"Enough!" A thunderous roar erupted out of nowhere.
Neji had not even finished his Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms when he felt a fierce gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, a large tongue, both flexible and tough, wrapped around the arm he had struck out with. The immensely powerful tongue suddenly contracted, twisting Neji's arm into a bizarre shape like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. Before Neji could even cry out in pain, the tongue lashed again, and a tremendous force sent his body flying as though swatting a fly, smashing a sizable crater into the ground.
Before the dust had settled, Tahm's broad, massive figure was already standing firmly on the arena platform, cradling Hinata's battered body in distress.
Hinata had barely any strength left. A tragically beautiful streak of blood hung at the corner of her mouth as her lips trembled slightly. With difficulty, she said, "I'm sorry, Tahm. I still couldn't do it."
"You did well enough, silly girl..." Tahm suppressed his fury and forced a smile at Hinata. "The rest of this fight belongs to both of us!"
Starcall! A gentle yet dazzling golden light appeared from nowhere, enveloping Hinata's damaged body, which looked like an old rag doll. Before everyone's eyes, her severe injuries vanished within a few breaths as though time had reversed. For a moment, the warmth of healing and the burning sting of pain intertwined and clashed within her body, making Hinata let out a soft moan.
This toad actually had such a powerful medical ninjutsu? The several jonin watching, even Hyuga Hiashi himself, were stunned. With their years of experience in the Shinobi World, they knew that this instant, highly effective healing technique alone would make this toad an honored guest of the Five Great Nations. Their assessment of Tahm immediately rose by several levels.
Only after a moment did one of the jonin responsible for maintaining order realize what had happened. "Mr. Tahm, you cannot interfere in their match! Please get down at once!"
"Can't interfere?" Tahm's voice carried a hint of anger. "As a summoned beast, am I supposed to stand by and watch my contractor get beaten to death?"
Hearing that, the jonin who had just been somewhat dissatisfied with Tahm's interference froze. Only then did he realize that summoned beasts were originally part of a ninja's strength. Who could question a ninja using their own summoned beast in battle? It was only because Tahm had been living beside them these past few days—watching television, taking walks, and stuffing himself like a visiting guest—that they had subconsciously forgotten his identity as a summoned beast.
Seeing that no one else objected, Tahm carefully set Hinata down. Then he turned his cold gaze toward the figure struggling to rise and asked mockingly, "What? Is this still fate's decision?" Tahm had previously felt some sympathy for Neji, whose ending in the original story had been tragic. But now that he had truly seen Neji attack his own sister so ruthlessly, all that remained in Tahm's heart was anger. Some troubled children just needed a good shock!
"I refuse to accept this!" Pain had twisted Neji's expression into something rather ferocious. "You merely relied on your position in the main family to contract such a powerful summoned beast!"
"My position in the main family?" Tahm sneered, his voice edged with sharp mockery. "Hinata was able to contract with me because of her gentleness, kindness, purity, and true inner strength! (Actually, it was because salesman Jiraiya talked her into it.) And you? You're nothing but a pathetic wretch pretending to be strong on the outside!"
"All day long, you spout ridiculous nonsense about the strong, the weak, and fate. You're just acting like a little bastard." After more than a year in the Naruto world, Tahm had naturally mastered the highest secret art of this world: Talk-no-Jutsu.
"So-called fate is nothing more than a whip that lashes people onward. And you are merely a slave who survives beneath that whip, seeks comfort in others' failures, and even takes pride in it! The Hyuga Clan's genius? That's all you amount to!"
"Shut up!" Neji flew into a rage from humiliation. His face flushed bright red as he let out a strange roar and charged at Tahm, attacking wildly without the slightest reason left.
Tahm merely flicked his large tongue, lashing Neji's incoming body again. The enormous force, with chakra poured into it at full strength and without the slightest restraint, was enough to split stone and shatter steles. Neji crashed heavily into the ground once more and no longer had the strength to get up.
"For the next few days, stay in bed and think hard about exactly what you did wrong!" Tahm threw out those words, took Hinata's little hand, and prepared to leave the platform.
But Hinata hesitated. She stood there uncertainly, then looked up at Tahm and said, "Tahm..."
Having developed a tacit understanding with her, Tahm instantly understood what Hinata meant. Somewhat angrily, he said, "After what he just did to you, you still want me to help him?"
"Neji is still my brother, after all..." Hinata looked at Tahm with her large, moist eyes full of pleading. Her soft, gentle voice reached Neji's ears as he lay on the ground barely clinging to life, and his heart of cold, hard steel could not help but stir slightly.
"I really can't do anything with you. Fine, I'll do it!" Tahm muttered unhappily, but still agreed. After all, this was the Hinata he knew—the kind, pure little girl who kept smiling even in the face of malice. He simply could not refuse her.
Tahm raised a hand toward Neji, who was lying on the ground some distance away, and silently invoked Starcall. A beam of golden light flew from Tahm's palm and enveloped Neji. A few breaths later, Neji climbed to his feet completely healed. He pressed his lips together and looked at Hinata with a complicated expression. His mouth moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
Tahm paid him no further attention. He scooped Hinata up and placed her atop her Tahm-brand personal ride. Hinata obediently sat on Tahm's huge head, adjusted her posture until she found her familiar, comfortable position, and wore a cheerful, relaxed expression after the battle.
"Let's go, Tahm!" Hinata said on her own initiative. Around Tahm, she had gradually become a lively girl, no longer the meek little punching bag who silently endured everything.
"Alright!" Having received the order, Tahm ignored what anyone else thought or watched and ran back toward their little courtyard with Hinata on his head. Hyuga Hiashi, who had been playing the role of a background figure all along, was left with a turmoil of emotions that refused to settle. First, he was shocked by Hinata and Tahm's performance. Then, he felt a faint sense of pride in his daughter. Finally, seeing Hinata's obvious reliance on and trust in Tahm while ignoring him, her father, filled him with an inexplicable sense of loss. For the first time, the powerful and composed head of the Hyuga Clan experienced the feeling of worrying over gains and losses.
"Hinata, I was a little angry today," Tahm suddenly said to Hinata atop his head as they traveled.
"I just didn't want to disappoint you, Tahm... I don't want to be the person who always gives up anymore." Hinata gently stroked Tahm's huge head. She knew he liked that.
"Silly girl, if you can't beat them, call for me! I'm your summoned beast!" Tahm was still fuming.
"To me, Tahm is more than just a summoned beast." Hinata spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Tahm fell silent. The tenderest part of his heart had truly been struck by a six-year-old girl.
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