Everything erupted at once.
Neji and Mangetsu had already traded dozens of rounds. At first Mangetsu kept him pinned, but the longer they fought, the more Mangetsu realized Neji was far more dangerous than he'd thought.
Neji hadn't even unlocked all the powers of his evolving eye, yet in battle he was already adapting to it.
Boulders from the shattered arena lifted into the air under his control. Many expected him to hurl them at Mangetsu—some even snickered that the "academy prodigy" was just a fool.
But the floating stones all drifted—orderly, precise—toward the water pits. It was like watching a film run in reverse.
Every crater was restored. If he had simply dropped rocks to fill holes, no one would have been stunned. But they watched true restoration: each stone knew its original place, slid back into its exact notch, squeezed water out, and returned the floor to how it had been before any damage.
Neji had taken hold of time in the stone and the ground—and wound it back.
The expelled water hung in the air, defying gravity, an eerie sight that drew a collective shiver.
Then, with a thought, Neji shunted all that water away—into the nearby lake. The arena was whole again, and the field had lost its watery shield.
Above, the storm clouds began to thin; after all, they were still a technique with a time limit.
Just then Mangetsu appeared behind Neji and drove a blade at his heart. He moved so fast no one could react.
Blood fountained.
Ino screamed, snapping out of her control over Suigetsu.
Without a heartbeat of hesitation, Suigetsu flickered to her side and swung his blade down. Ino squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for death—yet nothing fell.
At the last instant, Shikamaru's shadow pinned Suigetsu in place.
Neji vomited a mouthful of blood—and the next second his body popped into a length of wood.
A Substitution.
At the moment of the strike, he had switched—and in the same beat the truth became clear: the one actually pierced was Mangetsu.
Even Mangetsu hadn't foreseen where Neji would reappear. When he tried to liquefy, the kunai buried in his chest flashed with a Lightning Release tag that paralyzed his whole body.
Mangetsu clutched his chest and spat blood. He turned, eyes narrowing at Neji. "How did you do that?"
Neji gave a small smile and drew the kunai free. "My eyes can see the future."
Mangetsu, palm pressed to the hole in his heart, stared into Neji's glowing blue gaze. "So that's the Pure Eye?"
Neji blinked—he didn't even know the name.
It was the Hyuga family's greatest secret; only the clan head knew the truth.
(End of Chapter)
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