A still silence fell over the arena. Almost all the examinees were stunned by Gaara's ruthless methods.
Hayate Gekko, who had just arrived in the ring, also felt a headache coming on.
He was fust a second too late, and Dosu was gone. He hadn't expected the Suna ninja to be so merciless, completely ignoring Dosu's pleas for surrender and the proctor's authority, killing him outright.
But there was nothing to be done; this also fell within the rules. Gaara could easily claim that Dosu's surrender was too late and that he couldn't stop his attack in time.
The ninja world was just that cruel.
"Round eight, Gaara wins!" Hayate announced reluctantly. At least it wasn't a Konoha ninja who had been killed.
The cleanup crew mobilized once again, swiftly clearing the arena. The names on the large screen continued to scroll. A few seconds later, the image froze:
Round 9: Neji Hyuga versus Hinata Hyuga.
Seeing this scene unfold just as it had in the original story, Natsuki couldn't help but suspect some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
Neji was a well-known genius within both the Hyuga clan and the Academy. However, as a member of the branch family, he was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, his life destined to be spent protecting those from the main family.
Hinata, on the other hand, though timid and seemingly frail, was a member of the main family.
Clearly, Konoha's higher-ups wanted to see a fight between members of the Hyuga clan.
"I didn't expect my opponent to be Brother Neji," Hinata said, frowning as she anxiously looked at the match-up on the screen.
"Relax, Hinata. Show them your strength. Neji is a known genius in the Academy. Giving it your all is a sign of respect for him," Natsuki quickly said, sensing Hinata's inner turmoil.
Hinata's greatest strength was her kindness, but it was also her greatest weakness. When facing someone she knew, she couldn't bring herself to strike with full force.
Although Neji was stronger than Hinata in the original story, Hinata's hesitation, coupled with Neji's ruthlessness and deep-seated hatred for the main Family, was the primary reason for her swift defeat.
The Gentle Fist was a fighting style that involved channeling chakra into the opponent's body upon impact, causing severe internal damage.
In the original story, Hinata was unwilling to use her chakra to harm Neji, while Neji showed no mercy in severely injuring her. This time, with Natsuki present, such a scenario absolutely had to be avoided.
Moreover, Hinata had already possessed the Tenseigan for some time now. While her proficiency wasn't high, if she truly committed herself, she could still easily defeat Neji.
"Okay, Natsuki," Hinata nodded, a hint of determination entering her eyes. With a graceful movement, she leaped into the arena.
Seeing that both participants were in place, Hayate Gekko announced: "Then, let the ninth round begin!"
Hinata, her expression serious, politely formed the confrontation seal.
Neji, however, ignored Hinata's gesture and instead launched into a lecture about his views on destiny. As a genius of the Hyuga clan, yet branded with the Caged Bird Seal, his very life was at the mercy of the main family.
He vented his anger and hatred towards the main family, directing it at Hinata.
He ripped off his forehead protector, revealing the Caged Bird Seal underneath, and challenged Hinata: "As the eldest daughter of the main family, you know what this seal signifies, don't you?"
Hinata's initially resolute gaze instantly crumbled, replaced by sympathy and guilt for Neji's fate.
It was as if she wanted to shoulder the burden of the main family's mistreatment of the branch family.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
"As expected, Hinata's being severely affected by his words again," Natsuki said, slapping his forehead with a wry smile.
But wasn't this very quality, her genuine kindness that wasn't just a facade, what he loved about Hinata?
"Pathetic," Neji sneered, seeing Hinata's demeanor.
His resentment for his own fate intensified. "You're not worthy of being a member of the main family!" he roared.
He shot forward like lightning, aiming a Gentle Fist directly at Hinata's face.
By then, Hinata had just reacted, but her movements were a step too slow.
The strike was about to land on her face.
From the sidelines, Natsuki ever so subtly raised his palm, activating his Tenseigan ability.
A powerful attractive force instantly acted upon Hinata.
With a graceful slide, she dodged Neji's head-on attack.
"What?!" Neji's powerful strike, meant to connect squarely with Hinata, instead hit nothing but air.
He nearly twisted his back from the force of the missed blow.
Fortunately, he was still young and flexible. Thirty years older, and there would have been a snap, ending the fight then and there.
"Hinata, be serious. I don't want you to get hurt," Natsuki's concerned voice drifted down from the second floor.
His words instantly rekindled Hinata's fighting spirit.
That familiar pull from earlier told her that Natsuki had secretly helped her.
Compared to her guilt towards Neji, she cared more about Natsuki's worry. She absolutely couldn't let him down. Therefore, she had to fight!
"Yes!" In that moment, Hinata's aura completely changed. Pushing off the ground, she advanced instead of retreating, launching a fierce Gentle Fist strike.
Neji regained his composure and countered with a palm strike of his own.
BOOM!!!
Their palms collided. Ripples seemed to spread through the air. The surging force swept away the dust from the ground.
"HOLY!" Seeing their serious expressions, someone in the audience couldn't help but shout.
"Go, Hinata!" This was the cheering of familiar friends like Ino and Sakura.
"Go, Neji!" This was the encouragement from Tenten and Rock Lee, Neji's teammates.
"Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Both shouted simultaneously, unleashing their signature techniques at the same time.
Two green Bagua diagrams unfolded beneath their feet, complementing the special footwork of the high-speed Gentle Fist.
If an ordinary ninja faced this, they would be trapped within the diagram, completely unable to escape the lockdown of this unique footwork.
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
"Sixteen Palms!"
They countered each other blow for blow, their palm strikes fierce and unrelenting. In the blink of an eye, they had traversed half the arena, sweeping the entire ground clean.
Beside the arena, the sickly Hayate Gekko was buffeted by the force of their attacks, looking as if he might be blown away at any moment.
"Amazing! This match is incredible."
"Exactly! The previous matches were either one-sided crushes or childish brawls, with nothing worth watching."
"The Hyuga clan truly deserves its reputation as a noble clan of Konoha. Many ninja wouldn't be able to withstand this technique alone." The crowd on the second floor erupted in cheers.
"Thirty-Two Palms!" By the time they reached the thirty-second palm, a slight tremor appeared in Hinata's strikes.
A numbing sensation spread through her arms.
As expected, Neji truly lived up to his reputation as a genius of the clan. She was inferior to him in terms of Gentle Fist skill.
A wave of anxiety washed over Hinata.
"Forty-Eight Palms!" Finally, Hinata's rhythm was disrupted.
Her right arm went numb, leaving her unable to block.
A wide opening appeared in her defense.
"Forty-Nine Palms! Fifty Palms!" Seeing victory within his grasp, a cruel smile twisted Neji's lips.
His palm strikes aimed mercilessly at the opening on Hinata's right side.
From outside the arena, Natsuki secretly activated his ability once more.
"What?!" Neji's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before his powerful palm strikes could connect with his opponent, a tremendous repulsive force threw him backward.
When did the Hyuga clan gain this ability?
"You cheated!"