The struggle between main family and branch family.
The branch family's hatred of the main family has stretched on for centuries. Neji wasn't the first—and won't be the last.
Hiashi's gaze held the cool detachment of a clan head. So long as the Caged Bird remained, the main family only needed to maintain its lofty posture.
"If there really is such a thing as fate… then I'll just beat it!"
Naruto shot back at Neji, shouting as he flashed through hand seals.
Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
With a rapid volley of white smoke, dozens of Narutos filled the arena.
Perched along the stands, Ranmaru let out a small breath. "So strong…"
Neji moved at the same time, diving into the crowd of clones.
A thin layer of chakra coated his palms and fingertips as he thrust for the tenketsu around the Narutos nearby.
More white smoke burst and spun away. In moments, half of Naruto's clones were gone.
"Found you!"
Neji snapped his gaze to one Naruto among the crowd and surged forward to strike first.
But the target dissolved in smoke—wrong choice.
The tide turned. The remaining Narutos ringed Neji and lunged in at once.
Thoom!
Neji whirled, body spinning as pale-blue chakra blasted from his tenketsu, flinging every attacker back.
"Th-that's… Father's—"
On the stands, Hanabi stared, then glanced at Hiashi beside her.
"Kaiten! That's a main-family secret passed down only to the heir—"
Hiashi's face grew uncharacteristically grave, yet shock burned in his eyes.
Because he realized it—Neji had reproduced Kaiten himself.
"Yuto-sama, what was that move just now?"
Ranmaru, stronger than Neji though he was, couldn't help the wonder in his voice.
"Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation). But only an incomplete version. In a bit, I'll show you the real Kaiten."
Watching Neji below, Yuto's smile turned gentle.
No reference, only talent—and he still managed to mimic Kaiten's form. Worthy of the word "genius."
The fight raged on. With Neji going all out, Naruto was driven back again and again.
As in the original flow, Naruto took Hakkeshō Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms). While he spoke, Neji finally revealed why "fate" sat so heavy on his tongue.
"The seal on the forehead is the main family's terror made absolute. With it, the main family can destroy our neural pathways at will."
"It can kill us easily. And it only disappears when we die."
Neji's voice dripped with resentment. The words reached Naruto's ears and made his body tremble.
"So for this exam, your fate was sealed the moment you faced me."
Neji bent low, ready to finish it.
At that instant, a cold, baleful chakra surged out of Naruto.
That…!
Faces tightened across the jōnin row; more than a few rose to their feet without thinking.
"Looks like Jiraiya has already started teaching Naruto how to tap the Nine-Tails' chakra. At this stage… a one-tail cloak, hm?"
Yuto watched the red chakra shroud bubbling over Naruto's body, amusement in his eyes.
The sealing formula Minato left had already been torn halfway by Yuto; the restraints on the Nine-Tails' chakra had long since weakened.
It was like Gaara—unstable—except this instability remained within controllable bounds, unlike Gaara under Shukaku's whisper, when his mind snapped without warning.
And lately, Jiraiya had taught Naruto to control small amounts of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Right now, Naruto could enter a one-tail state on his own—though even he didn't realize it yet.
Elbow on the railing, Yuto took in the creeping tension below with interest.
Really, Jiraiya was slacking. If he'd inspected the seal properly, he wouldn't have missed how compromised it already was.
Of course, for Yuto, that was just fine.
Up on the dais, the Third Hokage narrowed his eyes. If Naruto hadn't kept his wits, he would've ordered Anbu to halt the match.
While the jōnin wore mixed expressions, Konoha's rookies gaped openly at Naruto.
"So much chakra!"
Chōji forgot his fries, blurting in awe.
Even from far off, the kids could feel the pressure hammering off Naruto's cloak—never mind Neji, standing right in front of it.
Unlike the "original" bout where Naruto only borrowed a sliver of the Nine-Tails' chakra—
Now, in a one-tail cloak, he didn't need tricks. He tore straight through the seals of the Sixty-Four Palms and charged Neji head-on.
BOOM!
A blast cracked at the point of impact.
Breathing hard, Naruto stared at Neji lying flat on the ground as the red cloak ebbed away.
"I win. So quit saying fate can't be changed and dragging that dead talk around."
"Because you're not like me. You're not dead last."
His chest heaving, Naruto spoke to Neji with rare seriousness.
The crowd roared.
Neji was lifted onto a stretcher, eyes fixed on the sky above.
Fate, huh…
A short distance away, Hiashi rose and made for the exit.
"Come on, Ranmaru. Let's go meet the Byakugan (White Eye) kid who just defied fate."
With a mild smile, Yuto turned and headed out as well.
Ranmaru looked puzzled but scurried after him.
At the start, Neji may have lacked the qualifications. But now, after Naruto's words had cracked his view of fate—
Then let me be the one to change your fate completely, Neji.
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