Sorry, but "ku ku ku..."

Disclaimer: ...Whatever. I'm done with trying to make up creative ways of saying I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 14: Lone Rocks

Hinata crouched slightly, taking up a stance she had modified from Kiba, arms hanging down loosely. She blinked at her father, aware that he was probably going to wait out until she was exhausted before even thinking of laying a blow on her. So she reserved a section of her chakra for later, and gripped the kunai tighter, rising in front of her face. She muttered angrily, "Byakugan."

Hiashi pushed the sleeves of his kimono back slightly, and assumed a Hyuuga stance as though it was how he slept. The veins rose around his white eyes, making his face even more severe. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible so that she would not be so spent as to be hurt. Although this was not his usual tactic when it came to sparring, it was necessary to show Hinata as little of the advanced Hyuuga moves as possible. If she were leaving the clan, then showing her any of these would be like... Destroying every rule in the Hyuuga clan. The rules that Hiashi fought so hard to protect and conduct upon. The longer he used these moves against her if sparring, the more likely Hinata would be able to pick up on them. He collected his mass and deposited it firmly in his feet, reinforcing it with chakra. He would not step back. He would not retreat. Hinata drew back slightly, depositing most of her weight on her back leg. She thought fiercely in her mind, This is for you, everyone. Then the pale girl rushed forward, releasing the kunai with a flick of the wrist, arms swinging up in front of her chest.

Her white hands flashed a set of seals, then she skidded to a halt, letting the force of her running stretch the long ropes of chakra extending from her arms towards her father. She contorted the blue energy, staying back and using it as her hands. The technique used very little chakra but needed the huge amount of chakra control Hinata possessed, which made it an excellent technique to use. Hiashi smirked, not sure whether to be worried, proud, or even afraid. She has learned well. She knows not to go into close combat with a Hyuuga. He dodged the first attack from the chakra-arms easily, spinning on the ball of his foot to keep his balance. But instead of continuing forward, as Hiashi had expect the chakra to do, the tendril curved and headed for him again, shooting down by his ankle. He cursed as the second tendril poked him in the back of the head. She's waiting to see if I can battle this technique. Knowing my Hinata, this is probably her best move... He scoffed as the tendrils jabbed him sharply on the small of the back. He wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish by this. Another jab, this one on his forearm. The Hyuuga clan leader's scoff transmuted into a curse as he realized what she was doing. One of his arms was already freezing up! She was using the chakra to block his tenketsu, and he'd been busy worrying about the tendril darting about his ankles. I'm an idiot! Her chakra control was so refined that she could touch him lightly without him feeling it. Hiashi sprang back, making the tendrils useless. He began drawing up seals for the Ultimate Defense, eyes locked on his daughter's face. She was obviously thinking hard, the cogs behind those lavender eyes assembling a new tactic.

Hinata watched her father hesitate--just a flicker between the last seals--before launching in the Kaiten, his form almost disappearing under a constant shield of chakra. Her hands whipped themselves through fluid seals, calling forward the Divine Protection, and quickly shot several needles of the chakra at her father's feet. The man cursed under his breath, knowing that Hinata must've figured out that the edges of the rotating shield were its weakest points. I should have realized that! Under the whirling chakra, he shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts. Obviously, his secret pride in his daughter had made it impossible for him to fight her with a lucid mind.

As these thoughts were perambulating through his mind's eye, Hinata sharpened her vision, the Byakugan dipping in and out of the Kaiten. Her eyes narrowed as the countenance on her father's face changed, and she murmured quickly, "Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame." She took a bold step forward, trembling as she strained every bit of chakra from her being into the mass around her. Her hair blew back from her face by the sheer force of the gale she created, Hinata closed her eyes, and let the chakra stretch into its simple, familiar wings. The eyes beneath her white lids were focused, but the mind behind those eyes was scattered. She has so many goals to achieve with a single blow, so many things she had to say in one simple statement... Under her breath, she whispered, "Overwhelming."

And the the chakra shot out from the wings, wrapping around the Kaiten.

At the doorway, Neji and Naruto watched silently as the chakra wound its way around the glowing sphere. Behind them, Hanabi had sat down on the floor, hands splayed back like she'd caught herself from a fall. She couldn't believe her eyes. What the Failure had shown wasn't Hyuuga... but it wasn't not Hyuuga either. The style had the fluidity of the Hyuuga fighting forms, but it also held a certain defensive aspect that made it impossible to predict. Hanabi's pink eyes tracked the seals her sister made, trying to connect them to anything she had seen before. She asked softly, "Neji-nii-san... What is...?"

The older Hyuuga turned to face her, looking down with slight irritation in those silver eyes.

"As I said before, that is Hinata... Hanabi-sama."

He seemed to spit out the suffix. Hanabi flinched, noticing how Hinata had dropped "-sama", but she Hanabi had not. Neji-nii-san had separated Hinata from the Hyuugas entirely. Hanabi fell silent, staring blankly as her cousin whirled back around to observe the battle. If Neji-nii-san had come to the conclusion that Hinata was different, then he must be sure that she would win this battle. Hanabi shuddered at the thought of it, and wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't that she wanted Father to win... She just didn't want him to lose, either.

Hiashi cursed as he saw the chakra rushing towards him, then scoffed once more as it flowed around him. It seemed to not be sharp enough to penetrate the Kaiten. If that had been her purpose, then she'd failed. There was no way to breach the Kaiten now... He began to prepare himself for attacking her when, suddenly, the chakra around him began to be pushed in. Much too late, Hiashi realized what his daughter was doing. He forgot about trying to attack her, and concentrated on holding the walls of his Kaiten. For a moment, it seemed that Hiashi would be able to keep his barrier up, but suddenly, it collapsed inward, the chakra gushing around him like a small flood. It constricted around him, holding the Hyuuga clan leader in place.

Naruto jumped in the air and cried out exuberantly, then hugged Neji, who stiffened. Hanabi stiffened as well, and stood up, her white fists clenched. Break out, Father, break out! It looks so weak; you can do it! Indeed, Hiashi was trying, but suddenly, a kunai pressed into the right side of his spine, exactly where his lung was. Hinata dropped her hands, and let the chakra around her disperse. She said firmly, "This is over, Father."

Her fingers, which were still stiff, relaxed, and the chakra melted away from her father.

Then her eyes slumped closed, her head drooped, her knees buckled, and she fell forward...

Right into her father's waiting embrace.

Well, Hinata's out cold, and chapter ends. See y'all next month or so. Sorry for the late update.