[Hyūga Hitomi]

Hyūga Hitomi

With the sort of flexibility that came from being an active kunoichi rather than the unnatural mobility that Hon had, Hitomi was able to duck down beneath the web of chakra that he had spun, her fingers digging into a series of tenketsu in the older Hyūga's calves, then striking at his shoulderblades as she rose within the protective dome that he had created, prventing him from continuing to move as she slid from a less structured strike into the Hakke Sanjūni Shō taking advantage of the moment to practically dance around her larger opponent and close a whole series of Tenketsu before leaping backwards to give herself some distance.

That had proven the value of Kaiten it seems, had Hon-nii known that then he probably could have avoided her attacks much more easily. Something for Hitomi to consider she supposed. It wasn't like there wasn't value in the clan's various techniques after all, they wouldn't have kept using them if they had been useless.

Dropping her arms down and moving into a more relaxed posture, Hitomi let out a slight sigh as she looked out in the direction of the rest of the compound. It was going to be tricky to thread the needle on this one, bring them all back together without splintering, make the most important changes without losing their culture and traditions... it was a daunting prospect, and one that had her cursing Shigure wherever he was... if he was even still alive. She'd have to cuss him out in the Pure Lands when they met there if he wasn't amongst the living anymore.

"We have a long way ahead of us," she mused absently, "ne, Hon-nii, you're skilled with fuuinjutsu right? I have some ideas..."

Word Count: 290
Tags: Hyūga Honnō
Training: 8/8
Jutsu Used:

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Hakke Sanjūni Shō [ Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palm]

RANK: C

CHAKRA USAGE: Low

CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu

DESCRIPTION:

Essentially a simplistic version of a much more powerful maneuver of the Gentle Fist . However it seems to be quite effective on it’s own. It was born from the difficulty to perform the last sequence of its parent technique. It is used to close off the flow of chakra through thirty-two chakra points of the opponent’s Chakra Pathway System, eliminating their ability to use chakra for some time and make it difficult for them to move. This is done by delivering quick strikes to the enemy in a sequence.

[Hyūga Honnō]

Hitomi, ultimately, managed to weave around his defense… or rather, underneath it, revealing a stark weakness that he’d showcased, much to his dismay. His legwork weakened from her Tenketsu strikes, and so did his shoulders, preventing him from continuing the maintenance of the protective sphere.

Her spiraling movement, and rapid assault on his Tenketsu, finally brought him to a still, one knee digging into the ground in exhaustion. Even if it was 32 Tenketsus or a few more that were struck, the resulting disappearance of strength proved its potency for ending a fight. He raised his hands up to try and re-open them again, just like he showcased in the beginning of their spar – but with how many Tenketsus were struck this time, such an endeavor would take a bit.

Now, Hitomi seemed to move on from the spar itself, instead asking about his competences with Fūinjutsu. "Mhm… not exactly on Father’s level, but… I’m skilled,” he laid flat a hopefully satisfying as well as honest answer to her, "Many of the clan’s Fūinjutsus were reserved for Father’s profession… but what’s on your mind?”

Truth be told, Hon… loathed the idea of ever carrying the ability to implant the seal that almost killed him back in the day. But Hitomi wasn’t like that – he had nothing but adoration for her… I mean admiration. Yes… that.

[Hyūga Hitomi]

Hyūga Hitomi

Wandering over to fill two cups with water, the young woman made her way back to her clansman, handing him one of the vessels while sipping from her own. "We need a new seal," she said bluntly as she sat down on the ground near him, not bothering with the more prim and proper sitting she generally used, instead sprawling casually and comfortably as she stared up at the sky a little. This was dangerous territory, not just in terms of clan beliefs but also Hon's experiences, she knew he was rightfully sensitive about the topic after all.

"The cage must be broken beyond repair, but the protection it provided shouldn't be lost with it. I want us to have a new seal, one that guards our eyes and nothing else," and who better to craft such a seal than one who had suffered under the old one? He wouldn't allow such cruel measures to be included in his work after all. "It will be a hard sell, to the Main and the Branch members alike. I will have to be the first to bear the seal, to show my sincerity that it isn't the same. I don't think I can trust anyone other than you to make it and apply it though..." she paused her for a moment.

"I understand it might be hard for you though, so if you don't think you can I will reconsider how to proceed. It just seems like a good idea, for all the bad it did, it at least meant that most of our clan wasn't hunted for their eyes. I would like that safety for all of us."

Word Count: 277
Tags: Hyūga Honnō

[Hyūga Honnō]

And that vessel of water, he accepted despite fiending for coffee. His eyes widened, however, right after touching the cup with his lips at Hitomi’s proposal to swap the Caged Bird Seal out with a new seal. Now that was idealistic, and idealistic things often took longer and required much more effort to realize. Another route he’d aid in to realize, wanting to free himself from his own fading chains that had no use today.

But he was hazed for a moment. Bringing up the Seal at any time brought him back to a very bad time in a very bad place. And yet, Hitomi’s words were at ends with his desires – he, too, wanted to eliminate the seal. Completely. And doing so was possible, just as anything else was – it just required his full dedication. There was no turning back once he decided to work this plan through.

"… If you’d asked me back when I returned, I… likely would’ve run out of the compound in fear,” he replied with a small cracking smile rising on his face, realizing that the words Lord Shigure spoke to him really did occur. He and his strength allowed him to return to his home and overcome many hurdles in his clouded mind, and now he was a fully functioning member of Konohagakure again. And a proud Hyūga who wouldn’t let any traum-

… His mother could scorn him all she wanted. She was only one, faulty human, after all.

But he wanted to hold his chest high for Hitomi’s sake. Her presence and encouragement gave him strength. "I’ll do it, then,” he replied, pure and simple, "You don’t have to worry about me, Hitomi. I told you before – to think less and do more can become our greatest strength. Ought to follow my own advice once in a while…”

To create a new Fūinjutsu required many things to be prepared – the sealing formula (design of the seal and the lines themselves), the chakra needed to manifest it in a stable state, focus on its targets that would be their eyes, and other parameters. "… It’s not impossible. I can convince Father to help as well – that is, if the other elders haven’t gotten him in a bind.”

The least he could do for the Main Branch after learning one of their techniques was to use it as a symbol – that the veil between the two branches was lifting off.

[Hyūga Hitomi]

Hyūga Hitomi

"Just... keep it secret for now," she said quietly, taking a deep breath and getting to her feet, "I don't want anyone to know about it until it's done, and on my forehead, ok? The less time people have to form opinions on it the better I can shape the narrative, and it will have the most impact if revealed after I have been sealed." She had thought about this for quite a while, and the only way she could think that would get the branch family to realise she was serious with a whole new seal would be to bear it herself.

She could only hope that the main family wouldn't wholesale turn against her for this, the shame of 'branding' was deeply entrenched within the clan's culture after all. But she would need to change that mindset, to turn the clan seal into the protection they all claimed it was. 

Sighing slightly, Hitomi hopped to her feet and tipped the rest of the water over her haid, shaking it to spread the water around and cool off quicker. "I suppose I have to get back to work, but thank you for your help. We should train more often, you still need to show me how to unblock tenketsu like that after all~" she shot the older Hyūga a grin before turning to leave, fresh clothes awaiting her along with a mountain of paperwork.

Why did she accept this position again?

[EXIT]

Word Count: 242
Tags: Hyūga Honnō

[Hyūga Honnō]

Being clan head, huh… it made Hon wonder where on earth Lord Shigure had disappeared to. He knew that the dreamer wanted to make his dream a reality, and some dreams were fated to become reality in the end… but it was a rough start. The Hyūga still needed plenty of time to change… and based on the current process, maybe their work wouldn’t end in their generation. Maybe they’d never be able to see the truly changed, proud Hyūga clan in their lifetime… but so be it. The likes of Hime-sama would be immortalized as revolutionaries, brave minds and mighty fists that brought along a change for the better.

… Huh… strangely enough, thinking about the future made Hon’s chest churn and twist. No matter what he thought of… he could barely see himself there. In the far, invisible future which nobody knew of, he couldn’t even imagine himself there. What did he dream of now? What did he want to leave behind? What was his fate now?

"… Understood.”

Hitomi wanted to be the leading example of the clan’s new sealing implemented – so much duty, so much pressure, and yet he still saw glimpses of his childhood friend deep in there. Warmly, he exchanged her grin with a wry smile of his own, watching her return to her quarters while wiping a bit of dust off his clothes.

"… Wonder where I’ll end…”

[EXIT]