Chapter 4: True Potential
I
“Now, before you go back to the real world,” Neji said. “This Dimension space will triple your training in this space. You can only access it when you’re asleep or unconscious, but the regular effects of your training will still be pretty admirable in the real world. That’s what happened when your meridiens were unlocked.”

“I see,” Hinata said with a soft smile teasing across her lips. “Is there a way that I can unlock this ability in others?”

Neji nodded. “You can activate people’s potential by unlocking their own meridiens as well, should you choose to. Though if you were to unlock other people’s potential just by using your Gentle Fist to unlock chakra pores or whatever, it might lead to surprising rates of growth.”

“You learned of all this and the Byakugan’s secrets while you were dead, Neji-nii-san?” Hinata said softly.

Neji nodded. “There is a library somewhere in this dimension space if you want to learn more secrets and training to become stronger. I know that you wanted to be acknowledged by your own power and strength much like Naruto was fighting for the attention of everyone in the village. You might find some useful information in the Dimension Bar’s library space.”

Hinata nodded, before she made her way through the DImensional Space Bar and finished her drink while walking. She made her way towards the massive collection of books that Neji revealed to her in the library, and she thought even if she had an eternity to spend in this library, she wouldn’t read 1/10th of whatever was stockpiled here. And even still, the books seemed to be emerging and growing in space in the Dimension Bar, and Hinata marveled at all the wonderful books and tomes of non-fiction and fitcional books that heralded tales of great heroes and saints and medics and princesses. Hinata flipped through one book, reading its contents, and smiled to herself as she was reminded of Naruto when she read about the tales of a gusty Ninja that never gave up.

“I wonder if I could be like that too?” Hinata mused, while Neji nodded and tapped her on the forehead.

“Look sharp, Hinata-sama,” he said, and Hinata found her Meridien opening up in her mind centerpoint and she absorbed the contents of the book with ease now. She remember everything in the book from start to finish, and Hinata looked curiously at Neji as he said.

“I’m pouring the contents of the book through my memories and knowledge into you,” Neji said. “I hope that you find the contents useful, Hinata-sama.”

“T-Thank you, Neji-nii-san,” Hinata whispered, before she looked towards him and read another book to pick up it’s contents, this time about the hidden powers of the Byakugan…and apparently the ability to open up and channel meridiens.

While Hinata absorbed its content, she was learning so much about the worldbuilding lore and the ability to do certain things. The books refined her own sense of thinking and she synthesized information, and Neji’s memories, into her own while putting her own unique blend on the knowledge that she had been given. She looked up the books on the Aburame clan and the Inuzuka clan to start, as Kiba and Shino were the immediate presences that she wanted to unlock their full potential for. She learned that Shino’s insects were ever evolving and a part of a tool kit that could become deadly when used in combat. Kiba’s animal senses and partner Akamaru were an important part of the clan, so Hinata read about veterinary purposes and canine physiology along with insect physiology and biology in the library to better understand her teammates, plus the teaching methods and techniques to be able to pass down her knowledge to other people through the library.

All of this could be done while in this headspace, as long as she was sleep, though the current of time seemed to flow in a different way than in the world of the living, so she found herself that she could be reading for hours or days when in actuality thirty minutes to an hour could’ve passed, though determining a set time in her dream space and in the real world equivalent was rather tricky, though Hinata supposed it had to do with the space time continuum or whatever that would be. She wondered if she would be meeting other people in the Dimensional Bar soon and she would privy to their secrets, and Hinata knew that she would be the secret keeper for all of them if she were to hear their confessions and truths and ramblings about their lives. The souls of the dead or damned or desolate could all be found within this Dimensional Space, and sometimes Hinata would hear their whispers in her ear while she read.

She wondered if Neji heard these voices all the time in her head, whether this was the price to pay for having tomes of knowledge and abilities within her head at a low cost of renting space to Ghost Neji in her mind and dimensional space.

But Hinata supposed that there were far worse things in life rather than being possessed by an alternate dimension space ghost or whatever.

Besides, Neji was, even though he was not in her current timeline, family, after all.

And she supposed that he had no one left.

II
Hinata awoke to the sound of Akamaru barking. She woke up, and then petted the little dog gently. Akamaru cuddled up against her while Kiba and Shino were busy sparring with one another while Hinata was resting.

“How long was I asleep?” Hinata said softly after both boys paused a moment in their training to inform her of the time. “Fifteen minutes? Hm…”

“I hope we did not disturb you,” Shino said, while Hinata shook her head.

“It was about time that I woke up, anyway,” Hinata said with a soft smile, before she turned toward Shino and observed his training quietly. She noticed his insects crawling through his body and chakra networks through her Byakugan, and then she checked out Kiba as well through her Byakugan. She wondered where their meridiens would possibly be if she were to locate them, though she gained a higher level of insight than she would’ve without the books she read in the Dimension Bar’s library.

“I’m going to conduct an experiment,” Hinata said softly to her teammates, to which Shino and Kiba leaned forward eagerly to listen to her. “I want you two to trust me.”

“We know that Hinata is a trustworthy person,” Shino said with a nod. “You’ve earned our respect, Hinata.”

“Yeah!” Kiba said while pumping his fist in the air. “If you’re gonna tell us what you’re thinking about, we would like to know!”

“It might help with training,” Hinata said, to which Shino and Kiba looked interested in this.

“Was it something that you were practicing in your fancy Hyuuga Compound?” Kiba asked.

Hinata gave a noncommital answer. “Regardless, it involves me using my Jyuken, sort of, but instead of an aggressive form of Jyuken, it’s like finding acupuncture points on the body to unlock chakra potential.”

Shino and Kiba looked thoughtful at this, before Hinata said softly. “I will only do so if you consent to it, though. But Shino-kun and Kiba-kun have done very well by me and always encouraged me and kept an eye out for me, and never berated or scolded me even if I made mistakes. So I suppose that…this is a way of paying you all back for your kindness.”

“Don’t tell me that you got these insights while you’re sleeping,” Kiba said with a teasing edge to his voice, and Hinata merely smiled warmly at Kiba.

“I’ve just studied up, is all,” Hinata said, before Kiba, entranced by the thought of something that would enhance his training, volunteered first. “Okay, now stay still, I want to make sure that I’ve got the right pressure points activated.”

She then poked and prodded Kiba using her Byakugan to see the vital areas to unlock his potential, and once Hinata opened up a channel to Kiba’s chakra channels, his chakra began to flare and swell up to amazing levels.

“Woah!” Kiba said, and Shino, noting the change in his companion, looked towards Hinata curiously along with Kiba. “Whatever you did, Hinata, it’s working!”

“I’m not quite finished yet,” Hinata said, before she pressed a couple more of Meridien nodes, and once she was finished, Kiba bowed to her.

“Thank you, Hinata! I’m raring to go against Shino, but I’ll wait until you unlock his thingies as well.”

“Of course,” Hinata said with a smile, before she opened up Shino’s meridien outlines as well, and saw equally impressive results. So after conducting this experiment and seeing whether these work in other people as well, she could do it correctly with proper technique and form. “There you go, Shino-kun.”

“Yahoo!” Kiba said, his chakra level flaring. “I’m raring to go! Come on, Shino, let’s do this!”

Shino nodded, before both boys embroiled into one another’s battle with extra fervor. Hinata watched, fascinated by how much stronger both boys got in their training just through the unlocking of the meridiens. Does this mean this same potential lay within her all this time as well?

According to this one book, Hinata thought. The potential for greatness lies within us all, and I can use this ability to unlock and enable other people’s potential to the fullest. I don’t wish to stand out too much, but I think that letting other people take the spotlight and shine with their accomplishments and achievements would make my own training and progression not look as suspicious.

Hinata smiled to herself as she watched Kiba and Shino train. Shino let out a flurry of insects while Kiba partnered with his dog companion Akamaru to fight against Shino. Their techniques and tactics in battle were interesting to watch and learn from, and Hinata noticed while she was fighting them that she understood the physiology of the insects that were adapting and evolving into battle along with Akamaru and his breathing and panting while he exerted himself along with his human master. Hinata thought to herself if she understood these things, she would read more deeply into the matter of the different subsections and specialized knoweldge that involve insects and canine biology to help Kiba and Shino on their path of ascension. Maybe preparing her teammates for help in the upcoming Shinobi War would be possibly. It’s good to have these two in preparation for strength in case if things go south.

Hinata thought about her plan about the upcoming climax in the Ninja War, and she frowned a bit when she thought about Neji. She needed to find him and unlock his meridiens as well. Though what would be the pretext that she would use to her cousin about unlocking his meridiens?

He did say that he was her confidante and supporter. Though still, would he accept her help? Should she tell him everything that she knew, including about his future ghost self, who acted as her kindly mentor?

Hinata shook her head, before she eventually just settled for watching Kiba and Shino, and the fruits of their unlocked meridiens.

III
When Hinata watched and congratulated Shino and Kiba on their newfound abilities, they both saluted her and went to their respective compounds in Konoha village. When Hinata made her way into the Hyuuga compound and took off her shoes, Neji was there to greet her after a long day of training with Hiashi Hyuuga.

“Good afternoon, Neji-niisan,” Hinata said softly.

Neji smiled towards her.

“Hinata-sama, I sense that you’re rather elated about something.”

“I’m feeling in quite a good mood,” Hinata said, before she pulled Neji aside and whispered. “I’m going to tell you something in confidence, and I want you to listen carefully. Meet me in the garden, where it’s private, and I’ll tell you everything there.”

Neji raised a brow at her, before venturing to ask. “May I inquire as to what this is all about, Hinata-sama?”

“I’ll tell you in the garden,” Hinata said, before she made some time to meditate a moment in her room before meeting Neji in the garden at the designated time. While he was there, Hinata smiled.

“I’m going to do something for you first, to help enhance you training and abilities.”

Neji before might not have humbled himself before her, but sensing a change in Hinata (and through Naruto’s words) Neji nodded his head towards Hinata’s assertion. Hinata explained about his Meridiens and how they would unlock another level of power within him that would make his potential even greater.

Neji nodded when she finished the explanation, before he took what Hinata said and applied his own Jyuken to himself to find the meridien points and unlocked his chakra potential.

Neji was impressed.

“Hinata-sama…how have you come by this knowledge?”

“It’s going to sound weird, but…I got it from you,” Hinata admitted, while Neji raised a brow at her again.

“Even I didn’t come up with something like this,” Neji said, as he flexed his newfound chakra reserves.

“You picked up on it quicker than I did,” Hinata admitted, before Neji smiled towards her in thanks.

“Well, I have to say…thank you, HInata-sama. Though I sense that there is more that you wish to tell me.”

Hinata then went on to explain about Future Ghost Neji, and how there will be a war in the future, and she didn’t indicate his death or that he sacrificed himself for Hinata and Naruto’s sake, though she imagined that Neji understood the implications of where she got her newfound knowledge from, despite being a bit skeptical about ghosts themselves. Though he was more open to the idea of a space time continuum and alternate and parallel timelines or universes, to which he nodded.

“It is your work and efforts that have made you come this far,” Neji said to her in encouragement. “Continue to train and unlock your true potential, Hinata. But seek strength not for other people, but to protect those that are precious to you.”

Hinata nodded.

“I knew I was right to entrust this technique to you, Neji-nii-san.”

Neji cocked his head to the side, though he smiled and put a hand on HInata’s shoulder. “Thank you for teaching me this technique, Hinata. People say that I’m a genius, but to be honest, there’s really a lot more that I can still learn. The thing that one must do is humble oneself and understand there are limitations to what what one person can do alone. But when people bond together and become stronger through friendship and ties, then that’s when people are able to flourish and become the best that they can be.”

Hinata nodded. “That’s a very wise saying.”

Neji looked up for a moment, before saying. “It’s what he would believe, I think. There’s something about Naruto that makes you compelled to follow him, even though he was once regarded as the dunce of the class. Though people are capable of change…and I feel that you’re a work in progress that is going to impress a lot of suitors one day, Hinata-sama. It is my role as your confidante and nii-san that I beat them off of you.”

“N-N-Neji-niisan…” Hinata said, before she smiled towards him. “I entrusted this technique to you because I know that you’ve had a change of heart that made you worthy of learning something like this. If I could help you even a little bit, then I’m glad to have done so. But honestly it’s your own efforts and your willingness to improve that has led you as far as you have…and you’re one of the people in my life that I admire so fiercely.”