(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
(Four chapters today. 3/4)
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The Third Hokage felt a headache coming up.
With so many foreign shinobis watching, he hoped the contestants could show some restraint.h
'This brat…'
He understood why Colt harbored such animosity towards Neji, and he was aware of the hostility between Neji and the main branch of the Hyuga clan.
However, outsiders were oblivious to this internal conflict. To the other shinobi villages, this might appear as discord within Konoha's ranks.
Colt, however, wasn't concerned with such politics.
His sole focus was to defeat Neji, hoping it would teach him to treat Hinata with more respect in the future.
After all, no one who had mistreated Hinata had escaped unscathed from him. Moreover, Colt had saved Neji's uncle's life before.
At that moment, two special spectators arrived on the second floor of the arena.
"Father, Hanabi," Hinata said, her face paling as her younger sister ran over to greet her.
"Hello, elder sister," little Hanabi said with a stoic expression.
Their father had taught her that every action outside the compound represented the Hyuga clan's face and reputation, and she must never forget her manners.
"Hmm," Hiashi replied softly, his gaze fixed on Neji and Colt in the arena below, falling silent.
As was customary in Hokage-sanctioned matches, the opponents exchanged words before the fight began.
Neji, unable to escape this tradition, spoke first.
"Kamiyo Colt, while your strength is impressive, it is your destiny to lose to me," Neji stated flatly as if reciting an undeniable truth. "My eyes have seen that the chakra within you is as powerful as a tailed beast, but against my Gentle Fist and Hyuga clan style, you are still powerless."
'Is this guy serious?' Colt thought, remaining silent as he removed his outer jacket, revealing his muscular frame beneath. He threw [Kaminari] to Ino before turning to face Neji.
"In that case, I'll defeat you at what you do best, Taijutsu" Colt declared.
Neji frowned.
"I don't want to defeat you while you're holding back. Fight me with all your strength!"
"Honestly, you're not worthy enough," Colt replied, no longer interested in conversation.
In a flash, he charged forward.
Seeing this, Neji assumed his stance, his body changing into a peculiar posture. The veins around his temple and eyes bulged as his Byakugan activated.
Boom!
Colt's fist shot out like a thunderbolt, creating gusts of wind in its wake. Neji's eyes narrowed slightly as he dodged horizontally, his right palm striking out towards Colt's arm.
The Gentle Fist technique's most subtle application was to use the Byakugan's insight to disrupt the opponent's chakra flow, thus significantly reducing their strength.
Colt was well aware of this, but he knew he could easily avoid Neji's strikes if he wanted to.
However, since he had committed to a purely physical duel, he didn't care if his chakra points were blocked. After all, even if they were restricted, that wouldn't affect him physically.
Transforming his fist into an open palm, Colt changed his straight punch into a side slash, aiming for Neji's chest. Neji, caught off guard by Colt's ruthlessness, hesitated for a moment before abandoning his attack to block with one hand.
Using Colt's momentum, Neji propelled himself into the air, executing a series of backflips to widen the distance between them.
"Scared?" Colt grinned, and then he resumed attacking leaving no time for Neji's rebuttals.
*Swoosh*
Their fists and feet collided in a flurry of movements, a pure contest of technique and physicality rather than destructive force.
The Gentle Fist style, perfect for close combat, met Colt's fluid technique of predicting and countering his opponent's moves.
Their speed was incredible, exchanging dozens of blows in mere seconds. While Neji was already breaking a sweat, Colt's expression remained relaxed. For him, this was barely a warm-up.
'How is this possible? How could I be losing in physical combat?' Neji gritted his teeth, increasing his attack speed as his moves became more aggressive. However, the gap between them was too great.
Colt sealed Neji's left hand with a single movement. As Neji lashed out with his right, aiming for Colt's throat, it was effortlessly deflected.
With Neji's consecutive attacks failing, his center of gravity faltered, leaving him wide open. Colt, seizing the opportunity, struck Neji's face with a lightning-fast elbow.
His right hand then turned into a palm, centered on Neji's chest, as he unleashed his strength.
"[Mountain Crushing Force]!"
Neji's body flew backward violently, blood spraying from his mouth and nose as he crashed into the wall behind him. Cracks spread like a spider's web from the impact point. The force of the technique shattered the wall, burying Neji in a shower of debris.
"Neji!" Hiashi couldn't maintain his composure any longer, concern for his nephew was evident in his voice.
The Third Hokage's face darkened. The repair costs were going to be substantial.
Gaara watched with a grim expression. He realized that even if Colt couldn't use that Rasengan technique against him, his sand defense might not be enough to withstand such raw power. The memory of Colt's terrifying eyes made his heart sink further.
As everyone assumed the match was over, with even the proctor approaching the field, an angry shout erupted from the rubble where Neji lay.
"[Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven]!"
The blue chakra shield appeared, deflecting all the debris that had buried Neji. Emerging from the rubble, Neji stood panting, covered in blood, looking utterly disheveled. Yet, his resilience was enough to shock many onlookers.
"I thought the [Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven] was a secret technique of the Hyuga clan," the Third Hokage mused, impressed by another display of a genius.
Hyuga Hiashi beamed with pride internally; Neji mastering that secret technique on his own was a testament to his brother's legacy.
"I thought you were hiding in there, afraid to come out," Colt remarked, unsurprised. He knew the extent of the damage he'd inflicted - at most, two broken ribs and a bruised cheek, though the wall's destruction made it look far worse.
Neji remained silent, realizing he had gravely underestimated Colt. In terms of raw strength, he was outmatched. Yet, he was determined to make one last stand.
Raising his right hand and lowering his left, an Eight Trigrams array materialized before everyone's eyes.
"[Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms]!" Neji shouted, charging towards Colt.
While Hinata hoped for Colt's victory, she couldn't help but admire Neji. Despite her clan's expert guidance and the sparring she did frequently with Colt, she had only mastered the thirty-two palms, still far from the sixty-four.
Jōnin Baki, Sunagakure's guide, observed keenly, glancing at Hyuga Hiashi in the distance. He made mental notes, knowing the Hyuga ninjas would need to be neutralized for their future plans.
Colt focused, assuming a defensive posture.
"[Eight Trigrams: Two Palms]!" Neji growled, aiming two swift strikes at Colt's chest.
Colt deflected the attacks with casual moves.
"Four Palms!" "Eight Palms!" "Sixty-Four Palms!"
Neji concentrated all his energy, feeling stronger than ever before. He sensed he was on the verge of reaching a new state, perhaps soon he would be able to execute one hundred and twenty-eight palms.
However, Colt suddenly shifted his style, flowing smoothly through his style's movements. Utilizing the principles of diverting, attracting, adhering, and redirecting force in harmony, he effortlessly neutralized each of Neji's strikes.
(E/N: This is the best I can turn this to, without it sounding too Chinese xD. Someone said I add words to make the chapters longer, lol I should have shown him how much I cut from this paragraph and how long the original chapter was)
After the barrage of sixty-four palms, Neji hadn't landed a single hit on Colt. Having pushed far beyond his limits, he had depleted all his strength.
Finally, he collapsed to the ground, completely incapacitated.
"Hah, hah," He was breathing heavily.
"The winner is Kamiyo Colt!" the proctor announced.
Colt walked closer to Neji and then addressed him.
"I don't have anything against you personally, however I have something to say. Your issues with the Hyuga clan are your own and you should keep it that way, after all, Hinata is innocent in this problem of yours. Now, don't let me catch you mistreating her again, or we'll have another more intense match. Out of consideration for Hinata, this match is rather tame compared to what I can do… And stop always talking about fate and destiny - it only makes you sound like a coward."
He had no prejudice for Neji on his own. But because of Hinata's relationship with him, he had to give the guy a serious warning.
'Sigh, time to go now' Colt started leaving.
As Colt left the arena, Neji stared blankly at the ceiling, questioning his beliefs about fate and his own character.
'Am I really a coward?'
The final matchups were then determined by drawing lots, with Kankuro choosing to abstain due to his damaged puppet.
The remaining ten participants drew their numbers, revealing the battle combinations for the finals:
Naruto vs Shikamaru.
Sasuke vs Gaara.
Hinata vs Ino.
Choji vs Shino.
Colt vs Temari.
Of these ten people, eight were from Konoha, and two were from the Sand Shinobi Village.
Reactions varied among the participants.
Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag, I have to fight that hot-blooded idiot."
Asuma quickly intervened, "Choji, Shikamaru, you two are not allowed to surrender. Whoever does will have double the training the next month! And Choji, there will be no barbecue for you in that month if you give up!"
Shikamaru replied helplessly, "Tsk, as if I'm afraid of you."
Choji's eyes reddened at the thought of no barbecue for such a long time and started glaring at Shino as if he was his mortal enemy.
Gaara and Sasuke locked eyes, sparks of anticipation flying between them. They seemed quite satisfied with their matchup.
Ino and Hinata shared a friendly atmosphere, their rivalry was more playful than intense.
Naruto, brimming with enthusiasm, declared, "Shikamaru, I'm definitely going to win!"
Temari looked dejected upon realizing she'd face Colt.
"I might as well just admit defeat now," she muttered.
Colt smiled slightly, "You could simply abstain if you want to avoid the trouble."
"No way!" Temari's eyes flashed with determination. "Even if I can't beat you, giving up isn't my style!"
Internally though, she resolved to put up a brief fight before surrendering - a face-saving compromise that would be short, cool, and allow for a swift exit.