Thank you, Lady Hinata.
I appreciate you treating my wound when you're injured as well.
It's all right.
Someone has already tended to my wounds.
The village is short-handed right now.
Sakura is so busy. This is the least I can do.
Neji!
Can we interview you?
Interview?
Naruto played a huge part in this battle, right?
And the younger kids at the Academy asked us to do a spread
in the Academy newspaper about his achievements.
So we're going around interviewing everyone.
Sorry, but ask someone else.
That's mean, Neji!
I'll say! The kids at the Academy are looking forward to it.
Please!
We're beggin' you!
Oh, fine. Then let me tell you a very special story.
- Leaf's History - Neji Chronicles
It was roughly three years ago.
The day the final round of the Chunin Exam took place.
Our first Chunin Exam that year was met with many troubles.
Feudal Lords and guests from other nations all gathered
to watch the final round in the Hidden Leaf Village, and in the midst of that,
we received reports that a Rogue Ninja named Orochimaru was after Sasuke.
The village took steps for every contingency in every area
and security was extremely tight.
During the finals, the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound conspired
to destroy the Hidden Leaf.
Something no one could ever have predicted.
Not yet knowing what was about to occur, the matches continued,
and spectators from various nations watched with intense interest.
Around that time, I was being treated in the medical room,
having lost to Naruto during the first match.
I came to see how you are. How do you feel?
I'm fine.
Don't be disappointed.
It's sheer luck that Naruto won! I'm sure you'll win the next-
Oh, I'm over that.
Huh?
Lord Hiashi came by a little while ago.
I had always believed that we members of the branch family would never be truly free
until the power of the Byakugan is sealed away and our Curse Marks disappear.
But it seems Father thought of it differently.
It's true that some things cannot be changed.
But perhaps, I have been making blind assumptions about everything.
Neji...
Let's go back to the stadium.
Guy Sensei and Lee are here
and the Uchiha's match looks really exciting.
You're right.
Then it happened.
Orochimaru's destruction of the Hidden Leaf had begun.
What is that?!
Have you noticed? The cheering in the stadium has stopped.
Yeah. Something in the air is different.
Byakugan!
Due to the treachery of Orochimaru's Hidden Sound
and his allies from the Sand, our village was thrown into chaos.
How could this happen?!
Fighting has broken out in every corner of the village.
Sand and Sound Ninja against the Leaf.
It's like...
I know. It's like a war.
We rushed to the stadium to find out just what was going on.
But unbeknownst to us, another incident was already taking place.
Is that...
Elder!
Hey, are you okay?!
What happened to me?
Kiba later told us that he was knocked unconscious by enemy ninja
disguised as Anbu Black Ops, while watching over Lady Hinata,
who had collapsed due to injuries from her previous match.
Hey... What the hell's going on here?
It seems you're all right.
Elder's wound isn't fatal either.
What happened here anyway?
We were attacked. Hinata has been taken.
What?!
Two ninja from the Hidden Cloud, who were here as spectators, took her.
No doubt they took advantage of the commotion
to take the Byakugan out of the village.
I tried to stop them, but...
Neji, the Byakugan is a top-secret jutsu, which your father protected with his life.
It must not be stolen! Go after them!
Bring it back, whatever it takes!
I understand.
Wait, Neji! I'm coming with you.
This is a Hyuga matter.
But it's too much for you to handle alone.
I'm coming too. Hinata is my teammate.
Besides, you don't think highly of Hinata.
There's no way you'd get serious about saving her.
Hey you!
Then come with me. Your nose will be useful.
I guess having a three-man cell would make things easier for pursuit.
No, you're wrong.
Including Akamaru, it's a four-man cell. We're now a basic platoon.
Let's go.
I didn't know all that happened.
Didn't the jonin in the stadium notice?
Who knows?
But they probably couldn't spare the manpower.
After all, the situation was such that genin like Naruto
had to be dispatched on A-rank missions.
What a shock having a war suddenly break out like that.
It's like a ninja alliance never existed.
We can't let this opportunity go.
The celebrated Kekkei Genkai,
which is forbidden from being taken out of the village.
The Hidden Leaf's Byakugan.
The enemy consists of two ninja.
They intend to go straight through the forest.
The boundary we share with the Land of Rice Paddies is up ahead.
They're taking the shortest route to Hidden Cloud Village.
We're familiar with areas within the Land of Fire,
but not beyond the border.
We have to settle this before they get there.
What's the matter?
Akamaru can size up the enemy's strength simply by sniffing their chakra.
They seem to be quite formidable.
They're probably higher than chunin level.
Our chances of victory are slim.
But there are ways!
Like surrounding them and taking them by surprise.
Hey stop!
What is it?
A trap?
This place reeks of the enemy.
What are they? How gross.
It seems they laid a trap that is activated by a pursuer's chakra.
Here they come!
There's no end to them.
This is bad. Setting off the trap may have alerted the enemy.
Damn! We're running out of time!
Then we only have one choice.
Dragon Bomb!
Go! I'll handle this.
But...
I can stop them for a while.
You're going to get her back, right?
Hurry!
Okay!
Well now...
What weapons would you like me to use?
Come and get me!
That's crazy! All by herself?
That's true.
But Tenten is a skilled weapons specialist, capable of mid to long-range attacks.
She had the greatest chance of stopping the enemy, then getting out of there.
With time running out, we had no choice but to have faith in her.
Those damned Cloud Ninja... Laying a nasty trap like that.
However, setting up something like that must've taken time.
Yeah. The scent was still fresh.
They're not that far ahead.
Byakugan.
I found them.
All right! We'll ambush them and get Hinata back!
Forget it. That won't work.
Then what do you suggest?!
You can't stop me. I'm going!
Someone set off the trap.
Are they coming after us?
Probably. Let's hurry.
The boundary is straight up ahead.
Right.
Palm Heel Strike!
You're not going to get your way.
Don't try to resist. We're in a hurry.
As long as a head family member wields the Byakugan,
it doesn't matter whether she's dead or alive, right?
Damn brat! How about we just take back her head instead?
Tunneling Fang!
Looks like I made it in time!
Kiba?!
Hinata! We're getting outta here!
- A pursuer. - Those brats...
I'm gonna kill them!
There's no way you could get away.
You're absolutely right.
Back then we just weren't strong enough.
It's useless for a mere genin like you.
And we don't have time to waste!
Gentle Fist...
8 Trigrams 64 Palms!
8 Trigrams 2 Palms!
4 Palms!
8 Palms!
16 Palms!
32 Palms!
64 Palms!
I see.
Now I get it.
You're that Hyuga kid who was in the Chunin Exam.
That jerk.
Acting all tough!
So we were chasing a decoy.
Move. We have no use for an eye that loses its power upon death.
I will not let you get past here.
Earth Style: Mud Wave!
I don't plan on letting a Gentle Fist user come near me!
Oh no!
Earth Style Shadow Clone?
He lured me.
It's over.
A taijutsu user who can't use his arms or legs...
is nothing more than a caged bird.
After hating them so much,
you still end up being a sacrifice for the head family.
What a sad destiny for you.
I didn't come reluctantly.
I'm here because I chose to!
Whatever. The result is the same. You will die here!
Mud Needle!
Rotation!
Sorry for being late.
Lord Hiashi?!
Hiashi?! The head of the Hyuga Clan?!
8 Trigrams: Air Palm!
Pathetic.
Why are you here, Lord Hiashi?
What about Lady Hinata?
The Elder told me the details.
Ko should be with Hinata now.
With your friend that he picked up along the way.
I see.
But why did you leave the battlefield to come here of all places?
Hinata is my precious daughter.
And you are the precious memento of my late brother.
Thank goodness we're all okay.
Say... Neji. Sorry about everything.
In time, the Cloud Ninja who planned Lady Hinata's abduction were captured.
It turned out that the Cloud Village was not directly involved,
so it didn't blow up into an international incident
and we settled things internally.
And that's it.
So behind the destruction of the Hidden Leaf,
there was an incident like that?
I didn't know.
That was a touching story.
Good. It was worth telling it to you.
Hey, wait a minute!
That's all there is to the story?
But Naruto had nothing to do with this!
What are you talking about?
For me...
I'm sorry, Neji. All because of me...
Please look up, Lady Hinata.
There's no reason for you to apologize.
I thought I understood it all and bore a grudge against the head family,
without knowing the truth.
I blamed fate and made myself believe that I was the only one suffering.
But during our battle,
he told me that you were suffering just as much as I was.
And that you were trying so hard to change in order to gain acceptance.
I had never even thought about that.
He made me see how selfish and narrow-minded I was.
Naruto did?
Naruto Uzumaki. He's an interesting guy.
Yes!
He was involved in the most important part so don't worry.
- What?! - What?!
I'm looking forward to your article.
Hey Neji, no fair!
You have to tell us what part was important!
It's all important. Every bit.
Without him, this story may never have happened.
We wanted to hear about Naruto's achievements.
Then maybe asking me was a mistake.
W-Who the heck are you, Old man?! You scared me!
You're the one who scared me with your loud scream!
Hey, wait a minute. What're you doing in my house?
I don't know. Before I knew it, I was standing here.
"Before you knew it"? What kind of stupid joke is...
Mister?
C-Could you take a look at the mirror?!
Next time on Naruto Shippuden: "The Man Who Died Twice"
G-G-Ghost!
Tune in again!