Kaiten!
Seeing that there was no way to dodge, Neji released chakra from every tenketsu in his body, spinning rapidly as he unleashed his clan's secret technique—Kaiten. He intended to repel Senju Haruto with its overwhelming force.
In the stands, Hyūga Hiashi widened his eyes in shock at the sight.
"T-That's… Kaiten?"
Hiashi's voice carried disbelief. Though the strict divisions between the Hyūga main family and branch family had softened over time, Kaiten was still a secret technique considered nearly impossible to master.
It required the simultaneous release of chakra from every tenketsu while forcing the body into a high-speed rotation—an almost inhuman feat.
Even Hinata and Hanabi had never been able to master it.
"I never expected this… Neji's talent has already surpassed the main family. Hizashi… perhaps back then it should have been you—"
Hiashi's words were cut short by his brother, Hyūga Hizashi, who shook his head firmly.
"The past no longer matters. All I want now is to see Neji grow with my own eyes."
Hiashi fell silent, but guilt lingered in his gaze. The cursed seal—the caged bird—had stolen Neji's freedom and crippled his Byakugan. Unlike the main family's perfect 360-degree vision, Neji's field of view could only ever reach 359 degrees.
It was a flaw carved into his very being.
Though Hizashi outwardly brushed it aside, Hiashi knew his brother grieved deeply for his son's fate. If only Neji had been born into the main family…
That thought weighed heavily in Hiashi's chest.
On the contestants' balcony, the other genin reacted with shock at Neji's Kaiten.
Especially Kankurō and Temari, who watched with wide eyes. To them, Kaiten was no different from Gaara's absolute defense—a technique that neutralized any attack.
"It looks like this is the end. That blond kid might have shadow clones, but compared to this, the gap in strength is…"
Kankurō was halfway through dismissing Haruto when it happened.
From Senju Haruto's body, the Nine-Tails' chakra flared even stronger, burning with a violent crimson.
"I had planned to save this for Sasuke…"
Haruto's voice was low, his tone grim. Among all the genin here, the one person he refused to lose against was Uchiha Sasuke. For that reason, he had kept a trump card in reserve—until now.
But Neji's power had forced him to reveal it early.
The crimson aura spread out, tails of chakra forming and lashing behind him.
The Chūnin Exam rules had only prohibited him from using Sage Mode and his golden transformation. No one had said anything about tapping into the second form of the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak.
"This is… the Nine-Tails' power."
From his seat above, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, bolted upright.
He had known Haruto returned from Mount Myōboku with new training, but the raw ferocity of the chakra he was seeing now still startled him.
Yet within that violent storm of power, he sensed no malice.
The chakra of the Nine-Tails flowed from Haruto as naturally as his own. He was wielding it freely.
"This must be your doing… Senju Haruto's teacher." Hiruzen murmured under his breath, silently crediting the one who had guided Haruto to control this monster's strength.
But that also meant the fight was over.
"It's finished," another voice muttered with certainty.
It was Senju Haruto's mentor—eyes narrowing, tone absolute.
"What?" Maito Gai blinked, startled at the sudden declaration.
Neji may have been brilliant, but at his core, he was still human. Against Haruto as he was now, no matter how desperately Neji fought, he could never close the gap.
And indeed—the prediction proved true almost instantly.
The crimson chakra engulfed Haruto fully, three tails whipping into existence behind him.
Even so, Haruto restrained his power deliberately, ensuring he would not kill Neji.
With the Nine-Tails' overwhelming force, he planted his feet firmly against Kaiten's spiraling defense—standing atop it as if it were solid ground.
"What?!"
Neji's throat tightened in disbelief. It was impossible—utterly impossible—for someone to remain grounded against Kaiten.
And yet Haruto was not only resisting it—he was overpowering it.
Most terrifying of all was the chakra cloak that enveloped him, a monstrous aura that no human should possess.
Before Neji could even cry out, Haruto thrust both hands forward, claws of chakra piercing Kaiten's swirling defense.
Then—he tore it apart.
BOOM!
The explosion of chakra rang across the arena like thunder. The Kaiten shattered, its protective vortex ripped open by raw force.
Both combatants were hurled backward.
But only one of them could withstand it.
Neji's body spun through the air like a kite with its string cut, crashing violently across the arena floor.
Haruto, in contrast, twisted midair, landing lightly on his feet. The crimson cloak dissipated at once as he canceled the Nine-Tails' second form, returning to his human state.
The audience, who had been roaring moments earlier, fell into stunned silence.
Neji lay motionless on the ground, his chest and shoulders burned from the chakra blast, his eyes closed in unconsciousness.
The very first match of the Chūnin Exam finals—ended in an instant.
So fast, the crowd hadn't even had time to react.
Even the proctor stood frozen in place, dumbstruck.
"Sensei, announce the result already," Haruto said casually, snapping the referee from his daze.
"O-Oh… yes!"
The official stumbled forward, finally declaring Haruto the winner and summoning the medics to carry Neji away.
For half a minute, silence reigned.
And then the stands erupted.
Cheers, shouts, cries of disbelief—all blending into a storm of noise.
Everyone had seen it: the overwhelming, undeniable power Haruto had unleashed.
Particularly among the shinobi of Konoha, there was astonishment—Naruto, the boy once dismissed and mocked, had now shown perfect control over the Nine-Tails.
"I thought the Nine-Tails was about to break free again just now… but no, that kid actually controlled it!"
"This must be what they call a perfect Jinchūriki… like Yugito of the Cloud!"
"Neji…"
From the stands, Hizashi stared in shock. He had believed this match would be Neji's moment to shine. Instead, it had ended in an instant—with Neji crushed.
"This isn't because Neji was weak…" Hiashi whispered hoarsely. "It's because Senju Haruto has already become… a perfect Jinchūriki."
The words carried both awe and resignation.
On the balcony, Kankurō's mouth hung open, stunned as Neji was carried away unconscious.
"The blond brat… won?"
The boy he had ridiculed from the start had been hiding strength beyond imagination.
"See that?" Sasuke smirked faintly, eyes gleaming. "That's the real Haruto."
His heart raced. Because he knew—his turn was coming next.
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