CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 130

Although Hinata had changed, to Neji, she was still the same.

A shift in personality didn’t equate to a shift in strength.

Without hesitation, Neji activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged as he instantly closed the distance between them. His expression was calm—Chakra surged to his palms as he struck directly at her vital points.

Hinata hesitated for just a moment.

She noticed something.

Neji seemed slower than before.

In their past spars, she couldn’t even track his movements—he was a blur. But now... she could see everything.

No, he hadn’t slowed down.

She had become faster.

Stronger.

With a sudden burst, Hinata’s palms swept up from below, aiming for his wrists.

Neji’s pupils narrowed in shock.

How was she so fast?

He had attacked first—but Hinata reacted later, and yet struck sooner.

Though startled, Neji didn’t freeze. He twisted his wrist mid-air and met her palms head-on.

Their Chakra collided.

Both stepped back half a pace.

"She’s not the same Hinata anymore..."

From a hidden perch in the trees, Hiashi observed with narrowed eyes and a rare nod of approval.

Their first exchange had appeared even—but he could tell. Hinata held a slight edge.

Their strength was now on equal footing.

Something Hiashi had never imagined possible.

"So strong!" Lee exclaimed, eyes shining.

"Hinata’s gotten this strong?" Tenten muttered, her brow furrowed.

She knew Neji’s style well. He always began with a relentless barrage of strikes—if he ever paused, it meant he was facing real resistance.

The students of Second Year Class A were frozen in disbelief.

In their eyes, Neji was invincible.

Unless the opponent was a freakish anomaly like Yakumo Kurama, no one stood a chance.

Meanwhile, Hinata’s heart swelled with a quiet joy.

In all their previous spars, she had been overpowered from the first move—completely unable to fight back.

But now... that suffocating pressure was gone.

"You’ve really improved," Neji finally said after a beat of silence.

"Neji-nii-san, I—"

"You and I were never the same," Neji interrupted coldly. "Our fates were sealed at birth. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never surpass me."

"That’s not true!" Hinata said quickly. "I used to believe that too, but—"

"Enough talk."

Neji stepped forward again, this time unleashing a full-force strike. His palms cut through the air, Chakra visibly flaring from each blow.

The sound of impact thundered through the courtyard. The sheer pressure warped the air around them.

Hinata’s heart skipped.

This was the Neji she remembered—his presence overwhelming, his talent almost cruel.

But then her gaze flicked to the side.

Kitazawa-sensei.

Her teacher stood calmly at the edge of the field, watching.

She drew strength from that.

She hadn’t endured a whole summer of training just to falter now.

Hinata stood firm, eyes resolute.

Her palms met Neji’s head-on.

Their chakras clashed violently, rippling the air in waves around them.

Neji’s expression twitched.

She had blocked it—his full-strength attack.

Her speed, her power, and her Gentle Fist technique—they had all reached new heights.

This wasn’t the timid, hesitant Hinata he had known.

Her form, once riddled with openings, was now tight and precise.

No flaws.

His eyes sharpened.

He pressed on.

Their silhouettes blurred as they exchanged rapid blows, the sound of palm strikes echoing in quick succession.

"Whoa—!" Kiba was nearly dizzy. "I can’t follow them at all! Is this really the same Hinata?"

"Is Kitazawa-sensei’s training that insane?" he added, jaw slack.

It defied logic.

Neji was older, more experienced, and a natural genius. He’d awakened his Byakugan and started learning the Gentle Fist long before Hinata.

And yet, in one summer, she had caught up?

"This is the true clash of Taijutsu prodigies!" Naruto shouted, fired up. He looked ready to leap in and turn it into a three-way brawl.

As for the how of Hinata’s power-up?

His brain chose not to bother with it.

A chill brushed the air.

Sakura turned to see Sasuke, eyes glowing red with the Sharingan, watching intently.

His expression had turned serious.

"Sasuke-kun, who do you think will win?" she asked.

"Hard to say," Sasuke murmured, eyes fixed on the fight. "But... Hinata has a better chance."

"Why?"

Shino adjusted his glasses. "Neji has more experience. Greater stamina, too."

Sasuke smirked slightly. "Because of these eyes. I can see it—Hinata is matching him, move for move."

"The Sharingan is sharp," Shikamaru added. "If Sasuke’s confident, then Hinata really might win this."

"Good!" Ino sighed in relief. "I’m rooting for Hinata, of course. She’s from our class!"

"Sasuke-kun is always right!" Sakura beamed.

Sasuke instantly felt his confidence drain. ’Please stop talking and jinxing me.’

"That’s not necessarily true," Tenten interjected. "Neji hasn’t gone all out yet."

"Huh? You’re joking, right?" Kiba’s jaw dropped.

They’re already fighting like that, and you’re telling me he’s still holding back?

What kind of freaks are my classmates?!

For a moment, Kiba questioned reality—and his enrollment at the Ninja Academy.

"They’ve paused," Sasuke said.

Everyone turned to the center.

Neji stepped back, panting. "You’ve come far."

No, he thought. This wasn’t just "far." Hinata was like a completely different person. Her fear, her hesitation—it was all gone.

"Neji-nii-san." Hinata took the chance to finish what she had meant to say earlier. "After meeting Kitazawa-sensei, I realized something—destiny can be changed."

"Ridiculous!" Neji scoffed. "A teacher at the Academy, preaching about changing destiny? Don’t be naïve. Your fate is to lose."

He raised his arms, entering the stance.

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Hinata’s breath caught—but only for a moment.

She stepped into the same stance, her chakra surging, her aura sharpening.

Neji’s eyes widened slightly.

But then he reminded himself—she was from the main family. Of course she knew it.

"Let me show you the difference between us, Hinata," Neji said grimly. "Just like the difference between the main family and the branch."

"I’ll defeat you!" Hinata replied, unwavering. "Destiny is just an excuse!"

Those words lit a spark in Neji’s eyes—a mix of fury and pain.

"You dare call it an excuse?"

His voice trembled with emotion.

"Then I’ll teach you just how wrong you are."

Hinata suddenly lunged forward, both palms striking directly at two of Neji’s vital chakra points.

But in the blink of an eye, Neji mirrored her movement, meeting her attack head-on with the same precision.

A surge of chakra exploded between them.

Hinata’s body stiffened from the clash, forcing her to retreat half a step.

In raw chakra control and volume, she couldn’t compare to Neji—he was simply superior.

After all, he was a prodigy.

"This is your destiny!" Neji declared coldly, his chakra flaring with renewed intensity.

Palm after palm, he launched a relentless assault. Each blow stirred the air with sharp whistles, a testament to the force behind them.

Though Hinata managed to block every strike, it was clear she was being pushed back, her footing growing unsteady.

"Neji’s going to win!" Tenten exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Is Hinata really going to lose...?" Ino said, her face creased with worry.

"A year’s difference in training isn’t easy to overcome," Kiba muttered, tone heavy. "Still, Hinata’s done incredibly well. She’s just one step away from victory."

"Don’t be so sure," Sasuke said quietly, narrowing his eyes. He could see the truth—Neji’s overwhelming edge came from chakra advantage, not technique alone.

"You’ve got this, Hinata!" Naruto yelled, hands cupped around his mouth.

As class monitor, he felt it was his duty to support his classmates.

His enthusiasm was infectious—soon, cheers erupted from all corners of First Year Class A.

"Futile effort." Neji’s gaze flicked to the crowd, then back to Hinata. He inhaled deeply. "Let’s end this, Hinata."

His stance shifted. The rhythm of his palms changed—fluid, precise, unstoppable.

In a heartbeat, the opening sequence of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—unfolded.

Eight strikes landed in one continuous blur.

Or at least, they should have.

Neji’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He had expected Hinata to block maybe five... six at most.

But she blocked all eight.

Then—without hesitation—Hinata’s face steeled, and she struck out with the ninth and tenth palms.

Both landed directly on Neji’s chest.

"Destiny decides nothing," she said firmly, staring him down.

Neji stumbled back two steps before coughing up blood.

"Neji-nii-san, are you okay?" Hinata’s expression faltered. She hadn’t expected her strikes to carry such power.

Rushing to his side, she caught him before he could fall, then instinctively turned to Kitazawa for help.

"He’ll be fine," Kitazawa said, stepping forward. He placed a palm on Neji’s chest and activated a healing jutsu.

Though the blood looked alarming, the injury was superficial. Hinata was only six—she’d unconsciously held back.

But for Neji, the real damage wasn’t physical.

He had always considered Hinata the weaker one.

Yet here she was... standing tall, having defeated him head-on.

How?

He had awakened the Byakugan earlier. He had mastered Gentle Fist faster. He had always been the more gifted one.

So why—why did he lose?

The students of Second Year Class A looked on, stunned.

Losing to Yakumo Kurama could be chalked up to Genjutsu overpowering Taijutsu.

But this...?

This was Gentle Fist versus Gentle Fist. Byakugan versus Byakugan.

There were no excuses.

"Amazing..." Tenten whispered, struggling to believe what she saw.

"Both of them are on another level," Lee said, eyes blazing with admiration. "True geniuses of the Hyuga Clan! I’m going to run thirty laps after school—youth demands effort!"

"In just one summer, Hinata’s strength has skyrocketed," Shino observed quietly, brows furrowed.

He had barely lost to her in last semester’s final. But after this fight...

He wasn’t sure he’d stand a chance anymore.

"This is all thanks to Kitazawa-sensei’s special training!" Ino said with admiration.

"Kitazawa-sensei’s the best!" Naruto agreed eagerly.

He had learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu over summer break—an A-rank forbidden technique. Though he didn’t fully grasp how rare that was, the difference between Kitazawa and teachers like Mizuki or Iruka was night and day.

Shikamaru sighed, hesitating to comment.

He wanted to call Kitazawa a demon for how grueling the training was... but even he couldn’t deny how effective it had been.

Give him ten more days, maybe half a month, and he might even unlock his clan’s second secret technique.

"Definitely," Sakura said, clenching her fists. "With Kitazawa-sensei’s training, we won’t fall behind Hinata!"

She’d been studying medical ninjutsu under Kitazawa every day and had long since realized how terrifyingly skilled he truly was.

"Is it really that effective...?" Kiba murmured, stroking his chin in thought.

He’d heard Naruto and Sakura trained under Kitazawa—and judging by the results, it wasn’t a lie.

The only one still completely indifferent was Choji. His only goal?

Eat. Eat. And eat more.

He was determined to beat Hinata again... in the next food-eating contest.

Sasuke’s mouth twitched.

Special training was important—but in the end, it was talent that made the difference.

He turned his gaze to Hinata.

Originally, he’d planned to challenge Neji and get revenge for losing to him last semester.

But now... Hinata had beaten him.

And Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to challenge someone who’d just lost. That wasn’t the Uchiha way.

Still, he wasn’t fully confident.

Before they used the Sixty-Four Palms, Sasuke believed he could win.

With his Sharingan, he could see their movements clearly.

But when Hinata unleashed the technique... of those ten palms, he’d only followed five.

Kitazawa had told him to observe, reflect, and learn. Sasuke decided to do just that.

One misstep could humiliate the Uchiha name—and he refused to let the Sharingan’s debut be a disgrace.

On a nearby tree branch...

Hiashi stood in silence.

He never imagined Neji had secretly mastered Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Even more shocking—he was only two strikes behind Hinata.

And Hinata had his personal guidance.

Hiashi considered himself the Hyuga Clan’s foremost expert on that technique.

Which meant only one thing—Neji was a once-in-a-generation prodigy. Equal to, or perhaps even beyond, Hinata.

The Uchiha Clan had Itachi and Sasuke.

Now the Hyuga Clan had Hinata and Neji.

A perfect balance.

Hiashi’s thoughts drifted to Neji’s earlier harsh words. He sighed inwardly.

’Hizashi... I’m sorry.’

The time had come to tell Neji the truth of what happened four years ago.

If Hinata and Neji could stand side by side, the Hyuga Clan would ascend to new heights.

[Current Mission: Help your deskmate Hyuga Hinata defeat Hyuga Neji.]

[Mission Complete. Reward Unlocked: Eight Trigrams Rotation.]

Kitazawa’s eyes narrowed as a flood of new information entered his mind.

Eight Trigrams: Rotation—the ultimate defensive technique of the Gentle Fist.

By expelling chakra from all the body’s tenketsu and spinning rapidly, the user formed a hemispherical barrier capable of deflecting all incoming attacks.

It wasn’t truly "absolute" defense—just like Gaara’s sand could still be bypassed.

But against most enemies?

It was devastating.

Especially deadly for close-range fighters.

"Everyone, return to your seats. Class is about to begin," Kitazawa called out, then turned to Neji. "You—see me afterward."

Neji looked up, confused by the summons.

Kitazawa didn’t explain.

With a complicated expression, Neji quietly walked back to Class 2-A.

"...Ne..."

Hinata bit her lip, hesitating.

Even though she had won, seeing Neji so downcast filled her with guilt.

"It’s okay," Kitazawa said, gently patting her head. "Leave it to me."

Hinata didn’t yet understand Neji’s real struggle.

But Kitazawa did.

And he was ready to help them both.

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