"This is..."
Tenten and Lee stood there, jaws on the floor.
Was this really Neji Hyuga? The guy everyone called the "Once-in-a-Century Failure" of the Hyuga Clan?
When did he train to get this good? Guy wondered silently.
He looked at Neji, who wore a mask of pure focus. After that last palm strike, the kid wasn't even breathing hard. Without anyone noticing, Neji's power had skyrocketed way past Guy's estimates.
"As expected of a Jonin. Your reaction speed is incredible, Captain Guy!"
Neji didn't hold back the praise, but his eyes were locked onto one thing: the bells at Guy's waist.
Guy forced a stiff smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself, youth! I haven't even said 'Start' yet!"
Neji ignored him completely. He stepped forward and flashed a hand sign.
"Byakugan!"
Guy flinched and immediately took a step back. In that split second, he felt it—Neji had completely locked down the entire environment with his vision.
His mastery over the Byakugan... it's suddenly on a whole different level!
"Hah!"
Neji lunged forward with a palm strike. His speed was nothing like it used to be.
Guy couldn't dodge in time and was forced to block with his forearms. The impact sent him skidding back several meters.
"Neji! Even in the Chunin Exams, there are rules!" Guy shouted. He could handle the surprise attack easily, but he still wanted to be a responsible teacher.
Neji didn't let up. "Captain, you said this was 'real combat.' And in a real ninja battle, there are no rules!"
Before the sentence was even finished, Neji was already moving again.
Almost simultaneously, Guy leaped backward.
Whap!
Thud!
Crack!
Neji's offense was a relentless chain of palm strikes, punches, elbows, and leg sweeps. He gave Guy absolutely zero room to breathe, forcing him to block hit after hit.
The Gentle Fist style attacks internal organs by injecting Chakra. Guy looked like he was blocking them, but the impacts were forcing him back step by step!
"I guess the Gentle Fist isn't just standard martial arts, huh!" Guy yelled, looking for an opening to disengage.
He made a massive leap, putting several meters of distance between them.
"Attacking with Chakra injection... that's a fatal matchup for someone like me who relies on external strength!"
Guy looked relaxed on the outside, but internally, he knew he couldn't afford to underestimate this "failure" anymore.
"That's exactly why I think I have a chance... a chance to defeat a Jonin like you!"
A wild, almost manic look flashed in Neji's eyes.
It wasn't bloodlust or evil—it was a desperate, starving hunger to get stronger.
Neji dropped into a stance, his hands moving fluidly like coiling dragons.
He stomped his foot, sweeping a semi-circle in the dirt. Instantly, a green Eight Trigrams formation appeared on the ground beneath them!
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
"What the—?! Neji, you..."
Guy's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
In his shock, Guy braced himself for impact. The pressure was far heavier than he imagined. For a split second, he actually considered opening the Eight Inner Gates against his own student!
"Eight Palms!"
"Sixteen Palms!"
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
The strikes rained down on Guy's body. Within the Eight Trigrams circle, Neji's footwork and hand speed were visible to the naked eye, yet impossible to track.
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
The final palm slammed squarely into Guy's gut, blasting him backward!
BOOM!
The collision was massive. Dust and debris exploded into the air, covering the battlefield.
"What happened?" Tenten asked nervously before the dust even settled.
Lee was too stunned to speak. "Neji... since when was he this strong?"
"Just as I thought..." Tenten squinted as the air cleared. "Captain Guy is still on another level!"
In the center of the clearing, Might Guy stood with his arms crossed in a defensive block, his eyes burning with determination. He slowly rose from a crouch.
Neji, on the other hand, was lying on the ground, covered in dirt and looking a bit worse for wear.
"Neji, I never expected you to reach this level!"
Guy let out a slow breath. Unlike Lee and Tenten, he wasn't celebrating an easy win. He had actually been forced to open the Second Gate: The Gate of Healing just to tank that last barrage.
If he hadn't, he would have taken some serious internal damage.
Seeing the test was over, Lee and Tenten ran over.
"Neji! That was incredible!"
Lee was practically bowing down in worship. He knew better than anyone how weak Neji used to be.
"How did you get so strong? Can you teach me?" Lee's eyes sparkled.
Tenten sighed with relief. "Well, you definitely leveled up, but your brain needs work... How did you think you could beat Captain Guy one-on-one?"
"We really should have fought as a team..."
While the two of them chattered, Neji slowly lifted his head and climbed to his feet.
"I... I can participate in the Chunin Exams now, right?"
He held out his hand.
Jingle.
Everyone froze, staring at Neji's fingers.
Dangling there was a single silver bell.
Guy patted his waist and realized he was one short.
"He... He won? Neji won?!" Lee screamed, eyes bulging.
Tenten was speechless, her jaw hitting the dirt.
Guy, realizing what had happened, burst into laughter. "You rascal! That last incomplete Sixty-Four Palms... it was just a feint!"
Neji exhaled a long breath. Fighting a Jonin for real was terrifyingly stressful.
"So, am I in?"
"Yes! Of course you are! Congratulations on passing the test!"
Guy laughed heartily. He felt a surge of pride knowing that the "dead last" of his students could now stand toe-to-toe with him.