Neji looked at Naruto, a bit dazed. For the first time, he took the boy who was always at the bottom seriously, observing him closely.
Naruto still had that somewhat foolish face, but the aura he emitted made it hard for Neji to keep his eyes open.
Neji glanced towards the audience. In the range of his Byakugan, he saw Hinata with a blush on her cheeks, and on the other side, Hanabi looking puzzled as if doubting something, next to her was the patriarch with a complex and sorrowful expression.
Feeling Neji's gaze, Hyuga Hiashi looked up at him. Their eyes met, and this time, Neji's gaze wasn't cold, and Hiashi didn't hide anything.
Give up because you can't win? No, you fight because you can't win, even if it means death, you won't regret it. That must have been Hyuga Hizashi's way of thinking.
Smoke rose in the arena, accompanied by the sound of kunai. Dozens of Narutos surrounded Neji in the center: "Watch closely, coward, I'm going to snatch victory from your hands right now!"
Coward, is he talking about me? Neji instinctively took a stance, but his aura wasn't as dominant as before.
He didn't know how to counter Naruto's words, and it was precisely because he understood the meaning behind them that he felt powerless now.
One shadow clone charged, Neji dodged, his form unchanged from before. But the next second, another shadow clone burst forth from behind. Caught off guard, Neji was punched in the face and sent flying.
The arena fell silent, even Naruto looked at his fist in disbelief.
After the silence, came an explosive reaction. Most of the audience, ordinary people who didn't understand battle, shouted out. They only saw Naruto use a powerful ninjutsu to send his opponent flying.
The dozens of Narutos exchanged glances, then turned their attention to Neji, who had been sent flying.
Neji lay on the ground, his left cheek marked with a wound. It was a minor injury, but he didn't get up right away.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, a bit angry.
At some point, Neji's Byakugan had closed. He looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes full of confusion: "Did I... make a mistake, Father?"
Naruto shivered: "I'm not your father, did my punch turn you into an idiot?"
Neji just looked at Naruto: "A person's life is determined from the start, fate has already decided the peak they can reach. Effort won't change that, it just brings you closer to the standard fate has set for you... I've always believed that."
"The death of my father, the destiny of the branch family, and you, Uzumaki Naruto." Neji staggered to his feet, probably because the punch to his face had loosened his forehead protector, which slowly slid down, revealing the 'caged bird' seal on his forehead.
Neji stood still, looking at Naruto: "Uzumaki Naruto, if fate can be changed, then why did my father die? Why must the branch family bear the caged bird seal? Why... are you standing here?"
The anger on Naruto's face faded a bit, turning into a daze: "I don't know what you mean, but I can answer you. I'm standing here because... you called me a dead last."
Neji was taken aback: "Is that all?"
Watching Neji's bewildered look, Naruto took a deep breath: "I don't know why your father died, nor what the caged bird seal is...
But you're a genius, everyone knows that. Hyuga Neji, the strongest genius of the Hyuga clan. I might not be your match, but I want you to know..."
Naruto gave a thumbs up, pointing to the forehead protector on his head: "I, Uzumaki Naruto, am not the bottom of the class!"
If there really are geniuses in this world, then Neji would surely hold a place among them. But Naruto, he's far from the bottom. Countless people have witnessed his growth, from a monster who used pranks to get attention, to the whirlwind Naruto who saved the entire village in times of peril.
And then, as the successor of Rikudou Sennin, he saved the entire ninja world from the hands of the Otsutsuki clan, and finally, as the one who awakened his friend mired in hatred, standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, the Seventh Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, recognized and believed in by everyone.
Sure, he had his cheats, but let me ask you, does Uzumaki Naruto deserve them? Could anyone else, given the same advantages, reach the heights that Naruto has?
"Hyuga Hizashi, Neji's father, volunteered to die in place of Hyuga Hiashi to protect him from the Land of Thunder, offering his body to the Land of Thunder to maintain peace," Kurama said with closed eyes, lying in the water. "The 'Caged Bird', a seal set by the Hyuga clan to prevent the Byakugan from being taken by outsiders, destroys the Byakugan if a clan member's eyes are removed or if they die. All branch family members must bear the 'Caged Bird', the meaning of which is to protect the main family's continuity with the lives of the branch family."
Kurama opened his eyes and cracked a smile: "By the way, the main family can control the branch family through the 'Caged Bird', needing only a single seal to kill a branch family member, and it can also cause immense pain to those marked with the 'Caged Bird'."
"It's also fortunate that the Hyuga main family isn't twisted, otherwise the branch family would probably be afraid to have daughters... Wait, what am I talking about?" A big question mark appeared over Kurama's head, as the topic seemed to suddenly veer off.
Realizing what he had said, Kurama frowned and grumpily communicated to Naruto: "Forget that last part I said."
Naruto showed an embarrassed yet polite smile; how could he not understand what Kurama meant by that last sentence?
"Cough cough." Naruto coughed, pretending not to hear Kurama's last words, "Neji, I can understand your father's situation, but I won't persuade you on what to do. However, regarding the 'Caged Bird', if it displeases you, just destroy it."
Neji was stunned, and so were Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hanabi, and Hyuga Hinata in the stands. Is this something you can just destroy because you say so?
But Naruto clearly didn't care about these things. He stood up, giving a thumbs up with a smile: "Well then, it's decided. When I become Hokage, the first thing I'll do is make the 'Caged Bird' disappear. After all, its existence only annoys people."
Kurama laughed out loud in the sealed space.
The 'Caged Bird', you say it's useless, but it has indeed protected the Byakugan well. You say it's useful, and indeed it is. But now, the 'Caged Bird' has started to sour, shifting from protecting the Byakugan to protecting the main family. After all, the branch family doesn't need to worry about their eyes being taken, so they only need to protect the main family without the 'Caged Bird'.
What kind of twisted logic is that? If Kurama had his way, he'd ask Konohagakure's sealing team to slightly modify the 'Caged Bird', keeping the feature that destroys the eyes if they're removed or upon death, and delete all other functions, It's perfect for all Hyuga clan members.
You used to say that during the war, there wasn't the mindset, or perhaps Konohagakure's sealing techniques weren't up to par. That was acceptable then, but now there's no war, and Konohagakure has the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques as a foundation. To say it can't be changed is absurd.
It's clear that the Hyuga main house just doesn't want to give up on the branch house, those obedient servants who won't rebel."
"You..." Neji suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with helplessness, "Do you even know what you're talking about?"
"I do, and I'm very clear about it," Naruto said proudly, puffing out his chest, "But I don't care. Call it a pipe dream or say I'm dreaming, I don't mind. I'll just keep moving towards my goal, never giving up. I'll do what I say, that's my ninja way!"
This guy, although annoying in a subtle way, his words somehow make me feel a bit excited.
Shiranui Genma, who had been watching the battle, bit down on a senbon and smiled, his eyes no longer cold but filled with a strange emotion called relief. It seemed like the first time he showed such an emotion towards Uzumaki Naruto.
Referee! What are you doing, referee!
In the sealed space, Kurama shouted excitedly, "As long as you don't stop walking, there will always be a flower of hope ahead, so don't stop!"
If Kurama had a gender, it would really want to sing 'The Flower of Hope' right there.
Naruto, obviously unaware of Kurama's wicked intentions, held a kunai towards Neji, his anger now turned into a lofty smile, "You say you'll win because it's your destiny. Well, I'm about to shatter that destiny of yours. So what are you doing now? Giving up? Backing down? Or do you think you'll lose to me, the underdog?"
"I won't lose." At some point, Neji's face also wore a smile, not the previous sarcastic one, but one that acknowledged Naruto as an opponent, "As for whether I'm the weak, let this battle change your mind."
With those words, the veins around Neji's eyes surfaced again, his aura suddenly intensified, making him seem even stronger to Naruto than before.
But this was exactly what Naruto was hoping for: "I wouldn't have it any other way."
The match continued, with dozens of Narutos surrounding Neji, all wearing confident smiles. Even for the Hyuga clan, facing dozens of opponents at once was no easy feat.
"Charge!" The Narutos yelled in unison, rushing towards Neji without hesitation. The sight was daunting enough that even an average Jonin would find it troublesome.
And Neji? He still wore a smile, but the stance of his hands suddenly changed.
Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi stood up in disbelief, his Byakugan involuntarily activated, "Impossible, the branch house shouldn't have the qualifications to learn this move!"
Hanabi, as a member of the main house, even if she hadn't learned it, at least knew what the move was. She covered her mouth in shock, her Byakugan also activated, "Brother Neji even mastered this move..."
"It's coming!" Tenten exclaimed excitedly on the other side, shaking Lee beside her, "That's the one, Neji's strongest technique!"
Hinata's face, once full of confidence, became worried. She clenched her hands unconsciously, "Brother Neji... Naruto-kun..."
In the arena, Neji faced the onslaught of dozens of Narutos. His Byakugan captured everyone in sight, and as he looked at Naruto's confident smile, Neji's figure suddenly moved, his cool voice carrying through the chakra and wind to everyone's ears.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Heaven's Turn!"
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