"Hn. Hinata-chan's not the only one who's gotten strong!" yelled the number one hyper active knucklehead of the Village Hidden in the Leaves as he rasenganed some enemy ninja's ass (If you don't know who then you don't deserve to read this).
"? Hinata-sama?" thought Hyuuga Neji as he used his Juuken on another enemy. Naruto, Kiba, and Neji were currently on a mission to eliminate a group of rough ninja in the Grass Country. They were currently taking on the said rouge ninjas.
It has been a few weeks after the mission to find the Bikochu beetle failed. Naruto, after seeing how strong Hinata had gotten had become even more determined to get stronger himself. Meanwhile Neji, along with the rest of the Hyuuga clan, were still unaware of Hinata's major progress.
"Idiot!" thought Kiba. He knew Hinata didn't want her family knowing how strong she was. She knew they'd try to test her and she'd just loose her nerve and fail. She didn't want to become a bigger disappointment to them than she was already.
After a few more jutsus and kicks to the head their mission was complete and the three boys headed back to Konoha.
They got back within a day and after reporting to the Hokage went their separate ways. Naruto went off to get ramen (is anyone surprised?), Neji went home, and Kiba went to catch up with his team who would still be training and to warn Hinata about Naruto's little outburst.
"More. More. More. More..." thought Hinata. She was training at the waterfall near her teams training grounds. She had gotten an idea for a new jutsu when she had been trapped in the bee's wax. Hari-Mixu-Tatsumaki (Needle Water Tornado). She was trying to make a whirlpool that shot needles like she had done with the bees. She had almost gotten it down, but she was struggling with making the needles solid enough to hurt a human.
"Hinata-chan!" yelled Kiba. "Good I found her!" Beside him Akamaru barked.
Hinata released her jutsu and turned to see her teammate. "Kiba-kun! How was the mission?"
"Alright except that Naruto mentioned you." was his reply.
Hinata blushed "N-Naruto-kun mentioned m-me? W-what d-did he say?" stuttered the poor girl.
"Sheesh! Naruto's such a baka." thought Kiba "He mentioned your strength and how he was going to work had to get as strong like you did. The problem is, he said it right in front of Neji." He paused. "Actually yelled is more like it, the loud-mouth. I just thought I'd warn you in case Neji or you father start questioning you."
Hinata's red face paled when Kiba mentioned her father asking her about her training. "Hai! Arigato Kiba-kun. I have to go home now anyway. Mate!"
"Kuso! Neji-nii-san, please don't say anything to Father!" Hinata yelled as she ran home. She was late. She promised she would be home to have dinner with her family to day.
They were all at the table by the time she got there. Her father sat at the head of the table with Hanabi at his right, then an empty chair next to her sister for her. Hanabi was first in line to inherit the head so she sat in front of her. Hinata wasn't bitter towards her sister or even in her father, just disappointed in herself and determined to get stronger. Neji was at her fathers left side.
"Gomen." She said before taking her place. After a moment of silence Hiashi cleared his throat. "Hinata, tomorrow I wish to test you and Neji on how far your skills have come."
Hinata gave a look at Neji who was looking at her with curiosity and confusion. He had been curious about Hinata's strength when the almost bumped into each other when she was leaving on the Bikochu mission. What Naruto had said on the mission today had only reminded him of that curiosity. He had asked Hiashi-sama about it and he had agreed that it was time to test them both.
"Hai father." Was her only response before she excused herself and went to bed. "Why me? Why? Why? Why…?" was what she was thinking as she fell asleep.
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The next day…
Hinata woke up and groaned. "I have to fight Neji in front of Father today!"
She got out of bed and got ready. She was supposed to meet her father and Neji at the Hyuuga training grounds at 6am.
She ate a very light breakfast and headed to the grounds. Neji was already there meditating. She did her usual warm ups and then her father arrived.
"Time to begin. I'm testing on your traditional Hyuuga fighting style. Don't kill each other." Was all her said before taking his seat on the steps (like when Hinata brought them tea in the show).
Neji and Hinata bowed to each other and took there stances. "Kuso. I never worked on the traditional way. I was to busy making my own!" thought Hinata as she faced Neji.
They spared for an hour before all of Hinata's chakra was blocked and she collapsed. She started to get up again but her father called her off. "That's enough. Neji you seem to have perfected the forms I was teaching you. I'll be sure to show you the next set in our next session. You are dismissed to go train with your team."
"Hai Hiashi-sama. Arigato." was Neji's only response before he walked out of the grounds. "I don't know what Naruto was talking about, she hasn't improved at all."
Hinata picked herself off the ground and sat next to her father. After a moment of silence she said "Gomen Oto-san. I was…" she started but was cut off.
"A Hyuuga doesn't make excuses." said Hiashi a little harshly. "I expected more from you. You always seem to be training, but you haven't improved at all as far as I've seen!"
"B-but I wasn't…" tried Hinata.
"No excuses. We're done for today." Stated Hiashi as he got up and walked off.
"Don't cry. Don't cry. Just go train with Kiba and Shino. One day he'll see how strong you are. On day you'll have the never to show him what you can do!" thought Hinata. She hit her chakra points to get her chakra flowing again and ran to the training grounds as fast as she could.
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"Gomen I'm late. Oto-san wanted to test me and Neji." She said who her teammates who were training. It was 7:30am, she was supposed to meet her them here at 7:00am.
"How'd it go?" asked Kiba.
"Umm… alright. Can you two spar against me after lunch? I want to do a little training alone before sparing."
"Sure." They both said in union.
Hinata ran off to the waterfall to train.
"Where's she going?" thought one of the two figures hiding in the bushes nearby before they followed after Hinata from the shadows.
As the two figures left Akamaru barked. Kiba turned then smiled. "Oi Shino! Should we tell her or let her find out on her own?"
"No don't say anything to her. We will if they do anything. I just hope they can keep hidden from her long enough for them to see what she can do. They wont mess with her anymore then." said Shino.
"Hai. Maybe this is for the better. The second they hurt her though, I'm attacking." was Kiba's reply.
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"Alright I'll start with my version of the Hyuuga fighting style Hugo Hakke Rokujyuyonshou (Guardian Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms- the one she used on the swarm of bees) and then the Netto-Shoogai jutsu (Net Barrier- the one she used on the queen bee). Next I'll work on my Mizu-Odori (Water Dance- the thing Naruto saw her do under the waterfall). Lastly I'll work on my Hari-Mixu-Tatsumaki (Needle Water Tornado). Then I'll go train with Kiba and Shino." she Hinata as she stood near the riverbank.
She walked over to a clearing in the middle of trees nearby and got into her stance. She threw our several kunai around her, hitting the branches of the trees and making the leaves fall. "267 leaves. Perfect." Hinata thought. She focused her chakra as she did the hand seal to start.
Just like with the bees, Hinata moved her arms in the familiar motions and soon the 267 leaves turned into 534 perfectly cut halves. She threw a couple kunai out every once in a while to make more leave fall, never stopping her jutsu. She also aimed at a few targets that were set on the trees. She even hit the ones on the back of the trees. "Tenten would be proud." She thought as she hit the final target. Hinata sliced the last few leaves and lowered out of her stance when they fell. She walked over to examine the leaves.
She huffed "They're not perfectly even". she cursed out loud. "I got to try again until I get it right." Hinata thought as she dropped the leaves that were in hr hands and retrieved her kunai. "At least these hit dead on, thanks to Tenten-chan's help." she continued in her mind. And she redid the exercise three more times before she was satisfied with the cuts in the leaves. It was now 10:00am.
A little ways off two figures stood completely still, shock on their faces. There jaws would be on the ground if they weren't so practiced at being composed. "How long has she been this strong?!" was what they were screaming in there minds.
"Now for my Netto-Shoogai jutsu." Hinata thought as she took off her jacket so she was just in her black t-shirt and blue caprice and walked out onto the water. She stood in front of the waterfall and got in her stance. She started her motion and her chakra net actually was visible in the waterfall. "More. More. More. More. More. Wider. Sharper. Make the net reach more." Hinata thought as she watched the cuts in the water and adjusted her chakra to make the cuts wider and smoother.
"THERE!!! Now see how long you can keep it going!" she encouraged herself. Hinata had the net at a large 7 by 7ft square and each strip of her chakra was an inch thick. She kept it going for a good 5minutes before she started running out of chakra and started to sink in the water. She pushed herself until she was up to her knees in water before dispelling the jutsu and walking over to the riverbank. She collapse but remained conscious.
Her breathing was heavy and her vision was a little blurry but she was smiling. "I held it a whole minute longer than last time and the strips were wider. But I still want to be able to hold it for 10 minutes and curve the net to make a barrier around myself. I have a long way to go before it is perfected." Hinata thought to herself.
"…?!?!?!?!?" was the only thing going through the heads of the two guys following her who were staring at her wide eyed. "Looks like I might have to reconsider…" thought the older of the two after he had regained control of his shock.
After she caught her breath Hinata sat up. She got out a scroll. It was 10:45am, time for lunch. She took out her lunch along with chakra pills and a couple kunai from the scroll.
Hinata ate her lunch while doing target practice. When she was done and she felt she had enough chakra she put everything away and walk over to the side of the river bank.
She walked back out onto the water. "Time to work on my chakra control with the Mizu-Odori (Water Dance). I love doing this. It helps relax me and makes me feel free." she thought to herself.
Hinata stood at the base of the waterfall again letting the mist surround her. Then she started, spinning and twisting and bringing the water with her. It followed her hand movements and surrounded her. She breathed in and out as she continued with her dance.
Hinata worked on her chakra control and tried to manipulate more water to follow her hands. She ended the dance by releasing all her chakra in a swirl of energy around her making her look like she was in bubble of spinning water. "Done." She thought as she took a deep breath and walked back over to the riverbank.
She got a couple training dummies and put them around and even in (shallower) parts of the river. "Let's see if I can perfect what I was working on yesterday." Hinata said to herself out loud as she did a few hand seals to help her.
The water in front of her immediately began to spin into a whirlpool about 5 feet wide. "Wider!" Hinata mentally screamed at herself and pushed the water to make the whirlpool 6 feet wide.
"Now!" she thought and needles of compressed water shot out from the vortex in all different directions. They hit the dummies dead on target but they didn't cut or tear the dummies 'skin'. The needles just turned back into free water. Hinata frowned, "Harder!" she thought.
She tried again and again as more needles shot out, but it didn't work. Hinata frowned and stopped the jutsu. Then her eyes lit up, "Water can cut insects easy, but it's not strong enough to injure a human. But ICE is! I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier! Freeze the needles so they're more solid!"
She did the hand seals again but added the seal for ice. This time when the needles shot out they went into the dummies and stayed there. Hinata beamed. "Harder! Faster! Push it as far as it will go!" she thought as she released more chakra.
The whirlpool picked up speed and another round of needles shoot out. After a couple tried the needles went completely through the dummies and ended up hitting the trees and rocks behind them. Hinata then ran out of chakra and fell to her knees. "I did it!" she said out loud smiling and sat down to rest for a minute and restore her chakra. She went through her scroll looking for chakra and energy pills.
The two figures, who were still there watching her from a distance (stalker much? What creepers!!!), smiled at her and looked at each other and nodded. But before they could move Hinata stood up.
"It's 12:30pm! I'm going to be late for sparing!" she said as she ran back towards the training grounds where her teammates were.
The two figures shrugged at each other and followed her.
As they arrived they heard "Hinata you have almost no chakra left! We're not going to spar with you if you can't defend yourself!" yelled Kiba.
"Looks like she's done for the day." the two though.
"No! I've got to get stronger! You know how important this is to me! If it makes you feel better I'll watch you two spar for a minute before we go, but I finally got the Koorihari-Tatsumaki (Ice needles tornado) down and I need to see if I can apply it along with my other jutsus!" Hinata yelled.
"Wow she yelled out and stuck up for herself. She really has come far." thought the younger of the two creepers (that's what I'm going to call them from now on).
"They're still here? She must have put on quite a show" he thought."Daijoobu. Daijoobu(alright). But seriously Hinata-chan you're going to hurt yourself training so hard. It's not worth it." replied Kiba.
"We've been over this before Kiba-kun! I'm not strong enough for them to notice me yet! Until I can prove myself to my family and my father I'm going to train as hard as I can.' replied Hinata with a determined look on her face. But then she softened, "Arigato for worrying, both of you, but I'm fine. Just spar while I catch my breath. I'll tell you when I'm ready." She said before sitting down by the edge of the clearing.
After a half hour Hinata called out "Ok I'm ready when you are!"
Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru stopped and nodded to her. Hinata walked out to the middle of the field and took her stance as she activated her Byakugan. Kiba and Akamaru disappeared into the surrounding forest while Shino opposed her head on.
His swarm of insects rushed at her and Hinata immediately stepped into her Hugo Hakke Rokujyuyonshou. She tossed a couple kunai while swinging her chakra at the bugs (similar to how she did with the bees). As the number of bugs dwindled Hinata jumped into the air to avoid Kiba's Beast Mimicry, Fang-Over-Fang.
She twisted in the air and used her chakra to divert Shino's three kunai (like she did when ambushed by the Kamizuru clan at the river before being taken hostage) at Kiba and Akamaru who avoided them and disappeared into the trees once again.
When Hinata landed she finished off the last of Shino's bugs and turned to face him.
"Shino get out of the way!" yelled Kiba before he and Akamaru did the Soutou Rou (double headed wolf) and charged at Hinata.
"Netto-Shoogai jutsu (Net Barrier)" called out Hinata and sent Kiba and Akamaru flying (like the queen bee). A loud 'poof' was heard and Kiba and Akamaru were laying together unconscious.
Hinata found Shino hiding in a nearby bush and attacked him, hitting his chakra points.
"Enough Hinata you win." said Shino after he hit the ground.
"Hai. Gomen, I think I got carried away." said Hinata as she released Shino's chakra. Then she went over to Kiba and Akamaru and used her healing ointment on them. They woke up five minutes later. The fight only lasted 17 minutes but that was alright considering they had been training all day.
"Wow she's really good." thought the creepers.
"Way to go Hinata! You got your Netto-Shoogai up in less than 10 seconds! And it was stronger than before!" congratulated Kiba after he woke up.
"Yea I got the strips one inch thick and got the grid out to 7 feet." said Hinata and she smiled. "You guys got stronger too! You almost had me back there when all three of you attacked at once. And your Soutou Rou almost knocked me down despite my shield."
She handed them each a rice ball from one of her scrolls and they all sat down and started to eat. Suddenly Hinata turned to look behind her into the forest area, "Oto-san! Neji-nii-san! Do you guys want any?" she yelled as she held up four more rice balls. (Ok if any of you didn't guess it was them then you are horrible detectives)
Kiba and Shino stared at Hinata while the two men appeared from the shadows looking a little shocked that Hinata knew they were there.
"What? You guys seriously think I didn't notice? What kind of ninja would I be if I couldn't sense my Oto-san and nii-san?" asked Hinata as she shot them a innocent questioning glance.
"Wow Hinata-sama you really have improved. I must say I'm impressed. Why didn't you use those techniques against me when we spared?" said Neji.
"You saw what I did to the leaves and the dummies. Oto-san said to use the Hyuuga style and my jutsu's only powerful enough to cut hair or bugs. It wouldn't have done me much good plus I didn't think you wanted your hair cut to shreds." Hinata giggled but then frowned and looked down. "Also because I always loose my nerve when I fight you in front of Oto-san. I'm so afraid of letting you down that I mess up."
She turned but when Hiashi still didn't say anything she continued. "I promise to work on the original Hyuuga style Oto-san. I should have…" but was interrupted by her father cutting her off.
"I'm very proud of you Hinata and I am sorry I didn't give you the chance to explain yourself before. You have grown extremely strong and I look forward to your explanations on your jutsu's." said Hiashi and then a miracle happened; he SMILED. A real 'I'm so proud' smile. Not the usual 'you did your best smile', but a true blue 'you ARE strong and I am proud' smile.
Hinata beamed and Kiba nudged her to keep her from crying. "T-thank you Oto-san. I promise to continue to train hard." was all she replied. "I can't believe it. I've waited my whole life for him to say that to me!" she cried in her head.
"Neji-nii-san, if you want, I could try and fight you sometime when my jutsu's are stronger. I promise I won't hold back." She said.
Neji smirked, "Hn. Alright you're on."
"I must go. I have some important business to attend to.
Hinata smiled. "I'm going to go train. I need to work on my form for the Hugo Hakke Rokujyuyonshou and my taijutsu in general." She said as she headed back towards the river. "Oh and Neji-nii-san? Thank Tenten for helping me and tell her I'll see her on Saturday!"
Neji looked at Hinata confused but shook his head yes. Then he went to go to Team Gai's training grounds to get in some afternoon training and to deliver Tenten's message.
R&R PLEASE!!!!
Poll- should I make this a oneshot or continue…?
The next chapter won't be half as long if yes, but still.