Neji didn't proclaim, "A person's destiny is something that can never be changed," like in the original script.
Preaching on its own was meaningless. In the world of shinobi, a lecture only worked after defeating your opponent—just like Naruto. His talk-no-jutsu always came after landing his punches, didn't it?
Hinata closed her eyes, and a certain spiky-haired blond flashed across her mind.
"This time... I won't run away anymore! Let's settle this, Neji-nii-san!"
Plop!
"The match is over, Lady Hinata," Neji said.
With a single strike—without even activating his Byakugan—he sealed the chakra points on Hinata's shoulder. The Hyūga specialized in the Gentle Fist; once chakra flow was blocked, a shinobi's ability to fight was completely neutralized.
Hinata crumpled to the ground without a sound. The match ended so quickly it stunned the audience.
Without waiting for the examiner's announcement, Neji turned and started walking back toward the second-floor observation deck. He had a whole speech planned—lines he had carefully thought out—but now, standing here, he couldn't bring himself to say any of it. The feeling had vanished. He had no desire to preach, so he just skipped that part altogether.
"...Cough, cough... Wait! Neji-nii-san, I haven't lost yet!" Hinata pushed herself up off the ground, struggling to rise. She looked up at the stands—and at a certain blond boy—and smiled brightly.
Their eyes met. Naruto stared at her, stunned. "Whoa... Hinata's really tough!"
Neji turned to look at Hinata, his gaze cold.
"Are you really trying to continue this fight... or are you just trying to impress your crush? If you like Naruto, just say it outright. Why pretend to be strong in front of everyone?"
Hinata's face turned bright red, and she swayed from the sudden dizziness.
Naruto, being Naruto, immediately shouted, "Whaaat?! Hinata likes me?!"
At once, the crowd's attention shifted between Hinata and Naruto. Meanwhile, Naruto instinctively glanced over at Sakura.
...Talk about a complicated love triangle.
Sakura said nothing. Ever since the encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, she had been... distant, like she had realized something important.
"I'm not giving up, Neji-nii-san!" Hinata said firmly.
"Fine, if you insist," Neji replied nonchalantly, waving his hand.
Another swift move. Neji sealed the chakra points on Hinata's other shoulder.
Hinata fell again.
"She won't be able to stand up this time... right?" Neji thought. He had already been holding back considerably.
Yet even when her chakra was sealed, Hinata clung to her belief in Naruto and forced herself to continue fighting.
Everyone could see the huge gap between her and Neji's strength. Hinata's teacher, Kurenai-sensei, looked ready to call off the match. But then Naruto suddenly yelled out:
"Hinata! Don't give up!"
And just like that, Hinata struggled back onto her feet.
...
Neji looked up at Naruto, baffled. Didn't he realize how badly Hinata could get hurt if this dragged on? Did he think a few fiery words would magically let someone surpass their limits mid-battle?
This wasn't a fairy tale. In the world of shinobi, talking didn't boost your stats!
...
When Hinata collapsed for the third time, Hayate-sensei, the proctor, finally decided to stop the match.But again, Naruto shouted:
"Don't stop it! Let her keep going!"
Fueled by Naruto's encouragement, Hinata stood up once more.
Was this... the power of love?
Even Neji had to admit, her persistence was admirable. For a fleeting second, he felt a twinge of emotion stir in his heart.
And immediately stomped it out.
Emotion? Sentimentality? Those were weaknesses. He refused to let his heart, blackened by reality, be tainted by such disgusting feelings!
...
As expected, Hinata collapsed yet again. This time, Neji struck harder, making sure she wouldn't get up again. Seriously, it was starting to get annoying.
And then something strange happened. Almost all the Jōnin jumped in at once, forcefully stopping the match and rushing to check Hinata's injuries.
Kurenai even glared at Neji and scolded him for being too harsh.
"Such a hypocrite..."Although Neji usually kept his composure, this time he couldn't hold back his resentment.
"What did you say?!" Kurenai snapped, fury flashing in her eyes.The other Jōnin also shot him disapproving looks.
"I said you're a hypocrite, plain and simple," Neji retorted coolly. He didn't even try to hide his disdain.
"You expected me to hold back? To be 'moved' by Hinata's so-called determination and let her win?"
"This is a battle, not a game. Getting hurt is part of it! If you can't handle that, you don't belong on the battlefield! She should just go home and be a princess or something!"
"You didn't care when the other contestants got injured. But now you act all self-righteous?"
Neji's words fired out like bullets. Then he turned to Hayate-sensei:
"Referee, I believe that counts as my victory, doesn't it?"
Hayate awkwardly nodded.
Neji clutched his chest theatrically.
"Phew... For a moment there, I thought with all these Jōnin backing Hinata up, you might actually declare her the winner."
"Hyūga Neji, you've gone too far!" Naruto roared.
"What exactly did I say that was wrong?" Neji smirked, lifting his chin arrogantly.
The expression on his face—sharp, scornful, with that air of superiority—reminded Naruto of someone.
Sasuke!
Neji's sharp tongue and arrogance were just like Sasuke's!
No wonder they could be friends.
Naruto wanted to argue back, but Neji didn't bother responding anymore. He didn't want to deal with Naruto's nonsense, nor the self-righteous Jōnin trying to blame him.
Naruto had interfered again and again, cheering Hinata on, leading her to believe she could somehow win—only for her to get hurt worse each time. No one blamed Naruto for his reckless encouragement. No one blamed Hinata for her stubbornness. But somehow, Neji was the villain for simply doing his job.
Tch tch tch...What a wonderful village, Konoha.
...
After tearing everyone a new one, Neji felt strangely refreshed. Yep, venting negative emotions right away was the healthiest choice.
As he left the arena, he thought again about that old manga. Everyone's destiny was different. Why did Naruto expect someone shackled by the "Caged Bird" seal to believe in changing fate?
Just because Naruto was the "main character," did that mean everyone else had to share his beliefs?
What a joke.
Neji turned away calmly and walked off. Up on the observation deck, shinobi from the other villages exchanged amused glances.
They hadn't expected Konoha to air their dirty laundry like this during something as important as the Chūnin Exams.
So far, most people believed Neji had been wrong. They thought: Why cause a scene? Just grin and bear it for the village's reputation.
...
Asuma intercepted Neji on his way out, trying to convince him to apologize to Kurenai.
Neji stared at him like he was an idiot, then raised a slender eyebrow and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Apologies. I didn't realize Kurenai-san was your fiancée... and the future daughter-in-law of the Hokage. I shouldn't have called her a hypocrite."
"I hereby officially declare: Kurenai-san is not a hypocrite. What I said earlier was just... a slip of the tongue."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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