In a clan where the eyes are praised, what would happen if a child were to be born blind?
Chapter 1
December 27. A day remembered all throughout the Hyuuga clan. However, it was not for a good reason.
It was the day their heiress was born. This should have been a joyous event. However, it came with grim news. The girl, a holder of the acclaimed Byakugan and next in line for Head of Clan, was born without her vision.
The earlier years of her life were spent in rigorous training with her father, his only hope being that she would still be able to see with the Byakugan, if not normally. However, this hope proved to have no meaning. No matter what he threw at her, the girl could not awaken her bloodline limit. A shame to her clan, to all…
But she was not a complete waste, her father saw that. The girl had amazing reflexes from such a young age. Her strength was astonishing. Her flexibility incredible. She still had a use. Just not as their heiress.
It was ironic really, how she had gotten her name. The mother and father had already decided upon one, Ira or "Watchful." But, upon hearing the news of their daughter's problem, that was immediately ruled out. And in a last minute decision, a name was chosen because of the one thing she would always want but would never be able to see. Hinata. A sunny place.
The small girl, at age five, was already ahead of her cousin. He was a year above her and already in the Academy, considered the best in his class. But she had surpassed him in everything with no outside help at all. After all, what could really be done to show her how things were to look?
Hinata walked silently through the halls, her feet hitting the flooring so quietly not even a trained ninja would pick up the noise. She arrived outside her father's office without a problem and knocked slightly on the door, scaring the poor man inside, even though he would never admit it.
Hiashi watched in wonder as his blind daughter opened the door and walked inside his office, closing the door behind her. She bowed without hitting anything even though it had been moved since she had last been in the room. Confidently, she navigated through the new arrangement without hesitation and sat on one of the cushions in front of her father's desk. "You called for me, Father? And why have you rearranged the room?"
The man's eyes widened in surprise a little at his daughter's second question, but she could not possibly have seen so. So why was she smiling? "Yes I did. And it was rearranged because the old desk was broken by none other than Kushina Uzumaki. In order to fit the new desk, things needed to be changed. Now, onto the original topic. It has been decided that you will still attend the Academy, if you wish to do so. You can join either this year or next. However, the latter is better because I will need to teach you a chakra scanner that will allow you to read the board and papers. You will have two days to decide. And Hinata, I will be proud either way. The fact that you have actually been invited to go to the Academy selections is a huge accomplishment for you. Your cousin almost did not make it." Hiashi smiled at his daughter before remembering she would not be able to see him do so. But somehow, he just knew she had known.
Hinata had been sitting for but a minute debating while her father did paperwork and watched her. "I have decided. I will go to the selections. Next year. However, I would very much appreciate being able to meet some other possible students my age. Would that be allowable, Father?"
"Yes, it would. In fact, I am meeting with the other Clan Heads in two hours. If you are ready in time, I will bring you with me, as they be bringing their own children. I believe they are all around your age." Hiashi did not looked up from his paperwork as he spoke, but he could still see Hinata out of the corner of his eyes.
She had not shown any emotion the entire conversation, and still did not. The only thing that gave her away was her body suddenly but slightly tensing. "Thank you Father. I will be ready. May I leave?"
Finally, Hiashi looked up. "Yes, you may. Meet me by the door in two hours. Your mother should be waiting to get you ready anyways in your room. Dismissed." And so, with a slight smile and a bounce in her step, Hinata left the room to get ready.
OoOoOoOoOoO
An hour and a half later, Hinata stood by her door and fiddled with her outfit slightly. It wasn't the clothes that felt weird on her, as she was used to them. It was that fact that when she touched it she could almost see the color.
Quickly, she opened the door slightly and stepped out, only to almost run into her cousin Neji. "Sorry Neji, I wasn't paying attention. I didn't hit you, did I?"
The boy stared at Hinata for a moment. He had barely remembered her name, yet she knew his and could tell exactly who he was. For a second, he almost did not believe what he had heard about her being blind. But then her eyes opened wide and he got a glimpse of the cloudy lavender. It was true.
"What-oh, no. You didn't hit me. I should have been watching where I was going. I am very sorry. Would you like me to walk with you to wherever you are going? I mean,. I am not doing anything and you are not walking with you guard as you normally do so… You know what, I think I will just shut my mouth." Neji looked everywhere except at the girl in front of him. He could not believe he had gone and done that, making a fool out of himself in front of Hinata. He almost wanted to face palm, but did not dare with how close he was. With his luck, he would probably end up hitting her.
"It is okay, really. And you can walk with me, if you like. I have to meet Father in the main hall. I am guessing you are going that direction too." She started walking as she talked, and did not stop when she finished. Neji raced to catch up with her. Together, they walked in silence for a bit before she suddenly stopped. Neji did too and looked at her. "Neji, you go to the Academy. What is it like?"
She started walking as soon as she finished, and Neji followed again. "Well, it is… very loud. There are a bunch of other kids there, and most of them a civilians with no manners. The are a lot more boys than girls, but that doesn't really mean anything. And you have two Chunin who teach pretty much the whole class. Sometimes there are specialized teachers. Like Kurenai-sensei. She teaches Genjutsu basics. It is nothing like training here, where you are alone except for the person training you and maybe another two people. There, you train as an entire class, and there are at least fifty kids. Why do you ask?" He looked down at his little cousin when he finished, before breaking out into a blush and looking straight ahead.
"Well… I am going to the selection for next year's class. I wanted to know what to expect if I do make it. Oh, I am sorry Neji, but Father is waiting. I have to go. I hope we can talk again sometime." She walked away without waiting for Neji's reply.
He stood there and watched her run towards her father and follow him with ease. "I would love to talk again too. Good bye, Hinata," he said softly, before turning around and hurrying back to his own father. Quickly, he wiped a stray tear from his cheek and rubbed his eyes to stop any more.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Hiashi held his daughter's hand as he navigated expertly through the normally crowded market. His wife followed not that far behind them, but occasionally stopped to talk to old friends. The two weaved through shoving people and large, food filled baskets until they reached the other side. There was the occasional whisper about the girl Hiashi Hyuuga was leading through the crowd and it did not take long for the rumors to spread. By the time the duo had walked the length of the street, most were at least sneaking glances at them before whispering to someone else.
The Hyuuga Head sighed, but continued to lead his daughter, hoping she did not notice. However, luck was not on his side. A young woman whispered not so quietly to the girl next to her, "Apparently Hiashi separated this girl from her parents and now he is trying to find them. After she started freaking out and hurt herself trying to get away from him. His wife got so angry at him that she walked away and is refusing to talk to him."
Hinata whipped her head towards the girl and let go of her father's hand to walk over. Once she did, she gave the girl an innocent look that was much scarier than any other look she could have given. "Excuse me, Miss, but what did you just say about my father? Because if it was anything bad, you are going to regret it."
Hinata smiled sweetly at the girl, who just swallowed hard. Her friend had long since abandoned her. "I-I d-din't m-m-mean it. T-that w-w-was what I-I h-h-had h-heard."
Still giving the older girl the look, Hinata giggled slight, almost sounding insane. "Oh, that is just wonderful of you. Spreading lies about the head of one of the most important clans," Hiashi finally reached her after getting through the crowd that had formed around the "talk." He tried to grab her and pull her back, but the girl just shook him off and continued uninterrupted on her verbal assault. "Before you say something, you should make sure it is true. And that the people it talks bad about are not close enough to hear. And for your information, the reason my father actually showed compassion and helped me through an overly large crowd like the one gathered around us, is because I have no way of seeing anything around me. I ask that you stop spreading despicable lies or, better yet, just stop talking. Good bye Miss." Hinata smiled again before turning heel and walking through the split the crowd had made.
Every person was staring at her, but she did not seem to care. Hiashi ran after his daughter, leaving the large crowd in shock. The girl Hinata had stared down collapsed to the ground, but not a soul seemed to notice.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Hiashi finally broke out of his stunned trance as they approached the woods clearing where he and the other clan heads were going to meet. He knew his wife was already there, so he turned to his daughter but continued to walk. "Hinata, please never do something like that again. You never know what sort of person they could be when the person you are angry at get the full force of your anger."
"But Father, she was talking lies about you! I could not let her spread such a thing that could ruin your reputation! Then what sort of daughter would I be." Hinata tried to protest, but it fell on deaf ears.
They were almost to the clearing, but Hiashi wanted to get out what he needed to say before it was forgotten. "I do not care what she was talking about. I care more about you than my reputation. So, please promise me that you will never do that again."
Hinata faced his general direction for a moment before sighing. "Yes Father. I promise."
Just then, they broke through the clearing. The playing kids stopped and stared at the two, along with the adults who had been setting up an entire picnic. "Hiashi Hyuuga, what did you just make our daughter promise so unwillingly?" Hinata's mother, Tsuki, glared at her husband, and he looked right back at her. They battled with their eyes for a minute before Tsuki sighed. "Fine, tell me at home. Anyways, this is our daughter, Hinata."
The Clan Heads and their partners studied the girl for few minutes, but she stood tall under their gazes. Not once did her stance waver. Finally, they all slowly stopped until only Fugaku Uchiha was staring. "She is blind. How can she ever become a ninja? Are you fools?"
He had barely gotten his statement out before he found himself on the ground in pain and the same girl he had just bad mouthed standing in front of him and ready to strike once more. "I dare you to say that again. You did not see me attack, even with your Sharingan activated. And yet, I was not even breaking a sweat. If you do not believe me, I will gladly spar anyone of your choice." Hinata stepped back without her parents having to say anything.
Everyone looked between the two, horrified. No one who had ever done something like Hinata had to Fugaku had ever gotten out of it alive. And then the unthinkable happened… he started laughing. It started as a chuckle. Clan Heads and children alike watched in amazement, never knowing the man to amusement in anything. As he calmed down, the Uchiha Head started to speak. "I like this girl. And I am taking you up on your offer, but I have a better idea. A tournament of our children. Most of them are the same age, and all except for Itachi will be trying to attend the Academy next year. The one who wins will automatically get the Uchiha vote for being accepted. Agreed?"
All of the Clan Heads nodded, and the tournament planning began. Hinata sat under a tree and began to play with a kunai while the other children returned to their playing. However, Itachi could not help but watch her whenever he was free. She was just… intriguing.
"Okay children! We have planned it out. Come over here!" Kushina stood up from the circle of sitting adults and yelled, drawing the attention of the children immediately. The boys and Ino ran over hap hazardously, with Itachi following behind at a more sensible pace.
However, the attention of many adults was focused on Hinata as she stood up and cleared the large distance between herself and the sitting adults in a flash. One second she was by the tree, and in the same second she was by them. "No way. Not possible. I worked for years on that. No way a five year old girl can do it. Especially when she is blind and cannot copy hand signs from someone. No way." Minato was shaking his head refusing to believe what he just saw.
"Minato, face it. The girl is special. She beat you at that. Deal with it and move on." Kushina did not even look at him when she spoke, but the look on his face was priceless. He went to speak but she cut him off. "I don't care if you don't think it is fair. That is just how things worked out. And from the looks of it, Tsuki and Hiashi are not answering any questions you have either. Now… onto the tournament."
Tsume looked down at the roster they had scratched into the dirt and then to the last minute rings they had put together. "Okay. Kiba vs. Choji in the first ring. Naruto vs. Sasuke in the second. Shino vs. Shikamaru in the third. Ino vs. Hinata in the fourth. Itachi will go against the winner of the first match finished. Now go find your rings." The boys all walked off to read the numbers of each ring. However, Ino looked from Hinata to her ring.
She had heard them talking about Hinata being blind and had no idea how she would know which one was their arena. In the time she had spent thinking, Ino had not realized Hinata was already all set and waiting for her to get there. Upon realizing so, she hurried over and got into a sloppy stance that seemed like it would be taken out by Hinata's solid yet fluid stance in seconds. Oh, how true that was.
Inoichi blew a whistle to signal the start of the match, unlike the normal swish of a flag to do so. Hinata winced slightly at the noise and huffed in annoyance. However, that took only a second, before she dodged the one and only punch Ino threw. It put the blond off balance, and Hinata took this to her advantage.
Hinata swept her leg, successfully knocking Ino down. The blackette pinned the girl down and went to punch her, only to stop at Inoichi's whistle. And it all happened in seconds. "Well, the winner is Hinata…" The Yamanaka Head looked down at his daughter in amazement. She had never been beaten so easily.
Itachi had watched the fight with his Sharingan active, but he too was still amazed. However, he walked over and took his position on the ring. Inoichi went to blow the whistle once again, but stopped at Hinata's raised hand. "Yes, Hinata?"
"You do realize that you do not need to blow that whistle to signal the start of the match. I can tell when it begins. The other spars did not use a whistle and it is just a distraction to the others." Hinata waited patiently as Inoichi slowly grabbed a signal flag. Hesitantly, he waved it in the air, starting the match between Hinata and Itachi.
Itachi was more advanced than your average nine year old, but even he was afraid of Hinata - something he scolded himself for. However, it was for a very good reason. The boy threw a punch at Hinata's head, only if the girl to dodge and hit his arm with multiple Gentle Fist strikes. Not letting it effect him, Itachi spun and went to kick the girl.
However, Hinata stopped the kick with ease and hit him on his knee hard, collapsing his knee in. She let go of his foot as soon as that happened, and the leg fell uselessly. As soon as it hit the ground, Itachi's vision went white with pain and he crumpled to the floor. Hinata took this to her advantage, pulling out a kunai and grabbing him from behind, the kunai ready to slice his throat. Dumbstruck at how quick yet anther fight went, Inoichi just looked at the duo on the ground. Realizing the match wasn't being called, Itachi raised his hands in surrender. "I lose. I'm too injured to stand, let alone fight."
Hinata let go after he spoke, and held out her hand to help him up. "Sorry, I got a little aggressive. I forgot I wasn't fighting with Father or Hizashi. Your leg should be fine by tomorrow. I just stretched the muscle past where it is supposed to go. Come on, get up already." Itachi grabbed the younger girl's hand after she spoke, and she pulled him up effortlessly. Slowly, she helped him walk to Ino and the adults watching the matches, before letting go and letting him fall.
Hinata had gone against two opponents and won, while the first matches were still going for the others. She sighed, before walking to the ring in which Shino and Shikamaru were sparring. They seemed to be at a draw, for neither was landing a strike on the other. However, Shikamaru suddenly stopped defending himself and let Shino hit him to the ground, where he stayed.
"The winner is Shino," Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino, said with a huff. "Hinata, you can come up now." Shikamaru walked off, muttering about "troublesome women" while Hinata got up from her spot sitting on the ground. She made her way to the ring quickly, and got set in her stance. Shino glanced at her before copying.
Yoshino waved the start flag, and the match began. Shino took his time analyzing Hinata, before taking a few steps back to plan. This proved to be the wrong move, as Hinata disappeared from her spot and appeared behind him, kicking him to the ground. Shino managed to stand up although wobbly, only for Hinata to come at him with a punch to his face. He flew back and hit the ground, where he stayed this time. "Winner is Hinata."
Smirking, Hinata helped Shino up before going over to the ring with Sasuke and Kiba fighting. The match only lasted another minute, before Kiba was down and Sasuke was proclaimed winner of the match by his father. Hinata walked onto the ring and got set, while Sasuke just stared at her. "You honestly expect me to believe she made it this far? Is this a joke? I am not hitting her, no way."
"Sasuke, get set. You are to fight her. If you do not, you forfeit the match. Understood?" Sasuke grumbled, but did as his father said. For the final time, a start flag was waved, and Sasuke did not wait in throwing himself at Hinata. The girl simply sidestepped and dodged the attack, while Sasuke struggled to gain his balance again.
He went to punch Hinata, but the girl grabbed Sasuke's arm and easily shut off all tenketsu in his arm. The boy grimaced as his arm went numb, but continued to fight. He went to kick her, but Hinata aimed a Gentle Fist strike at his ankle, making it so he couldn't even stand on the leg. In a last attempt to win, Sasuke went to punch he with his other arm.
This attack was intercepted and Hinata twisted his arm behind his back, before pressing a kunai to his neck and forcing him to kneel. She crouched down so her mouth was at his ear and whispered, "I win."
"The winner is Hinata." Fugaku was watching the girl in surprise as she simply released his son and let him fall to the ground. The poor boy curled into a ball, shocked at the attack he had just received. And he would never forget it.
Hinata walked out of the clearing and into the woods with her head high. The wind blew her dark blue battle kimono, and the lavender dragon on it seemed to be moving. At the same time, all the adults thought one thing. No way. She is not the Ice Dragon.
OoOoOoOoOoO