It's Always the Quiet Ones
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi does. I will be using some dialogue from the Manga at the beginning.
'Muwahahaha.' – Thoughts
"You're going to die!" – Talking
I'ma kill ya – Jutsu
~Numa Numa Dance~ – Actions
~.~
The preliminaries for the Chuunin Exams had seven fights so far:
Round 01 – Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi
Round 02 – Aburame Shino vs. Zaku Abumi
Round 03 –Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Tsurugu Misumi
Round 04 – Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino
Round 05 – Sabaku no Temari vs. Tenten
Round 06 – Nara Shikamaru vs. Kin Tsuchi
Round 07 – Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba
The winners were Sasuke, Shino, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, and Naruto with Sakura and Ino both ending their match in a double knockout. The eight match was Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji. Both were cousins and left their teams on the balconies to the main floor to start their match.
Before the match started, Neji stated, "I never thought I'd be facing you Hinata-sama."
"Neji-niisan," Hinata whispered.
~.~
In the stands
Naruto was questioning whether they were siblings or not, to which Kakashi replied, "They are not siblings…but members of the main and branch house."
Confusing poor Naruto even more, so Lee continued the explanation, "Hinata is a member of the main house and Neji a member of the branch house where the lesser blood lives. This makes them cousins and the branch family members feel slighted against the main house because the main house is protected by the branch house and have more privileges."
"So they hate each other," Sakura concluded.
~.~
Back on the floor
"First match ~cough~ between Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji ~cough~ begin!" Declared the proctor, Hayate Gekko, a standard jounin with a constant cough.
But before the fighting began Neji had a few words to give, "Before we begin our match, I'd like to say something Hinata-sama. You don't make a good shinobi, forfeit now! You are too kind to be a shinobi, wishing to avoid conflict." Hinata looked down, "You have no confidence and always feel inferior to others so you should stay a genin. But since the chuunin exams take a team of three, you unwillingly entered for your teammates sakes. Am I wrong?"
"N-no…I-I…just wanted…wanted…t-to change myself…do it…myself…" Hinata stuttered, trying to defend herself. 'Father said I was no good for the Hyuuga, I want to change myself!'
"Hinata-sama, you are a spoiled brat of the main house. People cannot change!" Neji declared. Hinata's eyes widened at his declaration, but Neji continued to destroy her confidence with his cruel words, "Losers are losers! Their personality and strength will not change. Because of this, people like the elite and losers are created. Looks, brain, ability, size, personality…All people judge and are judged in these values. Based on these factors people discriminate and are discriminated against. And they suffer for it. Just like I am from the branch house and you from the main house cannot be changed. I have seen many things with this byakugan, so I know you are just acting strong…but deep inside I know you want to run from here."
"N-no…I really…" Hinata exclaimed, breaking Neji's monologue.
Neji silently activated his byakugan and stared at Hinata's shaking form. "You can't fool my eyes. Against my pressure just now you floated your eyes to the upper left. That is a sign that you are remembering your past experiences…your painful past. And after that you looked to the lower right…that is a sign you are imagining physical and mental pain…basically you are thinking about yourself and that all the experiences you have felt you are imagining the results of this match…imagining that…you'll lose!"
Hinata tried to distance herself with Neji by raising her right hand to her lips which Neji caught and kept demeaning her as a weak girl trying to protect herself. The more Neji talked, the more Hinata kept shaking and tearing and the more Naruto kept getting angry.
"Shut the HELL UP! You CAN change! Kick his ass Hinata!" Naruto shouted, his anger getting the best of him, "Stand up for yourself and show everyone just what you can do!"
Feeling encouragement from Naruto, Hinata wiped her tears and straightened her back staring at Neji. "I…I no longer…want to run away! Byakugan!"
And with that word, Hinata's eyes matched Neji's and the fight began. Both used the Juuken taijutsu style where chakra's focused at the tips of the fingers and with the byakugan, can close tenketsu on the opponent's body. The chakra is forced out of the fingers and collapsing the tenketsu for a short period of time, and when closed the user cannot use chakra from that tenketsu for jutsu.
Hinata started out great against Neji, but Neji got more hits against Hinata, to finally hitting Hinata in the chest and the right arm, stopping her from attacking more. With that final hit, Hinata coughed blood, "So this is the extent of the main house?"
'N-not yet,' Hinata thought and tried to hit Neji in the face with her left hand but Neji caught her arm and pressed another tenketsu point stopping her movement. After showing her that her closed many tenketsu on her left arm he pushed her away and she fell on the ground.
"Hinata-sama, this is the difference in talent that can never change. This is the difference between an elite and a loser. This is the reality that can never change. Forfeit!" Neji demanded.
Hinata struggled to get up from her position on the floor, "I-I…don't…go back…o-on my word…that is…also my nindo!" Hinata smiled at Naruto before staring at Neji.
"Don't give up Hinata!" Naruto yelled to her.
"Tch…That loser doesn't know when to shut up!" Neji glared at Naruto, and then looked to Hinata.
Hearing Neji state this about her Naruto-kun, something snapped within her. 'What the hell does he think he's doing?! Talking about my Naruto-kun like that! Fuck him, he's going to pay!'
"Don't…" Hinata whispered.
"What was that?" Neji asked.
"I said don't talk about my Naruto-kun that way!" Hinata glared with so much hate at Neji that he backed a step away. "If you think that I'll let you talk about him like that to me, you have another thing coming!"
"Heh, what do you think you can do? You can't use the Juuken on me!" Neji said confidently.
But after he said that Hinata's eyes darkened, her once gentle eyes were filled with such hate and malice. Then she launched out KI like it was nothing, making Neji's knees buckle a bit. Because she's never used KI before, everyone felt it and many weak gennin's knees did buckle and they fell to their knees, while the jounin's eyes widened. Everyone thought, 'How can the kind and gentle girl bring out such hateful KI?' But it shouldn't be surprising since it's Naruto that was talked badly about in front of her. Neji just pushed too much and the end result was Hinata snapping.
Hinata whispered to Neji, who was immobile from her stare, but it was heard by all, "I don't care if you talk me down. But never talk about Naruto-kun that way! Hehehe…You…are…going…to…feel my WRATH!"
~.~
In the stands
"Did she just say 'my Naruto-kun'?" Asked Sakura before looking at Naruto who was staring wide-eyed towards the arena. "Naruto...you alright?"
"I don't know if he is, he's frozen," Kiba poked Naruto who then snapped out of the state.
"That...That's so HOT!" Naruto declared with hearts in his eyes, "No ones ever said that about me!"
Sakura deadpanned, "I don't think that's a good thi-" Before Kiba slapped a hand over her mouth and whispered in her ear, "Don't enrage Hinata further or she'll come after you once she's done pulverizing Neji."
Sakura took Kiba's hand off her mouth and whispered back, "But it's Hinata...She couldn't hurt a fly."
To which Kiba replied, "You've never been to our training sessions. The only reason I badmouthed Naruto in our fight was because I wanted Naruto too angry to fight good and I'm going to pay the price when we train...~cry~"
Sakura just sweatdropped at the display then turned back to the fight.
~.~
Back on the Floor
After she finished she yelled, "Suiton: Mizuame Nabara!" She spit high velocity, chakra-infused water from her mouth at Neji's feet. The water, upon contact with the ground, became denser and stickier, leaving Neji further immobile as he noticed when he got out of shock from Hinata's stare.
"W-what?!" He exclaimed confusedly. He tried to move his feet but they were stuck within the liquid and he fell backwards from losing his balance, thus the lower part of his body and his hands that were on either side of his legs also got stuck within the sticky trap. Neji was shocked that he was stuck within a trap, then looked to Hinata who was smirking decidedly evilly.
"Neji," Hinata stated calmly, "For your crime against disgracing Naruto-kun, your sentence is pain!"
Hinata's smirk didn't lessen as she ran through hand seals at a fast pace and declared her final jutsu, "Suiton: Haran Bansho!"
Neji watched as the water appeared from above and come crashing down on him and his only thought was, 'Oh shit!', before he was knocked unconscious from the pain.
Hinata just kept smirking and she walked towards Neji's prone form and directed a strong kick into his groin making all the men in the room wince.
"Don't fuck with my Naruto-kun," she said before walking towards the balcony with the proctor declaring the match with Hinata as the winner.
~.~
Byakugan – 'all seeing white eye', doujutsu (eye technique) of the Hyuuga clan
Juuken – 'gentle fist', Hyuuga fighting style
Tenketsu – 'chakra points'
Jutsu – 'technique'
Suiton: Mizuame Nabara – 'Water Style: Syrup Trap'
Suiton: Haran Bansho – 'Water Style: Storm Upheaval'