Genin Takedown - 10

Ino frowned, "Darn...I thought getting him mad might have helped him win."

"Being angry is one of the worst ways to fight your battles." Shikamaru replied lazily, offering her some wise advice that Chouji could have definitely used.

Temari exchanged a nonplused glance with Kankuro, not expecting a match to be so short.

"Hey, check it out Gaara-kun. One of those Sound ninja made it..." Naruto hadn't expected anyone from the team of Oto ninja to proceed past the preliminaries.

His friend made no reply and Naruto faced him fully, miffed, "Hey are you listening to me? I know you're upset about Sakura-chan but she's gonna be okay! You really should-"

"Naruto, the next match will be starting soon." Gaara gestured to the overhead board and Naruto compliantly glanced over to it.

Kurenai closed her eyes briefly, sighing, "Hinata, I will let you proceed in whatever way you judge to be right. This is your match after all."

The shy Hyuga girl was abnormally calm, "Thank you, sensei." Her behavior earned her quizzical looks from her both of her teammates.

As expected, Hayate called out the next two ninja, "The tenth match will be between Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Neji."

Naruto felt his heart break as the examiner announced the next match, 'No! This isn't right! Not Hinata-chan! Anyone but her! They're cousins so why would they...why does it have to be this way?'

The golden haired nin watched as Neji moved down from the balcony, his face as stoic as it had been before. Naruto felt his lips peel back into a frustrated snarl, not comprehending how the Hyuga prodigy could not be troubled, 'Looks like he's not too upset! What does he think he's supposed to do anyway? I...I can't believe this!'

He turned to his crimson haired friend, totally distraught, "Gaara-kun, there's no way that they-"

"You know that we are utterly incapable of interfering," Gaara knew exactly how he was feeling, "This match is going to be a clash of rivals all for the sake of an old feud."

"But there's no way this fight was random! I mean, it's the both of them!" Naruto's anxious ocean eyes were beginning to unnerve his friend as well, "What are the chances? There's just...no way..."

"I..." Gaara could not find the words, "I have no foresight on the outcome of this match..."

Sato looked to Hinata as she swayed where she stood beside Shino, she herself quite stunned, "Are you gonna be okay, Sunshine?"

A small smile appeared on her face, "I'll b-be alright."

He nodded to her before she moved on, steeling her nerves and feeling something like lead weighing her stomach down. Kurenai's ruby gaze flickered over to Gai, where both he and his students looked on grimly as Neji arrived on the main floor first.

'Is Neji actually going to go through with this?' Tenten wondered if perhaps she should have asked him before he had left, 'There's no way she'll be able to withstand him. She doesn't know him like I do. He'll...' She clenched her fists, fearing for Hinata, 'He won't hesitate to crush her...'

Hayate wore a doubtful expression before starting the match, "You may begin."

Hinata faced her cousin nervously, desperately clinging to her resolve, her inspiration, and everything that Naruto had taught her. She felt like she was drowning in her own ideals, with no hope of treading the sea of expectations her father had swamped her with.

Neji's white eyes settled on her, uncommonly soft, yet no less threatening, "Hinata-sama..."

She felt her chin snap up in response. She already knew what he was going to say.

"Hinata-sama, there is no one in our clan that I respect more than you," Neji's sincerity had floored her completely, "However if you do not withdraw, this match will hardly count as a match at all..."

"I can't..." Her voice was like a fragile pane of glass, "I cannot do that, Neji-niisan."

He found it strange that she was not as controllable as she most often was, "I am grateful to you Hinata, but I can no longer have you influencing my future. It is something that I must create on my own."

"Neji-niisan, as your rival, I do not strive to do my best as a l-leader...but...only to prove something to myself..." Hinata looked up briefly to Naruto, trying to draw on the strength he had given her.

"You can prove nothing in this match against me," Her cousin reminded her, "You and I both know, Hinata-sama, which of us is destined to lead the Hyuga clan out of chaos."

"Chaos? In Sunshine's clan?" Sato turned to Kurenai, "Is there a fight going on or something, Kurenai-sensei?"

"An old and bitter feud between the Main and Branch houses of the Hyuga clan has yet to be resolved, even after countless decades," She replied, sighing, "Neji is the first Branch member ever to rise as a candidate as the next leader of the Hyuga clan. Hinata has not told you about this because...within this notion lies her worst fear."

"Her fear?" Shino prompted, unsure of her meaning.

"Yes, her fear of her father. He dictates her future depending on how quickly she gains skill as a ninja," Kurenai explained, "If Hinata outmatches Neji there will be no repercussions for him, but if Neji defeats Hinata...her father has the final say on what happens to her."

"So what if she doesn't become the leader of her clan?" Sato barked indignantly, "Her dad wouldn't demote her in her own family...would he?"

Kurenai shook her head, "I just...I myself cannot be sure. This match dictates Hinata's fate."

"Neji-niisan, I will not concede, not when I m-must know if I've been able to change..." Hinata's voice was soft but stern, "Defend yourself!"

Neji sighed heavily, tired of trying to persuade her, "If that is what you believe, Hinata-sama...then it cannot be avoided."

Lee's prominent eyebrows furrowed in concern as his eternal rival took an offensive stance, with his younger cousin mirroring him, neither willing to back down.

"I will not hold back." The Byakugan appeared in Neji's eyes automatically and Hinata frowned, her nervousness quickly being replaced with scraps of a plan.

Tenten leaned on the railing, disbelief clear in her features, "Lee...how can this be happening? There's just no way..."

He was unable to think of an answer for her, being he also was troubled.

Neji watched intently as Hinata wove away from his Jyukken strikes with grace, and paused abruptly when she formed a hand seal, a determined frown plastered on her face.