Neji vs. Sasuke

The students in the classroom finished changing seats amidst the noise, following the arrangements made by Iruka.

Class time came to an end.

"Students, head home now. Stay safe on your way."

"Understood, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto had to clean the classroom, so he sat at his desk, waiting for the rest of the students to leave.

"Haha, getting punished by the teacher on the very first day. How stupid."

A few children he didn't recognize walked by the classroom door, whispering and mocking Naruto.

"Hurry up, he must be a bad kid. If he hears us, he'll hit us."

Hinata stood by Naruto's side. "Naruto, I'll help you."

Naruto stood up, gave a light hop, and blocked Sasuke. "Sasuke, your big brother is in a bind. Can a little brother really just walk away?"

"I have to learn shurikenjutsu from my brother this afternoon; I don't have time to help you clean. Besides, this is a punishment for your own tardiness, so I'm not helping." Sasuke tried to dodge Naruto, but he wasn't as fast.

Naruto smiled and said, "Sasuke, then I'll just have to tell Uncle Fugaku about this."

"Fine, Naruto." Sasuke said indignantly, "I'll help you tidy up the front area of the classroom."

Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. That's how good brothers should be."

"Hinata, we'll be done in a bit. Later, I'll take you to go find Rock Lee and Neji," Naruto said to Hinata.

Hinata picked up a rag anyway, helping Naruto wipe down the desks.

The only one who hadn't left yet was the girl with short pink hair sitting in the row behind Sasuke. A red ribbon tied back her hair, revealing her forehead and highlighting her cutest features.

"Sasuke-kun, my name is Sakura Haruno. You can call me Sakura. I'll help you." Sakura took the initiative to pick up a broom, clumsily sweeping around Sasuke.

Sasuke felt a bit impatient and snatched the broom from Sakura's hands. "I'll do it myself. You're too clumsy."

Inside the classroom, Naruto and Sasuke were cleaning at a breakneck pace, secretly competing against each other.

"Sasuke, do you want to spar with the Hyuga Clan genius, Neji, in a bit? I can take you to see him," Naruto said casually.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke felt a stir in his heart. I am the true genius.

"If you're going, I'm going. I'm not afraid of him."

Five minutes later, the four of them finished cleaning the classroom.

Sakura shamelessly followed Sasuke. She didn't want to go home and see her parents constantly arguing; it was better to make some friends at school. Besides, Sasuke-kun was just so handsome.

Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto. Hmph, my brother hasn't seen your true colors yet, otherwise, how could he possibly think you're better than me?

The small forest training ground.

Rock Lee and Neji would always spar here after school, pitting their taijutsu against each other.

Later, Naruto brought Hinata along to join in, and the four took turns sparring. Currently, Naruto and Neji were tied in wins, Rock Lee had two fewer wins, and Hinata had beaten Naruto once.

"Hah! Neji, watch my Leaf Whirlwind!"

"Lee, your speed is too slow. Even though the rotation is wide, you can't hit me. It's all in vain." Neji's voice rang out. "Byakugan! Eight Trigrams Palms!"

Neji easily struck Rock Lee.

Lee collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. A total defeat.

"I must continue to work hard! One thousand finger push-ups!" Lee quickly adjusted his state and continued his frantic training.

Naruto waved his hand and shouted loudly, "Lee, I'm here!"

Seeing Lee was enough to know the situation with Might Guy.

"Yo! Naruto, watch my Leaf Whirlwind!" Lee suddenly lunged forward, his right leg sweeping out.

Naruto caught the move, his fist landing squarely on Lee's right leg.

Chakra erupted.

The two separated instantly.

Naruto rubbed his hand. "Lee, did you add more weight again?"

Lee said straightforwardly, "Naruto, this is the taijutsu I just learned from Guy-sensei. What do you think? Guy-sensei said my progress was slow, so I added another weight."

Lee's diligence was something not everyone could see at a glance.

"Hmm, the new taijutsu is very cool," Naruto said. "It's just that the speed isn't fast enough. Lee, I'm looking for Guy-sensei. Do you know where he is?"

Lee continued his push-ups. "Guy-sensei went to help Neji buy a Green Spandex Suit. He'll be here in a moment."

"Neji, what did you do? You're actually willing to accept Guy-sensei's attire?" Naruto was shocked.

Neji's cheeks flushed slightly. "I also want to learn from Guy-sensei."

Sasuke suddenly interjected, "You're Neji Hyuga, the genius of the Hyuga Clan? I, Uchiha Sasuke, challenge you."

Neji looked at the little boy Sasuke with confusion. "Naruto, is this your doing?"

Naruto walked into the middle. "Neji, Sasuke is also called the little genius of the Uchiha Clan. Don't you want to have a match?"

Neji said solemnly, "Genius is merely a label others give. I know exactly how much strength I possess. Uchiha Sasuke, I accept your challenge."

Everyone moved to the side to watch.

Uchiha versus Hyuga.

Sharingan versus Byakugan.

It was a pity that Uchiha Sasuke had not yet awakened his eyes.

Neji and Uchiha Sasuke performed the Seal of Confrontation, and the spar officially began.

Uchiha Sasuke initiated the attack, running at an angle and throwing three shuriken in one fluid motion.

Neji dodged them with ease: "Byakugan, activate!"

The Byakugan possessed a three-hundred-sixty-degree field of vision, allowing one to see the flow of chakra in the surrounding environment.

Uchiha Sasuke's movements held no secrets under the gaze of the Byakugan.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms." Neji moved rapidly, accurately cutting off Uchiha Sasuke's path and striking out with a palm.

Uchiha Sasuke failed to react in time and was struck on his right shoulder: Damn it, his speed is too fast. I need to create some distance.

Lee shook his head: "Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke's taijutsu is too poor. He cannot beat Neji."

Naruto smiled: "Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. Uchiha Sasuke still hasn't used his ninjutsu."

Uchiha Sasuke put distance between himself and Neji, steadied his stance, and formed hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

"Go, Uchiha Sasuke!"

A massive fireball appeared; Sakura Haruno was the only one on the field feeling excited.

The fireball exploded, and the stones on the ground were scorched red.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Consecutive Palms." Neji appeared behind Uchiha Sasuke without a scratch, unleashing two consecutive palms to seal his victory.

Uchiha Sasuke was knocked to the ground in a sorry state, the fabric of his sleeve torn: "I don't accept this."

He wanted to spar with Neji again.

Naruto stepped in to help Uchiha Sasuke up: "Behave. You'll get hurt if you keep sparring. Learning from failure is more important than winning a match."

Uchiha Sasuke huffed and performed the Seal of Reconciliation with Neji: "Next time, I will definitely win."

Uchiha Sasuke ran off alone in a fit of anger.

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" Sakura Haruno thought her chance had arrived; now was the perfect time to comfort Uchiha Sasuke, so she hurried after him.

"This is youth!" Might Guy performed a backflip and appeared before everyone: "Eternal rivals, eternal friends."

"Guy-sensei."

"Naruto, is there something you need from your teacher?" Might Guy felt a bit guilty toward Naruto, as he hadn't passed on his unique taijutsu to him, even though Naruto was his first student.

Naruto's eyes burned like fire: "Guy-sensei, I'll be blunt."