Chapter 13: Hinata's Determination!
"That… umm…"
Hinata clutched a small box of medicinal salve and timidly approached the exit of the combat arena where the medical ninja stood.
"Th-this… this is… salve… for… for Kiba-kun… and Akamaru…"
Even though her strength had skyrocketed ever since she received the "Pikachu Card", this painfully shy personality of hers… wasn't something that could be fixed overnight.
"Heh~"
Kiba, who had just been carried off after losing to Naruto, couldn't help grinning when he saw her.
"Instead of worrying about other people, you should worry about yourself first, y'know~"
"Kiba…"
"After this match, the only ones left are you, Chōji, Neji, Lee, that one Oto-nin… and that really scary-looking Suna guy."
Kiba's smile faded as he spoke, his expression turning dead serious.
"Listen carefully, Hinata.
If you run into that Suna guy, forfeit immediately.
And when you face Neji… same thing. Forfeit right away!
Those two are way too dangerous for you.
You'll definitely end up seriously injured!"
Just as Kiba was speaking—
Over there, Gekkō Hayate suddenly raised his voice.
"Let's move on to the next match~"
The moment his words fell, the electronic screen flickered rapidly.
A few seconds later, the display froze.
[Hyūga Hinata vs Hyūga Neji]
The four large words appeared crystal clear in front of everyone.
The entire arena fell silent for a moment.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
"Hinata! Remember to forfeit!"
Kiba shouted loudly even as he was being carried away.
But Hinata didn't respond.
Byakuya-kun gave me such an amazing power…
If I just forfeit without even fighting… I'd be letting him down so badly…
Thinking this to herself, Hinata slowly walked toward the center of the arena.
When she reached the middle, Neji also approached with an expressionless face.
The two stood facing each other.
"I never expected… I would end up fighting you, Hinata-sama."
"Neji-niisan…"
Silence.
Both of them had extremely complicated feelings swirling inside.
"Then… the match begins!"
Amidst this tense atmosphere, Gekkō Hayate gave the starting signal.
Yet neither moved to attack right away.
"Before we begin, I'd like to give Hinata-sama some advice."
Neji's face was solemn.
"Forfeit.
You're not suited to be a shinobi.
You're too kind.
You crave peace and run away from conflict.
You always go along with what others want.
And above all… you have no confidence in yourself.
You've always carried this sense of inferiority.
That's why I think being a genin is more than enough for you.
But the Chūnin Exams require a three-man team to register.
You couldn't refuse Kiba and the others when they invited you, so you reluctantly joined, right?"
"That's not true!"
For some reason, Hinata suddenly raised her voice.
But right after shouting that, she immediately shrank back again, speaking in a small, stuttering voice.
"I… I just…
I just want to change myself…
Change the me that's always been like that… so…"
"Hinata-sama, as expected of the main house's eldest daughter~
Born protected, and so very naive."
Neji continued calmly.
"There are some truths you probably don't understand.
A person's fate… can never be changed!
A failure will always be a failure.
Forever a failure.
Their personality and abilities have already decided they can only be a failure.
They can never change.
Precisely because people cannot change… that's why differences exist!
That's why terms like 'elite' and 'failure' were created.
Everyone judges others' value—and is judged—based on appearance, intelligence, ability, physique, personality… all those things.
These factors cannot be changed.
They are decided the moment you are born.
That is fate.
People live on, bearing the pain that fate has assigned them.
Just like how I am of the branch house and you are of the main house.
It was decided from birth.
There is no changing it.
Now…
With these Byakugan, I have seen through everything.
So I know.
You're just forcing yourself.
Deep down, you're definitely thinking of running away from here right now…"
"No! That's not true!"
Hinata thought of all the guidance Byakuya-kun had given her over time.
All the help he'd provided.
And the "Pikachu Mythical Beast" he had given her.
He had been so kind, so attentive to her every need.
But what about her?
She was still so useless, still wanting to hide the moment something difficult came up.
A deep sense of guilt and anger at her own weakness surged in her chest.
And at this moment—
Because of the anger and guilt burning inside her, combined with the confidence granted by the "Pikachu Mythical Beast"…
Hinata's entire aura suddenly changed.
"I'm not forcing myself!
I don't want to run anymore.
I… I want to change myself!"
With that, Hinata swiftly formed hand seals.
"Byakugan!"
After activating her Byakugan, she assumed the classic Hyūga-style Gentle Fist opening stance.
"Neji-niisan… let's settle this once and for all!"
Neji's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He hadn't expected Hinata to suddenly find such courage.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"I will make you understand… fate cannot be changed."
Saying so, he too assumed the exact same Gentle Fist opening stance.
"…As expected of the Hyūga style."
At the same time, up in the stands—
Lee clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm his excited heart while analyzing the two figures in the distance.
"Her opening stances are identical to Neji's!"
"Hyūga style?"
Sakura looked at Lee in confusion.
"That's right~
It's Konoha's strongest taijutsu school!
I told you before—
Among all the genin in Konoha, the strongest man is in our team!
That's him—Hyūga Neji!"
"The strongest genin…?"
Naruto frowned.
An extremely annoying yet handsome figure flashed through his mind.
"Lee…
Actually, I think the strongest genin should be Byakuya-kun~"
Sakura smiled and gently corrected him.
"He's way stronger than Sasuke-kun, you know~"
"Hmph."
Sasuke let out a cold snort from the side but said nothing else.
Which was basically tacit agreement.
"Byakuya…?"
Lee looked puzzled.
"I've never met him before, but…
I still firmly believe—
Neji is the strongest!"