The third training ground.

Neji was informed by Ebisu to go meet someone at training ground 3 after the classes were over at 3 P.M sharp. Neji knew from the manga that only Kakashi and Hiruzen used that training ground. Neji was excited at the thought of training with Kakashi but he knew that he shouldn't keep his hopes high. None the less Neji reached the spot on time and waited.When no one came even after 4 P.M he confirmed that it was going to be Kakashi, Neji felt that it was worth the wait and chose to survey the surroundings and if possible trap some places. This place had the memorial of those killed in action and Neji was standing before the stone monument shaped like a kunai.

Neji goes through the names in the stone and stops at Uchiha Obito. Neji could only smile as he knew that in 8 years a character called Tobi would appear and turn the world upside down.Currently he and Nagato where at the final leg of their war with Hanzo of the Salamander. Neji knew that if he told Kakashi about him he might believe him but that was not in his best interest as it would change the story very badly.

Neji loudly sighs and goes on about booby trapping the training ground.

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Kakashi was standing in the konoha's shinobi cemetery in front of the grave of Nohara Rin. After a long time Kakashi departs, he just misses someone else who comes to stand before the grave. He had a white twirly full face mask with a single eye hole on the right side and a sharingan glowing in the dark.

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Hokage's office

Hiruzen and Asuma were playing a match of shogi. Hiruzen's relationship with his son was strained due to philosophical differences on the concept of "king" during Asuma's youth. But when his eldest son and his daughter in law died in a mission orphaning little konohamaru, the father son duo mended their relationship.

"Damn Old man, where do you learn these strategies" lamented Asuma as he lost miserably.

"ho ho i am not called "the professor" for nothing" said Hiruzen but was thanking Neji in his mind.

" Okay i will abide by the bet and start teaching in the academy old man.Even though i am already teaching Inomatsu." Asuma said while spewing smoke as he rose and left like a wounded animal. He had lost three matches in a row and couldn't go back on his word so he agreed to pay the bet.

Hiruzen was pleased that his son had accepted his teaching position as Asuma still had a active bounty of 35 million ryo on his head due to him being one of the twelve guardian ninja. Hiruzen could not protect him all the time so he had to con his son to make him stay within the village as possible.

In reality Neji didn't influence the result as Hiruzen would none the less defeat Asuma even without Neji's strategy.

Hiruzen thought" Now i owe one to Neji brat, hmm i have to make time to teach him the kuchiyose no jutsu i guess."

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Kakashi arrived at the agreed meeting point to find the Hyuga kid meditating in front of the memorial.

" Neji- kun is it?, i am Hatake Kakashi. Sorry i am late, you see a cat crossed my path and i felt a bad omen so i went to the temple........."said Kakashi, he recognized the kid who he saw all those years ago.

Neji didn't reply and just smiled. Kakashi saw that it was no use lying so he got to the point.

"So Neji- kun , i heard a lot about you from Ebisu sensei that you are very talented and he wanted me to train your basics. But i will only do so if you pass my test. It is very simple test i use on all my genin teams, but now only you will be participating." said kakashi taking out a pair of bells.

" I have with me two bells here and you would have to steal just one from me. The time limit is 12 A.M, you would have around 7 hours to accomplish this little task.If you fail to do so then i will tie you up in the log over there and you would have to watch me have my dinner.Remember to came at me like you mean to kill me." said Kakashi. All the students he had so far seen had just rushed to tackle him down after he said that so Kakashi was waiting.

" Then i will do the same, then shall we start sensei" said Neji. Kakashi frowned, obviously he has got into something troublesome.

"Alright, Start" said Kakashi, his hands reached for his supply pouch to draw a book when suddenly the Hyuga kid hurls a paper bomb.

kaboom....a smoke screen appears, Kakashi is impressed and decides to give up on reading a book when fighting this kid.

" Very good thinking to obscure your enemies vision, but i will teach you today the basics of being a shinobi" said Kakashi.

"Shinobi know how 1. Taijutsu" said kakashi as he rushes past the smoke to a hidden location and sent a palm thrust. Neji dodges it while throwing a shruiken at Kakashi which he easily dodges.

"Nice reflex but dodging and hiding will not ........" before he could finish the shuriken he earlier dodged cut of a string and multiple kunais and shruiken were fired towards his current location.

Kakashi initiates substitution ninjutsu and escapes the place, he didn't think the kid would set up traps beforehand. Kakashi now understood Ebisu's point. So inorder to honor such a genius kakashi lifts his forehead protector and opens his left eye.

Neji didn't give kakashi any time and immediately activated his byakugan to locate his position, he took out a scroll and summoned a large fumma shuriken and used shuriken kage bunshin no jutsu.

As Kakashi had used his sharingan he could track the trajectory and escape from the barrage of fumma shurikens. But Kakashi only noticed after he landed that he was stepping on a bunch of explosive papers and narrowly escaped. It was not Kakashi who managed to get away from the earlier shuriken but he was led towards a trap. Now Kakashi was extremely impressed, he didn't expect such craftiness from a 9 year old kid, then suddenly he remembered someone, "itachi". Neji's talent and technique execution speed were comparable to him in his youth. Kakashi felt a drop of sweat dropping from his forehead.

Kakashi gave up on hiding and rushed straight towards Neji as it was the best strategy at the moment to avoid further traps. He started with a round house kick which Neji dodged by jumping backwards in the air but before Neji could land on the ground, kakashi unleashed Earth release: Mud wave that hit Neji. Kakashi didn't stop there and continued his offensive only to find that it was a shadow clone.

Kakashi was really surprised at the range of arsenal in the hands of a taijutsu specializing family member and he had yet to fight with gentle fist of the Hyuga clan. Kakashi decided to train Neji even if he fails as he was already forced to use sharingan. It was kakashi's loss but kakashi wanted to find the true power of Neji so he continued to attack. Kakashi sent a fire release: giant fire ball towards his feet as he leapt to the air. The giant fire ball caused a big explosion and Neji crawled out of the ground. Neji never expected to win against kakashi and he knew that he couldn't steal the bell as both Naruto and Sakura from shippuden weren't able to pull it off in a straight fight,he only counted on the possibility of impressing Kakashi.

" I take back what i said about teaching you the basics of shinobi know how, but you still have to steal this bell" said Kakashi.

Neji stood up and rushed towards Kakashi to fight some close combat moves but due to kakashi reading all his moves he couldn't unleash the gentle fist style: 64 strikes.

Neji could feel that Kakashi was dragging him towards the pond in the area where he could do a water release so Neji needed to act immediately. Neji first used Kaiten to throw of kakashi, then he followed with fire release: Ash pile burning. Kakashi read Neji's seal formation so he managed to evade the ash cloud in time but was slightly pushed back due to the force of the explosion and the resulting brightness blinded him for a second. The moment kakashi opened his eyes he saw Neji flying towards him with a jutsu he hadn't seen in a long time.