In popular imagination, the Nine-Tails' chakra was always evil and violent, but right now, it was showing a gentle side, like warm sunlight.
The Third Hokage's gaze immediately softened. He let out a sigh of relief, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Has that little one... already subdued the Nine-Tails?"
The word "subdued" wasn't quite right. It was more like the Nine-Tails had become its landlord's personal nanny.
Kurama Mode had descended.
"The chakra has taken physical form..."
Neji Hyuga's eyes were fixed on Naruto. The veins around his eyes bulged. In his Byakugan's vision, the chakra enveloping Naruto's body had become solid. This power seemed a bit weaker than the Sage of Six Paths Mode Naruto had used in the Forest of Death, but it was by no means something Neji could hope to match.
Bang!
Naruto's figure suddenly blurred.
The Hyuga prodigy tensed instantly. He awkwardly shot his hand out, trying to stop Naruto's advance, but he was a step too slow. In truth, it would have been impossible to stop him. Under the enhancement of Kurama Mode, Naruto's speed far exceeded Neji's reaction time. Only a ninja trained in Lightning Release chakra could have barely kept up with his movements.
Naruto's right foot slammed into Neji's abdomen. The sheer force from his speed sent Neji flying with a single kick. As the Hyuga prodigy sailed backward, Naruto's figure vanished and reappeared beside him, delivering a sharp knee strike that launched him into the air.
What followed was a continuous barrage of blows. The top student of the previous year had no power to fight back against Naruto's assault.
Kankuro, from the Sand Village, trembled as he watched the fight. Sweat dripped down his cheeks. "I can't see his movements at all..." he said, his voice shaking.
"There's no chance to resist..." Temari's expression was even grimmer than Kankuro's.
Rock Lee, standing next to them, was equally tense, but he spoke up. "No, it's still possible. There's at least one chance..."
Even for a taijutsu specialist like Rock Lee, he could only spot a single opportunity for a counterattack amidst Naruto's relentless assault. Or rather, it wasn't an opportunity to counterattack.
It was...
"A chance to escape..."
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes gradually turned scarlet. Only with the help of the Sharingan could he clearly see Naruto's movements. Since training in Lightning Release nin-taijutsu, Sasuke had been confident in his own speed, but now he felt a flicker of doubt. The Naruto before him was like a completely different person from the one he sparred with.
Sasuke clenched his fist. "Naruto's current state is even stronger than his ordinary Sage Mode," he muttered.
What was his teammate even doing? How had he developed another powerful state in such a short amount of time?
To catch up to Naruto, Sasuke had been sleeping only four or five hours a night. During the day, he trained desperately in ninjutsu and taijutsu, and at night, he went home to diligently train his Sharingan. He felt like he was catching up at the speed of climbing a tree, while Naruto was improving at the speed of flight. The gap left a bitter taste in Sasuke's mouth.
In the stands, Tenten stood up and went to her supervising jonin's side, her face full of worry. "Guy-sensei, is Neji going to lose?"
Only she knew how hard Neji worked. Only she understood the heavy burden of fate he carried. As one of his few friends, Tenten watched Neji being completely suppressed by Naruto, and she couldn't see any hope of victory. The young kunoichi's expression grew sadder by the second.
"No, there's still a chance," Might Guy said, his eyes fixed seriously on Neji. He gritted his teeth. "If Neji can seize a gap in Naruto's attack, there's still a chance to escape..."
These words only made Tenten feel worse.
Seeing the girl's sad mood, Guy quickly stood beside her and tried to comfort her. "Tenten, don't despair! Neji will definitely win!"
Tenten bit her lip. "But..."
"Look! Neji... he seized the opportunity!"
After seeing the Hyuga prodigy finally break free from Naruto's continuous attacks, Guy smiled confidently at her. "See? Tenten, Neji will definitely win!"
"He just broke free from Naruto's taijutsu attack," Kakashi Hatake mercilessly pointed out from the side. "You do know that Naruto's greatest strength is his ninjutsu, right?"
So far in the fight, Naruto had only used taijutsu. To call that golden chakra cloak anything less than a ninjutsu enhancement was an understatement.
"I believe in Neji!" Might Guy retorted loudly, giving his student an encouraging look.
Tenten hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the field below, "Get fired up, Neji! Go for it! You have to win!"
Kakashi Hatake picked at his ear. "..."
The supervising jonin of Team 7 felt a bit embarrassed. In this tournament, Naruto's victory against Neji was almost certain, and Sasuke's chances of winning against Rock Lee were also very high. The scene of Team 7 beating up Team 3 felt a bit like him beating up Guy back in the day.
On the examination field, Neji had used the opening from Naruto's flying kick. Taking the blow, he grabbed Naruto's legs and threw him away, finally breaking free from the combo.
Naruto flipped through the air and landed gracefully, one hand on the ground in a cool pose to steady himself. He looked up at the Hyuga prodigy. Watching Neji slowly get to his feet and take a cautious defensive stance, the blond boy's mouth curved into a smile. "Interesting..."
"..."
The Hyuga prodigy secretly gritted his teeth. Naruto's relentless attacks had struck multiple parts of his body. His chest, abdomen, shoulders, and back all radiated with intense pain. That guy's power was immense. Even though Neji had used chakra to offset the blows, he was still severely injured. Even his internal chakra pathways were faintly aching.
"Let me see what your trump card is!"
Naruto stomped on the stone floor, shattering it, and used the force to rush forward again. But this time, his attack didn't land. Instead, he was sent flying by a palm strike.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
Masses of chakra erupted from Neji's body, forming a sphere of absolute defense that sent the attacking Naruto flying backward.
Cheers immediately erupted from the stands. Might Guy and Tenten shouted without any regard for their image, cheering for their teammate. They finally saw a glimmer of hope for victory. As long as Neji could use Revolving Heaven, Naruto would absolutely not be able to break through his defense. If the situation continued like this...
"And now Naruto is going to use his ninjutsu, isn't he?" Kakashi pulled at his mask and said in a low voice. "The power of any of his jutsu is more than that kid's Byakugan can withstand. This is about to be over."
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Bonus:
Neji Hyuga: Hurry up and attack! My Revolving Heaven is only for defense!
Naruto Uzumaki: Hold on, I'm thinking!
Neji Hyuga: What are you thinking about?
Naruto Uzumaki: I'm trying to think of a ninjutsu that won't kill you.