The moment Shira recovered, he found himself unable to use the Seven Heavenly Beaths.
That was because Neji had blocked the tenketsu points responsible for opening them.
Arthur himself had known that someone like Jasper or Alex, who possessed the Byakugan, would probably learn that technique. That's why there was a counter for it: the "Tenketsu Blocking Strike".
Shira knew how to perform it. But Neji was not going to give him the chance.
The Hyūga pressed his advantage and unleashed a rapid sequence of taijutsu blows, leaving Shira staggered as he barely managed to parry the strikes.
Both fighters were showcasing their tenacity. And although Shira had taken on such fierce attacks, he was doing well by staying on his feet.
He absorbed multiple hits. But as things continued, it was becoming clear: Shira was at a major disadvantage.
"You're not half bad," he admitted after finally gaining some space.
"The same can be said for you," Neji replied evenly.
At that moment, Shira rushed in with a barrage of rapid strikes. But Neji, having anticipated the assault, employed a series of flips and evasive maneuvers, seamlessly avoiding the attacks.
The crowd roared in approval.
Suddenly, bang!
Neji countered with a kick that staggered the Sand shinobi back.
"I won't go down that easily!" Shira said, regaining his composure.
"I figured as much," Neji said, adopting a different stance.
Everyone who knew his techniques recognized that stance immediately; it was a technique he had used only once.
As if time slowed down around him, Neji's body was attuned to the rhythm of the fight. He squinted at the incoming Shira. Then, with a voice that resonated through the arena, he unleashed his technique: "Eight trigrams: one hundred twenty-eight palms!"
Neji's hands blurred in motion as the first two strikes came. Then he slipped into Shira's blind spot to deliver eight more hits. The pattern continued; each combination of strikes left Shira reeling, struggling to keep up with the assault.
Every time Shira raised his defenses, Neji found a new angle or exploited a gap. Within moments, his attacks were tearing through Shira's positioning with perfect timing.
Finally, bang!
The last of the one hundred twenty-eight strikes hit Shira square in the chest, making him sprawl to the ground.
The crowd erupted.
Breathing heavily, Neji stepped back. The adrenaline continued pumping through him as he surveyed the fallen Shira.
"You are undoubtedly one of the strongest opponents I have had the pleasure of facing," he admitted, acknowledging Shira as a worthy shinobi.
The announcer's voice boomed over the arena, causing the excitement of the crowd to reach a fever pitch: "And the winner, by knockout, is Neji Hyūga!" Applause rose in admiration and support for Neji as he respectfully nodded to the audience.
He then glanced briefly at near the bottom, spotting his group cheering for him just as loud. Their support made the competition all the more worthwhile.
But amid the celebration, a familiar hazy thought occupied his mind: if there were truly stronger fighters out there, would his next challenger be just as tough?
As that notion began to settle, he focused back on Shira, who was attempting to rise to his feet.
"Allow me to help," Neji called out, stepping toward him.
Shira, with a smile, waved a hand dismissively and said, "No need. I can stand on my own."
When he finally gained his footing, still unsteady, Neji couldn't help but be impressed. "It's amazing to see you on your feet after that last attack."
"That maybe so… but the victory's still yours, Neji." Shira looked the Hyūga squarely in the eyes. "Truthfully, I'm surprised myself that I'm even standing."
Those who knew of the Hyūga's secret Eight Trigrams technique also knew that it could effectively neutralize an opponent's chakra and render them immobile.
So how was Shira still standing?
Simple: Neji hadn't hit all of Shira's tenketsu points. To hit sixty-four tenketsu points seemed manageable, but one hundred twenty-eight without a dōjutsu was not likely for the Hyūga.
Neji nodded at the appreciating words. Such mutual respect was only something that could be forged between two strong fighters.
"You fought honourably, Shira. Even I can tell you'll only continue to grow from here."
As the two shinobis shook hands, there was a sense of finality to the motion—an unspoken agreement of sorts. The crowd let out another wave of applause due to their sportsmanship. Then, after exchanging quick but meaningful glances, they returned to their respective corners.
Shira's colleagues gathered around him, offering words of encouragement and apologies for his defeat.
"I'm alright," he reassured them. "Coming here was worth it. It shows how much more I need to train."
His fellow fighters nodded in approval. "We're glad to have you back on your feet, but we really hope you're not planning to leave just yet. We'd love to see how the other fights turn out!"
"Don't worry. I plan on sticking around, too. Who knows what I can learn from the others?"
With the Sand ninjas firmly in the mix, the group left their designated area to find seats in the stands.
Shira might have lost, but they knew that he never came here for any prize or glory; he came to test his skills and to prove himself—a mindset most ninjas his age didn't have.
The announcer soon projected his voice once again, directing everyone's attention to the giant monitor. "Next up, we have a match between Kasuga Nara and Santa Yamanaka!"
As the names were heard, the audience became restless. The last three matches really had their blood boiling. But the Nara and Yamanaka clan members in attendance were shocked.
"Wait," one said, "we could match up with those from our group?"
The announcer swiftly clarified, "The matches were selected randomly. So yes, there's a chance you might fight one another!"
Despite the tension of competing against their own friends, Kasuga and Santa looked at each other resolutely. They shared a glance of understanding, and their clanmates agreed that they should give it their all regardless of their alliance.
So the two stepped forward, undeterred by the matchup.
"Let's do this," Kasuga firmly said.
"Right!" Santa replied with an equal sense of enthusiasm.
The two fighters took their stances, and as the match began, they dove into their tactics.
It quickly became clear to the spectators that this fight was not as exciting. Their combat focused primarily on parries and strikes that lacked the flair and depth from the previous fights. While it wasn't unimpressive to watch since they were ninjas, it simply wasn't as flamboyant or enthralling.
"Not that I'm not enjoying this," a spectator said, "but it's kinda—"
"Boring?" another voice chimed in.
"Yeah!"
"That's to be expected…"
Though the crowd cheered, their excitement was a fraction of what it had been just moments before.
Santa occasionally landed solid hits on Kasuga, who was working hard to keep up.
Meanwhile, not far from the action, Naruto overheard a couple of spectators discussing the previous fights.
"I hope not all of the rounds are like this. I want to see that blond kid on stage again!"
Naruto's grin took an edge of mischief; he relished the attention. But before he could bask in the moment, Jada nudged him and said, "Stay focused, Naruto. The winner of this match could be your next opponent."
"You're right," he laughed heartily.
He didn't want the excitement to get to him, but in truth, he was itching to fight just about everyone in the arena. That's simply just how much confidence he had.
Arthur, on the other side, remained unaffected by their camaraderie. Their display of friendship was hardly worth his time. But the Kages up top were different.
"I'm thinking of going to the bathroom," the Raikage said out loud.
"Are you that bored?" Mei wondered.
"They had their time to impress me…"
As the fight continued, Arthur had already deduced who would win.
Santa was actually a Chūnin right now, while Kasuga had yet to achieve the same rank. The gap in their experience was tangible, and even though Kasuga fought valiantly, he was limited by the current capabilities of a Genin.
The crowd's muted reactions only reinforced this notion.
The minutes ticked by, and the conclusion of the match drew closer.
Kasuga, to his credit, was holding his own, but no amount of rapid learning could fully bridge that divide.
Arthur recalled why he had allowed them into this tournament in the first place. The Leaf Village shinobi held potential, certainly, but he believed they needed to gather more métier before they could truly pose a threat.
That's why they were selected: so he could assess their village's strength.
The match finally concluded, and Santa was declared the victor through accumulation of experience. He raised his arm in triumph as the crowd clapped.
"Good fight!" Kasuga said with an amiable smile on his face.
"Thanks! You did well too," Santa replied, returning the gesture.
Despite the loss, he embraced the sport of fighting, acknowledging Santa's skills with gratitude. Respect passed between the two as they left the arena, once again proving their collaboration irrespective of their clans' allegiance.
The crowd settled, and the announcer's voice boomed through the arena. The monitor then generated the next set of fighters: "Samui vs. Margaret Senju!"
Margaret's heart raced at the sound of her name. She couldn't believe it—she thought she was going to have to wait awhile before seeing her name.
This made her bounce on her heels to pump herself up with a fierce grin brightening her face. "Let's get it!"
Iruka looked concerned. "Marge, are you sure it was a good idea for you to come here?"
"Why's that, Iruka-sensei?"
"I mean, don't you feel all the stares?"
Truth be told, a lot of spectators were indeed eying her as she stretched. Not out of lasciviousness but out of greed. Margaret's character was a Senju. One of her negative traits was that if her surname got out, she would be targeted for her cells.
"Oh, I'm not worried about them," she commented.
"Iruka-sensei, if I may," Jada said. "Marge is actually used to her name being out there." Then she looked at Naruto. "Remember that report that followed after we saved you?"
"You mean from that Arthur guy?!" he addressed. "Yeah, I'd love to see him rise from the grave so I can beat him back down!"
The group smiled at his infectious behaviour.
"Marge's name was released to the public because of that," Jada continued. "Since then, she's been training hard, ready for attackers."
"Yep," Margaret added. "So I'm not even close to worrying!"