Four days later, the third round of the Chunin Exams was held as scheduled!
"According to the previous draw results, the first match is Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji. Everyone else, please leave the arena," Shiranui Genma said to the participants.
"Brother, you can do it!" Yuta cheered.
"Me... how could I possibly lose? After all, I've already mastered the Rasengan, ha, haha." Naruto gave a dry laugh, "Don't worry, just watch how I'll send him flying."
"Last night he was so worried he couldn't sleep." Yuta looked helplessly at the bragging Naruto. For some time, Naruto had been worried about his fight with Neji, as Neji was last year's top rookie, and his strength was acknowledged by everyone.
"Match start!" Shiranui Genma announced the start of the match and stepped aside.
"Hey, even if you're Yuta's brother, I won't hold back," Neji said coldly, activating his Byakugan.
"Who asked you to hold back?" Naruto retorted, not showing any weakness.
"You're certainly stubborn." Neji took an offensive stance, "Come on!"
"Swish, swish."
Naruto made the first move, taking two shuriken from his pocket and throwing them, then quickly closing in on Neji.
"Clang, clang."
Neji blocked the shuriken with his Kunai, sidestepped the punch that followed, and used the momentum to turn and slap Naruto's back.
"Bang!"
"Ah!" Naruto gritted his teeth, propped himself up with his right hand, then suddenly used force to spin his body.
"Slap."
Neji blocked the kick with his left hand and quickly jabbed at the pressure points on Naruto's leg with his right hand.
"Oh no." Naruto's heart tensed. If Neji truly hit the correct pressure points, he wouldn't be able to use Chakra normally in this match.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto quickly created two Shadow Clones. One ducked and kicked at Neji's ankle, while the other attacked Neji's chest with a Kunai.
"Tch." Although unwilling, Neji could only forcefully change his attack trajectory in the face of the Shadow Clones' harassment. Naruto seized this opportunity to create distance.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Six Narutos in the arena stared at Neji and spoke in unison, "Not bad, but I won't be like that anymore."
Neji had a confident smile on his face, "Then come on."
Yuta, leaning against the railing and watching the match, spoke, "The Shadow Clones from the Shadow Clone Technique possess the same Chakra as the original body, so Neji's Byakugan can't distinguish which one is Brother's real body, but..."
"But because Naruto's Taijutsu is too poor, it doesn't matter if Neji can't distinguish the real body. He just needs to defeat all of them," Sasuke said in a cold tone, but his tightly clenched right hand on the railing already betrayed his true feelings.
Sure enough, the sudden increase in clones did put Neji at a disadvantage, but once Neji discovered the true strength of these clones, he swiftly and cleanly dispatched all of them in three moves.
"Hey, your dream is to become Hokage, right?" Neji looked at Naruto coldly, "That's impossible. Those who can become Hokage are destined from birth. Fate cannot be broken by effort."
"Don't jump to conclusions so easily!" Naruto said angrily, "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In his anger, Naruto created dozens of Shadow Clones.
Shikamaru said nervously, "Now he should have a chance to win, right?"
"Still a little short," Yuta shook his head.
Such a number of enemies, unafraid of death, indeed caused Neji no small amount of trouble, but... "I win!" A dozen Shadow Clones surrounded Neji, swinging their fists.
"Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin!"
At the critical moment, Neji's pressure points simultaneously erupted with a large amount of Chakra. As he spun, he formed a semicircular Chakra barrier, repelling Naruto.
Stopping his spin, Neji pushed off with his legs, catching up to Naruto, who hadn't landed yet.
"Eight Trigrams Two Palms!"
Neji touched Naruto's shoulder pressure points with both hands. Before Naruto could fall, Neji grabbed Naruto's arm, forcibly pulling him up.
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
..."Sixty-four Palms!"
The power contained in Neji's final two palms sent Naruto flying. Looking at Naruto, whose entire Chakra system was locked, Neji said, "Give up. It is your destiny to lose to me in this match."
"Always talking about destiny, destiny. I don't believe in such things!" Naruto struggled to stand up from the ground, "As long as I try..."
"Effort? Heh." Neji sneered and removed his forehead protector, "I told you, everyone has a predetermined destiny from the start. Many things cannot be achieved just by effort. This cursed seal is called the Cage Bird."
Naruto: "Cage Bird?"
"The Hyuga Clan is divided into the Main House and Branch House. Branch House members are branded with this cursed seal at the age of four. Even if they are twin brothers, being born a few seconds later means bearing this irresistible fate. With this, the Main House can easily destroy the Branch House's brain. The Branch House is meant to sacrifice for the Main House from the very beginning! Just like nine years ago!" Neji struggled to suppress his anger, trying to recount the events of nine years ago in a calm tone.
"Nine years ago..." Hyuga Hiashi on the stands tightly clenched his fists. How could he not have come to terms with his brother's death even now?
Neji put his forehead protector back on, covering the ugly Cage Bird cursed seal. "You brat who always talks about effort, do you still think effort can change everything now? Can you understand what it feels like to be burdened with an irresistible fate from birth?"
"I... understand!" Naruto lowered his head, his expression hidden.
Hearing Naruto's words, Neji fell silent as if recalling something. After a long moment, he looked up and said, "Give up. You can't defeat me now."
"Can't defeat him, huh..." Naruto clenched his fists unwillingly. The oath he once made on the Hokage Rock, his determination to protect Yuta, and Hinata's tragic appearance in the arena—somehow, these scenes began to replay in Naruto's mind.
"Damn it, I can't feel any Chakra at all." Naruto desperately tried to circulate Chakra.
"It's no use. Your pressure points have been sealed by me." Neji took an attacking stance, "One last move to finish you off."
"Hey, Nine-Tailed, if you can hear me..." Naruto's eyes became resolute. He clapped his hands together forcefully, "Then get out here!"
"Whoosh!"
Fiery red Chakra instantly broke through the pressure point obstruction. Naruto looked at his hands, somewhat disbelieving, "This power... Now I can defeat Neji!"
"This is the same state Yuta entered before. He was actually able to break through the Sixty-four Palms' seal. I can't drag this out any longer." Neji gritted his teeth and quickly rushed towards Naruto. Having witnessed it once, Neji knew how terrifying the amplification of this state was for a Ninja.
"Whoosh."
Naruto ducked under the attack and swept his leg towards Neji's ankle. Naruto's attack speed exceeded Neji's mental prediction. Carelessly, he was kicked in the ankle and lost his balance.
"Bang!"
Naruto seized the opportunity, raising his knee and violently striking Neji's face. This was the first time Neji had been injured in the match so far.
"Tch." Neji quickly sprang up from the ground. At this moment, Naruto's three Shadow Clones were already upon him.
"Heavenly Spin!"
Neji did not immediately stop the Heavenly Spin after destroying the clones. This period was the best opportunity to observe Naruto's position.
"What is that!" With his Byakugan, Neji quickly located Naruto, but when he saw the pale red Rasengan in Naruto's hand, cold sweat ran down Neji's forehead, "Such immense Chakra."
"I can't dodge it." Neji had no choice but to increase his Chakra output, hoping to block the blow with Heavenly Spin.
"It's over," Yuta said with a light chuckle.
"Rasengan!"
"Boom!"
Violent Chakra exploded at the collision point of the Rasengan and Heavenly Spin, raising a cloud of dust that obscured the arena.
"What's happening in the dust? I can't see!"
"Referee, do something about it!"
"Hurry up!"
The audience shouted impatiently at Shiranui Genma in the arena.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Shiranui Genma released his Ninjutsu to disperse the dust, and the audience finally saw the situation in the arena as they wished.
"Why are both of them down? Who won?" The audience looked at the scene with question marks. Just then, Naruto slowly sat up from the ground.
"Hoo... ha... hoo... ha..." Naruto sat on the ground, gasping for air. To prevent the Rasengan from killing Neji, Naruto dispersed the Rasengan at the last moment and was blown away by the chaotic Chakra flow.
"..." Neji lay in a deep crater, staring blankly at the sky.
"I... hoo... always believed... hoo... ha... hoo... that effort can break fate." Naruto sat up and said to Neji, "If you don't believe it, then wait until I become Hokage to change the Hyuga's fate."
"Uzumaki... Naruto." Neji slowly closed his eyes, "I lost."
Hearing their conversation, Shiranui Genma announced the match results to the bewildered audience in the stands, "First match, Uzumaki Naruto wins!"
"Wow! That kid is great!"
"What a wonderful match!"
"Not bad! Kid!"
"Uzumaki Naruto, what a match!"
"..."
The audience spared no cheers.
"This arena is no longer usable and must be repaired with Earth Release Ninjutsu." Shiranui Genma turned to the Medical Ninja who had been ready for a long time and said, "First, carry the injured down for treatment."
Next up is Yuta versus Gaara. Please wait a moment.