The look in his eyes... That Genin's eyes!
Ibiki gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay composed, but internally he was shaken.
Neji's gaze made Ibiki realize something: this kid wasn't just here to participate. He had ambition. He wasn't just planning to scrape by.
"Heh... hehe! Not bad... for a Hyuga..."
"Haha! Congratulations on passing the first round! Leave the rest of the exam to me!"
Accompanied by a loud, boisterous laugh, an athletic figure crashed through the window.
She unfurled a massive, overly dramatic banner behind her that read in bold letters: CHUNIN EXAMS: ROUND TWO BEGINS!
"Hello everyone! I'm the proctor for the second stage of the Chunin Exams! The Hidden Leaf's Special Jonin—Anko Mitarashi!"
Anko grinned, but her eyes scanned the room with the sharpness of a hawk.
Neji took the opportunity to sit back down. Anko's chaotic entrance had effectively stolen the spotlight, burying his moment of defiance. He didn't want to stand out too much.
While the candidates were relieved they had passed, they were now wary of this eccentric new proctor.
"Oh my, oh my! Ibiki, your test was too easy. You let twenty teams pass? I'm going to eliminate more than half of them in the next round!"
The room erupted into chatter, a mix of excitement about passing and anxiety about what was coming next.
Standing behind the banner, Ibiki sighed quietly. "This woman... couldn't she just let me finish talking?"
But there was no doubt about it—Neji had left a deep impression on him.
"Alright, everyone rest up! After dinner, meet at the Forest of Death for the lottery!"
---
Before dinner, Neji used the downtime to squeeze in a bit more training.
By the time he arrived at the meeting point outside the Forest of Death, the lottery draw was already over.
"Twenty teams, sixty people total. We're entering through twenty different gates... We drew Gate 18. Without knowing which gates the other teams are at, we can't plan any ambushes. And our scroll... Man, I just hope we can get the 'Earth' scroll without too much trouble."
Tenten sighed, muttering to herself. As the team's only long-range specialist, she naturally fell into the role of strategist.
Lee chimed in. "I heard that the terrain varies depending on the gate, too. The terrain will determine our survival conditions..."
Neji listened to their discussion, lost in thought.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Idiot Sakura, why are you being so loud?"
"Idiot Ino, Sasuke isn't even on your team! Why are you over here?"
The two kunoichi started bickering the moment they saw each other. Everyone was used to it by now.
"Sakura!"
Lee froze the moment he saw Sakura, completely lovestruck.
"Hey, Bushy Brows! What do you want?"
Naruto jumped in, and soon the Leaf Genin were all mingling.
Neji had no time for idle chatter. He scanned the crowd but didn't see Hinata.
"Shino, where's Hinata?"
Neji walked over to Shino Aburame, who was standing quietly by himself.
"She was here a moment ago," Shino replied in his usual monotone. "Kiba sent her to get some supplies."
Hinata's teammates seemed reliable enough, so Neji relaxed.
"Neji!? Shino? Come over here!"
"Looking at it now, Team 7 is definitely the favorite to pass, right?" Sakura said cheerfully.
Ino scoffed. "Hmph, that's only because you have Sasuke on your team!"
Naruto cut in. "Hey! What about me? I'm awesome too, right?"
Sakura glared at him. "Go stand in the corner!"
"Aww, Sakura..." Naruto hung his head and sulked away from the group.
"If you ask me," Tenten suddenly interjected, looking at Neji, "the only one here weaker than Naruto is probably Neji, right?"
Lee quickly defended him. "But this is a team exam! Our team can definitely pass! I have faith!"
Tenten shrugged. "Lee! You can't keep coddling him like that. Everyone here has their own goals. What about Neji? He doesn't even have the strength to be a Chunin!"
Kiba laughed. "True. Neji is pretty weak. Isn't he still practicing basic drills on wooden posts?"
Shino spoke up. "Well, why don't we hear what Neji thinks?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—technically the weakest team on paper—looked at Neji with a hint of disdain.
Neji felt a bit awkward and smiled.
"My goal? The goal of the exam is to pass, obviously. It's just..."
His expression grew slightly serious. Ino, feeling bad for him, tried to smooth things over. "Oh come on, surely Neji-kun has something he really wants, right?"
Sakura giggled. "Of course! Like what I want most..." She blushed and looked at Sasuke.
Ino clenched her fist. "Sakura, what kind of weird fantasies are you having?"
The group dissolved into laughter again, leaving Neji alone.
But Neji did have something he wanted most.
The bet with the Elders was one thing. But what he truly craved right now was combat.
Specifically, combat with strong opponents. Even if it was risky, he wanted to test himself.
He thought for a moment, then looked toward the corner where Naruto was standing alone.
---
"Naruto."
Naruto turned around to find Neji standing behind him.
"Those eyes... just like Hinata's!"
Neji smiled and started a conversation.
"Oh? Oh? Is that right? The lottery results aren't fair?" Naruto asked, eyes wide.
Neji put on a troubled face. "Yeah. Gates 1 to 5 are closer to water sources. Gates 6 to 10 are in dense forest areas—good for hiding and safety. Gates 11 to 15 have a lot of dangerous beasts. And Gates 16 to 20 are mostly open plains with lots of wild mushrooms for food, but you're more likely to run into enemies."
"So that's how it works!"
Naruto took a deep breath, then frowned. "Wait, wouldn't the forest benefit ninjas who use Fire Style?"
He pouted jealously. "Sasuke uses Fire Style!"
Neji smirked and raised an eyebrow. "So, that means you guys are at Gates 6 to 10?"
Naruto froze, realizing he slipped up.
Crap! Sakura told me not to tell anyone our gate number! But Kabuto said this guy is weak, so it should be fine!
"Heh... hehe! Neji, I gotta go! Say hi to Hinata for me!"
Watching Naruto scramble away, Neji smiled.
Hiss!
The atmosphere turned grim.
All the teams had gathered at their respective gates around the Forest of Death.
The sound of cicadas and hissing snakes filled the air. No one knew exactly what was hiding in the depths of the forest.
"Let's split up here! Meet back at this spot before dark!"
Lee threw a kunai into the ground to mark the spot, and the three of them vanished into the trees.
"Byakugan!"
Tap, tap, tap. Neji sprinted across the terrain.
Suddenly, he stopped, frowning slightly.
A few seconds later, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Gates 6 to 10, huh? Should be this direction..."
He turned and headed straight toward his target without hesitation.
What did he want most?
Right now, Neji hungered for a battle with the strongest opponent he could find.