On the main seat of the venue for the second exam, Orochimaru, disguised as Kazekage Rasa, exchanged greetings with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato.
Hiruzen asked, "Long journey. Must be tiring, right?"
Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen. "Not really. Luckily, the venue is in Konoha. Third Hokage, you're already old and still holding onto your duties as Hokage. If you had to specially come here, that would truly tire out the great Third Hokage."
"I think the Third should retire. After all, the Fourth's done an amazing job. After working so hard for so long, it's time for a proper rest."
Hiruzen burst into hearty laughter. "Don't treat me like an old man yet. I plan to work a few more years, helping our Fourth Hokage sort out some troubles, so he can take over Konoha with ease."
Namikaze also smiled. "After all, I've only just returned. With the Third around, I can relax a lot more too."
Hiruzen stood up and walked to the balcony, glancing down at the Genin participants below before turning back to Orochimaru. "Well then, shall we begin?"
Orochimaru nodded.
Hiruzen announced, "Esteemed guests, I sincerely thank you all for coming to Konoha to watch the Chūnin Selection Exams. Now, ten candidates who passed the preliminary rounds will proceed to the official selection matches. Please enjoy the show!"
Genma Shiranui, serving as referee and chief examiner, explained the rules. "Though the venue has changed, just like the supplementary exam from the first round, the rule remains simple—there are no rules. The match ends only when one side dies or surrenders. Also, same as before, if I determine the outcome has been decided, I'll stop the fight immediately, and disobedience is not allowed."
After finishing the explanation, Genma glanced toward Hiruzen and gave a nod.
Understanding the signal, Hiruzen said, "Then now, let's have our Fourth Hokage announce the first match!"
Minato stepped beside Hiruzen and declared, "The first match: From Konoha, Neji Hyuga versus Rokumei from Otogakure!"
Everyone except Sōnagi Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga left the arena, returning to the waiting room.
Already excited, Sōnagi stared at Neji and said, "Finally, it's our turn. Prepare to get crushed!"
Neji calmly replied, "Try if you can."
Sōnagi and Neji stood facing each other.
Hiashi Hyuga, seated in the audience, gazed at Neji and said to Hanabi Hyuga beside him, "Watch carefully, Hanabi. Neji is a rare genius—not only of the Branch Family but of our entire Hyuga clan. He even mastered the Nin-Taijutsu style of that ninja. Pay close attention to this battle, Hanabi. It'll benefit your training greatly."
"I understand, Father."
Young Hanabi nodded along, but her eyes kept darting through the crowd, looking for Hinata.
Hinata wasn't with them—she was sitting with her teammates instead.
As the eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga had once intentionally lost a formal match against Hanabi Hyuga due to her overly gentle personality. Hiashi Hyuga abandoned Hinata, believing that someone as soft-hearted as her could not bear the fate of the Main Family.
Simply because she lost that one time, Hanabi was seen by the Main Family as born with power surpassing her older sister's. They saw it as fate, believing the clan's hopes should be entrusted to Hanabi.
Now all that remained was for the Hyuga Clan's Main Family to make an official decision. If Hanabi were chosen as a member of the Main Family, Hinata would become part of the Branch Family.
This was how the Hyuga Clan ensured only a limited number of Main Family members. If the Main Family had only one child, then that child would automatically inherit the Main Family status.
However, if two or more children were born, only one could be selected as Main Family, while the others would automatically become part of the Branch Family.
The Hyuga Clan used this system to keep the number of Main Family members manageable and prevent issues caused by having too many.
Uzumaki Sōnagi noticed Neji Hyuga staring and followed his gaze, seeing that Neji was watching Hiashi Hyuga.
Uzumaki Sōnagi grinned mischievously and loudly asked, "I heard you Hyugas believe most in destiny. So Neji, your destiny will be to be defeated by me—do you believe that?"
Neji redirected his gaze back at Uzumaki Sōnagi. Seeing the boy's wicked grin, he immediately understood.
A faint, barely noticeable smirk appeared on Neji's lips, his voice carefully controlled to ensure Hiashi could hear.
"Destiny? Although I was born into the Hyuga Clan, I don't believe in that ridiculous concept of fate. Only fools who stubbornly cling to tradition actually believe in destiny. Fate is nothing more than an excuse used by timid idiots to justify their lack of progress."
Neji activated his Byakugan and took up the Gentle Fist stance. "That kind of destiny that robs people of their fighting spirit and determination—I, Neji Hyuga, will never allow myself to be tripped up by it. My fate can only be written by myself, and no one can stop me!"
Uzumaki Sōnagi also prepared himself for battle. "Oh? At first I thought everyone from the Hyuga Clan must be weaklings, but apparently you're different. Then let's see whether I can really stop you!"
Hiashi Hyuga turned pale upon hearing Neji's words.
What Neji said essentially meant calling them foolish traditionalists—cowardly idiots.
Genma Shiranui, seeing the intense determination between the two fighters, announced, "Then, Round One begins!"
Neji did not make the first move. Even with many techniques sealed off, Uzumaki Sōnagi's strength couldn't be underestimated.
Besides, they hadn't met for so many years; Neji didn't know exactly how much Sōnagi had improved.
Both the Hyuga's Gentle Fist style and [Water Breathing All Sword Techniques] were better suited for defensive counterattacks.
Unlike Neji, Sōnagi had no intention of waiting. Finding Neji unwilling to strike first, he decided to take the initiative.
When Neji saw Sōnagi charging straight at him, he slightly raised his eyebrows. It seemed he wanted to fight using Taijutsu.
If that's the case…
Neji took a step forward.
[Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!]
A giant Eight Trigrams diagram appeared beneath Neji Hyuga's feet, already encompassing Uzumaki Sōnagi within its boundaries.
I never thought Neji would go all out like this with the Gentle Fist Style!
But he wasn't worried at all—he knew them inside out. After all, he'd trained with Neji back in the day, so he was well familiar with the attack patterns and techniques of the Gentle Fist Style.
Neji Hyuga rapidly unleashed a relentless series of palm strikes, attempting to hit Uzumaki Sōnagi's vital points and disrupt his chakra flow.
However, Uzumaki Sōnagi perfectly deflected every single strike from Neji Hyuga.
Their Taijutsu clash was brutal—blow after blow rang out as the crowd roared with excitement.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>