Original subtitles

Thank you.

is Neji.

The final rounds are nothing like the preliminaries, as Naruto will find out

he hasn't already.

Put on a good show, will you, Naruto?

You know, I've got a tough job to do, and I'd like to be entertained while I'm

doing it.

Ultimate defense!

Zero blind spot!

This is ridiculous!

We're not even getting close to this guy!

You think I can be fooled with a trick like that?

Conjure up all the clones you want!

You can't hide from me!

You're the one keeping out of range for fear of my striking your chakra points.

Like this.

The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back.

You're the real one, aren't you?

The match is over.

I told you it was pointless.

Oh, yeah?

Then I told you it was a mistake to count me out.

But how?

All right!

Way to go, Naruto!

Naruto!

He held one of his clones back to deceive me, to lure me into a trap. You

thought I'd be too much of a chicken to attack you?

Did you really think you'd won?

What happened? That punch of Naruto's should have flattened him.

But that was... Rotation.

That's one of Neji's special defenses.

We'll see about that!

Neji can see almost 360 degrees with his Byakugan.

It's pointless.

He can detect any attack as soon as it's launched.

That's when his real defense comes into play. The eight trigrams palm rotation.

The moment he senses an attack, Neji discharges an intense, focused burst of

chakra from the chakra points in his body.

Then, by rotating his body quickly, he builds up enough energy to not only

block, but repel his attacker.

Normally, chakra emitted from chakra points is difficult to control.

Even Jonin can usually only utilize chakra from a single body part at a

like the hands or feet.

But Neji's mastery of the gentle fist taijutsu is so great that he can emit

chakra from several places, warding off simultaneous attacks from multiple

directions. It's an ultimate defense, even more impenetrable than Gaara's

of sand.

Nothing can get through it.

But I thought only father could... It's a secret ninja art.

For generations reserved only for the main household of the Hyuga clan.

But Neji has somehow discovered it on his own.

Incredible as it may seem, he's come far.

No one should be surprised.

You haven't even begun to see his full powers.

This is the end for you.

You're in range, and you can't escape my eight trigrams.

Gentle fist art.

Eight trigrams, sixty -four palms.

That stance, it can't be.

Eight trigrams! Two palms!

Four palms!

Eight palms!

Sixteen palms!

Have we been surpassed by this branch family?

Looks like it's over.

To think that Yuga's Keke Genkai would find its purest form in this child of a

lesser branch of the clan.

A child banished from the line of succession.

Truly, my brother, you've been denied what is rightfully yours.

I have now struck all 64 of your chakra points.

You're lucky to still be breathing.

Well, must be frustrating to realize how utterly hopeless it all was, this

little dream of yours.

You thought you could succeed through hard work alone.

That's only an illusion.

Hey, Hinata, what's wrong? You okay?

What a fool!

I almost thought he could win!

Naruto!

No way.

Come on.

Impossible.

How could he?

I told you.

I just don't know when to give up.

It can't be.

Hey! Hey!

You're coughing up blood!

What is it?

Oh, wow.

You'll still be injured from your match.

Hinata, you gonna be alright?

You need some water or something?

Let me have a look at her.

Who are you?

It's alright.

You can trust me.

Stop this madness.

You'll only get more of the same.

I have nothing against you personally.

That's touching.

You're gonna make me cry.

Anyway, I've got plenty against you.

I don't know what you mean.

You don't?

And here I thought you were Mr. Know -It -All.

You don't remember what you did to Hinata, huh?

The way you worked on her with your mind games, tearing her down when she worked

so hard to get here.

Never mind that. It doesn't concern you.

You mocked Hinata, calling her a failure.

All that stuff about the great Hyuga clan, main household, branch families.

a bunch of crap!

It doesn't give you the right to decide who's a failure.

That's what I've got against you.

Hey, what are you... Don't worry.

I'm a doctor.

Very well.

As you're so interested, I'll tell you about it.

The Hyuga clan's heritage of hatred.

For generations, the main household of our clan has practiced the secret

ninjutsu, known as the Curse Mark Jutsu.

Curse Mark Jutsu?

The Curse Mark is the symbol of a bird locked in its cage.

It's the mark of those who are bound to a destiny they cannot escape.

Is that...

That's...

the curse mark?

I was four years old when the leaders of my clan branded this symbol on my

forehead with their curse mark jutsu.

On that same day, a great celebration took place in the Hidden Leaf Village.

After many years of war, a peace agreement had at last been reached with

Land of Lightning, and they had sent the head Cloudminder to sign the treaty and

join in the celebration.

Everyone was there to welcome our old enemies, every Genin and Jonin in the

Village. Only one clan was absent.

The Hyuga Clan.

Because this was the day on which the heir to the main household was to turn

three.

It was Lady Hinata's third birthday.

Her father, Lord Hiyashi Hyuga, is sitting up there.

He and my father.

Hisashi are twin brothers.

And yet, he entered into the world first.

So he is head of the family. The firstborn.

While my father, his twin brother, is banished to a lesser branch of the

So Lady Hinata is three years old.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

She looks nice, father.

Don't you think?

What is it, father?

What's wrong?

Oh, it's nothing, my son.

Izashi, it's time I took Neji under my wing.

Yes.

It was then, on the day the heir to the main household turned three.

That the curse mark was put on me and I was made a bird in a cage by my own

uncle. You and this clan of yours, what's the point of it all?

Why have a main family and a branch family and this weird curse mark?

What's it mean anyway?

I can assure you of one thing.

It's not simply for decoration.

Your kick is still weak.

Yes.

Listen, Neji.

Is your destiny clear to you? You live only to protect Lady Hinata and to

preserve the power of our clan's main household.

I understand, Father.

Take your father home.

I'll forgive the fool this time, but only this time. Be that you never forget

your destiny.

You see, this is more than a mark that we wear.

It is also the instrument by which they keep us in our place.

We live with the fear that they will use this curse mark to turn our brains to

jelly any time they wish.

Fear. That is what we live with.

And we live with it every day.

Only in death are we free of it.

This is how the power of the Byakugan is kept sealed away.

Only the Hyuga possess the secret of this unique form of Kekei Genkai.

And of course, there are many who would steal it from us.

That is why we exist.

It is the purpose of the Branch family to defend that secret and to serve the

keepers of the secret, the main household, obediently and without

eternity. That is our destiny.

Or was.

Until that dreadful night.

They went too far.

When they murdered my father.

One night.

Someone entered the main household and abducted Lady Hinata.

Lord Hiyashi quickly caught and killed the man.

And who was this intruder, stealing through the shadows in the dead of

Wearing a mask over his face?

It was none other than the head -cloud ninja of the Land of Lightning.

The man who had just signed an alliance with us.

It was obvious to everyone that he was after the secret of the Byakugan.

But the Land of Lightning professed shock at this willful murder of their

They claimed that the Hidden Leaf Village was in violation of the treaty,

they demanded recompense.

Things got worse and worse, until it looked like war would break out anew.

The Leaf Village wanted above all things to avoid a war, so at last they made a

deal. A deal?

A life for a life.

The Land of Lightning demanded the death of the person who had slain their

ninja. If there was to be peace, Lord Hiyashi must die.

The Leaf Village accepted their terms.

But father, then how... And so to avert a war, a man was killed.

But not Hiyashi.

My father, his twin brother, was killed in his place.

In order to protect the main household!

Only in death was my father finally free of this evil curse mark.

They were so much alike.

Twin brothers.

But their destinies had been determined.

Long ago.

When one was born a few seconds after the other.

And this match is the same.

Your destiny was decided the moment I was chosen as your opponent

Oh,

yeah.

Oh,

yeah.

The guy and his magic fingers or gentle fists or whatever he calls it. He knows

just what points to hit to shut off my chakra.

And without it, I'm helpless.

Feels like that time I used up all my chakra when I was training with the

sage.

Wait a second. That's it.

Yeah, I can always squeeze out a little more chakra.

Next time, a failure's true power.