"Whoa, the boss is amazing! The boss is the best!" Shota cheered, raising both hands.
"Zeyu-kun, you're amazing," Hinata murmured, watching Zeyu bow in the arena.
"Can't believe he got Lord Hokage to praise him. Hmph, I bet his nose'll be so high in the air from now on, he'll be looking down on everyone," Megumi said disdainfully, folding her arms.
Kakashi stood nearby, full of questions as he stared intently at Zeyu.
Kurenai entered the arena to check Kiba's injuries.
Seeing that neither Kiba nor Akamaru was seriously hurt and that they had only passed out, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm back," Zeyu said, jumping straight up to the second floor and standing on the railing.
"Zeyu-kun, thanks for all your hard work," Hinata said, stepping forward.
Zeyu jumped down from the railing and pulled Hinata into his arms. He lowered his head and took a deep sniff at her neck.
"I missed you so much, Hinata. I deserve a reward."
Hinata froze for a moment, her face turning bright red. Then she smiled and wrapped her arms around Zeyu's waist.
Nana couldn't bear to watch and turned away.
"Hinata, be careful. Once men get famous, they turn into womanizers!" Megumi said, glancing sideways at them.
"Is that so? But I believe Zeyu-kun definitely won't become like that. It's all right," Hinata said, holding him a little tighter.
Zeyu took another deep sniff, then lifted his head and shot Megumi a look. He pulled a face, kissed Hinata on the cheek, and said,
"I love you most of all, Hinata. We'll be together forever. Nobody can tear us apart."
"Mm. It's a promise, Zeyu-kun," Hinata said, looking up at him.
Her eyes grew a little misty. She buried her face against Zeyu's chest, a blissful smile on her lips.
Megumi's mouth twitched. She snorted and looked away.
Shota was secretly weeping nearby, clenching his fists as he thought,
Big bro's so quick! I wanted to latch onto him and beg him to teach me that move he just used. Damn it, I'll have to keep working hard!
Just then, Kakashi walked over.
"Yo," Kakashi greeted everyone, raising a hand.
The others looked over at him, puzzled.
Zeyu and Hinata were still embracing. Feeling someone approach, Zeyu raised his head and glanced at Kakashi.
Uh... Did I come at a bad time? Kakashi thought.
"What is it, Kakashi-senpai?" Nana asked.
"Well, there's something I wanted to discuss with Zeyu. It's nothing urgent, though. Maybe another time, when we're free. Haha." Kakashi scratched the back of his head, looking a little awkward.
"Now, prepare for the next match," Hayate said, coughing twice from the arena.
Everyone turned to look at the big screen.
If I remember right, Hinata should be up next... Zeyu thought, looking at Hinata's profile beside him.
Hinata held Zeyu's hand with one of hers and pressed the other to her chest, staring intently at the big screen.
The screen stopped.
"How could this happen..." Hinata murmured, her pupils trembling slightly. She tightened her grip on his hand, her voice betraying a hint of fear.
Zeyu looked at the big screen too.
Just as I thought...
[Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji]
"Now, will the two contestants please get ready?" Hayate called.
Hmph. Just what I wanted, Neji thought. He vaulted over the railing, jumped down, folded his arms, and turned to look toward Hinata.
"Hurry up and come down, Lady Hinata," Neji said, looking at her with disdain.
Hinata looked down at Neji, her heart full of unease. She let go of Zeyu's hand.
"Zeyu-kun, I'm going," Hinata said, glancing at him before walking toward the railing.
She walked a couple of steps with her fists clenched at her sides and her head lowered. Her breathing grew uneven. She was extremely nervous.
Zeyu hurried over, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms.
Hinata froze, unsure what to do.
"Do your best, Hinata," Zeyu said.
Then he held her by the shoulders, looked at her, and continued,
"I know what you're worried about, Hinata. It's all right. No matter what happens, I'll be right by your side. So gather your courage and keep moving forward."
"Thank you, Zeyu-kun," Hinata murmured when she came to her senses. Tears glimmered in her eyes, and she smiled.
Zeyu smiled reassuringly and let go of her.
The others exchanged glances, then smiled as they watched the two of them.
Zeyu's reassurance put Hinata at ease, and she was no longer so nervous.
Suddenly, Hinata remembered something. Her face turned red again. She lowered her head, held her hands in front of her chest, and tapped her index fingers together.
"What's wrong, Hinata?" Zeyu asked.
"Zeyu-kun... um... reassure..." Hinata stammered. She looked up at Zeyu, then noticed everyone around them, and turned even redder.
Nana leaned close to Megumi's ear and whispered,
"What's happened these past few days? Hinata's so bold now."
"You'll get used to it, Sensei," Megumi replied helplessly.
Zeyu suddenly understood. He smiled, gently lifted Hinata's chin, and kissed her on the forehead.
"Hinata, go for it! Do your best!" Zeyu said, clenching his fist.
Hinata touched her forehead beside the spot Zeyu had kissed, then clenched her fists too.
"Mm, I'll do my best! I'm going now, Zeyu-kun."
Then Hinata turned, climbed over the railing, and jumped down.
She landed opposite Neji, took a deep breath, and thought,
Thank you, Zeyu-kun. You've trained me for so long. I'm not the person I used to be anymore. I won't back down now!
She held her fists at her waist, her gaze resolute.
Neji looked at Hinata and smiled faintly.
"From the look on your face, do you really think you can beat me?"
"I might not have been able to on my own before, but..." Hinata closed her eyes and slowly began taking the Gentle Fist stance.
"I'm not alone anymore! Zeyu-kun gave me strength! I can do this now!" Hinata declared, her gaze resolute as she stared at Neji.
Neji gave a derisive smile and took the Gentle Fist stance as well.
"I admit that Zeyu has some real skill, but you're a different matter, Lady Hinata. You'll never be able to defeat me," Neji said, settling into position.
Hayate looked at the two of them, ready for battle. He raised his hand and was about to announce the start.
"Wait!" Hinata shouted.
Everyone was taken aback.
Is Hinata still afraid? Kurenai thought.
Is she going to forfeit? It can't be helped, given that her opponent is Neji, Guy thought.
"What is it? Are you going to forfeit? That would be for the best, Lady Hinata," Neji said with a faint smile.
Hayate also looked toward Hinata.
Hinata took the bracelet from her wrist and used it to tie up her hair.
"Sorry, Zeyu-kun gave me this bracelet as a graduation gift. It's important to me, and I can't let it get damaged," Hinata said.
Megumi looked exasperated and glanced at Zeyu beside her.
Zeyu was thrilled. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he swayed from side to side.
"Tch. How pointless," Neji scoffed.
After tying up her hair, Hinata took her stance again.
She tied her short hair into a lopsided ponytail, leaving only a little tuft sticking up.
"Begin!" Hayate called when he saw they were ready.
"Byakugan!" "Byakugan!"
Hinata and Neji activated their Byakugan at the same time and charged at each other.
Their palms collided, sending a burst of air outward.
Then they began trading blows with the Gentle Fist.
Since they were both using the same style and knew the same moves, neither gained the upper hand at first. They exchanged a fierce flurry of attacks.
Hiashi said Hinata had been training with Zeyu. I wonder how strong she's become. She's facing Neji, who's renowned as a genius, yet she's full of confidence. This should be interesting, the Third Hokage thought, watching them fight.
"They're both using the Gentle Fist. If Hinata can't find an opening, she'll lose," Megumi said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.
A sudden bang caught Megumi's attention.
She turned toward the sound. It had come from Zeyu's side.
Zeyu was gripping the railing with both hands. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his teeth were clenched, and his eyes were fixed on the two fighters below.
Curious about the noise, Megumi went closer to investigate. That was when she noticed—
The railing in Zeyu's hands had been bent out of shape by his grip.
Megumi had never seen Zeyu this nervous before. She no longer felt like teasing him and turned her attention to the arena.
I'll let you off the hook this time. I just hope Hinata will be all right, Megumi thought, feeling worried too.
Hinata and Neji had already exchanged more than twenty blows.
I can't keep this up! I'll lose from exhaustion sooner or later, Hinata thought, gritting her teeth.
Zeyu-kun trained me for so long. I don't want to lose like this!
Though Hinata thought this, she couldn't find an opening. Her stamina kept draining, and she was gradually struggling to keep up.
"What's wrong? Are you still thinking about that boy? And you thought you could beat me?" Neji said scornfully.
Hinata was drenched in sweat as she struggled to deflect Neji's attacks. She was now on the defensive most of the time.
"Hmph. You talked about how things used to be, but you're still the same—weak, useless, and timid. You don't look like a shinobi at all!"
"I..." Hinata gritted her teeth.
"All those big words were laughable. Do you think you've actually changed?"
"I..."
"You're useless. Why not just do nothing? Wouldn't that be better?" Neji kept using his words to break down Hinata's defenses.
At the same time, he didn't let up with his attacks, and Hinata began to feel her strength running out.
"I heard you've been training with that boy too. He's an outsider. What could he possibly teach you?" As Neji spoke, he slammed his right palm into Hinata's chest.
Hinata gritted her teeth, gathering strength in her right hand. She knocked Neji's arm aside with her left, interrupting his attack, then struck toward his chest with her right palm.
"Don't you dare talk about Zeyu-kun!"
Neji gave a derisive smile and slapped Hinata's right arm aside with his left hand, blocking her move. Just as he was about to press his attack, a sudden wave of pain surged through his right chest.
Neji staggered, his body stiffening for a moment. He stared at Hinata in disbelief.
Hinata seized the opportunity and struck with her left palm.
Neji hurriedly arched backward. A burst of air swept past him, and he narrowly avoided the blow.
Hinata tried to follow up, but Neji quickly flipped backward and put some distance between them.
Only then did Hinata have a chance to recover.
She panted heavily, keeping her eyes fixed on Neji.
Neji hunched over, clutching his right chest. He sucked in a couple of sharp breaths, then looked up and glared furiously at Hinata.
"How do you know that move?!"