"Oh hey! You're finally back, Hinata, Neji," Kiba called out with a grin.
Neji gave a nod in response, acknowledging the greeting, then turned toward the jōnin instructor. "Kurenai-sensei, you wanted to see me?"
"I did," Kurenai replied with a gentle nod.
"You've probably heard about the upcoming Chūnin Exams. I asked you here today because I have a small favor to ask."
"What is it?" Neji asked directly.
Kurenai hesitated, her tone becoming a bit sheepish. "I was hoping… you could help Hinata and the others with their training."
Help them train?
Neji glanced at her expression and immediately understood.
The Chūnin Exams would attract strong opponents. Overconfidence could be deadly. Kurenai wasn't just asking for help she was asking him to give her team a reality check.
She wanted to use Neji's strength to rein in her team's arrogance.
But Neji had no real interest in sparring with them.
Put simply, when you've gained the strength to challenge a jōnin, would you take pride in defeating genin?
Of course not.
Besides, Neji already knew they'd be fine in the exams. No real danger awaited them.
Still, this was a personal request from Kurenai. Refusing outright would be poor form.
Fine. If she wants to see strength, he'll show her.
With a calm voice, he agreed, "Alright, Kurenai-sensei."
Kurenai breathed a small sigh of relief. It wasn't easy asking someone outside her team to discipline her students. But Kiba had been getting carried away lately overconfident and reckless. She was afraid it might ruin their teamwork, or worse, get them hurt.
Getting Neji's help was a necessary compromise. Fortunately, he seemed to understand.
"No time like the present," Kurenai said with a smile. "So, which one of you wants to go first against Neji?"
Before the others could answer, Neji stepped forward and spoke arrogantly, "No need for that. Let them all come at me together."
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Confused. Annoyed. Displeased.
"Neji, are you serious?" Kurenai asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I am."
Kurenai frowned. That level of arrogance didn't sit well with her, but she chose to hold her tongue.
"You really think you can take all three of us at once?" Kiba said, voice low and sharp. He knew Neji was strong but this? This was just plain disrespect.
"Neji-nii…" Hinata whispered uncertainly, not understanding why her cousin was being so provocative. With this kind of attitude, wasn't he just making enemies of everyone?
Shino didn't speak, but the sudden buzz of his insects revealed his growing displeasure.
The air thickened with tension.
Then Neji said, "One glance."
"Huh?" Kiba blinked. "What did you say?"
"If you three can withstand just one look from me… then I'll consider this your win."
Kiba's face contorted with rage. "You've got to be kidding me."
Challenging them three-on-one was arrogant. But this? Claiming he could defeat them with just a look?
That was pure, unfiltered insult.
Even Kurenai couldn't keep silent. "Neji, you need to show some respect to your opponents."
"Kurenai-sensei," Neji said calmly. "Would you rather see your students humbled in training, or see them lose their lives on the battlefield?"
Kurenai froze, her retort caught in her throat.
"Enough talk!" Kiba barked. "It's just a look, right? Do it!"
Neji smirked. "You too, Kurenai-sensei. You might want to step back. I don't want you caught in this."
Kurenai's eyes narrowed further. Was Neji implying that even she couldn't handle it?
She said nothing but moved to the side.
"Alright, we're ready!" Kiba shouted.
"Then brace yourselves." Neji's tone shifted, cold and quiet. "Pressure."
In an instant, his Byakugan activated.
A wave of unimaginable force surged through the air like a mountain collapsing from the heavens. The ground seemed to quake under the crushing presence. The sheer weight of it swept across the clearing.
Kurenai's eyes widened in shock.
In the next moment, all three genin were overwhelmed.
Kiba collapsed to his knees, trembling. Shino's insects scattered wildly as his chakra faltered. Hinata, stunned, could only stare in awe.
Even Kurenai herself felt her body break into a cold sweat. She couldn't move, stunned not by direct force, but by the residual impact alone.
And then… silence.
The moment Neji withdrew the pressure, it was as though the world exhaled.
"H-he's… way beyond us…" Kiba rasped, barely able to speak.
"Neji-nii…" Hinata gazed at him with wide, admiring eyes. So this was the level her cousin had reached…
Shino pushed himself up from the ground, his chakra still in disarray. The insects around him buzzed in confusion.
None of them knew… Neji had held back.
Though his overall strength wasn't yet overwhelming, this single ability was enough to threaten even elite jōnin. If used to full effect, it could've knocked them all unconscious.
But it came at a cost it strained the Byakugan heavily.
"Still not strong enough," Neji muttered to himself.
"Better keep working."
With that, he turned and walked away, waving casually.
So many new jutsu to master there was no time to waste.
The rest watched his figure recede in silence.
Time passed quickly.
In the days that followed, Neji focused on training, learning three more jutsu: Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet, and Earth Style: Mud Wall.
While he also possessed powerful abilities like Pressure, All-Killing Ash Bones, and Mind Sphere, using them was still risky.
Mind Sphere was manageable. Pressure put significant strain on his Byakugan once used, he couldn't activate it again for a while. This was purely because his current strength wasn't sufficient.
All-Killing Ash Bones was the most taxing of all. Even if he burned through all his chakra, he could only use it twice. It wasn't something to be used lightly.
Soon, Neji reunited with Tenten and Lee, heading toward the exam venue together.
Five days earlier, Might Guy had given the team their Chūnin Exam applications.
"Be at Classroom 301 in the Academy by 3 PM, five days from now," he'd said.
Unlike Neji, Tenten and Lee took this opportunity very seriously it was the first step toward realizing their dreams.
Neji, however, knew the outcome already.
Among all the candidates, only Shikamaru would be promoted and even then, only because he demonstrated outstanding judgment during the mission to pursue Gaara.
Which suited Neji just fine.
After all, he never intended to be promoted this time.