A/N: First off a big thank you to Maddy-imouto who did an amazing piece of fanart (link on my homepage) this chapter is dedicated to you for your continuous support! As always, thanks to the amazing reviewers that keep me motivated, I brought this out quickly as I could.
How about we aim for 200 reviews before Christmas? And if we succeed I'll do some Xmas Fanart and an Xmas special? Maybe the first Naruto movie? Let me know! And if you do want a Christmas special, say who you would want in it (e.g just team 7 with/without Kakashi, the whole Rookie 10 etc)
By the way, Hinata Vs Neji fight makes me want to cry and pulverise Neji. Please excuse any bias.
Also, do you want a timeskip to the Finals, or do you want to read about the training (which could be extremely long), let me know in a review (with all the other stuff) or tell me if I should do a poll instead. I value your input!!
Claimer: Kari, Kita and Murasaki Akira belong to me.
Disclaimer: I have not forgiven Masashi Kishimoto yet. So Naruto belongs to Namikaze Minato.
Watashino Yuukanna Imouto
My Brave Hearted Little Sister
The urge to protect was overwhelming, heartbreaking even,
But to see her fighting on her own,
Against the odds, to keep getting up blow after blow
Through the pain was a strong sense of pride.
Naruto being Naruto, he thought you had to eat the ointment. Kari took it off him and explained it was medical cream and had to be rubbed into the cut. She said that it had antiseptic to stop the wound getting infected and anaesthetic to numb the pain, but Naruto got confused so Kari gave up.
"This medicine works so well dattebayo!" Naruto cried in delight as the cut on his arm disappeared. "Oi, do you want to use it to Sakura-chan?" Naruto offered, shoving the pot in the kunoichi's face as Kari cleaned the blood off his forehead with a wet towel. Kari sighed, knowing full well it was more the Kyuubi than the ointment, but hey, if he thought highly of Hinata's skills she wasn't going to burst his bubble. "You need some don't you Kari-chan?" Naruto asked, looking round at her as she wiped the blood of his tanned cheeks.
"Nah, I'm mummified, no point taking all these bandages off" Kari replied, pulling his hitai-ate back into place. "That'll do you for now; take a hot shower when you get home to relax your muscles." Kari pushed the towel on his face and walked over to Hinata. "Ne, Hina-imouto he says it works really well" Kari said happily, to her blushing friend.
"A-anou… Do you want to come see K-Kiba-kun with me?" Hinata asked, holding another ointment safe in her hands. Kita bounded over and in one leap landed on Kari's shoulder. "A-and Kita-chan can come see A-Akamaru" Hinata said with a shy smile, as though reading the cubs mind. Though being startled the first few times Kita spoke in the shy girl's presence, Hinata had warmed to Kita and now adored her.
"A-anou…" Hinata said shyly when the medic-nin turned and looked at her. Kari, who was standing beside her, gave her a soft nudge.
"Kari, are you coming back to hospital?" a medic-nin questioned.
"No" Kari huffed, folding her sore arms over her chest. Kiba sat up so he could see the kunoichi, a scowl on his face.
"Th-this is an ointment…" Hinata said softly. "Please use it on Kiba-kun and Akamaru" she requested.
"Heh, you should be worrying about yourself and not others" Kiba said with a smirk.
"Kiba-kun…" Hinata said in confusion.
"She wouldn't be Hinata if she didn't" Kari said simply.
"And you need to go to the hospital, you stink of blood" Kiba added to Kari. She grimaced. They want to lock me there and throw away the key!
"Pfft. I'll go to hospital to visit you if that's what you mean" Kari said as Kita looked at Akamaru with wide, sad eyes. Kiba smirked and shook his head.
"Stubborn ookami" he said fondly. "Hinata, there's only six of you left; you, Chouji, Neji, Lee, an Oto-nin, and that Suna guy." Kari's eyes hardened, knowing what he was saying. "Listen Hinata, if you match up against that guy from Suna give up right away."
"He's right Hina-chan, Gaara won't take any opponent lightly" Kari said seriously.
"Also, do the same if you're matched with Neji" Kiba added. Kari tensed, scenarios running through her head. "Give up right away. He will be very strict against you. You'll get beat badly."
"You're scaring her Kiba…" Kari said, her eyes dark. "Hinata will know what she'll need to do. She's smart." An arm wrapped supportively round Hinata's shoulders. "I won't let you get seriously hurt Hina-chan."
"I will now announce the next match" Hayate said. As the names froze Kari's heart stopped rigidly inside her ribcage.
Hyuuga Hinata
Vs
Hyuuga Neji
"K-kari-neechan!" Hinata cried in fear, grabbing Kari's hand. Kari's face was stark white, her pupils' dilated. It's a lie… A trick to scare me… Hinata wouldn't be paired with Neji… "Oneechan!" Kari pulled Hinata into her arms holding her as though to hide her, to protect her from that lie. Because it has to be a lie. Kari grabbed Hinata's shoulders and stared her fixedly in the eye.
"Hinata, don't let him take it too far. If he tries to, I will step in and end it okay? You can try if you want to, it's your choice just, please, please be careful!" Kari cried frantically, her stress scaring Hinata, but her words giving her confidence.
"H-hai Kari-neechan" Hinata whispered, and made her way to the middle of the floor. Kari ran up the stairs, Neji approaching from the opposite direction. He seemed calm, but Kari could feel the tension in every fibre of his being. As he went to pass her, Kari's fist closed around the front of his shirt.
"Don't you dare hurt her" Kari hissed, her body on edge. Neji stared at her with his intense lavender eyes and loosened her grip.
"She'll give up" Neji said. "She knows she can't win."
"What if she doesn't?! What if she's sick of being trampled on?!" Kari cried.
"I won't use rotation; does that make you feel any better?" Neji asked, his temper strained. Kari released him and walked past him. He looked straight ahead and continued on his way, missing the blazing red eyes of his apprentice following his every move.
"I didn't think that I would be fighting you…Hinata-sama" Neji said as he faced his opponent.
"Neji-niisan…" Hinata whispered.
"Niisan?!" Sakura cried in confusion.
"Ehh?! Those two are siblings?!" Naruto cried in shock.
"They're cousins" Kari corrected.
"They come from Konoha's oldest noble family the Hyuuga clan." Kakashi explained.
"Bastards." Kari hissed. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but continued.
"But they aren't siblings. I guess they're related in that they come from the Hyuuga's Head family and Branch family."
"Head family and Branch family?" Naruto asked.
"Hai" Lee cried. "Hinata-san is from the Hyuuga head family, or in other words, the founders. And Neji is from the branch family, which carries the same bloodline."
"So it's a fight between relatives?" Sakura asked. "It must be difficult for those two to fight."
"Hai, demo… I believe a lot of things have happened between the head family and the branch family in the past… and they are not really on good terms with each other." Lee said.
"Nande?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"I don't know the details but… In old noble families like Uchiha and Hyuuga, they have special abilities and moves that run only in that clan. To pass those moves down the Hyuuga family has a set of rules. But it seems the rules are favourable to the head family. Because of those rules a lot has happened between the head family and the branch family.
"Must be a fight to settle the quarrels then" Sakura said.
"It's going to start" Kakashi said.
"Please begin the match" Hayate instructed.
"Before we fight, let me warn you about one thing Hinata-sama. Give up. You're not suited to become a ninja" Neji said sternly. The railing squeaked as Kari's grip tightened around the bar. How dare he?! "You are too kind, you seek harmony and avoid trouble, and you just go along and follow someone else's idea. And you have no self-confidence, you always feel inferior. That's why you thought it would be fine to remain a genin, but you cannot register for the Chuunin exams unless there are three people. You couldn't refuse the offers from Kiba and your other team-mate and the truth is you are taking this exam unwillingly. Am I wrong?" Neji challenged.
"You're wrong! You're wrong… Watashi wa… I just… wanted to change myself… so I willingly…" Hinata trailed off, her voice becoming lost.
"Hinata-sama, you truly are a spoiled child from the head family." Neji said. The bar in Kari's grip smashed, the metal splintering into her small palms. Naruto, Sakura and Lee jumped at the sudden noise, Naruto immediately becoming anxious at Kari's stressed expression. Kurenai's red eyes darted to the wolf-kunoichi, knowing how much it hurt her to see Hinata be verbally beaten, when Kari herself had been working so hard to make her more confident. Kari was like an older sister to Hinata. To the Hyuuga heiress, Kari was the loving family she so desperately desired. "People cannot change. A failure is a failure. Your personality and power will not change."
"Kari!" Kakashi cried. In a flash, the kunoichi had a kunai in hand ready to be thrown. Her sensei held her small wrist tightly, but she wouldn't let go of her weapon, and refused to look away from the match. "Calm down, this is their match, not yours."
"But he—!" Kari cried.
"Kakashi" Kurenai said, walking over and placing a hand on Kari's shoulder. The jonin nodded and released his student. "Kari, all she wants is your support. She wants you to believe in her." Kari nodded and put her kunai away. Kakashi put his arm loosely around Kari's neck and shoulders, holding her to his chest in case she felt the urge to attack again.
"You can't fix everything Kari." Kakashi said softly, his arm tightening around her trembling body. I've never seen her so worked up, she's never really lost her temper, she just gets irritated and impatient… I have a feeling this won't end well…
"People cannot change, so that's why terms like "elites" and "failures" exist. Everyone judges you by how good your face, head, abilities and body shape are. There are things that cannot be changed. People suffer due to their limits and live. Just like we can't change the fact that I am from the branch family and you are from the head family. My Byakugan has seen many things. That's why I know, you are just trying to be tough. You are really thinking about how you want to leave this place right now." Neji said coldly.
"You're going to be leaving this place without limbs!" Kari hissed, lurching forward but being held back by Kakashi.
"Th-that's not true!" Hinata cried, ignoring the tears that had begun building up in her eyes. "I really want to…"
"Byakugan?" Sakura asked, looking to Kakashi for answers.
"It is said that if you look at the origin of the Uchiha clan, they come from the Hyuuga clan. Byakugan is one of the Kekkei Genkai that the Hyuuga family has. And is a special eye technique, a doujutsu similar to the Sharingan. But if you look at its ability of insight alone, it exceeds the Sharingan." Kakashi explained.
"Hinata" Kari whispered worriedly, seeing the Hyuuga girl's eyes widen with fear as Neji made a hand sign.
"Byakugan!" Neji cried, veins sprouting around his eyes, blood vessels ran along the iris, connecting to a strange pupil. Unable to hold Neji's fierce Byakugan glare, Hinata turned away trembling, holding her hand to her mouth. "You can't fool my eyes." Hinata looked back at him, terrified. "You moved your eyes to the top left corner after you felt my pressure. This indicates you are recalling a past event; a harsh past of yours. After that, your eyes moved to the bottom right. This indicates you are imagining physical and mental pain."
"Kari!" Kakashi said sternly as she tried to break out of his grip again.
"In other words, you imagined your old self and predicted the outcome of this match based on past experiences. A prediction that says you will lose!" Neji continued. "Lastly, you glanced up at the stands, in Kari's direction. You were seeking reassurance, trying to draw strength from your closest friend. And that action, of putting your arm in front of you, shows that you want to put a wall between you and me to create some distance. It's an action that shows you don't want me to look through your true feelings. That is because all I said is correct. Also…! You touching your own lips is a sign to show your mind is disturbed. It's a defensive instinct that tries to lower your nervousness and uneasiness."
"Let me go!" Kari growled, struggling against Kakashi's hold. "He's attacking her mentally using psychological knowledge! This is meant to be combat, not an interrogation!"
"Calm down" Kakashi said, his voice low. "Your putting too much pressure on your body, if you get any more worked up you'll collapse." The jonin hadn't missed how her fur stood on end, she was getting angry… And anger would only lead to a burst of negative chakra; The AkumaInu's Chakra.
"In other words, you know already… That you cannot change—"
"YOU CAN!" Naruto interrupted, catching everyone off guard. Neji looked round irritated while Hinata looked up in surprise, with wide glossy eyes. "DON'T JUST LABEL PEOPLE LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!! BEAT HIM UP HINATA!!" Naruto hollered.
"Naruto-kun…" Kari said softly, her anger fading to be replaced by gratitude and pride for her kitsune-nii.
"HINATA! WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING BACK, DATTEBAYOU?! IT'S MAKING PEOPLE WATCHING GET ANGRY!" Naruto shouted. Kari's eye twitched and Kakashi just managed to grab the back of her shirt.
"Don't you boss my imouto around, cha!!" Kari cried trying to give Naruto a smack to the head. "He's right though Hinata! BEAT NEJI UP!" Kari shouted. Hinata looked down, her trembling ceasing. She looked straight at Neji, not a waver in her gaze.
"So you're not going to give up? Don't blame me later on!" Neji said. Kakashi lifted Kari off the floor before she could charge in and join the fight, her legs moving back and forth in mid-air. Hinata made speedy hand signs and activated her Bloodline Limit.
"Byakugan!" Hinata slid into a fighting stance, ready for Gentle Fist taijutsu. "Neji-niisan, let us fight!" Hinata cried with determination.
"That's my girl" Kari said, a smile spreading across her face.
"Very well" Neji said, as he too slid into stance.
"They're using the same Hyuuga style, her stance is just like Neji's." Lee said.
"Hyuuga style?" Sakura questioned.
"Konoha's strongest taijutsu style" Lee explained. "Remember what I said before? The strongest Genin in Konoha is most likely on my team. That is Hyuuga Neji. He's the one who contributed most into helping Kari reach the level she's at." Kari's eyes narrowed, her muscles tensed for movement at any time.
"Stay strong imouto" Kari urged. Simultaneously, Neji and Hinata shot at each other, dodging the others attacks, though Hinata seemed to be having more difficulty than Neji. Kari's eyes widened as Hinata noticed an opening on Neji and went to strike him with her chakra filled palm, which he narrowly managed to dodge.
"Did it hit?" Sakura cried.
"No it wasn't deep enough, dattebayou!" Naruto cried.
"Che" Kari scoffed. She grimaced and her eye twitched. I sounded way too much like Sasuke then…
"Iie, it hurts even if it just nicks you. That is why the Hyuuga clan is known as Konoha's noble family" Lee explained.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked in confusion.
"Hyuuga has a special Taijutsu style that is passed on from generation to generation" Gai said, entering the conversation. Kita was perched on his shoulder, able to see better from a height. The Taijutsu style I and Lee are experts in, tried to break the enemies bones and create external wounds; damage to the surface, so to speak, the offensive-type fighting known as Gouken. On the other hand, Hyuuga attempts to damage the chakra circulatory system inside of the enemy and destroy the internal organs. In other words, internal damage this is known as Jyuuken, and their family uses this style. It does not look flashy, but it will start to hurt later on" Gai explained.
"There's no way to train your internal organs. If you get hit, no matter how tough you are, it'll be fatal. Remember that Kari" Kakashi said, poking Kari in the head as he continued to lightly restrain her.
"Sensei, what about Kari-chan?" Sakura asked. "Which style is she?" Kakashi looked round in interest. He hadn't seen that much of her Taijutsu if he was perfectly honest.
"Ah… That's complicated." Gai said, a smirk coming to his face. "From the beginning, she was extremely good at Gouken, if you ignore her defence. But as of late, she's been applying chakra to her moves, which has been causing light internal damage. She's only in the process of developing her own style and needs to refine it, but once she's completely mastered it, who knows how strong it'll be. Since it has no name, we've named it Meiken, as her high-speed movements are light and graceful and flow without pause, like a dance."
"You flatter me Gai-sensei" Kari said, smirking at her second sensei before turning back to the match, where Hinata and Neji were slowly circling each other, mirroring each others movements. Suddenly they shot at each other again, Hinata having the advantage as Neji was leaving his side open, but he managed to deflect her.
"You're doing great Hinata!!" Naruto cheered.
"Attack the Chakra circulatory system?" Sakura said. "Who are they?"
"Ano sa, ano sa, what's this Chakra circulatory system?" Naruto asked.
"Another question from the baka…" Sakura sighed.
"I will explain" Lee said. "The chakra circulatory system is similar to the blood vessels that circulate the blood. It's like a bundle of pipes that circulate chakra throughout your body."
"So it's like a path for chakra" Naruto said.
"Hai" Lee affirmed. "Also, the chakra system is closely intertwined with the internal organs that mould chakra. So if your chakra circulatory system is attacked, your internal organs will take damage too."
"Oh? You know a lot!" Naruto cried with a goofy grin.
"Hey! Your talking to an upperclassmen!" Sakura scolded before her fist hit Naruto's skull. Lee's hands tightened into fists as he watched his rival in battle. How he wished he could switch places with Hinata. How he wished he could finally prove himself…
"Sensei, how can a person do that?" Sakura asked Kakashi. "You can't see the Chakra circulatory system, so how do you attack it?"
"The eyes of those two guys, the Byakugan, can see them" Kakashi explained. "And a Jyuuken-style attack is different from a normal attack." Hinata was panting, becoming tired, but Neji seemed unaffected as they went into combat again. "You release your chakra from the chakra hole in your hand, shove it into the enemy's body and do direct damage to the Chakra circulatory system." Neji and Hinata both landed hits freezing in place.
"Yosh!!" Naruto cheered. Being so close together, it was difficult to tell who had hit who, but Kari could feel who had been hit, she could feel it in her heart as it beat faster and faster until blood slid out of her mouth.
"So this was the best the head family could do?" Neji asked.
"Why?! Hinata's attack hit him too, dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Hinata pushed Neji's hand aside and went to strike him in the face, but he was too quick, grabbing hold of her arm with one hand and using the other to hit two fingers into her arm. Kari growled. He was only playing with her she can't fight without chakra… Hinata panted, her Byakugan fading slightly. Neji pulled up her sleeve to show angry red marks across her arm.
"Did you…? So you were…?" Hinata cried as her Byakugan faded even more.
"Correct." Neji said. "My eyes can see the Tenketsu."
"What's going on?" Naruto asked.
"In the Chakra circulatory system there are 361 points known as Chakra holes. Their width is as small as a needle though. They're known as 'Tenketsu' and in theory if you hit them accurately you can stop or increase the enemy's chakra flow. You're basically able to control it. And let me add this… my Sharingan is unable to see those Tenketsu. Although the Sharingan has the ability of insight, it can't see it that precisely during battle." Kakashi explained. He tightened his grip as Kari tried to rush forward, Neji striking Hinata in the chest and pushing her away.
"Hinata-sama, this is the difference in our unchangeable powers. It's the difference that separates the elites from the dropouts." Hinata looked round at Neji, breathing heavily. "It is an unchangeable reality. You were destined to regret this when you said you didn't want to run away. You should be in despair right now." Neji walked a few more steps forward. "This is your last warning. Give up." Hinata coughed up blood.
"Watashi wa…" Hinata shakily began to stand "not going to… take back… my… words. That's my way of the ninja" she said, turning to face Neji on shaky legs. She looked up at Naruto and then to Kari, a smile spreading across her bloody lips.
"I didn't know that Hinata was so tough…" Naruto said.
"She's very similar to you" Lee said, smiling at Naruto.
"Come to think of it, she's always been watching you" Sakura said.
"Hinata-chan…" Kari said softly. Hinata looked back at Neji, Byakugan re-activating.
"Come" Neji challenged, his own Byakugan reappearing. Hinata clutched her heart coughing up blood. Kakashi tightened his hold on Kari, feeling her body weaken. Her heartbeats irregular…
"His eyes are scary… Hinata won't get killed right?" Ino asked.
"His strength… it's unfair" Sakura said. "He's too strong."
"Hinata!! Ganbatte!" Naruto shouted. Hinata charged towards Neji. She was obviously tired, but still managed to block well. She was getting clumsy, weaker. As she went to strike Neji he tripped her and then shoved his palm into her jaw, sending her flying backwards. Though she managed to stay standing, a hacking cough ripped through her as she coughed up blood. Kari held her chest as tears stung her eyes and blood dripped from her mouth. Hinata… She ran towards Neji again, refusing to give up. She went to hit Neji, but the older Hyuuga struck her in the chest. Her Byakuga receded, she through up blood and fell forwards, landing face first and still.
"HINATA!!" Kari shouted. Kakashi pulled her back to stop her trying to enter the match, but didn't realise how weak she was until her legs gave in. He sat her down, unsure how to comfort her as he saw a red tear slide down her face and mingle with the blood from her mouth. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked incredibly sore.
"You are such a stubborn person" Neji said, looking down at her. "Your attacks had no affect on me to begin with." Neji's Byakugan faded. "It's over." He turned and walked away from her.
"That was a finishing move by Neji, he aimed for her heart." Gai said. "I feel sorry for her, but she cannot stand up anymore."
"I am going to assume that she cannot fight anymore…" Hayate said, walking over to Hinata.
"Don't stop the match, dattebayou!!" Naruto shouted.
"Chotto matte Naruto! What are you talking about baka?! She can't fight anymore, she's fainted… Eh?" seeing Naruto's smile she looked down, gasps coming from the audience as Hinata struggled to stand up yet again, she held her left side panting harshly.
"Why did you stand up?" Neji asked. "If you push yourself, you're really going to die. Why?!" Neji cried, his Bakugan activating.
"I can still…" Hinata said as she stumbled forwards a step.
"There's no point acting tough. You're barely able to stand up. I can tell with these eyes that you have carried the destiny known as the Hyuuga family. You cursed your powerlessness and blamed yourself, but people cannot change; this is destiny. There's no need to suffer, let yourself go." Neji said, anger hidden in every word. Hinata shook her head.
"You're wrong Neji-niisan… Because I can see… That you are suffering more than me…" Hinata said.
"Nani?"
"You are the one who is confused and suffering inside the fate of the head and branch families." Hinata said. Neji's Byakugan blazed and he shot towards Hinata. Kari's eyes widened and her heart froze.
He's going to kill her…
'I won't let you get seriously hurt Hina-chan.'
Tears overflowed from Kari's eyes.
"HINATA!!"
Jonin appeared around Neji, holding him back. But they had acted too slowly and Neji's high-powered jyuuken had already struck a heart.
Not Hinata's heart…
"O-oneechan" Hinata whispered, her eyes wide. Blood dripped through her lips, staining Neji's bandaged arm. Her eyes were dark and glazed, empty. Her tense muscles fell limp and she began to slide down but Neji caught her staring at her in horror.
"N-nande? Why did you have to interfere?!" Neji shouted, holding her forearms, her head lolling backwards as blood ran down her cheeks. "W-wake up Kari" he whispered, his voice breaking, his face stark white. A silence rang through the audience. Kakashi let go of Neji's arm and placed his arms underneath Kari. "Iie!"
"Let her go Neji" Gai said commandingly. Neji released her and Kakashi lifted her up, she lay limp and still. Balancing her in one arm he placed his hand over her heart. Weak and rapid, quickly slowing… Without a word Kakashi disappeared, rushing towards hospital as her heart went into failure.
"That girl's brave" Anko said quietly. The Hokage nodded beside her.
"A true shinobi, but with a kind heart…" he replied.
"Kari-nee…" Hinata began as tears ran down her face, her heart jolted from the shock and she started coughing up blood. Kurenai rushed to her side.
"Hinata!"
"Hinata-san!"
Naruto, Sakura and Lee, quickly followed by Kita jumped down and rushed over to her.
"Hinata, daijyoubu ka?" Naruto cried bending down to look at her, tears sliding down her face.
"Naruto-kun… Kari-nee…"
"Kari-chan's strong don't worry about her" Naruto choked out as his own eyes stung.
"Do you…" Hinata began, and Naruto had to lean down to try and hear her. "Do you think… I was able to change… a little…?" Her eyes fluttered closed.
"Hey… the dropout there." Naruto looked round at Neji. "Let me warn you about two things. If you're a ninja, stop that unsightly cheering for a stranger. And one more thing, a dropout is a dropout. They cannot change."
"Do you want to try?" Naruto challenged. Neji smirked, mocking him. Angered, Naruto charged at him, but Lee jumped in the way.
"I understand how you are feeling Naruto-kun. But you should fight in a proper match. A dropout will defeat a genius through hard work. The main matches will be exciting." Lee said. "But I may be his opponent, I will hold no grudge if you are to match up against him. Kari-chan either, once she's better of course."
"Kari's not a dropout." Neji interrupted.
"No, but she's not perfect either. She has to work hard to get strong." Lee retorted. Naruto huffed and walked away, struggling to control his temper. Hinata violently coughed up blood again. Kurenai undid her jacket, placing one hand over her heart and the other at her neck to check her pulse. Noticing that Hinata was going through ventricular fibrillation, Kurenai turned and glared at Neji.
"If you have time to glare at me, you should spend that time looking after her" Neji said. Gai glared down at his student. He's severely shaken by using a lethal attack against Kari. There's an almost impossible chance she'll survive.
"Medical team! What are you doing?! Hurry!" Kurenai shouted.
"Excuse us!" the medic-nins cried rushing in with a stretcher.
"Put her on the stretcher!"
"Hai!"
"Together."
"She won't last ten minutes at this rate!"
"Take her to the emergency treatment room."
"Hurry!"
"Hai!"
They quickly put Hinata on a stretcher and ran out with her.
"Hinata…" Naruto said in shock, remembering how hard she fought, how she wouldn't give up. He bent down, to where Hinata's and Kari's blood was mixing at the edges. He swirled his fingers in the liquid and then stood up, facing Neji. "I promise… I will win!" Naruto blinked and grit his teeth. He turned to Sakura as he felt his eyes become moist.
"Go to her Naruto" Sakura said understanding. "I'll take care of Kita."
"We need blood and fluids now!"
"Blood pressures dropping!"
"Heart rate's slowing we're loosing her!"
Kakashi sat beside Sasuke's bed, watching the shadows as doctors swarmed the bed next to them, separated by a thin green curtain. Sasuke's head was turned towards the noise, but he still seemed to be asleep.
"She's gone into cardiac arrest!"
Thud, thud, thud, pause for air, thud thud thud…
"Charging 360!!"
Beep-Beep THUD.
"Charging again!"
"Where's Kari-chan's room?! I need to see her lady you don't understand!!"
"I'm sorry but there are no visitors, the doctors are with her now—"
"Tell me where the room is!!"
"Charging!"
Kakashi rose from his seat and walked outside to find Naruto shouting at a nurse.
"Kakashi-sensei! Where is she?!" Naruto begged.
"She's having treatment; shouldn't you be back at the exams?" Kakashi said, his dull, soothing voice doing nothing to calm his frantic student.
"I'm not leaving until I see her!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi grasped his loud student's shoulders and bent down so he was eye level with him.
"The doctors need to concentrate if they're going to make her better Naruto. Kari's very ill" he said quietly as Naruto bit his bottom lip. "You know she'll beat me up if you cry, and she'll need sleep, not violent urges" Kakashi said with a weak smile.
"I need to see her sensei, I'll wait outside for hours until they let me in and if they don't Ill just burst the door down" Naruto choked out. Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on Naruto's head. Silence fell in the room behind them and Kakashi tensed listening carefully.
"There's no way she could survive…"
Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he focused on being Naruto's sensei. I have to get him out before he knows, the extreme emotional shock might bring out Kyuubi.
"Come on Naruto, go back to the exam. I'll come and get you as soon as they're done with her and I'll talk them into letting you see her okay?" Kakashi said a little too quickly.
"No! I'm not leaving her!" Naruto cried adamantly. The door opened behind them and a pale looking doctor came out, sweat gleaming across his brow.
"Hatake Kakashi? You're Kari's sensei correct?" the doctor asked. Kakashi glanced at Naruto but the doctor continued. "I'm afraid Hyuuga Neji's Jyuuken has done severe damage to her heart, causing an irregular heartbeat. Shocking has put it as close to normal as it can be, though a lot weaker and faster than normal forcing the heart to work a lot harder. As well as that, the heart was already damaged and had scar tissue across the left side from previous battle. It seemed the only possible way she could survive would be a heart transplant and looking at the scar tissue also across her lungs, a lung transplant in the future. But…"
"But…" Kakashi said, urging the doctor to continue.
"The Chakra circulatory system doesn't seem to have sustained much damage. She has an irregular chakra that when we tried to use healing jutsu, tried to force our chakra out as though it was a virus. Instead, the chakra started to heal her automatically, and slowly she managed to stabilise herself, without much help from us." The doctor explained. "It was as though someone was healing her from the inside."
"So she's alive?" Kakashi asked, hardly daring to believe it.
"By some miracle, yes." The doctor confirmed. "She's hooked up to a ventilator until she's healed a bit more, so not to put too much pressure on her heart."
"Can we see her now!?" Naruto cried. Kakashi placed a hand over Naruto's mouth; he had almost forgotten Naruto was still there.
"Well, she shouldn't really—"
"It's okay, they're very close" Kakashi said, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. As Kakashi was of a high rank, the doctor chose not to argue and allowed them to have five minutes with her.
"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked shooting to her side. Her eyes were bandaged and a pipe was down her throat to help her breath. The gentle beeping and whirring of machines played as a lullaby while she slept. Naruto picked up her hand, careful not to remove the wire. "Everyone's worried about you, you gave us all a scare" Naruto said quietly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He sniffed rather thickly. "Don't worry me like that; I can't be Hokage right without my second in command ne?" Kakashi stood at the door, not wanting to invade. For Naruto to be quiet and timid, worried and upset it showed how much he was affected by her being so badly hurt. It was surreal seeing the loud knucklehead being so careful and gentle, and to see him crying… Naruto was either angry, frustrated, irritated or mostly, overly happy.
"Naruto, we've had our five minutes." Kakashi said gently approaching the blonde shinobi. Those five minutes may have been mostly Naruto's but Kakashi knew that the young ninja needed that time far more than he did.
"Already?" Naruto asked. He placed a kiss on Kari's bandaged head. "Get well soon Ookami-neechan. We'll go out for ramen and ice cream as soon as you're out of here ok?" Kakashi steered Naruto towards the door and told him to go back to the exams. Naruto nodded and walked back in the direction he came. With a sigh, Kakashi went back into the room. As quietly as he could, he pulled back the curtain separating Sasuke and Kari.
"Take care of each other" Kakashi said gently. He approached Kari curiously. He applied a small amount of chakra to his fingertips so they glowed blue and slowly lowered his hand towards Kari's body. Just as it was about to make contact with her skin a small blast of burning hot chakra shot out of her body, extinguishing Kakashi's own chakra. So it's the AkumaInu that refuses foreign chakra to enter your body. It's a good defence mechanism, though means she can't be healed by other people. Its probably the Tenno Kitsune that's healing her. Kakashi lifted up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan eye. I can see the huge disturbance of Chakra, even though the curse mark is sealed. The Akuma-Inu's chakra is trying to destroy it, which is what is making Kari so ill. He sighed pulling his headband back down. He placed a hand on Kari's head. "Stay strong Kari." And with that, Kakashi left them in peace.
Rock Lee
Vs
Gaara
Kita's eyes were covered half the time, but it was obvious what happened. Lee's speed was an advantage against Gaara, and his sand was too slow to defend him. However, Lee's moves took their toll and Gaara's defence managed to protect him for the most part. He used his sand to crush Lee's left arm and leg crushing the bones. Even in unconsciousness, Lee stood up and tried to continue fighting on sheer will power alone, but Gai told him he'd done enough and proved himself to everyone. The medic-nins informed Gai that the damage was so severe that Lee would never fight again.
The last match was;
Akimichi Chouji
Vs
Kinuta Dosu
Dosu won by using his sound attack, the vibrations carrying through the water in Chouji's body, practically electrocuting him, knocking him out.
"To all those who have made it to the main matches of the Chuunin Exam's Third Exam, all but two are here, so congratulations." Hayate said to the genin before him; Six from Konoha (including the absent Kari and Sasuke), three from Suna and two from Oto. Naruto clenched his fists tightly, Kita lying on his head.
"Sensei?" Sakura began.
"Mm?" Kakashi replied.
"May I ask something?"
"About Sasuke and Kari? Well… Sorry but I'm not sure myself. But don't worry about it. Like Naruto told you, Kari was stabilised after that blow to the heart but is in intensive care and Sasuke is in the same room." Kakashi said. "Sakura, I'm going to leave and check up on them, so tell me the details of the main matches later." With that Kakashi disappeared.
"I will now begin the explanation for the main matches. Your main match fights will be shown in front of everyone. We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's representative power. Therefore the main matches will begin in one month." The Hokage explained.
"We're not going to do it right here, right now?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"The one month is a time to conduct appropriate presentations." The Hokage said.
"What do you mean?" Neji asked.
"In other words, we are going to announce to the feudal lords and head ninja of individual countries that the preliminary matches have ended. And time is needed to gather those people for the main matches. This is also preparation time for you candidates." The Hokage said.
"I still don't understand. Explain" Kankurou demanded.
"This time is used so that you can know your enemy and yourself better. It is a time to analyze the information you have gathered during the preliminary matches. The battles we have had were just like real combat situations. It has been done where both parties know nothing of each other. But the main matches will not be like that. There are those who have revealed everything to their rivals. To make things fair, work hard and improve yourselves on your own during the next month" the Hokage said. Naruto nodded.
For Hinata… and for Kari-chan… I'm going to win!
"There is something important we must do before the main matches." The Hokage continued.
"What is it already? I have to hurry up and train, dattebayou!" Naruto complained as Kita half dozed on his head.
"Don't get so hasty. Take a piece of paper from the box Anko is holding. For Kari, allow Kita to chose." The Hokage instructed.
"I'll walk, so take it in turns" Anko said. She headed towards Dosu first. "Just take one."
"Okay. Everyone got one?" Ibiki asked. "Now tell me what number you got, starting from the left."
"Ju" Dosu said, holding up the number 10.
"Ichi, dattebayou" Naruto said, holding up a number 1.
Kita held the paper in her mouth so that they could see the number 6.
"Go." The violet haired Oto-nin said, holding up the number 5.
"Kyuu" Temari said, holding up the number 9.
"Nana" Kankurou said, holding up the number 7.
"San" Gaara said, holding up the number 3.
"Juichi" Shikamaru said, holding up the number 11.
"Ni" Neji said, holding up the number 2.
"Hachi" Shino said, holding up the number 8.
"So Sasuke is yon." Ibiki said pulling out the number 4 out of the box.
"We will now tell you the match-ups for the tournament." The Hokage announced.
"EHH?!" Naruto cried.
"That's what we drew for?!" Shikamaru cried.
"Ibiki, show the match ups"
Fight 1 - 1) Uzumaki Naruto Vs 2) Hyuuga Neji
Fight 2 – 3) Gaara Vs 4) Uchiha Sasuke
Fight 3 – 5) Murasaki Akira Vs 6) Kari
Fight 4 – 7) Kankurou Vs 8) Aburame Shino
Fight 5 – 10) Kinuta Dosu Vs 11) Nara Shikamaru
Fight 6 – 9) Temari Vs (Winner from Fight 5)
Fight 7 – Winner from Fight 1 Vs Winner from Fight 2
Fight 8 – Winner from Fight 4 Vs Winner from Fight 6
Fight 9 – Winner from Fight 3 Vs Winner from Fight 7
Fight 10 – Winner from Fight 8 Vs Winner from Fight 9
It was a tournament.
"I have a question" Shikamaru said, raising his hand. "If it's a tournament, it means theirs only one winner right? Does that mean only one person can become a Chuunin?"
"No, that's not how it is" the Hokage said. "These main matches will have judges including me, Kazekage as well as feudal lords and head ninja from other countries that may be potential clients. These judges will grade you by watching you in the tournament. And those who are qualified to be a Chuunin, even if they lose the first round, will become a Chuunin."
"So there's a possibility that everyone here can become a Chuunin?" Temari asked.
"Yes, but that also means there is a possible chance that none of you will become a Chuunin. Winning more matches in the tournament means that you are able to show off your skills more. Understand Shikamaru-kun?" the Hokage asked. He paused for a moment.
"That is all, we are adjourned until next month."