Chapter 24: The Gentle Fist of Misunderstanding and the Nosebleed Victory part-1
He slumped to the ground, temporarily stunned by a self-inflicted concussion caused by a glint of light.
I stood there, catching the coin.
"Did I... did I just defeat a Sannin with a quarter?"
[System: You temporarily inconvenienced a Sannin. We are leaving. NOW.]
"Come on!" I grabbed Kiba and Shino (who were staring at me in disbelief) and we dragged ourselves through the tower doors just as Orochimaru began to stir.
We collapsed in the safety of the tower.
"Hinata," Kiba panted, looking at me with awe. "Remind me never to make you angry. You have the devil's own luck."
I looked at the coin in my hand.
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Name: Hinata HyugaShy Points: 3,400.Items: Glasses of Invisibility, Lucky Coin, Indestructible Leotard.Bosses "Defeated": Gaara (Hugged), Orochimaru (Blinded).Reputation: The Silent Chaos.
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The interior of the tower was cool and dimly lit, a stark contrast to the humidity of the Forest of Death. We stood in a large hall with a high ceiling, a giant statue of hands forming a seal behind the proctors.
Team Eight had successfully opened our scrolls, summoning Iruka Sensei, who gave us a heartwarming speech about growing up. I spent the entire speech hiding behind Shino because I still had a piece of Orochimaru's white snake skin stuck to my shoe, and I didn't want Iruka to notice.
Now, we stood in the arena. The survivors of the second exam were lined up.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood at the front, flanked by Jonin. Next to him was Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the preliminaries. He looked like he needed a doctor, a nap, and a bowl of soup, in that order.
"Cough... congratulations on surviving..." Hayate wheezed. "Cough... there are too many of you. We need... cough... preliminaries."
I stood between Kiba and Naruto, clutching my hands together.
(Please don't pick me. Please don't pick me. Let me go last. Or never. I can just forfeit and go home to knit scarves.)
[System Notification: Welcome to the Tournament Arc. This is where legends are made, Host. Or, in your case, where viral videos are born.]
"The matches are random," Hayate announced. "Look at the electronic board."
A screen on the wall flickered to life. Names scrolled rapidly.
[Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado]
My heart hammered as I watched Sasuke fight. He was hurt, suffering from the Curse Mark Orochimaru had given him, but he still managed to win. It was intense. It was cool.
Then, the names scrolled again.
[Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi]
Shino stepped forward. "I will finish this quickly. Why? Because you have insulted my insects."
Shino won by clogging the guy's air tubes with bugs. It was terrifyingly efficient.
"Team Eight is on a roll!" Kiba cheered. "My turn next!"
The board scrolled again.
[Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga]
The room went dead silent.
My blood turned to ice. Neji. My cousin. The genius of the branch family. The person who despised me more than anyone else in the world.
"Fate is cruel," Neji said, stepping forward. His white eyes locked onto mine. "To think I would face you here, Hinata-sama."
I couldn't move. My legs felt like lead.
"Don't do it, Hinata!" Kiba whispered urgently. "Forfeit! He will kill you! He's not normal!"
"Quit, Hinata!" even Shikamaru advised from the balcony. "It's too troublesome to fight him."
I looked at the ground. I should quit. I should just walk away.
"Hey! Hinata!"
A loud voice echoed from the balcony. I looked up. Naruto was leaning over the railing, gripping it with both hands.
"Don't you run away!" Naruto yelled. "You can take him! You're weird, and you trip a lot, and you get stuck to walls, but you're tough! Beat him! Believe it!"
(Naruto-kun...)
He believed in me. He thought I was tough.
I took a deep breath. I adjusted my Indestructible Leotard (mentally). I checked my Glasses of Invisibility (currently in my pocket, useless here).
"I... I will fight," I whispered.
I walked down the stairs to the center of the arena.
Neji stood opposite me. His stance was perfect. His aura was overwhelming.
"You are shaking," Neji stated coldly. "You are afraid. You want to run. A failure will always be a failure. You cannot change your destiny."
"I..." I assumed the Gentle Fist stance. My hands were trembling. "I... I am not a failure!"
"Start!" Hayate coughed.
Neji moved instantly. He was a blur.
"Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around his eyes. He struck.
I tried to dodge. I tried to use the "Accidental Counter-Attack" skill.
I stepped to the side. But Neji was too fast. His palm struck my shoulder.
Thud.
My chakra point was sealed. My arm went numb.
"Too slow," Neji hissed. "You are wide open."
He struck again. Thud. Thud.
He was hitting my chakra points. I stumbled back, gasping for air.
"System!" I screamed internally. "Help me! Do something!"
[System Alert: Host is taking damage. Opponent is using "Gentle Fist." Analysis: He is touching you repeatedly with his fingers.]
[System Interpretation: This is highly intimate combat.]
(No! It is not intimate! He is shutting down my organs!)
[Counter-Measure Activated: "The Sensitive Response."]
Neji lunged for a finishing blow. He aimed his palm directly at my chest, intending to strike my heart chakra point to incapacitate me.
"This is the end!" Neji shouted.
His palm connected firmly with my chest.
Normally, this would stop the heart or collapse a lung.
However, the System intervened.
[Ding!]
[Critical Contact Detected on Sensitive Area.]
[Activating Skill: "Ecchi Overload." Converting Pain into... Sound.]
Instead of coughing up blood or screaming in pain, my body reacted in the most humiliating way possible.
I arched my back. My face flushed a deep, vibrant crimson. And from my throat, a sound escaped.
"Aahhn~!"
It was not a cry of pain. It was a high-pitched, breathless moan that echoed through the silent arena. It sounded like something from one of Kakashi's orange books.
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