Once the second tail emerged, all of Naruto's stats leapt several tiers. Neji, who had still been able to keep pace with his attacks moments ago, was now clearly showing signs of fatigue under Naruto's relentless onslaught.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho… how impressive! Danzō, I didn't expect this little fellow named Uzumaki… err… Narunaru to be so strong."
In the VIP box, the daimyō was so excited he was practically dancing in his seat, folding fan waving wildly.
He couldn't actually make out the details of Naruto and Neji's exchange, but with the commentary of two Root operatives by his side, he had a good grasp of the situation.
These two Root members were rare sensory-type ninja—arranged specifically for the daimyō by Danzō after taking Naruto's suggestion. Their sharp tongues and colorful descriptions had thoroughly pleased their audience.
"He was personally trained by me," Danzō declared shamelessly. "In all of Konoha, the number of people stronger than him could be counted on one hand."
"Oh?Danzō, are you saying even that genius ninja, Kakashi, can't compare to him?"
The daimyō was just an ordinary man. He had no real ability to gauge a shinobi's strength, so his standard was simple: fame.
In his mind, aside from the Third Hokage, the only Konoha ninja he really knew were Sarutobi Asuma of the Guardian Twelve and the famous Copy Ninja Kakashi.
He only remembered those two names—if you asked him what the Third Hokage's actual name was, he might not even be able to answer.
"Him?" Danzō's lips curled in disdain at the mention of Kakashi.
A washed-up genius… compared to my Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?
"That man hasn't been Naruto's match for a long time."
"Really? I don't believe it." The daimyō instantly slipped into professional contrarian mode.
Danzō's inner thoughts: If you weren't the daimyō, I'd already have your head off your shoulders.
"Eight Trigrams: Great Vacuum Palm!"
This was an even more powerful long-range strike than the standard Vacuum Palm.
Unfortunately, it missed. The section of ground it hit shattered into rubble, leaving behind a sizable crater.
If that blow had landed on a person, the result would have been death or crippling injury.
Naruto was now drawing out the full force of his Two-Tails form—something not even a veteran elite jōnin could withstand. Neji had no choice but to unleash something even more powerful.
"Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Breaking Crusher!"
A laser-like beam burst from Neji's palm. Naruto barely dodged it, and it blasted into the arena wall, collapsing half of it outright.
Another beam—another section of wall came crashing down.
Looking at the gaping holes in the arena walls, then at the fact that the combatants were only twelve years old, the audience felt a sense of unreality.
Are genin these days really this strong?
And then another thought: If someone like that isn't kept under control… won't it be dangerous?
We might be in danger.
What if he comes after us for revenge?
Soft murmurs rippled through the crowd, fear interwoven with a deeper, darker malice that spread over the stadium.
Aside from Naruto, the only one who could sense this malice was Karin, with her Kagura's Mind Eye active.
"The stench of it is everywhere—it's suffocating just to stand here," Karin muttered from her hiding place among the crowd, eyes filled with deep loathing. "The sins of Naruto-nii's tragic childhood… the hatred for Fugaku-godfather, Mikoto-godmother, and Sister Izumi's clan being slaughtered… the crime of forcing Neji's little brother's father to his death."
"This place… would be better off destroyed sooner rather than later."
To prevent civilian casualties, Konoha's Barrier Corps quickly erected a barrier around the stands, but even so, it shuddered constantly under the shockwaves from the fight.
At this point, their battle had all but surpassed the realm of normal ninja combat.
"Hahaha… that damn fox's jinchūriki only has control over two tails. That's nothing to worry about," Gaara scoffed—though his own state wasn't great. Shukaku was unusually lively today.
Mostly because the raccoon's voice was deafening, making Gaara's head ring.
"Hey, brat! When you fight that damn fox's jinchūriki later, you'd better listen to me! First do this, then that, then hit him like this—and give it to him good!"
Listening to the incessant, monk-like nagging from the tailed beast inside him, Gaara only wanted to say:
Are you insane?
"Otō-sama, can you do that move Neji-nii just used?" Hanabi's big, curious eyes turned up to her father.
At first she'd been able to follow Neji's techniques.
But now their battle was beyond anything she recognized, so she naturally turned to her father for answers.
"Heh… hahaha… Do you even need to ask?"
Looking at his daughter's pure, trusting gaze, Hiashi wanted to tell her the truth—
Your father can't do that kind of weird move.
Laser beams? I've been practicing Gentle Fist for decades and didn't even know something like that existed.
But to protect his dignity, he forced himself to remain calm and evasive.
From his initial excitement to shock, Hiashi now felt numb watching Neji's endless repertoire of techniques. Half of them, he couldn't perform himself—or had never even heard of.
At this point, even if someone told him Neji was the reincarnation of a Hyūga celestial sage, he wouldn't be particularly surprised.
Fine… fine, let's see you bust out the legendary Gentle Fist secret art, "Eight Trigrams: Three Hundred and Sixty-One Style."
"Naruto, take my strongest attack!" Neji's eyes were sharper than ever, his aura peaking.
Drip… With the sound of water droplets echoing, a massive Eight Trigrams diagram appeared beneath Neji's feet, covering the entire arena.
"This… this! This!!" Hiashi's shock reached its absolute limit as Neji moved.
"Eight Trigrams: Three Hundred and Sixty-One Style!"
Neji's form split into countless afterimages—countless Nejis striking at Naruto all at once.
It was a technique that sealed all 361 of an opponent's chakra points in a single breath, killing with one blow—the strongest Gentle Fist secret art.
At the same time, Naruto moved. The Nine-Tails cloak around him flared violently, but he didn't surpass the Two-Tails state. On his back, countless red chakra arms materialized, like invisible hands reaching for Neji.
Countless chakra arms and countless Gentle Fist strikes collided—
The clash created massive destruction.
Both were sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground.
Neji tried to stand, but had no strength left. Naruto, trembling, managed to get to his feet.
"Uzumaki Naruto wins," announced Shiranui Genma, the referee.
"So fake," Sasuke scoffed, curling his lip in disdain.
What a shame… the Hyūga prodigy almost managed to beat that monster.
The faint words drifted into Sasuke's ear, making him instantly turn with a glare.
If it weren't in public, he would have "removed a few parts" from that guy on the spot.
Sasuke could insult Naruto—but if someone else badmouthed him, Sasuke would smash their face in without hesitation.
The speaker wilted under Sasuke's murderous stare, their voice shrinking to nothing.
But while he could silence one person, he couldn't silence a crowd.
Murmurs kept rising from the villagers—cursing Neji as useless, expressing dissatisfaction that Naruto had won.
How could he win? Why should he win?
Sasuke's fists clenched tight, heat boiling in his veins, ready to explode.
Naruto walked over, loosening Sasuke's tense fists. "Relax, relax, brother."
"Get ready. The next match is your solo show."
Patting Sasuke's shoulder, he leaned in and whispered: "Don't forget—stick to the plan."
In the original timeline, Naruto defeated the Hyūga genius Neji in a perfect underdog victory… and still didn't become a chūnin.
Brains? Judgment? Analytical skill?
Sure, Shikamaru's win over Temari was a masterclass in tactical warfare.
But was Naruto's fight against Neji any less exciting? Were his tactics really so poor?
There are plenty of chūnin in Konoha weaker than Naruto—so why could they be promoted?
Because… some people didn't want Naruto to become a chūnin.
It was public opinion.
The villagers did not want him promoted.
PS: Some of Neji's techniques above come from the games. He really is the Hyūga clan's prodigy—a genuine powerhouse among the Rookie Twelve without any "hacks."
Neji… you really died too tragically.
Countdown: 3…
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