This volume wraps up Naruto's fight as well as explains Neji's deep-seated desire to prove himself as being the most powerful fighter around. It turns out that Neji's father is Hinata's father's twin, but because he was born mere minutes after Hinata's, and thus is regulated to be a member of a branch of the Hyuga family instead of the main trunk. Because of this, Neji's family is automatically considered lesser and barely more than servants. Consequently, Neji has spent his life training and trying to show that he is better than Hinata.
Once the Naruto/Neji battle ends, Naruto Vol. 16: Ultimate Defense moves on to the fight between Gaara and Sasuke, but wait, Sasuke still hasn't shown up. Instead of disqualifying Sasuke, the officials decide to reorder the fights and put Shikamaru's fight against the Sand Ninja Temari up next.
This fight doesn't last more than an episode, but it's quite a fight. All this time, we've seen Shikamaru as being a fairly lazy character, but it turns out his mind is the sharpest yet. As he battles the fan-wielding fighter, it is pretty obvious that he is thinking dozens of moves ahead. Can Temari pull out a win, even when Shikamaru uses his Shadow Possession Jutsu on her and forces her to surrender?
These episodes are the last fights before the faceoff between Gaara and Sasuke that will kick off a plot that will leave many dead and the Leaf Village in ruins. How will it all turn out? You will have to wait for the next volume to find out.
