Chapter 573: Neji vs. Hiashi
Konoha.
Ishiro was unaware that the Iwa army had already defeated both Kiri and Kumo, slain a Kage from each village, and effectively sealed the destruction of Kumogakure.
While fighting Kisame, Ishiro was secretly using his Porcelain Release to send a message to Baki, the leader of Suna.
Ishiro was trying to tempt Baki into making a move.
He formed words with the porcelain mud in front of Baki: Leader Baki, Suna doesn't even have a decent ally right now. Don't you feel any sense of crisis?
You can see Konoha's current state. They're one blow away from collapse.
If Suna unleashes the One-Tails Jinchūriki, Konoha is finished.
And then, Suna will become Iwagakure's close ally.
Baki remained unmoved. He was clear-headed. Even a crippled Konoha was stronger than the current Suna.
If Konoha sought revenge later, this sweet-talking Fox of Iwa most likely wouldn't lift a finger to help.
However, the fact that Ishiro knew Suna's Jinchūriki was present in Konoha shook Baki to his core.
Ishiro continued: After the war, I can authorize the return of Konoha's territory in the Land of Wind to Suna.
Baki's expression didn't change. Is this guy joking? With his personality, would Iwa give up such a large territory for free? Does he take me for a child?
Seeing Baki's disbelief, Ishiro added: To tell you the truth, Iwa's real target in this war is Kumo. It's the entire Land of Lightning.
After the war, just occupying the Land of Lightning will stretch our forces thin. I honestly don't care about that bit of land in the Land of Wind.
If Suna acts, you'll be a victor. We take the Land of Lightning, Suna takes Konoha's territory in the Land of Wind.
If Leader Baki refuses, I'd rather give that land to the River Village.
Baki remained impassive, but internally he was reeling. Iwa is really moving against Kumo? No, they're already moving against Kumo?
And they're aiming to wipe out Kumo entirely? Not just nibble away like they did with us?
Ishiro pressed on: Think carefully, Leader Baki. One step forward, and you're our ally. Afterward, I can even guarantee Suna takes Kumo's place as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
With Gaara, the One-Tails Jinchūriki, Suna's return to the Five Great Villages is justifiable.
Let Gaara show his strength today. With my support, Gaara will be the new Kazekage.
Of course, if Leader Baki wishes, you could be the new Kazekage.
Baki's breathing quickened. Not because of the offer to be Kazekage, but because Ishiro definitely knew Gaara was the Jinchūriki.
Baki began to analyze. When was the intel leaked? Back when the Fourth Kazekage was alive? Or after I took over?
Or did he just discover it today?
Can Ishiro's sensory ability penetrate even a Bijuu seal?
Baki also knew that Ishiro pointing out Gaara's identity was a threat.
If Ishiro couldn't take down Konoha, he might just turn around and snatch the One-Tails instead.
Konoha certainly wouldn't help Suna. Ishiro had caused such a huge commotion, yet Konoha still hadn't declared war on Iwa.
Seeing no response from Baki, Ishiro continued: Leader Baki, if I expose Gaara's identity right now...
Do you think, without Iwa's protection, a post-war Konoha or Orochimaru won't covet the One-Tails?
Look at how Konoha has kept the Seven-Tails for themselves.
Hearing this, Baki was anxious and angry. He regretted getting involved in this mess.
Ishiro had voiced his greatest fear. Everyone coveted the Tailed Beasts.
Since Konoha had effectively broken the Bijuu distribution agreement, everyone wanted more Tailed Beasts as weapons of war.
Baki himself had thought about finding unrecovered Bijuu to strengthen Suna.
In the current chaos, capturing a Bijuu was far more cost-effective than training a Kage-level shinobi.
While messaging Baki, Ishiro's main focus was still on his fight with Kisame.
When Kakashi left with the Flying Thunder God, Ishiro had launched a furious assault on Kisame.
Waves of porcelain mud attacked from all angles. Beams of blue light, large and small, shot out from behind the mud cover.
Ishiro multi-tasked, using porcelain to harass and Light Release to attack.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Kisame moved constantly, his hands flying through seals.
Kisame's seal speed was far slower than Ishiro's. For every jutsu he cast, Ishiro could fire off three one-handed or seal-less jutsu.
But Kisame's jutsu were powerful. One of his large-scale Water Release jutsu required multiple Light Release blasts to neutralize.
If they fought fairly with ninjutsu, Kisame wouldn't lose by much. He could always use the Body Flicker Technique to dodge if he couldn't cast in time.
And compared to Ishiro, Kisame was a taijutsu specialist.
Samehada was a huge asset in close combat. But Samehada dared not face Light Release directly, so Kisame couldn't utilize his melee advantage.
Furthermore, the fight wasn't fair. While they traded ninjutsu, the omnipresent porcelain mud interfered with Kisame's seals and movements.
Kisame knew the porcelain mud had sealing properties. Getting touched by it would be trouble.
So, even knowing Samehada could absorb chakra, he didn't dare let it touch the mud.
Thus, in the ninjutsu exchange, Kisame was quickly put at a disadvantage.
He could only cast defensive water jutsu to block the Light Release while running and dodging, barely holding his ground.
However, time wasn't on Ishiro's side. Seeing that Light Release and Porcelain Release alone couldn't finish Kisame, Ishiro resorted to underhanded tactics.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
The fleeing Kisame prepared to cast a B-rank wide-area water jutsu.
He wanted to use the A-rank Great Water Shockwave, but he didn't have time for the seals.
He had used this move to block Ishiro's Light Release several times already. Each wave required three or four Light Release blasts to neutralize.
But this time, just as Kisame was about to finish his seals, Ishiro suddenly reached out and used Banshō Ten'in, pulling Kisame's hands toward him.
Kisame was startled. He yanked his hands back, breaking free of the pull.
But his jutsu was interrupted.
"Damn!" Kisame knew he was in trouble.
With his rhythm broken, he could only rely on taijutsu to dodge.
He leaped to the left. A beam of light grazed him, striking where he had just stood.
It wasn't over. Just as he landed, another beam was upon him. He dodged again.
After three dodges, just as he stabilized and prepared to weave seals again, a mass of porcelain mud was already upon him.
It was too close to dodge.
Kisame turned sideways, bringing Samehada around to face the mud. As if reading his mind, Samehada twisted, its mouth opening toward the porcelain.
Just as Ishiro thought Samehada would absorb the chakra, the sword suddenly spat out a ball of water.
Bang!
The water ball knocked the porcelain mud away.
Ishiro blinked. He had been ready to seal Samehada the moment it tried to absorb the chakra.
He hadn't expected this.
What is that? A seal-less ninjutsu?
Ishiro took a deep breath. He wasn't discouraged. Although he hadn't hurt Kisame, he had forced out one of his trump cards.
So Samehada can do that. Did the sword learn a jutsu, or did Kisame seal a jutsu inside it beforehand?
Ishiro kept attacking, his hands forming seals rapidly. Several Light Release beams shot toward Kisame, neutralizing the Water Release he had managed to cast.
The battle seemed to return to a ninjutsu exchange. But the next moment, Ishiro extended his left hand and used Shinra Tensei on Kisame's water wall.
This time, his target wasn't Kisame, but his jutsu.
Instantly, the massive wall of water Kisame had created was blasted away.
Kisame was shocked. Now he was exposed to the Light Release directly.
With no time to think, he dodged to the side.
But this time, Ishiro was prepared. Massive amounts of porcelain mud sealed off his escape routes. He was trapped.
Just as he gripped Samehada, preparing to force his way through, his two ANBU guards made their move.
They fired ninjutsu at the porcelain barrier, blasting a hole for Kisame.
Kisame didn't waste the opportunity. He charged through the gap.
While Ishiro's battle raged, the other fights on the platform had also escalated.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hiashi Hyūga launched his clan's secret technique. Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Neji knew the Gentle Fist well. As Hiashi struck, Neji struck back, matching him palm for palm.
At first, every strike from Hiashi was met by one from Neji.
But the Sixty-Four Palms was a refined, continuous combo. Hiashi executed it flawlessly.
Neji's counters were just basic attacks; the transitions weren't smooth.
After blocking a dozen strikes, Neji began to miss.
By the end of the Sixty-Four Palms, Neji had been hit over ten times.
Luckily, the Gentle Fist didn't cause much external damage, and Neji had the Tenseigan chakra protecting him, so he wasn't badly hurt.
And his injuries were rapidly healing thanks to the Tenseigan chakra.
Hiashi frowned. Without pausing, he stepped forward and struck Neji several more times on the arms.
This time, he used the Gentle Fist's tenketsu sealing technique.
But after doing so, Hiashi's frown deepened.
His Byakugan clearly showed Neji's injuries healing rapidly.
And the chakra he had injected to seal Neji's chakra points was dissolved in an instant by Neji's own chakra.
Hyūga could unseal tenketsu, true. But it took time to grind away the opponent's foreign chakra.
Even with similar chakra signatures, it shouldn't be instant.
What is going on? Why does his chakra dissolve mine instantly?
This wasn't the first time. In their previous exchanges, Hiashi had hit Neji's tenketsu multiple times.
Each time, the result was the same. At first, Hiashi thought Neji had invented an anti-sealing technique.
But after observing, he realized it was just Neji's chakra. It was special.
Hiashi leaped back, pausing to probe Neji for information.
"Rapid unsealing, rapid healing, endless stamina... and the Byakugan can't see the source of this chakra."
"Neji, it seems you've had a fortunate encounter."
Neji didn't answer. Although he was the only one using the giant Tenseigan, he never considered it his.
It was something Ishiro had given him to use, to help him awaken his own eyes.
The giant Tenseigan was a village secret. He wasn't stupid enough to reveal it to this traitor.
Hiashi continued, "Neji, I'm relieved you've found your own path. If your father could see your achievements now, he would be proud!"
Hiashi hoped to use Hizashi's name to pry open Neji's mouth.
He coveted Neji's special chakra.
Hiashi felt that with chakra of that level, he could become a Kage.
I wonder what the Tsuchikage gave this kid?
But hearing Hiashi shamelessly mention his father, Neji snapped.
He charged at Hiashi without a word.
In the previous exchange, he had been at a disadvantage. Without the Tenseigan chakra's miraculous properties, he would have been defeated long ago.
Without the giant Tenseigan's dōjutsu, Hiashi would have killed him.
Seeing Neji ignore him, a flash of anger crossed Hiashi's eyes. He didn't move, waiting for Neji to get close before spinning rapidly. "Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation!"
Neji wasn't careless. He expected this. He extended his hand. Imperial Wheel!
A powerful repulsive force crashed into the Rotation.
Hiashi's hemisphere of chakra was warped into an oval.
After a few seconds of struggle, it was Hiashi who couldn't hold on. He was blasted back ten meters, his Rotation shattered.
Hiashi scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth in disbelief. His anger flared.
This was the first time he had been injured in this fight. Injured by a branch family member?
Hiashi refused to accept this reality.
"The Tsuchikage's gravity jutsu? It seems he treats you well! Teaching you such a secret art of Iwagakure."
Hiashi spoke through grit teeth.
He didn't expect a reply. He fired an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm at Neji and charged.
He had to admit, the Gentle Fist was effective in one-on-one combat.
Although Neji's new Byakugan arts were conceptually superior, his technique couldn't compare.
Neji, having learned his lesson, stopped trying to fight Hiashi in close quarters. The testing phase was over. It was time to get real.
Time to seek justice for himself, his father, and the branch family.
Neji countered Hiashi's Vacuum Palm with one of his own.
Then, he connected directly to the giant Tenseigan on the Moon, fully awakening it from its semi-dormant state.
The next moment, boosted by the fully awakened giant Tenseigan, a massive surge of Tenseigan chakra erupted from Neji's body.
He formed seals and slammed his hands onto the porcelain floor.
Hiashi's Byakugan saw the sudden explosion of chakra.
But before he could be surprised, he saw Neji forming seals.
Previously, Neji's new arts, like the Gentle Fist, had been seal-less.
The advantage of seal-less jutsu was huge. It was a big reason for the Hyūga's reputation.
This was the first time Hiashi had seen Neji use hand seals. He wondered what jutsu Neji was planning.
He assumed it was something Ishiro had taught him.
But the next moment, Hiashi was dumbfounded.
After finishing the seals, a forty-meter-long sword appeared in Neji's hands. A literal forty-meter sword!
Hiashi was less than five meters away.
Hiashi had to run four meters to hit Neji. Neji just had to twitch his wrist.
Neji didn't hesitate. Although he had never systematically learned kenjutsu, he knew the basics.
He swung the massive golden sword wildly at Hiashi.
The sword was made of Tenseigan chakra and had no weight. Neji wielded it effortlessly.
Terrified, Hiashi used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance.
But the forty-meter sword had too much reach.
After dodging frantically for dozens of meters, Hiashi made a mistake, and Neji's blade sliced off his left leg.
Hiashi screamed, veins bulging on his forehead.
He had rarely been injured in his life, but today, a branch family member had cut off his leg.
Looking at the bleeding stump, Hiashi suddenly lost his mind.
Forget the relationship between Konoha and Iwa. Forget the Tsuchikage's disciple. Forget the big picture. Forget the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
In that moment, Hiashi didn't care. He sat on the ground and formed a one-handed seal. "Caged Bird Seal!"
He finally activated the seal on Neji!
But the expected scene of Neji screaming in agony and dying did not happen.
Neji stood calmly before Hiashi, looking down at him coldly.
Neji dispelled the sword and reached up to remove his goggles.
A dozen gasps rang out. One from Hiashi, and the rest from various corners of the stadium stands.
They came from the Hyūga branch family members.
While the Kage battles were flashy, no Hyūga branch member was watching them. Their eyes were glued to the fight between the Main and Branch.
When Neji pulled out the forty-meter sword and cut off Hiashi's leg, securing victory, they felt an incomparable thrill.
Whatever happened next, in that moment, they felt avenged.
But when Hiashi dishonorably used the Caged Bird, a pall of death fell over them.
Then... they saw Neji was fine.
Even more miraculously, when Neji took off his goggles, the eyes revealed were not Byakugan.
The goggles were a gift from Ishiro, inscribed with a special seal. From a distance, the Byakugan couldn't see through them. But up close, they could.
So Neji could see out, but others couldn't see in.
The blue Tenseigan revealed were unfamiliar to them, but somehow, every Hyūga had the same thought.
This isn't a transplant. This is an evolution of the Byakugan.
The Byakugan... evolved?
As the Uchiha produced one Mangekyō user after another, the Hyūga, though silent, felt inferior.
The decades-long struggle for "Number One Clan" was a joke. A single Mangekyō Uchiha could sweep the Hyūga. How could they compete?
But now, their thoughts changed. The Byakugan can evolve too!
One branch member couldn't help himself. He stood up in the stands and shouted, "Neji! What are those eyes called?!"
Neji didn't look at him. He kept his gaze on Hiashi, and said calmly, "Tenseigan!"
(End of Chapter)
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