Hinata fell in battle

Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hinata, his face full of disappointment. "Why are you so weak? Look at Hanabi. Teach her something once, and she learns it."

"And you? How much effort have I poured into you? Yet you can't even perform a set of Gentle Fist moves properly."

Tears slowly slid down Hinata's face. She never dared raise her eyes to her father.

Hyuga Hiashi suddenly barked, "Lift your head and look at me!"

His roar frightened Hinata into sobbing on the spot. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, murmuring over and over, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry."

Seething with anger, Hyuga Hiashi turned and swept away.

The scene shifted. Hinata hid outside the door, overhearing a conversation between Hyuga Hiashi and Kurenai Yuhi.

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Hiashi, concern in her voice. "Hinata was injured on this mission."

Not a trace of heartache showed on Hyuga Hiashi's face. His voice was bitterly cold. "Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. She stopped being a daughter of the Hyuga Clan long ago."

Kurenai Yuhi looked incredulous. "That child has given everything she has just to earn a single word of approval from you."

"Hinata really is trying her hardest. You shouldn't treat her this way."

Hyuga Hiashi remained silent.

Outside the door, the last flicker of hope in Hinata's heart froze completely when she heard those words.

Hinata turned and ran desperately away, stumbling as she went.

Kurenai Yuhi immediately recognized the figure fleeing in panic as Hinata. She turned to Hyuga Hiashi, anger in her voice. "Since you refuse to accept her,"

"Then leave Hinata's training to me. I will never let my student suffer this kind of hurt again."

With that...

Kurenai Yuhi immediately chased after her.

Hyuga Hiashi watched their retreating figures. The sternness and indifference he had held so rigidly in place fell away.

Unconcealable worry surged in his eyes, but his feet seemed nailed to the ground. In the end, he never took a step to follow them.

Her thoughts shifted again.

On a bitter night of swirling snow, Hinata crouched alone in the snow, silently shedding tears.

A blond boy walked up to her and gently took her hand.

Hinata raised her head in a daze and found herself looking into Naruto Uzumaki's warm, genuine smile.

Memories flashed through her mind, one after another.

When she was little, several children had surrounded and bullied her. Naruto had stepped forward and driven them away.

Seeing Naruto battered and covered in injuries, Hinata had tried several times to approach him and check his wounds.

But each time, Ninja from the Hyuga Branch Family stopped her.

The same warning always echoed in her ears: "You must have nothing whatsoever to do with that child."

Time after time, she had shrunk back in fear...

Time after time, she had helplessly turned away...

After she grew older.

She trained desperately to become stronger, wanting nothing but her father's approval, yet she received not even a little patient guidance.

Later, she watched Naruto grow quieter and quieter, his expression increasingly burdened.

From that moment on, Hinata stopped hoping for her father's approval. She only wanted to grow stronger.

So that one day, she could step forward and protect Naruto.

Through countless unbearable moments when she fell apart, the person beside her had always been Naruto.

The tangled memories were abruptly dragged back to reality.

Lying on the shattered ground with her right hand gone, Hinata gritted her teeth, braced her broken body, and struggled to stand once more.

In the distance, Xue Zhantian had been preparing to attack. His eyes filled with surprise. "You really are tenacious."

Hinata ignored him.

At that moment!

The Hyuga's Byakugan slowly faded. The white surrounding her pupils gradually darkened to black, while her pupils turned a clear blue.

Hinata herself had no idea that her eyes had evolved into the legendary Jōgan.

Hinata murmured, "The old me could only cry. Whenever I faced a hardship, I wanted to give up."

"Every time I was about to fall into darkness, Naruto pulled me back onto the right path."

"I've always chased after Naruto, desperately trying to catch up, hoping I could walk beside him and stay by his side."

"Naruto changed me. His smile saved me. So if it means protecting Naruto, I won't be afraid, even of death."

"Because I love Naruto-kun more than anyone."

As her words fell, a layer of violet-blue chakra slowly enveloped her body.

Watching from afar, Xue Zhantian was shaken to his core. This woman's presence had changed completely.

Before Xue Zhantian could react, Hinata vanished.

Xue Zhantian's heart sank. This is bad!

This woman's target wasn't him.

It was the cavalry behind him!

"Everyone, retreat immediately!" Xue Zhantian roared.

Behind him, the densely packed ranks of more than forty thousand Black Armor Cavalry soldiers heard their commander's order. Without hesitation, they turned and raced toward the Land of Fire's border.

Hinata charged straight into the cavalry formation, fighting with her fist. She knew her life had reached its end.

In her final moments, she wanted to help Naruto one more time, destroying as much of this army as she could and leaving him fewer enemies.

She also understood that even if she kept fighting Xue Zhantian, she might not be able to kill him.

Since she couldn't kill their commander, she would whittle down his forces.

The fleeing Black Armor Cavalry soldiers ahead watched their comrades fall one after another.

Several squad captains abruptly stopped and launched indiscriminate attacks at Hinata. Countless spears hurtled toward her.

With her right hand gone and barely a breath of life remaining, Hinata no longer had the strength to block them.

Unwilling to waste even a trace of chakra, Hinata focused solely on fighting with everything she had.

Just then...

A spear drove straight through her body.

Hinata abruptly stiffened.

Seizing that brief opening, a cavalry squad captain roared, "Get your bows! Kill this madwoman, now!"

Filled with fear, the soldiers drew their bows to the full. A rain of arrows poured down on Hinata.

Arrow after arrow buried itself deep in her body.

Xue Zhantian arrived nearby. Seeing Hinata covered in arrows, he raised a hand, signaling his soldiers to stop attacking.

As the Black Armor Cavalry stared at the sight before them, the image of her charging into their ranks and slaughtering them kept replaying in their minds.

Everyone murmured, "She's a complete lunatic."

Hinata was now covered in arrow wounds, her clothes soaked with blood, her entire body a bloody figure.

Memories surged through her mind again.

Hinata thought of Neji Hyuga.

Neji had once been so gentle, but later he had treated her with nothing but distance and disgust.

She remembered her father's cold, disappointed gaze, over and over, and the smile Naruto had left her before departing.

Hinata whispered in her heart, Neji, you don't have to hate me anymore.

Father, have I finally become someone you can be proud of?

I'm sorry, Naruto. This is as far as I can go. I really wanted to keep watching you forever, Naruto-kun.

Hinata remained standing as her life slowly ebbed away.

The scene gently shifted.

Hyuga Hiashi stood at the entrance to the Hyuga Clan residence. His chest felt unbearably tight, and his heart felt empty, as though he had lost something vitally important.

Beside him, Hanabi noticed how distraught her father looked and asked, "Father, did something happen?"

Hyuga Hiashi raised a hand, his voice betraying no emotion. "Nothing."

Hyuga Hiashi looked toward the distant horizon, grief surging uncontrollably in his heart. Hinata, make sure you go far, far away. I'm sorry. I've always been too harsh on you.

Elsewhere.

While carrying out a mission, Neji Hyuga seemed to glimpse his younger cousin through a momentary haze.

His steps abruptly halted...

A sharp pain pierced his chest.

Beside him, Rock Lee asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Neji?"

Neji shook his head, forcibly suppressing the unease in his heart. "Nothing. Let's keep moving."

Yet he kept repeating inwardly, Hinata, you'll be all right, won't you?

The scene returned to the brutal battlefield.

High above, the Light Screen slowly appeared, displaying Hinata's final battle record: ten thousand Black Armor Cavalry soldiers slain, commander Xue Zhantian severely wounded; five slash wounds sustained, four hundred and sixty arrows lodged in her body, and her heart pierced by spears one hundred and forty times.

The Light Screen's glow gradually dimmed.

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