"Welcome to my battleground, where I opened my eyes and perfected my sight!" ~ Hinata & Naruto
"8 Trigrams: 32 Palms." Hinata breathed out, attacking Hanabi, however, her younger sister easily weaved around the attack, striking at her older sister's exposed side. Hinata saw the attack coming, but couldn't avoid it in time as she took the hits, falling to her knee.
"You lost sister… again." Hanabi said, breathing heavily due to the repeated and intense spars between the two sisters. She reached out her hand to help her sister up, reopening her chakra points as they each took their respective side, getting into the Jyuuken stance.
"Wait." A stern voice called out, the sisters freezing as their father entered the sparring grounds. Seeing that he seemed to have a message, they relaxed their bodies. Hiashi watched them carefully, walking purposefully towards Hinata, who bowed at the waist.
"Hanabi, you are dismissed. Your sister and I have something to discuss." Hiashi ordered, only for his youngest daughter to look at him questioningly. "Yes?" He asked, seeing as Hanabi wouldn't outright say anything without permission, her ability to recognize authority showing through. If it were any other time, he would be proud, but he had business to attend to.
"I would like to hear what you have to discuss with Hinata-nee-chan, and besides, we are in the middle of sparring and it would be counterproductive for me to leave, only to be called back minutes later." Hanabi pointed out, and Hiashi sighed, a sign that should've alerted both of his daughters considering his usual masked emotions.
"Fine, but please be silent and only observe. It will be good practice for you to see how to interact with the clan when you become clan head." Hiashi said, and his daughter nodded, walking over to sit under a shade tree.
"Now Hinata, I would like to know where you learned the technique you used on the civilian girl in the Preliminaries. It resembles our Jyuuken, but it doesn't match any of the techniques taught." Hiashi's tone was stern, leaving no room for Hinata to escape.
"What do you mean, Tou-san, of course it is one of the Jyuuken techniques, it has to be, I found it in the clan library." Hinata defended herself, but her shifting eyes gave her away as Hiashi grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place, forcing her eyes to meet his. Hanabi watched silently.
"You're lying; I can see it in your eyes. Now where did you get that technique, who taught it to you?" Hinata tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but her father's grip was like iron.
"I told you, Father, it was in the clan library, and I taught myself it from the scroll." This time her eyes met his evenly, ad he was surprised by the intense gaze, his mind flashing momentarily to his late wife.
"You were telling the truth that time, or at least you believe you are. However, the difference between your first answer and the second is that you found it and its location. I can only conclude from this that you were lead to it by someone else. Now tell me Hinata, who led you to the scroll, because they had to have an intimate knowledge of our clan layout. You know the rules for intruders and spies." Despite how Hiashi imagined his tone in his head, it still came out almost pleading.
"I cannot tell Father, you would think me foolish." Hinata cried, and Hiashi had to fight the urge to wipe away her tears. Right now, he was clan head Hiashi, not her father.
"Better foolish than a traitor. You know that those that hide spies will share their punishment. I would not wish that upon my own daughter, but you will force my hand." The clan head said calmly, his eyes seeing how Hinata's fearfully darted around.
"Kaa-chan…" Hinata mumbled, seeing no alternative. Finally, she seemed to gain a respite as her father's grip loosened slightly, most likely in disbelief.
"What was that Hinata?" He asked comfortingly.
"Kaa-chan told me! I saw her in a dream, and she told me where to look. She even told me about the blood seal preventing anyone but me or Hanabi-imoto-chan from finding it. She said she loved me, and then she was gone!" Hinata cried, tears running down her face in rivulets. And just like that, she broke free from her father, trying to escape, only for him to catch her wrist.
"Hinata!" Her father said sharply, the eldest daughter pausing in her crying, muffled sniffles still coming out. "If you are so adamant on being difficult, fine. I'm sure you will be forgiven if you hand over this scroll." He assured his daughter, pulling her for a hug. However, she shoved him away.
"No, I can't do that; Kaa-chan sealed it away for a reason. I will not let those useless elders just stomp all over that!" Hinata's tone had changed somewhere between the confession and now. Hiashi could see it in her eyes, the look of utter defiance; he recognized it as well as the day his wife had looked at her father that way, when the man had tried to stand in the way of their marriage.
"Hinata-chan, please, just listen to father. He's trying to help you, why can't you see that." Hanabi burst in, and Hinata's defiant look vanished in an instant. An idea came into Hiashi's mind, a twisted one, but the needs of the clan before the needs of a father.
"Fine, Hinata, I will not push you. But at least teach Hanabi, you said she could've opened the seal just as easily as you, so surely it should be okay to teach her." He said, slowly advancing on Hinata, but the girl saw right through his plan, a furious glare set in her eyes.
"NO! I would teach her, but you only want her to know so you can get her tell the elders, and teach the rest of the clan!" Hinata cried, falling fluidly into the familiar stance of her clan. Hiashi was taken aback by the sudden hostility, before a fire sprouted in his own eyes.
"You would fight your own father in the name of this foolish crusade? Fine, then let's make an agreement, since you want to fight so badly. Hanabi, have one last spar with your sister. If Hanabi wins, you will teach her that technique, but if you win, you can go free, and I'll not bring it up again." Hiashi said, Hanabi taking his place, although reluctantly. However, Hinata seemed nonplussed.
"If that is what it will take to deter you Father, then my path is already set." Hinata said, and had Hiashi been in his right mind, he would've questioned the level expression, and somber tone. But instead he stepped back, looking at how Hanabi was shaking slightly, while Hinata was frozen in place.
It reminded him of a rabbit being hunted. "Hajime; Hanabi, don't hold back!" He bit out sharply, and despite her frightened posture, she nodded in the affirmative, falling into the Jyuuken stance while Hinata rose, her hands hanging limply at her sides.
Hanabi charged at her sister, thrusting an open palm at her chest, going for a quick finish. However, Hinata moved like lightning, her hand knocking Hanabi's across her chest, causing the younger Hyuuga to spin around, her back to Hinata.
"I'm sorry, imoto." Before anyone knew what was happening, Hinata hooked her foot around Hanabi's ankle, pulling her feet out from under her, the heiress being shoved forwards by a sharp open palm strike courtesy of Hinata, sending her younger sister to the ground.
As she turned over to face her sister, all she saw was Hinata's single finger touching her forehead. It filled Hanabi with fear, to be so utterly outmatched when she was normally the victor of their spars. Hinata rose to her feet, looking at Hiashi as if daring him to challenge her choice.
"I didn't use any chakra in that strike, but I believe the purpose still stands." She said calmly, walking away as Hiashi rushed to his daughter's side, helping her up.
"You-You would go this far, reversing your very nature, to keep your clan from having this power?" Hiashi called after Hinata, who froze, turning around to look at her father.
"This power… no, it's a curse. No one should have the authority to be both judge and executioner! Kaa-chan entrusted me with this curse because she knew that I wouldn't misuse it!" Hinata cried out, staring Hiashi down like an impudent child.
"Yes, because using it on a civilian for revenge is the correct reason! What's the difference between you using for revenge, and the clan using to prove our dominance?" Hiashi said, and Hanabi looked between the two, not knowing what was about to happen.
"Because I never asked for this curse, but I shall bear it all the same. Would you wish your dear daughter to be blessed instead of me, the failure of our clan? I would not, for the power to shatter the eight gates like mirrors is not a curse I would wish upon anyone!" Hinata said, and started to stride away, Naruto's orange jacket appearing in a puff of smoke as she gird herself in the jacket, as if it could cover her misery.
"Fine! Since you repeated refuse to help the clan, the clan shall return the favor. Find someone else to help you prepare for the Finals. You want to train yourself; well this is your chance. Neji will face you with the full power of the clan behind him, and let's see how powerful you are then, daughter!" Hiashi howled, but Hinata made no outward acknowledgement of his curse.
However, steps later, she paused, turning to look at her sister and father, a look worthy of a professional assassin on her face. "If that is what must be done. Every power has a price, and I said I shall bear it. I am glad it shall be so light a curse to bear." And with that, she turned and sped away, faster than Hiashi had ever seen her move before.
Meanwhile, a shadowed figure was watching from the trees above, making no sign that it was ever there, save for a solitary tear that fell, shattering into pieces as it touched the ground.
A/N: Hey guys, I was really surprised (not really) that you guys knew what Hinata had done with the gates. Now in response to that, I'm aware that the gates were not listed in the correct order, or so I was told, I still haven't checked. :P I'm aware also that this chapter is shorter than normal, but I was going to cut to Naruto, and thought, 'Kishimoto has the gall to give us filler chapters for random people's back story, so why shouldn't I do the same?' But really, I want to only show teasers of what Naruto is training in, and need to decide on those teasers. Have a great day, and stayed tuned for the upcoming Finals.
P.S. I believe I promised to give a shout out to the first person to get the Hinata thing right so, (insert name here) congrats, have a cookie on me, unless you can't in which case, sorry. :(
P.S.S.- Congrats to both LilyVampire & Euroteres who each got half. Hinata did attack the Eight Gates, hence the Eight Trigrams. However, by doing so, she also removed the presence of any chakra in the body.