"Brother Neji, be careful!"
Dressed in a tight black training outfit, her wide pant legs bound by leg wraps, Hinata called out earnestly to her cousin before launching into her attack with measured precision.
A full year had passed since Hizashi Hyuga's sacrifice. The day after Hinata awoke from her coma and set her small goal of becoming Hokage, she began training under Hiashi's guidance to refine chakra. As a member of a kekkei genkai clan, however, Hinata's progress was disappointing. She extracted her first strand of chakra later than her clansmen—even later than the average civilian ninja.
Hinata tried hard, but her results betrayed her efforts. Chakra, the foundation of a ninja's power, was a blend of physical and mental energy in precise proportions. Despite her diligence and the lingering sense of chakra from her dream, Hinata struggled. Her body was that of a true three-year-old, but her mind carried the weight of another life from her dream. This imbalance caused her to unconsciously pour too much mental energy into her chakra, leading to repeated failures.
These constant failures crushed Hiashi's expectations. By the third month of training, when Hinata finally produced a faint wisp of chakra, he had already stopped personally teaching her, concluding she was unsuited to be a ninja.
Perhaps it was this disappointment in his eldest daughter that led Hiashi to consider having another child.
Slap, slap, slap… The sound of palms clashing echoed through the empty dojo. Every strike from Hinata was deftly blocked by Neji.
Neither activated their Byakugan nor infused chakra into their palms. They were merely sparring to familiarize themselves with the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist style.
Having lost his father, Neji trained alone using Hizashi's ninjutsu scrolls. Having lost her father's attention, Hinata, hesitant to spar with Hiashi, sought out Neji—the only peer she felt close to in the Hyuga clan.
"Young Lady, that strike was off," Neji said, blocking a wayward blow. "It should target the chest." Hearing Hinata's labored breathing, he noted she hadn't called for a break. As her sparring partner, Neji felt responsible for correcting her mistakes.
He pushed her arm aside with more force, exposing her chest, then assumed a perfect Gentle Fist stance to strike the opening. Though his expression was serious, he was ready to stop if needed. Since Hinata's words at Hizashi's shrine, Neji no longer directed his resentment toward her—a reason he agreed to spar with her.
Neji believed his strike was unstoppable against Hinata's wide-open guard. Yet, inches from her chest, his palm met an invisible barrier, as if armor blocked his attack. His expression shifted. Before Hinata could counter, he used chakra to speed up, retreating from her range. Activating his Byakugan, he saw a small burst of chakra emanating from her chest's tenketsu.
Neji's eyes widened. This "failure" of a Hyuga had achieved something he couldn't. Preparing for another strike, he kept his Byakugan active and infused chakra into his attack.
But Neji's preparations were in vain. Hinata, still unable to balance her mental energy, had so little chakra she couldn't even sustain her Byakugan for a moment.
"Let's call it a draw today, Neji-nii," Hinata said, waving a hand and catching her breath before ending the session.
"Hm. That makes our forty-first draw, Young Lady," Neji replied, nodding noncommittally. He couldn't understand why this stubborn girl refused to admit defeat.
"Come on, Young Lady, is saying 'I give up' really that hard?"
"And is calling me Hinata really that hard, Neji-nii?"
This exchange, repeated countless times, was predictable. Hinata refused to surrender because she clung to her dream of becoming Hokage—and she genuinely hadn't lost. Neji refused to call her by name to remind himself of the divide between the branch family and the main family's heiress, despite no longer resenting her.
At four and five years old, neither could voice their true thoughts or guess the other's. Each saw the other's stubbornness as childish obstinacy.
"Young Lady, haven't you found a way to refine more chakra?" Neji asked. "No one says it to your face, but I've heard plenty call you a hopeless failure behind your back."
Hinata's smile faded. Since waking from her coma, her shyness had begun to wane, but her chakra struggles had driven her to retreat inward again—not out of timidity, but to ignore the clan's scornful whispers.
"There's no way around it," she said. "Father had the hospital's head medic examine me. It's not an illness—it's a flaw in my talent. Like some can't use ninjutsu, my mental energy is too strong, and I can't refine chakra properly until my physical strength catches up. There's hope I'll grow quickly once they balance, but my body's too frail for intense training, and my mental energy keeps growing."
Hinata knew her problem well. Unable to solve her chakra issue, she poured her efforts into mastering Gentle Fist and the Kaiten technique—skills too advanced for her age.
She lowered her head, hiding her unease to avoid worrying Neji. Her efforts to hide her feelings only deepened her isolation.
Neji's blunt words, meant to spur her, backfired. Seeing Hinata's dejection, he regretted speaking. At five, he barely understood that a girl's chest was more than a "vital point," let alone how to comfort one.
"Hinata, I'm heading back," he said. "Don't worry—Father asked the Hokage to search for Lady Tsunade. If anyone can fix this, it's her."
Neji fled, like a child who'd upset a playmate and didn't know how to make amends. He could only put distance between them.
Alone in the small dojo, Hinata steadied her emotions. She resumed practicing Gentle Fist, her strikes now flawless. Her earlier mistakes were deliberate—she hadn't wanted to hurt Neji.
Though her personality had changed, Hinata's innate kindness remained untouched.