Rooftop

And so, the entire morning of theory class

passed amid Naruto and Kiba's despair; Hinata, Sakura, and Shino's ease; Sasuke and Choji's seriousness; and Shikamaru and Ning Xue's indifferent attitudes.

It was over.

And now it was noon, time to eat.

Every child took out their own lunch and sat in groups with the friends they had just met that day, eating and chatting amid lively conversation. Of course, except for a few others.

Oh, right, and there was also one person with instant noodles.

As for Ning Xue, rather than gathering with the others to eat, he headed alone toward the rooftop.

He pushed open the rooftop door. A gentle breeze brushed across his face, and his view opened wide.

He found a shady spot to sit down, then opened the lunch his mother had carefully prepared. The dishes were simple but nutritionally balanced, and she had thoughtfully avoided fish, seafood, and other things he disliked.

Just as he was about to start eating, the rooftop door opened again.

The newcomer was none other than his friend, Hyuga Neji.

Neji was not surprised to see Ning Xue there. He merely sat down beside him with a blank expression.

Neji skillfully opened his own lunchbox. Its contents were equally exquisite, but they felt somewhat stereotypically rigid, as though they had been bought from a restaurant. It lacked the warmth of home that Ning Xue's lunch carried.

The two sat side by side and began eating in silence. The atmosphere was not awkward; instead, there was an unspoken understanding between them.

After chewing a few bites, Neji was the first to break the silence.

"First day of school. How does it feel?"

His tone was calm, carrying a trace of barely perceptible probing.

Ning Xue swallowed the food in his mouth and responded as calmly as Neji.

"Noisy, childish, a waste of time."

Neji was not surprised by that answer. Over the past few years, Ning Xue had given him the impression of being introverted and withdrawn, with a blunt way of speaking.

As for fighting... he was cunning and treacherous.

After Ning Xue answered, silence fell between them again. Only after a moment did Neji break it and continue asking.

"I heard there was a white-haired person among the new students who scared some brat out of his wits. That was you, wasn't it?"

There was a hint of curiosity in Neji's tone.

"Mm."

Ning Xue admitted it directly. He then picked up a bite of rice and put it in his mouth. After pausing briefly, he continued.

"He came over looking for trouble himself. I only scared him a little."

There was not the slightest hint of pride in his voice, only calm indifference toward the matter.

Neji neither agreed nor disagreed. He had long grown used to Ning Xue's way of dealing with trouble.

After all, Ning Xue's scary face was devastatingly effective against inexperienced brats in the clan.

After silently eating a few more bites, Neji's gaze inadvertently swept over Ning Xue's eyes, and he suddenly asked.

"Hasn't your Byakugan awakened yet?"

This was something he had actually wanted to ask for a long time.

As a genius of the Hyuga Clan, he had successfully awakened his Byakugan at the age of four.

Ning Xue's talent and diligence had been clear to him. In theory, he should not have lagged behind for so long.

Especially given the exquisite skill Ning Xue displayed in taijutsu, along with those unpredictable Ice Needles that even Neji found troublesome. Yet his eyes alone had remained dormant.

After taking another bite of food and hearing Neji's question, Ning Xue was silent for a moment before responding.

"Soon." He ultimately uttered those two words, but there was no joy in his tone at the prospect of a breakthrough. Instead, it held worry and confusion.

He raised a hand and lightly touched the corner of his right eye with his index finger as he continued.

"But it always feels like something is missing... like there's a lock on it."

"Every time I'm about to use it, that lock knocks me away."

"I can clearly feel that the key isn't by my side, yet it also feels within reach."

His voice was very soft, as though a light breeze could snap it apart, but Neji still heard him.

"A lock?" Neji frowned. He did not quite understand the metaphor.

Awakening the Byakugan within the clan was a combination of talent and effort, something that happened naturally when the time was right. What lock could there be? He assumed Ning Xue had merely encountered a bottleneck.

"Is it a problem with concentrating chakra into the eye meridians? Perhaps you could try—"

"It's not a technical problem," Ning Xue interrupted.

He lowered his hand. His tone remained calm, though a trace of bewilderment had mixed into it.

"This definitely isn't a technical problem. It feels more like... a part is missing?"

Neji froze slightly. He had never heard of the Byakugan awakening under such circumstances. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"Perhaps there is some knot in your heart affecting its awakening. The Byakugan's awakening is not only related to chakra; it is also related to one's state of mind."

Ning Xue lowered his head in thought. Even he did not know what this inexplicable lock truly was. But perhaps, just as Neji said, there was something weighing on his heart.

After nodding once more, Ning Xue silently resumed eating without another word.

Seeing that Ning Xue did not want to discuss it further, Neji silently resumed eating as well.

And so, the two finished their lunches atop the empty rooftop.

Afterward, they packed up their lunchboxes and rose to leave the rooftop. On their way downstairs, Neji patted Ning Xue on the shoulder.

"Don't dwell on it too much. Maybe one day it'll awaken naturally."

Ning Xue nodded without speaking.

The first afternoon class was practical combat. The teacher led the students to the school training ground. Seeing the training equipment and wide-open field before them, Naruto rubbed his hands excitedly while Kiba eagerly bounced at the side.

The teacher began explaining the lesson's subject: basic taijutsu training.

Ning Xue stood among the group, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused as he continued pondering the issue of awakening his Byakugan.

Suddenly, the teacher called Ning Xue's name and had him spar with Sasuke in a simple taijutsu match.

Ning Xue came back to his senses, glanced at Sasuke, and calmly walked toward the center of the field. Sasuke had his hands tucked into his pockets and a confident smile at the corner of his lips as he walked toward Ning Xue as well.

Of course, Ning Xue would put on an act whenever he could. If Sasuke really had some skill, he would act for a bit before conceding defeat.