Hearing this name, Neji lightly furrowed his brow. The name gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
After a moment of thought, Neji found he couldn't recall it and decided not to dwell on it.
After all, there were so many members of the Hyuga Branch Family, and coupled with Neji's cold personality, there were very few people he truly knew.
It was perfectly normal for Neji to have only heard a name without recognizing the person.
Seeing Neji's blank expression, Hyuga Seijuu helplessly shrugged and sighed:
"As expected, a genius like you wouldn't notice the people behind you."
"That's why your personality is so annoying," Hyuga Seijuu stated flatly. Although his voice was filled with annoyance toward Neji, it gave off a rather straightforward impression.
Tenten and Rock Lee exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
Judging from Hyuga Seijuu's words earlier, he seemed very familiar with Neji, but ever since Hyuga Seijuu joined Team 3, neither Tenten nor Rock Lee had ever heard him mention Neji.
Hyuga Seijuu quickly crouched, assuming a Gentle Fist stance, his eyes filled with fighting spirit and an inexplicable meaning:
"So this battle isn't me fighting you as a member of Team 3. What I represent... is the Hyuga Branch Family!"
The moment Hyuga Seijuu finished speaking, he stomped hard on the ground and rushed toward Neji.
Neji couldn't help but be stunned, clearly not understanding Hyuga Seijuu's words for a moment.
However, when he saw Hyuga Seijuu about to rush toward him, Neji quickly collected himself and stepped back!
Hyuga Seijuu's palm struck the spot where Neji had been standing, creating a muffled sound from the compressed air beneath his hand.
Seeing his attack miss, Hyuga Seijuu showed no surprise on his face; instead, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Veins bulged at the corners of his eyes. In Hyuga Seijuu's eyes, the direction Neji had retreated to was precisely within an attack point of the Eight Trigrams formation!
Hyuga Seijuu paused slightly for a moment, then instantly raised his hands and struck toward Neji's pressure points.
"But it's not just you who knows this! Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hyuga Seijuu and Neji exchanged blows rapidly, their hands colliding in the air with muffled sounds one after another.
In just a short moment, their attacks ended, neither side gaining any advantage.
However, the moment the attacks stopped, both let out a simultaneous shout:
A technique stronger than the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms erupted simultaneously from both of them, crashing down toward their opponents.
As they exchanged blows, a hint of surprise appeared in Neji's eyes for the first time.
Although the "Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms" wasn't particularly difficult a technique, the fact that his opponent could keep up with his speed was telling.
As the final strike landed, their palms collided in mid-air, and the chakra released from their palms also clashed, creating a recoil force that sent both of them flying back.
Hyuga Seijuu took a step back, his eyes blazing with passion, and rushed toward Neji again.
The two let out another simultaneous shout, and the same attack technique was unleashed once more.
Denser collision sounds than before rang out beside everyone's ears.
Rock Lee and Tenten looked at Hyuga Seijuu, who was fighting almost evenly with Neji, with expressions of shock.
At this moment, due to Yuto's presence, Might Guy, who had been standing motionless, also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes as he watched the battle.
Based on the strength Hyuga Seijuu was displaying now, combined with the Byakugan's abilities, he had already reached the level of a regular Chunin.
What made Might Guy even more surprised was Neji's current state.
Although the two seemed evenly matched, Might Guy keenly observed that a layer of fine sweat had already appeared on Hyuga Seijuu's forehead.
As for Neji, his expression remained calm from beginning to end.
It was worth noting that during the Chunin Exams, although Neji's performance was strong, he was still at the rank of a Genin.
But now, if Hyuga Seijuu was at a Chunin level, then Neji was undoubtedly already a Chunin!
Compared to Might Guy's surprise, Yuto showed no emotional change throughout.
Whether reaching Chunin level or Jonin level, in Yuto's eyes, it was just fledglings pecking at each other.
The only thing that interested Yuto was Hyuga Seijuu's words about "representing the Hyuga Branch Family."
"It seems that some people in the Branch Family, knowing I can undo the Main Family's 'Caged Bird' seal, can't hold back anymore?" Yuto thought to himself with an interested glint in his eye.
Originally evenly matched opponents, as they continued to exchange blows, Hyuga Seijuu gradually began to fall into a disadvantage.
At this point, Hyuga Seijuu transitioned from his offensive stance to a defensive one.
Although Hyuga Seijuu was unwilling, he knew that if he continued attacking, he would be the one to lose.
Hyuga Seijuu forcefully exchanged a palm strike with Neji and quickly retreated backward.
At the same time, while retreating, Hyuga Seijuu continuously stomped hard on the ground, with chakra constantly erupting from the pressure points in the soles of his feet.
With each stomp, some gravel was kicked up in front of Hyuga Seijuu.
Hyuga Seijuu extended his hands and continuously struck toward this gravel.
The gravel seemed to transform into numerous kunai, shooting toward Neji's direction.
Seeing this, Neji, who had been about to pursue, couldn't help but pause his body, then dodged to the side, avoiding the attack of the gravel.
[
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