Hello, once again! I hope I'm not late with this update, as I've sort of gave up counting the last day I posted a new chapter. I hope you enjoy this one, though!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I do not know how long I have to keep this up.
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Hinata was smiling, unable to stop, tending to Naruto's wounds as she did so.
"You did it, Naruto!" She said happily, switching between using her ointment and medical ninjutsu. "You did it! You won!"
"Well, of course I did!" Naruto, despite his bravado, scratched the back of his head bashfully. "What'd you expect?"
"Mmhmm," Hinata agreed, a smile still on her face. She was so proud.
After the fight with Shikamaru and Kin, with Shikamaru winning smoothly with excellent use of his shadow possession jutsu and intellect, it was Naruto's turn, against Kiba. At first, it seemed that the Inuzuka had the upper hand in the match, being physically stronger and faster than the blond, but after a man beast transformation gone wrong, Naruto had managed to switch the tables.
She smiled, remembering how determined Naruto was. This was the person she looked up to.
At the end, Kiba had turned the tide towards his side, but Naruto managed to end the fight quickly by passing gas.
Hinata suppressed giggles from remembering that moment, but a win was a win. She still remembered everybody's reactions.
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Sakura, now back from the hospital, banged her fist into the rails.
"Damn you, Kiba!" She yelled. "At least win it for me!"
The girl was still pissed from her "loss" against Ino–but not as angry as the other was. They both couldn't believe they had tied. At the end, Sakura had to acknowledge that Ino was her rival for a reason.
Shino had merely looked on silently. When Sakura turned on him, asking why he wasn't reacting he said:
"There's nothing I have to say."
Hinata was enthralled, of course, slightly nonplussed by the means in which Naruto got his victory, but a win was a win after all.
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Naruto rolled his arms out, stretching after the fight. He then turned to Hinata, grinning from his victory.
"Now, it's all you, Hinata," He said, cheerfully. "Sasuke already passed, and I just won. You win, and Team 7 has a chance at becoming chunin together!"
Hinata nodded, her smile a little more forced now. She looked back at her possible opponents, and it was looking quite bleak. If she faced off against Gaara…She shook her head furiously. She shouldn't think that way. But still, the options were not pretty. There was still Gaara, Lee, Neji…
Neji.
"Hinata!"
Hinata turned around, almost developing whiplash. "Yes?!"
"You seem pretty out of it," Naruto said, a slight bit concerned. "I was asking about which one you think you'll get."
Hinata shrugged, trying to mask how she felt. "W-Well…you never know, right?"
Naruto nodded sagely. "You have a point. Whoever knew I would get dog boy?"
Hinata laughed and turned back to the generator, which was now spinning again. Her laugh faded when the generator stopped running and landed on her…and Neji.
The light in her eyes died. Why? Why did it always have to be him?
Naruto watched the generator as well, and immediately shook his head in disbelief.
"They have got to be joking!" He exclaimed. "Don't they–"
"It's alright." Hinata gently placed the container of ointment into Naruto's hand. "Use this if you have any discomfort, okay?"
"But, Hinata–" Naruto watched her anxiously. "What about you?"
"Don't you believe in me?" Hinata forced a smile on her face. "I'm going to try my best."
Naruto nodded. "Right." He took a deep breath. "GO, HINATA!"
Hinata laughed. "Thank you."
And then she made her way to the floor.
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She stood there, facing Neji, her brother. He had a mixture of a smirk and a grimace on his face, adding to the bitterness in his eyes. Bitterness that Hinata was partly at fault for.
"Lady Hinata," He said curtly. "I'd never expect to fight you."
"Nor I, Brother," Hinata replied softly.
"Brother?" Sakura was shocked. "Did I hear that correctly?"
"Well, not exactly," Kurenai answered. "More like…cousins, I would think."
"Yeah, Hinata told me." Naruto frowned. "Hinata is in the main family, and Neji the branch family." His frown deepened. "Neji hates Hinata." He turned to Kakashi. "Is Hinata going to be okay?"
Kakashi looked down at Naruto admonishingly. "You should have more faith in your comrade, Naruto. Hinata can do just fine on her own."
"That is right!" Lee gave Naruto a thumbs up. "But Neji…" The thumbs up went down. "And he is greatly fueled by the bad blood between the branch and main families. It is said that the main family belittles and treats the branch as if they're slaves."
"Then, this match is a family feud!" Sakura gasped.
"Look, they're about to start," Kakashi interrupted their conversation.
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Hinata looked up, nervous. She had thought she'd be more prepared for this moment, after all that time training with her team, but her legs still shook when she stepped into the arena, her palms clammy, and her teeth chattering slightly. It was like every single time when she stepped to do a match against Hanabi or Neji at the family dojo. It felt like she was walking straight into her doom. But it was when Neji started talking, that was when she felt like hope slipped her.
"It's surprising you know," Neji started, words silky and laced with malice. "That you've made it so far. I guess not wanting to fail can bring you to this point." His tone turned more aggressive. "But you know you were never meant to be a ninja."
Hinata's eyes widened in fear, her hand coming up in habit to cover her quivering lip. She felt like she was already cracking, but Neji was far from finished.
"You're too kind and gentle. You seek harmony. You try to avoid conflict. To register for the Chunin Exams you need a team of three people. You never even wanted to take part in these exams, but Naruto and Sasuke did. You did it just for them, didn't you?" His grimace grew smugly when he realized his words hit a chord.
"No!" Hinata shook her head in denial. "I did it for myself as well… I–I wanted to see if I could change…" She looked away after saying the last part.
Kakashi looked at the young girl almost pityingly. He felt empathy for her. While Naruto and Sasuke had no living family members who weren't rogue ninja, Hinata's family members absolutely hated her. Well, he remembered that there was a girl, a sister, perhaps, that did enjoy Hinata's company enough, but other than that…she might as well have been an orphan. He was disgusted that the other boy, someone that Hinata thought she could never catch up to, a boy that treated her so poorly, yet she treated with kindness and respect, aim for weaknesses that he knew very well.
"People can't change no matter how hard they try," Neji said, voice firm and cold.
Hinata gasped. It was like her life, her future was falling into pieces.
"They can't run away from their true nature," Neji continued, uttering words that were like barbs, hooking into Hinata and tearing her, her will into little bits. "A failure will always be a failure."
Naruto could not hold his tongue anymore. He had resisted throughout that asshole's speech, but Neji was real close to meeting the line.
"That is why we have an elite, and why there are outcasts." Neji continued, observing Hinata's internal struggles as he spoke. "We are judged by what we cannot change. We are who we are, Hinata. We must live with it. I know this because I see the world clearly."
Hinata's hands started shaking, her lip quavering, and her eyes twitching from fear, fear at what Neji was going to do, and fear that he may be right.
Neji raised his hands up and closed his eyes. "Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around his eyes, and his pupils became more defined. It was absolutely terrifying.
"That's…" Sakura looked at the dojutsu in awe. "Byakugan…"
"That's right," Kakashi confirmed. "Sharingan actually evolved from it, and out of the two, Byakugan is slightly stronger." He turned his attention back to Hinata.
Hinata was terrified. Looking into Neji's eyes, she remembered those days and nights of relentless beatings, unable to hold back completely out of selfish fear, and being unable to attack for her full strength due to the unbearable guilt that came along with it. The result was never pretty.
"In the slightest of movements, your gaze drifted to the upper left corner of the room."
Hinata's attention snapped back up at Neji's words. It was true…her gaze was wandering…
"I saw in that moment, you were thinking of your past." Neji looked at Hinata with piercing eyes. "You're seeing your old self, and wondering if life has prepared you for this moment. You're picturing the outcome of the battle." He narrowed his seemingly fractured white eyes.
Naruto gritted his teeth. He was only a breath away from tearing the white eye bastard's throat out of his neck.
"And there." His eyes flashed at Hinata's hand coming up to her mouth. "You bring your hand up to your mouth in a defensive move. You're trying to create a wall between us. You're petrified. Why? Because everything I said was true. And that familiar move of putting your finger to your lip." He scoffed. "A desperate attempt at trying to suppress your panic." He watched the fear and hysteria rise up in Hinata's eyes with every word he said. "You are what you are. There is no point in fighting this match. Yield. Surrender. Run."
Naruto had enough.
He stood up straight and banged a fist into the rail, the other hand clutching the container of ointment that Hinata had given to him.
"Who are you to tell her what she can or can't be?" He yelled. "Come on, Hinata!" Show this guy what the training has made you into! Show him that he's wrong!"
Hinata gasped. Naruto was right. She had trained, trained to be stronger. Her fate was hers.
"Tch." Neji shook his head patronizingly. "A failure will always be a failure, Hinata. You should learn."
"Come on, Hinata!" Naruto was yelling himself hoarse at this point. "Are you seriously going to let him do that to you? You're driving me crazy!"
Hinata had decided. Naruto was right. This was her moment of change. Her destiny.
She looked back at Neji, determination replacing the fear she felt before.
Neji paused at the different emotion in her eyes. Her attitude has changed, He observed emotionlessly. One last try at her will would do.
"If you don't forfeit the match, you will die," He spoke calmly, all facts.
Hinata, however, was paying his words no attention anymore. She raised up two hands and started flashing through hand signs, closing her eyes for concentration.
"Byakugan!"
Veins sprouting around her eyes as well, when she looked up, Neji was already in the Gentle Fist stance. She quickly slid into it as well, one foot in front of the other and both hands directed at Neji, palms facing outward.
"Very well, then," Neji spoke calmly. "You seem to want to walk to your doom."
"That is the Hyuga style," Lee said, excited.
"Oh yeah," Naruto thought back to all those times he had seen Hinata fight. "I know that."
"Hmm?" Sakura was confused. "The Hyuga style?"
"Yeah," Naruto answered. "Hinata and Neji are the only ones who can do it here."
Hinata braced herself. Now!
Both genin moved, running towards the other. Hinata quickly thrust out her palms, smacking away Neji's and attacking herself. Neji did the same. Bursts of chakra flew around them, and each hit made a sound that resounded around the area.
"Huh?" Sakura peered closely. "That's unlike any taijutsu I've ever seen." She narrowed her eyes. "They seem to be going for internal injuries…"
"That's right," Guy confirmed. "Gentle Fist targets the chakra network, which is tightly laced with some of your most vital organs. One tap and suddenly your kidney is blasted with chakra–along with those chakra points along there."
Sakura turned her eyes back to Hinata. Oh.
Hinata took a deep breath. I can do this.
She ducked to avoid an attack from Neji, and then shot up, thrusting her palm into the space where Neji's head had occupied. She had never tried so hard before in the "family training", and Neji sensed it. This next one was it. Both of them targeting the chest and–
Something hurt.
Hinata gasped and coughed up blood, Neji's finger quickly moving to her arm after inflicting damage to her heart.
"That's all there is to the main family's power?" He asked mockingly.
I'm not done yet! Hinata thought furiously, swiping Neji's arm away and thrusting at his face. Neji quickly caught that arm and stuck two fingers into it. He then smirked and pulled back Hinata's sleeve. There, against the usual pale white skin were little dots of red.
Hinata's expression did not change. She knew what was happening. She just had to get a chance to attack. And…
Now!
She suddenly moved forwards, her hands swiping up and targeting Neji's stomach, landing a few hits before he retaliated, hitting her chest again. Hinata yelped, flying back a little from the force and landing on her back.
Neji frowned. She had gotten to a few of his chakra points, and not only that…There was a weird sensation in his body. He raised two fingers to undo the damage he did, and he succeeded in that, but…He got shocked. Both his fingers were slightly burned. Hinata had used a small bit of ninjutsu, her chakra nature, in the attack.
"Hinata," He derided. "Would you really sink so low? No matter. That was easily fixed." He narrowed his eyes, examining her fallen form. "Forfeit. There is no way you can win."
Hinata struggled up to her feet, ignoring the pain in her chest. "No." She stood up, panting. "Because…never giving up. That is my nindo, my ninja way." She glanced at Naruto quickly before looking back at her opponent.
Neji scoffed. This wasn't going to save her, after all.
Both of them flew at each other, attacking the other with subtle yet glancing blows. Hinata saw it coming. She saw the end coming. But at that moment her legs felt like lead, and her arms weak.
"Forfeit," Neji repeated. He saw what she saw. "You cannot beat me." He studied Hinata apathetically. "All your chakra points are blocked, you cannot use the Gentle Fist anymore."
"No." Hinata faced him shakily. "I will not give up."
She turned to Neji, eyes fierce, and charged, throwing away Gentle Fist in favor of regular taijutsu. She thought about Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto, and all their time together. She could not give up. She would not give up.
Neji's mouth curled up in a sneer at Hinata's almost pathetic taijutsu attacks, jumping over a low sweeping kick before dodging another desperate attempt at a strike for his face, slamming his palm into the bottom of Hinata's chin.
Hinata cried out, head forcefully tilted back from the force before flying away, and then skidding on the floor before finding her balance again. She panted, resting her arms on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath. She was about to stand up when she felt a heavy and sudden pain in her chest. She immediately bowled over and started in a fit of dry coughs.
No. I will not give up.
At that thought, she immediately turned and charged at Neji again, mustering up the last of the power she had. Neji merely stood in his place, but when Hinata was within range, he pounded his chakra laced hand–right where her heart was. Hinata froze. It seemed like everything had gone numb. She couldn't feel anything anymore, only pain. She fell onto the ground, face first right at Neji's feet.
Neji looked at the fallen girl nonchalantly. The match had been harder than he expected, but nothing he couldn't handle. He turned eyes towards the proctor expectantly.
"Well?" He asked, impatiently. "Call the match."
Hayate walked forwards carefully, examining Hinata's form on the ground. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Well, since the other side can not–"
"No."
Hayate stopped talking abruptly after being cut off. He looked at the girl who was laying on the ground before, now struggling to her feet.
"No," Hinata repeated, turning to face Neji.
The paleness of her chin was already marred with the scarlet of blood that had dribbled out of her mouth from the relentless attacks. Her form was hunched over, and her arm was clutching at her chest for support.
Why? Neji searched the girl for answers. Why is she doing this?
"I'm not done," Hinata said, looking at Neji with those fierce eyes once again.
"Give up the tough guy act," Neji sneered. He reactivated his Byakugan. "Don't suffer anymore you have already, and just forfeit the match! Surrender to it."
"You're wrong…Brother Neji because I can tell…," Hinata said softly, in a kind, understanding tone that infuriated Neji more than if she had yelled in his face. "You are suffering more than I."
"What?" Neji looked up, the sneer fading into a glare.
"It is you who is torn up over the fate of the main and branch family," Hinata continued, eyes soft and sad.
Neji narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, charging at Hinata at full speed shouting something inaudible, finally snapping. Hinata watched him charge, but she didn't feel any anger or hatred towards her cousin. Could she really blame him for harboring this bitterness towards the main family, and in result, her? No. And it was that empathy and forgiveness that drove Neji to the edge. It was as if she was above him, acting all high and mighty. She could never understand what he felt. Never.
Hayate widened his eyes at the boy charging at full speed. Oh god.
"Neji, the match is over!" He warned, running to intercept the two Hyugas and fearing for the worst. Oh god.
There were four flickers of movement, and suddenly, Neji was surrounded by four jonin.
Hayate was standing right in front of him, two fingers to his forehead.
Guy, his own sensei, behind him, an arm locked around his neck.
Kurenai, who felt instinctual at the moment, was crouching at his left side, a hand on his arm.
And lastly, Kakashi was standing on his right, seemingly casual, but he held the arm Kurenai wasn't already holding in a death grip.
"Why are you and the other jonin butting in?" Neji asked furiously through clenched teeth.
Hinata felt an excruciating burst of pain in her chest, much more intense than what she went through in the fight before, and tumbled down to the ground in both surprise and agony.
Kakashi immediately let go of Neji's arm and flickered over to his student, gently laying her on the ground before assessing her injuries quickly. If he let yet another person die on him…
Hinata looked through blurry eyes. Why was the world fading in and out? She dimly saw a head of yellow hair peek into her vision.
"Naruto?" She asked, moving her heavy tongue clumsily around the name. "How…How did you think…I…I did?"
And then her world faded to black.
Naruto stood up, angry beyond belief. He turned to face Neji, who had the audacity to be smugly smiling.
"Why you…" He growled underneath his breath, his hands curling into fists.
Neji noticed Naruto fuming, very possibly because of him, and his smirk grew wider.
"You know," He said, deciding to add salt to the wound. "I have a piece of advice for you. Stop that stupid cheering. It's disgraceful." He looked down at Naruto haughtily.
It was at this moment that Naruto would've ripped the guy into shreds had Lee not stopped him.
"Naruto," Lee said sternly. "All fighting must be done in official matches. So…" He gave him a thumbs up and a blinding grin. "Why don't we beat him there? If I get him in a fight, I will win against a rival and prove his theory of fate wrong." He hurriedly altered his answer after seeing the murderous look on Naruto's face that was directing an insane amount of killer intent towards Neji that would have Gaara running for his money. "I-If you get him, that's all good too, yeah!" He nervously chuckled, wilting a little in his now very awkward position.
Naruto sent one last vicious glare in Neji's direction before turning away.
"Fine," He answered shortly, going over to check on Hinata. Neji scoffed and walked away.
Lee grinned, now relieved that he had managed to wriggle his way out between a rock and a hard place.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was almost trembling in fear. He had hurriedly unzipped Hinata's jacket after he remembered most of the damage she underwent was to her chest. Her heart.
Her damn heart.
He did a quick analysis, fueled by the fear of his new found realization, placing a hand on the left side of her chest, his face paling when he truly realized how badly she was hurt.
"She's going into cardiac arrest," He said, almost unbelieving, his voice rising from panic that he didn't even try to hide. He looked around, frenzied. "She's going under cardiac arrest! Where in the world are the goddamn medics?!"
A team of white robed medical ninja immediately rushed to Hinata's side, stretcher already with them.
Naruto whipped his head around, frozen in shock. He may not have been the smartest kid in class, but he knew very well what "cardiac arrest" meant.
"She's got ten minutes, at best," The medics uttered solemnly, checking her vital points once again before placing her on the stretcher.
"Then what are you doing?" Naruto shouted. "Hurry up!"
He rushed forwards, attempting to help them lift the girl up on the stretcher, but was stopped by Kakashi.
"Don't," Kakashi said, voice now calm after his momentary spike of fear. "The medics can handle it." His eyes, however, spoke differently than his voice.
Naruto stopped, watching the medics cart Hinata away to the hospital. He lowered his eyes to the ground, where a puddle of glistening red was sitting. He kneeled down and placed a hand in the viscous liquid, standing up and facing Neji directly. He clenched the hand that was covered in blood into a fist.
"Hinata…" He glared at the boy who had dared to hurt his teammate. "I swear–I vow to win!"
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Hinata woke up to the sterile smell of a hospital and the beeping sound of a heart monitor. She opened her eyes with difficulty. Everything hurt, especially the left side of her chest. She tried sitting up, but was immediately met with what felt like a smarting all over her body. Immediately, a hand was placed on her back to gently lower her back onto the bed.
"Woah, there, lay back down."
Hinata turned her head slowly towards where the sound came from. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yup, that's me." Kakashi picked up his book back from its position on the table. "You gave us quite the scare there."
"I-I'm sorry," Hinata croaked out, her voice feeling like it hadn't been used in years. She suddenly broke out into a fit of dry coughing, hacking into her hand.
Kakashi stood up, grabbing the water pitcher next to them and pouring Hinata a glass of water, helping her hold her arm steady as she brought the cup to her chapped lips.
Hinata drank eagerly, but Kakashi made sure the amount of water that she swallowed was limited, giving her time to adjust. When she was done, she thanked her sensei and layed back down, the white hospital clothes she was in blending in with the white-washed sheets of the bed.
"What of the other matches?" She asked, still getting used to her voice. Wait… She almost shot straight up then and there. "How long have I been out?"
Kakashi tapped his finger on his chin, thinking. "Last I remembered, I believe it was a match between Choji and a Sound ninja called Dosu. And…Rock Lee fought Gaara."
"He what?" Hinata flinched at the sound of her voice cracking. "Who won?"
Kakashi winced. It was painful to relive that fight. "It was close, but Gaara won."
"Is Lee okay?" Hinata asked, fearing for the worse.
"No." Kakashi decided not to sugarcoat it. "His left arm and leg were crushed by Gaara. He…He may not be able to be a shinobi anymore."
Hinata was stunned. "Oh, Lee…he used the gates, didn't he?" She turned to Kakashi, not even waiting for the obvious answer. "I hope…" Her voice faded off. That's all she could do. Hope. There was no point in saying useless things anymore.
Kakashi sensed the turmoil going inside the girl and decided to change the subject. "The finals are about to start," He remarked. "I think I can get you outside, there's a television there where you can see what's going on."
Hinata nodded. "Okay."
Kakashi went to the other side of the room and grabbed a pair of crutches, helping Hinata out of the bed. Hinata stumbled a bit, feeling the world spin around her, before accepting the crutches. Every step was agony, but she needed to see this.
The journey that was actually quite short felt like forever to Hinata, every step taking every bit of energy out of her. Her head was pounding, and she felt like she was going to black out, but she finally got to the place. There were a few medics and ninja around the T.V., but it was relatively empty.
They had come just in time to see Choji being defeated by Dosu, and all the winners lining up to receive a slip of paper with a number on it. The matches then were announced.
The first match was…Naruto Uzumaki versus Neji Hyuga.
Hinata gasped. There was absolutely no way that this was happening. She quickly forced back her feelings of surprise and mild horror in favor for believing in Naruto. He could do this. He could beat him. But still…this match. It came as a blow in the wound to her almost. If Naruto lost…
No. She could not think that way. Naruto would win, and then, maybe Neji would see…
She looked up to see the next pair of fighters.
The second match would be…Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara of the Sand.
Hinata blinked, almost dropping her crutches in surprise. It was like this simulation wanted to kill off her teammates. She looked to Kakashi, terror for her comrades entering her gaze. Kakashi's face did not tear away from the screen.
The third match would be Kankuro versus Shino, and the fourth Dosu versus Shikamaru Nara. Whoever won the latter match would fight Temari.
Hinata wanted to stay and see more of what was going on, but a nurse had realized that she had left her room, and ushered her back in a hurry, scolding both her and Kakashi for being careless.
"-next thing you know, you'll be on the floor," The nurse finished muttering rapidly, helping Hinata back into bed and tucking the sheets over her. She then sighed and looked at the girl sternly. "We need to keep you under close supervision, okay? You're still in a serious condition."
Hinata nodded and mumbled a soft sorry. The nurse's face softened, and she patted Hinata's head once. And then went outside to yell at Kakashi.
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Kakashi was sitting at a visitor's chair next to Hinata's bed reading one of his "Makeout Paradise" books. Hinata was staring at the wall blankly. But when she finally decided to get some sleep after some time of internal debate, she heard two very familiar voices.
"Let go, loser!"
"No, we gotta go see Hinata first!"
"I know, but you don't have to drag me!"
"If I don't you'll just take forever!"
"I swear, if you don't let go of me right now…"
The door leading into her room slammed open with a bang, jolting Hinata to a sitting position. Kakashi was undisturbed. Hinata stared at the two boys who had entered the room, dumbfounded. Naruto had a fistfull of Sasuke's collar, and the other boy had a hand right to his face, pushing him away. Both were currently frozen in shock at seeing the subject of their conversation gaping at them right now.
"Ah, Hinata." Naruto cleared his throat and pushed Sasuke's hand away. "Erm…"
Sasuke immediately tore himself away from Naruto, forcefully removing the blond's hand from his shirt. He eyed the girl in the bed, his brow creasing slightly.
"What happened to you?" He asked, a brow raising in question.
"Oh!" Hinata jumped a little at his harsh tone. "I..I fought Neji in my match."
Sasuke's face was impassive. "The guy that Naruto's fighting next?"
Hinata nodded in confirmation.
"Well," Sasuke yawned. "If Naruto doesn't kick his ass, I will. And then I'll kick the loser's ass for not doing the job right."
Naruto protested, but Sasuke cut him off, turning to Kakashi.
"Oi, sensei," He said rather rudely. "Aren't we going to start training now?"
Kakashi groaned, standing up and cracking his back. "Fine, fine, since you're in such a rush."
"Ooh, can I go too?" Naruto looked eagerly at the two.
Kakashi smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but it's hard to divide my attention equally between you two. But I know someone else who you might find teaches you better."
Naruto immediately perked up. "Who?"
Kakashi led both the boys out of the room. "He's outside. Let's go."
Naruto nodded, waving to Hinata before leaving. Sasuke left silently, right alongside Kakashi who almost forgot his beloved book.
When Hinata heard the door click shut, she smiled a little from all the craziness that just happened.
I hope I get better soon, she thought. Because I want to see both their matches standing up.
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Well? What do you think? I think I enjoyed writing the fight between Neji and Hinata because while I'm not crazy about it, it's one of those moments when you really have respect for Hinata. I'm so sad I had to skip through Lee vs Gaara, though, but I think I need to focus on Hinata's perspective a little bit more. And, lastly, REVIEW!