A Clash of Taijutsu

Sasuke's strength needs no further explanation.

In any case, if we disregard things like practical combat experience, which are difficult to measure, then he is definitely Jonin- level fighter.

However, Neji also very strong.

Moreover, he is much stronger than the character in the original novel.

After activating the first three pressure points of the Hokuto Shinken, Neji's weaknesses, such as stamina and speed, were largely compensated for.

Sakura has watched many of Neji and Hinata's sparring matches, and has also sparred with Hinata quite a few times.

As for my impression of Gentle Fist, well... it's roughly a case of overwhelming power in the early stages, weakening in the middle stages, and becoming quite formidable in the later stages.

When everyone was still a child, with limited Chakra and few Ninjutsu, relying mainly on Taijutsu in combat, Gentle Fist, which was extremely effective against Taijutsu, was naturally invincible among its peers.

Then, as peers grow older and their Chakra increases, and Ninjutsu -type and Taijutsu- type ninjas begin to differentiate themselves, the weaknesses of Gentle Fist become more apparent.

It's not fast, not strong, and its ranged attack capabilities won't be learned until later. Although it's still very powerful in close combat, it's easy for the enemy to kite it, and the enemy can easily take the initiative in battle, making it a huge weakness.

In the original work, Neji being toyed with by Kidomaru is the best illustration of this.

Later, with the acquisition of ranged skills such as the Air Palm, the Gentle Fist regained the initiative in the battle, at least no longer being easily led by the nose by the enemy.

By then, Gentle Fist's ability to destroy targets by injecting Chakra had varying degrees of effectiveness against most Secret Technique. In battles between high-ranking ninjas, this was a remarkably effective ability, which is why the Hyuga often boasted that they were the strongest clan in Konoha —of course, this only happened after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Neji is currently in this awkward middle stage.

He can defeat opponents skilled in Taijutsu, Special Jōnin or even Jonin; however, if the enemy is Ninjutsu- type or all-around ninja, even if they are only Chunin level, he will have a hard time fighting them.

However, after learning the Farmer's Three Fists... uh, the Hokuto Shinken, Neji's speed and strength have improved significantly. Judging from his Taijutsu alone, he has already reached the edge of Jonin level.

Off the field, Neji unleashed the Hokuto Shinken, while Sasuke began using Lightning Release Chakra to activate his body.

His strength is even greater than Neji's, but in terms of Taijutsu alone, the Gentle Fist's integrated offense and defense, the troublesome ability of pressure point striking, and the sticky and persistent attacks of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms are also quite troublesome. Sasuke can only hold his own against him for the time being.

Strangely enough, although they are two different Kekkei Genkai, Neji's Taijutsu left a similar impression on Sasuke as Kimimaro's.

Both gave Sasuke a feeling of being like a hedgehog, impossible to approach.

The difference is that Kimimaro's thorns are bone blades that could pierce out of his body at any time. These sharp and tough bones would leave Sasuke with bloody wounds if he wasn't careful.

Neji's thrusts were actually a combination of his Gentle Fist and pressure point techniques. This special fist technique could cut off the flow of Chakra within the body. Once it hit, it would cause a blockage in the flow of Chakra. Although no injury was visible on the outside, its impact on the battle was greater than any external wound. In addition, there was the close-range, sticky, and relentless attack of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, which even Sasuke was very wary of.

Of course, in terms of Taijutsu skills, Kimimaro was two years older than Neji, and the white-haired youth had a slight edge in Taijutsu prowess.

However, this is just a friendly sparring match, and no killing moves will be used. Even though there is a difference in strength, it won't be decided so quickly. Moreover, Sasuke's strength over Neji lies more in his Ninjutsu, especially his ultimate technique, Lightning Release: Chidori, which Neji's backhand cannot defend against. In terms of Taijutsu alone, the difference between the two is actually quite small.

Both of them possessed remarkable Taijutsu skills, but their approaches were completely opposite.

Sasuke believes that "nothing in the world is indestructible except for speed," which is a typical high-speed combat system; Neji's Gentle Fist, on the other hand, is a master of using softness to overcome hardness, and a master of "using skill to break a thousand pounds."

The clash between the two systems sparked a dazzling display of skill on the field.

Li, whose eyes were shining and who was completely absorbed in the game, was now watching Sakura Haruno, whose aptitude for Taijutsu was only average, with great interest.

"Who do you think will win?" Sakura asked the Taijutsu expert beside her during a lull in their fight.

"Neji, I guess!" Lee answered instinctively. He turned his head and noticed the girl beside him looked a little surprised, so he quickly explained, "It seems Sasuke isn't planning to use Ninjutsu, so if this continues, Neji will probably win because Sasuke's fighting style consumes more stamina."

That makes more sense.

When Li blurted out his answer to Neji, Sakura didn't even have time to react. However, his explanation made sense. Without using Ninjutsu, Sasuke appeared to be suppressing Neji on the surface, but while the former's attacks were fierce, he couldn't break through in time, while the latter was steady and his defense was watertight, so the disadvantage wasn't as obvious as it seemed on the surface.

Sakura glanced at Lee and felt that his confident words made her see herself in Sasuke.

Lee must have encountered a similar predicament. After removing his weights, he could suppress Neji with his extremely high speed, but without opening the Eight Gates Released Formation, he would find it difficult to break through Neji's defenses. If the battle dragged on, Lee, Taijutsu was being used up more, would eventually be defeated.

Sakura Haruno wasn't as certain about the outcome of their fight as Lee. In her view, if it were purely a contest of Taijutsu, Sasuke and Neji were Fifty-Fifty, and either could win.

By the third round, Neji and Sasuke had gained a better understanding of each other's strength, so they made fewer probing moves, and the battle began to become more intense and exciting.

However, just as she was watching intently, she was suddenly interrupted.

"Sakura, urgent mission."

Shino, wearing a new mask, appeared behind her.

Sakura suddenly wanted to turn around and make a rude gesture to Shino —how painful it must have been to be forcibly dragged away at such a crucial moment!

"Sigh, calm down, mind your image!" she said to herself, silently taking out a new mask from the Sealing Jutsu inside her elbow pad, putting it on, Body Flicker Technique leaving the place.

The Hokage's office.

This mission was issued directly to them by Sakura's master, Lady Tsunade.

Besides the Team Fourteen, there were two other members of the Anbu that Sakura didn't recognize present, all of whom were obeying orders.

The mission is still related to Orochimaru.

The reason why Orochimaru was not present at the scene before has been found: the reconnaissance team found traces left by Orochimaru after the battle near the border.

Analysis of the battle traces at the scene indicates that the major battle occurred during the operation to rescue Sasuke, clearly indicating that Orochimaru was ambushed. Based on the analysis, it appears that six people participated in the interception: one skilled in Taijutsu, and the remaining five each proficient in one of the five Release Techniques.

Tsunade's first reaction upon learning this information was that it was Danzo's doing; however, as far as she knew, Danzo should not have had so many Elite Jonin- level or even Kage Level Release Techniques masters under his command.

Therefore, the whole matter is still shrouded in doubt.

Near the site of the major battle, reconnaissance troops discovered several underground bases, but they were already deserted.

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