Even after pulling himself from his reverie, two distinctly different images of Hinata still surfaced in Naruto's mind.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Getting up, he looked out the window. Konoha under the moonlight was silent, most of its lights already extinguished. Yet, Naruto's intuition screamed at him, a sense of unease churning in the undercurrents.
It felt like something was going to happen tonight.
Some top-tier experts and those with keen intuition possessed a talent for sensing danger. Naruto was no different. Perhaps influenced by the Nine-Tails, he was exceptionally sensitive to peril. It was a kind of primal, beast-like instinct.
His eyes flickered, but in the end, he drew the curtains. Whatever happened tonight had nothing to do with him. He was just the blissfully ignorant Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In his current state, he had no right to meddle in others' affairs.
Turning off the light, Naruto lay down and quietly drifted off to sleep.
Within the Hyuuga Clan compound.
Two figures were still locked in fierce combat on the training grounds. Their movements were swift, their Gentle Fists clashing. Dust billowed around them, and the ground was riddled with craters, a testament to the intensity of their battle.
"Lady Hinata, give up. Against an absolute difference in power, stubbornness is meaningless." Hyuuga Neji's voice was ice-cold.
His opponent was none other than Hyuuga Hinata.
Neji had always looked down on the soft-natured Hinata. As a member of the Main Family, she couldn't bear its responsibilities; her strength was meager, and she lacked resolve. Meanwhile, he, a genius of the Hyuuga clan, possessed potential far exceeding Hinata's, yet because of fate, he was relegated to the Branch Family, bound for life by the Caged Bird Seal. This filled him with rage, yet he was helpless against it.
"Neji-niisan, please use your full strength. I want to see how far I still am from a true genius," Hinata retorted, her expression resolute as she used her Gentle Fist to arduously block Neji's barrage of attacks.
The gap in their strength was still considerable. Each blow she parried was a significant burden. If someone were to lift the sleeve of Hinata's arm, they would find it covered in red marks – injuries sustained from his pressure point strikes. Neji, using his Byakugan, could see through the human body's chakra pathways and, combined with his Gentle Fist, attack those pathways directly, obstructing the flow of chakra by striking acupoints.
Out of deference to Hinata's status as the Main Family's eldest daughter, Neji had been holding back somewhat. His tone was tinged with impatience, hoping Hinata would quickly end this uninteresting fight. To him, Hinata was simply too weak. He didn't understand; if she had no talent, then she should just resign herself to her fate. Even if Hinata were useless, she would still be a rank above him.
That was the destiny of the Hyuuga Branch Family – an inescapable fate.
But seeing Hinata, clearly outmatched yet so stubbornly persistent, her efforts glaringly conspicuous, an inexplicable irritation churned within Neji. His attacks grew harsher.
Another flurry of rapid strikes echoed. Several minutes later, Hinata was sent flying, crashing powerlessly to the ground. She coughed up blood, her face pale and weakened.
"It's over, Lady Hinata. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving," Neji stated, his expression cold.
"Wait." To Neji's astonishment, Hinata shakily pushed herself to her feet, once again assuming a fighting stance, her eyes as determined as before. "I can still fight."
'If it were Naruto-kun, he definitely wouldn't give up,' Hinata thought, Naruto's sunny smile and the words that had always supported her quest for strength flashing in her mind.
"Don't be a pushover."
'I want to become stronger, so I can stand proudly by Naruto-kun's side,' Hinata took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. "Neji-niisan, it's not over yet!"
Watching the girl's determined face, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, Neji felt a momentary lapse. The irritation within him intensified, finally erupting in an angry shout, "Why? You clearly can't win, so why continue? The outcome of this fight won't change!"
"This is just a training session, Lady Hinata. There's no need to risk your life. The gap between us is too vast," he said, regaining his composure, his voice returning to its icy tone.
"To know the outcome and not even try – that, too, is a form of weakness. If it were him, he would surely fight until the very end."
Hinata's words surprised Neji. The next moment, he responded with frustration, "Fine! Then I'll just knock you unconscious!"
This time, he attacked Hinata with his full strength.
Hinata met his assault with composure, her expression calm. Even as Neji relentlessly struck her pressure points, she diligently searched for an opening, a chance to turn the tables.
Conversely, Neji grew increasingly agitated. As his attacks became heavier, he also seemed to be losing his rationality. She was the Main Family's eldest daughter! As long as she maintained a certain amount of training, she would grow stronger and inherit the position of clan head. Hinata's entire life was laid out before her, full of brightness. She didn't need to strive so hard to have everything.
And him? He was mired in darkness, yearning for the light. But the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead bound him tightly. This was a fate he could not resist.
So, why? Why are you, who already possess the light, trying so hard?It makes me, who has succumbed to fate, look so pathetic!
Thwack, thwack, thwack. With a series of unsparing Gentle Fist strikes, Neji once again, predictably, sent Hinata coughing up blood.
But this time, to Neji's shock, in the final moment before she was struck down, Hinata seized an instant of his distraction. A single finger, though weak, tapped against his forehead.
"Neji-niisan… I finally… hit you," Hinata said, blood flowing from her lips, yet she offered a smile that, in Neji's eyes, was pure and flawless. Then, she collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Despite the chasm-like gap in their abilities, she had seized an opportunity. Though the attack was soft and powerless, at the very least, she had touched him.
Neji was utterly stunned.
Was this the same timid pushover Hinata he remembered? Could it be that the fate he considered so insurmountable wasn't as distant or unchangeable as he believed?
Neji's mind was in turmoil.
"Neji-niisan," Hinata, lying on the ground, suddenly spoke. Her voice was weak but filled with conviction. "Fate is not something that cannot be resisted. I will change the destiny of the Branch Family."
His sore spot poked, Neji instantly grew agitated. "Change it? With what will you change it?" He tore off his forehead protector, revealing the Caged Bird Seal. "This is fate! It cannot be changed! I am different from you. My entire life is controlled by destiny."
"I will continue to grow stronger. I will become the clan head. And then I will prove it to you: fate can be changed. I will do what I say I'll do. That is my ninja way!" Hinata declared with even greater conviction.
Neji's heart trembled, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him. The meek, stuttering girl he remembered had changed. For some reason, Neji suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of shame.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Suit yourself."
"Put some medicine on that. I'm leaving, Lady Hinata." A small, cold medicine jar was tossed beside Hinata, followed by the sound of Neji's departing footsteps.
Hinata picked up the medicine jar, a smile gracing her lips.
She encouraged herself: 'If it were Naruto-kun, he could definitely do it. I will work hard, Neji-niisan. I want to see you smile freely again.'
"Fate." Neji walked through the darkness, his gaze flickering uncertainly. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh.
"Can it… truly be changed?" His voice was filled with bewilderment.