My Techniques are a bit off

"Neji Hyūga and Gaara are a terrible matchup," Link thought as he watched from the sidelines, shaking his head. He didn't hold much hope for Neji, who was dodging Gaara's relentless sand attacks.

While the Gentle Fist excelled at internal damage and chakra point sealing, it was ineffective against Gaara, who was perpetually shielded by his sand. It was a classic case of a close-range fighter struggling against a long-range combatant—a pure mismatch in styles.

Unless Neji could achieve Lee's speed after opening the Fifth Gate or use a technique like Chidori to pierce through Gaara's dual defenses, it would be nearly impossible for him to deal any significant damage.

Neji had neither the speed nor the raw power, but his Byakugan allowed him to observe his opponent's movements in detail. This only trapped him in a cycle of dodging, searching for an opening that didn't exist.

"So much of the story has already changed. Without Kabuto's team, Lee never faced Gaara…"

Link couldn't decide whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Missing this key encounter meant losing a chance to recruit Lee and strengthen his bond with Guy. But thinking of Guy, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment.

In the arena, Neji suddenly gathered chakra at his feet and made a reckless charge toward Gaara, closing the distance rapidly.

"Sand!"

Gaara had been prepared. The sand around him surged upward, forming a shield like a protective shell.

"Thud!" Neji's palm, brimming with chakra, struck the sand shield with tremendous force. It penetrated deep, nearly reaching Gaara's sand armor. Unfortunately, the attack lost its strength before it could break through entirely.

Gaara's face twisted into a cruel smile as his sand coiled around Neji's arm, attempting to crush him.

"Whoosh!"

The sudden release of chakra caused a whirlwind to erupt from Neji's spinning form.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Neji spun like a top, creating a vortex of chakra that repelled Gaara's sand. The sand fragments rebounded against Gaara's armor, cracking it in multiple places. The force of the counterattack even knocked Gaara into the air.

A victorious smile spread across Neji's face.

"You're within my Eight Trigrams range now!"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

"Smack!" Two palms.

"Smack!" Four palms.

"Smack!" Eight palms.

"Crack!" The sound of Gaara's sand armor breaking echoed.

"Boom!" Thirty-two palms. Neji's strikes finally broke through the last layer of sand, reaching Gaara's chakra points.

But as Neji continued his attack, he failed to notice sand creeping up his legs.

"This is bad…" Guy muttered, his expression tense.

"Smack!" Sixty-four palms. The final blow landed, but instead of striking Gaara, it hit sand.

"Crack!" Pain from the crushing sand spread up Neji's lower body.

"How? I sealed his chakra points; he shouldn't be able to use chakra!" Neji thought, his confidence faltering.

That's when he realized: "Some of the sand's chakra isn't his own!"

Neji struggled to lift his head and saw Gaara hovering mid-air on his sand, his armor shattered but his face twisted into a sadistic grin.

"His chakra is increasing abnormally…"

Before Neji could process further, his vision was engulfed by sand.

"Smack!" Guy appeared in an instant, scattering the sand with a powerful blow.

"Gaara…" Baki tensed, ready to intervene in case his unstable jinchūriki lost control.

"Winner: Gaara!" Hayate Gekkō announced.

Gaara clutched his head in pain, kneeling. The notion of people caring for one another—tools like him showing concern for others—was incomprehensible to him. Memories of his traumatic past resurfaced, filling him with unbearable anguish.

"Medical team!" Hayate called out, but before the words were fully spoken, a young medic appeared beside Neji.

"?!" Hayate stepped back slightly, startled by the intense gaze of the boy.

Link pressed a hand to Neji's chest, quickly assessing his injuries. "Compound fractures in both legs, severe muscle damage, and a partially ruptured waist…"

He channeled chakra into Neji, performing emergency treatment. "Thankfully, the Hyūga's ability to emit chakra saved him from worse damage. If he hadn't recklessly advanced, the injuries would've been less severe."

Even with immediate treatment, Neji's recovery would take at least a month or two. Still, it was far better than the life-altering injuries Lee had suffered in the original timeline.

"Neji!" Lee rushed over, his face filled with concern. "Neji, are you okay?"

"Stop yelling near the patient." Link glanced up, his tone sharp.

"Ah… yes!" Lee quickly backed away, though his gaze lingered on Gaara as he left the arena.

With his usual enthusiasm, he raised a thumbs-up and shouted, "Wait for me, Sunagakure ninja! I'll defeat you fair and square in the finals!"

Not driven by hatred or anger, Lee's challenge was pure and resolute—a promise to best his opponent honorably.

"Well done, Lee!" Guy mirrored his student's gesture, radiating approval.

Gaara, back with his teammates, observed the camaraderie among the Konoha ninja. His expression betrayed confusion as something gnawed at his already fragile psyche.

"These people… I can't understand them."

Beside him, Kankurō flinched, unnerved by Gaara's growing instability.

Neji was carried out on a stretcher by the medical team for further treatment. Though not life-threatening, his injuries required immediate attention.

Link stayed behind, knowing he needed to address Sasuke's curse mark soon.

With the preliminaries concluded, Hayate announced, "The third exam will take place in one month. Details will be shared now."

As the Third Hokage elaborated on the finals, Link approached Sasuke.

"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly.

The curse mark's tendency to absorb natural energy and mix it with the host's chakra meant that even light chakra usage could trigger adverse reactions.

~~~

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