"Even Neji's taking the field..."
From atop a large tree in the distance, Kurenai chuckled softly.
Asuma lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said casually, "As former twins, how could they possibly hold back when they encountered a powerful opponent?"
Back when Naruto had still been the dead last, the "twins" of their class at the Ninja Academy had been Sasuke and Neji, both born into prominent ninja clans.
At the time, the two of them had been the undisputed stars of the Academy, admired and envied by all their classmates. Within the Academy, only they had been able to rival each other.
It was not until Naruto suddenly rose to prominence that Neji's title as one of the "twins" was replaced by Naruto.
Shizune asked, "Who do you think will win?"
Guy immediately said, "Neji, without a doubt!"
Asuma looked puzzled. "Why are you so certain? Did you teach Neji some strange new move again?"
Guy shook his head. "That's because you haven't seen how hard Neji works. I used to think Neji was merely a taijutsu genius, but now I understand that he's also a genius of hard work! His diligence is no less than mine or Rock Lee's. And he has the Byakugan, just like Kagami, so I believe he'll definitely win!"
Kurenai said, "But his opponent is Orochimaru's son!"
Although Mitsuki's identity was kept secret from his peers, it was no secret among the Jonin instructors. All the Jonin instructors present knew that Mitsuki was actually the son of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.
Shizune glanced at Kakashi, who had remained silent the whole time, and asked, "Kakashi, what do you think?"
Kakashi said seriously, "I'm afraid Neji can't win!"
In the field.
Having learned from Rock Lee's earlier defeat, Neji put great effort into