"Huh? Ah… I've been going at it since six in the morning. I didn't even have lunch!"
Naruto was speechless. "Do you want to die! Even if you're trying your best, you can't just ignore your body! If you keep going like this, you might not be able to hold on before you even get stronger!"
Rock Lee shook his head. "I had breakfast this morning, and… I have no time to lose. I'm about to graduate, and I don't want to continue to be the last one in the class! I want to prove that I can become an excellent and powerful ninja with just the power of taijutsu!"
Naruto's heart moved. It was true. The assessment that he would be taking in less than half a month was just a test of the success of his practice this year. But for Rock Lee and the other upperclassmen, it was time to graduate from the Ninja Academy. He was working so hard because he wanted to get good grades in the graduation exam and truly prove himself.
"Oh! I see! With less than two weeks left, I also want to prove myself and never be the last one!"
"Well said, Naruto! Let's work together!"
"youth!"
"YOUTH!"
"Yeah!"
Just when the two of them were full of fighting spirit and confidence, a figure suddenly appeared on the training ground.
"Hmph, you will be last forever . Do you think you can change your fate just by working hard? …"
Naruto was shocked. "Who's there?!"
When Rock Lee heard this familiar voice, his heart was shocked. "Neji?!"
Naruto looked into the eyes of the person who had just arrived and suddenly realized something. "Those eyes… the same white eyes as Hinata… You're Hyuga Neji?!"
Hyuga Neji glanced at the two of them coldly and arrogantly. "It's interesting, how dead last of both years have com together. It seems the weak really like to stick together."
"What did you say,?!" Rock Lee might be able to tolerate it, but Naruto's bad temper certainly wouldn't. Hearing Hyuga Neji's sarcasm, Naruto was about to explode.
Hyuga Neji simply looked at him with disdain. "Do you really think you can stand against me just because you kiilled Mizuki? Uzumaki Naruto, remember my words: a genius is a genius, and a loser is a loser. No matter what you do, you can't change your fate."
Naruto clenched his fists until they crackled. "Hyuga Neji, since you think you're such a genius, then come and fight me!!"
However, Hyuga Neji shook his head indifferently. "You are not worthy enough to fight me. I'm not a weakling like Lady Hinata!"
Naruto's whole body trembled, and because he was so angry and furious, he fell into a daze. "How dare you talk about hinata like that. Hinata is not weak. Take that back"
Hyuga Neji said indifferently, "I saw the battle where you defeated Hyuga Hinata. That doesn't prove your strength; it just proves that the eldest daughter of the main family… is too incompetent!"
Before he could even finish his words, an iron fist filled with a burning anger, accompanied by Naruto's furious roar, madly bombarded Hyuga Neji!
Naruto couldn't stand what Hyuga Neji had said. Even if it meant that he was the last one, it didn't matter! Even if he said that he was weak, it didn't matter! But… just today, he had just received Hinata's approval. Apart from Iruka-sensei, this was the first time he had felt the care and love from someone else. He had even heard Hinata's oath that she would protect him at all costs. Now, Hyuga Neji was humiliating Hinata right in front of him! Naruto absolutely couldn't stand it. He might not fully understand Hinata's feelings, or whether her bond with him was one of friendship or love, but it didn't matter! Hinata had now become someone he recognized, someone he cared about, and someone he had vowed to protect. So, before Hyuga Neji could even finish his words, he saw Naruto's angry fist rapidly enlarging in front of him!
He couldn't help but be surprised. He hadn't expected Naruto to get so furious at what he had just said. But… Hyuga Neji snorted coldly and didn't take it seriously. In his eyes, no one in the entire ninja academy could be compared to him. Not in his class, and certainly not in the lower grades!
Facing Naruto's punch, Hyuga Neji's eyes suddenly burst out with a powerful chakra. *Buzz—* Byakugan… open!
Then, he exhaled lightly, and his arms moved in a seemingly slow but completely fluid motion, and he took a defensive stance at will.
*Smack—*
With a loud bang, Naruto's terrifying punch, released in a blind rage, was easily and completely blocked by Hyuga Neji!
"What?!" Naruto was surprised. He had used this punch in combat too many times. Even Sasuke couldn't do it so easily in his sleep!
Hyuga Neji sneered. "Is that all?" He swiped his hands suddenly and twisted his arms. The seemingly gentle and not violent force burst out in an instant, directly throwing Naruto away!
*Thud—*
Naruto staggered and couldn't stop retreating after landing on the ground. He took seven or eight steps back before finally stopping! "What kind of taijutsu is that?! His strength is not powerful as mine, nor as good as Lee's, but… it's very similar to Hinata's taijutsu, yet it's completely on different league"
Rock Lee quickly reminded him, "Naruto, that's Neji's Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm! Neji's talent, training, and experience in the Gentle Fist are definitely not comparable to Hinata's current level! Although you defeated Hinata, you are still far behind Neji."
Naruto clenched his fists, anger blazing in his eyes. "Oh yeah? That's the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm…"
Hyuga Neji said coldly, "Yes, even if it is just from a branch family, what I display is the real Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm! Lady Hinata hasn't even grasped the basics!"
Naruto refused to give in. "Forget it! You're just older than Hinata and have been training longer! Just give Hinata another year, and she'll definitely be much more powerful than you!"
This sentence touched on Hyuga Neji's sore spot. His expression changed drastically in an instant. "What qualifications do you have to say that?!"
Naruto shouted, "Because she said she would work hard with me!"
Hyuga Neji was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Is this the only proof you have?! That's a joke! She will never be able to catch up with me. She is not as talented as me. That's her fate and with a laggard like you, she will never be able to come near my strength?!"
Rock Lee couldn't help but interrupt, "Neji, don't say that."
"Hmph, this is the truth! Lee, you're the only one who can't see fate clearly. You keep talking about youth and hard work, but you don't know that fate has already been determined and cannot be changed, no matter what you do!"
Rock Lee wanted to refute him, but he couldn't say anything to refute him until he had truly defeated Neji himself. But Naruto was different. He actually burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing?!" Hyuga Neji frowned.