At Neji's words, Sakura immediately realized how serious the situation was.
He's right. If I stay, I'll only get in the Anbu's way. We're only jonin, after all. In terms of rank, I should be following orders...
So she swallowed a Military Ration Pill, immediately hoisted Naruto onto her back, then went to help Sasuke up.
"Remember, three Sound Ninja are coming after you. Their target is Sasuke. Don't let them succeed, no matter what."
Neji reminded Sakura. At this critical moment, making sure nothing happened to Sasuke and the others was an important part of the plan.
Otherwise, if Konoha descended into chaos ahead of schedule, Neji might get swept up in a conflict where death could come at any moment, before he had the time to grow stronger at his own pace.
Watching a kid repeatedly save Konoha's people right before his eyes had already begun to irritate Orochimaru.
And Neji's warning to Sakura just now had aroused Orochimaru's immense interest!
"Kid, who exactly are you?"
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched. It was hard to tell whether his twisted expression showed excitement or anger.
In any case, Neji had finally caught the attention of the powerful man before him.
This was a duel between the strong and the weak, but Neji had never been willing to accept being weak!
It was his determination to keep growing stronger on this path that gave him the courage to stand here.
Neji now looked every bit like a seasoned Anbu member. Orochimaru couldn't tell whether he was the real thing or not!
"Could you be Itachi Uchiha? No..."
Orochimaru furrowed his brow and shook his head repeatedly.
"Impossible. It can't be. That fellow has already joined the Akatsuki, and the methods he uses are completely different. Hehehe!"
Neji stepped back with his left foot, ready to meet an attack at any moment.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down against this particular enemy!
Not only was Orochimaru the strongest person Neji had faced so far, but if he got serious, his killing intent toward Neji would be genuine!
One moment of carelessness could cost Neji his life right here.
Coming after Orochimaru was a dangerous gamble. But giving it everything he had to survive and claim what he wanted was also the choice Neji felt most confident in.
Orochimaru looked at the Anbu kid before him and thought, This kid is clearly nowhere near Itachi's level. But that unique palm technique of his... Since when has the Hyuga Clan had someone this capable among its younger generation?
"Kid, what are you after?"
Orochimaru sneered. "Do you really think you can kill me by yourself? Or are you trying to stand up for your Main Branch?"
Orochimaru's words made Neji, who had only wanted to fight him, freeze in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Neji asked hesitantly.
"Heh. You can keep hiding it, kid from the Hyuga Clan, but you can't conceal it. That damn keen perception, and the Gentle Fist that carries chakra..." Orochimaru gritted his teeth, as if remembering something.
"But it's obvious that your talent is even greater than Hizashi's."
"Hi..."
Orochimaru's words left Neji's expression stiff.
What was he talking about? Had something happened that Neji didn't know about?
But he couldn't let it show. He only clenched his fists tightly.
"I don't know anything about the Hyuga Clan. All I know is that your plan to destroy Konoha is doomed to fail!"
With that, Neji launched his attack.
In an instant, he closed in on Orochimaru.
"Fast, kid!" Orochimaru's eyes widened as he caught Neji's palm strike with his arm.
"Ha!"
Neji's next palm came down, and Orochimaru could no longer hold his ground. He was forced straight backward.
"I can't let you get your way, kid!"
Orochimaru started to form Hand Seals, but Neji's third palm was already coming at him.
Another palm!
One last palm!
Neji's strikes came faster and faster. Their speed and force were on an entirely different level from his first attack.
Could this kid have been provoked by something? He's going all out!
Neji only wanted to know what kind of secret connection Orochimaru had once had with the Hyuga Clan!
And the way to find that out wasn't to ask. First, he had to beat it out of him!
Smack!
Orochimaru dodged Neji's palm, and it struck a tree.
The air fell still for a moment. Then the tree... exploded!
Craaaack!
The tree split apart, its whole trunk toppling in an instant.
"Over here!"
Feeling the fierce fighting nearby, especially that ominous chakra, Anko pressed a hand to the Cursed Seal on the back of her neck and gritted her teeth. "We're right in front of him. I could never mistake that guy's chakra!"
"Hurry, we have to help!"
Anko and the two Anbu rushed over, but when they saw what was happening, they were too stunned to speak.
Orochimaru didn't even have time to form Hand Seals, let alone use the Substitution Technique.
The kid in the Anbu mask bearing Yugao's face now wore an Anbu uniform too, his movements seamless as he pressed Orochimaru step by step.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One huge tree after another crashed to the ground, each felled by a palm strike without exception.
"That boy... is chasing Orochimaru down?"
Anko gaped, blinking as she suddenly wondered if she was dreaming!
"What... is going on?"
The entire battlefield had been devastated. Orochimaru's nimble body twisted like a python as he scurried and darted away across the ground.
But no matter what he did, the masked boy wouldn't let even the slightest opening pass. The moment Orochimaru let his guard down, a palm strike came flying at him. Each time, Orochimaru only barely managed to escape unharmed.
In terms of Taijutsu, the boy had Orochimaru thoroughly suppressed!
One of the Anbu, who seemed more composed than the others, considered the evidence. "His keen perception and talent for Taijutsu, the way he throws his palms, and the damage to the trees... There's no doubt about it. This kid is using the Hyuga style of Gentle Fist!"
The other Anbu, a burly man, hesitated. "The Hyuga Clan? The young people in the Hyuga Clan haven't had much talent in recent years! There's no Anbu member this young. How could he be from the Hyuga Clan?"
Anko rubbed her chin. "The Hyuga Clan has always kept to themselves. It wouldn't be surprising if they had some hidden master."
"But... what kind of boy could become a hidden master at such a young age?"
Meanwhile, Neji had already unleashed several combinations of Gentle Fist strikes, but still hadn't managed to hit Orochimaru.
It looked as though he had Orochimaru suppressed at every turn and held the advantage, but in reality, he hadn't gained much ground.
If this went on, he'd only exhaust himself. He was holding out only because he'd swallowed three Military Ration Pills at once.
Crack!
Neji's palm missed and struck empty air. He stumbled forward.
"Oh no!" Anko and the Anbu were taken aback.
Orochimaru grinned. "You let your guard down, kid! Let's see who you really are!"
He thrust out his hand, and two snakes shot out to coil around Neji. Then Orochimaru reached to pull off Neji's mask...
But beneath the mask, Neji only gave a quiet, cold laugh.
"If I hadn't deliberately left an opening, would you ever have given me this chance?"
Orochimaru suddenly realized that the figure before him was a clone. Neji's real body was already behind him, arms and legs extended, poised in a perfectly formed stance!
"That's... the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!?"
Before you continue