While hurling lightning-wrapped shurikens at Neji, Raijin didn’t forget to continue to taunt him relentlessly, “Face it, Hyuga Neji… that’s all you are. Whether it’s Uchiha Sasuke or Uzumaki Naruto, both of them outclass you in talent and ability. They have far more potential than you—a re mber of the branch division of the Hyuga Clan!”
“You know what? Even Uchiha Sasuke put up a better fight against than you. Sure, I defeated him easily, but at least battling him was sowhat entertaining. But fighting you? Haah… it’s not even fun. It’s so boring—I don’t even have to put in any effort! I just have to keep doing what I am doing at the mont, and you’ll eventually collapse out of physical exhaustion and exhaustion of Chakra reserves. That’s how incapable and talentless you are. Isn’t it pathetic for the Hyuga, who’s been touted as one of the two greatest in Konohagakure, to be this weak?”
‘Weak?’
"Even if they call you the most talented Hyuga of all ti… deep down, you're just pathetic, aren't you?"
‘Pathetic?’
“I bet even the Godai Hokage thinks the sa. That’s probably why he chose Uzumaki Naruto as his disciple later on and focused all his attention on him. He didn’t want soone like you—an embarrassnt—tarnishing his reputation.”
“An embarrassnt?” Neji murmured, his expression dark and somber as he restlessly used two Vacuum palms simultaneously to deflect the Shurikens.
It was bad enough that Raijin mocked him for being a weak Hyuga clansman and pathetic for being the most talented Hyuga of all ti, but to call him an embarrassnt to Kuroto as well? By comparing him to Naruto and Sasuke and bringing up how Kuroto chose to take Naruto as his disciple and devote his ti to teaching him instead of Neji, Raijin had struck a nerve, hitting Neji where it hurt the most.
Although he hadn’t openly dwelled on it in the past year, the fact that Kuroto had taken Naruto as a disciple and personally trained him for months had lingered in Neji’s heart. Yes, he understood why Kuroto needed to train Naruto, and yes, he was grateful for the opportunity to train under the Uchiha Patriarch during that ti. But deep down, he couldn’t help feeling jealous. Naruto, who beca Kuroto’s disciple later, had the chance to be personally trained by him, while he never had that privilege.
Neji couldn’t stop wondering why Kuroto never personally trained him. Instead, Kuroto always entrusted his training to others—whether it was his father, Uchiha Itachi, Might Guy, or later, Kohinata Mukai. Neji knew he had been fortunate to learn from so of the most skilled ninjas and was deeply grateful for the incredible knowledge and techniques they had shared with him. But still, Kuroto never taught him directly.
Yes, Kuroto gave him access to opportunities and Jutsu that most could only dream of. Yet, those Jutsu were never demonstrated or explained by Kuroto himself. Why? Why was this the case? Why did Kuroto always maintain this distance? The question lingered in Neji’s heart, unresolved and painful.
Those words struck directly at the doubts lingering in his heart, ‘Am I not good enough to be worthy of Sensei’s ti?’
Raijin burst into laughter. “Hahaha! I can’t stop laughing… You really are nothing but an embarrassnt!”
“Shut up,” Neji snapped, his voice icy and sharp. ‘Who am I kidding? I'm really not as good as them...’
But Raijin wasn’t fazed. Instead, he smirked and pressed on, mocking him further. “Why should I? Am I not speaking the truth?” He let out another laugh. “Hahaha! Deep down, you know it too, don’t you? You’re incompetent. You just don’t want to admit it. That’s why you want to shut up, isn’t it? Afraid my words are hitting exactly where it hurts?”
“Shut up!” Neji repeated in a cold, gloomy voice. ‘Yes, I know I’m not as competent as they are. Naruto mastered Senjutsu and ford a pact with Ryūchi Cave, and Mount Myōboku chose Sasuke and also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Compared to them, I...’
Once again, Raijin smirked, unfazed. “You want to shut up? Then why don’t you make , you brat?” he taunted, his grin widening. “Deep down, you know you can’t, don’t you? You know I defeated Uchiha Sasuke, even after he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. You saw that happen with your very own Byakugan, so you know in your heart you could never accomplish sothing like that, don’t you? In your heart, you know I’m much stronger than you, and you can never defeat . That’s why, from the very beginning, you’ve been fighting defensively—trying to drag this fight out. You want it to seem like your battle with lasted as long as Uchiha Sasuke’s, if not longer. All so everyone, especially the Godai Hokage, thinks you’re just as strong as Uchiha Sasuke. But deep down, you know the truth, don’t you?"
While Raijin’s words might not be entirely accurate, there was so truth to them. Neji was indeed fighting with noticeable restraint. Although not exactly as Raijin described, it was close enough. Deep down, Neji felt a sense of fear. After all, Raijin had demonstrated in the previous round that he could defeat Sasuke, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and could use Susano’o. Compared to such an overwhelming power, Neji doubted he had anything capable of defeating Raijin. This uncertainty made Raijin’s taunts hit even harder, as they carried a frustrating elent of truth and all Neji could do was repeat in a voice gloomier than before, "Shut up!"
But was Raijin going to stop? Obviously not! “Hahaha! Talentless, pathetic… an embarrassnt… I don’t know why you even bother… you should probably give up being a ninja… you should give in to your fate of being a brat of the branch division and live as a servant that you are…!”
“I said, SHUT UP!” Neji roared as his chakra surged, which he unleashed from all his Tenketsu while beginning to spin his body rapidly. ‘Gentle Fist Secret Art: Revolving Heaven!’
With Revolving Heaven, Neji not only deflected the four Lightning-wrapped Shuriken flying toward him in one sweeping motion but also closed the distance between himself and Raijin, leaping forward while maintaining his rapid spin.
Revolving Heaven. A secret technique of the Hyuga Clan, traditionally reserved only for the clan's Patriarch and main family mbers. Yet, thanks to Kuroto, Neji had been granted the rare privilege to learn it. Using the very sa Revolving Heaven, a technique originally designed for defense, Neji charged directly at Raijin. He planned to harness the repelling force of Revolving Heaven, which could counter most of the attacks directed at the user, as an offensive asure against Raijin.
Neji’s sudden use of Revolving Heaven as an offensive move completely caught Raijin off guard. He hadn’t anticipated such an approach, and for a brief mont, his delayed reaction allowed Neji to close the gap using the montum from his spinning technique. Before Raijin realized it, Neji was already upon him, ready to slam into him directly.
‘Crap… this could be dangerous!’ Raijin thought, attempting to dodge the attack. Defending against Revolving Heaven was clearly out of the question. However, Neji was faster this ti, and before Raijin could react, the spinning force of Revolving Heaven collided with him. The impact imdiately caused several injuries across his body, and the powerful spinning Chakra sent him flying.
Crack! Bang! Bang!
After sending Raijin flying, Neji finally stopped spinning as the swirling Chakra around him also faded to reveal his figure. Though uninjured, his heavy breathing and furrowed expression betrayed his exhaustion. “Haaah… Haaah…” he panted with a gloomy expression.
Using the Revolving Heaven consus a significant amount of Chakra, so Neji had hoped to avoid relying on this Secret Jutsu too much. However, despite his intentions, he not only used the technique to defend against Raijin's attack but also to launch a counterattack. Unsurprisingly, the Chakra cost was substantial.
Combined with the Vacuum Palms he had unleashed earlier, Neji had already burned through over half of his Chakra reserves. With less than fifty percent remaining, he knew he had to be more cautious moving forward.
Still, even with the heavy toll on his Chakra, the satisfaction of landing a solid hit on Raijin made it feel worthwhile, especially after all that trash talk that Raijin was giving him. For now, that small victory gave him a sense of reassurance.
But of course, even after landing such a powerful attack, Neji wasn’t confident he had defeated Raijin with that one hit. A part of him wished the fight was over, but deep down, he knew better. Raijin had defeated Sasuke, soone who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. There was no way soone that strong would go down so easily.
Sure enough, before the dust had even settled, Neji saw through his Byakugan that Raijin was already back on his feet. Raijin stepped out of the haze, brushing off his clothes and wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. The clothes and armor on his chest were torn, revealing the injuries he had sustained. Blood dripped from the wounds, and so bones appeared to be broken. Yet, despite it all, he was smirking as he looked directly at Neji and said, “Well, that was an interesting use of that technique. I’ll admit, you caught off guard. But don’t get ahead of yourself. That was just one lucky hit, relying on the elent of surprise. If you think you’ll get lucky like that again, you’re sorely mistaken.”
Neji replied coldly, “I don’t need to use that move again.” As he spoke, he began forming hand signs and added, “I still have my trump card… and I’ll use it to defeat you!”
“Oh? A trump card?” Raijin raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise as he watched Neji.
The young Hyuga didn’t disappoint. Completing the sequence of hand signs, Neji clapped his hands together and exclaid, ‘Byakugan Chakra Mode!’
Reviews
All reviews (0)