Sakura took her eyes off of the screen and fixated her gaze onto her opponent, Ino. The blonde kunoichi was already staring at her, before letting out a small smirk.
Kurenai placed a hand on the shoulder of her female student, giving her a smile, "Go on, now. Show them what you're made of."
The civilian born girl merely gave a smile of appreciation in response to her sensei. She jumped onto the ground where she and Ino would duke it out.
While this happened, the Yamanaka also jumped down onto the ground. Both slowly walked towards the middle, meeting each other face to face.
"I had a feeling it would come down to this. But for it to be so soon…" Ino trailed off, waiting for a response from her female rival.
"I had the same thoughts, Ino." To the surprise of some people from their class, Sakura didn't use any insult to address Ino.
And while it was troublesome to admit, Shikamaru noticed that Sakura has been more mature recently. This was further strengthened by what she said next…
"Just keep in mind, right now, I'm not fighting you for Sasuke-kun's affections or anything like that."
"Hmm?" Ino's eyebrows lifted up slightly out of surprise.
Sasuke himself was surprised as well, albeit he hid it very well. That didn't stop him from taking a look at the Haruno's face and realizing that she was genuine.
"I'm fighting you… so I can truly put down my days as a fangirl. So I can finally bloom from a bud into a flower. And then, I will prove myself to be a true kunoichi!"
On the sides, Kurenai couldn't help but curl her lips into a proud smile. Sakura has truly grown from the Sasuke-obsessed fangirl she used to be. She always knew the girl had potential, but that was always hindered by her insecurities.
Sure, she still had things to work on, but… didn't everybody?
"Ino!" The emerald-eyed Genin called out to her fellow rival, "I want to fight you at one hundred percent! I want to see how far I've come!"
The blue-eyed kunoichi gaped as she gazed at Sakura. The same person who she broke a friendship with over a boy. Looking back on it, she couldn't help but feel very guilty about letting her own feelings get in the way of that friendship with Sakura.
This time, she'll make things right.
The blonde closed her eyes and undid the headband tied around her waist. While she did this, Sakura did the same, albeit the headband was on the top of her head.
Both placed their Konoha headbands on their forehead and moved to fully tie it as a sign of acknowledging each other's strength, despite not even throwing a single blow.
At this point in time, they didn't need to fight to know how strong the other was. Despite their severed friendship, they still could tell thatmuch about each other.
Surprisingly, the proctor of the preliminaries, Hayate Gekko, was patient throughout the entire conversation. And it was only after the girls tied their headbands did he give the signal to begin the fight.
Hearing the voice of the examiner running through their ears, the two kunoichi dipped into their respective pouch and picked out a weapon. Sakura took out a kunai while Ino fished out and threw multiple shuriken.
Albeit slightly startled, the pink-haired kunoichi stood her ground and fought off the shuriken with ease.
Ino then came following the shuriken, trying to hit Sakura in the head with a jumping front-kick. This attempt failed, however, as the green-eyed girl jumped out of the way.
When she landed, Sakura responded by swiftly crouching to the ground and delivering a sweep kick with her left leg. The attack connected with Ino's legs, and the long-haired girl let out a short scream as she stumbled to the ground.
Fortunately, the pinkette's reaction to this was slow, and Ino had just enough time to jump back to her feet. The short-haired Haruno then placed the handle of the kunai into her mouth and bit down on it softly.
Sakura began to form hand signs, eventually ending with the Ram sign. Suddenly, three other Sakura's appeared out of the girl's body, dashing towards Ino, who widened her eyes out of shock.
The regular Bunshin technique?! What does she think this is, a graduation exam?!
Ino focused her eyes to the Sakura who stayed behind, still holding up the Ram hand sign.
"It's too easy, Sakura!" The Yamanaka heiress smirked as she made a mad dash for the lone replica of her opponent, ignoring the other three coming towards her. She held out her hands, forming a sign used only by the Yamanaka.
The members of Team 10, after seeing Ino connect her thumb, middle, and index fingers immediately knew what she was going to do.
"She's getting way too worked up about this." Asuma stated, putting a hand on the side of his head. "She should know that technique is only good in a group."
Shikamaru let out a sigh, "What a drag. Ino's so caught up in winning that she doesn't even realize that she's playing right into Sakura's hand."
Naruto, who was nearby, heard this and gave the Nara a confused look. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Idiot. You really don't see what Sakura is doing?"
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Shikamaru wanted to cut out his eardrums with one of Asuma's Chakra Blades.
Back to the battle, Ino sported a confident smirk on her face, I win, Sakura!
"Shintenshin no-UGH!" Ino cried out loud, feeling a closed fist connect with the side of her face. She stepped backwards, grabbing her cheek. However, before she could figure out what was happening, she had received another punch straight to the face, causing her body to jerk back as an instant reflex.
What?! This should be a regular clone! How is it actually hurting me?! Ino panicked inwardly, blocking two more punches which were aimed at her chest.
She leaned back and performed a kick towards Sakura's abdomen, only for the girl to throw her arms in front of herself. The blonde applied pressure to her foot, pushing Sakura back.
Amazing! She used what I taught her and used an illusion to make it seem like she was using the Bunshin no Jutsu. She created three illusions, two rushed with the real one while the third stayed back as a decoy to make Ino think it was the real one, while in reality, the three extra Sakura's weren't Bunshins at all, just mere illusions made from Genjutsu! Kurenai analyzed Sakura's tactic.
"She's gotten much better." She stated outwardly to her two male students. "However, against a more seasoned ninja like a Jonin or Kage, a trick like this would most likely not work."
It was at this moment when Ino began to catch onto Sakura's trick.
I see. It was all just Genjutsu. Not bad, Sakura! However, I've got you now!
The blue-eyed ninja hid the smirk daring to crawl onto her face as she anticipated Sakura's next move. While the girl had good mix ups and Chakra Control, she lacked in speed, stamina, and battle smarts, things that Ino herself edged her out in after her training with Asuma.
The red-dressed kunoichi pounced, using her Genjutsu once again to make three illusions of herself appear. This time attacking from Ino's left instead of middle.
She yelled 'SHANNARO' as she pushed her fist outward towards Ino's chest.
Smack!
The sound of a fist hitting an open palm could be heard bouncing off the walls. Sakura quickly removed her arm, throwing a roundhouse towards Ino's head, which she easily dodged by ducking.
The blonde countered with her own set of punches. Two punches to each side of the face, followed by a single strike to Sakura's gut.
"URK!" The girl cried out in pain, feeling her lips separate as a bit of saliva came flying out and hitting the ground.
At that moment, Sakura's instincts came kicking in full force, telling her to send a punch to Ino's face.
BAM!
Blood coming from two different sources flew into the air.
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Sakura's fist connected with Ino's face and vice versa.
Sasuke looked at the fight with an uninterested look on his face. He was slightly intrigued by Sakura's display of Genjutsu and the trick she used against Ino. However, it seems that Genjutsu was the only thing the civilian improved herself in.
It was sort of disappointing. He had expected more improvement out of Sakura. But the Uchiha had to admit…
He never expected Sakura Haruno, one of his most prominent fangirls to become this adept at Genjutsu.
Recovering from the blows done to each other, Sakura and Ino retreated, jumping away from each other.
How!? How has she gotten this strong?! The Yamanaka wondered mentally while panting.
I can do this! I can win! Sakura told herself taking in heavy breaths, albeit at a calmer pace than her rival.
"It can't be helped." The blonde muttered, "I'll have to try the Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Transfer Jutsu) again. Then how about this…"
What happened next no one expected.
Ino put on a frustrated face and let out an ear-piercing scream, reaching down into her pouch and grabbing a kunai.
On the sidelines, Team 10 covered their ears, the reaction of most other teams like Team 7 and Team 8. Some had their own thoughts on the matter…
What a drag! She's completely lost it…
Annoying…
That second one was thought by a certain puppet user from Suna and an Uchiha from Konoha.
Ino held up her long hair, "I'm not going to let you outdo me, Sakura!" And with that, the sound of a kunai slicing into Ino's hair could be heard.
Ino grabbed a handful of her hair and threw it towards Sakura, followed by the kunai she held in her hand.
Sakura merely sidestepped the kunai and ignored the hair slowly sinking to the ground. She began to run to her left…
Only to find that she couldn't.
"What?!" She looked down to see a light blue Chakra line wrapped around her leg. "What is this?!"
Ino chuckled, "I infused Chakra into my hair when I cut. You fell for my trick, Sakura!"
No! Sakura panicked, desperately trying to move her foot, only to find the deed impossible. With the state I'm in now, Ino can surely land her Jutsu on me!
Said girl's lips turned into a smirk, forming the sign for the Yamanaka Clan's signature Jutsu. "I win, Sakura. Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
Sakura's body jerked up while Ino's body stiffened. They stood frozen for a couple of seconds. Eventually, the blonde's body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
Sakura looked down at the ground, a grin forming on her face.
On the sidelines, Asuma smiled.
You put up a good fight, Sakura, but this is where it ends. Ino, in Sakura's body, thought to herself as she began to raise her hand…
Naruto's breath hitched. He had the urge to yell out to Sakura as a way to repay her offer in the first round. However, he stopped when he saw 'Sakura's' hand freeze.
The possessed Sakura moved her hands to her head, letting out groans of pain as she felt the real Sakura Haruno fighting her Jutsu back.
"It seems you haven't mastered this Jutsu yet, Ino-pig!" Sakura spoke deep within in a mocking manner as she continued to push her former friend out of her mind.
"How?! How are you beating me?!" Ino panicked as she tried to fight back, but to no avail. She momentarily blacked out as she felt her mind leave her enemy's body, returning to her own.
Sakura grinned, while Ino yelled out loud, "How did you get so strong?!"
"To tell you the truth, I was never taking the role of a Shinobi seriously. I was still stuck in my Academy days as a fangirl of Sasuke-kun. However, a certain mission I took… taught me an important lesson."
A grim look appeared on Sakura's face as she continued, "My team could have died on the mission. And we would have if Kurenai-sensei wasn't there. I've decided. I don't want to be a burden anymore. I want to be strong enough, so in case Kurenai-sensei is not present, I'll be able to take care of my team in her place!"
Her determination is unwavering. That is a quality of a true Shinobi. Sakura, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Kurenai thought to herself as a smile appeared, No matter the result…
The pinkette pulled out a kunai and began to run towards Ino, who responded by taking out her own kunai.
CLASH!
I am proud of you, Sakura.
The blades of the kunai met in between the girls as they struggled to gain control.
The sounds of the metal grinding against each other was so loud, Sakura almost his missed the heavy breathing of her blonde opponent.
She must not have a lot of Chakra left! I'm running low as well, I've got to end this quick!
What the pink-haired ninja did next caught Ino off guard completely.
She began to make signs with her free hand. Something that the Genin of Team 7 immediately recognized.
It was mere coincidence of course. Sakura wasn't on the mission to the Land of Waves. She didn't know that she was using a trait that they had saw Haku do.
"Performing a Jutsu with one hand?" The blonde gave a perplexed look to the other kunoichi, "Have you lost your mind? What makes you think that's going to work?!"
A look of amusement spread on a Sakura's face, I'm not trying to perform a Jutsu…
Suddenly, her fingers curled into a fist. She pulled back momentarily and launched her attack, connecting right with Ino's cheek, ending the blade lock and sending the Yamanaka stumbling back.
Taking a leap towards her enemy, Sakura launched another punch at the face of the recovering girl.
SMACK!
"UGH!"
THUD!
The sound of Ino's body hitting the ground. However, she made no attempt to get up.
Due to Chakra exhaustion, Ino was out for the count, and those two punches from Sakura didn't help all that much either.
After receiving no movement from Ino for about 30-45 seconds and two loud coughs from the proctor, Hayate finally spoke.
"The winner of this match is: Sakura Haruno."
He spoke with very little enthusiasm. In fact, no one in the room seemed happy for the girl's win except for Kiba, Kurenai, Shino, Naruto, and to some extent Hinata. Although the latter was mostly due to the fact that the pinkette had saved her in the Forest of Death and as a result came to respect her more.
When she wakes up… It'll be time to make things right. Sakura thought to herself, walking over to her old friend's unconscious body, picking it up. She walked to the side where Team 10 was and went up the stairs to them.
Eventually, Ino woke up. And while the match between Tenten and Temari went on, they spoke to each other and made up, rekindling their friendship once again, with Ino finding more respect for her rival.
However, this loss made her resolve herself to become stronger so she could make up the loss against Sakura. They were still rivals after all.
In the end, Tenten fell to Temari. The next two matches were Shikamaru vs Kin and Naruto vs Kiba. Shikamaru ended up outsmarting Kin, backing her up into a corner and using his brains to capture her with his signature Jutsu.
She smashed her head hard into the wall and lost unconscious.
Meanwhile, most of Naruto's fight with Kiba was very one-sided. The Inuzuka proved to be a formidable opponent. However, the blond didn't give up, and eventually, he broke through and managed to defeat Kiba with an Uzumaki Rendan (Uzumaki Barrage).
Of course, this was something he based off of Sasuke's Shishi Rendan (Lion's Barrage), which was based off of Lee's technique.
Despite their hard work, Kiba and his ninken lost.
"Haha! Alright! I kicked some serious ass!" Naruto cheered, running up the stairs back to his team. He immediately turned to Sasuke, "Did you see that, Sasuke?! Did you see it?!"
"Hn. Idiot! I know you used that last move based on what I did." Sasuke rebutted with an irritated expression on his face.
Though he had to admit, Naruto had gotten stronger. He was still an idiot. And his taijutsu for the most part was still kinda ass. But overall, he's been making better use of his Kage Bunshins (Shadow Clones). He would never have imagined the Naruto in the Academy pulling off a move like that.
Hinata looked at her blond teammate's beaten and battered face out of concern, reaching into her pouch, pulling out some ointment and presenting it to Naruto, who took it without a moment's consideration.
Kakashi glanced at his team with his visible eye. He smiled under his mask.
Truth be told, when he made the decision to place Hinata on his team instead of Sakura, he thought he mortally screwed up. But he was impressed. All of three of them had improved. And Sakura seemed to be doing just fine on Team 8.
It was also at this moment that Kakashi realized, he was being a very neglectful sensei. He hasn't worked on training with his students. And the only thing he taught them was Chakra Control.
Surely, his team deserved a reward for making it this far into the Chunin Exams.
"Now, then! The next match!" Hayate announced as the screen began to scroll through the remaining contestants.
Hinata watched with anticipation as the sounds of the device played like the ticks of a clock. And it was eating at her mind. So far, she was the only one out of the team to not fight yet. She could not bring down the performance her teammates had showed!
She widened her eyes when she saw the two names. Her's…
And Neji Hyuga's.
Had this been the old her, she would have stricken with fear and stuck her finger to her lip. But not this time. This was her chance! To see if she truly has changed!
And Neji was the perfect person to see if she has.
One minute later, the former Hyuga heiress found herself face to face with her cousin, who was glaring at her with a means to scare her away.
"Hinata…" Naruto mumbled, getting angered by the look on Neji's face.
"That guy…" Sasuke started, gaining the attention of the people around him, which consisted of Kakashi, Naruto, and Lee. "He's one year our junior, Naruto. He has much more experience and training than Hinata. She stands no chance."
"Hey! What the hell are you saying?! Didn't you tell him days ago that Hinata wasn't weak!" Naruto yelled at his teammate, walking up to grab his collar.
Sasuke quickly shoved the hand off, "I know. I was saying she wasn't weak. I never said anything about her strength in comparison to his. Besides…" He stole a glance at Lee and Might Guy.
If this guy's sensei is a taijutsu expert, then he has no doubt undergone rigorous training like Lee. This Neji guy must be pretty nimble, considering the speed and training regime of his teammate.
Of course, this internal assumption could have been wrong. But considering Neji and Lee's sensei, this was most likely not the case.
"I had a feeling it could come down to this, Hinata-sama." Neji droned, beginning to start a speech, "Before we begin, I would like to say one thing…"
Hinata almost found herself mouthing the next word that escaped his lips.
"Withdraw."
On the sidelines, Sasuke's ears perked up to hear growling. He turned his head to the left to see his blond comrade gripping the bars in front of him while grinding his teeth with a furious aura around him.
"Please, save your words, Neji-nii-san. I have no intention of running anymore. Right now, it's my chance to prove myself to those I admire! Because of that, I can't fall now." Hinata activated her Byakugan and took a Juuken stance.
"To those you admire? Would that happen to be the Uzumaki? If you haven't noticed, it's because of people like him that you are destined to fail! Surrounding yourself with losers only makes yourself a loser!"
"Naruto-kun is not a loser!" Hinata argued, shifting her hand to the front of her face. "He works hard every day just to get acknowledgment! Say what you want about me… but I will not have you call Naruto-kun a failure! None of my comrades are failures."
Naruto watched with wide eyes as he heard the former heiress defend him. Before this, not many people had ever held him in a high regard. The only people who did were Iruka and the Third Hokage.
The look in her eyes are different… Neji noted before activating his dojutsu and taking his own stance.
"I was hoping you would withdraw for both our sakes. But it seems that is no longer possible. Do not blame me for whatever happens."
"I know exactly what I'm getting myself into." Hinata responded before continuing, "And that's why I'm doing it. All of this time I wanted to change myself. I hated the weak-spirited me. Now is my chance to see how far I've come!"
"Well then, now that you two are ready…" Hayate trailed off, bringing his hand down… "Begin!"
Immediately after getting the signal, Hinata took a leap towards her cousin, ready to attack.
This action surprised Neji, as Hinata never took the first attack when they sparred or when she fought anyone else for that matter. She was always so timid and afraid. Afraid that if she made a mistake, she would get punished severely as a result.
Shifting his body to the right and holding up his left hand, the brown-haired Hyuga blocked Hinata's strike. More strikes from the girl prompted Neji to weave his body around just barely dodging the assault.
Soon enough, Neji began to throw his own palm strikes at his younger cousin. She didn't block any of them, but she was very good at moving her body away.
Out of the blue, Neji thrusted his hand out with two fingers straight and the rest bent, aiming for one of the tenketsu on Hinata's left arm…
It flew in the air in a blur. So fast that most of the people on the sidelines didn't even see his arm moving. However, despite this, the lavender-eyed rookie managed to parry the blow.
Neji's tight gaze softened slightly out of shock, She's faster than that time in the forest.
That didn't make sense though. All she was doing was resting for the past three days. There was no way her speed could increase like that. Could it have been from exhaustion at that time?
Whatever it is, she's still not a match for me! Neji bantered inwardly, throwing a strike towards Hinata's appendix. The kunoichi jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding contact.
She retaliated with another strike of her own. And thus, began a series of palm strikes, parries, and the sound of Chakra imploding around the hands of the two ninja.
"Just a tiny graze is all she needs…" Naruto murmured, remembering Hinata's explanation in the Land of Waves. "Go on, Hinata! Show this destiny jackass who's boss!"
"I'm afraid Hinata-san will not be able to win, Naruto-kun." A familiar voice rang through the blond's ears. He turned his head to see a familiar green spandexed individual.
"Bushy Brows! What do you mean she can't win?! Look at her, she's got him on the ropes!"
"That guy…" Sasuke suddenly spoke up, "He's stronger than you. Isn't he?"
The silence from Lee all but confirmed the Uchiha's suspicion.
"It's as I thought. She stands no chance."
"What the hell Sasuke! She's definitely not going to win if you don't believe in her!"
"Believing isn't going to always get you results, idiot. It's about time you realize that simple fact. Sometimes, some circumstances are out of our control, and we are powerless to fight against them. We can only just watch and see things unfold before us." The raven-haired ninja added with a bitter tone, thinking back to his dark past.
As the fight continued, Hinata could progressively feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Blocking another palm from her opponent, she widened her eyes at the opening she saw.
Right here!
She thrusted her palm forward towards Neji's abdomen. And to her surprise, the attack actually connected. The prodigy let out a cry of pain, stumbling backwards as he kept his guard up.
In a quick moment, Hinata inwardly celebrated her accomplishment. She actually caught Neji off guard and landed a clean hit on him.
After turning his head and spitting out some blood in his mouth, Neji charged.
"While I admit you have gotten stronger, you are still a failure in Destiny's eyes! I'll show you the true difference between our strength! HUAH!" Neji shouted, throwing a quick strike to Hinata's stomach, catching her off guard and sending her backwards with a small cough of blood.
The bluenette recovered. Seeing that the branch member was now rushing towards her, she took the initiative.
She narrowly ducked under Neji's strike and thrusted two fingers from both of her hands on different locations of Neji's body. The prodigy flinched as two of his tenketsu were subsequently forced off.
Hinata formed an open palm and aimed for Neji's chest. The latter formed a spear hand, aiming for Hinata's heart.
BAM!
Both bodies froze in place.
Silence flew throughout the room. It was Naruto who broke it…
"Did she get him?"
This question was answered by a cough. The cough of a young female.
Blood dripped out of the kunoichi's face and onto Neji's hand. A stream of leftover blood lingered on the girl's face as she looked her cousin straight in the eyes with a pained look on her face.
So this is the power of the side branch of the Hyuga Clan. The Third Hokage, who was spectating the fight, thought to himself with an impressed expression. Still… the fact that Hinata is trying her best to keep up is commendable.
I'm not done yet! Hinata thought to herself with resilience, shoving Neji's hand off her chest and aiming her own spear hand at his chest.
Despite her best efforts, however, Neji caught the hand and palmed Hinata in the belly, sending her backwards again.
She stumbled back to her full height, clutching her chest tightly and breathing heavily.
The pain in her chest was almost unbearable. She was surprised that she had the will to stand up after a direct Gentle Fist blow to the heart.
Her body wanted to just drop on the spot and give up.
But her spirit didn't.
Not while everyone was watching. Not while hewas watching. This was her chance to prove herself and show that she can be strong too.
"I'll give you this last chance. Withdraw."
"No. Not anymore… I'm not giving up anymore. Because… because that's my nindo… my ninja way…"
Neji furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his cousin out of irritation.
Why wouldn't she give up? She's completely different than in the past. When they used to train, Hinata would want to give up after getting hit once, and only continued on because her father was watching.
It seems I have no choice…
This was the only way to make her forfeit. If she kept going on he could kill her by accident. And that was the last thing Neji wanted.
"I already know of your incapability of performing the 64 Palms, so allow me to show it you." Neji said, dipping down into a second stance. "Juukenho: Hakke Rokujuuyonsho (Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams 64 Palms)!"
"What?!" Hinata gasped, trying to lift her arms up as a defense. But to no avail, as Neji was already on the move. Taking a spinning step forward, Neji threw both of his hands out and struck the girl on her chest and thigh.
"Hakke Nisho!"
With excellent speed and accuracy, Neji threw another two strikes, these ones aimed for two tenketsu in Hinata's left arm. The girl cried out in pain, gritting her teeth as Neji yelled out 'Yonsho'.
To Hinata, all she could feel and hear was the connection of attacks and the astounding sounds of Chakra erupting from the brunet's fingers.
"Hachisho! Juurokusho! Sanjuunisho!"
"Guh!" Hinata gasped for air as she witnessed her older cousin take a strong step forward.
Finishing off the combo, Neji shouted, "Rokujuuyonsho!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" The weakened kunoichi screamed as she was blown backwards. The next thing she knew, she was on the cold, cruel ground. Many different spots of her body were sore and they hurt a ton thanks to Neji. Not only that but 64 of the 321 tenketsu in her body were now shut off.
Neji let out a 'hmph', as he began to speak, "I told you it was pointless. We both knew the result of this match even before it started. You were just delaying the inevitable and look how you are now. On the ground and you can't even stand."
"Come on, Hinata! Get up! I'm getting so irritated watching this!" Naruto roared out in frustration, trying to encourage his downed teammate.
Naruto-kun…
Hinata slowly shifted her head back so she could see him. He was watching her. No, all of Team 7 was watching her. Everyone was watching her. She can't just like down like a doll and let everyone see her as a failure. Whether her body liked it or not, she was going to continue the match.
With as much leftover strength that she could muster, Hinata placed her hands on the ground and supported herself.
Despite being in the winning position, Neji let out a gasp of shock. He watched in awe as slowly but surely, Hinata was rising to her feet, being extra careful not to stumble, fall, and lose the rest of her strength.
To think that she can still stand after that technique… Kakashi thought from the sidelines with an impressed look. She's definitely grown, that's for sure.
"How? How… do you know that move?" Hinata asked her opponent in a quiet and weak voice. "It is-"
"A Jutsu only taught to those of the Main Branch." Neji finished for her, "You are correct. However, by mere observation, I have mastered this move."
"By mere observation?!" All of the pain Hinata felt in her chest was wiped away for a single moment of shock. She knew Neji was strong. He could see the tenketsu and was generally skilled in the Gentle Fist. But to master the 64 Palms by observation?
"Do you now see just how big the gap between our strength is, Hinata-sama? Destiny has granted me with the greater strength, yet…" Neji narrowed his eyes out of anger, "The destiny of my father was to be forced into the Side Branch, thus putting me into it as well. While you, were placed into the Main House yet marked as a failure! How about you end your suffering now? We both know that I shut down the tenketsu in your arms. Now, you can't even mold Chakra to your hands."
Hinata shook her head firmly, "You're wrong about one thing, Neji-nii-san."
"Hmm?"
"I can tell…" Hinata panted, struggling to even get the words out of her mouth, "That you have been suffering more than I."
"I'm what?"
"I can also tell that you are the one who's torn up about the fate of the Main and Side branches of the Hyuga."
At that moment, something within Neji snapped. He lost his composure and put on a mortally angry face. He made a mad dash for Hinata, leaking out all of the killing intent at his disposal. And it was a red alarm for all the Jonin present.
"DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON THE SACRIFICE OF MY FATHER!" He had shouted, throwing his hand out at full force, preparing to put his younger cousin out of her misery.
However, he did not get the chance to do this, as the next thing he knew, Hayate with two fingers at his forehead, Guy's hands wrapped around his neck in a stranglehold, and Kakashi having a tight grip on Neji's arm, leaking out his own killing intent on the boy, stopped the prodigy's next move.
"Neji, get a hold of yourself." The infuriated Hyuga's sensei commanded, "You promised me that you wouldn't let the affairs of the head family get you riled up."
"Why are you all interfering?! So the Main Branch gets special treatment, huh?!" Neji spoke with an extraordinary amount of venom and hatred in his voice towards Hinata.
As if on cue, said kunoichi felt a sharp pain at her heart. She dropped to her knees coughing uncontrollably. Immediately, Kakashi left Neji and went to take care of his female student.
"Hinata! Hang in there." The copy-ninja spoke, laying her body down on the ground.
"Hinata!" The voice of Naruto rang throughout the ears of everyone as he, Sasuke, and Lee jumped down from the spectators' place and ran over to the hoard of Jonin and Genin.
Hinata glanced at Naruto, gaining his attention. She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but nothing came out. She felt the light in her eyes, as her vision was surrounded by total darkness. The question she wanted to ask was…
'How much have I changed?'
Sasuke formed a fist with his hands sneaking a glare at the brown-haired Hyuga.
"Uzumaki!" Neji called out to the blond, earning him a disgusted and furious look from said boy. "Two pieces of advice for you: First, if you are a ninja, then stop that annoying cheering of yours. Second, once a failure always a failure. They cannot change."
Neji's words triggered something in the Uzumaki, and in a flash, the boy was dashing towards the victor of the match in a fit of rage.
He only stopped because of the green-clad boy who just stepped in his way.
"You…"
The smirk Neji wore faded away as he looked at his male teammate with an expressionless face.
"I understand how you feel, Naruto-kun. You will only get disqualified if you pick a fight now. Wait for a proper match. Just think about it, the underdog beating the genius through hard work. The sound of a match like that sounds thrilling! I might be paired up against him. But if you end up facing him, then that is fine too."
Naruto scowled at the black-haired boy before straightening his posture and regaining his composure.
"Hmph! Fine."
"This isn't good! She's going into cardiac arrest!" A member of the medical team, who was now checking on Hinata spoke, causing Naruto to freeze up on the spot.
Then came the statement from another medic.
"At best she's only got ten minutes!"
Kakashi watched as the medical team put Hinata on a stretcher and carried her away. He looked down out of shame. Once again, he has failed his team. First Obito, then Rin, and last but not least Minato. And now there was this.
Hinata. One of the three students he had sworn to keep alive. Now lying at death's door.
He looked to his other pupils. Sasuke, showed no emotions. However, Kakashi could feel some anger radiating around the Uchiha.
Naruto however…
He put his fingers into some of Hinata's blood which was still fresh in the ground. He picked up the blood-stained hand and formed a fist while giving Neji a resolved look.
He thrusted his hand out and spoke.
"I vow to win."
And we're done with the preliminaries. Next chapter might take a bit because I need to decide from two things on what to do next.
Obviously, I wasn't going to have Hinata win her fight against Neji. However, she is stronger than her canon counterpart, as she actually managed to land 2-3 hits on Neji. Neji is the prodigy of the Hyuga Clan and was probably the 3rd or 4th strongest Genin in the room at that time.
That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed this little chapter, and I'll see you guys in the next installment.
Take care, goodbye!