"Ugh… cough, cough…!"
Naruto struggled to push himself up, but with his chakra flow completely sealed, his body refused to respond.
Kakashi pressed a hand to his forehead, looking helpless.
"I was just praising him a moment ago…"
"And he immediately fell for the provocation."
Kurenai couldn't help laughing bitterly. "That kid Naruto… he's just far too impulsive."
Might Guy said solemnly, "The fire of youth is admirable, but losing your composure in battle is unacceptable!"
Asuma sighed. "What a shame. He clearly had the upper hand."
Choji looked anxious. "Naruto… he's not going to lose like this, is he?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "Too reckless… what a pain."
Sasuke crossed his arms and snorted coldly.
"A dead last is still a dead last."
"He had the tactical advantage, yet he fell for such an obvious provocation."
Sakura waved her arms desperately. "Naruto, what are you doing?! Get up already!"
Kankuro laughed in mockery.
"Tch, Konoha's ninja aren't all that impressive."
"All that talk about changing fate…"
"In the end, it was just empty words."
Temari nodded. "Yeah. He's way too easy to provoke."
Gaara watched silently, saying nothing.
In a corner of the stands.
Shino Aburame stood quietly.
"Naruto's strategy was actually correct…"
But no one heard him.
No one even noticed him.
Shino lowered his head.
"…Ignored again."
On the battlefield.
Neji walked toward the fallen Naruto.
"Do you understand now? This is reality."
"In the end, you're still just a dead last."
"No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot change your fate."
"Give up."
Naruto lay on the ground, teeth clenched.
Every one of his chakra points had been sealed, making it impossible to gather chakra.
"I… I won't…"
"I won't give up…!"
He struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with stubborn defiance.
"I already said… fate can be changed…!"
"I… will not give up…!"
Neji sneered.
"You're still saying that?"
"You've already lost."
"With your chakra points sealed, you can't even stand."
"This is the difference between a genius and a dead last."
"A gap you can never cross."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"I… will not… give up…!"
He slammed his hands against the ground, forcing himself upward.
Murmurs spread through the stands.
"That blond kid is finished."
"What a shame. His tactics earlier were actually impressive."
"Too impulsive."
At that moment—
Naruto slowly formed hand seals.
His movements were sluggish, but his eyes burned with determination.
Seeing this, Neji sneered.
"There's no point struggling anymore."
"Your acupoints are sealed. You can't gather chakra at all."
"Accept your fate, dead last."
Naruto slowly raised his head.
A stubborn smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Keeping my word… is my ninja way!"
The instant his words fell—
Boom!
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from within Naruto.
Red chakra.
Crimson chakra burst out like raging flames.
One by one, the sealed chakra points were forcibly shattered.
A cloak of red chakra enveloped his entire body.
Naruto's eyes sharpened, and faint fangs appeared.
"What… what is this?!" Neji staggered back in shock.
"Impossible!"
"How can you still gather chakra when your acupoints are sealed?!"
"And this chakra…!"
That overwhelming presence sent fear surging through his chest.
The entire arena erupted in shock.
"What is that?!"
"Red chakra?!"
"That aura is terrifying!"
"Who exactly is that kid?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned grave.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra…"
"Naruto… have you already learned to draw on the Nine-Tails' power…"
Beside him, the "Kazekage," Orochimaru, narrowed his eyes.
"The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki… how interesting."
Sasuke stared wide-eyed.
"What… is that?"
"Naruto actually has this kind of power?"
Sakura leapt up excitedly. "Naruto! Go for it!"
Kankuro's mocking smile vanished, his expression turning serious.
"That chakra…"
Temari's face stiffened. "That presence… it's terrifying."
"This is far beyond what a genin should have…"
Gaara narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Naruto.
A strange glint flashed within them.
"This feeling…"
Naruto stood tall, red chakra blazing around him like fire.
"Neji… I told you already."
"Fate can be changed!"
He formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens of Narutos appeared, each wrapped in a crimson chakra cloak, completely surrounding Neji.
"Now… you can't escape!"
All the clones formed seals at the same time.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Rumble—!!
Dozens of wind techniques erupted simultaneously.
A terrifying gale swept across the entire arena, like a typhoon descending from the heavens.
Sand and gravel were ripped from the ground.
Spectators grabbed the railings to steady themselves.
"This wind is insane!"
"What level of ninjutsu is that?!"
"That's absurd!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, steadying himself with chakra.
"Shadow Clones combined with Wind Release, amplified by the Nine-Tails' chakra…"
"The destructive power is unbelievable."
Kurenai clutched the railing. "This… is this really the strength of a genin?"
Might Guy laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Incredible! The flames of youth have truly exploded!"
Asuma shielded Kurenai. "This kid… he's a monster."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"This power… Naruto…"
"How strong have you become…?"
Sakura gasped. "Naruto… he's amazing!"
Facing the overwhelming gale, Neji's expression changed drastically.
"Damn it…!"
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"
He poured all his remaining chakra into the technique, spinning at high speed.
A blue sphere of chakra formed around him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wind slammed relentlessly into the Rotation.
Neji clenched his teeth and endured.
"I… won't lose…!"
At last—
The gale faded.
The Rotation shattered.
Neji dropped to one knee, gasping for air, drenched in sweat.
His chakra was nearly exhausted.
"Huff… huff… I blocked it… I blocked it…"
He looked up at his opponent.
Naruto stood there, calm and composed.
The red chakra cloak still burned fiercely.
As if the earlier attack had been nothing more than a warm-up.
"How… is this possible…"
Neji's voice trembled.
"I used everything I had…"
"And he's… still so relaxed…"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"So in the end… am I the one bound by fate to be weak…?"
In that moment of distraction—
Behind him.
A Naruto appeared silently.
A fully formed Rasengan spun violently in his right hand.
"Rasengan!"
Boom!!
The Rasengan slammed into Neji's back.
"Gah—!"
Blood sprayed as Neji was sent flying.
He crashed heavily to the ground, rolling several times before going completely still.
The arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Shiranui Genma froze for several seconds before snapping back to his senses.
"The… the winner…"
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
The stands exploded with thunderous cheers.
"He won!"
"He defeated the Hyuga genius!"
"The dead last defeated a genius!"