Chapter 58: Hyuga vs. Hyuga
After the brief shock, everyone calmed down and focused on Sasuke.
The next duel was Uchiha Sasuke versus Yoroi Akadō.
As a genius of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was also highly anticipated.
After all, the name Uchiha resounded throughout the ninja world. Almost everyone knew it.
Decades ago, a man named Uchiha Madara had appeared and shaken the ninja world. So many people wanted to see if another Uchiha would emerge as a villainous figure like in the past. They were very interested in Sasuke's performance.
After Sasuke heard his name, he nodded and jumped down into the arena.
In the arena, Yoroi Akadō had already been waiting for Sasuke. After seeing Sasuke come down, he snorted coldly, as if he didn't think Sasuke was very strong.
After the two were ready, Moonlight Hayate quickly announced that the battle had begun.
Soon, the two of them made their moves one after another.
Although Yoroi Akadō wore a Konoha forehead protector, he was actually a spy from Otogakure sent by Orochimaru. His strength was also quite impressive.
But that kind of strength wasn't enough in front of Sasuke.
Even though Yoroi Akadō had the strength of an elite genin, Sasuke had been trained by Naruto. With his Sharingan awakened, his strength had greatly improved—far surpassing what it had been before.
So after the two fought for a short while, Sasuke quickly defeated Yoroi Akadō and put him down. He didn't waste any time.
After seeing Sasuke's performance, several of Konoha's Jōnin instructors praised him. They were happy that Konoha had such an outstanding genin.
Some high-ranking Konoha officials, however, frowned when they saw Sasuke's extraordinary performance. It was unclear what they were thinking.
Moonlight Hayate looked at Yoroi Akadō, who had been thoroughly beaten by Sasuke, and soon announced Sasuke's victory.
Sasuke jumped back to the stands, and Kakashi offered him some praise.
Soon, Moonlight Hayate continued announcing the next matchups.
The ensuing fights were nothing special to watch.
Most of them were duels between genin from other villages. Their performances were mediocre—almost all at the level of normal genin or elite genin at best.
After the genin from other villages had faced off against each other for a while, it was soon Sakura's turn.
Sakura's opponent was her best friend, Ino.
The two had unexpectedly been matched up against each other as opponents.
After Sakura and Ino learned that they would be facing each other, a strong competitive spirit rose within them. They both wanted to prove themselves.
The battle that followed was also very exciting.
Sakura's strength had greatly improved from her previous training with Naruto and the others. But Ino also seemed very motivated during this time, as if stimulated by Sakura's progress. Her improvement was rapid.
The battle between the two was like a catfight between women. They went back and forth, trading blows. There were many impressive exchanges.
In the end, the two of them fought until they were exhausted—just like in the original story—and ended in a draw.
Although Sakura and Ino fought to a draw and were both eliminated, they weren't discouraged. In fact, they were very satisfied.
Because after the Chunin Exam and the duel they had just fought, both of them could clearly see their own progress. They were also happy that their good friend had improved so quickly.
Soon after the duel between Sakura and Ino ended, the next matchup drew everyone's attention.
Moonlight Hayate looked at the results of the lottery and announced loudly:
"Next matchup—Hyuga Hinata versus Hyuga Neji."
As soon as the words fell, Hinata's delicate body trembled slightly. She looked into the distance with some surprise. Neji Hyuga, on the other hand, looked indifferent.
Nearby, Kurenai heard that Hinata's opponent was Neji. Knowing the conflict between the main house and branch house of the Hyuga clan, she looked at Hinata with concern and said softly:
"Hinata, how about withdrawing…"
Hearing Kurenai's words, Hinata shook her head firmly. She turned her beautiful eyes to look at Naruto and said:
"No, Kurenai-sensei. I want to prove to everyone that I will never give up."
"Naruto-kun, please watch my performance."
After speaking, Hinata took a deep breath and jumped down into the arena.
Neji followed suit.
Naruto was taken aback by Hinata's words. Looking at Hinata's frail figure—yet with a determination stronger than ever—it moved Naruto.
Seeing Hinata and Neji arrive at the arena, Moonlight Hayate announced lightly:
"Begin."
After the words fell, the two of them didn't rush to act just because of the announcement. Instead, they looked at each other and spoke.
"Neji-nii-san." Hinata said politely.
Neji looked at the serious and determined Hinata, frowned, then snorted coldly. He said with some disdain:
"Lady Hinata. Give up. You are no match for me. Surrender now, and I won't hurt you."
Neji looked arrogant, looking down on Hinata's strength, and spoke dismissively.
After hearing what Neji said, Hinata shook her head firmly. She looked at Naruto, who was watching her, smiled lightly, and said firmly:
"No, Neji-nii-san. I will never give up. Naruto-kun is watching me."
Neji paused for a moment. He turned his head and glanced at Naruto in the stands, as if he had noticed something.
But Neji didn't particularly care about that.
Instead, seeing Hinata's firm eyes and determination to fight, he couldn't stop the anger rising in his heart.
Immediately, Neji clenched his fists, as if thinking of the injustice he had faced. With angry eyes, he shouted:
"Fine. Then let me show you—even though the Hyuga clan is divided into the main house and branch house, the gap between you and me cannot be crossed."
"As a genius of the Hyuga clan, I cannot lose to you."
"You cannot beat me."
After speaking, Neji's chakra burst outward. The veins around his eyes bulged.
Byakugan. Activate.