Chapter 54
"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu)!"
The shadow clone reached out from beneath the ground, but Neji had already timed it perfectly. He instantly halted his Kaiten and struck downward with a single palm.
Boom! The clone exploded beneath him.
Meanwhile, Natsuki used Geppō (Moonwalk) to run through the air and unleashed a flurry of Rankyaku (Tempest Kicks). The crescent-shaped slashes enveloped Neji completely—right as he was in the cooldown phase after using Kaiten.
With no choice but to dodge!
Neji gritted his teeth and rolled several times across the ground. He managed to avoid a direct hit, but his arm still got sliced by one of the attacks.
And Neji knew it too—Natsuki could've used Rankyaku right when he struck the underground clone. If he had done that, Neji wouldn't have been able to dodge at all. It was clear that Natsuki held back.
Rokushiki really was powerful.
But then Neji shook his head—no. What was powerful wasn't the Rokushiki, but Natsuki himself!
Tenten also knew the Six Powers, yet when she used them, Neji didn't feel nearly as threatened. Maybe because she wasn't skilled at using them, or her movements were too rigid. It worked well enough against average ninja, but not against elite ones.
In comparison, Natsuki had amazing combat instincts. He knew how to adapt in battle and didn't cling to just the Six Powers—he combined them with ninjutsu. If he had other techniques, he'd definitely incorporate those too. People like that—people who truly understood battle—were real threats.
"I lost."