Inside the sealed barrier, Hinata moved like a streak of lightning, her small frame darting across the Eight Trigrams pattern etched beneath her feet. Her breathing was steady, but her movements carried an intensity far beyond her age. Each palm strike flowed seamlessly into the next, her body acting on instinct refined through relentless repetition.
In front of her stood a faceless opponent formed entirely of water. Unlike ordinary clones, it did not disperse when struck. Every blow Hinata landed merely distorted its shape before it reformed and counterattacked. Worse still, its strength always exceeded hers by just a fraction—enough to push her to her limits, but never enough to crush her completely.
It was a perfect opponent.
A relentless one.
Hinata gritted her teeth as she activated Rotation, a burst of chakra spiraling outward to deflect an incoming strike. Her arms trembled, but she didn't stop. Instead, she stepped forward again, her palms accelerating as she pushed past exhaustion.
She had been fighting like this for an entire month.
No rest. No pause. No mercy.
Each time her body broke down, the barrier restored her. Each time she reached her limit, she was forced to surpass it.
And now—
Something changed.
Without realizing it, her movements sharpened. Her strikes became faster, heavier, more precise. The rhythm of her attacks doubled in intensity.
"Eight Trigrams… One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
The technique erupted from her like a storm. Her palms struck in rapid succession, overwhelming the water construct before it could react. In a matter of seconds, the opponent collapsed, dissolving into mist under the sheer force of her assault.
Hinata dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. Her body felt like it had been dragged through water, every muscle trembling with exhaustion. Yet her eyes remained clear—focused, cold, and determined in a way no three-year-old should be.
A soft green light descended, washing over her.
In an instant, the fatigue vanished.
Her body returned to peak condition.
She inhaled sharply, blinking in confusion as she looked around. The water opponent didn't return. The oppressive presence that had filled the barrier for the past month was suddenly gone.
Five minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
Then, without warning—
The barrier shattered.
---
Hinata found herself standing by the lake once more.
Reality had returned.
Nearby, Neji stood silently.
But he was no longer the same.
His posture was straight, his presence sharp like a drawn blade. There was a quiet intensity in his gaze—something dangerous, something refined. Even standing still, he radiated pressure that made the air feel heavier.
"Brother Neji… where's the teacher?" Hinata asked softly.
Neji scanned their surroundings. The towering statues of Hashirama and Madara still loomed over the valley. The house Naruto had created stood nearby, now covered in dust—as if abandoned for far longer than a month.
Naruto himself was gone.
"…He's gone," Neji said after a long pause.
Then, without hesitation, he knelt.
Lowering his head, he bowed three times.
"Teacher… I will never forget your grace."
Hinata hesitated for a moment before following his lead. Though she didn't fully understand everything that had happened, she could feel it.
They had changed.
Completely.
---
The training they had endured was beyond brutal.
A full month of nonstop combat, facing enemies stronger than themselves, being pushed to the brink over and over again. Each failure forced them to improve. Each collapse forced them to rise again.
This wasn't training.
It was reconstruction.
Neji clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power within his body. It flowed naturally now, controlled and precise.
He understood something clearly.
Even his father—
Hyuga Hizashi—
Was no longer his equal.
"…I'm strong," he murmured.
---
After waiting two more days with no sign of Naruto, Neji made the decision to leave. Guiding Hinata, he led her back toward Konoha.
When they arrived—
The entire village was shaken.
Inside the Hyuga compound, Senju Tobirama was already present, overseeing the unstable situation. The past month had been chaotic: rising tensions with the Hidden Cloud, internal unrest, and the political vacuum left behind after Hiruzen's removal.
Even Tobirama had been stretched thin.
Fortunately, Tsunade and Jiraiya had returned, helping stabilize the situation.
"Neji!"
"Hinata!"
The Hyuga clan rushed forward, relief evident on their faces. Hiashi and Hizashi stepped forward, emotions barely contained.
But before the reunion could settle—
A cold voice cut through the air.
"Neji. As a member of the branch family, you must reapply the Caged Bird Seal."
Silence fell instantly.
The Hyuga elders had spoken.
The old system—
Trying to reassert itself.
Hiashi frowned. "There's no need. It was already removed."
But the elder shook his head firmly. "This is tradition. It cannot be broken."
---
Neji stepped forward slowly.
His eyes were calm.
Cold.
"If you want to try…"
"Go ahead."
The elder sneered, stepping forward confidently. To him, Neji was still just a child.
He formed hand signs and pushed his chakra forward—
But it stopped.
Completely blocked.
"…Impossible!"
The elder's expression twisted in rage.
"If you refuse—then die!"
He raised his palm to strike—
"STOP—!"
Too late.
Neji moved.
A single strike.
BOOM!
The elder's body flew backward, crashing into the wall with a sickening impact. Blood spilled from his mouth as his chest caved inward.
Silence.
Neji stood where he was, his fist slowly lowering.
---
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even Hizashi—
Was stunned.
Another elder shouted, his voice shaking with fury.
"You dare attack your elders?!"
Neji turned his head slightly, his gaze sharp.
"Do you represent the entire clan?"
The contempt in his voice was unmistakable.
"Seize him!"
Several clan members rushed forward.
Neji exhaled softly.
"Good."
"Let's see… how strong I've become."
---
He vanished.
And in the next instant—
He appeared in the middle of them.
His movements were impossible to follow. His strikes flowed like water, yet hit like thunder. One by one, the clan members were sent flying, unable to resist, unable to react.
Even Hiashi—
Was struck.
His body lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall behind him.
CRASH.
The wall shattered.
---
Neji stood alone in the center.
Unshaken.
"…Too weak," he said calmly.
"I'm disappointed."
---
The entire clan fell silent.
Hiashi stared in disbelief.
Hizashi trembled slightly.
Because he knew—
Just one month ago—
Neji was still a beginner.
Now—
He stood above them all.
---
Even Tobirama remained silent for a long moment.
Then, slowly—
"…Even the Sage of Six Paths…"
"…might not achieve something like this."
His gaze burned with intensity.
Because now—
He finally understood.
That blond boy—
Had not just trained them.
He had rewritten fate itself.
-------------------------
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