Chapter 180: Challenger Neji Hyuga, Preliminaries Conclude!
Konoha Village, Chunin Exams Preliminary Arena.
The showdown between the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family.
The battle began.
There was almost no suspense.
Hinata struggled with all her might to resist, but her attacks seemed childish and weak before Neji.
THUD!
Hinata was knocked to the ground again, a trickle of blood escaping her lips. Neji stood over her, looking down from above.
"A person's destiny is decided at birth," he declared coldly. "It's already set in stone. You are not fit to be a ninja. Give up, Lady Hinata."
Every word was a stab at Hinata's fragile heart. She struggled to push herself up once more, but the pain from her sealed tenketsu made her body weak.
In the spectator stands, Naruto clenched his fists tight. Hinata's words flashed through his mind.
"I… I just… don't want to run away anymore. I want to change myself… with my own strength!"
At this point, the proctor, Hayate Gekko, looked at the situation and coughed again. "Cough cough… Hinata Hyuga… is no longer able to fight… The match—"
"DON'T STOP IT!!!"
A deafening roar abruptly cut Hayate off. It was Naruto!
Sakura panicked. "Naruto! What are you saying, you idiot?! She's already at her limit!"
Hinata's body trembled slightly. She could feel Naruto's gaze, and an inexplicable courage welled up from the bottom of her heart.
Naruto-kun… he's… watching me. I… I don't want him to see me looking pathetic…
Summoning every ounce of her strength, she staggered to her feet once again. "It's… it's not over yet…"
Neji frowned slightly, seeming concerned about Hinata's "stubbornness."
"Why do you keep standing up?" he asked. "If you push yourself any further, you'll die. Why?"
"Stop trying to act tough. I can see that just standing is difficult for you. You constantly resent and blame yourself for your weakness, but people cannot change. There's no need for you to suffer anymore… just relax…"
Hinata shook her head. "No… Neji-niisan… All this time… compared to your pain… my pain… is nothing! In the fate of the Main and Branch families… the one who is truly suffering… has always been you! Neji-niisan!"
This sentence stabbed fiercely into the deepest, most hidden corner of Neji's heart. His body jerked, and he prepared to strike again!
"Stop! Neji!"
"Neji! Calm down!"
Several figures instantly appeared in the arena, blocking Neji's path. Asuma, Kurenai, and Might Guy.
"Neji! You promised me you wouldn't bring up the Main and Branch family matters in public!" Guy scolded.
Neji stared at the Jonin restraining him, his Byakugan veins bulging. "Why… why do even the other Jonin stop me? Is this the preferential treatment for the Main Family?"
After saying this, he calmed down. Then, he turned his head, his fury-filled Byakugan locking onto Naruto Uzumaki in the stands.
"You over there! Hokage's son!" Neji's voice rose sharply. "I have two things to tell you!"
"First! A ninja shouldn't make such pointless noise! Especially someone like you, who has stood at the peak of so-called 'destiny' since birth!"
It was as if he were saying how grating Naruto's encouragement was to those truly stuck in the mire of despair. Neji didn't give him a chance to retort and continued.
"Second! A genius is always a genius! Bloodline determines the trajectory of fate! This is eternal! It can never be changed! The Hokage's son will always be the Hokage's son!"
"If you want to stand up for her, then accept my challenge! I hope that when we face each other later, you can still display power worthy of your 'god-given' status! Instead of just living in your father's shadow!"
He was questioning! He was challenging! He was using his identity as a Branch Family genius to roar in grief and indignation against his fate bound by the "Caged Bird"! He saw Naruto as the greatest beneficiary and most dazzling symbol of the "unfair fate" he hated!
Naruto was stunned, then rage surged within him. This guy… he beats Hinata like that, and now he's spouting all this nonsense?!
"You bastard! What the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto roared back, his chakra churning uncontrollably. "I'm gonna become Hokage my own way! Someday, I'll surpass my dad! And! Hinata… she's not like you say at all!"
He wanted to say how hard Hinata worked, how strong she was, but the words were cut off by the atmosphere in the arena and the subsequent events.
Hayate Gekko difficultly announced Hinata's defeat and Neji's victory.
The following matches seemed affected by this oppressive duel.
Rock Lee vs. Gaara. Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Lee, opened the Eight Inner Gates, displaying terrifying speed and power that pushed Gaara to the brink. However, Gaara's eerie Sand Armor and Sand Shield held. In the end, accompanied by the chilling sound of breaking bones, Lee was defeated in a tragic manner by the "Sand Binding Coffin." Gaara's emotionless eyes and the ominous aura radiating from him chilled the entire arena.
Then, Choji Akimichi faced Dosu Kinuta of the Hidden Sound. Choji's proud Human Boulder was easily neutralized by Dosu's bizarre "Chakra Capacitor Gauntlet." With just one move, Choji was blasted away by the gauntlet, incapacitated. The Hidden Sound ninja once again displayed their strange and powerful abilities.
With that, the preliminaries came to an end. The list of those advancing was placed before the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Seeing the strikingly large number of Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound ninja on the list, Hiruzen's expression was graver than ever. He took a puff of his pipe, slowly exhaling the smoke.
"Cough… Everyone, thank you for your hard work in the preliminaries." His aged voice echoed through the hall. "The official third exam will take place in one month."
"What? A month later?" Naruto was the first to shout, and Kiba and others also looked confused.
"Aren't we fighting right now?" Temari frowned. "What does this mean?"
Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling for quiet. "It takes time to summon the Daimyo of various countries and the Kage of other villages. At the same time, this month is the final preparation time for you candidates who passed the preliminaries."
"The preliminaries have exposed your strength and intel to each other, more or less. 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Use this month to analyze your opponents properly, and at the same time, strive to strengthen yourselves."
"The official matches will be a clearer, crueler contest under the gaze of the Daimyo and Kage. For the sake of fairness, use this month to become stronger! You need to pull yourselves together!"
The Third Hokage's words fell. Inside the arena, the advancing Genin had different thoughts.
Neji Hyuga lowered his head, the emotions in his Byakugan obscure. His challenge to Naruto wasn't just momentary anger; it was a rebellion against fate!
And Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to become stronger! Not just to become Hokage! He wanted to use his own fists to prove to everyone that his power belonged to him, Naruto Uzumaki! Not just because he was the "son of the Fourth Hokage"!
…
Meanwhile.
At the border of the Land of Fire, in the bustling, desire-filled Tanzaku Quarters. Inside a thriving casino.
Kakashi Hatake and a boisterous white-haired man finally found the target of their journey.
One of the legendary Sannin, the woman with amazing medical skills and… even more amazing gambling luck.
Tsunade.