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Chapter 79 - 79. Neji vs Naruto -2
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When Neji unleashed [Rotation], the shock wasn't limited to the arena floor.
Up in the stands, Hiashi rose to his feet in stunned disbelief, then slowly sat back down, unable to process what he'd just seen.
"That... that's Rotation!" Hanabi whispered.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Yes... the [Rotation]. A secret technique of the Hyuga main branch. Passed down only to clan successors..."
Hanabi stared in awe at her older cousin. She'd always known Neji was a prodigy; he'd even trained her older sister, but to see this...
To see him perform a clan-exclusive technique without Byakugan?
It was beyond comprehension.
Hiashi clenched his fists, emotions swirling.
When Neji had claimed he could sense chakra without his eyes, Hiashi had assumed it was a coping mechanism, a compensation. But now... now he realized it might've been something far greater.
Was this the heavens repaying him for his suffering?
The guilt from the past dug deeper.
He had personally chosen to continue Neji's Gentle Fist training. But he'd never taught him anything about using [Rotation]. Neji had never even been told the chakra mechanics required to perform it.
And yet—he had done it.
Because Neji didn't just sense chakra, he sensed flow, pressure, and direction. He saw the convergence points. Even without eyes, he perceived tenketsu chakra nodes.
That alone should've been impossible.
Even the most gifted sensory ninja could only feel chakra in a vague mass. But Neji? He understood its architecture.
And because he could sense chakra points...
...He could use the Gentle Fist to its fullest potential.
And he hadn't even told anyone.
Hiashi suddenly realized: He had underestimated his nephew. Deeply.
And what's more...
Neji had already regained his Byakugan, but Hiashi didn't know that. What he was witnessing was only a glimpse.
If this is what he can do now... what if he fully restored his eyes?
The future spun wildly before him.
'You're not strong enough yet, Neji... But one day, you'll be strong enough to change the entire Hyuga Clan.'
---
Spectator Area
Elsewhere, Tenten's fists were clenched with joy.
He did it.
She had been there during every grueling training session, taking hit after hit, helping Neji refine the rotation until it was perfect.
Now, seeing it on full display? It felt like her victory, too.
The others were shocked. But she just smiled.
They haven't seen anything yet.
---
Arena Floor
"Damn it!" 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Naruto winced, rubbing his backside. He'd been flung by Neji's [Rotation] like a rag doll.
Neji stepped forward calmly.
"This is over. I expected more from you, Naruto."
"What?!" Naruto shot back. "You're underestimating me!"
"No. I simply expected more growth."
Neji's voice was flat. Unbothered. Absolute.
"You're already inside my Eight Trigrams zone."
A phantom circle bloomed in Neji's mind, a perfect 360-degree battlefield. Naruto stood directly in its heart.
Neji moved.
[Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms]
His stance shifted like water.
Hiashi gasped. He's using it...!
Neji struck.
Two palms. Four. Eight. Sixteen.
Thirty-two. Sixty-four.
Each blow was a perfect, ruthless hit to Naruto's chakra points.
Naruto's body convulsed with each impact until he collapsed, face-first on the ground.
Hiashi's breath caught. The technique was flawless even without Byakugan; Neji had mapped every vital point.
He's truly mastered the art...
A part of him was relieved Neji hadn't been branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
Someone like him... should never be chained.
---
Among the Spectators
The other Genin flinched as Naruto hit the dirt. That technique... it sent chills down their spines.
Some instinctively grabbed their stomachs from phantom pain. Reflex.
No one could overthrow Neji, the Final Boss. Not yet.
Training with him was still a one-way ticket to suffering.
Neji, watching Naruto twitch on the ground, thought: 'If you don't grow stronger, how can I level up? All of you train harder.'
He didn't say it out loud.
But the look in his eyes said enough.
The proctor stepped forward. "That's enough—"
Naruto groaned.
He was getting up.
Clutching his gut, legs shaking but rising.
"I'm not done yet."
"I told you... I'm gonna be Hokage."
"I won't give up here. Not after how far I've come."
He gritted his teeth.
"So let's go, you damn fox... pay the rent already!"
He slammed his palms together, fingers forming a seal.
Neji raised a brow. Rent?
"AHHHHHH!!"
Naruto's eyes closed. He muttered low and deep.
Oh no. He's powering up like it's Dragon Ball.
A low roar began in his chest.
The arena grew quiet.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
A surge of crimson chakra exploded around Naruto.
Dark, wild, seething. The air grew heavy.
A menacing silhouette appeared behind him, nine tails flickering like flame.
Neji narrowed his eyes.
Kyuubi.
He took one step forward. His own aura flared.
A pulse of Haki, sharp, royal, and undeniable, crashed outward, shattering the illusion of the fox's silhouette.
Don't test my will.
But it was too late.
The Nine-Tails' chakra cloaked Naruto's body, darkening his whisker marks and sharpening his eyes.
His voice was low, but steady.
"I don't care about control. I don't care if it's unstable. If this lets me keep fighting, then that's enough."
He thought of Sasuke and Gaara.
'I have to prove myself... and reach them both.'
"To prove myself to Sasuke—"
"To save Gaara from himself."
"I'll fight. No matter the cost."
Neji looked at him seriously now.
"So... this is your answer?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah."
Neji exhaled slowly. Then, smiled.
"I think..."
"That won't be enough."
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