Konoha: Start from untying the caged bird

Page 167

Rasa let out a low laugh, gazing at Gaara who was sitting below the arena, his eyes filled with both anticipation and a touch of complexity.

Gaara...

Don't let me down...

Hyuga Yuzuru glanced at Rasa seemingly casually, then looked down at Gaara, who was expressionlessly waiting for his turn in the stands. In his heart, he felt only a faint disdain for Rasa.

He is a scoundrel who raises his own son into a killing machine. He is not worth his attention, whether in terms of ability or character.

He turned his head to look behind him. At this moment, only Uchiha Shisui was behind him. When Hyuga Yuzuru turned around, he nodded calmly with his mask on, indicating that everything was ready. Hyuga Yuzuru then stretched out his hand and waved gently at the referee in the distance.

The referee for this match was Konoha's Jonin, Sarutobi Asuma.

As a veteran Jonin of Konoha, he was more than qualified to be a referee for a group of Genin, or rather Chunin.

The Chunin Exams began, and among the Konoha Twelve, Shikamaru faced off against his future wife, Temari. He went first and once again delivered the famous "I surrender" moment, causing Rasa's face to darken, and he let out a cold snort, speechless.

Then, Kankuro faced Omoi of Kumogakure. Omoi used his superb swordsmanship to sever the chakra threads controlling the puppet, and then used electricity to move away, striking the iron puppet protecting him with lightning, which directly paralyzed him, leaving him pale.

Choji Akimichi and the other Konoha 1s, facing ordinary opponents, possessed unique secret techniques and, after a battle, suffered minor injuries but joyfully achieved final victory in the Chunin Exams.

And finally, the highlight of today's match arrived at the very end.

First, there's Neji versus Rock Lee.

Although Might Guy was unable to arrive at the scene because he was in charge of the Konoha Security Department, Lee had instructed him before leaving: if the opponent is a ninja as good as Neji, then unload your weights and unleash your passion and youth to the fullest.

However, even Guy didn't expect that Lee's opponent would be Neji.

The two teammates, who usually supported each other, stepped into the arena. But before Sarutobi Asuma announced the start of the match, they both glanced at the Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Yuzuru, who was calmly watching them from the stands.

Hyuga Yuzuru smiled and waved at them, then loudly proclaimed without any airs of a Hokage, "Good luck, Neji, Lee!"

Faced with the Hokage's loud cheers, even Naruto, who hadn't yet taken the stage, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He grinned, looked at Hinata beside him who was currently looking down, seemingly lost in thought, and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, don't worry! Hinata is strong too!"

Hinata didn't react to his words. The usually quiet girl simply nodded slightly, while Naruto scratched his head in distress, completely at a loss for what to do.

He never intended to fight Hinata. Would it be better to learn from Shikamaru and choose to admit defeat?

Just as they were agonizing over this, Neji and Lee in the arena formed their opposing hand seals.

Lee assumed a fighting stance, one hand in front of him, grinning broadly, his bright white teeth gleaming in the afternoon sunlight: "Neji! Come on! This time, I'm going to give it my all and prove to the Hokage, to everyone, that hard work can defeat genius!"

Neji, with a cold expression, also assumed a fighting stance, placing his hands in front of him and saying seriously, "Is that so... I'm sorry, but under the Fifth Hokage's gaze, I never had the thought of losing."

elder brother...

I will not let you down again.

He closed his eyes, and the moment he opened them again, the veins at the corners of his eyes bulged out.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

With a loud shout, Xiao Li shot out, his leg muscles bulging as if expanding. The chilling wind stirred up by his sudden flight and kick was clearly audible to the audience below.

The genin from the other ninja villages couldn't help but let out a low gasp.

But even more astonishing than Lee's speed and power was Neji's movement at that moment.

Without dodging or avoiding, he stretched out one hand, his left hand wrapped in blue chakra, and precisely caught Lee's right leg as it kicked out in mid-air.

"Drink!"

Xiao Li was not surprised at all. When one of his legs was grabbed, he fell down, one hand on the ground, and the other leg kicked upwards at an angle.

Neji tilted his head back and kicked out hard, hitting Lee squarely in the stomach. Lee let out a muffled groan, rolled several times on the ground before getting up, his eyes showing surprise.

'So fast! '

'Aren't they teammates? I remember they were on the same team, right? That was ruthless...'

'Idiot, if it were you and me fighting, would you just surrender?'

'Wow, that's amazing physical skill...'

The genin below exclaimed in admiration; in just one round of attack and defense, the two sides' taijutsu skills had already begun to shine through.

"If you continue to treat me this way, next time I will not hesitate to take you down."

Neji stood still, not giving chase, a hint of anger flickering in his Byakugan eyes: "Come on!"

Xiao Li was silent for a moment, then grinned and reached out to untie the weights.

He reached out, picked up the weights from his legs, and tossed them aside.

"boom!"

The smoke rose up in such exaggerated amounts that it was impossible to look directly at it.

Lee took a deep breath, ignoring the gasps of the audience around him; at that moment, his eyes were fixed solely on Neji.

"Did you know... the Fifth Hokage once told me that even if you only know taijutsu, you can become an excellent ninja, as long as you work hard enough..."

His figure suddenly disappeared.

Neji's expression remained calm. He lowered his stance and planted firmly. Beside him, it was as if a Bagua diagram had appeared. Within his vicinity, Lee's figure, which had been so blurry that it was impossible to detect, became clearly visible.

Bagua Sixty-Four Palms!

He suddenly struck out with his palm.

Lee's flying kick collided with him, producing a dull thud that made one's teeth ache. But this was just the prelude. The next moment, an unbelievably intense series of collisions erupted, dust flying everywhere. Most of the genin couldn't even catch a glimpse of their movements; they could only stare wide-eyed at the continuous collisions that seemed like afterimages intersecting each other.

'You must be kidding!'

'Is this a genin?'

'Can physical skills really reach this level?'

The expressions of the four Kage beside Hyuga Yuzuru subtly changed.

Raikage A exclaimed in admiration, "What a wonderful taijutsu duel! That boy with the watermelon head, judging solely from his taijutsu skills, is probably the strongest among this generation of genin."

"Unfortunately, his opponent is the Fifth Hokage's younger brother." Rasa looked at Rock Lee with a mocking expression and said disdainfully, "Faced with the Gentle Fist and Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, it's only a matter of time before a taijutsu ninja like him is defeated."

Ai merely curled the corners of his lips, a hint of regret in his heart—it would be better if this guy named Lee were a ninja from Kumogakure.

If the opponent can master the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of Kumogakure, their taijutsu strength will probably soar even higher. With such a strong body, if they can use the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, they might even have enough destructive power to be at the Jonin level.

If he could further master the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he might even become a candidate for Raikage.

The Hidden Cloud Village's simple and brutal fighting style desperately needs such exceptionally talented physical prowess superhumans.

pity...

In Konoha, this is probably the limit for this guy.

Only a few words had been spoken when the situation on the field had already clearly reached its conclusion.

Lee was sent flying by the shimmering blue Reincarnation. Neji glanced at him calmly, then turned to Asuma, awaiting his verdict.

During the exchange of blows, he had already used Gentle Fist Chakra to penetrate the opponent's body. At this moment, Lee's hands and feet should be so numb that he can't move them.

However, Sarutobi Asuma's expression remained unchanged, and he instead gave him a faint smile, as if to say—you are still too young.

Neji frowned slightly.

In the distance, Xiao Li was kneeling on one knee, and at this moment, he was slowly raising his head.

The blood from the scrape from the backflip made him look a bit disheveled, but at this moment, Xiao Li's face was full of a defiant smile.

"I haven't fallen yet!"

Lee's radiant smile made Neji sigh softly. He lowered his eyes, and when he looked up again, his face was cold and stern.

I cannot lose.

Neji, whose figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, used his Gentle Fist to strike Lee's chest without hesitation, his hands wreathed in blue chakra.

However, to Neji's surprise, Lee, who had previously been on par with him in speed, now used only one hand to grab his wrist.

Chakra reaction...has gotten stronger?

It's... the Eight Gates Formation!?

Neji instantly realized Lee's actions. At that moment, Lee grinned, his aura surging, and the fighting spirit in his eyes rising: "I said... it's not over yet!"

"Return to Heaven!"

Neji spread his arms, and a blue vortex exploded, sending Lee flying again. But this time, what appeared in the audience's eyes was Lee regaining his balance in mid-air. He was thrown against the wall by inertia, but his feet were on the wall, his hands were on his sides, and he let out a loud shout.

"Boom!"

He kicked the wall of the arena, which was formed by earth magic, and a section of it collapsed with a loud crash.

And his entire body rushed toward Neji's side like a missile.

Neji clenched his teeth. Even though the opponent was currently within his Bagua Domain, the opponent's extremely fast speed was still beyond his current capabilities.

I saw it.

but...

My body just won't move!

Neji could clearly see Lee's kick flying towards his chest, but all he could do was fold his hands in front of him.

"boom!"

With another loud bang, Neji was kicked away and sent flying onto the wall on the other side, where he knelt on one knee in a somewhat disheveled state.

The moment I looked up, Xiao Li was already in front of me again.

He had been running wildly all the way, his skin had turned a faint red, and every step he took on the ground made a loud cracking sound, with pieces of broken earth flying everywhere. He was like a terrifying beast charging forward.

It is... the gate of life.

Has this guy opened the Eight Gates Formation to the third gate in an instant?!

No, it's already at the fourth level, the level of the Injury Gate!

Although Neji did not successfully master the Eight Gates Formation, he was fully aware of its power.

He had heard Hyuga Yuzuru say that any ninja who opens the fourth gate or higher will possess taijutsu abilities equivalent to or higher than a Jonin.

The further one progresses, the more terrifying their strength becomes. And if one can open all eight gates, that is... the pinnacle of taijutsu ninja.

Neji didn't need to turn his head; with a 360-degree field of vision, he could see Hyuga Yuzuru watching him from behind.

elder brother...

Neji!

I!

We must win!

The first word was spoken while the sound was still far away.

But as the last words fell...

Xiao Li had already arrived in front of him.

The surge of chakra emanating from his body made it difficult for Neji's Byakugan to see his movements clearly; every action resembled the movement of a giant chakra torch.

So-called geniuses...

A slight smile flashed across Neji's face.

Lee clearly saw the smile on his face, but at this moment, he had made up his mind. With just one kick, Neji was sent flying into the air.

Neji!

This is the result of my hard work!

His muscles and veins were throbbing with pain, reminding Xiao Li that he needed to finish this quickly.

These pains, however, made Xiao Li feel with exceptional clarity the burning passion of youth.

"Lotus Flower!"

Neji was kicked into the air by Lee. The immense force caused his mind to short-circuit for a moment, but before the dizziness completely disappeared, he managed to lift his hands.

At this moment, the expressions of the Kage in the stands had changed slightly, especially those of Yagura Karatachi from Kirigakure and Mei Terumi behind him. Both of them looked at Yuzuru Hyuga at the same time. The destructive power of this taijutsu and the terrifying chakra aura reminded them of some unpleasant memories.

"Aren't you going to stop the match, Fifth Hokage?"

The Fourth Raikage suddenly spoke.