Chapter 131: Tong Yu's CounterattackIf things continued like this, Tong Yu would likely suffer a humiliating defeat. He struggled to hold his ground while constantly thinking of a way out.He formulated several battle plans, but in the end, he rejected them all. Aside from Taijutsu, his best skills were Genjutsu and Clone Jutsu.But both of those would be nothing more than a joke in front of the Byakugan; they wouldn't serve any purpose at all. Speaking of the Byakugan, it was somewhat ironic that Neji hadn't even used it yet.Just as he was preparing to be knocked down and lose the match, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his fighting spirit was reignited.Tong Yu first pulled two Kunai from his robes and threw them toward Neji. This was also the first time he had used Ninja tools in this match.Such an attack naturally couldn't cause any harm to Neji, but Tong Yu had already gained the time he wanted, which was enough.Taking this opportunity, he first used the Clone Jutsu, summoning two clones, and then rushed toward Neji together with them. To see through which one was the real body, Neji used the Byakugan for the first time in this battle.He quickly identified Tong Yu's real body and struck out with a Gentle Fist. However, to his surprise, his certain-hit punch actually missed.The "Tong Yu" that was hit began to overlap and flicker. It turned out that while using the Clone Jutsu, he had also cast a Genjutsu to confuse Neji. Having underestimated his opponent, Neji had indeed fallen for the trick.Tong Yu seized the opportunity to attack from the front, back, and above simultaneously. But Neji had already reacted; everything was clearly reflected in his eyes.Though the attack angles were tricky enough, it naturally wasn't enough to stump Neji. He began to spin at high speed, performing the Rotation, a technique known only to the Main House of the Hyuga Clan.The three Tong Yus were all repelled at once. The two clones hit the ground and vanished into clouds of smoke, while his real body also slammed heavily onto the ground, no longer able to stand.Just as Gekkō Hayate was about to declare Neji the winner, the Tong Yu lying on the ground suddenly turned into a log—it was actually the Body Replacement Technique!The real Tong Yu appeared behind Neji and swung his fist toward the back of his head. If Neji hadn't met Naruto so early, his "Caged Bird" seal would not have been removed.That would have meant his Byakugan was not perfect and that a blind spot would exist, giving Tong Yu a chance to succeed. But things were different now; Neji's Byakugan was now just like the Main House's, with a 360-degree view and no blind spots.Although Tong Yu's attack was unexpected, he couldn't escape the fate of being sent flying after Neji used the Rotation again.Tong Yu lay on the ground, no longer capable of fighting back, but there was no sign of frustration on his face.This result was inevitable for him, but Tong Yu was already very satisfied with his performance. At the very least, he had forced the genius of the Hyuga Clan, Neji, to use his two great techniques: Rotation and Byakugan.After confirming there were no more variables, Gekkō Hayate announced Neji as the winner of the match. The Medical Corps hurried over and placed Tong Yu on a stretcher.At this moment, Naruto, who had been watching the battle, jumped down and landed beside Tong Yu. Tong Yu's injuries weren't too severe—mostly superficial—but his Chakra consumption was quite high.Naruto injected some Chakra into his body, causing his condition to ease slightly, and then said to him, "Your performance was stunning. Get some good rest!""I promise you, once your injuries heal, I will personally lead your training. You will definitely become even stronger in the future."Naruto's words moved Tong Yu deeply once again. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn't know what to say.Seeing this, Naruto smiled at him and signaled the two medical Ninjas to carry him away, while he himself jumped back onto the high platform to watch the remaining matches.Only the final two pairs of matches remained. Rock Lee, who had been eager to fight, suddenly acted coy. He said, "Since it's already come to this, I might as well be the grand finale."Unexpectedly, the names on the big screen were Gaara VS Rock Lee. Seeing this, Gaara pressed two fingers together and transformed into a swirl of sand that appeared in the center of the arena. He said impatiently, "Come down here already!"Just after he spoke, his expression visibly froze. It turned out that Naruto was sending him a telepathic message, telling him to take it a bit easy and just let Rock Lee enjoy the fight.Meanwhile, Rock Lee, who had previously seemed reluctant to go up, suddenly began to cheer. Seeing such a huge contrast in his behavior, the others couldn't help but show confused expressions.Rock Lee explained while warming up, "Actually, I said that on purpose. I've learned from experience that the more you show you want to go up, the more it backfires.""That's why I acted that way. It's like how the more you want to do something well, the more likely you are to mess it up, whereas you can get unexpected results when you're not trying. I just used that principle.""I don't actually want to be the grand finale! I just want a battle that gets my blood pumping, and this opponent looks pretty good!"Everyone was speechless after hearing his explanation, except for Might Guy, whose eyes sparkled as he said, "That's wonderful, Lee! As expected of my student!"Rock Lee continued, "See! My approach really caught everyone's attention. Haha, everyone fell for it!"Guy was still full of pride. He said, "Before the match, I have a very good suggestion for you. Do you want to hear it?""Of course, Guy-sensei! Tell me quickly, I can't wait." As Rock Lee spoke, he pulled out a pen and a small notebook from his robes, ready to start taking notes.Guy said very seriously, "No one might have noticed this yet! Look at the gourd that kid is carrying on his back. Isn't it suspicious? You must be careful when the time comes!""Is that even a discovery? Hasn't he always been like that?""Could Guy and Lee really have not noticed what that kid Gaara looks like until now?""Is Rock Lee really going to be okay? It's truly worrying," everyone complained.However, Rock Lee recorded every single word he said in his notebook without missing a beat. Seeing this, Might Guy continued, "Don't take notes! An enemy won't give you the chance in the middle of a battle!"After hearing this, Rock Lee looked up at him, then looked down and continued writing. He said in a tone full of admiration, "As expected of Guy-sensei!""Even a casual sentence contains great wisdom. Such words aren't something you hear every day; this is your battle experience from all these years!""How could just listening be enough? If I were to forget it, it would be a terrible shame. I must record it properly!"
