Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 72. I’ll Do My Best!

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Palm against palm.

Footwork against footwork.

The clash between Neji and Hinata played out like a mirrored dance, each movement echoing the other. It was like watching one person fight their own reflection.

No flashy ninjutsu. No smoke or fire. Just the raw elegance of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

And in the world of shinobi, everyone knew one truth:

Never underestimate the Hyuga in close quarters.

One strike landed, and the next came in a blur. A storm of precision, shutting down your chakra points before you could even weave a single hand sign.

Even Naruto, standing in the audience, shouted with enthusiasm.

"Go, Hinata! Beat that smug Neji into the ground!"

Everyone around him instinctively took a step back.

Infectious idiocy was apparently airborne.

Neji turned his face ever so slightly toward Naruto's voice. The blindfold didn't move. He didn't say a word.

But Naruto stiffened.

He knows. He always knows.

"O-Okay... shutting up now..."

Hinata took the chance. She surged forward, but Neji's lips curled into the faintest smirk.

A pivot.

A subtle sway.

And Hinata's attack hit nothing but air.

Before she could recover, he gently caught her wrist, his fingers like iron.

"You think too much of me," he whispered softly, too close to her ear. "And so... you stop thinking for yourself."

Hinata's cheeks flushed crimson. Her focus wavered.

That's when Neji struck.

Not with brute force, but with grace.

With control.

With knowledge of every point on her body that would lock her still.

A tap to her elbow.

A stroke across her shoulder.

A final brush down her spine.

And Hinata froze, her body paralyzed mid-stance.

[Sunflower Pressure Lock]

A technique of his own making. Precise, gentle, unrelenting.

Where you falter, I'll press harder.

Where you hesitate, I'll push through.

He placed one final finger against her forehead.

"Forgive me, Hinata."

She collapsed backward but didn't hit the floor. Neji caught her. Of course he did.

"Winner: Neji Hyuga!"

There was no applause.

Just a stunned hush.

Among the watching Jonin, even those who had once doubted the potential of the branch family were now silent. A blindfolded prodigy had just outmaneuvered the Hyuga clan's heiress with effortless precision.

---

As Neji carried Hinata from the stage, he gently laid a hand over her heart. His chakra pulsed softly, drawing his own residual energy back out of her body. If he didn't, she'd be paralyzed for hours.

"Tch..." Naruto glanced sideways as Neji passed by, flinching instinctively.

"Don't come any closer! I'm not scared of you!"

Neji tilted his head with a serene smile.

"That's good. I like energetic opponents."

The way he said it sent chills down the spines of Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chōji. They'd heard that line before. Right before Neji used them as training dummies.

"If I get matched against you," Neji said softly, "I think it'll be... fun."

Naruto gulped.

His trauma was resurfacing.

Please, anyone but him...

---

Neji's gaze turned serious as he looked toward the screen.

> Next match: Rock Lee vs Gaara.

Neji's expression tightened.

"Lee... don't overdo it." freewebnσvel.cѳm

He knew Lee.

Knew his limits.

Knew how little regard he had for them.

But Lee just gave him a confident thumbs-up and strutted to the field like a soldier off to war.

'Idiot,' Neji thought, 'But that's what I love about you.'

From behind, Guy clapped Neji's shoulder with a bright grin.

"Don't worry. Lee's stronger than anyone knows. You taught him well."

Neji gave a quiet nod, but his heart remained uneasy.

As Hinata's body gradually relaxed in his arms, her eyes fluttered open.

"Neji-niisan... did I disappoint you?"

Neji shook his head gently.

"No. You impressed me."

"Truly?"

"You've grown. Tremendously. And not just in skill."

Hinata looked away shyly.

"Then why... why did you say I was still lacking?"

"So you wouldn't stop," Neji said softly. "Because growth is a journey, not a goal, and you are too soft for your own good."

Hinata's eyes welled up.

"I understand. I'll keep growing. I'll make you proud, Neji-niisan..."

Neji smiled.

She already had, but elsewhere, all eyes turned toward the center of the arena—

Because Gaara was stepping forward.

And Lee was waiting for him.

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