28: Chapter 28 Hinata's Awakening: The First Signs of Her Inner PathThat barely perceptible, warm yet unwavering energy flowed silently into Hinata's body through Naruto's palm.
Hinata Hyuga's body suddenly stiffened.
The icy sea of fear deep within her heart did not disappear, but a surge of scalding magma erupted from the seabed, forcefully resisting the biting cold.
She slowly raised her head, and for the first time, a faint but inextinguishable flame ignited in her pure white eyes, which had always been timid and evasive.
[Ding!You have received 3500 units of Ultimate [Determination] from Hinata Hyuga!]
[Ding!You have received 2800 "Gratitude" from Hinata Hyuga!]
Naruto could clearly sense that the originally dim blue aura on Hinata, which represented her own emotions, seemed to have brightened a bit at this moment.
She looked at Naruto, her lips moved, but she couldn't say anything.
Then, she turned around and faced the cousin who had brought her endless childhood trauma.
In the center of the field, the brother and sister stood facing each other.
Neji Hyuga scrutinized Hinata with a condescending air; his indifference and aloofness were more hurtful than any weapon.
"Hinata, I advise you to give up now."
His voice was flat, yet it contained a chilling malice.
"Your personality is completely unsuitable for being a ninja.You're kind, weak, and always put other people's feelings first.You'll only become a burden to others."
[Ding!You have received 2000 units of "Arrogance" from Hyuga Neji!]
[Ding!You have received 1500 units of [Pain] from Hinata Hyuga!]
Neji raised his hand and pointed to the part of his forehead that was covered by his headband.
"From the moment a person is born, their fate is already determined.Just like me, I was born into a branch family, and I must bear the curse of the 'caged bird' for the rest of my life, protecting the main family until death.This is an unchangeable fate."
His words were filled with resentment towards his own fate and hatred towards the main family that had imposed that fate upon him.
"And you, Hinata, your fate is to live as a loser.No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot change that fact.Just like my father, who died protecting the main family, that was his fate!"
[Ding!You have received 4000 units of ultimate [resentment] from Hyuga Neji!]
Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing Hinata's heart.
She remembered her father's disappointed comments and the disdainful remarks from her family.
The trembling in my body started again.
However, the lingering warmth on her shoulder and the image of someone cheering her on in her mind kept her from backing down.
"No.that's not it!"
Hinata's voice was still soft, but it carried an unprecedented firmness.
"I.I'm also trying to change!I also want to become.an excellent ninja!"
She adopted the starting stance of Soft Fist.
[Ding!You have received 3000 [Determination] from Hinata Hyuga!]
"What a laughable obsession." Neji sneered."Since you insist on defying fate, then I'll make you see reality for what it is."
The battle begins.
Hinata took the initiative to attack.Although her movements were still a bit clumsy, she put all her strength into every move.
However, her attacks seemed so powerless in the face of a genius hailed as one in a century for the Hyuga clan.
Neji didn't even move a step.
He simply stood there and easily blocked all of Hinata's attacks with his bare hands.
"Too slow."
"The force was too weak."
"You have too many flaws."
Every time he spoke, he would precisely tap the meridians on Hinata's arm with his fingertips.
puff.
puff.
After a few exchanges, Hinata's right arm fell limply to her side, and the flow of chakra was completely blocked.
"This is the insurmountable gap between you and me.It's a gap in talent, and also a gap in fate."
Neji's figure blurred, and he instantly appeared in front of Hinata.
"Eight Trigrams Second Palm!"
He showed no mercy, pressing both palms heavily into Hinata's chest.
Hinata let out a muffled groan, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a small mouthful of blood.
"Don't you understand yet?Your very existence is an insult to the name Hyuga." Neji slowly approached, his verbal attacks more cruel than his physical blows."Give up.Admitting your incompetence is your only way out."
Naruto, standing in the stands, had long since lost his smile.
He watched all of this calmly.
He knew that this was a necessary part of Hinata's growth.
No destruction, no construction.Only in the deepest despair can the most dazzling light shine.
However, reason is one thing, and emotion is another.
Neji's actions of crushing a person's dignity and will bit by bit with words made him feel a kind of physical disgust.
This is no longer a competition.
This is a one-sided, cruel form of mental torture.
That's about enough.Hinata has already proven her courage.
Next, it's his turn to step in as the "behind-the-scenes manipulator."
Naruto's consciousness is absorbed into the system.
"System, exchange for [Heart Path - Emotional Resonance LV1] and [Heart Path - Spiritual Transmission LV1]."
[Confirmed consumption of 30,000 Glory Points?]
"confirm."
A completely new spiritual power, entirely different from chakra and cursed power, awakened deep within his soul.
It is a power that can directly interfere with and even transmit emotions.
Naruto focused his mental energy intensely on the petite figure struggling to get up in the arena.
His lips did not move.
But his voice transformed into an invisible warm current, transcending the distance of space and resounding directly in Hinata's mind.
"Stand up, Hinata!"
The voice was firm and powerful, without the slightest hesitation.
You are not aloneFight!You still have me!
Hinata, who was overwhelmed by despair and pain, suddenly shuddered.
That voice.it's Naruto!
That voice was like a beam of light that tore through endless darkness, instantly shattering all the confusion and fear in her heart.
She is not alone.
She still has him.
[Ding!You have received 6000 units of ultimate [dependency] from Hinata Hyuga!]
[Ding!You have received 8000 units of ultimate [love] from Hinata Hyuga!]
[Ding!You have received 5000 units of Ultimate Unyielding from Hinata Hyuga!]
An unprecedented power surged from the depths of her soul.
Hinata struggled, and with trembling legs, slowly stood up once again.
Her pure white eyes were fixed on the indifferent figure in front of her, without a trace of fear.
"I.will never take back my words.because.this is my ninja way!"
With all her might, she shouted out the words she had always wanted to say.
Neji's expression changed for the first time.
He couldn't understand it.
Why?
Why can this weakling, who has been completely defeated and whose chakra has been sealed, still stand up?Where does her will come from?
[Ding!You have received 3000 [Confusion] from Hyuga Neji!]
[Ding!You have received 2500 units of [Rage] from Hyuga Neji!]
"Stubborn to the end!"
Neji's anger was ignited.
Hinata didn't speak again; she gathered all the remaining chakra in her hands.
"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
With a sharp cry, she charged towards Neji, her hands blurring into countless afterimages as she unleashed a palm technique secretly passed down through the Hyuga clan.
Although her palm techniques were full of flaws due to insufficient chakra and physical injuries, she didn't even manage to hit Neji with a single palm strike.
But this indomitable will, this burning determination of life, shocked everyone present.
"That's enough!"
Neji's patience was completely exhausted.
He dodged Hinata's attack, slashed at her wrist with a palm strike, and then delivered a furious blow to her heart.
puff!
Hinata's body flew out again like a kite with a broken string.This time, she was unable to stand up and completely lost consciousness.
The referee announced the result of the match.
The medical team rushed into the field.
Just as everyone was still immersed in the fierce battle, an orange figure leaped down from the stands, so fast that only a blur remained.
Naruto rushed to Hinata's side and carefully and gently picked up the injured and unconscious girl.
Then, he slowly raised his head.
He looked at Hyuga Neji, who was not far away.
Those azure eyes no longer held any smile or anger, only a bottomless, chilling coldness.
He spoke softly in a voice so calm it was eerily quiet, a voice only Neji could hear.
"You're wrong, Neji."
"Fate?Will?These are just excuses for the weak.I will show you that true 'choice' is above all else."
Prev Next