Chapter Forty-Five: Neji Hyuga Enters the Arena

Although Ino Yamanaka managed to dispel the mental contamination using her anti-genjutsu techniques, she had nonetheless lost her ability to fight.

Astonishingly, this girl had used her Mind Body Switch Technique while Feng Xue was stacking buffs in a standing stance! As a result, the chakra carrying her spiritual energy crashed directly into the AT Field composed of high-density soul particles. Predictably, it was as if she had run full speed into a wall—she fainted on the spot.

“Ino!” Shikamaru started in alarm but immediately formed hand seals. His shadow snaked along the ground towards Feng Xue, but just as it was about to reach Feng Xue’s shadow, Feng Xue smiled faintly, and in the next instant, the shadow controlled by Shikamaru reversed course and tied Shikamaru up instead.

“I just realized, my abilities are a perfect counter to the Ino-Shika-Cho formation!” Feng Xue stroked his chin, eyeing Choji with interest. Despite Choji's trembling body, his gaze remained fixed on Feng Xue. “Not afraid to die, little fatty?”

Choji didn’t say a word. Perhaps he was too pressured by Feng Xue’s aura to speak. But in the end, he shook off the intimidation, executed a combination of Expansion Jutsu and Human Boulder, and still was effortlessly tossed away by Feng Xue.

“How dull. Never mind, I’ll wait for the next wave…” Feng Xue rubbed his temples.

“That’s really not fair, is it? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to fight someone like Neji, a taijutsu user? Let me have a go, won’t you?” Xiamu seemed eager for action as well. As an old hand who had played the underdog for eight years, he finally had the chance to go all out—how could he not be itching for a fight?

Feng Xue considered for a moment. He’d shown off enough; he might as well let Xiamu have the remaining opportunities. After all, Sasuke was not someone who could be confronted head-on. Orochimaru’s mission was to eliminate Sasuke, so even if they won but let him go, it would surely anger Orochimaru. On the other hand, if they went all out and actually killed Sasuke, the protagonist’s fate might erupt—activating the three-tomoe Sharingan would be the least of it. The real fear was that the weasel might be lurking around Konoha. If Sasuke was killed, he might draw that legendary figure into the village—a being who could touch the domain of myth (Tsukuyomi was essentially an illusion domain, proof of his epic-level power). The consequences were terrifying to even imagine.

Judging by the time, Neji should be entering the scene soon. Feng Xue glanced over at Mu Qianrou, who was still locked in battle, and was startled by what he saw. In the blink of an eye, the area where Mu Qianrou and Rock Lee fought was pockmarked with craters, as if it had been saturated with heavy bombardment. Yet the two figures continued to clash at dizzying speed.

From the moments when they paused to face each other, it was clear that Mu Qianrou remained composed and in control. The martial will shrouding her body, resembling a Tailed Beast Cloak, had faded to near invisibility, but her opponent, Rock Lee, looked even more miserable.

His entire body was covered in gashes as if sliced by sharp blades. None were deeper than three millimeters, but the sheer number allowed blood to seep through, staining his green bodysuit with a grotesque blackish hue.

Lee panted heavily. The side effects of opening the Third Gate were not trivial. For him, this was already his limit. Opening the Fourth or Fifth Gate might give him the power to defeat his opponent, but would also leave him unable to fight for the rest of the exam, dooming his two teammates to elimination along with him.

This was one of the reasons he had yet to make up his mind.

But the situation no longer allowed him to hesitate. For all his simplicity and earnestness, Lee was not stupid. No one could become a ninja and survive real combat by being a fool. Realizing that failure to defeat his opponent meant the end of the road, Lee steeled himself to apologize to his teammates—

“The Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain…”

Just as he was about to open the Gate of Pain, a white figure appeared in his line of sight. A sense of relief washed over him. Trust in his comrades led him to abandon the idea of mutual destruction and continue the fight.

“That bowl-cut is with us. How dare you lay a hand on him?” Neji stood on a tree branch, arms crossed. Though he affected indifference, he couldn’t help but be startled at the sight of Lee’s discarded training weights on the ground.

“To think someone could batter Lee like this after he removed his weights… No, if he’s taken off his weights, that means he must have opened at least three gates by now…”

So thinking, Neji focused his chakra into his eyes—Byakugan, activate!

“How strange!” The moment he observed Feng Xue’s group, the word flashed through Neji’s mind.

As someone who had seen countless chakra systems, Neji was stunned by the internal pathways of these three. Their chakra networks were utterly unlike any ordinary ninja’s.

“Body modification? Or perhaps… a Kekkei Genkai?” Neji’s words stunned not only the other strong contenders present, but even Orochimaru, lurking in the shadows. Though many of his subordinates were famous for their body modifications, he knew these three genin had undergone none. Could it be… they possessed Kekkei Genkai?

“One has a chakra shroud akin to a Tailed Beast Cloak—though in truth, martial will is a form of spiritual energy, which in this world aligns with yin chakra. The other can project large amounts of chakra for absolute defense against physical attacks. What about the third? Perhaps my plans need to change… hehehe…”

Oblivious to the fact that Neji’s observation had unwittingly resolved their greatest dilemma, Feng Xue and his companions continued to display their strength, all the while holding back a little.

“As agreed, the white-eyed kid is mine!” Xiamu cracked his knuckles and took out a scroll marked “Qin” from his ninja pouch.

Yet, instead of the expected guqin or zither, what appeared was a violin.

For a moment, Feng Xue was taken aback by the incongruity, but soon grasped the logic. After all, reality was not a film. The image of a musician playing a soul-rending melody to seek a kindred spirit across the world was indeed beautiful, but on the battlefield, it was impractical to wield an unwieldy guqin or zither—once deployed, one could hardly move to pursue or evade. A violin, on the other hand, though also requiring both hands, could be played while moving, its portability granting mobility in combat. (The violin was originally designed so the performer could dance while playing—only later did it become restricted to concert halls and acquire the label of “high art,” which was, in fact, a regression.)