Educating Problem Children

"Enough!" A thunderous roar erupted from the ground.

Neji, who hadn't yet finished his Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, felt a fierce gust of wind strike him. In the blink of an eye, a flexible yet rock-hard tongue coiled around his striking arm. The immense force of the tongue contracted violently, twisting Neji's arm into a grotesque shape as if squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Before Neji could even let out a scream, the tongue lashed out again, using its massive strength to swat him away like a fly, sending his body crashing into the ground and leaving a sizable crater.

Before the dust had even settled, Tahm's broad, massive figure stood firmly on the arena, holding Hinata's battered and bruised body with a pained heart.

Hinata, in his arms, had lost all her strength. A tragic, beautiful streak of blood hung from the corner of her mouth, and her lips trembled slightly as she struggled to speak: "I'm sorry, Tahm. I still couldn't do it."

"You did more than enough, you silly girl..." Tahm suppressed his rage, forcing a smile as he spoke to Hinata, "The rest of this battle is ours together!"

Activate... Starcall! A soft, brilliant golden light manifested from thin air, enveloping Hinata's body, which was as damaged as an old ragdoll. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, her severe injuries vanished in a few seconds as if time were flowing backward. For a moment, the warmth of healing and the stinging pain of her wounds intertwined within her, causing Hinata to let out a soft moan.

This toad actually possessed such powerful medical ninjutsu? The few jonin watching, and even Hyuga Hiashi, were shocked. Given their years of experience in the ninja world, this single display of an instant, highly effective medical technique was enough to make this toad a guest of honor in any of the Five Great Nations. Their estimation of Tahm immediately rose by several notches.

It took a moment for the jonin responsible for maintaining order in the match to react: "Mr. Tahm, you cannot interfere in their duel! Please get down immediately!"

"Cannot interfere?" Tahm asked with a hint of anger, "As a summoning beast, am I supposed to just stand by and watch my contractor get beaten to death?"

Hearing this, the jonin, who had been somewhat dissatisfied with Tahm's interference, was stunned. He finally realized: a summoning beast is inherently a part of a ninja's strength. Who could question a ninja using their own summon in a fight? It was just that Tahm had been living with them for days, watching TV, taking walks, and gorging on food like a houseguest, which had made them subconsciously forget his identity as a summoning beast.

Seeing that no one else had any objections, Tahm carefully set Hinata down, then cast a cold, sharp gaze toward the figure struggling to stand. He asked with a sneer: "What? Is it still the decision of fate now?" Tahm had previously felt a bit of sympathy for Neji and his tragic ending in the original story, but seeing him attack his own sister so ruthlessly, only anger remained in Tahm's heart. Some problem children just needed a shock!

"I don't accept this!" Neji's expression was twisted by the sting of pain. "You only relied on your status as a main branch member to sign a contract with a powerful summoning beast!"

"Status of the main branch?" Tahm's voice carried a sharp edge as he sneered, "Hinata was able to contract with me because of her kindness, gentleness, innocence, and true inner strength! (Actually, it was because of the smooth-talking salesman Jiraiya.) And you, you're just a pathetic wretch pretending to be tough on the outside!"

"Always spouting ridiculous words about the strong, the weak, and fate, you're just acting like a little brat." Having transmigrated to the Naruto world for over a year, Tahm had also self-taught the world's ultimate technique: Talk-no-Jutsu:

"So-called fate is nothing but a whip that lashes people; and you, you are just a slave who lives in misery under that whip, seeking comfort in the failures of others while feeling smug about it! A genius of the Hyuga clan? Nothing more than this!"

"Shut up!" The words provoked Neji into a fit of rage. His face flushed red as he roared and charged at Tahm, attacking frantically without a shred of reason.

Tahm simply flicked his massive tongue, lashing out hard against the incoming Neji. The immense force, held back not at all and infused with his full chakra, was enough to shatter stone. It sent Neji crashing into the ground once more, leaving him with no strength left to crawl back up.

"For the next few days, you can just lie in bed and think about where you went wrong!" Tahm dropped this line, took Hinata's small hand, and prepared to walk away.

Hinata, however, hesitated. She lingered in place, looking up at Tahm as she spoke: "Tahm..."

Having developed a mutual understanding, Tahm instantly grasped Hinata's thoughts and said with some annoyance: "He just treated you like that, and you still want me to help him?"

"Neji is, after all, my brother..." Hinata looked at Tahm with moist, pleading eyes. Her soft, gentle voice reached the ears of Neji, who was gasping for air on the ground, causing his iron-cold, hardened heart to waver.

"There's no helping it, I'll do it since you asked!" Tahm grumbled with dissatisfaction, but he agreed nonetheless. After all, this was the Hinata he knew—the kind, innocent girl who kept smiling even in the face of malice, leaving him unable to refuse.

Tahm raised his hand toward Neji, who was lying on the ground in the distance, and silently recited: Starcall. A golden light flew from Tahm's palm and enveloped Neji. A few seconds later, Neji climbed up, perfectly fine. He bit his lip and looked at Hinata with a complex expression, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to speak.

Tahm paid him no more mind. Instead, he hoisted Hinata up and placed her on his back—his signature "Tahm-mobile." Hinata sat obediently on Tahm's large head, adjusting her posture to find her familiar, comfortable angle, her face bright with the joy of relaxation after a great battle.

"Let's go, Tahm." Hinata said proactively. In front of Tahm, she was gradually becoming a lively girl, no longer the submissive punching bag she once was.

"You got it!" With the order given, Tahm didn't care what others were thinking or watching. He trotted back toward their small courtyard with Hinata on his head. Hyuga Hiashi, who had been playing the role of a background character, felt a whirlwind of emotions he couldn't settle. First, he was shocked by the performance of Hinata and Tahm, then he felt a faint sense of pride for his daughter, and finally, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss because Hinata relied on and trusted Tahm so much while ignoring him, her own father. The high-ranking, powerful clan head, whose heart was usually as still as an ancient well, felt a sense of insecurity for the first time.

"Hinata, I was a bit angry today," Tahm said to the girl on his head as they walked.

"I just didn't want to disappoint you, Tahm... I didn't want to be the one who always gives up anymore." Hinata gently stroked Tahm's large head; she knew Tahm liked that.

"Silly girl, if you can't beat them, just call me! I'm a summoning beast, after all!" Tahm was still huffing.

"To me, Tahm is more than just a summoning beast." Hinata whispered in a voice as faint as a mosquito's.

Tahm fell silent. The softest part of his heart had truly been struck by the six-year-old girl.