Hinata and Neji, Defying Fate

"Why didn't you fight back?"

For some reason, the gentle voice by her ear was clearly unfamiliar, yet it made the girl instinctively feel fond of him.

"Father... Father said that strength must not be abused. It should be used to protect others."

The girl blushed, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

The stone that had originally been thrown at the girl had already struck that chubby brat on the head.

Menma had not used much force, but it was enough to make the brat immediately sit on the ground and burst into loud sobs.

"Why are you still here?"

Menma stood there, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

The stunned little brats suddenly shuddered.

"Waaah! So scary! Mommy!!"

Once they snapped out of it, they scrambled away in a crying, wailing mess.

Menma lowered his head and looked at the girl's flushed little face. His expression beneath the mask was somewhat complicated.

This timid girl was none other than Hinata Hyuga, the eldest legitimate daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Main Branch.

But...

"The Hinata Young Lady in the Real World is far too gentle. The only thing that hasn't changed is that stubborn mindset."

Did protecting others alone count as protection? Did protecting oneself not count as protection too?

Children were clearly ignorant, yet they used that ignorance as a weapon to hurt others.

There were clearly many passersby around, yet they turned a blind eye to this kind of bullying.

Because it had nothing to do with them.

If they were blamed afterward, those people would only say, "Ah, sorry, but if I stepped in, I might have caused them trouble, right? So there was nothing I could do. I could only watch from the side."

"So this is Leaf Village? How pathetic..."

Menma sighed inwardly, reached out to take Hinata's little hand, and pulled her to her feet.

"You really are a kind child, but you need to protect yourself too."

He then gently ruffled Hinata's short blue hair and said with a smile, "If you get hurt, those brats might not get off so easily."

Although he did not know why Younger Hinata had managed to run out of the Hyuga Clan Residence without even a guard beside her.

Still, if Hinata had truly been hurt, her outwardly cold father would have been furious.

But when Menma came back to himself, Hinata's little face was already as red as a boiled crab.

"Hiss, can people really give off steam?"

Under Menma's astonished gaze, faint heat actually seemed to be rising from the top of her head.

...She really was adorable.

Menma thought again of that tsundere young lady from the Tsukuyomi World.

Compared to her, the Hinata of this world seemed better suited to be a wife.

But that young lady was much more dependable in battle.

Glancing from the corner of his eye at his right arm, Menma hesitated for a moment before saying, "Younger Hinata."

"Do you want your father to see you in a new light? Do you want to see a pleased smile on his face?"

"I..."

Younger Hinata froze at his words.

See her in a new light...

Her two index fingers circled each other, and her rosy little face showed a complicated expression.

But in the end, a little more determination appeared in her eyes. "I do."

She also wanted Father to praise her the way he praised Brother Neji, instead of looking at her with disappointment.

But even so, she still could not throw a punch with all her strength, nor did she understand what she was fighting for in the first place.

She hated this powerless self, hated her weak and feeble fists, and hated her own cowardice.

Although she did not know who this big brother was, that inexplicable sense of familiarity made her speak her true feelings.

Menma reached out with his right hand and patted Younger Hinata's head.

His gaze deepened as he said meaningfully, "Then, as you wish."

At the very moment his words fell.

"Who are you?! Let go of Lady Hinata!!"

Three Hyuga Branch Family members wearing Konoha Headbands had found them.

When they saw the young lady being touched by a masked stranger they had never seen before, they immediately shouted a reprimand and rushed toward him.

Several ANBU and Military Police Force figures also appeared behind them.

"You're late."

Crack!!

Before everyone's eyes, Menma directly snapped off his own right arm.

Even more bizarrely, not a drop of blood flowed from the wound, and neither bone nor flesh could be seen.

All they could see was a soft golden light scattering through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the arm Menma had torn off turned into golden motes of light. They swirled around Younger Hinata before gradually being absorbed into her body.

Looking closely, one could even see the golden light taking the form of a human figure.

It was a figure that bore some resemblance to Younger Hinata.

"That's it. Lift your head."

Looking at Younger Hinata's Byakugan, now glowing with a pale blue light, Menma said with a smile, "Use your eyes to look directly at this world. Use your strength to face all of this. I will be watching you."

The next second, the three Hyuga Branch Family ninjas attacked.

They were fast, but Menma had already vanished from where he stood.

"Byakugan, activate!"

The Hyuga ninja's eyes turned pale and bluish-white, veins bulging around them as he scanned the area.

"What's going on?"

A look of shock appeared on his face as he said in disbelief, "That guy vanished!"

His Byakugan could see every Chakra-bearing thing within a kilometer.

Yet that Masked Man had simply disappeared so completely?

Could he have used the Body Flicker to travel a kilometer in just a few seconds?

How was that possible?

An ANBU with a Dog Mask and a head of white hair spoke up beside him. "We'll notify the Third Hokage. An unknown person has entered Leaf Village and made contact with the young lady of the Hyuga Main Branch."

The Hyuga ninja nodded. "Thank you. We'll take the young lady back to the Hyuga Clan for an examination first."

The Military Police Force then began restoring order at the scene. The Hyuga ninja picked up Younger Hinata and hurried back to the Hyuga Clan Grounds, while the ANBU raced toward the Hokage Building.

As the sun set, the Hyuga Clan Grounds were shrouded in darkness.

Yet from within Hizashi Hyuga's residence came a series of pounding blows.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Neji Hyuga stood before a wooden post, continuously striking it with the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

But gradually, as he struck, his fair and youthful face twisted into a vicious grimace. A hint of ferocity appeared, and the usual calmness vanished from his features.

The Gentle Fist in his hands also gradually became harsher and more rigid.

This completely unstructured way of striking would only injure his fists.

Yet even when his hands had become a bloody mess and blood dripped without pause, he showed no sign of stopping.

His father's words of counsel echoed in Neji's ears once again.

"Neji, do not resent the Main House. The Caged Bird is not a curse."

"I understand, Father."

"Our clan's Byakugan has always been coveted by outsiders. The Main House does this solely to protect the Byakugan from falling into outsiders' hands, for the sake of the Hyuga Clan's future."

"I understand, Father."

"This is our fate. One day, the rest of the Branch Family will understand as well."

"I understand, Father..."

Bang!!

Under Neji's relentless barrage, the wooden post finally gave way and split apart down the middle.

Huff... huff...

Neji panted heavily as blood continued to drip from his hands. He murmured, "I understand, Father..."

But I did not understand.

Why could those of the Main House accept all this with such peace of mind?

Why the hell could those of the Main House accept all this with such peace of mind?!