Chapter 187: The Clown Is Me
"Neji! Neji!"
Tenten greeted him from afar.
Her voice was full of joy.
"What about me?"
Rock Lee rushed in front of her like a green whirlwind.
"I saw you."
Tenten smiled.
Even his strange attire felt especially familiar at this moment.
Shiyohana, who was beside them, also successfully reunited with her teammates.
"Let's go."
She glanced at the Konoha Ninja present and quickly ran off.
Neji ignored her.
He nodded to Tenten and then asked, "Why are Inoand Choji here too? Where's Naruto?"
If he remembered correctly, Naruto was their teammate.
He was very much looking forward to Narutoparticipating in this Chunin Exams.
After all, they could have a proper spar.
"He said he found unfamiliar Ninja in the labyrinth, so he went to check it out alone."
Ino replied, "Don't worry, his strength is very high."
Neji's face showed contemplation.
Unfamiliar Ninja?
They had encountered Jiro's team before and knew some inside information.
Perhaps it was that group of people who opposed Gaara.
"I'll go take a look."
Although Neji wasn't too worried about Naruto, he was, after all, his future brother-in-law. If something happened, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Hinata.
"You're not going anywhere."
The sudden voice startled Neji. He hadn't noticed it at all.
He hadn't detected it at all.
Tenten and the others also looked wary.
Uzumaki Menma walked out from another passage.
"Who are you?"
Neji activated his Byakugan upon seeing the unfamiliar Ninja.
An absurd amount of Chakra, like a dazzling light, made him dizzy.
He clenched his fist; this was truly troublesome.
Generally speaking, the more Chakra one has, the stronger their power.
Even if their Ninjutsu was slightly weaker, they could still overcome skill with brute force.
For example, a Tailed Beast.
Most of them only knew Tailed Beast Ball, but because of their excessive Chakra, almost no one could safely withstand this move.
"Didn't you see my clothes?"
Uzumaki Menma tugged at his Akatsuki Organization uniform and asked, "Such beautiful clothes, don't you have any impression of them?"
Tenten couldn't help but retort, "I'd only be impressed if the clothes were beautiful, plus the person wearing them was beautiful."
"..."
Uzumaki Menma's face hardened, "I'll hang you up and beat you later."
Tenten shrunk her head, hid behind Neji, and crooked her finger: "Come here!"
Uzumaki Menma twitched his lips, wanting to retort, "So you're the one called Xia Luo!"
But thinking they might not understand the meaning of that sentence, he didn't say it.
He sized up Tenten and said, "I appreciate you; you'll be the last one to die."
"Well, thank you very much!"
With Neji covering her, Tenten couldn't control her mouth at all.
She felt that this guy might be a tsukkomi just like her.
Neji was silent for a moment.
This strange scene felt off somehow.
Aren't we supposed to be fighting?
He thought for a moment.
Since he hadn't seen the Akatsuki Organizationbefore, he didn't recognize the uniform.
But as Uzumaki Menma said, these clothes were too recognizable.
If he didn't recognize them, someone else surely would.
"May I ask, what business do you have with us?"
Neji forcibly brought the atmosphere back to seriousness.
"Of course, to kill people."
Uzumaki Menma said with a smile.
Neji inherited the Character Card of Heroic Spirit Emiya.
Mainly two skills.
One is Broken Phantasm, and the other is Projection Magic.
In a sense, he also possessed the possibility of obtaining Unlimited Blade Works.
Because Broken Phantasm and Projection Magicare actually both byproducts of Unlimited Blade Works.
"Why?"
Neji remained calm, saying, "There must be a reason for killing, right?"
"Some things have no reason."
Uzumaki Menma moved his wrist and raised his fist.
Seeing this, Neji assumed the starting stance of Eight Trigrams Palms.
"Tenten, all of you step back; leave this person to me."
Judging solely by Chakra, they wouldn't be able to help.
Rushing in rashly would only get in the way.
Although the statement was a bit cruel, it was the truth.
For their safety, Neji made the most reasonable arrangement.
Uzumaki Menma lunged forward, moving so fast that his body left an afterimage.
Neji felt the whistling wind, his eyes blurred, and then he saw a fist the size of a sandbag right in front of his head.
So fast!
In addition to functions like X-ray vision and farsight, his Byakugan's dynamic vision for capturing enemy movements far exceeded that of ordinary Ninja. Although it couldn't compare to the Sharingan, it was enough to deal with opponents of the same level.
Neji raised his right arm to protect his face, and with his left hand, he brought his index and middle fingers together, pointing diagonally downwards towards Uzumaki Menma's wrist.
But he didn't make it in time.
The moment Uzumaki Menma struck his right arm, his calf directly kicked towards Neji's groin.
Neji's heart tightened.
Ignoring the soreness and numbness in his right arm from taking a solid punch, his left hand changed from an upward thrust to a downward dive, and he clenched his fist.
Only the sound of fists and feet colliding was heard.
Neji was directly kicked backward by the powerful force.
He staggered a few steps before stopping.
"Neji!"
Tenten shouted with a worried expression.
Rock Lee, on the other hand, was unusually grim.
He specialized in Taijutsu and understood the danger of the previous exchange better than Tenten.
Even he, in a hurry, might have fared worse than Neji.
This person's Taijutsu was truly fast and ruthless.
"I'm fine."
Neji shook his arms.
The previous exchange had left his arms somewhat numb.
This was even with Chakra enhancement.
Yet, the person in front of him showed no reaction during the collision.
His physical capabilities were stronger.
A sharp glint flashed in Neji's eyes, and incredible speed erupted between his palms.
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Punch after punch, aiming at Uzumaki Menma's acupuncture points around his body.
But he didn't hit him.
Uzumaki Menma seemed to be dancing on a knife's edge, evading all of his attacks with his dodging and shifting movements.
How is that possible?!
Neji had never encountered such a way to counter Eight Trigrams Palms.
If you're fast enough that I can't even touch you, how can I hit your pressure points?
Uzumaki Menma smiled slightly.
My movement technique was trained with the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Not using Flying Thunder God Technique is already my biggest concession to you.
Come, take this punch.
Uzumaki Menma inserted his hands into Neji's fist technique, wrapping around his arms like a swimming snake.
The Eight Trigrams Palms immediately paused for a moment.
Neji secretly thought, 'Not good,' as a powerful sense of crisis surged in his heart.
Uzumaki Menma's right arm suddenly bent, changing from a wrap to a thrust, and the extreme speed even produced a thunderous sound.
"Ah!"
Neji screamed.
His left shoulder was clearly dislocated.
Uzumaki Menma kicked casually, and Nejiimmediately lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Neji!"
Rock Lee rushed out, supporting Neji in time, retreating while remaining wary of Uzumaki Menma's attack.
But the anticipated attack did not come.
Ino quickly stepped forward, pressed Neji's shoulder, forcibly reset the bone, and then used Medical Ninjutsu, a pale green light falling upon him.
No more than ten seconds passed.
"All of you, step back."
Neji stood up again, his face solemn as he asked, "Did you just use Eight Extremes Fist?"
"No."
Uzumaki Menma raised an eyebrow and said, "I haven't heard of any Eight Extremes Fist, but your Hyuga Clan's fist technique seems to be somewhat undeserving of its reputation."
Neji's eyes grew cold, and he said, "If that's the case, how about trying something else?"
"Alright."
Uzumaki Menma pulled out a katana.
Neji suddenly charged forward, transforming into a white afterimage. At the same time, two short swords appeared in his hands, wrapped in white Chakra, stabbing directly towards Uzumaki Menma's heart and forehead.
Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg?
Uzumaki Menma calmly raised his sword, striking back twice in an instant.
Neji was pushed back by the force; he immediately used the momentum to push off the ground, flipping into the air.
The twin swords disappeared.
He drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
Three arrows streaked through the labyrinth's passage at extreme speed, like youth running in the setting sun.
Brilliant white light trailed long like meteors.
They instantly arrived in front of Uzumaki Menma, followed by continuous roars and explosions that cracked the labyrinth floor and sent up smoke.
The ensuing roars and explosions cracked the labyrinth floor, sending up smoke.
Smoke means no damage.
Uzumaki Menma, as if on springs, directly broke free from the smoke.
His katana instantly thrust out.
It formed a spiderweb pattern.
The continuously firing arrows were completely blocked.
Uzumaki Menma ran quickly along the wall.
For an archer, close combat is naturally the way to go.
Neji sensed his intention.
His Byakugan encompassed the entire area.
The arrows in his hands suddenly rained down like a storm, completely filling the narrow space.
Uzumaki Menma had nowhere to hide.
Flames rose from his katana, illuminating the somewhat dim labyrinth.
He swung his long sword, forming an arc of fire in front of him.
The arrows flew outwards and burned.
The rolling heat distorted one's vision.
Neji silently chanted Broken Phantasm.
An arrow instantly swelled, the rapid sound of Chakra erupted, and a burst of fireworks bloomed.
Uzumaki Menma slid backward.
"Pah!"
He spat out the dust in his mouth, witnessing countless arrows.
I need to be serious.
Uzumaki Menma stomped the ground, his body like a streak of light, directly breaking through the arrows and instantly arriving in front of Neji.
It was so fast it was like a flash step.
Only the result of arrival, not the process of how he got there.
Uzumaki Menma unleashed a dark red arc strike.
Flames scorched.
Sweat rolled down Neji's forehead.
In the face of the astonishing momentum, twin swords reappeared in his hands.
Clang!
A shockwave erupted at the point of contact.
The twin swords in Neji's hands immediately shattered.
But the next second, they reappeared.
In a brief moment, the two had exchanged blows several times.
And Neji's twin swords had been replaced many times.
"Besides twin swords, do you have no other moves?"
Uzumaki Menma frowned, saying, "What's the use of that? It's a waste of the twin swords."
Neji was slightly taken aback.
He was a bit confused about the situation.
"Ridiculous!"
Uzumaki Menma pressed down with his katana, and the twin swords shattered again. He channeled Chakra, putting more force into his arm.
Neji's body swayed violently, and the immense power made him stumble backward.
He gritted his teeth and activated Sage Mode.
Twin swords suddenly appeared, and he flew up like a bird, stabbing directly at Uzumaki Menma's eyes.
"It's useless."
Uzumaki Menma did not use Sage Mode.
His Chakra was indeed inferior to Sage Chakra.
But Neji had a limit.
He had increased his power by several times, but it still couldn't compare to Uzumaki Menma's strength before any amplification.
"Did you hear Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg crying?"
Uzumaki Menma casually dodged his attack and said, "They were forced to become ordinary twin swords because of you."
Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg?
Neji's expression changed.
Are these the names of the twin swords?
The reason he projected these two swords was due to memories deep within his bones, or perhaps dreams.
After obtaining the Heroic Spirit Emiya Character Card, Neji would occasionally fall into strange dreams.
In those dreams, he was like another person, constantly fighting, constantly dying.
And in his dreams, the twin swords were what he used most often.
"Listen!"
Uzumaki Menma's katana, imbued with flames, sliced through the twin swords, leaving a bleeding gash across Neji's chest.
Neji grunted, his reaction delayed by the pain, and another sword strike followed.
A desolate scene suddenly flashed through his mind.
Gears in the sky, spreading yellow sand, countless swords stuck everywhere, and corpses scattered askew.
The twin swords in Neji's hands were like flying cranes, continuously slashing in the air, creating three pairs of Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg, their speed simply breaking through human vision.
Crane Wing Triple Strike!
Uzumaki Menma subconsciously raised his sword to block.
Snap!
The katana broke.
A high-speed penetration in an instant.
Several blood marks appeared on his chest.
Uzumaki Menma retreated and drew another katana.
But Neji did not press his advantage.
He felt his body suddenly weaken.
It was like the Sage Mode after a young man's seven urges in one night when opening the door to a new world.
"Tsk, I quite like this outfit."
Uzumaki Menma sighed.
Neji's pupils contracted violently.
He had felt something was off when he slashed earlier, because it was too hard.
Now it seemed it wasn't his problem.
It was this person who had a problem.
Uzumaki Menma's chest wounds healed at a visible speed.
Without even leaving a scar.
For a moment, even with Neji's composure, he really wanted to curse.
Just then, the sound of wind.
An arrow landed in front of Uzumaki Menma's eyes.
He swung his sword, but it was deadlocked for a few seconds.
Hinata's figure appeared.
"..."
Uzumaki Menma twitched his lips.
Fight what, a hammer?
He turned around without hesitation and ran.
Hinata was stunned.
What's going on?
..."What are we doing now?"
Kakuzu finally gave up checking his body.
Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the secret door left by Moryo.
Since that's the case, what else could he do?
He couldn't leave, so he could only make do.
"Waiting for someone."
Naruto casually drank his cola.
"Who?"
"Fujiwara Tokai."
Kakuzu sighed. Sure enough, the one he killed wasn't him.
With his intelligence and experience, looking back now, it was all full of holes.
But because of his confidence, he chose to ignore it.
After all, he was just an ordinary person.
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was only protected by a few Jonin.
If it weren't for the severe consequences of killing the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations, Kakuzuwould have long since exchanged those Daimyo for money.
"You... oh no, what are *we* waiting for Fujiwara Tokai for?"
Kakuzu was a bit unaccustomed at first, but fortunately, he corrected himself in time.
"To put on a good show."
Naruto thought for a moment and said, "You can participate too. How about this, I'll tell you a background story. This is the Ashura Temple, where treasures are buried. Fujiwara Tokai gets a treasure map and comes to search for treasure. They meet fellow treasure hunters, the Sunagakure Ninja, Fuyi. After revealing their identities, they decide to cooperate."
"No, even if Fujiwara Tokai is from the Fujiwara Clan, Fuyi, if I remember correctly, is an elder of Sunagakure, right? It doesn't make sense for them to cooperate, does it?"
Kakuzu interrupted him, raising a point of doubt.
"They cooperated because they encountered powerful enemies: one is the guardian dragon of the temple, and the other is your Akatsuki Organization, Kakuzu and Uzumaki Menma."
"Wait!"
Kakuzu stretched out his hand.
He finally realized something was wrong.
This was a script!
"The temple treasure is your doing?"
"Not 'your,' but 'our.'"
Naruto snapped his fingers, "Don't be a stranger, we're all on the same side now."
"..."
Kakuzu twitched his lips, "How are you going to deal with Uzumaki Menma? His strength is good, and he doesn't have the weakness of Earth Grudge Fear."
Naruto did not answer.
"Big brother, I'm back."
Uzumaki Menma had appeared.
He snatched the cola from Naruto's hand, replaced the straw, and started drinking.
This familiar action, this nonchalant behavior.
Kakuzu was dumbfounded.
Damn!
It turns out I was the clown!