As soon as Examiner Genma disappeared from the center of the arena, a heavy silence fell over the air. The dust hadn't yet settled, but the muffled sound of laughter broke the tension.
"Hehehe... so you survived?"
Dosu's hoarse, distorted voice echoed from beneath the bandages covering his face. His single visible eye gleamed with malice.
Li Shang raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Sure. It wasn't too difficult to get to the third stage."
His tone was indifferent, almost bored, but his thoughts were running in another direction.
'He said he survived... so this guy was also an underling of Orochimaru?'
Ever since the incident in the Forest of Death, when he discovered that the woman who had marked Sasuke was actuallyOrochimaru, the legendary sannin who had deserted the village, Li Shang knew that the true danger had not yet begun. Now, before Dosu, that feeling was only confirmed.
As he surveyed the crowd, his blue eyes flickered briefly to the top of the wall. There stood the Hokage, and beside him, theKazekage of the Sand Village—covered by a cloak, his face hidden by the shadow of his hat.
'I feel like something big is going to happen... that energy...'
A shiver ran down his spine.
'The same remnant of the soul fragment I captured from Orochimaru... is emanating from the Kazekage. Could it be...?'
His train of thought was interrupted by Dosu's voice.
"I see you understand. Originally, I was only interested in the other one, but now..."
The Sound Village ninja raised his bandaged arm, and a menacing buzzing sound filled the air.
"...now I have to take everything from you to test your strength. I hope you don't die so easily. He'll be disappointed."
As soon as the last word escaped his mouth, Dosu disappeared. A puff of air cut the space between them.
"If you don't concentrate, you'll die, boy!"
The sound came from right behind him, but Li Shang didn't move. His blue pupils glowed almost translucent.
"Byakugan."
His body twisted subtly, dodging an invisible blow. The blade of air passed inches from his neck, cutting through the ground like paper.
Dosu recoiled in surprise.
"Good reflex... but if you don't show that power, you'll die with the next hit—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the air changed.
Li Shang's body simply disappeared from view. A second later, a cold, distant voice rang out beside his ear, low enough to send a chill down his spine.
"No one who has threatened me has ever stayed alive for long."
The impact came soon after.
A single kick—fast, clean, and devastating.
Dosu's body was launched like a cannonball, piercing through the dust and crashing violently against the arena wall. The dull thud echoed throughout the field, followed by a cloud of debris.
Silence.
Li Shang stood still, his body relaxed, as if nothing had happened. The audience exchanged confused glances—most of them hadn't even seen what had happened.
Suddenly, the murmurs began.
"What was that?"
"He didn't even use ninjutsu!"
"Was it just a guess...?"
The jounins in the audience looked at each other in astonishment. Even without understanding what they saw, they felt the weight of the pressure emanating from Neji Hyuuga.
Between the boxes, little Hanabi pulled on her father's cloak.
"Father, why didn't Cousin Neji use the Juuken?"
Hiashi kept his gaze fixed on the arena. His expression was serious, but his eyes trembled slightly.
"I think he blames me for what happened... that's why he avoids using our Juuken."
The words came out softly, almost like a sigh. Ever since the incident that nearly cost his nephew his life, Hiashi had realized that Nejihad changed.
For the past few months, the boy hadn't shown up at any clan gatherings. When he left the house, it was only to train. When he returned, he locked himself away again. Not even Hinata could get close.
'He completely isolated himself...'
Hiashi closed his eyes for a moment.
'Brother... I have failed as a patriarch, father, and uncle.'
The Hyuuga clan, once a symbol of perfection and tradition, was beginning to crumble from within. The rigidity of divisions, pride, and silence were eroding its foundations.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Li Shang remained motionless. The dust slowly cleared, revealing Dosu lying on the ground, his body partially buried in the rubble.
Examiner Genma approached, frowning.
"He's dead."
Turning to the audience, he raised his hand.
"Neji Hyuuga's victory!"
The crowd fell silent, still unable to comprehend the brutality of the blow that had ended the fight in seconds.
From above, the Kazekage remained motionless. For a moment, the gaze hidden beneath his hat turned to Li Shang.
The cultivator felt the weight of that gaze and responded with a half smile.
'So it's you... Orochimaru.'
[Author's Note:This story was originally written in Portuguese, so there may be some translation errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix them. Thank you for reading!]