Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 29. She took the First Round! [Bonus]

His voice was steady, but inside? He was more exhausted than after a thousand push-ups or sprinting laps around the entire village on his hands.

His body was drenched in sweat; chakra drained, and nerves worn thin from precision control.

"I could help if you're too tired," Izumi offered gently. She noticed Neji struggling to stand and wondered if the tattoo process had taken more out of him than expected.

"No! It's fine! I mean it—it's fine," Neji blurted, practically leaping to his feet.

Without waiting for a reply, he half-hunched and shuffled into the bath chamber, sliding the door shut behind him.

Then he collapsed against the wall, exhaling in one long, relieved breath.

Too much. This is way too much!

Even with chakra-boosted maturity, even with early hormonal regulation...

'I'm only twelve!' His mind screamed.

As he began undressing for a much-needed soak, his gaze drifted toward the folded clothes nearby.

His face froze.

Then palmed itself.

"...I forgot to bring fresh clothes."

Forget it.

Eyes closed. Observation Haki on.

He shed the rest of his clothes and slid into the warm bath, letting the water ease the strain from every nerve.

...

In another part of the compound, Izumi stood in place, smiling softly.

She could sense Neji's aura subside finally giving himself a moment to relax.

Her hand brushed over the warm seal glowing faintly at her chest.

The chakra within it radiated outward, soothing her internal organs, knitting together the damage from her Eight Gates training, repairing even the smallest fractures.

She stood still for a while...

Then reached up, removed her hairpin, and let her long black hair cascade like a waterfall down her back.

Casting one last glance at the purple kimono she'd worn earlier, she folded it carefully and tucked it away in her wardrobe.

Maybe one day, she thought, there will be another reason to wear it.

Now dressed in a sleek combat uniform, white coat draped over her shoulders, Izumi returned to the training hall.

By that time, Neji had already emerged from his bath, hair slightly damp, posture relaxed but alert.

Izumi handed him a glass of milk. He accepted it gratefully, drinking it in one go.

The chill calmed his dry throat and brought his senses back online.

Feeling refreshed, he glanced at her.

"How's your body responding? Have you tried opening the First Gate?"

Izumi shook her head. "Not yet. But the seal's working. I can feel the chakra moving gently, healing the damage naturally."

Neji nodded. "Good. It only pulls a small fraction of chakra for recovery. Won't affect combat performance at all."

His expression darkened slightly.

If only I could figure out how to store chakra...

The true power of Tsunade's Yin Seal wasn't just regeneration it was the stockpiling of chakra over time.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

"You mind if I take a look?" he asked.

He took her hand gently, then activated his Byakugan.

Her chakra network lit up beneath his gaze, and he watched as the seal softly diverted a portion of her internal chakra toward gradual healing.

"...Perfect. It's even better than I projected. You're ready to try the First Gate now."

He added, reassuringly: "I'll be right here."

Izumi smiled.

She trusted him. More than anyone.

She stepped back, then shrugged off the white cloak.

Beneath it, a tight combat mesh clung to her figure, revealing just enough of the seal's violet glow.

"[Gate of Opening]—open!"

The surge was immediate.

Her chakra flared wildly, enveloping her body like a heatwave.

"Activate [Healing Seal]!" Neji commanded.

At once, Izumi focused.

From beneath her skin, lines of glowing purple began to emerge lavender blossoms blooming along her arms and collar, etched in chakra.

Hidden beneath her clothing, the seal still activated seamlessly.

Neji's Byakugan traced everything.

Every time her surging chakra crossed one of the tattooed points, it diverted, cooled, converted.

From chaos to calm.

From force to healing.

"The seal is absorbing the pressure, regulating the overflow. Looks stable."

He tossed her a remote. "Try hitting that."

A target flipped up from the wall.

Without hesitation, Izumi vanished in a blur.

Boom!

Her foot slammed into the target with a thunderous crack a moment later, the reinforced dummy splintered apart.

Neji narrowed his eyes, measuring the precise chakra flow.

Perfect distribution. Minimal waste.

Stable output.

"Not bad," he said. "Now... don't turn it off. Come at me."

He smiled, tilting his head.

He wanted that sweet, sweet battle experience data.

Izumi's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Time to see how far she'd come.

[Soru]

Her form vanished.

A Six Powers technique the high-speed movement technique Neji had adapted from the pirate world.

Faster than a typical Jonin's Body Flicker.

So fast it left afterimages.

'Impressive' Neji thought. Her [Soru] is almost faster than my own, Maybe she has talent for it or something.

He activated his own First Gate.

Boom!

The room exploded with air pressure.

Shockwaves pulsed through the Island Cloud flooring, making the entire training ground tremble.

Two chakra-boosted shinobi clashed in a flurry of motion, vanishing and reappearing around the chamber.

Slash!

[Tempest Kick]!

A razor-sharp chakra blade sliced through the air, carving a gash into the cloud flooring and revealing the steel beneath.

Izumi landed, breathing hard.

She stared at the gouge on the floor.

So that was the power of Neji's [Tempest Kick]...

But Neji frowned slightly.

Something felt... off.

Her [Soru] was faster, sure.

But his [Tempest Kick] was weaker. And his [Moon Step] wasn't activating at all.

Is it atmospheric density? Lacking certain components in the air? Is the physics engine in this world just... different?

He sighed.

This universe isn't Earth... nor is it the One Piece world. I'm playing by hybrid rules now.

Then—

A whisper of wind.

A sharp hum.

Neji tilted his head slightly—

Ssshhh—

A bladed palm passed just inches from his face.

He turned slowly to find Izumi standing there, smirking, her hand still outstretched.

"You always told me," she whispered, "that on the battlefield, even one moment of distraction could mean defeat."

He stared at her.

Wide-eyed.

"You... used my own lesson against me?"

"Yup."

She winked. "This time... I take the first round."

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