join patreon.com/worldoffanfiction for advanced chapters and to support the daily update
"Even though Neji Nii-san is only one year older than me, he's the most talented genius of the Hyuga clan. He probably already possesses strength not inferior to a Genin... if I were to fight him, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..." Hinata lacked much confidence in her heart. Although her strength had rapidly progressed over the past three months, she hadn't experienced many real battles due to a lack of opponents. So, she truly didn't know how strong she actually was. Subconsciously, she believed she couldn't beat Neji Hyuga.
Liu Chen said calmly, "If I say you can beat him, you can beat him." Hinata's bewildered expression on her small face slightly froze. Her tender lips pursed. Her heart was engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Just as Neji Hyuga's back was about to disappear, she suddenly gritted her teeth and spoke: "I... I won't allow you to speak of Iruka Sensei that way! And... and I definitely didn't use connections to become first in class!"
"Ne... Neji Hyuga! I, Hinata Hyuga, challenge you today!" She finally mustered her courage at the most crucial moment. She spoke the words she most wanted to say from the bottom of her heart. Neji Hyuga, who was about to leave, suddenly heard such a statement, words he thought he would never hear in his life. An astonished expression instantly appeared on his face, his Byakugan eyes filled with disbelief. He even wondered if there was something wrong with his ears again. Were these truly words spoken by Lady Hinata?! This seemed completely different from her usual demeanor. He couldn't help but frown and turn around, looking at his somewhat unfamiliar cousin, and coldly said, "Are you sure you want to challenge me, Lady Hinata? Your personality is naturally unsuitable to be a ninja. This is the arrangement of fate." "If you challenge me today, then it is you who initiated the conflict. Even if I, a member of the branch family, lay hands on you, you will have no right to say much, and I will not be breaking the rigid, old rules." Hinata nodded with resolute determination: "I will... stake my honor and challenge you!"
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Many were aware of the conflict between the main family and the branch family of the Hyuga clan. Even the students at the Ninja Academy had heard rumors. Now, the main family and the branch family of the Hyuga clan... one a great genius. The other a young lady. The two of them had actually initiated a duel... This was somewhat beyond everyone's expectations. After all, in normal times, this would be utterly impossible. Yet now, this impossible event was happening right before their eyes. It was after school, and there were many Ninja Academy students at the school gate. They had all more or less heard the conversation between Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga. A thought instantly arose in their minds... Something big is happening! There's a show to watch! Anyone could tell that the atmosphere had become very tense. The two of them gave off the distinct feeling that they would come to blows at the slightest disagreement. One of them was the top genius of the fifth grade, and also the strongest genius of the Hyuga clan. The other was the top genius of the fourth grade, and also the young lady of the Hyuga clan's main family. In some respects, their identities were actually quite similar. This was a struggle between prestigious noble families. Many commoners would never see such a thing in their entire lives!
"Since you've made such a foolish decision, I will let you know what regret feels like. I will show you that you are fundamentally unsuited to be a ninja." A cold glint flashed across Neji Hyuga's face. He had waited for this opportunity for too long. He had always thought he would have to wait until the Chunin Exams to have a chance to fight the main family's young lady. He hadn't expected this opportunity to come early... was this also the arrangement of fate?!
"I won't lose! I... I want to become the first female Hokage in Konoha's history!! I, Hinata Hyuga, am not the weak waste you speak of..." Even though Hinata Hyuga's voice wasn't decisive, everyone could hear the unwavering resolve within it. Even Liu Chen couldn't help but slightly pause, a look of intrigued amusement on his face. It seemed Hinata's personality change this time was more significant than usual. This girl had actually set a goal for herself. The first female Hokage in Konoha's history... that little goal was quite interesting. If he remembered correctly, during the Chunin Exams in the original story, Hinata was around 14 years old. At that time, Orochimaru fought the Third Hokage, but the Third Hokage died a heroic death. Not long after, Tsunade Senju became the Fifth Hokage. If this girl wanted to become the first female Hokage in Konoha's history, then she would have to, before Tsunade took office, possess strength not inferior to the Legendary Sannin... This little goal was truly ambitious.
However, Liu Chen thought it was quite achievable. In the One Piece world, although he only joined the Marines at 15, he became a Marine Admiral at 21, possessing power at one of the world's peaks. The time it took for this... was about 6 years. Hinata was now around 9 years old. In 6 years, she would be about 15. The timeframe was actually not that far off.
"Since this little girl has such great confidence, then I should also have some confidence that I can nurture her within six years, right?! After all, this girl's bottomless appetite is truly extraordinarily exaggerated." Liu Chen's thoughts, at some point, had already drifted elsewhere. To be honest, his talent truly couldn't compare to Hinata's. But the effort he had put in... was more than ten times that of anyone else! At that time, even his teacher Zephyr had said: "If you continue like this, you might burn out before you're 19 and be a cripple for life." But Liu Chen, defying everyone's expectations, had persevered. With a self-abusive training method... he surpassed those so-called geniuses. The amount of effort he put in, the hardships he endured, were unimaginable to anyone. The suffering that Luffy experienced in the original story was simply insignificant compared to Liu Chen's.