Chunin Exam Round 8
Neji's Vehement
Standing in the middle of the testing grounds, Hinata looked sideways to the ground, carefully avoiding Neji's gaze as they took center stage. Hinata's lips were slightly open, though her expression was as withdrawn into herself as ever. Her stance was that of a legtwisting girl who was unsure of even herself and she even raised a crooked finger to the corner of her mouth unconsciously. Neji's mouth was drawn into a tight line as he shifted his center of gravity slightly lower by bending his spread legs as he took an aggression stance fist at his left side, palm forward. He could barely conceal his contempt and disgust. What was she even doing here? She belonged with the nins who looked after children, not as a shinobi. Neji's thicker brow furrowed, smouldering with anger already so much so his eyebrows slanted and almost met at the bridge of his nose.
They bowed to each other slightly, Neji insincerely and with the sickly jounin's nod, the dance of death began.
Focusing, Neji tilted his head downwards slightly and joining his hands, raised his index and middle fingers, activating his Byakugan. In a split instant, his vision filtered out the colour and tones of Hinata and in her darkly outlined body, her chakra lines and nodes of the human body all became blue flames.
Hinata started in shock at the unleashed hatred suddenly coursing from Neji's eyes. His chakra was like hundreds of arrows all pointed at her. She took half a frightened step back eyes wide and pupils shrinking in panic, pencil-thin brows nearly meeting at her forehead, composed herself, then closed her eyes and followed suit. As the suddenly opened them wide, the veins around her eyes stood out and her faintly purple pupils gained added depth and weirdly contorted contours arose. The sparring began. Their aim was the same though their driving motivations were vastly different. Neji simply wanted Hinata dead. Hinata wanted to prove herself, and perhaps impress Naruto.
Hinata couldn't focus at all. Fighting with Neji using the same bloodline technique reminded her too much of the training between her and Takuma daddy. As she fended off the vicious sideknife thrusts, forward palm strikes and brutal backhands left right and center, all she could hear was her daddy saying "Is that all you've got? Get up. Get up! Fight me again!" Then she could hear, feel his exasperation. "This girl is hopeless. She will not be needed in the ranks of the Hyuuga clan." Were his last words as he turned and exited, walking stick tapping out his disappointment.
Kurenai sensei too. Disappointment, shaking her head then putting her hand to her forehead protector in despair. She took some comfort in Kurenai sensei's protectiveness though not too much, Kurenai sensei always defended her, even though she privately agreed with Takuma Hyuuga's statement. "She's trying to change herself, in her own way". She was weak, and she hated herself, and everyone hated her for it.
Neji was driven by white-hot, pure rage. All the years of resentment of carrying about a green cross on his forehead which marked him as 'not a candidate to carry on the Hyuuga line' cumulated itself in the form of Hinata, who was. She had to die. It was that simple. Never mind about the fact that he wouldn't inherit even if he did kill her. He hated her, from head to toe. Soft spoken and shy, her pampered upbringing said everything. She was the life he never had, and never would have. Not any longer. Not any more. He would take it all away from her by ending her life. Just like she unknowingly ended the life which might have been for him.
Neji lashed out without restraint, hitting at the nodes which would damage her internal chakra flow. His animosity towards the main branch was apparent to all present, but so was his undeniable skill and control of the Gentle Palm technique. They were engaging in close up fighting now. Hinata had somehow broken though Neji's flawless defence, but Neji too was under Hinata's guard. The shy girl looked far more spirited now, and brushed aside Neji's guarding right hand to send her arm sweeping towards his right shoulder for what looked to be a solid strike, but Neji easily leaned back and to the left and the palm strike went wide. He grabbed Hinata's wrist with one hand and sealed her chakra of her elbow with two fingers, then sent her flying backwards to land heavily on her back with a hard palm strike right to her middle – the convergence point of the human body's chakra flow. Flecks of blood stained her lower lip as she wobbled to her feet right hand clutching her left side which was numb and throbbing. She put her other palm in front of her unsteadily.
"Best quit while you're ahead," Neji taunted.
"Go Hinata! You can beat that freak!" Naruto shouted from the balcony where the other genins awaited their turn.
Hinata's eyes immediately softened upon hearing his voice and she tried to keep her balance and stepped towards Neji, giving him a one-two one-two series of palm strikes, which he dodged. He sent her flying backwards again, and watched with mounting resentment as she climbed to her feet yet again, on all fours, coughing up drops of blood onto the arena floor. Her head was lowered and her eyes were hidden. But she was standing. Wobbling as if her knees would give way any moment, but standing. Why couldn't the girl stay down!! Well, this was his final strike. He would burst all the chakra vessels linking to her heart and the heart node itself and kill her outright. Gathering up his chakra he ran towards her… "Now the blood feud between the head and branch family ends here!"
The eyes of the jounin who recognised the sudden convergence in chakra and Neji's determined look widened in terror as they realised his next, and last move. Hinata didn't move aside – it took all of her effort to remain standing. The audience let out a collective gasp of horror as there was a puff of smoke and vision was obscured for a moment.
When the smoke cleared lethal Neji was frozen a few steps away from his target. The sickly jounin had his fingers pressed on Neji's forehead protector, while Kakashi sensei held his right arm with his left, and stepped on his right foot with his left. True to form, he still had a hand inside his pocket. Gai sensei in his good-guy suit was physically restraining Neji with an elbow wrapped around his neck, while Kurenai sensei held his left arm back with her right, and knelt on his left foot with her right.
Hinata was still clutching her chest barely 2 steps away.
Suddenly she fell to her knees, blood trickling from both sides of her mouth. The collapsed in a heap on her back, coughing up blood. Kurenai sensei hurried to kneel by her left side, checking her vital signs while yelling for the medical corps, her eyes unusually intent.
Three hooded medical corps dressed in beige came in and rolled out a stretcher. Lifting her body and placing her on it, they carried her out, arrayed front and behind and on her left. Naruto, Sakura, Rock Lee were in a line on her right. Kurenai sensei got to her feet to send her off.
Neji deactivated his byakugan and simply looked on grimly, while orange jumpsuited Naruto's eyes were wide with shock.
"I'm able to change… a little…" with that, Hinata closed her eyes.
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