Winner of the match... Shikamaru Nara" All rookies started to congratulate him.

It was an interesting match that proved how smart and calculating Shikamaru was. He might be lazy and showing that he didn't truly care but he had a different side which he showed in that battle. Tsuki smiled and clapped along with everyone just as Shikamaru started to make his way to the top, his hands into his pockets. Once he reached, he leaned on the wall next to the wolf girl.

"Nice match Shikamaru. I guess you took your revenge for the forest of death" she told him.

"Eh, thanks, Tsuki. But it was just a drag" he replied and rubbed the back of his head while watching the ceiling in order to prevent the others from seeing his blush but he failed.

"Hey, are you alright? Do you have a fever?" she asked and placed her hand on his forehead.

He blushed even more.

She tilted her head to the side before taking back her hand. Shikamaru tried to avoid eye contact with her but also with the others who were sending him death glares while Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma were smirking at the whole scene.

Suddenly, the two new names were shown at the screen and Tsuki managed to cover her ears just in time.

Naruto Uzumaki VS Kiba Inuzuka

"Yeah! It is here! It is here! At last! The moment I have been waiting for! Finally, I have got a chance to show what I have got!" Naruto shouted and started to jump up and down from excitement while Lee had a depressed aura around him and started to complain about how it was taking so long to be chosen for a match.

"Look at that. It is we against the kid. Hey Akamaru, I think that you and I just won the lottery" Kiba said and Akamaru barked in agreement.


The match was over with Naruto as the winner. He was climbing the stairs, his hands behind his head and a big grin on his face. His confidence was rising, even more, every time he was hearing congratulations from all the other rookies.

"Naruto!" Hinata said in a tone louder than her normal.

A blush was on her face and she was playing with her fingers that were holding a small, brown, round box.

"Did you said something Hinata?" Naruto asked and stopped walking. He turned and looked at her.

"I... well... maybe..." she was trying to say but she could find the courage nor the right words.

She finally gave up and walked to him. She raised her hands and gave him the small box, she was holding.

"What is that?"

"It's a healing ointment" Kurenai explained as she saw that Hinata was straggling to form a sentence.

"What for?"

"It is for you. Take it" she told him.

Naruto looked at her and gave a nod. He then turned to Hinata and took the oilmen. "Thank you, Hinata," He started to put it on his wounds, quickly seeing them healing at rate faster than normal. A grin appeared on his face. "Wow, that staff Hinata gave me works fast," Naruto said impressed as to how quickly his wound was healing. "Here Sakura, do you want some?" he asked her as he saw how impressed she was.

Tsuki and Kakashi looked at each other and back to Naruto, as those two knew the real reason behind the inhuman healing.

Hinata was with Kurenai and they were talking to Kiba, who was ready to be carried away on a stretcher but stopped talking looked at the board along with the others. Random names were shown and finally, it stopped in two.

Hyuga Hinata VS Hyuga Neji

Kiba tried to hold back a growl, Kurenai had a shocked expression on her face while in Hinata's eyes there was only terror.

"I have never thought, that you and I would have to face each other, Hinata," Neji said as they both met at the centre of the arena.

"Neither do me, brother," she said.

"What did she called him?" Sakura asked shocked.

"Brother? Those 2 are brother and sister?" Naruto questioned.

"They are both descendants of the Hyuga clan. One of the most ancient and honourable families of the hidden leaf village, not actually brother and sister" Kakashi explained.

"Okay, but they are related somehow. Right?" Sakura asked him.

"Yes, in the way a branch of a great tree is related to its trunk, technically they are more like cousins"

"The trunk of a tree?" Naruto repeated confused.

"Yes. Hinata belongs to the families' main household, directly descanted from the head of the clan. While Neji's family is just a side branch of the clan" Lee explained him.

"Still they are family and now they have to fight each other. It must be hard" Sakura said.

"I have heard that for many generations, now, there's been bad blood between the 2 families"

"And why is that?" Naruto asked him.

"I have no idea but you know about the bloodlines traits of the great ninja clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga, special techniques and abilities to those families. The first generation of the Hyuga clan made all sort of rules that favoured the main branch of the family. It seems that some side branches of the family broke these rules. Anyway, it is said that because of that there is been some clash between the 2 branches of the clan"

"So, it's like is a family matter," Sakura said.

"Look they're about to start" Kakashi informed them.

They all looked down at the two clan-siblings who were ready to fight.


"Alright. You may begin when you are ready" Hayate said and took his place close to the jounin, allowing the arena free.

"Before we do this, a word of advice. Hinata, listen to me" Neji started and she looked at him in the eyes. "Withdraw now. You know you were never meant to be a ninja. You are too kind and gentle. You seek harmony and you avoid conflict. You allow yourself to be easily slain by others. Admit it, you have no confidence. It would have been better for you; to simply remain a genin but to register for the chunin exam you need a team of three people. You never even wanted to take part in these exams but Shino and Kiba did, and you could not bear to let your teammates down. Could you?"

"No, you are wrong. You are wrong. I wanted... I had to find out... I wanted to see if I could change" she said while she was struggling to hold her tears back.

"Hinata, you are the firstborn and heir of the Hyuga's main branch. People cannot change, no matter how hard they try. They cannot run away from their true nature. Failure will always be a failure. People are being judged by their true nature, it is the way of the world. That is why there are outcasts. We can change our physical appearance, improve our skills with training and study but ultimately we are judged by what we cannot change. What can be changed must be endured. We are who we are Hinata and we must leave with it. Just as I have to leave with the fact that you were born in the lead of our clan while I am from a lesser branch"


His words were piercing Hinata in the hard who was trying to hold back her tears. Naruto had his hands into fists and he was trying to control himself from attacking Neji. Sakura shocked by his words while Tsuki had her ears stuck on her skull and her teeth were barely visible as she tried to hold herself from attacking.


"I understand these things because I see the world clearly with my byakugan. Despite your brave words, what you really thinking is that you like to run. Run as far away from here as you can" he continued.

"No! You are wrong. You are wrong about me"


"Byakugan?" Sakura asked Kakashi.

"It's the kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga clan. A visual jutsu like Sasuke's Sharingan. In fact, they say that the Hyuga clan's Byakugan derived Uchiha clan's Sharingan some time long ago. However, for the sheer power of the inside, Byakugan is the strongest of the 2"

Good thing Sasuke is not here to hear you saying that sensei, Tsuki thought as she kept her attention to the arena. So far, no battle had taken place but the words being exchanged which were one way hit her the most. She had to dig her nails into her palms, almost piercing the skin and drawing blood in order to keep herself under control. Hinata was a pure and innocent soul that deserved none of those hard words and bullying she received from her very own cousin.


Hinata started to shake from fear when Neji made the hand sign.

"Byakugan," he said and activated his clan's kekkei Genkai.

Hinata tried to continue looking at him but her fear took him over and she broke the gaze. She turned her attention on the floor and tried to avoid any gaze with his eyes.

"My eyes cannot be deceived. Just one moment ago, in the slightest of movements, you gaze drifted to the other left corner of the room. I saw and at that moment, you were thinking of your past. Your bitter past 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 sufferings. You are seeing your old self and wondering if life had prepared you for this moment. You are picturing the outcome of the battle. You see yourself losing"

More panic and fear could be seen in Hinata's eyes.

"And the way you hold your arms in front of your body like that; it tells me that you are trying to build a wall between us. To keep me at bay. You want to keep me away from your mind and why? Because everything I said, is true. That familiar gesture of putting your finger to your lips, I know that is a desperate attempt to suppress your rising panic. Make it more desperate cause you know is useless. It's all useless Hinata"

Her eyes had started to water, her heartbeat had increased and her breathing too. That frightened expression on her face was making Naruto and Tsuki shake like crazy from anger. Tsuki was trying her best not to show it so much but deep down inside of her, she wanted to rip his head off.

"You are what you are, whenever you admit it or not. You already know" he continued.

"That doesn't! Who gave you the right to tell her what she can and cannot be? Come on Hinata, show this guy he is wrong!" Naruto yelled at her.

Tsuki came from behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "He is right you know. Do not let him scare you. He is just jealous of you. Come on Hinata! Prove him wrong!"

Hinata's eyes widen and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Tsuki is right. Are you going to just stand there and take that?! Do something, you are driving me crazy!"

She looked down at her feet but then she looked back at Neji but this time her eyes did not show fear, they were showing determination.

"If you don't forfeit the match, you know what will happen" Neji warned her.

She closed her eyes, made the hand sign, and activated her byakugan causing a smile to appear on Kurenai's face. "Defend yourself, my brother," she told him and took a fighting position.

Neji did the same and activated his byakugan. "Very well then"