Hyuga Civil War

Yei's performance left several of his peers utterly astonished. Even Kakashi, who had been watching all the examinees, was slightly surprised.

Yei really has changed from before. That speed... it's probably on par with that Uchiha Clan's Body Flicker Shisui... Kakashi glanced at Yei, then shifted his gaze to Shisui.

Though Shisui was still young, he had already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and earned the title of Body Flicker Shisui. His reputation in the Shinobi World was no small one.

Kakashi had witnessed Shisui's Body Flicker Technique on the battlefield. It was fast. Though it could not compare to his own teacher's extreme speed, even ordinary Jonin found it difficult to catch him.

Often, with just a moment of carelessness, an enemy would die at Shisui Uchiha's hands!

Yet the speed Yei had displayed just now was no worse than Shisui Uchiha's. It made Kakashi sigh inwardly. The battlefield truly was the place that tempered people most...

The Yei of the past had not been this strong. His performance at the ninja academy had been quite ordinary...

The examination continued. Though Yei's performance had been fairly impressive, the others were no slouches either.

Several of Yei's familiar peers took the stage one after another. Some encountered weak opponents and advanced easily, while others were unlucky enough to face stronger opponents and were eliminated miserably.

Gai's luck was rather poor. He faced Shisui Uchiha in the very first round. After fighting for a while, he was ultimately eliminated by Shisui Uchiha.

The main reason was that Gai had no intention of using the Eight Gates Formation during the examination. He regarded that power as something meant to protect his companions and would not use it lightly. When fighting Shisui Uchiha, he relied only on ordinary Taijutsu, allowing Shisui Uchiha to seize an opening and take him out in an instant...

Nami, Hayate Gekko, Anko, and the others were also eliminated. Of course, they were not discouraged. Elimination did not mean they had no chance of becoming Special Jonin. This examination was not judged solely by combat strength.

If not this time, then next time.

As for the Shadow Guard Squad, they had only heard a little insider information from Asuma. Whether this was truly the selection for it remained uncertain, so they did not hold out much hope...

The combat examination naturally had to select the final candidates.

There were five platforms in total, which meant five of the strongest fighters would be chosen.

These five had the greatest chance of becoming Special Jonin. No, it should be said that it was certain!

After all, combat strength was one of the factors in the examination, and it was undoubtedly a rather important one.

After all, they were only selecting Special Jonin. As long as someone excelled in one area, they could qualify.

Of course, as had been said, elimination did not mean one could not be selected. The standards for Special Jonin did not only consider combat strength, but performance in other areas as well.

As for becoming a true Jonin, the difficulty was even greater!

At its peak, Konoha Village had over ten thousand registered ninja, yet the combined number of Jonin and Special Jonin was only a few hundred. That alone spoke volumes...

Yei stepped onto the stage again. Whether by coincidence or not, his opponent this time was a fellow member of the Hyuga Clan.

He looked a few years older than Yei, around seventeen or eighteen, and was also noticeably taller.

His name was Yuta Hyuga, and he too was a member of the Branch Family.

The Anbu Jonin serving as referee waved a hand, said, "Begin," then left the area, leaving the platform to the two of them.

The two faced each other on the platform. Yuta Hyuga did not attack immediately, instead looking at Yei. "Cousin Yei, you won't be my opponent. Admit defeat."

As members of the same Hyuga Clan, they knew each other. There was even some familial relation between them.

Yuta Hyuga knew a little about Yei's circumstances as well. They had crossed paths during clan gatherings before, and he knew Yei's performance at the ninja academy had been mediocre. He definitely could not be Yuta's opponent.

That was why he told Yei to surrender.

Yei merely shook his head slightly. "How will we know without trying?"

"True. As members of the Hyuga Clan, how can we admit defeat without fighting? Then be careful, Cousin Yei. I won't hold back!" Yuta Hyuga's expression turned serious. He assumed a Gentle Fist stance, veins bulging around the corners of his eyes as he activated his Byakugan!

The Hyuga Clan had always possessed mild temperaments and was not as extreme as the Uchiha Clan.

Moreover, because the Branch Family was suppressed by the Main Family, its members shared a sense of common resentment. Thus, the Branch Family members of the Hyuga Clan had extremely harmonious relationships with one another, with almost no grudges between them.

"Come at me!" Yei quietly activated his Byakugan as well and assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.

"A battle between members of the Hyuga Clan? This is truly interesting..."

"What a pity. We didn't get to see a battle between the two great dojutsu clans. Between the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan, whose Dojutsu Bloodline is stronger?"

The spectators all focused their attention on the two figures on the platform.

Most of those present were civilian ninja, and they generally regarded ninja from prominent clans with awe and respect...

Very quickly, the battle began.

Yuta Hyuga launched the first attack. With his Byakugan fixed on Yei, he drew a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and threw it at him.

Yei simply flashed aside to evade it, then charged toward Yuta Hyuga. After forming a simple hand seal, Chakra flowed through his body to his fingertips, and he flicked out a Chakra bullet. "Eight Trigrams: Air Bullet!"

This was Yei's application of Hado 1: Thrust. In this world, Hado 1: Thrust had become a Chakra bullet much like an ordinary bullet!

Its speed and destructive power were both astonishing. Moreover, due to its small size, it was difficult to notice and could sometimes produce unexpected effects!

Hado 1: Thrust could also enhance the power of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. When Yei had fought the ninja who attacked them before, his Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm had also been enhanced with Hado 1: Thrust!

"Hm? Is this an alternate application of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?" Although Yei's attack was extremely concealed, the Chakra bullet was glaringly obvious within Yuta Hyuga's Byakugan vision. He was only slightly surprised.

Seeing the attack's trajectory clearly, Yuta Hyuga hurriedly flung out a shuriken, colliding with the Chakra bullet midair.

With a clang like metal striking metal, the Chakra bullet exploded directly, while the shuriken was knocked flying.

Neither of their attacks stopped. Under everyone's watchful eyes, they collided head-on!

Bang bang bang...

Their Gentle Fist Taijutsu clashed. Both were masters of the Hyuga Clan and highly skilled in Chakra manipulation. Every collision of palm against palm and fist against fist caused Chakra to surge across the arena.

Centered on the two of them, a wave of air began to swirl.

With another bang, the two struck palms again. Then Chakra and force erupted, sending them both several steps back!

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Yei smiled slightly, mobilizing the Chakra within his body and gathering it in his palm before thrusting out his hand!

"Rotation!" Yuta Hyuga's expression changed slightly, but he reacted quickly. His body spun rapidly like a top as Chakra burst from his chakra points, forming a circular shield!