Hearing Neji's account, no matter how proud Sasuke was or how much he wanted to refute it, he could not say a word. The truth was that, while in perfect condition, he had been casually knocked to the ground by a single move from Neji. That ironclad fact plunged Sasuke into self-doubt, and he kept asking himself, Have I not done enough? Have I truly been wasting my years? Can I still take my revenge?
Seeing Sasuke trembling all over and constantly muttering questions to himself, Neji felt somewhat helpless. The Uchiha Clan really was full of obsessive lunatics. Why were they so quick to go to extremes?
Not allowing Sasuke to continue doubting himself, Neji gave a low shout that startled him awake, then said solemnly, "I can make you stronger in the shortest time possible. I am confident that, at the same age, that man would not be my opponent."
Those simple words fell upon Sasuke's self-doubting ears like a ray of dawn in the darkness, instantly letting him see hope.
With the light back in his eyes, Sasuke urgently asked, "What do I need to do? As long as I can defeat that man, I can give anything! Anything!"
Neji gestured for the agitated Sasuke, who had already risen to his feet, to sit down. "I can help you become stronger," he said gravely, "but I need a large amount of money!"
Hearing that all he needed was money, Sasuke slowly let out a breath of relief. Since the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, Sasuke, as the sole remaining Uchiha, had naturally and legally inherited all the family assets. Though the total would certainly have shrunk somewhat, the amount was still not to be underestimated. There was nearly five hundred million ryo in cash and close to 1.7 billion ryo in fixed assets. If that fortune belonged to one person, he could absolutely be called one of the wealthiest people in Konoha—perhaps even the wealthiest.
Hearing Sasuke name the figures, even Neji was stunned. What a perfect sugar daddy!
Neji immediately and earnestly explained his cultivation theories and practical methods. Once he was done, he sincerely invited Sasuke to visit his home often to spar with him. He guaranteed that he would help Sasuke improve in a targeted manner, and that a year from now, Sasuke's strength would be more than ten times what it was now.
And the price was merely two small goals!
To make himself more convincing, Neji even took off his Gravity Training Suit and let Sasuke feel its weight.
The training suit had already been adjusted to 1,500 kilograms. Forget Sasuke—even an average Chunin would have been powerless to lift it. Naturally, Neji did not tell Sasuke that. He merely smiled as he watched Sasuke's face flush red, followed by his eyes slowly reddening as well. "This money is well spent," he said lightly.
After paying the training fee, Sasuke officially began training under Neji. Neji held nothing back, teaching him medicinal baths, energy-rich food, the Akimichi Clan's special secret techniques, the Gravity Training Suit, and Meridian Expansion.
Since Sasuke only had 8 Ka of Chakra and could not yet use a Shadow Clone, Neji even assigned one additional Shadow Clone to attend school in his place. His care for Sasuke could truly be called meticulous.
Yet the way Sasuke looked at Neji became increasingly strange. So the Neji at school had always been a fake? Just how strong was this guy? Was he really only one year older than me? Was he a monster?
But when Sasuke felt his Chakra and strength steadily improving, he was instantly filled with energy again. He trained desperately, all for the day when he would finally defeat that man!
In the end, Neji could not resist the temptation of money and quietly changed Sasuke's fate.
With Sasuke's money flowing in, many projects that had previously been impossible to carry out or had progressed slowly could finally be properly planned. First, Neji sent word to Saki-Tanryu, ordering him to finish purchasing the experimental equipment Neji needed as soon as possible. Neji moved the Natural Energy Purification Plan ahead of schedule.
Second, Neji hired ten professional researchers at high salaries to assist his Shadow Clones in advancing the Shennong Encyclopedia plan. This plan did not violate Konoha's principles, so there was no need to conceal it. It was openly displayed in the sunlight, while the Gene Completion Plan was merely accelerated in secret.
Finally came the launch of the Nest Building Plan. One day, once Neji completed Gene Completion and broke free from the Caged Bird's restraints, he would inevitably break with the Hyuga Clan and Konoha. By then, Neji would need a new place to settle. That was the core purpose of the Nest Building Plan.
If he was strong enough when he broke free of the Caged Bird, then it would be easy enough—his new home could be anywhere. But if he was not strong enough, he could only choose somewhere remote. An isolated island overseas was a fairly good backup option.
No longer hesitating, Neji left behind a Shadow Clone with ample Chakra, disguised himself, and left the village.
This time, with his Chakra having reached Jonin level and the experience gained from his last real battle, Neji's movements were much faster. He found the Black Market and purchased information on the distribution of bandits and rogue ninja in the region east of Konoha.
After sorting through the intelligence, he ultimately selected four groups of bandits and wandering ninja with Chunin-level members or above. With no one to slow him down, Neji found the first bandit group's hideout in just three hours.
Partly because the Black Market's intelligence was relatively accurate, but more importantly because Neji's Byakugan could now observe objects nearly five kilometers away. Its search capabilities were simply absurd. With one sweep of the Byakugan, no monsters or demons could hide from him.
The first bandit group was not large, with only around thirty people. Just five possessed Chakra: one Chunin and four Genin.
The enemy was too weak for caution to be necessary. Neji charged straight at them at high speed, and they did not discover him until he was within two hundred meters.
The bandits were about to throw out a few taunts, but before one of them could even finish a sentence, Neji had already closed to within a hundred meters and activated the Eight Trigrams Formation, enveloping them all.
Because of his last real battle, Neji had discovered that the Eight Trigrams Formation worked wonders and was extremely useful. Over the past two months, he had carefully studied it again and further enhanced its power. Of the thirty or so people trapped within it, forget the ordinary people—even the sole Chunin trembled in fear and had difficulty raising a hand, much less launching an attack!
Neji pointed through the air and fired several Chakra rays, subduing the five ninja. He then withdrew the Eight Trigrams Formation and said in a stern voice, "All ordinary people, leave immediately!"
The twenty-odd ordinary people felt as though they had just walked through the gates of hell. How could they think of anything else? They turned and ran, wishing they had grown a few extra legs.
The five subdued ninja, meanwhile, were utterly despairing. This was it for them.
Neji did not waste words. He directly planted his own Chakra Mark on each of the five in turn. With the Chakra Marks in place, Neji could sense them from roughly a hundred kilometers away, so he did not fear that they would flee.
Once everyone had been marked, Neji said coldly, "Work for me for five years. After five years, you will regain your freedom. Agree and live; refuse and die. You have five breaths to consider."
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