Hiashi saw Neji's Tenseigan (Reincarnated Eye) unleash overwhelming might and, face alight with fervor, dropped to his knees. "We pay respects to the Tennin!"
The Branch guardians followed suit. "We pay respects to the Tennin!"
Only the Main House man—"Steelplate"—stood there dumbfounded, forgetting even the pain of his missing arm. Neji's power was so terrifying that it matched the legends of the Tennin.
Neji was just about to speak when—pop—Gakidō (Preta Path) vanished.
"Not good! He was reverse-summoned!" Guy's expression tightened.
"Bet he's headed to Natsuki's side!"
Neji locked onto a direction—the noisiest front. "Guy-sensei, Lee, I'm going to help Natsuki. Please find Tenten and the others—don't let Natsuki worry about her safety!"
Guy and Lee flashed thumbs up. "Go! Natsuki's side is in your hands, Neji!"
Neji nodded once and, without sparing his uncle a glance, flew straight toward the target front.
Guy and Lee didn't waste time either. They sprinted for the next hotspot—reducing casualties mattered most right now.
Hiashi snapped out of it and barked orders, "You—come with me! Protect the Tennin with your lives if you must. He's the hope of the Hyuga's rise!"
The Branch guards answered as one, "Yes! We'll protect the Tennin to the death!"
Their usually unfocused Byakugan seemed to shine—hope, the hope Neji had brought them!
They all knew Neji well. As the son of the former Branch head, Hizashi, he'd loathed the Main–Branch system most of all: his father died under Main House coercion, and his genius had been stifled. Now that Neji had become a Tennin, he would surely overturn that system for good.
The Branch would no longer be slaves to the Main House—they could finally fly free.
So even if they had to burn everything, they would ensure Neji's safety.
As for "Steelplate," everyone forgot him entirely. Even gravely wounded, he drew no eyes—Hiashi didn't spare him a glance, and the Branch guards didn't even bother to sneer. The world itself had tossed him aside.
He had offended a Tennin. He was finished.
—
On another front—
After a bout of trading blows without results, Fū and Gaara swapped opponents.
Fū immediately entered Bijūka (Tailed Beast Transformation): a colossal seven-tailed insect, roaring in with a terrifying swarm toward Kisame. Even Kisame—bold as they come—felt his scalp prickle.
He badly wanted to trade with Kakuzu; Kakuzu's Katon (Fire Release) was perfect for swarms. Compared to that, Kisame's Suiton (Water Release) felt a bit… underwhelming.
Beast-shaped Fū opened her maw and spewed paralyzing scale powder, but Kisame blasted a torrent of Suiton to wash it away.
Then the swarm wrapped him up. The bugs—already head-sized—swelled even larger, each as big as a millstone. A single look would make a faint-hearted girl swoon. More importantly, they were monsters: highly resistant to chakra nature changes, tough against physical strikes, with brutal bite force, and even capable of absorbing chakra—their buffs were stacked to the heavens. Even Pain would think twice.
Kisame had no choice but to slip into the waters he'd just created. But the bugs didn't fear water—they followed him in. Thankfully, once submerged they couldn't fly, and their swimming wasn't so fast.
Kisame finally exhaled—right before he saw the waterspace packed end-to-end with bugs.
"Oh, we're doing this, huh?!"
He grit his teeth and pumped out Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Shark Bullet Technique) after Suikōdan, unleashing schools of sharks to brawl with the swarm.
On the other side, Gaara surged yellow sand in waves toward Kakuzu and Sasori.
When he fought Kisame earlier, Suiton hard-countered his sand work, forcing him to lean on Fūton (Wind Release). Now, after swapping, he could return to his specialty.
"Sabaku Kyū (Sand Binding Coffin)!"
"Sabaku Sōsō (Sand Waterfall Funeral)!"
Sand filled the sky; dunes crashed like tides.
Kakuzu and Sasori barely dodged. They simply tanked it—knowing they wouldn't truly die. Truth be told, neither wanted to obey Kabuto, so they were fighting without zeal. Otherwise, Gaara wouldn't have it this easy.
The ANBU, however, were in real danger. The Oto-nin Five were no joke—especially Kimimaro, now free from illness, who displayed the terrifying heights of Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse). In short order, ANBU were scattered, armor cracked and formation broken.
Meanwhile, Naruto's fight with Haku and Zabuza raged on.
Say what you will—Naruto had grown. Even if he'd started at a disadvantage, he was now leveling things out, even showing signs of turning the tide.
Using Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique), he hid among his clones and rushed Haku and Zabuza again.
Haku instantly loosed Sensatsu Suishō (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)—a storm of needles shredding the entire clone cloud.
But Naruto had already palmed a sphere—timed just right, he flashed to Zabuza's face and shoved it into his chest, blasting Zabuza spinning through the air.
"Phew! You two are tough!"
Breathing hard—his first time soloing two jōnin-level fighters—Naruto clearly lacked experience and polish. But his battle sense was good. One sneak attack had worked; in his head, that meant the next would too.
Haku smiled, genuinely relieved. "You've gotten stronger, Naruto. Looks like you've found something to protect. In that case—defeat us."
"Yeah! I'll beat you, dattebayo!"
Naruto puffed up with confidence after launching Zabuza—only to scowl a second later as Zabuza's ruptured torso slowly stitched itself back together. Right—Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) couldn't be killed. They weren't truly alive to begin with.
That was Edo's biggest headache.
"Damn it! Don't block me—I've gotta help everyone!"
But the two couldn't not block him; they weren't in control of themselves. If they were, they wouldn't be here.
Just as the situation worsened, Tenten descended from above with a huge crimson gourd on her back. The Kōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope) snapped out, lashing around Haku and Zabuza and forcing them to speak their kotodama (word-spirit). In the next instant, she swung the Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) and severed the cursed words—then the Benihisago (Crimson Gourd) sucked those kotodama inside.
Flipping the Shichiseiken, Tenten read the cursed phrases etched there: "Haku" and "Zabuza-san."
So their most-used words were calling each other's names. No wonder Natsuki said the two shared a tragic, beautiful love. Even if they were both men—she could support that.
"Naruto! Why are you running off like that? And what's with you—Tenten, what is that loadout?" Naruto was overjoyed.
"Tenten! You're here!"
"Naruto, stop running around!" Tenten snapped, fuming.
—
(End of Chapter)
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