"Great! Shino, come on and beat him!"
In the stands, Naruto was screaming excitedly, as if Shino had already won, even though he didn't fully understand the situation.
Kiba, standing beside him, commented seriously, "Shino is the only opponent I don't want to face."
He had brains, strength, and terrifying abilities.
Kiba wasn't afraid of a strong opponent, but he worried that he wouldn't even know how he lost if things went badly.
On the field, Neji closed his eyes to compose himself. When he opened them again, his entire aura had changed.
"I will show you what absolute strength is! No matter what you do, in the face of a huge gap, it will be in vain!"
Neji walked into the center of the insect swarm, assuming a Gentle Fist stance.
Byakugan: Sixty-Four Palms!
In an instant, his fingers struck with blinding speed. Sparks seemed to fly from his fingertips.
Under his attack, a large number of insects were blasted away.
As Shino had predicted, Neji's attack frequency was high, but it still couldn't surpass the reproduction rate of the insects.
However, after completing the sixty-four palm strikes, Neji's posture shifted.
Suddenly, his attack speed and intensity surged.
Soft Fist Technique · Eight Trigrams · One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!
Neji's hands blurred into illusions. Wherever they moved, insects vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving no trace behind.
Every finger strike annihilated the insects in large numbers.
The crowd gasped at the terrifying speed of Neji's attacks.
One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms?!
For a Genin, performing sixty-four palms was already genius-level. No one expected him to reach one hundred and twenty-eight.
Those familiar with the Hyuga Gentle Fist now looked at Neji differently.
He wasn't just a Genin. In a war, he would already qualify as a Jonin.
At this attack frequency, the insects' reproduction rate couldn't keep up.
Even Shino was slightly surprised.
Hinata, Neji's teammate, could manage only thirty-two strikes—and not successfully every time.
Shino had expected Neji could perform sixty-four palms, but not that sixty-four was only routine; one hundred and twenty-eight was his true limit.
This meant Shino's plan was failing.
"It seems we have to gamble!" Shino decided. He stopped breeding new insects.
Neji noticed immediately with his Byakugan. The subtle change in chakra was clear.
Secret Technique: Insect Swarm!
Shino raised his hands. Instantly, the insects swarmed toward Neji, forming a black fog around him.
Neji smirked slightly. "Finally? Let's see."
The insects surrounded him in an instant. Even with his multiple hands, he couldn't block them all.
This was exactly what Shino intended.
Byakugan: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!
Neji released chakra from all his points and spun rapidly, a blue blur of motion.
The spinning top of chakra obliterated all insects around him.
Shino's insects died like moths to a flame.
The Insect Swarm technique gathers all insects around the target, consuming their chakra in moments.
But Neji's Byakugan allowed him to react effectively.
Shino hadn't anticipated this. The insects he had sacrificed by expending chakra were all destroyed instantly.
He fell silent. The Hyuga clan's abilities were too overwhelming.
"Without support, you have no chance of winning," Neji said. He didn't attack immediately, instead looking at Shino.
"I told you from the beginning, you're just wasting your time. Destiny isn't changed by effort. If hard work were enough, no one would ever be called a genius."
Click.
A subtle sound made Neji freeze.
"How… could it be?"
Shino calmly placed his hands back in his pockets. "I never underestimate any bug, no matter how small. Different bugs can play different roles. The Insect Swarm just now wasn't meant to finish the battle. It was meant to distract you."
The real attack was hidden.
On the second segment of Neji's spine, a parasitic insect, much larger than the others, had positioned itself perfectly in his blind spot.
Shino had tested the branch family's vision, knowing there was a 1% blind spot in their Byakugan.
The initial insect spread had been a test. Neji's reactions had given Shino data on his visual strengths and weaknesses.
He had chosen the spine because it was the easiest location for a sneak attack.
"But even so, I still couldn't defeat you in the end," Shino said to the referee. "I give up!"
As he spoke, Neji released chakra from the points in his body and destroyed the parasitic insect.
But even a few seconds of control had been enough to unsettle him.
Neji, who had underestimated his opponent, had nearly fallen.
He could only imagine how dangerous this would have been if Shino had used more lethal insects or had allies on the field.
Tenten, watching Neji's expression, couldn't help but laugh. If she weren't his teammate, she would have taunted him mercilessly.
"Ah! Shino! Why did you give up? You could have won!" Naruto shouted, jumping in frustration.
He was the only one who didn't grasp the nuance of the fight.
Meanwhile, others in the stands clapped, impressed.
"It's quite exciting!"
"Beautiful fight!"
"This is the second thrilling fight I've have seen today."
Shino may have lost the match, but he won the hearts of the audience. At that moment, he was the most admired figure in the arena.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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