Fate Can Be Changed

"Neji, why are you here?"

Hinata looked up and saw Neji, her expression turning somewhat flustered.

She didn't even know what she was panicking about; she just subconsciously shifted her legs, moving a little further away from Takasaki as if afraid that some secret between them might be discovered by Neji.

"I was waiting for you in the Training Room, but you never showed up. I thought something had happened to you. I didn't expect to find you here, teaching Takasaki the Three Body Technique."

"I'm sorry, Neji. I kept you waiting."

Hinata's face was filled with apology.

"You are the eldest daughter of the Main House; there is no need to apologize to me. My fate is destined to be one of service to you."

Neji said, his face devoid of emotion.

His gaze fell upon Takasaki: "It's just that teaching this dead-last is a guaranteed waste of time. He will never be able to learn it."

Takasaki didn't actually want to get involved in the conversation between Hinata and Neji, but hearing Neji say that, he realized what was happening.

The guy was essentially showing him the door.

Takasaki couldn't be bothered to trade barbs with Neji. Since his chakra efficiency for the Three Body Technique had improved, he'd enjoyed a free meal, and he'd had enough fun teasing Hinata, his goals were met. It was time to go home and continue grinding his ninjutsu levels.

Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Hinata spoke up: "How could it be a waste of time? Takasaki-kun has been working very hard to learn!"

Neji sighed: "Since he is a dead-last, no amount of effort will be of any use. It is like a bird trapped in a cage; it should not yearn to soar freely."

After saying this.

Neji's gaze fell on Takasaki, carrying a hint of pity: "Fate is determined the moment one is born, is it not?"

Takasaki understood what Neji meant.

Neji believed that fate was set in stone, which was perfectly in line with his ideology.

To be precise, the entire philosophy of the Hyuga Clan was like this.

Especially for the branch family.

No matter how brilliant Neji was in his youth or how many fantasies he had about the future, the moment the Caged Bird seal was branded upon him, only one path remained.

To be honest, Takasaki found such a fate pathetic.

If he hadn't obtained the system, perhaps he, as a dead-last, would have struggled even to pass the Genin exam after graduating from the Ninja Academy. He would have been destined to take on menial daily missions, earning a meager income, unable to even marry or have children, living a life of mediocrity.

Fortunately.

Takasaki had the system, which allowed him to grow stronger by writing in his diary, thus changing his own fate.

He stood up and met Neji's gaze: "Is there a possibility that Hinata is right? I may have been a dead-last before, but through hard work, I won't be one in the future."

"Do you still not understand? Fate cannot be changed. Takasaki-kun, what I am about to say may sound harsh, but it is the truth."

Neji shook his head, his expression solemn: "You haven't learned the Three Body Technique in six years; why would you be able to learn it just because Hinata gave you a few pointers? It's impossible. Hinata is overestimating you! And you are wasting Hinata's time."

Neji repeatedly emphasized the word "dead-last," as if reinforcing the fate he saw for Takasaki.

Takasaki didn't actually mind the label.

After all, in the original story, Naruto and Obito were both dead-lasts at the Ninja Academy, yet they both ended up being outrageously powerful.

Naruto had the Nine-Tails as a cheat and successfully became the Hokage.

Obito had Kamui as a cheat; he didn't become the Hokage, but he killed the Hokage.

And he, he had the system as a cheat.

Takasaki focused his mind and said: "We are all seeds; it is only a matter of time before we bloom and bear fruit. No one cries forever, and no one laughs forever. A dead-last who works hard will have a day of reversal, and a bird trapped in a cage will also have a chance to spread its wings and soar, provided it finds the key."

Upon hearing this.

Neji's eyes flickered, and his expression turned grave.

The key to the Caged Bird?

Takasaki's words seemed to touch a soft spot deep within his heart.

Especially the last sentence.

A bird trapped in a cage having a chance to soar? That was a dream he yearned for from the bottom of his heart.

Yet, he knew that his dream would never come to pass.

Neji was silent for a few seconds, his mood suddenly becoming heavy: "It's impossible. A dead-last will always be a dead-last. Takasaki, you will never learn the Three Body Technique! And you will never graduate from the Ninja Academy. This is a fate you cannot change."

"Neji-niisan, how can you discourage Takasaki like that? He specifically came to find me today because he is working very hard to learn."

Hinata stepped forward, trying to smooth things over, though her tone was weak.

After all, she could only emphasize that Takasaki was working hard, but she couldn't claim that he would actually be able to learn the Three Body Technique.

Even she knew that during her teaching, Takasaki had been distracted three times.

He definitely hadn't learned it.

Takasaki didn't know if Neji had taken Hinata's mediation to heart, but he certainly hadn't: "Fate can be changed; you just haven't found the method yet. Neji, are you truly willing to be an eagle trapped in a cage?"

As soon as Takasaki finished speaking.

Neji's mood suddenly turned volatile.

He lunged forward, grabbing Takasaki by the collar. Channeling chakra into his hand and layering it with the hidden force of the Eight Trigrams Palm, he yanked Takasaki toward him with brute strength: "Since you're a dead-last who can't even master the Three Body Technique, just stay a dead-last. You have no right to be taught personally by Lady Hinata, and even less right to judge me!"

With that said.

Neji brought his other hand together, fingers pressed into a palm.

The chakra in his palm held a repulsive force, and with a whistling gust of wind, he struck mercilessly at Takasaki's chest.

"Neji! Stop! You'll kill Takasaki!" Hinata shrieked.

Neji was using the Eight Trigrams Palm, and its hidden force was terrifyingly powerful; even she might not be able to withstand it, let alone Takasaki.

Once Hinata realized what was happening, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

Takasaki must not be harmed!

It wasn't just because Takasaki was her classmate; more importantly, she was counting on him to write her name in his next diary entry so she could earn rewards.

She wanted to intervene, but everything happened too quickly; Neji's strike had been fast, accurate, and ruthless.

With a loud thwack, Takasaki's chest caved in, the sound of snapping sternum and ribs erupting all at once.

His body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, slamming into the dining table and shattering it into pieces, sending wood splinters flying everywhere.

"Takasaki!" Hinata's eyes widened.

She rushed over to Takasaki's side and knelt down. Rarely prone to anger, she couldn't help but snap at Neji: "Go call for medical staff, quickly!"

Compared to Hinata's panic, Neji suddenly calmed down, looking at his own palm with a hint of confusion: "Something's not right."

The sensation of that palm strike against Takasaki's chest had been bizarre.

It didn't feel like hitting a person.

It felt like hitting a wooden log.

A log? Substitution Technique?

As if a sudden realization dawned on him, Neji snapped his head up, staring at the figure lying on the floor with a grave expression: "Impossible. He's clearly a dead-last; his destiny dictates that he could never learn the Substitution Technique."

The next second, Takasaki's body let out a poof, releasing a cloud of chakra-infused smoke.

The smoke dissipated rapidly, leaving behind nothing but a wooden log.

Seeing this, Hinata stood frozen for several seconds: "Substitution Technique?"

Once it sank in, she spoke in disbelief: "Did Takasaki-kun learn the Substitution Technique?"

When she was teaching him the technique, Takasaki had been so distracted that she had even poked the back of his hand.

Could it be that Takasaki had already mastered the method for the Substitution Technique back then?

This went beyond Hinata's understanding.

It had only been one hour.

Even Neji, who was called a genius in the previous Ninja Academy class, and Sasuke, who was called a genius in this class, had taken a full week to learn the Substitution Technique!