This Hinata was not the same love-struck airhead as the original Hinata.
Nor was she the type to stay silent even when she was clearly hungry.
Furthermore, this Hinata was definitely not the kind of person who would end up as a housewife in the future.
The talent of this body was exceptionally strong.
Although she had previously complained a lot about her identity, she had to admit that Hinata’s innate talent was truly remarkable.
Princess of the Byakugan.
This was how Ōtsutsuki Toneri had addressed Hinata in the final chapter movie.
And that final chapter Hinata had already proven the weight behind those four words.
On the moon, she had used her Byakugan to sense the Village from over twenty kilometers away.
Twenty kilometers?!
What kind of concept was that?
Even the Byakugan perception range of the current clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, was only about ten kilometers.
Yet, the final chapter Hinata could sense from twenty kilometers away.
This indicated that the purity of Hinata’s bloodline had already surpassed almost all members of the Hyuga Clan!
It was almost reaching the level of ancestral reversion!
Only with this level of purity did the original Hinata’s son, Boruto, have the conditions to awaken the Jōgan.
And this was with the original Hinata silently enduring hunger and not receiving sufficient nourishment.
But now…
“Neji is no longer a match for Hinata.”
Outside the Training Ground, Hyuga Hiashi sat on the wooden veranda, holding a teacup as he spoke calmly.
Sitting beside him was a man who bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to Hyuga Hiashi—his younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi.
“Not just now. It’s been like that for a while.”
Facing the words of his clan head and elder brother, Hyuga Hizashi’s expression showed a hint of hesitation as he sipped his tea.
“What is it?”
Hyuga Hiashi noticed his brother’s unusual expression.
“Brother, are you really planning to send Hinata to the Ninja Academy?”
Hyuga Hizashi frowned slightly.
In his view, sending a genius like Hinata to the Ninja Academy was a complete waste of time.
The so-called Ninja Academy was merely a place where Konoha taught civilian Ninjas.
If Hinata could stay within the clan and receive training from the clan’s top experts, the education she would receive would be an entirely different concept.
…
Hyuga Hiashi had thought his brother was hesitating about Hinata’s overwhelmingly one-sided sparring sessions with Neji.
“Uchiha Fugaku sent his second son to the Ninja Academy.”
That single sentence made Hyuga Hizashi stop talking.
After the dissolution of the Senju Clan, the representative Ninja clans in Konoha were the Hyuga and the Uchiha.
Uchiha Itachi had completed the Ninja Academy curriculum and graduated at the age of eight, second only to the proclaimed genius of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake.
And now, Uchiha Fugaku had sent his younger son, Uchiha Sasuke, to the Ninja Academy.
Given Uchiha Fugaku’s precedent, Hyuga Hiashi also had to send Hinata to the Ninja Academy.
Otherwise, it would be inconsistent with the Hyuga Clan’s long-standing principles.
Especially considering the Uchiha Clan was practically viewed as a thorn in the side of Konoha’s higher-ups.
Moreover, apart from this, the heirs of many other Ninja clans like the Ino–Shika–Chō, the Inuzuka, the Aburame, and others all attended the Ninja Academy.
If the Hyuga Clan acted independently, it would inevitably give people grounds for criticism.
“I understand.”
Hyuga Hizashi nodded slightly.
“But with Hinata’s talent, she should be able to graduate from the Ninja Academy very quickly, right?”
Hyuga Hizashi added with a light laugh.
“Let’s hope so.”
Hyuga Hiashi smiled, not paying it much mind.
In his view, this was inevitable.
As the heir he placed great hopes in, how could Hinata possibly lose to the Uchiha Clan?
Meanwhile, inside the Training Ground, Neji was on the verge of tears, utterly numb.
His body was knocked down like a machine, then he got up, only to be knocked down again, and got up once more.
There was a time when he had been unwilling to admit defeat, filled with resentment.
He sought advice from his father, consulted the clan’s top experts, worked hard to become stronger, trying to surpass Hinata so he could gain the ability to protect her.
But only after putting in the effort and becoming stronger did he realize just how weak he was.
No matter how hard Neji tried, the distance between him and Hinata seemed impossible to close.
“Brother Neji, hang in there.”
“You’re a genius. You can’t just fall like this.”
Neji, his body seemingly drained of all strength, struggled to get up from the ground, looking almost helplessly at Hinata, who still stood before him.
In Neji’s view, the encouraging words from her mouth were just Hinata’s twisted sense of humor.
“I lose.”
Neji had no choice but to concede.
Hinata’s personality was completely at odds with her appearance.
Beneath her seemingly gentle, cute, kind, innocent, lively, and pure lovely exterior hid an incredibly mischievous heart.
Apart from usually completely disregarding the clan’s rules, when in the mood, she enjoyed sarcastically teasing and mocking others.
Especially when Hinata held the upper hand.
After three years of interacting with Hinata, Neji believed he had already figured out his cousin’s personality.
“Brother Neji, you can’t just admit defeat so easily.”
“You’re the child Uncle Hizashi places great hopes in.”
“You’re also one of the few geniuses in the clan, and the person I trust the most.”
“Please, for my sake, stand up and keep fighting.”
The little black-haired girl leaned close to Neji, wearing a worried expression as if she genuinely cared about Hyuga Neji.
…
The corner of Hyuga Neji’s mouth twitched.
If he weren’t already well-acquainted with his cousin, he might have actually fallen for that act.
If it were his first meeting with Hinata, he probably would have been fooled out of his last stitch of clothing.
But…
“I understand.”
Hyuga Neji sighed, struggling to get up from the ground once more.
Compared to his cousin before him, his own genius was like an ordinary person facing a Ninja.
Or rather, no genius could be mentioned in the same breath as Hinata.
This was Neji’s understanding after these three years.
He was happy that the clan had produced someone like Hinata, and that he had such a cute younger cousin.
But Hinata’s personality was just too mischievous, which made it hard for Neji to feel completely happy about it.
“What’s with that reluctant expression?”
“How boring.”
Seeing Neji’s face full of unwillingness, Hinata couldn’t help but pout.
Tch.
Having spent too much time with this guy, he’s already figured out my tricks.
Need to find someone else next time.
The previously worried look on Hinata’s face vanished instantly, her expression changing so fast it left Neji speechless inside.
Hm?
Wait?
Wasn’t my initial goal to train hard, become stronger, and then save the world?
How did I accidentally turn it into playing around?
Only now did Hinata belatedly realize she had strayed from her original purpose.
See, it’s all this guy’s fault!
“Can’t you be a little stronger, Brother Neji?”
“At least give me some sense of urgency…”
Hinata muttered as if talking in her sleep, causing Neji, who had just stood up, to nearly stumble and lose his balance.
Seriously, who can compare to you…