Chapter 58: Neji: There is a Tragic, Thick Barrier Between Us
The boy actually threw a shuriken at him.
Neji didn't even flinch. He waited until it was right in front of him, then casually caught it between two fingers.
The next moment, he was in front of the boy in a Body Flicker and punched him hard in the stomach.
The boy flew backward like a kite with a broken string and crashed to the ground.
Hinata stared, dumbfounded. This Cloud-nin had actually hit someone for her?
Just then, two Konoha ANBU appeared in front of Neji. "Cloud candidate," one of them said, his voice cold, "this is Konoha. Fighting is strictly forbidden."
Neji laughed. When those three were bullying Hinata, I didn't see you step in.
It was obvious they were here to test him.
"I was just trying to teach them what the real shinobi world is like," Neji said, a serious expression on his face.
"A spot check," the ANBU said. "Come with us."
The other candidates, who had been about to leave the plaza, all turned to look, their faces filled with curiosity.
"A spot check?" Neji said, crossing his arms. "Am I to understand that Konoha is targeting the Cloud?"
"It's our duty. Please cooperate," the ANBU replied, his voice firm.
The crowd of onlookers watched with interest.
Faced with the ANBU's persistence, Neji just smiled and pointed to his Byakugan. "If you can defeat me, I'll go with you, and you can check whatever you like."
"Arrogant little brat from the Cloud," the ANBU muttered, his expression hardening. He had never expected a mere genin to challenge the ANBU.
"Lady Yugito," Karui whispered, "should we step in?"
"Don't worry," Yugito replied. "Neji can handle it."
Her words reached Hinata's ears, and she trembled. That Cloud-nin... is he Neji-niisan?! But Father-sama said he was dead...
From a distance, the Suna puppeteer, Yura, watched with a smirk. "These Cloud candidates are pretty wild, huh?"
Itachi, who had just left the plaza, gave a cursory glance and then walked away, uninterested.
Deidara, leaning against a tree, was now a little intrigued.
"They're going to fight! This is a good opportunity," Zabuza said with a grin.
"I'm curious," Mei said, her eyes on Neji. "Just how strong is this Cloud Byakugan user who was willing to bet the Kohaku no Jōhei?"
On a nearby rooftop, Kakashi, Yamato, Yugao, and a few other ANBU were also watching.
"Senpai," Yamato said, a worried look on his face, "he's just a Cloud genin. Isn't it a bit much to have two Tokubetsu Chunin test him?"
"It was the Hokage's order," Kakashi replied, his voice grave. "Don't worry, he's no ordinary genin. And I've already made arrangements. They won't go all out."
"How many moves do you think he'll last?" Yugao asked.
Hayate coughed. "An arrogant fool who would pawn the Kohaku no Jōhei... even if he has some skill, he can't be that strong. Ten moves, tops."
Yugao nodded in agreement. The two ANBU were both Tokubetsu Chunin, not much weaker than herself, and they were battle-hardened veterans. Ten moves was a generous estimate.
Kakashi's single dead-fish eye was fixed on the calm and composed Yugito in the distance. A sense of unease washed over him.
The two ANBU exchanged a look and nodded. Their mission was to test Hyūga Neji. They were hoping for a fight.
One of them spread his feet, his hand on the hilt of his ninjatō, every muscle tensed, ready to spring.
Swoosh!
In that instant, Neji vanished.
The ANBU was stunned.
"Are you looking for me?" a casual voice said from behind them.
They tried to use the Body Flicker Technique to create some distance, but with two soft thuds, they were sent flying.
Darui laughed. "Idiots. They kicked a steel plate and didn't even know it."
"So fast," the onlookers all thought in unison. The two ANBU had been careless, but the main reason for their defeat was Neji's incredible speed.
On the rooftop, Hayate's eyes widened. "What... what just happened?!"
Yamato was equally shocked. He had known Neji was no ordinary genin, but he was far more powerful than he had imagined. The speed he had just displayed was beyond that of even a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
"Senpai," he said, looking at Kakashi, who had pulled up his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan, "that guy..."
"You're right," Kakashi said, his voice grim. "That was the genuine 'Lightning Release Stimulation Method.' He's learned the true essence of the Cloud's lightning style. His skill in that area is extraordinary."
Though Neji had only used two moves, Kakashi, with his three-tomoe Sharingan and his own deep understanding of Lightning Release, had seen it all. He himself could use a similar technique. There were some minor differences, but the principle was the same. And Neji's version seemed to be even more comprehensive and efficient than his own.
And he's only six...
"No wonder he was willing to bet the Kohaku no Jōhei," Kakashi murmured to himself. "His strength is on par with a Tokubetsu Jōnin."
Deidara, who had been leaning against a tree, now had a look of interest on his face. "A lightning-style master?!" Lightning was strong against earth. But he wasn't afraid. He was excited. "A genius like that... is worthy of seeing my art."
Guren, who had been on her way back to the inn, stopped and looked back, a strange expression on her face. Her only target was Itachi.
"It seems I'm not so arrogant after all," Neji said with a faint smile, looking at the two fallen ANBU. He and his team then walked away, the crowd parting to let them pass.
"Neji-niisan..." Hinata called out, mustering all her courage.
Neji paused, but didn't turn around. "The Hyūga Neji you knew is dead, Hinata-sama. Forget about him."
Back at the inn.
"Captain," Darui said with a worried look, "you've shown your strength so early. Now we're going to be a target."
"You're wrong," Neji said, leaning against the door. "It's not 'going to be.' We already are."
"Huh?"
"Why were you so meddlesome?" Darui grumbled.
"Idiot," Karui said, yanking on his ear. "Don't you get it? Those two ANBU were deliberately provoking him."
"Alright, that's enough," Yugito said, coughing to get their attention. "The first exam is tomorrow. Go and get some rest."
She then grabbed Neji's hand and pulled him into a room, slamming the door behind them.
"Do you like that girl?" she asked, a playful look on her face.
"When did I say that?"
"You can be stubborn if you want," she said, cupping his face in her hands. "But then explain to me why you were so meddlesome."
"Alright, I admit it," he said with a wry smile. "I like her. But... it's impossible between us."
"Why? I can just add another mission to the list and kidnap her for you."
"It's not that simple, Captain," he said with a sigh. "There is a tragic, thick barrier between us."
"A thick barrier?" She laughed. "That's easy. Just break through it."
"..."
Neji closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "You don't know her. She's Hyūga Hinata, Hiashi's daughter."
Yugito fell silent. It wasn't about the fact that they were closely related. Many Kekkei Genkai clans encouraged such unions to keep their bloodline pure. And the Hyūga, who enslaved their own kin, had no room to talk about ethics.
But Hiashi had been responsible for Hizashi's death. There was a blood feud between them.
Neji suddenly changed the subject. "Have you contacted the Uchiha yet, Captain?"
"Yes," she said, her thoughts returning to the mission. "I've arranged a meeting. Tonight, at the hour of the rat, in the Forest of Death."
"Don't go. Fugaku won't show up."
"I have to at least try. What if he does?"
"You don't have to worry about it, Captain," Neji said, pouring her a cup of hot water. "I already have a plan to turn the Uchiha clan."
"Really?"
"Ever since the Second Hokage, the Uchiha have been suppressed. The conflict between them and the Hokage's faction is now irreconcilable. As the head of the clan, Fugaku can't be unaware of this."
"So you're saying he wants to break away?"
"No," Neji said, taking a sip of water. "Fugaku is a man of contradictions. He sees the situation clearly, but he's weak and indecisive. He doesn't have the courage to make a clean break, nor the will to completely submit. And the Uchiha themselves are divided. He can't unite them. He's just leading them, step by step, into the abyss."
The destruction of the Uchiha was not just the fault of the Konoha leadership. As the head of the clan, Fugaku bore a great deal of the responsibility. In the eight years between the Nine-Tails' attack and the massacre, he had had plenty of opportunities to save his clan. But he had done nothing.
"What are you going to do?" Yugito asked.
"It's simple. If they're not united, I'll help them unite. If they still have illusions about the Hokage's faction, I'll shatter them. And when they have nowhere left to turn, we'll be there to show them the way..."
"And how are you going to do that?"