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[— Manga Scene —]
'Jeh..' Naruto watched nervously.
"Hinata, give it your all!!" Naruto shouted from the balcony.
´'Huff.. huff..'' Hinata was breathing with difficulty, her face covered in the protruding veins of the Byakugan.
'Naruto-kun..' Hinata whispered as she looked up at him.
'Again, I can see her power returning to her eyes..' Neji thought as he watched her sharply.
'I have always been watching you..' Hinata thought as she recalled Naruto.
'I have watched you for so many years.. I wonder why?'
"I never believed I could do it, but.." Hinata thought as she smiled at Naruto in her memories.
'I never knew why, but whenever I look at Naruto-kun..'
'I feel his courage growing inside me..'
'He makes me feel like I can accomplish anything if I just try..'
'He makes me feel.. as though I am worth something..'
Hinata lunged at Neji with renewed strength.
"!!" Neji was startled by her speed.
The two exchanged rapid, fierce blows of the Gentle Fist.
"Jaaaaah!!" Neji shouted as he delivered a powerful strike.
"!!" Kakashi, Sakura, Lee, and Naruto were all shocked by what was happening.
'Geh, geh..' Hinata was coughing up blood, yet she was still standing.
'Hinata..' Kurenai looked at her with worry and sorrow.
"Hey, Hinata, let's stop now!!" In her memories, Kiba shouted, trying to make her quit.
'I know how hard you have been training.' Kurenai said to herself.
'Someone who usually crumbles always gives up.. but you have been constantly trying to change yourself..'
'Yet you always fail on missions.. you were weak most of the time, and you fell into despair so easily..'
'But today's Hinata is different..'
'That look..' Kurenai noticed the determination in Hinata's eyes.
'I have never seen her eyes like this before..'
'Naruto-kun.. I am still watching you..'
'But now, I am finally.. finally..'
Hinata extended her trembling hand toward Neji, refusing to surrender.
[— End Scene —]
At that moment, inside the art store in Konoha, the atmosphere was charged with a heavy silence, broken only by the faint sound of pages being turned. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Hinata, the girl who, just moments ago, had been on the verge of collapse, and who now stood with an iron will.
The final scene, in which she extended her trembling hand toward Neji, had been a shock to many, and a confirmation for others.
In the corner where the Hyuga clan sat, Hiashi watched the scene with wide eyes.
He had seen his future daughter, Hinata, push past her physical and psychological limits.
Neji's harsh words, which had been intended to crush her spirit, had instead transformed into fuel that ignited the spark of determination within her. Hiashi felt a mixture of deep pride and confusion.
Pride, because Hinata, whom his future counterpart had considered weak, had displayed an inner strength he had not expected.
And confusion, because her ability to stand with such bravery should not have been possible; her severe injuries should have brought her down long ago. Neji had not truly held back, he could see that clearly, and the reason she was still standing came down to Naruto's encouragement.
'Could she love him?' That was what Hiashi realized: his daughter, who had not yet even been born to him, was in love with someone.
'Naruto Uzumaki…' Hiashi murmured inwardly, his white, pupil-less eyes narrowing.
'What is the secret of this boy? How is he able to awaken such will in Hinata?'
The question echoed in his mind, challenging every belief he held about strength and fate.
Despite his young age at present, their father had taught them a great deal of information, especially him, who was destined to be the heir.
He had always believed that strength came from training and discipline, but Hinata in this moment was displaying a different kind of strength, one that arose from the heart and from belief in oneself.
Beside him, Hizashi watched Neji and Hinata with a mixture of pain and hope.
Neji's mocking words had been unnecessary in his view, but Hinata's determination was breaking those chains. He saw in Hinata a reflection of the defiant spirit he had always wished to see in Neji, to see Neji in a position where he was losing, and then refuse to accept defeat, just as Hinata was doing now.
'Neji… will you ever understand that true strength does not lie in crushing others, but in inspiring them?' Hizashi thought with sorrow.
He knew that Neji was trapped in a prison of hatred and fate, but he hoped that Hinata would be able to show him another path.
As for Masanori, his eyes glistened with grief. He had seen his beloved granddaughter fighting with incredible courage, and he felt his heart fill with pride.
'Hinata… you have shown me the meaning of true will.' Masanori whispered. He had known that Hinata was physically weak, but her spirit was stronger than anything else.
She had been willing to fight until the very end, even if that meant defeat. It was this determination that made him proud of her, and that made him believe she would change the future of the Hyuga clan.
His wife, who was beside him, gripped his hand tightly.
"Masanori, do you like this future!?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"I do not like it…" The clan leader's reply was brief, but in truth he had much more he wished to say.
He did not like seeing the clan divided in this way.
The law of the branch family serving the main family was not something he had ever envisioned taking this form. Both he and his wife had come to understand that the manga was merely a prophecy, but a powerful one. It had shown them what could happen, and what they must prevent. Hinata, in this scene, was a symbol of hope, a symbol of the possibility of changing fate.
On the surface it might appear to be nothing more than a fight between children of the same clan, but the complex conflicts and mixed emotions presented within this small battle were far greater than that… and everyone noticed it easily.
…
In the Uchiha corner, the atmosphere was quieter, but no less intense. Hugaku, the clan leader, watched the scene with an outward coldness, yet his Sharingan eyes were analyzing every detail.
He had seen Neji's power, witnessed his ferocity, and recognized that this boy was far stronger than Sasuke at this stage.
'The Byakugan… and that indifference…' Hugaku murmured. 'It is a power not to be underestimated.'
He compared it to the power of the Sharingan, acknowledging that there were different kinds of strength, and that indifference could be more powerful than any technique.
Beside him, young Fugaku, his son, watched the manga with intense focus. He had seen Neji's strength and Hinata's weakness, but he had also seen Hinata's determination surpass all expectations.
"Father, do you think Hinata can win?" the young Fugaku asked in his quiet voice.
"She has already lost," Hugaku answered calmly.
"Will alone is not enough, strength must accompany it.." These words served as a lesson for his son, a lesson about the meaning of true strength.
Mikoto Uchiha, who stood beside them, felt admiration for Hinata.
"She is a strong girl… what a shame." Mikoto said with a sorrowful tone as she saw how things had ended in the manga.
…
[— Manga Scene —]
''Huff.. huff..' 'Hinata stood with great difficulty, her body trembling and blood flowing from her mouth.
Neji looked at her with shock and disbelief.
"Why do you keep getting up.. again?" Neji asked in a low voice.
"If you push yourself like this.. you will truly die.."
'In front of the person who respects me..' Hinata thought as she looked toward Naruto.
'The one who is finally looking at me..'
"Why?" Neji wondered as he watched her.
''Huff.. huff..' 'Hinata continued to breathe with difficulty, her eyes filled with resolve.
"...…." Naruto fell silent, watching her in stunned disbelief.
'I cannot let him see me like this…' Hinata thought as she tried to stand steadily.
"!!" Neji was startled by her persistence.
Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, Lee, Shino, and everyone present were shaken by the strength of Hinata's will.
"Not yet.." Hinata whispered.
"Do not deceive yourself.." Neji said coldly.
"You can barely stand , I can see that with my own eyes."
"I am able to see that you carry the destiny of being the heiress of the Hyuga clan.."
"You blame yourself for being weak.."
"But a person cannot change.."
"There is no need to struggle.." Neji continued.
"Surrender.."
"That is not the truth, Neji-nii-san." Hinata said in a quiet, pained voice.
"Because I can see.. that you are suffering far more than I am.."
"You are the one who is trapped and suffering within the fate of the main family and its branch.."
"!!" Neji's eyes widened in shock and overwhelming fury.
Neji ground his teeth in intense rage.
Neji lunged at Hinata with the intent to kill.
"!" Everyone was startled by his speed and sudden assault.
"Neji-kun.. this match is over..!!" the referee, Hayate, shouted as he attempted to intervene.
"This is bad..!!" Kakashi shouted.
"!!" But at that moment, the four Jonin, Gai, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Hayate, intervened at the last second to stop Neji.
"Neji, stop," Gai said as he grabbed Neji's arm.
"You promised me you would not go too far over matters concerning the main family.."
"Why are the Jonin stopping me.. does the main family receive special treatment?" Neji asked coldly as he looked at them.
"!!" Hinata stared at them in a daze before collapsing completely.
[— End Scene —]
Inside the art store, where the atmosphere had been tense, the climax of the fight reached its sudden end with the Jonin's intervention. Reactions ranged from shock, to anger, to deep contemplation, each person seeing in this scene a reflection of their own principles and beliefs.
"How remarkable…" The Third Hokage nodded his head wisely, recognizing that this battle had revealed deep layers of conflict within the Hyuga clan that needed to be addressed.
"Insolent brat…"
Danzo saw in the Jonin's intervention a confirmation of the necessity for strict control over powerful clans in order to preserve Konoha's stability.
"His blood runs too hot… was he actually about to kill her?"
Mito felt her heart clench with pain for both Hinata and Neji, recalling the struggles of fate she herself had once faced.
"It took the intervention of four Jonin to stop him…"
Koharu considered this incident to highlight the urgent need to reassess clan policies in order to ensure order and security.
"She should have surrendered from the very beginning…"
Homura saw in Hinata's determination a latent strength that could be a double-edged sword if not properly guided.
"He is completely reckless… I wonder what happened that caused the Hyuga clan to split like this… as far as I am concerned, Hinata is the winner."
Jiraiya smiled faintly, impressed by Hinata's fighting spirit, which reminded him of some of his own reckless students.
"Wretched little brat… if my counterpart had been there, she would have slapped him for certain!"
Tsunade felt anger at Neji's brutality, wishing she had been there to treat Hinata's wounds and teach him a lesson.
"Hoho~ Remarkable." Orochimaru watched the scene with a quiet laugh, pondering the limits of human ability and the will that drives it.
…
"Fortunately, he was stopped in time."
Sakumo sighed with sorrow, recognizing that clan conflicts can destroy innocent individuals.
"It seems my counterpart is also displeased with what happened."
Young Kakashi felt confused by the complexities of the shinobi world unfolding before him, questioning the meaning of justice.
"I love seeing your counterpart discipline his student…" Dai nodded his head with pride, believing that Gai-sensei's intervention embodied the spirit of youth and challenge that every ninja should embody.
"He won, but what a victory! He nearly killed her for real!" Young Gai exclaimed in astonishment at the breathtaking scene at the end of the chapter.
This moment, the moment of the Jonin's intervention, marked a turning point not only in the match, but in everyone's understanding of what it means to be a shinobi.
Hinata, in her apparent weakness, had displayed an inner strength that shook the convictions of many, while Neji, in his excessive force, had revealed the fragility of a spirit that had not yet found its way.
And amid these conflicting emotions, one truth remained clear: that fate is not inevitable, and that true will can work miracles, even in the darkest of circumstances.
This scene had left its deep mark on the souls of all those present, paving the way for changes yet to come in the world of the ninja, where destinies intertwine and wills are put to the test.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 181: An Expected Defeat
Chapter 182: Rock Lee VS Gaara…? (End of the Volume)
Chapter 183: Echoes of the Ninth Volume!
Chapter 184: The Seventh Anime Episode: Assassin of the Mist!
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