When Sasuke and Naruto decided in their hearts to team up and take down Hyuga Neji first.
The two of them didn't hesitate for even a moment, moving with incredible coordination as they charged straight at Hyuga Neji.
Naruto moved extremely fast, forming hand seals with both hands pressed against his chest as he ran.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Along with a series of white smoke rising up, dozens of Naruto's shadow clones appeared before everyone's eyes.
These shadow clones constantly shifted positions as they ran, keeping Naruto's real body hidden among them.
Even with Hyuga Neji's Byakugan, under these circumstances, he couldn't pinpoint Naruto's real body in a short amount of time.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, though a beat slower than Naruto who had charged out first, moved at a speed far surpassing Naruto's.
Body Flicker Jutsu!
As the final hand seal was completed, Sasuke's figure instantly vanished from sight, appearing before Hyuga Neji almost like an afterimage.
Sasuke raised his right foot from bottom to top, kicking directly toward Hyuga Neji's chin.
A smirk on his lips, Hyuga Neji tilted his head back, easily dodging Sasuke's strike.
Seeing this, Sasuke wasn't surprised at all. The right foot he had kicked out suddenly paused mid-air, and his left foot forcefully pushed off.
The initial kick instantly transformed into a stomping motion, aimed straight at Hyuga Neji's chest.
Sasuke's reaction was undeniably swift, changing his technique almost the instant his opponent dodged his attack.
"Before the Byakugan, your taijutsu is useless."
"Moreover, since you've appeared before me, that means you've entered my domain. You can't escape..."
Hyuga Neji looked up, his voice ringing out with cold indifference. Before the Byakugan, not a single one of Sasuke's subtle movements could escape Hyuga Neji's eyes.
An invisible wave of chakra emanated from Hyuga Neji's body.
In Hyuga Neji's perception, the area about ten meters around him as the center was enclosed by a bagua formation.
Not just Sasuke, even Naruto's shadow clones were all within his sensory range.
The next moment!
Hyuga Neji moved. With a slight push of his foot, his body shifted sideways, appearing beside Sasuke in a flash. While easily dodging Sasuke's attack, he raised his hand and struck Sasuke directly in the chest.
At the moment of contact, Sasuke's body turned into a piece of broken wood, sent flying by Hyuga Neji's single palm strike.
"Substitution Jutsu? When?"
A flash of surprise crossed Hyuga Neji's eyes. He clearly hadn't seen Sasuke form any hand seals.
However!
Even if Sasuke had used the Substitution Jutsu to dodge at the very last moment, his chakra should have still struck Sasuke's body.
"Get him!"
At this moment, Naruto's numerous clones had also caught up, charging toward Hyuga Neji to attack.
"The same old tricks again. I won't make the same mistake twice."
"I've spent a long time specifically researching how to counter your Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Hyuga Neji looked at the many shadow clones of Naruto raising their fists toward him, yet still spoke with calm indifference.
The instant his words fell!
Hyuga Neji violently raised his hand. Instead of attacking the shadow clones rushing at him, he struck downward at the ground.
A muffled sound echoed!
Naruto's figure appeared at a position to Hyuga Neji's lower left.
Earth and stone shattered!
Dust flew everywhere!
Large cracks appeared across the surrounding ground, and a crater opened up before everyone's eyes.
And right now, Naruto's real body was lying inside that crater.
Staring at the fist that had slammed into his chest, Naruto's eyes went wide with an expression of disbelief.
As Naruto was struck by Hyuga Neji, the surrounding shadow clones all burst simultaneously, dissipating into smoke.
"So, is this the result of your training?"
Hyuga Neji looked down at the Naruto he had hit, a disappointed expression appearing on his face as he put more force into his fist.
Naruto couldn't help but let out a cry of pain as Hyuga Neji sent him flying.
After rolling several times on the ground, Naruto struggled to his feet from the earth, a pained expression on his face.
"You really go all out, that hurt!"
Naruto kept rubbing his stomach, while a trace of shock lingered in his eyes.
What on earth just happened!
Naruto's original plan was indeed to use his shadow clones as bait, then hide underground as his method of attack.
That's right, this tactic was very familiar.
This was the same method he had used to defeat Hyuga Neji during the Chunin Exams.
Since his opponent had lost to that very technique, Hyuga Neji would definitely be on guard against it.
Naruto naturally knew this, so he had specifically hidden two shadow clones underground to create confusion.
But Hyuga Neji had found his real body in an instant!
This was completely beyond Naruto's expectations!
At this moment, a soft cough sounded from nearby.
Sasuke stepped out from behind a large tree, an ugly expression on his face, appearing at a spot not far from Naruto.
"Cough..."
A trace of blood flowed from the corner of Sasuke's mouth as he looked toward Hyuga Neji, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
What was with that speed just now?
If his reflexes hadn't been fast enough, instinctively using the Substitution Jutsu to dodge, he probably wouldn't have gotten off with just a minor injury.
"This guy..."
Sasuke gritted his teeth slightly, glaring at Hyuga Neji.
"If the two of you only have that much strength, then this is truly disappointing."
"I originally thought this would be a decent fight, but now it seems it's about to end."
Hyuga Neji shook his head gently, his voice filled with regret.
"You arrogant bastard, I was just careless earlier!"
"Also, how did you find my real body?"
Naruto grimaced, trying to ease the pain radiating from his stomach, and asked in a thoroughly irritated tone.
"Idiot, why would he ever tell you?"
Hearing Naruto's question, Sasuke shot him a look as if he were an idiot and spoke flatly.
"Damn it, who are you calling an idiot, you jerk Sasuke!"
Naruto quickly turned his head toward Sasuke, making his displeasure known.
Sasuke let out a cold snort. He had no time to deal with Naruto right now. Instead, he turned his head, his gaze locked fiercely on Hyuga Neji across from him.
"Hyuga Neji, don't think you're the only one who's gotten stronger."
"I originally wanted to save this power for dealing with that guy, but now it seems taking you out first is the right choice."
Sasuke clenched his fist tightly, producing a sharp creaking sound.
As the pride of the Uchiha clan, how could Sasuke ever allow himself to lose to Hyuga Neji!
CRACKLE!
CRACKLE!
Strands of blue electrical arcs rose from Uchiha Sasuke's body, crackling with a series of sharp popping sounds.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Sasuke was already enveloped in blue electrical currents.
"Chidori Nagashi!"
The crimson Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes spun rapidly as he slowly uttered these three words.
Sasuke vanished from sight in an instant, his entire body transforming into a bolt of blue lightning. So fast that only a streak of blue light could be seen.
Hyuga Neji's pupils contracted sharply. He quickly raised both arms in a cross, guarding his chest.
As Hyuga Neji made his defensive move, Sasuke had already appeared right in front of him and delivered a crushing punch.
A muffled sound rang out beside Hyuga Neji's ear.
Hyuga Neji felt a burning sensation spread through both arms, and then his entire body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
Both speed and power!
Under Chidori Nagashi mode, every aspect of Sasuke's physical abilities was amplified several times over.
"So amazing, this is Sasuke's training result!"
Naruto's eyes went wide, staring at Sasuke cloaked in blue lightning, his face filled with excitement.
[
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