Who Did This to You?

After returning home...

"Ah! Ningxue, who did this to you?"

When Ningxue's mother saw her child come home covered in dust, with plenty of bruises on her arms, she hurried over to check her injuries as she spoke.

"Uh, I accidentally fell during training..." Ningxue said, sounding a little unsure.

"Training?"

Yuki obviously didn't believe her. This looked more like she'd gotten into a fight with someone.

Besides, as a mother, she was worried her child might be bullied by the clan.

Just then, Hyuga Ning heard them and came out from the inner room. The moment he saw Ningxue, his brows furrowed.

"What happened?"

His voice was lower than usual, carrying a father's authority.

Now that her father was here, there was no way to hide it. She could only tell the truth.

"Uh, Father, I just sparred with someone during training today."

"A spar? With whom?" That made him curious. He knew how strong his child was, and few people of the same age could beat her.

"Neji."

Ningxue could only tell the truth.

"Neji?" Hyuga Ning and Yuki exchanged glances, both of them surprised.

Of course they knew Hyuga Neji. They were both saddened by what had happened to his father.

"Did he start it?" Hyuga Ning's voice turned serious. If Neji had deliberately bullied someone, then even if he was Hizashi's son, Hyuga Ning would have to teach him a lesson.

Hyuga Ning crouched down and examined Hyuga Ningxue's injuries. He looked at the bruises on her arms, then felt her bones and tenketsu.

Only after finishing his examination did he stand up and speak.

"They're only superficial injuries. Nothing vital was hurt. Neji... knew how to hold back."

There was no anger in his voice, only calm. He respected Hizashi, and felt more sorrow than anything for the only son that man had left behind.

"Not exactly," Ningxue said, shaking her head.

"I also said some things about how he trained. Maybe... it upset him."

She left out the details of their sharp exchange.

Hyuga Ning fell silent. He knew his child was rather blunt and had a certain amount of talent. He could guess what she'd left unsaid.

He gently patted Ningxue on the shoulder. "Neji... is very talented, but he has a lot of pain in his heart. How did you find sparring with him?"

"He's amazing. His speed, strength, and precision are all far beyond mine."

Ningxue answered honestly.

"I was on the defensive almost the whole time. It was exhausting."

"It's good to know the difference between you," Hyuga Ning said with a sigh. His gaze turned toward the window, as if remembering the man who had passed away.

"Neji has a lot weighing on him. The fact that he was willing to spar with you might... not be a bad thing. But next time, be more careful. Don't push beyond what you can handle, and protect yourself."

"Yes, Father," Ningxue replied.

Just then, Hyuga Yuki brought over some ointment and carefully applied it to Ningxue's bruises. The cool ointment soothed the pain in her skin.

Though she was heartbroken to see her child so badly beaten, she understood the reason after hearing her husband's words and said nothing more, only offering a gentle reminder.

"Be more careful when you spar next time, all right?"

"I will, Mother."

After letting Ningxue go to the bathroom and clean herself up, Hyuga Yuki called out to her child again.

"Come here, and I'll put some ointment on you. It'll be better soon. Then you can change into some clean clothes. What would you like for lunch? I'll make it for you."

Ningxue nodded and went into her room.

A little while later, after cleaning herself up and changing, she sat on the edge of her bed. The spar with Neji kept replaying in her mind.

Neji's fierce moves and calm gaze left her both impressed and a little frustrated.

"Time to eat, Ningxue." Her mother's gentle voice came from outside the door.

"Coming, Mother!" Ningxue dashed out to eat, no longer thinking about moves or training.

As the old saying went, people were made of iron and food was steel; skip a meal, and you'd feel weak.

That afternoon...

Ningxue sat at the training ground, recalling her fight with Hyuga Neji. She could clearly see how he threw each punch, how well he controlled his chakra, and how accurately he struck the tenketsu.

She couldn't help cursing this world. What the hell were these monsters?

Four years old? What the hell, four years old?

She continued to recall what it had felt like to fight him: her hands had tingled when they clashed, and being knocked down had left her feeling weightless.

He was so fast. I couldn't keep up with him at all.

My perception only let me see him just barely, but my body was always half a beat too slow to react.

But... the moment his elbow joint lost its strength, I could counterattack.

That's a way in, but I can't keep relying on it.

With my current strength and speed, I have no chance in a direct fight.

If I want to make up the difference, and maybe... avoid being completely helpless if we fight again someday, I have to find another way.

She'd made up her mind. She was going to fight dirty.

First, there was Tenketsu Striking. The human body had 361 tenketsu.

Tenketsu Striking could not only block the flow of chakra, but also restrict an enemy's movements.

Using the Gentle Fist, it could even damage internal organs.

She thought hard, considering every possibility.

What if I strike specific joints hard, throw off their movements, and then strike their tenketsu without them noticing?

That's a good idea.

As she thought, she remembered traditional Chinese medicine from her previous life. A devious idea suddenly came to her, like a sage pointing out the way. It was as if she'd been enlightened, and her thoughts became crystal clear.

If Tenketsu Striking is so useful, what if I secretly use needles?

Needles are small and inconspicuous. I could even channel chakra through them to make them more powerful.

In close combat, they'd be almost impossible to defend against.

And she had an even bigger advantage: the Byakugan.

The Byakugan's ability to see through things and see at a distance would let me see an enemy's tenketsu with incredible clarity.

Maybe I could develop into a ranged fighter someday. Being able to see through things is really useful.

Once her imagination got going, all kinds of sinister... no, clever tactical ideas came to mind.

Could I hide needles in my sleeves, between my fingers, or even in my hair? Could I use the terrain and my movements to hide the act of firing them?

I could make different kinds of needles, then coat them with poison to cause paralysis, excruciating pain, or chakra disruption.

"Hahahaha..."

Just thinking about it was exciting.

Wait, she'd also learned Ice Shield from her mother. She could make needles out of ice, too.

As long as she controlled her chakra well enough, she could make needles in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

She could even buy some poison, form it into ice needles, and then secretly stab them into her enemies.

At the thought, her smile gradually changed from...

"Hahaha..."

to...

"Hehehe..."

She remembered a saying from her previous life.

Let's see if you can dodge this needle.