blogombal Chapter 61 Neji's Resentment, The Battle Begins
Chapter 61 Neji's Resentment, The Battle Begins
On the rooftops of varying heights, three figures darted past, one after the other, chasing each other like two gusts of wind rustling through the leaves!
"Damn it, they're catching up!" Taro turned around and glanced behind him, his expression changing as he quickly warned him.
Although I was a little confused before, now that the competition has started, I have to go all out! What's the point of talking about top student genius Neji? With my older brother here, I have nothing to fear.
Ishikawa glanced sideways at Neji and his two companions who were hot on their heels. Instead of being worried, he smiled and said, "I remember there's a small lake in the straight line from here to the summit. Let's just wade across and not take a detour."
They've all mastered tree climbing and water walking, so they're not afraid of Neji and the others if they charge straight ahead. At least, Lee, who's holding them back, has no chance of learning to walk on water yet. And who knows, even Tenten might not have learned it yet.
"I see, as expected of the eldest brother." Jiro chuckled in agreement, exchanging a glance with Taro and immediately understanding.
If they can wade across the lake, they can gain at least half a minute, which is a huge advantage in a speed race!
"Speed up!" Neji, unaware of Ishikawa and the others' plans, shouted and unleashed a burst of chakra to accelerate once more.
As a top student with genius potential, it's a blatant insult to his title of top student that he can't even catch up with three mediocre students of the same class!
"Use chakra." Ishikawa, noticing Neji's acceleration, immediately reminded him, and his feet also unleashed chakra to increase his speed.
The two underlings naturally wouldn't hold them back, and they also unleashed chakra from their feet to accelerate!
However, compared to Ishikawa and Neji's exquisite control, their chakra bursts seemed a bit wasteful and not as smooth as they could have been.
[This guy's chakra control is almost the same as mine, how is that possible?] Neji, seeing Ishikawa's performance from behind, was secretly shocked and looked at Ishikawa for the first time.
He only achieved such precise control over chakra because of the Gentle Fist technique, yet Ishikawa, a commoner ninja, could do it too. Is this guy truly a hidden genius?
"Damn it! I will definitely expose your mask!" Suddenly, Neji's eyes flashed with a fierce look as he stared at Ishikawa, whose face was ashen.
It wasn't that he was jealous of Ishikawa's talent, but rather that he was furious at Ishikawa for hiding his true abilities! This guy was clearly exceptionally talented, yet he performed only so-so at the Ninja Academy. What did he mean by being the top student on the surface?
That guy must have been treating him like a monkey on stage! Disgusting, unforgivable!!
[Huh? Why did that guy's eyes suddenly become so sharp? Is this all the top student can do??] Seemingly sensing Neji's resentment, Ishikawa turned his head and glanced sideways, secretly making a sarcastic remark.
However, Ishikawa didn't think much of it and immediately pulled his two underlings forward at high speed. As they sped along, they soon arrived at a small, irregularly shaped oval lake with a diameter of about 100 meters.
Without slowing down, the three of them stomped across the lake as if walking on flat ground, quickly moving in a straight line across the lake.
Neji naturally followed closely behind, also walking on the lake surface!
"Huh? What do we do?"
"Incredible! They actually walked across the water!"
Behind them, Xiao Li and Tian Tian slammed on the brakes and stopped abruptly, exchanging bewildered glances. Neither of them had ever learned how to tread water; what were they going to do?
"Damn it!!" Neji, who had run to the center of the lake, realized what was happening and cried out in frustration. He could only turn back along the same path he had taken.
Teacher Kai is looking out for the whole class as a whole, not just individual competition!
"Follow me." Neji glanced disapprovingly at his two teammates who were dragging him down, held his breath, and unleashed his Byakugan, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes. In an instant, black-and-white images of an area within a kilometer radius flooded his mind.
Seeing the three Ishikawas in his line of sight, Neji snorted coldly and immediately took Tenten and Lee and chased after them along the shortest route.
But a slow start leads to a slow finish. Even with Neji's Byakugan and his shortcut, he couldn't match the speed of Ishikawa and the others' straight-line advance. More than ten minutes later, when Neji and the others reached the summit, Ishikawa and his two companions were already standing with Kakashi and Might Guy, waiting for a moment.
"You were about a minute late. So, the first match is won by Kakashi's team!" Might Guy announced loudly, his face stern yet his eyes brimming with tears, as he looked at the panting Neji and the other two.
Waaaaah, no wonder he's his eternal rival, even his disciple is this outstanding...
"The second match is a real battle. Three against three, best of three!" Kakashi nodded in satisfaction to the three Ishikawas, speaking on behalf of the melancholy Might Guy.
The two teams reached the summit within a minute of each other, and their physical exertion was exactly the same, so there was no need for them to rest.
"Mitarashi Ishikawa, let me see your true strength." Almost the instant Kakashi announced it, Neji, who was seething with anger, immediately spoke up with a clear objective.
"He's my opponent for a duel, Neji." Lee rushed forward upon seeing this, completely oblivious to his own inferiority complex.
Yes, that's what Ishikawa thought too. Right now, Little Li is pathetic; even two minor henchmen could easily take him down!
"Don't even think about beating a genius if you're a loser. It's impossible." Neji coldly refused, shoving Lee aside to face Ishikawa directly.
“As you wish, I also want to test the strength of the top student.” Ishikawa was not to be outdone.
After this period of training and overpowered abilities, in addition to mastering the semi-finished Spirit Transformation Technique and Summoning Technique, his chakra control skills and physical strength have also been greatly enhanced due to his cultivation of the Palm Healing Technique.
So he also wanted to see the true difference between himself and the genius Neji.
"I hope your strength matches the Jonin's evaluation of you!" Neji frowned slightly and snorted coldly when he heard Ishikawa mention the top student again.
If he defeats Ishikawa today, that would be fine, but if he accidentally gets defeated by this guy, then his title of top student will truly be an ironic one!
"Is this guy really that aggressive now?" Ishikawa's lips twitched as he took a step forward, not paying much attention to Neji's rude attitude.
He lost his father at the age of four, and his fate was controlled by the main branch of the family, like a caged bird. If this happened to him, he would probably be even more resentful than Neji!
Seeing this, the two underlings immediately stepped back to create distance, and Tian Tian also pulled Xiao Li to make room for a fight.
"Now, according to the tradition of ninja battles, let's form the seal of opposition." Kakashi called out as he saw the two standing facing each other.
"Kakashi is right. You two will need to form a reconciliation seal later. Fighting is fighting, but don't let your fighting spirit spill over into anything other than the battle!" Might Guy immediately chimed in, looking at the two with anticipation.
"Boring! This isn't a ninja academy playing ninja games." Neji rarely complained, but his actions betrayed him as he formed a hand seal with one hand.
Seeing this, Ishikawa also formed the opposing hand seal with one hand, which is the same hand seal held by the first generation of the End Valley and the spotted stone statue.
"Then, let the battle begin!"
"Byakugan activation..." Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and assumed the Gentle Fist stance.