Use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Akimichi Denji

Hyuga Hinata noticed that Hyuga Neji had returned, but she didn't dare approach him.

Autumn

Besides, Yamanaka Ino was standing right beside Akimichi Denki, which made her even more hesitant.

Besides, Yamanaka Ino was right beside Akimichi Denji, which made Hinata even more hesitant.

Akimichi Denji noticed and said to Hyuga Neji, "Be a little nicer to your cousin."

Hyuga Neji looked at Hyuga Hinata for a moment, then shook his head. "She's from the Main House. She shouldn't be so weak."

Akimichi Denji didn't press the matter.

"Denji!" Uzumaki Naruto spotted him after his match and came over to say hello.

"Neji!" Rock Lee, in his green outfit, saw Hyuga Neji and came over too. "You're back! You recovered so quickly!"

"Your Taijutsu just now was great! When are you going to spar with me?" Rock Lee noticed Akimichi Denji beside them. He'd been impressed by Denji's Taijutsu and was eager to test himself against him.

Akimichi Denji licked his lips. "Can you open the Eight Gates?"

Rock Lee froze, not expecting Denji to know about the Eight Inner Gates.

He grinned, baring his bright white teeth.

"Of course! I'm one of Teacher Guy's most outstanding students."

He hadn't opened any of the Eight Gates during his match with Uzumaki Naruto, or even taken off his weights.

But if he were facing Akimichi Denji, Rock Lee's eyes lit up as he recalled the immense strength Denji had shown during their match. He'd wanted to step in and challenge him, but Denji had taken Hyuga Neji for treatment.

"Can you still fight?"

"Of course."

"No!" A short-haired girl stepped out from behind them. It was Tenten.

"The Eight Inner Gates are Teacher Guy's secret weapon that he taught you. You can't use them whenever you want."

Rock Lee nodded. "That's true. We'll spar in private sometime!"

Tenten pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling as though she'd said nothing at all.

Akimichi Denji agreed. Meeting in private would make it easier to ask Rock Lee about the Eight Inner Gates.

The Eight Inner Gates was a forbidden technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals, and only Might Guy's lineage had brought it to prominence.

He was very interested in this forbidden technique.

After school, everyone went their separate ways.

The setting sun bathed Konoha in a warm orange glow.

The sunset was beautiful, but Yamanaka Ino wasn't in a beautiful mood.

Yamanaka Ino glanced at Hyuga Hinata walking beside her and pursed her lips in annoyance.

On the walk home after school that afternoon, it wasn't just the Ino-Shika-Cho trio anymore. Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sasuke Uchiha had joined them.

Since Sasuke Uchiha was there, Haruno Sakura was naturally with them too.

That was one thing, but why were all those second-years there as well?

Yamanaka Ino looked at Rock Lee and Hyuga Neji following behind them.

Rock Lee was like a clingy plaster, following a few steps behind Haruno Sakura. His gaze seemed glued to Sakura, and he appeared to be silently muttering something about "youth" and "passion."

A little farther away, Hyuga Neji kept a nearly rigid distance, silently walking just behind and to the side of Hyuga Hinata.

Now there was even less chance of being alone with Denji.

Yamanaka Ino sighed.

Watching Yamanaka Ino sigh, Akimichi Denji rubbed his chin.

"What are you worried about, Ino?"

Yamanaka Ino hadn't expected Akimichi Denji to ask her so suddenly. She stammered for a moment, then spoke her mind plainly. "I want to train with you too, Denji."

"But isn't the Yamanaka Clan's soul secret technique more important?"

Yamanaka Ino pouted, unable to refute that.

The Yamanaka Clan's ninja were intelligence specialists, and all their strength lay in soul techniques like the Mind Transfer Jutsu. They didn't have high requirements for Taijutsu.

For them, mastering the Yamanaka Secret Technique was the top priority, far more important than Taijutsu.

So she had no reason to train with Akimichi Denji.

"How about this? You master your soul techniques, and I'll master the Akimichi Secret Technique. Then we can exchange notes."

Yamanaka Ino's eyes lit up.

Exchange notes together! Wouldn't that mean she could use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Denji?

And even if that wasn't possible, they'd still get to privately discuss their techniques together...

A blush spread across Yamanaka Ino's face.

"Okay! For your sake, Denji, I'll study hard!"

"Use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Akimichi Denji!" The moment the thought appeared in her mind, it took root and refused to go away.

"Congratulations! You've fulfilled Yamanaka Ino's wish: [Use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Akimichi Denji]. Wish Point +1."

Hyuga Neji watched everything indifferently with his Byakugan and thought to himself: Hajiden, so this is your handsome-man strategy?

Hyuga Hinata had been happy about going to Akimichi Denji's house to train, but with Hyuga Neji walking beside her, she was at a loss.

They'd once been so close!

Ever since that mark appeared on Neji's forehead, a pitifully thick barrier had stood between them.

"Wasn't Hyuga Tokukun supposed to take me today?"

Neji stuck close, his face showing both joy and sorrow. His lips moved, but he didn't speak.

His manner turned deferential as he said clearly, "Lady Hinata..."

"Since the Ninja Academy is on my way too, I spoke with Uncle Tokukun. From now on, I'll take you there."

He naturally left out Akimichi Denji's part in it.

This was Neji's first conversation with Hinata that day.

He was so deferential that Hyuga Hinata became even more awkward.

But Hinata couldn't find fault with him.

The Hyuga Clan had strict rules, which was why he addressed her so politely.

Whether they belonged to the Main House or the Branch House, there were rules for every word and action.

A minor offense meant a fine; a serious one meant a Caged Bird strike.

If only they could go back to when they were children.

With each person lost in their own thoughts, they headed toward the Akimichi Clan's estate.

Amid Konoha's rows of tightly packed buildings, the Akimichi Clan's sprawling compound stood out as particularly grand and imposing.

The Akimichi Clan's vast estate was utterly practical in design, entirely unlike the refined Japanese gardens that prized elegance and were planted with flowers and trees.

There were almost no carefully pruned ornamental plants, nor much effort to create the soothing sounds of birdsong or the fragrance of flowers.

The grounds were wide open, with mostly packed earth or easy-to-clean stone paving. Everything was designed to be spacious, durable, and easy to move around in.

The reason for this style, so different from the delicate or elegant estates of other ninja clans, was obvious: it was built to accommodate the enormous bodies of the clan members.

There were no decorative trees or flowers, but now and then a free-range chicken could be seen wandering about.

Akimichi Doza saw a group of children entering the Akimichi estate together and stopped. If they hadn't been a bunch of little kids, he would have thought someone had come looking for trouble.

It wasn't until he spotted Akimichi Denji at the front that he understood.

"Nephew, are you bringing your classmates home to play?"

Akimichi Denji looked up at him, finding his face vaguely familiar.

Back when Denji had just returned from the Land of Rain, this man had seemed to be one of the elders who opposed letting him back into the clan's inner quarters.

But at the banquet celebrating his apprenticeship to Lady Tsunade, he'd also been clapping and cheering along with everyone else.

Akimichi Denji wasn't surprised. There were quite a few people in the Akimichi Clan who had opposed his return.

Akimichi Isshin was just one of them, and not a particularly clever one.

Some cleverer people, like Akimichi Doza before him, had stopped opposing Denji after he became Lady Tsunade's apprentice.

But given the Akimichi Clan's general level of intelligence, most of his peers probably still held their earlier views.

After all, old attitudes were the hardest to change.

Lost in thought, Akimichi Denji nodded to Akimichi Doza in acknowledgment.

His way of dealing with people like this was to beat them up, proving his superiority in the field the Akimichi Clan was best at.

Then they'd naturally stop running their mouths.

Akimichi Doza nodded with a broad smile, watching Akimichi Denji pass him by. A smile of heartfelt pride spread across his face as he exclaimed:

"Denji is neither servile nor arrogant toward his elders, and he treats them with proper respect. Among his peers, he gets along with the heirs of the great ninja clans, cares for his comrades, and brings his peers together. He's strong, and Lady Tsunade took him as her apprentice. Such a remarkable child, both brave and clever—he's truly a blessing to the Akimichi Clan."