Capturing Zabuza

Few people are unafraid of death, let alone Neji offering them hope, so the five of them chose to live without much consideration.

After a simple inquiry, this Chunin was named Yun Lin, a wandering ninja who obtained a ninja legacy through opportunity.

Yun Lin even obsequiously demonstrated the opportunity he obtained.

Neji was quite curious at that moment, but after seeing Yun Lin unleash a few Fire Style ninjutsu, he made no further moves, waiting for Neji's review with a look of anticipation.

Neji, as if forcing himself to eat something unpleasant, finally managed to utter a single word after a long pause: "Not bad!"

Then he dismissed them, telling them to rest briefly and prepare to head to the next target.

At the same time, Neji deeply felt how difficult it was for commoners without legacies, clan, or village backing. Simple Fire Style ninjutsu was treated as a treasure by them, cherished as life itself. They hoped to change their destiny through it.

The emotion of that moment gave Neji an urge to change the world, but the impulse came and went quickly. Neji gave a self-deprecating smile; he would first escape his own fate.

The Caged Bird's curse mark wasn't even removed yet, and his fated tragic death in the Fourth Great Ninja War from the original story hadn't been broken either. He didn't have the luxury to pity the world.

Composing himself, he led the five towards the next target.

This target was a bit tricky. The black market indicated that the target might be a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, skilled in Water Release and Assassination Techniques, possessing Jonin-level strength, and suspected of controlling a certain conglomerate. Detailed information was scarce.

Neji didn't pay it too much mind. Currently possessing elite Jonin strength, and not yet in the late stages where power levels were severely unbalanced, Neji was confident he could handle most individuals, as long as they weren't the powerhouses of the major ninja villages.

The six of them took nearly seven hours to reach their destination. The black market's marked location was a large manor. From the outside, it looked quite beautiful, covering nearly twenty mu, clearly an expensive construction.

About two kilometers from the manor, the six stopped. Neji activated his Byakugan to observe carefully, and what he saw surprised him.

A person covered in bandages, with a nearly three-meter-long sword placed beside them, and not far away, a boy about his own age. This combination, this attire, the name was almost obvious—Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

This is fate, Neji thought with a touch of dark humor. If I took out Zabuza here, would Naruto and Sasuke lose such good beginner "teachers," and their combat power be affected during the Fourth Great Ninja War?

Neji smiled knowingly, putting such thoughts aside. He instructed the five to keep watch outside and then approached the manor directly, no longer concealing his presence. If asked why, Neji could only say that there was no need to hide from Zabuza!

With his Byakugan, he could practically counter Zabuza completely. No matter how heaven-defying his assassination techniques were, they would be exposed before the Byakugan.

Zabuza, a ninja who had constantly skirted the edge of life and death, possessed extremely high alertness. A kilometer away from Zabuza, Neji had already been detected. Without any preamble like "Who are you?" or "Why are you here?", Zabuza called out to Haku and directly activated the Hidden Mist Technique.

As expected of the Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi, his Hidden Mist Technique was several times stronger than Sakumo-Tatsuryu's. However, under the Byakugan's complete counter, it appeared rather comical and absurd.

Neji saw Zabuza's every move clearly and charged into the thick fog without slowing down, heading straight for Zabuza.

Zabuza, also rich in combat experience, felt a jolt in his heart seeing Neji's approach. He knew this was trouble; he had encountered a sensory ninja. But he didn't back down either, hefting the Kubikiribōchō and charging towards Neji.

Knowing his Hidden Mist assassination techniques were countered, Zabuza immediately decided to crush the opponent with sheer force and momentum. He, Zabuza, feared nothing!

Seeing Zabuza charging towards him, Neji was equally fearless. He stopped immediately, adopting the starting stance of the Gentle Fist. He didn't activate the Eight Trigrams Formation right away but silently gathered strength within his body, like a crouching prehistoric tiger waiting for prey.

Without having experienced Neji's beatdown, Momochi Zabuza had no idea what he was about to face as he plunged headfirst into the core of the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Without further hesitation, Neji unleashed the chakra he had accumulated for a long time, and the Eight Trigrams Formation fully expanded.

A feeling of being completely suppressed washed over Zabuza. It was like jumping into a swamp; no matter how he exerted himself or in which direction, he felt hindered. This made Zabuza's heart, which had just been stirred by the battle, turn ice cold!

Retreat! I must get out of this area immediately! This was Zabuza's most urgent thought.

But how could Neji give Zabuza such an opportunity? Did he think the Eight Trigrams Formation was a place he could enter and exit at will?

"Eight Trigrams - Four Palms of Heavenly Void!" Extremely condensed chakra gathered in Neji's palm. Without giving Zabuza any chance to breathe, he unleashed three palm strikes at extreme speed.

Firmly locked and suppressed by the Eight Trigrams Formation, Zabuza couldn't dodge the three high-speed palm strikes. Even when struck and sent flying, Zabuza felt immense resistance and suppression. This damned power! Zabuza thought with a bitter smile!

Before Zabuza could even land, Neji had already condensed a larger sphere of chakra in his palm and unhesitatingly struck the airborne Zabuza again.

As Neji's final ultimate strike of "Eight Trigrams - Four Palms of Heavenly Void" was about to hit Zabuza.

A sheet of Ice Crystal suddenly appeared in front of Zabuza. The ice crystal condensed extremely quickly, but Neji's palm strike was faster. The barely solidified ice crystal, just formed, only held for a moment before shattering, and the palm strike continued towards Zabuza.

With no further obstruction, the palm strike successfully hit Zabuza, severely injuring him and knocking him unconscious.

Neji stepped forward a few paces, keeping Zabuza within the Eight Trigrams Formation. He looked at Haku, who had just arrived, and said sternly, "If you don't want him to die, step forward a few paces and surrender."

Haku's expression was slightly anxious. After determining that Zabuza was not dead, he obediently followed Neji's instructions and surrendered.

Neji didn't hold back either, delivering several palm strikes to seal Haku's pressure points, allowing him to bandage and stop Zabuza's bleeding. Otherwise, Zabuza might have truly died.

After finishing, Neji signaled to the others who had caught up to go into the manor, control the remaining people, and search for spoils of war.