In Konoha, all the children had been working especially hard lately. Even Ino Yamanaka, who usually slacked off a little, had grown unusually serious, constantly pestering Inoichi Yamanaka to teach her their clan's Secret Techniques.
Inoichi had once worried about how much Ino liked to play. Now he could finally put his mind at ease. Whenever he taught her, he wore a look of pride.
Hinata Hyuga was much the same. She even asked Neji, whom she usually hated to trouble, to spar with her. Neji Hyuga was undeniably a genius of the Hyuga Clan. His progress in the clan's Taijutsu had far outstripped Hinata's.
Neji had worried that Hinata might grow discouraged and give up. To his surprise, no matter how many times she fell, she got back up, dusted herself off, and started again.
Even Neji was shaken by her resolve. He had mentioned it to Hizashi Hyuga and Hyuga Hiashi before. Both elders sounded concerned for her, but they insisted on letting Hinata continue.
When Hinata fell yet again, Neji finally couldn't bear it. "You can take a break first!" Hinata looked up at him nervously. "Neji, are you tired?"
Neji felt a rare surge of helplessness. "No. You've just trained a lot today. You can take a break."
Hinata looked relieved and gave him a gentle smile. "If that's all, please keep helping me train, Neji! I still have to go see Master Yin later!"
At that, Neji's frown deepened. The time Hinata spent sparring with him every day was already astonishing, yet even with all that training, she had not cut a single minute from her sessions with Lord Hokage.
Neji wanted to say more, but the determination in Hinata's eyes left him speechless. He sighed quietly, slid his right leg back into position, and