The first thing Kumiko noticed after the unveiling of the new match participants, was the fear on Hinata's face. The second, was the determination on Neji's.
"Hey!" Kumiko hissed as she grabbed Neji's arm. Neji, rather surprised at the sudden movement, yanked his arm out of her grasp. "I know what you're thinking," She glared at him. "Don't use this to your advantage of being able to beat her up without getting in trouble." Neji glared back at her, then turned around without a word. "Neji!" He kept going. She scowled as she watched him walking away.
"You do not really think he is going to be cruel, do you?" Lee quietly asked. He didn't know exactly what Neji had against Hinata, except that it was some sort of grudge. Kumiko sighed and shook her head.
"I'm not sure." She mumbled, and bit her lip.
Hinata and Neji stood in front of each other. It was deadly silent, until Neji broke it.
"I never thought, that you and I would have to face each other, Hinata."
She stood, stiffly. "Nor I, brother." Hinata said quietly, staring at him. Kumiko felt her heart ache at that. Even though Neji disliked Hinata, she still thought of him as a sibling. After all though, they grew up together.
"What'd she call him?!" Sakura exclaimed, confused. Kumiko jumped at the sudden loudness.
"Brother?!" Naruto shouted as he turned back to the two Hyuuga. "Those two are, brother and sister?!"
"Not exactly," Kumiko said as she turned to look at them. "They're both decendents of the Hyuuga clan, hence why they look so alike. It's one of the most ancient and honorable families of Konoha, alongside the Uchiha. They're not actually brother and sister." Sakura turned to look at her.
"Okay, but they're related somehow, right?" She basically repeated. Kumiko rolled her eyes.
"Yes, in the way a branch of a tree is related to its trunk." Kakashi butted in. "Technically they're more like cousins." Kumiko gave the sensei a wavering look at being cut off.
"The trunk of…a tree?" Naruto questioned his sensei.
"Yes, Hinata belongs to the family's main household, directly a descendent from the head of the clan." Lee added.
"While Neji's family is just a side branch of the clan." Kumiko finished quietly as she stared down at the Hyuuga.
"Still they're family and now they have to fight each other!" Sakura said. "I feel for them. That must be hard."
"Yes, but,"
"But what?"
"It may not be as hard as it seems." Kumiko told them, a frown playing on her lips.
Lee, noticing her look, continued on for her. "I have heard for many generations now, there has been some bad blood between the two families."
"Hmm, why is that?" Naruto questioned, genuinely confused. How could a family hate each other?
"I have never known the specifics." Lee told him. "But, you know about the bloodline traits of the great ninja clans like the Uchiha, and the Hyuuga, special techniques and abilities unique to those families."
"The first generation of the Hyuuga clan made all sorts of rules and decrees that favors the main branch family. It seems some branches of the family broke the rules." Kumiko continued. "Anyways, it's said because of that, there's been friction between the branches of the clan."
"So it's like, this match is a family feud!" Sakura gathered.
"Correct," Kumiko muttered. "And the main one's not going to win this round."
"Look, they're about to start." Kakashi said, gathering the attention of the genin.
"Alright, you may begin when ready." Hayate said. It was silent for a couple seconds.
"Before we do this, a word of advice.." Neji started, making Kumiko glare at him. What's he planning? "Hinata, listen to me. Withdraw now. You know you were never meant to be a ninja."
Kumiko gasped slightly at the look of devastation that crossed the younger Hyuuga's face. How could he say that about her? Hinata's tried just as hard as the others to get where she was now!
"You're too kind and gentle." Neji continued. "You seek harmony, and avoid conflict. You allow yourself to be easily swayed by others. Admit it, you have no confidence. You feel inferior to everyone else here. It would have been better for you to simply remain a genin, but to register for the chunin exams, you need a team of three people. You never even wanted to take part in these exams, but Shino and Kiba did, and you couldn't bear to let your teammates down. Could you?"
"Neji!" Kumiko snapped from above. She didn't want him saying anything like that! He's trying to make her feel bad! She could tell it was working, since Hinata began shaking in her spot.
"No! You're wrong!" Hinata finally cried out, a look of terror crossing her face. "You're wrong. I wanted...I had to find out…I did it because I wanted to see if I could change." Kumiko felt her heart ache for the younger girl.
"Hinata, you are the pampered offspring of the Hyuuga's main branch." Neji stated. Hinata looked confused. "People can't change no matter how hard they try. They can't run away from their true nature. A failure, will always be a failure." Kumiko felt very guilty as she glanced at Naruto when he said that. But actually, said blond boy, looked like he was getting angry.
"People are judged by their true nature. It is the way of the world. That is why we have an elite, and an outcast." Neji continued. "We can change our physical appearance, improve our skills with training and study, but ultimately, we are judged by what we cannot change." His part of the family. Neji's really just talking about himself here. "What can't be changed, must be endured. We are who we are, Hinata, and we must live with it.
"Just as I must live with the fact that you were born into the elite of our clan, while I lie in from a lesser branch."
Kumiko frowned and looked away. She didn't want to hear his continuous putting down of both himself and Hinata. It wasn't right. Personally, she didn't care that Hinata was a main branch, and Neji a side branch, but the main branch of the Hyuuga apparently did.
"Byakugan!" Neji's shout brought Kumiko back to the real world. Kumiko's eyes widened as she realized Hinata seemed to be panicking. "My eyes cannot be deceived. Just one moment ago, in the slightest of movements, your gaze drifted toward the upper left corner of the room. I saw, at that moment you were thinking of your past. Your bitter past."
"If anything, Neji's the one with the bitter past." Kumiko mumbled quietly.
"And then, almost immediately after, your gaze drifted to the lower right. It was a mere flicker of the eyes, but to me it revealed all of your mental and physical suffering." Neji said. Kumiko rolled her eyes. Maybe if Neji fails as a ninja, he could always be a psychiatrist.
"THAT DOES IT!" Naruto's scream gathered Kumiko's attention. To be honest, she didn't even know she was drifting off. Although, all Neji was doing was mentally abusing Hinata, so it's not like she missed much.
"Naruto." Kumiko hissed as she looked over at the younger boy. He ignored her.
"Who gave you the right to tell her who she can and can't be?! Go on Hinata, show this guy he's wrong!" Naruto shouted.
"Your teammate is such a jerk." Sakura muttered to Kumiko, who only sighed.
"He's generally an okay guy. It's just because he holds a grudge against the main branch that he's acting like this." She told her. Sakura, hearing the grudges part, raised an eyebrow.
"Grudge? What for?"
Kumiko tensed, and looked away. "Something that happened when he was younger. It's not my business to tell." Sakura, seeming to understand, slowly nodded and turned back to the match.
"Hinata! You just gonna stand there and take that?" Naruto snapped. "Do something, you're driving me crazy!" Kumiko noticed that the words Naruto spoke, seemed to give Hinata some confidence. Neji, also noticing this, scowled.
"If you don't forfeit the match, you know what will happen." Neji warned. Hinata said nothing as she began doing hand signals.
"Byakugan!" She spoke, and got in a stance. "Defend yourself, my brother." Kumiko and Lee gasped. Neji got in the same position.
"Very well then."
"Of course, it is the Hyuuga style." Lee said. Naruto and Sakura looked at him. "That is why their poses are the same."
"The Hyuuga style?" Sakura questioned.
"It is the most effective type of taijutsu found in our village. I have said it before. I have on my team the strongest genin to have ever come out of Konoha. That man, Neji Hyuuga." Lee spoke. Kumiko couldn't help but sweat-drop.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call him a man." She said.
The two took off for each other. They switched offense and defense very quickly between them. Hinata almost got Neji in the stomach, but he was able to dodge it. She was too into the fighting to listen to their sensei's explain how they fight. Kumiko was amazed at the confidence Hinata had gained from Naruto.
Eventually, one of them landed a huge hit on the other, but it was very hard to tell which hit which, seeing as how their bodies were very close together. Suddenly though, blood spat out of Hinata's mouth.
"So that's it huh? That's all there is to the main branch's power?" Neji questioned.
"Wait, what's going on?! I saw Hinata hit Neji perfectly!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata tried hitting Neji again, but this time, he blocked her, and dislocated her elbow? Neji pulled Hinata's sleeve up, and Kumiko gasped, noticing all the red dots.
"You mean, all this time-"
"That's right. I can see your chakra points the whole time."
"Huh? What is he talking about?" Naruto questioned.
Kumiko tuned them out as she continued watching. Hinata couldn't handle fighting Neji. She just wasn't strong enough. Her lack of confidence was always stopping her from gaining strength, and a few words of encouragement doesn't mean she's now amazing at it. Kumiko rolled her eyes as she heard Neji talking about destiny. He told her to forfeit again. Take the forfeit Hinata!
"I," Hinata said, as she struggled to get off the ground. "I never, go back, on my word." She stood up. "Because that too is my nindo; my ninja way." Kumiko felt her heart ache again. Suddenly though, Hinata gave a cry of pain, and clutched at her chest area.
"Hinata!" Kumiko cried out as she stuck herself halfway over the railing. Blood was dripping from the young girl's mouth, onto the floor. "Hayate-sensei! Can't you tell that she's had enough?" The proctor looked at her for a second, then turned back to Hinata.
"She seems fine to me." He coughed, making Kumiko glare. This guy was so on her shit list!
"Go Hinata!" Naruto shouted. "You can do it!" Hinata regained some strength, and ran towards Neji. With that, they began fighting again. Hinata made the mistake of throwing her arm out too far, and Neji was able to catch it, and land a blow to her head, making Hinata fly back a couple feet.
"Hinata!" Kumiko cried out for the young girl again. She was horrified. She got over it though, and ran for Neji again. Neji though, seemed to have enough, as he landed a Gentle Fist to Hinata's chest. Hinata, fell to the ground. "No!"
"You just don't get it, do you?" Neji questioned his cousin as he stared down at her. Kumiko's body was shaking. Yeesh, it wasn't even her fighting yet she felt like she was. "Your strikes were ineffective from the very start. You're finished." He began walking away.
"It's too bad, but after that blow to the heart, Hinata, is done." Gai said as they all stared down at the battle area. Hayate began walking towards Hinata.
"Since she's no longer able to continue this match-"
"NO!" Naruto's scream was very loud, making Kumiko cover her ears in case he had more he wanted to scream. "Don't stop this match!"
"Naruto, she's down!" Kumiko snapped. "You shouldn't be wanting her to suffer through this anymore!" Her attention turned back to the battle area, and her eyes widened. Everybody made sounds of surprise, as they noticed that Hinata was trying to stand back up.
She was holding her side as she heavily breathed. "What do you think you are doing?" Neji asked her, completely stunned. "If you continue to fight, you're going to die." Neji seemed very angry by her.
"I'm far from finished." Hinata stated, trying to take a couple steps forward, but her legs were wobbly. Kumiko held her hand up to her mouth in horror.
"Give up the tough guy act. I can tell you're barely standing." Neji demanded. "You've been carrying a very heavy burden, having been born to the main branch of the Hyuuga clan. And you've cursed and blamed yourself, for being weak, but look. People can't change the way they are. That's just how it is. Just accept defeat, and you won't have to suffer anymore."
Hinata shook her head. "No, you're wrong brother. You've got it backwards. You see, I can tell, that you're the one, you're suffering much more than I."
"Hinata, be quiet." Kumiko ordered. She knew that Neji didn't like being talked down to, and it wouldn't end well for her.
"I'm what?" Neji asked, ignoring his teammate.
"You are the one, who's all torn up, about the fate of the main and side branches of the Hyuuga clan." Hinata stated. Neji gave off a growl, and ran towards Hinata. The bloodlust was radiating off of him.
"Neji stop, the match is over!" Hayate shouted as he ran towards the kid.
"Neji, don't!" Kumiko screamed as she jumped over the railing. She wasn't quick enough though, since all the other jounin had gotten to them first, and stopped Neji. Kumiko ran to Hinata and pulled her into her arms, staring at Neji with a look of horror. Only one thought was in her head.
He was going to kill her.
"Neji!" Gai snapped. "Get a hold of yourself. You promised me you wouldn't let this whole head of family thing rile you up!"
"Why are you and the other jounin butting in? The head of the family gets special treatment huh?" Neji snapped back, then narrowed his eyes at Kumiko. "And my own teammate turns against me too? How pathetic!" Kumiko couldn't say anything, because Hinata then gasped, and fell to the ground, coughing up blood.
"Hinata!" Kurenai said as she rushed over to the two girls. Naruto called out Hinata's name as he and Lee also jumped down, along with Sakura.
"Hinata, are you okay? Hey!" Naruto said, trying to get her attention. Kumiko abruptly stood up to glare at Neji.
"How could you do that?! She was obviously not well!" She snapped as she took a couple steps towards him. Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulder though, to keep her from getting closer to him.
"Why do you care? It's not like she's your family." Neji hissed. Kumiko glared.
"Yeah well apparently she's not yours either, 'brother'." She exclaimed. They glared at each other until Neji turned to Naruto.
"Hey you, loser." He called. Naruto looked at him. "I have two pieces of advice for you. First of all, if you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours, it's disgraceful, and second, once a failure, always a failure. You can't change that."
Kumiko looked at her 'friend' with such disgust. Gai had let Neji go since he calmed down, but Kakashi was still holding onto her shoulder.
"Hm, we'll just see about that." Naruto stated. Neji smirked as Naruto began running towards him. Kumiko didn't care anymore. This whole exam was filled with so much bloody drama, that it needed to be over and done with. Lee stopped Naruto before he could reach Neji. Naruto demanded to know what he was doing.
"Naruto, I get where you are coming from, believe me. But, the rules say, all fighting must be done officially in a match." Lee told him.
"That's not what he say saying when he tried attacking Temari." Sakura deadpanned as she watched on. Kumiko shifted her eyes away from Sakura, frowning.
"The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer will power," Lee continued, ignoring what Sakura said. "Now would that not make for an exciting match? Even if, I am the one who is going to have to fight Neji." Did Lee just call himself a loser? "Of course if you ended up fighting him, that is fine too." Naruto seemed pained to let it go.
"Alright fine! You win Lee!" Naruto said. Kumiko raised an eyebrow. This was the first (and probably the last), time she's ever heard him use Lee's name. Naruto turned away and started walking off. Kumiko sighed and turned to thank Lee for stopping him, but then quickly glared. Lee was currently giving Gai-sensei a thumbs up, which was given back to him.
A tick mark appeared. "Are you kidding me?!" Kumiko snapped as she kicked Lee in the butt, sending him flying across the room. "You did that huge speech just so you could get brownie points with Gai-sensei?!" Lee could be seen picking his head up, tears running down his face.
"But Kumiko~" He whined.
Hinata coughed again, more blood coming out, which caught everyone's attention. Kurenai undid her jacket so she could check Hinata's pulse. She glanced at Neji, who smiled.
"I wouldn't waste your time glaring at me, when you really should be taking care of her." He stated. Kumiko yanked her shoulder out of Kakashi's grip, which was amazingly strong since she was able to kick Lee, and began storming over to Neji.
"Don't look so proud of beating her, you little shit! I'll take you on right here!" She scowled as she tried grabbing Neji's hair, but Gai wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back. "No! Stop! I'm already disqualified, what's the worst they could do?!" She was absolutely disgusted with her teammate. There was no way she could defeat him, but she was angry. How else would she get her anger out?
"Get a medic, and hurry!" Kurenai demanded. When nothing was happening, she got angry. "Hurry up!" The medic-nin ran over and one of them felt Hinata.
"She has no pulse!" He said, making Kumiko pause as she hurried back over to Hinata. "It's very serious, she's got 10 minutes at best." The medic-nin picked her up and began hurrying off with her. Kumiko could do nothing but stare in horror. Kumiko turned to look at Neji once more. The two were family, first cousins at that, and he did this with no remorse?
"How could you?" She whispered. Naruto crouched to the ground and stuck his fingers in some blood that Hinata left on the ground, making Kumiko blanch. Dude, don't go around touching other people's blood.
Naruto then slowly stood up. "Hinata, I give you my word." He said softly, then turned to Neji, his fist tightened, eyes hardened. "I vow to win!"
It was silent as someone cleaned up Hinata's blood from the floor. Everyone was back on the top floor and with their teams. Kumiko was standing next to Lee, ignoring the pointed glare Neji was giving her. Apparently he was angry that she was taking Hinata's side. She didn't care though. All Hinata wanted was to get stronger, and all Neji did was shove her down. Yeah right, like she'd be on his side!
Naruto was standing on the other half of the part they were all on, ignoring everybody. He must have taken Hinata being beaten really hard. After all, they're friends. Kumiko wanted to go over and console him, but Gai made her stay with them, saying how Naruto should probably be left alone for now.
All that was left to battle was Lee, Gaara, Chōji, and the sound ninja, Dosu. Oh great, poor Chōji was so going to lose his battle. Lee was most likely going to win in his match. That Gaara kid would definitely win in battle, and that Dosu guy…could possibly win, but only if he was up against Chōji.
"Now you're talking! All you can eat! Bring it on~" Chōji's yell could be heard all over the room. Kumiko looked over, wondering what the hell was going on. She noticed the smile on Asuma's face, and assumed he promised to get Chōji food if he won his battle.
"Yeah, well don't take this the wrong way, but I don't like you!" Naruto's loud voice could also be heard. Kumiko looked over, once more, and giggled as she saw the annoyed look on Kankuro's face as Naruto squinted at him. Leave it to Naruto to be blunt like that. She had to admit, the kid could be funny.
Hayate coughed. "Now then, we'll continue the competition."
"Al~right!" Gai shouted as he looked at Lee and gave him a thumbs up. "This time you'll be picked, I just know it! You ready, Lee?"
"No!" Lee denied as he turned away with a frown. Kumiko raised an eyebrow as Gai gave a 'huh' sound. Lee turned to look at them. "I have been waiting so long, I do not care! I might as well go last!" What's up with him? Is he seriously pouting because he hasn't gone yet?
The panel began going through the names. Finally, is landed on a pair, and Kumiko felt her heart stop as Chōji screamed.
"Safe again!"
"Stop that!"
"Do you want everyone to know you're a chicken?!"
Kumiko didn't bother looking over as she stared at the names on the board in horror. Oh no…
Gaara VS Rock Lee
Chapter 11 is done! One more part after this chapter, and then the preliminaries are done! Tbh, I'm really excited for those chapters cause there's going to be some good original content.
Fun Fact: Kumiko's favorite past time is training with her team.
Question: Which Sannin is your favorite? (My favorite is Tsunade, but Jiraiya is super close second. It's pretty hard to choose between the two.)