Escape From Konoha

"Speaking of which, after I left, do you know how the Hyuga clan in Konoha ensured the stability within the family?"

Arriving in a secluded corner of the clubhouse, before Neji could ask anything, Ayane took the initiative to ask a question for Neci to think about.

Looking at Ayane who was facing him, Neji stared twice before slowly replying: "I'm sorry, I haven't thought much about this kind of thing. Besides, I don't think this has anything to do with you as a traitor to the separation family. Too big a connection."

Neji's words were very rude.

He knew that at this time, he couldn't follow the other person's train of thought.

This was obviously to induce him and then make him fall into a thinking trap.

"That's right. After all, I have left that place for more than ten years. Although I regretted not taking more people with me when I left. But even so, the people in the clan still hate me. And this If their hatred and fear cannot be fully vented, they will only be transferred to the other innocent members of the family. This is their nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Once the family suffers a major setback, the first thing they think of is not to communicate unanimously to the outside world. Instead, let the people of the branch family make sacrifices to ensure the absolute rule of the Zong family."

Although Ayane was smiling, there was no smile in her eyes. Instead, she was full of ridicule and ridicule.

Ayane's words made Neji slightly silent.

The gap between the Zong family and Ayane was a long time ago, so he didn't know it clearly. He only knew some general information. He had limited understanding of the extent to which the older generation of clan members hated the traitor who had split up the clan before him.

But what Ayane said is not unreasonable.

The closest thing to now is the end of the Third Shinobi World War. The Kumogakure mission went to Konoha to sign an armistice agreement. The killing of the Kumogakure mission as an opportunity caused panic within the Hyuga clan at that time.

This incident is still fresh in Neji's memory, and it left an extremely deep impression on him when he was a child.

Since then, the already tense relationship between the Zong family and the branch family has become even more depressing, as if the two sides were engaged in a silent cold war.

"It seems that Hizashi-senpai doesn't reveal much to you."

Seeing Neji's somewhat innocent expression, Ayane knew what Neji was thinking.

"Father, he rarely talks to me about these things. Most of the time, he just cares about whether I have any friends outside, and also cares about my cultivation."

Neji told the truth, a soft color flashing in his eyes.

"So, do you understand the real reason why Hizashi-senpai can't watch your game in person?"

Ayane asked with a smile.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

I feel strange about Ayane's questions.

At first, he thought that Ayane came to him because she wanted to recruit him to join the gang and develop into a spy-like existence to provide her with internal information about the Hyuga clan.

But the questions Ayane is asking now are more like testing him than trying to win over him.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Father can't come because his family has other arrangements."

Neji felt a little uneasy for some reason.

It seems that I have overlooked something extremely important.

"It's really pitiful, and it's another boring trick of the Zong family. However, if you continue to be naive, you will be treated as an outcast by them sooner or later. Why don't you come and join me? I can help you solve the problem of the caged bird. With you With your talent, you can go further on the road of Baiyan."

Ayane put aside all her previous pretense and extended an invitation to Neji.

"This is what you really want to express."

Neji suddenly became wary.

"You don't have to be so defensive about me. I can understand your unwillingness and helplessness as a branch family, because I have experienced the same things you have experienced. When I left Konoha, I did not have enough ability to liberate The entire branch family will fight back against the clan. But now relying on the powerful national power of the Kingdom of Ghosts, I hope to finish the unfinished business. As the genius of the branch family, I don’t want your talents to be bound by the curse seal."

"Sorry, I cannot agree."

Although Neji was moved by Ayane's conditions, he still said words of rejection.

Ayane was not angry at Neji's answer, but said in a regretful tone: "Okay, I respect your choice, my conditions will always be valid, and the door to the Kingdom of Ghosts will be open to you at any time. However, Really, I still hope you can see with your own eyes the current situation of the Hyuga clan in Konoha... The Hyuga clan in Konoha is just a group of guys who rely on their old age and sell themselves off. They still stubbornly stick to tradition and continue to maintain their last remnants of the old era. That's all dignity."

When the chains that bind nature are set with keys.

Then, it is only a matter of time to open these chains.

Relying on the power of Konoha, the Zong family has been able to survive until now, barely maintaining its last bit of dignity.

But the bond of trust with the separated family has become fragile over countless years and can be broken at a touch.

And her defection was just the last straw that broke the clan's rule.

What really crushed the clan was the resentment and dissatisfaction accumulated from generation to generation over the countless years.

"and……"

The expression on Ayane's face was half-smiling, and she said, "I'm curious, how far can you get in this exam with just your half-hearted eye roll?"

"What's the meaning?"

It was obvious that Ayane was looking down on him, and Neji's dissatisfaction was already written on his face.

Although his Byakugan is indeed incomplete due to being a caged bird, his talent is not matched by anyone in the current clan. Ayane's belittlement and questioning made him feel that his ability was insulted.

"Oh, you don't think that you are a genius because you have surpassed the decadent clan, do you? Then, your reputation as a genius is really cheap. If you indulge in this false delusion of genius, I regret it a bit You’re invited.”

Ayane accidentally sneered, as if she had seen something extremely funny.

For some reason, Neji felt that the anger in his heart was suddenly aroused.

"If you can pass this qualifying round, then I congratulate you. In the official round, you will see what true despair is."

Ayane was still smiling.

"Real despair?"

Ayane looked at the time and felt that it was about the same, so she said: "Chiba Aya, that is the child I trained. When the time comes, he will become your opponent in the official competition. The premise is that you pass the preliminaries. Then he will Please fight hard... No matter what, you can't defeat that kid. Maybe it would be better if you lose in the qualifiers, at least you don't have to experience the despair that kid gave you."

With that said, without waiting for Neji's reply, Ayane turned around and planned to leave.

Neji's eyes were fixed on Ayane's back, his fists were clenched tightly, his teeth were clenching, and his voice was extremely penetrating.

"I will let you see my strength, and by the way, I will let you know the consequences of underestimating me."

He didn't know if Ayane, who had gone far away, heard these words, but Neji secretly vowed in his heart that he would defeat the Oni Country genin named Chiba Aya and make Ayane regret underestimating his strength.

◎

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the second half of the qualifying round officially started.

Neji took relatively heavy steps and belatedly returned to the observation deck where everyone was.

"Neji, you're late. What took you so long to come back?"

Xiao Li from the same team said to Neji who was a minute late.

At the same time, he was a little curious about what Ningci was doing. In his impression, Ningci had always been a person who adhered to the concept of time and had never been late or left early.

Neji shook his head and said calmly: "Sorry, my stomach feels a little uncomfortable after visiting Hinata-sama. When I went to see Tiantian, you seemed to have left, so I came a little late. Speaking of which, , where is the game now?"

Xiao Li did not doubt that he was there and answered: "Well, the eighth competition has just begun. It is Temari from Sunagakure Village versus Genin Kototsuki from Otogakure Village. From the current point of view, Temari from Sunagakure Village has the upper hand. , the sound ninjutsu of the person in Yinyin Village was unfortunately restrained by the other party's Fengdun."

Ning Ci watched the movement on the stage and nodded slightly.

But his mind was no longer on the stage, but his eyes were on the opposite auditorium.

Has that woman not come back yet? Seeing that there was no figure of Ayane in the auditorium opposite, Ning Ci frowned slightly.

Then he thought of what Ayane said to him just now, which made him a little unhappy until now.

If he hadn't been calm enough, he would have already shown something strange at this time, and someone would have noticed it.

In any case, the affairs of the Hyuga clan cannot be tolerated by outsiders, and can only be resolved by their own people.

Although Ning Ci said that he wanted to confirm some things, in the current situation, he had no room for manipulation.

Just when Neji started to lose his mind, the battle on the stage gradually came to an end.

"ah!"

Accompanied by the sound of screams, a figure, like a kite with a broken string, hit the bottom wall of the auditorium.

It didn't stop until a crack was hit on the wall, and it rolled down to the ground like a broken toy.

"What, isn't this something that can be done easily?"

She closed the opened fan again and propped it up on the floor in a very elegant and freehand manner. She looked down at the female genin of Otogakure Village, Koto Tsumugi, who was knocked out by her. Temari had a rather disdainful smile on her face.

And Qin, who was blown away by her, had already been knocked unconscious off the stage under her heavy blow, so it was naturally impossible for her to point fingers at her arrogant behavior.

The stone slabs of the stage are full of similar traces of being ravaged by beast minions.

That is the trace that will remain after a large area of ​​wind blade has swept through.

Obviously, following the morning qualifiers, the first match of the afternoon qualifiers ended with Temari as the winner.

With his ninjutsu restrained, the opponent was easily attacked by Feng Dun and was quickly defeated.

The speed of defeat was a bit beyond everyone's imagination.

"You can use Wind Escape just like me, but it's much more powerful than me."

Naruto looked serious when he saw the traces on the stage that were ravaged by the storm.

Although he has learned how to use wind attribute chakra under the guidance of Kakashi, he can even use some basic wind escape ninjutsu. But it's obvious that if he wants to achieve Temari's level, he still cannot reach such a high level.

"After all, it is the escape technique that many Sunagakure ninjas major in. In the field of wind escape, Sunagakure Village is indeed unique."

Kakashi nodded.

As a common ninjutsu used by many ninjas, escape technique can be said to be a very common move.

According to the different fighting styles of ninjas in various countries, there will be more or less differences in escape techniques.

For example, the ninjas of Sunagakure major in wind escape, and most of the ninjas in Konoha are proficient in fire escape. Iwagakure is good at earth escape, good at changing terrain, and good at team fights. Kumogakure is good at thunder escape, and Kirigakure is water escape... these are all Very remarkable features.

Temari, as Kazekage's daughter, has received elite education since she was a child. It is normal for her to master such a powerful Fukage at this age.

It can only be said that Yinyin Village's Genin still has many shortcomings in terms of strength.

"So, which one will play next?"

Naruto looked at the electronic screen excitedly, showing a very expectant expression.

After all, after such a long time, there are only twelve people left who have not arranged to fight, and it must be his turn to appear soon.

In Naruto's expectant expression, the list of finalists on the electronic screen also appeared in due course.

Shiro (Mist) VS Haruno Sakura (Konoha)

"Damn it, why is it not me? Speaking of which, is there really no problem with this machine?"

Seeing that it was not his turn to play, Naruto also became a little upset, so much so that he even began to question the function of the machine that selected the opponent to fight.

"Don't think too much, there are not a few battles left anyway, be patient."

Kakashi comforted Naruto, then turned to look at Sakura and said, "Well, now it's your turn to play, Sakura, we will cheer for you up there."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei, I'll go over then."

Sakura took a deep breath, adjusted her nervousness, and slowly walked towards the stage under the encouraging gazes of Sasuke and Naruto.

On the other side, the Kirigakure genin named Shiro glanced sideways at Sakura, and with Zabuza's acquiescence, quietly walked down the stairs to the observation deck.

Standing still on the stage, Sakura looked at the Kirigakure genin who appeared in front of her. He was about two or three years older than herself. He had a fair face and long black hair. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was a boy or a girl. It made Sakura look a little awkward.

However, Sakura, who was focused, still judged the other person's identity as a man based on his less obvious Adam's apple.

But the smooth and tender skin like white jade made even her a little jealous as a girl.

This boy’s skin care is pretty good, right?

"Please give me more advice."

Looking at Sakura's wary gaze, Shiro just smiled slightly, giving people a gentle and friendly feeling, and there was no murderous aura in his body.

"Uh...please give me some advice."

Seeing the other party saying hello, Sakura had no choice but to return the greeting.

Judging from the other party's attitude, he should be a very good person.

Moreover, coupled with this lack of momentum, Sakura had the illusion that the opponent was actually very weak.

"Game start."

Onigashima Shinobi didn't say any more nonsense. After the two got into position, he directly announced the start of the battle.

Sakura quickly took out a kunai from her ninja tool bag, gathered chakra on her feet, accelerated her body suddenly, and rushed towards Shiro, who was still indifferent.

Until she rushed in front of Shiro, the other person remained indifferent, as if she was frightened by her attack. Instinctively, Sakura sensed something was wrong.

A genin who could reach this point could never be mediocre.

What's more, she is not a ninja who specializes in physical arts. Even if she uses chakra to increase her speed, she cannot be so fast that her opponent cannot react.

So, there must be something wrong here.

Sure enough, the next moment, Sakura felt the scene in front of her was in a trance, and Shiro suddenly disappeared from in front of her.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously turned around and waved the kunai.

Snapped!

Sakura screamed in pain, the kunai in her hand flew out uncontrollably, and her body began to fly upside down.

The biting cold breath made her shiver as if she was in the cold winter.

At the same time, fine ice flowers danced in front of Sakura's eyes, shining with a pale and clear luster.

"ice?"

Sakura's pupils widened, as if she had seen something incredible, with an expression of disbelief.

How could there be ice in this midsummer season?

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, so let me end this fight as soon as possible."

The voice came from behind. Sakura had just adjusted her body on the ground and turned around stiffly. She only saw a huge ice mirror. She didn't know when it appeared behind her, and a figure quickly peeled out of it and headed towards her. Coming at full speed.

Then, before Sakura could resist the opponent's move, her vision went dark and her body fell uncontrollably.

Shiro stood next to Sakura, glanced at her twice, then looked at Onigashima Shinobi and said, "Examiner, can you say that I have won?"

"Winner, Shiro."

Onigashima Shinobu declared the winner simply.

He could see that this was a competition with serious unequal strength.

Whether it was the timing or the strength of his attack, Bai was just right, without any waste.

He perfectly controls the rhythm of the battle in his own hands.

As a result, two of the three genin from Kirigakure Village have entered the official competition.

"What happened to that guy? He defeated Sakura in one fell swoop. And why is there such a large piece of ice appearing on the field?"

Sakura lost the battle so cleanly, and the one who couldn't accept it the most was Naruto.

He pointed at the rapidly melting ice mirror on the stage, showing a questioning tone.

"That's Ice Escape."

Even with Kakashi's knowledge, he was a little unsure at the moment.

Although he had encountered ninjas using ice escape when performing missions in the Snow Country in the past, it was a secret technique that could only be released based on the unique weather and environment of the Snow Country. In essence, it was a derivative of water release ninjutsu, but it was transformed into ice release thanks to the geography and climate of the Snow Country.

The ice escape ninjutsu used by Shiro is obviously different.

Instead of relying on the environment and weather, you create ice by yourself... It is not an ice escape that can be learned by using special conditions, but relies on one's own abilities.

That is to say, bloodline, the limit of blood inheritance.

"Ice Escape? Is there such an escape technique?"

Naruto was startled.

In his opinion, escape techniques should be divided into five types: fire escape, thunder escape, wind escape, water escape and earth escape. Among these five basic escape techniques, ice escape has no place at all.

"It is an escape technique formed by the fusion of two different attributes. It is commonly known as the Blood Succession Limit. Even my Sharingan cannot imitate it."

Sasuke on the side explained, his opened Sharingan eyes filled with solemnity.

"Thank you, Sasuke, for being able to react."

Kakashi judged this based on his many years of experience, but Sasuke judged Shiro's Blood Succession Limit Principle based on the moment Shiro used Ice Release and noticed the fusion of the two chakra attributes.

"I just happened to be able to see clearly."

Sasuke shook his head.

Seeing clearly does not mean seeing through, and because Sakura failed too quickly, it is unknown what kind of abilities the opponent has and how far he has practiced ice escape.

"Even if I go up, I may not be 100% sure of winning. Sakura did not lose unjustly."

Sasuke commented on this sentence at the end.

As a medical ninja, Sakura's medical ninjutsu abilities are worthy of recognition.

A lack of strength was, in Sasuke's opinion, a very normal thing. What's more, when you encounter a ninja with the blood inheritance limit, there is no possibility of winning.

In the second half of the qualifying round, the first two rounds ended quickly.

Soon, the list of contestants for the tenth round was quickly exposed and displayed on the electronic screen so that everyone could clearly see it.

Hyuga Neji (Konoha) VS Kankuro (Sunagakure)

"Neji, it's your turn. Don't lose. I really want to have a serious fight with you."

Xiao Li patted Neji's shoulder. While encouraging Neji, he also did not forget to express his fanatical fighting spirit towards Neji.

Neji hummed, not paying attention to Xiao Li's fanatical fighting spirit against him.

Ayane's words before made me feel a little uneasy at the moment, but now that it was my turn to play, I had no choice but to suppress my inner irritability for the time being and focus on the next game.

After Neji walked to the stage, his eyes inadvertently glanced at a certain location on the observation deck.

A genin from the Kingdom of Demons stood there and looked at him.

——Chiba Cai.

"What's wrong?"

Asuka seemed to notice something strange in Cai's expression and asked.

"It's nothing, I just feel that this Konoha genin named Neji seems to have deep hostility towards me for some reason... However, it may be an illusion, I don't remember ever provoking him."

Cai tilted her head, but then didn't take it to heart.

Although he also has Byakugan, strictly speaking, he is not completely a member of the Hyuga clan.

Besides, he really didn't remember any conflicts between himself and Neji before.

I have never had any contact with the Hyuga clan of Konoha in the past.

What an inexplicable hostility. Cai muttered in his heart.

On the other side, Kankuro walked onto the field and stood firm in front of Neji.

Although before coming down, Temari told him that he could be merciful to the people of Konoha and not make the relationship between the two villages too stiff, but looking at Neji's slightly cold face and the extremely terrifying aura that was pulsating all over his body, there was no There are flaws to be found, so Kankuro doesn't think it would be a good choice for him to be merciful.

This kind of scary guy, if he is not careful, he may be out of the game, so he must fight with full attention.