"Third-sama!"
A young man dropped to one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Please leave the rest to me. After all, I'm the appointed referee for the preliminary matches."
The young man had heavy dark circles under his eyes and looked sickly, coughing from time to time. This was Gekkō Hayate — a rather unlucky shinobi from the manga.
In canon, he was killed by Sunagakure's jonin, Baki, and Yakushi Kabuto. Yet his death was in vain. Konoha never avenged him; in fact, by the end of the story, Kabuto was even recruited by Konoha, becoming the head of an orphanage, living a prestigious life. Konoha and Sunagakure also established friendly relations, and Baki continued to thrive, untarnished.
Poor Gekkō Hayate's fiancée — she had no one she could even target for revenge. All she could do was endure the injustice, swallowing it in the name of the so-called "greater good."
"Since the number of participants who passed the second exam is too high, we've decided to hold a preliminary round to eliminate some of the candidates," Hayate announced loudly. "If you're feeling unwell, or if you think your abilities aren't enough to continue, you may now raise your hand and withdraw. Otherwise, I'll proceed with the draw shortly."
Almost immediately, someone raised a hand. "I forfeit!"
Everyone turned to see who it was, and their eyes widened in shock.
"Senpai Kabuto? Sasuke? Why are you withdrawing?"
Naruto looked especially surprised. In his memory, although Sasuke could be harsh, he was undeniably strong. Why would he quit in such a way?
Yakushi Kabuto gave a polite smile and offered a few words of explanation, feigning helplessness. Sasuke, however, couldn't have cared less about responding. He didn't even bother making an excuse — it was as if he were casually informing them of something as trivial as skipping a chore.
On the stage, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned ugly. Sasuke was the last remaining Uchiha of Konoha, and yet he couldn't even make it to the finals of the Chūnin Exams? Did he realize what kind of negative impression this would leave?
Besides, wasn't the Uchiha clan obsessed with pride and appearances? Did Sasuke even understand how disgraceful it was to forfeit without reason?
...But Sasuke, having peeked behind the scenes of the "script," didn't particularly care about pride. Even if he failed the exams and didn't obtain the official title of Chūnin, would that make him any less capable in battle?
Before, he had to participate because the team was bound together — if one member didn't qualify, it would drag the others down. Sasuke had to ensure Naruto encountered Orochimaru.
Now, with the option to quit freely, he didn't hesitate for even a moment.
Without a backward glance, Sasuke walked away from the venue. He had far more important things to do than watch the rest of the matches.
...
Neji caught a glimpse of Sasuke's departing back and smiled silently. Soon...The burden that had weighed on his heart for so long would be shattered!
As he watched the hot-blooded Genin below, fighting each other passionately, Neji couldn't help but feel a kind of false sympathy.
Fate was truly malicious. Especially when he saw Inuzuka Kiba collapse from nothing more than Naruto's fart, the pity in his eyes grew even deeper.
Inuzuka Kiba, during his time at the Academy, wasn't the absolute top of the class, but he was definitely above average. With excellent Taijutsu and the Inuzuka clan's secret techniques involving ninja hounds, his overall combat ability ranked very high among Genin.
And yet...A single fart from Naruto had taken him out.
It was more ridiculous than the most absurd plotlines of trashy novels.
Remember, not long ago, Naruto was still considered the "dead last" — failing both academic subjects and ethics evaluations, unable even to perform a basic Clone Technique at graduation. He was the village laughingstock.
Some might argue Naruto "worked hard."Honestly, that phrase sounded no different from the kind of hollow praise fans in idol circles gave their favorites.
This so-called "hardworking" Naruto, in just a short period after graduation, had surpassed all the fruits of Kiba's years of diligent training.
The word "effort" really was... hilarious.
...
In the future, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kiba would unveil his self-developed technique — the Three-Headed Wolf. But for Naruto, he had already mastered an even more advanced technique — the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu — on the very night he stole the Scroll of Seals, before even properly graduating.
"I wonder how Kiba's feeling now," Neji mused coldly. "Defeated by a fart...Probably a stain on his record he'll never live down."
This so-called "power of unpredictability" wasn't anything glorious. It was more like the "power of destiny" — cruel and absolute. Falling behind at the starting line wasn't terrifying. What was terrifying was that everyone's finish line had already been predetermined.
No matter how hard you struggled during the race, you couldn't change where you would ultimately end up.
...
Just like Neji himself.
No matter how hard he worked, no matter how strong he became, if the Main Branch wanted him dead, they could end him with just a single activation of the cursed seal.
That's why, even knowing full well that the so-called "Hyūga Ancestor" had suspicious origins, Neji didn't hesitate to side with him. At least it offered a slim hope of breaking free from his cage.
In the shinobi world, there were very few paths to ascend. Ordinary people without Ōtsutsuki bloodlines had a ceiling placed over them.
At best, the strongest of the "ordinary" could reach the heights of Jiraiya, the Third Raikage, or Might Guy — burning their very lives for a fleeting moment of brilliance.
As for everyone else?
No matter how they struggled, without the right bloodline connections, they could only run in circles inside the same cage.
...
Neji had once believed he was a bird trapped in a cage — the cursed seal was his prison. Sasuke, too, was a caged bird, shackled by the village and the bonds of family.
But after secretly peeking at the "script," Neji realized the terrible truth.
Everyone in this world was a caged bird.
This world itself was the cage.
Some merely occupied larger spaces within it, and some even built smaller cages inside to trap others, foolishly thinking they had become masters of their own fate.
They didn't realize there was only one locked exit... And it remained forever out of reach.
...
"Neji, it's your turn!" Tenten nudged the boy, pulling him back from his wandering thoughts.
On the electronic screen, two names flashed: Hyūga Neji vs. Hyūga Hinata.
This wasn't fate's cruelty. This was deliberate manipulation from behind the scenes.
Neji's face remained emotionless. Since that's how it was going to be... He would face it head-on.
He leapt down into the arena without hesitation, while Hinata timidly made her way forward.
Neji immediately assumed his fighting stance, unwilling to exchange even a single word with her.
Sure, Hinata was a kind girl. But between them stood an unbridgeable chasm of hierarchy.
She only called him "Neji-nii-san" when she felt like it.
...
"Are they siblings?" Naruto asked cluelessly as he climbed up to the second-floor viewing platform.
"They're part of the Hyūga clan — the Main Branch and the Branch Family," Lee explained casually. "There's always been tension between them."
Perhaps pure-hearted and passionate people like Lee and Naruto could find mutual understanding and respect in one another. That was why Lee naturally showed kindness toward Naruto.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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