I Know My Daughter Best

"Your statements are not entirely without merit, but—"

The Elder paused in his gentle tone, then his words shifted to one filled with imposing authority.

"I believe that Hiashi Chief Hiashi is genuinely concerned for the future of the Hyuga Clan, which is why he is considering this matter so carefully."

Upon hearing the Elder's words, the members of the Branch Family all looked displeased.

Just then, the Second Elder spoke up, "Since the Clan Chief says that both of your daughters are exceptionally talented, why not let them have a friendly competition?"

The Elder chimed in, "That's feasible, let's listen to the Second Brother."

Those who were separating from the Branch Family pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry, Second Elder, only our eldest daughter came today. Our youngest daughter is not feeling well and is resting at home, so let's choose another day."

Hyuga Hiashi had anticipated this might happen, so while he usually brought Hanabi to make his presence known to everyone, today he brought Hinata instead.

Although the Hyuga clan members present had some doubts about the veracity of Hyuga Hiashi's words, they dared not express them.

Only the Elder remained somber. "Then let Hinata demonstrate her abilities first."

"Neji, come on, I heard you two used to spar with each other."

Hyuga Nagahaya had heard that Hinata Hyuga hadn't even mastered Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms —could someone like that be considered excellent?

If Hinata loses at the clan meeting, then Hyuga Hiashi will have no excuse left.

Thinking of this, the Elder hurriedly turned his face to the side, because one corner of his Kakuzu up to the height of his nose, while the other corner of his mouth was still tightly pressed down, so he had no choice but to show his face to the side.

'Hmph, you old fogey, you'll stop laughing Hinata unleashes her Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.'

Hyuga Hiashi, looking at the uneasy Hinata beside him, said, "Since the Elder has said so, Hinata Elder, show him the results of your training."

Hinata Hyuga looked up and saw her father's expectant gaze. A slight tremor ran through her heart. She hadn't seen that expectant look in her father's eyes for a long time.

"Yes, Father, I will do my best."

Neji Hyuga addressed the Elder, "Neji obeys."

He then looked at Hinata Hyuga and clenched his fist.

I lost to you unexpectedly last time, but I won't do it again this time!

"Alright, alright, everyone, go to the Training Ground and spar a bit. Neji, be careful not to hurt Hinata."

Neji Hyuga nodded respectfully. "Received."

Hearing the Elder's words, Hinata's heart raced. Although she had defeated Neji in the Preliminaries, she still lacked confidence.

Especially since he had never won in previous sparring matches, and now he had to demonstrate his abilities in front of his clansmen.

'You old fogey, are you trying to undermine my daughter's confidence before we've even started?'

Hyuga Hiashi held Hinata's small hand. "Don't be nervous. You beat Neji before. As long as you believe in yourself, you can do it."

"Um."

Hinata nodded emphatically, her gaze serious.

I must win; I cannot disgrace my father, nor can I let him down.

Before long, all the members of the Hyuga Clan arrived at the Hyuga's largest private Training Ground.

Large clans like the Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Sarutobi Clan typically have their own private Training Ground.

They are usually taught by Elite from their families, and their conditions and knowledge are no worse than those of the Ninja Academy.

Once everyone had arrived, Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga were already in the center of the Training Ground.

"Let's stop this friendly sparring session here and begin."

The Elder specifically pointed out Neji Hyuga. As the Elder, he knew that Neji harbored deep resentment towards his father Hizashi's death and also held some hostility towards the Main Family.

With his command.

Byakugan.

Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga awaken their eyes simultaneously, and the lines around their eyes become visible.

Neji charged forward first. He knew from the Preliminaries that Hinata had mastered the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and he had to close the distance as quickly as possible.

"Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

With himself as the center, Neji Hyuga created a Taiji Bagua Qiankun Diagram beneath his feet, each step seemingly traceable yet difficult to counter.

In an instant, he closed in on Hinata and unleashed sixteen palm strikes with incredible speed!

Hiss!

The members of the Main Family gasped in shock.

"I'd long heard of the Byakugan genius Neji Hyuga, but I never imagined he'd actually mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

"That's Taijutsu that only our Main Family can master, and he actually taught himself it—it's unbelievable."

"Genius! I've heard that Lord Hinata has never beaten Neji, and she hasn't even mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms yet..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, some members of the Branch Family wore expressions of pride after witnessing Neji Hyuga's displayed abilities, while others wore expressions of resentment.

One of the Branch Family members, who greatly admired Neji Hyuga, said resentfully:

"So what if Neji has great talent? As a member of the Branch Family, not only is his Byakugan ability suppressed, but he can only serve as a scapegoat!"

"Snort!"

A muffled groan was heard.

The caged Caged Bird Seal the forehead of the Branch Family who had just spoken immediately flared up; he collapsed to the ground, rolling around wildly and howling in pain.

"Aaaaaah!"

"I was wrong, Elder!"

The rest of the Branch Family members, upon hearing his pitiful cries, all turned their heads away, unable to bear to look.

"Never mind, he didn't mean it," the Second Elder said gently.

The Elder then ceased controlling the Caged Bird Seal.

The Elder said sternly, "Hmph! This has always been the system in our Hyuga Clan. I don't want to hear any more complaints like this from anyone!"

If I had become Branch Family back then, I would have been just as willing to go through fire and water for the Main Family!

The Elder's words silenced all the clansmen present.

Those who Branch Family channeled their resentment into Neji Hyuga.

Off-field events also affected Hinata and Neji.

Hinata was somewhat distracted, while Neji became even more furious upon hearing the clansman's painful screams.

The speed and force of their hands increased dramatically!

"Thirty-two palm strikes!"

"Sixty-four palm strikes!"

Neji's attacks rained down like a storm.

Hinata's Byakugan could detect it, but her own speed was still insufficient to keep up. After receiving Neji Hyuga's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, several pressure points on her body had been sealed.

' Neji is still very strong... I can't fight him in close combat.'

Hinata Hyuga's breathing became somewhat disordered.

'Qi, you've gotten stronger too?'

Neji Hyuga charged forward again with a cold face. If once wasn't enough, he would try twice.

' Neji, teach her a lesson!'

The members of the Branch Family all looked at Neji Hyuga with expectant eyes, as if every slap he delivered to Hinata was a slap to the face of the Main Family.

"Hiashi, tell your daughter to admit defeat."

The Elder standing to the side, with his hands behind his back, said calmly.

Under his Byakugan observation, Hinata was already at a disadvantage.

If we were to take on Neji Hyuga's attack again, we would surely suffer a crushing defeat; it's better to end it with some dignity.

Hyuga Hiashi calmly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Elder. I know my daughter best."

The Elder looked displeased, his brows furrowing.

Just as Neji Hyuga rushed forward, Hinata remained calm and instantly changed her stance.