Choji Akimichi was sweating profusely as he ate. After finishing his tenth bowl, he finally couldn't eat anymore.
He looked at Hinata Hyuga, who was still eating gracefully, with a dazed expression, lamenting inwardly. As a member of the Akimichi clan, how could there come a day when my eating capacity would be surpassed? That too such a small and delicate girl?!
"Incredible..." Shikamaru Nara remarked in genuine admiration.
Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka nodded in agreement, sharing the same sentiment. First, they had witnessed Shinho Aburame's power, and now they were seeing Hinata's impressive appetite. Today had been truly eye-opening.
Only Ino Yamanaka was frozen in place, stiff with disbelief.
"What's wrong, Ino?" Shinho turned to look at her.
Ino blushed slightly, and noticing that everyone else was distracted by Hinata, she moved closer to Shinho. Since she was shorter than him, she had to stand on her tiptoes.
"Shinho-kun," Ino asked, a bit embarrassed, "could I borrow some money?"
A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered between them as they stood close.
Shinho smiled as he looked at her youthful face, full of energy, and replied, "Sure."
He casually pulled out a small, elegant wallet with white floral embroidery and handed it to her.
"Thank you," Ino sighed in relief but then suddenly paused.
The wallet was small and delicate, adorned with embroidered white flowers, and didn't seem like something a boy would use.
"I… I'm full," Hinata said softly as she set down her chopsticks.
Feeling uneasy under the watchful eyes of everyone, she worried that their opinions of her might change after seeing her eat so much. But thankfully, her concerns were unfounded.
"How much do we owe, Teuchi-san?" Ino asked as she hurried over to pay.
Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly. Isn't that the wallet I gave Shinho-kun? Does Ino not have enough money?
Outside Ichiraku Ramen, the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru left together since the Ino-Shika-Cho clans lived close to each other.
Sasuke, who had been unusually quiet since school, left alone without saying a word. Naruto, Kiba, and Shino walked off together, leaving just Shinho and Hinata.
As the two headed toward the Hyuga clan's compound, Shinho noticed that Hinata seemed a bit distracted.
"You did really well today," he said, trying to reassure her.
"It's not… it's not that…" Hinata murmured in response, still deep in thought.
"Are you worried about Neji?" Shinho asked gently.
Hinata shook her head but quickly nodded again.
Seeing her adorable expression, Shinho couldn't help but chuckle.
Hinata lowered her head, her cheeks flushing with warmth.
"Um…" she hesitated for a few seconds before gathering the courage to ask, "Shinho-kun, will you be going to the cabin tomorrow?"
"The cabin?" Shinho mused for a moment. "I'll stop by around noon."
Normally, he didn't visit the cabin on Sundays, so Hinata should have known that. Unless… she had a reason to want him there. He couldn't help but feel curious.
Hinata exhaled a sigh of relief.
"See you tomorrow, then," Shinho said as they reached the entrance to the Hyuga compound.
"Goodbye, Shinho-kun," Hinata replied with a nod before turning to walk into the courtyard. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
She saw her father, Hiashi Hyuga, standing at the entrance.
Had he been waiting for her?
"I've already heard about Neji from Tokuma," Hiashi said in a calm tone.
"F-Father, it wasn't Shinho-kun's fault," Hinata quickly blurted out, trying to defend him.
Hiashi's mouth twitched slightly at her flustered response. Has my daughter already been won over, defending an outsider in front of her father like this?
"That's not what I meant," Hiashi said with a rare smile. "You've improved a lot."
At first, when Tokuma had told him what happened, he hadn't believed it. Hinata had actually dared to challenge Neji? And she had even managed to hold her own for a while before losing.
"It's thanks to Shinho-kun," Hinata replied shyly, her fingers nervously poking together in embarrassment.
Hiashi's smile froze on his face. That boy again?
"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," Hiashi said, exhaling deeply.
To be honest, Neji had surprised Hiashi even more than Hinata. Without any formal instruction, Neji had mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms on his own. But then there was Shinho… the boy who had defeated Neji with just one punch. Hiashi couldn't wrap his head around it. On top of that, Shinho seemed to be pulling his daughter's affections away, a fact that gnawed at him.
Uchiha Clan.
"Sasuke?" Mikoto Uchiha called out, noticing Sasuke's backpack but not seeing him anywhere.
Normally, he would have come running into her arms by now with a happy and energetic smile. What had happened?
Mikoto went to Sasuke's room. Opening the door, she found him completely wrapped up in his blanket, with even his head buried beneath it.
"Sasuke?" she asked, sitting on the edge of his bed as she gently pulled the blanket down.
Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot, and seeing this, Mikoto felt a surge of worry.
"Tell me what's wrong," she said softly, her voice full of concern.
"I… I'm fine," Sasuke muttered, turning away.
"You're clearly not fine," Mikoto said, reaching out to gently stroke his hair. "Come on, you can talk to me. I can do anything, you know?"
Sasuke stayed silent for a moment before finally telling her what had happened during the day's combat lesson.
"I see," Mikoto said, quickly understanding the situation. It was clear that Sasuke had taken a blow to his pride. But to think the kids these days were so strong…
"Victory and defeat are part of a ninja's life. You just have to pick yourself up and try again," she said with a gentle smile. "Look at your brother—he's strong now, but he faced many setbacks when he was your age."
"Really?" Sasuke's eyes brightened slightly.
"Of course," Mikoto smiled even wider, trying to cheer him up.
Konoha Hospital.
Neji Hyuga opened his eyes, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, feeling slightly disoriented.
Suddenly, the memory of Shinho Aburame's punch flooded back into his mind. It had only taken one punch to knock him out. He pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling frustrated.
"Only weaklings blame fate for everything."
That sentence still echoed in his ears.
"Can fate really be changed?" Neji wondered, his voice barely above a whisper.
He turned to look at his reflection in the window, his forehead wrapped in bandages. His heart sank, and he closed his eyes in pain.
No. It was impossible. The moment the Caged Bird Seal was etched into his forehead, his fate had been sealed. Shinho wouldn't understand, he didn't know anything.
My pain surpasses yours, Neji thought bitterly.
But why was Shinho so strong? Neji couldn't understand.
In the world of shinobi, power often came from a kekkei genkai, like the Byakugan or the Sharingan. Neji recalled using his Byakugan to observe Shinho during their fight. Shinho's body was coated in a layer of chakra.
Was it some kind of jutsu?
And how had Hinata grown stronger? What was really going on?
Neji lay back down, staring at the ceiling. He had already decided—once he was discharged from the hospital, he would seek out Shinho Aburame.
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