Trouble! Neji's Devilish Training Camp

After teaching the Genin a little more about Taijutsu and promising to personally instruct them once their physical training was over, Asuma glanced at the late hour and decided it was time to call it a day.

"Then it's settled. Starting tomorrow, we'll do this for one week. Everyone will follow Neji and do the most basic training!"

Asuma seemed to have no intention of making any more arrangements. It was the easiest option.

Since Neji's method had made him so strong in such a short time, Asuma naturally wasn't going to pass up such a good solution.

"We're starting tomorrow?"

"Training like Neji... What kind of training is that?"

"Do we have to? Neji's training is just too..."

"What a pain!"

As soon as Asuma announced the news, everyone started complaining.

"Don't worry. I'll be training with you, too. It's just a training session. You're Genin, so you can't be this lazy!"

Asuma was getting more and more practiced at lecturing them.

Neji only smiled faintly. "It's fine. I'll cut my usual training volume in half. After all, injuring yourselves would do more harm than good."

Hearing that, Ino suddenly said, "Who do you think you're looking down on? I don't care! If I'm doing this, I'm doing your full daily training routine!"

After this experience, Ino had felt Neji's strength more directly than anyone else. She complained on the surface, but understood that training with Neji would help her improve more than anything.

Tenten was also fired up. "Yeah, I want to take part in Teacher Asuma's classes afterward, so I'll do my best!"

Shikamaru still looked unmotivated, while Choji seemed to have an endless supply of energy as long as he had some grilled meat.

Looking at their clueless expressions, Neji couldn't help shaking his head. If they really trained at his usual level, someone might actually die...

Starting the next day, Neji finished his own morning training and then hurried to meet up with Asuma and the others.

One teacher, six students—a group training session.

"If you have any questions, go ahead and ask. If not, Neji will be in charge of arranging your physical training."

Neji took on the task and began his career as a training coach.

"Today's first exercise is a ninja run..."

"Huh?"

As soon as he heard that, Ino looked a little dissatisfied. "What does running like a ninja even train?"

Shikamaru chimed in to back her up. "Yeah, yeah. We'd be better off sitting quietly here..."

Neji just smiled faintly. "Is that so? I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle the training volume!"

"How could that be!"

"It's just a ninja run. It can't be that hard, right? Neji, is this really the kind of basic stuff you do for your daily training?"

They all chimed in, one after another, until Asuma's authority finally silenced them.

"Then... let's begin. First, run ten laps around Konoha!"

"T-ten laps?"

Shikamaru and Ino looked at each other, thinking they must have misheard.

Tenten wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, thinking, Just as I expected...

They finished the first lap with ease.

"Keep it up, keep it up!" Neji encouraged them.

By the second and third laps, they were already panting a little. Only Asuma remained completely at ease.

"Ugh, I can't go on..." After the third lap, Choji collapsed and couldn't get back up.

Then came the fourth, fifth, and sixth laps.

Ino stopped where she was, too exhausted to speak.

"Konoha is shaped like a semicircle fan, and the diameter alone is at least a kilometer... Ten laps must be at least thirty kilometers, right? Neji, are you trying to kill us?"

By the seventh lap, Tenten was starting to lose it.

"I can't do this anymore!"

The eighth lap.

Asuma glanced at Shikamaru, who was still hanging on, and asked, "Shikamaru, I didn't know you had that kind of perseverance."

The moment he finished asking, Shikamaru's eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.

Neji and Asuma exchanged a look and shrugged helplessly.

By the time he finished the whole run, Neji was so exhausted that his vision had grown blurry. But for him, pushing his physical limits had become routine.

"We spent half the day on the very first exercise, Neji!" Asuma was exhausted, too. Everyone's training shirts were soaked with sweat.

At the meeting point, after Neji had replenished his fluids, he went over to a nearby wooden post.

"After your physical strength is exhausted, you should train the most important part of actual combat: close-quarters fighting. It can help you push your body to its limits as much as possible. Even your brain will activate a protective response once your body is exhausted, allowing you to react in ways you normally couldn't!"

As he spoke, Neji began rapidly punching the wooden post. His punches and palm strikes were still astonishingly fast.

Asuma paused for only a moment before joining him to train!

Ino got up and joined the group.

After resting for a while, Tenten joined in, too.

When Shikamaru woke up, he joined the group as well.

Only Choji, after replenishing his fluids, secretly took the chance to nap.

"Today's goal is three thousand punches, three thousand palm strikes, three thousand sweeping kicks, three thousand elbow strikes, and three thousand side tackles!"

After Neji announced the goals, everyone felt the pressure mount.

But there was no way Asuma could let himself be outdone by a Genin. Shikamaru also wanted to use this chance to improve his Taijutsu, and Tenten was especially competitive.

By the end of the day, everyone except Asuma and Neji was exhausted beyond belief. They could barely even speak clearly.

"I-I'm... almost done for." Shikamaru stared at Neji with wide, disbelieving eyes. He could think of only one word.

"Monster."

Ino and Tenten clasped hands, as if they'd become comrades who had survived a desperate situation together...

The next day, they continued!

Neji: "Today's goal is one thousand side-to-side jumps, one thousand sit-ups, and one thousand push-ups!"

Everyone was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

The third day, they continued!

"Two thousand shuriken throws, two thousand kunai throws, and two thousand Senbon throws!"

The fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day!

Until finally, the seventh day!

"So this is finally the last day?" Shikamaru had gotten so tanned he was nearly black, but his body had become leaner and more toned. He no longer looked as lazy as before.

"I'm definitely going to get grilled meat tonight!" Choji had quickly lost at least ten pounds. He'd gone from being extremely fat to looking merely a little chubby, and his overall bearing had improved quite a bit.

Ino had developed defined abs, while Tenten was practicing against a wooden post and was amazed to see how much she'd improved.

"Neji's training really is amazing. I feel much more confident in actual combat now!"

Seeing that everyone had made progress of their own, Neji smiled in satisfaction. "Take a break. We're done training for today."

"R-really?"

Asuma also breathed a sigh of relief, looking exhausted.

"Honestly, if we kept going, you might even wear me down, and I'm the teacher! Neji, your devilish training camp is really something. It's enough to kill a person!"

Although Asuma felt a little embarrassed, the students understood completely.

Apart from Might Guy and Rock Lee, there probably wasn't a normal person who could handle training at Neji's level.

Neji could only give an awkward smile at their reactions.

How could he tell them that the training he'd shown them was only half of what he did each day...? He saved the real Taijutsu and skill practice for his morning and evening training.

"Anyway, the matchups for the Chunin Exams are out. You're up first, Neji." Asuma took out a scroll.

Everyone's attention turned to it, and Neji leaned in with them. He was curious to see who his opponent would be.

When they saw the first pairing on the scroll, everyone was stunned.

"Hyuga Neji vs. Hinata Hyuga!"