A/N: IN case that the site keeps having problems with the upload manager and It didn't let me update here, you can still check the updates on my website, the link is on my author profile in "Homepage" link.

Shesmells – I'm glad that you like this story so far and that you can keep enjoying it like the rest here.

Qii-chain – Yeah, I noticed how silly he acts in that chapter, maybe I made it too OCC…but since nobody had told me yet about it, I'll try to not change him too much, Sasuke is my fave of the series, so I can't change him too much.

Rcr – I wanted to change the fact that everyone thinks that Sakura was the last one who saw him…to the fact that he actually he said "goodbye " only to Hinata…I tried to put my MSN ID, but somehow the site didn't let me…so the id is maylinebsb, ok? The complete e-mail address is with hotmail…I hope to see you soon on my list!

MysticalMaiden915 --- Is good that you liked the flashback…it took me time to think how to explain it…and I hope that the tournament takes your linking.

Aisuruitachiwakoi – Yeah, right now is the largest chapter so far, but I'm happy that you didn't got lost with it…and I downloaded the color version! Is so cool! I hope that you could upload your updates now…

kenshinlover2002-- you are always with the god questions, you are a great observer…well, you'll know about that soon. But don't worry one of the questions that you made me in the past will be resolved soon too…

AzngrlQT—I hope to keep making you like this story this much.

Kichou –Well…now we'll have the tournament! And even after I said that I don't like fighting scenes, I have to prove Hinata's talent, right? And this time in front of Konoha…


Disclaimer: I don't own it, and I have bad grammar.

Chapter nine

The tournament: Neji vs. Hinata


Last chapter….

… And Naruto could recognize all of them: Ten-Ten, Neji, Lee, Sasuke, Chouji, Shino, Kiba with Akamaru…and Hinata.


"What! I was hoping to see more people on this competition! Why they are the only ones participating!" asked Naruto, looking at the Hokage, and knowing that he was looking at her, she smiled at him. "To enter to this tournament, they have to pass to me to be approved. And I decided that only the best of Konoha can enter. So here are the ones that deserve to be here." responded Tsunade, getting a dead glare form the blonde nin. "If that is true," asked Naruto, "THEN WHY I'M NOT THERE. THE MOST POWERFUL NINJA OF THIS VILLAGE…AND I'M NOT THERE!"

"DON'T SCREAM AT ME YOU BRAT!" screamed back Tsunade, making Sakura and Kakashi step back, leaving him alone. "You are too impulsive to do this! You consider yourself a genius and you can't act like one! Besides." Smoothed suddenly, getting bad chills from him, "You and Kakashi are the exhibition matches for the ones that get into the finals, so don't sweat it." "What!" screamed both Kakashi and Naruto, "B-But I didn't knew…" muttered Kakashi looking with his bright eye at Tsunade.

"It was a decision that I made since you two wanted so much to participate, and is quite sad that I already know who's going to be the two who will enter the finals." She ended; now looking at Gaara, whose eyes never left the stage.

After the fighters were dismissed, the matches began with Chouji vs. Ten-Ten. In this one Ten-Ten wins and the second match enters: Neji vs. Hinata.


The Hyuuga clan, represented by Hiashi and Hanabi, were on the public, watching what is going to happen here. when both fighters entered to the stage, cheers were listened through the whole stadium, but It seemed that It didn't got the attention from the fighters. Suddenly the crowd stops the cheering and looks at them with open eyes; no one knows what to expect form a Hyuuga prodigy and an ex-Hyuuga heir.


Meanwhile, the two cousins see eachother again, this time in the battle field, as enemies.

"We should stop this nonsense Hinata." Said Neji, "you should stop this childish rebellion and come back to the clan…" "And loose my freedom? I don't think so Hyuuga." Responded Hinata, raising an eyebrow. Then Neji posed in a fighting pose. "I'll stop this nonsense of yours and take you back to the mansion!" growled the proud ninja. "Then lets a deal then," responded Hinata calmly, "if you beat me, I'll return to the mansion as the weak and useless heir. But if I win," with this she smiled evilly, "the Hyuuga clan will stop persecuting me, and If after this you don't keep your promise…lets say that I'll stop beating unconscious to the spies that YOU send me."

"Then let's make official then." Then Neji looked at the judge of the fight and after hearing the deal, he announces it. "There's a deal in this match!" screams the judge, getting everyone's attention, "Is stated here that if Hyuuga Neji wins this match, Hinata will be again a Hyuuga. If Hinata wins, the Hyuuga will stop being after her, accepting her exile." With this everyone gasps in awe, Tsunade looking at the scene with a smile, "It means that Neji will give his all in this match." With this Naruto looked at the stage. "Neji is going to demonstrate who the real Hyuuga prodigy is!"

But Sasuke was watching the match from one of the exits, along with Kiba, Shino and Lee. "She is going to wib." And with that he leaves, with impressed expression form the others.

And then, the match begins, and immediately Neji activates the byakugan and looks at her. Hinata is still unmoving, provoking that the people on the crowd get confused.

"She is not moving…"

"Maybe she is provoking him…"

"But this is strange; a ninja is always on guard…"

She must be playing with me...> though Neji and charged at her, only to find out that when he was going to hit her, she disappeared. Impressed, he starts to focus with his bloodline limit, using the technique that allows you to see 360 degrees around you…

"What the hell is Neji doing? She just moved to a side! Why he hadn't attacked yet!" yelled Naruto form the crowd, while Tsunade frowned at the situation on the arena. "She somehow masked herself from the byakugan, but how?"

Neji is still looking around him for any signal of Hinata, but nothing appeared yet. It can't be, she must be somewhere in the arena, why I can't see her?>"Having problems, Hyuuga?" a low whisper came from behind him, but Neji still couldn't see her with the technique, and suddenly he was kicked from behind and sent through air meters away. "Stop acting like a freaking blind man and fight Hyuuga!" screamed Hinata, now with three kunais in each hand. Neji stoop up immediately when he heard the sound of the weapons. He looked and tried to see her, but he couldn't understand why he can't see her. When he decided to deactivate it, a kunai was aimed at him, he merely missed it.

"You should focus on this fight Hyuuga," spoke Hinata, "because I told you I wasn't going to hold back this time, don't prove my patience." She ended, while playing with the remaining two in her right hand. Then he looked up at her. "Is not my fault that you hide like a coward instead to fight me face to face." He responded.

"Well then," she stated simply, "if that's the case, let's go straight to the point." And with that she stepped a few feet of distance to him. Neji looks at her again and see that she managed to throw many kunias at the same time, You can't get me, they are shadow replications.> and when he activates again the byakugan, he see nothing. I was right…>but his thoughts were interrupted when the pain run all over him. When he falls to the ground, and deactivates the technique again, he sees that he was hit by all the five kunais. Trembling, he starts to take them out in desperation and tries to stand up. seeing that the weapons were real he looks at her really impressed.

"Impossible, how could they be real! I even noticed being fake using my byakugan from here!" screamed Hiashi, who was sit in a no far distance from Tsunade, after she invited hi to come closer to see the fight. "She has Hyuuga blood in her, there must be an answer for it." concluded Kakashi. "That's not the point!" responded Hiashi, "There's nothing written about this!"

Then they shut up when they notice that Hinata walks to Neji, who stood up and stood in defense mode, while Hinata looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "If I was you, I didn't even try the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou on me." she stated, "don't be so cocky Hinata, you can't beat me on this one." Then Hinata smirked evilly at him. "You're really stupid, Hyuuga genius."

"What was that!"

"What you heard."

"Listen you spoiled brat…"

"You haven't noticed it, or is just that you didn't want to admit it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me Hyuuga, during all this time using your byakugan, have you ever saw me?" at this statement, he had to nod. "Then, let me explain the reason," she said while taking out more kunais. "You can't see me because the byakugan has a weakness…and I'm using it in my favor."

"What!"

She smiled, and started to walk around him in offense pose, "The only reason that you couldn't see me was that I found a way to mask myself from the byakugan, and you won't be capable to see me. And those kunais were real from the start, but I make them look like shadow replications. At this rate you won't recognize the difference between what's real and what's not."

Seeing that Neji was looking at her stunned, she continued, "Don't you see it? To beat me, you can't use the byakugan, is useless against me. It means too that I'm not easy to defeat, so do it before the second match." He suddenly woke up and looked at her with threatening eyes. "The second match? What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you don't beat me here and now…I'll crush your girlfriend on the next match…" with this his eyes wide opened. "Ooops, did I said something that was suppose to be a secret? How bad." She acted with full sarcasm.

Neji knew who she was talking about. It was about…Ten-Ten. She already passed to the second row, and if he doesn't beat Hinata now, she'll face Ten-Ten. He clenched his fists, thinking that he must give everything that he's got. "Don't you fucking dare Hinata!"

"Then beat me…now."

And with this, he charged at her, only to be responded with a kick on his back, making him face the ground. "Come on Hyuuga prodigy! Show me how weak I am!" screamed Hinata, making Neji growl at her.

He moved and attacked with kunais as her, only to see that she dodged then easily. He tried to mask her with some replications, only to be discovered too fast among them. I don't get it! she is not using the byakugan and still she can see what I am doing?> "Don't you want me be back to the mansion! Come on, move!" she screamed again, while provoking him over and over again.

Suddenly, Neji kneeled since he had used most of it, but Hinata knew hoe to provoke him. "I'm going to kill Ten-Ten on the next match. You are proving me nothing Hyuuga, just like the last time."

Neji had enough; he activated again the byakugan to then make the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou, only to see that Hinata was right…he can't see the chakra holes of her body. Without seeing her, she started to attack him with kicks and pounces, in a torturous pace. Neji tried to deactivate the byakugan, but he couldn't. in that moment of panic, Hinata started to throw at him shuriken on one side, then run to the other to hit him. With this movement, she kicked him on his stomach and got injured by the sharp weapons on his back.

With a final blow, she hits him against the nearest wall, making him spit blood.

"What else can I expect from a slave, huh?" she whispers at him, lowly. Then she releases him and steps back. "Well, you are even incapable to protect the clan's heir, you know." And with that, a sharp scream can be heard on the crowd.

"Hanabi, what's wrong!" screamed Hanabi, who was holding her head like crazy. Tsunade went immediately there to watch her along with Hiashi, only to see that from her forehead protector…a drop of blood was falling from it. When her father took it off immediately, he looked at it with fear and impression. Then Naruto stepped beside Tsunade and looked at her condition…he was impressed too.

Neji tried to get what was happening up there, but then the judge got over him and checked him. Seeing that Neji was no capable to continue, he declared Hinata as the winner. Then he noticed that she started to walk away, stopped and looked back at him. "It seems that from now on, you won't be the only caged bird of the clan. No more worries about rebel heirs, don't you think?" and with that she exits the stage.

With the last of his strength, Neji climbed to where Hanabi was. And before he fainted he could see it. In Hanabi's forehead…was the same seal that he had…


After Hanabi was sent to the infirmary along with Neji, Tsunade returned to her chair. Naruto, still looking at the arena, looked up at Tsunade. "I-I don't get it. How come that Neji couldn't see where Hinata was…she had been in front of him the whole time!" then Tsunade looked down at the blonde ninja and then back at the arena. "Hinata has talent Naruto, that's all I can say."

"That means that you know something, right? Tell me! sasuke is going to fight her anytime, we must know it…" "So you can be prepared, right?" responded back the Hokage, getting the attention of Gaara and Temari. "All I can say is that this is to see what she can do, to see if what the third wrote about her is completely reliable…"

"But why Tsunade-sama?" asked Kakashi, "If the Third wrote it is for something…" "You don't get it Kakashi," cut the Konoha leader, "is just that…some things that Sarutobi wrote are…too much like a fantasy story…I don't wanted to believe it until I see it…and I already did."

Naruto wanted to ask more, but he knew that whatever it was, he has to see it by himself, and when he gets in his turn to fight her, he'll know it…


A/N: Ok, this is kind of short and by the way…boring. Why I say that? Because I don't want to reveal too much about Hinata's special ability until a good fight…and as it seems it will be in one or two chapters. And I wanted to make everything right to make the story interesting…I don't want to reveal everything…I'm so evil. LOL