32: Chapter 32 The Refutation of Fate, Neji's Collapse"Abstain!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in uproar.
The clamor of voices transformed into a tangible wave, nearly lifting the roof off the tower.
The last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, a genius on whom great hopes were placed, actually deserted in the first match of the highly anticipated finals.
This is simply the biggest joke since the founding of Konoha Village.
[Ding!You've received an incredible 9000 "uproar" from the audience!]
[Ding!You have received 7500 units of extreme disappointment from the audience!]
On the platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was so heavy it seemed to drip water.
The "Wind Shadow" beside him let out a soft, ambiguous laugh, her snake-like eyes beneath the veil filled with amusement at the farce.
Kakashi Hatake stood at the entrance to the players' bench, his body tense.
His anxiety was almost impossible to hide.What on earth is Sasuke up to?
He had clearly promised that he would never be controlled by the cursed seal.
[Ding!You have received 3200 [Anxiety] from Kakashi Hatake!]
[Ding!You have received 2800 [Disappointment] from Hiruzen Sarutobi!]
However, Naruto Uzumaki, the other protagonist at the center of the incident, remained completely unaffected by the chaos.
He didn't even glance back at the empty players' tunnel.
Sasuke's lateness was part of the plan.
Orochimaru needs a grand entrance to demonstrate his control over the "Uchiha genius".
And I, too, need a perfect stage where I can be undisturbed, to harvest another "top ingredient".
Hyuga Neji recovered from his initial astonishment, and then an undisguised disdain appeared on his face.
He believed he had seen through the truth.
"See?" He turned to Naruto, his voice tinged with a morbid glee."This is the 'bond' you believe in.It's so fragile in the face of absolute fate.Even the genius of the Uchiha clan ultimately chose to escape the destiny he could not overcome."
He attributed Sasuke's absence to his fear of facing Gaara, which he saw as an inevitable fate.
[Ding!You have received 1800 "Disdain" from Hyuga Neji!]
Naruto finally reacted.
He slowly turned his head, his azure eyes calmly fixed on Neji, and then a faint, cold smile appeared on his face.
"childish."
He said softly.
"You think this is fate?What you call fate is nothing more than a script written for you by someone else."
"Main family, branch family, caged bird."
"These rules cause you pain, so you choose to believe them and treat them as truth, because that way you can feel at ease resenting them and blaming them for your powerlessness."
"And I," Naruto's voice suddenly turned cold, "am here to rewrite the script."
The moment he finished speaking, Naruto deliberately removed the invisible barrier surrounding his body.
[Unlimited Techniques], Closed.
Buzz!
A powerful and solid chakra erupted from his body.
It was no longer the unstable, leaking power of the Nine-Tails that had emerged during the preliminaries, but rather his own energy, refined to a terrifying degree by the [Possessed by Evil Spirits] technique.
He moved.
There were no hand seals, and no ninjutsu.
[Physical Skills Mastery LV1]
His body sank slightly, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared on the ground beneath his feet.
The next second, his figure vanished from the spot, tearing through the air in an orange straight line, and charging fiercely towards Hyuga Neji.
That's too fast!
Neji's Byakugan caught Naruto's movement, but his body reacted a beat too late.
He never imagined that the pure speed of this bottom-ranked vehicle could reach such a level.
But he is, after all, a genius of the Hyuga clan.
Just as Naruto was about to get close, he made the right choice.
"Bagua Palm - Reversal of Heaven!"
Absolute defense!
A torrent of chakra erupted from all 361 acupoints in his body, causing his body to spin rapidly, forming an impenetrable blue chakra sphere capable of deflecting any physical attack.
This is a secret defensive technique passed down through the Hyuga main family, mastered by Neji on his own; it is his strongest shield.
He believed that no one could break it.
However, just as the rotation was about to reach its peak.
At Naruto's feet, the shadow, elongated by the sunlight, twisted eerily.
[Spell: Shadow Manipulation]
A thin, black thread, barely perceptible to the naked eye, silently extended from his shadow, like a living venomous snake, and instantly coiled around Neji's spinning feet.
The shadow had no physical form and contained no chakra; it was merely the pure power of "rules," carrying an unreasonable "binding" attribute.
It did not stop the return to heaven.
It only caused a barely perceptible delay of 0.01 seconds in that perfect, high-speed rotation.
That's enough.
It was in that very moment.
Naruto's figure grazed the edge of the spinning chakra sphere at an incredible angle, bypassing it.
He bypassed that "absolute" shield.
He appeared to Neji's side and slightly behind.
Neji was still spinning; he didn't even realize that his defenses had been breached.
Naruto remained expressionless, clenched his right fist, and focused all his strength into a single point, aiming a simple punch at Neji's exposed abdomen caused by his spinning.
Bang!
A dull thud, heavy to the extreme.
The spinning stopped abruptly.
Neji's body contorted violently inward, and he spat out a stream of acidic water mixed with blood.
He was struck by an irresistible force, his feet leaving the ground, and he flew backward, tracing a messy parabola before crashing heavily into a hard wall in the distance with a loud bang.
Gravel flew everywhere.
Neji slowly slid down the wall and collapsed to the ground.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
He clutched his throbbing abdomen and struggled to lift his head.His face was filled with incomprehension, bewilderment, and shock.
How is that possible?
My own salvation.
The Hyuga clan's strongest defense.
How could someone who's at the bottom of the class break through so easily.
He couldn't understand it.
What kind of technique is that?Why can't I see it at all with my Byakugan?
[Ding!You have received 6000 of the ultimate [Unbelievable] items from Hyuga Neji!]
[Ding!You have received 4500 [Shakedown] from Hyuga Neji!]
His arrogance, that absolute confidence built upon bloodline and talent, began to show cracks under this punch.
Naruto slowly lowered his fist, not even glancing at Neji, and charged forward again.
He did not use any ninjutsu.
It remains purely physical combat.
Neji struggled to stand up, but Naruto's attack had already arrived.
Bang!
A swift chop landed precisely on Neji's shoulder.
That wasn't the pressure point strike of the Soft Fist style; the force didn't penetrate his body, but rather stimulated his acupoints precisely, forcibly stirring up the resentment that had been building up in his heart because of his father's death.
Neji's body trembled, and a surge of inexplicable grief and indignation welled up in his heart.
Bang!
Another punch landed on his chest.
The power of that punch ignited his resentment towards the main family and the "Caged Bird" curse mark.
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Naruto's attacks were fierce and relentless, yet terrifyingly precise.
Every punch and kick he delivered landed on different pressure points on Neji's body.
He wasn't blocking chakra, nor was he inflicting a fatal wound.
He is playing a musical instrument.
Using Neji's body as an instrument and his negative emotions as notes, a piece called "Collapse" is played.
[Ding!You have received 5500 units of ultimate [resentment] from Hyuga Neji!]
[Ding!You have received 5200 units of ultimate [unwillingness] from Hyuga Neji!]
Neji was completely unable to resist.
Faced with Naruto's overwhelming speed and power, his Gentle Fist became a joke.
He could only passively endure it, and each blow amplified a negative emotion deep within him.
Humiliation, anger, sorrow, hatred.
Countless emotions exploded in his mind, his consciousness began to become chaotic, and his mental defenses were crumbling.
Finally, Naruto stopped attacking.
Neji could no longer hold on, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
He lay on his back on the cold ground, panting heavily; the physical pain was nothing compared to the mental torment.
He gazed up at the cloudless, azure sky, and his once confident and indifferent pure white eyes now held only an empty, boundless sense of bewilderment.
destiny...
Is it really destined?
If fate is absolute, then why is my "genius" destiny so easily trampled underfoot by a "loser"?
Everything I've always firmly believed in.
Is it really just a joke?
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