Path Of War

With seven matches completed, only six participants remained.

Arthur had a twenty percent chance of facing either Jada, Chōji, Neji, Shino, or Gaara. Regardless of who it was, he wasn't planning on losing.

Anticipation intensified as the screen started revealing the names of the next combatants. In bold font, it showed: Jada Uchiha vs. Neji Hyūga.

A roar of approval erupted from the crowd.

Jada immediately hopped over the rails and onto the platform. Many in the audience were already rooting for her. Neji stood across, slightly excited.

And who could blame them?

An Uchiha versus a Hyūga was a clash of two of the Leaf Village's most prestigious clans, a display of Kekkei Genkai prowess that promised to be a spectacle.

Arthur happened to notice the rapt attention of Sasuke and Kakashi in the stands. Both, especially Sasuke, seemed genuinely intrigued by this upcoming fight. The two were prodigies in their own rights, both bearing the Sharingan.

Jada, her Sharingan already activated, met Neji's gaze and said, "Go all out; I want to see how strong I've become."

Neji, his Byakugan fully activated, simply raised an eyebrow in response, saying, "Don't blame me if you get hurt then…"

As the match began, the tension in the stadium reached a fever pitch.

Both fighters launched themselves forward, a cool mix of black and white against the earthen platform.

They began with taijutsu. Jada, utilizing the Sharingan's ability to predict Neji's attacks, effortlessly parried his blows. Her own strikes were aimed not to overpower him but to exploit weaknesses he couldn't react to.

Neji, on the other hand, employed his signature Gentle Fist style, aiming at her chakra points and disrupting her flow. But Jada, anticipating his maneuvers, would shift her position at the last moment, rendering his attacks ineffective.

The battle raged on at speeds that an ordinary Genin wouldn't have been able to move at. The crowd, on the edge of their seats, held their breath with each clash.

Arthur watched them to understand what forces might cross his path one day. Jada's use of the Sharingan was not just being used to react to Neji's attacks; she was anticipating them, turning the tables, and dictating the flow of the fight.

Neji launched a quick attack, hitting a pressure point on her biceps. The pain sent a jolt through her arm, but she remained standing.

She deflected a blow with a well-timed block, only to see another strike coming. Using her momentum, she slipped underneath, leaving Neji momentarily off-balance.

She launched a counterattack, aiming an elbow at his side. But Neji wasn't discouraged. He quickly recovered, meeting her elbow with an elbow of his own.

"You should know," he smirked. "I have no blind spots."

"It would be boring if you did," she smiled.

Jada, with a burst of energy and a well-timed Gentle Fist strike of her own, lowered her elbow and landed a blow squarely on his chest, sending him flying back several feet before he crashed onto the platform with a groan.

The crowd could barely believe it. Jada had landed the first attack! And not just any attack, but an attack copied directly from the opposing clan!

Seizing this opportunity, she ran to him. Neji quickly got up, unfazed by the blow.

Seeing her coming, he launched a series of pinpoint strikes aimed at her vital chakra points. But she, anticipating this strategy as well, countered with her own repertoire of pinpoint strikes.

Only a few seconds into their clash, she unleashed a whirlwind of kicks, each one powerful enough to break bones, forcing Neji to constantly be on the defensive.

"Those movements!" Guy yelled.

Even Kakashi recognized and was familiar with it. It was the "Ferocious Fist" taijutsu. It was the exact opposite of the Gentle Fist, involving smashing an opponent with sheer physical attacks that could break bones.

Neji weaved a series of intricate body movements as he attempted to strike at pressure points hidden behind her arms or legs. Jada, however, countered by simply twirling around him.

Ducking under a spinning kick aimed at her blind spot, she delivered a swift uppercut to his jaw, momentarily disrupting his own chakra flow.

The moment he recovered, it was clear to everyone that her agility and quick reflexes were superior.

"Why isn't Neji using the Rotation?" Tenten asked.

Arthur knew. Her Sharingan was predicting the Gentle Fist's circular deflection pattern, so she incorporated sharp changes in direction and feints to throw Neji off balance.

It's not that Neji couldn't use the rotation; Jada wasn't giving him an opportunity to.

The fight devolved into a breathtaking display of speed and precision.

Jada continued to anticipate Neji's Gentle Fist strikes, using the Sharingan to analyze his movements a fraction of a second faster.

She would either deflect them with a well-timed parry or utilize her agility to slip past his attempts entirely, leaving him open for a well-placed kick or punch.

Neji, frustrated by Jada's ability to predict his every move, changed his tactic.

He employed a series of deceptive maneuvers. He'd feint left, then strike right, or initiate a spinning kick only to slam his fist into the ground at the last moment, aiming to catch her off guard.

Jada, however, remained undeterred.

Her Sharingan was analyzing the subtlest of muscle twitches and changes in chakra flow. Even when Neji masked his true attack, she could predict a split-second before impact, allowing her to react with incredible speed.

The crowd, captivated by the display of their taijutsu, roared their approval. This wasn't just a fight; it was a chess match played out with fists and kicks. Each combatant pushed the limits of their skills to gain the upper hand.

"I'm impressed," Neji calmly said. "The Uchiha clan are worth sticking around the village. But… You aren't the one I was looking to fight."

"That supposed to be an insult?" Jada asked.

"Call it what you will."

Smoothly, he took a deep breath and adopted a familiar stance. Jada could see the patterns form on the ground, as if they were tangible.

Hinata, watching from the stands, felt surprised. This powerful technique, a cornerstone of the Hyūga clan's taijutsu, was supposed to be a trademark secret.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

Neji launched himself forward as his strikes began to rain down. "Two palms!" he yelled with each blow. "Four palms!!"

Jada moved in synch with his attacks before they landed. With ease, she deflected his blows using her forearms, elbows, and occasionally an upper kick to disrupt his rhythm.

"Two palms, four palms," she taunted playfully. "Is that all you've got, little Neji? I could do that with my eyes closed."

The taunt angered him. His strikes intensified, increasing speed and ferocity with each passing palm.

"Eight palms! Sixteen palms!" he growled, sweat beading on his forehead.

The crowd watched in amazement.

Jada, despite the increasing intensity of Neji's attacks, continued to dodge and deflect his blows like a well-polished kunoichi. Her Sharingan glowed brightly, analyzing each movement and every shift in Neji's posture.

"Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!" he roared, unleashing the final blows of the technique.

His final strike, a pinpoint jab aimed at her vital chakra point, was met with a clang as she, with perfect timing, blocked it with the back of her hand.

Silence descended upon the arena.

Neji, panting heavily, stood frozen, one of his ultimate techniques completely nullified. Jada only had a single bead of sweat rolling down her cheeks.

"Well, that was underwhelming," she remarked. "You're not bad, but it looks like you aren't the one I was looking to fight either."

Neji, his pride wounded, gritted his teeth. He had poured his heart into training himself to surpass his destiny, only to be met with such nonchalance.

But before he could retort, Jada wasted no time forming hand signs: "Water style: hardened water drill!"

Chakra erupted from her palm, creating a torrent of water that flowed beneath Neji's feet. The water then solidified, forming a geyser that propelled him skyward with a surprised shout.

Jada quickly leaped after him. At the peak of her jump, a massive whirlpool formed around her arm, the water churning violently. It extended outward, like a giant aquatic drill.

"This is for underestimating me!" she shouted.

With a powerful thrust, she slammed the swirling vortex into Neji's body. His eyes widened, quickly activating the Eight Trigrams: Rotation technique, creating a spinning barrier of chakra around himself.

The two techniques impacted, sending a shockwave through the arena, and the force of the water temporarily halted Neji's descent!

The clash between the water technique and Neji's defensive technique was a spectacle of elemental power. The water churned and the chakra sizzled, but for a moment, Neji seemed to be holding his ground.

But Jada wasn't finished yet.

Fueling the jutsu with every ounce of chakra she possessed, she pushed forward. With a final cry, the water pierced through Neji's chakra barrier, engulfing him completely. A deafening explosion echoed through the arena as the jutsu dissipated, leaving behind a haze of mist.

As the mist slowly dissipated, the crowd held its breath.

Gasps could be heard once the figure of Neji Hyūga came into view. He lay sprawled on the platform, his breath shallow and his clothes damp.

Several feet away, Jada stood tall, her breathing slightly ragged with small bruises on her arm.

A wave of cheers erupted from the stands, louder than any of the previous battles.

Jada, despite the minor injury, offered her opponent a smile, saying, "That was a fun fight, Neji... You actually pushed me to use all of my chakra on that last move. Ha-ha."

Neji, despite being defeated, managed a weak smile and croaked, "You were a worthy opponent, Jada…" He knew, deep down, that he had underestimated her. Her technique and sheer willpower ultimately sealed his fate. "I enjoyed our match."

Hayate stepped forward and raised his hand to declare, "The winner of this match is Jada Uchiha!"

The cheers intensified, reaching high levels. Jada, basking in the applause, offered a polite bow of thanks to the audience. There was no doubt that she had shown sportsmanship and her admirable qualities as a kunoichi.

Arthur remained silent.

Her victory, especially the way she had managed to overcome Neji's Rotation technique, was a significant deal. And that water technique—he had never seen it before since it was from a video game.

The key he understood wasn't just the piercing power of the drill itself; he recalled Jada's earlier display of agility and her attention to detail.

The Rotation was a technique that could repel an attack (and anything else in the vicinity) by constantly spinning. The greater the force of that attack, the greater the force with which it's repelled.

Jada, through careful manipulation of her chakra, had spun the water drill counter-clockwise. This subtle twist in the jutsu's execution served a crucial purpose. Neji's Rotation couldn't handle a counter-rotating object spinning faster than him.

Instead of being deflected, the water drill, with its opposing spin, had essentially flowed with Neji before drilling through his chakra barrier.

Combined with the sheer amount of chakra Jada had poured into the jutsu, it had overwhelmed Neji's defense. His Rotation itself could only sustain itself for so long.

Jada, by forcing the rotation to constantly clash with the opposing force of the drill, had fundamentally drained Neji's chakra reserves, slowing his rotation until it finally sputtered out completely, leaving him vulnerable to the full force of her jutsu.

Arthur came to terms with the fact that Jada wasn't just another pretty face; she was also a tactician like himself.

Not only did she possess the Sharingan's precognition, but she also exhibited a level of strategic thinking and jutsu manipulation that surpassed his initial assessment.

These players and their hidden abilities were proving to be far more challenging than he had believed.

Medical ninjas carried Neji away. Arthur watched as she greeted her teammates on the opposite end. They congratulated her non-stop, with much of the crowd still applauding.

There were only two fights remaining. Either Arthur would fight Shino, Chōji, or Gaara.