Let Me Show You Something Big (Please Vote)

A lock of long hair fell.

Neji's heart stirred, and his figure flashed.

Backstep

He took quick, tiny steps as though his feet had been greased, gliding into a Moonwalk that was incredibly deceptive to the eye, making Izumi pause in surprise.

Neji chuckled inwardly. Welcome to the Draven League—time to slide!

"This..."

Izumi could not help but watch closely, not daring to attack rashly for the moment.

It looked quite interesting. Why did he appear to be walking forward when he was actually moving backward?

"You just missed your only chance to defeat me, Izumi!"

Neji stood on the soft Island Cloud, his feet sinking slightly into it. Looking at the startled Izumi, he smiled faintly.

"Activate your Sharingan! Let's play a little more."

Play?

Izumi could not help getting angry. She had been fighting so hard, yet he said they were merely playing?

The black of her eyes changed, instantly turning into scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan as she stared at Neji before her.

"Then I'll play properly with Neji-kun!"

Ah, she was even using honorifics. She really was angry!

Unfortunately, ninjutsu was difficult to use while the Eight Gates were active. However, once Izumi activated her Three Tomoe Sharingan—

—her speed and strength could be further enhanced, supported by her powerful dynamic vision.

"I couldn't ask for more!"

All Neji saw was a massive "experience pack" charging at him. This was double the fun.

Was this "experience pack" of hers big?

Who knew whether it was big or not? But when Neji sent out a palm strike, it certainly carried plenty of weight.

Struck by that palm, Izumi felt a tightness in her chest. Unusual Chakra invaded her body, only to be instantly scattered by her violent Chakra.

Hmph!

Gentle Fist?

Nothing special.

Her scarlet Sharingan spun ceaselessly, its powerful dynamic vision tracking Neji as he slid around her.

That highly deceptive Moonwalk truly was difficult to deal with the first time one saw it, but once she got used to it, she could see through it.

Shave

The Island Cloud beneath them instantly shattered, and Izumi accelerated once more, predicting Neji's next landing point.

Neji, who had been watching Izumi's movements closely, felt a warning from his Observation Haki. But her suddenly explosive speed left him unable to dodge.

It seemed the Moonwalk could not be used continuously. He could weave it in from time to time and catch his opponent off guard.

"Good!"

Neji praised in a low voice as Nen, utterly different from Chakra, began circulating within him.

Bang!

Izumi's expression changed slightly as her palm struck out. Neji was right in front of her, yet she could not advance even an inch.

Her palm sank into an orange-yellow circular barrier. It was incomparably tough, impossible to destroy in a single blow.

Nen Barrier

Neji thought to himself. This was his first time using this move, so he was not yet entirely certain of its defensive strength.

After all, he had not had enough opponents to test it on.

But judging by this, it was not bad. It could even block Izumi with the First Gate open.

"Izumi, why don't you try and see if you can break it?"

"Otherwise, you won't be able to hit me."

Uchiha Izumi gave a soft snort. Even without him saying so, she understood. With a sharp cry, she attacked.

Her hands turned into phantoms, falling upon the orange-yellow dome like a furious storm.

Watching Neji remain motionless within, she wanted to see just how long he could hold out.

As Izumi attacked, Neji was also calculating the strength of the Nen Barrier.

Crack—

With the first sound of breaking, a crack appeared across the Nen Barrier.

The appearance of that flaw greatly encouraged Izumi. Her movements grew even fiercer as she incorporated the Finger Pistol technique from the Six Powers.

Her offensive instantly became much sharper!

Continuous cracking sounds rang out, and the barrier shattered at an increasingly rapid rate, making Neji's gaze narrow.

Was this all the strength it had for now?

It was enough.

But this silly girl probably thought he had to remain still to maintain the Nen Barrier.

Crack—

As an unusual cracking sound rang out, Izumi's gaze sharpened. Her hand movement changed, turning into a palm blade as she stabbed straight ahead.

"Shatter!"

Her palm blade descended, and the orange-yellow Nen Barrier exploded apart. Izumi, wrapped in fragments and Chakra, passed through the barrier and lunged straight at Neji.

The latter's lips curled upward, showing no intention of retreating. Izumi instantly felt that something was wrong.

Just as her hand touched Neji's body, a thread of lightning began to emerge across his face.

Boom!

Phantom Explosion

What suddenly exploded was merely a clone. Izumi sensed the danger in advance and shielded herself with both hands, her entire body sent flying backward.

She landed on the Island Cloud, carving a trail through it.

Traces of Electric Light flowed over her body, leaving her looking somewhat disheveled. Yet under the wash of her violent Chakra, the electricity quickly faded away.

The Healing Tattoo began to take effect, continuously healing the injuries she had just sustained.

Lowering her hands, her scarlet Sharingan swiftly swept across her surroundings, searching for Neji's position.

Why could he use ninjutsu? And when had he formed hand seals to switch with a clone?

Wasn't ninjutsu completely unusable under the Eight Gates?

Wasn't that cheating?

Though questions filled her mind, the spar was not over yet, and Izumi was still quite competitive.

"Don't be curious. It's because I'm different from all of you!"

The answer, as if it had seen through her thoughts, came from behind her.

Izumi immediately realized something was wrong!

An intense sense of danger surged through her, and she instantly Pounces Towards the front.

Thunder Stomp

Neji's leg was wrapped in lightning. Like a thunder god descending from the heavens, he came crashing down amid an explosive clap of thunder.

Boom!

Thunder roared as arcs of electricity spread like slithering snakes. The Island Cloud beneath them was blasted apart and sent flying.

Izumi, who had lunged forward in a sorry state, looked at the strike behind her with lingering fear, grateful that she had not turned around and had instead chosen to dive forward.

Neji looked at Izumi and said, "Let me show you two more moves!"

His expression sank as Nen flowed out from within him.

Nen Aura

Three spheres emerged from within, circling Neji like satellites orbiting a planet. They could both defend and attack.

Facing the slightly dazed Izumi, Neji reminded her.

"Aren't you going to dodge?"

Startled, she Rolled Over and Rose.

Rather than fleeing, she charged toward Neji, drawing a flicker of approval from his eyes.

But...

Muda Da!

Attack!

The three Nen orbs circling Neji broke away and immediately shot toward Izumi.

They carried something of Yamcha's Spirit Ball flavor, attacking Izumi continuously according to Neji's will.

Entangled by the three Nen orbs, Izumi had no choice but to stop, not daring to face them head-on.

Who knew how powerful these things were? Would they explode?

The man before her had a record of such things. He had no idea how to show tenderness toward a woman.

"It's over, Izumi!"

Neji brought his hands together. At his waist, Nen gathered as a sphere began to emerge.

Charged Nen Cannon

After charging for a moment, it fired in an instant, transforming directly into a massive Nen Cannon that shot forth like a diamond-shaped comet.

It swallowed Izumi!

Island Clouds vanished along its path, while the ground beneath was scorched black all the way to where Izumi stood.

A huge chunk of experience had fallen into his hands. It was quite generous.

Neji came to Izumi's side as she lay on the ground. Green Healing Technique appeared in his hand, and he pressed it onto her.

"I didn't charge it too much. Its power was just enough to defeat you!"

Izumi, who had only just returned to normal, rolled her eyes at Neji. Sure enough, every spar left her lying on the ground, numb and unable to get up.

Happy New Year! But there will only be one update today. Tomorrow is January, so if you haven't invested yet, hurry up and invest! Please invest!