The last match may not have been a high-level battle, but it left the audience with an unexpected and heartwarming ending.
Now, the next fight stirred mixed feelings among the spectators. Some questioned whether Konoha's exam officials had a twisted sense of entertainment—while others saw it as an attempt to clear suspicions of favoritism and hidden agendas.
Because this battle…
Was an internal fight within the Hyuga Clan.
Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga.
Sakiya sat quietly, her expression unreadable.
Slowly, she began releasing her chakra erosion factor, as if preparing for something.
She didn't want to see Hinata suffer.
Nearby, Hinata stood with the small group, her usual gentle expression replaced by a rare look of determination.
Just as she was about to step forward, she felt a gentle tug on her sleeve.
Turning around, she met Sakiya's intense gaze.
Sakiya raised her small fist, her face serious.
"The True Eye of Night! My Eye of Death will protect you!"
For a second, Hinata blinked in confusion—
Then, she smiled softly.
"Okay!"
With that, she turned and stepped into the arena.
Neji stood waiting.
As soon as Hinata took her place opposite him, his cold gaze bore into her.
Then, he began speaking.
Fate.
The caged bird—forever bound, no matter how hard it struggles.
The inescapable destiny of the Hyuga Branch Family.
Finally, Neji removed his forehead protector, revealing the Caged Bird Seal carved into his skin. His voice was filled with bitterness and anger.
"As the eldest daughter of the main house…
Do you even understand the meaning of this mark?!"
Hinata bit her lip, silent.
"Tch. Just as I thought… You're weak."
Neji took a stance—his Byakugan piercing through her.
"Allow me to show you the difference between us, Lady Hinata!"
Hinata's gaze hardened.
She lowered into a Gentle Fist stance.
The battle began.
Neji moved first—
His footwork swift, his blow precise and merciless.
Hinata didn't dodge.
She planted her feet and met his attack head-on.
Palm against palm—
A shockwave burst from the clash, rippling through the ground.
Dust and debris swirled into the air.
Hinata's breath hitched—
A sharp pain spread through her chest.
Her internal organs ached from the force.
Beneath their feet, the ground cracked.
Neji's attack was fierce—
And that was only his first move.
In the next instant, a Gentle Fist formation bloomed beneath them.
Two identical stances.
Two identical voices.
"Gentle Fist—32 Palms!"
Palm against palm.
Strike against strike.
Each attack mirrored, neutralizing the other.
A battle of precision.
A battle of fate.
And neither side was willing to break.
However, anyone with a keen eye could see that Hinata was at a disadvantage.
Neji's attacks were faster, stronger, and more precise.
After their final strike in the 32 Palms exchange, there was a brief pause—
Then, they both moved again.
"64 Palms!"
"64 Palms!"
This time, Hinata was struggling even more.
Her movements were slowing—her defenses weakening.
Then, in the next instant, Neji's strike shot forward—
And Hinata couldn't keep up.
She could only watch—frozen—as his palm raced toward her.
At that moment—
A small movement.
Sakiya's fingers twitched.
A faint spark of electricity crackled through the air.
Neji's palm jerked off course—
Just barely grazing Hinata's shoulder instead of landing a direct hit.
Hinata didn't know why Neji had suddenly missed.
But she didn't hesitate.
Seizing the opening, she struck back.
Her small hand surged with chakra, pressing directly into Neji's body—
And slowly…
His movements faltered.
His body stiffened.
A sharp realization struck him.
Some of his chakra points had been blocked.
Neji's expression darkened.
In an instant, he forced out a surge of chakra—
"Rotation!"
His body spun sharply, releasing an explosive chakra barrier around him.
Hinata's eyes widened—
She leapt back just in time, narrowly avoiding the spinning defense.
Neji slowed to a stop, his Byakugan piercing through her.
His expression was ugly.
"I didn't expect you to use that technique…"
He assumed that the brief failure of his strike earlier had been Hinata's doing.
Hinata, still slightly confused, kept her stance firm.
"Brother Neji... I will fight with everything I have!"
To Neji, that sounded like a challenge.
His eyes narrowed.
"Good. Then let me show you something even stronger!"
Neji lunged forward.
One foot stomped down—
His hand pulled back to his waist—
Then shot forward in a flash.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
A massive burst of chakra exploded from his palm—
The force was so fast and powerful that the very air rippled around it.
Hinata had no time to react.
She could only watch as the attack hurtled toward her—
And yet...
Somehow, it didn't hit.
Neji's attack missed—
The chakra blast whizzed past Hinata's ear, sending a sharp gust of wind that made her eardrums vibrate.
Hinata stood frozen, staring at Neji in confusion.
Neji, however, felt something was wrong.
A faint tremor ran through his body.
The same strange numbness struck him again—
The very thing that had thrown off his attack earlier.
He clenched his fist, his mind racing.
Only one explanation made sense:
Hinata had done something to him.
Or…
Neji's fingers instinctively brushed against the mark on his forehead.
A cold thought crept in.
Had something else interfered?
Gradually, his stance relaxed.
Then, without warning—
"You win."
Neji raised his hand toward Gekkō Hayate, signaling his surrender.
The arena fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
Especially Lee and Tenten, who knew Neji's true strength.
Even Sakiya sat there in shock.
(Wait, he surrendered?!? I wanted Hinata to actually land a solid hit on him! Why'd he give up so fast?!)
But it was too late—Neji had already returned to the stands.
His injuries weren't obvious, and outwardly, he seemed completely fine.
Yet, Lee and Tenten bombarded him with questions, trying to understand what had just happened.
The tournament continued.
Most of the upcoming battles were one-sided.
Gaara vs. Kabuto → Kabuto, choosing to conserve energy, surrendered. (Gaara wins!)
Lee vs. Jianmei Tachibana → Lee's overwhelming taijutsu completely crushed his opponent. (Lee wins!)
Temari vs. Tenten → Temari's wind-based attacks countered Tenten's weapon techniques perfectly. (Temari wins!)
Kankuro vs. Chōji → Kankuro's puppetry techniques restricted Chōji's movement, giving him the clear advantage. (Kankuro wins!)
With that, the first round of winners was decided.
_______________________________________
Now, there was a long break before the official finals.
In a secluded location, Jonin Baki from the Sand Village met with Kabuto Yakushi to exchange information.
As in the original timeline, Gekkō Hayate had been spying on them, using his transparent escape technique to eavesdrop.
But—
He was too close.
Discovered!
Without hesitation, Hayate turned and fled.
Baki pursued.
Meanwhile...
High above, Sakiya observed the entire scene, concealed with her own optical invisibility.
She recognized this moment—
In the original story, this was where Hayate died.
But as she watched Hayate's flawed transparency technique, she couldn't help but think—
"Compared to my invisibility… this is so weak."
Now that she confirmed Orochimaru hadn't abandoned the Konoha Crush plan, she made a decision.
"Fine. I'll save Hayate—he can warn the Third Hokage."
Without hesitation, she leapt into action, silently chasing after them.
By the time she arrived, Baki had already caught up to Hayate, and the two were locked in battle.
Hayate unleashed his "Three Moon Wolf Fang" technique in a desperate attempt to counter.
That's when Sakiya intervened, discreetly boosting Hayate's technique with a powerful buff.
The attack, which originally failed in the original story—
Now?
It was a critical hit.
Baki was gone.