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editNeji Hyuga
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Neji Hyūga (日向ネジ, Hyūga Neji)
Debut
Appears in Anime, Manga, Game, Movie
Voice Actors
English
Japanese
Personal
Birthdate Astrological Sign Cancer July 3
Gender Gender Male Male
Age
  • Part I: 13-14
  • Part II: 16 19
Kekkei Genkai
Affiliation Konohagakure Symbol Konohagakure
Team Team Guy
Clan Hyūga Symbol Hyuga Clan
Rank
Ninja Rank
Family
Nature Type

Neji Hyūga (日向ネジ, Hyūga Neji) was a member of Konohagakure's Hyūga clan. Though a prodigy even by the Hyūga's standards, Neji was a member of the clan's Branch House; no matter how skilled he became, he would always be in service to the Hyūga's Main House, a fact that convinced him fate was predetermined. After experiencing Naruto Uzumaki's refusal to be limited by such an ideology, Neji realised his fate was what he chose it to be, and as a member of Team Guy he sought the strength necessary to make the future he wanted for his family and friends.and later became independent from the Clan but will still protect then from year to come

Background[]

File:Young Neji.png

A young Neji before receiving his cursed seal.

Neji was born the son of Hizashi Hyūga, placing him in one of the Hyūga clan's branch houses. When the heiress of the main house, Hinata, turned three years old, Neji's forehead was branded with the customary cursed seal by his uncle, Hiashi.[1] Despite how young he was at the time, Neji's natural talent with the Hyūga's trademark techniques were apparent to his father. For this reason, Hizashi resented that Neji was marked with a cursed seal, as he felt it bound him to a life of service to the main house when he should be destined for greater things. His anger would often manifest subconsciously, prompting Hiashi to activate Hizashi's cursed seal and punish him with pain, an act that traumatised Neji.[2]

Shortly after Neji received his cursed seal, a Kumogakure Head Ninja visiting Konoha attempted to kidnap Hinata in order to gain the secrets of the Byakugan. Hiashi stopped and killed the Head Ninja.[3] In what became known as the Hyūga Affair, Kumo denied the allegations made against its Head Ninja and insisted Hiashi's actions were a declaration of war by Konoha; the only way to avoid hostilities between the two villages would be if Hiashi's body were turned over to Kumo as compensation. Hiashi was willing to do so if it meant protecting Konoha, but that in turn would give Kumo the Byakugan. Hizashi, Hiashi's twin brother, volunteered to be his body double since his cursed seal would destroy his Byakugan at the time of his death, a fate he insisted upon over Hiashi's protests. Neji was too young to understand what was happening at the time, and over the years came to believe his father had been forced to die for the main house.[4]

Neji became spiteful towards the members of the main house for what he believed they'd done to his father; in the anime, he missed no opportunity to try and harm Hinata.[5] He also came to believe that the course of a person's life was determined from the moment of their birth and could be altered under no circumstances. When he graduated from the Academy at the top of his class he was added to Team Guy, where his philosophy placed him at odds with one of his teammates, Rock Lee: Lee wanted to become a great ninja despite his limitations, which Neji believed was impossible. Tenten was easily wowed by Neji, but Lee became determined to defeat Neji in a fight to prove him wrong. Their instructor, Might Guy, encouraged this, believing competition and the drive to succeed would push them to new heights.

Personality[]

File:Neji cursemark.png

Neji's branch family seal, his perceived inescapable fate.

Neji was a kind child who was prone to smiling; on Hinata's third birthday, he confided to his father that he thought she was cute.[6] He lost these qualities after his father's death, growing serious and cold, more mature than most his age. For years he was driven by a fatalistic belief that his and everyone else's fates were determined from birth and were inescapable. He perceived his own destiny as being that of a rare talent, causing him to arrogantly place himself above those he believes are "weaker" than himself. He also perceived that his talents would always be handicapped by mandatory servitude to the Hyūga's main house, which he presented and it fuelled his animosity towards the main house and its members.

Neji shared his philosophy about fate with those he met, gladly telling them when they are straying from the paths that have been set out for them by, for example, trying to exceed their natural limitations or trying to defeat him in combat when they lack any obvious ability to do so. When he shared his philosophy with Hinata, she concluded that his insistence upon destiny was actually a sore spot for him that caused him inner suffering: he so badly wanted to prove himself to the main house yet feels incapable of doing so. Neji attempted to kill her in anger for her words. Naruto Uzumaki also disagreed with Neji, claiming that Neji was not realizing his destiny because he was, in fact, holding himself back. Neji initially scoffed at Naruto's suggestion, but he was forced to reevaluate when Naruto, a "failure", defeats him, a "genius", in a fight.

From his experience with Naruto, and from learning that his father was not forced to die, Neji decided that fate is not inescapable but that, rather, one's destiny is what one makes of it; he felt indebted to Naruto for releasing him from his prior "darkness". The destiny Neji ended up selecting for himself was to become strong enough to never lose again. In pursuit of this goal, he trained with his team-mates, whose own dreams he became supportive of, and later with members of the main house, whom he gradually started mending relations with. This interaction with others caused him to become kind once again, and over time his desire to get stronger became as much a motivation to never lose as it is to protect his friends and family. In particular, he embraced his responsibility as a member of a branch house to keep Hinata safe, showing greater concern for her than anyone else in combat situations Eventually Neji decide to become one of Naruto's Advisors when he becomes Hokage so he doesn't need to do thing alone and support him and eventually achieve this and choose it as the destiny that he has chosen

Neji had become more traditional and serious and somewhat develop strange sense of humor but rarely show this and occasionally tried to not show it in front of other, he often scold Boruto for pulling prank and should not be distracting Naruto from work because his duty as Hokage is not only important to village and also should not tire him out from dealing with Him and also tell him to refer Naruto as Seventh while in the Hokage's Office

Neji has also appeared to be rather prideful and overbearing, as he hid his inability to enter the Spirit World, instead of making up excuses that the people around him were preventing him from doing so. When he found out that Hanami was able to see spirits, he grew jealous of her and kept stubbornly insisting that he should be the one to bring Boruto to the Spirit World, stating that Hanami would be unable to face its dangers. Nevertheless, he softened, following Hinata Hanabi and Hiashi persuasion and his daughter's assurance, and expressed how proud he was of Hanami.

Appearance[]

File:Neji body.png

Neji in Part I.

File:Neji full.png

Neji in Part II.

Neji had fair skin and long black hair, which the anime usually depicted as dark brown. When his Byakugan was not active he has featureless white eyes; the anime gave them a slight lavender tint. In Part I, Neji wore a beige-coloured shirt, a dull blue shirt beneath that, and mesh armour beneath that. He wore dark brown shorts, blue shinobi sandals, and wrapped bandages around his right arm, chest, and right leg. He tied his hair back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end. He wore a black forehead protector, under which was a smaller headband with two straps that frame the sides of his face, both of which hide his Hyūga main family's juinjutsu.

In Part II, Neji changed the clothing and bandages of his former wardrobe for a white kimono-shirt with long, loose sleeves, matching pants, a navy-grey apron tied around his waist, and black shinobi sandals. He stopped wearing the straps that framed his face, instead allowing his now longer hair to do that instead. When on missions, he usually carried a tan and black drawstring bag over his shoulder. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he swapped much of his wardrobe for the standard Konohagakure flak jacket and other attire. At the war's start, he kept his hair tied in a ponytail, but as the war progresses, he allowed it to hang loose.

In The Last: Naruto the Movie Neji wore black pants with a black belt that had a large silver buckle, a White V-necked shirt that was worn underneath a white kimono jacket with gray lining going down the sleeves, and black boots with silver plates to protect his shins. He had a silver plate worn on the left side of his coat, and a pair of black fingerless gloves. He wore a strap that went over his right shoulder and under it to wrap around his left side.

Abilities[]

File:Neji vs Naruto.png

Neji's mastery of one his clan's secret techniques.

From a young age, Neji's skills as a natural genius were evident, even by the Hyūga clan's high standards.[7] His father believed his talent and potential growth could eventually surpass all other Hyūga,[8] which he succeeded in by the time of Part II.[9] Besides his clan traits, Neji graduated from the Academy at the top of his class, which in turn convinced Rock Lee that Neji was the top competitor during his first Chūnin Exams.[10] Although he was not promoted during those exams, he was the only Konoha 11 member to become a jōnin during the timeskip, most others only making it to chūnin. He was typically calm even in hectic situations, a quality the Fifth Hokage said made him a good leader.[11] He could also use Fire, Water, and Earth Release.[12]

Byakugan[]

File:Byakugan.png

Neji's Byakugan.

As a Hyūga, Neji possessed the Byakugan. While a common dōjutsu in his clan, Neji's was noted to be especially powerful. With these eyes, he had a near-360° penetrative field of vision. A small blind-spot exists behind his third upper-thoracic vertebrae — a weakness he was well aware of and trained extensively to overcome, to no avail. Instead, he took extra precautions to compensate for it by emitting chakra around the area, giving him a way to sense any approaching attacks and slowing them enough to give him time to respond.

He was able to increase his Byakugan's range over time: whereas he could only see things 50 metres away in Part I,[13] by Part II he could see things from at least 800 metres.[14]

Taijutsu[]

With the Byakugan, Neji could see individuals' chakra pathway systems and the 361 tenketsu that run along it. Using the Hyūga's signature Gentle Fist fighting style, he could attack an opponent's chakra system directly, constricting or cutting off their chakra flow from only minimal contact. Because the chakra pathway system is closely intertwined with many of the body's major organs, debilitating and even fatal damage can be done just as easily. While Gentle Fist strikes are by default difficult to defend against, Neji's speed, precision, and general taijutsu prowess made him especially formidable at close range, requiring opponents to keep their distance if they hoped to compete with him. Even at a distance, however, Neji's Byakugan and keen reflexes made him difficult to hit.

Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven

Neji using the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

As a member of the Hyūga's branch house, Neji was originally forbidden to learn many of the clan's strongest jutsu. Being so gifted, he had in spite of this been able to learn how to perform these techniques from observation. Offensively there is the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, with which he attacked multiple targets at once, either an opponent's tenketsu to seal several at once or an incoming volley of projectiles; in the anime, he could double the number of strikes. Defensively, he could use Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to expel chakra from his body and deflect all incoming attacks. His uncle, Hiashi, was deeply impressed that Neji learned how to perform both of these abilities on his own, and came to believe Hizashi, and by extension, Neji should have been the successor of the Main Branch. By the end of Part I, started giving Neji special instruction in the Hyūga's other secret skills.

Hakke Kūhekishō

Neji and Hinata combining their Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms.

In Part II, Neji began using the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to attack targets outside his physical range or push away incoming attacks; when performed in combination with others, its strength is accordingly increased.[15] If restrained and thus unable to use Revolving Heaven, he could release chakra from his tenketsu to free himself.

Stats[]

Part I[]

Chūnin Exams[]

Main article: Chūnin Exams

File:Team Guy Part 1.PNG

Team Guy preparing for the Chūnin Exams.

After being held back from entering the Chūnin Exams the year before in order to hone their skills, Team Guy takes part in the Chūnin Exams occurring in Konoha. Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee decide to try and avoid drawing attention to themselves so that the other competitors will not team up against them, something they accomplish by allowing themselves to be bullied and acting defenceless when they are. During the first exam, Neji uses his Byakugan to copy off of other examinees' tests.

After they pass to the second stage, taking place in the Forest of Death, Team Guy splits up to search for weak, rival teams that they can take one of the scrolls they need from. Neji comes across Team 10 during his search who, although he's isn't willing to pretend he doesn't know where they're hiding, he decides are too weak for him to bother with. When he returns to Team Guy's rendezvous point, he and Tenten find that Lee is uncharacteristically late. They go looking for him and find he's been defeated by Team Dosu. Neji prepares to fight them, confident he can beat them, but decides to let Sasuke Uchiha fight them instead after he senses Sasuke's chakra. Sasuke drives Team Dosu off and, while Tenten collects Lee, Neji observes Sasuke, intrigued by his skills.

File:Gentle fist.png

Neji fights Hinata.

Team Guy completes the second test, but in order to qualify for the finals they must take part in one-on-one preliminary matches. Neji observes the early matches to learn about people he may face in the finals before he is finally matched against Hinata Hyūga. Neji, who previously promised to Might Guy that he would not take any actions against Hinata during the exams, encourages Hinata to give up not only the match but also the life of a ninja, citing her meek personality and her lack of talent. His piercing analysis of her brings Hinata to tears, but she is motivated to continue by the encouragement of Naruto Uzumaki. In their first exchange of Gentle Fist-blows, Neji seals her tenketsu, causing her attacks to have no effect on him.

Despite no longer having a way to damage Neji, Hinata keeps fighting. He continues encouraging her to forfeit and increases the amount of damage his blows do to her, but Hinata refuses to back down. Finally, after her internal organs are left badly injured and she has difficulty standing, Hinata uses Neji's words against him, arguing that he cares so much about destiny and being worthy of the Hyūga because his own destiny deprives him of the Hyūga's recognition. Neji is enraged and moves to kill her, but he is held back by Guy and the other observing jōnin. Nevertheless, Hinata collapses and is left in a critical condition from her injuries, Neji is declared the winner, and Naruto, moved by Hinata's perseverance and angered by Neji's actions, vows to defeat him during the finals. Neji watches the remaining matches and is amazed by Lee's performance against Gaara. After the preliminaries conclude, the first round matchups for the finals are selected and Neji is matched against Naruto.

Naruto vs Neji

Neji fights Naruto in the finals.

After a month of preparation, Naruto and Neji face each other. Naruto starts by using shadow clones to engage Neji, trying to overwhelm his taijutsu skills with sheer numbers. Neji's Byakugan is unable to tell the shadow clones from the real Naruto and for that reason Naruto is able to land some blows, but Neji deflects them with Revolving Heaven and eventually seals Naruto's chakra with Sixty-Four Palms. Neji declares Naruto a failure who is destined to lose to him, a genius. When Naruto is unwilling to believe him, Neji explains his father's death and the differences between the Hyūga's houses. Rather than convince Naruto that he is right, his words convince Naruto that Neji is wrong, as Naruto has personal experience with persevering despite others' expectations.

Although his own chakra is cut off, Naruto has another source: the Nine-Tails'. Neji is surprised by it and, unaware of what it is, is startled by the chakra's ferocity. Naruto's speed and strength are heightened dramatically, allowing him to keep up with Neji. Neji uses Revolving Heaven to deflect a particularly powerful blow, flinging both him and Naruto apart. When the smoke clears, Naruto lies defeated and Neji, assuming he's won, begins boasting. As he talks, Naruto bursts from the ground beneath him, knocking him out with an uppercut to the chin. Realising that the Naruto he saw defeated was a shadow clone covering the hole the real Naruto was digging towards him, Neji scolds himself for being defeated by Naruto's signature ability. In response, Naruto reveals that clone techniques were once his worst ability. Before he's declared the winner, Naruto tells Neji to stop holding his natural genius back with trivial concerns about fate.

File:Hiashi bows to Neji.png

Hiashi apologises to Neji.

As Neji recovers, he is visited by his uncle, Hiashi, who was observing his match. Hoping to correct Neji's misconceptions, he explains the truth surrounding Neji's father's death: that Hizashi chose to die not in service to the main house as Neji has long thought, but because he wanted to protect Hiashi, his brother; in doing so, Hizashi selected his own fate. (In the anime, this is revealed to Neji in a letter written by his father before his death, Neji recognising his father's handwritting.) Neji does not believe the story since he's only hearing it now. Hiashi, having expected this and having no further proof, bows to Neji and begs his forgiveness for not telling him sooner. Neji is moved to tears by the gesture and bids Hiashi to stand, finally believing him. While watching the birds outside, Neji decides he'd like to choose his destiny just like his father did, and that he wants his destiny to be to never lose again.

Konoha Crush[]

Main article: Konoha Crush In the anime, two Kumogakure ninja attempt to kidnap an unconscious Hinata during the confusion caused by the invasion of Konoha. The Hyūga Elder sends Neji, Tenten, and Kiba Inuzuka to rescue her. Once they catch up with them, Neji draws the Kumo-nin away while Tenten and Kiba escape with Hinata. He is able to defeat one, but is no match for Sekiei's abilities and can only keep him busy until Hiashi arrives to defeat him.

Several days after the invasion is successfully repelled, Neji attends the Third Hokage's funeral.

Sasuke Recovery Mission[]

Main article: Sasuke Recovery Mission Although Konoha emerges from the invasion victorious, the village suffers numerous casualties that leave it understaffed in the aftermath. When Sasuke Uchiha defects to Otogakure, the only response the new Fifth Hokage is able to organise is the Sasuke Recovery Team, a team of genin led by Shikamaru Nara. Neji, who is recommended for the team by Lee, watches their backs with his Byakugan while they follow Sasuke's escorts, the Sound Four.

File:Your Opponent is Me!.png

Neji fights Kidōmaru.

Once they catch up with the Sound Four, Neji uses his Byakugan to help them plan their attack, which is foiled only by the unforeseen actions of Ukon; the Recovery Team is trapped in Jirōbō's Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness. Neji is able to locate a weakness in the prison's fortifications and they escape, but they must leave Chōji Akimichi behind to delay Jirōbō while they go after the remaining Sound Four. When they catch up again, Kidōmaru uses his webbing to bind them. Only Neji, with the refined chakra control courtesy of his Gentle Fist training, is able to break Kidōmaru's webs. He tells the others to go on without him, but first warns them that one-on-one fights are probably going to be a continuing trend.

Kidōmaru tries to toy with Neji, binding his movements to the point that he cannot use his hands to break the webbing. Thinking Neji is defeated, Kidōmaru moves closer to finish him off. Neji takes that opportunity to release charka from his entire body, loosening the webs and giving him an opening to use Sixty-Four Palms. Kidōmaru prevents the sealing of his tenketsu with an Armour of Sticky Gold and falls back, unwilling to let Neji trick him like that again. He starts attacking Neji from afar to determine the range of his vision and the completeness of his defences. From this observation, he starts to suspect Neji's Byakugan has a blind-spot, something he confirms upon further testing.

File:Neji vs kidomaru.png

Neji finishes Kidōmaru.

Kidōmaru recognises Neji as a formidable opponent and makes to finish him off with his Spider War Bow: Terrible Split, firing it directly at Neji's blind spot. However, Neji, guessing his blind spot has been discovered, is able to dodge enough to prevent being struck in a vital place. Kidōmaru modifies his arrows, increasing their speed and strength so that Neji won't be able to dodge and attaching a thread to them so he can guide them in flight. Neji realises he can't avoid it and allows himself to be hit. He immediately afterwards sends a charge of chakra through the connecting thread back to Kidōmaru, paralysing him. Neji then personally locates Kidōmaru and delivers a fatal blow. As he dies, Kidōmaru warns that the Recovery Team won't be able to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Neji disagrees, believing that Naruto alone will be able to get though to Sasuke, just as he got through to Neji during the Chūnin Exams.

Neji is left in a critical condition due to his injuries and near death. Konoha eventually sends the Medic Corps after the Recovery Team. Neji is found, brought back to Konoha, and a team of medics mend his wounds using the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique.

Kurosuki Family Removal Mission[]

Main article: Kurosuki Family Removal Mission In the anime, Naruto and the members of Team Guy are sent to the Katabami Gold Mine to help deal with the Kurosuki Family. During their first confrontation with Raiga Kurosuki, Neji's Byakugan is nullified by Ranmaru's illusions. During their second confrontation, Neji is quickly knocked unconscious. Tenten attempts to revive him with the Curry of Life, but he has a low tolerance for spicy food and consuming it only knocks him out again.

Academy Student Lead Mission[]

Main article: Academy Student Lead Mission In the anime, Neji is put in charge of a team of Academy students to teach them survival skills. Very little of their exercise is seen, but Neji does teach his students how to use a watch as a compass.

Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission[]

Main article: Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission In the anime, Naruto, Neji, and Tenten are sent by Tsunade to the Land of Birds to investigate reports of a ghost, Cursed Warrior, terrorising the local population.

Star Guard Mission[]

Main article: Star Guard Mission In the anime, Neji leads the Star Guard Team on a mission to Hoshigakure. After they arrive, Neji instructs the team to follow the mission's original instructions to locate the star rather than get involved in the village's affairs. When the village's issues become increasingly difficult to ignore, Neji informs Naruto that he will deny knowing anything about what Naruto chooses to do in the villagers' defence. However, when they return to Konoha having failed to prevent the star's destruction, Neji takes responsibility for the failure, but since Naruto defeated the client, Akahoshi, during the ordeal, nobody's in a position to complain.

Konoha Plans Recapture Mission[]

Main article: Konoha Plans Recapture Mission In the anime, Neji and the rest of the Konoha 11 are charged with halting the schemes of Gennō. He uses his Byakugan during the mission to locate the explosives Gennō plants around Konoha, preventing the destruction of the Academy and the Hokage Rock.

Menma Memory Search Mission[]

Main article: Menma Memory Search Mission In the anime, Neji and Tenten are assigned to help Naruto recover Menma's missing memories. Neji suspects that Menma is an Otogakure-ninja, a suspicion that turns out to be true. Despite his background, Menma remains Nartuo's ally throughout the mission and eventually sacrifices himself to save an innocent town from his former compatriots.

Sunagakure Support Mission[]

Main article: Sunagakure Support Mission In the anime, Neji and the Konoha 11 are sent to help the Three Sand Siblings defeat the Four Celestial Symbols Men. Shikamaru, their team leader, assigns Neji, Hinata, and Shino Aburame to clear out the areas.

File:Hiashing training Neji.png

Neji training with Hiashi.

After they get back to Konoha - in a scene that happens at the end of the Sasuke Recovery Mission in the manga - Neji trains with Hiashi. When Hinata serves them drinks, Neji recommends that she see Naruto off rather than tend to them, as he is about to leave Konoha for several years of training.

Interlude[]

In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths[]

Main article: In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths In the anime, Konoha and Sunagakure hold a joint Chūnin Exam two years after Naruto's departure, which Team Guy once again enters. During the first exam, Neji, Lee, and Tenten are seated in different rooms and are tasked with getting a combined score of exactly 100 points on their written test despite their separation. Thinking it over, Neji comes up with the idea of producing vibrations on the walls to communicate to Tenten and Lee which questions to answer. After the initial testing period is over, they are given a bonus question: each team must unanimously select one of their members to disqualify from the rest of the exams. Team Guy selects nobody, which is the correct answer and which qualifies them for the next phase.

Those who pass the first test must reach the Demon Desert within three days in order to participate in the second exam. Team Guy successfully does so and they are given the same objective as they had in the exam several years ago: obtain a scroll from another team. They are early on caught in various genjutsu set by members of Team Shira, one of which causes them to wander into quicksand. Once Team Guy escapes and manages to track down Team Shira, they instead offer Team Shira assistance, helping them drive off another team. When asked why they would help, Neji explains that Shira is quite similar to Lee; Lee in fact finds himself so similar to Shira that he follows the attacking team out of anger, forcing Neji, Tenten, and Team Shira to go after him and rescue him.

Teams Guy and Shira get along well and, after Lee and Shira spar, the two teams agree to meet up during the finals. They later come across Team Ajisai and are immediately engaged in combat. Team Ajisai retreats shortly afterwards but are pursued by Team Guy, who believe they have the scroll they need. Their chase leads them to some old ruins, and during an ensuing fight Tenten and Ajisai fall through a collapsed floor. Neji recommends to Ajisai's teammates that they stop fighting in order to look for Tenten and Ajisai. The teammates agree, but leave to do so by themselves. Neji and Lee follow them despite this, coming to their aid when Team Komugi attacks them. Team Komugi is driven off and Teams Guy and Ajisai finally start working together. They eventually reunite with Tenten and Ajisai, who have become friends during their ordeal. The two teams part peacefully.

Team Guy gets caught in a sandstorm, from which they seek shelter in one of Tenten's protective domes.[16] After the storm clears they come across Matsuri, who asks that they help Gaara. Team Guy rushes to the scene and finds that not only Gaara but also - both of them jinchūriki - are having their tailed beasts extracted by Hōichi. While Lee and Fū's teammates distract Hōichi, Neji approaches Gaara and Fū to block their chakra points, halting the extraction. Hōichi's jutsu turns on him due to the severed connection and Neji, at Gaara's request, blocks his chakra points too, saving him. Gaara and Fū seprately thank Neji for his help, with Fū even specially requesting he become her friend.

Team Guy is not able to acquire the scroll they need but it ends up not mattering: the Chūnin Exams are prematurely cancelled. The remaining participants have a report on their performance sent back to their villages, leaving their promotion up to their superiors. The Fifth Hokage promotes all of Team Guy to chūnin and then gives Neji an additional promotion to jōnin because of the assistance he gave to Gaara, the Kazekage.

Part II[]

Kazekage Rescue Mission[]

Main article: Kazekage Rescue Mission

File:Neji attacks Kisame.png

Neji attacks Kisame.

The Fifth Hokage sends Team Guy to assist Team 7 in rescuing the Fifth Kazekage from Akatsuki. While en route to an Akatsuki lair in the Land of Rivers, Team Guy is attacked by Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame is only interested in fighting Might Guy, so he traps Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee in Water Prisons. Neji is eventually able to build up enough chakra to break free and release Lee and Tenten, but they miss their chance to rejoin the fight as Guy has already defeated Kisame. While examining the body afterwards, however, they discover it was only a lookalike meant to stall them.

File:Neji vs clone.png

Neji evenly matched against his clone.

Once they rendezvous with Team 7, they discover a barrier placed over the entrance to the Akatsuki lair. Neji uses his Byakugan to locate where the seals maintaining the barrier are and he and the rest of Team Guy split up to remove them. Once the barrier is down, however, they are attacked by duplicates of themselves. Neji, like the rest of Team Guy, struggles to defeat himself, and it is only by becoming stronger than he was at the time the duplicate was created that he is able to defeat his. Team Guy reunites with each other after winning their battles and they go after Team 7, arriving in time to cut off Deidara's attempt to get away. Deidara uses a Suicide Bombing Clone to create an opening for him to escape.

Although the Akatsuki members are gone and the Kazekage has been retrieved, the Kazekage has died. He is resuscitated by Chiyo, who exchanges her life for his, and they all attend her funeral in Sunagakure a few days later. Kakashi Hatake, too tired from his fight with Akatsuki, must be carried back to Konoha by Guy. Lee believes that this is a special training method and asks to be allowed to carry Neji in the same way, but Neji flatly refuses.

Akatsuki Suppression Mission[]

Main article: Akatsuki Suppression Mission In the anime, Neji attends Asuma Sarutobi's funeral.

Pain's Assault[]

Main article: Pain's Assault

File:Sakura healing Hinata.png

Neji watches as Hinata is healed.

Team Guy returns to Konoha after completing a mission. As they approach the village's outskirts they find a defeated Gamabunta, who informs them of the ongoing invasion of Pain. They rush back to the village and, upon arrival, find Hinata Hyūga badly injured from her fight with Pain. Tenten assures Neji that Hinata's wounds aren't life-threatening, but he nevertheless locates immediate medical attention for her. They are shortly afterwards informed that Pain has been defeated by Naruto Uzumaki, and they all join in the celebration when Naruto returns to the village.

Five Kage Summit[]

Main article: Five Kage Summit

Konoha 11 meeting

The Konoha 11 meet.

News reaches Konoha of Sasuke Uchiha's recent activity with Akatsuki, specifically his attack against Kumogakure-ninja. Neji and the rest of the Konoha 11 (sans Naruto) decide that Sasuke can no longer be allowed to implicate Konoha in his criminal deeds and they resolve to personally kill him. When Naruto returns to Konoha after learning of this and having his own confrontation with Sasuke, he requests that they leave dealing with Sasuke to him.

Power[]

Main article: Power In the anime, Neji is part of a team of reinforcements sent to Tonika Village to help Team 7 in the fight against Kabuto Yakushi. He rescues Hinata from the Nine-Tailed Naruto Clone and later helps evacuate the villagers when the clone starts going berserk. Naruto eventually defeats it and they return to Konoha.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation[]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation

File:Hinata and Neji.png

Neji and Hinata protecting each other.

When the Fourth Shinobi World War begins, Neji is placed alongside Hinata in the Second Division. Their entire division is sent to intercept a large segment of the White Zetsu Army, which Neji and Hinata join forces in attacking after Kitsuchi unearths the Zetsu army. Although the Zetsu suffer heavy casualties, their numbers are too great and the fight becomes one of attrition. Neji, growing tired from the prolonged battle, has some of his chakra absorbed by a Zetsu before he can fend it off. (Unbeknownst to him, the Zetsu later uses the chakra to impersonate him and infiltrate the Logistical Support and Medical Division, killing five medical-nin.) He and Hinata continue fighting into the night, protecting each other. Once night falls, Neji is too tired to stand but also too stubborn to get medical attention, opting instead to rest on Akamaru's back.

In the anime, on the second day of fighting, Neji is confronted by a reincarnated Kidōmaru. Stronger now than he was when he last fought Kidōmaru, Neji frees his allies that have been trapped by Kidōmaru's webbing and then easily defeats him with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. This activates a seal that leaves Neji comatose and traps his and the souls of the other Sasuke Recovery Team's members in a barrier where they are forced to fight the Sound Four until their real bodies eventually die. Aware of Naruto's new ability to sense negative emotions, Shikamaru Nara provokes the Sound Four during their battle, making them angry enough to attract Naruto's attention. Naruto soon arrives, breaks through the barrier, and, with help from Inoichi Yamanaka, restores their souls to their bodies.

The Second Division's fight with the Zetsu Army continues until one of Naruto's shadow clones arrives to finish off all that remain. In the anime, Naruto arrives just in time to save Hinata from a Zetsu that Neji, preoccupied elsewhere, was not present to stop. He is grateful for Naruto's assistance.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax[]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Neji and the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces are sent to assist Naruto in his battle with the Ten-Tails. Recognising how crucial Naruto is to the war's victory, Neji, Hinata, and Hiashi join forces to block attacks directed at him. The Ten-Tails' attacks rapidly become too numerous and Neji and Hiashi must break away to protect the other Allies from the Ten-Tails too.

Hiashi quickly becomes preoccupied protecting other Allies from the Ten-Tails too, leaving only Hinata to defend Naruto. The Ten-Tails fires several volleys of wood projectiles at him, which Hinata uses her body to defend him from. Neji notices this and Rush toward Naruto and Hinata to save them before Kazuto use his own Body uses his body to defend her and is mortally wounded because of it. As he dies, Kazuto observes that Hinata was willing to die for Naruto because she loves Naruto and told her that she should live for Naruto's sake, which he uses as evidence that Naruto is responsible for more lives than his own he then tells Neji that he is a genius and reminded him when Naruto defeated him at Chunin Exam and that Naruto called Neji a Genius he should support him as his advisor when Naruto Become Hokage stated That Naruto can't do everything by himself and he needs support when he needs it and that it a Destiny that Neji can choose.Soon Kazuto succumbs to his injuries and Dies Naruto was completely disheartened by Kazuto's Death and began to despair When he starts to show signs of giving up, Hinata brings him back senses by reminding him of his vow to not let any of his friends die. Neji also reminded Naruto that Kazuto gave his life to protect him and Although Kazuto may be dead, he will live on so long as others continue the fight that he gave his life for and that Naruto is only one who can change everything Therefore, Naruto must stay true to the creed he has been using for so long just Hinata also did and also remind him he is now responsible for many other lives including Hinata and himself. Naruto's resolve is renewed and he thanks Hinata and Neji for helping him

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki[]

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes[]

Blank Period[]

The Last: Naruto the Movie[]

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding[]

Main article: Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding Neji attended Hinata and Naruto's wedding with Hiashi and Hanabi.

New Era[]

Academy Arc[]

Sarada Uchiha Arc[]

Neji was busy training Hanami as her graduation from the Academy approaches when Naruto take the time to help train them. Naruto, in fact, takes too much time training his son, Boruto, in a game of hide-and-seek, when Shikamaru bind him with his shadow so that Naruto can get back to work. Neji began scolded Boruto for Distracted Naruto from his Duty. Back in the Hokage Office Naruto Toshie Neji and Shikamaru receive news from Sasuke about a boy with Sharingan. Naruto leaves the village to help Sasuke investigate, placing Neji and Shikamaru in charge of anything that comes up while he's absent. He also asks Neji and Shikamaru to apologize to Boruto for not waiting around for him to see him off.

Versus Momoshiki Arc[]

  1. Chapter 102, page 10
  2. Chapter 102, pages 11-14
  3. Chapter 102, page 17-19
  4. Chapter 105, pages 10-19
  5. Naruto: Shippūden episode 389
  6. Chapter 102, page 9
  7. Naruto chapter 79, page 16
  8. Naruto chapter 103, page 5
  9. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named d3
  10. Naruto chapter 79, page 5
  11. Naruto: Shippūden episode 397
  12. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named d4
  13. Naruto chapter 172, page 10
  14. Naruto chapter 263, page 8
  15. Naruto chapter 614, page 2
  16. Naruto: Shippūden episode 410
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