Grade Exchange Meeting

Neji lowered his head. "Lord Clan Head, this is so I can better protect Lady Hinata."

"Then you should work harder to develop your Byakugan and practice your Gentle Fist, rather than thinking about patching things up afterward. You should stop trouble before it starts." Hyuga Hiashi remained unmoved.

You damned bastard! Fury burned inside Neji. He wanted to blow Hiashi's head apart with an Air-Palm Strike, but under someone else's roof, he had no choice but to bow his head. He could only answer obediently, "Lord Clan Head, the Gentle Fist is a profound art. I won't neglect it. Learning Medical Ninjutsu is only a precaution."

Hyuga Hiashi turned around, his indifferent Byakugan fixed on Neji, making him feel immense pressure.

After staring at Neji for a long time, Hyuga Hiashi said, "Forget about learning Medical Ninjutsu. Our Hyuga Clan needs only the Gentle Fist. Remember! The Hyuga Clan is the strongest clan in Konoha. There is no need to waste your energy elsewhere. Master the Gentle Fist, and you will have everything you need to handle any situation!"

"Yes, Lord Clan Head." Neji lowered his head, almost losing control of himself.

Looking at the bowed Neji, Hyuga Hiashi said flatly, "All right. Go outside and practice your Gentle Fist."

"Yes." Neji steadied his breathing and quietly withdrew.

Aaah... damn it! Just two days of being a slave, and I'm already about to snap! Neji felt ready to explode.

Hold it in. Hold it in. It's not time to explode yet. Neji kept repeating the words to himself like a mantra.

Early the next morning, Neji buried all his troubles deep inside and entered the academy.

The daylong Grade Exchange Meeting began.

As the sixth grade's top student, Neji naturally drew a great many eyes.

Likewise, Sasuke Uchiha, the fifth grade's top student, attracted plenty of attention.

The moment Neji and Sasuke appeared, many of the girls began whispering among themselves, their faces flushed as they either stared openly or stole furtive glances.

"The sixth grade's top student really lives up to the Hyuga Clan's name. He's so composed, just like a full-fledged ninja."

"That Sasuke Uchiha is really cool, and he's handsome, too."

"Yeah, it's so hard to choose between them. Neji Hyuga has such a nice presence, and he's handsome, too, but that cold, cute guy is exactly my type..."

The young girls gathered off to the side in groups of two or three, chattering away.

At the edge of the crowd, a blond boy wearing a white T-shirt and dark green goggles listened to all this with deep resentment, his eyes practically spitting fire.

He became especially furious when he saw a pink-haired girl gazing at Sasuke Uchiha with stars in her eyes.

"What's so great about them? One looks like a sissy, and the other just acts cool. Neither of them can hold a candle to the great Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto Uzumaki pouted, glaring resentfully at the two boys in the spotlight.

"Hmph! When we spar later, I'll show you how awesome the great Naruto Uzumaki is!" Naruto Uzumaki seemed to picture himself beating Neji and Sasuke to a pulp, and he chuckled.

Since they were ninja trainees, the exchange meeting would naturally be settled through combat.

Fighting was the heart of being a ninja, so several teachers led both groups of students straight to the academy's exercise grounds and began the sparring matches.

To be fair, the sixth graders were not as strong a group as the fifth graders. Aside from Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee, who had some skill, most of the sixth graders were on roughly the same level as the fifth graders.

Most of the Konoha 12 were in fifth grade, and their abilities were naturally well above those of ordinary students.

Meanwhile, Konoha's Ninja Academy taught only three basic ninjutsu: the Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, and Clone Technique. It was therefore hard to say there was any major difference between the fifth and sixth graders.

If there was any difference at all, it was probably that the sixth graders were generally a year older, making them a few centimeters taller.

Sure enough, the sparring results came out sixty-forty in the sixth graders' favor. Being a year older made them somewhat stronger physically, giving them a slightly higher win rate.

"Hey! Stuck-up Sasuke, do you dare fight me? The great Naruto Uzumaki will beat your face to a pulp!" On the training ground, Naruto Uzumaki looked challengingly at Sasuke Uchiha, who was leaning against the fence at the edge of the exercise grounds.

"Tch!" Sasuke Uchiha was utterly dismissive. "Stop bothering me, dead last!" he said coldly. "I don't have time to play ninja with you."

Nearby, Umino Iruka felt a headache coming on. Sure enough, Naruto Uzumaki was causing trouble.

This was a grade exchange meeting. Sasuke was their trump card, meant to appear in the final match. They could hardly let Naruto, the weakest contestant on their own side, wear him out.

"Naruto, get back here! This is an exchange meeting with the sixth graders. Stop fooling around!" Umino Iruka shouted, his face dark.

"Hmph!" Naruto Uzumaki turned his head away and called, "Iruka-sensei, just leave it to the great Naruto Uzumaki!"

With that, he pulled a face, then turned toward Neji, who was standing off to the side enjoying the show. "Hey, you, whatever-your-name-is Neji! Just you wait! Once I'm done teaching Sasuke a lesson, you're next!"

Watching the boisterous Naruto Uzumaki, Neji merely smiled and said nothing.

At his current level, Naruto Uzumaki truly was dead last. Every day, he either slept through class or skipped it to play pranks. It was fair to say he had never trained at all.

"Well, well! I didn't think anyone could be as stuck-up as that stuck-up Sasuke!" Seeing Neji's smile, Naruto Uzumaki stamped his feet. He thought Neji was mocking him.

Just then, Sasuke Uchiha, still leaning against the fence, said disdainfully, "You don't even qualify to step onto the field, dead last! You're a hundred thousand years too early to beat me!"

"Aaagh! You stuck-up Sasuke!" Naruto Uzumaki grew even angrier and stomped his feet.

At that moment, a teacher on the exercise grounds announced loudly, "Next match: Neji Hyuga versus Sasuke Uchiha!"

At this bombshell announcement, the exercise grounds erupted with excitement. A heavyweight showdown was about to begin.

Sasuke Uchiha immediately stepped forward. It was clear he was looking forward to this match.

"Konoha's other clan with a dōjutsu bloodline... the Byakugan, one of the three great dōjutsu alongside the Uchiha Clan's. Let's see just how strong you are as their top student!" Sasuke Uchiha's face brimmed with eagerness to fight.

"Stuck-up Sasuke, the great Naruto Uzumaki is here!" Naruto Uzumaki darted straight in front of Sasuke Uchiha and glared at him furiously.

"Get out of the way, dead last. This has nothing to do with you!" Sasuke Uchiha showed him no courtesy.

"Naruto!" Umino Iruka's expression was thunderous. "Get over here and stop making trouble!"

Panic clearly appeared on Naruto Uzumaki's face, and his green eyes darted around.

Seeing Naruto leap out, Neji was no longer in any hurry. He knew full well that this was Naruto's personality at the moment: the more anyone argued with him, the more worked up he became. It was better to ignore him for a while.

Suddenly, with a bang, a cloud of smoke erupted at Naruto's feet. A voluptuous, naked blond woman appeared, wreathed in smoke. Looking at Umino Iruka, he pleaded in a breathy voice, "Iruka-sensei, won't you please let me spar with stuck-up Sasuke?"

Neither Umino Iruka nor the other teacher had ever seen anything like this. Blood instantly gushed from their noses, and they fainted on the spot.

Some of the more precocious students flushed bright red. Though they covered their eyes, their fingers remained spread apart.

"Ha-ha!" With a bang, the smoke-wreathed beauty vanished, and Naruto reappeared. He looked smugly at Sasuke. "Stuck-up Sasuke, now Iruka-sensei can't stop our showdown!"