Chapter 150: No Fear

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.

I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 150: No Fear

"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her doujutsu and began to move.

Neji got ready, surprised to see Hinata take the initiative and attack first.

He quickly noticed that her movements felt far more fluid compared to her usual, more rigid style.

"Hakke!" Hinata used both hands to strike at Neji's chest, aiming to block some important chakra points right from the start.

"Byakugan!" Neji decided to get serious.

Despite her improved fluidity, Hinata's speed was still similar to before and well below Neji's capabilities, so he had no trouble blocking her attacks.

He finally decided to counter and began his own offensive.

The two of them exchanged several more blows under the watchful eyes of other clan members.

At first glance, this didn't look very distinguishable from their previous duels, with Neji clearly in control the whole time.

"I thought she was somewhat different, but…she's still the same," Hanabi said, disappointed. She had actually hoped her sister would remain the family heir, as it was not a position she wanted. She only went along with it to avoid disappointing her father.

"She is very different. You just haven't noticed it yet…how careless," Naruto said, taking another sip of tea.

"How am I careless?" Hanabi thought Naruto was messing with her again.

"Are those eyes of yours completely useless? Look at her demeanor while fighting. Does she seem the same?"

Hiashi and a few others overheard Naruto's comment and turned their attention back to the duel.

"Well…" Hanabi considered his words as she watched her sister fighting Neji. She tried to observe more carefully. "Hinata seems…more decisive in her moves. Is that it?"

Naruto gave her a passing glance. "You're on the right track, but there's more to it. Let me ask you something…what's the most detrimental thing for a warrior in a deadly situation?"

"Huh?" Hanabi looked puzzled. "Something detrimental in a deadly situation? Like…breaking a leg?"

"No, not that "Naruto pointed at his head.

"That's it…" Hiashi seemed to understand at that moment why his daughter felt different.

Her techniques hadn't improved dramatically...that made sense, as Naruto wasn't a master of the Gentle Fist and couldn't teach her much in that regard.

What he had done, however, was something else, something Hinata had been in dire need of.

"The answer…" Naruto pointed ahead. "Is fear."

Hinata launched a direct attack at Neji. He blocked her hand and aimed one of his own strikes at her.

Neji's hand grazed Hinata's cheek, leaving a long cut. He flinched, as he was trying not to hurt her too badly this time.

But Hinata didn't react to the pain and continued her offensive, taking advantage of Neji's momentary hesitation.

She secured one of his hands with a firm grip, turned her face to the side, and used her teeth to bite the other hand that had just cut her.

"Ahh!" Neji shouted in surprise.

"She bit him!" Hanabi couldn't believe what she'd just seen.

Hinata didn't stop there and used her free hand to continue her assault.

"Vacuum Palm!" She created a compressed shell of air aimed directly at Neji's vital areas and released it without hesitation.

Hiashi stood from his seat, shocked. "Hinata!"

The referee moved closer, ready to intervene if needed. He hadn't set specific no-kill rules, believing neither would attempt such a thing.

Neji managed to twist his body just enough to avoid the attack from hitting his heart. Otherwise, his life might have been in serious danger.

He quickly pushed her away and spun to create a protective barrier. "Kaiten!" He had to get her away from him.

"See? Now she can fight without hesitation, even if her skills remain mostly the same. " Naruto said proudly. It had taken him a lot of effort to reform Hinata in only two weeks, but he was satisfied with the results.

"Did she try to kill Neji?" Hanabi asked, bewildered.

"It wasn't against the rules, right?" Naruto replied. "She has to do anything to survive. That's what she learned at the forest."

"What did you do to her?!" Hanabi shouted.

"I scared her to the brink of death," Naruto explained. He knew it would be a waste of time to try teaching her new techniques since he wasn't a Gentle Fist master, so he focused on changing her attitude toward fighting.

"You did what?" Hanabi was even more confused.

Naruto put his cup down and looked at her. "Look at me."

As she did, he released a small amount of bloodlust, directed right at her.

Hanabi felt an overwhelming terror wash over her. She felt a sharp pain in her belly and looked down, seeing blood pouring out and feeling excruciating pain.

She tried to move, tried to scream, but nothing happened. Her eyes were open with horror but could not break away.

"That's enough!" her father's voice cut through the illusion.

"I was just giving her a small taste," Naruto shrugged.

Hanabi gasped, disoriented, as the pain and vision faded, and she found herself back with everyone around her as if nothing had changed. She looked down, her kimono spotless and free of any blood.

"What was that?" she exclaimed.

"That was just a bit of my bloodlust," Naruto replied.

"You used that on my daughter?!" Hiashi stood up and moved toward Naruto. "How dare you!"

"It felt so real…I thought I was going to die…" Hanabi whispered, looking at Naruto in shock. "You did that to my sister?"

Naruto nodded. "Over and over, and much stronger than what you felt. While she fought wild beasts at first, I also bombarded her with bloodlust. She had to overcome that to survive. That was her training."

"That's barbaric! We don't train like that in Konoha!" the referee shouted.

"The most detrimental thing for a warrior is freezing with fear in a deadly situation or showing hesitation because you don't want to hurt your oponent. That will never happen to Hinata again," Naruto said, pointing at the duel.

Hinata was still attacking Neji, each move aimed at his vital points with no signs of stopping.

"She still needs to improve her actual strength, though." As Naruto spoke, Neji managed to land several hits on her chakra points, sealing her movement.

"But she'll improve faster now." He looked at Hiashi again. "Isn't that what you wanted in your heir? A fearless leader? You have it now. She just needs some time to grow."

"That's…" Hiashi looked at Hinata. It was true that he'd wished for her to be less timid and fearful, but he wasn't sure if this was what he had envisioned.

After a few minutes, Neji finally managed to knock her out, finishing with a Thirty-Two Palms move.

"W-winner…Hyuga Neji…" the referee declared.

There was a moment of silence. Yes, Neji had won, but judging by his current state, no one could really say he was the victor.

His clothes were torn, and he was covered in cuts and bruises. He had three bite marks on his body, and his right eye was injured from when Hinata nearly poked it with her fingers.

"Was that really Hyuga Hinata? That shy girl?" one of the clan elders muttered.

"She fought like a wild beast…" another spectator commented.

"Take Neji to the healer…" Hiashi ordered. "I'll take care of my daughter." He looked at Hinata with mixed emotions.

Naruto stood up. "Well, my job here is done. I'll leave her to you for further training. I probably won't be back for a few months."

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