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[— Manga Scene —]
'What is this person…' Kakashi was surprised.
'It can't be…' Kurenai was stunned.
'Oh… he is truly at the level that will be called the most genius in the history of the Hyuga clan…!' The old Hokage thought with a smile.
'…' Gaara remained silent.
"It can't be… you were from the beginning…"
Neji lifted Hinata's sleeve to reveal blue points on her arm that he had paralyzed at the beginning.
"That's right, my eyes are capable of seeing chakra points," Neji said.
"What are they talking about?" Naruto wondered.
"There are 361 points on the chakra pathways. They are called 'tenketsu'."
"Theoretically, if you hit these points exactly, you can stop the flow of the opponent's chakra. Or increase its flow. You can control it as you wish…" Kakashi explained before adding;
"I'll tell you something else. Even my Sharingan cannot see the tenketsu."
"Even though he uses his eyes to see them… I can't believe he discovered their locations by guessing during the battle." Kakashi was also shocked.
"Kiyaaaaaa!!" On the battlefield, Hinata was thrown away by Neji.
"Hinata-sama… this difference cannot be changed. The difference between losers and the elite…" he said coldly.
"This is the truth that cannot change."
"At that moment when you said you didn't want to run away, stop… now you are truly desperate."
"This is the final warning… surrender!" Neji said even more coldly.
"I… will not take back my words." Hinata stood up, blood flowing from her mouth.
'Hinata…' Naruto found what Hinata was saying now familiar.
"This is also my ninja way!" She wiped the blood from her mouth and smiled.
[— End Scene —]
In the Art Store in Konoha, where the atmosphere was charged with tension and anticipation, the Hyuga clan followed the scene with eyes that did not miss any details. Every blow, every word, echoed in the corridors of their ancient history.
Hiashi, the future leader of the Main House, it seemed, was watching Hinata with mysterious eyes.
At his current age, similar to Hinata's age, her encounter with Neji and how his counterpart treated her resonated in his young heart.
Her last words, "This is also my ninja way!", pierced his deep silence.
He felt a strange mixture of pride and shame. Pride because his daughter in the manga, whom his counterpart considered weak and fragile, finally found her courage to stand in the face of the fate drawn for her, being from the Main Family standing against a member of the Branch Family much stronger than her.
Shame because this courage was not the result of his counterpart's strict teachings, but for her rebellion against those teachings, and for the influence of that loud boy, Naruto Uzumaki.
'Her ninja way…' Hiashi whispered internally, his white eyes narrowing.
'Is this what my counterpart lacked in the manga? Should I change myself and my way of thinking? Won't I erase the existence of my future counterpart by doing this?'
Hiashi knew that Neji was right in his technical analysis; Hinata was on the verge of collapse. But her persistence, that stubborn spark in her eyes, was something his counterpart must not have seen in her before. If he were present in the arena now, he would surely see in her an reflection of his brother in his stubbornness, and his father in his persistence.
Beside him, Hizashi was shaking. He wasn't shaking out of fear for Hinata, but out of fear that Neji was a son who lacked his father's guidance. Neji's harsh words, his cold analysis of fate, and his way of crushing Hinata's spirit, none of this reminded him of himself.
'Neji… you are walking a path that I could never teach you if I were to be your father.'
This realization made him believe that Neji might not be his son in the future… that silly idea that had formed in the previous chapters began to evaporate now.
While their father, Masanori, followed the scene with a clear mind, his heart was wringing in pain. He had seen many battles, and much blood, but this battle was different. It was a battle between his grandchildren… that's right, for Masanori, Hinata is his favorite granddaughter; he loved her madly the moment he saw her.
In this present, she was not born yet, physically non-existent, but her presence in the manga world already sent a signal of the necessity of her presence in the future.
This was a true prophecy.
Just as the manga predicted the clan's division that had been planned for a long time, the manga could predict the future as it is.
Hinata and Neji are part of this future… even Neji was his precious grandson, and what increased his greatness in Grandpa Masanori's eyes was his amazing genius that was summarized in this chapter.
'But I still prefer Hinata… you better stop hurting her more…'
Masanori's eyes darkened with feelings of anger and sadness as he saw Hinata being bullied by her cousin.
Beside him, his wife's eyes were much darker, as her terrifying aura covered all the Hyuga members who felt it and were currently trembling.
'This is also my ninja way… this girl is completely in love with the blonde boy…' Masanori smiled as he turned the page towards the next and apparently last chapter of this volume with a heavy heart.
…
In another corner of the Art Store, where the atmosphere was calmer but no less intense, the Uchiha clan was following the scene with sharp eyes. Hugaku Uchiha, the clan leader, watched the fight coldly, but his Sharingan eyes were spinning slowly, analyzing every move, every technique.
"Byakugan…" Hugaku whispered, his voice carrying an analytical tone.
"The ability to see chakra points directly… it is an invaluable advantage in close combat. But it lacks the ability to predict movement, copy techniques, or cast genjutsu."
He was clearly comparing it with the Sharingan, the jewel of his clan.
Beside him, young Fugaku was watching the manga with intense focus. "Oyaji, why can't the Sharingan see the chakra points?" Fugaku asked in his calm voice.
"No, Fugaku," Hugaku replied. "The Sharingan sees the flow of chakra, analyzes movements, and predicts attacks. But it does not see the points themselves. This is the advantage of the Byakugan. However, the Sharingan's ability to copy techniques and manipulate genjutsu makes it more versatile."
Mikoto Uchiha beside them was smiling bitterly. "Neji Hyuga… he possesses a powerful eye, but he is trapped in a prison of hatred. I don't like seeing Hinata being subjected to more harm from him; she is very kind and has a tender heart."
"Humph, what's the use of kindness and a tender heart in a world like this?" Hugaku said coldly.
For the Uchiha, Neji was actually very kind.
For what had been inherited from generation to generation in the Uchiha clan of hatred and curses was enough to make the most evil villains in history seem very kind in reality.
Kagami Uchiha, a member of the Military Police from the Uchiha, saw it from a different perspective.
"This technique… Gentle Fist… it is effectively terrifying. One hit in the right place can paralyze the opponent. We must find a way to counter this style if we want to maintain our superiority."
He was thinking about the military aspect, how to use this information for Konoha's benefit, or against it if it fell into the wrong hands.
Nana Uchiha, a kunoichi and a member of the Military Police, said with a sad expression, "Hinata is fighting bravely. But Neji… his words are more poisonous than his fist."
She felt Hinata's pain and remembered her own struggles as a woman in a powerful clan.
…
It was a battle between ancient traditions, between a destined fate and a will for change.
"This is the Gentle Fist at its peak…" Takeo Hyuga whispered, one of the senior shinobi in the Main House, his eyes shining with appreciation for Neji's skill. "Closing chakra points with this precision… it's an incredible achievement for a Genin."
Once again, Hana Hyuga, a medical shinobi, nodded her head sadly. "But the price… the price Hinata is paying is heavy. These internal injuries… even with the Byakugan, we cannot see the extent of the real damage."
As for Jin Hyuga, he was watching Neji with a mixture of admiration and jealousy. "Neji-niisan… he has exceeded all expectations. He proves that the talent of the Branch House is no less than the talent of the Main House."
But deep inside, there was a feeling of bitterness. Was this the only way to prove oneself? Crushing others?
Although the Hyuga clan members had not yet accepted the story of the Main House and the Branch House, since it was taken for granted in the manga world, they had become completely accustomed to it.
This does not mean it will become a tangible reality in reality.
For its appearance in the manga will inevitably lead to delaying its occurrence for another generation or two, if it does not cause its termination from the start before it happens.
…
The Hyuga and Uchiha clans were not the only ones watching the fight with focus.
In every corner of the Art Store, the other clans, each from their own perspective, were analyzing the scene.
For example, in the Inuzuka clan corner, Tsume was watching with depressed eyes.
"Hinata! That's good, don't give up…"
"I can't believe that from Kiba's team, only Shino will pass from this stage…"
"That means he is simply the best in their team," her father, Inuzuka Heidi, said in a hoarse voice.
(Author's Note: Of course, a new OC character, don't think too much.)
Heidi had sharp features and claw tattoos on his face; he looked like an older version of Kiba. "Honestly, I feel ashamed of the idea that I will have a grandson like Kiba… Hinata is braver than him!"
Hearing that, Tsume's forehead twitched, but she didn't dare say anything to oppose her father's word…
After all, Kiba might indeed be her son in the future. This means he will be this man's grandson too.
'I hope he will mature in the future and become better.'
Beside Inuzuka Heidi sat a huge black-furred wolf with one sound eye and another blinded; the aura he released made all the other clan members' dogs tremble in his presence.
Undoubtedly, this was the current leader of the Inuzuka clan.
…
Nearby, Choza Akimichi was eating potato chips slowly while reading the manga events faster, while his father, Houzhou Akimichi, was watching the fight without any desire to eat more.
"Neji is right about one thing," Houzhou said in a calm voice. "Fate… sometimes it's harsh. But will… is what makes the difference. Hinata is showing incredible will."
Shikaku Nara, who was yawning boredly at first after Shikamaru's fight ended, was now watching the fight with unusual focus.
"How troublesome…" he whispered. "This isn't just a fight. It's a conflict of ideologies. Neji represents the dark side of traditions, and Hinata… represents the hope for change. But… can fate really be changed?"
His father, Hikitsu Nara, was smiling slightly. "You're thinking deeply, Shikaku. That's good. This fight will change many concepts."
Seeing his father smile this way, Shikaku realized that his father realized what everything was about regarding the future of the Hyuga clan.
…
Shibi Aburame was watching the fight with his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.
'Neji's analysis of the chakra points is very accurate.' Shibi thought internally. 'But Hinata… she is showing unexpected flexibility. Her body is adapting to the damage in a strange way.'
Shibi was impressed by his future son's teammate, who showed extraordinary courage against one of the most dazzling geniuses in the manga world.
Inoichi Yamanaka, who was still annoyed by the result of Ino and Sakura's fight, became now more interested in the battle of the Hyuga clan members.
'Amazing fight…' he thought internally.
…
In the heart of the Art Store, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was watching the fight with the same eyes as his counterpart in the manga.
'Hehe, who would expect me to be able to see how the geniuses of a later generation fight in my current time…'
'This is truly a unique miracle, that there is someone like you in this world, Uzumaki Rubiru…'
Hiruzen moved his eye away from the page of the last chapter of the volume, where there was a surreal scene of the Jonin who intervened to stop Neji against his will from killing Hinata, and looked towards Rob who was standing there as if he didn't exist.
Rob stood behind the counter, looking as if he were detached from the world, but somehow the world was deeply connected to him; invisible currents of Art Points formed and moved from every direction towards him.
Through the readers' feelings, Rob's wealth was increasing deeply with every second.
'Enjoy, my dear readers, there is still more…'
Rob smiled as he looked towards his customers excited for the last events of the volume.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 180: An Unbreakable Will
Chapter 181: An Expected Defeat
Chapter 182: Rock Lee VS Gaara…? (End of the Volume)
Chapter 183: Echoes of the Ninth Volume!
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