Space and Arrangements

Neji opened his eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

"It seemed that consciousness battles consumed quite a lot of mental energy."

Neji rubbed his temples, easing the throbbing headache caused by excessive mental exhaustion.

Though he wanted to sleep immediately, the Inner Landscape within the opened Primordial Bagua Diagram in his Sea of Consciousness kept stirring his desire to explore.

Neji found that attempting to communicate with it through thought yielded no response at all. Only when he issued commands to enter or leave with his mind would his consciousness return before the Heavenly Secrets Tower or to his Sea of Consciousness.

Neji rubbed his head again. Feeling thirsty, he reached for the teacup. Just then, a sudden thought struck him, and he instinctively willed it to be taken in. The next instant, his mental energy swept along with his focus, and the teacup vanished. The hand reaching for it froze in midair.

"Fuck, what's going on?" Neji sat bolt upright. Sensing the teacup that had appeared in the open space before the Heavenly Secrets Tower, he blurted out a curse in shock.

"Spatial storage. I should have thought of it. Even the First Hokage's Necklace could go in, so there was no reason other things couldn't. Hahaha, storage space! So it could be used as storage space too. Take it in, take it in, bring it out, take it in, hahaha..."

Like a child who had discovered a new toy, Neji repeatedly stored and retrieved everything in the room that he could see, having a grand time.

Suddenly, Neji's mental energy wavered. The teacup fell onto the table, and stars burst before his eyes.

"Not good, I've overused my mental energy..." As soon as the words left his mouth, the world spun around him. The next second, Neji collapsed onto the couch.

The morning light filtering through the window lattice carried the scent of medicine. When Neji opened his eyes, he found his hair tangled between the teeth of Xiao Xi's sandalwood comb.

Xiao Xi's silhouette, kneeling on a cushion, trembled slightly. The thin robe draped over her had been dyed a deep bluish-black by the damp morning mist.

"You're awake, Young Master... That's wonderful. You've been unconscious for two days, you scared me to death. Luckily, Miss Shizune, Princess Tsunade's disciple, came to see you. After examining you, she said you'd severely depleted your mental energy through overtraining. Young Master Neji, could you please stop pushing yourself so hard from now on? Oh, and I've cultivated chakra now. I'll be able to protect you too, Young Master Neji..."

The exhausted girl, who had nearly nodded off, saw Neji awaken and widened her reddened eyes. She grabbed his sleeve and chattered away. Then, as if realizing something was inappropriate, she hurriedly released him, pulled her slightly loosened collar together, and flushed. She quickly fixed her clothes, poured the prepared medicine into a bowl, and offered it to Neji with both hands.

Neji propped himself up. Before he had recovered from the girl's verbal barrage, he caught a glimpse of pale skin. Perhaps his mental energy had yet to recover, but his thoughts froze for a moment.

The Hyuga Clan really did have good genes. Neji thought back over the women of the Hyuga Clan and silently praised them.

Neji took the medicine bowl and drained it in one gulp. The bitter taste immediately restored some of his clarity.

Neji set down the bowl and looked at Xiao Xi, who had clearly stayed up for a long time. Warmth rose in his heart as he said, "Sister Xiao Xi, you've worked hard. I'm fine now, so go get some rest. Don't worry, this won't happen again!"

Seeing the concern in Xiao Xi's eyes, Neji hurriedly made the promise.

"Oh, right, Young Master Neji. The Main House sent someone looking for you. They said the clan head had something to tell you..."

"The clan head wants to see me... Is it because I haven't been going to the Main House for training on time these past few days, or because of what I overheard last time? Hmph, in any case, this has to be wrapped up soon. They'd better not try anything again, or I won't be polite!"

Neji thought over why Hiashi Hyuga wanted to see him. Remembering that the Main House members who had been away had returned to the village, he guessed it might be related to that.

"It's nothing. I'll wash up and head over. Don't worry, Sister Xiao Xi."

As he spoke, Neji got up and moved around. After confirming that he had recovered fairly well, he dressed and spoke to Xiao Xi, then sent her back to her room to rest.

Neji straightened his outer robe and headed for the Main House.

"Clan head, you sent for me?"

Neji watched Hiashi Hyuga spar with Hinata Hyuga. Once they stopped, he stepped forward and asked.

"Brother Neji," Hinata Hyuga greeted him softly.

"Lady Hinata," Neji replied with a smile and a nod.

"Yes. I called you here because there is something I wish to discuss with you. Lord Hokage needs to station ninja at the border for the long term. One member of the Main House must go, and the Branch House must provide accompanying personnel. I have reviewed your academy performance. There is nothing more for you to learn at the academy, and your strength has already reached the level of a chunin. You simply lack practical combat experience. This border assignment is an excellent opportunity for training. What do you think?"

Hiashi Hyuga asked.

"Yes, I will follow the clan's arrangements!"

Neji had already prepared himself, so he agreed without hesitation.

"Very good. This is your Konoha ninja forehead protector. The clan has already submitted a report to Lord Hokage, allowing you to graduate early based on your performance. From today onward, you are an officially registered ninja of the village. As for becoming a chunin, strength alone is not enough. You also need experience and a sufficient number of missions. Your border assignment will count as an A-rank mission. After that, your rank will be determined according to your daily duties and contributions."

As he spoke, he handed Neji a Konoha ninja forehead protector.

Neji accepted it and stroked the cold Konoha emblem. His heart remained utterly unmoved; he even felt like laughing.

You people really knew how to make trouble... A glint of coldness flashed through his lowered eyes.

"You may go. Prepare as soon as possible. Departure will be within the next few days."

Departure truly would be within the next few days. Neji guessed that Tsunade was nearly unable to suppress her temper any longer. Based on his treatment experience from the previous days, Tsunade's current state was such that the sight of anything in Konoha irritated her.

Fortunately, I planned the route in advance. Otherwise, they really would have had me by the throat.

After Neji left the Main House and made sure no one was around, he moved his mind. His mental energy swept up the forehead protector and tossed it into a corner of the storage space.

If you're heartless, don't blame me for being unjust. Before I leave, I'll make a mess of things and see what demons and monsters are lurking beneath the surface.

The thought that the First Elder and the others had not abandoned their plans to deal with him disgusted Neji. This time, he had to hit them hard enough to make them remember the lesson, he thought silently.

After returning home, Neji checked Xiao Xi's training progress and found that her chakra reserves had already gained a foundation, while her physical condition had improved greatly. Looking at the sleeping girl, Neji nodded in satisfaction.

Since his transmigration, the two of them had spent the most time together and trusted each other the most. More importantly, Neji had grown accustomed to Xiao Xi's care over the years and truly could not do without her.

Back in his room, Neji considered where to start causing trouble: the ancestral hall or Kosuke Hyuga, the order in which to act, and how to escape smoothly after the incident without being tracked. He sank into deep thought.

After a long while, having finalized his plan, Neji closed his eyes and entered deep meditation. He slowly restored his condition and waited quietly for nightfall.