Neji vs. Sasuke (Two Chapters Combined)

Within the barrier of the Uzumaki Shrine, the air seemed to solidify like amber. Neji's words, "I'll give you a choice," echoed between the stone walls, intertwining with the flickering shadows of the candlelight to form an invisible net.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately. He slowly turned around, the Tomoe in his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning with a fateful rhythm, the purple light cutting cold tracks in the dim space. A smile curved his lips—not a smile, but a kind of arrogance more akin to provocation, unique to the Uchiha Clan.

"A choice?" Sasuke's voice was soft, yet sharp as a poisoned Senbon. "Neji Hyuga, before that, we still need a duel."

The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the ancestral hall plummeted.

Neji raised an eyebrow. For a fleeting moment, he almost thought he'd misheard. A duel? At a time like this? After just witnessing the Death God ritual, Orochimaru's possession, and the release of the four Hokage's souls? What was wrong with Sasuke Uchiha's thought process?

Has this kid not had enough beatings? Neji felt a surge of absurd helplessness. Come to think of it, the fight with Deidara was an elemental advantage, Itachi Uchiha's fight was basically a free win, Fourth Raikage A almost turned him into mincemeat, Danzo almost took him down with him just now... Do you have some kind of masochistic tendency, Sasuke-kun?

On the surface, Neji merely tilted his head slightly, casting a distorted shadow in the candlelight. He asked in that calm tone, "Sasuke Uchiha, you don't think you can control me just because you possess the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, do you?"

This statement is like a spark falling into an oil drum.

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan shone brightly, and purple Chakra rose from his body like tangible flames. He didn't even Hand Seals; he simply raised his hand and pointed—

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames suddenly ignited where Neji stood; they were an inextinguishable fire capable of devouring even light. But the flames only burned the air. In the instant before Sasuke's eyes focused, Neji had already shifted half a step to the side, the timing of that half step was terrifyingly precise—a moment earlier and his intentions would have been revealed, a moment later and he would have been engulfed in flames.

"Quick reaction," Sasuke coldly, his fighting spirit intensifying. He drew his Grass Cone Sword, lightning crackling around its blade, and his second strike was already brewing.

"Wait." Neji raised his hand in a pause gesture—a gesture so casual it was almost insulting—"This isn't the place for a duel. If you want to fight, I'm in, but let's find another place."

Sasuke's sword tip drooped slightly, but the light in his eyes remained undiminished. "Scared?"

"I'm afraid you'll shatter the souls of the four Lord Hokage." Neji turned to Orochimaru, his tone as casual as if discussing dinner. "Lord Orochimaru, do you have a suitable venue nearby? Preferably a large one, after all..." He glanced at Sasuke, "Some people like to fly 'Gundams'."

The word "Gundam" made Sasuke frown. He didn't understand it, but he could sense the sarcasm in it.

Orochimaru let out a low chuckle, a laugh like a snake slithering through withered leaves. "Of course, my partners." His golden snake-like eyes swept back and forth between Sasuke and Neji with keen interest. "But before that, shouldn't we ask these four first? Their souls won't linger in this world for long."

The four Hokage souls— Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato —suspended in mid-air, gazing down with complex expressions. Hashirama's brow was furrowed, Tobirama's eyes were sharp, Hiruzen's face was worried, and Minato seemed hesitant to speak. In their soul form, they could not interfere with reality, but the authority of the Hokage remained.

Neji glanced at Sasuke, who was staring at him with a "fight first, talk later" look. He sighed helplessly.

"Since Sasuke doesn't want to choose now, we'll talk about it later," Neji said. "Anyway, it will take time for his soul to return to the Pure Land, which will give us enough time to... 'communicate.'" With that, he released the barrier he had set up.

Orochimaru shrugged, turned, and walked towards the shrine's exit. "Follow me."

The new location was hidden deeper within the underground labyrinth of Hidden Sound Village. When Orochimaru pushed open the last rusty iron door, a breathtaking space unfolded before them.

This is a naturally formed, enormous cave with a dome hundreds of meters high, and countless glowing stalactites resembling an inverted forest. The bottom of the cave has been artificially modified into a circular platform with a diameter of over three hundred meters. The platform is paved with some kind of dark gray rock and is covered with reinforcement and energy-absorbing Sealing Jutsu. Dozens of Chakra lamps that never go out are embedded in the surrounding rock walls, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

"This is the testing ground built back when we were researching the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb." Orochimaru walked at the front, his voice echoing in the empty cave. "The walls and floor are infused with derivatives of the First Hokage Cells, capable of absorbing and dispersing massive Chakra impacts. Even if you threw a complete Tailed Beast Bomb here..."

He turned around, a meaningful smile on his face, "It won't collapse."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Sasuke's eyes. He stepped into the center of the arena, twirling his Grass Cone Sword in his hand, crackling with lightning. The arena was large enough, high enough, and sturdy enough—perfect for Susanoo to unleash its full power.

Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin retreated to the edge of the arena, each with a different expression. Suigetsu looked excitedly at the spectacle, Jugo's expression was solemn, and Karin bit her lip, her eyes behind her glasses filled with worry. Kabuto Yakushi stood quietly beside Orochimaru, his snake-like features still present, and the inhuman coldness in his eyes had never disappeared.

Neji stood thirty meters away from Sasuke. In his pure Byakugan, Sasuke's burning fighting spirit was reflected.

Using the Flying Thunder God technique, the battle could be ended before he could activate Susanoo. Neji calmly analyzed. Instantly teleporting behind him, Kunai against his throat, or directly sealing his Chakra points... three seconds would be enough.

But that won't work. Sasuke won't accept it. At this time, Sasuke Uchiha, the avenger blinded by hatred and power, only believed in one language—overwhelming strength. Only by completely defeating him in his most confident area will he stop and listen to you.

So that's what I need to use. Neji made his decision to himself. Wood Release in Sage Mode, combined with variations of Ice Release and Storm Release... that should be enough.

"Neji," Sasuke's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Can we begin?"

The eagerness in his tone almost made Neji laugh. Such familiar arrogance, exactly the same as during the Chunin Ninja Exams. So much time had passed, so much had happened, yet Sasuke Uchiha's core nature remained unchanged.

"So eager to get beaten up?" Neji spoke the most provocative words in the calmest tone, "Then let me see how you can dance now."

The word "dance" pierced Sasuke's most sensitive nerve like a needle. His eyes instantly froze, and the Tomoe in his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan began to spin wildly.

"Court death!"

Without any probing or warm-up, Sasuke a deadly attack right from the start.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

The spear, formed from condensed lightning, tore through the air, piercing the air with a shrill whistle as it hurtled straight at Neji's face. This attack was far faster than a normal Chidori; the nature transformation of the Lightning Release Chakra was pushed to its limit. Wherever the spear tip passed, even the air was ionized, releasing a faint smell of ozone.

But Neji didn't even move a step.

His hands formed an extremely simple hand seal in front of his chest—the starting stance of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist—but what followed completely deviated from the Hyuga Clan style.

"Crystal Release: Emerald Wall!"

A hexagonal, transparent crystal wall appeared out of thin air in front of Neji. It was no ordinary crystal, but a barrier-like defense formed by highly compressed and orderly arranged Chakra. The moment the Chidori Sharp Spear struck the crystal wall, lightning flashed wildly, and ripples spread across the surface of the crystal wall, but—it did not break.

What's even more astonishing is yet to come.

The ripples on the crystal wall suddenly contracted in the opposite direction, forcibly concentrating all the lightning at a single point in the center of the wall, and then—

Rebound!

A spear of lightning, identical to the Chidori Sharp Spear, shot back along the same path at the same speed! This was not imitation, not copying, but a genuine, complete rebound!

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. He quickly dodged to the side, the lightning spear grazing his shoulder and blasting a deep crater in the rock wall behind him. Debris flew everywhere, and dust billowed.

"This is..." Karin pushed up her glasses in disbelief, "Crystal Release? How can the Hyuga Clan know Crystal Release?"

No one could answer her. Because Neji's second move had already begun.

Just as Sasuke dodged the rebounding lightning spear and was momentarily off balance, Neji's hands Hand Seals again. This time, the seals were much more complex and so fast that they left afterimages.

"Ice Release: Thousand Kill Ice Needles!"

The temperature in the cave plummeted. Countless fine ice needles, as thin as cow's hair, condensed in the air within a fifty-meter radius of Neji. They hovered in mid-air, their tips all aimed at Sasuke, reflecting a cold, icy light under the illumination of the Chakra lamps.

The next second, thousands of needles were fired simultaneously.

That wasn't an ordinary rain of ice needles. The trajectory of each ice needle was calculated, and they intertwined in the air to form a three-dimensional net of death, blocking all possible evasion routes for Sasuke. What was even more terrifying was that these ice needles would make slight adjustments to their direction during flight— Neji's Byakugan could track every muscle twitch of Sasuke in real time and predict his next move.

Cold sweat beaded on Sasuke's forehead. Crystal Release followed by Ice Release? Just how much was Neji Hyuga, the Branch House genius he once considered a "Caged Bird"?

But he had no time to think. The ice needles were already within reach.

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!

A massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, the intense heat instantly engulfing all the ice needles in the fan-shaped area in front of him. The collision of ice and fire generated a large amount of steam, filling the entire cave with white mist.

However, at the very instant the flames erupted, Neji launched his third attack. He didn't even wait for the ice needles to take effect, as if he had already anticipated that Sasuke would use Fire Release to counter.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave Slash!"

Neji swung his hand, and a highly compressed wind blade tore through the steam, precisely cleaving the still-forming Great Fireball in two! Wind fueling the fire? No, this was using extreme wind pressure to forcibly cut through the flame's structure! The cleaved fireball scattered to both sides, while the Vacuum Wave Slash continued its momentum, aiming straight for Sasuke's throat!

Too fast. The transitions were too rapid. Crystal Release counterattack, Ice Needle suppression, Wind Release counterattack—there was almost no gap between the three moves, each move targeting a possible response to the previous one. This wasn't a battle; it was a meticulously planned execution.

Sasuke finally realized that he could no longer hold back.

"Susanoo!"

Purple Chakra soared into the sky! A skeletal frame instantly took shape, followed by flesh and blood covering it, and armor donned— Sasuke skipped the first stage and entered the second form of Susanoo! A huge purple giant stood in the center, his Chakra bow fully drawn, the bowstring brimming with terrifying energy.

The Vacuum Wave Slash struck Susanoo's armor, leaving only a shallow white mark.

"That's more like it," Neji said softly. His expression remained calm, but the white light in his eyes began to change—it was no longer the bluish-white of ordinary Byakugan, but had turned into the snake eyes unique to Ryūchi Cave, and he also had jade dragon horns on his head.

Sage Mode activated.

Neji's Sage Mode is the perfect Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave, where his entire aura blends seamlessly with the surrounding space.

"Celestial Art: The Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"

Neji pressed his hands to the ground. It wasn't Hand Seals; it was just the simplest gesture of touching the ground with his hands. But this very action triggered a dramatic change in the cave.

The ground trembled violently! Countless massive trees burst forth from the rock, their growth rate defying all logic. Huge flowers bloomed from their trunks, pollen filling the air like mist. In just three seconds, half the dueling arena transformed into a primeval forest! The trees reached the top of the cave, their intertwined branches forming an impenetrable dome. The glowing flowers released a cloyingly sweet fragrance—a nerve-numbing poison gas.

While Sasuke Susanoo, the poisonous gas couldn't directly penetrate him, but the scent still managed to seep in. Even just a trace of it made him feel dizzy and his Chakra flow became sluggish.

"Poison?!" Sasuke reacted immediately, "Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

He channeled his Lightning Release Chakra into himself, the intense electric shock clearing his senses. But the sight before him made his heart sink—his entire field of vision was filled with trees, Neji's figure had already vanished into this suddenly appearing forest.

The Byakugan combined with Sage Mode offers an overwhelming advantage in complex terrain. Neji can pinpoint Sasuke's location precisely through layers of trees, while Sasuke's Sharingan, though capable of seeing through Chakra, cannot see through physical obstacles.

We have to force him to come out.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames ignited in the forest! Sasuke's tactic was simple: since he couldn't find you, he would burn the entire forest down! Amaterasu spread along the trees, turning everything in its path to ashes. But there were too many trees, and they grew too fast—one patch burned down, and another sprouted up, seemingly endless.

Just as Sasuke was fully focused on controlling Amaterasu burn the forest, an unexpected event occurred.

"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"

A laser beam as thick as a bucket shot out from the depths of the forest! It was no ordinary beam, but a net-like attack woven from countless tiny laser beams, covering an extremely large area and moving at lightning speed! Even more terrifying was that the laser beam's path was not a straight line, but refracted multiple times in the air, striking Susanoo's back from a completely unexpected angle!

Sasuke hurriedly manipulated his Susanoo to turn around and use the bow to block. The moment the laser beam struck the bow, he felt a terrifying penetrating force—it wasn't a physical impact, but an extreme focus of energy! Tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the bow!

"How is this possible?!" Sasuke was shocked. The Susanoo's defense had actually been cracked by a single blow?

Before he could think it through, a second and a third laser beam arrived in quick succession! They shot from different directions, each time precisely striking the same spot on Susanoo —the joint of the left shoulder armor! Neji's Byakugan could see the weak points in Susanoo's Chakra flow, and his attacks were all concentrated on those "nodes"!

Sasuke tried to move his Susanoo to dodge, but suddenly felt a tightness under his feet—tree roots had somehow wrapped around Susanoo's feet! The roots were covered in Senjutsu Chakra, incredibly tough, and even Susanoo's power couldn't break free immediately.

Amaterasu was still burning towards Susanoo along the Storm Release laser beam! Sasuke was forced to Rotation Amaterasu, but in that moment of distraction, the fourth laser beam had already hit its target!

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound. The armor on Susanoo's left shoulder shattered completely! Purple Chakra gushed out like blood!

"It's not over yet," Neji's calm voice echoed from the depths of the forest.

"Immortal Technique: Gate of the Great God!"

Suddenly, the rock strata at the top of the cave cracked open! Several enormous red torii gates descended from the sky! They were not physical objects, but sealing gates formed from Senjutsu Chakra, each as heavy as a mountain! The torii gates slammed precisely into the head, shoulders, and arms of Susanoo. The terrifying weight and sealing force caused the purple giant to buckle at the knees and kneel down with a thud!

Sasuke his teeth, frantically channeling his Chakra to try and hold up the Gate of the Great God. But just as he was desperately resisting the pressure from above—

Neji appeared directly in front of Susanoo, no more than ten meters away.

He extended his right index finger, the tip of which was condensed with a highly concentrated Chakra light.

"Sage Art: Storm Release Laser"

It wasn't a laser beam, but a real, extremely concentrated laser point. The point was only the size of a pinhead, but the energy it contained made Sasuke's Sharingan feel a stinging sensation.

A beam of light shot out. It wasn't fast, you could even say it was slow. But Sasuke couldn't dodge it— his Susanoo was suppressed by the Gate of the Great God, his feet were entangled by tree roots, and all his Chakra was being used to resist the pressure from above, leaving him no strength to move.

He could only watch helplessly as that point of light slowly flew towards Susanoo's head—the location of the cockpit, the location of his true form.

The moment the light touched Susanoo's armor, there was no explosion, no sound. It was like a red-hot needle piercing butter, silently melting through everything in its path—armor, flesh, skeleton... layer by layer.

Finally, it stopped three inches in front of Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke's breathing stopped. He could feel the destructive energy contained in that glimmer of light—if it went in just three more inches, his head would be completely vaporized.

"Shall we continue?" Neji asked. He remained standing still, his breathing perfectly steady.

Sasuke closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Susanoo turned into purple specks of light and dissipated, along with the Gate of the Great God and the tree roots. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

But he did not give up.

Sasuke gripped the Grass Cone Sword tightly once more, and lightning flashed again! His figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling straight at Neji! Since his ranged Ninjutsu was completely suppressed, he would settle the matter with close- Taijutsu! The pride of the Uchiha Clan would not allow him to admit defeat so easily!

Neji looked at Sasuke charging towards him, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

She's so stubborn.

He neither dodged nor avoided, but simply raised his right hand, palm facing Sasuke.

"Gate of View, open."

There was no violent burst of Chakra, no exaggerated muscle expansion. Neji simply entered the sixth gate of the Eight Gates, but his composure was as effortless as Gate of Opening to drink water.

Sasuke's Chidori was already at him. Neji turned to the side and lightly tapped Sasuke's wrist holding the sword—not a heavy blow, just a touch.

Sasuke felt a numbness in his wrist, and the lightning of Chidori instantly became chaotic. But what made him even more uneasy was that a barely perceptible Flying Thunder God Formula was left at the spot where Neji had struck.

The next second, Neji disappeared.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly, trying to detect spatial fluctuations. But he saw nothing—not because the Flying Thunder God Technique was too fast, but because Neji hadn't actually "moved." He vanished right in front of Sasuke and then reappeared behind him Sasuke warning.

It's as if he was always standing in that spot.

The icy touch of the Kunai pressed against Sasuke's neck. Neji's voice rang in his ear, eerily calm:

"Shall we continue?"

It was just a simple question.

Sasuke froze. He could feel a sharp pain in his neck—with just a slight flick of Neji's wrist, the Kunai would sever his carotid artery. Even more terrifying, he didn't even know when Neji had gotten behind him. He knew about the Flying Thunder God Technique; the Fourth Hokage had used it, but he had never known it to be so fast, so... unpredictable.

Silence. A long silence.

Only Sasuke's heavy breathing and the gasps of Suigetsu and the others could be heard in the cave.

Finally, Sasuke released his grip on the sword. The Grass Cone Sword clattered to the ground, and the lightning went out.

"... I lost."

Three words, yet they carry immense weight. Sasuke Uchiha, the possessor of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the practitioner of the path of revenge, lowered his head—a head he had never bowed before—in front of everyone.

Neji withdrew his Kunai and took three steps back. The Senjutsu Mode markings on his body slowly faded, and his snake-like eyes returned to their normal Byakugan.

"Now," he looked at Sasuke, his tone still calm, "Can you listen to me properly now?"

On the sidelines, Orochimaru's golden snake eyes gleamed with complex light. He looked at Neji —this young man from the Branch House who had once been merely one of his "backup vessels" had now grown to a height that even he had to look up to. Crystal Release, Ice Release, Storm Release, Wood Release, Senjutsu, Eight Gates, Flying Thunder God Technique... any one of these abilities would be enough to make a ninja famous Shinobi World, and Neji possessed them all, even though he had helped Neji a great deal.

Neji Hyuga, just how far have you gone? Orochimaru felt a long-lost, researcher's fervent curiosity surge within him. And those Byakugan... if they evolved, what would they become?

Kabuto stood quietly behind his master, but deep within his eyes, fragments of Kabuto Yakushi's consciousness trembled. He understood the significance of this battle better than anyone: this was not an ordinary victory or defeat, but a redefinition of power.

Suigetsu's mouth gaped open, not even noticing the Kubikiribōchō slipping from her shoulder. Jugo's Curse Mark patterns unconsciously appeared and faded, an instinctive reaction of the body when sensing an absolute powerhouse. Karin, on the other hand, gripped her glasses tightly, her knuckles turning white—in her perception, Neji's Chakra was like a bottomless ocean, calm yet containing a power she couldn't comprehend.

The stalactites on the cave ceiling are still glowing. The light from the Chakra lamps shines through the lingering steam, casting dappled shadows on the rock walls.

Neji stood in the light. He looked at Sasuke, who was slowly rising, at Orochimaru and his group, whose expressions varied, and at this newly born, still-in-its-prime force centered around him.

The game has reached the middle stage. The pieces are in place, and the players are all assembled. But where should they place their pieces next?

"Sasuke," Neji spoke, his voice echoing in the empty cave, "Do you want to know the truth about the Uchiha Clan? Do you want to know your brother Itachi's true last wish? Do you want to know the future of this world, and your place in it?"

Sasuke raised his head, the light in his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan complex and difficult to decipher. Within it lay the humiliation of defeat, resentment, and confusion, but deep within, finally, a hint of... willingness to listen softened.

Neji knew that he had passed the hardest hurdle.

Now, the real work begins.