| abstract | - With the moon falling prey to the clouds, darkness had overtaken Konoha. Inky black shadows consumed the village from every angle, painting a gloomy canvas that since ancient times had commended man to call it a day. Yet, while the rest of the world slept, one such individual was still wide-awake, present in mind, body, and most of all, spirit. For him this was but a routine. The time of day he had exclusively to himself; the time he need naught share with another; the time of day where he could spring ahead of the rest of the competition. A legendary work ethic, many would have called it. But for the young boy, it was simply his version of relaxation. Even so, there was something else fueling his motive on this very night. The final rounds of the Chūnin Exams were right around the corner; having battled his way through countless victories, only one more kept him from the mountaintop. Out in the southernmost training fields of the Hidden Leaf were a series of targets held up against tall trees, many of which were simply not visible to the naked eye due to their means of positioning. Teizen's sight, however, was but of an exception in this circumstance, due to the fact that his Byakugan acted as a scope of some degree, glaring at anything and everything from a limitless perspective. Arming a kunai between each of his fingers, Teizen crossed his arms across his body and flung them forth with a charismatic flicker of his wrist. Nearby targets were hit instantly, while those that were hidden from plain sight remained safe for a second longer. That was, until a truly magnificent sight illuminated the entirety of the forest, even under the guise of the night. A single kunai soared through the air silently, when another came up to its side. A third appeared between them, intercepting their previous trajectory, and sending the two of them off in opposite directions, where they were each met by two other brethren. Another collision took place, before every kunai that had been involved in the sequence hit its mark right in the money. Bullseye. Standing up to his full height once more, Teizen went around his back to reach for another round of ammunition. The night sky was to be her only company on this night. Or so she thought. Inheriting a powerful intrinsic motivation from her father, the 6 year old Shikahime would constantly practice on her own, choosing the nighttime because she didn't have to deal with all of those insufferable individuals. They became claustrophobic after a while, and she wanted time to herself. With the final rounds approaching, she wanted to be as sharp as possible for her final competitor; Teizen Hyūga. He was the final obstacle standing between her and the pedestal she sought, a boy a few years older than her but very much capable of attaining that chūnin designation. It was already expected that she would become a chūnin; all of her previous victories in the team and individual rounds assured that. But Shika wanted to win. Choosing the most secluded fields to train so the chances of crossing paths with anyone were slim to none. That is until she heard the hiss of flying kunai and the sizable thunk as they landed in their targets. The clash of metal on metal as they were redirected purposefully. Stepping into the fading moonlight, it illuminated her distinctive auburn hair; a gift from her mother's side. "So you chose this time to train as well." Shika's note being both a question and a statement to the boy as he prepared to unleash another volley of metal. She shifted her weight to one leg as she awaited the answer of her final opponent, his featureless eyes hidden as his back was to the girl. She considered the various methods that were at her disposal for the impending battle, twirling a kunai experimentally on one finger while resting her left hand on her hip. Her eyes retained their crushed sapphire coloration as she gazed at the rival, thinking about the past while looking towards the near future. At the sound of Shikahime's voice, Teizen flung his head to peer over his shoulder. He looked through her with the aid of his blank gaze, a grin quickly forming on his face. "Isn't it past your bedtime, little girl?" he spat, "babies like you need all the sleep they can get. Can't expect to grow any taller without it." It was fairly clear by now that Teizen had no inclination to act accordingly to a civilized human being. By the look of things, he was the same person he was back from his days at the academy, just as Shikahime would have remembered him: a complete asshole. Come to think of it, why had she even bothered to speak with him in the first place? As he waited for her response, Teizen launched the kunai in his hand with his back to the targets, yet even still did they precisely hit their mark, as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Shikahime remained unimpressed with his showmanship. He was one of the primary reasons that she kept to herself, finding most of her academy peers to be childish, immature brats. "You would know since you're acting like one." Shikahime retorted, remembering why she despised Teizen, causing her to wish he wasn't here right now, ruining the sanctity of her training area. She walked to his right, excited more then ever to finish this fool off in the finals. Tools like him had no business pursuing a higher rank if they couldn't keep a cool head. Oh how she would relish teaching this boy a lesson about morality. She tossed a kunai at the last moment, timing it precisely so that it hit his final kunai, taking it off course and into the woods. "Looks like you missed one." she stated before yawning slightly, considering the idea of sleeping to be insulting, particularly when there was much strategizing to be done. Noting that everything had a weakness, even his clan's coveted dōjutsu. She stretched, keeping her limbs loose and ready for some taijutsu maneuvers. He snickered at the sight of his kunai being thrown off course by her own. "Oh yes, you're real mature." Watching as she stretched, Teizen chuckled to himself. "You're wasting your time with that, I'll tell you that much right now. Hand-to-hand combat is a Hyūga's forte, our specialty: a taijutsu battle will only play to my favor." He looked about at the shadows that had grown as a result of the nighttime. "I expected you to take advantage of the dark at a time like this. Your shadows are your best bet against me, and even then, I've already thought of a counter to them, to tell you the truth." He shrugged, fluttery his eyes closed egotistically. "But if you'd rather fight me with your fists, then we might as well sort this out right here and now; it'll save you the embarrassment of getting your ass beat in front of the rest of the village." Teizen took his fighting stance. Whether he was serious about taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around or simply trying to intimidate her was anyone's guess. Shikahime snickered. "Who said I was fighting you now? Don't we have a scheduled battle in about a day or so? You should save your energy for then, you'll need it as far I'm concerned. Besides, I've cooked up some of my own recipes for dealing with your clan's speciality. But I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet. So wait just a little bit longer if you can. Though I doubt your impatience will allow for such a thing." Shika responded, ignoring Teizen's ego stroking. There was clearly no love lost between them. She turned to walk away. "Have fun in the dark," Hime said, a shadow crossing her face, turning the childish face into something temporarily malevolent, "it shouldn't stare at you too hard." What little moonlight permeated the cloud cover appeared to be absorbed by the girl as she walked away, darkness trailing in her wake as she sought another establishment to train for the royale ahead. A recipe to deal with his clan's specialty? She was most certainly going to attempt to nullify his taijutsu in some fashion, for that was all he truly had at his disposal. Whatever she had planned, he was confident --no, more than just confident that he would be able to deal with it. "That's right!" Teizen called out as she walked away, "walk away like the coward you are! I've already surpassed your mother! What are you compared to her?!" The fact that Shikahime's mother was his very own Sensei was all too precious to Teizen. It was something he was going to exploit now, later, and most of all, during their battle. Oh how he despised that little girl. Standing to his full height, the boy fought back every cell in his body that sought her blood in this very moment. He thought back to their days at the academy, where the two of them competed against one another but always, continuously locked in their rivalry, one always trying to get ahead of the other. But neither had been able to get much farther than the other, and it bothered him greatly. He was a genius, was he not? Then why, why was this girl who had two whole years worth of less experience than him... why was on his level already? Why was she tormenting him like this? His hands curled into fists. He could remember those days alright; he could remember them crystal clear.
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