"Stop!!"
At the critical moment—
Three figures flashed down from the stands like lightning.
Kakashi Hatake. Might Guy. Kurenai Yūhi.
Three elite jōnin of Konoha landed between Neji and Hinata, forcibly intercepting his lethal strike.
Guy and Kurenai restrained Neji firmly, pinning him in place. His body trembled violently with fury and unwillingness as he struggled against them. He craned his neck toward the stretcher where Hinata was being hurried away by the medical team and let out a hoarse, desperate roar:
"Why?! Why?! Just because she's Main Family?! Just because she's the heiress?!"
"Is this what you call fairness?!"
"This is… destiny!!!"
His voice echoed through the arena—raw with grief, rage, and accusation. Countless spectators were left shaken, emotions tangled and heavy.
On the other side—
Hinata, lying on the stretcher, had already slipped into semi-consciousness.
Just before losing awareness completely, she seemed to hear a familiar voice. Her pale lips trembled faintly.
"Naruto-kun… did I… get… a little stronger…?"
Across the arena, Uzumaki Naruto had witnessed everything.
His eyes were bloodshot with fury.
Pointing at Neji, he shouted, "Neji! You bastard! I'm gonna beat you into the ground!!!"
Neji, breathing heavily, forced his surging chakra back under control. He cast Naruto a cold glance, then looked once more toward the direction Hinata had been carried away.
A sharp, mocking curve formed at the corner of his mouth.
His voice returned to its usual calm—colder than ever.
"A loser is always a loser. No matter if it's you…"
His gaze shifted again toward where Hinata had disappeared.
"…or her."
"You'll never escape your 'fate.'"
Then he added, his tone cutting like a blade:
"And she's badly hurt because of you."
Silence fell over the arena.
The sky screen froze—
On Neji's cold profile.
And Naruto's burning, defiant glare.
Inside the Hyūga Main House
One of the more hot-tempered Main Family elders shot to his feet, veins bulging at his temples. His pale eyes burned with fury as he stared at Neji in the sky screen.
"Outrageous! That Branch Family whelp dares raise his hand against the main Family! In front of the entire shinobi world, no less—attempting to kill Hinata!"
He slammed his palm onto the table, rattling the teacups.
"Guards! Seize Hyūga Neji at once! According to clan law, he will be severely punished! Strip him of his shinobi status and—"
"Enough."
The low, commanding voice cut through the outburst.
Hyūga Hiashi.
The clan head, seated at the head of the chamber, had remained silent until now.
His expression was just as dark. A vein pulsed at his temple. Beneath his wide sleeves, his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
Neji's killing intent toward his daughter—and those piercing accusations—
They cut like blades.
As a father, how could he not be enraged?
But he saw further than the others.
The rebuked elder turned sharply. "Hiashi! What do you mean 'enough'? He tried to kill Hinata! Your own daughter! One of the future heirs of the main Family! If we do not punish him severely, what becomes of our clan's laws and authority?!"
Hiashi slowly loosened his fists, deep nail marks etched into his skin.
He took a slow breath, suppressing both his anger and something far more complicated.
"Let it go."
"Let it go?!" The elder nearly thought he had misheard.
"When Neji first appeared on the sky screen as one of its 'protagonists,'" Hiashi said evenly, his gaze sweeping over the elders, "there were already at least three ANBU squads stationed near him."
He paused.
"The sky screen does not merely reveal Neji's 'future.' It reveals Konoha's future."
"In the Hokage's eyes—and in the village's—Neji is no longer just a talented Branch Family youth."
"He is someone marked by the sky screen. A key variable in the future of the shinobi world."
"Any action taken against him is no longer purely a Hyūga 'family matter.'"
The room fell silent.
The furious elder's face paled. He opened his mouth—then closed it again.
The others, who had been brimming with indignation moments before, now looked uncertain.
They had focused only on Neji's defiance.
They had forgotten that his identity had fundamentally changed.
"So… we just leave it at that?" the hot-tempered elder asked unwillingly, though his tone had softened.
Another elder, one who had remained quiet until now—sharp-eyed and calculating—finally spoke.
"Why the rush? We still don't know what Neji becomes in the future. The sky screen has shown only this one battle."
He shifted his gaze slowly around the chamber, then let it rest meaningfully on Hiashi.
"And besides… did none of you notice something else… worth paying attention to?"
"You mean…" someone hesitated. "Uzumaki Naruto?"
The name changed the air in the room instantly.
Even Hiashi's expression shifted subtly.
The calculating elder nodded.
"Yes. Uzumaki Naruto."
He lowered his voice.
"Hinata's relationship with him does not look like that of mere classmates. It is obvious… she harbors deep feelings for him."
A faint murmur spread through the chamber.
The elder continued, unable to fully hide his excitement.
"And what is Uzumaki Naruto? A terrifying existence in the future. Whether he walks the path of destruction or redemption, one thing is certain—"
"He will stand at the very peak of the shinobi world."
He let the implication settle before finishing:
"If—hypothetically—Hinata were to truly be with him… what would that mean for the Hyūga clan?"
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