On the training ground, Team 9 gathered before Maito Gai. The sensei maintained his usual confident posture, hands on hips, and a radiant smile. But unlike the usual noisy atmosphere of training and motivational speeches, the morning carried a different tension.
"Neji, I know your situation is complicated, but it's been over two months since our team received any missions. Unfortunately, I couldn't delay this any longer."
Gai held up a scroll before them, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Li Shang stepped forward, his expression neutral. His eyes narrowed on the Konoha official seal.
'Rank C mission, nothing special.'
He opened the scroll and read silently. Escorting a merchant caravan. Simple, straightforward. But also the first significant mission since inheriting Neji's body. Before his accident, according to the memories, this team had spent months on trivial tasks within the village. Cleaning, deliveries, unimportant vigils. The first C-rank mission outside the village had ended well, but then Neji was hospitalized.
Li Shang closed the scroll and returned it to Gai.
"No problem," he said, his voice calm, serious, and polite.
He tried to behave as Neji would, but there was still a difference. Li Shang was a centuries-old cultivator. He had learned the hard way that expressing emotions was a dangerous burden. In the days he was tortured, any sign of weakness was used against him. And now, that habit of coldness was reflected in every word, every restrained look.
Gai smiled in satisfaction, as if he had heard exactly what he wanted.
"Perfect! You have thirty minutes to get ready and meet me at the village gate!"
Neji was the first to turn and leave, walking with firm, silent steps. His three companions remained behind, watching him go.
Tenten crossed her arms, biting her lower lip lightly. Her eyes followed his silhouette until it disappeared from view.
"Really... Neji changed after the accident. He seems so calm..."
It was strange. The Neji of before had been cold, but there was a latent anger within it, a bitterness that always revealed itself in his words. Now, though still distant, there was something different: the calm wasn't arrogance, but conviction. This worried her more than she cared to admit.
Rock Lee broke the silence, staring at his master with a look full of concern.
"Gai-sensei... is Neji in danger?"
He couldn't hide his discomfort. Even though he appreciated this "new" side of his companion, the change was too great not to raise suspicions. Lee was simple, but his heart grasped nuances that others overlooked.
Gai gave a thumbs-up, beaming as always.
"It'll be okay, Lee! Don't forget, youth blossoms even after the storm! Neji has only matured through his experiences. It's up to us to support him on his journey!"
Despite the contagious energy, neither Tenten nor Lee could fully convince themselves. Something in Neji had truly changed, and it wasn't just mental scars.
Meanwhile, a few meters away, Li Shang walked silently along the road that would take him back to the clan to prepare.
[Crack... crack...]
The sound of burning logs echoed through the trees, the flames dancing in the light night wind. The caravan was stopped in a wide clearing, surrounded by dozens of campfires. The merchants were making makeshift tents with tarps and ropes, some already asleep, others talking quietly.
The journey had been long, but there were only two days left until the destination.
Neji sat on a high branch, his eyes closed, his Byakugan active. His breathing was calm and deep, and on the outside he looked like a boy resting. Inside, his chakra flow was perfectly balanced by his newly completed foundation in Body Refinement.
"Neji, let's switch."
Lee's excited voice broke the silence. He appeared at the foot of the tree, balancing on one foot.
Neji slowly opened his eyes and replied in a calm tone:
"It's okay, Lee. I'll keep watch during the trip, it's great exercise for me."
Lee smiled, but the worry was visible.
"Let me know if you want to rest. Don't push yourself too hard. Rest is also part of training."
Neji just nodded in agreement, but internally he despised the idea.
'Sleep relieves mental fatigue, but every minute lost is one less step on the path of cultivation.'
Lee walked away, satisfied, and the night continued in silence.
It was then that Neji suddenly opened his eyes. The Byakugan revealed figures moving through the forest, snaking through the shadows toward the camp.
He stood up slowly, his cold gaze illuminated by the flames of the fires.
"Twenty of them... all with gennin-level chakra flow."
A cold smile crossed his face.
"Great for a test."
He had already completed the first level of Body Refinement the day before. His bones were dense, his skin tighter, his muscles tighter. He needed to consolidate this new strength in actual combat.
When he warned Gai, the sensei had already noticed the movement. The jounin's gaze fell on his disciple in silence.
'So he really was always awake, keeping watch...?'
Gai had known Neji since he was little. He had never wasted time on anything other than the Juuken. But during the entire trip, he hadn't trained even once during his downtime, simply remaining motionless in meditation. This intrigued Gai deeply.
Still, he maintained his firm stance.
"I will protect the civilians of the caravan. You guys, hold off the enemies."
Team 9 threw themselves into the fight.
Shurikens sliced through the air from Tenten's precise hands. Lee advanced like a hurricane of kicks, each blow felling enemies who, even in greater numbers, could not confidently approach. It took only two mercenaries to fall wounded for the rest to falter.
When one of them fell unconscious from Lee's kick, the boy was already preparing his next move... until a guttural scream echoed.
"Aaaaaaaaaargh"
Everyone stopped for a moment.
Neji stood, a kunai embedded in his opponent's heart. His face remained calm, impassive, as if he'd just squashed a bug. He withdrew his hand just as coldly, tossing the corpse aside.
Before the shock had subsided, he repeated the act. The second victim fell to the same fate. The third death followed, his body falling lifeless to the ground, covered in blood.
The remaining enemies froze in fear. Then, in panic, they began to scream and run through the forest. But Neji didn't let them escape. He advanced like a shadow, followed one of them, and with a clean movement, slit his throat. The man fell silent, while the others scattered in despair.
It was at that moment that Gai appeared beside him. His usual smile had disappeared, replaced by a serious, heavy gaze.
"Neji... what are you doing? The mission was to protect the caravan."
Neji looked up, surprised by the rebuke. He didn't understand his mistake.
"Did I let any of the civilians die?"
Gai narrowed his eyes, but found no resentment in the boy's gaze. Only coldness.
"Why did you kill your enemies in cold blood?"
Neji frowned in disbelief.
"Is it forbidden to kill enemies? Wasn't the mission to protect the caravan? If they escape, they can prepare an ambush further ahead, gather more people... even more powerful people."
Silence fell heavily between the two. Gai took a deep breath.
He knew the logic was correct. He'd been a shinobi too long to deny that death was common on missions. But the way Neji acted... without hesitation, without emotion, without even a hint of regret... that was what shook him.
He watched the boy for a second longer, his heart sinking.
'Really... he's changed. Damn Hiashi. The trauma these ridiculous Hyuuga clan customs inflicted... transformed my student into someone unrecognizable.'
Gai looked away at the corpses, the fire from the clearing reflecting off the fresh blood on the ground.
And for the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to say to his student.
[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!]