken. Now the bird would freely soar through the sky without any restrictions.
Feeling that his Caged Bird seal had been removed, Neji's voice choked slightly with emotion as he thanked Chinya: "Thank you so much, Teacher!"
Chinya waved dismissively and said, "Alright, no need to say things like that again. I'll teach you the [Release] method of the Caged Bird seal too. Whether you want to use it or can use it in the future will all be your own decision.
However, let me warn you—one must never reveal this while lacking absolute strength. Otherwise, you'd face pursuit and assassination from the entire Hyuga Clan, even Konoha itself.
Because Konoha needs the Hyuga Clan, and the [Release] method of the Caged Bird seal is enough to cause complete upheaval within the Hyuga Clan. Therefore, once exposed, your situation would become extremely dangerous.
Now that your Caged Bird seal has been removed, I haven't erased the mark on your forehead to prevent others from discovering that the seal has been lifted."
Neji solemnly replied, "I understand, Teacher!"
Then Chinya tossed Neji a scroll: "This contains [Gentle Fist] technique. Memorize everything inside, then destroy it."
Clapping his hands together, Chinya declared, "Alright then! It's time to begin our real training, Neji. Get ready—my teaching style is extremely strict, and learning breathing techniques is a painfully grueling process. Kakashi also nearly died when he trained in the breathing technique."
Seeming to recall something amusing, Chinya suddenly burst into laughter.
However, Chinya's sudden laughter sent a cold shiver down both Neji's and Sōnagi's spines.
They had a feeling that the upcoming days probably wouldn't be easy.
...
Evening.
Neji dragged his exhausted body back to the Hyuga Clan Grounds.
Originally, Neji had expected some trouble upon returning to the clan grounds, but surprisingly, he made it smoothly all the way home.
Neji went directly to his room to find Hizashi Hyuga.
"Father."
Hizashi stared at Neji in astonishment: "Neji, what happened to your face? Why are you wrapping it so tightly? Can you even breathe normally like that?"
Neji frowned unhappily: "That's exactly the point—it makes breathing difficult. This is part of my training."
Due to oxygen deprivation, Neji felt dizzy and disoriented.
Fortunately for him today, Chinya hadn't immediately started Neji's training. He was given one night to adjust—same as what Kakashi experienced back then. Except during meals and drinking water, he absolutely could not take it off.
In other words, tomorrow marked the real beginning of hell.
Neji couldn't even bring himself to think about what tomorrow would be like.
Hyuga Hizashi smiled as he looked at the unhappy expression on Hyuga Neji's face. "If that's what your teacher said, then there's nothing we can do about it."
Neji pointed at his forehead, which was once again covered by cloth. "Father, it's already been released."
Hizashi reached out and gently touched Neji's forehead. "Released, huh? I guess it really is better this way... yeah, better..."
Relief, resignation, nostalgia, and quiet joy flickered across Hizashi's eyes.
Neji lowered his head. His voice came out muffled because of the thick mask over his face. "Father, I don't understand why you refuse to change."
Hizashi paused briefly before realizing what Neji was referring to. He replied with a hint of sadness, "Neji, everyone has their own beliefs. You can think of me as stubborn or inflexible. Just keep learning from your teacher well, and don't end up like me. I believe that one day, you will become an outstanding ninja."
Neji raised his head and stared directly into Hizashi's eyes, his gaze firm. "I will never end up like my father. At the same time, I will definitely make you change your mind!"
For a moment, Hizashi was taken aback, then he burst into hearty laughter. "Good. Then I'll be looking forward to it."
...
Days passed one by one.
Neji and Uzumaki Sōnagi's training had fallen into a routine, proceeding exactly as Chinya envisioned.
Two months later.
Neji was holding a Ninja Sword, practicing sword swings. Sōnagi was working on basic ninjutsu.
Chinya was supervising their training, pointing out mistakes immediately whenever something wasn't done right.
Nearby, just behind a patch of grass not far from where Chinya stood, a small head peeked out curiously, watching Neji and Sōnagi train.
Chinya naturally had already noticed the child.
The kid was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.
Actually, Naruto had already been secretly watching for quite some time, but Chinya pretended not to notice.
At this point, Naruto's life was almost identical to his previous path—facing prejudice throughout Konoha.
Chinya occasionally visited and supported Naruto.
But not with money, because even if money was given, Naruto couldn't use it—no one wanted to sell him anything.
Instead, Chinya bought plenty of food and filled Naruto's refrigerator.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Naruto frequently, continuously passing on the Will of Fire.
Previously, Chinya had promised Hiruzen that he could interact with Naruto to a certain extent, as long as he reported in beforehand—but under the condition that Chinya would never reveal Naruto's true identity. Still uneasy, Hiruzen continued visiting Naruto often, consistently passing along the ideals of the Will of Fire.
Additionally, every time Chinya met Naruto, Hiruzen would watch them closely using the Telescope Technique.
Sure enough, today was no different.
Now that Naruto had appeared here, Chinya immediately felt a sense of being watched.
Each time Hiruzen Sarutobi started his watch, Chinya would put Neji Hyuga and Uzumaki Sōnagi through basic drills, just to keep Hiruzen from picking up on anything odd about Neji.
After all, Neji had already started mastering the Gentle Fist — a move exclusive to the Hyuga Main Family.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention to Neji during Hiruzen's watchful eye over Naruto Uzumaki's antics, Chinya always had them drill the basics.
But this couldn't go on forever — it was seriously disrupting their training progress.
Chinya sighed deeply. It looked like he'd have to talk to Naruto after all.
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