Konoha Year 54, December 21st.
Unknowingly, the second semester had come to an end once again.
During this semester, the first-year students had undergone a noticeable transformation.
In the first semester, they only had cultural and physical education classes, with no real combat experience — they were barely different from before they entered the academy.
But the taijutsu sparring added in the second semester allowed them to grow through pain and shed some of their childishness.
However, it also came with a side effect — it taught some students to solve problems through violence.
Fights breaking out over the smallest disagreement, mutual beatdowns, and even bullying incidents became common.
More importantly, the teachers and the school didn't stop it.
Clearly, in their eyes, cowards weren't fit to become ninja.
Better to have them quit school and live an ordinary life than to have them die on a mission after graduating.
As a result, cases of troublemakers trying to bully top students happened across different grades and classes.
Just like with Itachi Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, and Sasuke Uchiha in the past...
They all shared a few common traits: handsome, geniuses, cool and aloof personalities, and very popular with the girls.
And despite being so well-liked, they refused to join or form cliques, acting indifferent toward both boys and girls.
This lone-wolf attitude rubbed many boys the wrong way, making them want to teach them a lesson.
Unfortunately for them, every bullying attempt ended the same way — either being completely defused, or getting their butts kicked.
Being beaten wasn't the worst part — it was the shame of losing as a group to a single person.
Even worse, they'd be targeted by the other's fan club, bullied again by girls in their class and grade, and even by upperclassmen anti-bully groups.
This only deepened their resentment toward those popular figures — even toward people from the same clan.
Like on this day — snow fell thick and fast.
Once the snow finally stopped, Hinata, now allowed to leave the Hyuga compound on her own, didn't need Izayoi disguised as Ino Yamanaka to come fetch her. She happily trotted out, heading to their usual meeting spot to wait for him.
Hinata was dressed in a white snowman outfit, with a red scarf around her neck. Her chubby, bundled-up look was adorably cute.
Over the past half-year, following Izayoi's advice, Hinata had been growing out her hair, which now reached her shoulders.
She'd tied it into twin ponytails, planning to switch to a new style once it reached her waist.
Her cute, round face still had a bit of baby fat, blushing slightly from the cold — it made you want to reach out and pinch her cheeks.
To avoid being noticed, Hinata didn't go knock on Izayoi's door. Instead, she went straight to the open area near the ninja academy — it was their unspoken agreement.
"Hey, is that girl from Neji's clan?"
"White eyes — has to be."
"Let's go teach her a lesson!"
Just as Hinata was waiting for Izayoi, a few male voices reached her ears.
When she turned to look, three older boys, each looking a year or two older than her, were running toward her.
The expressions on their faces were filled with ill intent.
"Um... do you need something?"
Hinata asked cautiously.
Her voice was very gentle, but if you looked closely, you'd see that she wasn't lowering her head — she was simply looking at the three boys in confusion.
"What an annoying pair of eyes… just like that guy Neji!"
One of the boys, staring at Hinata's eyes, suddenly shouted as if recalling a bad memory: "What are you looking at, you white-eyed freak? Don't you know it's rude to stare at me? Get on your knees and apologize!"
Hinata tilted her head slightly, confused.
But when she heard her cousin's name, she asked in puzzlement,
"Are you Neji-nii's friends?"
"Who would be friends with that guy Neji?"
Another boy immediately snapped,
"We're his enemies."
"Hurry up and kneel, shout 'I'm sorry' loudly, and apologize on Neji's behalf. If you don't, we'll beat you up!"
The last boy reached out, trying to grab Hinata's shoulder and force the Hyuga girl to kneel so they could thoroughly humiliate her.
But just as his hand reached out, Hinata's eyes suddenly changed. Her small gloved hand extended her index and middle fingers — and with even faster speed, struck the boy's chest.
"Ah…"
Even through her gloves, Hinata's fingers were like needles. They pierced through his thick winter coat, making the boy cry out and collapse onto the ground.
Hinata then swiftly struck the other two boys in quick succession.
They also let out screams and dropped to the ground.
"It hurts, it hurts! Waaaah…"
They clutched at their chests, but the pain radiating from deep inside didn't ease at all.
Looking at the girl in front of them, the boys seemed to see Neji Hyuga's shadow — just as powerful, just as superior.
Immediately, the three of them burst into tears and fled, crawling and stumbling away.
Hinata tilted her head again, instinctively reacting.
She hadn't even infused chakra into her strikes — and they cried?
With that level of strength… were they really Neji-nii's enemies?
Clap clap clap…
Just then, the sound of clapping reached her ears.
Turning toward the source of the sound, Hinata's face lit up with joy.
"Izayoi-kun, you're here!"
"Hinata, you were really cool just now."
Izayoi, also wearing a white snowman outfit, walked over and gave her a thumbs-up.
"When dealing with people with bad intentions, you should act decisively like that. Otherwise, they'll only go further and even turn bullying into a habit."
"Mhm mhm…"
Hinata nodded repeatedly, obedient as ever.
Seeing her like this, Izayoi felt a surge of accomplishment in his heart.
In the original story, Hinata had been bullied by her peers more than once.
For the daughter of a prestigious clan to be bullied by a few civilian boys was absolutely ridiculous.
What was even more ridiculous was that Hinata had already begun learning Gentle Fist at the time.
If she still got bullied to the point of crying, the problem clearly lay with her personality.
But now? Hinata had flipped the script and made the bullies cry instead — proof that Izayoi's training had been a great success.
Through constant sparring, her personality had changed — she was no longer shy and weak, but had become resilient, unwilling to give up easily.
Her kindness remained, but she no longer sacrificed herself to accommodate others. She acted decisively, and retaliation had become second nature.
Unlike the delinquent leader Hinata in the Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, this Hinata was gentle on the outside, steely within.
Transforming Hinata this much in just half a year made Izayoi feel immensely proud.
It was fortunate that he began so early. If Hiashi Hyuga and Neji Hyuga had already crushed Hinata's spirit, turning her around would've been much harder.
Hiashi probably owed Izayoi a big thanks.
Granting Hinata the freedom to go out alone was already the best kind of reward.
"Let's go, time to train."
"Okay!"
The two children, both dressed in snowman suits, headed toward the abandoned training ground.