Proto-Zeliangrong/Zeme is phonologically and lexically most similar to Proto-Kuki-Chin. Phonology is conservative and not highly eroded as in Central Naga and Angami-Pochuri.
Zeme does have a neatly nested internal structure, but is rather a linkage:
Zeme, Mzieme, Liangmei <> Nruanghmei <> Maram <> Khoirao <> Puiron
Puiron is the most divergent language.
Sources
Bruhn, Daniel; Lowe, John; Mortensen, David; Yu, Dominic (2015). Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus Database Software. Software, UC Berkeley Dash. doi:10.6078/D1159Q
Warning: Forms below are quasi-reconstructions and will need to be fully revised. The following list is meant to be a guide to root / cognate identification; sound correspondences have not yet been worked out.
List of quasi-reconstructions (Hsiu 2018)