Chapter 10: Gentle Outside, Tough Inside; Izayoi Filled with Accomplishment

  Konoha Year 54, December 21st.

  Unconsciously, the second term had come to an end.

  During this term, the first-year students had undergone a very noticeable transformation. The first term consisted only of academic csses and physical education; cking practical combat experience, they weren't much different from before they enrolled. The addition of Taijutsu sparring in the second term, however, forced them to grow through pain, shedding some of their naivety.

  But there was also a side effect: it taught some students to resolve matters through violence. Fights breaking out over the slightest disagreement, brawls, or incidents of bullying cssmates occurred frequently. More importantly, the teachers and the school did nothing to stop these occurrences. Clearly, in their eyes, weaklings didn't deserve to become ninjas. Better to be bullied by their own peers and choose to drop out to become ordinary civilians than to graduate, go out on missions, and get killed.

  Consequently, in every grade and css, incidents occurred where underachieving students attempted to bully the top students. Examples included Itachi Uchiha back in his day, Neji Hyūga, and Sasuke Uchiha... They all shared common traits: handsome looks, genius talent, aloof personalities, and immense popurity with girls. Yet, despite their popurity, they disliked joining or forming cliques, seeming dismissive towards both boys and girls alike.

  This loner attitude rubbed many boys the wrong way, making them want to teach these individuals a harsh lesson. Unfortunately for them, these bullying attempts were invariably thwarted, often ending with the bullies themselves getting thrashed. Getting beaten up wasn't the main issue; the embarrassing part was that so many of them couldn't defeat one person. Afterward, they might even face bullying from the target's fan club, be ostracized by girls in their css and grade, or even face counter-bullying from uppercssmen. As a result, their resentment towards these popur figures only deepened, sometimes extending even to the target's cnsmen.

  For instance, on this particur day, snow fell thick and fast.

  Finally, after the snow stopped, Hinata, who no longer needed Izayoi to transform into Ino Yamanaka to invite her out – having earned the privilege to go out freely – immediately ran out of the cn compound, heading towards their usual spot to wait for Izayoi.

  Hinata wore a white snowsuit, with a red scarf tied around her neck. Her chubby appearance was extremely cute. Over the past half-year or so, Hinata's hair, intentionally grown longer at Izayoi's suggestion, now reached her shoulders. She had tied it into twin tails with hair ties, pnning to change the style once it reached her waist. Her adorable face, still full of baby fat, was slightly flushed in the cold snow, making one want to reach out and pinch her cheeks.

  To avoid being discovered, Hinata didn't go knock on Izayoi's door. Instead, she went to the open area outside the Ninja Academy to wait for his arrival, as per their tacit understanding.

  "Is that girl one of Neji's cnsmen?"

  "Those white eyes, definitely."

  "Let's go teach her a lesson!"

  Just as Hinata was waiting for Izayoi, several boys' voices suddenly reached her ears. When she turned to look, three boys who appeared a year or two older than her ran over and surrounded her. Malicious grins were pstered on their faces.

  "Um... Can I help you?" Hinata asked. Her voice was very gentle, but upon closer inspection, one would notice she wasn't lowering her head; she was simply looking at the three boys with confusion.

  "Such annoying eyes, just like that guy Neji!" Looking at Hinata's eyes, one of the boys seemed to recall unpleasant memories and shouted, "What are you looking at, Byakugan monster? Don't you know you've offended me? Kneel down and apologize right now!"

  Hinata tilted her head slightly, somewhat confused. However, hearing her cousin's name, she asked quizzically, "Are you friends with Neji-niisan?"

  "Who's friends with that guy Neji?!" another boy immediately retorted loudly. "We're his enemies."

  "Kneel down quickly, shout 'I'm sorry,' and apologize to us on behalf of that Neji guy, or we'll beat you up!" The st boy reached out, intending to grab Hinata's shoulder, force Neji Hyūga's cnswoman to kneel, and then humiliate her severely.

  Watching the boy's hand reach towards her, Hinata's expression sharpened instantly. Her small hand, covered by a white glove, extended its index and middle fingers, striking the boy's chest with even greater speed.

  "Ah..."

  Despite the glove, Hinata's fingers were like silver needles, penetrating the thick winter clothes. The boy let out a miserable cry and colpsed onto the ground.

  With lightning speed, Hinata consecutively struck the other two boys. They also cried out and fell to the ground.

  "It hurts, it hurts, wahhh..." They frantically rubbed their chests, but the pain radiating from the point of impact didn't lessen in the slightest. Looking at Hinata standing before them, it was as if they saw Neji Hyūga's reflection – equally strong, equally looking down on them. Immediately, they were scared into crying and scrambled away in retreat.

  Hinata, having counterattacked instinctively, tilted her head again. She didn't even inject chakra into their bodies, so why were they crying? With such weak strength, were they really Neji-niisan's enemies?

  Cp, cp, cp...

  Just then, the sound of cpping reached her ears. Following the sound, Hinata looked over, her face instantly lighting up with a happy expression.

  "Izayoi-kun, you're here!"

  "Hinata, you looked really cool just now!" Izayoi, also wearing a white snowsuit, walked over, giving Hinata a thumbs-up. He said, "Against people with ill intentions, you need to act decisively like that. Otherwise, they'll only get worse and might even develop the bad habit of bullying others."

  "Mm-hm..." Hinata nodded repeatedly, looking very obedient.

  Seeing her like this, Izayoi felt filled with a sense of accomplishment. In the original story, Hinata had been bullied by her peers more than once. The esteemed young dy of a prestigious cn being bullied by a few commoner boys was utterly absurd. Even more absurd was that Hinata had already started learning the Gentle Fist by then. To still be bullied to the point of tears clearly indicated a problem with her personality.

  But now, Hinata had turned the tables and made the bullies cry, proving Izayoi's "modification" was highly successful. Through constant beatings (in training), her personality was no longer introverted and weak; instead, she had become resolute, unwilling to give up easily. Her kindness remained, but she would no longer sacrifice herself to accommodate others. Her actions were not only decisive, but counterattacking had become instinctive.

  Unlike the delinquent gang leader from the Limited Tsukuyomi, the current Hinata was gentle on the outside but tough on the inside. To have transformed Hinata to this extent in just half a year naturally filled Izayoi with a sense of accomplishment.

  However, it was fortunate that this modification started so early. If he had waited until after Hiashi Hyūga and Neji Hyūga had broken Hinata's spirit, changing the girl would not have been an easy task. Hiashi Hyūga must be very grateful to Izayoi. Hinata being granted the privilege to go out freely was the best reward.

  "Let's go, let's go train."

  "Mm!"

  The two children in snowsuits headed towards the deserted training ground.