The early morning calm of the Hyuga clan compound was broken by faint, rhythmic noises emanating from the clan leader's mansion. The environment was so quiet that even the subtle sounds seemed amplified.
Whenever a clan member stepped outside, their gaze instinctively drifted toward the source of the noise.
**Thump! Thump! Thump!**
The crisp sound of small palms striking wooden training posts reverberated, accompanied by occasional sharp exclamations.
**"Ho! Ho! Ho!"**
Miss Hinata was different today.
Among the Hyuga clan members, there was a growing realization that Hinata's demeanor during training had drastically changed. Gone was the timid girl who seemed too fragile to lead the Hyuga's main family. What replaced her was someone more focused, more determined, and far fiercer than before.
And if that wasn't enough to shock the clan, news had already spread that Hinata had activated her Byakugan. While opening the Byakugan was not as dramatic as awakening a Sharingan, doing so before the age of six was rare, marking her as a prodigy.
Still, none of them knew what had sparked such a transformation.
Rumors swirled after the punishment of a branch family guard the day before. That incident, however, wasn't the whole story.
---
In the spacious courtyard of the clan leader's mansion, wooden posts stood battered and tilted. Their once smooth surfaces were covered with a lattice of palm prints, and the neatly maintained grass was now riddled with footprints.
Hinata stood in the middle of this chaos. Dressed in a loose black training outfit, her small frame radiated intensity. Her little hands glowed faintly with chakra as she struck the wooden stakes one after another with measured ferocity.
Her movements, though still forming, carried a sense of urgency. Each strike seemed to be an outlet for her emotions.
Even though she had heard Naruto was safe, the image of his bloodied face lingered in her mind.
It wasn't love—she was too young to understand such feelings—but Naruto's words and actions had left an imprint on her. She admired him, and that admiration had turned into a yearning to change herself.
His words echoed in her heart: **"If you have the strength, why hold back?"**
Hinata realized that her own timidity had hurt others. If she had been stronger, if she had stood up to those bullies, Naruto wouldn't have needed to step in and get hurt.
This thought fueled her training.
She wanted to prove to herself—and to him—that she could be different.
---
"Hinata, take a break."
A soft, gentle voice broke through her focus.
Under the shade of the eaves stood a woman holding a toddler. Her pale complexion was offset by almond-shaped eyes and delicate features that closely resembled Hinata's.
It was her mother, Hyuga Keiko, with little Hanabi perched on her hip. Hanabi babbled excitedly, reaching out toward her older sister.
Hinata paused and offered a small smile. "I'm fine, Mother. Just a little more."
Keiko frowned slightly, her worry evident. Hinata had been practicing relentlessly since yesterday, and while the change was admirable, Keiko couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Well, let me know when you're ready for breakfast," Keiko said with a warm smile. "Shall I ask her to prepare something special?"
Hinata hesitated, her cheeks turning a faint pink. After a moment, she mumbled shyly, "C-Could we make… two extra servings?"
Keiko raised an eyebrow but quickly smiled knowingly. "Alright, three servings it is."
Hinata's face turned bright red. "Th-Three is too many! It's not for me!" she stammered, but her mother had already disappeared into the house.
Left flustered, Hinata returned to her training with renewed determination.
---
Elsewhere, Hyuga Hiashi returned from an exhausting night.
Summoned by the Third Hokage in the middle of the night, he had been forced to attend a village-wide emergency meeting. The discussions had been tense, focusing on an unknown assailant with the power to steal bloodline limits.
For civilian ninja, this might not seem like a major concern, but for the Hyuga, such news was alarming.
Hiashi's brow furrowed as he reflected on the reports. If Uchiha Shisui, a shinobi of elite jonin caliber, had struggled against this individual, what chance did the Hyuga have? His family's Byakugan, already coveted, would undoubtedly be a prime target.
This new threat weighed heavily on him as he walked through the Hyuga compound, his thoughts darkened by the village's instability since the end of the Third Shinobi War.
As he approached his mansion, Hiashi's sharp ears caught the rhythmic pounding of training strikes. Quickening his pace, he stepped into the courtyard and froze.
Hinata was there, her small form relentlessly hammering away at a battered training post.
Her movements were different—not hesitant, not timid. Her strikes were sharp, deliberate, and carried a strength Hiashi had rarely seen in her before.
Hiashi's stern gaze softened briefly with relief. Finally, his daughter was beginning to show the potential expected of her as the heir to the Hyuga clan.
But that relief was short-lived. He couldn't forget the cause of this change—a certain yellow-haired troublemaker who had somehow turned his daughter's world upside down.
Suppressing his irritation, Hiashi stepped forward, his expression darkening.
"H-Hello, Father," Hinata stammered, halting her practice. Her previous confidence seemed to evaporate in his presence as she bowed her head respectfully.
Hiashi sighed inwardly. He wanted to scold her, but seeing her genuine effort made him hold back. Instead, he simply said, "Let's eat breakfast."
Hinata blinked, startled by his unusually mild tone, but quickly nodded and followed him inside.
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Ik Alot of you are more curious about Naruto continuing part from last chapter but Hinata's chapter are equally important as it's going to decide whether hinata will follow Naruto or not when he will leave the village