Chapter 17

The Third Hokage slapped his forehead and decided to add a preliminary round before the finals. One-on-one matches—only winners could advance to the third round.

It was exactly like the original plot.

By the time Uchiha Yi arrived, several rounds had already been fought. Naruto and Kiba were currently going at it. "Yi, you're here?"

Hinata spotted him as soon as he stopped. "Um... thank you for what happened before."

"Come on, why be so polite with me?"

Uchiha Yi curled his lips and added in a low voice, "Remember to keep it a secret for me."

"Mm!"

Hinata nodded, blushing. "Well, if it isn't Yi?"

A green blur shot over. It was a boy with eyebrows thick enough to hang droplets from. "Rock Lee, long time no see."

Thanks to Might Guy, Uchiha Yi and Rock Lee were fairly familiar with each other. Back when Yi had trained in the Eight Gates, he had pushed himself so brutally that even Rock Lee had admired him from the bottom of his heart. "Ha, Yi is here too! I heard you were promoted to chunin early?"

Might Guy came over as well.

The news of Yi's early chunin promotion had long since spread. "Uh, Uncle Guy, I just got lucky."

"What luck? This is clearly the fruit of passionate youth in full bloom! Rock Lee, don't you agree?"

"Guy-sensei, you are absolutely right!"

Then master and student threw their arms around each other, their faces smeared with tears and snot.

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched. He could not be bothered to keep watching.

He looked around and greeted several people present.

Kakashi was here, but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

He had probably received the Evil Sealing Method and was recovering from his injuries.

The match in the arena had ended.

Naruto had once again proven something—the title of number one unpredictable ninja was not just for show. "Yi, you're here too!"

Naruto grinned. "Did you see that? I was awesome—I took Kiba down just like that!"

"Yeah, sure. Winning a match with a fart, Naruto—you really are something."

Uchiha Yi gave him a thumbs-up.

Naruto's face fell. "What was that supposed to mean?! A win is a win, hmph!"

He probably found it embarrassing himself, so he did not keep arguing.

Uchiha Yi shifted his gaze to the other side.

The next match-up appeared on the big screen.

Hinata Hyuga versus Neji Hyuga.

Hinata stood in the arena, with Neji opposite her.

The main family's young lady against the branch family's genius.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "This is a clash of Byakugan against Byakugan."

Naruto looked utterly confused. "What's the Byakugan?"

Rock Lee hurriedly explained, "The Hyuga Clan's unique bloodline limit. Its insight is even stronger than the Sharingan's."

He had studied Neji's abilities plenty of times, so he knew all of this by heart.

In the arena, Neji stared coldly at Hinata. "Lady Hinata, it has been quite some time."

"Brother Neji... it has been a while. You..."

Before she could finish, Neji waved a hand and cut her off. "Enough. Save the nonsense. Just forfeit. You are no match for me."

From the stands, Uchiha Yi's lips turned down.

This guy had been blinded by hatred, and his mouth was foul too.

Without Naruto's talk-no-jutsu to knock some sense into him, Neji was truly unbearable to watch.

Still, Yi was not worried about Hinata in the slightest.

Ever since he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had secretly sought Hinata out and given her some extra training.

The current Hinata was nothing like the timid little girl he remembered.

She only blushed and got flustered around Uchiha Yi.

When dealing with anyone else, she was no longer nearly as timid.

The reason she was stumbling over her words with Neji today was purely because Uchiha Yi had told her about the Hyuga branch family.

He had even told her the details of the Caged Bird Seal.

Hinata's heart was full of sympathy for Neji.

That sympathy, however, left her unsure how to speak. "But... I..."

"There is no but. I am stronger than you. That is a fact."

Neji's tone was as cold as a blade. "Some things are decided at birth. You are from the main family, and I am from the branch family. The gap in our strength is just as predetermined."

"You cannot change your fate. Neither can you, young lady."

The words landed in the arena. They were not loud, but they were painfully grating.

Hinata clenched the hem of her clothes, her heart twisting with complicated feelings. Thinking of her own status and looking at Neji's ice-cold face, it felt as if a ball of cotton had lodged in her throat, leaving her unable to speak. "B-but I..."

"What is there to argue about? I am stronger than you. That is set in stone."

There was not a shred of warmth on Neji's face, and his hard voice crashed down on her. "Some things were decided from the very beginning. You are from the main family, and I am from the branch family. Our strength was decided the same way—long ago. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot overturn the heavens. Even if you are the main family's young lady, do not think you can defeat me."

Uchiha Yi frowned deeply at his words. Where did this brat get such confidence?

He raised his voice and shouted, "Hey, Neji! What nonsense are you spouting? You say Hinata cannot beat you, and that makes it true? What a joke!"

Turning away with a look of disdain, he yelled at Hinata again, "Hinata, ignore him. You do not need to pity him either. Show him what you can really do and make him open his eyes."

Hinata blushed, but after hearing Uchiha Yi's words, her eyes immediately lit up. "Brother Neji, Yi told me to use my real strength. You had better be careful."

"Be careful?"

Neji had already been holding back a bellyful of anger because Uchiha Yi had interrupted. Hinata's words ignited it completely. "It seems neither of you takes me seriously!"

His Byakugan opened sharply. "Eight Trigrams Air Palm."

Chakra blasted forth, but Hinata flashed aside and dodged with ease.

A cold smile appeared on Neji's lips. "You're finished!"

Taking his stance, he shot forward like the wind. "Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

What?

Neji had been brimming with confidence, thinking he could finish Hinata in one go, but the move that came from her mouth was exactly the same as his.

Impossible. How could she know this technique?

He gritted his teeth, ruthlessness rising in his heart.

But...

"Two Palms!"

"Two Palms!"

"Four Palms!"

"Four Palms!"

"Eight Palms!"

"Eight Palms!"

No way. She really knows it?

Neji's heart trembled, and his movements slowed by half a beat.

An opening!

Hinata seized the chance and charged forward. "Sixty-Four Palms!"

Damn it!

Neji's heart tightened. He wanted to unleash the Sixty-Four Palms at once, but it was already too late. "Rotation!"

His reaction was quick. He spun and brought out his defensive technique.

It was the most reliable method available to him, and the smartest choice.

The Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation was one of the Hyuga Clan's most guarded secret techniques. The instant an attack came, it released all the Gentle Fist chakra from the body's chakra points and spun in place like a top, deflecting any attack. Combined with its speed and the Byakugan's vision, it was practically an absolute defense as impenetrable as an iron barrel.

But Uchiha Yi had already figured this technique out long ago.

Naturally, he had prepared a way to counter it and taught it all to Hinata. "Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation Reversal!"

With a soft shout, Hinata drew out several streams of chakra with both hands, wrapping them around Neji's spinning Rotation like ropes.

Then, using a method Neji could not comprehend at all, she forcibly jammed his rotation to a stop.

The Rotation was interrupted by force. Neji's body shuddered as backlash struck him, and he was sent flying.

In the stands, Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

As someone with the Sharingan, he knew better than anyone how powerful Rotation was.

Neji was blasted away by that force. After hitting the ground, he struggled for quite a while before getting back up.

But everyone could see it. Though he was standing, both his stamina and chakra were nearly depleted.

The surrounding ninjas could all see clearly that the winner had been decided.

Yet no one expected Hinata herself to be the first to call a stop.

Naruto opened his mouth and stood there in a daze.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, his gaze slowly moving from Hinata to the expressionless black-haired boy standing some distance away.

The words Uchiha Yi had spoken in the Hokage's office not long ago suddenly surfaced in his mind.

That kid... really had not just been talking big.

On the other side, Kurenai Yuhi was equally shaken.

She had led Hinata for so long, yet she had never known when this soft-tempered girl, who was usually not even very proactive in training, had become so formidable.

She could even break Rotation?

Who would believe that if it got out?

Neji's eyes were filled with unwillingness, but he did not attack again. He merely stood there, fists clenched, without saying a word.

Hinata looked down at her hands, then raised her head to meet Neji's gaze. There was a hint of embarrassment and guilt in her eyes.

Watching from afar, Uchiha Yi sighed inwardly.

This girl really did take other people's mistakes onto herself.

Could she be blamed for the circumstances of her birth?

Still, it was precisely this kind of personality that made people feel even more sorry for her.

The next match was Rock Lee versus Gaara.

It was even fiercer than the previous one.

Sand filled the air, and Konoha's arena was practically being torn apart.

Watching from the side, even Uchiha Yi had to admit that Rock Lee was truly ruthless when he fought.

Much like the original development, Rock Lee still failed to win in the end.

But fortunately, Uchiha Yi had made some preparations in advance, so Rock Lee's leg was not broken.

He was covered in injuries when he was carried away, but at least he had not been crippled.

This let Might Guy, who had come along, breathe a sigh of relief. He patted Rock Lee on the shoulder and said he would treat him to curry for the rest of his life.

The selection matches ended just like that.

The list of those who advanced was announced soon afterward.

Five were from Konoha Village, three from Sand Village, and one from Sound Village.

The drawing results were not much different from what Uchiha Yi remembered.

After the matches, Naruto wanted to drag everyone out to celebrate, but Kakashi immediately hauled him off to the hospital.

Uchiha Yi was happy to have some peace and quiet. He had already arranged to eat ramen with Hinata.

It was rare for him to get some time alone with her. He did not want Naruto's loud, hyperactive nature ruining the mood.

Unfortunately, only a few days passed before the Third Hokage summoned him to his office. "The mission for your chunin promotion has arrived."

With a pipe in his mouth, the Third Hokage handed him a scroll.

Uchiha Yi took it and opened it. The moment he read it, he froze. "You want me to protect a film crew while they shoot?"

He looked up at the Third Hokage, his face full of disbelief.

This was a mission for becoming a chunin?

And a specially approved one at that?

That was it?

The moment Hinata showed that slightly guilty expression, Uchiha Yi immediately understood—she was still feeling bad about what happened with Neji.

But where someone was born and what surname they had were not things they could choose. What was there to feel guilty about?

Still, thinking about it, that was just Hinata's personality. The more she was like this, the more endearing she seemed.