Chapter 205: Destiny Defied: Hinata's Vindication!
Hinata stood poised in the center of the training ground, the gentle afternoon breeze fluttering the hem of her training gi. Across from her, Neji Hyūga was a blur of motion, his hands weaving an intricate, deadly pattern.
Palm shadows, dozens of them, rained down upon her, each strike aimed with chilling precision at her vital chakra points (tenketsu).
But Hinata, amidst the storm of palm shadows, maintained her composure. Her pale Byakugan eyes were active, tracking Neji's every subtle muscle twitch, every shift in chakra flow.
[Inorin's Note: The Byakugan (White Eye) is the dōjutsu of the Hyūga clan. It grants near 360-degree vision, X-ray vision, and the ability to see the chakra pathway system.]
Hinata's body swayed gently, not dodging, but flowing with the wind generated by Neji's relentless palm strikes.
"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!"
A series of dense, sharp collision sounds rang out, echoing across the stunned silence of the Hyūga compound.
Everyone watching—the Main Family elders, the Branch Family members, even Hyūga Hiashi himself—was stunned into absolute silence.
Hinata... she wasn't just dodging. She was blocking.
With just her bare hands, moving with impossible fluidity and grace, she was blocking all of Neji's rain-like, high-speed Gentle Fist attacks!
Each time Hinata's hands moved, they precisely intercepted Neji's incoming palm, not with brute force, but with a subtle redirection of chakra. She neutralized the fierce, penetrating force of his strikes, turning them into nothingness.
[Inorin's Note: The Gentle Fist (Jūken) is the unique taijutsu style of the Hyūga clan. It involves injecting chakra into the opponent's chakra network to cause internal damage.]
The more Neji fought, the more his heart grew alarmed. This wasn't the clumsy, hesitant Hinata he knew.
Every one of his precise, potent palms felt like it was hitting soft, yielding cotton. He was using immense power, but he felt unable to exert its full strength. She wasn't meeting his force; she was dissolving it.
How can this be...? Neji thought frantically, his strikes growing slightly more desperate. My Gentle Fist... it's completely ineffective against her! It's like she knows where I'm going to strike before I even move!
In the viewing stands, Hyūga Hiashi's mouth was slightly agape. His usual stern composure had cracked.
The elders beside him also exchanged glances, their wrinkled faces etched with disbelief.
"This… Is this truly Lady Hinata?" one whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Her Gentle Fist mastery… her fluidity... it has actually reached this level?"
"It rivals Neji's… no… perhaps it even surpasses his precision…"
A white-haired elder, one of the most traditional and critical members of the council, slowly stroked his beard, letting out a long, slow sigh. "This old man… I have severely misjudged her…"
Hyūga Hiashi finally, truly understood why the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Akira, had taken Hinata as his personal disciple. He had seen something none of them had bothered to look for.
"Damn it!"
Unable to break through Hinata's flawless defense after dozens of strikes, Neji's carefully controlled mentality began to fray. Frustration gnawed at him.
She's making a fool of me!
Neji suddenly disengaged, taking a swift step back, widening the distance from Hinata.
If close-quarters combat won't work... then try this!
He thrust his right palm forward, chakra gathering rapidly.
"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"
[Inorin's Note: Eight Trigrams Empty Palm (Hakke Kūshō) is a mid-to-long range Gentle Fist technique where the user thrusts their palm forward, releasing a powerful shockwave of chakra.]
An invisible, high-pressure shockwave of pure chakra shot out from his palm, blasting towards Hinata, who was only a few steps away!
This was one of the few long-range attack methods in the Gentle Fist arsenal!
The distance was too close, the speed too fast! There was absolutely no way to avoid it!
It's over! This triumphant thought flashed through Neji's mind.
However, the very next second, the confidence on Neji's face instantly solidified into shocked disbelief.
The moment—the instant—Neji began to gather chakra for the Empty Palm, Hinata's body had already reacted.
Her Byakugan had seen the chakra build-up, her training under Akira had honed her reflexes to a razor's edge.
"Whoosh—!"
With a movement that seemed impossibly fluid, Hinata swayed sideways, letting the invisible shockwave pass harmlessly by her shoulder. It struck the wall of the training ground behind her, leaving a deep crater.
Neji's Eight Trigrams Empty Palm had completely missed its target.
"What?!" Neji was utterly stunned.
She... dodged it? At point-blank range?
This level of reaction! This level of evasion!
Just as Neji was momentarily dazed, completely thrown off by her impossible dodge, Hinata suddenly exerted force!
Pushing off the ground with her feet, she moved forward instead of retreating. She used his moment of shock, his slight imbalance from the missed attack, and instantly closed the distance between them!
The timing was flawless! It was the instinct of a true predator seizing an opening.
Neji's eyes widened in alarm. He wanted to retreat, to re-establish distance, but it was already far too late!
"Gentle Fist!"
Hinata's clear, cold voice rang in Neji's ear. It was devoid of hesitation, filled only with focused intent.
Her fair, soft palm, glowing faintly with blue chakra, pressed gently against Neji's chest.
It didn't look like a powerful blow.
Puff!
But Neji felt it. A highly penetrating, vibrating force instantly surged into his body, bypassing muscle and bone, furiously impacting his chakra network, his meridians!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, the taste coppery and shocking.
His entire body, like a kite with a severed string, was lifted off its feet and sent flying backward!
Bang!
Neji crashed heavily to the ground ten meters away, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
The entire venue was utterly silent.
Everyone was speechless, shaken to their core by this sudden, dramatic, and completely unexpected reversal.
Hinata slowly straightened her body, her breathing calm, her stance unwavering. She looked at Neji, lying sprawled in the dust.
"Neji-nii-san," she called out, her voice filled with genuine concern, "are you alright?"
"Cough… cough cough…"
Neji struggled, pushing himself up from the ground with trembling arms. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
I… I was hit?
I was actually repelled... sent flying... by her... with one move?
This is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!
He, Hyūga Neji, had been hailed as a genius since childhood! The pride of the Branch Family!
Hinata... Hinata had always been synonymous with weakness, failure, and incompetence in his eyes! A disgrace to the Main Family name!
Now, this "trash," this "failure," had actually, in front of the entire clan, beaten him, this "genius," into such a sorry, humiliating state!
"I… haven't lost yet!" Neji roared, forcing himself to his feet. His legs were shaky, his chest ached, but his pride burned hotter.
He once again took up his Gentle Fist stance, his Byakugan flaring.
"Do you think you've won just like that? Lady Hinata!" he spat the title like venom.
"Don't get too carried away! My true strength... the real essence of the Hyūga... is only now about to be shown to you!"
Neji spread his feet apart, lowering his center of gravity, his chakra flaring visibly around him!
"Let me show you the true power passed down in the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist!"
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
[Inorin's Note: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms (Hakke Sanjūni Shō) is an advanced Gentle Fist technique, typically used by Main Family members, involving a rapid sequence of 32 precise strikes to the opponent's tenketsu.]
Neji roared, his figure transforming into an afterimage. He charged towards Hinata again, faster, more aggressively than before!
Thirty-Two Palms!
This was the strongest Gentle Fist technique Neji had currently mastered!
As for the even stronger Sixty-Four Palms... the current Neji, despite his genius, had not yet mastered that legendary technique.
Once hit by the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, all the chakra points in the body would be completely sealed! The opponent would be left utterly powerless, unable to even stand!
In the stands, Hyūga Hiashi's expression instantly became incredibly solemn. His hands clenched.
"Neji... that child... he has already mastered the Thirty-Two Palms?"
Oh no! Hinata is in danger!
Could Hinata block this move? Thirty-two consecutive, high-speed strikes?
But in the arena, facing the incoming storm...
"Only Thirty-Two Palms, Neji-nii-san?"
Hinata murmured softly, her voice so low that only she could hear it. There was no fear in her tone. Only... focus.
The next second, Hinata moved.
Facing the overwhelming barrage of palm shadows, the intricate, blindingly fast sequence that was the Thirty-Two Palms... she did not dodge.
Instead, she met them head-on!
She also extended her hands, her movements mirroring his, yet somehow... different. More fluid. More certain.
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
The exact same name was softly, clearly uttered from Hinata's mouth.
"WHAT?!"
Neji's pupils contracted sharply. A monstrous wave of pure shock rose in his heart, shattering his concentration for a fatal instant!
Hinata… she also knows the Thirty-Two Palms?!
How? HOW COULD THIS BE?!
He was a genius! That was why he could master the Thirty-Two Palms at such a young age! It was proof of his superiority!
He had only managed to barely master this complex technique after a long period of diligent, secret training!
When did she learn it?! She spent all her time failing!
Neji no longer had time to think. His shock was his undoing.
Because the palms of the two cousins had already collided!
"BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—!"
A rapid-fire series of dense, sharp impact sounds echoed throughout the entire training ground! It was faster, more intense than their earlier exchange!
The figures of the two were completely entangled in combat, a blur of white and lavender!
"Oh my god! Lady Hinata… she actually also used the Thirty-Two Palms!"
"And… her movements... her speed seems to be even faster than Neji's!"
"This… what in the world is going on today?!"
The members of the Hyūga Clan felt their entire worldview, their understanding of their own clan's hierarchy and traditions, being overturned again and again.
In the arena, Neji's heart had sunk to rock bottom. His mind was reeling.
Every one of his precise, powerful palms was blocked, parried, or deflected by Hinata.
Not only that. Hinata's palm speed, her rotational power, her pinpoint control over her chakra output... it steadily, undeniably surpassed his!
Though it was the same Thirty-Two Palms sequence... in Hinata's hands, its power, its efficiency, was clearly more than a notch greater than his own!
Why… why is this happening? Neji screamed internally, his movements becoming slightly sluggish, his perfect form faltering.
Why can't even my strongest technique defeat her? She's supposed to be weak! It's her destiny!
Neji's belief system, his entire understanding of the world based on fate and inherent genius, began to waver, to crack.
Just at this moment of his fatal mental lapse, his hesitation...
"It's over, Neji-niisan."
Hinata let out a low, determined cry.
Her sequence didn't end.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
[Inorin's Note: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (Hakke Rokujūyon Shō) is a secret, high-level Gentle Fist technique, usually reserved for the Hyūga Main Family, that strikes 64 specific tenketsu, completely shutting down the opponent's chakra network.]
After the final, forceful blow of the Thirty-Two Palms sequence collided and knocked Neji off balance, Hinata's offensive did not stop for even a fraction of a second!
Her hands' speed surged again, becoming an almost invisible blur!
Even denser, faster palm shadows instantly erupted!
Two Palms!
Four Palms!
Eight Palms!
Sixteen Palms!
Thirty-Two Palms!
...
SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!
Each strike landed perfectly, precisely, on Neji's tenketsu points.
"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Intense, sharp, internal pain instantly spread throughout Neji's body! It wasn't bone-breaking pain; it was the feeling of his own chakra pathways being forcibly, brutally sealed shut!
Neji's internal chakra flow was completely cut off by an irresistible, precise force!
All sixty-four major chakra points (tenketsu) on his body were sealed at that exact instant!
"Ugh…"
Neji let out a choked, painful groan. His body went limp, his arms falling uselessly to his sides.
The light in his Byakugan eyes quickly dimmed. He couldn't even maintain the dōjutsu.
He lost. Utterly. Completely.
Hinata slowly withdrew her hands, her breathing slightly heavier now, but her stance still firm. She stood quietly in front of the frozen Neji.
The entire training ground was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone was completely, utterly stunned into silence by the scene before them.
Sixty-Four Palms…
That was a legendary Gentle Fist secret technique, far more powerful and complex than the Thirty-Two Palms! The hallmark of the Main Family's mastery!
Lady Hinata... she had not only learned it, but she had used it so skillfully, so flawlessly!
Neji's defeat... it wasn't just a loss. It was an absolute dismantling. It was not unjust in the slightest.
"Thud."
Neji's body could no longer support him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed forward, falling heavily to his knees on the dusty ground.
Neji's head was bowed low, his long brown bangs covering his face, making his expression unreadable.
But his violently trembling shoulders betrayed the utter devastation, the complete inner collapse, that Neji was experiencing. His entire world had just been shattered.
Hinata looked at Neji kneeling brokenly on the ground. A hint of pity, of shared pain, flashed in her eyes. She understood his bitterness, even if she couldn't forgive his cruelty.
She walked up to him and slowly crouched down, meeting him at eye level.
"Neji-nii-san."
Her voice was soft, gentle again.
"What I said earlier... it wasn't to mock you. Or to boast."
"I just wanted to tell you... that fate truly isn't unchangeable. I am the proof."
She looked at the cursed seal mark faintly visible on his forehead. "Being a member of the branch family... I know it may have brought you a lot of pain. Bitterness. Resentment. But that shouldn't become shackles to bind you, to define you."
[Inorin's Note: The Hyūga Main Family applies a cursed seal to Branch Family members to ensure control and protect the Byakugan's secrets. This seal is a source of great suffering and resentment for Neji.]
Hinata stood up slowly. "The old me... the one you despised... was more useless than any 'trash' in your eyes."
"But now, I stand here. And I have defeated you."
"So, please... don't let something as illusory as fate blind your eyes anymore. Don't let bitterness consume you."
"Your future... it should be decided by you, Neji-niisan."
After speaking, Hinata turned and walked quietly, gracefully, towards the stands where her father sat, his face unreadable.
The surrounding Hyūga Clan members watched her go. Their gaze towards Hinata no longer held any trace of contempt or pity. Only shock. Awe. And perhaps, for some, fear.
From this day forward, no one in the Hyūga Clan would ever dare to underestimate this Lady of the Main Family again.
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