Chapter 14: What Kind of Technique Is This!? Neji Gets Completely Dominated!
The match between Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Hinata began in earnest.
But after only one single exchange, Neji already sensed something was terribly wrong.
“No…! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeajNCD87H
Why is my body feeling numb…?”
Neji hurriedly leaped back, putting distance between them.
Meanwhile, Hinata just stood there blankly, not following up with a pursuit at all.
“There’s lightning-natured chakra mixed into her chakra… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpfszcz2BU
This numb sensation must be from the lightning attribute. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r4OEhUp2m
Every time her chakra strikes me, it paralyzes me a little. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4rIgwaiXC
If I get hit too many times… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05YOq0aEao
my reaction speed will drop sharply. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3fChBmqC4
So I absolutely cannot let her land another hit!”
As expected of one of the “Konoha 12 Rookies’ strongest,” Neji quickly arrived at the correct conclusion.
“But what kind of technique is this!? 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfAbqUrfN7
The Hyūga clan has never had anything like this! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwcEKcnDYo
Did she create it herself? 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwyJJ6gx8u
No way! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBpCl0dVcK
There’s no chance she could have developed such a refined lightning-style taijutsu on her own. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAifNwbCDW9
Someone must have taught her… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdtUc837xU
But who…? 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNdjx0B8WT
Byakuya!?”
That name suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Byakuya was the elite of the new generation, and the one who had the most contact with Hinata. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFLQIjZ9m4
The Hyūga clan had once investigated Byakuya, and Neji had personally read the report.
“It can only be him! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9dM8EzWBd
I heard he already gave up being a shinobi… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75IadJ3VXG
I never imagined he’d be this strong! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfdYz2mmYV
Truly worthy of being an elite among elites!”
Having reached that conclusion, Neji couldn’t help but voice the question.
“That lightning-style taijutsu of yours… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfXBNlEVcC
You learned it from Byakuya, didn’t you?”
“Eh?”
Hinata’s face instantly turned bright red. She froze for a second before hurriedly shaking her head.
“N-no! It’s not! Absolutely not!”
“So it really is like that.”
Neji gave a small, knowing smile and shook his head.
“You’re terrible at lying, Hinata-sama. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxu9ZcLhfL
I never would have guessed he had such talent. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qIKqdALz0
What a shame he stopped being a shinobi. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qlkZFaJga
Since I know about your trump card now… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwf5zmMRuZT
Hinata-sama, I won’t hold back anymore! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxitiM6Qjcj
Even if a failure learns a move or two from an elite, a failure will always remain a failure. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriqLDrqCsx
Fate cannot be changed. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OIMw3CzLU
Please be careful, Hinata-sama!”
With those words, Neji’s gaze turned deadly serious.
At the same time, his speed increased dramatically compared to before!
……
“Oh…?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, watching the match with slightly admiring eyes.
“Infusing lightning-natured chakra into the opponent’s body during taijutsu to cause paralysis… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjyCPyfGq8
Byakuya really is a genius, huh~ 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeG50KaAtJA
What a pity… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiB9I4lWPX
that he decided he doesn’t want to continue as a shinobi…”
……
“Byakuya?”
Up in the stands, Lee turned to Sakura with a puzzled look.
“Is that the person you were talking about earlier? The one who taught Hinata that technique?”
“Mm!”
Sakura nodded vigorously.
“Byakuya-kun is still as amazing as ever! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAmH5bgJUv
Even though he stopped being a shinobi, his legends are everywhere!”
“Oooh!”
Flames suddenly ignited in Lee’s eyes.
“So that’s how it is! You like him! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxBBe9kEcw
If I ever get the chance, I absolutely have to have a proper match with him! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoBmlBvJNX
Right?!”
“Neji’s getting serious now…”
Lee watched as Neji’s speed suddenly exploded in the distance and couldn’t help starting his live commentary again.
But he hadn’t forgotten the Byakuya topic either.
“This is it—Hinata’s done for. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2yhwomho4
When Neji gets serious, no one can beat him! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNPrYbwfVL
No matter how strong Byakuya is, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5n4DLVjbVW
he can’t possibly be a match for Neji.”
But the moment Lee finished speaking—
Neji was suddenly sent flying backward!
“Wha—!?”
Lee froze in shock.
“This is impossible!?”
Not just Lee— 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ddwGr6um9
almost everyone watching from Konoha was stunned.
This time, it wasn’t some “little trick” using lightning chakra to create temporary paralysis. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj0T164okq
This was pure, overwhelming dominance in both speed and ocular power!
Just now, when Neji attacked Hinata, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYocrOxCYlz
she struck his opening with even greater speed, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgZPN35C4O
used her Byakugan to precisely target his tenketsu, disrupted his chakra flow, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6P75bkPQmU
and then sent him flying with raw force.
That meant Hinata’s speed and Byakugan were clearly superior to Neji’s!
If she hadn’t held back at all… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3rFtgRbkK
Neji probably wouldn’t have lasted even one exchange against her!
“So strong…!”
Neji felt his entire worldview crumbling.
How could a failure suddenly become an elite stronger than him in just a few days!?
“No… impossible!”
Gritting his teeth, Neji charged forward again.
But the result was the same.
He couldn’t even last ten moves against Hinata!
No matter how he tried to use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF6S1IU6vi
he couldn’t touch her at all. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xKY0dC5Tl
Her speed and vision were simply too overwhelming!
It even made Neji feel that her strength had surpassed Gai-sensei’s!
“How is this happening!? 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcWxIm2GN4
How is this possible!?”
The more he fought, the more panicked Neji became.
In the end, he was once again sent flying by a single palm strike.
“Neji-niisan… you’re not my opponent.”
Hinata exhaled deeply and lowered her fists.
At this moment, she felt an overwhelming surge of confidence.
She had done it!
I… I finally managed to change myself… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZZJkMPbXH
Thank you, Byakuya-kun…
Silently giving thanks in her heart, she then spoke aloud to Neji.
“Please forfeit.”
Looking at Hinata, Neji felt deeply stifled.
To be utterly dominated by someone he had always seen as a failure… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK5KQOi35X
It was an unbearable feeling for an elite like him.
But no matter how unbearable, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFYjOiHceI
it was the truth.
He couldn’t change it.
“Hinata-sama… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtDYOVPyKa
Why did your speed and ocular power improve so much?”
Neji finally asked the question that burned most in his mind.
“Was it… all because of the special training Byakuya gave you?”
“Eh?”
Hinata’s face flushed scarlet again. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZPsIch9Cj
She shook her head furiously.
Even though she wasn’t sure whether she should hide it or not— 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VOd0ji9yU
Byakuya hadn’t told her to keep it secret— 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrHyPv9FR9
she still felt that since he had chosen to stop being a shinobi, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou7uT5l46q
she couldn’t let him be bothered because of her.
So she decisively lied again.
“N-no! It’s not! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCjOUz8d2H
You’re imagining things! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWcNz1J9J8
I got stronger by training myself!”
Everyone: “……”
The way she said it… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRIsDCPAqq
If they didn’t have eyes, they might have actually believed her.
“Is that so?”
Neji gave a bitter laugh.
“So having a good teacher really can change fate, huh~ 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQMUaA59gE
…I forfeit!”
With Neji’s surrender, 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnvcWQ2jWA
the arena fell quiet for a brief moment.
Everyone was pondering Hinata’s sudden growth… 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rWwTVu9CP
and the true extent of Byakuya’s strength.
Everyone except one person, that is…
“Yay! Yayyy!”
Naruto grinned like an idiot and laughed loudly.
“I knew it! As long as you work hard, you can get stronger! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOyCd0fcvM
One day, I’ll defeat Byakuya first! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpyHPNGt47
Then I’ll defeat Sasuke! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDrwCXo28i
And finally become Hokage! 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNF4RfVK6t
Hahahahaha!”
Beside him, Kakashi’s eye twitched.
He silently let out a long sigh.
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