The Hidden Leaf Vilge bustled with life, nterns swaying from above as vendors called out, selling food, tris, and supplies. Kuro's senses were alive with the sights, sounds, and smells that reminded him he was very mu Naruto’s world. This wasn’t his reality, but there was an energy here—a raw vibrahat made it all seem just as real as anything he’d known before. They had been wandering for a while now, looking for an inn, when Xero suddenly stopped.

  “Xero, what is it?” Reika asked, raising an eyebrow as she followed his gaze.

  Kuro looked too, spotting a small group of familiar figures in the crowd. His heart skipped a beat. They were unmistakable: Neji Hyuga with his pierg vender eyes, Rock Lee in his green jumpsuit, aen, holding a scroll with her usual ease. They were Konoha’s Team Guy, one of the most memorable teams from the Naruto series.

  “Neji Hyuga, the oh the Byakugan,” Xero muttered, his voice filled with an unusual edge.

  Reika shrugged dismissively. “Yeah, so what? Let’s keep moving. We don’t have time for distras.”

  But Xero didn’t budge. His gaze stayed locked on Neji, his eyes narrow with determination. “I want to challenge him.”

  Kuro blinked, a surge of disbelief running through him. *Challenge him? This guy ’t be serious!* But before he could voiy protest, Xero had already started forward, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, which he didn't use up until now.

  “Xero, no!” Reika whispered harshly, stepping forward. “This isn’t the time to—”

  But it was already too te. Xero drew his sword in one swift motion, its bde catg the light, and charged directly at Neji. Kuro’s stomach twisted in horror as he realized there was no way to stop him now. *What’s he thinking, attag Neji out of the blue? It will be marked as crime or sabotage in broad day light. He will get his ass kick by Konoha shinobi.*

  The moment Xero lunged, Neji’s eyes sharpehe boy’s movements were quid precise as he shifted into a defeance, his gaze cold and calg. He wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge, especially one as abrupt as this.

  Rock Lee’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly stepped back, gng at Tenten. “Looks like Neji’s got a fan,” he muttered, a smirk tugging at the er of his mouth. Tenten, meanwhile, groaned, muttering something under her breath about “idiots pig fights.”

  Neji raised an eyebrow, his tone posed but ced with subtle disdain. "I don't know who you are or what your iions are... but attag me is a mistake. However, if you're insists..."

  With a fsh of chakra, Neji activated his Byakugan, his eyes now radiating a pierg, otherworldly aura.

  In that instant, Xero swung his sword with a fierce downward strike. Neji sidestepped effortlessly, pivoting with the grace of a dancer, and then struck out with a palm aimed at Xero’s chest. The hit nded squarely, sending Xero stumbling backward, but he quickly recovered, spinning his sword back up in a defensive arc.

  Kuro’s mind raced, his heart pounding. *Do I step in? Try to defuse this? Or do I let them finish it?* He g Reika, whose expression was a mix of exasperation and . She looked at Kuro as if to say, *Well, what are you going to do about this?*

  “Xero, enough! You will get your butt kieji is strong!” Kuro called, stepping forward. But his words were lost iensity of the moment. Xero wasn’t listening—his focus was locked on Neji, and he was too ed up in the fight to back down now.

  Neji, however, wasn’t taking this seriously. He dodged Xero’s attacks with minimal effort, eaent trolled and fluid. It was as if he was sizing Xero up, analyzing his every motion. To Kuro, it was obvious that Neji hadn’t even begun to use his full strength. But Xero either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He tio press forward, his strikes growing faster and more reckless.

  Finally, Neji seemed to lose patience. With a burst of chakra, he shifted his stance, his expression hardening. His hands moved in rapid, precise jabs as he struck at Xero’s chakra points. Each blow nded with a pinpoint accuracy that was as impressive as it was devastating. Xero’s movements slowed, his body trembling as the effects of the strikes took hold.

  With o effort, Xero attempted a final swing, but his arm barely lifted before Neji struore time, sending Xero sprawling onto the ground.

  Neji exhaled, his expressiourning to its usual calm as he straightened up, dismissing Xero as though he were nothing more than a mild invenience. “You’re outmatched,” he said simply, gng down at Xero with cold, assessing eyes. “You should know your limits.”

  Xero body was bruised, bloodied, barely scious from the brutal attack. Kuro’s chest tightened with a siing sense ency. Xero wasn’t moving, and the ruthless precision of Neji’s strikes had left him broken on the cobblestones.

  Xero chuckled, "Heh! Is that all you've got? Then..."

  Kuro's voice rang out, sharp and demanding. "Neji, that’s enough!"

  Neji’s expression remained eerily calm as he looked down at Xero, his vender eyes flickering with indifference. “Who are you guys! Well, whatever, He lost the fight,” Neji said quietly, as if that were expnation enough.

  But Kuro could see the subtle shift in Neji’s posture—a deliberate step forward, hand raised as if preparing to strike again.

  “No,” Kuro growled, his blood boiling. “He’s done. Don’t you dare—”

  Without a word, Neji’s hand shot out with lightning speed, aiming to nd a final blow to Xero’s head, and Kuro’s heart skipped a beat.

  “No!” Kuro roared, throwing himself between Neji and Xero just in time, his shoulder smming into Neji’s arm to block the strike. The impact sent a sharp jolt through Kuro’s body, but he didn’t flinch. He couldn’t.

  Neji stopped, his eyes narrowing as he faced Kuro. “You’re in my way,” he said, his voice colder thahe ess of a shinobi who had no iion of being interrupted.

  Kuro’s fists ched tighter. His body was already trembling from the effort of stopping Neji’s attack, but he knew he had no choiow. “You’re hurting him! He’s not a threat anymore, Neji! Stop!”

  Neji’s gaze flickered, and Kuro could see the slight amusement in his eyes as he took a step back, raising an eyebrow. “You’re trying to protect him now?” His lips curled slightly. “How foolish. But very well. If you want to stop me so badly… then you’ll have to gh me.”

  Kuro didn’t hesitate. Even though he doesn't know Xero that much, for some reason he is feeling straach toward Xero and Reika, as if they are friend for a long time. For some reason. his anger fred into a, his legs pushing him forward, his body moving on sheer instinct. He unched a wild punch toward Neji, throwing everything he had into it, but Neji sidestepped with an effortless grace, his Byakugan activated. He was watg Kuro’s every movement, his precise eyes calg every inch of the fight.

  Kuro’s momentum carried him past Neji, but he quickly recovered, spinning on his heel to face his oppo. “You want a fight, Neji? The’s see how far your precious Gentle Fist gets you against a real man!”

  Kuro's smile was wild. Neji’s face remained impassive as he raised his hand. Without warning, he unleashed a flurry of quick, trolled strikes—eae hitting Kuro with pinpoint accuracy. Kuro barely had time to react before Neji’s palm struck his shoulder, sending a shock of pain through his body, and another jab smmed into his ribs. He gasped, the air knocked out of him.

  The strikes were fast, devastatingly precise, eae targeting Kuro’s pressure points, his chakra work. Kuro’s breath grew ragged as the pain in his chest fred and his limbs began to feel like they were on fire.

  Neji stepped back, his Byakugan sing Kuro’s movements as Kurled to stand, barely able to keep his footing. “You have no training. You think you match me with raw strength?” Neji asked, his voice ced with disdain. “You’re already lost.”

  Kuro’s muscles screamed at him, but he gritted his teeth and threw another punch, this one aimed for Neji’s head. Neji dodged again, his movements fluid and precise, and before Kuro could reaeji on him.

  Orike hit Kuro in the side, just below his ribcage, the blow slig through the air and nding with such precision that Kuro felt his legs buckle beh him. Pain shot through him like aric current. He could feel his body beginning to fail—his legs trembled, his arms felt like lead, and his vision blurred.

  “Stop...” Kuro gasped, the words barely esg his lips. His breath was ragged, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop fighting, to give up, but he refused. He couldn’t let Xero’s sacrifice be for nothing.

  [Xero's soul- Oi! I am not dead, you fcker!]

  Neji’s cold gaze never wavered as he stepped closer, his hand moving to strike again. But Kuro wouldn’t let him.

  With a desperate roar, Kuro lunged forward, throwing everything he had into a wild tackle. It wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t trolled. But it was all he had left. His body smmed into Neji’s, and for a split sed, Neji’s bance faltered, and Kuro mao push him back.

  The brief moment of success was fleeting. Neji’s hands came up to catch Kuro by the shoulders, and with a simple twist of his body, he threw Kuro to the ground, sending him crashing into the dirt.

  Kuro y there, his body wracked with pain, struggling to breathe, uo move. His vision blurred and his thoughts scattered, but there was ohing that remained clear: Neji had won. He always would.

  Neji stood above him, his expression unreadable. “You were brave to try,” Neji said softly, his tone devoid of aion. “But ce alone is not enough.”

  Kuro's chest heaved as he gasped for air, his body trembling i. "You... you could've just let him go," he rasped, looking up at Neji, his face pale with pain. "Xero was down... He wasn’t a threat anymore.”

  Neji’s eyes flickered for a moment, but his expression remained unged. “You may believe that,” he said quietly. “But in this world, weakness is a threat in itself. And do not fet he challenge me first, so it is rightful for me to end him...”

  Kuro uands that, even though Xero is at fault, he doesn’t want to make things more difficult for him. From what Kuro has gathered so far, Xero is a petitive person who thrives on fighting strong oppos. That’s why things have escated to this point.

  Neji locked eyes with Kuro for a moment, and Kuro met his gaze without hesitation. Suddenly, Kuro's system message fshed in his mind.

  >[Your power has beeored to 40%. Do you wish te with your current body? If you do, your remaining abilities will take triple the time to fully restore.]

  As Kuro paused, pting his move, urned and walked away, his baow to Kuro as he rejoined his team. Kuro let out a sigh, watg them retreat. They had gotten away this time, but he knew he couldn’t let it happen again—especially after seeing just how strong the Konoha shinobi were.