I’ve gotten quite a few comments and requests to add onto my first article a certain character, though I feel I’ve touched upon the major characters who have been influenced most by Naruto in my first article. After further deliberation however it turns out she indeed should have been included. So this article's purpose is to explain Naruto’s influence on her in an extensive manner.
So without further ado, I will touch upon now the well-liked Hinata:
Subject #7: Hyuga Hinata
Hinata is the shy and soft-spoken member of the famed Hyuga clan in Konoha. She is related to Neji through the same clan, through separated by a border between the head family (which Hinata is part of) and the branch family (which Neji is a part of). She also not so secretly holds a giant crush on Naruto, as shown throughout her consistent shyness around him, and her willingness to let him cheat off of her paper so he wouldn’t get eliminated from the written portion of the chunin exam.
While it seems as if there is no reason for anyone to dislike Hinata at first, we are ignorant to the pain of one Hyuga Neji until the story is revealed during the chunin exams. We find out that because of the dreaded history behind the protective methods of the Byakugan, Neji’s ultimate destiny as a branch family member was to protect the head family. During the conflicted time of disdain between villages, Neji lost his father, and suspecting little to no remorse, action, or even sympathy from the head family for what had taken place Neji began to show hatred not only for the head family, but his own intended ill-fated destiny.
This anger and hatred, is taken out on Hinata who despite being innocent is a member of the Hyuga head family. Hinata knows well the feelings Neji has for her, and takes every opportunity to avoid him at all costs. The last thing she wants is to create any problems, it isn’t in her nature. But as fate would have it, during the tournament Hinata is forced to go face to face with Neji.
Hinata is told by Inuzuka Kiba her ally and fellow squad member, upon his defeat at the hands of Naruto to immediately forfeit her match if she was paired up with Gaara or Neji. Everything seemed like it would have been for the best had she just simply followed Kiba’s advice. Hinata would have probably been more than willing at many points of the match, especially when Neji began to psychologically break her mentality down through harsh words of truth about her personality. He claims that Hinata is not cut out to be a shinobi, she lacks will and determination. He says that the only reason she even wanted to take part in the chunin exams was because squads of three were needed and as a favor to Kiba and Shino she took part without her heart in it for herself.
Hinata’s trembling fuels Neji’s disdain and she begins to doubt herself. Truth could be found in everything he was saying about her, who was she to argue with the young genius of the Hyuga clan? Hinata wanted only to help her teammates and not let anyone down, but the desire to continue on dwindled into nothing as Neji has successfully crushed any morale she had left. Neji’s words however had affected more than just one person. Naruto, unable to contain his feelings for what he was forced to listen to, burst out against Neji for what he had done to Hinata.
Regardless of whether or not Naruto felt the same way for Hinata as she does for him, he cared for her enough to feel pain in his own heart at seeing Hinata’s state after being broken down. Naruto cheers for Hinata to beat Neji down and prove him wrong. He claims that Hinata had made it this far because of how capable she was, not because it was an accident. Naruto inspires feelings of newly found determination within Hinata by explaining her self-worth as an honest and compassionate person in comparison to the arrogance and cold nature of Neji. With Naruto’s opinion about her meaning so much already previous to the tournament, to hear him cheering her on and believing that she out of all people may be capable of proving to everyone that she too has her own shinobi way, even if it meant facing Neji face to face was what she needed to hear to regain her confidence again.
Hinata knew that her chances of defeating Neji were slim; it wasn’t her desire to go into battle with him and beat him down or even defeat him. But after hearing how much Naruto believed in her, when nobody else showed such confidence in her abilities including herself, she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least try to show everyone that she belonged with them, that she deserved to be considered a ninja. Hinata fought her heart out against Neji, the battle was fast paced and exhilarating as expected from two members of the Hyuga clan.
The climax of the fight saw Neji defeating Hinata by sealing the chakra point in the heart off, causing her major injury. Hinata lying up in a hospital bed with a severe injury may not seem like the best outcome of the entire ordeal. But the more important result from the fight was now because of Naruto’s admiration and support for Hinata, she has now gained the respect and admiration of the rest of her friends and superiors for not backing down and showing her resolve is just as solid as anyone else’s.
Hinata had always wanted to change herself to become a better, stronger, and braver person. Naruto’s words were merely the jump-start to motivate Hinata to fulfill even further her own shinobi way. Naruto’s tactics, defending his own way by never going back on his word and by trying his hardest even though the odds were always against him had always had a positive effect on Hinata’s way of thinking, but being directly recognized as a great ninja by Naruto was a new kind of influence for Hinata. Right before Naruto and Neji’s final tournament fight, after Hinata gets out of the hospital, they speak before the battle and Hinata is seen training herself. This further shows her determination to become tough and strong like Naruto. With her crush in her mind at all times, her ultimate goal has become to be like him, which means never backing down and always getting back up, no matter the hardship.
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