Serious! We Can Start Now

"Move aside!"

Shino immediately rushed to the front.

"You all fall back. My stamina is the most replenished, so I will deal with him! Ninjas from Amegakure are different from those of Kusagakure..."

Kiba and Hinata seemed to understand Shino's words and retreated one after another.

Only Neji let out a sigh; the three people beside him were undoubtedly hindering him from unleashing his full capabilities.

But if he were to take action and finish off the person in front of him now, it would attract too much attention, leaving him feeling conflicted.

"Oh? You even know about our Amegakure?"

Oboro seemed to hold the few characters from Konoha in no regard at all, looking arrogant and conceited.

"It is said that your Amegakure has been closed off for years, and your leader is Salamander Hanzo, who was known as the demigod of the ninja world during the Second Shinobi World War. In Amegakure, the center of the chaos, you have to undergo brutal killing training from the time you are a genin. It is hard to imagine that you could actually come to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams!"

Shino had some understanding of ninja history; although he didn't know it in such detail, Kiba and Hinata had both heard of it.

Now that they were all exhausted, the fact that this person dared to appear alone proved he had some strength.

"Amegakure? Your leader is still Salamander Hanzo?"

Neji suddenly frowned, looking somewhat surprised.

"Did I remember wrong?"

"You..."

Oboro was instantly rendered speechless. Could this genin from Konoha actually know the secret of their village?

In reality, Amegakure remained closed off precisely to conceal the news that Salamander Hanzo was already dead. How could a mere genin from Konoha possibly...

Neji also realized he had let something slip. A genin like himself really shouldn't know about such matters.

"Ha, haha, I was just saying whatever came to mind!"

"Kid, you have successfully caught my attention!"

"Splash!"

In an instant, Oboro's figure appeared behind Neji, while the Oboro who had been standing there a moment ago transformed into a puddle of water, splashing in all directions.

The splashing water droplets turned into senbon, piercing toward the group.

"Kikaichū, Bug Wall!"

Shino manipulated the Kikaichū to form a barrier, firmly blocking the attack.

Neji had already been approached at close range. The techniques of this genin, Oboro, were indeed far beyond those of a typical genin; he was likely at the level of a chunin.

It had reached this point, so he could no longer hold back. Neji prepared to activate his Byakugan, intending to take the opportunity to quickly resolve the battle while keeping his true strength hidden.

But suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Watch this, Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

"..."

Neji instinctively stepped back as Rock Lee moved with lightning speed, kicking Oboro back.

"Manipulated Tools: Heaven Sky Chain!"

An elongated hidden weapon flew over at high speed, quickly binding Oboro's body. Tenten jumped down from a tree: "If you don't want to get hurt, hand over the scroll you're carrying!"

"Hehe, the genin of Konoha, the level this year is not bad, is it?" Oboro chuckled, transformed into a puddle of water, and sank into the ground.

Afterward, there was no trace of him left.

"Did he run away?"

Rock Lee asked.

Neji shrugged: "He should have run off, right? Do not pursue a desperate foe..."

"Pursue your head! We agreed to meet up, so why are you running around here?"

Tenten walked over and glared at Neji. Neji instinctively stepped back and gave a sheepish smile.

"Haha, don't be angry, don't be angry. We encountered enemies from Kusagakure, and it was Neji who stepped in to save us! Hehe!"

Kiba helped explain for Neji, and Rock Lee nodded: "Oh? Is that so?"

Tenten turned her face away: "You believe him? With Neji's level, how could he save them?"

"It's true, it's really true! If you don't believe me, ask Hinata. When Neji saw us being surrounded, he used Rotation to help us block all the attacks..."

As they continued to explain, Neji just sighed. That damn Kiba—in the end, wasn't it because they had come looking for trouble with him in the first place?

Neji glanced at the moonlight, wondering when that person would make their move. Today's goal had been delayed just like that.

Hopefully, he would be able to get what he wanted before dark tomorrow.

Returning to the meeting point, Tenten handed the scroll to Neji.

"Since the fact that you're the weakest has already spread, we might as well let Neji keep the scroll. The opponents will never guess it!"

Rock Lee: "Tenten is truly so clever!"

Neji didn't really mind and took the scroll.

He just felt a bit uneasy.

That night, the group slept with their guard up, taking turns keeping watch.

Perhaps it was because they had spent half the day searching for "that person" and were forced into actual combat, but Neji was also quite exhausted and drifted into a deep sleep before he knew it.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dawn, and birds were chirping among the trees.

"Neji, you're awake?"

Tenten and Rock Lee were already up; Neji stood up and saw the two of them looking at him with smiles.

"Neji, hand the scroll over to me. Let's split up today. You and Rock Lee have the strongest combat power, so you two go fight while I keep the scroll safe..."

Tenten said this as she reached out a hand toward Neji.

Neji walked over, still groggy, and narrowed his eyes.

Rock Lee also urged, "Yeah, Neji, let Tenten keep the scroll."

Neji nodded slowly and reached into his clothes.

Then, he pulled out a black... kunai.

Whoosh!

"Neji, what are you doing?" Tenten dodged the kunai quickly, and Rock Lee frowned.

Without a word, Neji swiftly formed hand seals.

"Byakugan!"

"Genjutsu Release!"

The illusion broke instantly, and the true scene around him was revealed.

It was just barely dawn, and Rock Lee and Tenten were tied up under a tree, unconscious.

"Oh? No wonder the scroll was kept on you; you actually managed to break our genjutsu on your own?"

Standing before Neji were three people.

Including Oboro from yesterday, there were three Amegakure ninjas in total, all wearing specialized beige combat suits.

The movements of the other two were like those of zombies.

"Kagari, Mubi, you two be careful; this guy might not be simple." Oboro narrowed his eyes. The information Neji had inadvertently revealed yesterday forced them to take this rumored "trash" ninja seriously.

Neji looked at his own hands; through his Byakugan, the chakra in his meridians flowed more rapidly, showing no signs of being under a genjutsu.

If that was the case, then the three in front of him were real entities. I've really been underestimated, Neji thought.

"Three of you?"

Neji saw that his teammates had been restrained and realized the situation was not simple.

"Haha, that's right. We thought you'd be the easiest to deal with, so we saved you for last. I didn't expect you to be able to break free from the genjutsu!"

Oboro chuckled, his gaze toward Neji becoming increasingly arrogant.

Neji scanned his surroundings; the Byakugan allowed for a 360-degree field of vision with no blind spots.

"We didn't get a chance to cross blades yesterday, so today I'll let you know exactly what it means to be a ninja from Amegakure!" Oboro stepped forward and began forming hand seals.

Neji merely took a deep breath, his eyes gradually turning serious.

Chakra began to circulate through his entire body with greater speed.

"Ah... since you aren't ninjas from Konoha, I don't need to hold back, right? I can start now, can't I?"

With that single sentence, Neji's calm aura overshadowed everything!

The Amegakure ninjas were incensed, and Oboro scoffed, "Tch, brat, don't try to bluff!"

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"