"Byakugan!"
With a silent cry, Hyuga Hinata's chakra-infused palm struck out, carrying a fierce momentum. Naruto didn't counter directly but waited until only an arm's length separated them before sidestepping, evading the blow by a hair's breadth.
"Too much movement, too obvious!"
Hinata's form spun sharply, the force behind her hand undiminished.
"Not bad!" Naruto's eyes lit up. This strike perfectly embodied the 'softness' of the Gentle Fist. However, the disparity in their skill was too vast to be bridged by such technique alone. With a light tap of Kusabimaru's flat side against her elbow, Hinata's posture faltered, leaving her wide open.
"Uzumaki Naruto wins!" Shiranui Genma declared.
Naruto withdrew the back of his blade from Hinata's neck. "My apologies."
"Naruto-kun is as strong as ever," Hinata said, shaking her head slightly. Back in the Ninja Academy, they had sparred before; she had never won, and he had never lost. Truthfully, both had known the outcome of this match the moment the pairings were announced.
"Let's go." Naruto sheathed his sword. Giving one's all was the greatest form of respect.
Watching the two walk off side-by-side, Izuno Akigiku and Kaminarimon Etsureki couldn't help but exchange a smile.
Eighth match: Hyuga Neji versus Rock Lee!
Looking at the two facing each other in the arena, those familiar with them cast sympathetic glances towards a thick-browed jonin in a green jumpsuit. A fight between teammates from the same squad—what rotten luck.
"Neji, this day has finally come!" Rock Lee gazed at the white-clad youth opposite him, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Isn't the result already known, Lee?" Hyuga Neji stated. After a year as teammates, they were both well aware of each other's strength. They had sparred countless times during that period, and without exception, he had always been the victor.
"This is youth!" the thick-browed jonin exclaimed passionately.
Everyone else: "…"
"Guy-sensei, I want to use that technique!" Rock Lee suddenly turned his head to look at the thick-browed jonin in the stands.
"I approve, Lee! Let your youth explode!" Guy gave a thumbs-up, his voice deep and resonant.
"Sigh…" Shiranui Genma waved his hand dismissively and quietly retreated to the side.
Rock Lee leaped backwards, landing directly on top of one of the statues. He then proceeded to unwind two weighted bands from his calves. Hyuga Neji didn't try to stop him. As teammates, he had a clear understanding of Lee's capabilities; he didn't believe that a Lee without weights would be his match.
BOOM! BOOM!!
The impact of the two weighted bands hitting the ground startled every spectator in the arena.
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of monsters are these?!!" Izuno Akigiku stared at the scene, her face frozen in disbelief.
"That is indeed a bit monstrous," even Naruto couldn't help but remark.
Whoosh!
A dark green blur burst through the dust, charging towards the white-clad youth in the center of the arena. Its speed was so great that the dynamic vision of some spectators on the second floor simply gave out.
Hyuga Neji slowly settled into his stance, the bulging veins near his eyes indicating he had already activated his Byakugan. He wasn't surprised by Lee's current speed; rather, he had seen it many times before. For other genin, such speed was terrifying. But for him, for his Byakugan, it was merely so-so.
[The left! Lee, your attack patterns really never change!] Hyuga Neji swiftly swung his left hand, deflecting Lee's straight punch to the side. His right fingertips gathered a large amount of chakra, then stabbed viciously towards one of Rock Lee's tenketsu. This was an extremely critical pressure point; if sealed, Lee's chakra flow would be disrupted, making the rest of the fight much easier.
But just as he was intimately familiar with Rock Lee's attack patterns, Rock Lee was equally familiar with his methods. A whip kick cut through the air, smashing heavily against the white-clad youth's elbow.
One hard style, one soft.
There was no dazzling clash of colorful ninjutsu, but it was an incredibly spectacular fight nonetheless. In the stands, everyone watched the match with rapt attention.
"First Gate, Gate of Opening, open!"
The green-clad youth's aura changed abruptly, the force behind his fists and feet more than doubling. Faced with this overwhelming power, even with the aid of his Byakugan, Hyuga Neji could only retreat continuously.
"This kind of technique?" Naruto's brow twitched. It felt very similar to when he consumed a Yashariku's Sugar. Or rather, the technique Rock Lee was currently using shared the same principle as a secret medicine like Yashariku's Sugar, which traded vitality for attack power. The only difference was that Rock Lee was opening his body's valves through his own power, while Yashariku's Sugar relied on an external object.
"Gate of Healing, open!" "Gate of Life, open!"
To press his advantage, Rock Lee opened two more gates consecutively. The terrifying pressure emanating from him even affected the spectators on the second floor. Hyuga Neji's long-held composure finally shattered.
"Konoha Hurricane!!"
The immense force, the ferocious speed—Hyuga Neji simply couldn't avoid this blow.
CRACK!
A soft snapping sound came from his arms. Hyuga Neji knew—his arms were broken!
Thump!
The white-clad youth's body slammed heavily against the wall. His body's instinctual self-preservation caused him to faint directly.
"Hah! Hah!" In the arena, the green-clad youth's breathing was like a bellows. He looked at the unconscious Neji, his expression somewhat dazed. For this moment, he had striven for countless days and nights, shed so much sweat… But now, when his dream had successfully materialized before his eyes, he didn't feel much excitement, as if it was all meant to be… Hard work and cultivation eventually yield rewards.
"Rock Lee wins!" Shiranui Genma announced, his expression unreadable as he looked at the youth's scarred arms beneath the unraveled bandages. [A hardworking genius, perhaps…]
In the stands, all the spectators had fallen silent. Putting themselves in his shoes, could they have done better than the white-clad youth? It seemed unlikely…
"Ngh… ngh…" Guy sounded as if he were choking back sobs, yet also excited, yet also sad—a multitude of emotions converging at once. He couldn't help it; the winner was his student, but the loser was also his student. It's impossible to choose between the palm and the back of your hand. "This damned competition," he choked out. He appeared in the arena in a Body Flicker, gave his standing student a thumbs-up, and then carried his unconscious student away.
"Go on up. The next match is about to begin," Shiranui Genma said to the youth.
"…Yes, sir!" Rock Lee suddenly jolted, but just as he was about to move, the backlash from the Eight Inner Gates hit him full force.
"Honestly, one after another, none of them make things easy." Tenten, who had anticipated this, effortlessly lifted him. As a fellow student of Konoha's taijutsu master, Guy, how could her physical conditioning be poor?
Ninth match: Gaara versus Dosu!
A day had passed since the One-Tail had been provoked by the Nine-Tails. Although the One-Tail's rampage had subsided, Gaara's temper had not. The moment the head proctor left the arena, before Dosu could even utter a single taunt, Gaara crushed him into meat paste with a Sand Waterfall Funeral.
Gulp…
If the previous match had been utterly shocking, then this one-sided slaughter was utterly terrifying.
Tenth match: Kaminarimon Etsureki versus Akimichi Choji. Like Izuno Akigiku, Etsureki was unfortunately defeated when facing the heir of a major clan.
Among their peers, Inuzuka Kiba's luck was off the charts; he received a bye and advanced directly to the third round of the exams.
"Hahaha, I'm the chosen one!" Inuzuka Kiba declared, with Akamaru perched on his head.