Although Hinata had changed from before, in Hyuga Neji's eyes, she remained the same. Because a change in personality did not equate to a change in strength.
Neji no longer hesitated and directly activated his Byakugan. As the meridians around his eyes bulged with chakra, he flashed in front of Hinata.
His face remained calm and composed as he gathered chakra in his palms and struck toward her vital points.
Hinata was slightly shocked. She felt that Neji seemed slower than before. In the past, she couldn't even track his movements—but now, she could see them clearly.
No, it wasn't that he had slowed down. She had become faster and stronger. In an instant, Hinata struck upward with both palms, targeting his wrists.
Neji's pupils shrank. How could she be this fast? He had clearly initiated the attack first, yet Hinata was the first to connect.
Although Neji was surprised, his reaction was swift. He twisted his wrist, meeting Hinata's palms directly.
Their chakras collided, and both took half a step back.
"Hinata isn't the same Hinata anymore." Hiashi, hiding in a nearby tree, nodded with satisfaction.
To the casual observer, the exchange seemed evenly matched, but Hiashi knew Hinata held a slight edge. That meant their strength was now on par. Something Hyuga Hiashi had never imagined would happen.
"Wow!" Rock Lee's face lit up in excitement.
"Has Hinata really gotten this strong?" Tenten, familiar with Neji's style, was shocked. His attacks were normally seamless—any disruption meant he was in trouble.
The students from Class 2-A were stunned.
In their eyes, Neji had been invincible unless he faced a technique-heavy powerhouse like Kurama Yakumo.
Hiashi couldn't help but feel pleased. In the past, Hinata had always been overwhelmed during spars. But now, at last, she wasn't being completely suppressed.
"You've indeed become much stronger." Neji stayed silent for two seconds before speaking coldly.
"Neji-nii, I—" Hinata tried to speak, but was cut off.
"But our fate was determined from birth." Neji said expressionlessly, "Your talent is inferior to mine. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to defeat me."
"That's not true." Hinata quickly shook her head. "Although I used to think that—"
"There's no need for more words." Neji stepped forward again, thrusting both palms outward.
A visible surge of chakra burst forth with a dull shockwave. This time, it was clear—Neji was using his full strength. The sheer pressure of his chakra compressed the air, creating a striking visual distortion.
Hinata's heart trembled. She could feel the same overwhelming presence Neji had always exuded. His natural talent and power once left her in despair, but…
Hinata glanced at Kitazawa, standing not far away, and her heart calmed. She had trained hard all summer for this moment—to stand before Neji.
Determined, Hinata stood her ground and struck back with both palms. Chakras collided, and a burst of force exploded from where their palms met.
Neji's face paled slightly. Had his full power just been absorbed?
Hinata's speed and strength had clearly improved. No—it wasn't just that. Her mastery of the Gentle Fist had also evolved.
Hinata's previous Gentle Fist was full of flaws. Now, it was nearly flawless. Neji's eyes darkened, and he resumed the offensive.
In a flash, the two figures collided. Both unleashed rapid palm strikes, filling the air with sharp, crackling sounds.
"Too strong!" Inuzuka Kiba was dazzled as he watched. He couldn't keep up with their movements; he could only see blurred afterimages.
"Is Kitazawa-sensei's special training really this insane?" Kiba couldn't help but marvel.
Neji was more talented than Hinata, a year older, and had started training in both Byakugan and Gentle Fist earlier. Yet in just one summer, Hinata had already caught up. It was unbelievable.
"This is a youthful showdown between taijutsu users!" Naruto's blood boiled with excitement, itching to jump in and make it a three-way brawl.
As for why Hinata had become so strong, he didn't care in the slightest.
A chilling pressure filled the air. Sakura instinctively turned her head and saw Sasuke activate his Sharingan. Judging by his serious expression, he clearly must have sensed a difficult situation.
"Sasuke-kun, who do you think will win?" Sakura asked curiously.
"It's hard to say," Sasuke paused, then added, "But Hinata has a better chance of winning."
"Why?" Aburame Shino adjusted his glasses and said, "I feel like Neji has the advantage in experience and physical strength."
"Because of my eyes," Sasuke said confidently, a faint smile on his lips. "I saw it clearly, Hinata perfectly matched Neji's movements."
"The Sharingan has powerful insight," Shikamaru echoed. "Since Sasuke said that, Hinata definitely has a better chance of winning."
"That's good." Ino sighed in relief. Naturally, she sided with Hinata, her classmate and close friend, over Neji from Class 2-A.
"Sasuke-kun can't be wrong!" Sakura's eyes lit up with admiration.
Sasuke suddenly felt a bit less confident. "Don't say that!"
"That's not necessarily true," Tenten looked over and said, "Neji hasn't even shown his true strength yet!"
"Is that even possible?" Kiba was stunned, finding it hard to believe. The fight had progressed this far—and now you're saying he hasn't gone all out?
Really? Is this still a ninja school? Why are my classmates this outrageous? Kiba sank into a moment of deep existential doubt.
"They've temporarily paused the fight." Sasuke's comment snapped everyone's attention back to the battlefield.
"You've improved greatly," Neji stepped back slightly, catching his breath as he spoke. More than just a lot, he felt like Hinata had become a completely different person.
Was this still the Hinata Hyuga he knew? It was hard to see any trace of the fear or hesitation she once carried.
"Brother Neji," Hinata took the opportunity to finish what she had wanted to say earlier. "It wasn't until I met Kitazawa-sensei that I realized—fate can be changed."
"Ridiculous!" Neji scoffed. "A ninja school teacher talking about changing fate? Hinata, your fate of defeat cannot be changed!"
He raised his arms and took the opening stance of the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Hinata's heart clenched at the sight of the familiar form. But she quickly calmed herself, remembering Kitazawa's teachings.
Faced with the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, she now felt she wouldn't lose to Neji Hyuga.
"That's the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?" Hiashi Hyuga's eyes widened as he watched from the tree.
Although he had turned a blind eye to Neji's secret observation of his techniques, he never expected him to master it. The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was a main family secret technique.
And being a secret technique, it wasn't supposed to be easy to learn. Neji had managed to grasp it without instruction was astonishing.
Hiashi's expression turned serious. He wanted to see just how much Neji had truly learned.
Hinata mirrored the stance. Chakra surged through her, and her entire aura shifted.
Neji was momentarily surprised. But then he remembered—she was a member of the main family. It would be strange if she hadn't learned it.
"Hinata, let me show you the difference between you and me," Neji said solemnly. "Just like the difference between the main family and the branch family—unchangeable."
"I will defeat you!" Hinata declared without hesitation. "Fate is just your excuse!"
"What do you know?" Neji's expression darkened at her use of the word "excuse."
"Then please—teach me." Hinata lunged forward, striking two of his chakra points with her palms.
But in the next instant, Neji met her head-on with identical palm strikes. A torrent of chakra exploded between them.
Hinata's body stiffened, and she couldn't help but take a half-step back. In terms of chakra reserves, she was indeed no match for Neji Hyuga. After all, he was a year older.
"This is your destiny!" Seeing this, Neji's chakra surged even more fiercely. Palm after palm, chakra waves burst from his hands with a sharp, whistling sound. Although Hinata blocked each strike, under his relentless assault, she seemed to be in danger.
"Neji is going to win!" Tenten's eyes lit up as she said excitedly.
"Is Hinata really going to lose?" Ino's face was filled with worry.
"A year's gap is still too big to overcome," Kiba said gravely. "But Hinata's done well. She was just one step away from victory."
"Not necessarily," Sasuke observed that Neji's supposed advantage came from his chakra superiority.
"Hinata! Go for it!" Naruto shouted. As class president, he naturally had to give his full support to his classmates. Led by him, many of the students in First-Year Class A cheered Hinata on.
"Useless!" Neji heard the cheers, took a deep breath, and said, "It's time to finish, Hinata!"
He adjusted his stance, and his palms flowed like a stream of water. In a flash, he launched the first eight palms of the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
No! Neji's eyes widened. He had expected Hinata to block five or six strikes at most—but she blocked all eight.
Hinata's expression remained firm as she followed up with her ninth and tenth palms. Both landed squarely on Neji's chest.
"Fate doesn't determine anything," Hinata said, looking at him seriously. Neji took two steps back and spat out blood.
"Neji-nii, are you okay?" Hinata panicked at the sight. She hadn't expected such strength behind her two palm strikes. She rushed forward to support him, then instinctively glanced at Kitazawa.
"He's fine." Kitazawa stepped forward, placed his hand on Neji's chest, and performed a healing jutsu. Although Neji had spat blood, it was only a minor injury.
Hinata was just six years old and had subconsciously held back—so the damage wasn't as severe as it appeared.
Of course, for Neji, the emotional blow was far more painful than the physical one. Hinata, whom he had always regarded as inferior, had defeated him and honorably at that.
Why had this happened? Neji had always believed he was more talented than Hinata. He'd awakened his Byakugan earlier, learned Gentle Fist first, and always had the upper hand—yet he still lost.
Did this mean Hinata was the truly gifted one?
The students in Second-Year Class A exchanged looks. Losing to Kurama Yakumo could be understood after all, it made sense for a taijutsu user to fall victim to a genjutsu specialist.
But losing to Hyuga Hinata, who shared the same Byakugan and Gentle Fist style? A loss was a loss.
"How is this possible?" Tenten found it hard to accept that Neji had been defeated by Hinata.
"Both of them are stronger than me. Worthy of being the Hyuga clan's prodigies!" Rock Lee declared with passion. "I'm going to practice thirty extra rounds after school! Youth is all about hard work!"
"In just one summer vacation, it feels like Hinata's strength has multiplied several times," Aburame Shino said solemnly.
He had narrowly lost to Hinata during last semester's final exam. But after witnessing this battle, he wasn't so sure he could win in a rematch. He might even lose badly.
"This is the result of Kitazawa-sensei's special training!" Ino said with admiration.
"Kitazawa-sensei is truly amazing!" Naruto immediately chimed in.
He had learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique over the summer, and his strength had soared. He still wasn't sure how powerful the A-rank technique Kitazawa had taught him truly was, but he could compare:
Neither Mizuki nor Iruka—both instructors at the academy—came close to Kitazawa's level.
Shikamaru hesitated. Although he wanted to complain about Kitazawa's devilish training methods, he had to admit the results were impressive.
After another ten days or so of practice, he felt he could try learning the Nara clan's second secret technique.
"Indeed," Sakura said, clenching her fists. "With Kitazawa-sensei's special training, we won't be any worse than Hinata!"
She trained in medical ninjutsu under Kitazawa every day and had long recognized his terrifying strength.
"Is it really that effective?" Kiba touched his chin, deep in thought.
As far as he knew, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and the others had all undergone Kitazawa's training and, just like they said, they had all made remarkable progress.
The only one who didn't seem to care was Choji. He had just one thing on his mind: eat, eat, and eat. His current goal? To beat Hinata in the next eating contest.
Sasuke's mouth twitched. Special training was important… But in the end, it all came down to personal talent.
He came back to his senses and looked at Hinata Hyuga. His original plan had been to challenge Neji after he won, in order to avenge his loss to him last semester.
But now Hinata had won, and challenging the loser was not the style of the Uchiha clan.
Still, he wasn't entirely confident. Before the two used the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Sasuke had felt sure he could win.
After all, he had the Sharingan, which allowed him to see their movements clearly.
However, the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was a high-level secret jutsu of the Hyuga clan. He had only seen half of the ten palms Hinata had just executed. Kitazawa had told him to observe, think, and reflect more.
Sasuke believed he needed to observe it at least twice more before he could be confident. In short, he had to act cautiously for now.
He didn't want his Sharingan to fail in its first real battle. That would not only bring disgrace to the Uchiha clan but also make it difficult for him to gain a foothold in the ninja academy.
In a tree not far away, Hyuga Hiashi stood in silence. He had never imagined that Neji could actually master the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and that he was only two palms behind Hinata.
After all, Hinata had his personal guidance.
Hiashi believed no one knew more about the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms than he did. There was no doubt now—Neji was a supreme genius on par with Hinata.
The Uchiha clan had Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, while the Hyuga clan had Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga. In terms of producing geniuses, this was a rare tie.
Hiashi recalled Neji's recent harsh words and thought to himself, "Hizashi, I'm sorry."
Given the situation, Neji must already know the truth about what happened back then. With this realization, Hiashi steeled his resolve.
He believed that if Hinata and Neji worked together, they could surely bring the Hyuga clan to new heights.
[Current Mission: Help your classmate Hinata Hyuga defeat Neji Hyuga.]
[Mission Reward: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven]
[Host completed the mission, and the reward has been issued.]
A flood of information surged into Kitazawa's mind.
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven was considered the ultimate secret technique of the Gentle Fist, famed for its absolute defense.
Its effect was to form a hemispherical shield extending from the ground to envelop the entire body, repelling all physical attacks. The actual principle involved releasing a vast amount of chakra from the chakra points of the body, causing it to spin rapidly like a top.
Of course, even so-called absolute defenses weren't flawless, just like Gaara's Sand Shield.
However, Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven was exceptionally powerful. It could easily overpower most ninjas. It was especially devastating against taijutsu users.
"Return to formation and prepare for class," Kitazawa said after a pause. "Neji, come find me later."
Neji looked up, confused by the sudden request. But Kitazawa offered no further explanation. Seeing this, he returned silently to Class A, a quiet expression on his face.
"Neji…" Hinata hesitated. Although she was happy to have defeated him, she felt guilty seeing him so dejected.
"It's okay." Kitazawa gently touched her head and said, "Just leave it to me."
Hinata was still too young to understand the real burden Neji carried.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)