Naruto vs. Neji! Konoha's Past Disgrace

Naruto faces off against Neji Hyuga; the battle begins.

It can be said that this was an indisputable battle.

After all, Neji Hyuga was the top graduate of the Ninja Academy last year, while Naruto Uzumaki was just a Dead Last.

Apart from Shinki, no one in the arena thought Naruto would win.

Only the Shinki knew that Naruto had grown a lot after a month of Senjutsu training!

On the Arena, Naruto used his signature Shadow Clone Technique, creating several Shadow Clones that rushed towards Neji Hyuga.

Neji completely unfazed.

He activated his Byakugan, searching for his main body among his many Shadow Clones.

Then, he caught Naruto in his true form and unleashed a full set of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!

The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan has the ability to see through the flow of Chakra, and Neji inherited a high-purity Byakugan, which allows him to see the flow of Chakra and the pressure points within the human body. He can use his palm techniques to strike pressure points, which can lock a person's movements!

After figuring out Neji's attack methods, Naruto mastered them.

He didn't rush in; instead, he began to probe with his Shadow Clones.

Neji, with his Byakugan, dismissed this with disdain.

His Byakugan are almost perfect from every angle, so he can perfectly block Shadow Clone that comes from any direction!

Finally, he used the Taijutsu he had mastered to Rotation.

This Taijutsu allows the user to release Chakra through Chakra points on the body's surface while simultaneously rotating the body to deflect attacks.

It's practically Absolute Defense!

This was originally Secret Technique passed down orally within the Hyuga Main Family, but Neji Hyuga, a member of the branch family, managed to develop it on his own, demonstrating his extraordinary talent!

Even the head of the Hyuga Clan, sitting in the stands, was shocked and his Byakugan widened when he saw Neji use this move.

"To have mastered the Rotation Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms all on his own, Hizashi's son is truly a pleasant surprise."

Hyuga Clan, the head of the Hinata Hyuga clan and Hyuga Hiashi's father, said.

One of his attendants remarked, "What a pity, he's someone who's separated from the family."

Upon hearing his attendant's words, Hyuga Hiashi felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart, and he froze in shock.

Finally, he sighed helplessly.

On the Arena, Naruto, having exhausted his Chakra, was panting heavily.

"Give up. Dead Last is Dead Last. No matter how hard you try, you can't beat a genius." Neji said, assuming Eight Trigrams Palm stance and activating his Byakugan.

Naruto, his face full of defiance, retorted, "Shinki used to be Dead Last too. Do you think you can beat him?"

Neji: "..."

Seriously, Neji can't win.

It could even be said that they were completely defeated in both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.

After all, Shinki was a powerful figure who could collect more than ten Scrolls by himself in the perilous Forest of Death.

Naruto laughed, "So, genius isn't absolute. Someone as self-important as you wouldn't understand."

After saying that, Naruto created a Rasengan and charged towards Neji Hyuga.

Neji dodged to the side and struck Naruto with a palm!

"Whoosh!"

To his surprise, this palm strike actually shattered Naruto's body!

He immediately realized it was Shadow Clone!

Sensing the danger, Neji hurriedly turned his head.

Before he could even turn his head, he was struck hard in the face by Naruto's punch!

"Bang!"

That punch, delivered without reservation, nearly knocked Neji's nose crooked!

"See, even you get beaten up by the Dead Last sometimes."

Naruto deliberately mocked, "So how dare someone like you speak rudely to Hinata during the Chunin Ninja Exams preliminaries!"

Chunin Ninja Exams preliminary rounds, Naruto saw Hinata and Neji Hyuga drawn as opponents. Hinata was taunted by Neji while being attacked, and was severely injured.

He made up his mind then and there that he would definitely get justice for Hinata!

Although Hinata was just an insignificant classmate of his at the Ninja Academy, and she always hesitated and stammered when talking to him.

But Naruto could sense Hinata's kindness and gentleness towards him, so when he saw Hinata being bullied, he wanted to fight back!

Why are you bullying Hinata!

Naruto's shout excited Shinki, Sasuke, and Hinata.

This blockhead has finally figured it out!!

On the Arena, Neji was also stunned by Naruto's question.

After a slight twitch of his lips, Neji removed his Forehead Protector, revealing a blue Curse Mark on his forehead. "If you also had the fate of being a 'Caged Bird Seal' like me, you would be much angrier and more extreme than I am."

Naruto asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Neji said, "Today I'll show you the cruel reality of the Hyuga Clan."

"The blue Cursed Seal on my forehead is called 'Caged Bird Seal,' and every member of the Hyuga Clan's branch family has it."

"Once marked with this Curse Mark, the members of the Hyuga Branch Family will live forever to protect the Main Family."

"And the Main Family members can use this Cursed Seal to manipulate the lives and deaths of the branch family members at will."

"This is the legacy of the Hyuga Clan for thousands of years, the protective system of the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai!"

In the audience seats next to him, Shinki listened intently.

If what Neji said is true, then being in the branch family is like being Caged Bird Seal, at the mercy of others, with no freedom whatsoever.

Afterwards, Neji briefly explained the history between his branch family and Hinata Main Family.

Neji's father and Hinata's father were twin brothers.

Hinata's father, Hiashi, was born a little earlier and thus became the Main Family, while Neji's father, Hizashi, being the younger brother, was branded with the Caged Bird Seal and became a member of the branch family.

Years ago, someone from Kumogakure attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Main Family. Hyuga Hiashi discovered this in time, stopped them, and killed them.

Afterwards, the Kumogakure turned on them, threatening war to force the Konoha to hand over the murderer.

Tragically, the Third actually agreed to this shameless and unreasonable demand from the Kumogakure.

The result was that Hyuga Hiashi, who was supposed to be handed over from the Main Family, was replaced by Hizashi Hyuga from the branch family, who was Neji's father.

For this reason, Neji harbored resentment towards the Main Family!

After listening to Neji's story, Naruto looked up at the Third Hokage on the high platform.

The Third Hokage in the stands remained silent.

That would be a disgrace to his rule for the rest of his life!

After Neji finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent.

Many people know this history, but few in the village mention it, simply because it is too shameful and infuriating!

Even Shinki couldn't help but say something.

"Weak!"

That was his first impression after hearing the story.

The idea may be somewhat naive and simple.

After all, Konoha was beset by internal and external troubles at the time, and was attacked from all sides.

However, due to the threat, a trusted clan of Konoha, who had done nothing wrong, handed over a living person on trumped-up charges.

That's all Shinki can say.

He was very empathetic; he was already starting to get angry!

Shinki spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, and everyone heard him.

Kakashi wanted to reach out and cover Shinki's mouth, but his hand was a step too slow.

The room was completely silent.

In the shadows of the stands, an old man with a bandage on his arm took a deep look at Shinki before walking through the door.

The Third Kazekage's pupils turned vertical, and he uttered a sentence.

"Interesting."