Sakura froze in her steps for a moment before continuing on, 'Daiki…?' she replied.
'Yeah,' he he said, 'Look I've already told you pretty much all you need to know, but if you want to maximize your chances for a promotion to chunin, I've got a decent idea for you.'
If Shikamaru could be promoted for it, then despite how much he disliked it, then he would take advantage of it.
'How?' the pink haired girl asked.
'Just go with any plan that fits what you've decided on from everything I told you,' he replied, 'Show everything you can, and that's all, when you're totally out of options just surrender.'
'…Surrender, but won't that make me look like a coward?' she asked in her thoughts.
'To some,' he confirmed, 'But to others looking too much into it, they'll see you making the smart choice to disengage from an enemy you can't defeat and it'll put marks for maturity and intelligence in your favour.'
'…Ah, right, just like what Iruka-sensei said about heaven and earth, neither one is good enough alone, I can't just be strong, I have to smart as well,' the pink haired girl replied in realisation, 'Right, I can do this…thanks.'
'Don't mention it, I've got your back.' he waved her off.
'Heh, you've made no attempts to hide that.' she giggled.
Daiki raised an eyebrow at her words, before shrugging them off and cutting off the flow of chakra.
Moments later, Sakura took her place in across from Neji and wasted no time falling into a loose ready stance that would allow her optimal chance to spring forward or backwards depending on how things went.
Neji in contrast gave her a dispassionate glance, his arms crossed in an almost bored fashion.
He wasn't taking her seriously at all.
Not that Daiki could blame him, there wasn't much Sakura could do to him at this point in time without him being taken utterly by surprise.
Hayate looked between them and nodded before lifting his hand into the air and bringing it down, "Sakura Haruno versus Neji Hyuga, begin!" he declared aloud.
For a moment, none of them made a move, Sakura was tense, ready to move at a moments notice, but Neji didn;t make a move.
"This is foolish," the older white eyed boy scoffed, "You should just surrender while I'm feeling generous, you have no chance at all at defeating me."
"I won't know that unless I try." the pink haired girl replied tightly.
Neji scoffed again, "Utter stupidity, I have already seen all you are capable of and you fall vastly short of the level needed to even make me sweat," he replied, "The only thing of note you have to your name is one singular jutsu that was given to you by someone else, a jutsu you can't even use without hurting yourself. Do yourself a favour and accept your fate and give u-"
As Neji was getting into his insulting tirade, still not taking the girl seriously at all and demeaning her with every word.
Sakura used that chance to act.
Her right arm, extended outwards was flicked into a rapid jab. It wasn't anything blindingly fast and was actually very slow by Daiki and even Neji's typical levels.
But it wasn't meant to be anyway.
Chakra rippled and a split moment later, a large compressed shock wave of pure force erupted from her fist and tore through the air towards Neji rapidly.
An audible crack echoed through the room as Sakura's wrist once again snapped from the sheer force behind the jutsu and the girl gave a muffled scream of pain.
Sakura chose the perfect time to attack and took advantage of Neji's arrogant grandstanding.
Neji's eyes widened as the jutsu was on him in a split moment and quickly he spread his leg back, arms going outwards and wide before rapidly rotating like a spinning toad. Chakra sparked into existence, howling out of his tenketsu and forming around him into a large spiralling dome.
The shock wave slammed into the dome of chakra and an explosion of sound blanketed the room drowning out everything else for a few moments
"What the heck was that!?" Naruto sputtered as the jutsu was dispersed, "It looked just like your Jutsu Daiki!"
Daiki barely paid attention to the blonde jinchuuriki, instead his eyes were on Sakura.
She hadn't stayed idle, as soon as Neji started spinning and unleashed his ultimate defensive jutsu she rushed towards it, even as her right arm dangled useless at her side.
'Smart.' he nodded approvingly.
Neji, arrogant as he was being in regards to Sakura and not taking her seriously.
Hadn't activated his Byakugan yet, so his vision was currently obscured within his jutsu and he couldn't see her getting close.
When Neji spun to a stop and his dome shield of chakra flickered away, it was just in time for Sakura to reach him, getting within just a few feet of him.
Neji's eyes widened in shock as the pink haired girl once again took advantage of him not taking her seriously and threw a rapid punch out with her remaining non damaged arm, "Shannaro!" the pink haired girl roared.
Once again the air rippled as a a massive concentrated shock wave of pure force erupted from her fist at near point blank range.
Normally, this would have been the end, even as Sakura's second wrist snapped and the force of the jutsu jettisoned her back, this should have been checkmate.
The problem though was in the sheer speed difference between her and her opponent.
On seeming instinct alone, Neji spun, chakra erupting and roaring forth from his tenketsu.
He didn't manage to form a shield of chakra even half the size of his previous one, but it did do its job.
Even if the force still travelled through.
Neji gagged noticeably as pure force slammed into his stomach and bodily lifted him into the air and threw him back, the chakra forming around his body bursting apart.
It hadn't been properly formed after all.
Neji spun through the air before landing on his feet over twenty feet away, clutching at his stomach and glaring fiercely at Sakura who had landed in a crouched position, pain visible on her pretty face as her arms hung limp at her sides, already purpling deeply with bruising.
"Tch, taking advantage of me speaking, how trivial," the Hyuga scoffed, "Though a decent plan for trash like yourself, it doesn't change that it is my fate to defeat you." he added, letting go of his stomach and narrow his eyes.
Veins visible throbbed around his eyes and his white irises became more pronounced as he activated his doujutsu.
He was just about to spring forward towards Sakura, no doubt rushing her down before she could even do anything and give her a mighty beat down.
Only, he never got the chance.
"I give up." the pink haired girl took Daiki's advice and surrendered.
"…What?" Neji was so shocked by the call that he actually stuttered forward a step.
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted.
"Sakura Haruno has surrendered, the winner is Neji Hyuga." Hayate declared, before calling for the medic ninja to make their way in.
While everyone was busy being shocked over what just occurred, the pink haired girl instead looked over her shoulder and met Daiki's eyes.
He smirked and gave her a nod of approval.
It was a very, very short bout. But it went a long way to showing Sakura's strengths and few of her many weaknesses.
'Clever girl.' he broadcasted to her with his chakra.
The smile that splayed across her lips was almost blinding.