Naruto devoured the dish with the haste of someone unsure of when his next meal would come. Between bites, his blue eyes flicked to Neji. The suspicious look was as evident as the steam rising from the bowl.
'Did he really lose his memory?'
Naruto knew that face. Cold, indifferent, always filled with arrogance. But now, sitting across from him, Neji ate calmly, almost relaxedly, without the irritation or superiority of before.
Naruto recognized looks. He'd spent his entire life facing the same ones, full of contempt. But what he saw now was different: Neji didn't despise him. He was calm, but distant, as if he were somewhere else.
"So... you want to know about my mission?" Naruto's voice came out lower than he intended.
"Of course."
Neji responded with a smile, but Naruto saw through it immediately. It wasn't genuine. Something about that expression sounded mechanical, practiced.
Taking a deep breath, the blond leaned against the counter and began to speak.
"Our mission was just a C-Rank escort. A simple builder from the Land of Waves... but then Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, appeared, hired to kill the builder."
Naruto spoke hesitantly at first, but as he remembered the details, his voice became firmer. His eyes shone, and soon he was smiling as if reliving every moment. It was like recounting the greatest achievement of his life.
Neji, or rather Li Shang, watched silently, occasionally asking questions to show interest.
"This Haku guy seems really strong. How did you defeat him?"
The question made Naruto freeze for a moment. His eyes drifted to the bowl, and his smile faded a bit.
"It was... a team effort."
Li Shang didn't need Byakugan to understand the lie. The signs were all there.
'He's hiding something. It's hard to believe a boy like that could have defeated someone with true power. Despite that... his internal energy is greater than most. Wild, almost alive.'
"Thank you for the meal."
Neji stood up, leaving coins on the counter. As he passed Naruto, who was still devouring his plate, he spoke unhurriedly:
"We could train any day. You must be very strong after so much training and battles."
Naruto looked up in surprise, but before he could answer, Neji was already out the door.
Back in his simple room in the Hyuuga compound, Li Shang sat in the lotus position. The room was silent, broken only by the distant sound of night crickets. He opened the small box and removed a ration pill.
He watched it for a few seconds before swallowing.
'Is it some hidden power? Perhaps a special physique?'
He closed his eyes, sinking into meditation.
In his past life, he had met cultivators with divine physiques, descendants of sacred beasts, or heirs to ancient bloodlines. Many of them tried to kill him simply for practicing the technique he wielded. Some possessed bodies so unique that their mere presence altered the flow of energy around them.
Naruto's chakra... was like this.
'It's not just big. It's raw, wild, almost alive. As if a beast is roaring inside, trying to escape.'
Li Shang frowned. The memory of old rumors flashed through his mind. Stories he'd heard in his new body. The nine-tailed fox. The beast that nearly destroyed Konoha.
'Could it be... related to that ridiculous rumor? Demon Fox Reincarnation?'
He chuckled softly, without opening his eyes.
"Ridiculous or not... if it's true, this kid is even more interesting than I thought."
The pill's energy coursed through his meridians. The Heart of the Celestial Devourer activated on its own, devouring the scattered chakra and refining it into purer energy.
Deep within his mind, the currents of his inner sea trembled, but the crimson flame burned brighter.
"Eurgh!"
Li Shang opened his eyes suddenly, wrinkling his nose. A putrid smell permeated the room, heavy and suffocating. He sat up in bed and looked down at himself. A slimy, black film covered his skin, oozing in spots and even staining the mattress.
For a moment, any ordinary person would have felt nothing but disgust. But the smile that spread across Li Shang's face was the opposite of that.
'My body has expelled many impurities.'
The fetid slime was concrete proof that another stage of Body Refinement had been completed. The body was discarding toxins and weaknesses, making room for denser muscles and stronger bones.
'Just a month ago, I woke up in this world after my death... and I've already reached the third stage of Body Refinement. For a world with so little natural energy, that's an astonishing speed.'
He stood, stretching his arms. The energy in his meridians flowed easily, clean and refined.
'These ration pills were a godsend. Without them, my progress would have been much slower.'
The smell, however, was unbearable. Li Shang tore off his impurity-covered clothes and, with a swift movement, activated a combustion technique. The clothes turned into nearly invisible ash, dissipating into the air.
Still naked, he calmly left the room and walked to the bathroom.
It was at that moment that a scream echoed in the hallway.
"Aaaah!"
He turned his head, confused.
Hinata stood a few feet away, motionless, staring at him with wide eyes and a face as red as a ripe apple. Her lips opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Her body trembled slightly, but her eyes… didn't waver.
For a moment, the silence stretched on, heavy and awkward.
"Sorry, Hinata. I didn't know you had a visitor."
His voice sounded calm, as if nothing was wrong. Li Shang turned around unhurriedly, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
Outside, Hinata remained motionless, her hands pressed against her chest, her heart beating like a drum. She murmured in a low, almost inaudible voice:
"S-so big..."
Her face burned with embarrassment, but still she couldn't get the scene out of her mind.
Inside the bathroom, cold water began to wash over Li Shang's body, washing away the putrid odor and dark coating. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
After his shower, Li Shang emerged from the bathroom with a clean body and a clearer mind. He dressed calmly, unhurriedly, and found Hinata still in the hallway. The girl stood there, her head lowered, her fingers clasped nervously in front of her. The blush on her cheeks hadn't faded, and her eyes wavered between staring at the floor and turning toward him.
She murmured almost voicelessly, as if she was still fighting her own shame.
"Y-you have a visitor..."
Li Shang raised an eyebrow, walking closer.
"Visit? From a teammate, perhaps?"
Hinata clenched her hands tighter, took a deep breath, and replied, not daring to raise her head:
"It's... it's Naruto."
Li Shang paused for a moment in surprise.
"Naruto?"
[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!]