Chapter 213: Chapter 213

Naruto launched forward with the strongest taijutsu from the Leaf Whirlwind series.

Blue chakra flooded into his right leg, and he charged at Neji like an untamed stallion. His kick lashed out, so fast it left the air screaming in its wake.

“Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”

Neji’s hands shot up, palms open, catching Naruto’s leg head-on. The impact jolted through him, pain stabbing both arms, but he grit his teeth and held firm—before instantly striking four times in succession.

Naruto felt it immediately—his right leg’s chakra flow had been sealed, just like last time.

“Leaf Double Whirlwind!”

Two Shadow Clones darted in from either side, legs whipping toward Neji.

A quick glance told Neji the truth: his own clones were struggling, badly outnumbered by Naruto’s army. Still, they’d bought him just enough time to halve the pressure.

He didn’t dodge. He didn’t need to.

The twin kicks slammed into his guard—just as expected, nothing more than a feint.

“Rasengan!”

The cry came from behind him. Another clone surged forward, spiraling chakra roaring in its hand.

“As I thought.”

Neji blurred upward in a single leap. The Rasengan drilled into the earth, exploding in a violent blast that consumed the two clones nearby. Smoke and dirt fountained skyward.

By the time the dust settled, Neji was already closing in on the real Naruto.

Naruto staggered back. His right leg was crippled—if Neji sealed a few more tenketsu, he’d be finished.

A clone dove from the left, elbow arcing toward Neji.

“Dynamic Entry!”

Another clone came from the front, a flying kick aimed straight at him.

“Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”

Neji twisted, dodging the elbow, and his hands blurred—six precise strikes. The clone before him burst into smoke.

But that instant of delay was costly. More clones crashed in like a wave.

Neji’s palms blazed. “Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”

Twenty-two rapid strikes burst forth in one breath, blasting clones backward in every direction.

“Rasengan!”

Naruto himself appeared through the chaos, Rasengan screaming in his hand. He lunged at Neji’s unguarded back—

—but Neji slid forward with a burst of speed, the Rasengan tearing harmlessly into the dirt. Naruto’s eyes widened in shock.

He barely had time to recover before Neji spun around, hands outstretched.

“Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!”

Compressed chakra blasted out in invisible waves. The shockwave hammered Naruto before he could react, hurling him through the air and slamming him into the ground in a cloud of dust.

“What was that?!”

“Sensei, should we help him?!”

The clones froze, panic flashing across their faces, before charging toward their original.

Neji’s gaze hardened.

“Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!”

Another shockwave roared out. Naruto, only just on his feet, was blasted back once again.

Kitazawa flickered forward, catching him mid-flight.

“Kit… Kitazawa-sensei, I’m fine,” Naruto mumbled, shaking his dazed head.

“Neji already won. Both of his Vacuum Palms avoided your vital points.” Kitazawa set him down gently. “Release your clones.”

Naruto hesitated, then nodded. With a sigh, his Shadow Clones vanished one by one in puffs of smoke.

“Winner: Hyuga Neji,” Kitazawa declared.

“Neji, what was that move just now?” Naruto asked, eyes wide.

“Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm,” Neji answered calmly. “A Gentle Fist technique—one that attacks from a distance.”

“That’s awesome!” Naruto grinned, throwing him a thumbs-up. “Youth means failing again and again—but next time, I won’t lose!”

Kitazawa allowed himself a small smile. Naruto had clearly inherited a touch of Gai’s philosophy: lose without excuses, and prepare for the rematch.

“I’ll be waiting.” Neji exhaled slowly. He wasn’t arrogant—he’d won with tactics, not sheer power. Next time, he wasn’t certain of victory.

“Clever boy,” Hiruzen murmured, stroking his beard. His sharp eyes had seen it clearly: Neji had mirrored Sasuke’s approach, breaking down Naruto’s predictable patterns. The clones. The Rasengan. Step by step, he unraveled them. A promising style—though one that reminded him faintly of Minato.

“Neji did it!” Tenten punched the air.

“I didn’t expect that…” Kiba whistled. He’d thought Naruto’s clones and Rasengan made him untouchable. Clearly not.

“This class is stacked with too many geniuses,” Shikamaru muttered, already regretting his involvement.

“Neji is my eternal rival!” Lee sparkled with excitement. “If I could fight him next, it would be glorious!”

“You and Naruto are both hopeless,” Ino scoffed.

Sasuke said nothing. But his eyes burned. Neji’s refined style had given him ideas. He could replicate it—improve on it—and when he finally faced Naruto, he would crush him without question.

[Mission Complete: Assist Hyuga Neji in defeating Uzumaki Naruto during the monthly exam.]

[Reward: Byakugan purity +10%.]

Kitazawa’s heart stirred as the words flashed before him. Two months of work, finally rewarded. His vision felt sharper, his ocular power stronger. His Byakugan purity now stood at 30%. No new mutations yet, but the clarity and field of vision had clearly improved.

“Second match of the first round,” Kitazawa’s voice carried across the field, snapping him back.

“Uchiha Sasuke versus Aburame Shino.”

“Shino, looks like you drew the short straw this time,” Kiba sighed.

“Not necessarily,” Shino replied evenly. Fire once terrified him—it had always been Sasuke’s perfect counter to his kikaichu. But now, he had fire-resistant insects. All he needed was five seconds, and the tide could shift.

“Confident, aren’t you?” Kiba raised a brow.

“Kitazawa-sensei must’ve given him something special,” Ino added. “He’s been keeping to himself lately.”

“That’s right,” Shino admitted.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t cared before, but now—if Kitazawa had trained Shino, he couldn’t underestimate him. Neji had proven that. His hand slid to the hilt of the sword Itachi had given him.

“Feels like Kitazawa-sensei is pulling the strings behind everything,” Shikamaru grumbled.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Ino snapped. “He’s doing this for us.”

Hinata nodded firmly. “Exactly.”

“For once, I agree,” Sakura chimed in. She had grown far beyond what she would have alone—thanks entirely to Kitazawa’s guidance.

“Ahem… it was just a thought,” Shikamaru muttered, shrinking back. Trouble—especially when it came in the form of strong-willed girls—was something he wanted no part of.

Even Choji instinctively edged away, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

Sasuke and Shino stepped into the arena.

“Begin!” Kitazawa declared after the two exchanged the Seal of Confrontation.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!”

Sasuke wasted no time, exhaling a blazing inferno that roared across the battlefield.

“Secret Technique: Kikaichu Wall!”

Shino calmly extended his arms. A tide of insects surged forward—yet something was off.

Sasuke’s Sharingan narrowed. Not black… red? These weren’t the usual Kikaichu. For the first time, Sasuke’s focus faltered.

The crimson insects pierced through the flames unharmed, darting straight at him.

“What—?!”

Catching himself just in time, Sasuke’s Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun to life. His blade flashed from its sheath.

“Leaf Style Swordsmanship!”

The arc of steel cut through the swarm, scattering more than half of the fire-resistant insects. Even so, Shino pressed on.

“Spindle Technique!”

His black Kikaichu swirled together, forming a twisting drill that bore down on Sasuke.

For a split second, Sasuke was caught between the crimson swarm and the spiraling assault. Cold sweat trickled down his temple. He hadn’t expected this—Shino had pushed him into a corner.

But Sasuke’s reflexes were razor-sharp.

In the blink of an eye, he flickered past the red insects, his sword cleaving a crescent arc that cleared the last of them. He retreated, hands already flashing into seals.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball!”

Another blazing sphere erupted. The black Kikaichu shriveled on contact, burning to ash and leaving behind a faint, charred stench.

Sasuke exhaled. So it’s only the red ones… They’re the real threat.

On the sidelines, Shino frowned. His element of surprise was gone. Sasuke had identified the difference, and that single revelation tilted the battle.

Even so, the audience was stunned.

“Kikaichu that ignore Fire Release?” Hiruzen’s voice carried astonishment. As Hokage, he knew the Aburame’s secret techniques well—this was something new.

Not clan-hidden techniques, he realized. A mutation. No… something connected to Kitazawa.

“Don’t tell me that’s the secret weapon Kitazawa-sensei gave him?” Kiba blurted, eyes wide.

“Tch. If Sasuke wasn’t this strong, he might’ve already lost.” Shikamaru clicked his tongue, though awe edged his words.

Ino shivered. “If there are bugs that can ignore Fire Release… what if next it’s Yin Release? That would be terrifying.”

But Sakura’s eyes sparkled with certainty. “It doesn’t matter—Sasuke-kun will win!”

Neji agreed silently. From his perspective, Shino was already on the defensive. Sasuke countered crimson bugs with swordplay, black bugs with fire. Shino had no path forward.

And crucially, only someone with Sharingan precision could track the swift red insects. Without it, any other genin would have been overwhelmed.

Two minutes of tense back-and-forth passed before Shino finally raised a hand. “I concede.”

His reserves of crimson Kikaichu were nearly gone; dragging the fight on would change nothing.

Sasuke sheathed his blade with a flick, though his gaze lingered on Kitazawa. Even Shino… almost had me because of him. Anything tied to sensei… is dangerous.

“Winner: Uchiha Sasuke.” Kitazawa’s tone was calm, but his eyes gleamed with approval. Shino had performed brilliantly; his loss was only due to Sasuke’s overwhelming strength.

Drawing the next lot, Kitazawa announced, “First round, third match: Ino Yamanaka versus Nara Shikamaru.”

“Troublesome… I was hoping to avoid this,” Shikamaru muttered, his eyelids twitching.

“I’ll let you see the new ninjutsu Kitazawa-sensei taught me.” Ino’s smile was radiant, but her tone was all challenge.

Shikamaru’s heart sank. Neji and Shino had already proven how effective Kitazawa’s special training was. Facing Ino, fresh from her own training, would be no simple match.

Choji crunched on his chips. “Good luck, Shikamaru.”

“Yeah,” Kiba added with a grin, patting Shikamaru’s shoulder, “at least last long enough for us to see Ino’s new technique!”

Even Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata looked on with quiet anticipation.

“…” Shikamaru’s mouth twitched. Resigned, he trudged forward.

“Come on!” Ino called brightly, kunai in hand.

“Shadow Imitation Shuriken!”

Shikamaru instantly hurled two specially prepared shuriken.

But in a blur of motion, Ino vanished.

“What—?!”

Shikamaru’s eyes darted around. Petals shimmered into existence, swirling through the air like a storm of blossoms.

“A distraction?” He hesitated, wary.

A sudden whoosh overhead—he looked up just as Ino descended, her heel cracking against his skull.

“Ugh—!” Shikamaru collapsed backward, head spinning.

“You lose.” Ino’s kunai glinted as she leveled it at his chest. Her lips curled into a proud smile. “This is Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty—Kitazawa-sensei’s technique.”

“Winner: Ino Yamanaka.” Kitazawa announced without hesitation.

Gasps spread through the crowd.

“Another new technique?” Hiruzen’s gaze sharpened. He knew the Yamanaka clan’s arts well—and this was nothing from their repertoire, nor from the wider shinobi world.

Another original jutsu… from Kitazawa.

Even as Shikamaru nursed his aching head, Hiruzen’s mind was racing. These students—Neji, Shino, Ino—were evolving rapidly under Kitazawa’s guidance. The next matches promised even more surprises.

And the Hokage couldn’t help but feel it: Konoha’s new generation was being reshaped before his very eyes.

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