Facing the darkness

At the Ninja Cat Clan's compound, Cat Granny studied the scroll thoughtfully and murmured, "So little Sasuke wants to use targeted cloning to grow an arm for himself. Looks like he isn't as innocent as I thought!"

"Itachi, perhaps little Sasuke will give you quite a surprise someday!" Cat Granny said to herself.

She was deeply displeased with Uchiha Itachi's actions. A major source of funding for the Ninja Cat Clan had been cut off, and she had watched many members of the Uchiha Clan grow up.

Even if she believed the massacre had resulted from deception by the Konoha High Command, led by the Third Hokage, it was still unforgivable.

Between Sasuke Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, Cat Granny undoubtedly favored Sasuke.

"I wonder whose sample little Sasuke is using for the cloning. Unfortunately, after the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, most of the Ninja Cat Clan's informants withdrew from that area. The Uchiha Clan's grounds are completely off-limits." Gazing at the three crimson bottles, Cat Granny sank into thought.

After pondering for a long time, Cat Granny shook her head. Never mind. As long as they aren't cells from the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, it doesn't matter whose they are.

With Sasuke Uchiha's current status and strength, obtaining Hashirama cells was impossible, so Cat Granny wasn't worried that a failed transplant would kill him.

The next day, Neji and Sasuke received Cat Granny's reply.

Cat Granny told them she would need three months. The cloning would be complete by then. Of course, afterward, she would conduct human experiments on some heinous criminals to determine whether the final transplant would be safe.

"Three months..." Neji nodded. That was neither particularly slow nor particularly fast.

Sasuke said, "Wouldn't that be right around your graduation?"

"So I'll graduate. It doesn't make any difference to me." Neji didn't care.

Sasuke propped his chin on his hands, his expression twisted. "I want my Sharingan to evolve! Do you know any way to do it?"

Seeing Sasuke's constipated expression, Neji knew he was remembering the day Neji had helped him awaken his Sharingan. That explained the look on his face.

"You want me to provoke you again?" Neji asked, immediately looking eager to try.

Sasuke's face darkened. "Anything besides spouting that garbage!"

The Sharingan's evolution also required emotional stimulation, and at this stage, few things could provoke Sasuke.

Although Neji and Sasuke were friends and partners, as things stood, even if something happened to Neji, Sasuke's emotional reaction probably wouldn't be strong enough to make his eyes evolve.

Their bond wasn't strong enough yet.

Given their personalities, Neji and Sasuke were bound to need a long time to develop a genuine bond.

"Then you'll have to provoke yourself," Neji said.

Sasuke looked at Neji. "Provoke myself?"

Neji looked back at him. "Let me ask you something. Can you face what happened that night now? If you can't, keep recalling what happened! The best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on!"

Sasuke didn't respond to Neji. He merely lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.

The night of the massacre was a nightmare he couldn't shake. He had lost count of how many times he had jolted awake from dreams, how many times he had panicked and tried to flee his home, just to get away from the place where that nightmare had begun.

After a long time, Sasuke's expression grew resolute. "If fear can give me strength, then what's wrong with facing it? I made up my mind long ago. No matter what darkness lies ahead, I'll face it!"

Meanwhile, after returning to the Hyuga Clan's compound, Neji headed to the clan's Gentle Fist training ground. Today, he had to be Hinata Hyuga's sparring partner.

"Neji," Hinata greeted him softly when she saw him arrive.

"Lady Hinata." Neji bowed.

Neji glanced around but saw no sign of Hyuga Hiashi. Usually, Hiashi would stand beneath the eaves with his arms folded, watching the two of them spar.

Noticing Neji's glance, Hinata said quietly, "Neji, Father went to teach Hanabi Gentle Fist today."

I see. Has Hiashi already started thinking about giving up on Hinata as his heir? Neji understood.

The Hyuga Clan's Main Family wasn't limited to Hiashi's line. Though its members were few, it certainly didn't consist of just one person.

The Hyuga Clan's Main Family had nine lines in all, totaling nineteen people. The clan head's line accounted for three of them: the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, his eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga, and his younger daughter, Hanabi Hyuga.

The other eight lines currently had sixteen members, none of whom were around Hinata's or Hanabi's age.

"Lady Hinata, you'll have to work a little harder." Neji's words carried a pointed meaning.

"Neji, I'll do my best." Hinata activated her Byakugan and assumed a Gentle Fist stance.

One look told Neji that Hinata hadn't understood what he meant. Finding it pointless to continue, he activated his Byakugan as well and began sparring with her.

Neji mainly fed Hinata moves to practice against. Her physical aptitude might have been good, but her combat awareness really wasn't.

Although she could eat a great deal, her talent for practicing Gentle Fist was decidedly average. Sometimes, Neji could barely stand to watch her perform it.

When he had first transmigrated, influenced by information from his previous life, Neji had once equated Hinata's enormous appetite with exceptional talent that simply hadn't been fully brought out.

Only after sparring with her time and again had Neji realized that while Hinata truly could eat a lot and perhaps had good physical aptitude, her timid mindset was hopeless.

She couldn't even beat six-year-old Hanabi. Neji had been stunned at the time.

With Hinata performing like this, it was no wonder Hyuga Hiashi was considering changing his heir. If Neji were in Hiashi's position, he would have considered it too.

Distracted, Neji casually threw out moves to deal with Hinata.

Before long, Hiashi arrived with Hanabi.

Watching the two spar, Hiashi said gravely, "Hanabi, watch closely. Neji is a true genius of our Hyuga Clan."

Hanabi's little face was utterly serious. "I understand, Father. I'll surpass Neji."

Thud! Neji's palm strike sent Hinata flying several meters back. Unable to keep her footing, she fell straight to the ground.

"Enough!" Hiashi couldn't bear to watch any longer. His eldest daughter truly hadn't improved. He said sternly, "Hinata, step down. Let Hanabi take over and watch how she uses Gentle Fist."

Watching the tiny girl step forward, Neji showed no reaction, his heart perfectly calm.

Hanabi said politely, "Neji, please teach me!"

"Lady Hanabi, please begin." There wasn't a trace of emotion in Neji's voice.

Thud! Hanabi took the initiative. Her Gentle Fist was more aggressive than Hinata's, and her mastery of it was also more advanced.

But to Neji, that meant little. They used the same Gentle Fist, yet his mastery was undoubtedly far greater than Hanabi's.

Neji was merely playing along with Hanabi's performance. This was something members of the Branch Family had to learn when dealing with the Main Family.