"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Zhou Cheng finished his hand seals. It was actually an A-Rank ninjutsu.
In an instant, all the water pooled across the arena surged toward him.
The surrounding water element energy also gathered around him in a frenzy.
Boom!
An enormous waterfall appeared in the Match Arena, like a city wall made of water.
Zhou Cheng kept his hands pressed together as the waterfall began bearing down on Neji.
The waterfall covered an area larger than the Match Arena itself. Neji had nowhere to dodge.
If he stepped outside the arena, he would automatically be considered to have forfeited.
Gekko Hayate, the referee, had already leaped out of the arena to avoid it the moment the waterfall appeared.
Fierce defiance filled Neji's eyes. How could he lose? How could he possibly lose?
He was a genius. Only geniuses could control their own destinies.
But faced with the Great Waterfall Technique, he was powerless.
Zhou Cheng's calculations had been correct. Neji no longer had enough chakra to use any ninjutsu or secret techniques.
The sudden reversal of offense and defense caught everyone present off guard.
Even though Zhou Cheng had said Neji had already lost, no one had believed him. They had thought he was only trying to intimidate Neji.
"An A-Rank ninjutsu-the Great Waterfall Technique!"
"That kid can actually use A-Rank ninjutsu!"
"At his age, he shouldn't even have enough chakra to perform an A-Rank ninjutsu!"
"B-Rank and A-Rank might only be one rank apart, but it's not as simple as one plus one equals two!"
Having landed outside the arena, Gekko Hayate's eyes gleamed slightly. This kid is something else!
The jonin all turned to Kakashi, as though waiting for an explanation. Didn't you see through it early on? Tell us!
Kakashi's eyes returned to their usual lazy, dead-fish look:
"From the beginning, Zhou Cheng's Water Dragon Bullet Technique wasn't meant to attack Neji. It was meant to create more water while making Neji use his secret technique and expend a large amount of chakra."
"Then he sent his shadow clones to fight Neji with taijutsu, forcing Neji to keep using his Eight Trigrams Palm secret technique and burn through even more chakra."
"Now Neji doesn't have enough chakra left to use any techniques!"
"The waterfall covers the entire arena. He has nowhere to dodge!"
Everyone other than the jonin understood after hearing Kakashi's explanation. So that was what had happened.
Everything had been part of Zhou Cheng's calculations. Such composure, such an eye for the bigger picture.
The way everyone looked at Zhou Cheng finally changed. Their scorn and disdain gave way to approval and admiration.
A figure suddenly appeared inside the Match Arena.
Dressed in the Hyuga Clan's attire, it was none other than Hyuga Hiashi.
He pulled Neji behind him and instantly activated his Byakugan.
He thrust both palms forward in an instant. "Eight Trigrams Air Split Palm!"
Two visibly distinct blasts of chakra shot from Hyuga Hiashi's palms, instantly punching a huge hole through the waterfall.
The waterfall crashed down, but the hole Hyuga Hiashi had blasted through it passed right over him and Neji Hyuga, leaving them untouched.
Everyone watching understood Hyuga Hiashi's intention. He didn't want Neji to suffer serious injuries.
He could easily have taken Neji away, yet he had chosen to break through the waterfall instead. He wanted to show everyone the power of the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Palm!
With a senbon between his lips, Gekko Hayate walked back into the arena. He looked at Zhou Cheng with appreciation and raised a hand toward him:
"Since a member of the Hyuga Clan intervened, the winner is Zhou Cheng!"
Clap!
This time, there was no uproar, but applause that went on and on.
At that moment, everyone acknowledged Zhou Cheng and rejoiced that Konoha had gained another outstanding young prospect.
Naruto jumped up, ran straight over to Zhou Cheng, and hugged him with a hearty laugh:
"That's what I'd expect from a friend of mine, Naruto Uzumaki! How could you possibly lose?"
He was so excited that it was as though he had won himself.
Zhou Cheng smiled too, patting his back to tell him to calm down.
Neji's expression held both resentment and melancholy.
I still lost. Even with my Byakugan activated, I still lost.
Am I destined to be weak?
Neji had trapped himself in a dead end of his own thinking, and he looked utterly forlorn.
Beside him, Hyuga Hiashi wore his usual stern expression. Even though he truly loved his nephew, he never showed him a gentle face.
He looked at Zhou Cheng, his gaze complicated.
Neji was a genius. In certain respects, he even surpassed the boy before him.
Unfortunately, Neji had become trapped in his own thinking. If he couldn't change, it would leave a flaw in his character that an enemy would surely exploit.
Zhou Cheng's talent... if only he were a member of the Hyuga Clan!
At that thought, his gaze fell on Hinata in the distance, and the look in his eyes shifted.
Zhou Cheng gently pushed Naruto away, signaling with his eyes for him to wait.
Then he first thanked Gekko Hayate for his efforts as referee, earning the approval of quite a few people, including Gekko Hayate himself.
Neither arrogant nor impatient. A good kid.
Next, Zhou Cheng walked over to Hyuga Hiashi and Neji Hyuga, first offering Hyuga Hiashi a respectful nod in greeting.
Then he turned to Neji Hyuga, stepped closer, and held out his hand with a smile:
"If this had been purely a taijutsu match, I would definitely have lost!"
"I hope we can become friends and exchange ideas about taijutsu more often!"
Neji looked at him with mixed emotions, but didn't offer his hand.
What does he want? To humiliate me? Or to flaunt his victory?
Zhou Cheng wasn't angry when Neji didn't take his hand. Neji really was rather stubborn at this point, so he tried provoking him:
"There's never been any bad blood between us. We don't need to become enemies!"
"You don't want me to take your title of genius away just like that, do you?"
"Let's grow and become stronger together!"
Zhou Cheng wanted to build good relationships with the Konoha 12. Besides, he genuinely had no grudge against Neji, so there was no need to make another enemy!
Neji held Zhou Cheng's gaze for a long time and found nothing but sincerity in his eyes.
Only then did Neji's expression soften. He reached out and shook Zhou Cheng's hand, and both of them simultaneously formed the seal of reconciliation with their free hands.
"Come over to my place when you have time. I've got plenty of ideas about taijutsu that we could discuss!"
Zhou Cheng wasn't merely being polite. He really did have an idea: to incorporate Tai Chi into his taijutsu and create a fighting style all his own.
Once Zhou Cheng and Neji's match had been decided, some people began leaving the school grounds. None of them were idle; they all had work to do.
Only a few jonin, including Guy and Kakashi, remained. They had no missions at present and plenty of time, so they weren't in a hurry to leave.
Haku, Hinata, and the others came over then, accompanied by most of their classmates.
Naturally, Ino was the first to run to Zhou Cheng's side and cling to his arm. Her budding figure made his thoughts wander, while her delight was plain on her face:
"Zhou Cheng, you're amazing! Neji fell into your trap right from the start!"
"Just what I'd expect from the man I've set my sights on!"
Just then, Sasuke walked up to Zhou Cheng with a cold expression and both hands in his pockets, his face brimming with fighting spirit:
"Don't think beating Neji makes you a genius!"
"You still have to beat me!"