NARUTO: Starting with Hinata

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It wouldn't be long before he got a promotion, a raise, married a beautiful wife, and reached the peak of his life.

Thinking of that, Iruka felt excited.

"Hey, Sasuke, I'll definitely defeat you again next time!" Naruto gave a thumbs up, flashing his shining teeth, "In the name of youth!"

Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly. How embarrassing! If he lost again next time, he'd be a dog!

"Since everything's fine, let's continue with class." Iruka returned to the sidelines.

"Hinata." Shiki called softly.

Hinata raised her head subconsciously. She hadn't joined in earlier; she just stood there, looking conflicted and uneasy.

"Go ahead." Shiki said, reaching out to gently rub her head.

A blush appeared on Hinata's cheeks. Ino, who had been secretly watching Shiki, was struck like lightning.

When did this happen? Was she too late?

Ino showed an unwilling expression as Hinata slowly walked to the center of the playground. Being stared at by so many people, she subconsciously clenched her hands.

"Carrots, Carrots, all carrots." She muttered to herself.

Neji looked confused. With her personality, shouldn't she be hiding behind the crowd?

Still, Hinata's reserved look remained unchanged.

"Hinata." Iruka said, surprised but encouraging, "Who do you want to challenge?"

As her teacher, he knew her struggles. It was rare for her to muster courage, so of course, he had to support her.

"Lo... No, Neji." Hinata said after taking a deep breath.

"What?" Iruka thought he'd heard wrong.

Neji, too, was stunned, then sneered. How naïve.

There's no point in saying those words again.

"Why would Hinata want to challenge Neji?" Ino's face showed concern, despite her jealousy.

"They're both from the Hyuga clan, so there shouldn't be any problems." Kiba said hesitantly.

"Disaster." Shikamaru muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Hinata, come on and beat him!" Naruto cheered loudly, clenching his fists.

After a brief silence, the rest of the students began to cheer as well.

"As expected of Naruto." Shikamaru said, slapping his forehead with both admiration and helplessness.

Naruto wasn't targeting Hinata specifically. If anyone else had been in her position, the same thing would have happened.

"This is the will of fire." Hiruzen laughed. Despite growing up with hardship, Naruto valued his friends and comrades.

"Hinata, are you sure?" Iruka raised his hand to silence the cheering students.

Hinata nodded.

Seeing this, Neji walked forward.

"That's enough." Iruka stressed.

"Neji-nii."

After he left the scene, Hinata shouted.

"Ms. Hinata."

Neji shook his head and said, "There should be a limit to overestimating one's abilities."

"I..."

Hinata seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

"Since you want to challenge me, I will let you know the real gap."

Neji said in a cold tone, "This is not a sparring session within the clan."

He assumed a soft fist stance, rolled his eyes, and the veins around his eyes bulged.

Hinata's body trembled, and she subconsciously grasped the corner of her clothes.

"You are not fit to be a ninja at all."

Neji stepped forward and tapped the acupuncture points on her wrist with his right palm.

He was not holding back at all.

If she got hit, her entire arm would be temporarily disabled.

At the critical moment, Hinata stepped back, turned her wrist, and met his palm with her own.

The two chakras surged.

Neji's face changed slightly as he took three steps back.

What strength.

What's going on?

He clearly remembered that Hinata wasn't as strong as him.

At least, that was the case half a month ago.

Is she using the Byakugan too?

Neji met her gaze, somewhat surprised.

Hinata's expression became extremely serious.

She couldn't let Shiki's efforts go to waste.

Please, look at her carefully!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hinata approached Neji, and in a blink of an eye, the two had clashed multiple times.

She had undergone special training from Shiki and gained power from the white pig Gu.

In a short period, she seemed to be on par with Neji.

The students watching from all sides were in disbelief.

Neji was a recognized genius of the Hyuga clan and the best in the ninja school.

But Hinata was practically unknown.

If not for the Byakugan, no one would know she was from the Hyuga clan.

"How is this possible?"

Ino and Sakura exchanged glances.

They couldn't imagine that the usually timid Hinata would suddenly display such strength.

Especially Ino.

At this moment, she felt a great sense of crisis.

If this continues, Shiki might have to give up his place with her.

How can she compete with Hinata?

Sasuke clenched his fists subconsciously.

A flood of emotions surged into his eyes, making them bloodshot.

Shiki couldn't beat him, Naruto couldn't beat him, and now there was Neji and even Hinata.

"Shiki." Kiba watched the battle and asked, "Who do you think will win?"

"Neji." Shiki replied honestly.

"How come?"

Kiba asked in confusion, "Neji is clearly at a disadvantage."

Since Hinata was stronger, Neji kept taking two steps back during the fight.

"Neji has adapted to Hinata's strength." Shikamaru interrupted.

His high IQ allowed him to observe things that others missed.

Neji's fighting instinct and adaptability were incredibly sharp.

By comparison, Hinata wasn't as quick to react.

"What should we do then?" Ino couldn't help but ask.

"There's no way."

Shiki had expected this and remained calm.

In the early stages, Neji lived up to his reputation as a genius, exuding a powerful presence.

Among the Twelve Konoha Genin, he might be number one.

If Naruto didn't cheat, Neji would be hard to defeat.

As for Hinata, the White Pig Gu could only help so much; it wasn't a big enough cheat.

[Hinata has unlocked the achievement "If you are a carrot, that's fine," earning the Water Arrow Gu as a reward.]

[Water Arrow Gu: A first-level Gu worm that can condense water arrows to attack enemies.]

Shiki raised an eyebrow.

Is there such an achievement?

He mentioned carrots to Hinata just to ease her tension.

He didn't expect this pleasant surprise.

Water Arrow Gu? It can act like water-based ninjutsu.

Shiki's gaze focused on the field as the battle shifted.

"That's enough, Hinata."

Neji pulled back and said, "No matter how strong you become, it can't change the fact that you are weak."

He spread out his hands, and suddenly, the Bagua formation seemed to appear.

"This... this is... Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?"

Hinata froze in place.

The Soft Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms were secret techniques of the Hyuga clan, taught only to the main family.

With these, one could deliver sixty-four strikes in an instant, sealing sixty-four chakra points and incapacitating the opponent.

Hinata hadn't learned it yet.

How did he learn it?

Could he have picked it up just from watching his father practice?

What kind of talent is this?

Neji wore a cold expression and moved his palm.

He hadn't fully mastered the sixty-four palms but knew the first four, and that was enough.

Four quick strikes landed in succession, almost invisible to the naked eye.

Hinata's shoulders and wrists went numb, the chakra in her body stopped flowing, and she fell backward.

As she was about to hit the ground, a pair of hands caught her.

It was Shiki.

"Too fast!"

Iruka was a step slower but had a clear view.

He doubted if he could have blocked those last four strikes.

There's a reason why the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist is called the best taijutsu.

"Is there really anyone who can beat Neji?" Sakura asked nervously.

Everyone was silent.

Even Sasuke.

He imagined himself in Hinata's place and realized that no matter what, he couldn't beat Neji.

Unless he activated his Sharingan.

Only Shino looked at Shiki.

Hinata was down; maybe now was the time for her teammate to step up.

For some reason, Shino had unwavering confidence.

Even if Neji seemed unbeatable.

Shiki reached out and placed his hand on Hinata's chest.

A green light glowed, and he could instantly assess her condition.

"Shiki... I..."

Hinata looked ashamed.

Losing to Neji wasn't the worst part.

But she'd failed to live up to Shiki's expectations.

"Don't speak." Shiki said, shaking his head.

Hinata nodded quietly.

She could feel his warm chakra flowing into her.

Soon, she was surprised to find her shoulders and wrists had recovered.

"A person's destiny is determined at birth." Neji said, walking forward, "It's inevitable you would lose to me."

Without waiting for her to respond, he turned and walked away.