Talent! Power of Stealing and Devouring

"It took me almost an entire day to figure out how to perform the technique while only needing to mold a fraction of the usual chakra. The proportions of the mixture were completely different, too..."

As Neji spoke, his face was etched with hardship.

But he smiled with relief and said, "In the end, I still managed it, and found the perfect proportions. As a taijutsu technique, Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm only needs twenty percent of my chakra, in my left hand."

"This is a taijutsu technique from the Hyuga Clan, a unique ability I've honed through countless repetitions. It only takes one palm. But the other technique... that's what I spent the entire day perfecting."

Neji let out a disdainful snort.

"What is it?" Asuma's curiosity grew. Could Neji really have accomplished what he'd been talking about?

Combining ninjutsu and taijutsu in a single attack? Asuma swallowed. As far as he knew, there had never been a precedent in the Shinobi World—not among ninja at Neji's level, at least!

"This is it. If I hadn't tried it thousands of times, I never would've pulled it off!"

As Neji spoke, he raised his right hand in front of his chest and began making signs. It took Asuma four or five gestures to realize what he was doing.

He was forming Hand Seals with one hand!

Even Asuma couldn't do that, yet Neji had learned it in a single day!

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"

"Wind Release: Palm Wave!"

Neji blended the two streams of chakra inside him in a ratio of two to eight. A whirlwind-like substance immediately began circling around him.

He gathered his strength...

Then struck!

Both palms shot out at once, swift and decisive!

The Air Palm shook the air, while Palm Wave whipped up a whirlwind. The gust merged with the Air Palm's shock wave, multiplying its range and speed.

The attack surged forward with the force of a landslide. In an instant, the Air Palm shot twenty meters from Neji's position and struck the woods!

"Boom!"

A tremendous storm unleashed unparalleled destructive force.

Asuma had put all his strength into merely snapping a few branches in those woods. With one move, Neji destroyed a huge swath of them. The branches cracked in the wind and whirled wildly through the air!

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Several trees were even uprooted by the wind and toppled one after another.

That was from twenty meters away. It was hard to imagine how devastating Neji's attack would be if it hit someone at close range.

"Sensei, I did it," Neji said, drawing a deep breath.

Then his legs gave way, and he sank to the ground, seemingly out of strength.

Asuma stood behind him, unable to speak for a long time.

This wasn't something sheer effort alone could accomplish.

Neji's understanding and use of chakra were so advanced that Asuma might not even have anything to teach him.

"This kid really is a genius!" Asuma was deeply shaken.

"Get some rest. We're having barbecue tonight."

He took a step back, leaving Neji to lie on the ground and rest.

As a teacher, having taught—no, having the chance to teach a child who was this hardworking and gifted—was the greatest honor Asuma could ask for.

After Asuma left, Neji gradually drifted off to sleep. He had no idea how long the darkness lasted.

He only felt some of his strength slowly returning when the system appeared.

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You've completed the beginner phase!"

"Beginner rewards: Advanced Water Release Ninjutsu Scroll *1, Advanced Earth Release Ninjutsu Scroll *1, Basic Sealing Technique Scroll *1!"

"Congratulations, host! You've awakened the talent: Power of Stealing and Devouring!"

"Host: Hyuga Neji

Age: 13

Basic ninja skills (including throwing and all other basic techniques) proficiency progress: 100.0% (Reach 100% to complete the beginner phase and activate the proficiency consumption system!)

Proficiency: 0

Talent: Stealing and Devouring

Rank: Konoha Genin

Ninjutsu: Wind Release: Palm Wave (12959/30000)

Taijutsu: Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Strike (77979/100000), Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation (48703/100000), Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms (33834/30000), Eight Trigrams: Air Palm (23729/30000), Eight Trigrams Body Strike (16911/30000)

Genjutsu: None

Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (49990/100000)

Byakugan purity: 13%

Basic items: Explosive Tags *10

Advanced items: Advanced Water Release Ninjutsu Scroll *1, Advanced Earth Release Ninjutsu Scroll *1, Basic Sealing Technique Scroll *1

Special items: None"

"Talent? Power of Stealing and Devouring? What does that mean?"

Neji was confused by this unfamiliar ability. He hadn't seen anything like it elsewhere. Weren't systems usually supposed to give you some ridiculously overpowered ability...?

Neji didn't get his hopes up. From the first day he'd transmigrated, he'd understood that this system would only let him grow stronger if he fought with everything he had. Relying on talent alone was never going to work for him.

"Stealing and Devouring: When fighting a ninja of a higher rank than yourself, you have a chance to steal an ability from your enemy and choose whether to devour it. The base proficiency of a devoured ability is zero. The host must train and master it independently. You may devour up to two abilities. To choose a new ability, you must remove an existing one and replace it. Increasing your ninja rank will increase the number of abilities you can devour."

Whoa!

Now that was a serious ability.

After reading the system's explanation, Neji's mind suddenly filled with countless ideas!

The key point was that he had to fight ninja of a higher rank!

That meant peaceful training could no longer help Neji progress. And since the number of abilities he could devour was limited, he would have to be careful about which ones he chose.

At first glance, the ability seemed useless. But during all those years of enduring humiliation, Neji hadn't just grown stronger physically—his mind had also matured through another childhood, becoming far more rational and sharp.

Used well, this would become his most powerful tool for growing stronger!

At the barbecue restaurant that night.

"Ahh, barbecue..."

Choji stared at the meat on the grill, practically drooling.

"Wait a little. Don't rush—you'll burn yourself!"

Ino and Shikamaru kept a close eye on Choji, afraid he'd burn his mouth again in his eagerness to eat.

Asuma was teasing his students as usual.

Just then, Tenten, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, moved closer to Neji.

"Did your training really work?"

Neji paused, then smiled faintly. "I've made some progress."

Tenten let out a long sigh. "I knew you'd come up with something crazy! Just stick to practicing like you're supposed to."

Then Asuma raised his cup and said to everyone, "I didn't expect you all to improve so quickly. We're wrapping up training early. It lasted twelve days, two days shorter than planned!"

"Hey, barbecue was Choji's reward. Since we all passed the training, shouldn't we get some kind of reward too?" Ino said with a grin.

Asuma broke into a cold sweat and felt his wallet. He had a bad feeling about this.

Shikamaru said, "What a drag. Then give me an extra taijutsu training session. Becoming a Chunin is a pain, but now that I've started, I have to see it through."

Ino said, "I want a new outfit!"

Tenten said, "I want a ninja tool model~"

"You kids are impossible. Can't you learn from Shikamaru?" Asuma scratched his head, but there was no doubt that seeing his students accomplish something made him proud as their teacher.

He turned to Neji, who had been quietly eating meat off to the side, and asked, "What about you, Neji? What reward do you want?"

Everyone froze at the question.

They all looked over curiously. They wanted to know what the hidden genius—Hyuga Neji, who had changed their minds over the past few days—would ask for.

Neji hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "The reward I want is a real match against you, Asuma-sensei."