Neji's Hostility

"What's going on? Is it my turn?" Ye Wuyue asked in confusion.

A vein popped on Iruka's forehead, but with the other class present, he suppressed his anger and said flatly, "It's your turn. Get over here."

"Oh."

Ye Wuyue scratched his head and walked to the center of the training ground.

At that moment, Neji stepped directly out from his class and stood opposite Ye Wuyue.

"Neji, do you plan to spar with Sasuke?" Mizuki asked.

"Mm." Neji stared at Ye Wuyue, ignoring Mizuki.

Ye Wuyue felt that Neji seemed unusually fired up. He had no idea why; the two of them had barely interacted, having only met once a couple of days ago.

Whatever. Ye Wuyue did not dwell on it.

"Get ready!" Iruka called out. Ye Wuyue and Neji simultaneously raised one hand before their chests, forming half of the Ram hand seal.

The other students nearby had not stopped sneering at Ye Wuyue, but he paid them no mind.

"Fight... begin!"

Iruka swung his right hand down. Neji immediately closed in, striking at the acupoint on Ye Wuyue's shoulder with his right hand. It was the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

Although Ye Wuyue did not intend to reveal too much of his strength, he had trained in Hakuda for several years. It was more than enough to deal with the current Neji.

Ye Wuyue raised a hand to catch Neji's right hand, then kicked straight at him with his right leg.

Neji temporarily abandoned his attack and leaped back a step, dodging Ye Wuyue's strike.

"You seem really eager to beat me up. We don't have any grudge against each other, do we?" Ye Wuyue asked, scratching his head. He decided to get to the bottom of it.

"We do not have any grudge against each other," Neji said flatly, slowly raising both hands into the Ram hand seal.

Mizuki smiled at the sight. He had proposed this joint practical exercise between the two classes specifically to show off this student of his to Iruka.

"But because of you! Lady Hinata has been forced into harsh training every day! So I will defeat you and let Uncle Hiashi know that you are not strong. There is no need to make Lady Hinata chase after you! I alone am enough to protect Lady Hinata! Byakugan, activate!"

After speaking, Neji activated his Byakugan, veins bulging around his eyes.

Ever since Hinata had been saved by Ye Wuyue three years ago, Hiashi had constantly talked about Sasuke and become increasingly strict with Hinata. Hinata often complained to Neji, and after learning why Hiashi was doing this, Neji developed hostility toward the Sasuke Hiashi kept mentioning.

The surrounding students immediately cried out in amazement. Those who knew of the Byakugan bloodline limit were even more shocked.

Hinata from Iruka's class was deeply moved upon hearing Neji's words.

"N-Neji... Big Brother, go for it," Hinata called softly. Then, feeling that was inappropriate, she added, "Sasuke, you too."

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Though Hinata's voice was quiet, Neji still heard it. He smiled and nodded to Hinata before turning back to Ye Wuyue.

After hearing Neji's words, Ye Wuyue finally understood why Neji held some hostility toward him.

Originally, Hizashi's death had filled Neji with hatred for everyone in the Main House, including Hinata. But now, Hizashi had not died because of the Kumogakure incident, so Neji no longer hated the Main House so deeply. He had even... become a sister-con.

Ye Wuyue's mouth twitched. He had not expected Hiashi to be so harsh on Hinata, making her undergo grueling training every day.

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!"

Neji raised his right hand high and extended his left hand forward, taking up the Gentle Fist stance. Then he rushed straight at Ye Wuyue, unleashing a barrage of punches like a raging storm.

Iruka was just about to step forward and stop them when Mizuki blocked him.

"Iruka, don't be so anxious. Your student hasn't admitted defeat yet. If you go in now, wouldn't you ruin their practical sparring session?"

Iruka was about to shake Mizuki off, but after glancing at the situation on the field, he stopped for the moment.

Facing Neji's swift, storm-like fists, Ye Wuyue caught Neji's hands at the precise instant they were about to strike him every time. Afterimages even appeared around Ye Wuyue's hands.

Neji was greatly shocked by this, but he gritted his teeth and accelerated his assault.

"Four palms! Eight palms! Eight Trigrams, Sixteen Palms!"

For the final strike, Neji attacked all sixteen of Ye Wuyue's acupoints at once, yet Ye Wuyue still blocked them with ease.

How could this be?

Neji stared in disbelief at Sasuke, who had one of his arms firmly in hand. A drop of sweat rolled to the ground. He had not struck a single acupoint.

"While I can understand that, as an older brother, you do not want your younger sister to suffer, I do not think there is anything wrong with making her work harder so she has the strength to protect herself. After all, you cannot stay by your sister's side every moment," Ye Wuyue said calmly. Then, gripping one of Neji's arms and hooking a foot around him, he brought Neji down to the ground.

Neji blanked out for a moment after hearing Ye Wuyue's words. By the time he came to his senses, he was already on the ground.

Ye Wuyue extended a hand to him. Neji paused, then finally offered his hand. With a slight tug, Ye Wuyue pulled him to his feet.

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke! The fight is over. Both sides, form the Reconciliation Seal!"

Iruka smiled at the scene before him, not merely because of their strength or the excitement of the fight.

The smile on Mizuki's face froze when he saw the result. He had never expected Neji, who had already activated his eyes and learned the Gentle Fist, to be defeated by pure taijutsu—and for his opponent to look so relaxed while doing it.

Though Mizuki was quite angry inside, he did not show it. After all, neither of those two was someone he could afford to provoke.

After Ye Wuyue and Neji formed the Reconciliation Seal, Neji returned to his class deep in thought. Ye Wuyue went back to lean against the tree. The classmates who had mocked him earlier now kept their mouths shut, a trace of fear in their eyes as they looked at him.

They had dared to keep sneering because they assumed this Uchiha Clan member, who did nothing but sleep, could not be very strong. The Uchiha Clan was still Konoha's greatest noble clan, and looking down on and mocking one of its members gave them quite a thrill.

But now that they knew Ye Wuyue's true strength, they no longer dared to act up.

"Heh, Iruka's class truly has hidden talents everywhere. They can even score quite a few wins against upper-year students. It seems your teaching has been excellent," Mizuki said beside Iruka with a forced smile.

Iruka did not notice anything strange in Mizuki's tone and replied modestly, "It's only the beginning of the term. I was just lucky enough to be assigned good students."