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Chapter – 1122 Hyuga Neji vs Raijin IV
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 16:43:34 +0000 UTCAs Neji struggled to fend off the relentless barrage of lightning-infused shuriken, Pakura murmured to ‘Kuroto,’ “Your disciple seems to be in trouble…”
Given that the Gentle Fist technique appears ineffective against Raijin and Neji’s ability to nullify ninjutsu is of little use—since Raijin has adjusted his attacks to rely on physical strikes—it’s clear that Neji is struggling.
The Raikage, watching intently, agreed with Pakura, and spoke with disappointment, “The Hyuga boy has been playing right into Raijin’s hands from the start… it’s as if Raijin is toying with him.”
When Neji had defeated Atsui of Kumogakure using a technique that rendered all ninjutsu ineffective against him, the Raikage had been impressed. He hadn’t expected the Hokage’s disciple to have mastered such an ability. Ay even admitted, for a moment, that the technique Neji wielded made him truly deserving of the title of Hokage’s disciple. He had briefly believed Neji might defeat Raijin with ease.
But Raijin quickly turned the tide.
While Neji’s technique can neutralize most ninjutsu, it is far from invincible. Raijin had made that abundantly clear, demonstrating that even such a seemingly powerful ability has its limits.
The Tsuchikage shared his thoughts, “It’s a matter of battle experience. Hyuga Neji clearly lacks the experience needed to face someone like Raijin.” He paused before adding, “But honestly, even if he had more experience, it doesn’t seem like he has anything in his arsenal capable of defeating the Amegakure boy.”
In Ōnoki’s opinion, Raijin and Neji are on entirely different levels—not just in strength but also in combat expertise. He believed that no amount of luck or talent could bridge such a gap. To him, it was only a matter of time before Neji was defeated.
The Mizukage, however, observed Neji thoughtfully, questioning inwardly, ‘Will the Hokage’s disciple really fall so easily?’
After all, Hyuga Neji is the disciple of Hyuga Kuroto. And who is Hyuga Kuroto? The Mizukage knows this better than most, which is why he believes Hyuga Neji won’t be defeated as easily as others might think.
As for the other Kage’s opinions on the battle between Raijin and Neji, ‘Kuroto’ didn’t comment. He simply kept his focus on Neji, anticipating his next move. While he also doubted Neji’s chances of outright victory—considering Raijin is a member of Amatsukami—he firmly believed Neji was far from done. He was confident Neji still had a few strategies left that he could use to push Raijin.
…
“Come on, Neji! What are you doing?! Fight back already! Defeat him!” Naruto shouted in frustration, unable to hold back his anger as he watched Neji struggle.
Irritated by Naruto’s constant yelling, Sakura snapped, tick marks forming on her forehead. “Would you stop shouting already, Naruto? You’re giving me a headache! Can’t you see Neji-kun is trying his best? What more do you want?”
Mika shook her head, calmly explaining, “No, Neji-san isn’t going all out yet. He still has a mode he hasn’t used.”
“What mode?” Sakura muttered suspiciously. She was already surprised by Neji’s ability to render ninjutsu ineffective and couldn’t imagine what else he might have in reserve.
Sai and Shino, standing nearby, were equally curious to hear what Mika meant.
Lee explained, “It’s a technique Neji-san has been working on since the day we graduated. He even used it during the second phase of the promotion exam, but at that time, it was incomplete. I don’t know if he’s perfected it since then.”
“Eh? Neji-kun has a technique like that?” Ino asked in surprise.
Naruto nodded with a wide grin. “Of course! Neji used it, and it made him really strong. When he used it during the second phase, I was shocked. Don’t underestimate Neji!” He then enthusiastically started describing the technique he was referring to.
Shikamaru, tired of Naruto’s chatter, sighed. “What a drag…” Turning his attention back to Neji, he thought to himself, ‘I wonder what jutsu Naruto’s talking about.’ To his knowledge, there wasn’t anything in the Hyuga Clan’s arsenal that matched Naruto’s description.
…
“It seems this is as far as Neji can go,” Hizashi muttered with a sigh and regret. From his experience as a ninja, he didn’t see any way for Neji to turn the fight around. It was only a matter of time before Neji ran out of chakra and lost.
"Well, he managed to come this far… Neji-kun has made the Hyuga Clan proud," Hiashi said in response.
This outcome wouldn’t come as a surprise to Hiashi—it is completely within his expectations. After all, Raijin had defeated Uchiha Sasuke, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan with little to no effort. Neji, who is not as strong as Sasuke with the Mangekyō Sharingan, clearly doesn’t stand much of a chance against Raijin.
What shocked Hiashi was the fact that Gentle Fist was ineffective against Raijin!
The Hyuga Clan had always believed that the Gentle Fist was the perfect form of Taijutsu—flawless in its design, with just a touch being enough to end a battle. That could have been the outcome of Neji’s fight with Raijin. But reality had proven otherwise.
Gentle Fist, as perfect as it may seem, had a critical flaw that could be exploited. If the chakra needles failed to pierce the enemy’s Tenketsu, the technique became ineffective. Opponents like Raijin, who could prevent their Tenketsu from being blocked by the Chakra needles, could continue molding chakra and render the Gentle Fist nearly useless.
‘Being able to prevent all his Tenketsu from being attacked… that's certainly unusual,’ thought Hiashi.
Rather than wondering, ‘How is Raijin protecting his Tenketsu?’ Hiashi was more concerned with the question, ‘How does Raijin even know the exact location of all the Tenketsu in his body?’
The size of a Tenketsu is smaller than the diameter of a hair, making it impossible to see with normal eyes. Even the Sharingan cannot pinpoint the location of every Tenketsu in a ninja’s body. Only the Hyuga, with their Byakugan, can perceive them all. Yet somehow, Raijin had managed to avoid every one of Neji’s attacks from striking his Tenketsu. This isn’t possible unless someone is perfectly aware of the location of all the Tenketsu. Being aware of the exact positions of all the Tenketsu in one’s own body during the heat of battle is truly astonishing. No one outside the Hyuga Clan should be capable of such a feat, yet somehow, Raijin has achieved it. To Hiashi, this was deeply puzzling.
‘Does Raijin have the Byakugan?’ For a moment, that thought crossed Hiashi's mind. But he quickly shook his head. ‘No, that's not possible...’ Even though he dismissed the idea, a small part of him still felt it wasn’t entirely out of the question. The reason for that doubt was Aoki.
Thinking of Aoki and the trouble he caused, Hiashi felt a surge of anger, ‘I don’t know what he is doing and what he wants.’ Then shook his with a sigh, ‘Forget it, let’s not think about that guy for now…’
Clearing his mind, Hiashi thought about the technique Neji used to defeat Atsui in the previous round. He asked Hizashi, "What is that technique Neji-kun used... the one that makes ninjutsu ineffective?" He would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in it. The ability to render ninjutsu useless with Gentle Fist was something he had never considered, and if not for the fact that he saw it happen with his own eyes, he wouldn’t even know if such a technique was possible.
While Hiashi agrees that the technique isn’t perfect, as Raijin quickly found a way to counter it, the fact that Raijin is restricted and unable to use ninjutsu properly can’t be denied. Most ninjas rely on ninjutsu, so a technique that can stop an opponent from using it is definitely worth learning.
‘If that technique could be popularized in the Clan, the strength of the clan would definitely grow...’
Hizashi, who understood Hiashi’s thoughts, shook his head. “I don’t know anything about it… It’s probably something Kuroto-kun taught Neji.”
“Is that so?” Hiashi murmured, pursing his lips. Given the tense relationship the main family has with Kuroto at the moment, along with their refusal to share any information about the Tenseigan with him, Hiashi is hesitant and embarrassed to ask Kuroto about the technique. He wasn’t sure if Kuroto would even be willing to share this Jutsu with the clan.
Thinking about the elders’ refusal to share any information about the Tenseigan with Kuroto, and now facing a situation where he wanted to ask Kuroto for something but couldn’t, Hiashi felt regretful.
Seeing through Hiashi’s thoughts once again, Hizashi said, “I will talk to Kuroto-kun about it.” In his opinion, Kuroto probably wouldn’t be petty and would be willing to give the clan the Jutsu, since it would strengthen them as a whole. He might ask for something in return, but that wouldn’t be unusual. Hizashi believed Hiashi understood this as well.
“That would... be very helpful,” Hiashi nodded gratefully.
With that, Hiashi and Hizashi turned their attention back to the arena.
Of course, both of them had different thoughts about the fight. Hiashi didn’t think Neji stood a chance, while Hizashi, though not confident, still hoped that Neji wouldn’t give up and might somehow manage to win.
Whether Neji would win or not couldn’t be decided just yet. However, one thing was clear: Neji hadn’t given up. He was about to use his trump card. Completing the hand signs, Neji clapped his hands together and declared, ‘Byakugan Chakra Mode!’
