Hello Neji, My Name is Ning Xue

It was a morning a few days later.

Hyuga Ningxue was performing basic training, such as push-ups, while wearing a homemade weighted backpack.

Some might ask, why not train in ninjutsu in the morning? The reason was that his body could no longer keep up.

In the ninja world, it is common knowledge that chakra is a product of mixing physical energy and spiritual energy.

To adapt to chakra successfully, one must balance these two energies to effectively utilize ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

Spiritual energy can be increased through meditation, or by continuously accumulating experience to improve one's cognition and thinking abilities.

Physical energy, however, can only be improved through exercise—naturally, with the assistance of chakra.

Ningxue's current problem was that his spiritual energy was far higher than his physical energy. Consequently, when he released ninjutsu, his body would be utterly exhausted while his spirit remained vibrant and alert.

The reason for his immense spiritual energy might stem from the experiences of his past life.

Therefore, to utilize chakra more effectively, he had to set aside more time to train his taijutsu.

His training over the past few days could not be called a leap forward, but rather a steady, gradual ascent.

(Essentially, he could condense an ice flower the size of a toenail with ninjutsu, his physical fitness was around that of a five-year-old, and his Gentle Fist was inferior to Neji's.)

This strange behavior had begun to cause his parents some confusion.

Not practicing ninjutsu, but practicing taijutsu—was he planning to pursue the path of a taijutsu specialist?

Actually, there was nothing wrong with that; the Hyuga clan practiced taijutsu as well, but they practiced the Gentle Fist.

But he was... purely training his physical strength?

Was he trying to imitate someone?

Hyuga Ning couldn't help but think of the green-clad watermelon who did handstands at the village gate every day, and his head began to ache.

Once that thought took root, it was all over.

In that moment, he had already envisioned his son's future appearance.

A white-haired green watermelon... flashing a set of pearly white teeth at him, giving a thumbs-up, and shouting something about "youth!"

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt dizzy, his vision darkening again and again.

Naturally, his mother had made the same connection; after all, that guy was far too conspicuous.

This train of thought immediately filled her with horror. She exchanged a glance with her husband, and she could see exactly what the other was thinking in their eyes.

They immediately decided to give the child some "loving education." After all, that look really made one feel as though the future was pitch black.

Hyuga Ning and Yuki were remarkably decisive. Just as Ningxue finished a set of push-ups and sat up, panting, his parents sat down on either side of him with grave expressions.

"Ningxue," Hyuga Ning spoke first, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Why have you been focusing solely on physical training these past few days? Your Gentle Fist practice and chakra control exercises have been put on hold."

He tried his best to make his voice sound merely concerned rather than accusatory.

Hyuga Yuki followed up, her voice gentle.

"That's right, Ningxue. Do you feel the previous training was too dull? Or have you encountered some difficulties? You can tell Mom and Dad."

She carefully avoided mentioning the green spandex nightmare that had made their vision go dark, terrified that the child might suddenly shout the word "youth."

Ningxue froze for a moment, confused, but replied earnestly.

"I haven't encountered any difficulties. I just feel that my body gets tired very easily. Father once said that chakra is a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. I feel... my body doesn't seem to be able to keep up."

"That's why I thought I'd improve my body first before resuming ninjutsu training. After all, my body always collapses before I can finish refining chakra, and it feels like a waste of time."

This explanation was reasonable and logical, even reflecting a level of thought beyond his years.

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Ning and his wife let out a sigh of relief, followed immediately by a wave of heartache and guilt.

So, the child wasn't trying to turn into a "watermelon skin," but was trying to overcome his difficulties in his own way. And they had actually thought that of him...

Hyuga Ning ruffled Ningxue's hair, his tone now tinged with embarrassment and apology.

"Is that so? I misunderstood you. Your idea is excellent; a strong physique is indeed the foundation. But you mustn't be too hasty; you must proceed step by step and combine it with proper methods, such as refined chakra control and the basics of the Gentle Fist. Otherwise, if you only train your physique without training your technique, your body will just be like a rock."

"Understood, Father." Ningxue nodded obediently.

The crisis was averted, and the family atmosphere returned to its warmth. Hyuga Ning and his wife began to guide Ningxue's training more scientifically, ensuring a balance between work and rest, and re-integrated chakra control and Gentle Fist basics into his daily curriculum, though the intensity was adjusted according to Ningxue's physical condition.

A few days later, under his father's instruction, he was to use chakra to increase his stamina and physical vitality.

Simply put, he was to go for a long run today and use chakra to climb a tree.

At this moment, he still didn't know how to use chakra to adhere himself to the tree; he could only manage a brief suction-like effect, so he could only climb up bit by bit.

Just as he climbed up the tree and prepared to head back down, he heard pained grunts and rhythmic thuds coming from not far away.

He followed the sound and looked over. In another relatively secluded corner of the training ground, a boy with white eyes, around his own age, was frantically practicing the opening stance of the Gentle Fist against a weathered wooden stake.

Was that Hyuga Neji?

Neji's movements were far more standard and sharp than any other child of his age Ningxue had ever seen, even carrying a sense of ferocity.

His gaze was sharp, fixed intently on the acupuncture points he had drawn on the wooden stake. Every palm strike and every step was infused with the full force of his body and... a kind of obsessive rage.

Ningxue stood in the tree and watched him until the other boy was exhausted.

However, he discovered that Hyuga Neji's stamina and physical constitution were far superior to his own. After all, while he could knock down children his age with just a few strikes, Neji had been going at it for nearly fifteen minutes straight without a break.

After practicing his pressure point strikes for over ten minutes, Neji was now so exhausted that he collapsed onto the ground. Yet, once he relaxed, he felt someone watching him after only a short while.

He immediately scanned his surroundings and locked eyes with Ning Xue, who was perched in a tree.

As their gazes met, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Neji sat on the ground, his clothes soaked through with sweat, looking utterly disheveled, yet his eyes remained sharp as he scrutinized the child of similar age across from him.

Upon noticing that the other boy also had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, just like his own, he realized that he was also a member of the branch family.

This discovery allowed him to relax slightly, though his expression remained cold.

Ning Xue felt a bit awkward, feeling like a voyeur. He hesitated for a moment before carefully climbing down from the tree, his movements somewhat stiff and far less fluid than Neji's martial arts.

He stood a few paces away from Neji, unsure of what to say.

After a moment of thought, he decided to greet him first to break the ice.

"Hello Neji, my name is Ning Xue."

However, Ning Xue's greeting went unanswered, making the already awkward atmosphere even more strained.

After a long silence, Neji finally broke the tension, asking in an extremely cold and weary voice.

"What are you doing here?"

He had seen Ning Xue before; after all, his hair was far too conspicuous. Ning Xue might have seen him previously, but he had no idea who he was.