'Naruto-kun, before, I was always the one watching you. Today, finally, I can make you notice me...'
With this resolve, Hinata thrust her palm towards Neji. But against the immense power gap, she only received another heavy punch from Neji, striking her heart.
The terrifying force and Chakra effect caused Hinata, already seriously injured, to spit out a mouthful of blood before collapsing.
"Your attacks were ineffective from the start. It's over." Looking at the fallen Hinata, Neji spoke again, even deactivating his Byakugan and turning away.
'Hinata, that's enough. Even though you lost the match, you're different from before. Well done.' Looking at Hinata, Kurenai felt a sense of relief.
Seeing this, Hayate prepared to check Hinata's condition and announce the match's end.
But just as Hayate was about to declare it, Naruto loudly protested.
"Hey, Naruto! What are you saying, you idiot!" Sakura next to him yelled angrily.
Ui, who understood the severity of Hinata's injuries, frowned at Naruto, disliking his attitude.
Takeru shook his head helplessly, having noticed Hinata's desire to stand again. This life-risking action made him sigh. Everyone present looked on in surprise.
'Why stand up? If you force yourself any further, you will really die!' Looking at Hinata, Neji's feelings grew even more complex, even feeling a hint of wavering within himself.
Seeing Hinata struggle to even stand steadily, he frowned further.
"Don't force it. I can tell just standing is already difficult for you. From birth, you've borne the Hyuga Clan's Main Family's destiny. You constantly resent yourself and blame your own incompetence. But people cannot change. This is fate."
As he spoke, Neji felt a deep sense of powerlessness. This matter, no matter how unwilling, Neji had accepted his fate as a Branch Family's member.
"That's not true, Neji-niisan. I can see it... all this time... you've been in more pain than me. The one lost and suffering within the Main and Branch Family's fate is you." Hearing his words, Hinata looked at Neji seriously.
Hearing this, Neji seemed struck at his core. He instantly grew enraged and, holding nothing back, burst forth with extreme speed to end it decisively.
"The match is already over!" Seeing this, Hayate thought it was bad.
At the critical moment, Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and the proctor Hayate all used the Body Flicker Technique to intervene.
"Neji, that's enough. Didn't you decide with me not to cause conflict over the Main Family anymore?" Guy, holding Neji from behind, spoke helplessly.
"Why are other Jonin getting involved too? Is this because she's from the Main Family?" Blinded by rage, Neji resentfully exclaimed.
Hinata, due to her internal injuries, could no longer stand and crouched down. Kurenai quickly supported her.
Finally, realizing it was over, Hinata could hold on no longer. Looking at the approaching Naruto and others, she closed her eyes.
Above, Takeru watched calmly. Honestly, he had no interest in the Hyuga Clan's affairs.
As for Hinata, with others helping, she wouldn't have any problems.
Afterwards, Naruto nearly clashed with Neji, but Lee intervened. Lee believed victory should be settled in the formal finals, and most importantly, Lee hoped his final opponent would be Neji.
After assessing Hinata's injuries, Kurenai glared at Neji and swiftly admonished the medical team to act quickly.
The medical team examined Hinata, concluding she needed immediate emergency care or would be in life-threatening danger within ten minutes.
Hearing the medic's words and seeing Hinata being carried away, Naruto seemed to realize something.
"Hinata, I promise you, I will definitely defeat him!" Touching Hinata's blood, Naruto declared firmly.
Once the situation with Hinata settled, everyone returned to the second-floor observation deck.
"Then, we resume the matches!" Hayate quickly announced.
Ino on the deck felt nervous. Whether it was Lee, Gaara, or Dosu, they all seemed troublesome.
Choji also nervously watched the upcoming names, hoping he would get the bye.
As two names appeared on the electronic board, Gaara formed a hand seal. Sand enveloped him, and a large amount of sand appeared below. He then quickly vanished, reappearing in the center of the arena below.
"Hurry down," Gaara said flatly.
"Waaah!" At that moment, Choji shouted loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"I'm safe!" After everyone looked over, he announced loudly.
"Idiot! Don't make us misunderstand!" Noticing the board, Ino sighed in relief, then couldn't help but smack Choji on the head. Shikamaru also gave him an elbow strike.
Lee, seeing the names, had long been ready for action.
Guy offered Lee advice: the gourd on Gaara's back was strange. Hearing this, Lee exclaimed in understanding and even took out a notebook to write it down.
Kakashi and Sakura watched Guy and Lee speechlessly, surprised they hadn't noticed something so obvious.
Ui, however, looked at Gaara curiously. She could sense something special within him… a monster, its life force powerful, filled with violent and evil energy.
"I never thought I'd face you so soon. I'm so happy!" Lee looked at Gaara seriously, a hint of excitement inside.
"I wonder what attacks that melon-head will use. But he definitely can't beat Gaara." Looking at Lee, Kankuro said nonchalantly.
'His speed is indeed fast, but his kicking power isn't much.' Temari thought to herself, equally confident in Gaara. After all, they understood their younger brother's strength best.
Takeru watched with keen interest. The previous fights were too simple. Only this match, where both were closely matched and strong, held some appeal.
However, Takeru knew Lee was at an absolute disadvantage, being hard-countered.
"Then, the tenth match... begin!" Seeing both ready, Hayate announced.
As Hayate's words fell, Lee charged at Gaara.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" Shouting, Lee leaped and delivered a spinning high kick aimed at Gaara's face.
But just before impact, a wall of sand blocked Lee's attack. Not only did it block, but it quickly formed a massive wave of sand, attempting to bury Lee.
However, the sand wave wasn't fast. Alert, Lee quickly reacted, jumping back out of its range.
'What a strange technique.' Kakashi watched Gaara curiously. Having focused entirely on Gaara, Kakashi hadn't detected any movement from him, yet the sand automatically defended and attacked, as if conscious.
Ui and Ritsu were also puzzled. Ui even wondered if Gaara had telekinesis to control the sand.
Takeru knew well: Gaara could freely manipulate sand, shaping it into various forms for attack and defense.
His sand was of two types. One was from his mother after her death, turning into sand, which is the sand in the gourd. That sand acted independently of Gaara's will, automatically protecting him.
The other type was sand from the surroundings, reinforced by Gaara's own Chakra to become his weapon.
In fact, no one knew that the sand that automatically protected Gaara was their mother's protection.
Watching this, Shino recalled what they had seen earlier: Gaara effortlessly using his sand to kill three Amegakure's Ninja. If not for Temari's intervention, they too might have already lost their lives.