Naruto: Madara is my Daddy

"That's fine. Come at me."

Hyuga Hinata activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes bulging as she spoke with a newfound firmness. "This time, I will not run away!"

With that, the two cousins charged at each other, their hands a blur of motion as they exchanged a flurry of palm strikes.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The fierce taijutsu exchange lasted for nearly a minute. To the naked eye, it seemed as if they were evenly matched, neither one able to gain the upper hand. But then, Hinata's movements suddenly faltered. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips as she stumbled back.

"You lose." Neji emotionlessly relaxed his stance, then reached out and rolled up Hinata's sleeve.

"This is so cruel!" The audience gasped in shock. There were several swollen, red marks on Hinata's arm, clear signs of closed tenketsu.

"I have sealed your chakra points," Neji stated flatly. "You can no longer fight."

"This is my final piece of advice for you. Give up."

"No…" Hinata raised a trembling hand, wiping the blood from her lips. "I… I will continue to fight!"

"Then you are not wise to know when to accept defeat!" Neji's cold demeanor finally cracked, his voice laced with anger. "You irrational fool! You must know by now that your pathetic attacks are completely useless against me!"

WHAM!

Neji struck her again, a single palm strike to the chest. Hinata fell forward, landing hard on the ground.

From the stands, Might Guy shook his head. "How pitiful. Neji's last palm strike was a decisive blow. It is unlikely Hinata will be able to stand again."

Gekko Hayate, seeing that the match was clearly decided, made the call. "The winner of this match is Hyuga Neji!"

"Medical team, get in here, quickly."

As Hinata was carried away by the medical-nin, Neji's voice, cold and final, echoed through the arena. "Look, this is reality. In the face of absolute strength, your insignificant self cannot change the status quo. No matter how much you may wish for it, it is meaningless."

As Neji left the field, the next match was announced. Kankuro, watching from the stands, said with a bored expression, "What was that girl trying to prove? She was so weak. Sigh, these matches are so boring."

"But that guy, Hyuga Neji, his strength is on another level." As Kankuro spoke, he cautiously shifted his gaze to Gaara, who sat beside him.

"Oh no," he thought, a familiar sense of dread washing over him as he saw the bloodthirsty look in Gaara's eyes. The monster within him was growing restless.

"Ahem…"

"The tenth match will now begin."

"Gaara versus Rock Lee."

"Will both competitors please enter the arena."

As soon as Hayate finished speaking, Gaara formed a single hand seal, and his body dissolved into sand, instantly reappearing in the center of the arena.

"Oooh! My opponent is so eager to begin! Then I must show him my most youthful and positive attitude!" Rock Lee leaped down from the stands, landing directly in front of Gaara.

"Just call me Lee! Thank you for the match! I remember you seemed very strong, but I didn't expect to fight you so soon! This is truly exciting!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Kankuro sneered from the stands. "This watermelon-headed fool is so noisy. To be matched against Gaara… what terrible luck."

"Begin!"

With Gekko Hayate's command, an unknown object suddenly shot toward Lee. He raised a hand and caught it—it was the cork stopper from the large gourd on Gaara's back.

"That big gourd you're carrying… it seems suspicious!"

"…" Gaara remained silent, staring at Lee with eyes full of undisguised hostility.

Lee took the initiative. "Then I shall make the first move!"

"Konoha Whirlwind!"