#?ish

This is how I imagine the under- and over-city in @amethystfairy1’s TTSBC series, there may be some inaccuracies but oh well.

You're so right anon. I think about this a lot actually, and not just with Neji. One of my biggest issues with Shippuden is how so many Leaf genin that had major character arcs in part 1 are completely sidelined, probably the biggest offenders being Neji and Lee. Basically if your name isn't Sasuke or Shikamaru, you don't matter anymore, and this applies to their relationship with Naruto as well.

It sucks because one of the major developments in Naruto is the fact that Naruto, who grew up completely alone and friendless, starts to form these bonds with the other genin. It's so awesome to see him take on Neji and help turn his whole attitude around, and to see him learn to work on a team during the Sasuke Retrieval Mission -- also an arc that does an awesome job of showcasing each of these awesome characters. But it's like, after part 1 we don't get to see Naruto's relationship with any of these characters anymore. It's like he gets back from his journey with Jiraiya and from then on his only focus is Sasuke and NO ONE else lol. And don't get me wrong, I love that relationship but like.... other characters exist too.

It's especially heinous with Neji because Naruto played such a major role in his development, but in Shippuden Neji is basically relegated to "Character who puts up with Team Guy's antics and then dies." It SUCKS. His arc and death become totally meaningless. 😔 And not only that, but his entire backstory revolves around literal slavery taking place in his clan. Are we're supposed to just forget about that. That's another wasted opportunity -- Naruto wanted to become hokage so badly. It would be awesome to see that dream transform from one that was motivated by the desire to be acknowledged, to one where he genuinely wanted to fix the broken system that caused his friends so much pain.