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Seeing her awake and still somewhat energetic, the green glow in Neji's hand slowly faded as he gently lifted Izumi into his arms.
'Hmm. That familiar softness…' he could clearly sense her [Healing Tattoo] quietly working on her injuries.
"Sorry, Izumi. I need to log your recovery data first. I'll give you proper treatment right after."
Izumi let out a soft hum, closing her eyes. She let him do whatever he wanted she didn't have the strength to protest anyway.
Her whole body was paralyzed, her senses extra sensitive. Every small touch sent odd sensations rippling through her, forcing her to bite her lip just to stay composed.
Enduring the lingering tingles, she finally relaxed once laid on the medical bed. Neji stood beside her, taking notes while checking her vitals and energy response.
With a pen and notebook in hand, he paused every so often, deeply focused in thought.
A serious man has his own kind of charm.
Izumi lay there, watching him quietly. Something about it gave her a sense of peace.
Before long, Neji finished his diagnostics, set his tools down, and smiled at her.
"Time to heal you properly."
[Mystic Palm Technique]
He directly activated high-level healing ninjutsu, accelerating her recovery while carefully observing her condition.
Stimulating rapid cell division to heal wounds… truly the "-1 to lifespan" kind of technique.
'If only I had Hashirama cells or even White Zetsu's. That would be perfect.'
It reminded him of HeLa cells: endlessly dividing, always active, seemingly immortal.
Incredibly regenerative, but uncontrollable. Maybe [Bloodline Factor] tech could stabilize that?
As he pondered, his hand moved fluidly, healing Izumi's entire body.
She blushed as she slowly sat up. "I'm going to change clothes!"
She bolted from the room, leaving Neji a little stunned.
'Right, her outfit was pretty torn up Guess I was too focused to notice.'
Turning back to his data, he muttered:
"Six months from now, I'll test this on Lee. At the very least, I'll give the Third some hope… and extract something useful from him in return."
The finished product could be kept for himself. Once he developed a superior version, he'd release the current one. Flawless plan.
It was getting late. Time to head back.
He walked to the incubation area, injecting chakra into the chamber. One by one, Byakugan eyes continued to develop seeds of potential for the future.
Leaving behind enough chakra to sustain them, Neji knew future cultivation would slow down.
But he wasn't in a rush. His current strength was enough.
Footsteps echoed behind him. Neji turned to see Izumi returning, a faint fragrance trailing behind her she'd bathed again.
"I'm heading out, Izumi. I'll leave this place to you."
"Mm."
She handed him his forehead protector, watching silently as he tied it over his eyes.
A flicker of disappointment passed through her gaze. Her lips parted slightly… but in the end, she said nothing.
She simply watched him leave, the cold lighting of the underground lab her only company.
---
Half a month later.
In Konoha Hospital, thanks to Neji's help, Lee had fully recovered.
Team 3 gathered once again to celebrate Lee's discharge.
Pop! Pop!
Guy and Tenten pulled on their party poppers, showering the room with colorful streamers.
"Congratulations on your release, Lee!"
"Hot-blooded YOUTH is blooming again!"
Lee was instantly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in his eyes.
You have no idea what these past two weeks were like!
Two whole weeks without training absolute torture!
"Guy-sensei, I humbly request even more intense training! I must make up for every moment I lost!"
Clearly fueled by frustration, Lee declared with passion.
Guy nearly jumped. "Cough! Lee, you just got discharged. No overexertion yet. But I promise once you're fully healed, I'll train you like never before!"
He pounded his chest, the sound echoing through the room.
"Guy-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Waaaah!!
Tenten sighed with a face full of exasperated lines, rolling her eyes at the two goofs. Why did I even worry?
She saw Neji picking up the fallen streamers and walked over to help. Over the past half-month, they'd done a lot of these tasks.
After all, fresh genin like them were stuck doing chores street cleaning, cat catching, dog herding…
Cleanliness was a big deal. Littering after celebrations? Not allowed.
But now that Lee was back, they had one more pair of hands. Totally worth it.
When the emotional reunion finally settled, Guy wiped his tears and addressed the team:
"Excellent! Team 3 is complete once again. We're ready to take on new types of missions."
Tenten's eyes lit up. 'Finally, something new?!'
Neji stood quietly, not expecting much. Unless it involved combat and blood, it was all negligible experience gain.
Guy cleared his throat and announced dramatically: "Our next mission… is helping farmers…"
Tension rises…
"…plant rice seedlings!"
Tenten nearly tripped.
Of course. She got her hopes up for nothing. Again.
"Ughhh, Neji—I need a hug!"
Tenten suddenly leaped into full clingy mode, startling Neji. He immediately knew who was behind this—Ino.
He'd investigated. Everything Tenten had been doing lately… totally Ino's influence.
"Enough of that, Tenten. Don't follow her advice. You should know none of them even succeeded at what they preach."
Tenten froze, sneaking a glance at Neji. Busted.
He flicked her forehead lightly. "You're great just the way you are confident, strong, straightforward. I like your bold side."
Tenten clutched her forehead, blushing but feeling secretly happy and relieved.
"Yeah… this fake behavior wasn't really me anyway."
Neji nodded. "Besides, if Guy-sensei keeps choosing these kinds of missions, you really will need emotional support."
"…Fine, I'll take that one."
Seeing her pout again, Neji switched to gentle mode.
"These tasks are for our benefit tempering the spirit, gaining life experience."
"Think about it. Has Guy-sensei ever given us the same kind of mission twice?"
Tenten thought for a moment… then shook her head. Lee's eyes lit up too. That's true!
"Exactly. They may seem simple, but they build our foundation."
"In battle, the smallest detail the terrain, the tools, a single unusual movement can turn the tide. Every experience counts."
His words were clear, structured, and full of reason. Even Guy nodded in awe.
Sparkling white teeth activated LIKE!
That's exactly what I meant!
"Alright, everyone—move out!"
"Yeah!!"
Lee's voice rang with enthusiasm. Tenten responded weakly, and Neji simply nodded.
The daily mission arc begins now.
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