Seriously! I Can Fight Now

"Move!"

Shino immediately rushed to the front.

"Get out of the way. I'm the most rested, so I'll handle him! Amegakure's ninja are different from Kusagakure's..."

Kiba and Hinata seemed to understand what Shino meant and promptly moved back.

Neji sighed. There was no doubt that the three people beside him were getting in the way of him showing what he could do.

But if he took care of the person in front of him now, he'd attract attention. He couldn't decide what to do.

"Oh? You know about Amegakure?"

Oboro seemed not to regard the Konoha ninja in front of him at all, and stood there arrogantly.

"I've heard that Amegakure has been isolated for many years, and that your leader is Salamander Hanzo, known as the Demigod of the Ninja World during the Second Shinobi World War. In Amegakure, right in the middle of the war, even Genin have to undergo brutal killing training. It's hard to believe you're able to come to Konoha and take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

Shino knew a fair amount about the history of the Shinobi World. He hadn't studied it in such detail, but Kiba and Hinata had heard of it too.

They were all exhausted now. The fact that the person before them dared to show up alone proved he had some strength.

"Amegakure? Your leader is still Salamander Hanzo?"

Neji suddenly frowned, looking surprised.

"Did I get that wrong?"

"You..."

Oboro was at a loss for words. Could this Konoha Genin really know their village's secret?

In fact, Amegakure had isolated itself to conceal the news that Salamander Hanzo was dead. How could some mere Konoha Genin possibly know—

Neji realized he'd let something slip. As a Genin, he really shouldn't have known something like that.

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

"Kid, you've got my attention!"

Splash!

In an instant, Oboro appeared behind Neji. The Oboro who had been standing there turned into a puddle, water splashing in every direction.

The splashes transformed into Senbon and shot toward them.

"Kikaichū: Insect Wall!"

Shino controlled his Kikaichū, forming a wall that held back the attack.

Someone had already gotten close to Neji. This Genin, Oboro, was clearly far beyond the usual level of a Genin. He was probably at Chunin level.

At this point, Neji couldn't hold back anymore. He prepared to activate his Byakugan and end the fight quickly while using the chaos to avoid drawing attention.

But just then, Rock Lee's voice rang out.

"Watch this! Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

"..."

Neji instinctively stepped back. Lee moved at incredible speed, driving Oboro back with a single kick.

"Manipulated Tools: Heaven Sky Chain!"

An extending weapon shot toward Oboro, swiftly binding his body. Tenten leaped down from a tree. "If you don't want to get hurt, hand over the scrolls you're carrying!"

"Heh, the Konoha Genin are pretty good this year, aren't they?" Oboro chuckled, turning into a puddle that sank into the ground.

Then he vanished without a trace.

"Did he get away?" Lee asked.

Neji shrugged. "Probably. No need to chase a cornered enemy..."

"Chase your head! We agreed to meet up. Why were you wandering around here?"

Tenten walked over and glared at Neji. He instinctively stepped back, then gave an awkward smile.

"Haha, don't be mad, don't be mad! We ran into enemies from Kusagakure, and Neji saved us! Hehe!"

Kiba helped explain for Neji. Lee nodded. "Oh? Really?"

Tenten turned away. "You believe him? Neji's not strong enough to save them."

"Really, really! If you don't believe me, ask Hinata. Neji saw us surrounded and used Rotation to block all their attacks..."

As they continued explaining, Neji could only sigh. Damn Kiba. In the end, the three of them had come looking for trouble with him in the first place.

Neji glanced at the moon. He had no idea when that person would make their move. His target for the day had been delayed just like that.

Hopefully, he'd get what he wanted before nightfall tomorrow.

Back at the meeting place, Tenten handed the scroll to Neji.

"Since everyone's already heard that you're the weakest, we might as well have Neji hold the scroll. Our opponents will never guess!"

Lee said, "Tenten's so clever!"

Neji didn't mind and took the scroll.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

That night, they slept on guard, taking turns keeping watch.

Perhaps it was because he'd spent so long looking for "that person," then been forced into a real fight. Neji was tired too, and before long, he'd fallen into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dawn. Birds chirped in the trees.

"Neji, you're awake?"

Tenten and Lee were already up. Neji stood and saw them smiling at him.

"Neji, hand me the scroll. We'll split up today. You and Lee are still our strongest fighters, so you two can go fight while I look after the scroll..."

Tenten held out her hand as she spoke.

Neji walked over groggily, narrowing his eyes.

Lee urged him too. "Yeah, Neji. Let Tenten hold the scroll."

Neji nodded slowly and reached into his clothes.

Then he pulled out a black... Kunai.

Whoosh!

"Neji, what are you doing?" Tenten swiftly dodged the Kunai, while Lee frowned.

Without a word, Neji quickly formed Hand Seals.

"Byakugan!"

"Genjutsu: Release!"

The Genjutsu immediately broke, and the surroundings came into view.

It was just before dawn. Lee and Tenten were tied to a tree, unconscious.

"Oh? No wonder you had the scroll. You actually managed to break our Genjutsu on your own?"

Three people stood in front of Neji.

Including Oboro from yesterday, there were three Amegakure ninja, all dressed in distinctive off-white combat uniforms.

The other two moved like zombies.

"Kagari, Mubi, be careful. This guy might not be as simple as he looks." Oboro narrowed his eyes. What Neji had let slip yesterday had forced them to take this so-called useless ninja seriously.

Neji looked at his hands. Through the Byakugan, he could see the chakra in his meridians circulating faster. There was no sign he'd been affected by Genjutsu at all.

That meant the three people in front of him were real. Neji thought, They really underestimated me!

"Three of you?"

Seeing his teammates restrained, Neji realized this was serious.

"Haha, yeah. I thought you'd be the easiest to deal with, so I left you for last. Didn't expect you to break free of the Genjutsu!"

Oboro chuckled, his gaze growing even more arrogant.

Neji surveyed the area. His Byakugan gave him a full 360-degree view with no blind spots.

"I didn't get a chance to fight you yesterday. Today, I'll show you what it means to be a ninja from Amegakure!" Oboro stepped forward and began forming Hand Seals.

Neji simply took a deep breath, his eyes gradually growing serious.

His chakra began to circulate faster throughout his body.

"Ah... Since you're not Konoha ninja, I don't have to hold back, right? I can fight now?"

With that one calm sentence, Neji's composed presence overshadowed everything!

The Amegakure ninja were furious. Oboro sneered. "Tch, brat. Don't try to bluff us!"

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"