A connection?
Me? And... this Taki Chiba?
Neji Hyuga's eyes widened slightly, and a look of astonishment slowly surfaced on his face. His heart was filled with bewilderment.
"Me?"
At the same time, his lips parted, and that single question-filled word escaped him with undisguised shock.
What connection could there possibly be between him and me? The question naturally rose in his mind.
A connection with Neji? A connection close enough to warrant private instruction?
At that moment, Tenten also paused mid-snack. She blinked, her eyes filled with curiosity and disbelief.
To be honest, she knew something about Neji's family situation.
Although Neji belonged to the Hyuga Clan and had the clan behind him, he was essentially an orphan. Both his parents were dead, and he did not associate with anyone in the clan. Other than the routine matters required of the branch family, he spent nearly all his time training diligently and had no contact with his clansmen.
Moreover, Neji had confessed to her that night. Though he appeared to have grown up beneath the clan's glory as a genius of the Hyuga Clan, in reality, he was merely an orphan with no family to rely on.
From Neji's expression at the time, Tenten felt that everything he had said was true.
And since he had no family left, what connection could he possibly have with this Taki Chiba, whom she had never even heard of? To be honest, Tenten did not think there was any such connection.
But since Taki Chiba had said so, there must have been some relationship between them.
This ninja looked about the same age as her teacher, but he possessed unimaginable strength. He had spent years carrying out missions outside the village and was deeply trusted and valued by Konoha.
Tenten could not