"Perhaps you need a lesson on the difference in our strength," said Neji. "A low-class shinobi like you could never hope to overtake someone of the Hyuga bloodline."
"Bloodline?!" said Naruto. "You think I care about your destiny or your bloodline? How can you think like that? Thinking you're better than everyone else?"
"I know I'm better than you," said Neji. "But unlike you, I'm also conscious of my limitations. You think you're acting brave and strong-willed, but you're only acting ignorant and arrogant. You can't alter the currents of destiny." He took a deep breath and shifted into a low stance. "This next technique may kill you if I'm not careful. Prepare yourself."
Hinata looked down in horror from the stands. She recognized the secret form of Jukenho: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. This was the true exhibition of Neji's skill—it was unheard of for someone of the Branch Family to master this technique.
Neji dashed straight at Naruto, faster than before. He was a blur, and Naruto was still dizzy from his lengthy use of Kage Bunshin. Neji landed a brutal sequence of strikes, targeting Naruto's tenketsu with deadly precision. The assault only lasted for a few seconds, but the damage was crippling. Naruto felt as though he was being torn apart from the inside, all of his nerves screaming out in agony. With a final blow, Neji knocked Naruto to the ground, leaving him gasping in pain. His vision went blurry, and the roar of the crowd sounded muted.
Neji let out a long breath and relaxed his stance. "Are you still conscious? That's a feat in itself. I hit sixty-four tenketsu points across your body. Try not to move, the worst of the damage is internal, I'd hate for one of your vital organs to fail."
Naruto groaned and tried to stand, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He was able to pull himself into a hunched position, taking jagged breaths and wincing at sharp bolts of pain. He tried to manipulate his chakra, but it was as if his chakra network was numb. He felt totally tapped out, seconds from collapse.
"Resign the match," said Neji.
Naruto did not speak. It took nearly all his energy and focus to simply remain standing.
"You'll only hurt yourself if you continue," said Neji. "It's not like I have a grudge against you."
"Well, I have a grudge against you," said Naruto. Each word was painful, like this throat was being stabbed with needles. "You talk about destiny, but you used the preliminaries as an excuse to beat up Hinata. Isn't that forbidden in your clan? Isn't it your destiny to protect her? You talk about destiny, but you defy your own. Damn hypocrite."
"You don't know anything about the Hyuga Clan," said Neji. "Don't you dare speak as if you do."
"Yeah, I don't know what fatalist crap they've been teaching you, but once I'm Hokage, I'm reforming the Hyuga Clan," said Naruto. "That kind of bloodline prejudice has no place in Konoha! You're more than just the clan you were born into!" He closed his eyes and put all his concentration toward gathering chakra, any last drop that he could muster, blocking out the fatigue and pain of torn ligaments, bruised bones, and his wounded tenketsu network. C'mon Nine-Tails, I need a little juice… Just enough to shut this jerk up.
"Moron, you'll kill yourself if you overdraw from a blocked chakra network," said Neji. "Is this match worth dying to you?"
Neji's Byakugan registered the gradual climb of Naruto's chakra, spreading throughout his body. Not only that, but Naruto's minor injuries were healing much more rapidly than expected. His chakra was different than before, as if Naruto was blending his own natural chakra with something dense and heavy with bloodlust. What technique is this? He still has more energy?! Naruto's expression changed, pupils narrowing into thin slits, hair frayed on end, smiling a sharp-toothed grin. I'm ending this now! Neji lunged forward as Naruto performed a sequence of hand signs and pressed his palm to the ground.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Art of Summoning! Gamafutoi appeared in a puff of smoke in front of Naruto, countering Neji's charging attack and forcing him back.
"Woah! When did Naruto learn that move?!" said Kiba.
"Summoning jutsu?!" said Sakura. "I have no idea. That toad is bigger than him!"
"It's so slimy looking!" said Ino. "Of course Naruto would choose to summon something like that."
Hiruzen ran a hand through his white beard, stoically watching the battle unfold. How much did you teach Naruto in one month, Jiraiya? He can draw from the power of the nine-tails, and he's proficient with Kuchiyose no Jutsu.
"Ah, so that's the power of the nine-tails jinchuriki," said Rasa. His voice was like a desert wind over the dunes. "Jinchuriki are interesting creatures. Not quite human, no. Most die young, unable to control the demons that dwell within them, but occasionally they learn to command their power. Containing the Kyubi must be a particularly daunting task."
Naruto put a hand on Gamafutoi's robed back. "Good to see you, Gamafutoi! We need to take this guy down." He pointed at Neji, who stood several yards away, bewildered by Naruto's miraculous second wind.
"I'll do it for one hundred red beetles," said Gamafutoi.
"Damn it! Fine, after the match is over!" said Naruto.
Neji charged in again, focusing chakra into his hands to increase his attack power. Gamafutoi lashed his tongue out, whipping past Neji's ear as he dodged to the side. Neji leapt over a second swing of the sticky tongue, deflecting a handful of shuriken thrown by Naruto. Gamafutoi cocked his head back and took a breath, then belted out a high-pressure water torrent. Suiton: Water Bullet!
"Nice one!" said Naruto. "We got him!"
Hakkesho Kaiten: Palm Rotation! Neji's spinning defense diffused the blast of water into a spray of mist. He fluidly transitioned from the chakra rotation to hurling a volley of shuriken at Naruto and Gamafutoi, separating them as they dodged in opposite directions.
Neji made a move toward Naruto, exchanging a few blows and knocking Naruto off balance. Naruto felt the force of Neji's crescent kick through his high block, numbness shooting through Naruto's forearms. The pain from the tenketsu damage had hardly subsided. Before Neji could deliver a chakra-charged right hook, Gamafutoi's tongue latched onto Naruto's side and yanked him out of Neji's range.
"Watch it, Naruto-kid," said Gamafutoi. "You can't catch beetles if he puts you in a coma."
Gamafutoi launched himself at Neji as he pulled Naruto away, sending up a cloud of dust with the force of his strong legs. Neji countered with a palm rotation, blocking Gamafutoi's attack and repelling the toad into a skid off to the side. Naruto was already sprinting at Neji before the palm rotation fully stopped, catching Neji with a flying kick the moment the technique resolved. Neji struck back simultaneously, and both young shinobi were sent staggering.
"You're starting to look tired," said Naruto.
"Speak for yourself," said Neji.
"That spinny move is pretty sick, but I can tell it takes a lot out of you," said Naruto.
Neji gritted his teeth. Painful as it was to admit, Naruto was right, and Neji gauged that he only had enough stamina left for one more full palm rotation. He could hardly imagine how much chakra Naruto was burning through, or how much he had left. Simply maintaining the Byakugan was becoming a drain. Both shinobi were breathing heavily, and bloodied with scuffs and scratches. Naruto was missing a tooth and he was pretty sure two of his fingers were broken. He put his hands together and attempted to cast Kage Bunshin, but only managed a feeble puff of smoke before dropping to one knee and clutching his chest. Molding chakra was difficult and painful.
Neji rushed him.
Thanks to the ocular advantage of the Byakugan, Neji perceived Gamafutoi's tongue attack from his blind spot. He hit the tongue with a spinning kick, but found his leg trapped by the sticky tongue muscles. Naruto climbed back to his feet and battered Neji as he tried to pull his leg free, resorting to a jumping headbutt. Neji sent a pulse of chakra through his incapacitated leg, into Gamafutoi's extended tongue, and wrenched his foot free as Gamafutoi was knocked back by the chakra shockwave. He performed his final palm rotation as Naruto came at him with another swing. The rotation was charged with so much chakra that Neji nearly lost control, blasting Naruto back with a thunderous boom as he raised his arms to defend himself. Naruto's arms and legs were burned by the explosion of chakra, and he felt the shockwave in his bones. The resultant gust of wind kicked up clouds of dirt, disturbed the surface of the pond, and ruffled the leaves on the arena trees.
Most spectators had expected a flawless rout to start the finals of the Chunin Exam. An even match between the prodigy of the Hyuga Clan and the freak rookie was inconceivable. Almost everyone in the audience was now standing, staring down in shock at the final moments of the fight.
Neji nearly stumbled when he took his first step toward Naruto. His Byakugan was deactivated. His palms were twitching. He looked around the arena and saw the giant toad sprawled in pain on one side. It vanished with a poof of smoke, the summoning time limit expired. Naruto was curled up in a small crater on the other side of the arena. Neji walked slowly toward him, almost limping. Naruto, I can't believe you reduced me to this… but now… now it's really over. Naruto groaned and struggled to rise as Neji stood over him.
"You must see now, even you have a limit," said Neji. "It wasn't your destiny to win this match."
Neji was readying his finishing blow when he heard a rumbling sound. He turned to see a Naruto clone erupt from the ground, grappling him from behind, and in the same moment the Naruto that was struggling in the crater jumped up to land one final punch. He focused every last ounce of chakra into his fist, throwing his entire body into Neji. Naruto already set up another attack?! I didn't see it coming without my Byakugan! How did he have time and energy for another clone?! Neji was held in place by the shadow clone, too tired and surprised to break free. POW! Naruto's fist made crunching contact with Neji's face. The clone vanished before Neji hit the ground.
The match was over.