How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

To be honest, in Kurama's view, Naruto cared more about Sasuke than Sakura or Hinata. Naruto could sense when Sasuke was upset or frustrated, but he couldn't tell that Sakura disliked him or that Hinata liked him.

Of course, Sakura disliking him was in the past. Now, the three of them had a stable triangle relationship: Naruto liked Sakura, Sakura liked Sasuke, and Sasuke liked Naruto. Hinata? Maybe no, don't you know that a triangle is the most stable structure?

If Sasuke hadn't defected and left this triangle, none of them would have had a good ending. The best outcome would have been Naruto and Sasuke together, with Sakura and Hinata becoming close friends.

...For some reason, Kurama had a strange desire to see that scene. Hmm, it was just an illusion.

But back to the point, Naruto's current strength wasn't great. His chances of winning against Neji were almost zero. Even if he used the Summoning Jutsu, without Kurama's chakra, he couldn't summon any powerful toads.

If he really wanted to win, he'd have to catch Neji off guard with a surprise attack. Start by pretending to be weak, then suddenly strike when Neji least expected it.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't know such "advanced" tactics. His motto was to charge through everything, much like Kushina.

With Naruto's question answered, the others had no more questions. The atmosphere had reached this point, and there was nothing else to do but fight.

Shiranui Genma put away the match list and looked at the seven people present with a blank expression: "Next is the first match."

The seven of them instinctively turned their eyes to him.

"Konohagakure's Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto clenched his fists.

"And Konohagakure's Hyuga Neji."

Neji smirked, as if he could already see the outcome.

Shiranui Genma glanced at the two of them: "Except for these two, everyone else can go to the waiting area."

The waiting area doesn't need much explanation. It's located on the left side of the arena, which is a circular building with walls about ten stories high. The audience seats are above the walls, with the VIP seats directly in front. There's a small door at the bottom of the wall, and inside, a staircase leads to the waiting area.

It's roughly in the middle of the wall, where the audience can't see them, but they can observe the fighters.

As the other five left, only Naruto, Neji, and the referee Shiranui Genma were left in the arena. Naruto and Neji faced each other, with Shiranui Genma standing between them, observing them from the corner of his eye.

It wasn't surprising for a genius like Neji to make it to the finals, but Naruto making it this far was beyond Shiranui Genma's expectations.

However, it would probably end soon, Shiranui Genma thought, keeping a calm exterior: "This is the third match of the Konohagakure Chunin Exams, with Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure against Hyuga Neji of Konohagakure. Are both sides ready?"

A loser is a loser, Neji snorted, with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth: "Looks like you have something to say."

Naruto clenched his fist, his eyes unconsciously darkening. He looked at Neji, his right hand forming a fist and pointing straight at Neji: "I said before, I will definitely win."

This is it! In the stands, the newly arrived Hinata covered her mouth in surprise. This gesture was what Naruto had said when she was knocked down by Neji in the preliminaries.

Neji looked at Naruto, his eyes full of confidence, not just bravado, but...

"This makes it interesting," Neji said with a careless smile.

Veins bulged from Neji's temples, connecting to his eyes like chakra pathways.

With Naruto's reflection in his white pupils, Neji took a fighting stance: "I really want to see the panic in your eyes when you face reality."

"Stop babbling! Let's start!" Naruto's eyes remained calm. Although his anger was burning, he managed to stay rational.

Even Kurama found it unbelievable.

Naruto facing his opponent calmly was almost an insult to the name 'Naruto.' But then again, this guy, though impulsive, was quite methodical and always managed to produce surprising results.

He had changed a bit, probably thanks to last night's pep talk.

Shiranui Genma glanced at the two of them. He was also a spectator in the preliminaries and naturally knew their history. Now was the perfect time; a bit of emotional fluctuation could make the fight more exciting. He was also looking forward to Naruto's performance.

Mainly, he wanted to see how long this guy could last.

The wind blew again, but this time it wasn't filled with noise and cheers. Instead, it was a heavy pressure between Naruto and Neji, swirling up dust like a whirlwind and filling the sky. The intense pressure radiated from both of them, clashing and rising.

Shiranui Genma glanced at Naruto in slight surprise. He didn't expect Naruto to have such a strong presence. But now, as the referee, seeing that the atmosphere was right, he raised his right hand and swung it down hard in front of everyone's expectant eyes: "Match..."

"Begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shiranui Genma disappeared. Using the Body Flicker Jutsu was a basic skill for high-level ninjas, and Shiranui Genma's Body Flicker Jutsu was definitely not weaker than an average Chunin.

But the focus now wasn't on him as the referee, but on the two who had already started moving as soon as he spoke.

Naruto formed hand seals, and a massive amount of chakra burst out, turning into smoke: "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Neji's forward charge suddenly stopped, and he frowned slightly at the dozens of Narutos that had appeared in the arena.

The Byakugan had the ability to see through Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. In terms of 'detection,' its functionality far exceeded the Sharingan. Hyuga clan ninjas could use the Byakugan to see through the opponent's chakra flow, ignore Genjutsu, and see through the opponent's Taijutsu secrets.

But the Shadow Clone Jutsu was very special. It divided the user's chakra equally to create clones identical to the original, with the ability to use the user's Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and even Kekkei Genkai.

With equal chakra and being physical entities, neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan could see through them. The only difference was that Shadow Clones disappeared when attacked, making them almost indistinguishable from the original.

Neji stopped because he couldn't see through Naruto's jutsu.

"I see, using Shadow Clones to disrupt my vision and block my Byakugan. It's an effective tactic." Neji took it a bit more seriously. "I thought you would charge at me recklessly, but it seems you're not as dumb as the rumors say."

"Hmph." More than ten Narutos snorted at the same time, then all pulled out kunai and aimed at Neji. "You can only laugh now."

With that, more than ten Narutos charged at Neji. Although Naruto's Taijutsu skills were no match for a Taijutsu specialist like Neji, Naruto was still a Genin and had the help of Shadow Clones. Even Neji found this situation a bit tricky.

Just tricky, but still manageable.

Neji's expression didn't change. As the ten-plus Narutos charged at him, 

he took a stance and used his Gentle Fist technique without holding back. He constantly deflected and dodged, maintaining his position with strange footwork, and occasionally dispelling a Shadow Clone during the evasion.

"This level of attack is no problem for him." Tenten, sitting next to Lee, had a confident smile on her face.

Lee nodded in agreement: "As expected of Neji, I'll do my best too, WOOOOOO!"

Neji's attacks had a rhythm, not like dancing, but a combat rhythm that deflected the opponent's attacks and countered. It was like a spiked shield that blocked your attack and then pierced you when you tried to retreat.

Kiba frowned as he watched, feeling troubled: "Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu uses a lot of chakra, and the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist targets chakra flow. If this keeps up, once Naruto's real body is exposed, he'll be dragged into Neji's rhythm."

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata was worried.

What was Neji's combat rhythm? Or rather, what was the Hyuga clan's combat rhythm?

It wasn't about using strong Taijutsu, or their powerful eyes to see through you, or brute force. The Hyuga clan was known as the top clan in Konohagakure, not just because the Uchiha clan was wiped out, but because they were very skilled in combat.

Whether you were stronger or weaker, once the fight started, the Hyuga clan used their Byakugan to see through you, forcing you into close combat. Then, they used their Gentle Fist to block your chakra flow, weakening you, and finished with powerful Ninjutsu.

This was a typical ninja combat style: probe and gather information, weaken the opponent or strengthen yourself, and finish with powerful Ninjutsu or Taijutsu. Ninja battles were always like this.

Neji, as a genius of the Hyuga clan, understood the importance of this combat rhythm. Once Naruto fell into Neji's rhythm, he would have a hard time winning unless he overpowered him.

That's why Hinata was worried. To non-ninja spectators, it looked like Naruto was suppressing Neji with his Shadow Clone Jutsu, but to ninjas, it was clear that Neji was dragging Naruto into his rhythm.

At this moment, Naruto was at a disadvantage.

"Neji isn't holding back at all," Kiba sighed deeply.

Not far from where he and Hinata were sitting, the current head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi, sat with authority. Beside him was Hinata's sister, Hyuga Hanabi. Hiashi watched the battle with a pained expression: "Hanabi, you need to understand, this is the Byakugan's fighting style."

Hanabi curiously watched, not at Neji, but at Naruto. Hearing her father's words, she instinctively replied, "I understand, Father."

"Brother Neji is really strong," Hanabi remarked. "That Naruto guy isn't that impressive."

She meant that the Naruto her sister admired wasn't that great, She is not really praising Neji.

But Hiashi didn't know that. He nodded thoughtfully: "Neji is the most talented in the Hyuga clan. Even as a branch family member, he reached this level. Hanabi, your goal should be him, not..."

Not Hinata.

Hanabi sighed. She understood what her father meant, but she didn't want to respond.

----

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