Naruto: Set a goal, conquer the universe.

Page 38

"This guy, you can't tell his strength at all," Temari said through gritted teeth, watching Naruto's figure.

She glanced at Gaara and saw that he was staring at Naruto, but strangely, he didn't have the same murderous intent towards Sasuke; he was quite calm.

[Who is this person who can easily touch Gaara's body without being attacked by sand?]

The eighth match.

"Hinata Hyuga VS Neji Hyuga!"

"Hinata-sama!" Neji bowed respectfully to Hinata first.

"Neji-nii, don't hold back, go all out," Hinata said. If she hadn't said that, Neji probably would have given up immediately.

"Yes, please forgive my rudeness." Neji nodded upon hearing this and assumed the Gentle Fist stance.

Hinata struck the same pose.

Two green Bagua symbols appeared simultaneously beneath their feet.

"Gentle Fist Technique!" x2

The two figures collided instantly, their four hands becoming afterimages as they clashed repeatedly, their chakra continuously surging out during their battle, blurring the surrounding environment.

"So fast! I can't even see their movements." Hong exclaimed, squinting her eyes.

"Go Neji! Even if you can't beat Hinata, at least you can last a few more minutes this time, right?" Lee cheered loudly for Neji.

Chapter 57 My fate is up to me.

If Neji heard this, he would definitely give Lee a hard blow without any hesitation.

"So strong, but if we can create distance and use ninjutsu to control them from a distance, we might have a chance of winning." Temari calmly analyzed as she watched the fierce battle below the field.

Gaara watched the battle below and felt his blood boiling; he wanted to join in.

[As expected of Hinata, her strength is truly astonishing!] Neji gritted his teeth and clashed with Hinata. His palms were numb and tingling, but he suppressed the discomfort and continued to fight steadily.

The further you progress in Soft Fist, the faster the speed becomes, so not everyone can perform high-level Soft Fist.

One hundred and two palm strikes.

"Am I nearing my limit...?" Neji gazed at Hinata's calm, untroubled face, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. "So, in the end, I still can't keep up with Hinata-sama's pace?"

The thought had barely formed when his Byakugan caught Hinata's hand coming toward his chest.

Oh no, my body isn't reacting fast enough!

Neji gritted his teeth, and chakra surged forth from all the pressure points in his body as he twisted his waist sharply: "Return to Heaven!"

The Absolute Defense instantly forced Hinata back several steps.

"I remember this is a secret technique exclusive to the main family, right?" Kakashi had already lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan as he stared intently at the arena.

"Hmm." Asuma nodded in response. For these Jonin, the sordid affairs between the Hyuga clan's main family and branch family were no secret.

"Did this child comprehend it through his own talent?" Kakashi turned to look at Guy.

"I don't know about that. As you know, I practice powerful steel fist techniques, so there's very little I can teach Neji. It's all up to the kid to figure it out and practice on his own."

Kai shook his head.

"This child's talent is truly astonishing," Kakashi exclaimed.

Konoha has always produced a continuous stream of geniuses.

"Oh? Neji actually learned the Rotation Technique. Does that mean he can take four of my punches now?" Naruto said, propping his head up with his hand, with great interest.

“If it were me, I could just keep my distance and attack with ninjutsu; he wouldn’t last long. The chakra consumption of the Rejuvenation Technique is enormous. After all, he’s not Hinata; he doesn’t have that kind of vast chakra reserves, unless he can also use the Eight Trigrams Shift.” Sasuke also activated his Sharingan to observe the battle and calmly analyzed the situation.

Hinata leaped into the air, creating distance between herself and Neji, and waited for the Resurrection to end.

Neji's Rotation Technique quickly came to a stop. He was slightly out of breath, clearly indicating that the technique had indeed consumed a significant amount of chakra.

"Neji-nii, you've improved so much." Hinata smiled slightly.

Neji nodded slightly, his eyes solemn: "My mission is to protect you. If you leave me far behind, then this mission is meaningless."

At that time, it will probably be Hinata protecting him.

“I’ve said it before, Neji-nii. The branch family shouldn’t be bound by this fate. Naruto once said, ‘My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.’ As long as you have the will, fate is not unbreakable.” Hinata gently shook her head.

Neji remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on Hinata.

"My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens... Is that really possible? But if it were you, perhaps the fate of the family splitting up would truly take a turn for the better."

His Byakugan caught a glimpse of Naruto behind Hinata. If there was anyone in this world who gave him hope of breaking free from his fate, it was undoubtedly that blond boy.

"Neji-nii, follow in my footsteps!" Hinata shouted, slowly raising her hands.

'Hiss!' A surge of chakra condensed in her palm, transforming into a pair of lifelike lion heads.

Watching Hinata charge forward, Neji activated the Reincarnation skill once more.

Hinata's Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists slammed heavily into the defensive circle of the Rotation, producing a dull thud.

Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist is not a family-inherited ninjutsu of the Hyuga clan, but a ninjutsu developed by Hinata herself.

It not only combines the hardness of steel fists but also the softness of soft fists, achieving a balance of strength and gentleness, and attacking both internally and externally.

Moreover, Hinata also knows how to perform the Reverse Technique, and she's even more skilled at it than Neji.

She forcefully tore apart Neji's Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist with her own hands.

It was as if it were tearing apart the fate that had imprisoned him.

"They actually broke through Kaiten's defenses in this way?" Asuma was so shocked that he almost dropped the cigarette in his mouth.

"Only Hinata could do that!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"What a pity. I wanted to fight Neji, but Hinata-san beat me to it." Lee said dejectedly.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a smile; all three members of their team had already cleared the level.

Neji looked at Hinata, who was so close to him, and at the lion's head in her hand. It was as if the shackles in his heart had been broken.

"I surrender!" Neji said, raising his hand.

"Winner: Hinata Hyuga," announced Hayate Gekko.

The two walked back to the spectator stand.

"Neji, are you alright?" Tenten looked at Neji with concern.

"I'm fine, thank you, Tenten," Neji said with a slight smile.

"Huh? Neji, you actually smiled?" Tenten was immediately shocked.

"Neji, I've already timed you, and you've improved a lot this time!" Lee said as he approached Neji with a stopwatch in his hand.

"Thank you, Lee!" Neji's face stiffened instantly, and he said through gritted teeth.

"You're welcome, after all, you've never beaten Hinata-san!" Li raised his head, looking smug.

"GUN!"

"Hey, Hinata, here's some milk tea with red beans." Naruto handed Hinata a cup of freshly made milk tea.

"Huh? Thank you!" Hinata happily accepted the milk tea Naruto handed her.

She took a small sip, and as the warm, sweet aroma slid down her throat, she could clearly taste the fibrous texture of the crushed red bean skin, which lingered on her tongue like the sweet, tangled feeling gripping her heart.

Sasuke was too ashamed to look at the two of them; he felt like a third wheel.

That bastard Naruto actually used the Flying Thunder God Technique to buy milk tea! How can a space-time ninjutsu be used like that?

The ninth match.

"Rock Lee VS Gaara!"

"Although I'm not the final performer, I'm all ready!" Xiao Li exuded youthful energy.

“As expected of my student, in that case, I would like to give my beloved student some useful advice!” Kai said, bowing.

"Yes!" Li looked at Kai, waiting for his advice.

“Maybe no one has noticed, but that gourd is very suspicious!” Kai said with a serious expression.

"I see!" Li exclaimed in shock, and immediately took out his notebook to write it down.

“No need to take notes. There’s no time to look at this during a fight, you idiot,” Kai said, hands on his hips.

"I see!" Li immediately wrote down what Kai said.

Neji had already closed his eyes, and Tenten quietly moved away, indicating that she didn't recognize them.

"Li-kun is still so youthful and lively," Hinata said with a smile, holding her milk tea.

"Ah, my junior brother is indeed a bit naive, but it is precisely because of this pure heart that he has been able to make great strides in taijutsu." Naruto couldn't help but smile as he looked at Lee.

“But dealing with Gaara would be a bit of a stretch, wouldn’t it? After all, he’s a Jinchuriki,” Sasuke said, frowning slightly.

A Jinchūriki can use the power of a Tailed Beast, which is something Rock Lee can't handle in his current state.

“I will help,” Naruto nodded and said.

Sasuke was relieved.

"Alright, let's go, Li!" Kai shouted, raising his arm.

"Yes!" Li's eyes blazed with fire as he leaped off the viewing platform.

Chapter 58 The battle ends

Gaara had his arms crossed and was already waiting for him.

Shikamaru walked over to Naruto's side, looked at Gaara below, and said softly, "We encountered him in the Forest of Death."

"Oh?" Naruto responded, looking at the two who had already started fighting below.

"That guy's attack method seems to be controlling sand. He can form sand balls to defend himself, covering 360 degrees without any blind spots. As for attacking..." Shikamaru paused, as if recalling a very unpleasant memory.

He swallowed hard and said, "He's really powerful. If he grabs you with sand, you'll be crushed to death by the sand."

He glanced at Naruto and said, "Luckily I didn't draw him, otherwise I would have given up immediately. I really can't think of a way to defeat him."

"A rational choice." Naruto nodded slightly.

"Can that Lee handle him?" Shikamaru asked curiously, watching the increasingly intense battle below.

"Hmm." Naruto thought for a moment, "In normal condition, I'm still a bit lacking. If my body were a little stronger, I could fight."

Shikamaru astutely grasped the key phrase Naruto used: "In normal condition?"

He was a little confused.

At this moment, Lee opened the first gate of the Eight Gates Formation and began to fight Gaara with high-speed attacks.

"You mean this secret technique?" Shikamaru's eyes narrowed; he could no longer clearly see Lee's movements.

"No, the normal state I'm referring to is Gaara!" Naruto shook his head and said.

"What?" Shikamaru's eyes widened as he stared at the scene below in disbelief.

Lee has been opening gates one by one, slowly moving towards the fourth gate, sending Gaara flying and Gaara seemingly powerless to fight back.

The sand could no longer keep up with Xiao Li's speed.

He could only see a blurry figure constantly beating Gaara.

Temari and Kankuro watched this scene in horror.

They had never seen anyone actually overpower Gaara.

"Even the Sand Shield can't keep up!" Temari exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Even the armor has been broken, this is bad." Kankuro's face was bitter.

"Does Gaara have some hidden cards up his sleeve?" Shikamaru frowned deeply.

“That’s true. If you encounter him in the third exam, you should just admit defeat.” Naruto looked up at Rock Lee, who was launching a series of attacks in mid-air.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly: "His body is still a bit weak."

"Li's tendons in his arms and calves have started to rupture." Hinata exclaimed in surprise as she activated her Byakugan and observed the battle.