Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"Hinata, there's a seat here," Naruto called out enthusiastically.

"Okay~"

Hinata's face turned slightly red, but she still sat next to Naruto.

Looking at the two people on the arena, Naruto said with interest, "This is going to be a good show."

"Neji-niisan..."

Hinata clenched her fists tightly, and there's a complicated expression on her face.

Kiba, who was sitting in the back, said, "Hey, Naruto, aren't you going to cheer for Sasuke? This match between Sasuke and Neji is tough to call."

"On one side is the Uchiha genius, and on the other side is the Hyuga genius. It is indeed unpredictable." Shikamaru murmured with a slight frown.

"Either way, it'll be an exciting fight."

Naruto stood up and grabbed the railing, shouting to the people below, "Sasuke, Neji! Both of you, give it your all! It's time to show what a month of hard work can accomplish!"

"Got it!"

Sasuke and Neji said in unison.

At the next moment, the two locked eyes, their gazes igniting with fierce determination.

Sasuke spoke first, "Thanks for training with me this past month, but I'm not holding back. I'm going to win this match!"

Neji's eyes narrowed as he activated his Byakugan, "You seem confident. This will be interesting. But you don't stand a chance. I can't wait to see your panicked face when reality hits!"

"Enough talking. Let's do this!"

Sasuke assumed a combat stance, flinging shuriken as he surged forward with explosive speed.

Seeing this, Kiba couldn't help but exclaim, "He's going in for close combat? Neji knows how to block Tenketsu, but Sasuke actually chose to rush in head-on?"

"Stop yelling, Kiba. Relax, the match isn't going to end that easily." Naruto looked confident.

Blocking Tenketsu can disrupt or even halt an opponent's Chakra Flow entirely. Only the keen perception of the Byakugan makes such a precise fighting style possible.

After a month of training, Sasuke must have a deep understanding of Neji's fighting techniques. Naruto wasn't certain of Sasuke's exact strategy, but he was confident Sasuke wouldn't fall so easily.

Whoosh!

Facing the rapidly approaching Sasuke, Neji's lips curled into a satisfied smile. His right hand glowed with pale blue Chakra, ready to strike and disrupt Sasuke's combat capabilities by blocking his Tenketsu.

But just as Sasuke stepped into Neji's attack range, he vanished in a blur. He then reappeared behind Neji, and launched a powerful kick toward the back of Neji's head.

The kick sliced through the air with such force that it created a distinct whistling sound. If it landed, even a stone would shatter under the impact.

"So fast! Watch out, Neji!" Tenten cried out in alarm.

However, Lee frowned and said, "That's my move… I can't believe Sasuke learned it just from watching me once. The Uchiha really are terrifying!"

Bang!

At this moment, Neji turned over and jumped up, meeting Sasuke's kick with a quick counterstrike from his right leg, narrowly deflecting the attack.

"Cheap tricks won't help you here. Stop wasting Chakra and fight properly."

Neji said calmly.

Before, Neji's Byakugan allowed him a nearly 360-degree field of vision, with only a tiny blind spot due to the Caged Bird. However, now that Naruto had freed him from the Caged Bird, Neji's Byakugan no longer has any blind spot.

Compared to a month ago, Neji's improvement was so great that even he couldn't believe it, so Neji believed Sasuke was bound to lose.

"It's too early to decide that."

Sasuke snorted and rushed towards Neji again.

Seeing this, Neji shook his head helplessly. In his opinion, Sasuke had run out of moves.

With confident expression, Neji aimed a Gentle Fist strike behind him, predicting precisely where Sasuke would appear based on his understanding of Sasuke's attack habits after a month of training together.

'Huh? No one's there?'

Neji's punch struck out into empty air, as Sasuke hadn't appeared where he'd anticipated.

Through his Byakugan, Neji quickly realized that Sasuke had attacked directly, without any trickery. He spun around to defend just in time.

Bang!

"Argh!!!"

After their fists clashed, Neji let out a pained shout.

"How is this possible? How can you use Gentle Fist?" Neji's right hand trembled slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

A faint blue chakra was flowing around Sasuke's fist, which is the classic form of Gentle Fist!

"Don't forget, I'm an Uchiha!"

Sasuke said with a smirk. His once-dark eyes were now crimson, with two tomoe spinning within, giving him a mysterious and eerie look.

"Hmph! So what if you know Gentle Fist? It's pointless."

After Neji recovered, he couldn't help but snorted coldly.

Gentle Fist works by releasing Chakra from the hands, so everyone may be able to use it, but without the Byakugan to precisely locate the Tenketsu, its true power can't be realized.

If Sasuke had chosen another combat technique, there might still be some suspense to this fight. But using Gentle Fist here meant Sasuke was as good as defeated.

However, Neji's confidence didn't last long.

Bang, bang, bang!

They traded a series of Gentle Fist blows, and Sasuke's moves precise and practiced, showing none of the awkwardness of a beginner. Even more astonishing was that each of Sasuke's strikes targeted Neji's Tenketsu with deadly accuracy!

Whoosh!

Neji leapt back, disbelief written on his face, "This is impossible. Even with the Sharingan, you shouldn't be able to see the Chakra Pathways."

"True, I can't see them… but I can see yours!"

Without much explanation, Sasuke rushed towards Neji again.

In the audience, the spectators murmured in confusion. Hinata even activated her Byakugan and carefully observed Sasuke's movements, but her face showed only bewilderment, "Naruto-kun, what is going on?"

"Simple… it's all about hard work."

Naruto replied with a knowing smile.

After spending so much time with Sasuke, Naruto understood his thought process well, and he could see through the mystery behind this surprising fight at a glance.

Sasuke wasn't truly using Gentle Fist, as he was merely mimicking it without the ability to see Neji's Chakra Pathways.

The incredible accuracy came from a month of relentless observation and study of Neji's movements, combined with Sasuke's knowledge of human's Tenketsu. Such skill couldn't be attained in a short time by just anyone, but with the Uchiha's visual prowess and a solid month of intense training with Neji, Sasuke managed to piece together enough information to replicate it effectively.

Simply put, Sasuke can only use this strategy once in his life, and it is crafted specifically for Neji.

"This match is getting interesting." Naruto murmured, clearly amused.

Sasuke's meticulous planning over the past month had paid off, and Naruto was pleased to see his friend's growth.

However, he also noticed the resolute look in Neji's eyes… It was obvious that Neji had prepared thoroughly as well.

After all, the two have been sparing against each other for a month, so relying on predictable moves would be ineffective for either of them.

Now, Naruto found himself eagerly anticipating how the battle between these two prodigies would unfold next...