"I didn't expect your opponent would be him, Haruma!"
Looking at the matchup displayed on the big screen, Kurenai frowned slightly, then reminded Haruma, "Be careful of his Byakugan. Don't rely too much on genjutsu."
In Kurenai's eyes, since Haruma's speciality lied in genjutsu. Facing an opponent whose kekkei genkai completely negated it was like running straight into a natural counter. That was why the usually confident Kurenai showed a rare look of concern.
"I understand, Sensei." Haruma smiled, nodded, and walked down from the stands.
"Haruma, do your best!" Passing by Team 10, Ino clenched her fists and cheered.
"Don't worry, I won't lose." Haruma replied with a wave.
"Ha–Haruma… good luck!"
As he passed by Hinata on her way back up, he heard her quiet voice cheering him on too. Haruma raised a thumb in acknowledgement.
His mood lifted considerably. He hadn't expected that Hinata, even as he was about to fight her cousin, would cheer for him.
Arriving down the stairs to the arena and standing opposite him was Neji Hyuga, brimming with pride just like Sasuke.
"Haruma-san, I know of you, the top student of his class."
Neji's eyes held no contempt, only fighting spirit, as he continued, "A commoner with no kekkei genkai, yet you've managed to suppress Sasuke Uchiha, Lady Hinata, and the heirs of many great clans, taking the top spot six years in a row. You are a worthy opponent, but your journey ends here."
Neji assumed the Gentle Fist stance, declaring like a judge of fate, "You, trained by Konoha's genjutsu expert, must also be a genjutsu user. Facing me is your misfortune and destiny's decree!"
With a silent command, the veins around Neji's temples bulged.
But then his face twisted in shock as he gasped, "Impossible…! How can your chakra be this massive!?"
"Hm?"
Hearing Neji's words, several jonin with keen senses attempted to gauge Haruma's chakra for themselves, and one by one their expressions turned to shock.
"So much chakra!"
"At least five times my own… is he really a genin?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be a civilian? How could a civilian have such chakra!?"
Exclamations erupted all over the stands.
Only the Third Hokage remained silent, pipe in hand, but in his eyes gleamed anticipation.
Just as Haruma suspected, the matchups were indeed manipulated. Hinata not facing Neji came down to two reasons, both connected to him:
First, to move the branch vs. main family duel into the official tournament.
Second, to pit the current year's top student against the last generation's top student.
The Hokage knew well that the three great clans were natural counters to genjutsu. By matching Haruma against Neji, he intended to test Haruma's true caliber.
If Haruma lost, the Hyuga duel would be staged in the finals but if he won, it would prove that Konoha had birthed another exceptional genius, worthy of greater investment.
Yet no one expected Haruma's chakra reserves to be so vast.
Were it not for Neji's words, the Hokage himself might not have noticed. But he didn't suspect Haruma of being a foreign spy, his background was too clean. His parents had died serving Konoha. There was no possibility of betrayal.
The most plausible explanation was that somewhere in his ancestry, Haruma carried Senju blood that had manifested in him before he entered the academy.
This discovery thrilled the Hokage even more.
Haruma was not just a talented commoner, but one with a staggering chakra pool. This made the upcoming duel even more exciting in his eyes.
Of course, Haruma knew none of this.
Otherwise, he would surely sigh. As expected… the older the ginger, the spicier it is!
That was why he always acted cautiously. Though the Hokage was old, weaker in power, and softer in temperament, this was exactly the stage where suspicion ran deepest.
Every king, every great leader, when aged, reached this point.
And in Konoha, there were two such old men.
How could Haruma dare to be careless? One slip, and he could end up in ANBU or Root's interrogation chambers the very next moment.
Back in the hall
Hearing Neji expose the one secret he could never hide, Haruma was unsurprised, after all, there was no hiding from the Byakugan's gaze.
Yet he offered no explanation. Instead, he reached into his pouch, drew several shuriken, and hurled them at Neji.
"I don't know why you have such chakra reserves," Neji said loudly as he deflected them, "but strength is not decided by chakra alone. The Byakugan is the bane of illusions. Even if you are a genjutsu user, no matter how much chakra you have, you won't ensnare me."
Haruma chuckled and replied, "Well then… why use genjutsu at all?"
"Water Style, Water Collision Wave!"
"—Rotation!"
Neji's face twisted in disbelief as he immediately resorted to his strongest defence.
From Haruma's mouth surged a torrent of water. The very moisture in the air condensed into a massive water dragon that crashed into the ceiling before cascading down like waterfalls and rivers, flooding the hall.
This fusion of chakra nature transformation and immense reserves had pushed a B-rank jutsu far beyond its normal limits, an attack and defence in one.
It was as if the very man who had once signed a contract with the sea itself stood reborn, and in that instant, he was certain... Haruma carried the Senju's blood without a doubt.