Neji

Full name: Hyuuga Neji
Affiliation: Konoha
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Power Rank: A
Signature Abilities: Byakugan, Kaiten, Divine Strikes

Neji belongs to the oldest and most prestigious clan in Konoha, the Hyuuga Clan. The Hyuuga, however, have a dark side that few outside the clan are aware of. The Head Family of the clan, those born first in a generation and their family, control the rest of the Clan, known as "branch family members", by placing curse seals upon their foreheads. These curse seals allow any member of the Head Family to cause instant pain or even death to any Branch Family member. This assures that the Head Family will stay in power, as well as binding the Branch Family members to them in servitude. Neji belongs to the Branch Family. His father was the twin brother of the Head Family's current patriarch, but since Neji's father was born second, by mere minutes, he and his descendants were made Branch Family and marked with the seal. Then, to make matters worse, Neji's father sacrificed his life to save his twin brother. This bred a deep resentment towards the head family in Neji, especially because he was far more powerful than any of them. His potential is perhaps the greatest to come out of the Hyuuga clan in all its history, and he is considered a genius among geniuses when it comes to the ninja arts. However, he was forever bound to serve the weaker Head Family a fate that grated on him but which he was forced to accept. He reffered to himself as a "caged bird", wanting to fly free and realize his potential but caged by fate.

These circumstances bred a deep belief in predestiny in Neji. The only way he could deal with his situation was to believe that every person had a set path to walk in life, a set fate, and nothing they did could change that. He used this belief to unnerve his enemies in combat, by using the power of the Hyuuga's bloodline limit, the Byakugan, to read their reactions and respond appropriatly while giving a speech about how fate is unchangable and they have already lost the battle before it has begun. Neji's deep resentment of the Head Family was taken out on Hinata, his cousin and Head Family member, when the two were matched together by chance in the Chuunin Exam. Neji beat her within inches of death, and would have killed her if not for the intervention of the watching Jounin. In the final rounds, Neji fought Naruto. He firmly believed that fate had dealt him the winning hand, but was astounded when Naruto managed to beat him by simply refusing to surrender and admit defeat. Naruto told Neji that men could make their own fate, and he was going to make his change to suit him.

These events changed Neji's perspective, especially when afterwards it was revealed to him that his father gave his life willingly to protect the Head Family, not against his will as Neji had always believed. He now no longer insists that fate is pre-written, but seeks for a way to free himself from servitude to the head family and make his own way in life. For the time being, he has apologized to his cousin Hinata, realizing she is not the source of his problems, and protects her as fiercly as himself. He hopes one day to find a way to open the door to the cage fate has given him and walk his own path through life.

Neji fights with the deadly style of the Hyuuga clan, known as Jyuuken. This style relies on the Hyuuga Bloodline Limit, Byakugan. Byakugan, or "White Eyes", allows the Hyuuga to see the Chakra lines running through a person's body. It also gives them a near-360 degree field of view around their own body, and allows them to see great distances. With Jyuuken, the Hyuuga strikes out with light taps, each tap sending a bolt of Chakra into the enemy and striking his Chakra lines. These lines run across internal organs, and by damaging them, the Hyuuga is able to damage the internal organs of his enemy while barely striking their skin. Neji also knows several techniques formerly known only to the Hyuuga Head Family that he managed to master on his own, including the Ultimate Defense, Kaiten (Divination Whirl), and the Ultimate Offense, Divine Strikes.