"Kurenai, you got any clue or is this something she's working on without your knowledge?" Asuma asked Kurenai. Kurenai smiled and shook her head.
"She told me and only me about it. The technique is quite simple. Since the Hyuga Clan members have an innate ability to emit chakra from their tenketsu, Hinata decided to put that and her Fire Release together. She calls it Firebending and she claims that it will change the Hyuga Clan's traditional beliefs and fighting style forever." Kurenai explained with a proud smirk on her face.
"Well I believe her! It's genius! Why hasn't anyone thought of it before?! " Naruto asked. Kakashi looked at him.
" Well, it's because the Hyuga Clan, excuse my language, have poles so long and shoved so deep into their asses that it's coming out of their mouths and reaching the heavens. I have never met a clan that makes me want to act like Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi explained, making the Konoha Shinobi sweat drop at his blunt words.
"Basically, the clan was so set on tradition that they refused to deviate from the chakra based taijutsu style at all. Innovative techniques and changes to the style were discouraged and sometimes even punished. " Kurenai explained.
"Tch! Arrogant bastards. Now I get why it's Hinata's dream to change the clan." Naruto grumbled.
" She can't do it alone that's for sure. We'll support her right? " Sakura asked her friends.
" Hn." Satsuki hummed as her response. That means yes in the Uchiha dialect. Everyone nodded, even the jonin senseis did.
"Let's hope she gains another one here." Kurenai mumbled while looking at Neji who glared at Hinata with animosity in his eyes.
"Dishonoring and deviating from the traditions of the Hyuga?! You truly deserve to be called a failure!" Neji shouted.
"You're wrong nii-san! I'm honoring it by making the fighting style stronger! Even with the Byakugan, can't you see that my intentions are pure?!" Hinata argued.
" I'm not running away anymore! The Clan is falling behind! We can help everyone with our dojutsu but they elders are focused on the main house staying 'pure' and segregated with the branch house."
" The tradition is pointless! They'd rather have you, a once in a lifetime prodigy, enslaved and/or dead than give you leadership of the clan just because grandmother gave birth to uncle Hizashi second! "
"Do not speak of his name!! " Neji shouted.
"He is my uncle! I can mention him however much I want to!" Hinata shouted before she sent out a punch, sending out a wave of flames that she emitted from her tenketsu points.
Neji scowled and dodged it. With pure speed, Neji appeared in front if Hinata in a second.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—
" Rotation!!! " Hinata declared as she emitted fire chakra from all of her body's tenketsu before spinning rapidly, creating a flaming protective shield while doing so.
"Ahh!!" Neji yelled in pain as the flaming shield burned his face and clothes. He was also repelled back by the burning attack.
Neji tumbled on the ground began to cough violently. He had a large burn mark on his face, his shirt were mostly burned off revealing minor burs on his torso.
" Rotation, a secret taijutsu of the Hyūga clan's main house, traditionally only known by the head of the clan and the clan's heir. When can Hinata do that?" Shino wondered. Kurenai smiled and patted his head.
"A Shinobi doesn't reveal everything, Shino. They're always biding their time and preparing to strike even though they don't look like they're doing anything." Kurenai explained. Shino nodded a little, taking his sensei's advice to heart.
"Haa!!" Hinata shouted as she charged towards Neji who stood up to face her. Hinata attempted to deliver a palm strike to Neji's solar plexus but Neji deflected it before striking one of Hinata's tenketsu points.
Hinata narrowed her eyes and kept on going. They both start trading blows once again. Both fighters had tenketsu points blocked off and internal organs damaged.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!!!"
"Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!!!"
Neji and Hinata executed their respective attacks on each other.
Using his Byakugan's near-360° field of vision, Neji envisions himself within the centre of an Eight Trigrams symbol. He then delivers a series of attacks to Hinata who is within the symbol's perimeter, striking sixty-four of her tenketsu.
Those sixty-four tenketsu are subsequently blocked, stopping the flow of chakra within her body and making it difficult for them to move.
But that move was countered by Hinata's attack, the Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Created by Hinata, this is a highly versatile technique which affords both offensive and defensive capabilities whereby she emits a constant stream of chakra from her palms, which are formed into extremely thin, sharp, blades.
While using this technique offensively, Hinata shapes the chakra into thin, sharp, flexible blades allowing her to hit hundreds of targets with extreme precision and can cut smaller targets, like bees, into pieces.
When used defensively, Hinata creates much larger, stronger, more flexible, arc-shaped chakra blades that spread out across her entire attack range, effectively forming a barricade between herself and her opponents, rebuffing even the largest and smallest of targets.
With the addition of Hinata's flexibility, the technique creates an 'absolute defence' effect similar to that of the Rotation, though the cutting nature of the chakra prevents any outside force from restricting it.
Both sides were attacking each other, ignoring defending themselves. Neji had cuts all over his body while Hinata had a lot of her tenketsu points blocked.
"32 palms!! 64 palms—
At the last moment, Hinata dodged Neji's last palm strike. Flames engulfed her fists as her eyes narrowed, veins bulging out more in the process.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm!!!"
Hinata shouted before using a more powerful version of the Vacuum Palm. Hinata sent out a powerful wave of flames from her fists simultaneously and with great force towards Neji.
Neji was knocked back by the sudden concussive attack. He landed on the ground, suffering more internal injuries and burn wounds.
Neji looked up to see Hinata holding her palm at his heart. "Please give up, Neji nii-san. I don't wish to cause a precious person of mine more harm when he's already went through a lot." Hinata pleaded with a frown on her face. Neji gritted her teeth as he looked at his cousin in the eyes.
"Why....why do you stray from the paths that have been set out for you? Why do you try to exceed your natural limitations? Tell me, Lady Hinata!" Neji demanded. Hinata smiled at him.
"Why do you insist upon destiny, Neji nii-san? I think it's a sore spot for you that caused you inner suffering, you so badly wanted to prove yourself to the main house yet you feel incapable of doing so." Hinata's words made Neji narrow his eyes. He didn't say anything, just letting her go on.
"You're holding yourself back, nii-san. You're not realizing your true destiny at all. You're destiny is not being the Hyuga Clan's servant for eternity, but something even better."
"Fate is not inescapable, but that, rather, one's destiny is what one makes of it. Please nii-san, I want us to be together again. I don't want the main house and branch house to keep hating each other anymore." Hinata stretched out her hand at him and smiled kindly at him.
"Join me, nii-san. Join me so that we can set our own path together. Let's change the Hyuga Clan's destiny. " Hinata offered. Neji stared at the hand for a while, wondering what he should do. He smiled and grabbed it.
"Let's do this, Lady Hinata." Neji whispered before looking at Hayate who wiped away a fake tear after witnessing the emotional scene.
"Proctor, I give up." Neji muttered. Hayate nodded.
" Winner! Hinata Hyuga!!" Hayate declared as Konoha Shinobi cheered loudly, not only at Hinata but also for Neji too. Hiruzen looked down at the two Hyugas with a warm smile on his face, glad that their relationship is starting to mend.
Neji and Hinata were approached by Medic-nin. They were quickly taken away to the clinic in the building so that they could reopen their tenketsu points and rest for a while.
In a random house, a caged bird managed to free itself from It cage. It flew away and joined other birds.
The journey for freedom starts now.
.
.
"Lee."
Lee looked at Shino who stood beside him. Lee grinned at Shino. "Hello! How may I help?" Lee asked excitedly. Shino turned to look at him.
"Before they call you and Gaara down there. There's something I need to tell you. Me and my team, we saw him fight a team of Genin. He can control sand that's in the gourd he's carrying." Shino explained. Naruto hearing this secret conversation also approached Lee.
" Be careful Lee. Gauge his abilities and don't play around. You need to be serious. You can be youthful after the match is over." Naruto advised him. He leaned into Lee's ear.
"I'm serious, Lee. He's just like me. You understand that right?" Naruto whispered, making Lee widen his eyes in shock.
"Since he's like me he must also have a transformation under his sleeve."
" Will the last two fighters *Cough!!* Rock Lee and Gaara of the Sand come down!? " Hayate shouted before entering another coughing fit.
"Remember Lee, all you need is one tap." Naruto whispered. Lee gave him the 'nice guy' pose. His pearl white teeth were shining bright like a diamond.
"You got it Naruto! This will be the most youthful fight you'll ever witness!!" Lee declared the before jumping off the platform. Lee performed a couple of flips before landing on the ground, making no sound when he does so.
In a blur, Lee arrived in front of Hayate who was surprised at the genin's speed. 'And he still has weights on.' Hayate thought before looking at Gaara who appeared in front of Lee in a swirl of sand.
Lee smiled at the emotionless Gaara. "To be able to face you this early, I couldn't be happier!"
"Hmph."
"Fighters, Begin!!!"
To be continued...