Looking at the Byakugan boy who walked in, Nagasawa thought for a moment and quickly locked onto his identity, the branch family genius of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Neji.
In the early part of the original work, Neji should have belonged to the kind of person who appeared with a bit of pressure, giving off the feeling of an expert, though he stood on the protagonist's opposing side.
During the Chunin Exam, after Neji failed to persuade Hinata to withdraw, he directly beat Hinata until she vomited blood, then also mocked Hinata and Naruto, who had cheered for Hinata.
But if one took Neji as a cold and heartless person just like that, it would not be very accurate.
The reason Neji struck so hard was because he held tremendous hatred toward the Hyuga main family. When Hinata was three years old, a Kumogakure ninja came to kidnap Hinata, but was discovered and killed by Hyuga Hiashi.
Kumogakure, who had failed in their plot for the Byakugan, not only did not admit their mistake, but even turned around and bit back, claiming that if Konoha did not give them a satisfactory answer, then there would be war.
At that time, it happened to not be long after the Third Ninja World War ended. Konoha already had no strength to fight again, and Iwagakure was also stirring restlessly, so Konoha was forced to complete a deal with Kumogakure, one life for one life.
Originally, it should have been Hiashi who died, but in the end, Hizashi voluntarily went to his death, replacing his elder brother to die.
Neji had always believed that the main family had forced his father to die in their place, so he had always hated the main family, hated Hiashi and Hinata.
Facing an existence like a "father-killing enemy," how could Neji possibly hold back? Since she was unwilling to admit defeat, of course he would be as ruthless as possible.
But Neji was not an unreasonable person. When he saw his father's suicide note and learned that his father had truly gone to his death voluntarily, he no longer hated Hinata and Hiashi, and also felt guilty about his previous actions.
Finally, during the Fourth Ninja World War, Neji used his life to block the Ten-Tails' attack, protecting Hinata and Naruto, and sacrificed himself there. He was the only one of the Konoha Twelve to die in battle.
It had to be said, this was a character who made people feel somewhat unable to let go.
He had extraordinary talent and was the most talented ninja in the Hyuga Clan. He successfully taught himself a Secret Technique that the Hyuga Clan only passed down to the main family. He lost in the Chunin Exam, but became the first of the Konoha Twelve to be promoted to Jonin.
The tragedy of his childhood had long since created his twisted worldview, but had not twisted his entire person. After learning the truth, he was able to admit his own mistakes.
He did not like speaking and was always expressionless. He seemed emotionless, but was someone who cared about his companions. Even the reason he died was to protect his companions.
Remembering Neji's tragic experiences in the original work, Nagasawa had countless thoughts, but he quickly withdrew his gaze.
The tragic experiences of the original Neji could no longer be repeated. Kumogakure was very obedient now. Forget coming to Konoha to steal the Byakugan, even if a Konoha ninja went to their village to steal a Kekkei Genkai ninja, they would have to hold it in.
Since there was no longer Kumogakure, that troublemaker, coming to steal the Byakugan, Neji's father would not die, and Neji would not become that Neji who spent all day on pessimistic destiny theory.
"Ah, you're the one from that day..." Naruto recognized that Neji was the person who had helped Hinata pass on a message before. But after thinking carefully, he realized that he could not call out the other's name at all, and could not help scratching his hair awkwardly.
Neji first calmly spoke respectful greetings to the adults in the room, then took out the letter Hinata had given him and handed it to Naruto, saying, "This is for you from Hinata. She cannot come out, so I am helping her give it to you."
"She said it is related stories about First Hokage-sama and the others that you wanted before."
Hearing that it was information about Hashirama and Madara, Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. He took the letter and thanked him repeatedly.
Neji nodded, then prepared to turn and leave, but Naruto stopped him.
"Um, what's your name? Thank you so much." To prevent the embarrassment of not being able to call out his name next time they met, Naruto directly asked.
Neji's footsteps paused, then he thought for a moment and said, "Hyuga Neji."
"Little Neji, do you want some tea? Do you want snacks?" Kushina asked with a kind face.
"No, thank you." After saying that, Neji prepared to say goodbye.
Seeing that Neji was about to leave just like that, Naruto revealed a thoughtful expression.
'He feels like the same type as Yurika.'
Naruto felt that the cold Neji and Yurika had somewhat similar personalities. He just did not know whether Neji was as strong as Yurika.
"How has Hizashi been recently?" Nagasawa suddenly asked.
Neji froze and looked at Nagasawa with a puzzled gaze. Clearly, he did not know why Nagasawa had suddenly asked about his father. No, why did he know that his father was Hyuga Hizashi?
There was a lot of information in this one sentence.
"I know your father. He once said that he had a genius son," Nagasawa said with a faint smile.
This really was not something he made up. Not only did he know Hizashi, he also knew Hiashi. It was not the kind of knowing where he merely knew their names, but rather they had interacted before.
As for the reasons, there were quite a few. Excluding some miscellaneous small matters, there were mainly two reasons.
The first was that as a high-level member of Konoha, he would sometimes have intersections with them because of work. The Hyuga could also be considered an important force of Konoha, and the strategic value of the Byakugan was very great.
For example, the previous time when Hyuga ninja were not allowed to leave the village, it was Nagasawa who negotiated with Hiashi.
The second was because of the training team.
Nagasawa had set the development direction of the training team very early on. The ninja version of the Six Powers that he improved would not become the Anbu Six Powers that belonged exclusively to Anbu, but the Six Powers of Konoha ninja.
After completing the training work for all Anbu, Nagasawa quickly formulated a new training plan, allowing some ninja in the village who were good at Taijutsu and Nintaijutsu to learn the Six Powers.
When speaking of Taijutsu in Konoha, one could not avoid the Hyuga. The entire Hyuga Clan was a ninja clan that practiced their ancestral Taijutsu, Gentle Fist.
They did not practice other Ninjutsu, only Gentle Fist, which could be paired with the Byakugan.
Gentle Fist was a special Taijutsu. Only those who possessed the Byakugan could display its power, because Gentle Fist was a Taijutsu that attacked the inside of the human body. Without the Byakugan's ability to see through, it was impossible to use Gentle Fist.
The reason the Hyuga Clan only practiced Gentle Fist and did not practice other Ninjutsu was because Gentle Fist was powerful enough. The interior of the human body was difficult to train. Even a powerful ninja being struck by Gentle Fist was fatal.
So the Hyuga Clan also did not lack Jonin. Like the Uchiha, they had quite a few Jonin in their clan.
But unlike the Uchiha awakening the Mangekyo, it was extremely difficult for the Hyuga Clan to awaken the Tenseigan. The current Hyuga Clan no longer had anyone who knew of the Tenseigan's existence, so they lacked top-level powerhouses.
Twenty years ago, and even now in the Five Great Nations, Jonin could still be said to be the main combat force of a village.
But Nagasawa knew that the era would soon change. Later on, Jonin-level strength would not count for much.
If the Hyuga Clan continued to be so stuck in their old ways, in the future, they might not even be as good as using the Byakugan to snipe.
Always guarding their own little things, and even only passing down the only thing of some value to the heir of the main family, under a great change, was clearly not a wise move.
So in the training team's training plan, it also covered a portion of the Hyuga Clan's ninja, including Hizashi.
"He is very well. Thank you for your concern," Neji reacted and quickly said.
"How is your Gentle Fist learning?" Nagasawa asked.
"It is still acceptable," Neji said modestly.
"Then go outside and show me. Let me see how amazing the son Hizashi boasted to the skies is." Nagasawa smiled, then said something to Minato and walked outside.
Neji hesitated for a moment, then still followed. It seemed this person really was his father's friend.
Curious, Naruto also followed to watch the excitement.
In the open space, Neji took a deep breath, then assumed his stance. Immediately afterward, he launched a sharp flurry of attacks at the air in front of him.
Naruto scratched his head, feeling that although he did not really understand it, it seemed impressive. Although he could not say anything specific, he just felt there was momentum.
Nagasawa nodded. Neji's Gentle Fist flowed very smoothly. At his age, this was already not easy.
"It is indeed quite good. You have not disappointed your father's expectations," Nagasawa praised.
"You overpraise me," Neji was modest with his mouth, but somewhat happy inside. Who did not like being praised? Moreover, this was helping his father gain face.
"However," Nagasawa's tone suddenly changed, "although the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist has some tricks to it, it is still too single-minded. And you are branch family, right? You cannot learn those main family Secret Techniques."
Neji was silent.
Immediately afterward, Nagasawa suddenly kicked out a sharp crescent slash, cutting a large pit into the ground.
The sudden movement made Minato quickly check, and only after seeing that it was Nagasawa who had acted did he feel relieved and go back.
"I have a Taijutsu set here called the Six Powers. What I just used was one of the Six Powers, Rankyaku. If I gave you a chance, would you want to learn it?" Nagasawa said with a smile.
The Hyuga Clan's rotten rules about main family and branch family were truly abnormal. In one generation, there could only be one main family. Even twins could only have the one born later become branch family.
Moreover, the lives of the branch family were completely controlled by the main family.
Since it was their clan's own rotten matter, Nagasawa was too lazy to forcibly interfere. What he chose was to cultivate Neji and let Neji himself change that Hyuga Clan that was stuck in its old ways.
Neji looked at the ten-plus-meter-deep pit created by Nagasawa's light kick and fell into deep thought.
Without a doubt, the power Nagasawa displayed shocked him. Saying he did not want to learn would be a lie.
But Nagasawa was, after all, a stranger he had only met once. This made Neji somewhat hesitant. He was someone who could think calmly, and whether Nagasawa was his father's friend or not was still uncertain.
"Sigh, it seems you do not want to learn it. Then forget it." Seeing Neji not speak for a while, Nagasawa deliberately sighed with a regretful look.
Neji opened his mouth, but in the end, still closed it. However, his slightly trembling hands proved that his heart was not calm at this moment.
It was unknown whether he was regretting not agreeing just now.
Nagasawa smiled, then under Neji's puzzled gaze, knocked three times on his head.
Seeing this scene, Naruto's eyes lit up. Wasn't this a famous scene from a certain story Nagasawa had once told him?
Naruto said excitedly, "Neji, Uncle Nagasawa didn't reject you! Knocking three times means for you to get up in the middle of the night and go find him."
Neji looked at Naruto with a face full of question marks, not really able to understand Naruto's words.
Naruto looked as if he hated iron for not becoming steel and quickly told Neji the story of Sun Wukong learning from his master.
Neji was speechless. He had never heard this story before. He looked at Nagasawa.
Nagasawa neither admitted nor denied it, but knocked Naruto on the head with his hand. "You just know too much."
"Hehe." Naruto scratched his head and smiled. He was not unhappy, because Nagasawa had not used any strength, and it did not hurt.
In the end, Neji delivered the letter, but returned home having gained a pile of doubts.
After returning home, Neji found his father, Hizashi, and told him about what happened today.
"Today I went to the house of someone named Namikaze Naruto and met a..."
"Namikaze Naruto? Isn't that the child of Fourth Hokage? What did you go to Fourth Hokage's house for? Are you friends?" Hizashi asked curiously.
Neji shook his head. He and Naruto had only met twice and exchanged a few words, so they probably could not be considered friends.
"I helped Hinata deliver something over," Neji explained.
"Then I met someone who claimed to be your friend. He seemed to be called Nagasawa?" Neji continued speaking, then he discovered that his father froze for a moment.
"Are you sure that person was called Nagasawa?" Hizashi could not help asking. Although he had some dealings with Nagasawa, basically it was as a subordinate. So Nagasawa actually regarded him as a friend? Hizashi was somewhat overwhelmed by favor.
Although he was several years older than Nagasawa, whether in status, position, or strength, the two sides could not be compared at all. Even if his brother, the clan head of the Hyuga Clan, Hiashi, came, there would also be no comparison.
"Yes, that Namikaze Naruto called him that," Neji said with certainty, then also described Nagasawa's appearance.
"That is correct. It is Assistant Nagasawa," Hizashi nodded.
As they chatted later, when he heard that Nagasawa actually valued Neji quite a bit and was preparing to teach him the Six Powers, Hizashi was even more shocked. After learning that Neji hesitated and then Nagasawa said forget it, he also showed a regretful face.
Seeing his father reveal such rich expressions in a short time, Neji realized one thing. It seemed that this man named Nagasawa was extremely extraordinary, so Neji asked about Nagasawa.
Hizashi smiled and said, "Assistant Nagasawa is an incredible figure. He is Konoha's Assistant Hokage, and even the strongest person in the current Ninja World.
He once relied on one person's strength to defeat an elite ninja force led by Kumogakure's Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, captured the Raikage and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive, and led Konoha to defeat Kumogakure.
During the previous Nine-Tails rampage, it was also he who suppressed the Nine-Tails, allowing Konoha to avoid great losses."
"Although his age is not great, his contributions to Konoha far surpass someone like me," Hizashi sighed. Compared with Nagasawa, it was as though he had lived his life like a dog.
Listening to Nagasawa's legendary stories, Neji's eyes also widened. He had not expected that by casually delivering a letter, he had actually met such a legendary figure, and even almost learned his Taijutsu.
Even a calm child like Neji now felt endless regret in his heart. If he had agreed at that time, how good would that have been?