Are you trying to fence with me?

Takasaki could learn the Three Body Technique through hard work.

Hinata could persist for three minutes under his training through hard work.

So, could he change his fate, which was like a Caged Bird, through hard work?

Neji didn't have time to dwell on such thoughts.

Apologizing to Takasaki was the priority right now.

Since Hinata could become stronger by being motivated by Takasaki, he surely could too; maintaining a good relationship with Takasaki was a matter of great importance.

Neji arrived at the door of Takasaki's home and was about to knock when he suddenly felt something was amiss.

Since he was here to apologize, arriving empty-handed seemed insincere.

Having grown up in the Hyuga Clan's branch family, he had been influenced by his elders and naturally understood a thing or two about social graces.

At this moment.

Takasaki was sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.

His chakra was depleted, and more than half of his physical strength had been spent.

Checking the proficiency of his Clone Technique, it had already risen to 45/500.

Being able to see ninjutsu proficiency is convenient; I get feedback from every training session.

Takasaki went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed some tap water on his face with a towel.

Heaven rewards the diligent; one reaps what one sows. As long as he kept grinding like this, he would soon be able to raise the Clone Technique to Level 3.

It was just that he was starving.

He was too embarrassed to shamelessly go and mooch a meal off Hinata. Even if Hinata agreed, he figured he would be beaten out by Neji.

He would just have to endure it and eat a cup of instant noodles that had expired a few days ago.

Just as he tore open the noodle packaging, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Who is it?"

As Takasaki stood up to open the door, he caught the scent of a fragrant, enticing aroma of barbecue drifting in through the gap.

Opening the door, he saw Neji standing there.

Takasaki's first reaction was vigilance. This guy had fought him at the Hyuga Estate earlier and had been toyed with by him three times.

Was he here now to beat him up?

When he saw the large package of foil-wrapped skewers in Neji's hands, Takasaki was confused: "Neji, what are you doing? Did you come all the way here just to get revenge, specifically to eat skewers in front of me while I'm starving?"

"Takasaki-kun, I am here to apologize to you!"

Neji didn't step inside, but stood before the wooden door of Takasaki's home with his head bowed, his white eyes filled with remorse: "Earlier at my home, I shouldn't have been so rude to you. You were clearly motivating Hinata to improve. Hinata is the young lady of my Hyuga Clan; by helping Hinata, you are helping our entire Hyuga family. Yet, I speculated about you with malice. It was truly uncalled for. I feel guilty for my actions. I'm sorry, Takasaki-kun!"

Takasaki was stunned, completely bewildered.

That arrogant genius of the Hyuga family, who clearly couldn't stand the sight of him, had actually come to his humble abode in the middle of the night to apologize in person?

What was going on?

Takasaki was caught off guard, though he did pick up on something strange.

Neji said he had helped Hinata improve, which seemed to be the main reason.

But he really didn't know how he had helped Hinata.

If anything, it should have been Hinata helping him; without her guidance as a tutor, his chakra efficiency for the Clone, Substitution, and Transformation Techniques wouldn't have improved so easily.

Furthermore, before he left the Hyuga Estate, he had toyed with Neji three times. By all logic, it shouldn't be Neji's turn to come and apologize.

Takasaki felt something was off: "Neji, I don't understand what you mean."

Despite saying that.

Takasaki's gaze couldn't help but fixate on the dozens of skewers wrapped in foil in Neji's hands.

The scent of Sichuan peppercorn and cumin drifted into Takasaki's nostrils on the night breeze, triggering his brain's nerves and stimulating dopamine.

Already hungry, he found it hard to resist and pointed at the skewers: "Neji, what is the meaning of this?"

He reached out both hands: "This... this is my sincerity."

"For me to eat?"

"Of course! If it's not enough, I'll go buy more."

The dozens of skewers wrapped in foil were piping hot, burning Neji's palms, but he didn't care at all. Compared to that, he was more afraid that Takasaki wouldn't accept his apology.

"Enough, enough, come in. I forgive you," Takasaki said, opening the wooden door fully and smiling warmly.

He didn't know the specific reason for Neji's apology, but that didn't matter; he could ask later.

Neji was, after all, the cousin of his future wife; he had to give him this much face.

The most important thing right now was to fill his stomach.

He mooched dinner off Hinata and a midnight snack off Neji—he wasn't spending a single cent, so what more could he ask for?

Takasaki took the dozens of skewers wrapped in foil from Neji's hands and set them on the wooden table in his room, but Neji remained standing at the doorway, looking thoroughly guilty.

Born into a wealthy family, Neji naturally had no idea just how tempting this barbecue was to Takasaki.

He spoke with a very reserved expression, "Takasaki, have you really forgiven me?"

"I have. Come on in, let's eat and talk," Takasaki said, waving his hand to invite Neji into the room.

Neji, however, still felt uneasy.

He had been scolded by Hiashi Hyuga into coming to apologize, and he had arrived in a rush, grabbing a pack of barbecue from the street as a gesture of sincerity.

In reality, the money spent on the skewers meant nothing to him.

As a result, Neji couldn't shake the feeling that his sincerity was lacking.

"My place is a bit humble, so don't mind it. I've been wanting to move to a better house, but unfortunately, I don't have the funds right now," Takasaki said casually as he pulled out two low stools and placed them by the table, as if just making conversation.

This offhand remark was taken with extreme seriousness by Neji, who was already feeling unsettled.

As Neji stepped into the room, he took a look at Takasaki's living conditions. They were indeed quite poor; his own bathroom at home was larger than Takasaki's entire living room.

The decor was even worse.

His bathroom ceiling featured a crystal chandelier, while Takasaki's living room had only a single low-wattage bulb with a pull-string switch.

Takasaki wanted to move to a better house?

Hearing this, Neji felt slightly more at ease.

He finally knew how to show his sincerity.

"Come over and sit, Neji."

Takasaki grabbed a skewer of grilled gluten and shoved it into his mouth, the spicy mountain pepper hitting him right in the head. "Eating barbecue together is the only way for a friendship to last forever."

"What? You mean eating barbecue together absolutely requires beer?"

Neji, who had been deep in thought, paused in his tracks. "Takasaki, please wait a moment. I'll go buy some beer."

With that, he turned and walked out the door.

Takasaki stared blankly. "What's up with Neji? Why is he so preoccupied? I said friendship lasts forever, and he thought I wanted him to buy beer?"

"The kicker is, he actually went."

"Man, he must be feeling incredibly guilty right now."

Takasaki felt a vague sense that something was wrong. In the original story, Neji was a person of strong principles and clear boundaries, always quite arrogant; he would never be this reserved.

Coming to his house to apologize out of the blue—there had to be more to it than just an apology. There must be another reason.

No matter.

He'd have a good talk with him in a bit.

Takasaki had expected Neji to return quickly, as it was easy to buy beer at the night market down the street.

It wasn't until he had waited for a full half-hour that Neji returned carrying a pack of beer, leaving Takasaki somewhat puzzled. "Why did you take so long? The skewers are almost cold."

Takasaki didn't bother with small talk; he easily pried off a bottle cap with his chopsticks, poured a glass into a disposable cup, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

The ice-cold, refreshing sensation fizzed in his mouth.

Getting a free barbecue meal and having someone bring him ice-cold beer—this was the life!

Neji, however, showed no intention of sitting down to eat.

He stood before Takasaki and pulled two security keys and a property deed for the center of the Konoha business district out of his pocket.

Having graduated from the Ninja Academy a year ago, he had completed many missions for his clan and accumulated significant savings from the tasks he'd performed; he could certainly afford to buy a house.

He held the property deed out to Takasaki with both hands. "Takasaki, this is a gift for you, and a token of my sincerity. Please, you must accept it."

What was happening?

Takasaki was caught completely off guard.

No wonder Neji had taken half an hour to buy beer—he'd gone and bought a house along the way.

The real kicker was that the house was a gift for him?!

Takasaki looked at Neji's sincere, apologetic expression, then at the property deed, and finally at the disposable cup in his own hand. "Am I drunk?"

Could such a thing as a pie falling from the sky actually happen?

Impossible!

Takasaki felt like something was off. Why was Neji suddenly being so good to him?

It was so good it actually made him feel a little scared.

Why? Was he even worth it?

He'd only agreed to eat some barbecue with Neji, and the guy had responded by gifting him a house.

Even a desperate fanboy proposing to his goddess wouldn't be this frantic.

As Takasaki scrutinized Neji, a thought suddenly struck him.

In the original story, Neji never seemed to have a female companion, nor did he ever show the slightest interest in girls.

Takasaki suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and blurted out, "Neji, you aren't trying to 'fence' with me, are you?"