"It's over, Sister. Just give up." Hanabi grinned, the fight seemingly already won.
'Natsuki will be so surprised,' she thought.
Pow!!
Taking advantage of Hinata's momentary lapse in concentration after her acting, Hanabi launched her attack.
She was certain her Eight Trigrams Palm would be effective.
But it was rendered useless.
A strong, snow-white hand grabbed onto her wrist, blocking it.
Azure chakra flames ignited on the hand that was holding Hanabi's wrist, clearly reflected in Hanabi's wide pearl like eyes.
Hanabi was sharp and rather cunning, but she was, in the end, a little girl who haven't yet comprehended the wider world.
"Hanabi, that trick of yours won't work one me unless I want it to."
Hinata blocked Hanabi's attack with her left hand, while her right casually brushed a stray strand of Hanabi's hair onto her ear.
Hinata looked calm, gentle and unpressured.
This stark contrast to her previous demeanor stunned Hanabi.
During training sessions before their father, Hinata always struggled, barely able to defend against her attacks.
She'd never been this relaxed.
"Don't lose focus during a fight, or you'll be down for the count," Hinata reminded her, not exploiting her sister's momentary shock to attack.
This was a stark contrast to Hanabi's earlier actions, showcasing Hinata's own gentle nature.
'Is this really the same timid, submissive sister I know?'
Hanabi was truly taken aback.
But as a ninja, she knew she shouldn't lose focus on the battlefield, no matter how unbelievable the situation was.
"Hmph! You only caught me cause I didn't attack with any lethal intent," she retorted, her pride refusing to yield.
"I'd have already won if I was fighting against a real enemy." Hanabi withdrew her hand, and hinata let g without any resistance.
"Don't think you've won just because you blocked one attack of mine. Let's see if you can handle my next combo."
Hanabi subtly used her words to provoke her sister.
And she was confident in her own complete mastery of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. As long as her sister took her head on, she would be able to use the technique, incapacitating her.
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Hanabi's byakugan fully activated as she leapt into the water's surface.
Like a graceful butterfly, she traced a beautiful arc towards Hinata.
The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was a secret technique of the Hyuga Clan, combined with special footwork.
It allowed the user to quickly entangle the enemy and strike their chakra points. As long as she could use consecutive combo to strik at her sister, hanabi would be able to gain the upper hand.
Two Palms!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of her palms slicing through the air created a gust of wind.
With this level of skill, Hanabi could indeed look down on her peers.
Ordinary ninjas would have no way to avoid it without using the Substitution Jutsu or body flicker technique.
Pow!
However, Hinata understood the Eight Trigrams Palms even better than Hanabi.
Facing the rapidly approaching palms, Hinata's own Eight Trigrams Palm only activated when they were less than a foot from her pressure points, yet it arrived first, accurately deflecting Hanabi's two strikes.
"Ahh-.!"
Four Palms!
Six Palms!
Hanabi couldn't help but cry out in pain as she felt a sharp sting in her wrists. But her pride, as a ninja and the future heir of the Huga clan, forced her to suppress the pain.
Gritting her teeth, she unleashed even faster palm strikes.
Her speed was so great that it left behind afterimages of her strikes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Hinata, once again, didn't dodge.
Her slender, jade-like hands, swift and precise as arrows, shot out palms strikes in the blink of an eye.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Palm met palm, and the energy from the blue chakra created small shockwaves in the air.
Hanabi was sent flying by the force of Hinata's palms.
Her small feet skidded across the water, creating a long spray of water.
Her body swayed, and she nearly falling into the water.
She quickly channeled chakra to her feet, narrowly managing to stay upright on the water's surface.
"Hanabi, that was good. I hadn't even learned the Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms at your age," Hinata's voice, full of praise, reached Hanabi before she could regain her balance.
A sharp gust of wind followed her voice, followed by the sound of something cuttig through the air.
"Ahh! I give up, Sister!" Hanabi squeezed her eyes shut and yelled.
A moment later, the expected attack didn't come.
Hanabi quickly opened her eyes and found Hinata holding a bottle of healing ointment.
"Let me help you with the bruises on your arms. I'm sorry for using too much force just now," Hinata said gently, applying the ointment to Hanabi's arms and spreading it with chakra.
Hanabi finally felt the soreness and slight swelling in her arms.
Then she glanced at Hinata's arms, still as smooth and white as jade, as if they hadn't just sparred.
Her own strikes were quite strong; an ordinary person couldn't withstand even one of her attacks.
It seemed her sister's taijutsu and physical strength were far superior to her own.
"Damn it, Sister! You really were hiding your strength all along," Hanabi said, slightly dejected.
"Hanabi, you're already amazing. I couldn't have beaten you at your age," Hinata said with a bright smile, encouraging her sister as she led her back to shore. "Come on, let's go back. We've kept Natsuki waiting."
"Hmph! Then why did you always lose to me on purpose?" Hanabi pouted.
Hinata smiled and shook her head without answering.
"Because your sister didn't want you to be seaed and become a member of the Branch House,"
Natsuki's voice echoed in her mind.
'Hinata wouldn't want to say it, but I have no such qualms.'
Unlike in the original story, Hinata had grown strong and was no longer the timid girl she once was.
But she still had no desire to inherit the Hyuga Clan and become its leader.
The Hyuga Clan were descendants of Hamura Ōtsutsuki.
All members possessed the Byakugan, a dōjutsu said to rival the Sharingan.
To protect this bloodline from falling into the wrong hands, the Hyuga Clan, at some point in history, divided the family into the Main House and the Branch House.
The Main House were the true inheritors, while the Branch House served as protectors, shouldering the responsibility of safeguarding the Main House.
Only one heir could lead the Main House; all other descendants would be relegated to the Branch House and branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
This was the source of the Hyuga Clan's internal conflict.
In the original story, Naruto, after becoming Hokage, fulfilled his promise and, alongside Hinata, abolished the Main and Branch House system.
In this life, Natsuki could solve this problem himself. But for now, the issue still remained.
As soon as Natsuki spoke, Hanabi understood.
If her sister inherited the clan and became the head of the Main House, she would undoubtedly be designated as a Branch House member and branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
Even their father's twin brother, Hizashi, had been branded. There was no reason she would be spared.
Because of the cruel practice of branding Branch House members, Hiashi had never wanted a second child.
However, Hinata's timid nature made her unsuitable to inherit the clan, prompting Hiashi to try for another child.
"Sister...did you do this for me?" Hanabi's face turned pale.
Beads of sweat, or perhaps river lake water from their earlier sparring, dripped down her hair.
It was true; only one of them could inherit the clan.
The other would become a Branch House member, forever marked with the Caged Bird Seal.
This cruel seal, which placed their lives at the mercy of the Main House, was something Hanabi couldn't accept.
'Would my sister have accepted it?'