"Blind"
by EfrainMan
Naruto is © Kishimoto Masashi/Shueisha/Viz Shonen Jump. Y_Y Warning, some spoilers ahead.
"Prologue"
* * *
"Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji"
* * *
Sasuke felt like shit. The last thing he remembered was Kakashi binding his cursed seal. And now he was in a hospital, his limbs aching, his head throbbing and his inner coils system completely out of whack.
But he needed to stand. There was a tournament going on and he had to see them fight. He had to see Gaara fight. Naruto and Sakura's fight interested him, too. Every bone in his body cried foul as he tried to get out of bed.
"You're awake?" Sasuke looked up at the voice to see an ANBU sitting on the opposite side of the room, watching TV. But he noticed something else.
"You're an illusion," he stated matter-of-factly.
"You need to go back to sleep." But Sasuke continued to get out of bed.
"I need to watch the fights." He walked to the door. The ANBU got up to stop him, but Sasuke walked right through him. He stumbled and leaned on the door, hissing slightly. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and he was panting.
"Hey, you can watch the fights on a closed feed here," the ANBU said as he pointed to the TV, "we have it set up so any student who was hospitalized and wants to watch, can." Sasuke looked at him pensively.
'It's not the same," Sasuke thought, 'my Sharingan won't work.' But he sat down slowly anyways, the ANBU "sitting" next to him. On screen, two people were speaking, but could not be heard. He recognized the boy as Neji of the Hyuga clan. He'd heard he was strong. Another opponent for him to gauge and defeat . . . if it would be worth it. The girl was a mystery, but she had eyes just like Neji's. Byakugan.
"Who's the girl?" Sasuke asked somewhat difficultly. His chest hurt.
"Hyuga Hinata, main house. The other's Hyuga Neji, branch house." Sasuke noticed that Neji was intimidating Hinata, and being very successful at it. She was cowing from him, and they had not even fought yet. But then they were distracted by something. Was someone speaking? The girl seemed more confident, and the fight began. He knew of the Hyuga Gentle Fist technique, and after some time Hinata landed the first blows. But Neji seemed only slightly fazed. Then Neji landed some major blows that left Hinata visibly injured and impaired. Sasuke humphed, 'weakling.'
"Her chakra openings were closed . . ." the ANBU said softly to himself, but Sasuke heard him. 'That explains it. Even I could not fight someone of his skill with closed chakra openings.' Something distracted their fight again. The fight was clearly coming to an end, Neji landing blow after blow. After some time, Hinata was clearly down and defeated. The distraction came again. Sasuke's eyes widened as Hinata was getting up again. She was getting up. His heart raced at the sheer audacity of the kunoichi. He could not hear her, but he was sure her words were brimming with strength. Bleeding and broken, she was still willing to fight. His pulse was racing and his breathing was becoming heavier. It was too much for his weakened state, and he passed out, not waking again until the prelims were done. Before he went out, a thousand thoughts raced through his head. But the last in his mind was the clearest:
'I will rebuild the Uchiha with that girl.'
* * *
As Hinata was being wheeled away to surgery she was remembering, for some reason, the first time she met Naruto. It was sometime after the Uchiha incident. And it had rained recently. She was wandering around the town for some reason. Possibly sneaked out of her house after being yelled at by her father. She wasn't advancing fast enough for him. But as she walked along, lost in her own thoughts, someone bumped into her. She fell into some mud.
"Watch it," she heard a voice say. She looked up to see the back of some boy. An Uchiha, from his crest. She looked down at herself, drenched in mud. Her father will know she sneaked out. Her punishment would be severe. Her hands clenched into fists, her face stoic. She remembered his name was Sasuke. But she was about to cry. Then he felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you hurt?" She looked up at the face of another boy with light hair and a face like a fox's. Her family had told her to stay away from this . . . Naruto. But this boy was . . .
"What a jerk. Here, lemme help you up." And he did. She leaned against him. He was picking mud from her hair, and she blushed. She could only look at him with incredulity.
"Will you be alright?" Naruto asked. She nodded.
"Sorry I gotta leave, but I gotta be somewhere."
'Wait. Don't go.'
"There's a bath house around the corner there," he grinned widely and giggled, "you need it."
'Wait.' He let go and ran off in another direction. She stared, pining for him already.
"Thank you."
* * *
She smiled. The surgeon looked at her funny. Then he started to apply the anesthetic. Before she went under, she remembered something she decided on that day besides that she wanted to be with Naruto. She would never like that Sasuke boy. Not one bit.
by EfrainMan
Naruto is © Kishimoto Masashi/Shueisha/Viz Shonen Jump. Y_Y Warning, some spoilers ahead.
"Prologue"
* * *
"Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji"
* * *
Sasuke felt like shit. The last thing he remembered was Kakashi binding his cursed seal. And now he was in a hospital, his limbs aching, his head throbbing and his inner coils system completely out of whack.
But he needed to stand. There was a tournament going on and he had to see them fight. He had to see Gaara fight. Naruto and Sakura's fight interested him, too. Every bone in his body cried foul as he tried to get out of bed.
"You're awake?" Sasuke looked up at the voice to see an ANBU sitting on the opposite side of the room, watching TV. But he noticed something else.
"You're an illusion," he stated matter-of-factly.
"You need to go back to sleep." But Sasuke continued to get out of bed.
"I need to watch the fights." He walked to the door. The ANBU got up to stop him, but Sasuke walked right through him. He stumbled and leaned on the door, hissing slightly. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and he was panting.
"Hey, you can watch the fights on a closed feed here," the ANBU said as he pointed to the TV, "we have it set up so any student who was hospitalized and wants to watch, can." Sasuke looked at him pensively.
'It's not the same," Sasuke thought, 'my Sharingan won't work.' But he sat down slowly anyways, the ANBU "sitting" next to him. On screen, two people were speaking, but could not be heard. He recognized the boy as Neji of the Hyuga clan. He'd heard he was strong. Another opponent for him to gauge and defeat . . . if it would be worth it. The girl was a mystery, but she had eyes just like Neji's. Byakugan.
"Who's the girl?" Sasuke asked somewhat difficultly. His chest hurt.
"Hyuga Hinata, main house. The other's Hyuga Neji, branch house." Sasuke noticed that Neji was intimidating Hinata, and being very successful at it. She was cowing from him, and they had not even fought yet. But then they were distracted by something. Was someone speaking? The girl seemed more confident, and the fight began. He knew of the Hyuga Gentle Fist technique, and after some time Hinata landed the first blows. But Neji seemed only slightly fazed. Then Neji landed some major blows that left Hinata visibly injured and impaired. Sasuke humphed, 'weakling.'
"Her chakra openings were closed . . ." the ANBU said softly to himself, but Sasuke heard him. 'That explains it. Even I could not fight someone of his skill with closed chakra openings.' Something distracted their fight again. The fight was clearly coming to an end, Neji landing blow after blow. After some time, Hinata was clearly down and defeated. The distraction came again. Sasuke's eyes widened as Hinata was getting up again. She was getting up. His heart raced at the sheer audacity of the kunoichi. He could not hear her, but he was sure her words were brimming with strength. Bleeding and broken, she was still willing to fight. His pulse was racing and his breathing was becoming heavier. It was too much for his weakened state, and he passed out, not waking again until the prelims were done. Before he went out, a thousand thoughts raced through his head. But the last in his mind was the clearest:
'I will rebuild the Uchiha with that girl.'
* * *
As Hinata was being wheeled away to surgery she was remembering, for some reason, the first time she met Naruto. It was sometime after the Uchiha incident. And it had rained recently. She was wandering around the town for some reason. Possibly sneaked out of her house after being yelled at by her father. She wasn't advancing fast enough for him. But as she walked along, lost in her own thoughts, someone bumped into her. She fell into some mud.
"Watch it," she heard a voice say. She looked up to see the back of some boy. An Uchiha, from his crest. She looked down at herself, drenched in mud. Her father will know she sneaked out. Her punishment would be severe. Her hands clenched into fists, her face stoic. She remembered his name was Sasuke. But she was about to cry. Then he felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you hurt?" She looked up at the face of another boy with light hair and a face like a fox's. Her family had told her to stay away from this . . . Naruto. But this boy was . . .
"What a jerk. Here, lemme help you up." And he did. She leaned against him. He was picking mud from her hair, and she blushed. She could only look at him with incredulity.
"Will you be alright?" Naruto asked. She nodded.
"Sorry I gotta leave, but I gotta be somewhere."
'Wait. Don't go.'
"There's a bath house around the corner there," he grinned widely and giggled, "you need it."
'Wait.' He let go and ran off in another direction. She stared, pining for him already.
"Thank you."
* * *
She smiled. The surgeon looked at her funny. Then he started to apply the anesthetic. Before she went under, she remembered something she decided on that day besides that she wanted to be with Naruto. She would never like that Sasuke boy. Not one bit.