Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 12: The Clan’s Tournament
The next morning, Sho woke before sunrise; his body was tense with nerves.
He’d slept poorly, his mind racing with thoughts of the day ahead.
The tournament.
His first real test since his miraculous recovery.
His chance to prove to the members of the clan that he wasn’t the same weak, sickly boy who had collapsed in this very room less than two months ago.
He dressed slowly, his fingers trembling slightly as he fastened his obi.
The traditional training clothes were simple: dark blue pants and a matching top, the Hyuga clan symbol embroidered on the back.
He’d worn them a hundred times before, but today they felt different.
Heavier.
More significant.
‘This is it.
This is what I’ve been training for.’
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
‘I can do this.
I’ve trained harder than anyone.
I’ve pushed myself further than I ever thought possible.
I can do this.’
A soft knock at his door.
“Sho-kun?
Are you ready?”
Hinata’s voice sounded gentle and reassuring.
He opened the door to find her standing in the hallway, dressed in her own training clothes.
Her eyes were soft with concern, but there was pride there too…pride in her brother, pride in how far he’d come.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said, forcing a smile.
She reached out, squeezing his hand.
“You’re going to do great.
I just know it.”
“Thanks, Hinata.” He squeezed back.
“Let’s go.”
<><>
The tournament grounds were located in the heart of the Hyuga compound, a large open courtyard surrounded by tiered seating areas.
The main branch families were on the eastern side, and the branch families on the western side.
At the center of the northern wall, elevated above the crowd, sat the clan elders.
And at the very center, in a position of honor, sat the Clan Leader, Hiashi Hyuga.
Sho felt his father’s gaze on him as he entered the courtyard.
He forced himself to meet it, to hold it for just a moment before looking away.
‘He doesn’t believe in me.
But that’s fine.
I don’t need his belief.’
He found his place among the other participants.
There were fifteen other young Hyuga, ranging from children as young as eight to teenagers nearly seventeen.
Most of them he recognized, if only by sight.
Branch family members, mostly, and a few from the main branch.
And there, at the far end of the line, stood Neji.
His cousin’s white eyes met his.
They were cold and assessing, but Sho refused to look away.
He couldn’t feel much hostility in them today.
It was just a clinical curiosity, as if Sho were a specimen under observation.
‘If he’s wondering how much I’ve improved.
He’ll find out soon enough.’ Sho thought.
Beside Neji stood Hanabi, with her arms crossed, and her expression was one of barely concealed disdain.
She barely even looked at Sho.
‘She probably thinks I don’t belong here.
She thinks I’ll embarrass Father just for trying to compete with the others.’
Sho felt his jaw tighten.
‘Fine.
Let her think that.
I’ll prove her wrong soon enough.’
He had no delusions about winning, but that was never the point.
Sho was here to prove himself and to complete his quest “Eyes of the Clan”.
After all, the rewards were not something he could simply ignore, and the objective of the quest was merely to perform well and demonstrate his growth.
And he was ready to do exactly that.
<><>
The clan elder who served as judge stepped forward and began to speak, his voice carrying across the courtyard.
“Welcome, members of the Hyuga clan, to the annual tournament of the Gentle Fist.”
A murmur of acknowledgment rippled through the crowd.
The elder raised his hand for silence.
“The rules are very simple.
Only taijutsu and the Gentle Fist are permitted to be used.
No ninjutsu.
No genjutsu.
And no other weapons than your own limbs, as per tradition.
Participants must also be under the age of seventeen, for this tournament is meant to show the prowess of the future generations of the Hyuga Clan.
The tournament will consist of three rounds, with sixteen participants competing in a single-elimination bracket.”
He paused, his eyes sweeping across the assembled competitors.
“Victory is achieved by knockout, submission, or when your opponent is unable to continue.
The use of lethal force is strictly prohibited.
The tournament will continue until a single champion remains.
As judge, I also have the right to declare a winner if I decide that the fight has been dragged out enough and it has become evident who the strongest contender is.
Whatever my decision is…you will respect it.
Is that clear?” He glanced at the sixteen boys and girls, and they nodded solemnly in response.
The elder gestured to a large bracket displayed on a wooden board behind him.
“The first round pairings have been determined by lot.
When your name is called, proceed to the center of the courtyard.
The match will begin when I give the signal.”
Sho studied the bracket, his heart pounding.
His name was in the bottom half, matched against someone he didn’t recognize…a branch family boy named Hyuga Takeshi.
‘First round.
I can do this.
I can do this.’
<><>
The first few matches passed in a blur.
Neji dispatched his opponent in under a minute.
His movements were fluid and precise.
Hanabi was similarly ruthless, her strikes landing with surgical accuracy.
The crowd murmured approvingly at each victory, their expectations confirmed.
And then it was Sho’s turn.
“Hyuga Shokuhi versus Hyuga Takeshi.
Proceed to the center.”
Sho stepped forward, his legs feeling like they belonged to someone else.
The courtyard seemed to stretch endlessly before him, the crowd’s eyes boring into his back.
‘Focus.
Just focus.
One step at a time.’
His opponent was a boy his age, perhaps a year older, with the distinctive branch family seal on his forehead.
He was taller than Sho, broader in the shoulders, with the confident stance of someone who had been training for years.
Takeshi’s eyes flickered with contempt.
“Shokuhi,” he said, his voice carrying just loud enough for the nearby spectators to hear.
“So, I get to fight the useless spare…this will be easy.
I’ll send you back to your bed.”
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd.
Sho felt his face flush, but he kept his voice steady.
“It won’t be as easy as you think.” He responded.
“Sure…” Takeshi had a cruel smile on his face.
“We’ll see about that.”
“That’s enough chatter.” The elder raised his hand.
“Begin.”
Takeshi moved first, his palm striking toward Sho’s chest in a textbook Gentle Fist attack.
Sho had seen this move a hundred times in training.
Hinata had drilled him on the basics until they became second nature.
He knew the stance, the angle, the timing.
He sidestepped, the strike passing harmlessly by his shoulder.
Takeshi’s eyes widened.
“What-”
Sho didn’t give him time to recover.
He struck back with a Palm Bottom (Shōtei)…a quick, precise thrust of his palm aimed at Takeshi’s midsection.
The blow landed, and Sho felt his chakra surge into his opponent’s body.
Takeshi grunted, stumbling backward.
His hand went to his stomach while his expression shifted from surprise to pain.
” I hit the pathways close to the center,” Sho said quietly.
“You’ll have a hard time circulating your chakra now.”
The Shotei was far from being a finishing move, but it would certainly make life more difficult for his opponent.
“You…” Takeshi’s eyes narrowed while caressing his belly, feeling his closed chakra point (tenketsu).
“When did you learn to use the Gentle Fist?”
“What difference does it make?.
I thought you were going to send me back to bed.” Sho threw his taunt back at him.
“Tsk!” Takeshi lunged again, this time faster, more aggressive.
His strikes came in rapid succession…a flurry of palms aimed at Sho’s tenketsu points.
Sho blocked, dodged, and counterattacked.
His movements were clumsy compared to Takeshi’s, his strikes less precise.
But he kept moving, kept fighting, kept pushing forward.
‘I can do this.
I can do this.’
Takeshi landed a hit…a glancing blow to Sho’s shoulder.
Sho felt his chakra point lock up, his arm going numb.
‘He’s targeting my tenketsu.
He’s trying to disable me systematically, just like how I did to him.’
But Sho had trained for this.
He’d trained with Lee, who pushed him past his limits every single day.
He’d trained with Hinata, who taught him the fundamentals of the Gentle Fist.
And he also trained alone, in the darkness, when no one was watching.
He switched to his other side, compensating for his disabled arm.
He landed another Palm Bottom, this time to Takeshi’s chest.
The blow wasn’t perfect… his form was sloppy, and his chakra control imprecise…but it was enough to close the match.
Takeshi gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
Sho pressed his advantage, striking again and again.
Each blow was clumsy, but they landed one after another.
His opponent was unable to respond in time.
And finally, after what felt like an eternity, Takeshi collapsed.
The elder raised his hand.
“Winner: Hyuga Shokuhi.”
The courtyard went silent.
Sho stood in the center… his chest was moving fast, and his body felt sore.
He could feel the stares of the crowd: the shock, the disbelief, and the confusion at what they had witnessed.
The most useless Hyuga in the entire clan had just defeated someone, and he did so in a decisive manner.
‘I won.
I actually won.’ He still found it hard to believe.
He looked up at the stands, searching for familiar faces.
Hinata was beaming, her eyes bright with pride.
Hanabi was staring at him with a mixture of shock and anger.
Neji was watching him with something that might have been interest.
And Hiashi…
Hiashi’s face was as cold and unreadable as ever.
But there was something in his eyes, a flicker of surprise he was unable to hide.
‘He didn’t expect me to win.
None of them did.’ Sho felt a surge of satisfaction.
‘Good.
Let them be surprised.
Because I’m just getting started.’
[Skill Update – Combat Experience]
[Gentle Fist: Novice (Level 9)
Experience Gained: 150
Palm Bottom (Shōtei) – Basic Gentle Fist technique mastered.]
Sho glanced at the board and froze.
The matches for the second round had already been decided and were being shown.
His name had been placed next to his little sister.
‘Hanabi is next.
If I win against her…’
He pushed the thought aside.
One match at a time.
The tournament would last a total of three days, one day for each round.
So the participants had plenty of time to rest and recover from their fights.
<><>
That evening, Sho lay in his futon, his body aching but his heart soaring.
He’d won.
He’d actually won his first match in the Hyuga clan tournament.
‘I know it was just the first round.
I know I have a long way to go.
But…
I won.’
He smiled, closing his eyes.
‘Tomorrow, I face Hanabi.
She’s much stronger than me.
More skilled.
But I have something she doesn’t.’
He had his perseverance, determination, and…the System.
Among the three siblings, everyone had always considered Hanabi the most talented, despite being the youngest.
Sho knew that her technique was miles ahead of his own, and even Hinata would have a hard time against her.
He checked his status screen one last time before sleep claimed him.
[Status Update – End of Chapter 12]
Name: Hyuga Shokuhi
Level: 3
Title: The Eclipsed Spare / The Unbreakable
Stats:
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Vitality: 6
Perception: 6
Chakra Capacity: 5
Chakra Control: 5
Status Effects:
Chakra Vein Constriction (Mild) – Permanent
Brittle Bones (Mild) – Permanent
Byakugan Inefficiency – Permanent
Passive Skills:
Endurance: Novice (Level 8) – Allows the user to push the body past its normal limits for an extended period of time.
Shuriken Throw: Novice (Level 6) – Increases accuracy when throwing shuriken and kunai by 35%.
Active Skills:
Clone Technique: Novice (Level 2) – Creates two tangible illusions of the user.
Clones have no substance but are visually identical.
Gentle Fist: Novice (Level 9) – Basic understanding of Hyuga Gentle Fist techniques.
Strikes are still clumsy and imprecise.
Basic techniques mastered: Palm Bottom (Shōtei).
Quests Active:
Eyes of the Clan – Objective: Perform well in the next clan tournament to demonstrate your growth.
(Progress: 1/3 rounds completed)
A.N: