Taking advantage of the opening created by Lee's attack on Neji, Tenten's figure had already rushed to a position not far in front of Neji.
At the same time, without anyone noticing when, two scrolls once again appeared in Tenten's hands.
Tenten, who had been rushing rapidly toward Neji, forcibly stopped her forward momentum while quickly pressing the two scrolls onto the ground.
"Thump! Thump!"
Accompanied by two bursts of white smoke dispersing, the scrolls unfurled and transformed into two dragons that soared into the air.
"Double Rising Dragons!"
Tenten raised both arms and swung forcefully toward Neji's direction.
A massive amount of ninja tools from the scrolls poured down toward Neji, attacking indiscriminately.
And at the exact moment Tenten launched her attack, Lee's figure had quickly retreated backward. Clearly, this tactic was something the two had planned in advance.
In an instant, the numerous ninja tools were already upon Neji. At this point, it was too late for Neji to activate the Kaiten again.
However, Neji showed no sign of panic on his face. Instead, he raised one hand, grasped the ground, and then forcefully lifted upward.
It was only then that Tenten noticed that Neji's palm was gripping an almost transparent steel wire.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
A faint, almost imperceptible sound came from the ground.
The ground in front of Neji suddenly cracked open, and thin steel wires rapidly connected from all directions, forming a spider web-like barrier that blocked the path before Neji.
"Blade Ninja Art—Steel Wire Spider Web!"
"Clang! Clang!!"
The numerous ninja tools collided with the steel wire net in front of Neji, producing a series of piercing metallic sounds.
All the ninja tools Tenten had shot from her scrolls were blocked by the steel wire net.
"What was this?"
Lee, who had retreated backward, looked at this scene in astonishment.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure—'Needle Thread'!"
Looking at the long, needle-like weapon blocking Neji, Tenten's eyes widened in shock as she spoke.
Tenten, who was quite obsessed with various ninja tools, naturally knew about those seven famous ninja swords of Kirigakure!
Meanwhile, in another direction, Might Guy also widened his eyes, a surprised expression appearing on his face.
Might Guy never imagined that Yuto could have handed one of the Seven Ninja Swords to Neji.
Following this, Guy glanced in Tenten and Lee's direction, a worried expression flashing in his eyes.
Seeing Neji holding the 'Needle Thread', Tenten froze for a moment before quickly extending her hands, her ten fingers beginning to move.
"Tool Manipulation—Exploding Dragon Blast!!"
"Neji, I'm stronger than before!"
Tenten let out a light cry. The numerous ninja tools that had been blocked by the steel wire net and fallen to the ground rose back into the air one by one.
Behind these ninja tools were connected to steel wires, and it was through manipulating these wires that Tenten brought the tools back to her side.
While Tenten was manipulating the ninja tools, Lee, positioned behind Neji, charged toward him again.
"Neji, I've gotten stronger too!"
Lee's figure instantly became a green blur, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Neji.
Neji, who possessed the Byakugan, had naturally noticed Lee's movements long ago. Moreover, in Neji's eyes, Lee posed a far greater threat than Tenten.
Therefore, the moment Lee moved, Neji gripped the Needle Thread with one hand while simultaneously manipulating the steel wires at its base to quickly retract them.
But Neji still underestimated Lee's speed.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Lee instinctively lowered his body, one hand supporting the ground as his legs flipped upward, rapidly spinning and delivering a heavy kick to Neji's chest.
Neji felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his body was directly kicked into the air by Lee.
"Not good!"
Sensing his body was in mid-air, Neji's expression tightened.
"Shadow Leaf Dance!"
Lee supported himself with his hands, pressing down forcefully with his body like a spring, instantly propelling himself upward and kicking toward Neji's chin.
Facing this attack from Lee, Neji's expression changed slightly. As a former teammate, Neji fully understood the consequences of being hit by this level of attack.
Neji forced his body to straighten while adjusting the chakra within him. Gripping the Needle Thread with one hand, he violently twisted his body.
Chakra erupted from all the pressure points in Neji's body, directly activating the Kaiten in mid-air!
And compared to a normal Kaiten, the outer edge of Neji's rotation now shimmered with sharp glows of light.
Due to the Needle Thread being not only thin and long but also extremely light, Neji holding it didn't slow down the Kaiten's rotation. Instead, under the rotation of the thread, what was originally a defensive technique transformed into one that could attack simultaneously.
Seeing this, Lee's expression changed as he quickly retracted his kicking leg, twisting his body in mid-air and landing back on the ground.
"So sharp!"
Lee glanced at a thin, long wound on his left leg, a solemn expression appearing on his face.
Although Lee had retracted his leg in time, he had still been cut by the Needle Thread's outer edge during the Kaiten.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Just then, a series of whistling sounds came from the air.
The numerous ninja tools that Tenten had recalled to her side were, under her control, once again hurled toward Neji's direction.
And on these ninja tools were now attached countless explosion tags.
These incoming ninja tools slammed into Neji, who was releasing the Kaiten in mid-air.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Huge explosion sounds echoed through the air.
"Huff... huff... Did we win?"
Seeing Neji obscured by flames, Tenten panted heavily several times.
"Tenten, watch out!"
Suddenly, Lee's alarmed cry came from the distance.
Before Tenten could react, the Needle Thread was thrown through the air, embedding itself in the ground not far from her.
The steel wire connected to the back of the Needle Thread was rapidly retracting at high speed.
Neji gripped the steel wire directly and burst out from the flames, landing toward Tenten's direction.
Tenten quickly released the wires she was using to manipulate the ninja tools and tried to retreat backward.
"Gentle Fist Style—Sixty-Four Palms!"
A cold voice sounded beside Tenten's ear.
In the next instant, Tenten's figure was enveloped by Neji's palm.
But at that very moment, a green figure dashed forward, pushing Tenten away.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A series of muffled impacts rang out instantly.
And it was Lee, who had pushed Tenten away, who bore the full brunt of the Sixty-Four Palms attack.
As the final palm landed!
Lee spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body flying backward.
"Lee!"
Meanwhile, Tenten, who had been pushed aside, also came to her senses. Looking at Lee being blasted away by Neji, her voice was filled with concern.
"You have already lost."
Neji stood straight again, his gaze fixed on Tenten and Lee's direction as he spoke coldly.
"From now on, there is no longer a Team Guy. The next time we meet, it won't be about determining a victor."
After speaking, Neji turned to walk toward Yuto's direction.
However, Neji suddenly stopped after taking a few steps, turned back again, and looked in the direction where Lee had been blasted away.
[
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