Neji Hyuga was defeated.
The Hyuga prodigy's face was still dazed. "Impossible. My father once said that the ultimate secret of the Gentle Fist, the Rotation, could never be broken..."
"No technique is without its flaws," Naruto Uzumaki said as he walked forward. He looked at Neji and added, "Perhaps all the Hyuga clan members whose defenses were broken were simply killed by their enemies?"
Neji fell silent. The guy had a point.
Might Guy, hearing this, responded in a deep voice, "Naruto is right. It's just as no one knows the feeling of opening the Gate of Death, because any ninja who opens it will die from the immense strain on their body..."
"Well, the nature of it isn't quite the same," Naruto couldn't help but scratch his head, looking at the not-so-bright Might Guy and the eagerly nodding Rock Lee. "But I guess the principle is the same."
"Hey, hey, hey, that's obviously twisted logic!" Kakashi Hatake stood next to Might Guy, looking like he couldn't bear to watch. He pressed a hand to his forehead and said, "Alright, since the first match is over, Guy, take Neji to the medical bay."
"Here, I can help with that..." Naruto walked over to Neji's side, reached out, and poured a stream of Yang Power into him. The Nine-Tails did not interfere with his actions.
Neji's injuries healed at a visible pace. As they mended, his breathing grew steadier. The life force granted by the Yang Power was incredibly strong. After just a short while, Neji was already able to sit up, looking at Naruto with a complicated expression.
He wasn't the only one.
Kakashi's expression was also a bit strange. He had no idea when Naruto had mastered such a profound medical ninjutsu. At the very least, its effect was in no way inferior to the Mystical Palm Technique.
But if that was the case, what role was left for Sakura Haruno, who was painstakingly learning medical ninjutsu for Team 7?
Was this Naruto guy really stealing his teammate's role, leaving her with nothing to do?
"Naruto," Kakashi thought of the pink-haired girl and asked softly, "when did you learn such a powerful medical ninjutsu?"
"This isn't medical ninjutsu," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "Kakashi-sensei, I can't use medical ninjutsu. This is just an application of Yang-nature chakra."
Kakashi tugged at his mask. Was he joking? In just a few seconds, he had saved a severely injured ninja and even restored his ability to fight, and now he was saying it wasn't medical ninjutsu?
"Yang Power," Naruto said in a low voice as his palm glowed with a white light. "This is the power of the Nine-Tails. It's extremely precious. They say it can save a ninja even after they open the Gate of Death..."
The corner of Kakashi's eye couldn't help but twitch. "I seem to remember that opening the Gate of Death means certain death, right?"
"But Yang Power can give him a seed of life," Naruto continued, glancing at the thoughtful Might Guy beside him. "Even if his heart is destroyed, it can be repaired with Yang Power..."
"This has already surpassed the scope of medical ninjutsu, hasn't it?" Kakashi looked at the white light in shock. In his heart, however, he was mourning for the pink-haired girl on his team.
With a teammate like this, Sakura would probably be devastated. The girl originally wanted to use her skills as a medical ninja to become an indispensable part of Team 7, but now... Kakashi could only hope that Sakura could regain her confidence and find a different path.
The first intense battle was over. Watching the members of Team 3 and Team 7 leave, Genma Shiranui, the proctor, breathed a sigh of relief from a short distance away and loudly announced the result.
"First match, winner, Naruto Uzumaki!"
The audience was silent. Even though Naruto had displayed overwhelming power, in the eyes of the Konoha villagers, he was still that demon fox boy. All that had changed was that the arena stage was now a huge crater.
Perhaps on the Third Hokage's instruction, Genma didn't send anyone to repair the stage. He simply announced the contestants for the second match from the center of the crater.
"Second match, Sasuke Uchiha versus Rock Lee!"
The entire arena erupted. Even some of the daimyo and officials began clapping vigorously. When they came to Konoha, the battle they most wanted to see was, without a doubt, one involving the genius of the once-great Uchiha clan. They didn't understand Naruto's strength; they only knew how famous the Uchiha clan was, and that meant the fight would be exciting.
After all, the Sharingan was recognized by most in the ninja world as the number one bloodline.
The golden chakra cloak on Naruto's body faded, and the intense pressure it had put on the surrounding ninjas disappeared. Seeing his teammate step into the crater, Naruto leaped into the stands and shouted, "Hey, Sasuke, if you lose, I'll laugh at you!"
"Lee, go for it!"
"Lee, take him down!"
"Lee, you have to win!"
Team 3's cheering was just as strong. Might Guy's voice alone practically pierced the ears of everyone in the audience. The fully recovered Neji and Tenten covered their faces in embarrassment. Having a teacher like that... left them feeling a bit helpless.
"That kid named Rock Lee is not simple," Kakashi noted, glancing at the shouting Might Guy beside him. From their attire and hairstyle to their eyebrows, Might Guy and Rock Lee were practically identical.
Over the past month, many people in Konoha had seen Guy's special training for Rock Lee, and Kakashi had heard some things. During that time, Kakashi had taught his unique ninjutsu, Chidori, to Sasuke. He believed Guy would have done something similar for his own student. For example, the Eight Gates.
Just seeing how close Lee and Guy were, Kakashi thought it was very likely that Guy had already taught him the technique. They didn't look like master and student... more like a father and son.
Most importantly, according to Kakashi's intelligence, Rock Lee, like Might Guy, was dedicated to becoming a powerful ninja through taijutsu alone. If someone claimed Rock Lee hadn't trained in the Eight Gates, no one would believe it.
"The Eight Gates..." Kakashi looked down at Rock Lee, then at Sasuke. "I hope Sasuke doesn't get too arrogant facing an enemy known for taijutsu. If he's careless, he'll get beaten badly..."
"That's not a given," Naruto said, his expression also very serious. He knew his teammate's weakness well. "That guy Sasuke, his favorite thing to do is to challenge an enemy in the area they specialize in."
In a sense, Sasuke was an all-rounder. He believed that defeating an enemy in their own area of expertise was the best way to destroy their will to fight.
For example, right now, facing Rock Lee.
Sasuke Uchiha looked at the nervous Rock Lee and said in a deep voice, "Looks like in this match, I won't need to use hand signs."
Rock Lee didn't quite understand. "Huh?"
"Let's begin!" Sasuke clenched his fists and rushed towards Rock Lee. "I'll beat you within a minute. I can't wait to fight that guy Naruto!"
-----
Bonus:
Kakashi Hatake: Sakura, maybe you should give up on training in medical ninjutsu.
Sakura Haruno: What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?
Kakashi Hatake: Naruto's medical ninjutsu... might be even stronger than Lady Tsunade's.
Sakura Haruno: ...Is he insane?!
Kakashi Hatake: He just kind of... learned it by chance.
Sakura Haruno: Then what am I supposed to do? Kakashi-sensei, where do I submit my ninja resignation letter?
Kakashi Hatake: Just give it to me.