At this moment, Takenaka Taishi had already closed in directly above Rock Lee. At such close range, there was no way for Lee to dodge.
"Damn it! I can only protect my vital points!" Rock Lee reacted instantly, crossing his arms to shield his chest.
Clang!
Just as the kunai was about to plunge down, Tenten flicked her wrist, firing a kunai that knocked Takenaka's blade aside.
Seizing the opening, Rock Lee twisted his body and unleashed Konoha Whirlwind, kicking Takenaka Taishi away and barely regaining his footing.
"This guy… he's ruthless!"
The pain transmitted back from his clone made Rock Lee's scalp tingle.
So this is a real chunin…
Completely different from any opponent he'd faced before.
"Tch. One close-range fighter, one long-range support—what a pain," Takenaka Taishi muttered coldly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"So this is the level of a chunin…"
High above, Hyuga Neji stood on a tree branch, watching the battle in silence, his thoughts churning.
Seeing is believing.
Back when he'd watched Naruto in his previous life, chunin always felt weak. Only after truly stepping into this world did he realize how wrong that impression had been.
Rock Lee's speed was terrifying, yet Takenaka could still track him precisely.
Tenten's weapons came from unpredictable angles, yet he defended against them flawlessly.
Decisive movements. Brutal efficiency. Deep combat experience.
In just moments, he had pushed both of them to the brink of death.
How could anyone pass the Chunin Exams without real skill?
Thinking about it now, Naruto and the others defeating chunin back then really was pure protagonist privilege.
The Sound Five came to mind—fighters on par with elite chunin, yet defeated by genin rookies. Truly painful memories.
Back to the present.
Below, Rock Lee and Tenten were already locked in a grueling struggle. The gap between chunin and genin was painfully clear.
Even working together, they were barely holding on.
And that was only because Rock Lee hadn't removed his weights yet. Otherwise, even ten more opponents wouldn't have been enough to stop him.
Guy-sensei is still watching… I can't fall here. Should I use that move?
Rock Lee hesitated.
Tenten wasn't doing much better. Summoning so many ninja tools in rapid succession had drained her chakra quickly.
Takenaka Taishi himself wasn't unscathed either.
Rock Lee and Tenten were strong, and their teamwork forced him to stay cautious.
Clang!
Their weapons collided once more, and both sides were forced back.
"How did a bunch of genin end up chasing me?" Takenaka Taishi swept his gaze around, then fixed his eyes on them again.
"Your supervising jonin is nearby, isn't he?" he sneered.
"Trying to use me as training material? You're going to regret it."
With that, his hands flew through seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Great River!"
The ground suddenly churned like a raging current.
"What—?!"
"What's happening?!"
Rock Lee and Tenten were shocked as the mud surged beneath their feet, dragging them off balance and making movement nearly impossible.
"That's all? I can still fight!" Rock Lee growled, struggling to stabilize himself.
"Hmph. I'm not done yet," Takenaka Taishi said coldly.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The mud instantly deepened, swallowing them like a wave until only their heads remained exposed.
This time, neither of them could move at all.
Seeing this, Neji—and Might Guy, watching from above—both felt a headache coming on.
They already knew he specialized in Earth Release restraints… and still walked straight into it.
Yet Takenaka Taishi didn't go for the kill. Instead, he turned and fled.
No joke—his jonin instructor was nearby. If he didn't run now, he was dead for sure.
Bang!
A dark figure suddenly dropped from above, kicking Takenaka Taishi straight back.
"You attack someone and think you can just run?" Neji leaned casually against a tree, his voice calm.
"You're overestimating yourself."
"Whoa… what a cool entrance," Tenten said, eyes sparkling.
Nearby, Rock Lee couldn't help but grumble internally.
"Byakugan?!" Takenaka Taishi shouted in shock. "A Hyuga?!"
He immediately turned to flee again.
Everyone in the ninja world knew—getting too close to the Hyuga Clan meant a miserable death.
"Damn it…" he cursed, preparing to leap to another branch.
But someone arrived a split second before him.
"My apologies—I'll leave my student to you. Go experience the passion of youth!"
"Might… Guy?!" Takenaka Taishi exclaimed in disbelief.
Having stayed in Konoha for some time, he naturally recognized one of the village's most famous jonin.
He never imagined someone of Might Guy's caliber would personally come after him.
Seeing Guy appear, Takenaka couldn't help but smile bitterly.
I'm not getting away today.
"How about we make a grand wager on youth?" Might Guy suddenly laughed.
"…What?" Takenaka Taishi was confused.
"If you defeat him, I'll give you one extra day to escape. If you lose—well, you know the outcome."
"Guy-sensei, that's—!" Tenten and Rock Lee both tried to object, but Guy waved them off.
"I believe in my student."
He pointed straight at Takenaka Taishi.
"Well? Interested in a battle staked on youth?"
"…You mean that?" Takenaka Taishi asked.
"Do you have any other choice?" Neji cut in coldly before Guy could answer.
"…Fine!"
Takenaka suddenly hurled two kunai at Neji and immediately began forming seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Great River!"
Neji flipped aside, then instantly lunged forward, appearing right in front of Takenaka.
"Byakugan!"
The veins around Neji's eyes bulged as Takenaka's chakra network and tenketsu came fully into view.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Takenaka used the Body Flicker Technique to evade, but with the Byakugan active, Neji chased him down relentlessly.
"Hmph!" Takenaka snorted, forming seals with both hands as he advanced instead of retreating.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale blasted from his mouth. Caught off guard, Neji was blown away and slammed into the ground.
"Hmph. Die, brat."
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
A razor-sharp blade of wind slashed horizontally—cutting Neji cleanly in half at the waist.
But in the next instant, Takenaka Taishi's blood ran cold.
The body he'd cut apart dispersed into smoke.
"A clone?!"
Before he could react, the real Neji appeared silently behind him.
"Hey," Neji said hoarsely,
"do you know how much that hurts?"
The pain feedback from the clone made his body sway slightly—but he remained steady.
In this world, to survive, you had to be ruthless.
To others—and even to yourself.
"Damn it!" Takenaka Taishi's face twisted in alarm.
Pfft!
A kunai pierced his chest—but at the last instant, he twisted his body, shifting the blow away from a vital point.
Gritting his teeth, Takenaka grabbed Neji's wrist, drew another kunai with his free hand, and stabbed back.
Neji hadn't expected such terrifying endurance—but his expression remained ice-cold.
Just as the blade closed in, Neji's body began to spin.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"