Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!!!

"Impossible! A dead last who can't even execute the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—how could you possibly pull off this technique!" Neji shouted furiously at Hinata before him.

Hinata took a deep breath upon hearing this, then said with a smile, "That's right. At first, I didn't think I could learn it either; let alone the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, I couldn't even beat my little sister who was years younger than me."

"Weak, incompetent, timid—those words followed me everywhere."

"But..." Hinata looked up toward Zeyu on the second floor.

"Zeyu believes in me! He encouraged me and gave me confidence! I also believe in what Zeyu said: that I can do it!"

"Without Zeyu, I wouldn't be who I am today!"

"Hinata..." Zeyu murmured as he watched her.

Hinata turned back to Neji, slowly assuming the Gentle Fist stance, and said solemnly, "So... Zeyu is not an outsider! As long as I am with Zeyu, I can do anything!"

Neji chuckled at this and slowly straightened his posture.

"Hmph, so what if you've learned the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm? I still have the upper hand; don't think you can beat me!" Neji said with a sneer.

He then assumed his own starting stance.

"I will crush you right here! I'll make sure you never speak those pretty, foolish words again!" Neji glared at Hinata.

The two confronted each other once more. The air grew unnaturally quiet, as if they could hear each other's breathing.

Suddenly, Neji lunged toward Hinata.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hinata struck out with her right palm directly at Neji.

Neji quickly dodged to the side, evading the blow.

"Hmph, did you think that move would work again?" Neji chuckled lightly before charging at Hinata once more.

Hinata fired another Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm with her left hand.

With a nimble turn, Neji dodged that one as well.

"That's all you've got!" Neji shouted, closing the distance.

Hinata panicked slightly and retreated. Suddenly, she stumbled, her foot slipped, and she fell backward.

"It's over!" Neji shouted, seeing his chance.

He was already very close. He planted his feet, lowered his center of gravity, and spread his arms wide. His feet skidded across the ground for a short distance, and a Byakugan trigram circle manifested beneath him.

"Oh no! Neji is going for that technique!" Guy thought, stepping onto the railing, ready to jump down and stop him.

The other instructors realized it too and prepared to intervene.

Hinata, looking at Neji before her, realized what he was about to do. Her eyes filled with terror, her pupils trembled, and her lips quivered.

Memories flooded her mind: being looked down upon, being rejected, and training until late at night without making any progress.

Is this... the end for me? Hinata thought, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Just as she thought this, a voice rang out.

"Don't you dare lose to him, Hinata!"

"Don't give up!!!"

Zeyu crushed the railing in his grip with a loud bang. He held the two broken pieces of the railing and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hinata was snapped back to reality by Zeyu's voice. She gritted her teeth, flipped backward, and braced her hands against the ground. She pushed herself forcefully into the air, shaking the tears from her eyes, her gaze now resolute.

Neji was stunned. With a deep frown, he stepped forward, leaped toward Hinata in mid-air, and raised his palm to strike.

"Don't think you can escape!" Neji yelled.

That's right, what was I thinking? I'm not the same as I was before. Zeyu is always by my side, and nothing matters except responding to him! Hinata thought as she adjusted her posture in the air.

Looking at the incoming Neji, there was no longer a trace of fear in her eyes.

Recall it—the training I did with Zeyu! Hinata thought, pulling her fists to her waist to gather power.

Neji's Byakugan clearly saw Hinata's chakra rapidly gathering in her hands, and he was shocked.

No! How can she be ready to use the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm again so quickly? Neji thought, hurriedly crossing his arms in front of him.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hinata struck with her palm. Neji, still in mid-air, couldn't dodge in time. He was hit in the arm, and as the pain struck, his body stiffened.

Hinata struck again with her other hand. Unable to bear the pain, Neji cried out, his head snapped back, and his arms slowly fell away.

Hinata brought her hands together, gathering power at her waist.

"This is the power Zeyu gave me! I won't run away anymore!" Hinata shouted, thrusting both palms toward Neji.

A powerful blast of air struck Neji squarely in the chest, slamming him heavily into the ground with a thunderous crash.

Neji let out a pained cry as the floor tiles beneath him shattered. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the dust kicked up by the impact swirled away with the lingering shockwaves.

Several teachers arrived just in time, standing not far from Neji. They felt the gust of wind pass by, their eyes filled with shock.

Hinata landed on the ground, panting heavily. Her arms hung limply at her sides as she stared at Neji on the floor.

"Can you still stand?" Hayate asked, arriving at Neji's side.

Neji did not respond. He coughed twice, his eyes filled with frustration. He tried to lift his arm, but after raising it only a fraction, he let it drop back down.

Seeing this, Hayate declared Hinata the winner.

Hearing this, Hinata let out a sigh of relief. Her body swayed, and she looked as if she were about to collapse.

"Great! She won!" Megumi cheered excitedly, looking toward Zeyu.

However, Zeyu was nowhere to be seen; only the sound of two crisp metallic clangs echoed, leaving two severely deformed railing segments on the ground.

"Well done, Hinata, you did it," Kurenai said to Hinata, stepping forward and reaching out her hand.

A figure flashed past, and Zeyu reached Hinata first. The swaying girl leaned into his arms.

"Hinata, how are you feeling? Let me take a look," Zeyu said, holding her close.

"Uh..." Kurenai's outstretched hand hung in mid-air before she pulled it back with a helpless, wry smile.

Hinata noticed Zeyu had arrived and looked up at him with a smile.

"Thank you, Zeyu. If it weren't for you, I might have lost," Hinata said, sweat streaming down her face.

"Not at all, this is the result of your own hard work," Zeyu said, feeling a pang of heartache as he looked at her, his own eyes glistening with tears.

Hinata took all of this in. Suddenly remembering how Zeyu had acted before, she decided to imitate him to put his mind at ease.

Forgetting which hand she had used, she simply raised both hands to make peace signs beside her face, smiling at Zeyu.

"I won, Zeyu. So, it's okay, okay?" Hinata tilted her head, her face flushed red from exhaustion as she panted.

Zeyu froze at the sight, his own face turning red. Just as he was about to say something, Hinata's strength gave out. She buried her head in his chest, her peace signs losing their strength and slowly dropping. Her legs buckled inward, and she looked ready to collapse to the floor.

Zeyu quickly scooped Hinata up in a bridal carry.

Damn, Hinata was just so cute; I got distracted for a second, Zeyu thought as he carried her back to the second floor.

He took off his waist bag and tossed it to Shota.

"Shota, help me get some things out, quick!"

He knelt halfway, letting Hinata sit on his lap, and used one hand to press against her chest, channeling medical ninjutsu.

"Understood!" Shota crouched on the ground, skillfully rummaging through the bag.

Megumi watched Zeyu treat Hinata and felt relieved, though she grew curious about what was inside his bag and leaned in to look.

She saw that, aside from a pile of scrolls, there wasn't even a single kunai in the bag.

Megumi was speechless, the corner of her mouth twitching.

A moment later, Shota pulled out a pile of items, including but not limited to medical supplies, bedding, water, and towels.

Even Zeyu was surprised and praised him.

"You really know your stuff, Shota. Well done," he said, while settling the exhausted, sleeping Hinata into place.

"Hehe," Shota scratched the back of his head and laughed.

Megumi watched the two of them and helplessly covered her face with her hand.

"Eh? Big Brother, why are you having a nosebleed?" Shota asked, looking at Zeyu in confusion.

Zeyu was stunned by the question. He hurriedly wiped his philtrum and continued focusing on treating Hinata.

"I'm fine, don't worry about the details," Zeyu said, turning his head away, his face flushing again at the memory of Hinata's expression earlier.

Down on the field, Guy signaled for the medical ninjas to take Neji away for treatment.

It's Zeyu again. How on earth does he do it? Kakashi thought as he watched Neji being carried away, his curiosity about Zeyu growing deeper.

Up on the balcony, the Third Hokage watched the busy scene below and smiled slightly.

"Hiashi, you really have struck gold this time, hahahaha."

"Ah... ah... achoo!" Hiashi was standing by the training ground, observing his clansmen's training, when he suddenly sneezed.

What's going on? Why do I feel a chill down my back? Hiashi wondered. He didn't pay it much mind, waved his hand, and headed back inside to drink tea.