Even with everyone calling him a genius, Neji refused to let his guard down for a single moment.
Because he knew the truth.
His older brother, the man who had dared to defy the Hokage at nine years old, was the real genius.
Neji knew why his brother had left.
He knew it was because of that incident.
And ever since, he had been pushing himself without mercy.
Not for anyone’s praise.
Only to make one thing clear to the world: even without his brother in Konohagakure,
I, Neji Hyūga, will not fall short of anyone.
“Is that so?”
“Come on.
Let’s go to the training ground, let me see how much you’ve grown.”
“Eat first.
There’s no rush.
We can go after dinner!”
Hizashi walked in, caught Tiange’s words, and quickly cut in.
He already knew: Neji would never refuse.
Neji had worked this hard for one reason, to earn Tiange’s acknowledgment.
“Alright.
Dinner first.”
The three of them shared a warm meal, father and sons, easy laughter filling the table.
When the two brothers began clearing the bowls and chopsticks, Hizashi watched them with quiet satisfaction, murmuring softly in his heart: Reiko, the children have grown up.
Both of them are extraordinary.
With dinner cleared away, the three headed out together toward the training ground.
The moment they stepped outside, they walked straight into Hiashi Hyūga and two daughters.
“Hizashi — heading out?”
“Yes, older brother.
We’re on our way to the training ground.
Tiange wants to see how much Neji has improved.”
Hizashi smiled as he answered.
The two brothers had always gotten along well, truth be told.
Hizashi had harbored resentment once, back when Tiange had nearly been branded with the Caged Bird.
But that was years ago.
He had long since worked through it, and the relationship with Hiashi had found its way back to what it used to be.
“Oh?”
“Then come along.
Hinata and Hanabi can see firsthand how impressive their two older brothers are.”
Hiashi looked over at Tiange.
“That’s alright with you?”
Hiashi would not presume to decide without Tiange’s say.
Everyone knew Tiange had no particular warmth toward Hiashi.
Hiashi had reasons, reasons that had never been explained to anyone.
And Hiashi had been carrying the guilt of that matter ever since, reproaching themselves in silence.
Tiange glanced at Hiashi, then at the two young girls standing nearby.
Under Hizashi’s quiet, prompting look, he let out two cold words.
“Fine.”
He turned and walked ahead toward the training ground.
Root.
“My lord.
Fresh intelligence — Tiange Hyūga is taking his family to the training ground.”
Danzō’s expression was pitch-dark.
The single eye he bared gleamed with venomous malice.
“Is everything in place?”
“Even if you can’t kill him — kill his brother.”
“My lord, all arrangements have been made.”
“Go prepare.”
“Report back the moment there are results.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Root ninja withdrew.
In that dim, silent room, only Danzō remained.
“Tiange Hyūga.” His voice dropped to a murmur.
“Did you really think that all these years, I haven’t dared to touch your family?”
“I simply wanted them to die in front of you.
You care about them, don’t you?”
“I want you to watch them die with your own eyes.
I want your life to feel worse than death.”
“What does your strength matter?
The dead stay dead, and you still can’t touch me.”
“Ha ha ha…”
The laughter drifted through the darkness, manic and unhurried.
For years, every waking moment, Danzō had been consumed by thoughts of revenge against Tiange Hyūga.
He was nearly possessed by it.
Now that Tiange had returned, he could no longer hold back.
He did not want to wait a single moment longer.
He knew those operatives could hardly kill Tiange.
But his targets were Tiange’s family.
He wanted to make Tiange suffer beyond endurance.
He wanted to watch him stand there, completely helpless.
The rush of knowing that long-sought revenge was finally within reach, just imagining it filled Danzō with a deep, gratifying pleasure.
The Hyūga compound training ground.
Tiange stood at the center of the field, hands clasped behind his back, watching Neji across from him.
“Come at me with everything you have.
Show me how you’ve grown.”
“Yes!”
Neji answered without hesitation.
He knew he had no real chance of hurting his brother, and he felt no resentment about that, not even a trace.
He settled into his stance and charged.
“Hinata, Hanabi, watch closely.”
Hiashi’s voice was quiet but deliberate.
“These two are rare geniuses among the Hyūga clan.
Your brother Tiange especially, he is the most gifted person the clan has ever produced.”
“Yes, Father.”
The two girls answered respectfully, their eyes fixed unblinking on the brothers in the field.
Neji surged forward and launched into a full taijutsu assault.
Fists, elbows, feet, knees, every tool he had, he threw at Tiange without reservation.
The attacks were sharp and relentless.
Tiange didn’t move.
The hands behind his back stayed perfectly still.
His body swayed, a subtle shift left, a slight lean right, and every single strike slipped past him with effortless precision.
Neji realized it quickly: he hadn’t landed one hit.
And his brother hadn’t taken a single step from where he stood.
This won’t do.
No matter what, he had to make his brother move.
Even one step.
He spun and threw a sweeping kick, driving it hard at Tiange’s legs.
Surely he couldn’t just stand there unmoved this time.
THUD!
“Hss, ”
Before the thought even finished, pain exploded up from his foot and Neji sucked in a sharp breath.
Were those really legs?
They felt like two iron pillars.
He clutched his foot and rubbed it until the pain slowly faded, then looked up at Tiange with a trace of dejection.
“That’s already not enough?”
“Where is your Gentle Fist?”
Neji snapped himself back together.
He could not disappoint his brother.
He settled into the Gentle Fist stance and came at Tiange at once.
“Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Twenty-Four Palms!”
Swoosh swoosh,
Thud thud thud,
Tiange neither dodged nor deflected.
He simply stood there and let the strikes land.
“Keep going.”
Neji had faltered for half a second, thrown off by the lack of evasion.
Tiange’s voice pulled him back.
“Sixty-Four Palms!”
“One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!”
“Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms!”
Thud thud thud thud thud,
When the last palm landed, Neji finally stopped.
He looked at his brother, eyes full of bewilderment.
“Not bad.”
“But, still far from enough.”
Tiange’s body gave a single light shudder.
Every sealed tenketsu blasted open as his chakra surged through them by force.
The released chakra radiated outward, kicking up a cloud of dust that sent Neji stumbling back several steps.
“Is that all?”
Neji nodded, breathing slightly hard.
“Then use the rest.”
Neji steadied his breath and settled back into his stance.
“Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!”
Hiashi’s eyes went wide.
Neji had not only managed to unleash Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms in succession, he had mastered the Vacuum Palm as well.
“That’s…
incredible.”
Hinata couldn’t hold back either.
When Neji had thrown One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms she had already found it astonishing.
Right now, she couldn’t even execute the Sixty-Four Palms cleanly.
“Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!”
“Mountain Crusher!”
Tiange still didn’t dodge.
He let Neji’s attacks land without resistance.
This time, the strikes finally drew a faint tremor from his body.
And for the first time, a thin smile touched Tiange’s face.
“Very good.”
“You, ”
“Here they come.”
Tiange’s killing intent erupted without warning, his gaze cutting sharply toward the shadows.
➤ Next: Tiange’s Fury —
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