Satoru held his chin, observing Neji Hyuga, whose mounting anger was almost tangible. His pale blue eyes remained calm, a stark contrast to Neji's fiery demeanor.
"Ah, I see," Satoru mused internally. "The mere mention of 'fate' ignites such fury in him. That must be his sore spot."
Neji's frustration stemmed from a deep wound, Satoru realized. Though he preached obedience to fate, his actions screamed defiance. The flawed Hyuga system—the division between the main family and branch family, enforced by the Caged Bird Seal—was a cruel injustice. Branding someone with limitless potential into servitude was nothing short of barbaric.
Satoru chuckled softly. "This whole setup is absurd—worse than the Uchiha clan's former penchant for conflict. At least they fought for their beliefs."
With a small shake of his head, Satoru dismissed the thought. "It's not so easy to make me submit to 'fate,'" he said casually, stepping lightly to the side to dodge another of Neji's strikes.
Neji's attacks came fast and furious, but Satoru didn't use flashy techniques or teleportation. Instead, he relied on the basics—textbook-perfect movements, precise and efficient. Every dodge seemed effortless, wasting neither energy nor time. His calm, measured rhythm created the impression that he wasn't in a battle at all.
The crowd watched in disbelief.
"Why can't Neji land a hit?"
"Isn't he supposed to be a genius?"
Neji himself was growing more perplexed. His Byakugan eyes saw everything, yet he couldn't breach Satoru's defense. No matter how fast or precise his strikes, they all missed. Worse still, Neji noticed something deeply unsettling: Satoru's chakra hadn't changed.
In battle, a ninja's chakra naturally became more active and dynamic. But Satoru's chakra flow remained eerily calm, as though he were at rest. It was as if the fight hadn't yet begun for him.
Neji's forehead glistened with a cold sweat. "Has he not been taking this seriously?"
From the stands, Tenten leaned forward. "Neji's incredible composure is one of his greatest strengths," she explained to her peers. "But this... this is odd. He's starting to falter."
Meanwhile, Naruto grinned knowingly. He had personally asked Satoru to teach Neji a lesson after witnessing the Hyuga prodigy mercilessly beat Hinata during the preliminaries. In exchange for seven days of free dango, Satoru had accepted the task. Now, he carried Naruto's hopes into the fight.
Back in the arena, Satoru shifted gears. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a barrage of shuriken at Neji, each spinning toward him at tricky angles.
"Hmph." Neji smirked. "Child's play."
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!" Neji's chakra erupted from every tenketsu on his body, forming a spinning dome of energy that deflected the shuriken. The weapons clattered harmlessly to the ground.
From the audience, Tenten couldn't hide her admiration. "That's Rotation—an absolute defense unique to the Hyuga clan. Few can control chakra like that, and Neji's mastered it to perfection."
Shikamaru, however, remained skeptical. "True, but something doesn't add up about this fight," he muttered. "That white-haired guy—his movements are too calculated. He's expending almost no energy. It's like he's playing a completely different game."
Satoru's pale blue eyes fixed on Neji. "So, that's your perfect defense," he remarked, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "It's impressive. But not flawless."
Satoru darted forward, palm extended in a knife-hand strike. Neji braced himself, confident that his Rotation would neutralize the attack. He readied his counter-strike to restrain Satoru and end the fight.
Then it happened.
"Bang!" Satoru's palm strike slipped through an opening, landing cleanly on Neji's arm.
Neji staggered backward, clutching his right arm. His Byakugan scanned the damage, his eyes widening in shock. "What... just happened? I was using Rotation! How did he get through?"
Even more troubling, his arm felt... wrong. Neji concentrated his chakra, but it didn't respond. "No way... my chakra is sealed?" He looked up at Satoru, his voice trembling. "Did you... use a Gentle Fist technique?"
Satoru stood relaxed, his mischievous smile widening. "Gentle Fist? Nah. But you could say I've got my own way of doing things."
In the audience, the Hyuga clan members stirred uneasily. How could this outsider strike through Rotation? Even for a Hyuga, such a feat required a mastery of their techniques.
Neji's pride flared as he gritted his teeth. "This fight isn't over!" He lunged forward again, determined to regain control.
But Satoru only chuckled. "Alright, genius. Let's see what fate has in store for you next."