Chapter Five: Hinata's Namesake
Mikoto stood facing her opponent. On the sidelines there were five spectators.
Naruto was there of course. To cheer her on.
Jiraiya-sama was there too, watching thoughtfully as the child he had trained fought her worst nightmare.
Neiji and Hinata were there too. Both had asked if they could go watch and Hiashi had tentatively agreed. It would be good for them to see what it could take to lead the clan someday.
Tsunade was also there. She would act as a neutral referee and would call the battle if she thought that one person could no longer fight.
Mikoto was ready. She had steeled herself to face this man. This man who had been haunting her nightmares for years. She would fight him with whatever strength she had.
She was wearing her hair in her standard braids that fell down to the center of her back. She wore a simple purple tee-shirt and black pants. Her shirt had the Uchiha Crest on the back. She wore nothing to show her Hyuga heritage; displaying her disdain for her other clan.
Her weapons pouch was strapped to her right leg and she wore a belt with a few pouches containing knick-knacks and whatnots.
Her violet eyes shone with determination as she tried to stare down Hiashi Hyuga.
Of course the man didn't flinch. He stood there in his typical Hyuga robes looking at his opponent with an expressionless face. He did not expect a challenge.
"Hajime!" Tsunade shouted.
Mikoto's purple eyes started to pale as she took a fighting stance. The purple faded to pale blue, and then too white as they began to form the byakugan.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed in fury. So it's true. Honestly he had doubted Neiji's report up until now. But here he was, faced with a child who could use both his clan's pride and the Uchiha's curse.
Mikoto took her stance.
The Hyugas watching recognized her stance as a shadow of the Gentle Fist, but not quite. She held her hands in a similar manner and her weight was shifted back; but instead of being fully back she kept a percentage of her weight on her front leg so that she was more forward in an attack stance. She bounced on the balls of her feet, and then took off.
As she fought Neiji's eyes widened in shock as he activated his byakugan to see better, "What is that?" He asked aloud.
Mikoto's fighting style was similar to the Gentle Fist. He could see the chakra flowing through her strikes with Byakugan, but still the style lacked the grace of the royal Gentle Fist he had been taught. There was a rougher component. She was using her whole body as a weapon, releasing chakra from different parts of her body including her fists, knees, elbows, at at one point, even her head as she went in for a headbutt.
"It's like a Gentle First Bar Fight." He said.
Jiraiya chuckled, "Good eyes young Neiji. Mikoto's mother only had very basic training in the Gentle Fist and was forced to develop her own style. Because her life was a little rougher than the more… comfortable lifestyle of that in the Hyuga Compound, her style reflected that."
"It is a style that uses the entire body as a weapon while still using the Byakugan to pinpoint targets and tenketsu. The user will strike with the weapon closest to that target, releasing chakra from the relevant tenketsu. So if her knee is the closest weapon, she will release chakra from her knee and strike with that."
Jiraiya smiled as he watched his student swing an elbow towards what must've been a tenketsu and continued, "Mikoto learned that style and developed on it herself having also lived a difficult life. Overtime she has come to call it…"
He paused for effect as Mikoto went to knee Hiashi, "The Gentle Street-Fighting Fist!"
Suddenly Hiashi dodged the knee and striked, sending Mikoto flying back, landing on her butt.
"That's it?" Hiashi asked in his same monotone that was ever so frustrating, "A bastardized version of my family's fighting style?"
Mikoto shouted a battle cry and lunged back in, but this time her anger clouded her and she was pushed back immediately.
"To fight with such emotion," Hiashi scoffed, "Unbefitting of a Hyuga."
Mikoto took a deep breath and calmed herself. She looked up and smiled, "Good thing I'm not a Hyuga then."
Suddenly two clones burst from the trees to attack, their Sharingan blazing. These clones were faster than Mikoto using the Byakugan, since they could predict Hiashi's movements. They fought with a more direct style, aiming to injure her opponent and weaken him.
One clone swung a fist forward that Hiashi immediately caught. The clone then moved to swing a leg up towards Hiashi's head. Hiashi shifted his head to dodge. The second clone followed quickly causing Hiashi to block with his other hand.
The real Mikoto saw that both clones had occupied Hiashi's hands and leapt forward, her Byakugan activated. She prepared a strike to his central tenketsu.
Suddenly Hiashi began to rotate throwing the two clones and dispelling them. The real Mikoto was also thrown back, landing hard.
Hiashi looked at the tired injured girl. She was still not nearly as strong as him. But still.. To make me use Kaiten.
Mikoto cursed as she stood up panting. Her byakugan still active. "I'm not done yet!" She shouted.
She created another clone that activated it's Sharingan. The clone leapt into the air and began to make hand signs.
"Katon:" She shouted, "Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
Hiashi jumped to dodge the huge fireball heading towards him but was surprised to see Mikoto jump in front of it. She grinned, "Futon: Kaiten!" She rotated, releasing her wind chakra.
The two Jutsu connected creating her signature fire twister, "My special technique!" Mikoto shouted proudly, "Fire Tornado No Jutsu!"
Jiraiya sweatdropped at that. What a ridiculous name. He looked to his other student who was watching the fight intently, Must have been his idea.
Hiashi rotated to defend himself from the intense firestorm, but even through his rotation he could feel the heat on his skin.
As the storm cleared Hiashi stood in the center of the battlefield. His clothes were singed and there were slight burns on his body.
Neiji and Hinata were shocked.
She managed to injure father! Hinata thought.
Hiashi looked at the two Mikoto's. Both the girl and the clone were panting. They looked as though they could barely stand.
"I can admit that is an impressive attack," Hiashi said evenly, "To use your Sharingan to measure the exact amount of chakra needed in the fireball to match the wind chakra from your rotation shows much skill. However…" He paused, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't appreciate that your bastardized our most sacred technique."
This was said with such venom that even those on the sidelines to flinch.
But Mikoto just grinned, "Bastardized?" She asked, "I believe I made it better."
Hiashi glared as he took a fighting stance, "I can see you have nothing left," he said, reading her chakra with his own byakugan, "It's time to end this."
"No!" Mikoto shouted, "One more!"
The sharingan clone reached into her pouch and took out some shuriken, launching them towards Hiashi.
Hiashi scowled, "Pathetic."
The clone made a hand sign, "Shuriken Shadow-Clone Jutsu!" It shouted.
Hiashi's eyes widened as the three shuriken suddenly became hundreds. From the sidelines Jiraiya smiled. He had taught her that.
Hiashi rotated, sending the shuriken flying everywhere as he deflected them, the shuriken clones were immediately dispelled. The clone smiled. Two shuriken she had made purposely miss flew behind him. She pulled two wires and the shuriken wrapped the wires around Hiashi as his rotation slowed.
He was stuck.
Mikoto charged forward, her byakugan ready and a Gentle Fist Strike prepared, "NOW!" She shouted.
Neiji's eyes widened. Is she going to…
Suddenly Hiashi released Chakra from his tenketsu, loosening the wires. He rotated again, pulling the clone in, dispelling it. The real Mikoto again went flying.
No, thought Neiji, I didn't think so.
Mikoto pushed herself onto her knees and struggled to get up. Her eyes had returned to violet.
"Pathetic," Hiashi said looking at the child, "Don't know when it's best to give up, like your mother didn't."
Mikoto's eyes darkened as she fell back to her knees, "You don't even know who you killed do you?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"I killed an unregistered byakugan user," Hiashi answered, still without emotion.
"You killed your sister," Mikoto said in an unforgiving tone.
Hiashi froze.
Everyone froze.
Hiashi-nii-san play with me! A childish voice called in Hiashi's memory. Hiashi had been almost an adult when his younger sister had been born. She had been unplanned and his mother had been older. Because of that… Because of that…
"Liar!" Hiashi shouted, "My sister was sickly and died before her fourth birthday!"
Hinata and Neiji's eyes were both wide as they listened. A sister? Neither had known that their fathers had a sister.
"My sister…" Hiashi's voice wavered, "was beloved by all. It was a painful loss. How dare you bring it up!" He shouted in anger. He dove in and striked Mikoto in the chest, she flew back.
"Hey!" Tsunade called, "The match was clearly over!"
Hiashi started. He had honestly forgotten she was there after the mention of his sister. It was true. He had loved his sister and her death had hit him hard. It's why when his daughter was born five years later he hadn't hesitated to use her name… Hinata.
"No!" Mikoto said coughing. That strike had been harsh, but not fatal. He had only meant to scare her. He had failed. Finally she rose to her feet. She spread wobbly legs slightly for balance, "You were lied to. Your mother took your sister from the village so she wouldn't suffer the same fate as your brother, Hizashi."
Neiji's eyes widened. She knew his father's name. There was no reason for that unless… she was telling the truth.
"My mother was Hinata Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan," Mikoto stated firmly, "She was taken from her clan to be saved from the Caged Bird Seal and grew up on a farm on the outskirts of the Land of Fire until she was fourteen. When she met and fell for Itachi Uchiha."
Hiashi stared at the girl and now he couldn't help but see it. Her heart shaped face, her soft cheeks… it couldn't be. "Prove it," He said firmly.
Mikoto hestantly reached into her pouch and pulled out a photo. She tossed it to Hiashi. His eyes widened as he looked at it. In the photo was him and Hizashi. They were both smiling, despite the world around them. Hizashi rarely smiled because of that mark, but in this picture they were smiling. They were smiling because they were with a little girl who always made their day brighter. The little purple haired Hinata was laughing as Hizashi tickled her.
But still, "This proves nothing!" Hiashi shouted and threw the photo back, "You could have found this anywhere." Though internally he knew that was not true. Afterall, there were only a few copies of that picture.
Mikoto reached into her pouch again and pulled out another photo. She looked at it fondly, "Please be careful with this one." She said as she handed it over to him.
He looked at it. This one had two older teens in it. No older than sixteen. They were with a small child, almost a baby. The man was holding the child's hands too keep her up on her own feet. That man was Itachi Uchiha. Next to him, grinning at the camera was a girl with a heart shaped face who looked exactly like his own daughter now. He looked at his Hinata and looked at the photo.
Suddenly Hiashi Hyuga fell to his knees.
Tears streamed down his face. He had been responsible for the death of both this siblings. First his brother and now… "I'm no better than Itachi," He said aloud.
Hinata made to go comfort her father, but Neiji's arm swung out, holding her back, "Wait." He said simply.
Mikoto looked at the crying man. She could kill him now. He wouldn't fight her.
She could end her nightmare here.
A child stood in front of an unmarked grave. She laid flowers on it as she cried. "Mama," her voice whimpered.
A man stood next to her. Mikoto reached up and took his hand.
"Papa," She said, her child-like voice quiet, "I want to kill them."
Itachi started. He did not like hearing those words from his daughter. Even if he did impress them upon his brother… this was different. He didn't want Mikoto to live a life filled with such darkness.
He knelt down and looked into her eyes. They were red, not with tears, but with the Sharingan. He felt sad seeing the Sharingan in his four-year-old's eyes. She's felt too much pain for her age.
"Listen to me Mikoto," He said soothingly, "You know how you once told me you wanted to be a superhero?"
She nodded rapidly, tears jumping from her eyes as she shook her head, landing on Itachi's face.
He wiped them off.
"Did you know that forgiveness is a superpower?" He told her, as though he was telling her a dark secret.
Her eyes widened, fading back to purple, "really?" she asked.
"Yes." Itachi said seriously, "But it's a very special power, not many people have it. Do you?"
Mikoto looked at her mother's grave and felt pain and anger roll through her again, "I don't know papa."
Itachi nodded in understanding, "maybe it can be your superpower, if you try hard enough."
Mikoto felt skeptical, her anger was still too strong, "Maybe…" she said.
Itachi sighed. Well he tried. Perhaps one day this child will be able to let go of her anger. Perhaps she won't be cursed to live the life of an Uchiha.
Back in the present Mikoto stared at the crying man in front of her, the man who killed her mother. But she didn't feel anger anymore, she felt… sympathy?
He was forced to follow the outdated rules of his clan and in addition, was forced to lead that clan. He was under pressure to keep the Byakugan within the clan and didn't know what else to do. And in doing what he thought he had to… he had torn his family apart.
She knelt down in front of the man.
Perhaps… perhaps forgiveness was her superpower.
She leaned forward and hugged him as he cried.
Hiashi's eyes opened in shock as the child hugged him. He hesitated, and then hugged her back.
Naruto smiled. He had been afraid she would turn into Sasuke, but his fears had been for nothing, "Yeah Mikoto!" He shouted, "I'm proud of you ya know!"
Mikoto smiled upon hearing Naruto. Of course the idiot would ruin the moment.
She pulled back from the hug and looked into the eyes of her mother's brother.
"I forgive you… uncle."
