Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 49. Neji vs Zabuza & Haku

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The tidal wave came crashing in, towering above the arena like a wall of wrath.

Neji didn't flinch.

"Good thing we reinforced this place," he muttered, calm as ever. "Would've been a shame if Zabuza flooded the whole damn base."

His gaze traced the swirling water, but his mind wandered back to seas of another world.

He'd once stared down tsunamis that scraped the sky.

A monster tide that crushed the Sea Circle Islands every year in the One Piece world. He used to call it Mad Aqua for fun.

Compared to that?

This wave didn't even deserve the same vocabulary.

"Ahh... the nostalgia."

A pulse of chakra surged through his body. His stance shifted. His foot slid half a step forward.

"Let's split it open—[Rankyaku]!"

He kicked.

The chakra-infused strike tore through the air like a blade, dense enough to cut stone, sharp enough to split a mountain.

A colossal arc of energy, a wind crescent,, ripped across the field.

Zabuza stood atop the water and saw it coming.

Fast.

Too fast.

Her eyes widened, no time for [Substitution Jutsu]. She gritted her teeth, raised her Executioner's Blade—

CRACK!

The sword exploded in her hands. Steel fragments were scattered in every direction as the massive wave was split in two.

Zabuza was thrown backward, blood dripping from her shredded arms, one half of the broken blade still clenched tight in her fist.

She landed with a wet skid, heaving for breath.

That was one strike?

S-Rank Taijutsu... easily.

The sundered wave collapsed behind her in a thundering roar.

From the heart of the chaos, Neji stepped through, balanced and dry, as if he'd simply gone for a walk.

A blur of movement, Haku appeared beside her with a [Water Flicker], senbon flashing between her fingers like silver lightning.

"Master! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Zabuza coughed, holding her chest. "If not for the blade, I'd be paste by now."

Haku stared at her in disbelief. Even Master couldn't keep up?

"Don't be afraid," Zabuza murmured. "He knows everything about us. We know nothing about him. That's the real danger."

She pushed herself to her feet, blood still dripping.

"This is about more than power, it's about intel. Learn his methods, and we might stand a chance."

But... if the gap is too wide, knowledge alone won't save us...

"I understand," Haku said quietly, hands already moving into signs.

Zabuza's thoughts whirred.

That finger block he hadn't dodged her senbon. He'd deflected them with a single finger.

Defense? Speed? Both?

She needed to know.

"[Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals]!"

Dozens of ice mirrors erupted around Neji, reflecting his image from every angle.

Neji looked around with mild curiosity. "A Kekkei Genkai, huh?"

He studied the surrounding mirrors.

Ice reflection... parallel projection?

Phase-based movement? Interesting... fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"[Secret Art: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death]!"

From every angle, senbon rained down.

"[Mind Chakra Shield – Level 25]!"

A golden dome snapped into place. Senbon rang against it like hail, none able to pierce through.

"Beautiful technique," Neji murmured. "But that's not nearly enough."

Inside the shield, he gathered chakra into his lungs.

He exhaled.

"[Lion's Roar – Level 35]!"

A sonic wave erupted outward. The needles froze midair then shattered. The ice mirrors cracked, then exploded into a blizzard of shards.

Haku vanished just in time.

She reappeared across the water, sliding back with a splash before dropping to one knee, blood trailing from her lips.

"Retreat!" Zabuza shouted.

Without hesitation, Haku fell back to her side.

"[Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu]!"

A massive dragon surged from the lake, water roaring like thunder.

"Looks pretty impressive," Neji muttered, unfazed. "But still useless against me."

No distractions this time.

Let's end it—

"[Thunder Spiral Strike – Level 35]!"

Electricity sparked around his hand as chi and chakra entwined. A lightning blade formed, compact and deadly.

Zabuza's breath hitched.

She knew that shape.

It looked like [Chidori] but it wasn't.

It was sharper. Stronger. Wilder.

Before she could react—

Neji disappeared.

What?!

His voice echoed beside her ear.

"Time to wrap this up."

Zabuza turned. Her eyes widened. So did Haku's.

Between them, Neji hovered midair, blade crackling with power.

BOOM!

The lightning blade detonated not in a direct hit, but in a controlled shockwave.

The Water Dragon shattered on impact. Zabuza and Haku were caught in the blast, thrown off their feet with screams of pain.

The smoke cleared.

Neji stood alone in the mist, the sparking blade dissolving in his hand.

Level Up!

Level 40.

"Not bad..." he mused, eyes gleaming. "Those two were worth the effort."

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