BANG!
A thunderous impact sent Kagari flying!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
He smashed through three trees before finally skidding to a halt, over thirty feet away.
Oboro and Mubi were stunned. They hadn't expected Neji's surprise palm strike to pack such a punch!
"Ah... the power is decent, but the range is a bit limited."
Neji analyzed his Chakra flow. A single Vacuum Palm didn't use much Chakra, but firing them in rapid succession drained his reserves quickly. It was a high-burst Taijutsu technique that relied on expelling Chakra externally.
But that was all it was. The high cost didn't translate to equally high damage, as air resistance ate up a lot of the force.
And the faster he burst his Chakra, the longer the cooldown interval became.
"Using this as a feint isn't really viable yet," Neji muttered to himself, already closing the distance on his next target.
"Mubi!"
Mubi reacted, jumping back just in time, moving with the stiff, jerky motions of a reanimated corpse.
"Water Style..."
Whack!
Before Mubi could finish his hand signs, Neji slapped his hands down, interrupting the jutsu. He followed up with a flurry of palm strikes.
Mubi's body shuddered violently as he was forced back several steps.
Standing next to a shocked Oboro, Neji rolled his wrists and frowned, murmuring, "If I wanted to kill you guys right now... it actually wouldn't be that easy."
"Damn it!"
Oboro gritted his teeth. "You brat! Are you using us as test dummies?"
Neji tilted his head, his eyes cold and filled with killing intent.
"Ah..."
Oboro took a step back, a primal fear gripping his heart.
A strong one. This so-called "weakling" was radiating the aura of a true powerhouse!
"Genjutsu: Haze Clone Technique!"
Instantly, dozens of identical Oboro clones appeared out of thin air, filling the clearing!
"Genjutsu?"
Neji hopped back, checking his internal Chakra flow. It was still moving fast and smooth—no disruptions.
"Heh, don't waste your energy. This isn't your average Genjutsu! It doesn't affect you; it uses light and shadow to create visual confusion in the environment. That's why this technique has no weakness!"
"Hah!"
Hearing a shout, Neji instinctively dodged. But the fist that appeared to be coming from the front actually hit him from the side!
Neji stumbled to the right. Before he could regain his footing, another clone attacked.
This time, from behind.
Neji was knocked to the ground, dust flying everywhere.
Swish!
He rolled away just in time, barely dodging a kunai by luck, but the blade still grazed his arm. Blood trickled down his skin.
"Haha! Looks like you were just bluffing after all. How does it feel? The terror of death closing in on you!" Oboro laughed.
Neji's ears twitched. He frowned slightly.
Visual clones?
Neji closed his eyes and began to focus.
Hundreds, thousands of times in the dark training room, he had practiced dodging kunai with his eyes closed, relying purely on instinct and sound...
Swish!
Neji sensed the kunai coming from behind and hopped to the left.
Footsteps!
Drip...
Even the sound of water dripping was crystal clear. Neji embraced the darkness.
With lightning-fast movements and unmasked precision, he dodged every single attack simultaneously!
Finding his opening, he struck out with punches and kicks, taking down Kagari and Mubi, who were hiding in the clones.
Because he targeted their pressure points, the two collapsed instantly, unconscious.
"Impossible! You..." Oboro's eyes bulged. Neji Hyuga fighting with his eyes closed was somehow better than when he used his Byakugan!
Neji chuckled. "Visual Genjutsu, right? So keeping my eyes open actually interferes with my judgment. Don't assume a Hyuga ninja can only fight with their eyes!"
In three steps, Neji was right in front of Oboro.
"I actually have a jutsu I've been wanting to test on someone!"
Neji smirked. The moment he confirmed the real body, he snapped his eyes open!
"Two Palms!"
Whap-whap!
Strikes to the left and right shoulders. Oboro lost the ability to move his arms.
"What is this? My body... it's numb?" Oboro panicked, frozen in place.
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
Neji unleashed a barrage of strikes into Oboro's abdomen. Just as he was about to move to the next sequence, Oboro collapsed into a heap, unable to stand.
"Neji!"
"What happened?"
With the caster knocked out, the Genjutsu on Lee and Tenten broke. They woke up, confused.
Neji sighed and stopped his attack. He went over to help them up.
---
"Perfect! Their scroll is the one we needed!" Tenten held up the two scrolls, beaming.
Lee added, "Neji-kun has been really strong lately! He took down three enemies all by himself!"
Neji gave a goofy, innocent smile. "No way! They were just Genjutsu specialists with terrible Taijutsu. They underestimated me and tried to fight me hand-to-hand..."
Tenten laughed. "Still, if anyone finds out Neji beat all three of them solo, they're going to die of embarrassment!"
Neji nodded. "Yeah."
They cleaned up, ate some rations, and planned their route.
Now that they had both scrolls, they needed to reach the tower in the center of the forest as fast as possible to pass the exam.
"Kiba's team has probably passed by now. We need to hurry!"
Neji spoke up. "Let's split up slightly. I'll trail behind you guys and use my Byakugan to scout and provide support if needed!"
Lee looked surprised. "Really, Neji-kun? Are you scared?"
Tenten waved him off. "Oh, leave him be. Neji's worked hard enough. Let him stay back. We'll carry the scrolls and lead the way!"
Neji smiled sheepishly and didn't explain further.
Lee and Tenten took off, with Neji trailing about a hundred meters behind.
As they got closer to the center, they were also getting closer to Team 7's sector. Neji wasn't going to let this chance slip away.
He suddenly veered right, sprinting in a different direction.
"Byakugan!"
He scanned the forest intensely.
He knew exactly why he entered the Forest of Death. His main objective was "that person."
The "Strongest."
---
"Orochimaru! You're not getting away!"
Anko clutched her bleeding side, watching as the ANBU reinforcements engaged Orochimaru.
"Are you alright?" a burly ANBU asked her.
Anko snapped. "Do I look alright? You guys are too slow!"
Clatter.
An ANBU mask fell to the ground. Yugao Uzuki's purple hair spilled out, revealing her beautiful, panicked face.
Orochimaru sneered. With a light laugh, he kicked Yugao away. When another ANBU attacked from behind, Orochimaru simply spun around, his neck stretching like a snake to bite the attacker on the neck.
Then, Orochimaru leaped up to a high branch.
"Leaf ANBU and Special Jonin... is this the best you can do?"
Orochimaru advanced step by step. The three ANBU and Anko retreated, overwhelmed.
They were backed into a corner by the sheer terror of death.
"A strong one. That is a truly strong opponent."
Watching from the bushes, Neji's eyes burned with a feverish desire.
He thought for a moment, then dashed out and picked up the ANBU mask Yugao had dropped.
He secured it over his face.
"Target located," Neji whispered, a smirk playing beneath the mask.