Chapter 23 - Gentle Fist! Echoing Chakra
"Hinata?"
Neji murmured subconsciously, glancing over at her. Hinata, with her pure expression, appeared just as surprised, but she quickly composed herself—after all, she was from the Hyuga clan.
Neji began to feel a sense of unease. He was familiar with Sack's tactics, and Hinata likely wasn't yet his match. More concerning, Sack belonged to the Sound Village, and their methods were notoriously cruel.
Still, there was no justification for urging Hinata to forfeit now. However, Neji silently resolved that if Sack dared to harm Hinata even a little, he would make sure Sack paid the price.
"Hyūga Hinata and Sak, please proceed to the arena."
Sack grinned wickedly as he limped toward the battlefield. He looked disheveled, as if he'd been electrocuted recently. His rebellious nature was evident, despite his injured state.
Hinata was momentarily taken aback by Sack's appearance—he even limped as he walked.
"What's going on?"
The Jōnin watching from the stands were puzzled, and Hayate, the referee, noticed something was off as well. "Sack, you appear to be injured. Are you sure you want to continue?"
Sack snorted dismissively. "Mind your own business."
He gritted his teeth, recalling his humiliating experience in the Forest of Death, his eyes full of anger as he focused on Hinata. "You Hyuga types love to use palm techniques, huh? Good, because I despise people who use their palms. Let's settle this."
His expression was cruel and menacing.
Seeing that Sack wouldn't be persuaded, Hayate relented. "Very well, let's begin."
As soon as the match started, Sack charged at Hinata, not bothering with any restraint.
"Hinata, come on! Show him what you can do!" Inuzuka Kiba shouted from the stands in support. Neji, watching with his Byakugan activated, stayed composed.
Through his enhanced vision, Neji could see something unusual in Sack's body—there was another chakra aside from the one controlling his air blasts. It was a remnant of his lightning-natured chakra. The effects of the Forest of Death still lingered, and Neji realized that Sack's sloppy appearance wasn't just due to exhaustion; his body was still affected by the aftershocks of that lightning chakra.
On the battlefield, Hinata skillfully dodged Sack's first attack.
"Heh, an innocent little girl!" Sack sneered.
But before he could finish, Hinata evaded his follow-up strike with quick reflexes. Dust flew up around them as Sack's attack missed.
"Whoa, the Hyuga girl is pretty sharp!" someone in the audience murmured.
"This is a real Byakugan fight!" another added.
Neji watched, satisfied. Hinata wasn't as naturally talented as some, but her reflexes were honed, and she was putting her training to good use. Still, Sack wasn't done.
"Damn it, not done yet!" Sack roared, launching another blast from his hand.
Hinata was forced to dodge again, unable to counterattack in time.
"It's incredible how quickly she responds! The Hyuga clan's Byakugan and their taijutsu are truly formidable," Lee said in awe, recognizing Hinata's skill as another taijutsu specialist.
However, Kiba, always competitive, couldn't help but poke at Neji. "Byakugan isn't everything. Neji, you've got Byakugan too, but you haven't even beaten Hinata, right?"
Neji ignored Kiba's jab, knowing it was more out of concern for Hinata than anything. He remained focused on the fight, observing Sack carefully.
Meanwhile, Tenten leaned toward Neji and teased, "Looks like you'll have to step it up if you don't want to be underestimated!"
Lee chuckled. "Neji's been working hard!"
Before Neji could respond, there was a sudden shift on the battlefield.
Sack, his eyes filled with malice, made a hand seal and rushed Hinata again. "I'm done holding back! Full power!"
Neji's Byakugan caught the shift in Sack's chakra immediately. The unstable waves of energy in Sack's body were surging.
"This guy... he's going to go all out and risk it!" Neji shouted internally.
Hinata was already moving to counter, her feet glowing with chakra. She was preparing to meet Sack head-on.
"No..." Neji instinctively moved, gripping the railing in front of him, ready to jump in if needed.
Tenten reached out to stop him. "Neji, this is still an exam! If Hinata's in real danger, the referee will intervene. Besides, there are Jōnin watching closely."
Gritting his teeth, Neji reluctantly stayed in place, his Byakugan still focused on Hinata and Sack.
Then, the unexpected happened.
*Slap!*
Hinata's hand struck Sack's face with precision.
*Smack!*
Another hit, followed by a flurry of palm strikes, each one landing with increasing force and accuracy.
The audience was stunned. From their perspective, Hinata's Gentle Fist technique was overwhelming Sack. But Neji, with his Byakugan, could see the real reason for Sack's sudden vulnerability: the remnants of the lightning chakra in his body were being exacerbated by Hinata's attacks. Each of her strikes was causing that latent chakra to wreak havoc on Sack's body.
Sack, visibly trembling and unable to control his movements, tried to back away, but it was too late.
"Aaah!" he cried out, before collapsing, his body twitching from the residual lightning and chakra overload.
The crowd fell silent as Sack lay unconscious on the ground. Hinata stood over him, breathing heavily but otherwise unharmed, still surprised by the power of her own strikes.
Neji smiled slightly, both relieved and proud. Hinata had not only defended herself but had unknowingly used Sack's own lingering injury against him.
Sack had underestimated her—and it had cost him dearly.
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