Chapter 59: Never Give Up
Seeing Neji activate his Byakugan, Hinata also exhaled. She extended her small hands into a fighting stance and gave a soft cry:
"Byakugan, activate."
Chakra surged, and Hinata's Byakugan activated instantly. The two faced off against each other.
After seeing both of them activate their Byakugan, the spectators turned their gazes toward the arena, wanting to see this confrontation between Hyuga clan members.
Immediately afterward, the two began to fight. Neji attacked first.
Neji was truly a rare genius of the Hyuga clan. Under his application, the Byakugan was like a tiger with wings. He used it very skillfully and precisely.
He seemed able to see Hinata's weaknesses, attacking her from every angle.
But Hinata was not to be outdone.
Perhaps it was because she had been inspired by seeing Naruto's immense strength before, but Hinata had also been training very diligently over the past several days. Her strength had improved greatly as well.
Facing Neji's relentless series of attacks, Hinata moved her body like a dancer and skillfully blocked each one.
Seeing that Hinata was able to block his attacks, Neji was slightly surprised by her progress.
But soon, Neji snorted coldly and decided to go all out.
Perhaps it was the branch house's mistreatment that drove Neji. He grew more and more aggressive, using powerful techniques right from the start.
Neji took a few steps back, planted his feet, stared at Hinata, and shouted angrily:
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
The words rang out.
An Eight Trigrams pattern appeared beneath Neji's feet, spreading out to cover the surrounding area. Hinata, who happened to be within the range of the Eight Trigrams, became the target of his attack.
Then Neji suddenly launched his assault.
Following his angry shout, Neji's next attacks came as fast as afterimages—very fierce, raining down like a torrential storm.
The power behind each punch was immense. They struck at all the important tenketsu points of the human body, overwhelming Hinata.
The Hyuga clan members sitting in the stands saw Neji perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—and so proficiently at that—and they all stood up in shock, watching the scene in disbelief.
But something that surprised them even more happened next.
After Neji had attacked for a while, Hinata forcefully pushed him back. She took a few steps back and cried out softly:
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
The words sounded, and Hinata's attack grew fierce as well.
Just like what Neji had done moments ago, every move and every punch collided with his.
It was just that unlike Neji's fierce and violent offense, Hinata's Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms looked softer and more ingenious—like a dance, very eye-catching.
The Hyuga clan members, who had just recovered from the shock of Neji's amazing talent, were shocked again at this sight.
Everyone opened their eyes wide, watching the scene in disbelief. They could hardly believe it.
One of the disciples from the main branch of the Hyuga clan even cried out in astonishment:
"How is this possible? Lady Hinata can use the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms too?"
That's right. Hinata had used the Eight Trigrams Palms as well. And she was no less skilled and precise than the genius Neji.
This made the Hyuga clan feel even more amazed.
They had all always thought of Hinata as the dead-last of the Hyuga family. But at this moment, she was giving them such a big surprise.
At such a young age, she could use such an advanced boxing technique.
Was this really the Hinata the Hyuga clan had always looked down on?
In truth, they didn't know how hard Hinata had been working behind the scenes.
Ever since seeing Naruto's powerful side in that sparring match, Hinata had doubled her training. She worked hard every day, trying to catch up to Naruto.
The collision of two Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms made the battle scene extremely intense and very eye-catching.
The sound of impacts echoed continuously from the arena.
The fight between the two was in full swing. The outcome was hard to predict.
Soon, after the full Sixty-Four Palms had been exchanged, everyone saw the state of the two fighters.
Both of them looked a bit worn. Neji also had two fist marks on his body—clearly hit by Hinata during the exchange.
Seeing this scene, everyone exclaimed in surprise, especially the Hyuga clan.
They knew how strong Hyuga Neji—called the genius of the Hyuga clan—really was. He was outstanding.
Almost invincible among his peers in the Hyuga clan. In the annual internal clan competitions, no one could beat him.
Even some adults who had trained a few years longer than Neji were no match for him. Neji could defeat opponents above his level.
And yet, such an excellent and powerful genius—Neji—had been hit twice in his fight with Hinata, whom they had all considered the dead-last.
It was unbelievable.
On the other hand, Hinata—even though several of her tenketsu had been blocked—still stood tall. She stared at her opponent in front of her, refusing to give up.
However, Hinata's physical strength and chakra seemed to be running low.
The Eight Trigrams Palms exchange had taken a lot out of her. More than half of her tenketsu were sealed. At this moment, she was already panting heavily.
But even so, it made the genin and the Hyuga clan look at Hinata with admiration.
After all, because of the Byakugan, most of her peers couldn't even land a hit on Neji. Hinata—considered the dead-last—had managed to hit Neji twice in their fight.
Neji glanced at the handprints on his body and frowned slightly. His eyes grew even angrier.
He knew that because he had underestimated Hinata, he hadn't used his full strength just now. But he—who bore the pain of the branch house—would never allow himself to be beaten by a member of the main house.
Neji snorted coldly and prepared to strike again.
Even so, everyone knew the outcome had already been decided.
Although Hinata's performance was amazing, impressing everyone, she wasn't yet Neji's match.
Neji had been hit only twice. Hinata's tenketsu were half sealed, and her chakra flow was slowing. She was almost unable to continue fighting.
But Hinata still didn't give up. She bit her lower lip lightly and looked at Neji with determination.
Seeing that Hinata could no longer fight but still gritted her teeth and refused to surrender, Neji grew even more furious. His anger soared. He couldn't help but glare at Hinata and roar:
"Why?"
Hinata was taken aback, looking at Neji, who had lost his composure.
Before she could speak, Neji's roar rang out again:
"Why do you still insist?"
"Why won't you give up?"
"You know you can't beat me."
"You don't have to do anything. You don't have to work hard. You don't need to train. You can just sit in the position of Hyuga clan head. You don't have to bear the pain of the branch house at all."
"But why do you still work so hard? Why? Tell me, Lady Hinata. Why do you do this?"
Hearing Neji's hysterical roar, the Hyuga clan members' faces changed. By now, they seemed to understand why Neji hated the main house so much. It was all because of the conflict between the main house and branch house.
After hearing Neji's roar, Hinata took a deep breath. She glanced at Naruto in the distance, then turned back to look at Neji firmly and said:
"Because I want everyone's approval. I want his approval."
Seeing Hinata's refusal to give up, Neji gritted his teeth in anger. He clenched his fists and said furiously:
"That's why I hate you."
"You can get everything just by reaching out, yet you work harder than anyone else. What do the main house and branch house mean to you? Someone like you could never understand my feelings. You don't know the pain of the branch house at all."
After speaking, Neji roared. His chakra—stronger than before—burst forth.
Then Neji extended his palm again, ready to attack again and end this fight.
Just as Neji was about to make his move, Guy in the stands suddenly shouted:
"That's enough, Neji."
But Neji couldn't hear his words at all. He turned his head and glared at Hinata with hatred, as if wanting to vent all his pain onto her.
Just as Neji was about to attack, another cold shout rang out, making Neji freeze.
"What is that look on your face?"
After the voice sounded, Neji froze for a moment. He turned his head to look at the owner of the voice—someone in the stands.
In the stands, Naruto was watching the scene with an indifferent expression. After glancing tenderly at Hinata, Naruto turned his head to look at Neji.
The owner of that voice was none other than Naruto.
Before Neji could speak, Naruto continued:
"What are those eyes of yours?"
"Do you think you can change anything with your angry expression, your hateful eyes, and your powerless rage?"
"No. You can't. You can only accept it helplessly."
"If you truly want to change the situation of the branch house, you should keep getting stronger. Gain strength beyond ordinary people. Take control of everything. Instead of taking your anger out on an innocent person like Hinata."
Neji gritted his teeth at Naruto's words and roared back in frustration:
"What do you know?"
After speaking, Neji ignored Naruto. He turned and charged at Hinata, ready to end it with one blow.
But at that moment, three figures flashed forward.
Kurenai, Guy, and Kakashi all moved at the same time.
Guy immediately grabbed Neji to stop him.
Kurenai reached out to block Neji's path.
As for Kakashi—
He didn't stop Neji, nor did he interfere with Hinata. Instead, he stood between the two fighters. He looked at Naruto—who had somehow already appeared at the arena in front of Hinata—and stopped Naruto's advance.
Naruto stared at Neji coldly and said indifferently:
"I don't know anything. But if you dare to take one more step forward, I will kill you."