Neji Hyuga

**Neji Hyuga**was a member of the Hidden Leaf Village's Hyuga Clan. Though a prodigy even by the Hyuga standards, Neji was a member of one of the clan's Branch houses; no matter how skilled he may become, he would always be in the serivce of the Hyuga's Main House, a fact that convinced him fate is predetermined.

## Physical Appearance

Neji is a lean, fairy tall young man with fair skin, long, dark brown hair, tied in the back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end. Like the rest of his clan he had very fair skin and possesses the renowned Byakugan with a slight tint of lavender to it, which when activated, stimulates the veins and arteries immediately around his eyes to protrude more prominently. He also wears a black forehead protector, which hide his Hyuga main family's juinjutsu.

For attire, Neji wears traditional Hyuga-like robes: a white shirt with loose sleeves, closed on the right shoulder, with a fastener running down the right part of the chest, matching pants, with a dark navy grey apron tied around his waist and black shinobi sandals. This may or may not have been to facilitate easier execution of his techniques, or to symbolize his warming relations with his clan. Neji usually carried a large, tan and black drawstring bag, which he carries over his shoulder.

## Personality

As a child, Neji was kind and prone to smiling; on Hinata's third birthday, he confided to his father that he thought she was cute. He lost these qualities after his father's death, growing serious and cold, more mature than most his age. For years he was driven by a fatalistic belief that his and everyone else's fates were determined from birth and were inescapable. He perceived his own destiny as being that of a rare talent, causing him to arrogantly place himself above those he believes are "weaker" than himself. He also perceived that his talents would always be handicapped by mandatory servitude to the Hyuga's main house, which he resented and it fuelled his animosity towards the main house and its members.

Neji shared his philosophy about fate with those he met, gladly telling them when they are straying from the paths that have been set out for them by, for example, trying to exceed their natural limitations or trying to defeat him in combat when they lack any obvious ability to do so. When he shared his philosophy with Hinata, she concluded that his insistence upon destiny was actually a sore spot for him that caused him inner suffering: he so badly wanted to prove himself to the main house yet feels incapable of doing so. Neji attempted to kill her in anger for her words. Naruto Uzumaki also disagreed with Neji, claiming that Neji was not realising his destiny because he was in fact holding himself back. Neji initially scoffed at Naruto's suggestion, but he was forced to reevaluate when Naruto, a "failure", defeats him, a "genius", in a fight.

From his experience with Naruto, and from learning that his father was not forced to die, Neji decided that fate is not inescapable but that, rather, one's destiny is what one makes of it; he felt indebted to Naruto for releasing him from his prior "darkness". The destiny Neji ended up selecting for himself was to become strong enough to never lose again. In pursuit of this goal he trained with his team-mates, whose own dreams he became supportive of, and later with members of the main house, whom he gradually started mending relations with. This interaction with others caused him to become kind once again, and over time his desire to get stronger became as much a motivation to never lose as it is to protect his friends and family. In particular, he embraced his responsibility as a member of a branch house to keep Hinata safe, showing greater concern for her than anyone else in combat situations and, ultimately, giving his life to save hers.

Birds were often used to characterise Neji's philosophy and growth: while he felt bound by destiny and the cursed seal on his forehead, he described his personal experiences as being like a caged bird; after being defeated by Naruto, he observed to his father's memory how many birds there were freely flying in the world; when trying to overcome the limitations of his Byakugan, he observed birds at a distance but could never spot the one at his blind-spot.

## Powers and Abilities

### Dojutsu

* **Byakugan**: As a member of the Hyuga Clan, Neji possessed the Byakugan, a dōjutsu kekkei genkai which granted him near-360° vision, along with x-ray vision, and the ability to see chakra networks, amongst other things. The Byakugan however, does have a small blind spot located at the third upper thoracic vertebrae - a weakness of which Neji was actually aware of and took extra precaution in concealing it from opponents. While the Byakugan naturally has an immediate 50 metre field of vision when activated, Neji was able to increase its range several times that by the start of Part II in Naruto, to at least 800 meters. He was also noted to have a particularly strong Byakugan in comparison to the other members of the Hyuga clan.

### Taijutsu Prowess

* **Taijutsu Master**: As a member of the Hyuga clan, Neji specialised in close-range taijutsu combat. In battle, Neji has shown tremendous agility and dexterity, capable of simultaneously dodging and striking an opponent with no wasted movement. His attacks are fast and fluid, precisely striking in rapid succession to leave very little time for his opponent to find an opening to counter.
	+ **Gentle Fist**
	+ **Enhanced Speed and Reflexes**
	+ **Enhanced Durability**

### Intelligence

* **Child Genius**: As stated by Tsunade, Neji had excellent instincts, both on the battlefield and as a leader. When forced to make difficult decisions on missions, he showed himself able to make a decision through keen observation and analysis. His observational skills were quite advanced, being able to deduce the workings of the Hyuga clan's secret techniques and use them effectively despite being forbidden to learn them as a member of the branch house, further exemplifying his status as a genius.

## Relationships

### Family

* Hizashi Hyuga (Father, Deceased)
* Hiashi Hyuga (Uncle)
* Hinata Hyuga (Cousin)
* Hanabi Hyuga (Cousin)

### Friends/Allies

* Hidden Leaf 11
	+ Rock Lee (Best friend and arch-rival)
	+ Tenten (Best friend and teammate)
	+ Naruto Uzumaki (Close friend and friendly rival)
	+ Sakura Haruno
	+ Sai
	+ Shikamaru Nara
	+ Ino Yamanaka
	+ Choji Akimichi
	+ Kiba Inuzuka
		- Akamaru
	+ Shino Aburame
* Sasuke Uchiha
* Might Guy

### Enemies

* Owari Otsutsuki
* The Kihei
* The Red Lotus (Xin Bau's Group)
* Obito Uchiha
* The Akatsuki
* Orochimaru
* Hidden Sound Village