The Preliminaries Conclude

Keiichi covered his face. He didn't want to watch anymore.

What the hell was this?!

The guy was explaining things to you, and you were just playing dumb?

Neji was thoroughly enraged. Was this the arrogance of the Main House? Did they really think so little of the Branch House?

Killing intent surged within him. At that moment, he genuinely wanted to kill Hinata.

But just as he struggled to suppress his murderous impulse, Hinata actually took the initiative and attacked him. Her light, feeble strikes only made Neji even more furious.

Wasn't this embarrassing enough already?

If you were facing a real enemy, you'd have died eight hundred times over by now!

But he had no idea that Hinata actually felt good about herself. She was thinking that she had to show Naruto how hard she was trying, because only then would her existence have meaning.

Neji's words had apparently never made it into her head in the first place.

So Neji really lost his temper. This time, he stopped holding back. His blows were much harder than before, and he made Hinata spit up blood again and again.

Why...

Why wouldn't she give up?

Did she have to force me to kill her?

Even after suffering such terrible injustice, Neji had never once thought of harming Hinata. He only wanted her to give up on her own.

Yet Hinata, knocked to the ground, somehow managed to stagger back to her feet through sheer force of will.

The one thing I...

The one thing I don't want is to embarrass myself in front of Naruto...

Naruto smiled and shouted encouragement with all his might. Hinata's toughness was exactly what he admired about never giving up.

Everyone was moved by Hinata's strong will. Even her teacher couldn't help wiping away a tear, but Neji felt as if he'd fallen into an icy abyss.

This is bullying...

This is just too much...

Neji took a deep breath and decided to try one last time to talk her into it.

"Hinata, you're from the Main House, so you should shoulder its responsibilities. The path of a ninja isn't right for you. You don't have to suffer. Set yourself free."

"Shouldn't you be the one who needs to set yourself free, Neji? The fate of the Main House and Branch House must confuse you even more than my own uncertainty does, right?"

At those words, Neji froze for a moment, then wore a twisted expression.

He suddenly understood. Hinata knew everything. She was a textbook Main House member, and the Main House's arrogance was on full display in her.

When listening to someone, don't focus on what they say. Listen to what they leave unsaid.

She was throwing his words back at him: As long as you stopped obsessing over whether you belonged to the Main House or the Branch House and knew your place, you wouldn't be confused anymore. You'd be free.

Wasn't that exactly the "great wisdom" the Main House members were always feeding the Branch House?

Killing intent welled up around Neji. Then he suddenly accelerated with all his strength and charged at Hinata.

Even if I die, I'll make you feel the fear of facing death!

Otherwise, more Branch House members will die because of your selfishness!

Sure enough, just as Neji was about to reach Hinata, all the Leaf Village Jonin present appeared in front of him in an instant and held him back with all their strength.

A fight to the death on the platform?

That was something people said about ordinary folk.

A prestigious ninja clan like the Hyuga was born with privileges.

Who among the Leaf Village Jonin present would dare let the Hyuga clan head's legitimate daughter die here?

If they angered Hyuga Hiashi, the Leaf Village would be in for a disaster.

"That's enough, Neji."

"Didn't you promise me you wouldn't pick a fight with the Main House?" Might Guy asked, frowning deeply.

Neji realized he couldn't move, so he didn't bother resisting. A physical "cage" was nothing compared to the "cage" in his mind. That was far harder to endure.

The moment Hinata fell, Naruto rushed onto the platform and caught her in his arms.

"You bastard! You went way too hard on her!"

"Hey! Here's some advice. First, don't blindly join in the cheering. Second, if you're a burden, you're a burden. That won't change." Neji glanced at Naruto, then turned to leave.

He didn't mean anything by it. He'd simply figured out that Hinata was trying so hard because of this kid. Otherwise, she had no reason not to give up.

He also wanted to tell Naruto that someone like Hinata would only be a burden on the battlefield. It wouldn't matter if she got herself killed; she'd drag other people down with her.

Unfortunately, he'd overestimated Naruto's intelligence. Naruto had no idea what he meant.

Maybe he'd understand a little when Neji took a fatal blow for him one day and died right in front of him.

Chapter 48: The Preliminaries Conclude

As soon as Neji stepped down from the platform, Keiichi approached him.

"Neji, let's get acquainted. My name is Keiichi." He held out his hand, looking friendly.

But Neji wasn't in a good mood and couldn't be bothered to shake it.

"I know who you are. What do you want?" Neji asked coldly, brushing him off.

Keiichi withdrew his hand without making it obvious and said with a smile, "Actually, I admire you. Of all the candidates here, if there's one person I'd most like to be friends with, it's you."

"Oh?" Neji's expression didn't change.

Plenty of people wanted to be his friend. He'd heard more than enough flattery. The Hyuga name was always in high demand.

"I just came to say hello. After you lose to Naruto, I'll come back." With that, Keiichi nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"You said I'll lose to Naruto?" Neji found the idea absurd.

"I've predicted every match so far. Have I been wrong yet?"

"Leaving aside the fact that there's no way I could lose to Naruto, how do you know he'll be my next opponent?"

"It's a guess. Of course, something unexpected could happen. I'm just certain that if Naruto is your opponent, you'll lose." Keiichi smiled faintly.

"That's ridiculous!" Neji scoffed.

"How about we make a bet? If you lose to Naruto, you can't refuse me when I come to find you."

"And if I don't lose to Naruto?"

"I'll disappear from your sight and never bother you again."

"Fine. It's a deal."

"It's a deal."

Watching Keiichi walk away, Neji couldn't help frowning. He suddenly had a feeling that Naruto might really be his next opponent.

Who exactly was this guy?

When he returned to the stands, Gaara had already started fighting Rock Lee. In the blink of an eye, Rock Lee had been forced to open the Eight Inner Gates and enter berserk mode.

"Hey, hey, is this really a fight between Genin?" someone murmured, staring wide-eyed at the intense battle.

In fact, those words expressed what most of the people present were thinking.

Sasuke was especially shaken.

He'd thought that now he'd learned Rock Lee's Front Lotus, he'd be able to wipe away his humiliation the next time they met and show the guy what a true genius looked like.

But the Rock Lee before him seemed like a stranger. Even putting himself in Lee's shoes, Sasuke couldn't imagine being able to last a minute, let alone fight back.

The pride that had just begun to surface was doused in cold water, but at the same time, the intense resentment buried deep inside him began growing wildly, like a new sprout.

Whether it's Rock Lee or Gaara, I'll defeat you both!

Just give me time!

With the Fifth Gate open, Rock Lee unleashed his full power. He beat Gaara so badly that he couldn't fight back, a sight that left Kankuro and Temari watching in shock.

When had they ever seen Gaara in such a sorry state?

Was this the strength of the Leaf Village?

Did just about anyone they ran into have this kind of power?

What they didn't know was that the Eight Inner Gates represented the last hope for Commoner Ninjas, but few could endure the grueling training it required.

The problem was that the technique had a major flaw. After erupting for just a moment, Rock Lee was knocked right back to his original state.

He hadn't managed to defeat Gaara in that brief window. He hadn't even broken through the Shield of Sand. Now his arms and legs were limp, and he'd become a sitting duck.

Fortunately, Might Guy rescued him in time, but Lee was badly injured. Gaara ultimately advanced.

"[Mummy] Dosu VS [Hellhound] Inuzuka Kiba!"

This was another fight that had never happened before, but it ended faster than any of the others. Inuzuka Kiba didn't get to show his true strength at all before collapsing on the platform.

A dog's hearing was sixteen times better than a human's. Sometimes, having such good hearing was a drawback.

Dosu won with ease!

With that, all the third-round preliminary matches came to an end, and the list of the ten who would advance to the third round was finalized.

Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, Dosu, Shino Aburame, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, and Keiichi.

The list caused an uproar among the spectators.

The Leaf Village was still as powerful as ever, claiming six of the ten spots. The Sand Ninja took three, and the Sound Ninja only one.

This fit everyone's understanding of the current balance of power among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

The key point was that, apart from Dosu and Keiichi, the other eight all belonged to the SSR category.

Even Rock Lee, who'd been eliminated, seemed strong enough to beat any other opponent. He'd just happened to run into the strongest one, Gaara.

On top of that, Keiichi's commentary on every match had been so accurate it was flawless.

Thinking it over made people suck in a breath. This guy's intelligence-gathering skills were terrifying!

What was even harder to understand was how Keiichi had made it into the finals without barely lifting a finger.

Was Ken-8 really that impressive?

At that moment, Hiruzen, the Hokage, also arrived at the tower. He was very satisfied with the Leaf Village candidates' results. At least they hadn't let him down.

He then personally announced that the third-round exam would be held in a month. The candidates would face off one-on-one, and their practical combat skills would be put to the test.

This came as no surprise to anyone.

More importantly, they would get to prove themselves on an unprecedented stage. Prominent figures and political and business leaders from every sphere would be there to watch. As long as they made people remember their names, whether or not they advanced to Chunin wasn't all that important.

Ninja made their living through missions. Fame came first, and profit followed. Otherwise, why would countless heroes fight tooth and nail for a mere title?

In a secluded corner outside the tower, Kabuto Yakushi knelt before Orochimaru, saying something to him.

After a long while, Orochimaru finally smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter. We still have a chance before the plan begins."

"With Kakashi guarding him, it'll be difficult for us to get close to Sasuke."

"Do you think I'm afraid of Kakashi?" Orochimaru lowered his eyes, his gaze sharp.

"I was presumptuous." Kabuto quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at him again.

"The darkness in Sasuke's heart will drive him to come to me of his own accord. Just wait. Sooner or later, he'll come knocking."

"You are wise, my lord."

"Kabuto, I'm curious. Why did you provoke a Genin outside the tower?"

"That person gives me a very unusual feeling. I think he might interfere with your plan, so I wanted to test him."