Failure Always Runs Through Life

Hyuga Neji had nothing to say to his opponent, Naruto Uzumaki. He silently assumed the starting stance of the Arhat Fist.

"Oh?" Kakashi recognized the familiar posture.

"Sorry, Kakashi, I taught Neji some of your techniques," Might Guy said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Guy, how much has he mastered?" Kakashi asked.

"I only know seven or eight tenths of it, and Neji has only learned half of what I know," Might Guy replied.

"Mastering three or four tenths in a single week is quite impressive," Kakashi remarked.

Naruto Uzumaki drew the thin bamboo stick from his waist, a confident smile on his face.

As the bamboo stick moved, the sound of it whistling through the air was audible.

"Snap!"

Naruto Uzumaki launched the first attack, whipping the bamboo stick against Hyuga Neji's calf.

"That hurts!"

The strike was so sharp that it sent Hyuga Neji leaping into the air.

"Go for it, Neji!" Tenten cheered from the sidelines.

I have to be careful of his bamboo stick, Neji thought to himself.

Neji adopted a defensive stance, constantly dodging Naruto's strikes. It was not easy to evade Naruto's Dog Beating Technique; Naruto anticipated Neji's movements multiple times, leaving red welts across his body.

"Neji! Are you afraid of him?!" Rock Lee shouted at him.

"..."

Afraid of him? Never!

This pain is nothing compared to the activation of the Caged Bird Seal! Neji thought indignantly.

"Snap!"

Naruto struck Neji's arm with the stick, but from that moment on, Neji chose to stop dodging and charged directly toward Naruto's weapon.

The Arhat Fist combined hardness with softness, with footwork following the hands and the upper and lower body moving in unison. With his foundation in the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, Neji was able to grasp the essence of the Arhat Fist in a short time.

Although he had only learned three or four layers of the techniques, Neji was a genius!

Horse Stance Single Whip!

Extended Leg Punch!!

Embracing the Moon!

Black Tiger Steals Heart!!

Neji's transition from defense to offense caught Naruto completely off guard!

Retreating Step Palm Push!

Hyuga Neji entered his own rhythm, raising both palms to clamp down on the bamboo stick thrusting toward his face.

Neji tried to snatch the stick from Naruto's grip, but Naruto held on tight. In the next second, Neji leaped into the air, wrapped his legs around Naruto's neck, and exerted force to fling him away.

"Oh, nice," Kakashi couldn't help but praise.

Once Neji had seized the bamboo stick, he ensured Naruto would have no chance to retrieve it, snapping the stick in two.

"Ah!" Naruto felt his heart sink along with it.

"Now that you've lost your stick, what other tricks do you have?" Neji asked Naruto calmly.

"That's enough." Kakashi walked into the center of the sparring ground and addressed them both.

"I declare that Neji is the winner this time."

"Yeah!" Tenten cheered happily, as did Rock Lee.

"Huh? Is that really it?" Might Guy asked Kakashi, glancing at the stunned Naruto.

"A loss is a loss," Kakashi said calmly.

"I—I haven't admitted defeat yet!" Naruto shouted, looking up.

"I haven't admitted defeat!"

"..."

Kakashi walked over to Naruto.

"I am the one who admits defeat," Kakashi said to him.

"You have demonstrated what I taught you very well, and that is enough."

"Life is like this."

"Failure is always a part of it."

Kakashi walked away, transitioning from a small stride to a long stride, then into a fast run, before disappearing with a Body Flicker Technique.

"What the heck!" Naruto roared.

"I will never admit defeat!"

After Naruto Uzumaki shouted this, he ran off, disappearing in an unknown direction.

"Ah, this..." Might Guy turned his head to look in the direction where the two had vanished, not knowing what to say.

"Neji, let's go back and apply some medicine." Tenten looked at the bruises on Neji's body caused by the bamboo stick; just looking at them made her feel as if she were in pain herself.

"Poke!"

Rock Lee curiously poked a bruise on Neji's arm and was instantly locked in the crosshairs of Neji's murderous gaze.

"I, I'm sorry!!" Rock Lee immediately bowed to apologize to Neji.

"It's a good thing he was only holding a bamboo stick. If it had been any other weapon, you couldn't afford to give up your defense, Neji," Might Guy said seriously.

"I know."

Might Guy noticed that Neji's hands were trembling slightly, as were his legs.

He could tell that Neji was enduring intense pain.

Although his facial expression appeared normal, his body could not completely disguise the truth.

"You need to apply medicine, but you also need to see a doctor."

"Let's go to Konoha Hospital and have a medical ninja check you out," Might Guy said.

"..."

Hyuga Neji nodded.

The Dog Beating Technique that kid Naruto used wasn't just random flailing; most of the strikes were aimed at vital points and acupoints on the human body.

After Neji used about thirty or forty percent of his Arhat Fist to close the distance between himself and Naruto, the long-range advantage of the bamboo stick had become a liability, and the inexperienced Naruto was quickly taken down by Neji.

Lu Bian: [How did it turn out?]

Kakashi Hatake: [The performance was excellent. Now, I don't even need to urge him; Naruto practices on his own quite often.]

Lu Bian: [It's been so hard on you, Kakashi.]

Kakashi Hatake: [It really has been hard on me. Leading students is truly exhausting, especially someone like Naruto Uzumaki.]

Kakashi Hatake: [Teaching him for a week feels like working overtime for a month.]

Lu Bian: [Kakashi, you are a jonin sensei. Sooner or later, you will be leading three students.]

Kakashi Hatake: [The students who can earn my approval have yet to appear.]

Lu Bian: [Next year, next year you will see your lovely students.]

Kakashi Hatake: [I shall wait and see.]

As Naruto searched the woods for a suitable wooden stick, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, walked toward him with Umino Iruka.

Hearing the noise they made, Naruto stood up and looked back.

At first glance, Naruto Uzumaki saw the kind Third Hokage. Naruto felt a surge of joy in his heart, wanting to tell him about his wondrous experiences over the past week.

But at the second glance, Naruto Uzumaki saw his homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka. His heart skipped a beat, and his hands and feet turned cold—he had come to catch him!

Naruto leaped with all his might, intending to flee.

"Where do you think you're going, Naruto!"

Umino Iruka rushed over in an instant and grabbed the ankle of Naruto, who was mid-air.

"Help, help! Third Hokage-jiji!!" Umino Iruka held Naruto upside down by his leg.

"Naruto, it's time for you to go back to class, isn't it?"

"I, I..."

"Naruto, you've been skipping school for a week this time..." Iruka stopped mid-sentence.

"Considering you had a justifiable reason, I won't punish you as long as you return to school for class."

"Oh?! Iruka-sensei, are you serious?"

"I am serious."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei!!"

"Iruka-sensei..."

"What is it?"

"Could you please put me down first?"