Naruto: The Tale of Neo

Amidst the ruins.

The battlefield was split in two by a circular barrier that extended skyward, trapping Neo Uchiha inside.

"Tch, one of them got away," Moroi muttered, his icy gaze fixed on Neo, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips.

"But no matter—I'll make sure you die quickly."

Neo stared at the man before him: a ninja in a red cloak, with yellow hair and a scruffy beard.

This man had appeared in the original timeline.

During the Fourth Great Ninja War,

he had set up 36 regenerative barriers on Ryu Island, delaying Naruto and Killer Bee from reaching the battlefield.

The barriers were absurdly strong—so much so that it took the combined efforts of Naruto and Killer Bee to break through them.

At the time, this man had been the captain of the Hidden Cloud's barrier division, an expert in powerful sealing jutsu.

However, that was then, and this was now. At this point in time, he was merely a Special Jonin.

Looking at him, Neo couldn't help but feel uncertain.

A ninja specialized in sealing techniques—could they really be good at offense?

But regardless of his expertise, he was still a Special Jonin, someone who likely outmatched Neo in basic taijutsu alone.

And if Seichiro's words were true, Moroi was also skilled in kenjutsu.

Could he really kill me?

"Kid, what's with that look in your eyes?" Moroi scoffed, drawing a long blade from his back and pointing it at Neo.

"You're unlucky. A worthless Genin who hasn't even awakened the Sharingan, running into someone like me at the start of your ninja career."

Moroi's tone was calm, as though he had already won.

"One strike is all I'll need to kill you!"

[Your enemy, Moroi, is taunting you.]

Neo ignored the system's prompt and instead grinned, nodding with approval.

"Well said, Hidden Cloud brother. I like your confidence!"

"Just make sure you don't hold back later. Remember, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit!"

"Throw every move you've got at me. Don't give me even the slightest chance to counter!"

Neo's tone suddenly grew serious, as if offering genuine advice.

"Most importantly—"

"Whatever you do, don't drag this fight out into a battle of endurance!"

"You've got guts, kid!" Moroi's eyebrow twitched, and rage flared within him.

Was this kid mocking him?

Was he implying he lacked stamina? That he couldn't handle a long fight?

But Moroi dismissed Neo's words as a bluff. As a barrier ninja, he had basic sensory capabilities.

From what he could tell, Neo's chakra levels were barely Genin tier.

Clearly, this brat was just trying to buy time for his companion to escape, setting up some kind of distraction.

Moroi sneered and shook his head, scoffing at Neo.

The next moment, he twisted his foot, clutching his blade, and weaved hand signs for a Body Flicker Technique.

In an instant, he vanished, reappearing directly above Neo.

With a powerful downward swing of his blade, Moroi struck at Neo's neck, putting his shoulder and elbow into the attack.

Moroi's eyes gleamed with confidence. I'm a Special Jonin. Taking down a mere Genin should be as easy as swatting a fly.

The blade, sharp enough to slice hair and cleave through wind, descended with terrifying speed.

For a split second, Neo felt an overwhelming sense of death looming over him.

His neck prickled, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

In that critical moment—

Neo felt an electric current surge through his body, snapping him out of his fear and allowing him to regain control.

He ducked and twisted his head just in time, the blade barely grazing his cheek. His hand instinctively reached for his tool pouch.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Three kunai shot upward, forcing Moroi to deflect them with his blade.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As Moroi parried the kunai, Neo had already created distance between them.

Estimating the distance between himself and Moroi, Neo's heart sank.

He glared at Moroi and cursed.

"I told you to throw everything you've got at me!"

"You're a barrier ninja—what are you doing playing around with taijutsu?!"

"Why won't you listen?!"

Moroi ground his teeth, seething with anger. He lunged forward with his blade aimed at Neo's vital organs.

"Enough with your nonsense! Die already!"

Neo's eyes sharpened as he flicked eight shuriken into the air, arcing toward Moroi from different angles.

Moroi halted his advance, narrowly dodging the shuriken.

But before he could make another move, his vision darkened.

Neo unrolled a scroll and flung it outward.

From the scroll, dozens—no, hundreds—of kunai rained down like a storm.

Moroi could barely stop himself from swearing.

What the hell?! Are Genin these days all millionaires?!

As the barrage continued, Moroi had no choice but to parry endlessly, deflecting kunai after kunai.

By the time the onslaught ended, the battlefield was littered with kunai embedded in the ground, walls, and rubble around Moroi.

Panting heavily, Moroi glanced at Neo. He had already expended a considerable amount of stamina chasing down Neo's team earlier.

Now he was dealing with a Genin who fought like a walking porcupine—armed to the teeth and unnervingly skilled with shuriken.

Finally, when Moroi thought he had a chance to catch his breath and close in on Neo—

Neo tugged on a thread.

Suddenly, the ends of the kunai scattered around the battlefield lit up with glimmering threads.

The walls, ground, and debris began to splinter as the threads pulled taut, creating a dazzling web of razor-sharp lines.

Moroi felt a sharp sting on his cheek and instinctively touched his face.

Blood dripped from his fingertips.

Looking around, Moroi finally noticed the intricate web of threads enveloping him.

A net of death.

Moroi swung his blade at the threads, but they held firm, bouncing his weapon back.

"What… what is this?!" Moroi shouted, his voice trembling as he turned to Neo.

"How is this possible?! So many threads, woven into such a structure—and in such a short time?!"

Neo shook his head, his once-eager eyes now cold and detached.

"For your arrogance, you will pay the price."

He formed four hand signs:

Snake - Dragon - Rabbit - Tiger!

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!

Neo exhaled sharply, igniting the threads with a fierce blaze.

The fire raced along the web toward Moroi, engulfing him in a raging inferno.

Moroi's panicked screams echoed briefly before the flames consumed him entirely.

But Neo wasn't finished.

Ever the perfectionist, he formed additional hand signs:

Rat - Tiger - Dog - Ox - Rabbit - Tiger!

Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!

Neo exhaled again, launching smaller fireballs accompanied by eight spinning shuriken.

The fiery shuriken whistled through the air, singing like phoenixes as they joined the blazing inferno.

Fire Style: Phoenix Shuriken Technique!

Neo then tugged the threads once more.

The blazing web tightened with a sickening crunch, collapsing inward and reducing everything inside to ashes.

Dragon flames roared. Phoenix cries echoed.

Standing amidst the inferno's glow, Neo gazed coldly at the destruction.

"Goodbye," he muttered.