Neji had been planning to leave, and he did. Still, deep down, he couldn't help worrying about Kimimaro.
Although neither of them had said it aloud during this mission, they had both recognized each other.
After all, they had each had half a "biological exoskeleton" implanted. Once they got close, a subtle connection formed between them.
A hooded Red Cloud outfit, a mask, or even the Transformation Technique couldn't conceal that.
So Neji wasn't comfortable leaving Kimimaro to face Upper Moon One alone. He turned back to take a look.
What he saw left him stunned: Kimimaro was fighting Upper Moon One.
Back at the Ninja Academy, he had always thought that he and Kimimaro were evenly matched. Only now did he realize that Kimimaro had been hiding the Eight Gates as a trump card all along—and had already trained enough to open the sixth gate, Gate of View.
Shock!
Frustration!
Resentment!
All kinds of emotions flooded his heart.
And when he thought of geniuses like Shinji, Sasuke, and Yakumo at the Ninja Academy, each of whom had caught up and surpassed him, he felt even more dejected.
But before he could sink into those negative emotions, the tide of battle suddenly turned. Kimimaro, who had just been gaining the upper hand, fell into a disadvantage when his Bloodline Disease flared up. Without a second thought, Neji rushed back.
Like Kimimaro, Neji released the half of the "biological exoskeleton" attached to his body in an instant.
Then, at Neji's direction, an enormous amount of Chakra—made up of his own Byakugan Chakra and the Tenseigan Chakra stored in the "biological exoskeleton"—began flowing through the sensory channel the two halves had established between them.
Whoosh!
In just a few short seconds, the aura that had been weakening around Kimimaro surged back, rising