"You..." Muyue was momentarily stunned, then lowered his head in silence for a moment before lifting his gaze again. "I apologize for underestimating you earlier," he said solemnly. "You are a worthy opponent. Regardless of who wins or loses this fight, you, Hinata, have become my friend!"
"Hehe, sorry, but I have a grudge against the Cloud Village. I don't want to be friends with you guys!" Hinata remained expressionless. Hatred was never something easily forgotten. Back then, people from the Cloud Village had nearly killed her. Becoming friends with them? Forget about it.
"May I ask... what exactly happened between you and the Cloud Village?" Muyue asked hesitantly. Hinata had already mentioned her hatred toward the Cloud Village several times. Now that he truly regarded her as a respected opponent, he naturally wanted to know the reason. If it turned out the Cloud Village was at fault, he would willingly offer an apology.
"Do you see these eyes?" Hinata pointed at her own eyes, a mocking look on her face. "When I was four years old, the Cloud Village used the excuse of coming to Konoha to sign a peace agreement, yet secretly tried to kidnap me. When discovered, they even attempted to kill me outright."
"I remember the Raikage from your village always likes talking about being a real man and all that honor stuff. Tell me, is this what the Cloud Village calls being honorable—targeting a defenseless four-year-old girl?"
"I..." Muyue's expression immediately turned awkward. This indeed was their village's wrongdoing. After hesitating briefly, he finally steeled himself, bowed deeply to Hinata, and said, "I'm sorry. This was our mistake. I know I can't speak for the whole Cloud Village, but I still want to apologize to you personally."
"You already said you can't speak for the Cloud Village, so save your apology. Besides, you were just a child back then; it's not like you're responsible for that incident!"
Although Hinata spoke those words, her expression softened slightly. "The mastermind behind that incident was The Fourth. It has nothing to do with you."
"As a member of the Cloud Village, I have the responsibility to bear the consequences for its actions!" Muyue insisted firmly.
"Don't give me all that nonsense! We're in the middle of the Chunin Exams right now. Drop it already!" Hinata frowned. "Either hurry up and start the match, or step off the ring yourself. What's with you? Acting all indecisive like that?"
"Ahh… Ohh…" Caught off guard by Hinata's sudden display of pressure, Muyue swallowed nervously, took a deep breath, and composed his expression once more. "Cloud ninja, Muyue."
"Konoha ninja, Hinata Hyuga."
Hinata took her stance, assuming the opening pose of the Gentle Fist style used by the Hyuga clan. The veins around her eyes bulged prominently like spider webs, and the world before her eyes changed.
"This guy Muyue seems actually quite admirable," Kakashi and others expressed some approval regarding Muyue's behavior.
"No matter how admirable he is, though, he'll end up looking like a beaten-up pig," Sakura muttered wryly.
"At least there's no life-threatening danger!"
Chapter 204: Hinata's Path of Revenge [Continued]
The ninja of the Cloud Village excelled most in physical combat techniques, particularly swordsmanship and Taijutsu, unmatched by any other. However, Taijutsu was a closely guarded secret, practiced only by a select few. Only the Raikage's more powerful personal followers were granted access to learn it. Swordsmanship, on the other hand, had no strict prerequisites and worked well with the Cloud Village's specialty—Lightning Release. As a result, more than half of the Cloud Village ninja trained in sword techniques.
Muyue was one such swordsman. He didn't use a regular sword—it was a rare, wide-bladed one. This weapon delivered broad, sweeping attacks, and when paired with Lightning Release, its power intensified.
Though the wide-bladed sword Muyue wielded wasn't famous, it was of high quality and extremely sharp. If not for the Byakugan user's Gentle Fist technique—which allowed chakra to be released outward, forming a protective layer over the palms—Hinata would have struggled against Muyue.
"Clang!"
Hinata's palm struck the blade of Muyue's sword. Flesh met metal, yet the impact rang out sharply, as if her palm had been forged from steel.
It must be said that nearly everyone who had made it this far in the Chunin Exams was no easy opponent. Almost all of them possessed abilities far beyond normal Genin level. Just like Muyue, who was locked in fierce battle with Hinata now—though officially a Genin, his strength surpassed many Chunin. If you replaced Hinata with an ordinary Genin, the fight wouldn't last more than a few moves before ending in defeat.
"This... Is this Lightning Release?!"
Faced with the wide-bladed sword slashing toward her, Hinata instinctively raised her hands to block. But at that moment, she noticed a streak of lightning flicker across the blade. From the Byakugan perspective, she could even see the thick chakra wrapped around the sword.
Previously, Muyue had always coated the blade in chakra during attacks. At first glance, nothing seemed strange about that. But the sudden appearance of a thin bolt of lightning caught her attention. Focusing again, Hinata realized that the chakra surrounding the sword had surged dramatically—and its aura had completely changed.
Recalling how Eight-Tails Gyuki once mentioned that Cloud Village ninjas often incorporate Lightning Release into their sword techniques, Hinata instantly grasped Muyue's plan.
"You thought you could catch me off guard by suddenly releasing a surge of Lightning Release chakra the moment I touched your sword, paralyzing me and securing victory?!"
A faint smirk tugged at Hinata's lips. Her eyes gleamed with a flash of brilliance. The instant her palm moved to strike, she pulled back—then twisted her body sharply on the spot.
"You underestimate the observation skills of the Byakugan."
[Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven]
Chakra erupted from her body's tenketsu points, forming a massive rotating sphere of energy. The spinning chakra sphere immediately sent Muyue flying away.
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