Fate Can Be Changed

"Neji, what are you doing here?"

Hinata looked up. When she saw Neji, her expression turned a little flustered.

She didn't know what she was flustered about. She simply shifted her legs a little, putting a bit more distance between herself and Takasaki, as if she were afraid Neji might discover some little secret between them.

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

"Sorry for the wait, Neji."

Hinata's face was apologetic.

"You're the young lady of the Main House. You don't need to apologize to me. My fate is to make sacrifices for you."

Neji said this expressionlessly.

His gaze fell on Takasaki. "But teaching this dead-last student is bound to be a waste of time. He'll never learn."

Takasaki hadn't really wanted to get involved in the conversation between Hinata and Neji, but when he heard Neji say that, he understood.

Neji was telling him to leave.

Takasaki couldn't be bothered to trade barbs with Neji. Besides, he had improved his chakra efficiency with the Three Body Technique, had enjoyed a good meal, and had teased Hinata enough. He'd accomplished everything he'd set out to do. It was time to head home and keep grinding his ninjutsu levels.

But just as he was about to get up and leave, Hinata spoke. "How could it be a waste of time? Takasaki-kun is working really hard to learn!"

Neji sighed. "If he's dead last, then no amount of effort will help. It's like a bird trapped in a cage—it shouldn't long to soar freely."

Then,

Neji's gaze fell on Takasaki, touched with a hint of pity. "Fate is decided from the moment we're born. Isn't that right?"

Takasaki understood what Neji meant.

Neji believed that fate was predetermined. It fit perfectly with his way of thinking.

More accurately, that was the way the Hyuga Clan thought.

Especially the Hyuga Branch Family.

No matter how brilliant Neji had been as a child or how many dreams he'd had for the future, the moment the Caged Bird mark was placed on him, only one path remained.

To be honest, Takasaki found such a fate tragic.

If he hadn't gotten the system, then after graduating from the Ninja Academy, he might not even have passed the Genin exam. He'd have been destined to take only routine missions, earning a meager income. He might never even find a wife or have children, and would spend his whole life achieving nothing.

Luckily,

Takasaki had gotten the system. He could grow stronger by keeping a diary, and that meant he could change his fate.

He stood up and met Neji's gaze. "Is it possible that Hinata's right? I used to be dead last, but if I keep working hard, I won't be anymore."

"Do you still not understand? Fate can't be changed, Takasaki-kun. What I'm about to say may sound harsh, but it's the truth."

Neji shook his head, his expression grave. "You couldn't learn the Three Body Technique in six years. What makes you think you'll learn it just because Hinata teaches you a few things? It's impossible. Hinata has overestimated you, and you're wasting her time."

Neji kept emphasizing the words "dead last," as if he were emphasizing what he believed Takasaki's fate to be.

Takasaki didn't mind the label.

After all, in the original story, Naruto and Obito had both been dead last at the Ninja Academy, yet they'd both ended up ridiculously powerful.

Naruto had the Nine-Tails cheat and became Hokage.

Obito had the Kamui cheat. He didn't become Hokage, but he did kill one.

And Takasaki had his system cheat.

Takasaki said solemnly, "Each of us is a seed. Blooming and bearing fruit is only a matter of time. No one cries forever, and no one smiles forever. A dead-last student who works hard will one day turn the tables, and a bird locked in a cage can spread its wings and soar if it finds the key."

At that,

Neji's eyes flickered a few times, and his expression grew grave.

The key to the Caged Bird?

Takasaki's words seemed to touch some tender place deep inside him.

Especially the last sentence.

Could a bird locked in a cage really have a chance to spread its wings and soar? It was the dream he longed for with all his heart.

Yet he knew that his dream would never come true.

Neji fell silent for a few seconds, then his mood suddenly darkened. "Impossible. Dead last will always be dead last. Takasaki, you'll never learn the Three Body Technique! You won't even graduate from the Ninja Academy. That's a fate you can't change."

"Neji-nii, how can you discourage Takasaki like that? He came to see me today because he's working so hard to learn."

Hinata stepped in, trying to smooth things over, though her voice sounded weak.

After all, she could only insist that Takasaki was working hard. She couldn't insist that he'd learn the Three Body Technique.

Even she knew that Takasaki had already spaced out three times while she was teaching him.

He definitely hadn't learned it.

Takasaki didn't know whether Neji had listened to Hinata's attempt to smooth things over, but he certainly hadn't listened to it himself. "Fate can be changed. You just haven't found the way yet, Neji. Are you really content to be an eagle imprisoned in a cage?"

As soon as Takasaki finished speaking,

Neji suddenly became agitated.

He took a sudden step forward and grabbed Takasaki by the collar. Chakra gathered in his hand, and with the hidden force of the Eight Trigrams Palm, he yanked Takasaki right up in front of him. "If you're too useless to learn even the Three Body Technique, then stay in your place as the dead last! You have no right to receive personal instruction from Lady Hinata, and even less right to judge me!"

Then,

Neji brought the fingers of his other hand together into a palm,

chakra in his palm carrying repulsive force, it swept forward with a fierce gust of wind and struck Takasaki in the chest without mercy.

"Neji! Stop! You'll kill Takasaki!" Hinata cried out in alarm.

Neji was using the Eight Trigrams Palm, and the hidden force behind it was tremendous. Even she might not be able to withstand it, let alone Takasaki.

When Hinata realized what was happening, her heart began pounding wildly.

Takasaki absolutely couldn't get hurt!

Not only because he was her classmate, but more importantly, she was counting on him to write her name more often in his next diary entry so she could earn a reward.

She wanted to stop him, but everything happened too quickly. Neji's strike was fast, precise, and ruthless.

With a loud crack, Takasaki's chest caved in, and the sound of his ribs and breastbone breaking rang out all at once.

He flew like a kite with its string cut, crashing into the dining table with such force that it shattered into pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere.

"Takasaki!" Hinata's eyes widened.

She rushed over and crouched beside Takasaki. Though she rarely got angry, she couldn't stop herself from shouting furiously at Neji. "Go get the medical staff!"

Unlike the panicked Hinata, Neji suddenly calmed down. He even looked at his own palm in confusion. "Something's wrong."

The sensation of his palm striking Takasaki's chest had been strange.

It hadn't felt like he'd hit a person.

It had felt like he'd hit a wooden post.

A wooden post? The Substitution Technique?

Neji seemed to suddenly realize something. He jerked his head up and stared gravely at Takasaki, lying on the floor. "Impossible. He's dead last. His fate should make it impossible for him to learn the Substitution Technique."

The next second, Takasaki's body went bang, and a cloud of chakra-infused smoke billowed outward.

The smoke quickly dispersed, leaving behind only a wooden post.

Hinata was stunned for several seconds. "The Substitution Technique?"

When she recovered, she spoke in disbelief. "Did Takasaki-kun learn the Substitution Technique?"

When she'd taught Takasaki the Substitution Technique, he'd been distracted and she'd even poked the back of his hand.

Could it be that he'd already learned how to perform the technique back then?

It was beyond anything Hinata could comprehend.

It had taken only one hour.

Even Neji, who'd been called a genius at the previous Ninja Academy, and Sasuke, who was called a genius in this year's class, had each needed a whole week to learn the Substitution Technique!