Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 55 Neji VS Rock Lee

Naruto shouted excitedly on the field, "Yay! I won!"

The crowd in the stands looked on in astonishment: "Naruto, the perennial loser... he actually defeated Kiba..."

At this moment, Naruto stood in the center of the training field, feeling the gazes of everyone watching him, and a surge of secret joy welled up inside him.

When Naruto returned to the stands, Hinata hesitated to speak.

Naruto said directly, "Hinata, thank you for your encouragement."

"Um...that..." Hinata blushed and handed the ointment to Naruto.

"This is ointment for applying to wounds," Kurenai Yuhi explained with a smile as she stood behind Hinata.

Naruto was puzzled: "But...why give it to me?"

Boruto looked at Naruto's blank expression and said helplessly, "Just accept it."

Naruto thanked Hinata, saying, "Hinata, you're such a good person."

......

The electronic bulletin board above the stands began to flash again, and everyone stared at the screen.

Finally, the screen stopped flickering and settled on two names—Neji vs. Rock Lee.

"Ah! It's actually an internal battle within Class 3!" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"This is truly unexpected. I didn't expect a civil war to break out so quickly, especially in Class 3 led by Teacher Might Guy. This is going to be quite a show!" someone exclaimed excitedly.

Another person chimed in, "Yeah, they're teammates, they should know each other very well. I wonder what kind of sparks will fly in this battle."

"I still think Hyuga Neji is the best. After all, he is a genius of the Hyuga clan and his strength should not be underestimated."

Kurenai looked at Kai beside her and said, "This is really unexpected, Kai. Between the two of them, who do you think is more promising?"

Upon hearing this, Might Guy scratched his head and laughed, "Hahaha! Winning or losing isn't that important. Giving it your all in a duel is what youth is all about!"

With that, Might Guy shouted, "Neji! Lee! Let's have a youthful showdown!"

In truth, Might Guy knew that no matter who won this battle, it could potentially cause some psychological damage to the other person, who might never recover from the blow.

......

While people were discussing this, Neji did not walk directly to the center of the field like the others, but instead turned around and walked towards Boruto and the others.

Neji stopped in front of Boruto and said, "Although I don't know where you learned Gentle Fist, after this battle, I will show you the true power of the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist!"

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to walk towards the competition venue, but before leaving, he deliberately glanced at Hinata.

"And you, Hinata!" he said coldly, then left without looking back.

Hinata couldn't meet his gaze, and she lowered her head, saying, "Neji-nii-nii..."

"Um... I'm going to check on Ya's injury." Hinata then left, looking somewhat uneasy.

Naruto complained, "What the hell! Neji is even more arrogant than Sasuke."

Boruto couldn't help but ask Kakashi, "Have Neji and Hinata always had a bad relationship?"

Kakashi: "They are both from the Hyuga clan, the oldest and most prestigious clan in Konoha, but they are not siblings."

Sakura asked, "So what is their relationship?"

Kakashi replied, "Well, you could say it's the relationship between the main family and the branch family of the Hyuga clan."

Boruto asked in confusion, "Main family and branch family?"

"Yes, Hinata is from the main family of the Hyuga school, while Neji is from the branch family."

"Because it seems that a lot happened between the main family and the branch family in the past, their relationship is not very good now."

“Rich and long-established ninja families like the Uchiha and Hyuga have their own unique skills.”

"In order to pass on this skill, the Hyuga clan seems to have set some rules, many of which are biased towards the main clan."

"Those rules caused a lot of conflicts between the main family and the branch families."

Boruto was somewhat surprised; he had never heard of such a secret within the Hyuga clan.

Every time he visited his maternal grandfather's house, everyone seemed to be having a great time, and he was completely unaware of the difference between the main family and the branch family.

It's also possible that it's something between them that they wouldn't reveal in front of a child.

......

Just then, Naruto suddenly shouted towards the arena, "Thick Eyebrows, teach that guy a lesson!"

However, Rock Lee on the field did not respond to Naruto. His expression was unusually serious, and he focused all his attention on his opponent.

Locke Lee had been eagerly anticipating this moment, knowing that this duel was of great significance to him.

If he could defeat the person in front of him, he could prove his strength and show that even without ninjutsu and genjutsu, he could still become an outstanding ninja! This was the goal he pursued throughout his life.

Rock Lee stared intently at Neji before him and said, "I never expected to be able to duel with you so soon. This feeling is incredibly exciting, and it even feels a little unreal."

Neji looked at Rock Lee with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "I remember that you lost our last duel. Is it really that hard for you to accept defeat?"

Hayate Gekko, who was standing to the side, asked, "So... in the ninth preliminary match, Neji Hyuga vs. Rock Lee, do either of you have any objections?"

Neji immediately replied, "No objection."

But just then, Locke Lee suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"