Chapter 168 Value Challenge
It was around 4am and Hinata was not in her room.
Neji had hoped to use the excuse of letting her rest to avoid this conversation, the one that had him wandering the corridors in the early hours of the morning, but he wasn't so lucky tonight.
The harsh truth was never something Neji feared.
The truth about family, the truth about responsibility, the truth about tragedy, the truth about loss.
He was now struggling with truths that had become blurred, truths that he had once thought were indestructible and unchanging, but that he now knew were incomplete.
Uncertainty unnerved him because it bordered too closely on weakness, and he was not used to being wrong.
Hinata wasn't in her room, nor in the dojo, the kitchen, or the front garden.
Neji hesitated whether to use his chakra to search for her - his uncle was a light sleeper, and Neji would rather spend the whole night in the Forest of Death than disturb him at this time.
Normally, Hinata would practice when she couldn't sleep, but the places she usually went to were empty, which made Neji feel a little overwhelmed.
He began searching in unlikely places, like side yards and uninhabited areas, until he found himself in a secluded area of lush greenery behind the main house, filled with towering bamboo.
Bamboo poles stretched from the edge of the stream, winding up along a gray-white pebbled path, one of many streams that fed into the Hyuga family's extensive koi pond.
He had never been here before - raising koi and maintaining the pond was more of a hobby for the elders in the family than something he was interested in - though there was an air of tranquility here that reminded him of Hinata's recent behavior - a gentle preference for off-the-beaten-path places.
He thought of her as he walked along the stream, reflecting on the gradual, yet unwavering change she had undergone over the past year. Neji had mistaken it at first for a sign of weakness—a kind of teenage rebellion influenced by his new friends—but he seemed to have been misjudging a lot of things lately.
Hinata's newfound strength wasn't something fragile or fickle, nor did it just happen overnight.
It was rooted in an old faith, one backed by a new, steely courage, and she was no longer afraid to speak it out loud.
She gained a new level of determination and passion that she had never felt before. Whenever she set foot on the land of the Hyuga family, this force filled the air around her, as if challenging her family, questioning her actions, giving her a reason to refute.
She had always been stubborn, but this courage was new, this threat was new too.
It was a threat to every rule and tradition upheld by the family elders.
A threat to clan family rules.
Neji could no longer deny the strength and resolve of her will, just as he could not deny the power of the genin who had defeated him - and everything he believed in - in the testing arena; the source of Hinata's new and rebellious courage.
He needed to talk to her. His faith had been shaken, and he had to find solid ground again.
Hinata's chakra was so weak that Neji almost missed her.
She sat by the smallest of the koi ponds, her body mostly hidden from view from anyone along the obvious path or from the viewing platform.
The stone path leading to the pond looked like it had not been cleaned for a long time and was covered with thick bamboo leaves and vines.
But as he approached the pond, he noticed that the surrounding plants had signs of regular pruning.
There are no fallen leaves or debris on the water surface, and the edges of the stones are cleaned of dust and plants.
When his eyes finally fell on Hinata, who was sitting by the pond, his blood froze.
Her left eye was bruised and swollen, blue lines of chakra burns running down her cheek and hairline.
Her left sleeve had been completely torn from her gown - her entire arm, from wrist to elbow, was covered in purple bruises, dotted with spots of red.
Neji was momentarily so enraged that he could barely breathe - a fierce desire to protect, bypassing all his emotional defenses, had taken over him before he realized what was happening.
"Hinata."
The name sounded low and terrible, like a loud bang, hitting him hard in the abdomen.
Because the burn is almost like a signature, those deep blue, lightning-like lines are as clear as a name written in ink.
She turned slowly, and Neji was surprised to see that her eyes were full of triumph; bright, determined, and gleaming with a light like a demon's fire.
She didn't look defeated at all - her shoulders were straight, her back stood proud, and when she met his gaze, there was a cold gleam in her moonstone and pearly clear eyes that sent chills down his spine.
"I'm fine, brother."
Her voice was as gentle as a summer breeze, as if it was he, not her, who needed comfort and reassurance.
Neji's hands were shaking as he sat down next to her, because he could not deny that, despite the pain he had always felt about the difference in their status, despite his frustration and resentment at his responsibility, she was his sister after all.
Hinata, that clumsy but kind, brave and gentle girl, shouldn't be treated like this.
"How--" Neji organized the words in his mind, reached out his hand, and gently touched the burn on her face with his fingertips. He could feel the chakra radiation emanating from the wound, weak and cold.
"How dare he..."
Hinata interrupted him, taking his hand in her good one and gently pulling it down and placing it on her leg.
She wrapped her palm around the back of his hand and squeezed it hard.
"I'm fine, Neji," she repeated, her tone firm, and when his gaze returned to her eyes he saw that the fire was still burning. "I win."
Neji's eyes widened in surprise, followed by confusion and disbelief.
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple rolling up and down. There was no lie in her eyes, no room for doubt in that fire.
"You mean..." Neji swallowed again, trying to control his voice, "You mean you had a duel with the Eighth Elder, and won?"
She shook her head, and even with the terrible burns she still looked noble and dignified, as awe-inspiring as a true head of the Hyuga family, despite the Eighth Elder's obvious attempts to bend her to submission.
To strike an opponent in the face during a Duel of Worthy - to strike another Hyuga in the eye - was a dishonor. It was a public humiliation to the opponent's honor, a punishment reserved for the worst infractions and the greatest hubris.
"It's a duel of values," Hinata corrected, closing her eyes and smiling, a smile that was still genuine despite its shape being distorted by her wounds.
"It's a challenge to the Eighth Elder." When she said the word "elder", her tone seemed to be a curse and full of bitterness, which was completely different from her usual respect and politeness towards her elders.
"Although my 'highly respected' grandfather may not want to admit it, he has to follow the rules and accept failure."
