"Whenever I see a beautiful jade stone gathering dust, of course I want to help bring out its beauty. Isn't Hinata a member of the clan, too?
When you see her being taught by ignorant people and wasting her talent because of it, can you really bear to stand by and do nothing?"
Kazeka planted his feet and looked at Neji.
"Heh heh. Is your thinking really so narrow-minded?"
"You know that's not what I meant..."
Neji merely looked at Kazeka coldly.
"I'm talking about what your actions represent!"
"My actions are simple. Anyone who comes to me, as long as they have enough talent, I'll find a way to help them grow stronger..."
Kazeka's expression didn't change.
"The only reason I haven't helped the other clan members is that they don't dare come to me..."
Kazeka dangled the bait.
"You have decent talent. If you want, I can help you improve your strength, too!"
Neji stood where he was, silently considering Kazeka's words.
His expression kept shifting, as though he were weighing whether it was worth doing.
Just then, Neji's teammates, Tenten and Rock Lee, hurried over.
"Neji, I just got here, and I heard you and Kazeka discussing something so terrifying..."
Tenten wore her hair in symmetrical buns. She was a cute girl who looked bright and youthful, but right now her face was full of worry.
"Kazeka's experiments have always been terrifying. Plenty of people have suffered because of them. You don't really believe him, do you?"
"Exactly, Neji..."
Rock Lee, standing nearby with his bowl-cut hair, looked at Neji with burning passion.
"A true strongman relies on his own sweat and keeps honing himself.
Anyone who tries to take shortcuts is bound to suffer a terrible fall in the end!"
"Well, well. It seems your teammates are quite prejudiced against me..."
Seeing the two of them standing on guard, Kazeka scratched his head.
"Neji, I won't force someone like you.
But if you want to improve your strength, you could think it over..."
"There's no need to think it over..."
Neji closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them.
"I learned something a long time ago: human strength has its limits!
So, if I want to grow stronger, I have no choice but to accept your experiment.
But if I find out you've deceived me..."
Neji stared fixedly at Kazeka.
"I won't let you get away with it!"
"Gaaaaaaaaah..."
A gut-wrenching scream rang out. Outside the Laboratory, Tenten and Rock Lee exchanged glances as they waited.
Even someone as resilient as Neji was screaming like that. They could only imagine what he was going through.
Still, they didn't dare notify anyone else.
They knew Neji always meant what he said. If they did that, he might never forgive them.
At long last, Neji's screams finally stopped. After another long while, he stumbled out of the Laboratory.
But he didn't take a break. After nodding at Tenten and Rock Lee, he charged straight into the room used for testing.
The facilities were rudimentary, so there wasn't much equipment in the testing room, but it did have the most basic punch-testing post.
It was an ordinary wooden post with a barrier attached to its surface.
It was cheap to make, and the impact looked impressive, so it was popular among shinobi.
Neji swayed over to a post marked for Chunin-level strength.
He took a deep breath, then suddenly let out a loud shout.
"Byakugan Tremor Thousand!"
With a thunderous crash, Neji smashed the testing post to pieces!
"I did it! It really worked! My full-power attack actually exceeded Chunin-level strength by a huge margin!"
Neji clenched both fists and stared at them in disbelief.
Tenten and Rock Lee rushed into the testing room and looked him over, afraid he might have suffered some serious side effect.
"Kazeka, what kind of surgery did you perform on Neji...?"
Tenten scrutinized Neji's exposed skin, especially around his eyes.
"After surgery, shouldn't there be scars?"
"Do you think I'm some third-rate scientist?"
Kazeka snorted.
"They're just surgical stitches. If I wanted to, I could completely remove even the scars left on your body long ago!"
"Really?!"
Tenten's eyes widened.
"If I get hurt in the future, can I come to you to get rid of the scars?
Also, can you do skin-whitening treatments here?"
Kazeka: "?"
Kazeka's eyes widened, as if Tenten's question had stunned him.
"Do you think I'm some third-rate doctor who specializes in cosmetic surgery?
How could I waste my precious time on something like that?"
"But I can pay you a lot. My family's got plenty of money..."
Tenten stared at him with wide eyes.
"I heard you've been complaining that the Laboratory doesn't have enough funding."
"Come to think of it..."
As soon as he heard that Tenten was a little rich girl, Kazeka suddenly changed his tune.
"After all, we're fellow villagers. Helping each other is only our duty!"
"Then it's a deal!"
Tenten smiled excitedly. Shinobi spent their lives fighting, and no one could guarantee they wouldn't get injured and scarred in battle.
Girls were naturally fond of beauty, and with Kazeka around, Tenten felt much more at ease.
For the first time, she thought that although Kazeka had a wicked-sounding reputation, he seemed quite nice after getting to know him...
"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!"
A series of explosive crashes interrupted Tenten's train of thought. Neji, who had seemed perfectly normal a moment ago, now wore a horribly twisted expression.
His arms swung wildly as he smashed everything in sight.
"This power alone still isn't enough! Byakugan, I command you to keep trembling!"
"Damn it! I went through all that agony, and this is all I get? How can I accept that? I absolutely can't!"
"Ehehe... Is there still something I'm missing? Do I have to wipe out the entire Hyuga Clan as a sacrifice to the heavens before I can gain even greater power?"
"Neji, wh-what's wrong with you?"
Watching Neji suddenly go berserk, Rock Lee froze in shock. Then he grabbed Neji's arm tightly, stopping him from heading outside.
"You said before that you wanted revenge on the entire Hyuga Clan, but I don't think this is how you meant to get revenge!"
"Kazeka, I knew there was something wrong with your experiment..."
Tenten looked at Kazeka anxiously.
"Quick, make Neji go back to normal!"
"I don't think that's possible..."
As Tenten stared at him in astonishment, Kazeka slowly shook his head.
"My surgery was meant to increase Neji's potential.
But when someone suddenly gains great power, the brain develops a protective mechanism. In other words, their personality changes drastically.
If I undo it recklessly, Neji could face even more unpredictable dangers!"
"He's right. There's nothing wrong with me in the first place..."
Neji turned his gaze toward them. With his left arm held by Rock Lee, he reached out to Kazeka with his right hand.
"I understand my path now. Only by constantly resisting can I keep growing stronger.
Kazeka, as the one who paved the way for me, I want you to watch my performance.
Tenten, you should come watch, too...
One day, right in front of you, I'm going to strip Hyuga Hiashi naked, pin him beneath me, and vent all my rage, ya hear!"
Tenten: "..."
Before you continue