Hey folks! Back for another week of "Omni Force: ORIGINS" and the last chapter of January! I'll be honest, I haven't been as excited about this story as I'd like to be, mainly because it's pretty much just starting, while some stories are close to finishing, and I'd like to focus more on them.
That said, I think my schedule fairly divides things between the stories I'm working on. Whether it's this, "The Challenge of a Lifetime", "Through the Rough", or "Space", I'm happy to continue providing you all with the same fun content. And I hope that continues going forward.
So anyways, we'll be focusing today on my favorite girl from the Naruto series! I always liked Hinata Hyuga growing up. I think aside from her crush on Naruto, when I saw her battle against Neji in the Chunin Exam Arc, I saw that she was a determined character willing to through aside her fears and doubts in order to be who she wanted to be. Sure, her gags could've gotten old over time, but I found it endearing.
And in the end, she got to be with the person she loved. But as was brought up during the last chapter, in this series, she had a relationship with Ben. And that's going to be one of the big focuses for this story. I don't wanna delay anything any further, so I'll let Xiaomei take it away!
OMNI FORCE: ORIGINS
You know, your first love doesn't have to be your only love. Believe me, I've seen relationships change countless times. Some more egregious than others…
But enough about that. Why don't we talk about the girl who was once considered a failure by her own clan, Hinata Hyuga? Born as a member of the head family, Hinata had great expectations set onto her. But her timidity and inability to keep up with the grueling training set by her own father made it clear that she wasn't cut out for the role of heiress. Even her younger sister was excelling over her.
Eventually, her heiress status was stripped away, and she was turned over to enroll in the Leaf Village's Ninja Academy. At that point, she met Naruto, who had saved her from some bullies. Affection for him built up almost instantly, but the Hyuga Clan warned her to stay away from him, being that he was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki after all.
As she graduated from the academy, she became a part of Kurenai Yuhi's Team 8 with Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. They, like many of those in their graduating class, were enlisted to participate in the Chunin Exams. The first stage proved how far Hinata was willing to go for Naruto, almost allowing him to cheat by giving him her answers to the test they were taking. And in the second stage, she and her team succeeded in obtaining the two scrolls they needed to before passing.
Now the third stage has begun, but with some new faces in the crowd…
UNIVERSE-700
LEAF VILLAGE
"Ugh… I'm so hungry…" Choji grumbled out.
"What a drag…" Shikamaru muttered, "There's so many left…" he complained. The 21 shinobi that had gotten through the second stage of the exams were now gathered together in a large, spacious room with viewing sections on opposite sides, and a large statue of two arms performing a hand sign in the back. Large windows were behind the statue.
"Before we begin…" Hiruzen Sarutobi began as he stepped forward, getting the attentions of those in attendance, "I'm sure you're all curious about the extra two people who made it through the last stage with you," he pointed out, glancing over to the pair of Ben and Gwen Tennyson, who were beside Kakashi.
"Oh, those two…" Ino noted aloud.
"What do you think they're gonna do with them, Sasuke?" Sakura inquired quietly of her teammate in front of her.
"I doubt they're in trouble," he affirmed in a whisper, "But they'll probably be getting taken away for questioning or something," he presumed.
"These two will be staying with us for this next stage of the exams," the Hokage confirmed to everyone's surprise, "Treat them as guests for the time being, and we'll be dealing with them accordingly," he told them.
"The heck's that supposed to mean?" Naruto inquired, "Those guys helped us out!" he pointed out vehemently.
"Yes, and that could be considered an unfair advantage in some regard," Anko noted as a retort, making him wince in realization, "However, we understand that there were a lot of strenuous circumstances happening at the time," she mentioned, "so we're letting it slide," she assured.
"Geez…" Ben uttered quietly, "Kinda makes me feel bad for jumping in…" he admitted. Kakashi put a hand atop his head, getting his attention.
"You did what you thought was right, and there's no shame in that," he affirmed, "Both of you," he added while putting a hand onto Gwen's head as well. Within the crowd of shinobi, Hinata looked over curiously at the pair of guests. More specifically, Ben. She wondered just how he ended up helping the person she had a crush on. And then she noticed the Omnitrix upon his wrist.
Her curiosity seemed to be noticed be him as he spotted her in the crowd, locking eyes with her. She squeaked, blushing as she looked away, fidgeting with her fingers. Ben blinked in confusion, tilting his head slightly. Moments later, the third exam proctor, Hayate Gekko, arrived to explain what would be happening.
In short, the remaining examinees would be pitted against each other in one-on-one sudden death matches. That way, the numbers could be thinned out in somewhat of a tournament format. Those who won would advance, while those who lost would no longer be allowed to participate.
"So… we're just watching?" Ben assumed after being brought up into the viewing section with Kakashi and Team 7.
"Pretty much," the jonin answered with a chuckle.
"Still, sudden death?" Gwen chimed in, "That's a little… extreme…" she admitted nervously.
"Like Hayate said, one can concede," Kakashi pointed out.
"Ha!" Naruto laughed, "Like I'll ever do that!" he proclaimed while folding his arms behind his head confidently.
"Ugh…" Sakura groaned with a roll of her eyes. In the meantime, Ben curiously looked around at the other teams gathered in the area. More specifically, his attention was on Hinata, who seemed to be rather fidgety. Kakashi noticed.
"You can go and say hi if you want," he offered to the Omnitrix bearer, getting his attention, "Just as long as you stay in the arena, that is," he mentioned further.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Ben replied, wandering off down the viewing section. He approached the kunoichi and her teammates, along with their sensei, who perked up upon noticing him.
"Well, if it isn't the stranger…" she remarked in greeting, "Come to say hello?" she presumed.
"Yeah, hi," the Omnitrix bearer greeted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Figured if I'm stuck here for a while, might as well introduce myself," he pointed out.
"So you helped out Naruto, huh?" Kiba noted, getting his attention, "I wouldn't call that a noteworthy feat…" he proclaimed with a smug smirk.
"You'd be surprised…" Ben retorted to his confusion. He then took notice of Akamaru in the genin's coat. "Aw, look at this little guy…" he said, reaching out to pet the ninja hound. However, he bit his right hand. "OW!" the Omnitrix bearer yelped, grabbing his extremity. Luckily, it wasn't bleeding. "You little…" he grumbled, while Kiba laughed.
"Don't worry, that's just Akamaru being on guard," he pointed out in reassurance, "Name's Kiba," he introduced.
"I'm Ben," Ben replied in introduction, "And you guys are…?" he started to ask of the others of Team 8. Shino merely glanced over at the Omnitrix bearer.
"Shino Aburame," he said simply.
"Okay…" Ben uttered, somewhat perplexed by how the insect user was acting.
"And… um…" Hinata chimed in, getting his attention as he turned to see the girl beside him, "I'm… Hinata Hyuga…" she introduced.
"I happened to hear that you have somewhat of an intriguing Transformation Jutsu at your disposal," Kurenai noted curiously, causing the Omnitrix bearer to perk up, "That tool on your wrist is part of it, right?" she presumed.
"Uh, sorta…" Ben replied as he grabbed the alien device, "Bit more complicated than that…" he added in admittance.
"Well…" Hinata began, enticing him to look back over at her, "I already can tell you're a good person… since you helped Naruto like he said…" she pointed out. The Omnitrix bearer smiled.
"Yeah," he confirmed.
What started as a beautiful friendship would turn into a relationship that would be the catalyst to an unforeseen event in the future. But I'll talk about that later. For now, Ben stuck around with Team 8, watching the matches unfold and seeing victors emerge left and right. After Naruto managed to defeat Kiba with somewhat crude means… Hinata was selected to be next… against Neji Hyuga, her cousin.
OPENING
Insert "Hero" by Martin Garrix X JVKE
Opens with Hinata standing outside of the training room as she overhears her father announcing that her heiress status is being stripped away. She attends the Ninja Academy, not motivated in the slightest as she finds herself depressed from all the strains put on her life. However, she ends up seeing one ray of light in her life, being none other than Naruto.
As she becomes a part of Team 8, she starts to regain her confidence. Even going into the Chunin Exams, she's prepared to give it her all, just as the person she admires would. However, as it comes time for the one-on-one matches, she finds herself pitted against Neji, much to her fright.
Her fears start to manifest around her, but suddenly, they're blown away as both Ben and Naruto shout for her to fight. She wills herself back to her feet thanks to their encouragement, activating her Byakugan as her eyes become concentrated, while veins bulge around them. She charges forward, ready to do battle.
We witness her training over the years, mastering her Gentle Fist while sparring against Neji, all while Hizashi Hyuga watches them proudly. Grown up, Hinata even masters the Twin Lion Fists, using them in battle against Pain to try and help Naruto. Though she fails, she's at least able to proclaim her love for the shinobi who taught her to never give up.
And we see her encouraging him again during the Fourth Great Ninja War, smacking him to his senses before holding hands with him as she becomes cloaked in his Nine-Tails' chakra. They're joined by the likes of Ben, Ash, Gingka, and Rex, ready to hurry into battle. There are various flashes of Hinata joining Ben and Rook in their world, becoming a trio as they battle alien enemies while also safeguarding Bellwood and the rest of the world. For a moment, Hinata and Ben bump into each other, looking over their shoulders and blushing a little in embarrassment. Though they may have had some feelings for each other at one point, they both realize that it isn't meant to be.
One of the many multiversal friends Hinata makes is Korra, whom she shares a complex relationship with as she's the first person to really make her crawl out of her shell. She fends off Equalist chi blockers to protect her and Mako, followed by joining forces with Natsu Dragneel to defeat Midnight. She also gets to laugh alongside the likes of Rainbow Dash, as they're enjoying a lunch together at a coffee shop. With so many friends across the multiverse, Hinata finds herself no longer with fear.
It all culminates to the point where she finds herself getting proposed to by Naruto, making her cry with happiness as she accepts. Onlookers smile and clap for the engaged couple as they kiss. Hinata lovingly embraces him, thankful for his support throughout her life.
END OPENING
HINATA HYUGA
As the matches began, showing the Tennyson cousins just how frightening and cunning the shinobi of the Leaf and other nations could be, Ben had the opportunity to learn more about those striving to be top shinobi. All the while, he got to cheer for those he wanted to win, including Naruto, of course…
"UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" the blonde-haired genin exclaimed as he landed a fierce axe kick to Kiba's face, knocking him down onto the ground as those watching widened their eyes in surprise. After a match that seemed to be more in his opponent's favor, Naruto had taken advantage of his strong sense of smell to turn the tide and make a comeback. Though he had quite a few cuts along his body, he grinned victoriously.
"Nice one, Naruto!" Ben called out in cheer, only to remember he was standing right alongside Kiba's team, "Oh, uh… sorry…" he stuttered apologetically. Kurenai chuckled. As the blonde-haired genin was declared the winner, he excitedly ran up the steps back to the viewing section.
"You see that, Ben?!" he inquired as he ran up to the Omnitrix bearer, "I totally kicked his sorry butt!" he shouted.
"More like his face…" his new friend corrected, sharing a laugh with him.
"Alright, better get myself some rest before the next round…" he decided, folding his arms behind his head before walking off past Ben, who chuckled still. But then he happened to notice something. Hinata was twiddling her thumbs nervously as she held a small jar in her hands. Her blush grew as Naruto walked past her from behind. With as much courage as she could muster…
"N…Naruto…" she stuttered out slowly. The blonde-haired genin heard her, coming to a stop.
"Huh?" he uttered, "You say something? Hinata?" he asked. The young kunoichi kept twiddling her thumbs nervously as her crush turned to her, perplexed as to what she wanted.
"I… thought… maybe…" she slowly started to say, gulping to swallow her fears. She then walked up to Naruto, handing him the jar she had while shutting her eyes.
"Huh?" he uttered in confusion again. Ben watched on curiously.
'Well… that's obvious…' he realized through his thoughts, letting off a little grin.
"What's uh… this?" Naruto asked of Hinata, narrowing his eyes onto the jar she was offering him.
"It's a healing ointment, Naruto," Kurenai answered for her student.
"For me?" the blonde-haired genin assumed in surprise.
"Dude, just take it," Ben insisted as he approached, getting his attention, "It's the nice thing to do, right?" he presumed.
"Guess so…" Naruto agreed, "Uh, thanks, Hinata," he said gratefully, accepting the jar before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. She nervously smiled back, still blushing. As he headed off, she sighed with relief.
"So…" Ben chimed in, leaning against the railing next to her, "you like him, right?" he guessed. The kunoichi's face turned about as red as a tomato as she squeaked.
"W-W-What?!" she stuttered out in panic.
"Hey, I'm not judging…" the Omnitrix bearer assured with his hands raised, "He's a pretty cool guy," he pointed out, "But uh… he's kinda already obsessed with Sakura…" he mentioned, glancing over to see the blonde-haired genin offering his teammate the ointment he received as well. Frowning, Hinata turned away.
"I know that…" she said quietly, "But… I…" she tried to continue, only to tense up. Ben gave off a worried look. It was clear that she had feelings for Naruto, yet couldn't work up the courage to really express them. "I should go check on Kiba…" she decided as she pulled out another jar of ointment from her jacket, jogging off down the steps to meet the medical team carrying her teammate away on the stretcher.
Watching her go, the Omnitrix bearer wondered how someone with such a timid nature could be a ninja. And then, he turned and noticed someone else eyeing her. It was Neji.
Ben immediately recognized that he and Hinata were related from their similar eyes. Though based on the glare the brunette-haired genin gave off, it wasn't a kind relationship. He looked back to the kunoichi, who was talking with Kiba as he was hurt, but still able to talk.
"Alright," Hayate chimed in, "We'll now select the names for the next match," he confirmed. Those still watching saw the remaining names randomly flicker upon the screen above the arms statue, awaiting who would be selected. There were three potential matches left, and the odds of one in particular were slim. The names stopped on the big screen.
NEJI HYUGA VS HINATA HYUGA
Blinking in surprise, Ben looked over to the kunoichi selected. She had a horrified expression. Kiba had warned her that if she was matched up against her relative, she'd not only lose, he would do everything in his power to destroy her. Moments later, the two faced off upon the center stage.
"I never we would face each other like this… Hinata," Neji admitted.
"Nor I… brother…" she responded in confession.
"Wait, what?!" Ben exclaimed out of shock upon overhearing, "He's her brother?!" he inquired.
"Not exactly," Shino replied, getting his attention, "If anything, they're more like cousins," he told him.
"That's right," Kurenai confirmed. She went on to explain how the two below were a part of the Hyuga Clan, an ancient family of the Leaf. Hinata was a part of the main family, while Neji was in a side branch. Though they were of the same clan, the main household had set restrictions onto the family in terms of the techniques of their bloodline. And some branches broke the rules that were set.
That friction between the branches and the main family was essentially a feud that spilled over into both Hinata and Neji's lives. But it was much more complicated than that. Before Ben could ask why, Hayate announced that the two genin could begin fighting when ready. He noticed how reluctant the kunoichi seemed, not even taking a stance unlike her cousin.
"Before we do this, a word of advice," he said, "Hinata, listen to me," he advised, causing her to perk up, "Withdraw now," he instructed, "You know you were never meant to be a ninja…" he noted callously to her shock as her eyes widened. Ben blinked in surprise. That sounded way more hostile than he could've imagined. "You're too kind and gentle," Neji pointed out, "You seek harmony… and avoid conflict," he mentioned further, "You allow yourself to be easily swayed by others," he added, "Admit it…" he insisted as she looked away ashamedly, "You have no confidence, you feel inferior to everyone else here," he listed off, "It would've been better for you to simply remain a genin," he proclaimed, "But to register for the Chunin Exams, you need a team of three people," he noted, "You never even wanted to take part in these exams, but Shino and Kiba did," he continued, "And you couldn't bear to let your teammates down…" he affirmed, giving off a glare, "could you?" he guessed.
"No… you're wrong…!" Hinata responded, "You're wrong…" she whimpered out, "I wanted… I had to find out…" she tried to say, "I did it because I wanted to see if I could change…" she told him. Everyone watched on worriedly, especially Kurenai. She knew how troubled Hinata's life had been. Her kindness had made her far too complacent, at least in the eyes of her father. He essentially stripped away her status as an heiress to the Hyuga Clan in favor of her younger sister, who was already showing more promise as a potential shinobi.
Hinata was left in her teacher's care, but she was still under that immense pressure of not being able to meet expectations. For a time, she felt a little reassured, especially with teammates like Kiba and Shino at her side. But now, she was on her own… against her cousin no less.
"You're nothing more than the pampered offspring of the Hyuga's main branch…" he pointed out coldly.
"Wha…?" she uttered in shock upon hearing him.
"People can't change no matter how hard they try," he proclaimed, causing her to widen her shaking eyes in astonishment, "They can't run away from their true nature," he noted, "A failure… will always be a failure," he mentioned on. Ben was starting to tense up with anger. And he wasn't the only one. Naruto was growling as he listened to what Neji was spouting off. "People are judged by their true nature," he pointed out, "It's the way of the world," he affirmed further, "That is why we have an elite… and outcasts that are left to be protected," he added, making Hinata blink in shock again.
"Why is he doing this…?" Gwen asked from the viewing section.
"It sounds like resentment…" Sakura noted, gripping the railings in front of her tightly, "Still…" she uttered worriedly.
"We can change our physical appearance, improve our skills with training and studies," Neji listed off to the frightened girl before him, "But ultimately, we are judged by what we cannot change," he stated, "What can't be changed must be endured," he continued as Hinata trembled, "We are who we are, Hinata," he said, "And we must live with it," he added. As he continued spouting off, both Ben and Naruto were starting to grow restless. They wanted to go down there and give the branch family member a piece of their minds for how coldhearted he was being.
Eventually, Neji further readied himself for battle by activating his Byakugan, a visual jutsu that was the bloodline trait of the Hyuga Clan. Veins bulged around his eyes, which became intensely concentrated. As he stared ahead at the frightened girl before him, she trembled. She felt frozen as his glare burned into her, as if he was looking right through her.
He practically was. He noticed every little movement she made, whether it was a tremble or a glance, insinuating that she was thinking of her troubled past and if it prepared her for this moment. And she pictured herself losing if she tried to fight. It wasn't like that would be unexpected, but it still frustrated her to think that even trying would be for naught.
Not that she was thinking about that in the moment, because her panic was overtaking any other feelings she had. Neji was reading her like a book. Her eyes became teary as she started to breathe heavily. The match hadn't even started, and she was already weak in the knees.
"It's all futile, Hinata," her cousin said, "You are what you are," he proclaimed, "Whether you admit it… or not," he finished firmly. It felt like the young genin's world had come crumbling down in front of her. He was right. She was afraid, she was panicked. She was too kind for this world.
"THAT DOES IT!" Naruto's voice suddenly roared, getting everyone's attention. He was gripping the railing of the viewing section tightly with both of his hands while also having the ointment jar set down beside his feet. Neji glanced back at him, deactivating his Byakugan, while Hinata slowly looked up in surprise. She hadn't imagined her crush would interject. "Who gave you the right to tell her what she can or can't be?!" he shouted in question, "Go on Hinata, show this guy he's wrong!" he yelled for the kunoichi, whose eyes were shaking in astonishment.
"Yeah, kick that jerk's ass!" Ben exclaimed from afar, much to her surprise as she spotted him beside Kurenai and Shino.
'Naruto… Ben…' she uttered inwardly, starting to calm down.
"Hinata!" the blonde-haired genin yelled as everyone looked over at him in shock, "You just gonna stand there and take that?!" he inquired of her, "Do something! You're driving me crazy!" he insisted.
"Hey, calm down…!" Gwen advised in a whisper.
"Yeah, show him what you're made of!" Ben roared out.
"Ben!" his cousin yelled in a reprimanding tone.
"Guess those two really are friends…" Sakura noted with a chuckle.
"It would seem that way," Lee agreed. Kakashi grinned under his mask. Meanwhile, Hinata lowered her head in contemplation. How could she not at least try after the encouragement from her crush? Heck, even Ben was cheering her on.
'You're both right…' she realized. Irritated with their shouts, Neji looked back at her. And immediately, he could notice that something had changed about his opponent. She lifted her head up with determination in her eyes. 'Thank you…' she inwardly said with gratitude to the two boys who came to her defense.
"If you don't forfeit the match, you know what will happen…" her cousin pointed out. She didn't care for his words to try and discourage her now. As she weaved her hand signs, all she could think about was no longer hiding or running. That wasn't her crush's ninja way, nor would it be hers.
"Byakugan!" she exclaimed, activating her visual jutsu as the veins around her concentrating eyes bulged. She took on a ready stance, raising her palms. "Defend yourself… my brother," she advised of her opponent. He took his own stance, reactivating his Byakugan.
"Very well…" he responded. And like that, their match had begun.
X
For the untrained eyes, it seemed as if Neji and Hinata were evenly matched. Between dodging and deflecting each other's palm strikes, they were making wind whistle throughout the arena. At one point, the kunoichi managed to strike her cousin with a glancing blow, making him step back.
Their way of fighting was unique in terms of taijutsu. The method involved focusing on attacking the internal organs of the opponent, rendering them immediately weakened. And since internal organs couldn't be strengthened, any ninja would be susceptible to such a technique. That was where both genin had an advantage against each other.
Along with that, their attacks focused on a person's chakra network, which was similar to a vascular system. There were many points in the network that could be struck, stopping the chakra's flow or increasing it. Though it was invisible to the regular eye, the Byakugan could see it.
Ben watched as the two members of the Hyuga Clan continued exchanging blows. It was to the point where they closed in on each other, with Hinata attempting to land a palm strike to her cousin's chest. And it seemed as if he wouldn't be able to dodge. No one in the viewing sections could tell if she landed the vital blow that would've given her the edge. And then… she coughed up blood.
"Wait, what?!" Gwen exclaimed, while everyone around her widened their eyes. Neji had countered his cousin's palm strike by jabbing his left hand's fingers into her arm, disrupting her flow of chakra before she could hit him. All the while, his right hand had been used as a feint, with his fingertips barely touching her forehead protector. The blood from her mouth dripped onto the bandages.
"So that's it, huh?" he presumed, "That's all there is to the main branch's power?" he inquired on. Gritting her teeth, Hinata swiped his arm away with her left before attempting another strike. But he grabbed it, jabbing the fingers of his right hand into her limb.
"No!" Ben yelped out in panic, grabbing at the railing. Hinata breathed heavily with exhaustion, but was still ready to fight, even as Neji hardly seemed tired at all. He then grabbed her jacket's sleeve, pushing it back to reveal the many red, dot-like marks on her body.
"Wait… so that means all this time…!" she started to assume out of panic.
"That's right," her cousin confirmed, "I can see all of your chakra points clearly," he pointed out. His attacks from before had done what they were intended to, disrupting her chakra flow by striking the points necessary. He then knocked her away with another palm strike, making her fall to the ground and slide to a stop. "Look, Hinata…" he began as he walked up to her, deactivating his Byakugan, "I'm completely out of your league, and that won't change," he told her, "This is what separates the elite from the failures," he proclaimed on, while his cousin breathed heavily with exhaustion, looking back at him, "You may not like it, but it's a fact," he affirmed, "From the instant you said you wouldn't run anymore, your fate was sealed," he stated, "You were destined for failure," he said coldly, "Now this is your last warning," he continued, "Forfeit the match," he advised. Hinata continued breathing heavily as blood dripped out of her mouth onto the floor.
"I… I…" she tried to say, clenching her fists before trying to push herself up, "I never… go back…" she kept going as she slowly managed to get to her feet, "…on my word…!" she declared, thinking of the boy she had fallen for, "Because that too…" she continued, "is my ninja way," she affirmed, even as blood dripped from her lips. Neji was growing all the more frustrated with her resilience, while she looked up thankfully at the person who inspired her to keep fighting.
"I had no idea how tough Hinata was…" he admitted aloud from the viewing section.
"She is a lot like you," Lee pointed out.
"Come to think of it, she is always watching you…" Sakura mentioned to her teammate's surprise. Gwen smiled a little.
'Guess that's obvious…' she noted to herself, while Naruto watched on. From afar, Ben gripped the railing worriedly as he trembled, gritting his teeth.
"I can't believe she's still going for it…" he admitted.
"I'm surprised myself," Shino confessed, getting his attention, "But now, I'm certain of it," he affirmed on, "Hinata doesn't want to be seen as just another genin," he pointed out, "She wants to prove herself… to everyone," he proclaimed.
"Well…" the Omnitrix bearer began, "she's already proved it to me," he said. Kurenai smiled at him, but then looked out to see her student coughing up more blood. She was reaching her limits. One more attack would settle things. And Neji had a look in his eyes that seemed to be intent on killing her. Naruto grew all the more frustrated, especially as Sakura took note of how mismatched Hinata was against her cousin. He gripped the jar of ointment she gave him tightly.
"Go, Hinata!" he yelled out, "You can do it!" he cheered. Breathing heavily, the bleeding kunoichi looked up at him.
'Naruto…' she uttered inwardly. Strength came back into her eyes. She charged forward, not willing to relent. As she and Neji exchanged blows again, she thought more and more about the person she admired most, how she watched him persevere despite the challenges put against him. He changed, so why couldn't she?
The fact that he was supporting her made her feel as if she could. Everyone watched as she kept fighting, not willing to give up. She yelled as she attempted another palm strike, but Neji sidestepped out of the way to her surprise. He retaliated with a hit to the underside of her chin, making her slide back.
"Hinata!" both Naruto and Ben yelled. The young kunoichi managed to bring herself to a stop, though she began going into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.
"Something's off…" Gwen realized, "He didn't hit any of her organs, did he?" she inquired of Kakashi.
"He did, technically speaking," he confirmed in response to her shock, "Chakra points are essentially intertwined with the internal organs in most facets," he explained, "In which case, Neji's been striking not only those points, but also her most vital organs…" he added, narrowing his right eye.
"Then… that means…" Gwen started to realize.
"Hinata…" Sakura uttered worriedly, while Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration. The Hyuga girl, in spite of her injuries, charged forward. All this time, she had been left watching as the person she liked persevere. But now, he was watching her.
'I finally get to show you what I can do… Naruto!' she exclaimed inwardly as she closed in on Neji, attempting a palm strike with her right hand. He quickly countered with his own. The pair of Byakugan users stood still for a moment before Hinata fell forward, collapsing onto the floor.
"No!" Ben exclaimed, while a few others gasped.
"You just didn't get it…" Neji muttered, "Your strikes were ineffective from the very start," he pointed out, walking away. He had landed a direct blow to her chest. Something like that wouldn't be easy to stand up from.
Naruto looked down in frustration, gripping the ointment jar he had been given so tightly that it cracked a little. Seeing how Hinata wanted to prove she could change, even against someone as strong as her cousin, it boiled his blood to think that she hadn't become what she wanted. She lied down, appearing motionless. Hayate approached.
"Since she's no longer able to continue this match—"
"NO!" Naruto roared out suddenly, interrupting him, "Don't stop this match!" he insisted to everyone's surprise.
"Naruto, what on Earth are you doing?!" Sakura asked angrily, "Hinata's had it!" she pointed out, "You can see she's unconscious, can't you?" she presumed, only to look down and gasp.
"No way…" Gwen uttered with shaking eyes. Everyone watched in disbelief as the Hyuga girl started to push herself back up in spite of all her injuries. Blood dripped from her lips, but she willed herself to her feet, breathing shakily. She stumbled a little, but managed to stand firm, holding onto her left side.
"What do you think you're doing…?" Neji asked, astonished himself at how stubborn his cousin was being, "If you keep fighting, you'll most certainly die…" he warned, sweating a little. Hinata wasn't going to give up, not when there were people cheering for her, including the one she admired most. They were seeing the real version of her, not the shy, timid one. With a growl, her opponent reactivated his Byakugan again.
"I'm far… from finished!" she grunted out as she stepped forward.
"Give up the tough guy act," Neji insisted, "I can tell you're barely standing," he noted, "You've been carrying a very heavy burden, having been born into the main branch of the Hyuga Clan," he pointed out to his foe, "And you've cursed and blamed yourself for being weak," he mentioned, "But look… people can't change, no matter how hard they try," he proclaimed, "That's just how it is," he affirmed, "Just accept defeat, and you won't have to suffer anymore!" he shouted in demand. However, Hinata shook her head.
"No, you're wrong…" she breathed out, "You've got it backwards…" she claimed to her foe's surprise, "You see… I can tell…" she continued, "you're the one… who's suffering much more than I…" she said.
"I… what?" he uttered in confusion.
"You are the one… who's all torn up…" Hinata kept going, "about the fate of the main and side branches of the Hyuga Clan…" she pointed out. That apparently was enough to set her cousin off as he charged at her without any reservation.
"Neji, no! The match is over!" Hayate shouted, but the Hyuga boy didn't listen, about to strike. However, he never got the chance as another figure sped in front of him. It was XLR8, who whipped him back with his tail before he could react.
"Back off, punk," he remarked as his visor came up, revealing his angered glare. Growling, Neji was ready to attack him next. However, he was stopped by Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Hayate.
"Neji, get ahold of yourself!" his teacher advised immediately while having his left arm around his neck, "You promised me you wouldn't let this whole head family business get you riled up!" he pointed out.
"Why are you and the other jonin butting in?!" Neji growled in question, "The head family gets special treatment, huh?!" he presumed.
"You want 'special treatment'?" XLR8 offered as he readied his claws, "I can play patty cake with you before you can even blink…" he threatened.
"That's enough, Ben," Kakashi advised, getting his attention. All of a sudden, they heard Hinata gasp with pain. She collapsed to her knees, coughing up more blood.
"Hinata!" Kurenai exclaimed, going over to her side.
"Hey, what's wrong?!" XLR8 asked as he crouched down in front of her.
"Hinata!" Naruto cried out as he, Sakura and Lee came down as well. As the Hyuga girl was laid down on her back, the other genin approached her, with her crush crouching at her side. "Hinata… you gonna be okay?" he inquired worriedly.
"N…Naruto…" she managed to weakly utter as she looked over at him. XLR8 clenched his teeth, wanting to speed over to Neji and kick his teeth in. However, a hand came onto his shoulder, causing him to look over and see his cousin there. She looked at him seriously and shook her head, causing him to reluctantly relax himself. He tapped the Omnitrix symbol at his chest, transforming back into Ben in a green flash of light. They watched as Hinata slipped into unconsciousness, barely able to ask her crush if she thought she had changed, even just a little.
"Hey you, losers," Neji chimed in, getting both Naruto and Ben's attentions as they looked over at him, "I've got two pieces of advice for you," he told them, "First of all, if you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours, it's disgraceful," he explained toward the blonde-haired genin, "And second, once a failure… always a failure," he mentioned on, "You can't change that," he proclaimed, "That goes for you too, otherworlder," he added to the Omnitrix bearer. Both he and Naruto stood up.
"We'll just see about that…" the latter growled out. The Hyuga boy smirked in response, enticing the blonde-haired genin to charge at him. However, he was stopped as Lee slid in front of him to make him stop. As they talked, Ben looked back at Hinata worriedly. All of a sudden, she coughed up more blood.
"Oh no!" Gwen yelped out. Kurenai unzipped her student's jacket, placing her left hand onto her chest. Her eyes widened.
'She's going into cardiac arrest…' she realized in panic, looking over and glaring at Neji, 'Was he really trying to kill her?' she wondered.
"I wouldn't waste your time glaring at me… when you should really be taking care of her," the Hyuga boy pointed out, earning more glares from Ben, Gwen, Sakura, and Naruto. The medical team hurried, assessing Hinata's condition before loading her onto the stretcher. She had no pulse, so she had ten minutes at best to get resuscitated. As she was hurried away, the Omnitrix bearer watched on. He wished he had intervened sooner to help save her. But at the same time, he knew she wanted to fight to the bitter end. So did Naruto.
He crouched down at a small pool of blood left behind. Touching it with his fingers, he dragged them back before standing up, turning to face Neji. He blinked in surprise to see the blonde-haired genin hold his clenched fist out to him, dripping with Hinata's blood.
"I vow to win," he declared.
"Hmph," Neji scoffed with a smirk, starting to walk off. However, Ben stepped out in front of him to his surprise. "Move," he insisted. The Omnitrix bearer gave him a glare.
"Try and make me," he challenged back.
"Ben, don't…" Gwen insisted as she came over and grabbed her cousin's arm, pulling him away, "It's not worth it," she affirmed quietly, though she too was frustrated by the circumstances. The Omnitrix bearer kept his glare fixated on the Hyuga boy, inwardly vowing that if Naruto didn't beat him, he would.
I'm sure most of you know how the story goes from here. Naruto eventually would face off with Neji in the next match of the exams, winning to complete his vow. Though before then, he got the chance to speak with Hinata, who managed to somewhat recover from her injuries. She didn't get to see her crush's victory as her heart issues were acting up again, but the sentiment was there.
There were quite a few events occurring from there. Between the attack on the Leaf Village, Lady Tsunade getting inducted as the Fifth Hokage, and Sasuke Uchiha defecting from the Leaf to go to Orochimaru, Hinata never really got the chance to speak with Naruto again. However, she had someone else to talk to, being Ben of course…
Let's see where that leads…
X
"So… it's a date?" Gwen inquired of her cousin as they trekked along the streets of the Leaf toward the Hyuga Mansion.
"N-No!" he stuttered out, "It's just… us hanging out…" he claimed, folding his arms behind his head as he blushed a little.
"Which is totally your way of helping her come out of her shell, isn't it?" his cousin guessed, making him blush even redder, "That's… actually such a roundabout way of being a wingman that it's adorable," she commented with a giggle.
"Oh, shut up…" Ben muttered out, exhaling a sigh, "A lot's happened…" he noted as he glanced up for a moment, "The Third died, a new Hokage's here, Sasuke left…" he listed off.
"I heard Naruto's gonna be going off on a training journey at some point," Gwen mentioned, "A lot's changing," she said, "Not all of it for the better…" she added in admittance, grabbing her right arm, which had a scar on it. Her cousin tensed up a little.
"Hey, we're here," he pointed out, seeing that they had arrived at the wood gate doors. Before they could think to knock, they were opened to their surprise. Coming out was Neji. He blinked in surprise to see the pair there.
"Oh, hello," he greeted, "You must be here for Lady Hinata, yes?" he presumed.
"Uh, yeah…" Ben replied, "She's uh… getting ready, I guess?" he assumed unsurely. Neji sighed.
"You can come in," he assured, stepping aside for the Omnitrix bearer.
"Thanks," he said, jogging into the estate.
"Huh…" the Byakugan user sighed. Since the Chunin Exams, his relationship with Ben had become… strange to say the least. They were colleagues now, but it felt awkward as the Omnitrix bearer would normally visit to see his cousin. "I can't tell if he's doing this in a way to spite me or something…" he admitted with an unsure look. Gwen chuckled.
"That's just Ben being Ben," she affirmed, "You been good?" she inquired of him, changing the subject. In the meantime, Hinata had slid the door open to her room before stepping out, grabbing her footwear. As she put it on, she overheard the approaching footsteps, enticing her to look over and smile to see the Omnitrix bearer coming over.
"H-Hi Ben!" she stuttered in greeting.
"Yo," he greeted back with a wave, "You up for some Ichiraku's?" he offered with a grin. A while later, he was slurping on ramen noodles alongside the Hyuga girl, moaning contently at the rich flavors he tasted. "Man, Naruto sure knows the best food here!" he remarked with a grin. Hinata giggled a little.
"I heard he's going to be out training with Master Jiraiya soon," she pointed out, getting the Omnitrix bearer's attention as he licked his lips, "It sounds like it'll be a long time before he comes back…" she mentioned, twiddling her fingers, "I hope… he's able to get stronger…" she said.
"Me too," Ben agreed, slurping on more of his noodles, "And you and I'll get stronger, too," he added as a vow, much to her surprise, "I'll get new aliens and learn how to better control the Omnitrix," he affirmed, "And you'll learn more of those… uh… Gentle Fist moves, yeah!" he stuttered additionally with a nervous laugh.
"I'll do my best," Hinata vowed, looking down in thought, "I don't want to be left behind when everyone's encouraging me to get stronger…" she told her friend, "And I'm going to be a proper shinobi," she promised on, making Ben smile, "Oh, I almost forgot…" she said, reaching over to grab a small box seated upon the stool to her right, "I made you something as a thank you gift," she told him, handing it off to the Omnitrix bearer, who was admittedly surprised.
"Uh, thanks…" he responded, taking the box into his hands, He undid the bow and opened the cover to find that inside was a green jacket with white stripes on the left sleeve and the number 10 on the right side in white within a black circle over another white stripe going down. "Whoa… you made this?!" he exclaimed as he pulled it out to get a better look.
"I tend to knit as a hobby…" Hinata admitted, fidgeting with her pointer fingers, "And… I wanted to thank you for helping us out all the time…" she pointed out to Ben, who blinked in surprise, "Do… you like it?" she inquired.
"Um…" the Omnitrix bearer uttered, tilting his head for a moment, "It's a little big…" he admitted, making her wince a little, "But I'll grow into it," he assured. The Hyuga girl smiled, glad that her gift was suited for her friend. The two of them went on to finish up their bowls of ramen, heading off for the evening. As they walked side by side, Ben looked over at Hinata for a moment.
He had to wonder how dense Naruto had to be to not notice how pretty she was. Not to mention that Sakura had repeatedly wailed on him in the past. He watched as the Hyuga girl brushed her hair back behind her left ear, causing him to blush a little before he glanced away.
'Cool your jets, dude…' he insisted of himself, 'Remember, you're trying to help get her with the guy she's in love with…' he noted inwardly.
Oh, how fickle something like love can be. Years passed, and Ben was becoming much more mature, along with gaining himself a girlfriend. However, he'd soon return to the Leaf for an even bigger surprise…
TWO YEARS LATER
"I can't believe it's been two whole years…" Gwen admitted as she and her cousin were trekking through the bustling Leaf Village streets.
"I can't believe you guys never told me you had tech to go around the multiverse…" Kevin Levin chimed in, walking behind them, "I mean, this is…" he started to say as he looked around, "not really what I expected, but it's different," he affirmed to them.
"We all know you'd try to sell my MPG for some extra cash, Kevin," Ben pointed out as he folded his arms behind his head.
"…Touché," the hybrid Osmosian muttered in response, looking away.
"Anyway, that wouldn't even work," Gwen chimed in, "The MPGs are hard-coded to their users," she explained, "Speaking of which, I guess that means Naruto didn't take his with him on his training, if he's not already back yet," she presumed.
"This Naruto guy really all that special?" Kevin inquired.
"Yeah, you'd be surprised," Ben replied as he and the others turned a corner, "He's the strongest kid I knew a few years back, taking on monsters and who knows how many other creeps," he mentioned further.
"Well, even if he's not here, we can at least say hi to the others," Gwen pointed out with a grin.
"Others?" Kevin repeated.
"Yeah, other ninja we made friends with," Ben confirmed, "Like Hinata, Neji, Sakura, Lee, Kiba…" he listed off, putting up a finger on his right hand for each name.
"Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing the first name on that list's special…" his taller friend presumed.
"W-What?" the Omnitrix bearer stuttered.
"Yeah…" Gwen agreed, "I would've figured you'd bring up Sakura first, since we got to know her first…" she pointed out.
"Well… I…" her cousin stammered out, starting to blush a little.
"So, who's Hinata?" Kevin inquired curiously.
"Guys, come on…" Ben groaned out in embarrassment, "Okay, fine," he said, "Hinata is one of my close friends in this universe, and we happened to… semi-date for a while…" he told them.
"'Semi-date'?" Gwen repeated with a chuckle, "That's what you called it?" she questioned of her cousin.
"Hey, it wasn't actually a date!" he argued, "It was just us helping build up her confidence!" he pointed out.
"Confidence for what exactly?" Kevin asked.
"She… likes Naruto," Ben answered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "And I wanted to… help, you know?" he said.
"Him 'semi-dating' was his roundabout way of helping her build up confidence," Gwen chimed in with her arms crossed.
"Don't you think that could backfire on you, dude?" Kevin inquired, arching an eyebrow toward the Omnitrix bearer.
"Uh, how?" he asked back in confusion. Before his friend could respond, they heard an excited woof in the distance. Coming towards the group was a large white dog, panting as he pounced onto both Ben and Gwen, who both yelped in surprise.
"Did you guys sneak dog treats here or something…?" Kevin inferred with a smirk.
"Now that you mention it, we probably should've for Akamaru…" the Omnitrix bearer admitted, only for the canine to woof happily again, "Wait… are you…?" he started to guess, quite surprised as the dog licked his face.
"Hey, Akamaru!" a familiar voice called out, getting their attentions as they looked to see none other than Kiba running over, "You can't just go taking off on us when we're about to— Huh?" he uttered upon spotting the trio his partner was being affectionate with.
"Kiba!" Gwen exclaimed as she saw him, followed by receiving a lick of her own from Akamaru.
"Hey!" the shinobi yelled, jogging over, "It's been a while!" he pointed out.
"We can tell by how big Akamaru is," the hybrid Anodite noted as the canine went down on all-fours, "How've you been?" she asked curiously.
"Great!" Kiba responded, adjusting his forehead protector, "I'm a full-fledged shinobi now!" he proclaimed with a pump of his right fist, "So's the rest of the team," he mentioned with a grin.
"Good to hear," Gwen replied as she smiled.
"And based on how Akamaru came after you too, you must be Ben," Kiba presumed as the Omnitrix bearer was petting the ninja hound.
"Yeah," he confirmed in reply with a chuckle, "Good to see you, Kiba," he greeted. The shinobi laughed, but stopped upon taking notice of Kevin, causing him to blink in surprise.
"Uh, hey," he greeted, "You must be one of their friends, right?" he guessed, "I'm Kiba Inuzuka," he introduced to the hybrid Osmosian, who folded his arms over his chest.
"Kevin, don't be like that," Gwen insisted as she came over, "Yeah, this is Kevin," she introduced for her friend, "He's… well… it's a long story…" she added quietly to the chunin.
"Isn't he the guy you and Ben had to fight when you used to be kids…?" Kiba inquired back.
"I can hear you…" Kevin grumbled out, while Ben chuckled.
"Well, this is a surprise," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they saw another figure approach, "I didn't think we'd see you again until Naruto returned to the Leaf," he admitted. The person was a man dressed in a sea green jacket that hung down to his knees and the addition of a hood that obstructed his face and a satchel on his back. "It's been a long time, Ben," he remarked to the Omnitrix bearer.
"Oh, hey Shino," he greeted, causing him to blink in surprise underneath his sunglasses, "Yeah, it's been a while," he agreed with a chuckle.
"You… actually recognized me…" the insect user noted aloud, turning away for a moment. Ben blinked twice.
'Still weird as ever, huh?' he presumed inwardly.
"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Kiba inquired, "Is Naruto already back?" he guessed, raising an eyebrow.
"Even if he was, we didn't lock onto his MPG's location," Gwen replied with a shake of her head, "We just went to the Leaf travel point that was set up for us," she explained.
"As for why we're here…" Ben continued as he let Akamaru lick him affectionately, "we were hoping to get some help from Tsunade in regards to Kevin," he told the pair of Team Kurenai members.
"For him? Why?" Kiba asked, looking over at the hybrid Osmosian, who sighed.
"There you are!" another voice called out, causing the group to look over to see another person jogging over, "Kurenai Sensei's waiting for us at the gates, you know!" she yelled, "We should get moving before—!" She stopped herself upon noticing what was going on. Ben's eyes slowly widened in surprise.
"Hi…nata?" he uttered slowly. Standing there with her hair now reaching her lower back and the framing strands at shoulder-length was the kunoichi. She wore a lavender and cream hooded-jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armor. She also donned navy blue pants, black, low-heeled sandals, and changes the cloth of her forehead protector from blue to black. The Omnitrix bearer stared at her for what felt like a solid minute as a blush started growing on his face.
"Hinata, hi!" Gwen greeted as she went over to the Hyuga girl, who blinked in surprise.
"Gwen!" she exclaimed with a smile, "It's so good to see you again!" she remarked.
"You too!" the hybrid Anodite responded, sharing a giggle with her. Meanwhile, Kevin walked up to Ben's side.
"So that's her, huh?" he guessed.
"Y-Yeah…" the Omnitrix bearer stuttered, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away nervously. Kevin glanced over, noticing his blush. He smirked.
"You're making it obvious, dude…" he commented cheekily, causing Ben to flinch as his face went redder.
"Hey…" he groaned out.
"That must mean you're Ben, right?" Hinata guessed, getting his attention as he looked back over at her.
"Uh, yeah, hey!" he greeted in response, "Long time, huh?" he noted as he approached. The Hyuga girl giggled.
"It definitely has been," she agreed, followed by blinking in surprise, "You grew into it," she pointed out. Confused for a moment, the Omnitrix bearer blinked in realization.
"Oh," he said, looking at his jacket, "Yeah, fits like a glove…" he remarked, while Gwen widened her eyes slightly, "Anyway, sounds like you guys got a mission to get to," he noted, "We can uh… catch up later," he affirmed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, we can head over to Ichiraku's!" Kiba suggested as he boarded Akamaru, "Let's go!" he called out, riding off down the street.
"I guess we'll see you later then," Shino presumed, heading off as well. Hinata stayed behind for a moment.
"So… is Naruto…?" she started to ask.
"Sorry, Hinata…" Gwen apologized, "but we don't know what he's up to right now," she pointed out, "He's probably still not back," she assumed.
"I see…" the Hyuga girl uttered, letting off a little smile, "Well, we can all talk more later," she confirmed, bowing to her friends, "Bye!" she called out, hurrying off.
"Bye…" Ben uttered out, exhaling a sigh afterward. He then felt two pairs of eyes staring at him rather intensely. He turned to see his cousin and his friend there. "Wh-What?" he stuttered in question.
"Dude… that was way too obvious," Kevin pointed out, causing him to blush a bright red.
"And you never told me that she made your jacket…" Gwen added curiously.
"She… likes to knit and sew!" Ben pointed out, "It was her way of saying thanks for me helping out in the Leaf while we were stuck here…" he added in explanation.
"Are you going to tell her about Julie?" his cousin inquired.
"Uh… why would I need to do that…?" he asked back, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe because it's a way to make it less obvious you like her?" Kevin suggested in response, only to get his stomach elbowed by Gwen, "Ow!" he yelped out.
"As dumb as it sounds, Kevin's kinda right…" the hybrid Anodite admitted to her embarrassed cousin, "Aside from it being a good conversation starter, it'll help you feel less… you know…" she told him as he groaned again, "Look, I get it," she affirmed, "It's been a long time and you're happy to see her again," she pointed out, "But remember, she's in love with Naruto," she mentioned seriously, "You know that, too," she said.
"Right, right…" Ben replied, taking a deep breath and exhaling, "Okay…" he uttered, "Let's get a move on," he advised, turning and heading down the street with his colleagues.
In spite of how… enamored at first Ben was from seeing Hinata again, he did keep his feelings in check, continuing his friendly relationship with her, especially as Naruto returned to the village. They would partake in missions together, sometimes in Universe-700, other times in Universe-57. It was so unique… a boy and a girl being no more than just good friends.
But that friendship was going to be put to the ultimate test. And it all would revolve around the one person that started it…
X
The Leaf Village eventually fell under siege thanks to Pain of the Akatsuki and his Six Paths. All seemed lost until Naruto returned, using his power to fight back and eliminate most of his foes. But as time wound down, not even he could fully put an end to his foe, who pinned him to the ground, staking metal rods into his flesh. All the while, Hinata watched on with her Byakugan. Reflecting on her own past with the boy she loved, she knew that she couldn't bear to see him die. But the danger was great… and even her friend didn't think what possible to intervene.
"This is… crazy…" Ben uttered amidst the destruction of the Leaf Village. Thankfully, the fighting had moved to the deepest crater, giving those away from the epicenter time to recuperate and gather themselves. Looking back, Ben knew the situation wasn't great. Strong shinobi he knew had fallen. Others were injured. He clenched his fists, looking back toward the crater.
"It isn't looking good," Ko Hyuga pointed out, getting his attention as he looked over to the man being tended to by the Katsuyu clones, "He's completely pinned," he noted. Hearing that, the Ultimatrix bearer grimaced in frustration. He had been on the scene the whole time, yet was helpless to try and stop Pain when needing to worry about helping people first.
And then he looked over to Hinata, who was standing nearby with her Byakugan activated, fixated on the crater as well. So many thoughts were ringing through her head. She had watched Naruto for the longest of times. Ever since the day he was beaten up by bullies in an effort to protect her, she always admired him for his courage, his drive. But now he was pinned with no way out. She took a step.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked, causing her to stop as she deactivated her Byakugan.
"…Do I even need to answer that?" she inquired back.
"If you're thinking about going out there, you're crazy!" Ben shouted in response, "Believe me, I'd go out there myself if I had something like Alien X to use, but I don't," he told her, "And I'm sure Naruto's got a plan to get out, so—"
"What if he doesn't?" Hinata inferred, interrupting the Ultimatrix bearer, "What if he's used up all the strength he has…?" she questioned on, holding her right hand over her heart, "Are you really just going to sit back and watch him die?" she asked of the brunette-haired teen.
"N-No… but…" he tried to argue, letting out a scoff, "Hinata, you're way out of your league…" he pointed out, "If you go out there now…" he continued, tensing up, "you're gonna—"
"That's what I'm willing to do…" the Hyuga girl stated firmly, interjecting him again. The wind blew through her hair. Ben stared at her in shock for a moment. He inwardly cursed Naruto for influencing her to do this. But at the same time, he should've been doing the same from the start.
"Well, you're not going alone," he decided. Meanwhile, the jinchuriki at the crater was completely staked to the ground by Pain's Black Receivers, with the chakra imbued in them seeping into his enemy's body. He had no way out. He used up all of his Sage Mode chakra earlier to stop the other paths, and no amount of strength he could muster would allow him to break free, let alone beat the Akatsuki member.
"It's time we were on our way," he remarked to Naruto, with the pupils of his Rinnegan eyes enlarging as he stuck his right hand out at his foe. At that moment though, they both heard footsteps. Out of the corner of his eye, the jinchuriki saw Hinata lunging over, as did Pain.
"HAH!" she yelled, thrusting her right palm down at the Akatsuki member, who leapt back to evade her as she struck the ground in a fierce blast of dirt. He then had to jump again, avoiding the sound waves launched from the mouths of the Echo Echo clones on the scene as well. They hurriedly ran over to the kunoichi's side as she stood up.
"Okay…" one of them echoed out.
"Now… what?" another asked. Hinata glanced over to Naruto, seeing the rods that had him staked to the earth. She had never seen something so cruel. Her eyes glared at Pain.
"I won't let you hurt Naruto anymore!" she declared fiercely.
"Reinforcements…" the Akatsuki member uttered out, while Echo Echo had his clones merge back together into one body.
"What… are you two doing?!" Naruto asked emphatically, "Get out of here!" he insisted, "I don't think even you can win, Ben!" he mentioned desperately to the Sonorosian.
"If she's… not leaving… I'm… not either…" he retorted to the jinchuriki's surprise, causing him to look over to Hinata.
"Hinata, listen to me!" he yelled, "You're no match for this guy!" he pointed out, "Just run!" he pleaded.
"No," the Byakugan user refused, "I'm just… being selfish now…" she admitted.
"What's… that mean?" Naruto grunted in question, "Hinata, don't put yourself in danger like this! Just go!" he begged of her.
"I'm here because I… want to be…" she responded to his confusion, "This time, I'm going to save you, Naruto," she decided, "I used to be such a crybaby… always giving up before I even got a chance to start…" she recalled, thinking to the many memories she had of the jinchuriki as they grew up to be shinobi together, "I almost took the wrong path so many times… that I lost count…" she admitted, "But you helped me find my way… to take the right path…" she pointed out, "I always chased after you… wanting to catch up, wanting to walk together with you forever…" she confessed on, "You changed me, Naruto…" she affirmed, "Your smile is what saved me," she mentioned, "That's why… I'm not afraid to die here, if it means I can protect you," she declared. Naruto stared at her in awe. Echo Echo smiled a little as he glanced over at her. The tiniest grin appeared upon her face. "Because… I love you… and I always will," she said simply.
"Heh," the Sonorosian beside her chuckled, twisting the Ultimatrix dial at his chest before smacking it. He enveloped himself in a green light as he morphed into his ultimate form, standing beside her.
"Hell of a time to do that…" he remarked. Both he and the kunoichi took ready stances against Pain, who drew a metal rod into his right hand. "So, we clear on the plan?" Ultimate Echo Echo inquired of his colleague in a whisper. She merely nodded, activating her Byakugan as veins bulged around her eyes, which became intensely concentrated. "All right…" the hyper-evolved Sonorosian uttered, having a few sonic discs float off of his body. The standoff with Pain felt like a solid minute. Both of them knew they wouldn't win in a head-on fight. But something they could do was buy time. Ultimate Echo Echo hopped in front of Hinata, duplicating many of his sonic discs as they were aimed forward. "Sonic Wall!" he yelled, unleashing powerful sound waves from them that were about to bombard the Akatsuki member. He merely raised his left hand.
"Pitiful," he said, unleashing a repelling blast of energy that struck the sound waves, countering them. He was confused by what the hyper-evolved Sonorosian was attempting to do, but then noticed something else. Hinata had pivoted around and kicked one of the rods embedded in Naruto off. She was about to attempt to strike another until suddenly getting blasted back by the gravitational force thrusted against her.
"Hinata!" Ultimate Echo Echo and Naruto screamed, seeing her tumble across the ground. She came to a stop, pushing herself up with a surprised look on her face. She hadn't expected Pain to ignore the hyper-evolved Sonorosian and go after her instead.
"Hey jerkface!" he echoed, duplicating even more sonic discs around the Akatsuki member, who merely glanced at them, "Try picking on someone your own size!" he shouted, uncorking more sonic blasts onto his enemy. However, the discs were all suddenly repelled before the released waves of sound could strike. At that moment, Hinata had tried to get to Naruto again, only for Pain to have repelled and sent tumbling away thanks to his gravitational power. Ultimate Echo Echo growled, flying over to attack the Akatsuki member directly.
He dodged his first few attempted punches, followed by ducking from a sonic wail unleashed from his foe's mouth. He extended his left hand out, blowing the hyper-evolved Sonorosian away in a powerful blast of gravity. Naruto watched in shock.
"Ben, no!" he yelled, seeing him crash onto the ground hard. He slowly sat up, breathing heavily. There had to be some way he and Hinata could distract Pain long enough to take out the rods. And then he saw her standing up. Though blood trickled down her head and from her lips, she readied her fists, building up blue chakra around them. They formed into large guardian lion-shaped shrouds.
"Gentle Step…" the Byakugan user began, "Twin Lion Fists!" she exclaimed as she lunged forward. Pain was easily dodging her attempted blows, but was being forced away from Naruto in the process. Standing up, Ultimate Echo Echo noticed, having a couple of sonic discs from his legs and head come off, floating over to the downed jinchuriki.
'If she can just get one clean hit on the guy, that'll give me enough time to break the rods off!' the hyper-evolved Sonorosian noted to himself, 'Come on, Hinata… I know you can do it!' he proclaimed inwardly. Pain kept evading the strikes of the Hyuga girl, who pivoted around as dug in her heels, ready to land a heavy blow. Her foe was about to seemingly blast her way with yet another repelling force of air, but suddenly, he froze. And that allowed for his opponent to strike, knocking him back.
"Nice!" Ultimate Echo Echo exclaimed, having his sonic discs hover over the black rods staking Naruto to the ground. They unleashed sound waves, breaking the rods down into pieces one by one, all except for the one pierced into his hands. Hinata hurried over, breaking off a piece of the last rod with a strike from her right palm.
'One more time!' she declared inwardly. However, Pain recovered, aiming his left hand toward her. Ultimate Echo Echo noticed.
"Hina—!" He found himself blown back before he could shout, while the kunoichi was sent flying through the air, plummeting toward the ground as Naruto watched in horror.
"HINATAAAAAA!" he screamed, seeing her crash down in a flurry of dust.
"Fools," Pain uttered, lowering his hand. Having come to a stop at the side of the crater, Ultimate Echo Echo fell forward onto his stomach. A flash of green light enveloped his body as he was turned back into Ben, trying to catch his breath and push himself up. He could barely make out Naruto's shouts as a ringing plagued his ears. All he could do was see what was unfolding.
Hinata was still alive, blinking in and out of consciousness as she could hear the man she loved calling her name. She had been thinking back to that distant memory of the day she met the jinchuriki, who protected her from the bullies that had been taunting her. She tried to push herself back up, only to fall back down with a gasp.
"Hina—!" Ben's shout was stopped by a fit of coughing, along with him spitting up blood. He clenched his teeth, trying to smack the Ultimatrix, hoping for a transformation that would turn the tide of the situation. But he knew it was futile.
So did Hinata. She staggered to her feet as she bled, limping her way over to Naruto, who was still staked. It was meaningless to him. Even if his friends were able to break the rods in the end, he had no power left to fight with. He just watched the kunoichi limp over, only to fall down again.
She stood back up with tears in her eyes and her teeth grit. She wasn't going to back down. And it hurt Naruto to know that she wouldn't.
"Stop…" he begged, "Don't come here… Hinata…" he insisted of her as he turned his head away. She didn't listen. Even as she couldn't muster the strength to limp, she crawled her way over. Memories of how Naruto had influenced her life flowed through her head again and again.
"Why?" Pain asked as she approached the pinned jinchuriki, grabbing hold of the lone rod that staked his hands to the ground, "Why would someone as weak as you go through all this…" he started to question, while the kunoichi brought herself up to her knees, "knowing… you'll only die?" he inquired. The Hyuga girl tensed up. Both Ben and Naruto grimaced, knowing that her fate was practically sealed. All that was left for her to do would be to leave some parting words.
"Because… I never… go back on my word…" she said simply. The pinned jinchuriki looked up at her in shock. She smiled at him. "That is… my ninja way…" she affirmed. The final smile she left was all Naruto could think about as she suddenly was sent flying into the air thanks to the Akatsuki member's power. She was flipped around a couple times before Pain flicked his wrist, forcing her to crash onto the ground in a flurry of dirt and dust.
"HINATA!" Ben screamed with tears pricking his eyes. And to seemingly cement her fate, Pain drew forth another metal rod from his cloak's right sleeve, grabbing hold of it and piercing it into her. Naruto could only look on with widened eyes. He wasn't even bothering to listen to the Akatsuki member speak of his past and how love eventually bred pain like now. Anger was building up inside of him, ready to explode. Ben could see that, trying to limp his way over while smacking the dial of the inactive Ultimatrix.
But it was too late as an explosion of dark red chakra erupted from Naruto, who transformed into his tailed beast form with four tails sprouting from his behind. As he was overcome with rage, his battle with Pain was restarted. He attacked, blowing his foe away and pursuing him, leaving Hinata behind as she was still staked to the ground, blood spilling from her wound. Ben arrived at her side, breathing heavily as he collapsed to his knees beside her. He clenched his teeth in frustration.
"You idiot…" he muttered out, lying close to her for protection as he trembled.
X
By some miracle, Hinata was not dead. Though by all accounts, she should've been. While Naruto dealt with Pain, Ben protected Hinata amidst the chaos, even without use of the Ultimatrix, shielding her with his body. As things slowly started to settle, with Naruto defeating Pain, Team Guy arrived to find them, bringing Ben and Hinata back to the ruins of the Leaf for treatment…
Blood had stained Ben's jacket from the ordeal, as it lied next to him on the broken ground. He sat on his knees, staring down with shame and regret in his eyes. All he could hear was the whistling noise of Sakura's chakra being provided to Hinata behind him. By all accounts, he should've been relieved that she was alive at all. Just then, he heard footsteps approach him from behind. He glanced back to see Neji there.
"You were with her the whole time, weren't you?" he assumed. The Ultimatrix bearer tensed up and trembled.
"If you're going to shout at me, do it already…" he insisted in response, "I know I should've stopped her the second she said she was gonna go…" he pointed out as he gritted his teeth, "She could've died…!" he mentioned, clenching his eyes shut as he gripped his knees tightly. Those nearby listened on, looking over. Neji glanced down for a moment.
"I'm not going to shout at you, nor am I going to deny what you did was reckless," he told Ben, "Even so, you were able to keep Lady Hinata from receiving further harm," he mentioned, "I can thank you for that," he affirmed, "She's alive because of you," he said. Hearing that didn't alleviate any of the Ultimatrix bearer's doubts. He glanced back at the Hyuga girl being healed by Sakura, while those of Team Guy, Rex, Gingka, Ash and other shinobi stood around her. Pikachu approached, gently nuzzling her right hand with his head.
"Hinata…" his trainer uttered, clenching his fists in frustration.
"Compared to all of us, she's probably the bravest…" the EVO of the group pointed out.
"But why would she go through with this?" Tenten wondered aloud, "I mean… she knew what could've happened… right?" she inquired on. Sakura frowned slightly as she looked down at her patient. She knew that the Hyuga girl loved Naruto more than anything. Risking her life to protect him would without a doubt be something that she would do. And it frustrated the medical ninja, who hadn't done anything to protect the jinchuriki herself.
At that moment, Hinata slowly awoke. Sakura took notice, ceasing her healing as the greenish aura of her chakra dissipated. Everyone gasped in surprise upon noticing.
"Hinata!" Ash exclaimed, while Gingka beamed with tears pricking his eyes.
"Peekah pi!" Pikachu squeaked, happily nuzzling against the Hyuga girl. Rex sighed with relief, as did many of the others.
"Lady Hinata!" Neji exclaimed as he jogged over. His cousin looked to see everyone around her.
"You're all here…" she noted.
"Take it easy, hermana," Rex advised, helping her slowly sit up.
"Thank goodness…" Tenten exhaled with relief, "We were all worried," she admitted.
"Yes, Hinata," Lee confirmed, "Are you okay?" he asked of her.
"Yeah…" she responded with a little grimace, "Thanks… all of you…" she mentioned, "Especially you, Sakura…" she added to the medical ninja.
"We're just glad you're okay," she affirmed in relief as a response. Everyone smiled, but then heard a whimpering from nearby. They turned to find Ben looking over at them, more specifically, Hinata. After everything, she her awake and alive finally made his walls come down. And his emotions poured forth with tears streaking down his face. He turned and quickly made his way over, embracing the Hyuga girl as she yelped in surprise.
"H-Hey!" Tenten stammered out, "You need to be careful, Ben!" she insisted, "Hinata's—!" She stopped herself upon seeing the Ultimatrix bearer's face. She had never seen him so vulnerable before. No one had. They were stunned by just how much he was crying, with tears dripping one after another onto the ground.
"Ben…?" Hinata uttered, feeling him hold her gently.
"Thank goodness…" he whimpered out to her surprise, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…!" he sobbed in apology.
"Dude…" Rex uttered sympathetically, while the others gave off small smiles. Though the Ultimatrix bearer was being rather emotional, it was out of relief. And as it was confirmed that Naruto had defeated the last Pain, more relief was bound to come.
After this whole event, Ben didn't return to Universe-700 for quite some time. But Hinata went to his. Like Rook, she became one of his new partners amidst the Leaf's cleanup, working with him as he obtained his new Omnitrix and started to learn of the greater threats his universe had to offer, keeping him there.
As you might've recalled from Rook's story, Ben's return to Universe-700 was… well… a bit unpleasant. With post-traumatic stresses thanks to those memories of almost losing someone he truly cared about, he wasn't in the best state of mind. But with the help of his friends to talk him down, along with a few pushes here and there, he did take that leap of faith to overcome those fears.
And in due course…
UNIVERSE-57
BELLWOOD, CALIFORNIA
"This does feel weird, doesn't it?" Hinata presumed, sitting across the table outside with Ben, who removed his hood as he sat down.
"Yeah… it does…" he admitted in reply. The two of them were out at Mr. Smoothy's, with the Omnitrix bearer passing a drink over to his new girlfriend. "Aside from the fact that this is basically the last place anyone with a brain would probably pick for a date," he pointed out, making the Hyuga girl giggle, "I… really can't believe it's you and me…" he confessed.
"When I found out that you and Julie had broken up, I didn't know what to think…" Hinata noted as she held her drink, "Part of me was mad at you for screwing up something that could've been so perfect…" she told him, "but there was another part that was hopeful you could turn things around with someone else," she said.
"Like Ester?" Ben guessed, making the kunoichi giggle again, "Okay, real talk…" he uttered, "I know that this… isn't going to last forever," he pointed out.
"And I know that, too," Hinata confirmed, "It's strange, but…" she continued, blushing a little, "I wish things between us could go on a little longer," she confessed to the Omnitrix bearer's surprise, "Because I really do like you, Ben," she admitted with an earnest smile. Blushing, Ben grinned back and chuckled.
"I like you, too," he responded, grabbing his drink. The two stood up from the table, sharing a sweet kiss before heading off down the street.
"What smoothie flavor did you get me, by the way?" Hinata asked curiously as she looked at her drink.
"Try it," Ben suggested to her surprise. She put the straw to her lips slowly, fearing there to be possibly a strange concoction for her frosty beverage. But as she sucked, a pleasant taste entered her mouth. She elbowed her new boyfriend for teasing her, making him laugh as they continued on their way. Their future had been cemented. But they'd still take on all the challenges they would have to.
And so, this story ends with what I would call a platonic romance set to end someday. We all know Hinata's true love isn't Ben, but that doesn't mean she can't appreciate what he's done for her. And it that same, he can appreciate what she's done for him.
But Hinata's story as a part of the Omni Force isn't over just yet, my friends. She had a certain person come into her life shortly after her relationship with Ben became official. And that person would become one of her best friends…
ENDING
Insert "Kitakaze" by SIX LOUNGE
Opens with a young Hinata sitting in the ninja academy, longingly looking over at Naruto as she writes his name on a slip of paper. We transition to her as a little girl being made fun of by a group of bullies, only for her crush to come to her defense. Though he gets beaten up rather easily, with his scarf getting ripped to shreds. Hinata picks up the pieces, looking to knit it back together.
As the years go by, Hinata goes through many hardships, losing her heiress status, struggling to keep up on her missions, and getting nowhere closer to Naruto. It all seems hopeless for her, especially as she goes up against Neji during the Chunin Exams. She starts to panic, trying to suppress her fears. It seems like she's about to break down until Naruto shouts out to her along with Ben, making her harden her emotions and stand firm.
As she builds up her confidence over time, she starts to get closer to Naruto, all while knitting a red scarf in her free time. The years go on, with her training under Neji's guidance, mastering her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists while also honing her Byakugan. Not only does she get to work with Naruto on some occasions, but also the likes of Ben, Rex, Ash, Gingka, and Rook.
Together, the team help fight off against foes like the Incurseans, reanimated shinobi, rogue EVOs, and other enemies they come across. We see that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, both she and Naruto are left mourning over the death of Neji, with the jinchuriki being hesitant over whether or not he can really protect his comrades. Hinata smacks his right cheek to snap him out of his doubts, assuring him that no one's death will be for nothing. He grabs her hand as they stand up, entering his Tailed Beast Mode as his chakra cloaks her as well.
As things settle down after a while, Hinata looks back at how far she's come, smiling brightly. An arm suddenly wraps around her shoulders as she yelps in surprise, seeing none other than Korra there, flashing her a grin. She's dressed for her wedding, joining Naruto as they head off to the venue together, ready to cement their relationship forever.
The song winds down with her finishing the scarf she had been knitting, glancing outside to see her husband training. Their two kids, Boruto and Himawari, scamper outside to tackle their father and play with him. Smiling, Hinata goes out to join them, setting aside the scarf next to a picture of her and her teammates of the Omni Force.
END ENDING
And that's another chapter of "Omni Force: ORIGINS" done! I have to say, I really related to Hinata when I was younger. Even now, I still have those instances of anxiety around people I've never met. But I also find myself being a lot kinder. And that's thanks to what I've learned from a character like her.
Anyways, she's going to be one of the central figures in the next chapter, so you can all look forward to that. We're gonna be tackling the world of Korra! See you guys then!