Konoha Notes.

Chapter 466 Different

I will make you stronger.

For some reason, this sentence suddenly popped into Neji's mind.

This was before the bandage was on his forehead.

At that time, Hinata once told her older brother that she didn't like practicing physical skills and hoped that he would become her successor.

Then, his reply was: I will make you stronger, and I will protect you with my life when you are in danger.

Was that statement a vow from the branch family to the main family, or a promise from the older brother to his younger sister?

He had forgotten, and for a longer period of time, resentment had overshadowed it.

Until now, until he decided to become the one who would change the Hyuga clan.

Looking back at my father's choice once again, and then at my cousin who says she doesn't like it but is still working hard on her own.

Some things seem to be coming back to me little by little.

Taking that step wasn't as difficult as I had imagined.

It even made the training the next day feel lighter.

Kai couldn't help but express his admiration for youth in the special training class.

"Your actions are different today, Neji!"

"More concise, more direct, this unburdened decisiveness—you've once again pushed your boundaries."

Faced with his teacher's fiery temper, Neji put away his stance and became serious.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Kai."

"Keep burning, Neji!" Guy gave Neji a thumbs up.

Deidara rushed over quickly.

"Teacher Kai! I have a new idea for the next art performance, hmm!" He shoved a sketch into Kai's hand, which depicted the trajectory and spread of an explosion.

Kai took the sketch, his expression somewhat stiff. The paper was covered with intricate explosion trajectories and spreading ripples, along with a bunch of annotations he couldn't understand at all. "This…" Kai's gaze lingered on the paper. "This…"

"Deidara-nii." Kurotsuchi strolled over slowly, arms behind her head. "That closing ceremony surprise of yours, the explosion went beyond the planned area and almost affected the audience, isn't that still being dealt with?"

"Has the money that Teacher Kai guaranteed for compensation... been paid off?"

Deidara immediately exploded: "That was entirely within my calculations! It wouldn't actually blow up the audience!"

"Those people in the secretariat are making a mountain out of a molehill."

Then he promised Kai, "But this time is different! This time the art will be absolutely perfect and explosive!"

Kai maintained his bright smile, but a bead of sweat quietly slid down his forehead.

"Ahem... um... of course, youth is about pushing your limits and burning with all your might."

"However, you must keep your promises of youth, Deidara."

"Debt is part of youth too!" Deidara clenched his fist. "Once I graduate and become a full-fledged ninja, I'll take on a few high-level missions and pay it off quickly, hmm!"

Neji quietly left the training ground at that moment, and many others did the same.

But after leaving the school gate, one of the people who continued to move in the same direction was Uchiha Sasuke.

At the first intersection, the two remained the same; at the second intersection, they were still one in front of the other.

This is probably not a coincidence.

The further they went, the more certain they became. The direction leading to the West Suburbs Experimental Building was not a place an ordinary person would go.

The Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans share a common origin.

This is what Yakushi Kabuto told him.

Could it be that Sasuke also...?

Neji slowed down.

Sasuke also slowed down at the same time.

The two, who had initially maintained a subtle distance, now walked side by side. They didn't speak, but simply kept pace in perfect unison, crossing the gradually quieting streets and heading towards a relatively secluded area on the western outskirts of the village.

As they approached the laboratory building, the two stopped at the same time.

They stood in front of the laboratory building, looking at each other.

Sasuke spoke first.

"You're the same, Hyuga Neji."

Neji looked at him: "It seems so."

The door to the laboratory building opened at that moment.

Kabuto Yakushi stood inside the doorway, looking at the two who had appeared at the same time with some surprise. His gaze shifted back and forth between Neji and Sasuke as he adjusted his glasses.

"Sasuke-kun finished the report so quickly?"

Sasuke nodded.

Kabuto then turned to Neji: "Neji-kun, please come with me."

"As for Sasuke-kun," he stepped aside to make way, "you can go down by yourself. The Second Hokage is down there now."

Sasuke watched Neji and Kabuto leave, then walked in another direction.

Hyuga Neji, isn't he here to see the Second Hokage?

Such a question flashed through his mind. Without pausing, he turned and headed towards the staircase leading to the third basement level.

When he entered the laboratory, he saw that in addition to Shuuji and Tobirama Senju, the current Hokage, Tsunade, was also there.

All three of them are here... Is no one working in the Hokage Building today?

"Mr. Shuuji."

"Nidaime-sama, Godaime-sama."

He greeted them one by one, receiving only brief responses.

When Tobirama saw Sasuke arrive, he gestured to Shuji and Tsunade.

"Neji's side is about to start, you two should go ahead. I'll take care of the arrangements here."

Shuji and Tsunade left the laboratory together.

Sasuke took a scroll from the backpack behind him and handed it to Tobirama Senju.

As the Second Hokage unrolled the scroll, he asked, "How far has the situation progressed?"

Sasuke replied, "Nothing has changed yet."

"No change?" Tobirama's gaze lifted from the scroll. "I gave you three days precisely to observe how things would change. You submitted your report after only one day..."

He continued browsing the contents, ink stains reflected in his red pupils.

"You explained the background and also provided a two-layered analysis of the conflict between Yamanaka and Haruno."

"Yamachi values ​​family opinions and acts cautiously; Haruno, on the other hand, is driven by personal emotions and chooses more directly. Both of them have some interaction with you in class and are considered to be classmates who approve of you."

"As for the parts of the whole thing that you consider useless distractions, you attribute them to Naruto Uzumaki's personal opinion."

Sasuke said, "The core conflict stems from the two of them. Ino's disagreement lies in her belief that Sakura's choice was too hasty. I will explain to her in detail the specific content and significance of the internship at the secret service."

"At the same time, I will also make it clear to Sakura Haruno that accepting this job offer does not mean that there is any personal inclination between me and her that goes beyond a friendship."

"As for Naruto... that's a separate matter between him and me. It's irrelevant to this matter."

The Second Hokage rolled up the scroll.

"Your ability to separate personal feelings from the events themselves is the only commendable aspect of this report."

"But your judgment still limits the issue to Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. That's wrong."

"Your actions have already become public, and the problems they have caused have been witnessed and discussed by the entire class, and even more people."

"Your solution ignores the variable of the argument between you and Naruto."

"Even without paying special attention, I can guess that one of them will be labeled as jealous, and the other will be labeled as despicable. These voices will become new barriers surrounding them."

"It makes what should be a simple reconciliation difficult."

Tobirama Senju handed the scroll back to Sasuke.

"The nature of the situation has already changed because of your argument with Naruto. Your solution is still trying to walk today's path using yesterday's map."

"Another point you've overlooked is the impact of your actions on two people who were initially friendly towards you. Has their opinion of you changed? Whether it has or not is also a key factor in whether your solution will be effective."

"Prepare another report. This time, take public opinion into account, and carefully consider the weight of your words." Sasuke lowered his gaze: "...Yes."

"To guide others rationally, one needs a deeper understanding of human nature than the average person, greater wisdom to balance various factors, and sufficient strength to bear all the consequences of one's choices."

After saying this, Tobirama walked towards the stairwell.

"It's too early for you to pursue Shuji's path."

Sasuke didn't refute. He simply gripped the scroll in his hand and followed behind the Second Hokage.

The two walked up to the first floor, and Sasuke's steps naturally turned towards the exit, but he was stopped.

"Come with me."

Tobirama said.

The two then went up to the third floor via another staircase.

When Sasuke pushed open a heavy, soundproof door, the sight inside made him stop in his tracks.

This is a spacious laboratory, brighter than the three underground floors.

Several large instruments were placed in the center.

Shuji and Tsunade stood in front of the control panel on one side, while Kabuto Yakushi was adjusting the equipment parameters.

In the most conspicuous spot in the room was a transparent cylindrical container filled with a pale green liquid. Hyuga Neji was suspended in it, his eyes closed, his long black hair slowly drifting in the liquid.

The previous training suit has been replaced with a close-fitting monitoring suit.

Dozens of monitoring patches were attached to his body, connected to tubes of varying thicknesses. These tubes extended like blood vessels, connecting to surrounding instruments. "First micro-implantation, dosage controlled at 0.15 ml," Kabuto's voice rang out in the room. "The culture medium's safe concentration is set at 0.03%. If there are any abnormalities, Lord Shuji can use Wood Release to restrain him."

Tsunade's gaze was fixed on the life monitoring device.

Tobirama Senju walked to another display screen and pulled up two sets of data comparison charts. The left side showed Neji's physical parameters before the cell implantation, and the right side showed the real-time monitoring values.

The fluctuating numbers and waveforms refreshed regularly on the screen, emitting a soft ticking sound.

Sasuke stood at the doorway, momentarily forgetting what to do.

Is this the real reason why Hyuga Neji came here?

"Nervous system response is normal..." Kabuto recorded the data, his pen moving rapidly across the recording board. "Cell activity is increasing within the expected range. There are currently no abnormal fluctuations in the curse seal-related neural circuits in the white-eye visual cortex area."

In the nutrient tank, Neji's eyelids twitched slightly.

Bubbles in the liquid rose along his skin, flickering under the light above.

Just then, the door behind Sasuke was pushed open again.

Red Bean poked half her body in, her gaze sweeping across the room before landing on Neji in the nutrient tank, her eyebrows rising.

"Um... Captain..."

"Another desensitization test?"

Her tone sounded somewhat helpless.

"This scene is just unsettling to look at. It feels like we've completely become the villains in the story."

The sudden appearance of the person made Sasuke instinctively move aside.

Only then did Hongdou notice his presence.

"Isn't that Sasuke? Why is he here? Are you going in later too?"

Sasuke unconsciously took another step towards the corner.

"Your movements don't seem like it."

Red Bean chuckled softly, wanting to reach out and pat his shoulder, but Sasuke stepped aside.

Hongdou didn't mind; instead, she squatted down.

"Don't worry, the captain will definitely ask for your opinion before putting you in this thing."

Her tone suddenly turned sinister, and she deliberately lowered her voice.

"Then, you'll go in willingly."

Before Sasuke could react, a hand reached out from the side, slashed down with a vertical sword, and struck Anko on the head.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Hongdou jumped away, clutching her head. "I know I was wrong. I used way too much force this time."

She rubbed her head and smiled at Sasuke, saying, "Don't tattle on me to Itachi. I'm just working part-time as an assistant to a lowly person. If your brother retaliates, I'm doomed."

Shuji withdrew his hand.

"Quiet down, Red Bean."

Red Bean raised her hands in surrender and obediently stood next to Sasuke, but her eyes still couldn't help glancing towards the nutrient tank.

Time passed with the low hum of the instruments.

The laboratory was quiet, with only the faint ticking of data updates and the gurgling sound of the liquid circulation system.

Sasuke looked at Neji in the tank, at the tubes connected to him, and at the numbers flashing on the screen.

What exactly is going on here...?

About half an hour later, Tobirama said, "The first implantation can be confirmed to be without problems. Have someone come out in an hour for a check-up to make sure everything is fine, and then continue to observe them for a month."

The pharmacist wrote down the time on the record board.

The Second Hokage then turned to Shuji and asked, "Is this your subordinate who had the cursed seal placed on him by Orochimaru?"

Red Bean immediately raised her hand, her voice loud and clear: "Yes! Second Hokage!"

"Get ready."

Hongdou's expression froze for a moment.

"No...no, I'm not going in too, am I?" She pointed to the nutrient tank, a little nervous.

"I would very much like to say yes," Tobirama said, "but it's not necessary. It's just a routine chakra extraction."

"Preparation is just to prepare you to try to gather Sage Chakra."

Anko breathed a sigh of relief, but then her face fell. "Sage Chakra... that's not something you can just condense like that..." Her mutterings gradually subsided as Tobirama stopped paying attention to her and turned to look at Sasuke.

"Now, you can go back."

"Next time I come, I don't want to see such a rudimentary report again."

Sasuke took one last look at Neji in the nutrient tank. The Hyuga clan's genius was suspended in the pale green liquid, as quiet as if he were asleep.