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In the blink of an eye, the Chunin Exams arrived. The first match was Naruto against Neji Hyuga.
Naruto had only one goal—to change Neji's dark and fatalistic mindset.
Whether he would succeed or not was another story. Neji was someone who had suffered greatly in life.
Despite being one of the most talented individuals in the Hyuga Clan, his fate was hindered because he belonged to the branch Clan.
If someone with no talent were born into the branch Clan, they might accept it without much complaint.
But a bitter twist of fate led to a tragic outcome for someone as gifted as Neji.
Even Naruto could see how unfortunate Neji's situation was. However, from Naruto's perspective, resentment and hatred weren't the solutions.
Neji needed to think about how to take action and change his situation.
As the match was about to begin, Naruto could see the arrogance and bitterness in Neji's eyes.
Neji had heard about Naruto's reputation, and while cautious, he was confident he could win.
In the previous match, Naruto's use of Lightning Style made Neji, a close-combat fighter, uneasy, but Neji had great confidence in his defence.
Neji extended his right hand toward Naruto and said, "Naruto, even though you're said to be a genius, today you'll fall to me. That's fate."
Naruto smiled and replied, "Neji, we are considered geniuses in the Leaf Village. But a true genius isn't just someone who can master ninjutsu."
"More importantly, a genius must know how to endure and take control of their destiny."
"A genius isn't just about talent, but also character. You may have incredible abilities, but you're a failed genius in my eyes."
"When you see the difference between us, I hope you'll understand."
Neji activated his Byakugan and said, "Enough with the talk. I'll show you what fate means."
With that, he charged at Naruto, and the two engaged in a taijutsu battle. At first, they were testing each other, but their speed soon increased.
Naruto's taijutsu skills surprised Neji, but deep down, Neji was pleased.
"Fighting me in close combat? Even with great skill, the advantage of my Byakugan will erase it," Neji thought.
Suddenly, Neji shouted, "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
His hands became a blur, and instantly, he struck Naruto sixty-four times, each blow targeting a chakra point.
According to Neji's calculations, Naruto would be unable to gather any chakra and would be left helpless.
But as Neji noticed the smile on Naruto's face, he felt something was wrong. Naruto disappeared with a puff of smoke—it had been a shadow clone.
"What?! When did he switch to a shadow clone? And such a strong one at that! Where's the real Naruto?"
Neji didn't have time to search as a few shurikens whizzed toward him. Instinctively, he used the Hyuga clan's secret technique, Rotation.
This was something only the main branch of the Hyuga could use, but Neji had mastered it on his own.
In the stands, Hiashi Hyuga couldn't believe his eyes. Neji, born into the branch Clan, had learned a technique reserved for the main Clan.
Truly, Neji was the perfect inheritor of the Hyuga bloodline. It was a shame he wasn't in the main branch.
But Hiashi knew this was something he couldn't change.
Naruto's shuriken attack was ineffective, but Neji was still full of confidence.
"Even if that was your shadow clone, you can't break through my defence. Rotation is the ultimate defence. No one here can break it."
"If you come near me, my Gentle Fist will finish you off. You still have no chance, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto created a shadow clone, and a blue chakra ball began to form in his hand. "Rotation is indeed a strong technique," Naruto said.
"If Hiashi Hyuga used it, its power would be enough to defeat me. But even Hiashi's Rotation isn't unbeatable. A jutsu's strength depends on who's using it."
Before Naruto could finish speaking, Neji saw a massive blue chakra sphere forming in Naruto's hand.
The sheer size of the ball made the leaves around them swirl in the wind.
Just by looking at the Rasengan, Neji could tell how powerful it was, and his Byakugan strained as blood vessels pulsed around his eyes.
The spectators, including elite jonins like Guy, Asuma, and even Hiashi, were shocked.
Even for a jonin, few could wield such a high-density chakra technique.
The Third Hokage thought, "Only Jiraiya can use the Rasengan. That means Jiraiya must have returned to the village."
"But the scale of that Rasengan... This boy's talent is extraordinary. We must be careful not to let Danzo get his hands on him…"
The colossal Rasengan, crackling with chakra, hurtled toward Neji.
Neji, a genius in his own right, immediately activated Rotation, giving it more power than ever.
However, Neji's Rotation couldn't compare to Naruto's Giant Rasengan. The clash of chakra sent Neji flying across the arena.
Fortunately, Naruto had controlled his attack, or Neji would have been seriously injured.
Lying on the ground, Neji looked up at Naruto, who stood over him like a giant. "I've lost," Neji admitted. "Is that your strongest jutsu?"
At that moment, another Naruto emerged from the ground and said, "No, that was just my shadow clone."
Neji's expression was beyond shock. Naruto had been hiding underground the entire time, yet didn't use a sneak attack.
Instead, he defeated Neji with just a shadow clone. What kind of strength was this? Neji began to question everything he thought he knew.
Naruto continued, "Neji, your ninjutsu isn't bad. But the problem isn't your jutsu—it's you. A true genius ninja isn't just about talent."
"They must have the will to overcome all obstacles, to be patient and endure. Only then can you become the best ninja."
Neji silently reflected on Naruto's words as the proctor announced the match's result. The crowd erupted in cheers.
Even the Third Hokage, most of the Leaf shinobi, and the dignitaries were thrilled to witness such a talent.
However, the dignitaries from other nations felt uneasy. If Naruto continued to grow, they feared he would become an unstoppable force.
They knew they had to deal with him before it was too late. Naruto's performance caught the attention of the Leaf Village's leaders and its enemies.
A ninja of such calibre could change the course of history, much like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Even the darker factions of the Leaf were paying attention. Strength determined influence, and everyone wanted Naruto on their side.
After Naruto's stunning match, the audience eagerly awaited the next battle.
However, with Sasuke's delay, the other matches had to be moved up, bringing a reluctant Shikamaru to face the fierce Temari.
This wasn't the fight the audience hoped for; many voiced their complaints.
But as the match progressed, Shikamaru's intelligence began to capture everyone's attention, even if his Shadow Possession Jutsu seemed underwhelming in a one-on-one fight.
As long as the opponent could escape the range of his shadow, Shikamaru's techniques were limited, but in contrast, Temari's ninjutsu was overwhelmingly powerful.
Shikamaru, though, had a knack for escaping and surviving. With his ability to use various favourable external conditions, he sometimes caught opponents off-guard, forcing Temari to stay focused.
However, due to the difference in their strength, Shikamaru still lost the match, though he managed to win the audience's applause.
Fortunately, Sasuke finally arrived at the last moment. This was good news for the audience, who had been waiting long.
The Uchiha clan's reputation was immense—not just among the spectators and shinobi present, but even Naruto wanted to witness Sasuke's strength.
Although Sasuke had only recently awakened his Sharingan, the eye had become extremely rare after certain past events, and Naruto was curious to observe its abilities in action.
Gaara, too, was incredibly powerful. Even when Rock Lee opened five of the Eight Gates, he only managed to inflict a minor injury on Gaara.
No jinchuriki could be taken lightly. The match began, and Gaara's sand-based ninjutsu was troublesome.
What shocked everyone, especially Guy, was that Sasuke had mimicked Rock Lee's movements and used high-speed taijutsu to surpass the speed of Gaara's sand.
According to Kakashi, the Sharingan could see through all ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu, allowing users to replicate it and make it their own.
To Naruto, this seemed like cheating—especially since such ocular techniques couldn't be acquired through training and the Uchiha bloodline was so rare.
Under Sasuke's relentless taijutsu attacks, Gaara was left completely on the defensive—something that had never happened since Gaara's debut.
Eventually, Gaara became enraged. Layers of sand began to envelop him, forming a powerful shield—his Absolute Defense.
This made it impossible for Sasuke to land more attacks while Gaara prepared to launch his sand-based offence.
If the fight continued like this, Sasuke had no chance of winning. Most of Konoha's shinobi wondered how Sasuke would deal with this situation.
Meanwhile, the Sand shinobi were concerned that Gaara had completely disrupted their pre-arranged plan.
Sasuke began to retreat, causing some to think he was about to give up the match.
But then, Sasuke unleashed his most powerful jutsu at the time—Chidori, the signature technique of Kakashi.
This was an incredibly powerful jutsu, but the form and nature transformations hadn't been perfected to their fullest potential due to Kakashi's chakra limitations.
Still, for Sasuke, at this point, it was his strongest move. With the crackling sound of lightning,
Sasuke dashed forward at high speed and managed to pierce through Gaara's Absolute Defense.
This seemed impossible to the Sand shinobi, and in truth, if it hadn't been for the presence of Shukaku, Gaara would have been seriously injured.
However, Shukaku's presence also terrified Sasuke. If Gaara hadn't suppressed Shukaku, Sasuke would have been in grave danger.
At that moment, Kabuto activated a genjutsu, causing most of the audience and genin to fall unconscious, while the stronger jonin managed to dispel the illusion.
Simultaneously, the "Kazekage" attack the Leaf Village,
launching an attack on the Third Hokage. At the same time, the Sound Village shinobi appeared, trapping the Hokage in a barrier.
Many Sand shinobi invaded the Leaf Village, accompanied by giant summoned beasts, clearly revealing that the entire process had been premeditated.
The Sand's mission was to use Gaara as the core to unleash the power of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, and create chaos in the Leaf, allowing Orochimaru to take Sasuke Uchiha.
However, they hadn't anticipated Sasuke injuring Gaara, leaving him in a weakened state and unable to release Shukaku's power.
He decided to retreat with Gaara and regroup once he had recovered.
Sasuke was immediately tasked with pursuing Gaara. Naruto glanced at the Third Hokage, who, for the time being, didn't seem to be in immediate danger.
Orochimaru would still need time to deal with him.
At that moment, Kakashi ordered Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi's ninja dog, Pakkun, to form a four-man squad to support Sasuke.
Since Kakashi had said so, Naruto had no choice but to focus on aiding Sasuke, leaving the Third Hokage for later.
The team of three humans and one dog followed Sasuke's scent and quickly moved in his direction.
However, soon, Pakkun detected a pursuing force behind them.
There were 21 enemies, and if they caught up, Naruto's group could end up at a disadvantage.
Even if they won the fight, it would delay their mission to support Sasuke.
At this point, Sakura suggested setting up an ambush, while Shikamaru proposed that someone act as a decoy to lead the enemies away.
However, if Naruto stayed behind to ambush or divert the enemies, he would likely be able to defeat them, but the others wouldn't have enough strength to support Sasuke adequately.
On the other hand, if someone else acted as the decoy, they could die. While there was a chance they could escape, it was slim.
Just as Shikamaru was about to volunteer to be the decoy, Naruto said, "None of you need to be the decoy. I'll handle the ambush myself."
With that, Naruto created two shadow clones. Shikamaru immediately understood the plan.
With the strength of Naruto's shadow clones, even if they couldn't defeat the enemies, they should be able to buy some time.
Still, Shikamaru voiced his concern: "Shadow clones will split your chakra between the real you and the clones."
"This could put you at a disadvantage in future battles." Naruto confidently replied, "Don't worry, this amount of chakra is nothing."
At that moment, Naruto deeply realized the importance of power.
Having great strength wasn't just about gaining recognition from others—it was about protecting his comrades and ensuring that the people he cared about didn't get hurt.
However, Naruto still felt that his power was not yet enough.
After hiding his shadow clones, the three of them, led by Pakkun, continued their pursuit of Sasuke.
Yet, deep down, Naruto couldn't shake a sense of unease.
This pressure didn't come from the ninja chasing them or even Gaara but from something else.
Naruto felt a crisis was approaching, but he couldn't pinpoint it.
Nonetheless, the priority now was to ensure Sasuke's safety, deal with Gaara as quickly as possible, and then return to see if they could resolve the Third Hokage crisis.
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