"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu)!"
The shadow clone reached out from beneath the ground, but Neji had already tid it perfectly. He instantly halted his Kaiten and struck downward with a single palm.
Boom! The clone exploded beneath him.
anwhile, Natsuki used Geppō (Moonwalk) to run through the air and unleashed a flurry of Rankyaku (Tempest Kicks). The crescent-shaped slashes enveloped Neji completely—right as he was in the cooldown phase after using Kaiten.
With no choice but to dodge!
Neji gritted his teeth and rolled several tis across the ground. He managed to avoid a direct hit, but his arm still got sliced by one of the attacks.
And Neji knew it too—Natsuki could've used Rankyaku right when he struck the underground clone. If he had done that, Neji wouldn't have been able to dodge at all. It was clear that Natsuki held back.
Rokushiki really was powerful.
But then Neji shook his head—no. What was powerful wasn't the Rokushiki, but Natsuki himself!
Tenten also knew the Six Powers, yet when she used them, Neji didn't feel nearly as threatened. Maybe because she wasn't skilled at using them, or her movents were too rigid. It worked well enough against average ninja, but not against elite ones.
In comparison, Natsuki had amazing combat instincts. He knew how to adapt in battle and didn't cling to just the Six Powers—he combined them with ninjutsu. If he had other techniques, he'd definitely incorporate those too. People like that—people who truly understood battle—were real threats.
"I lost."
Neji admitted defeat calmly. This might've been the first ti he'd ever conceded to soone his age.
Strangely, it was like a weight lifted off his chest. Maybe the label of "genius" had been a burden all along. Never having lost to peers ant never finding a worthy rival—and no clear way to improve.
But now, soone younger than him—and much stronger—had appeared.
It made life... more interesting.
There was another thing, too. He realized Natsuki wasn't from a noble clan—he was an ordinary civilian.
And in that mont of admitting defeat, his long-held belief that fate couldn't be changed shattered. If even a civilian could defeat a prodigy from a great clan... didn't that an he could take control of his own destiny?
Thankfully, Natsuki had no idea what was going through Neji's head.
Because if he did, he would've definitely told him: Neji, your original thinking wasn't wrong—because I'm not a normal civilian. I'm a cheat character!
Clap clap clap! Applause rang out.
Tenten bead with pride—her boyfriend had just beaten the genius of the Hyūga clan. She had every reason to be proud.
Lee was even more fired up. Seeing soone like Natsuki, a civilian, defeat soone from a prestigious clan ant that anything was possible. That ant his dream could co true one day too!
Guy was crying again—for the youthful and passionate energy of these two youngsters.
Natsuki landed from the air and exchanged the seal of reconciliation with Neji. He smiled and said, "The Gentle Fist of the Hyūga clan truly lives up to its na—especially Kaiten. If I didn't know Earth Style, I'd have no clue how to break through it."
But Neji shook his head. "You're being modest. I'm sure you had other ways. I believe that."
Uh...
You're not using your Byakugan to read my secrets, are you?
Natsuki couldn't quite understand why Neji said that—but he figured it was because Neji acknowledged his strength. After all, when Neji recognized soone, he seed to think they could perform miracles.
Just like in the original story—with Naruto. After losing to him once, Neji acted like Naruto was all-powerful. Every ti a problem arose, he'd say, "If it were Naruto, he'd definitely do this or that." It ca off like forced praise, and honestly? It was kinda awkward.
At least when Natsuki watched it in his past life, he found it pretty cringe.
Because Naruto's performance... was often pretty diocre. Both frustrating and funny to watch.
"Alright, the hot-blooded sparring ends here. It's not too late in the day, so let's begin training! Natsuki, if you've got nothing else to do, feel free to join us!"
Guy hadn't forgotten his duties. Today's training session couldn't go to waste.
Natsuki glanced at the sky and politely declined: "I still need to go buy groceries and cook. Tenten's been training hard today—she needs a good al to recover."
Hearing that, Tenten blushed for once, though she couldn't help feeling proud too.
This kind of affectionate show-off... honestly felt pretty nice.
Guy didn't insist. "Alright, go on then. Whenever you're free, I'll have Tenten let you know. I'll take you to et Kakashi."
Natsuki thanked him again, snuggled with Tenten for a mont, then turned and left.
In truth, he was already itching to go. If Neji hadn't challenged him, he'd be in the gravity training room right now studying the Eight Gates.
And not long after he left, the intel was already delivered to the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen quietly read the report brought by the ANBU while puffing on his pipe.
"I didn't expect it. That kid Natsuki is quite clever—not only wanting to learn the Eight Gates from Guy, but also seeking the Hatake Kenjutsu. If he actually masters both, he might be just as strong as Kakashi. Then Konoha will have another true powerhouse—no need to fear the threats from other villages."
"I also didn't expect him to already be this strong. Creating his own Rokushiki taijutsu, and even defeating Neji... tsk tsk. What a prodigy. How should I arrange things for him?"
"Well, if Guy trusts him, then there shouldn't be any issues. Guy may be loud and eccentric, but his instincts are razor sharp. If Natsuki had any problems, Guy definitely wouldn't have taught him the Eight Gates. Still, there's no rush. Natsuki will eventually et Kakashi. And Kakashi isn't easy to fool. If Natsuki can earn his approval, then it'll an he's truly trustworthy. Only then can we fully invest in him. Let's wait and see."
Hiruzen's heart was filled with anticipation toward Natsuki.
In recent years, Konoha's strength had rapidly declined. Sakumo was dead. Minato was dead. Orochimaru defected. Tsunade and Jiraiya left. Even when Shisui finally erged, he too perished.
If all those people had survived, Konoha wouldn't be in its current state.
Hiruzen wasn't blind to this reality—but he was getting old. Now, all he could do was hope the next generation would rise to the occasion.
Luckily, this new generation had more than just Naruto, the Jinchūriki. There was Sasuke, Neji, all the heirs of the major clans—and now, one more: Natsuki. Not to ntion Tenten, who also seed pretty talented.
At last, the Hidden Leaf was once again showing signs of revival.
In a few years, Konoha could truly return to its peak!
"Before I die, I must restore Konoha to its forr glory. I refuse to leave this world with only scorn and regret!"
With that resolution, Hiruzen picked up a new batch of ninja files.
He needed to carefully decide—who would be the best jōnin to ntor Natsuki?
Also, he had to keep an eye on Danzo. He couldn't let Danzo corrupt the village's promising seedlings ever again...
(End of Chapter)
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