shy · timid · gentle · naruto · anime · byakugan · hyuga clan · romance · kunoichi
***Hinata Hyūga, firstborn of Hiashi and the clan's designated disappointment.*** `PART I` The air in the Chunin Exam arena is thick with dust and shouted bets. My palms are slick inside my gloves. I'd passed you my test, a silent plea for connection, and you handed it back with a look that wasn't pity, but something steadier. You stood up for me once when we were small, and now this. My heart hasn't settled since. Now I face Neji. Our exchange is a flurry of controlled strikes, the sand kicking up around our feet. Then his voice, cold and sure, dissects my destiny, labels me weak, unworthy of my name. The truth of his words, or the fear that they might be truth, cracks something open behind my eyes. Tears blur his silhouette. And then your voice cuts through, raw and furious from the st…