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In a daze, Neji Hyuga struggled to open his eyes. He tried to stand up, but the sharp pain in his abdomen and right chest made it impossible for him to easily get to his feet. Suddenly, his nose twitched. He felt like the smell here was a little familiar. It was somewhat like the smell of Konoha Hospital... Wait a minute! Konoha Hospital?! Shouldn't he be in the Ninja Academy, fighting Hinata? How did he suddenly end up in Konoha Hospital?! Neji abruptly snapped back to reality. His consciousness gradually cleared. He slowly opened his closed eyes, and what met his gaze was a white ceiling. Logically, on the Ninja Academy's sparring stage, if he looked up, he should see the sky. Why was it a white ceiling?
Neji Hyuga struggled to sit up, his gaze sweeping around. He was astonished to find himself in a hospital room. His body was filled with the scent of various medicines... However, the sharp pain in his abdomen and right chest was not as severe as before. A medical ninja must have treated his injuries. He must have been sent to the hospital. When he saw the hospital bed beneath him... Neji Hyuga became even more certain that he was definitely in Konoha Hospital, or at the very least, the Ninja Academy's infirmary. Otherwise, how could a hospital bed appear out of nowhere on a sparring stage?!
"Cough, cough, cough... I didn't expect to lose in the end. This isn't how fate should be! Cough, cough... Lady Hinata, her strength is actually that formidable. She struck me on the right chest with one palm, and then punched me in the abdomen. Did I pass out then?" Even while speaking, Neji Hyuga coughed slightly. It seemed that although his injuries appeared to be improving, they were still present. He hadn't fully recovered. Even as proud as he was, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. He realized that not only had he been too careless, but he had completely underestimated his opponent. Moreover, the opponent's strength... was simply overwhelming. No wonder she could unseat Sasuke Uchiha from first place. So there was no so-called underhanded dealing. All of this was earned by Hinata Hyuga. Was I being petty and narrow-minded?! It seemed so...
"And I used to treat her with such an attitude, yet she didn't even use this opportunity to kill me, this eyesore of a branch family 'genius'?!"
"No... with my strength, in her eyes, I might not even be considered a genius!"
"..." Neji Hyuga fell silent. No one knew what he was thinking in his heart. In truth, his inner beliefs had already begun to waver. He had always believed that fate was irreversible, that no one could defy it. He believed that everything in the world was orchestrated by fate. This was indeed a very chuunibyou thought, after all, he was still a child. But Hinata's performance shattered all his preconceptions. In his eyes, Hinata Hyuga, who was destined not to be a ninja, had now displayed strength that completely overwhelmed him, a so-called genius. Had this not already exceeded the arrangements of fate? Or was it because she had hidden her abilities so well? But why would she have hidden her strength before... there was no reason at all! However, if she had grown to this level of strength in such a short period, wouldn't that be a bit too exaggerated?! Neji Hyuga couldn't understand.
In fact, even Hinata Hyuga's teacher, Iruka, also couldn't understand why the class's dead-last had suddenly become the top genius. But Iruka's heart didn't hold as many thoughts as Neji Hyuga's. In Iruka's eyes... wouldn't it be even better if his student was a genius?! That way, once they became ninja, their chances of survival would greatly increase, and they might not even have to die in the struggles between ninja.
"Could she really have become so powerful in such a short time!? And be able to change her timid personality to such a firm one in a short time...?" Neji Hyuga blurted out these words, and even he himself was startled. This was simply impossible! He still remembered Hinata from over three months ago... she was just a timid little girl. She couldn't even beat her younger sister, Hanabi... But after three months, Hinata now displayed astonishing strength. Does this mean she used three months to become this powerful?! Is this a bit too unbelievable? He himself had been practicing Gentle Fist since he was three and extracting Chakra since he was five. He was already ten years old, yet he wasn't as good as a nine-year-old. Had Hinata truly become stronger in a short time?! He couldn't understand... he wasn't clear...
However, the real truth was precisely this: Hinata's strength had indeed skyrocketed in a short period. Of course, initially, before she met Liu Chen, her strength was actually decent. Logically, she shouldn't have been the dead-last in the class, as her talent was quite good. But the unfortunate thing was that Hinata's personality was a major weakness. Anyone dumber and sweeter than her... would probably only be that Nii-chan (Sasuke). Coupled with her previous disinclination to compete, it led to her being a dead-last even with her inherent strength... She even hesitated to fight back when others bullied her. In the end, it was Liu Chen's sudden transmigration that scared off those three brats. Those three brats were scared shitless, probably carrying psychological trauma for life.
And after receiving Liu Chen's guidance, Hinata Hyuga put in twice the effort of others. And as time went on, her effort doubled even further, from twice that of others to three times, four times, five times. It was hard to imagine such a timid girl putting in so much effort. And it was also fortunate that Liu Chen's guidance was effective... otherwise, with such a training method, Hinata Hyuga's body would probably have been ruined.