"Guy-sensei, Neji didn't mess up practicing the Eight Gates, did he?" Lee cast a suspicious glance at Might Guy.
He was starting to wonder if Neji had been ruined by his training.
The others turned to Guy at once. Guy hurriedly shook his head.
"Impossible! I was supervising the whole time. There's no way anything went wrong! I swear on the fire of my youth, this is not my fault!"
He wasn't about to take the fall for this.
Yet from the looks on everyone's faces, it was clear they didn't quite believe him. Guy felt wronged. How could such a sincere man like him be doubted like this? The world was truly unfair.
"Look! Gaara's making a move!" Naruto suddenly shouted.
At that moment, Gaara's gaze was as cold as ever. From childhood to now, he had never been underestimated like this.
Before Genma could even speak, a wave of fine sand surged toward Neji.
"Sand Hand."
The sand transformed midair into a massive palm, slamming down from above with crushing force, causing the ground to dip slightly under the pressure.
"Well, looks like my journey in the Chunin Exams ends here," Neji sighed, a bit helpless. He had hoped to watch Naruto and Sasuke's match, but now that seemed unlikely.
Whoosh!
Just before the sand struck, Neji vanished with a sudden blur.
Boom!
A moment later, Gaara was sent flying, cracks forming across his face.
"What?!" The crowd gasped in unison.
No one had noticed when Neji appeared beside Gaara and landed a solid punch.
"How is this possible?!" Kankuro and Temari were horrified.
Even when Lee had removed his ankle weights, Gaara's Sand Shield had barely kept up. But now, it couldn't even form in time.
"He's so fast..." Kakashi muttered in awe.
"Damn it!" Sasuke clenched his fists. He had thought he'd caught up. But now... it still wasn't enough.
"Damn it! Why? Am I really destined to be nothing more than someone else's stepping stone?!"
No. He needed power. The kind of power that could kill that man.
Sasuke's thirst for strength stirred something deep within him. The Cursed Seal that had been lying dormant began to pulse faintly. But with all eyes on Neji and Gaara, no one noticed.
No one... except Orochimaru.
"Yes, Sasuke. Keep going. The more you yearn for power, the deeper you fall into my grasp," Orochimaru whispered, licking his lips, eyes glinting with hunger for the Sharingan.
Thankfully, the mask covering his face kept him hidden. Otherwise, his expression would have already betrayed him.
But when his gaze returned to the arena, he froze.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Neji was relentlessly launching Gaara across the field at such speed that Gaara couldn't even land before being struck again.
To the audience, Gaara now resembled nothing more than a sandbag, tossed and pummeled helplessly from one side to the other.
This sight... it was all too familiar.
"Incredible," Hinata gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. She had never imagined such a scene, not even in her dreams.
"What's going on? Are all of Konoha's Genin monsters now?!" Orochimaru raged silently, barely containing his frustration.
But he quickly calmed himself. Clearly, his decision back then had been the right one.
"This won't do," Might Guy muttered, eyes narrowing.
"Speed alone isn't enough. Gaara's Sand Armor still hasn't shown any signs of cracking," Kakashi added.
If this kept up, it would end the same way it had for Lee.
Boom!
At that moment, Neji sent Gaara crashing into a wall with a thunderous impact.
Gaara looked up, face twisted, and let out a strange, maniacal laugh. "Is that all? Come on. Show me something that truly excites me."
As his voice fell, dozens of sand walls erupted around Neji, boxing him in.
"Sand Shuriken!"
Gaara roared, and the sand walls transformed into cannon-like towers, launching a flurry of shuriken-shaped sand at Neji with terrifying speed, leaving no room to dodge.
"Neji-niisan…" Hinata clasped her hands together, eyes locked on the scene in worry.
But Neji didn't move. He stood calm and unmoved.
As the sand shuriken closed in, chakra burst from his body. He began to spin rapidly, the projectiles deflecting and shattering around him.
"That's... Rotation!" Hiashi Hyuga's eyes widened in shock. Neji's talent had already surpassed his wildest expectations.
But more than shock, there was a rising surge of pride. For the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope for the Hyuga Clan's resurgence.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
Without missing a beat, Neji thrust his palm forward, releasing a wave of chakra that shot toward Gaara. At the same time, he lunged forward, fist drawn.
Boom!
Gaara's Sand Shield rose again, intercepting the Air Palm.
But in the same instant, Neji's fist crashed down.
"Hmph! Even if he breaks the Sand Shield, there's no way he can break through the Sand Armor. Gaara has this match won," Kankuro said with a smug grin.
"Exactly. Even if the armor's cracked, he still can't break it," Temari added.
The crowd fell silent. What they said was true. A month ago, Neji had tried and failed.
But in the next moment, their faces changed.
With a deafening crash, Gaara's Sand Armor caved in under Neji's punch. Blood spurted from Gaara's mouth.
"This... This can't be happening!"
"The Sand Armor actually collapsed?!"
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, and Orochimaru remained calm. They were already convinced that Neji had some connection to Tsunade. To them, this was hardly surprising.
But for the rest, this was unprecedented. Gaara's invincible Sand Armor shattered. And now, he was coughing up blood.
"Neji, you really are incredible... But I won't give up that easily. I'll surpass you someday!" Lee sobbed with emotion, muttering to himself.
"Lee…" Guy looked at him, tears welling in his eyes. He raised his hand and called out, "Neji! Burn with the fire of your youth!"
"Go for it, Neji-niisan!"
"Show him what you've got!"
The others cheered loudly, excited and full of admiration. Neji had completely won them over.
"Damn it. Is the gap really this big?!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, haunted by the memory of his own crushing defeat at Gaara's hands.
Just then, a massive wave of sand lifted Gaara into the air. His head lowered, and a strange, murderous aura began to seep out of him.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
"Kankuro, is this... is Gaara losing control?" Temari's voice trembled.
"I... I don't know." Kankuro instinctively looked toward Baki.
"It's fine. Still within control," Baki said, though his voice was tight. He was nervous too.
Last time, even after being brutalized by Lee, Gaara had managed to keep it together. This time should be no different.
But... this time, blood had been spilled.
A shadow passed over his heart, but he glanced toward the fake Kazekage Orochimaru in disguise.
Hmm. The Kazekage hadn't reacted.
With that thought, he chose to keep watching.
"Sand Hand!"
Gaara thrust out his arms. Two massive sand hands formed in an instant, sweeping in from both sides toward Neji.
But Neji didn't panic. Instead, he smiled coldly and lifted his fists-
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