The battle was fast-paced -- and really, what else would you expect from ninja kids? -- and Karkat failed to get the shield up before Neji landed his punch. He snarled to himself, frustrated, and determined to watch their opponent and do better next time.

There wasn't much for him to do, really. Different partner, different sort of enemy, very different battle style. He settled in to keep an eye on Neji and focus on keeping their resonation steady as Hanabi moved in quick and landed what looked like one hell of a hit.