บท 70: Chapter 70 : Hinata Vs Neji 3
Hinata struggled to regain her breath, her chest heaving from the intensity of the fight. Neji had landed several devastating blows, and she could feel the damage deep within her, her chakra pathways aching from his precise strikes. But she wasn't done yet. She couldn't be. Not after all the training, not after all the pain she had endured to stand here, in this moment.
Neji, sensing her resolve, pressed forward, his Byakugan blazing. "This ends now, Hinata. You're no match for me."
Hinata met his gaze, determination hardening her expression. "Nah, I'll win."
Even with the pain ranging in her body, she replied with a shout, her voice powerful and her eyes glaring at Neji with intensity.
With those words, Hinata activated the technique she had developed with Shika's help—Elemental Juken: Rising Water Goddess. Her chakra surged, mixing with water, and a swirling aura of water surrounded her. The water moved like a living shield, a whip and strings responding to her thoughts and movements, ready to defend her from Neji's attacks.
Neji's eyes widened, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden change.
"Thank you, Shika-kun. You helped me till the very end. You are not here, but please watch… I will win this no matter what… for the future… I will." Hinata said to herself and got ready.
Hinata wasted no time. She dashed forward, her movements now faster and more fluid, with water still following her as if she were moving with the water itself. Neji barely had time to react as she struck at him, her water-imbued palms crashing against his defenses.
Their battle intensified, the sound of their clashing echoing through the arena. Neji retaliated, his strikes as deadly as ever, but Hinata's water shield absorbed the impact, softening the blows while her flexible movements were unpredictable for Neji and even others who were watching this fight. She had designed this technique specifically to counter the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, and it was working. For the first time, Neji found himself on the back foot, struggling to land a decisive hit.
But Neji was not one to be easily outdone. He redoubled his efforts, attacking with renewed vigor. He managed to break through her defenses more than once, striking her in key chakra points. The pain was excruciating, but Hinata gritted her teeth and pushed through it. She traded wound for wound, striking back with equal force, her water-enhanced Juken strikes leaving deep bruises on Neji.
She combined the internal Juken fist with the outer brush of water, turning water into a weapon in her hands.
Every time Neji struck her down, she forced herself back up, blood staining her lips, but her eyes never wavered. She could hear Shika's words in her mind, reminding her to keep fighting, to never give up. "If you think you will lose, then think about those for whom you have to win... Remember, Hinata, only when someone has something to protect can they truly get stronger."
Neji could see the toll the fight was taking on her. Her breath was ragged, her movements slower, but she refused to back down. He pushed her to her limits, landing a particularly brutal strike to her side that sent her to the ground. She coughed up blood, her body screaming in pain, but she still didn't yield.
Hinata slowly got back to her feet, her legs trembling under her weight. "I won't give up, I'll win…" she said, her voice weak but resolute. "Not until I've given everything I have."
Neji's expression hardened. "Why do you insist on continuing? You've already lost."
But Hinata wasn't listening. She remembered all the times she had been told she wasn't strong enough, that she wasn't fit to be a shinobi. She remembered Shika's unwavering support, the time he had spent training her, believing in her when she didn't believe in herself. She couldn't let that go to waste. Not now.
"Because if I lose today, I won't be able to save them. I will always remain weak. I will not let fate decide what I am and what I should do. I will break fate if I have to for those I want to protect." Hinata's voice wasn't loud, but her words struck like thunder.
Most of the words were weak at best, but these words seemed way too similar to what they had heard just a little while ago.
With a final burst of energy, Hinata launched herself at Neji, her water shield swirling around her like a storm. Neji met her head-on, and their attacks collided with a force that shook the ground beneath them. They struck each other with everything they had left, both knowing that this would be the final exchange.
Hinata's palm connected with Neji's chest, and she felt his strike land on her shoulder at the same time. Pain exploded through her, but she didn't pull back. She poured every last bit of her chakra into her attack, forcing Neji to do the same. The water around them surged and twisted, amplifying her Juken and breaking through Neji's defenses.
For a moment, everything was still. Then, both ended up falling down at the same time.
The silence in the hall was noticeable. Both were knocked out. But then… when the proctor was about to say something, he saw Hinata moving.
'One last time, Hinata, shout it, tell everyone that you are not done yet. That you have prevailed.' Shika's voice rang in her head again and again, making her move even before she realized.
She swayed on her feet, nearly collapsing, but she forced herself to remain upright. Shika's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her why she had fought so hard. She had something to prove, not just to Neji or the spectators, but to herself. She wasn't weak. She wasn't a failure. She was strong, and she, Hinata Hyuga, would never let her loved ones be harmed.
So she once again shouted the words she had repeated so many times while training with Shika.
"I…I…I WON," shouted Hinata with all the energy she had.
Neji looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "You... why… how did you do that…?"
Hinata heard this, barely standing, and only replied with:
"Because the fate we share, one day I don't want that same fate to be borne by my children. If not for me, then I have to do it for them. I will break my fate and the fate of others if that is what is needed to bring peace." Hinata's voice was almost a whisper, only Neji was able to hear this, but after hearing this, he just looked at the sky, contemplating if that was even possible.
Seeing this, the proctor felt that he was getting way too old for this. 'Seems like the next generation has already surpassed us,' Gekko thought with a smile and then shouted,
"Winner: Hinata Hyuga."
xxx
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