Everyone intensely watched to see which Hyuga had been struck, moments later Hinata spat out blood.

" So that's it, huh?" Neji asked as her blood fell onto his wrappings. " That's all there is to the main branch's power?

" Wait!" Naruto protested. " What is going on? I mean, I saw Hinata hit Neji perfectly!" Hinata moved Neji's out of the way and then went to strike. Neji dodged it, grabbed her arm, and jabbed it. He then rolled over her sleeve, revealing many spots on her arm.

" But--you mean all this time you--" Hinata began as she looked at her arm.

" That's right," Neji confirmed. " I can see your chakra points the whole time."

" Huh? What is he talking about?" Naruto asked.

" On the chakra network, there are 316 energy centers or chakra points and each are only about the size of the head of a pin," Kakashi explained. " Hitting one directly can affect chakra flow, either halting it or increasing it, depending on how the attacker strikes the chakra points. Theoretically, doing so allows a ninja to gain complete control over an opponent's chakra flow. BUt they are chakra points, they're undetectable even to my Sharingan eye. And even beyond his ability to see the chakra points, he can target them accurately, even during an intense battle."

" The chakra ointment is spread across a section, so it can see into the chakra flow points," Aceso explained as Lee grabbed a braid once more. " I don't know where the points are, but I know it will seep into the circulation, giving the patient a bit more of a boost."

" Hyah!" Neji yelled as he hit Hinata again.

" Aaah!" Hinata cried out as she flew back. Neji took a few steps toward her.

" Look, Hinata, I'm completely out of your league, and that won't change," Neji said. " This is what separates the elite from the failures." She looked back at him, panting. " You may not like it, but it's a fact. From the instant, you said you wouldn't run anymore, your fate was sealed. You were destined for failure. And now you're consumed with hopelessness." He began to walk over to her. " Now this is your last warning, Hinata. Forfeit this match."

" I--I--" Hinata said in between sobs. Blood dripped onto the cement.

" Hm?" Neji asked.

" I never go back--" Hinata said as she trembled, struggling to stand up. " On my word." She turned to look at her brother. " Because that too is my nindo, my ninja way." she looked up at Naruto.

" I had no idea that Hinata's as tough as she is," Naruto admitted.

" She is a lot like you," Lee noted as he looked at him.

" Mm," Aceso nodded.

" You know, come to think of it, she is always watching you," Sakura recalled.

" Huh?" Naruto asked as he looked at her. The two boys looked back at the arena. Hinata then turned on the Byakugan.

" Bring it on," Neji insisted as he did the same. Hinata cried out, leaned over, and spat out more blood.

" Hinata," Aceso breathed with worry.

" I'm sure you'll be able to heal her," Lee whispered with confidence. Aceso remained silent, she always had a bit of trouble with healing Byakugan victims.

" I'm not sure," Aceso admitted softly. " This...these injuries...I struggle the most with them at the hospital."

" I have faith in you," Sakura smiled at her. " Tenten came around real quick with your help."

" Whoa," Ino breathed. " Did you see his eyes? Do you think he's really going to try to kill her? He wouldn't!"

" Doesn't it seem like the difference in strength makes it unfair?" Sakura asked. " He's just way too strong. It's a mismatch. Seriously." Naruto was grunting angrily, clenching onto the ointment once more.

" Go, Hinata!" Naruto yelled. " Yeah. You can do it!" Hinata gained some strength before charging at Neji. The two Hyugas went back to battling each other. Neji strikes her on the back, then hit her blew the chin, and went flying back. Aceso along with the others gasped.

" Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed. She managed to stay on her feet, as she slid back to a stop. She let out a sob as she coughed some more. She charged at Neji once more, ready to strike him. But Neji struck her harshly in the chest. She spat out more blood and fell over. Aceso her finger nervously.

" You just don't get it, do you?" Neji asked. " Your strikes were ineffective from the very start. You're finished. He turned and walked away from her.

" It's too bad, but after that blow to the heart, Hinata is done," Gai concluded. Naruto clenched the ointment harder, till it cracked. Hayate walked over to look at her.

" Since she's no longer able to continue this match--" Hayate began.

" No!" Naruto shouted.

" Huh?" Hayate asked as they all looked at him. " Don't stop this match!"

" Naruto!" Aceso exclaimed.

" What are Earth are you doing?" Sakura demanded. " Hinata's had it! You can see she's unconscious, can't you?"

" I need to get to her as soon as possible," Aceso informed. " A strike to the heart like that is extremely fatal." Everyone gasped, they saw Hinata struggling to get back up on her feet. She was whimpering, Aceso was not going to like how this match was about to end. With all the energy left, Hinata got back onto her feet. Her knees were closed together, and her hand was over her heart.

" What do you think you're doing?" Neji demanded. " If you continue to fight, you're going to die."

" I'm far from finished," Hinata declared as she stepped forward and Neji activated his Byakugan.

" Give up the tough-guy act," Neji advised. " I can tell you're barely standing. You've been carrying a very heavy burden, having been born to the main branch of the Hyuga Clan. And you've cursed and blamed yourself for being weak. But look, people can't change the way they are. That's just how it is. Just accept defeat and you won't have to suffer anymore."

" No," Hinata denied. " You're wrong, brother. You've got it backward. You see, I can tell that you're the one--you're suffering much more than I."

" I'm what?" Neji asked.

" You're the one who's all torn up about the fate of the main and side branches of the Hyuga Clan," Hinata explained. Neji growled angrily, a scary look came into his eyes, and he charged toward her.

" Neji, no!" Hayate yelled. " The match is over!" He soon got stopped by Gai, Hayate, Kurenai, and Kakashi. Aceso hopped over the side and began to head over to Hinata.

" Neji, get a hold of yourself," Gai ordered. " You promised me you wouldn't let this whole head family thing get you riled up."

" Why are you and the other Jonin butting in?" Neji asked angrily. " The head family gets special treatment, huh?" Hinata cried out, she fell to her knees, and Aceso was immediately by her side.

" Hinata!" Kurenai cried out as she went to the other side, Aceso put a hand on the girl.

" Hinata!" Naruto cried out as he, Sakura, and Lee jumped down and ran over. Aceso carefully laid her back and put her hands on her chest so she can get a better look at the injuries. " Hinata, you ok? Hey!" Aceso unzipped her jacket.

" Naruto," Hinata breathed.

" Hm?" Naruto asked. Aceso didn't even fight, but her heart was beating rapidly.

" I just--I do--do you--" Hinata began. Her eyes closed.

" Back up," Aceso breathed as she placed her hands together.

" Hey, you," Neji said. " Loser."

" Hm?" Naruto asked as he looked back.

" I have two pieces of advice for you," Neji offered. " First of all, if you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours. It's disgraceful. And second, once a failure, always a failure. You can't change that." The green chakra formed at Aceso's hands, trying to give her more time, she was going into cardiac arrest.

" We'll just see about that!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up.

" Hmph," Neji smiled. Naruto growled and charged at him, Lee immediately got in front of him and stopped him. " What are you doing?"

" Naruto, I get where you are coming from, believe me," Lee admitted. " But the rules say all fighting must be done officially in a match. The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer willpower--now would that not make for an exciting match, even if I am the one who is going to have to fight Neji. Of course, if you ended up fighting him, that is fine, too." Naruto growled angrily. "Let's not put more work on your sister, she already has her hands quite full."

" All right, fine," Naruto gave in." You win Lee." Hinata spat out more blood.

" Mitate? Kanpo?" Aceso recalled out. "Can you bring over the stretcher quickly as well as an oxygen mask?"

"Yes, doc," Mitate nodded as started to give the other medical ninjas orders. Everyone looked back and gasped. Kurenai put her hand on Hinata's chest and then glared at Neji.

" I wouldn't waste your time glaring at me," Neji advised. " When you really should be helping take care of her. Aceso is not strong enough to heal these types of wounds, she said earlier, she struggled most with these, didn't she?"

" I need more medics!" Kurenai demanded as Aceso put more power into her healing. " And hurry up! Aceso needs your help!"  Aceso's healing chakra began to go all over Hinata's body.

" What is she doing?" Sakura asked.

" This is a technique Aceso has developed over at the hospital," Kakashi. " It always the healing chakra to go all over the patient's body, giving it more of a chance to fight for life or stay stable while being moved. Such as Hinata is about to be moved. "

"But what does it do?" Sakura asked.

"It takes some of Aceso's chakra and distributes it into another, keeping them alive. It can be stopped through her will, or if she's out of chakra," Kakashi explained. Sakura stared at Aceso as Hinata was covered in a green glow. 

" We're coming!" a medic yelled as they ran over.

" Sorry, Doctor Matsuba!" Another apologized. They rolled out a stretcher as another took her pulse.

" Her pulse is very low," a medic said as another placed an oxygen mask on Hinata.

" It's very serious," Aceso informed as Naruto ran over. " Get to the emergency room as soon as possible."

"The techniques still need a lot of work," Kakashi stated as he observed. 

" Stand back in three...two...one..." a medic listed. Aceso let go, and the other medics put Hinata on the stretcher and immediately carried her out. Aceso was shaking and panting she used up a ton of chakra. She had her hands on the ground, helping to hold herself up.

" Hinata," Naruto breathed in horror. Aceso looked back to see Naruto kneeling down and putting his fingers in Hinata's blood.

" Hinata, I give you my word," Naruto said, he got up and looked at Neji. He held out his hand, letting Hinata's blood drip onto the cement. " I vow to win!" People came out and started to clean the blood. Aceso's arms gave out and she fell onto the ground, there were gasps and they looked over at her.

" What happened?" Sakura gasped as they ran over.

" Even healers like Aceso have their chakra limits," Kakashi explained as Naruto rolled Aceso over and helped her sit up. " Aceso must've overdone when giving chakra to Hinata."

" Give me the medicine," Lee ordered as he held out his hand, it was placed in his hand unopened. 

"Thanks, Lee," Aceso breathed. Lee then spread the ointment across her head. "How's Hinata?"

" She going to get better, thanks to you," Naruto assured as Aceso felt some strength come back to her. Lee then held up more ointment on his finger and scanned for the next place to put it.

" That's too much," Aceso protested as Naruto helped her back up to her feet.

" You need more strength," Naruto said as Lee put a little on her cheek, his fingers were rough as if they never stopped training.

" Two more battles to go through and there is no way you're sleeping through Lee's battle," Sakura said as Naruto let go and stepped back.

" You will be wowed by my youth!" Lee cheered as Aceso lost her balance, she began to fall forward, and Lee caught her easily, he then scooped her up and then went over to the stairs with the others following so the next match could start.