Can Effort Truly Change Destiny?

"Takasaki has actually mastered the Substitution Technique?"

Neji's expression was dazed, as if he could hardly believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.

He hadn't even caught the moment Takasaki had swapped with the substitute.

"I told you, Takasaki works very hard," Hinata replied.

Neji lowered his gaze. "But fate is already set in stone. How could it possibly be changed just by working hard?"

That Takasaki knew the Substitution Technique did indeed surprise Neji somewhat.

But that was all it was.

He spoke again, "Knowing only the Substitution Technique is useless. To pass the graduation exam, one must also master the Transformation Technique and the Clone Technique. I don't believe Takasaki has learned those two as well."

Neji knew Takasaki had already left, and he actually wanted to chase after him to ask exactly when he had swapped with the substitute.

However, hindered by his pride, he naturally wouldn't ask.

Forget it, there was no need.

Right now, he had important matters to attend to. "Lady Hinata, can you come with me to finish our sparring session now? The Clan Leader ordered me to supervise your progress. If today's training isn't completed, I won't be able to answer to the Clan Leader."

Hinata said nothing, merely nodding, though she felt a flicker of anticipation in her heart.

She hoped that in Takasaki's next diary entry, he would write her name a few more times.

She hoped even more that Neji wouldn't take his frustrations regarding Takasaki out on her.

The two had just started to move when footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Immediately after, the tall figure of Hiashi Hyuga, dressed in his white robes, appeared at the doorway, looking at the two of them with a stern expression.

"Father!" Hinata immediately lowered her head.

"Clan Leader."

Neji instinctively bowed in greeting.

"How did things end up like this!" Hiashi Hyuga said in a deep voice.

It appeared that Hiashi Hyuga already understood what had happened.

Neji instinctively wanted to shift the blame onto Takasaki; it was a natural reaction when one encountered a problem.

Fortunately, as soon as that thought appeared in his mind, he suppressed it. He said in a sincere tone, "The responsibility lies entirely with me; it has nothing to do with Hinata."

Hiashi Hyuga's tone suddenly shifted. "Neji, I suppose you still have some sense of responsibility."

That was Takasaki's voice!

Upon hearing this, Hinata and Neji seemed to realize something and immediately looked up.

A cloud of smoke erupted from the body of the "Hiashi Hyuga" standing by the door. The smoke dissipated rapidly, revealing Takasaki's appearance.

"Takasaki?!" Hinata was stunned at first, then cried out in realization, "You even learned the Transformation Technique!"

It was the Transformation Technique!

Takasaki hadn't just learned the Substitution Technique; he had even mastered the Transformation Technique without anyone knowing when!

Neji's eyes widened, his gaze trembling slightly.

Takasaki had truly exceeded his expectations, and at the same time, he realized one thing: he had been played by Takasaki again!

"It's all thanks to Lady Hinata's guidance," Takasaki said with a smile.

"Takasaki, I admit, I underestimated you." Neji didn't blame Takasaki for impersonating Hiashi Hyuga to mock him; he simply nodded slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Takasaki's gaze fell upon him. "Do you still believe that fate cannot be changed?"

Neji's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his head.

He wanted to say that he still firmly believed fate could not be changed, but the words caught in his throat.

In his impression, Takasaki had always been a dead-last.

He should have been a dead-last for his entire life.

But now, Takasaki's performance was completely unexpected.

Could it be that, through hard work, one really could change their fate?

The problem was that the plight of the Hyuga Clan's branch family members told him every moment of every day that fate was already set in stone.

Takasaki made sure there were no other members of the Hyuga Clan nearby, then said calmly, "The day you have the Caged Bird Curse Seal removed, you will understand that fate is not predetermined—it can be changed."

Having said that, he placed his hands together in front of his chest and formed a seal. "Release."

Poof.

Takasaki's body turned into smoke and dissipated.

This was his...

Neji looked up abruptly, staring at the smoke where Takasaki's clone had vanished. "It was the Clone Technique."

His eyes flickered a few times, and he let out a self-deprecating chuckle: "That dead-last, he really played us for fools..."

No!

The moment the words left his lips, Neji's heart skipped a beat.

Could Takasaki even be called a dead-last anymore?

Realizing Takasaki was nowhere to be found, he instinctively turned back to lock eyes with Hinata.

Both of them saw an expression of utter disbelief in each other's gaze.

Takasaki had actually mastered the Clone Technique!

The Takasaki who had just transformed into Hiashi Hyuga was nothing more than a clone!

As for Takasaki's true self, he had already left the Hyuga Clan Mansion.

Neji stepped outside and went to the VIP Reception Room, but he did not see Takasaki's figure.

Discovering that Takasaki had already departed, he asked in shock and suspicion: "Hinata, did you teach Takasaki the Three Body Technique?"

"Me? Ah? That's impossible."

Hinata recalled the scenes of her teaching Takasaki and shook her head vigorously.

It was impossible.

When she was teaching him, Takasaki had been distracted several times.

She had been so annoyed that she poked his hand and forehead with her finger; there was no way he could have learned it from her.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something.

Especially after she recounted the process of teaching Takasaki to Neji, Neji's thoughts aligned with hers: "Could it be that Takasaki has been hiding his true strength all along?"

That was the only possibility!

Both Naruto and Takasaki were labeled as dead-lasts in class, but Naruto's status as a dead-last was likely genuine.

The key was that, judging by Takasaki's performance today, his status as a dead-last must have been an act.

"In that case, my previous behavior was indeed quite unseemly. I underestimated him and even failed to control my own emotions, taking the initiative to attack Takasaki. Regardless of the circumstances, I was the one who started it."

Neji suddenly felt a sense of dejection.

Always brimming with confidence in his own strength, for the first time, he felt a spark of self-doubt.

Recalling the mocking words he had directed at Takasaki in the reception room, he felt a genuine sense of shame: "Just how much strength has this guy, Takasaki, been hiding?"

For a moment, Neji felt he truly couldn't see through Takasaki.

The crucial point was, what exactly did Takasaki mean by the words he spoke before his clone vanished?

"The day you break the Caged Bird seal, you will understand that destiny is not set in stone; as long as you work hard, it can be changed." Those were Takasaki's exact words.

On the way to the Training Room with Hinata, Neji kept pondering this question: Could the Caged Bird seal really be broken?

Impossible.

The moment Neji thought about it, he felt it was absurd.

His destiny had been set long ago; it was fundamentally unchangeable.

Yet, if destiny could not be changed, how could one explain Takasaki's situation?

Takasaki, who was clearly a dead-last, had actually mastered the Three Body Technique and could use it with such proficiency.

Neji could hardly imagine how much unknown effort Takasaki had put into this process; he must have shed a great deal of sweat.

Could it be that hard work really could change destiny?

Having always believed that destiny was unchangeable, a ripple finally stirred within his heart.

Through his encounter with Takasaki today, Neji felt, in some inexplicable way, that perhaps his own destiny could be changed.

Takasaki seemed capable of bringing him hope.

He had previously demanded an apology from Takasaki, but now it seemed that the one who truly owed an apology was himself.

"Next Monday, when I go to the Hokage Building to accept a mission, I'll stop by the Ninja Academy and sincerely apologize to Takasaki..." Neji sighed.