C9 The Weak! the Prey of Everyone!!

"He's been dead for some time; his face is no longer recognizable..."

A group of Anbu shinobi, faces hidden behind masks, couldn't help but gaze upon the horrific scene. Tenten's brow creased as she remembered the examinee with the excessively long tongue.

Touching the curse mark on her neck, she felt a chill creep up her back.

"Quickly, inform Hokage-sama. I'll head to the Forest of Death immediately. It's him—Orochimaru!"

In the depths of the Forest of Death, there was nothing but desolation and silence as the sky darkened above.

Tenten and Lee had arrived at the meeting point.

"I've found some enemy tracks nearby. There aren't many safe paths, but we'll find one. Let's keep moving as planned," Tenten said, unfastening the scroll from her back.

Lee packed away the gathered food into his backpack and inquired, "What about Neji?"

"I'm not sure."

"Neji is always punctual. He keeps to himself; he's not the type to cause trouble."

Tenten, who often teased Neji, suddenly felt a surge of concern.

"Hey, Tenten, do you remember the white-haired guy we saw outside the written exam room?"

"What's up with him?"

Lee's expression grew serious.

"Neji is considered the weakest among our Leaf Village genin. That piece of information was leaked during the exam!"

Tenten was taken aback by Lee's insight.

"We have to find him—fast!"

Sensing the urgency, they quickly packed up and rushed in the direction Neji had gone.

Meanwhile, in a remote part of the woods.

"Whew... I didn't expect this forest to be so expansive. I haven't seen a sign of anyone all night."

Neji thought it would be a pity not to clash with a strong adversary in the Forest of Death.

Ahead, in the trees, three strangely dressed shinobi from the Hidden Grass Village were perched on a tree trunk.

"Heh heh! Hyuga Neji, to think his team would dare let him, the weakest link, act alone!"

"Kabuto's intel is reliable. This Neji is indeed a dud from the Hyuga Clan! We'll capture him and exchange him for scrolls!"

Their eyes were fixed on their unsuspecting target.

The rustling of footsteps broke the silence just as the declaration was made.

"There's someone else here! A shinobi from Konoha Village!"

The group hastily retreated.

"Oh, talk about bad timing!"

From the shadows, a Hidden Grass shinobi whispered in shock, "We've been careless. It seems we're not the only ones after a target as easy as Hyuga Neji!"

Neji's eyes narrowed, and he took a cautious step back.

Approaching him was Inuzuka Kiba, a comrade from Konoha.

Kiba's smile was wide, filled with the resolve of a hunting dog on the scent of its prey.

Flanking him were Shizune and Hinata.

"Kiba..."

Hinata's voice caught in her throat, her hesitation palpable.

Shizune reminded her, "Hinata, this is part of the exam."

"Understood."

The trio presented a united front, and Neji hadn't expected to be ambushed by his own allies first.

"This is bad..." Neji realized as he noticed the sky darkening.

"Indeed, you're in quite a bind! Why would you wander off alone when you're clearly not up to par?"

Kiba stepped forward, seemingly eager to handle the situation solo.

"If your teammates were here, we might have hesitated to confront you!"

"Wait, just a minute!"

Neji, taken aback, stammered, "What if you let me go for now? My teammates will be worried if I don't show up! How about I come back and face you in a fight tomorrow, is that okay?"

His sheepish grin was a last-ditch effort to avoid conflict. If he didn't return soon, Lee and Tenten would be scouring the area for him, and he'd never live it down.

"What? Do you take me for a fool?" Kiba snarled, and with a burst of speed, he charged.

"Akamaru!"

Kiba and his canine companion Akamaru both pounced.

"Hey, isn't this two against one?"

Neji nimbly leaped aside, evading the assault. Kiba hadn't anticipated Neji's quick reflexes.

They tangled, a flurry of movement as they fought.

Sounds of combat echoed, but it seemed that Shizune and Hinata had no intention of engaging in the fight.

"Hey, I can take care of trash like you all by myself. Having a weakling like you as an opponent in this exam is just too easy!"

Neji was caught off guard and nearly crashed into the tree behind him.

"Byakugan!"

In a frantic moment, he formed a seal and countered Kiba's attack with his palm.

"Thud!"

Kiba was propelled through the air by the force of Neji's palm strike, while Neji managed to brake in time, stopping his retreat.

"Hey, kid, you've got some moves, huh?"

A glint of seriousness shone in Kiba's eyes.

With his Byakugan activated, Neji paused in surprise. In a nearby tree, three shinobi were ready to pounce!

"Uh..."

Before Neji could utter another word, Kiba charged at him.

"Bark!"

Akamaru, oblivious to the enemy's presence, was simply obeying Kiba's command.

"No time for playing house," Neji whispered.

He quickly parried Kiba's attack with another palm strike, which left Kiba second-guessing what he had heard.

When did this 'weakling' become so calm and collected in actual combat?

"Soft Fist!"

With a single palm strike to Kiba's left shoulder, he was sent soaring through the air.

"Hmph! So you're finally getting serious?"

Kiba rose to his feet, now fully enraged by Neji's palm strike and his mocking undertone.

"Ninjutsu..."

"Kiba! Look out!"

"Eight Trigrams Palm: Heaven's Return!"

A dazzling blue chakra aura flickered intensely, spinning at an incredible speed, deflecting a flurry of kunai with a chorus of "clinks."

As the technique ended, several figures leaped down from the trees.

"Hey, kid, we had our sights set on Hyuga Neji first. You need to respect the pecking order!"

The shinobi from the Hidden Grass Village, their faces concealed, remained enigmatic.

"Heh, if you're not going to step aside, we'll just have to take you out before we deal with Hyuga Neji!"

"Are all Hidden Grass Village ninjas this deceitful?"

Kiba, now fully aware of the severity of the situation, shifted his attention from Neji to the Grass ninjas.

"Ninjutsu: Four Legs Technique!"

"Akamaru!"

"Bark!"

With a mighty "boom," Akamaru, who had been a docile companion moments before, transformed into a fierce beast, his fur igniting into a fiery red as he radiated an aura of formidable attack power.

"Fang Over Fang!"

"Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, Explosive Palm!"

The area erupted with a thunderous roar, signaling the start of a fierce battle. Shizune wasn't about to watch Inuzuka Kiba face off against three opponents alone—she leapt into action.

Neji furrowed his brow and took a step back, assessing the situation. It seemed Kiba and Shizune had things under control without his help.

He was ready to make his exit when a piercing scream halted him.

"Ah!"

Out of nowhere, a masked shinobi from the Grass had used Earth Release to ambush Hinata, seizing her from behind.

With a kunai at Hinata's throat, he sneered menacingly, "Heh heh! Don't move, or this girl's life is over!"

"Damn you, you cowardly snakes from the Hidden Grass!" Kiba cursed, seething with anger.

While they were still in shock, a sharp whoosh cut through the air beside them.

In a flash, the Grass shinobi holding Hinata was sent flying by a tremendous force, hurtling several meters before crashing into a tree trunk.

"Eight Trigrams - Vacuum Palm..."

All eyes turned in awe to Neji, standing with his hands in the finishing position of his technique, his gaze filled with steely determination.