Kitazawa could understand Neji. After all, the Byakugan was unique—outsiders could never truly master it. And Neji didn't know that Kitazawa had a "cheat" and had already learned Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
"What do you think of Sasuke?" Kitazawa asked.
"His talent and strength are quite good." Although Neji didn't understand why Kitazawa was asking, he still answered truthfully.
"Compared to you?" Kitazawa pressed.
"He's still far behind," Neji replied without hesitation.
Last semester, he had fought Sasuke and won with ease. Although Sasuke's Fire Release was powerful, it was meaningless if it couldn't hit the target.
"Sasuke joined my special training this summer and made great progress," Kitazawa said, revealing his purpose. "In the practical class later, you two will fight again."
Neji frowned slightly. Could Uchiha Sasuke possibly defeat him after just one summer? Impossible. Pure fantasy.
"Let's make a bet. If you lose to Sasuke, you'll join my special training," Kitazawa said bluntly.
"Alright," Neji agreed without a second thought—because he didn't believe Sasuke stood a chance.
Kitazawa nodded. Given Neji's personality and life experience, he was far more mature than Hinata or Uchiha Sasuke. He wouldn't be easily persuaded.
In that case, Kitazawa would simply let reality do the convincing. After all, the ultimate goal was to complete his mission—otherwise, he wouldn't waste his breath.
The two of them arrived at the Training Ground. The students of First-Year Class A and Second-Year Class A were already lined up in formation.
"Before class begins, I'd like Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji to step forward," Kitazawa said without any unnecessary words. "They'll give us an exhibition match."
"Again? I wonder who'll win this time."
"I remember Sasuke lost badly last time."
"It's only been one summer vacation—can Sasuke really catch up to Neji?"
"I doubt it. Neji will win again."
Students from both classes began to chatter in excitement. Both Neji and Sasuke were highly regarded among their peers. Moreover, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans—both possessing eye-based Bloodline Limits—had a long history of rivalry, both open and subtle.
"Sasuke, go for it!" Naruto, already aware of this match since lunch, wasn't surprised.
"Hm." Sasuke nodded slightly and walked forward with his hands in his pockets. Combined with his calm expression, it made him look effortlessly cool.
"He's such a show-off," Kiba muttered.
"That's called genius demeanor!" Sakura shot back.
"The premise is he actually beats Neji," Kiba said, shaking his head. "If he loses, that 'demeanor' disappears fast."
"Didn't Sasuke do some kind of secret training?" Ino said, clenching her fists. "I believe in Teacher Kitazawa."
She didn't know Sasuke had actually gone home to learn Genjutsu from Uchiha Itachi; she thought it was all Kitazawa's special training.
"Mhm." Hinata nodded. She trusted Kitazawa completely. It was thanks to him that she had been able to defeat Neji.
"Begin!" After they formed the Seal of Confrontation, Kitazawa announced the start.
"Neji, this time I'll get my revenge for last semester," Sasuke said in a low voice, activating his Sharingan. "Because now… I have this."
Sharingan, huh? Neji instantly understood Kitazawa's earlier confidence. But at best, Sharingan could narrow the gap with the Byakugan; his Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms still held the overwhelming advantage.
Without hesitation, Neji pushed off with his feet, his body shooting forward.
"I can see it… so clearly this time!" Sasuke's lips curled upward as he sidestepped Neji's palm strike.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Steadying himself, he quickly formed hand seals, unleashing a massive fireball toward Neji.
The air shimmered with heat.
Neji frowned, shifting to the left to avoid it. The Sharingan was indeed formidable—but the pressure from Sasuke's single-tomoe Sharingan wasn't as intense as he had imagined.
The moment he dodged the Great Fireball, Neji suddenly accelerated. The sheer speed made the air whistle.
"So fast?" Sasuke's heart jolted. But his Sharingan still managed to track Neji's movements.
Thanks to his training with Kitazawa, his body moved on instinct—he kicked out while simultaneously throwing two kunai.
Neji was slightly surprised. Sasuke's reaction speed had improved so much? If this had been last semester, Sasuke would have already taken a palm strike.
Neji halted abruptly, thrusting out both palms—one struck the sole of Sasuke's foot, the other deflected the two kunai.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke stepped back, forming seals with both hands. Clusters of small fireballs burst forth, scattering like falling petals.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" With the distance too short to dodge, Neji's eyes sharpened—rather than retreat, he advanced, his palms striking rapidly.
The first palm shattered the nearest small fireball, chakra flaring outward. The second, third, and fourth palms destroyed the rest in front of him.
"Manipulating Shuriken Technique!" Recognizing Neji's stance from his match with Iruka, Sasuke showed no panic. Grabbing three kunai in each hand, he hurled them forward—
"It's useless." Neji had already seen the rubber strings connecting the kunai with his Byakugan.
But just then, Sasuke untied the rubber strings himself and began forming hand seals at high speed.
Neji let out a faint sound. He instantly realized Sasuke's intention; the Manipulating Shuriken Technique was just a diversion; the real killing move would be the ninjutsu that followed.
Was it Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique? Sasuke had already used it in their last exhibition match. But back then, it had seemed incomplete.
While Neji's thoughts raced, his hands didn't slow. With several swift palms, he knocked away all six kunai.
When he looked back at Sasuke, he suddenly noticed something: the chakra flow was wrong. This wasn't the Great Dragon Fire Technique from last time.
Genjutsu: Ephemeral! Sasuke's body dissolved into a swirl of crows.
What kind of ninjutsu is this? Neji had never seen Genjutsu: Ephemeral before, and for a moment, he was stunned.
He looked left and right, but Sasuke was nowhere in sight—only crows circling overhead. Activating his Byakugan, Neji saw that the chakra in his own body had become chaotic. This was the classic sign of being caught in a genjutsu.
His expression darkened. Dōjutsu genjutsu was notoriously difficult to break alone. And worst of all—he hadn't even learned how to break ordinary genjutsu.
After all, who would have expected a ninja academy student to know genjutsu?
The crows swooped down, all transforming into kunai mid-flight. Neji leapt backward as the blades embedded themselves in the ground one after another.
"...It's not genjutsu?" He hesitated for just a moment—
"You lost, Neji."
The crows vanished. At some unknown point, Sasuke had appeared behind him, pressing a kunai to his side.
Genjutsu: Ephemeral created the illusion that the caster had transformed into crows—but in reality, they hadn't moved far at all. After throwing the kunai, Sasuke had simply taken the opportunity to circle behind him.
Neji opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to say that if they fought again, he would definitely win, after all, he was now prepared for genjutsu.
But no matter how many excuses he made, the truth was clear: he had lost this match.
"Winner—Uchiha Sasuke." Kitazawa's voice rang out crisply.
Sasuke's performance had been flawless. Before using Genjutsu: Ephemeral, he had employed the Manipulating Shuriken Technique to mislead Neji.
Aside from Sasuke's genuine improvement, the real reason for Neji's loss was his lack of preparation and the fact that he had no counter to genjutsu. It was a complete defeat.
Still… Dōjutsu genjutsu was undeniably abnormal. But soon, Neji thought, he would have one of his own.
With Kitazawa's announcement, the students stirred. Because Neji had beaten Sasuke before, most had expected him to win again. They were wrong.
"That's great!" Sakura cheered, "Sasuke-kun really is the best!"
"Wait!" Naruto blinked in confusion. "What just happened?"
Genjutsu: Ephemeral only targeted Neji, so to Naruto, Sasuke's win looked baffling.
One moment, they were fighting intensely; the next, Neji suddenly stopped and jumped back, and Sasuke simply bypassed him.
"It's genjutsu," Shikamaru said after a moment's thought. "Neji was caught in one."
"So it was genjutsu?" Ino nodded in realization. "Then his loss makes sense."
"Is genjutsu really that strong?" Naruto scratched his head.
"Normal genjutsu is already troublesome," Aburame Shino explained. "But Sharingan genjutsu is the most troublesome of all. If you fall under it, the fastest way to break free is with a teammate's help."
They were all from ninja clans; each knew a little about genjutsu.
"Then doesn't that mean one-on-one is impossible?" Naruto's eyes widened.
"In theory, yes," Ino replied. "In the ninja world, there's even a saying—the Uchiha are unbeatable in one-on-one combat."
"But there is one workaround," Shikamaru said suddenly. "Shadow Clone."
A shadow clone had independent consciousness—essentially acting as a teammate.
Of course, you had to summon it before falling under genjutsu.
"Then I'm not afraid!" Naruto grinned in relief. He had plenty of shadow clones to spare. If he faced Sasuke in the monthly exam, he would just open with Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"What if you don't know Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Hinata asked. She might face Sasuke herself in the next exam. While she wasn't obsessed with winning, she didn't want to waste Kitazawa's training.
"Then there's only one option left," Shino said, adjusting his glasses. "Don't look into his eyes."
"Right," Shikamaru added. "That's what most ninja do when facing a Uchiha."
"But it's hard," Kiba sighed. "Avoiding eye contact is like cutting off an arm—it weakens you a lot."
"Still, Byakugan might be different," Ino said. "Since it can see chakra flow, you could detect when he's using genjutsu."
Hinata felt a little relieved at that. Still, it didn't ease her mind completely—she decided she would talk to Kitazawa after class.
"Alright, that's enough for now," Kitazawa clapped his hands, ending the discussion. "Class is starting."
Sasuke glanced at Neji, then walked towards the First Year Class A queue. He suppressed the upward curve of his lips, kept a straight face, and walked unhurriedly.
The nearby students all looked at him with admiration and surprise.
Sasuke felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. His great revenge was avenged; he wished he could immediately look up to the sky and laugh loudly. But his remaining sense of shame still stopped him.
Sasuke now just wanted the practical class to end early so he could go home and announce the good news to his father and brother.
In stark contrast to him was Neji. He returned to his original position in silence.
"Neji—" Tenten hesitated, wanting to speak but not knowing how to comfort him.
Actually, she herself was very surprised. The Second Year genius Neji had actually lost twice in a row to First Year students—namely Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke.
"I'm fine." Neji looked at Kitazawa.
Since he lost to Sasuke, he had to participate in his special training. But Neji still didn't acknowledge Kitazawa. In his opinion, he hadn't lost because of Kitazawa's special training, but rather because of Sharingan and Genjutsu.
He didn't believe Kitazawa's special training could help Uchiha Sasuke awaken his eyes. However, since he lost, he wouldn't go back on his word; participating in Kitazawa's special training wouldn't be a loss.
Neji remembered that Hinata had always been participating in his special training. Since his last conversation with Hiashi, and after reading Hyuga Hizashi's letter, much of the hatred in his heart had disappeared.
Taking advantage of this special training, he could perhaps mend his relationship with Hinata.
"Next, everyone do your own thing." Kitazawa, as usual, divided the students into two groups. After leaving a Shadow Clone, he walked towards the nearby training ground.
"I'm going to find Teacher Kitazawa." Neji greeted Tenten and Rock Lee, then followed him.
But after walking a few steps, he realized that Hinata had the same goal as him.
"Brother Neji," Hinata called out, a little nervous, when she saw him.
"Miss Hinata." Neji nodded.
Hinata froze in place. If it were the old Hyuga Neji, he would most likely ignore her completely. A normal response like this, as it was now, was extremely rare.
"You two, come over." Kitazawa waved to them.
Neji and Hinata walked up to him.
"Teacher Kitazawa," Neji stated directly, "I want to participate in your special training."
"Really?" Hinata subconsciously showed a surprised expression.
"It's true." Neji glanced at her as he spoke.
He responded to me again? Hinata finally realized Neji's change. After a few seconds of being stunned, she secretly thought, Teacher Kitazawa is truly, truly, truly amazing!
Because it was for emphasis, she had to say "truly" three times.
In Hinata's view, all of this began when Kitazawa helped her accept Neji's challenge that one time.
Kitazawa smiled slightly. He noticed that Hinata was looking at him with such admiration that her eyes were almost sparkling like stars.
He pondered for a moment and understood what was going on. Actually, Hinata was also an innocent victim, caught in the grudges of the previous generation. She herself had done nothing to wrong Neji.
"Alright then, meet me at the training ground tomorrow morning at 8:30," Kitazawa thought for a moment and said.
"Okay, Teacher Kitazawa." Neji looked at Hinata and said, "Miss Hinata, I'll take my leave first." After speaking, he turned and walked towards Tenten and Rock Lee.
"Teacher Kitazawa, how did you do it?" Hinata looked up at Kitazawa, her eyes filled with curiosity and amazement.
"It's a secret." Kitazawa patted her head and said, "Go train."
"Huh?" Hinata didn't get the answer she wanted, which surprised her a little, but she didn't ask again.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly thought of something and turned back to look at Kitazawa.
"Kitazawa-Sensei." Hinata asked directly, "If I encounter Sasuke in the monthly exam, can I defeat him?"
Kitazawa was a little surprised. He hadn't expected the usually unassuming Hinata to ask such a question.
[Current mission: Help Hyuga Hinata defeat Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Mission reward: Genjutsu — Ephemeral.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa was stunned by the sudden appearance of the mission. Isn't this the Genjutsu Uchiha Sasuke just used?
How to put it? It was quite timely.
"Do you think you can't deal with his Genjutsu?" Kitazawa accepted the mission and asked.
"Yes." Hinata nodded quickly.
"Explaining how to break Genjutsu is quite complex; it can't be covered in one class. I'll teach you tomorrow."
After sending Hinata off to practice her Gentle Fist, Kitazawa eagerly found a secluded spot.
[Current mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke defeat Hyuga Neji.]
[Mission reward: One-Tomoe Sharingan.]
[The Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa's eyes trembled. A scarlet flash appeared, and a single tomoe emerged in each of his eyes.
Kitazawa looked around and found that, in terms of perception, it was indeed inferior to the Byakugan. The main functions of the Sharingan were still copying and illusion—that is to say, Genjutsu.
Kitazawa thought of the mission Hinata had just triggered. He temporarily couldn't obtain Sharingan Genjutsu; he could only rely on system missions.