Welcome to the next chapter!
danielsnow; They did get quite the bad rap, huh? Hmm, Pakura very well could be. They did yeah, they fought as hard as they could, and while Satsuki won, Karin got a good bit out of it as well. I'm sure Satsuki will have some kind of reaction to it~ And thanks very much!
TheGreatGodzilla; We'll have to wait and see. The matches will be shown as they come out in the chapters. I'm sure they'd see Ryouta as a strong member of the Uchiha clan yeah. They might be more open to it at least. They'd just be half siblings, work together, be friends, family and things like that. Inojin might be a bit different since Ryouta's his dad in this. Anko could do, we'll have to see when Shippuden comes around.
ShadowUzumaki55; They have yeah, things are going to be heating up now. Ryouta did yeah, now she doesn't have to worry about that. We'll see some unique match ups in these fights. Karin did yeah, she took the plunge and kissed him. They'll have some opponents that I think would be good if they fought.
Silver crow; Yeah, it's gone now. Glad you liked the fights. Karin went for it, and managed to kiss him, even if she is a bit worried about how Satsuki is going to react. Yeah, Mabui's in the harem now. Hiruzen probably is yeah. Ryouta can help Naruko with the seal, with his Sharingan as well if need be. Hiruzen knew what Orochimaru wanted in the past sure, he doesn't know if he has any other agendas apart from what he already knew of, that's why he said he didn't know what his true motives are now. That's how the exams are~ Karin did her best during the fight yeah. Ryouta doesn't know who he's gonna fight yet. Anko did her best for her student. Ryouta knows a good deal about his class yeah. Temari and Tenten are gonna be fighting different opponents than in canon for some stuff being set up later on. We'll see how the fight between Neji and Ryouta would go pretty soon. Yeah, they could say something like that. Some more than in canon might pass the exams. He could be promoted at that time. In Black Clover, he could have defeated one sure. He'll know some people. I can agree with that about Langris, it seems he is like that. Yeah, maybe more could be.
Kylo Ren; Yeah, that would be cool.
Guest 1; Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! She did yeah, now she's able to go all out. I'm glad that you enjoyed the fights. Karin did her best yeah. We'll have to wait and see about Lee. She is yeah, and yeah, she definitely could be something like that. Yeah, it's going to be quite the fun story to do~
nirmtheworm14; Yeah, Garaga is from Boruto. I haven't decided on Temari yet. It will probably be Satsuki when Shippuden comes around.
kinggaleana; Thanks!
Guest 2; Yeah, it seems that was what it was. Yeah, I can see why that would bother some people. He'd be able to keep up with the best of them as the story goes on. Thanks for the suggestions! Yeah, he'd be quite unique alright.
War Sage; Thanks! Yeah, he managed to help her out, and I thought it was too~ I'd say Hiruzen is pretty impressed. They have now yeah, they've shared a kiss between them. Mikoto's more of a leader Anbu who serves directly under him and she has her own team that serve under her. Glad you liked the fights! Mabui is yeah, I've thought of something cool for her. Thanks for the suggestions!
Andrew123456; We'll see who he fights soon enough~
question; Not sure yet.
Guest 3; Thanks very much! Yeah, the seals gone from Naruko now. Hehe, glad you liked that scene. Hmm, there could be some reason why he became interested in seals~ Glad you liked the fight between Satsuki and Karin, Karin tried her hardest, and managed to even trap Satsuki for a time, and while losing, she had some personal growth. Hm, it might even push some of the other girls to make some moves. Yeah, right now Shino is quite the strong Genin, Choji still tried his hardest. His opponent will be seen quite soon. Lee is going to be going through some stuff, some could be a bit different to canon. Mabui definitely is, I thought of some cool stuff with her. Thank you for worrying, it's really nice, I do take sometime off to recharge the batteries.
Hinata fan; Hehe, yeah~ Mimosa, Vanessa, they'd be cool choices. Hinata's going to do her best yeah. Karin will do.
Well, with those reviews out of the way, it's time to start the chapter.
The preliminaries part two!
With the first two matches down, each of the contestants waited for what seemed like hours, but reality was only a few seconds, before two more names came flashing on the screen.
Temari vs Ino.
As soon as those names appeared, Ino's face dropped while Temari shrugged.
"So I've got her to fight, alright then."
Temari jumped down to the arena.
Ino looked on, knowing how strong Temari was, and knew she could pose a threat if she wasn't careful.
As she worried, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She looked to see that it was Ryouta's hand.
"Don't worry so much about it Ino-chan, just do your best."
Ino smiled in his direction.
Though she wasn't sure if she could win this fight, it didn't mean she would back down from it either.
So, she steeled the will inside of her, and leapt down to meet Temari.
Standing face to face, Ino and Temari looked on.
"So you're my opponent? Don't make it boring."
Ino scowled in the direction of Temari.
"We'll see what happens."
Temari was surprised, but happy to see that she wasn't going to simply run away either, so she tapped her large fan on her back.
"Good, lets see how this turns out."
Ino nodded in her opponents direction, showing that she wouldn't be backing down for even a second.
The others from up high looked down towards the young girls. Each had some thoughts about it, Ryouta wondered how Ino was going to deal with Temari, having seen how she uses her Jutsu briefly, he knew she was a Wind Release specialist, and she'd be able to fight at close and long range.
Ino's own Jutsu was something that could be used as a team, but alone it was something difficult to do.
But he did believe in her, and knew she was smart enough to think of someways she could fight.
"What a drag, I don't know what Ino is going to do against her."
Shikamaru brought up, with Naruko scowling towards the bored expression that was on his face.
"Believe in your teammate!"
"Believing is only going to get you so far."
Naruko continued to scowl, while Ryouta inclined his neck.
"Ino-chan is going to face a strong opponent, Temari-san is very capable, but don't count Ino-chan out just yet."
Shikamaru was glad that Ryouta could see sense.
Though it was clear that he was still going to believe in Ino the best that he could do.
Ino and Temari saw the proctor look between them, before thrusting his hand up, then down.
"Match begin!"
As soon as that was said, Ino pulled out a kunai and held it in a reverse grip.
Looking between Temari and the others, Ino did feel the worry that she wouldn't be able to fight against this opponent. She knew using her Mind Body Switch Jutsu wouldn't work, she'd not be able to trap Temari, nor would she even get close enough to do such a thing or even be able to bind her long enough, as Temari had Wind Release, something that could carve through pretty much anything that Ino currently could throw at her.
Temari then thrusted her large fan forward.
"This is a match, so don't hold back, because I wont be holding back either."
Ino gritted her teeth.
She didn't want to lose, she didn't want to give up yet.
Sakura also saw that Ino had her hands clenched.
"Come on Ino..."
Sakura murmured, Ryouta placed a hand on top of her own, catching her off guard.
"Don't worry, she isn't going to be defeated so easily."
Sakura hoped that was the case.
She then watched as Ino took her kunai and pointed it towards Temari.
"You might be strong, but I wont give up just yet!"
Ino didn't waste time, and she shot off towards Temari at high speeds.
Without wasting a beat, Temari smirked, opening up her fan and waved it before her. A gust of powerful wind came flying at Ino, who couldn't dodge it, and she was sent flying backwards, skidding across the ground, until she slammed into the ground, coming to a grinding stop.
"That wind moved so fast!"
Naruko gasped out, Satsuki furrowed her brows.
"Wind Release, she is talented in it."
Ino pulled herself off the floor, but this time she took out several shurikens and she tossed them towards Temari.
"Did you forget that I can use Wind Release?"
Temari twirled around, and caused a huge dust of air to smash against the shurikens and sent them flying away, while Ino used this chance to come in from the right hand side, going around the wind attack, so she could get up close and personal.
"If you fight from a distance, then your hand to hand must be bad…!"
She thought to herself, but was surprised when Ino did get in close, Temari reacted by closing her fan, and swinging it like a sword. Ino pulled her kunai out, and blocked the strike, but the speed and length of the fan caused Ino to be pushed back.
Ino didn't let that deter her though, getting right back up, and ran forward.
Getting up close, she remembered the Taijutsu that she had been taught by Ryouta, spinning around, she built up speed, and came at Temari with a strong kick for the left hand side of her body.
Temari replied with her fan blocking the kick, but was caught by surprise by the level of strength behind it.
"Not bad. But not enough."
Temari pushed Ino back, opened her fan and swung it forward, releasing a powerful whirlwind.
"Aaaaah!"
The large scale wind attack blasted Ino away at high speeds.
"She's good at close and long range attacks..."
Sakura murmured, Shikamaru nodding.
"I bet Ino thought that since she did use a fan, she'd be able to get up close, and attack, a weakness. But this Suna girl is able to fight up close, it's going to be a drag, but I'm not sure how Ino is going to win. Her Jutsu isn't meant to be used when it is a one on one kind of fight because of how slow it travels, the opponent needs to be stopped in one place before she can use her Jutsu."
Ryouta could understand why Shikamaru thought like that.
But he still believed that there were a few things that Ino would be capable of doing.
"Aah...damn..."
Ino came to a stop, and pulled herself off the ground.
Panting, Ino didn't give up, and rushed the woman once more.
Temari tilted her head in wonder.
"Coming at me again and again is not going to get you anywhere!"
Temari placed her fan out, before swinging it down, and unleashed a blast of wind.
Ino this time however didn't stand and take the attack, she quickly placed chakra to her feet for a burst of speed, and shot across the battlefield.
"She dodged it."
Kankuro wore surprise on his face, as Ino kept charging forward.
Gaara narrowed her brows, as Pakura looked at Ino.
"Even though she's at the disadvantage right now, she isn't backing down. That takes some guts."
"Stay down!"
While Pakura thought about it, Temari growled, and turned her fan towards the incoming Ino.
However, once more, Ino shot off towards a different direction.
"I didn't know she was this fast."
Shikamaru expressed, Ryouta smiled however.
"She did say she had been training, it seems she's picked up her speed."
Sakura looked on, seeing Ino jump left.
"Aaah!"
But this time as she did, her arm got caught in the winds, and she received slashes across it.
"Ino..."
Sakura showed worry for her friend wishing she could do something for her.
But Ino didn't even mind the injury and she kept going on, fighting through the pain as she got closer and closer.
"So you can outrun some of my Wind Release? Fine, I'll have to pick it up!"
Even Temari had to admit that Ino was doing better than she had expected her to do.
Blasting a few more waves of wind at her, Ino increased the chakra she had and shot off around the battlefield, all the while gaining ground on Temari.
"Damn this girl, why the hell is she able to dodge me like this?"
Temari thought to herself as she kept attacking Ino who was able to see and react as well as dodge the attacks. Some did manage to get through, as she received a gash on her stomach from one of the attacks.
Satsuki, watching intensely, pulled her thoughts together.
"It seems that she's picked up speed than when we were at the Academy. Ryou's rubbed off on her in ways to fight. Though I'm not sure if it is going to be enough, that Temari seems stronger than she's showing."
When Ino got close however, Temari had enough, so she twirled around and caused the winds to form a vortex around her thanks to her giant fan lending assistance to her.
The intense vortex was impregnable to the young Konoha Ninja.
"Damn it, the winds are so strong that I can feel even being blown away from here. Taijutsu isn't going to help me when I can't even get in close to fight her. I have to use my Mind Body Switch Jutsu on her...but how am I going to trap her..."
Ino couldn't do anything as Temari turned and waved her fan upwards, sending all of the winds she had gathered towards the young girl.
"That's enough."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Being caught up in Temari's Wind Release, it ripped across her body. The vortex around her body drowned out the screams that she was releasing, Ryouta tightened his hand, his face scrunched together, showcasing his concern for her.
"Have you had enough with that?"
She came out of the mini vortex that she was in, and landed on the ground.
She spat out blood, while Temari looked at her, surprised that she was offering this much resistance.
Ino's eyes went towards Temari, only to see that Temari was still smirking at her.
"What are you smirking for?"
"I'm just wondering, what are you going to do against me? You can't beat me in a fight. You might have done this well, which I commend you for, but it isn't going to be enough against me. You'll eventually run out of chakra, it takes more for you to keep your speed increased than it does for me to release a blast of wind. Even my weakest winds can still knock you down, and that would be more than enough for me to finally finish you off."
Ino gritted her teeth, while Neji agreed with a nod of his head.
"It's true, destiny has decided that she'd lose."
Ryouta glanced at the male Hyuga, and sighed.
He then looked down at Ino, seeing that she looked as if she was losing the ability to fight.
Not wanting her to be deterred, he called out to her.
"Ino-chan! It's time for the counter attack!"
Ino gasped, and looked up towards him.
Her eyes and his own locked with one another's.
He smiled, and nodded at her.
He wanted to do his best for her.
Giving her confidence, courage.
"Ryou-kun..."
"I know she looks strong, and I know it might seem hopeless, but don't give up! Think, and act! I know you can, you're very smart Ino-chan!"
Ino was taken away with his words.
His belief in her, the support that she had from him.
She then saw her other friends doing similar things.
"Yeah he's right! Ino come on!"
"Pummel her!"
"You've got this."
"Please do your b-best."
"Hehehe! Believe it Ino! You can do it!"
"It's a drag...but don't give up just yet."
"Hm, fight as hard as you can."
Sakura, Karin, Haku, Hinata, Naruko, even Shikamaru and surprisingly Satsuki were speaking up as well.
So she did the same thing, and looked back towards Temari who tilted her head.
"Aren't you finished?"
Ino, formulating a plan in her mind, shook her head again and again.
"You might be stronger than me...but I wont go down without fighting!"
Peering at the enemy Ninja, Ino took out a smoke bomb, and tossed it at Temari.
Temari laughed it off, believing that this was simply a ploy or a trick to try and obscure her vision.
However, what she saw was that the smoke bomb didn't detonate.
Instead, the smoke bomb was cut in half, as a secret shuriken had been released behind it.
The smoke erupted close by, so Temari blew it away.
By the time that she had done that, she looked but couldn't see Ino.
"Where did she go…?"
Blinking, her eyes ran themselves across the battlefield, while Ryouta noticed what Ino had done by looking at the ceiling.
He didn't say anything as Ino appeared on the giant hands, having gathered several shurikens together, before unleashing them.
"Shurikens don't work with me!"
Temari didn't get what Ino was doing as she unleashed her winds, blasting the shurikens away.
However, as she did that, Ino tossed a kunai up into the air.
She looked to see sticking to the ceiling, several kunai's with paper bombs had been attached, and were all above Temari, and the one Ino threw also had a paper bomb, which she activated, and caused it to explode.
"Damn it!"
Temari saw the ceiling coming down in large chunks towards her.
Growling, she aimed her fan upwards, opening it as far as it could go, and gathered wind around it.
Ino used this chance to take aim with her hands, so she could use her Jutsu.
She thought that this would be the best chance she could have.
"I can't do anything else now. I can't go close range, I'm simply not fast enough to get by her winds. Long range she takes them all out. So I have to take this chance, I've made it so even if she tried to dodge, it would be quite difficult, and because of the amount of debris falling down, she can't attack me and protect herself at the same time...I hope this works, as this is all I've got left..."
Ino shook the fears and doubts that she had, and stayed focused.
As Temari released her Jutsu, she looked to see that Ino was unleashing her own towards her.
She didn't know what she could do, but she felt like she'd have to dodge it.
But if she tried now, in the middle of her attack that hadn't reached all of the debris falling down, then she'd receive a wound or two.
"Damn this girl, she's planned it so no matter what I do, I'd be trapped. I have to keep blasting above me or they'd crush me, but the other pieces of rubble also would hurt me. I wouldn't be able to dodge them all either...damn it."
Temari knew she had to do it, so she jumped to the right, and tried to release her winds, but as she did, her left shoulder got slammed by a large piece of debris before she could cut through all of the debris.
Blood came out of her shoulder as she pushed forward, dodging Ino's Mind Body Switch by mere inches.
"No..."
Sakura knew now it was over.
Ino's body slumped to the floor and because her Mind Body Switch failed, it would take sometime for her to return to her body.
Temari, clutching her shoulder as the rest of the debris was cut apart by her winds, she then rushed at Ino.
"You did well, but this is the end!"
Ryouta looked on as Temari got in close to the out of body Ino, and slammed her hand against her torso, sending her down to the ground a few feet away.
Temari then got above her, and pinned her down with a single foot.
"This means I win, right?"
Temari asked the proctor.
Because she was unconscious, the proctor didn't have a choice but to call the match.
"Ino..."
Sakura looked dejected, and angry at the same time.
Ryouta also felt anger at Ino getting hurt.
But he was proud of her that she managed to push Temari so far.
Arriving at the infirmary sometime later, Ino laid in bed, as Ryouta was allowed inside. He saw that she looked dejected as she laid on the bed. He didn't want her to feel like that, since he thought she did very well in the fight.
He walked over towards the bed, and sat down nearby.
"Ino-chan, how are you feeling?"
He knew it was a simple question, but he wished to help her best way he could do.
Ino looked towards him, and shed a sad tear.
Upon seeing that, he knew she was truly feeling down.
"Hey Ino-chan, you don't have to cry."
Ino shook her head, the tears came regardless.
"I...I promised that I'd do my best..."
"And you did do your best. She is...the opponent was very strong, you shouldn't doubt yourself now. Her Wind Release is very strong, better than I've seen a good few people use it before."
Shaking her head side to side, Ino let out a small breath.
"I wanted...to go to the finals...together with Sakura...and you Ryou-kun...I'm sorry, that I couldn't..."
Ryouta shook his head, placing his hand on top of her own.
She felt her cheeks heating up as he lightly wrapped his fingers around her hand.
His eyes and her own meet one another's, and she blushed.
She couldn't help but blush due to how he was holding her hand.
"Hey now, don't worry so much about that. There's always other chances for the Chunin Exams and from the match today, you've definitely improved. You nearly got her, Temari-san was trapped, and even got injured because of how you planted the paper bombs. If she was a little slower, then your Jutsu would have got her."
Ino smiled, thankful for his words.
"Ryou-kun...did you see me? I didn't get to show off everything I could do...but, did you see? I trained really hard."
Ryouta nodded strongly.
"I saw you, Ino-chan. I definitely saw you."
Ino began crying happy tears.
She was glad at least that she'd be able to show him the fruits of her training.
She then looked at their connected hands, and towards Ryouta himself.
Feeling a warmth come to her cheeks, she leaned closer, and peered into his eyes.
"Say Ryou-kun...may I ask you something?"
Ryouta blinked, then inclined his neck.
"Yes, what is it?"
Ino blushed, looking the young man up and down.
"You know...there's a lot of things that I wish I could say, but I'm kinda shy. Hard to believe huh?"
"Sometimes things can be difficult to say."
Ryouta expressed, as Ino nodded, having the same redness on her face.
"That's why, I wanna show you something instead, okay?"
"Show me? Sure, if you think it would be easier."
Ino knew it would be.
She felt like it was the right time.
And she was sure Satsuki wouldn't kill her for doing it, so she did it.
Ryouta watched as she took his face, and brought it closer to her own.
"Ino-chan..."
That was all he could get out before she pressed her lips against his own.
Broadening his eyes ever so slightly, the feeling of Ino's lips carved into his mind as they kissed one another.
Ino felt like she was in Heaven, she didn't know it would be this good to simply share a kiss between them.
When it finished, Ino pulled back, albeit reluctantly, and stared dreamingly into his eyes.
"That was my first kiss, ya know?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"So, I'm glad that I got to share it with you~"
Ryouta smiled lightly.
"Yeah...but you should rest, you've burned through a good deal of chakra."
Ino winked towards him.
"Alright then, I'll be back later on. If I miss your battle, give them hell, alright?"
Ryouta nodded a single time.
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
Ino smiled as Ryouta left her room.
Feeling immense satisfaction, she couldn't help but feel content by what had happened.
Going back to the arena, Ryouta saw that the Jonin had managed to fix the ceiling and now were about to go on with the next match ups. Because Ino wasn't up for it yet, she stayed behind, Sakura wished to be with her friend, but she knew that she couldn't leave just yet.
"Is Ino alright?"
Sakura asked Ryouta, the young man inclined his neck.
"Yeah, she's alright. Just having a small rest."
He replied calmly, Sakura was relieved by that.
The groups then watched as the screen once more went through several different names.
Then the names stopped on Shikamaru and Kin, showing they were the next set of fighters.
Shikamaru exhaled "What a drag." while Kin looked menacing.
Her eyes went towards his own and she smirked at him as she jumped down to the arena.
Shikamaru did the same thing and lazily looked at the young girl.
"Heh, this is gonna be payback for what you did to us back in the forest."
Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Do you have to be so intense?"
Kin scowled, and showed her senbons.
"I'll show you intense in a minute!"
Shikamaru really didn't want to go against a troublesome opponent.
But he didn't have a choice, and he merely watched as Hayate waved his hand.
"Match, begin."
When he said it, Shikamaru didn't waste time, and activated his Jutsu. Using the shadow beneath his feet, he launched it across the ground towards Kin, but she remembered the last time that they had done battle, and she wasn't about to be caught by it again.
So she dodged out of the way, as she taunted him.
"Your shadow Jutsu is really easy to read through. As long as you watch the shadows, you'll be fine, right?"
As she spoke, she launched several senbons towards him.
Some had bells attached to them, Shikamaru believing that she was trying to distract him with the sound of the bells, so he did his best, and dodged out of the way from all of the bells that were coming for him as well as the senbons that didn't have any bells on them.
"As long as I keep my wits about me, your little tactic wont work."
Shikamaru told her, before launching his own kunai for her.
She took some senbons, holding them between her fingers like claws, before she swung out her hand, slashing the kunai out of the air, before she ran forward towards him, being mindful of the shadows that he could manipulate.
"You're wide open!"
Shikamaru watched Kin produce her senbons, and launch them towards Shikamaru.
Shikamaru dodged out of the way, but as he did, he heard the sound of something chiming.
It came from behind him.
His eyes went towards it, and saw that a senbon that had been thrown, sticking to the wall, had its bell chiming away.
He also saw that from the bell, there was a wire attached to it, and that ran all the way to Kin.
He turned in time to see she threw some senbons for his upper body, targeting vital points.
"Aaah..."
Shikamaru tried to dodge, but because they were so close, he wasn't able to dodge and received two senbons to his right arm.
"He managed to dodge out of the way of the vital places. It seems that Oto Genin knows where the best parts senbons can be used to take down strong targets, and she knows the human body rather well."
Haku surmised, while Naruko tilted her head.
Shikamaru took out a few of the senbons that were in his arm.
"You have wire attached to the bells. That did catch me by surprise. But now that I know you can do that..."
Kin smirked as she moved her hand and the wire followed with it.
As she did, Shikamaru began experiencing something different than before.
Kin before him was becoming more.
Splitting into what seemed to be hazy clones of her, Shikamaru felt pain erupting in his ears while Kin mockingly laughed.
"I didn't get to show it during the time I was in the forest. But here, it is easy for me to take you down."
Her voice came from all of the Kin's present for Shikamaru's vision.
He couldn't discern which was real and which wasn't.
"He suddenly grabbed his head, what's going on Ryou?"
Naruko asked him, so he clarified while watching Kin throw senbons at Shikamaru.
"She's using Genjutsu. It seems to be auditory Genjutsu at that."
"Audi...tory?"
"She's using the bells sound to place him in Genjutsu." Ryouta replied as he activated the Sharingan to see what was going on. "From what I can tell...it seems that Shikamaru-kun right now is seeing at least seven Kin's, and she's using that to attack and because he doesn't know which one is the real Kin, he wouldn't be able to dodge them all."
"Eh...that sounds complicated."
Ryouta chuckled.
"Genjutsu can be but if used effectively, it can be something that decides a battle quickly."
Naruko pushes closer, and examines his eyes.
"So you can see what he sees?"
"Yes, I can place myself in other peoples Genjutsu with my eyes, Satsuki-chan and Kakashi-sensei can as well due to the Sharingan. If this was a battle that wasn't for the Chunin Exams, then I could use my eyes to break the Genjutsu as well placed on Shikamaru-kun. But he'll have to think of ways to get out of this on his own."
Ryouta replied truthfully, hoping that Shikamaru could do it.
Kin however believed that she was able to win and continued taunting him.
"Hahaha, what's wrong shadow boy? Can't possess me anymore? It's too bad really, I kinda wanted to do this in the forest. I guess I'll have to settle for beating you now."
Kin continued launching senbons at Shikamaru.
Due to the senbons coming from different locations all together, and due to the Genjutsu, he couldn't see what was real and what wasn't.
He received a few cuts and scraps across his skin, Shikamaru gritted his teeth and sent out his shadow.
Finding what he needed, Shikamaru did his best, and took ahold of a certain shadow.
Kin smirked, readying to finish him off…
But then suddenly stopped in place.
"Wait, what?"
Kin tried to move her arm.
But like back in the forest, she couldn't do it.
"No...but I stayed away from you! Your shadow didn't come close to me..."
Shikamaru twitched his hands left and right, as the bells weren't ringing anymore, the Genjutsu had been stopped.
"Yes, you did. But even a tiny string can cast a very small shadow. And the shadow went all the way to you."
Kin's eyes widened.
She looked down to see the shadows her strings casting a shadow, a very small one.
Kin looked at Shikamaru questioningly.
"Even if you've caught me, now what? It isn't like you could do anything to me that I'm not gonna do right back to you, can you?"
Shikamaru began walking backwards, so Kin did the same thing.
Moving further and further from one another, Kin didn't get what he was doing.
Shikamaru however could see clearly what he was doing, and was measuring the distance between them.
"Alright then."
Shikamaru pulled out a shuriken.
So Kin did the same thing.
"You're going to throw that at me? We'd be hit by it together you fool!"
Kin snapped.
But Shikamaru didn't care, and launched his shuriken as Kin did the same thing.
Flying through the air, Shikamaru bent his body back, so did Kin.
However, Kin was very close to a wall, and by bending back so fast and hard, her head smashed into the wall.
The pain she suffered was more than enough to knock her out, with Dosu her teammate being surprised that she lost to someone he thought wouldn't be able to even contend with Kin in a one on one fight.
"Winning by a knockout, is Shikamaru."
Shikamaru yawned, as he stretched his arms up and down.
"Such a drag."
Saying that, Shikamaru walked off, with the others watching him carefully.
Surprise came over them that Shikamaru was so casual about his win.
But they were glad that he did manage to beat Kin. Even if it was in an unusual way.
A small time after that, Ryouta and the others watched as the names on the screen flashed on by. Ryouta wondered who the next batch of opponents was going to be, he had to admit that he was wondering who he'd fight, the more opponents that had gone, what was left were some people he wouldn't mind fighting, like Neji being one.
However it wasn't to be as when they came to a stop, two names appeared.
Hinata vs Neji.
Ryouta looked to Hinata, seeing that she was shaking side to side.
It was clear she was nervous about this fight.
Kurenai, Hinata's Sensei, looked towards Hinata, and became worried about what was going to happen in the next fight.
Hinata nervously looked at her cousin, seeing that he had cold eyes on her form.
Clearly, it was showing that he wouldn't be messing around at all.
Neji didn't say anything as he went towards the arena.
Hinata looked around, between her classmates, and then towards her cousin.
Seeing his blank eyes, she felt cold deep inside.
"Go on Hinata! Knock his block off!"
Naruko encouraged.
Hinata appreciated the courage, and looked towards the hyperactive blonde. Because she was so open and carefree despite everything thrown at her, it was giving her more and more courage as time was going by.
"She's right Hinata-san, don't let him intimidate you, just do your best."
Ryouta encouraged the best that he could.
He knew deep down she had the confidence to stand up to Neji.
Hinata's eyes went towards Ryouta, who nodded strongly for her.
So she looked down at herself, and cupped her hands before her chest.
"They're always supporting me...Brother Neji might be strong...stronger than me...but if I don't even try..."
Hinata steeled her courage and then walked down towards the arena.
Getting before her cousin, she looked at him with a mixture of fear yet building courage at the same time.
Naruko, Ryouta and the others looked on, wondering what was going to happen next.
The proctor looked between the two of them, before swinging his hand down.
"Next match, begins."
Hinata got into a defensive style, but Neji kept his cold menacing stare upon her form.
"Are you actually trying to fight me?"
Hinata let out a small shocked breath that he was speaking in a callous way.
"...Yes, I am."
She replied albeit meekly.
Neji however kept his eyes solely on her form.
"You can't win Hinata-sama, no matter how hard you try."
Hinata gasped.
Naruko looked angrily towards the male Hyuga, while Ryouta simply stared at him.
"But..."
"Destiny has decided that you cannot win here. You're shaking right now, your hands and your eyes display fear of going into battle. You might be from the Main House, but you're weak enough for your little sister to take that position away from you."
"..."
Hinata didn't know what to say.
She couldn't think straight.
She remembered how she stood up to Gaara, but Neji was different.
He knew her intimately, she knew that he was someone that could poke holes in her anxious feelings.
"You being a Ninja is a mistake, you're too meek to be a Ninja. It means life and death, and I simply can't see you being able to make those choices. It would be best if you quit now, and save yourself the embarrassment of losing here."
Hinata's eyes went down towards the ground.
Naruko didn't like the sound of that, her friend being insulted by Neji was something she simply couldn't forgive.
"No...you're wrong..."
Hinata spoke up with a timid voice.
But Neji rejected it once more.
"You're destined to be a failure. You might have been born into the Main House, but you're doomed to a life where you wont be able to accomplish any goals. So quit now, and you get to walk away from this fight. Because if you don't, I wont hold back against you."
Ryouta didn't like the tone that Neji used.
It was clear he was trying to make Hinata's confidence sink so much that she would believe the words he spoke. Even if Neji thought they were true, Ryouta himself didn't believe that destiny had been decided, and that he got to say whatever he wished to her.
And by the look on Naruko's face, he knew she felt the same.
"And then you disgrace Hyuga by being with the Uchiha."
Ryouta rolled his eyes while Satsuki scoffed.
"Cocky huh."
Ryouta mentally agreed, but did wonder how Neji got a mindset like he did.
Lee felt sorry for Hinata having to hear Neji speak like this to her. Unlike him who could let the words roll off of him as if they were simple jabs at him, Hinata was someone that had low confidence and the words felt like arrows, and bullets in her mental state.
"But, we're friends..."
"Destiny has decided that Hyuga and Uchiha are to be rivals. By disgracing us by being with an Uchiha, you have sunk even lower."
"What is he talking about?"
Sakura whispered to Ryouta who shrugged.
"I think because of our eyes, he might see Uchiha as rivals for the strongest clan in the village. Even with so little of us left, Neji...I guess perhaps would justify it for us to be rivals due to our eyes. The Sharingan and the Byakugan have similarities and are different at the same time. And back in the day, Uchiha were considered one of the top clans in the village, a position held now by the Hyuga. Perhaps because we're the next generation of our clans, he thinks it is...destiny for us to be rivals."
Satsuki glancing at Ryouta, showed a strong face.
"When you fight him, make sure to kick his ass."
Ryouta gave bemused eyes, but then looked down to see Neji pointing towards Hinata.
"I'll show you how destiny favours me Hinata-sama. Even born to the Main House, you will lose to me this day. You simply don't have the skill nor power to come close to fighting me. So I'll give you this one warning, give up now."
Upon hearing that, toppled with everything he had said, Naruko was angry.
Ryouta looked at Neji, seeing how he was trying to weaken Hinata's mental state, and he couldn't sit by and say nothing.
"Hinata-san!"
Hinata gasped, and looked towards Ryouta.
All eyes went towards him.
Even Neji's eyes went towards Ryouta.
But he ignored the young man, and instead focused on Hinata.
"Ryou-kun…."
"Whatever happens, be sure it is what you decide to do. Destiny hasn't been decided at all. If you walk away, that's also fine because whatever you decide, you're not a failure. Neji doesn't understand what you have deep inside of you, I've seen it before, I know you've got what it takes to be truly strong. So don't let anyone decide your destiny for you, but you. Your life, your choice Hinata-san."
Hinata felt a pulse from her heart.
She looked at Ryouta and her face began to turn red.
She felt more inspired by the moment.
She remembered how he also went through a lot as a child, how his own clan also turned on him, and he chose to fight. She was also aware of what Yashiro Uchiha had tried to do, and yet he still fought. He didn't die on the night of the massacre, and saved people.
That kind of inspiration was something that made Hinata feel like she could try.
Even if she wasn't to succeed, she'd do her best.
Neji noticed in the moments it took for her to turn to him, something had changed.
"The Uchiha...his words have inspired her. She's not shaking anymore. She isn't afraid. She looks fiercely determined to fight me. And something else...her confidence, her courage has grown more and more."
Neji thought about it, while Hinata placed her hands together.
"I wont run away...not anymore!"
Neji widened his eyes as she activated her Byakugan.
Responding to that, he did the same thing, and got into a stance.
Looking between themselves, Hinata and Neji didn't move for a few moments…
But then Neji first went for the assault.
"Even if you try, you wont succeed. Destiny has been decided!"
Coming in left, he quickly tried to slam her with open palm against her chest.
But she bent backwards, the palm went above her, and she returned it with a spin of her body, coming in from the right, Neji quickly turned and slammed his palm against her own, blue beautiful chakra erupted from their hands and danced around the pair in their glory.
Hinata pushed his hand away with her own, and spun rapidly until she got within his guard.
"Maybe, maybe not Brother Neji."
Surprise came over Neji by how elegantly she moved, and then she continued spinning, her foot going behind Neji's leg so he couldn't retreat so easily, Neji also saw how she had blocked him in, so he had to clash with her once more, blocking the incoming strike with their chakra surrounding them once more.
He then turned his hand down, with his fingers in a jabbing motion so he'd pierce her leg with his chakra.
But she had enough sense to pull away and whipped out some kunai, tossing them towards Neji.
"She's using weapons huh..."
Neji mused, as he moved his finger, grabbing one of the kunai's in the air, before tossing it at the next incoming one.
But by doing that, Hinata had chance to get in close, and with a rapid movement of her feet, she managed to get on his right hand side, her open palm going out towards him, Neji widened his eyes, and moved his body out of the way.
However, in the moment that he did move, her hand touched the right hand side of his body, he winced at the feeling of her chakra hitting against his body and causing some slight internal damage, he didn't think Hinata would be able to move that fast.
"You've gotten faster."
Neji admitted.
Seeing the way that Hinata stared at him, he was able to see that this wasn't the weak timid girl that she often showed.
No, she was something else.
She was a warrior.
"Yes...Brother Neji, I have been training hard."
Neji looked on, then his eyes shot up for Ryouta.
"That boy, the Uchiha. He's been helping you, hasn't he? Because your speed has gotten to a place that it wasn't beforehand."
Hinata didn't miss a beat, nodding.
"Yes...we train together, Ryou-kun has helped me train and become strong."
Neji scoffed, placing a hand to his right side.
He didn't want to admit that he had been hit by her, so he dismissed it like it was a dream.
"Even if he has, it wont save you."
Hinata stared hard, as did Neji.
"Even if I lose...if I do my best here, then I wont have any regrets."
Neji was surprised.
More and more, Hinata was coming out of her shell.
More than he had predicted she would do.
"You have grown stronger. But that ends here, and now."
Hinata sharpened her gaze.
Neji did the same thing.
They continued staring at one another for a few seconds, before they lunged at one another.
Like an elegant dance, they matched one another blow for blow.
Their strikes cancelled one another out, Hinata would come left, so Neji would dodge, then Neji would come right, so Hinata would block him with her hand, and that continued for over a minute, with neither being able to get through to the other one.
Naruko looked on, perplexed by what was going on, so she pulled on Ryouta's clothing cutely.
"They've moving really fast, aren't they?"
Ryouta also believed that to be true.
Neji and Hinata were moving at a pace that was above Genin, but while Neji was fast, Hinata was matching him blow for blow.
"Yeah, they're quite fast."
"But Ryou...what are they doing? They aren't like punching each other, it looks like they're dancing more than anything."
Ryouta could understand why she'd not know about it, so he chuckled and answered her kindly.
"The Gentle Fist."
Naruko still seemed perplexed by it.
"Eh? Gentle Fist?"
"Yes, it's something that the Hyuga clan use. It's their fighting style adapted to their eyes, something that targets the inside of the body."
Naruko slowly nodded, Satsuki sweat dropped.
"You still don't know what it is, do you?"
Naruko scowled.
"Heh! I do!"
Ryouta knew that Naruko didn't truly know what it was, so he went to explain more when Lee came up and spoke instead.
"The Gentle Fist is a trademark of the Hyuga, because their eyes allow them to see chakra points. The Gentle Fist was adapted to make use of that, and shut down the chakra points, and also do internal damage to an opponent. Unlike me who uses the Strong Fist, that focuses on breaking bones, and causing external damage, the Hyuga are different by targeting their opponents insides."
As Lee spoke, Guy listened in and shed manly tears.
"That's my Lee! He's growing smarter and stronger as time goes by!"
Kakashi glanced at Guy, and saw his tears growing more and more.
He exhaled, while looking between the two Hyuga's.
"It does seem that Hinata has grown in strength, and she said that she's been training with Ryouta, huh. It seems he can influence those around him, reminds me of someone else..." Musing mentally, Kakashi looked towards Kurenai who seemed amazed. "What is it Kurenai?"
"I...I didn't know Hinata was this good."
Kurenai, her Sensei, did believe in Hinata a good deal.
But, she was immensely surprised that she was swapping hands with Neji, who's said to be a genius.
"Well, she did say she had been training-"
As Kakashi spoke, Anko jumped in and shot a smile towards Kurenai.
"Aah, because of the adorable crush that the Hyuga girl has on my Uchiha, it seems that her levels of power have increased!"
Satsuki rolled her eyes at Anko's words, since she knew that Anko was saying that to get a rise out of her, and some of the girls, and while not working with her, Sakura and Karin did look as if they were seething.
Hinata and Neji continued their dance, until Hinata saw a chance from Neji's right hand side.
Taking the plunge, she swung her palm out in a straight line, Neji predicted this would happen, so he spun around the hand and came up from down below, going towards Hinata's chest area.
"This is it."
Neji warned, thinking for sure that he was moving fast enough that she wouldn't be able to block with her hands or create any kind of defence against his attack, he thought that he'd be able to disable her in one shot.
"No!"
Hinata ducked back, and landed a well placed kick towards his chin, using enough force that he was sent up into the air.
"Gwaaaah!"
However, as she did, his hand also managed to hit her leg, causing some internal damage to the leg.
Neji back flipped several times, while Hinata placed a hand on her leg.
She felt pain from it, as did Neji.
Neji also felt some blood coming out of his mouth. It wasn't from the Gentle Fist, but from a good deal of force that Hinata was capable of unleashing, showing that she had been training hard to increase her strength when she needed to do it.
Wiping the blood off of his mouth, Hinata placed her foot on the ground, and winced at the pain running through her leg.
"She's weakened, as I had hoped. Hinata-sama, maybe she isn't as much of a failure as I thought. But, it isn't my destiny to lose, it is hers. Now I have to finish her off."
Neji noticed that and turned his attention on her now weaker side.
Hinata watched as the boy came towards her, and was going towards her good side, but she knew he was going to head for her weaker side in a fake out, so she let him come even closer, and when he did his attack, she propelled herself into the air, flipping over him, and came at him from behind in a downwards strike.
Neji predicted she'd do this, so turned and went to block her hand with his own, when he saw that she released a kunai up close and personal for his upper body, so his hand had to block that while his other blocked one of her hands.
However, Hinata now had a free hand, so she came for Neji's wrist so he wouldn't be able to truly move it.
"No!"
Neji widened his eyes, moving his wrist back, but she managed to clip the left hand side of his wrist with her fingers, causing some internal damage to the wrist, so he pressed forward, sliding into her guard, and because of her weakened leg, she stumbled for a moment.
But that moment allowed Neji to quickly jab his fingers up her right arm, only managing to do so three times before she sent a palm for his torso, which he dodged by mere inches, Hinata winced as she placed a hand across the area that she had been jabbed with.
Ryouta looked on, seeing Hinata panting slightly.
Seeing her shaking leg, and her arm that was hidden by her coat, he did know however she was injured because of the attack.
"Hinata-san, you have gotten stronger, Neji has been injured because of your attacks also. His hand is weakened because of your attack to his wrist, and he's moving less on the side you managed to hit as well. For all the damage you've taken, you also have done damage to him."
Ryouta could see Hinata pushing on and managing to win.
But, he also could see that Neji was getting angry, and his attacks were getting more hostile.
To the point that he was going for major organs that could cause Hinata a lot of problems.
"Yeah, that's right Hinata! You can do this!"
Naruko cheered.
Ryouta hoped that she'd be able to do it.
Hinata panted, while Neji looked towards her.
"Your arm, I've sealed some of your Tenketsu, your ability to use chakra is going to weaken. I also caused some damage to your arm, and your leg. Being as brave as you are is commendable, but foolish. If you continue on, you will lose."
Hinata panted, rubbing her arm a single time, before showcasing a strong expression on her face.
"Maybe...but, I can't give up, Brother Neji."
Neji didn't like the sound of that, and rushed towards her.
She did the same thing, and watched as he came close.
Their palms went out in several strikes that people such as Sakura, and Naruko couldn't keep up with. Even Satsuki had to admit that Hinata was showing a speed that was surprising, and continued batting away Neji's strikes.
But soon, they both managed to catch one another's weak points, so they went for their attacks.
Hinata went for his torso as Neji went for her heart.
The pair tried to reach the other one first, but Neji did reach Hinata's first, and slammed his palm against her heart, she winced at the feeling while her strike continued, slamming into his torso, Neji surprised that she could do that, and felt some internal damage happening himself.
Hinata's though was worst, and she coughed up blood.
"W-What? What happened?"
Naruko asked anyone willing to answer.
So Ryouta spoke up.
"He struck her heart."
Even saying those words, Ryouta felt anger.
Neji could have done something else to disable her.
But he didn't.
"H-Her heart? Is he trying to kill her?!"
Naruko panicked, something Ryouta thought was rather understandable.
Ryouta didn't know the answer to that.
He could tell that there was some beef between the two of them, and while not knowing the entire story, he did believe it had to do with how she was a Main Branch and he was a Side Branch member of the Hyuga's, but also knew it ran more deep than that, however wasn't sure to the extent of it.
"Now give up, you can't continue on."
Hinata felt pain erupting from her heart.
Kurenai looked down, while Kakashi sharpened his lone eye.
Anko scowled as Satsuki simply stared at Neji.
Everyone in the stadium were coming to the same conclusion that Hinata continuing on would only cause her to suffer.
Ryouta also knew that, and was glad she did as well as she did, but didn't want her to push herself to the point that it would cause permanent damage.
Hayate could see that Hinata was shaking, and clutching at her chest.
"With contestant Hinata unable to-"
"No!"
Naruko yelled out to the shock of the others.
"Naruko-chan..."
Ryouta began, but Naruko pointed at Hinata.
"Hinata! You can keep going! You've got this! Don't let him win!"
Satsuki turned her eyes towards Naruko.
"If you're her friend, then you'd not say that."
"I am her friend, which is why I am saying it! I'm supporting her!"
Naruko snapped back at Satsuki who stared right back.
Haku looked towards the pair of them, before nodding.
"Satsuki-sans right, Naruko-chan."
"Not you too Haku..."
"I wish for Hinata-san to succeed as well...but there are limits to the human body, and Neji has found hers. If she continues, Hinata-san could suffer a heart attack, it could stop beating if he lands even a single blow there again and because of her heart being damaged, it will cause Hinata-san to suffer more through the battle. She's proved she's strong..."
As Haku spoke, Hinata's eyes went towards Ryouta, who looked down at her with concern.
Remembering everything he went through, she didn't want to give up.
She didn't want to be weak anymore.
She wanted to be just as strong as she saw Ryouta being in the face of overwhelming odds, even when death could have been a certainty.
"It's okay...I will continue."
Hinata spoke to the proctor, but her eyes were solely on Ryouta's own eyes.
"Hinata-san..."
Ryouta began, Hinata showed a bright smile, filled with pain on her face.
"Ryou-kun...watch me."
"I am...but, you don't have to go any further. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, you've shown how amazing you are already..."
Ryouta didn't want her to get hurt anymore.
He knew if she did continue, it could cause her damage, or even death if she wasn't treated right away.
But Hinata's strong will, and her growing confidence wouldn't allow her to accept it.
"No...I don't have to prove anything. But..." Hinata's smile turned brighter as she stared at the young man with the confidence she gained from him and her friends. "...I wont let anyone decide my destiny, but me, Ryou-kun. And I have decided, I wont back down."
Those words brought happiness and sadness to Ryouta at the same time.
Neji however was downright angry, as he believed destiny was determined, not something that anyone could decide upon.
She then looked towards Neji, who glared hard back.
"Brother Neji...I wont run away...and I don't believe destiny has been decided by anything, only I can choose my own destiny, the same for you."
Those words made Neji feel livid.
His anger was being shown on his face, and it was very real.
Shaking his head, he charged for her, so she did the same thing.
Clashing again and again, their hands met together, and broke apart, neither being able to get the upper hand in the beginning, Hinata using what she did to Neji's wrist to help her succeed, while Neji kept going for her own weakened side, and pushing Hinata back gradually.
As Neji and Hinata kept trading blows, Ryouta felt more and more saddened.
Seeing Hinata pushing herself so hard despite being in pain, brought him pain also.
His hands tightened on the railings to the point that it became dented.
Hinata managed to push Neji back, and even managed to seal some of his Tenketsu, something that surprised Neji, who retaliated with his own attacks, and caused her some damage as well internally, even then Ryouta could see that Neji's movements were becoming more sluggish, his body was feeling the effects of Hinata's attacks, but so was Hinata, and the more she exerted herself, the more her heart had to work and the more pain she was in.
"Hinata-san...even though you're in pain, you look as if you can't move...you're still fighting on. She is amazing after all...and she's so strong, both mentally and physically. No one can take away the courage she's displayed here today...I just hope she is able to get out of this in one piece...Hinata-san..."
But then, Hinata stopped, and coughed up some blood.
She paused and her body seemed to stop moving, yet she was still standing up.
Ryouta closed his eyes, forcing the pained tears he felt to go back in, so they didn't get shed.
He was so proud of her and how far she had come.
At the same time seeing her in so much pain, and anguish…
It was very difficult.
But it was clear that she wouldn't be able to move anymore.
Hayate looked to Hiruzen who bowed his head, so he called the match as Neji began running.
"The match has been decided, the winner is Neji Hyuga."
Though the match had been called, Neji wasn't stopping.
His rage filled him for what Hinata said.
Believing destiny wasn't something that was fixed, it didn't sit right with his own ideals.
Just as Neji was going to strike Hinata in the chest, "I said the match is over Neji Hyuga!" the match had been called once again, but he didn't stop and his palm went towards the young girls upper body…
When within a few inches from Hinata, Ryouta appeared before Neji, shocking him at how fast he truly was.
Even a good number of the Jonin were shocked.
Gaara widened her eyes as well, she couldn't follow his speed.
Ryouta however swung his leg down, kicking Neji's hand down to the ground, and stood on it, while grabbing his other hands wrist, suspending it up into the air, forcing Neji to be on bended knee before him, protecting Hinata from getting damaged.
Kakashi was impressed with the level of speeds that he used to stop Neji, and how he stopped Neji as well. Making sure his hands couldn't be used to attack, his legs parted enough so he wouldn't be able to move elegantly or quickly either, and the way he was also hunched over only added to the fact that Neji didn't have any opportunity to attack that wouldn't go unnoticed by Ryouta either.
Hiruzen didn't say anything, he knew that Ryouta wouldn't do anything but stop Neji from causing Hinata's death, intentionally or unintentionally due to being lost in rage.
"W-What?!"
Neji snapped, Ryouta looked down at him.
"The match has been called, it's over now. Strike now, and I'll have to stop you."
Satsuki blinked.
She was rather happy to hear Ryouta being so bad ass, and having a no nonsense attitude to the way Neji was acting. The match was over, and if he did attack now, it would only cause problems for himself.
Karin was excited, and nearly foamed at the mouth to see how Ryouta was able to react, and how cool he was in her eyes.
Sakura was similar to how Karin was thinking, how cool he was to stop Neji in that moment and how fast he was.
Anko nodded again and again, happily saying "Yes, my Genin is awesome." while looking towards Kakashi who gave her a curious look.
Naruko placed a hand over her chest, thankful that he did stop Neji from hurting Hinata anymore.
Letting Neji go, the male Hyuga's eyes shot for Ryouta's own.
His Byakugan met with his Sharingan eyes.
"I suggest leaving Neji. You've won, that's the end of it."
Staring hard between them, Ryouta and Neji kept looking at one another for a few moments heatedly, before Neji turned his neck to the side, and dismissed the young man.
"This isn't over Ryouta Uchiha. We will meet in a battle."
"Yes we will."
For what he did to Hinata and what he attempted to do, Ryouta knew he'd have to settle it with Neji now.
Neji then walked off, but as he did so, Ryouta noticed that he stumbled and coughed up some blood.
Hinata had caused a good deal of damage to Neji, she had done her best.
Ryouta turned to Hinata, who was falling forward.
So he caught her and lifted her up bridal style.
Her tired looking eyes went up towards Ryouta's own gentle ones.
"You did fantastic, Hinata-san."
Hinata smiled, despite the pain that she felt.
He then began running with her to the infirmary, knowing that she needed immediate medical attention.
His smile was the last thing she saw, before she passed out.
End chapter!
So this chapter went into the fights of Shikamaru, Ino and Hinata. Ino did her best, and managed to pressure Temari and even injure her in the end, and because of their fight, it might lead to something later on~ And after that, Ino and Ryouta shared a small moment between them.
Shikamaru did as expected against Kin and won the fight.
Then Hinata and Neji fought one another. Hinata did her best, and fought very hard. She managed to even injure Neji a good few times, showing how far she has progressed in her training and commitment to becoming stronger, but Neji managed to beat her in the end, and he almost went to kill her, but was stopped by Ryouta, intensifying the rivalry that's being built between the two of them.
Finally, about the Black Clover story, that will be coming out next week. However, before it does, I have one final poll after I received a number of suggestions about the magic he would use, and since I received some cool ones, I thought I'd do a mixture of those and ones I thought would be cool for you to vote on!
The options are...
Light Magic.
Gravity Magic.
Fire Magic (with gaining Salamander later in the story)
Dark Magic.
Poison Magic.
Ice Magic.
So yeah, you can vote via review or PM, and the maximum you can vote for is three. You can vote until the 30th of May, so if you're interested, please vote!
Well until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Gaara (fem), Ino, Haku (fem), Kurotsuchi, Karin, Konan, Mei, Anko, Samui, Hanabi, Mabui,