r18novel Chapter 248 Team Fight
Chapter 248 Team Fight
As the sirens of Otogakure ripped through the night sky, Neji stood at the highest point of the training ground, his Byakugan gazing at the sky. Pale purple chakra swirled around him, outlining the shadowy outline of the Bagua formation—this was the Byakugan True Vision, which Otogaku-sama had helped him achieve with the "Kekei Genkai Strengthening Fluid." It could penetrate chakra veins a hundred miles away. But at that moment, a sight that made his pupils shrink suddenly flooded his vision: Six Paths, swathed in auspicious black clouds, streaked towards Otogakure like crows covering the sky.
"Akatsuki." Neji's voice was cold, and the chakra at his fingertips suddenly condensed into needles. He recalled the Akatsuki information that Ototake-sama had shown him three years ago: Pain's Shinra Tensei could crush mountains, Uchiha Itachi's Amaterasu's eternal flame, Konan's paper escape technique could transform into billions of blades—these were the pinnacle of ninja power, the very beings he had once believed "unbeatable with the Byakugan alone."
"Everyone, alert!" Yinzhu's voice echoed from the tower in the center of the village, his black windbreaker spreading like bat wings in the night breeze. The "System Crystal" in his hand glowed with a faint blue light, instantly casting a chakra barrier over the entire village. "Ningji, your Byakugan locks onto Pain Tendou; Sasuke, contain Uchiha Itachi; Kimimaro, intercept Shuradou; Haku and Zabuza, deal with Konan; the rest of you, follow me to resist Zetsu's engulfment!"
The moment the order was given, the Akatsuki attack arrived. Pain Tendō was suspended in mid-air, and the moment he clasped his hands together, a terrifying repulsive force erupted from his palms: "Shinra Tensei!"
Yinzhu's chakra barrier trembled violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. Neji's Byakugan instantly captured the flow of Heavenly Path chakra—the power poured in from the "black stick" behind him, converging into a swirling core in his chest. He leaped up, Baguazhang chakra gathering in his palms: "Bagua? Sixty-four Palms!"
Palm winds rained down on Tendō like a torrential downpour, but every time they touched, they were repelled by an invisible repulsive force. A sharp pain shot through Neji's arm, and his Byakugan clearly saw that his chakra was completely crushed the moment it came into contact with Shinra Tensei. "How is this possible..."
"Your perspective is still stuck in 'fate,'" Tendō's voice was emotionless. He raised his hand and sent Neji flying. The boy slammed into the rock wall, coughing up blood that stained his Byakugan vision. The "caged bird" seal on his back suddenly heated up, as if mocking his incompetence—just like back in the Hyuga clan, when he'd fought tooth and nail but couldn't even touch the hem of his father's clothes.
"Ningji!" Kimimaro's bone blade suddenly shot out from the ground, blocking Tendō's subsequent attack. The Hūga clan's bone spikes shone coldly, yet they shattered piece by piece under Shinra Tensei's power. "Don't be held back by his repulsive force! Use the 'Chakra Countercurrent Technique' taught by Ototake-sama!"
But Neji froze in his tracks. His Byakugan swept across the battlefield, witnessing an even more brutal scene: Sasuke's Amaterasu's Flame was easily blocked by Itachi's Susanoo, the black flames extinguished on the red armor; Haku's Ice Release was shredded by Konan's Paper Release, ice crystal fragments mixed with blood fell to the snow; Zabuza's beheading sword was stuck in Shurado's mechanical arm, the blade sizzling with the electric current; Karin lay on the ground, her sensor network trembling violently from Konan's paper poison, but she still roared and transmitted information: "There is a gap in the chakra of the Amaterasu every ten minutes!"
"Gap..." The words of Lord Ototake suddenly flashed through Neji's mind: "The true power of the Byakugan is not to predict attacks, but to see through people's hearts." His gaze fell on Tendou again. This time, he did not look at the flow of chakra, but at the soul hidden under the body - that was a puppet controlled by Nagato. There was no murderous intent in his eyes, only endless despair.
"What are you hesitating about?" The repulsive force of the heavens erupted again, and Neji was thrown out and crashed into Karin. The girl's blood splattered on his face, with the unique warmth of the Uzumaki clan: "Lord Neji! Don't give up! We are Sound Ninja! We are each other's companions!"
Companion… The word, like a thunderbolt, shattered the shackles within Neji. He recalled three years ago, when he was being hunted by the Hyuga clan, and it was Master Ototake who used the System Crystal to partially remove his curse. He remembered Kimimaro training with him in the training grounds late into the night, using a bone blade to help him hone his Baguazhang technique. He remembered Karin willingly sacrificing her own life force to help him repair his Byakugan. He remembered how Sasuke always had his back during every mission, saying, "Your Byakugan is more reliable than my Sharingan."
"I'm not... a caged bird." Neji's voice pierced his throat, his Byakugan suddenly flashing with a blinding light. His chakra began to flow in reverse, no longer attacking Tendo's body. Instead, it followed Shinra Tensei's repulsive force and penetrated the black rod behind Tendo—the medium controlled by Nagato and the weak point of the chakra flow.
"What are you doing?" Tendō's body suddenly convulsed violently. He could feel a gentle yet resilient chakra flowing upstream along the black rod, not destroying it, but enveloping it—a technique Neji had modified using his "Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist," temporarily severing Nagato's control.
Neji's body hovered in mid-air, the veins of his Byakugan gleaming golden. This was the first time he'd fully released his obsession with "breaking fate," and the first time he'd used the true power of his Byakugan for his companions: "Kimimaro! Now!"
The Hyuga clan's bone spurs erupted again, this time no longer attacking, but following the chakra channel opened by Neji, precisely piercing the black rod's socket on Tendō's back. Shuradō's mechanical arm suddenly lost control, and instead of striking Zabuza's fist, it struck its own head—Kimimaro's bone blade, infused with Neji's chakra, temporarily seized control.
"Impossible!" Nagato roared from afar, and Tendō's body began to crumble. Neji fell to the ground, his chest heaving violently. Through his Byakugan vision, Tendō's chakra rapidly dissipated. His "caged bird" curse seal still burned, but it no longer mocked him, but rather stood like a medal, proving that he had broken his own destiny.
"Lord Neji!" Karin rushed over and used the Palm Fairy Technique to repair his wounds. The girl's face was full of surprise, "You did it! You defeated Tendo!"
Neji shook his head and looked towards the other end of the battlefield. Lord Ototake's system crystal had unfolded, a blue shield completely blocking Zetsu's devouring technique. Sasuke's Mangekyō suddenly evolved, golden lines swirling in his pupils. The flames of Amaterasu, this time transformed into a longsword, cleaving Itachi's Susanoo. Haku's ice jutsu intertwined with Zabuza's water jutsu, freezing all of Konan's paper jutsu. Kimimaro's bone blade pierced the core of Shurado, and the Hyuga clan's curse seal glowed faintly in the moonlight.
"I didn't do it." Neji's lips showed a real smile for the first time, and the light in his eyes softened a lot. "It was us."
At that moment, Itachi's Susanoo suddenly disintegrated. The Uchiha genius looked at Sasuke, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, before turning and disappearing into the night. Konan's paper escape technique also began to retreat, carrying the remains of Shura Path with it. Zetsu's body was half-devoured by Yinzhu's system crystal, leaving only a black afterimage as he fled.
The battlefield finally quieted. Yin Zhu walked over to Neji and patted his shoulder. "Congratulations! You've truly awakened the power of your Byakugan." A system panel flashed across his retina: [Ningji's "Fate Breakthrough" detected. Unlocking new Byakugan abilities: Eight Diagrams Sky-Breaking Palm, increasing team bond by 50%]
Neji looked at his companions: Sasuke leaned against a tree, wiping the blood off his Kusanagi sword; Kimimaro sat on the ground, repairing his broken bone blade; Haku and Zabuza supported each other, ice crystals and water stains intertwined on their bodies; Karin was busy treating everyone, her face full of fatigue but still smiling. His byakugan swept over them, and this time he saw not the flow of chakra, but hearts tightly connected.
"Thank you." Neji's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone clearly. His "caged bird" curse remained, but it could no longer restrain him—for he finally understood that true power lies not in breaking fate, but in finding companions worth protecting, and with them, in forging a new destiny.
The moonlight over Otogakure softened once more. Neji stood among his companions, his Byakugan eyes gleaming with gold. He knew this wasn't the end, but the beginning. There would be stronger enemies and more brutal battles ahead, but he was no longer alone. He had the guidance of Otogaku-sama, the companionship of his companions, the Byakugan eyes that could see through people's hearts, and a heart no longer bound by fate.
"Next time I meet Akatsuki, I won't hesitate." Neji clenched his fists, and the chakra condensed in his palms into a new move - it was the "Eight Trigrams Binding Palm" that combined the chakra characteristics of his companions, with the toughness of ice, the heat of fire, the sharpness of bones, the softness of water, and the keenness of perception.
Yin Zhu observed Neci's transformation, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. On the system panel, the message "Ningci's Character Arc Completed: From "Prisoner of Fate" to "Guardian of Bonds"" glowed golden. He knew that the genius group of Otogakure had gained another truly powerful figure—one no longer bound by the past, fighting solely for the future and his companions.
As the night deepened, the lights of Sound Village came on again.
Neji and his companions supported each other as they walked towards the medical room. Their footsteps echoed in the street. This was the night of Sound Village and also Neji's new life.