"Move!"
Shino instantly rushed to the front.
"You guys step aside. I have the most stamina left, so I'll handle him! Rain ninjas are different from Grass ninjas..."
Kiba and Hinata seemed to understand Shino's logic and backed off.
Neji let out a small sigh. Having three teammates hovering around him was definitely cramping his style.
But if he took this guy out right now, he'd draw way too much attention. It was a dilemma.
"Oh? You know about the Hidden Rain?"
Oboro looked arrogant, seemingly unimpressed by the Leaf Genin standing before him.
"The Hidden Rain Village is known for being isolated all year round. Your leader is Hanzo of the Salamander, who was hailed as a 'Demigod' during the Second Great Ninja War. In the war-torn Hidden Rain, even Genin undergo brutal assassination training from a young age. It's hard to imagine you guys would even come to the Leaf for the Chunin Exams!"
Shino knew his ninja history fairly well. Although he didn't know the finer details, Kiba and Hinata had heard the rumors too.
Right now, they were all exhausted. If this guy dared to show up alone, it meant he had the skills to back it up.
"Hidden Rain Village? Your leader is still Hanzo of the Salamander?"
Neji suddenly frowned, looking surprised.
"Did I remember that wrong?"
"You..."
Oboro was struck speechless. Does this Leaf Genin know our village's secret?
In reality, the Hidden Rain's isolation was enforced to hide the fact that Hanzo was already dead. How could a mere Leaf Genin possibly...
Neji realized he had slipped up. A Genin like him definitely shouldn't know about that.
"Ha, haha! I was just talking nonsense!"
"Kid, you've successfully caught my attention!"
Splash!
In an instant, Oboro appeared behind Neji. The "Oboro" standing in front of them turned into a puddle of water and splashed everywhere.
The splashing water transformed into senbon needles, shooting toward the group.
"Parasitic Insects: Insect Wall!"
Shino commanded his bugs to form a living shield, blocking the attack completely.
Meanwhile, Neji had been flanked. This Genin named Oboro was definitely skilled—probably Chunin level.
At this point, he couldn't hold back anymore. Neji prepared to activate his Byakugan and end the fight quickly while no one was looking.
But suddenly, a familiar voice shouted out.
"Take this! Leaf Hurricane!"
"..."
Neji instinctively stepped back. Lee's lightning-fast kick sent Oboro flying.
"Manipulated Tools: Binding Chain!"
A long, chain-like weapon shot out, wrapping tightly around Oboro's body. Tenten jumped down from a tree. "If you don't want to get hurt, hand over your scroll!"
"Heh heh. The Leaf Genin this year aren't bad, huh?" Oboro chuckled. His body dissolved into water and seeped into the ground.
Then, he was gone.
"Did he run away?" Lee asked.
Neji shrugged. "Probably. Let's not chase a desperate enemy..."
"Chase your head! What happened to meeting up? Why are you running around randomly?"
Tenten marched over and glared at Neji. Neji took a step back and gave an awkward smile.
"Haha, don't be mad, don't be mad! We ran into enemies from the Hidden Grass, and Neji actually saved us! Hehe!"
Kiba jumped in to defend Neji. Lee nodded. "Oh? Is that so?"
Tenten turned away, skeptical. "You believe him? With Neji's skill level, how could he save them?"
"It's true! Really! Ask Hinata. Neji saw we were surrounded and used Rotation to block all the attacks..."
While they were explaining, Neji just sighed. Damn Kiba. This only happened because you guys came looking for trouble in the first place.
Neji looked up at the moon. He wondered when "that person" would make his move. Today's objective had been delayed.
Hopefully, he could get what he wanted before dark tomorrow.
---
Back at the meeting point, Tenten handed the scroll to Neji.
"Since everyone knows you're the 'weakest,' let's have you carry the scroll. The enemy will never guess we'd give it to you!"
Lee gave a thumbs up. "Tenten is so smart!"
Neji didn't really care, so he took the scroll.
But something felt off.
That night, they slept in shifts, keeping watch.
Maybe it was because he spent half the day looking for "that person" and then got dragged into a fight, but Neji was exhausted. He fell into a deep sleep.
When he opened his eyes, it was already morning. Birds were chirping in the trees.
"Neji, you're awake?"
Tenten and Lee were already up, smiling at him.
"Neji, give me the scroll. We're going to split up today. You and Lee are the strongest fighters, so you two should handle combat. I'll keep the scroll safe..."
Tenten reached out her hand as she spoke.
Neji walked over groggily, narrowing his eyes.
Lee urged him on. "Yeah, Neji. Give the scroll to Tenten."
Neji nodded slowly and reached into his robe.
Then, he pulled out a black... kunai.
Whoosh!
"Neji! What are you doing?!" Tenten dodged the kunai quickly, and Lee frowned.
Neji didn't say a word. He formed a seal.
"Byakugan!"
"Genjutsu: Release!"
The illusion shattered instantly, revealing the true scene.
It was dawn. The real Lee and Tenten were tied to a tree, unconscious.
"Oh? So that's why they gave you the scroll. You can break our Genjutsu on your own?"
Standing in front of Neji were three people.
Including Oboro from yesterday, there were three Rain ninjas, all wearing matching beige combat suits.
The other two moved stiffly, like zombies.
"Kagari, Mubi, be careful. This guy might be more than he looks." Oboro narrowed his eyes. The info Neji accidentally leaked yesterday made them wary of this so-called "trash."
Neji looked at his hands. With the Byakugan, he could see his Chakra flowing smoothly through his pathways. No signs of Genjutsu remaining.
Since the three in front of him were physical entities... Neji thought, They really are underestimating me.
"Three of you, huh?"
Seeing his teammates captured, Neji realized this wasn't going to be simple.
"Haha, yeah. We thought you'd be the easiest to deal with, so we saved you for last. Didn't expect you to break the Genjutsu!"
Oboro laughed, his gaze on Neji becoming increasingly arrogant.
Neji scanned his surroundings. The Byakugan gave him a full 360-degree view.
"I didn't get a chance to fight you yesterday. Today, I'll show you what it means to face a ninja of the Hidden Rain!" Oboro stepped forward, forming hand signs.
Neji just took a deep breath, his eyes turning serious.
Chakra began to surge through his body.
"Ah... Since you're not Leaf ninjas, I don't need to hold back, right? I can actually fight now?"
With one sentence, Neji's calm aura dominated the clearing.
The Rain ninjas were furious. Oboro sneered. "Tch. Brat, stop bluffing!"
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"