Only a second. That's what it takes for anything to happen. It takes only a second for a glass to break when it hits the ground, it only takes one second for a baby to cry when it comes into this world, only one second to realize that you are actually in love with someone.

And it only takes a second to realize that you are going to die in the next few seconds.

That's what happened to Hinata. As she watched her father coming at her with his palm directed at her heart, she realized it was that moment where Hinata Hyuga will no longer live. The time around her seemed to slow down, as if she had entered some dimension where everyone just stood frozen and only she could move and see what exactly was happening.

In that moment, that one second seemed to stretch for forever. In that moment, she saw her entire life flash before her eyes like a movie.

First thing she saw was her mother's long black hair. Her back graced with those black hair as she watered the floweres in her little garden. Hinata couldn't see her face in that memoery because she no longer remembered her face.

Then she saw the face of a baby girl, wrapped in a soft baby pink blanket as she gazed at her sister with those lavender eyes.

She saw her sister tugging at her training attire and asking her to play with her. She saw Hanabi's smiling face flashing before her, then her eyes, filled with tears as she thought that something happened to her when the village was attacked.

And that memory, those eyes full of tears, pulled Hinata out of her memories and willed her body to block her father's attack at the last nanosecond. Just as Hiashi's palm was about to hit her, Hinata used her own and slammed it hard on her father's arm.

Hiashi stumbled sideways due to the immense force, including his own and Hinata's, but he quickly gained his balance. Hinata jumped back, still not believing that her father was fighting her in a duel. She looked at Hiashi with pleading eyes as he whirled in her direction and again lunged at her.

This time Hinata blocked his attacks with her palms as Hiashi repeatedly attacked her. He still hadn't activated his Byakugan and Hinata was glad for that because once he used his Byakugan, Hinata knew for sure that she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Father..." she pleaded as she continued to block his attacks, "Please... I don't want to fight you."

As she said that, Hiashi took the opportunity of her distraction and hit her chest with his palm. She went flying back and stumbled to the ground. She groaned but quickly stood up.

Hiashi moved in her direction and said, "Weak... You are still that weak little girl. How pathetic of you. You can't even will yourself to fight back."

"Pathetic." Someone from the crowd spat.

"How shameful." Another voice said.

Hinata didn't care. She really didn't care what they thought of her. She would never harm a fellow clansmen, and this was her father who was standing before her, she couldn't even think of hurting him.

Hinata looked staright in her father's eyes and said firmly, "I won't."

"Then you would rather die?" Hiashi asked, his voice betrayed no emotions.

Instead of answering him, she jyst said, "You are my father."

Hiashi's lips pursed in a thin line and then he said, "If you are thinking I will spare a weakling like you just because I am your father, then you are wrong."

Hiashi looked at Hinata for any reaction but none came. She just closed her eyes and exhaled. He narrowed his eyes at her and without even wasting a second, he went for the kill.

Hinata exhaled and closed her eyes as she embraced herself for the attack that will come to end this forever.

Yes. Yes, she would rather die than attack her own father.

Just as she felt Hiashi move, she heard a voice from the crowd and then it came closer.

"Nee-chan!"

Hanabi...

Hinata's eyes snapped open and before she could do anything, Hanabi was running right towards her.

"Father! No!" Hanabi cried out and in a flash, she was standing infront of Hinata, her arms wide open in a protective stance.

And just like that, Hiashi's palm hit Hanabi instead of Hinata and she slammed into her sister, sending them both flying back. They both hit the ground and didn't move for a moment.

Hinata caught her breath and sat up as she frantically looked at her sister's motionless body. Her world stopped when she saw Hanabi lying on the ground, a pained expression on her face as the blood poured out of her mouth. Her chest moving up and down very very slowly.

Hinata was about to stand up and run to her sister's aid but she went still when that pained expression turned into a blank one and her chest stopped moving, as if she was a stone statue, motionless and still.

Hinata blinked. Once. Twice. The realization hit her like a massive wave. Her sister was gone. She was gone. That beautiful ray of sunshine in Hinata's life was gone. Gone for forever, making her sky full of dark clouds.

Something inside of her chest contracted as if someone was squeezing it in a fist.

Her heart.

She reached her hand to her chest and clutched as if she would yank away that fist which was squeezing her heart but to no avail. The pain, the squeezing didn't stop.

Her sister was dead.

Her eyes watered and tears pooled in her eyes.

Hanabi was dead.

Her tears now ran freely down her cheeks as she let out whimper.

She was dead and she couldn't do anything. It was all because of her.

In that moment, Hinata realized how wrong she was. How wrong she was to assume that being weak will protect Hanabi. But in real, that's what killed her.

Only if she was strong, she could've protected Hanabi. Only if she was strong enough to face her father.

Her father. Hiashi.

Hinata then realized that she wasn't alone here with Hanabi. The whole clan was here. And the one who did this all was her own father.

Hinata still hadn't moved from her place where she had fallen to the ground. She still hadn't moved an inch towards Hanabi's still and motionless body. She slowly turned to Hiashi.

His eyes were glued to Hanabi's body, his face expressionless. Like always, like he was just watching or examining some paperwork. His eyes were still cold and harsh, like he had no soul to even feel the emotions and feelings.

He did it. He killed her. He killed his own daughter and he wasn't even sad about it. Or even guilty.

And for the first time Hinata came to know what it felt like to hate someone. How that feeling felt like. She hated him. And she hated him with every fiber of her being. He wasn't a human being. He was a monster. No father would be so cruel and cold to their own children.

Hinata felt her teeth and jaw clench in anger as her breath came out unevenly. As if her blood was boiling inside of her veins. Her chakra spiked and everyone there visibly flinched at the sudden move from the still but alive Hyuga on the ground.

Hinata felt like the box in which she had locked that chakra away, which had burned her insides whenever she tried to use her chakra, she felt that box completely shatter into pieces.

And with that, the true power of Hinata Hyuga finally surfaced and came brusting out of her. She slowly stood up, her fists clenched by her side. When she lifted her head and looked at Hiashi with tears streaming down her face, her jaw clenched and she activated her byakugan.

As soon as she activated her byakugan, the crowd flinched and took a few steps back as if they were afraid of her.

Hiashi looked at his daughter who once was a shy and timid girl, who wouldn't even raise her voice and would always bury the feelings like rage and anger. He looked at her and didn't see that Hinata. He was looking at the new version of her, a version of which she didn't even know herself.

She was crying, sad yet angry at him. She was angry, maybe at herself for not protecting her sister. And she was channling that anger into her chakra.

That chakra sent a shiver down their spines, at the immense power that radiated off of her. If there was someone else beside Hiashi who was facing her, he would have run for his life as soon as her chakra spiked.

All of a sudden, her fists were engulfed into blazing purple chakra like fire.

"How could you...?" she gritted out through her clenched teeth. Her once gentle voice was now full of fury.

"She was your daughter. I... I am your daughter! How could you!?"

With that she lunged at her father, her eyes still filled with tears as she went to use her gentle fist. Hiashi barely dodged it as she came at him with an incredible speed. Hinata didn't stop, she just kept hitting him with everything she got and Hiashi dodged her attacks barely.

Everyone was so shocked to see her power and to see Hiashi, the powerful and mightly Hyuga head being so overpowered by her. They were so shocked to see that Hiashi was having a hard time fighting her, that girl they thought so little of, thought of her as a weak and pathetic girl.

Hiashi tried to avoid her attacks but the next attack which came at him, he wasn't able to dodge it. Hinata hit him in his gut and he went flying back across the coutyard, his breath knocked out of his lungs at the impact.

Everyone was watching them with wide eyes and gaped mouths. Hinata again went to attack him but someone punched her in the face and she tumbled back.

Her eyes filled with fury at the action and saw two of Hyuga guards standing infront of her with their byakugan activated, ready to attack her once again. She recognized them both, they were brothers, they were now the most powerful branch members, after Neji's death. They both had tremendous potnetial but they weren't able to surpass Neji.

They both looked at her with disdain and aversion but with a hint of fear in their eyes. Just by looking at them, a surge of anger coursed through her body. As if she was completely comsumed by it. She then realized that she couldn't control her chakra anymore, instead it was controlling her, consumming her.

And for the first time, ever since she got that chakra, she didn't tried to fight it. She let it burn inside of her and followed that hum of power which echoed in her ears like a melody. And finally she accepted that power, claimed it as her own.

"Out of my way," she said calmly as if nothing was happening right now. But that calm tone put those two on edge. Like she was warning them or giving them a last chance to stay away from this. They gulped and prepared themselves to attack her.

They both came at her simultaneously, one of them jumped in the air and tried to kick her, the other one went behind her and went to punch her in the back.

But Hinata reacted fast and used rotation to block their attacks. Both of them bounced back but landed swiftly on the ground. Now they both stood infront of her, at a good distance between her and them.

When they still held their ground, Hinata pursed her lips and said, "You leave me no choice then."

And with that, her fists were engulfed in purple chakra and this time, its intensity and power were twice than before. Those two brothers tensed and wavered but they still wouldn't retreat.

She admired that confident and will to stand their ground and fight. She really did. But this power, this feeling of... Of anger, sadness and despair, it was consuming her. And she just wanted to let it out and be free of its chains.

Those two brothers were still preparing themselves to attack when Hinata suddenly was standing behind them. Just as they whirled back, Hinata's palms had already made contact with their bodies and before anyone could realize what just happened they both were on the ground, knocked out.

Everyone in the crowed gasped and then it was complete silent. Hinata then turned in her father's direction who was still on the ground, watching her with a small smile on his lips.

She went completely still and her chakra calmed down as if nothing happened. She looked at that familiar smile, that smile brought back a memory. A memory which was buried deep in her mind. It'd been so long since she saw that smile, that smile which was full of pride and satisfaction.

A tear slid down her cheek. A part of her was happy that her father finally acknowledged despite all this. She felt a weight lifting off of her chest. She felt completely empty but free.

But a bigger part of her was devastated. Her sister was gone, she was gone forever.

"Hanbai..." she breathed out and soon brusted into tears as she sank to the ground and sobbed.

Everyone was silent and looked at the young Hyuga with guilt and regret. They treated her so bad all these years, they saw how she trained day and night and still choosed to ignore her.

Hiashi stood up and went to his daughter who was sobbing on the ground. He knelt down and rested his hand on her head.

"I am sorry, my child," he said in a voice which sounded so unfamiliar. It was soft, gentle and sad. "I am sorry for everything. I failed to be a good father."

Hinata slowly lifted her head and looked at her father with tearful and sorrowful eyes. She shook her head and tried to say something but couldn't, instead a sob escaped from her lips.

She wanted to tell him that it was too late. And Hanabi was now dead. His apology or regret won't bring her back.

As if he had just read her mind, Hiashi said, "No child, I can't kill my own child no matter what. It wasn't her."

Hinata furrowed her brows in confusion as she saw her father looking over her shoulder. She turned back and saw her sister waking up and standing on her feet with ease. She wiped the blood from her mouth and looked at Hinata with a smile on her face.

Hinata's eyes widened and her hand went to her mouth as she let out a gasp.

"Hanabi..." she said.

But that wasn't Hanabi who was standing in front of her. Suddenly, she was engulfed in smoke and transformed into a man. That man was Ko, her childhood protector.

"W-what...?" she stammered and then turned to her father for any explanation. But instead of Hiashi, Ko spoke.

"Allow me to explain, Lady Hinata." He said and bowed. "Lord Hiashi wanted you to show your true power and not to hold back. And judging by your nature, it was the only way."

"So Hanabi is alright," Hinata said, her voice full of relief. "Thank God."

She then turned to Hiashi and saw his injuries as a feeling of guilt pooled inside of her. "I am sorry, Father. Are you alright?"

Hiashi let out a small laugh and loiked at his daughter who was still worrying about him after he had done so much to hurt her.

"I am fine. Even in the state of anger and grief you were able to hold back. You had a perfect chance to kill me with a single hit but you didn't."

"How could I? You are my father."

Hiashi looked at her with guilt and regret as he again rested his hand on her head and smiled. She smiled back and wiped her tears away.

Ko stepped forward and said in a confused tone, "Lady Hinata, you are not cross about all this. We did something terrible to you. About Lady Hanabi..."

Hinata looked at him for a moment and then shook her head and said with a smile, "No. I am not."

How could she be angry about this. Ofcourse it was horrible that they did such a terrible thing but if they hadn't done that she wouldnt have experienced such new emotions like hate and despair. She knew that those were negative emotions and one should always them at bay. But those emotions lifted a weight off of her.

She felt so light and free. Those emotions setted her free and she felt so happy to finally be acknowledged by her father.