A Growing Affection

Chapter 88: Rematch

When the Hokage's voice, piped into the locker room, announced  Naruto's victory, Hinata's heart soared. Though she would never have  admitted it, she had been worried for her paramour. A small part of her  was still concerned he might have been injured in the fight, but she  pushed the fear aside. She couldn't afford it.

"Besides," the  young woman told the wall, "with Naruto's regeneration, it doesn't  really matter how much he gets beat up, right?"

"Knucklehead, get  out of there so we can reset the arena," Tsunade's voice sprang up  again, "the match between Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga will begin in  twenty minutes."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat, and her hands trembled.

"Neji,"  she whispered. Her cousin was the acknowledged genius, who learned the  clan's primary techniques all by himself. He was one of only two Jonin  in the last three generations of Hyuga shinobi. No matter what she had  learned, or what Naruto said, she was not certain she could defeat him.

And  part of her wasn't sure she wanted to. Neji's father died to save hers,  because she could not stop the Cloud ninja had tried to kidnap her. She  somehow felt she owed him for that. And she felt her cousin would make a  good leader for the clan...

Naruto's face appeared in Hinata's  mind. Not his happy, energetic face, but his kind loving face. She  remembered what she was fighting for; not just for her love life, but  also for how far she had advanced, and for her own freedom. Hinata  resolved herself, unconsciously tightening the top strap on her left  hand kote. She had promised her beloved she would do her best; she had  promised herself she would do her best.

'If Neji wins, I will not begrudge him his victory,' she decided firmly, 'but I will not go down without a fight!'

"Do you think Hinata can beat Neji?" Sakura asked nervously. The  seats beside her had been filled by Ino, with Choji on his lover's other  side; however the space next to Yugao had been empty, so Naruto had  plopped down there. He was still frowning after his match, not pleased  by how he won, yet unable to refute the results. But he raised his head  and grinned at his teammate's question.

"Of course she can," Uzumaki insisted, without a hint of doubt on his face.

"Nothing  against Hinata," Lee shook his head, "for she has come very far. But I  do not believe she can defeat Neji. He is a Jonin, while she is only a  Tokubetsu Jonin. Neji also has the advantage in strength and speed."

"You're kidding me, Bushy-Brow," Naruto shot back, "Hinata knows all the Hyuga clan tricks, and how to counter them. She's got Neji's number. Plus there's no way Neji's faster than Hinata."

"Then I guess we shall see," Rock Lee did not sound convinced, and Kakashi looked unsure as well.

The cousins stepped onto opposite sides of the field, each observing the other. Neji could not help but be surprised by the rigid resolve in Hinata's eyes and in the set of her shoulders. And Hinata could feel Neji's sadness, and also his lack of doubt. Her eyes also studied the polearm he carried; the spetum had a six-foot wooden staff, topped with a two-foot long, five-inch broad shortsword. And where the two met there were two crescent blades, one facing forward the other facing backwards.

"Hinata  Hyuga, Neji Hyuga," the leader of the Leaf shinobi addressed the near  siblings, "The rules of this duel are the same as the previous battle.  The winner will be the first of you to incapacitate your opponent, to  force your opponent out of the arena, or to make your opponent  surrender. Begin!"

Hinata pushed off before Tsunade finished the  second syllable of the command. She opened a channel to Ginmaki,  manifesting the lightning blades. As she took her third step, she  started signing.