C2 The Understanding

As a member of a prestigious family, Neji's monthly allowance was a mere five thousand taels. While that might seem more generous than Tenten's daily funds, it's important to note that Neji's sum was meant for living expenses, whereas Tenten's was merely pocket money—hardly a fair comparison.

Neji recalled that even the priciest bowl of ramen cost just ninety taels. Giving a four-year-old girl two thousand taels for spending money was nothing short of lavish.

While on his way to a barbecue joint, Neji picked up four skewers to munch on. Passing an open area, he noticed a cluster of kids about his age huddled around something. Drawing closer, he realized they were kicking a child lying on the ground. The boy's golden hair and blue eyes were unmistakable—it was Naruto.

"Tenten, stay here for a sec. I'm going to check this out."

"Stop it, now!"

Neji approached and bellowed at the group. The kids turned to him, and upon seeing his pale eyes, hesitancy washed over their faces.

"Byakugan!"

Activating his Byakugan, the veins around Neji's eyes protruded, giving him a menacing appearance.

"It's a monster, run for it!"

One child's cry set them all off, scattering in all directions, leaving Naruto curled up on the ground, hands over his head.

Neji deactivated his Byakugan and extended a hand to Naruto, who looked up, bewildered and slow to grasp the situation.

"Aren't you scared of me? Everyone says I'm a monster and shuns me."

"They just called me a monster too. Are you scared of me?"

Tears suddenly spilled from Naruto's eyes—eyes that had remained dry despite the beating. Neji offered a gentle smile, took Naruto's hand, and helped him to his feet.

"Hey—Neji!"

Tenten's voice echoed from a distance. Neji gestured for her to come over, and she quickened her pace. But upon seeing Naruto, her steps faltered.

"Neji, is that...?"

"What's up, Tenten?"

"No, it's nothing. Just... Mom said I shouldn't get close to him..."

Upon hearing Tenten's words, Naruto's face fell with disappointment. But Neji just gave a reassuring smile and handed Naruto a skewer of dumplings.

"Don't worry about it. He and I are cut from the same cloth. There won't be any issues. Come on, let's go have some barbecue together."

Neji took Tenten's hand and gestured for Naruto to follow as they headed back toward the barbecue joint.

"But, but..."

"If it's about the extra cost, I'll cover it."

"Dumbass! It's not about the money!"

Later that evening, Neji returned to his cabin. As soon as the door shut, a card materialized in his hand.

Ninjutsu Card: Miniature Tailed Beast Ball. The design was unmistakably a Tailed Beast Ball, and the instructions were clear: Upon impact, the card transforms into a Miniature Tailed Beast Ball, exploding on contact with an object. It has a sixty-minute cooldown, but can be recharged sooner with Chakra.

While holding hands with Tenten, Neji had noticed that despite being in contact for over ten seconds, she bore no card.

Neji surmised the reason was simply that Tenten was too young and lacked any abilities to acquire.

He had assumed Naruto would be the same, but to Neji's surprise, Naruto did possess a card. With a try-it-and-see attitude, Neji took the card, curious if he might gain the Whirlpool Clan's bloodline abilities. But what he didn't expect was to end up with the power of the Nine-Tails.

Neji's heart raced. He hadn't tested its strength, and it was only a Miniature Tailed Beast Ball, but the mere name "Tailed Beast Ball" carried significant weight.

"So, a Jinchuriki is seen as a target just like the Tailed Beasts themselves? A Tailed Beast Ball that can be launched once an hour... gulp~~"

Neji swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to steady his excitement.

Half a month slipped by unnoticed, and come dawn, Neji lay in the grass, a troubled frown on his face as he clutched three cards in his hand.

The three Ninjutsu Cards were the Eight Trigrams Air Palm, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, and Lightning Release: Ground Walk. Neji had acquired the Eight Trigrams Air Palm from Hyuga Togashi, while he got the Great Fireball and Ground Walk from the shinobi seated next to Naruto during a ramen invitation.

"You're here, Neji."

Startled by the unexpected voice, Neji quickly released the card from his grasp and sat up to see Hyuga Hiashi calling out to him, with Hyuga Togashi standing by his side. Neji promptly rose to his feet and respectfully bowed to Hiashi-sama.

"Hiashi-sama, were you looking for me?"

A smile cracked the stern demeanor of Hyuga Hiashi's face as he gently shook his head.

"No, it's not me. The Third Hokage has requested your presence. Let's go."

"Oh!"

Neji followed Hyuga Hiashi, heading toward the Hokage's office, pondering the reason behind the Third Hokage's summons.

"If it's about my father's death, it wouldn't have taken this long. Could it be about Naruto?"

Before long, Neji entered the Hokage's office with Hyuga Hiashi, leaving Hyuga Togashi waiting outside. Inside, two ANBU members were present, but Neji felt the weight of six or seven pairs of eyes upon him, sending shivers down his spine.

"Lord Hokage, Neji is here," announced Hyuga Hiashi, bowing before taking his place to the side. The Third Hokage stood and approached Neji with a warm smile.

"Neji, how have you been? I've heard you've been living on your own lately."

"Yes! I spend every day with my friends and I'm doing well. Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage."

"Ha ha ha, that's good to hear. I've heard about a friend of yours named Naruto. What do you think of him?"

The Third Hokage's smile remained unchanged, yet Neji's breath hitched at the question. He had anticipated the meeting might involve Naruto, and despite the nerves that gripped him, he managed to keep a steady face and nodded subtly.

"Yeah, we're really good friends."

"But I've heard that Naruto isn't exactly popular with the other kids. How come Neji can be friends with him?"

"Because I'm an orphan, just like him."

The Third Hokage's expression shifted subtly as he instinctively glanced at Hyuga Hiashi standing beside him, who showed a flicker of guilt on his face.

The Third Hokage softly stroked Neji's head, his warm smile returning.

"So, you chose to befriend him because he's an orphan too?"

After posing the question, the Third Hokage withdrew his hand. Neji nearly swore under his breath; he was so close to obtaining the card known as the 'Doctor of Ninjutsu' from the Third Hokage, only to have it pulled away.

Yet, Neji maintained a calm facade, lifting his head to meet the Third Hokage's gaze with his pale eyes.

"No, it's not that. I'm friends with him because I understand him."

"Oh? Understanding is the reason?"

"That's right. The other kids don't want to be friends with Naruto because they don't understand him. It's like how wars break out between countries when people fail to understand each other. They don't understand Naruto, and that's why they shun him. It would be truly tragic if I, as a fellow orphan, couldn't understand him either."

The Third Hokage's pupils narrowed, and even Hyuga Hiashi looked taken aback. But before either could respond, the shadowy figure of Danzo emerged, leaning on his cane.

"Hehehe, well said, young Hyuga. You're bound to become a formidable Shinobi. Why not come with me, and I'll train you personally?"