Yunju's Shock

"First match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akado."

The jonin announced the names, and the center of the arena cleared out.

Sasuke stepped out from the crowd, bandages wrapped around his neck to conceal the curse mark, but his stride remained steady. Yoroi emerged from the other side, bandages around his face and black gloves on his hands.

"Begin."

Yoroi struck first, stretching both hands forward. Anyone whose body he touched could have their chakra drained away.

Yoroi did not rush to attack. He stood where he was, his hands slightly spread, as though waiting for Sasuke to make the first move.

Sasuke did not move either.

The corners of Yoroi's mouth lifted slightly. "Arrogant."

He attacked first. He was fast, his sharp nails clawing toward Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke sidestepped, then drove a fist into Yoroi's stomach.

Yoroi took the punch head-on and seized Sasuke's arm with both hands—his palms held a strange power, slowly draining away Sasuke's chakra.

"I'll drain every last bit of your chakra," Yoroi said in a low voice.

Sasuke did not panic.

He saw Rock Lee.

Green jumpsuit, thick eyebrows, bowl cut—that guy who had made Sasuke feel threatened in taijutsu.

His Sharingan slowly spun in its sockets, seeing through Yoroi's every subtle movement. Then he kicked Yoroi's knee, forcing him to let go, before leaping into the air.

"Lion's Barrage."

After a series of imitation taijutsu strikes, Yoroi was defeated.

"Second match—Shino Aburame versus Zaku."

"Winner: Shino Aburame."

"Third match—Sakura Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka."

"Both have lost the ability to fight... a draw." Gekko Hayate coughed twice. "But the preliminaries require someone to advance... both contestants are eliminated."

"Fourth match—Shikamaru Nara versus Kin."

Shikamaru had a high IQ. Easily—at least, it looked easy—he took Kin down. That Shadow Possession Jutsu seemed rather novel to Yunju.

"Winner: Shikamaru Nara."

"Fifth match—Naruto Uzumaki versus Kiba Inuzuka."

Naruto's intelligence had finally kicked in. He used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into Akamaru, making it impossible for Kiba to tell which was real. That made Yunju feel that this Uzumaki Naruto was not particularly stupid after all. Maybe his declaration during the first exam had been him deliberately playing dumb?

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sixth match—Neji Hyuga versus Hinata Hyuga."

Yunju's gaze instantly focused.

A Byakugan civil war.

He leaned forward slightly in his seat, his left eye peering through a gap in the bandages as he stared at the arena.

Neji walked out from the crowd, expressionless and steady-footed.

Hinata entered the arena from the other side, head lowered, fingers twisting together as her body trembled slightly.

"Brother Neji..."

"The match begins." Gekko Hayate's voice fell.

Neji did not move.

Hinata took a deep breath and raised her head.

Her gaze changed—she was no longer that timid girl, but a true ninja.

"Gentle Fist!"

Hinata attacked first, her palms striking in rapid succession. The force of her palms became chakra blasts as they rushed toward Neji.

Neji sidestepped to evade, but Hinata's attacks came without pause, palm after palm forcing him back again and again.

Yunju narrowed his eyes slightly.

Hinata's Gentle Fist... her fundamentals were extremely solid. Though she lacked Neji's power, her speed and precision were both up to par. She was not attacking blindly; every palm strike targeted Neji's chakra points.

Neji frowned.

He had not expected Hinata to fight so aggressively.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm."

Neji thrust out a palm from afar. Hinata evaded, but the force of the palm grazed her shoulder, making her body tilt slightly.

Neji's expression turned utterly cold.

"You've grown stronger, Hinata." Neji's voice was low. "But it's still not enough."

His Byakugan locked onto the flow of Hinata's chakra.

In a flash—

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Two Palms."

One palm, then two.

Hinata's shoulder well point was struck, and the chakra in both her arms instantly stagnated.

"Eight Trigrams Four Palms."

Four palms sealed the chakra points in her back and waist.

"Eight Trigrams Eight Palms."

Eight palms made Hinata's legs go weak, and she nearly fell to her knees.

But she did not fall.

Hinata gritted her teeth and swung out a palm, striking Neji in the chest.

Neji did not budge.

"Why are you still standing?" There was a trace of confusion in Neji's voice.

"Because..." Hinata panted, blood already seeping from the corner of her mouth, "because I can't lose..."

"Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms."

Sixteen palms, each landing precisely on Hinata's chakra points. Her chakra was sealed off inch by inch, and her body began to sway.

Hinata coughed up blood, but she remained standing.

"I... won't give up... because this is my ninja way."

He raised his hand and struck Hinata in the chest.

That palm was too heavy.

Hinata flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground. Blood streamed from the corner of her mouth, staining her collar red.

"Hinata!" Naruto's shout came from the edge of the arena.

Hinata's fingers twitched.

Supporting herself against the ground, she rose bit by bit.

Nearly all the chakra in her body had been sealed, but she still stood up.

Neji watched the unsteady Hinata and fell silent for a moment.

"Your will... is very strong," Neji said. "But Gentle Fist cannot be won through will alone."

He attacked again.

"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms."

Thirty-two palms.

Hinata's chakra was completely sealed.

She fell to her knees, then slowly pitched forward and collapsed face-first onto the ground.

Blood seeped from her nose and mouth.

Neji still wanted to attack, but Might Guy, Kurenai, and Kakashi Hatake all jumped into the arena at once. Kurenai picked Hinata up and checked her injuries, while the others restrained Neji.

Neji stood in the center of the arena, expressionless.

"In a ninja's battle, there is no distinction between heavy and light."

His Byakugan passed through the crowd and looked toward a certain direction at the side of the arena.

Yunju.

Neji narrowed his left eye slightly.

Just one glance.

But Yunju understood what that look meant—I won, and you saw it too.

It was not a provocation, nor was it a threat.

It was a confirmation.

A confirmation that Yunju had seen his strength.

Yunju said nothing, only nodded slightly.

Neji withdrew his gaze.

"Winner: Neji Hyuga."

As Hinata was carried away, Naruto followed beside her the entire time, his fists clenched until they crackled.

"Neji... that bastard..."

Yunju watched Naruto's back without saying a word.

"Seventh match—Gaara versus Rock Lee."

Rock Lee leaped up from his seat and landed in the center of the arena.

"Finally, it's my turn!"

His eyes shone like two stars, and fighting spirit burned throughout his body.

Gaara emerged from the Sand Village team, moving slowly as if he had just awakened from a dream. His arms were folded, and the dark circles around his eyes looked like he had not slept for days.

"The match begins."

Rock Lee moved first.

His speed was so fast that many spectators could not react—he became a streak of green lightning, appearing before Gaara in an instant.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

His leg swept across, carrying a howling gust of wind.

The sand moved.

It was not Gaara controlling it—the sand was automatically protecting him.

Before Rock Lee's kick could hit Gaara, a sand shield sprang up and blocked it.

Rock Lee was flung back by the recoil. He flipped in midair and landed steadily.

A crack appeared in the sand shield, but fresh sand quickly filled it.

Rock Lee frowned.

Gaara had not moved at all.

"You're very fast," Gaara said in a low voice. "But the sand is faster."

"Take them off, Lee!" a loud shout came from the stands.

Rock Lee did not speak.

He took a deep breath, lowered into a half-crouch, and reached for his ankles.

Heavy weights were wrapped around them.

"Rock Lee..." Might Guy stood in the stands, tears streaming down his face.

Rock Lee undid the clasps on the weights.

"Boom!!"

Two iron weights slammed into the ground, smashing two craters into the floor as dust flew everywhere.

The entire arena erupted in shock.

"He's been fighting with those things on?"

Rock Lee straightened and rolled his shoulders.

"Now—the warm-up is over."

He moved again.

This time, he was several times faster than before.

Gaara's sand could no longer keep up.

Rock Lee circled around the sand shield and kicked Gaara in the waist. Gaara flew sideways, rolled twice in midair, and crashed hard onto the ground.

Sand instantly surged over him, wrapping him into a ball of sand.

Rock Lee did not stop.

He knew Gaara had not been hurt yet.

"Leaf Rising Wind!"

Rock Lee kicked the sand ball into the air, then leaped high into the sky, appearing above it.

"Front Lotus!"

Bandages wrapped around the sand ball. Rock Lee spun downward at high speed with it, smashing it fiercely toward the ground.

"Boom—!!"

A massive crater was blasted into the ground, and dust filled the air.

Might Guy clenched his fists at the edge of the arena.

The dust cleared.

The sand sphere shattered.

But Gaara was not inside.

It had only been a sand clone.

Rock Lee's pupils contracted sharply.

The real Gaara slowly rose from the ground at the edge of the crater, sand churning behind him.

"Your taijutsu is strong," Gaara said. "But you never harmed my real body."

The sand turned into countless tiny grains and filled the air.

"Sand Binding Coffin."

The grains instantly tightened.

Rock Lee had no time to dodge—sand wrapped around his entire body, leaving only his head exposed.

Gaara raised a hand, slowly curling his fingers into a fist.

"Sand Burial."

"Crack—"

The sound of bones shattering was especially piercing in the silent arena.

Rock Lee's mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

His eyes were still open, but his gaze had already begun to lose focus.

The sand dispersed, and Rock Lee's body collapsed limply to the ground.

His left arm and left leg were bent at impossible angles—the bones were shattered.

Might Guy rushed into the arena and scooped Rock Lee into his arms.

"Rock Lee! Rock Lee!!"

Rock Lee's eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Might Guy, and the corner of his mouth twitched with difficulty.

"Guy-sensei... I..."

He passed out.

Gaara stood in the center of the arena, his expression utterly unchanged.

"Winner: Gaara."

The stands fell completely silent.

Yunju watched Rock Lee's blood-covered body, his left eye narrowing slightly.

A taijutsu specialist who had reached that kind of speed still could not harm Gaara's real body.

The sand's absolute defense.

How was anyone supposed to fight something like that...?

He had no answer.

"Eighth match—Dosu versus Akimichi Choji."

The jonin's voice echoed through the arena.

Yunju rose to his feet.

Zaku and Kin watched him without saying anything.

Yunju walked into the arena.

On the other side, Choji also emerged from the crowd, still holding a bag of chips.

"Choji, go!" Ino shouted from the sidelines.

Choji glanced back at Ino, nodded, and set the chips down at the edge of the arena.

"The match begins."