Naruto : Gamer System-Chapter 60 : Neji Dilemma

"Are you playing tricks on me?" Neji asked Haruto bitterly after dodging Haruto's ninja technique again in embarrassment.

Haruto raised his eyebrows: "If you think so, you are right. I'm just teasing you. Last time you easily defeated Hinata, but because of your dissatisfaction, you insisted on severely injuring him. Now I have the same thought about you. But you can also admit defeat, don't you always like to talk about fate? Isn't fate already obvious now? You—are not my opponent at all."

"Damn it!" Neji gritted his teeth and looked at Haruto.

"What? Don't you want to admit defeat? Don't you believe in fate the most? Look over there." Haruto said, pointing in the direction of the Hyuga clan.

"They are all waiting for you to admit defeat. Why not admit it?"

"I'm going to kill you!" Neji yelled and rushed forward.

Haruto stopped casting long-distance jutsu and also rushed up with his bare hands.

"Since you want to fight, I will convince you to lose."

Seeing Haruto rushing up, Neji secretly thought: Good opportunity. He quickly used his Gentle Fist acupressure.

Just when Neji struck at Haruto, Haruto punched Neji hard in the face.

After a while, Neji struggled to get up. Although he was injured more seriously, he became optimistic about this battle. As long as there is the first blow, his chakra movement is blocked, and then he can release the second blow. The third time, until he is defeated.

But when Neji opened his Byakugan and looked carefully, he found that the chakra in Haruto's body was not blocked at all.

"How is this possible?" Neji thought.

"Hey, I'm very confused. Why doesn't the Gentle Fist work on you?"

Haruto rushed up and knocked Neji down with another punch: "It's very simple. Our strength gap is too great. As long as I lay a chakra protective film on my body to block most of the damage, the little that remains, you can do nothing with your tiny chakra."

"Boom!" Neji was knocked to the ground by Haruto again, but this time he didn't get up, just lay quietly and looked at Haruto.

"Well, I told you, the fate between us was doomed long ago. You will definitely lose," Haruto looked at Neji condescendingly and said.

Neji was silent for a moment, then said: "Yes, fate has long been doomed. You are more talented than me, stronger than me, so I am not your opponent. This is all doomed by fate."

Haruto pulled Neji's collar: "You guys really make people angry. Everything depends on fate. Can you not live without fate? If fate wants you to die, can you just die?"

Neji seemed to be stimulated to the point of rebellion. He yelled at Haruto: "What do you know? Fate is preordained long ago and cannot be changed."

As he said that, Neji took off the forehead protector on his forehead, revealing the curse mark.

"Did you see it? This is destiny — a destiny doomed since I was born. It is the proof that those bound by fate cannot escape."

"One day when I was four years old, this curse seal was planted on me. Through this curse seal, the clan can easily control the life and death of the branch family, which means our destiny is no longer our own."

Neji's eyes gradually dimmed: "At first, I didn't understand what this technique meant. Until that happened—my father was killed as a substitute for Hiashi Hyuga. Obviously, they are twins of equal strength, but their fate is determined because of the difference in birth date. Do you understand? Destiny cannot be changed."

"Hehe, do you really think so?" Haruto responded lightly.

"You're laughing? You don't understand what it means to bear an indelible mark all your life," Neji roared and suddenly punched Haruto in the face.

Haruto rubbed the numb left cheek from the hit, and without hesitation returned a more ruthless punch to Neji, knocking him down to the ground until the corner of his mouth bled.

"You really don't understand what I'm laughing at?" Haruto slowly walked up to Neji's face and bent down to look him in the eyes.

"I'm laughing at you for telling lies seriously."

"What did you say?" Neji looked at Haruto with hatred.

"Aren't you lying? What's this?" Haruto said as he grabbed the bandages on Neji's arms and tore them off, revealing dense scars.

"Don't tell me these injuries were all self-inflicted."

Neji stared at the scars on his arms and froze.

"If you had truly succumbed to fate long ago, why did you work so hard to cultivate? If you had really succumbed to fate, you wouldn't have beaten Hinata from your own clan last time."

"You say fate is doomed, but in fact, you are the last to want to succumb to it. You don't succumb to fate, you just succumb to the cowardice deep in your heart."

"In the end, you are just a coward escaping reality. I have seen many people more miserable than you. Few have as thin skin as you. You talk so much because you want to show how miserable you are, right?"

"You!!!"

"Let's not talk about the distance between us. Just talk about Rock Lee in your group. Everyone has long judged him unfit to be a ninja, but he is desperately working hard to change his fate. Are you sure you can defeat him now? Do you believe it? If you don't, he will easily beat you to the ground in a few years."

"If fate really doomed everything, why are we still alive? It's ridiculous."

"Didn't you say you wanted to beat me at the beginning? What happened? Is this what you call fate?"

"Let me tell you again—destiny is never static. What it will become depends entirely on you."

"Think about the scars on your body. Isn't your current strength all obtained through hard work to change your destiny?"

"Don't mention fate to me anymore. I'll hit you every time I hear that word, until you don't dare say those two words again."

After finishing, Haruto turned and left, leaving behind a sharp silhouette.

I'm already at my full level. I don't know how my words compare to Naruto's, but it should be able to play a role.

After Haruto left, the chief examiner Shiranui Genma suddenly said: "The caught bird. If it is smart enough, it should be able to peck open the door of the cage with its own beak. Because it still has hope to fly freely in the sky again."

Neji looked at the sky with complicated eyes, closed his eyes until the medical staff came, thinking silently.

"Neji, I want to talk to you alone." Hiashi pushed open the door and walked in.

"That's how it happened. These are his exact words. I didn't want to protect the clan... but I chose to die voluntarily to protect Neji, my brother, my relatives, and even Konoha! Even if it's just once, I want to defy my destiny, I want to control my own fate. That's all."

"This is just an excuse for your family. Why do you want me to believe you?"

"It's because I expected you to react this way that I didn't say it long ago. I hoped to find the right time."

"Hmph, do you think I'll believe you just by saying that?"

"I'm telling you his last words as Hizashi Hyuga's older brother, not as the clan," Hiashi Hyuga knelt on the ground and bowed to Neji. "Please believe me."

"Please get up quickly."

A line of tears silently fell down Neji's cheeks.

After Hiashi left, Neji looked at the sky silently.

Is everyone's fate like floating clouds without a specific direction, or can it be determined by ourselves? I haven't figured it out yet. But I want to try.

Exam Site

Naruto shouted happily from the side, "As expected of the boss, that guy who looks like a drag has no strength to fight back at all!"

"Hey, Sasuke? When did you come?" Naruto turned his head, only to find Sasuke standing behind him silently.

"I've been here a long time," Sasuke replied coldly, then fell silent.

Sasuke felt intense jealousy at that moment. Haruto was just an ordinary ninja without even a bloodline successor, yet he was so powerful that Sasuke, who carried Uchiha blood, felt overwhelmed. He couldn't imagine—Haruto already had three blood successors.

"So this is Haruto's true strength? I thought learning Chidori would help me catch up to him, but instead, the gap just keeps widening."

Sasuke's eyes sharpened as he recalled Orochimaru's words: "I see hatred and desire for power in your eyes. Come to me. I will send my men to find you. Whether it is Itachi's intelligence or power to rival Itachi, you can get it from me. Remember my name—Orochimaru."

"It's time to decide. If you want to catch up with Itachi, the current me won't be enough."

Haruto walked up and slapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "Sasuke, your next match is coming up. Why don't you rush to join?"

Sasuke shrugged off the hand awkwardly. "Can you stop with that naive stuff?"

"Ahaha, Sasuke's next match will be against you," Haruto said dryly.

Sasuke glanced at Haku standing nearby. "There's nothing to compare. Haku and I have fought many times. If Haku said he'd admit defeat..."

Haku smiled and said to the group, "Yes, I've lost to Sasuke several times. There's really no need to compare again."

"Even so, you can't help but compare. If you don't show off, Sasuke, you won't get promoted to Chunin. Naruto and I will be promoted, and you'll be the only one left."

"It doesn't matter. Chunin is just a title. I don't care. Strength is the most important."

Sasuke, already decided to leave the village, no longer cared about ranks.

Haruto looked at Sasuke silently, then said to Haku:

"But this test isn't just about promotion, it's about the village's reputation. You can lose, but don't surrender. Haku, your background is complicated—if you admit defeat and return, it will be hard to explain."

Sasuke frowned, then turned toward the field.

"It's really troublesome. I don't even want to take part in these meaningless games."

"Just watch and enjoy," Haruto shouted after him.

"Of course, I know. You don't have to teach me," Sasuke's tone was indifferent.

"Boss Sasuke, what's wrong with him?" Naruto asked nervously.

"He's got second-year syndrome. I'll treat him well after the exam."

"Second-year syndrome?" Naruto muttered confusedly.

"Hey, boss, what's second-year syndrome? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Haruto ignored Naruto's shouting, then vanished with Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Second match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yuki Haku."

Haku glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke understood Haku's unspoken message—it was just flashy tricks, and he would play along.

"Fire Release : Fireball Jutsu!"

"Ice Release—Ice Bound Coffin!"

Their battle was flashy and lively. Most spectators cheered loudly, but some grew more speechless watching it.

"Kakashi, why are your students' battles so flashy? Want me to help train them?" Guy joked, watching.

Kakashi twitched his mouth. "I think they're just putting on a show. They don't need to prove themselves. But I wouldn't mind handing them over to you for a while."

In a secret room in Konoha, Haruto suddenly appeared.

"What's the situation? Where are the enemies?" The Third Hokage had arranged everything. Haruto was the supreme commander if absent on the battlefield.

Inoichi closed his eyes, then reopened them. "The main enemy attack is headed for the east gate. Around 100 enemy ninjas, mostly Sound village's people. They're powerful."

Haruto nodded. "Order the village to evacuate civilians. Send teams from the south, west, and north gates to reinforce the east gate. I'll leave a shadow here. Report anything immediately. I'm heading to the east gate to assess."

Haruto disappeared again with Flying Thunder God.

Under his command, Konoha mobilized silently.

The village was well-developed and educated, with excellent evacuation systems. Most families had secret underground passages, allowing many to escape quietly. A few with mobility issues were helped by elders.

Though some could not be helped, that was inevitable.

Back in the exam room, Sasuke's fight with Haku ended. Though it was obvious they acted the fight, most thought it impressive. The surprise was Sasuke conceding defeat.

"Sasuke, you..." Haku looked doubtful.

"Don't overthink. I told you, the Chunin title means nothing to me. If it helps you, then take it," Sasuke said.

"Oh! It's finally my turn. Watch me show my power!" Naruto was excited.

Suddenly, Haruto poured cold water on him. "Are you sure you want to face the guy with the Gourd? You'll be killed instantly."

Naruto felt guilty, but shouted, "No way! I just learned several powerful skills!"

He looked around, searching.

"Strange, where did Gaara go? Shouldn't he be here now?"

"Third match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Gaara of the sand."

The Kazekage smiled, "It's finally starting. I've been looking forward to this battle."

The Third Hokage said pointedly, "Are you optimistic about Gaara? I believe Konoha will win."

Kazekage smiled faintly, "Really? I believe we won't lose."

Regardless of the outcome, Orochimaru—posing as the Kazekage—made a subtle signal, and people from Sand and Sound began moving.

The Third Hokage's spirit tensed, intuition telling him the battle had truly begun.