Youthful Training

After the Chunin Ninja Exams dust settled, Neji ran his fingers over his newly issued vest. He felt no joy at all—only deep anxiety.

"The Konoha Crush Plan is over, Orochimaru escaped, and the Third Hokage is dead." Standing before the Memorial Stone, he looked at the newly added names. "And I'm still an unlucky bastard who could be killed at any moment by the Caged Bird and the Earth Curse Mark."

Every Naruto World fan from the real world knew that after the Chunin Ninja Exams came the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, a crucial battle that laid the foundation for Konoha's twelve rising stars. After that came the Shippuden storyline: the Akatsuki began moving, Naruto left to train, Sasuke defected to Orochimaru... As for him, Neji Hyuga, if things followed the original plot, he would basically spend the next few years as an ordinary Chunin in the village before becoming cannon fodder in the Fourth Shinobi War.

"No. Absolutely not!" Neji clenched his fists. "My foreknowledge is my greatest cheat. I have to use it!"

The first thing that came to mind was the Eight Gates.

That taijutsu that had nearly ended the entire series with one kick! Sure, people on real-world forums were always saying, "The Eight Gates damage your body," and, "Opening the Gate of Death means certain death," but Neji understood now—in the Naruto World, what ultimate move came without a price? Compared to being controlled by the Caged Bird for the rest of his life or having his mind eroded by the Earth Curse Mark, opening the Eight Gates was at least cool!

And it could save his life at critical moments. Just imagine it: if he knew the Eight Gates during the Fourth Shinobi War, even if he could only open the Sixth Gate, his chances of survival would rise dramatically.

The problem was how to learn it. The Eight Gates were the signature technique of Might Guy and Rock Lee. Rock Lee, especially, treasured it like a family heirloom.

"I need a reasonable excuse..." Neji stroked his chin in thought.

A few days later, at the training grounds.

"Guy-sensei!" Neji stopped Might Guy just after he had finished five hundred handstand push-ups.

"Oh! Neji!" Guy gave him a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing brightly. "You performed well in the Chunin Ninja Exams! That is the hot-blooded passion of youth!"

"Guy-sensei, I want to learn stronger taijutsu." Neji went straight to the point. "The Chunin Ninja Exams made me realize that the Gentle Fist alone isn't enough. I need the strength to protect my comrades under any circumstances."

That was the truth. Though he mainly wanted to protect himself, protecting comrades sounded much nobler.

Guy froze, studying Neji carefully. "Are you sure? Taijutsu training is extremely grueling—ten times, no, a hundred times harder than training in the Gentle Fist!"

"I'm sure." Neji's expression was resolute. "And I think my physical condition is suited to taijutsu. The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan allows precise control over chakra flow, which should help with opening the Gate of Opening in the Eight Gates."

He deliberately mentioned the Eight Gates to see Guy's reaction.

Sure enough, Guy's expression turned serious. "Where did you learn about the Eight Gates?"

"I heard Rock Lee mention it." Neji lied without changing expression. "He said it was the strongest taijutsu you had passed down."

In reality, he had seen it in over seven hundred episodes of anime.

Guy pondered for a moment. "The Eight Gates are indeed powerful, but the risks are also immense. Failing to open a gate can damage your chakra pathways. Overusing them can shorten your lifespan. Opening the Eighth Gate means certain death. Even so, do you still want to learn?"

"I do." Neji did not hesitate.

Rather than dying helplessly in a future war, unable to fight back, he would rather grasp the power to decide his own fate—even if that power would harm him.

Guy stared at Neji for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Good! That is the choice of youth! Starting today, come here at four every morning. I'll begin training you!"

"Thank you, Guy-sensei!"

Step one: complete.

Training in the Eight Gates was even more terrifying than Neji had imagined.

On the first day, Guy made him run a hundred laps around Konoha. Neji thought it would not be difficult with a ninja's stamina, but he collapsed after fifty laps—Guy's laps meant circling Konoha's entire outer perimeter, and each lap was at least ten kilometers!

"Keep going! Youth does not permit surrender!" Guy shouted as he ran on his hands beside him.

Neji gritted his teeth and climbed back to his feet, inwardly screaming, Watching Rock Lee train in the anime had only seemed inspiring. Experiencing it firsthand was downright lethal!

But he could not give up. The Caged Bird was still on his forehead, the Earth Curse Mark was still on the back of his neck, and the Akatsuki were still somewhere in the shadows plotting to capture the tailed beasts. He had neither Naruto's protagonist aura nor Sasuke's revenge buff. He could only rely on hard work—and a little foreknowledge.

During breaks in his training, Neji also had to deal with another problem: the Earth Curse Mark.

Ever since Orochimaru planted that thing on him in the Forest of Death, it had been like a ticking time bomb, occasionally stirring out of control. This was especially true whenever his emotions fluctuated or he expended too much chakra.

"I need to find a way to control it." Neji decided to seek out Hiashi Hyuga.

It was Neji's first formal visit to the Hyuga Main House estate. The branch family guards at the entrance saw the Caged Bird on his forehead and simply nodded before letting him through—the Curse Mark was the best proof of identity.

"You want to study sealing techniques?" Hiashi Hyuga frowned slightly after hearing Neji's request.

"Yes. During the Chunin Ninja Exams, I encountered Orochimaru, and he planted a Curse Mark on me." Neji spoke half-truthfully. "Although I can still suppress it for now, I want to learn sealing techniques to control it, just in case."

He did not mention the specific nature of the Earth Curse Mark, nor did he say that it was Orochimaru's "gift."

Hiashi Hyuga fell silent for a moment. "Sealing techniques are advanced ninjutsu and require precise chakra control. Are you sure you want to learn?"

"I'm sure. And..." Neji raised his head and met Hiashi's gaze directly. "If I lose control, I could bring trouble to the Hyuga Clan. Learning sealing techniques would benefit the Hyuga Clan."

It was phrased cleverly, both establishing his own need and hinting at the Main House's interests.

Hiashi was indeed persuaded. "Very well. I will arrange for you to study basic sealing techniques under Inoichi Yamanaka of the Yamanaka Clan. He is one of Konoha's most skilled Jonin in mental techniques and sealing techniques."

"Thank you, Clan Head."

Neji bowed and took his leave, inwardly relieved. Inoichi Yamanaka, Ino's future father, was indeed a good teacher. And perhaps the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique and mental seals could have remarkable effects in controlling the Earth Curse Mark.

And so, Neji began a hellish schedule of training in the Eight Gates during the day and studying sealing techniques at night.

A month later, he could barely open the first gate of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Opening, increasing the speed of his chakra flow by 20%. As for sealing techniques, he had also learned a basic variation of the Four Symbols Seal, allowing him to temporarily suppress the Earth Curse Mark's agitation.

His progress was remarkable, but Neji knew it was still not enough.

Another month passed, and the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, returned to Konoha.

At the welcoming ceremony, Neji saw one of the legendary Sannin—blonde hair, a coat bearing the character for "gamble," a stunning figure, and an overwhelming presence.

The opportunity is here.