Chapter 9 - The weak! The prey of everyone!

"It's been a while since I died, and my face is gone..."

Several Anbu ninjas in masks observed the gruesome scene in silence. Anko frowned, recalling the candidate with the unnervingly long tongue. As she touched the cursed mark on her neck, a chill ran down her spine.

"Go inform Lord Hokage! I'll head to the Forest of Death first. Orochimaru is here!"

In the Forest of Death, the atmosphere was tense and quiet as the sky gradually darkened.

Tenten and Lee had already arrived at their meeting point.

"I've found traces of the enemy nearby. There aren't many safe paths left. Let's stick to the plan and move quickly," Tenten instructed, taking out the scroll from her back.

Lee packed the food they had gathered into his backpack. "Where's Neji?" he asked.

"I don't know. Neji is always punctual. He's a bit aloof, but he wouldn't just disappear like this," Tenten replied, her usual annoyance with Neji turning into a sense of unease.

"I was thinking," Lee began, his expression becoming serious, "Do you remember that white-haired guy we saw outside the written exam room?"

"What about him?"

"Neji's reputation as the weakest of our Konoha Genin has been leaked. That guy, at the time..." Lee trailed off, but his implication was clear.

Tenten's eyes widened as the realization hit her. "We need to find him, now!"

The two quickly packed up and headed in the direction Neji had gone earlier.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest, Neji was navigating through the dense woods, muttering to himself.

"Huh... I didn't expect the forest to be this vast. I've been searching all night and still haven't found anyone interesting."

A short distance ahead, three ninjas from Kusagakure, dressed in strange attire, crouched in wait.

"Hey! Hyuga Neji! I can't believe their team let this loser wander around alone!"

"The information Yakushi Kabuto provided was accurate. This Neji is a disgrace to the Hyuga clan. Let's catch him and use him to exchange for their scroll!"

"He's our prey!"

Suddenly, the sound of rustling footsteps caught their attention.

"Wait, someone else is coming. It's a Konoha ninja!"

The Kusagakure ninjas exchanged glances.

"Damn it, we were careless! Looks like we're not the only ones targeting Hyuga Neji," one muttered.

Neji, sensing something was off, stepped back cautiously.

From the shadows, Inuzuka Kiba appeared, grinning like a predator closing in on his prey. Behind him were Shino and Hinata.

"Kiba..." Hinata mumbled nervously.

Shino, however, remained calm and indifferent. "Hinata, this is an exam," he reminded her.

"Right..."

All three Konoha ninjas focused their attention on Neji. He hadn't expected his fellow Konoha villagers to turn on him so quickly.

"Sorry..." Neji muttered as he realized how late it had become.

"Yeah, it is bad for you," Kiba smirked. "How dare someone as weak as you roam the forest alone without your teammates!"

"If your teammates were here, we wouldn't be going after you," Kiba added smugly as he stepped forward.

"Wait a second!" Neji protested, holding up his hand. "Why don't you let me go back first? My teammates are probably looking for me. I'll come find you tomorrow to fight. How about that?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "Do you take me for a fool?" he growled before charging at Neji, with Akamaru leaping from his shoulder.

"Hey! Isn't this a two-on-one?" Neji exclaimed as he dodged, surprised at his own quick reflexes.

The two scuffled for a moment, with Kiba trying to land a punch.

"I'll finish you off in no time. It's easy with weaklings like you in the exam," Kiba taunted, driving Neji back toward a tree.

Neji, realizing he had no way out, activated his Byakugan.

"Byakugan!"

In a flash, Neji struck Kiba with a palm strike, sending him flying through the air.

Kiba crashed to the ground but quickly stood back up, shaking off the blow. "So, you do have some skill after all," he muttered.

But just as Neji activated his Byakugan, he noticed three figures hiding in a nearby tree.

"Wait a minute..." Neji began, but Kiba was already charging at him again.

"Akamaru, go!" Kiba commanded, but the dog didn't sense the approaching enemies and continued following Kiba's lead.

"I don't have time to play with you," Neji said quietly.

He quickly struck Kiba again with another Gentle Fist palm strike, sending him flying back.

Kiba stood up, more frustrated now. "You're getting serious, huh?"

Kiba prepared to launch another attack when, suddenly, a kunai flew out of nowhere.

"Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven!"

Neji spun rapidly, creating a blue Chakra barrier that deflected several kunai with a series of sharp metallic sounds.

When the spinning stopped, three Kusagakure ninjas dropped from the trees.

"Hey, Hyuga Neji is our target. You should respect the order of who claims the prey!" one of them growled.

"If you don't back off, we'll take you out before dealing with him," another added menacingly.

Kiba, now realizing the situation, glanced at the Kusagakure ninjas. "Are all Kusagakure ninjas this sneaky?" he scoffed.

"Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique!" Kiba activated his own jutsu, and Akamaru transformed into a red, fierce-looking dog, ready to attack.

"Fang Over Fang!"

"Grass Shadow Style: Exploding Palm!"

The two sides clashed, transforming the forest into a fierce battlefield. Shino, seeing the situation escalate, joined the fight, leaving Neji to observe from the sidelines.

However, just as Neji was about to leave, a scream pierced the air.

"Ahh!"

One of the Kusagakure ninjas had snuck up on Hinata using Earth Style, holding a kunai to her neck.

"Don't move, or this girl dies!" the ninja hissed.

"Damn you, Kusagakure!" Kiba shouted, gritting his teeth.

As the two sides stood in a tense standoff, a sudden gust of wind blew through.

The Kusagakure ninja holding Hinata was struck by a powerful force, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm..."

Everyone turned, shocked. Neji stood in his fighting stance, his hands poised and his eyes full of determination.

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