Part Twenty-Five: Vision Impaired

"Begin!"

Yassa let her feet slide into position.

Ariki sniggered. "You're just like Tara, so if I don't throw anything at you, then you can't go on the offensive. You're primarily defensive."

Yassa frowned. This boy knew her trait inside and out—probably better than she did, since he trained with Tara.

He pulled his glasses from his face, lowering his arm and letting them drop to the ground. "This is going to be difficult, I have no doubt about that, since you can't be crushed. But I think I can find a way around that."

Yassa steeped her hands before her face and concentrated her chakra. She had never done anything like this before, and could only pray that it would work.

"Neji, you're hurt," Sakura gasped, placing her hand on Neji's arm gently. "Do you need to go to the medics?"

Neji just smiled. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

She looked back to the match, her brow furrowed. Why was Neji so calm about such a large wound?

Yassa opened her eyes and said, "Byakugan!"

She watched as a hand of chakra came at her. The twin didn't waste any time, at least.

She jumped into the air, but the chakra merely followed her.

Yassa landed and raised her hands. Somehow, she just knew how to move. She had never felt so fluid before in her life.

This must be what addicted Tara, she thought. I must be careful.

She focused her chakra to the palms of her hands and began to rotate. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

Ariki's eyes went wide as his chakra hand was deflected. "How the fuck…?" he looked up at Tara, who was also watching with uncertain eyes. As far as she knew, only one Hyuuga had died, and she had been the one to kill her.

"I'm the one you should be looking at!" screamed Yassa as she shot forwards, driving her fist into Ariki's face.

He flew backwards, into the ground. She raced at him, her eyes helping her to avoid the chakra that he sent at her. She launched herself into the air, diving down above him, her arm stretched out before her.

She hit hard on a hand made of chakra that Ariki had whipped up above himself for protection.

He uncovered his eyes and began to laugh shakily. "Damn, woman, that was close. You almost got me!"

She smirked and grabbed a kunai from her thigh. She aimed to stab him, but another hand grabbed her by the wrist.

She was lifted up and flung into the wall behind Ariki as he stood up.

He looked over at her, his eyes glazed over, and he grinned. "Not so tough now, are we?"

She stood up, her broken shoulder resetting itself.

Yassa set her feet firmly into the ground. He was feeling cocky, if he had let her go before. She frowned and dodged one of the chakra hands, glancing behind herself to make sure that she didn't land in any traps before she landed.

She couldn't get close enough to him to do any physical damage. Unfortunately unless he threw kunai or shuriken at her, she had no way to fight him from a distance, and even if she could, he would just deflect her attacks.

Yassa jumped into the air and retreated into the trees to think. She had plenty of attacks; it was just using them in the right order and at the right time.

She knew as well as anyone that chakra could be an ultimate defense, and the fact that the twin could use it as an offense as well…

This was not good.

She squatted and closed her eyes, thinking as fast as she could. No doubt the twin would find her soon, and then she would be done for if she didn't have a plan.

"Neji," murmured Sakura. "Did you…?"

He was so focused on the match that he didn't hear Sakura's words.

"Is she a Hyuuga?" the girl at the end of the bench asked, her eyebrows raised in shock. "I thought that the Hyuuga was eliminated."

"No, she's not," replied Sakura. "In fact, I don't know what her surname is…I think it's Takura, but I can't be sure…"

"Takura," murmured the girl. "I thought the Takura wasn't supposed to fight until the next round?"

"This is a different Takura," explained Sakura. "Apparently there are three of them."

"Three?"

"Yeah."

Naruto frowned. "Hey, Sakura, how'd she get the Byakugan?"

"Naruto, you're so dense," Sakura muttered.

"I, too, am curious," said the young woman. "I was not present yesterday, and missed the first six matches. I would very much appreciate it if you could explain this to me, Miss."

Neji's eyes widened and shifted over to the young woman. The way she spoke…it was so familiar.

The lower half of her face was hidden behind a heavy wrapping of bandages, and her brown hair was forced down on the top of her scalp by more bandages. The rest of it flowed from behind, ending in a loose pony tail.

She wasn't dressed in a black cape, as he had before thought. The neck of her shirt was high, covering her chin and mouth, and she was dressed completely in black, aside from the bandages on her arms and legs and face.

She was a ninja, he had no doubt about that, but nowhere on her body was a headband or any sign of her village.

"If I'm right," Sakura said, her eyes shifting over to Neji, "Neji gave her some of his blood. Her Bloodline Limit, along with the other two girls', allows them to absorb a pint of another ninja's blood and learn their jutsu's. Since Neji is a Hyuuga, she absorbed his Bloodline Limit, his Byakugan, as well, and can use that to see the boy's chakra." Sakura looked over at Neji. "Am I right?"

He nodded and retuned his attention to the match at hand.

"Very interesting," murmured the girl. "Very interesting, indeed."

Yassa opened her eyes, finally knowing what she had to do. She stood up and turned to the trunk of the tree. She focused her energy and the Byakugan saw through the trunk of the tree.

She could see the boy, looking around curiously.

"This isn't over yet!" he cried. "Come on, I know you're there, you chicken-shit wussy!"

She watched as he knelt for his glasses, so that he could focus his eyes and see her from a distance. She narrowed her eyes, feeling the chakra needles beginning to leave her skin. She began to unwind the bandages around her hands and lower arms. She had to time this just right.

He put the glasses back on, trying to locate her. Without his glasses, once she was out of the range of his chakra, he couldn't see her.

The chakra he had been controlling disappeared and she grinned.

She launched herself into the air and shot the chakra needles at him.

Ariki screamed in pain as the chakra needles hit him and he stumbled backwards, landing hard.

She landed on top of him and undid the bandages completely. She wrapped them around his head, tightening the wrapping until he couldn't see anything, with or without his glasses.

She grabbed some kunai and pinned his arms and body to the ground as she had seen Arcin do to Rena the previous day.

She punched the boy in the stomach, knocking him unconscious, if only for the moment. He was bound to wake up within seconds—she hadn't wanted to waste chakra on him; not with the fight coming up between herself and her sister.

Yassa stood up and looked at the proctor, her eyes returning to normal.

"Yakara Ariki is no longer able to fight," said Shikamaru. "Yassa is the winner."

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Yassa smiled. She actually felt like she had accomplished something. She hadn't abused her trait, and had managed to win mainly on wits and basic skills.

She left the arena and Ariki was released by the medics.

He sat up, ripping the bandages from his eyes.

"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, throwing his glasses aside. He lifted his hands and his chakra raced at her. Yassa turned around in time to see the boy attacked by Tara.

She kicked him in the side and he collapsed, holding his gut.

"T-Tara…damn you…"

She glowered at him. "You're lucky I don't rip your eyes out. Lose your brain and lose your head."

He grumbled and was helped up by the medics. They left the arena, Ariki glowering at Yassa.

"I'm gonna kill you, you fucking bitch. Just you wait," he said, even though his glasses were gone and he couldn't see her, he was still threatening her. "I'm going to fucking kill you."

Yassa looked over at Tara after the boy had been taken away. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why Tara had done such a thing. Finally, she turned and walked away.

That was tense, thought Shikamaru. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The next match is between Takura Tara and Makiro Raga."

Raga groaned and dropped into the arena. He didn't have a choice…he had to fight this girl one way or another.

"Good luck," Yassa said.

He nodded and cracked his knuckles. "You wanna fight her?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll make this quick."

She nodded.