*Bang*
*Whoosh*
Hinata and Hiashi's battle began with a series of palm clashes, with Hinata being pushed back with each strike from her father.
Hiashi's strikes were heavy, each containing enough strength to send a typical Chunin flying, yet Hinata held on strong despite the pain she felt from the clash.
She gave it her all with every strike, but when she looked up at him, she realised that his expression has been quite relaxed the entire time.
Seeing that he had no issues dealing with her attacks, she began to forgo defense against the non critical strikes, allowing Hiashi's strike to land.
!!!!!
When his strike landed, he was shocked, not knowing why she couldn't block the same attack she had blocked many times.
But the next moment, his shock became understanding, as a strike came at his chest.
'Ruthless, but effective' He thought as her palm strike landed cleanly on him
It was a heavy strike, similar to the one she struck him with earlier on the day. It caused intense pain when her chakra invaded his body, but he expelled her chakra almost instantly and retaliated.
*Bang*
Hinata flipped back against the incoming strike to reduce the impact, before dashing forward with great ferocity.
Both had long activated their byakugan, so sneak attacks had little use against the foe.
"Eight trigrams palm!" Hinata yelled
Hiashi raised his hands, familiar with such palm strikes, and was ready to deflect her strikes.
*Bang*
Out of nowhere, he felt a strong impact against the side of his leg, causing him to topple forward and fall onto one knee...
????
He looked up in puzzlement...where was the promised palm strikes!? Why is the Hyuga clan princess not using palm strikes right now!?
She had not only kicked him, she kicked him with a technique that seems to replicate the impact of the eight trigrams palms!
She struck out with repeated kicks, targeting his joints and chakra points, but having experienced it once, he was ready to adapt to changes.
"Not bad, to implement a kicking technique that matches our clan jutsu, but it's not enough" He said as his chakra gathered around his palms, and pushed gently against her incoming kicks.
*Whoosh*
Hinata pressed her hand against the ground, and spun her body, as so the trajectory of her kick changed from his torso to his head, catching him by surprise.
*Bang*
He looked back, with a shoe print of his face
"..."
"It's not the physical damage that hurts, it's the emotional damage" Neji shook his head and said
Hiashi was so confident about blocking her kicks that he had let his guard down again, only to be humiliated and got kicked on the face...
"You're right, it wasn't enough, that kick would have taken someone's head" Hinata said as she jumped back
"...y-you wanted to take your dad's head off his shoulders?" Hiashi began sweating
Hinata paused for a moment, she then gave a quick bow
"Sorry" She said
"..."
It was now that Hiashi realised why Hinata said he should not hold back. She is dangerous, not in terms of strength, but in terms of ferocity.
He remembered earlier when she struck him, thinking he was Neji, and came to the conclusion that Hinata is a battle crazed fighter. When it comes to combat, there is no such thing as holding back in her dictionary, there is only winning trades, and landing attacks even at the cost of herself.
This fierce mindset made him furrow his brows as a heartfelt concern rose.
'This mindset is good for combat, but it's a double edged sword'
He didn't want to see her get hurt, but her fighting style revolves around giving it her all in ever sense possible.
Hiashi took in a deep breathe, and his gaze changed. No longer did it contain the earlier warm glimmer, it was a sharp and steady glare that analysed Hinata's every move.
Hinata realised this change, and knew she had to change strategies as she can no longer take advantage of his carelessness.
*Bang*
She kicked off with a burst of speed, and appeared in front of him. She struck out with a palm, but when she saw Hiashi lift his hand slightly, she altered the trajectory to intentionally miss him, and her leg shot up to deliver an upwards strike towards his chin.
*Bang*
Hinata's kick felt solid, but when she looked up, Hiashi had caught her kick with one hand, and his other hand had already struck towards her.
*Wham*
A palm strike landed, but it was strangely light. For a moment, Hinata thought he was holding back again, but she was quickly assaulted by a wave of pain across her shoulder where he struck.
Hiashi then thrashed her leg down, and struck at her again.
'I can't block it' She realised, and decided to try and land an attack instead of dodging or blocking.
She shot her palm towards Hiashi's chest right when he landed his attack, but right before her strike could land, a burst of chakra exploded from his body, and a strong rotational force surrounded her, causing her strike to miss.
In that moment, Hiashi directed her attack with one hand towards the ground, and slammed her back with another hand.
*Bang*
Hinata fell to the ground, with Hiashi pressing down on her back with his palm.
"You've grown" He said gently as he removed his hand
Hinata's entire body ached, she could hardly move without experiencing pain, but she still pulled herself up and stared at her father.
"After fighting...do you believe you are strong enough now?" He asked
Hinata clenched her fists. She didn't think she would lose so overwhelmingly, the moment Hiashi focused, she lost in just a few exchanges.
But a smile gradually rose on her face
"Another sparring partner" She muttered as her smile widened
"..."
Hiashi turned to Neji and Haku ashe pointed at her, asking them with his gestures, 'what is happening with her?'
The two gestured back
'You're screwed' They responded
"..."
Hinata began laughing
"I'm not strong enough"
"So it means you were wrong, I still have a long way to go" She said
"Hinata, you are definitely strong enough, I dare say almost no Chunins can fight against you, at your age, you are considered a prodigy" Hiashi quickly said, not knowing why Hinata is insistent that she isn't strong enough.
Hinata shook her head
"No, I'm definitely not strong enough, so until I think I am strong enough, I need to keep fighting you...until I am strong enough" She said with a twisted smile
Hiashi gulped, and now, he understood Neji and Haku's response. Hinata is absolutely obsessed with combat, and even if the entire village deems her as a prodigy, she will insist she isn't strong enough, just so she can fight him regularly.
"Also, there are plenty of Chunins that I cannot win against" Hinata added
???
Hiashi's brows lifted
"You were second in the exam, so I guess on person is stronger, but even then, I doubt any of the older chunins will win against you" He said
"No, there are more" Hinata replied
She could name them quite easily as well, and they were all people that links back to Naruto.
For one, Zabuza, despite his rank of Chunin at the moment, his real rank is Jonin, and an incredibly high ranking on at that. Then there is Tayuya and Kimimaro. Though she never fought Kimimaro before, Tayuya had said that he is stronger than she is, meaning, Hinata would have no chance against him either.
Those three aside, she had a gut feeling that Ino could win against her if she went all out.
"More?" Hiashi wanted to ask about this, but Hinata quickly changed the topic
"That aside, dad, from now on, spar against me" She said
"...um, I'll be quite busy with work and all, so-"
"Fight me regularly" Hinata said as her eyes stared at him soullessly
"...I uh..."
"Fight" Hinata said
"...sure"
At this moment, Neji made a celebratory pose as if he had just won the lottery
"What are you doing" Haku asked
"I'm free" He replied
"From what?"
"Hinata's constant request for battle" He said with pure eyes, almost as if he had just been through enlightenment.
Haku clicked his tongue
"Lucky you" He muttered
"What was that?" Neji asked
"I said you're lucky that you're strong enough to be her optimal sparring partner" Haku replied
The reason why Hinata always spars with Neji is because he always applies enough pressure on her to induce growth, Haku, however, was unable to do so.
Neji stared at Haku, and gave him a light punch on the shoulder
"Just get stronger then" He said
Haku chuckled
"Easier said than done" Haku shook his head and said
He looked down at his own hand as a layer of frosty mist emitted from his palm. Although Naruto had helped him with his chakra control, and Zabuza helps him with combat lessons, he was missing one thing...proper guidance from someone with the same jutsu, or at the very least, another ice user.
Hiashi, at this moment, felt that the distance between him and his daughter had finally shown signs of decreasing, but...why does it feel so off? It felt both easy and difficult at the same time...
Hinata's desire for strong sparring partners had exceeded even Neji's expectations, so it wasn't a surprise that Hiashi was shocked by this.
Of course, the distance that was shortened wasn't by much, at the very least, Hinata is willing to speak with him, well, during spars only.
But now that the overall situation has been cleared, attention finally returned to Neji.
"Neji...I hope that between us, we too, can start anew" Hiashi said
Neji was silent, he knew that Hiashi was sincere, but his heart still tugged with frustration.
"I...still need some time" He replied
Hiashi nodded, the death of his father wasn't an easy thing for him to accept, and now he learnt about the reasons behind his death, his mind is likely in a mess.
Neji's situation was not as simple as Hinata's, and he understood Neji's anger fully, because he resented himself for the same reason.
Why couldn't he have stood his ground when Hizashi insisted on replacing him?
Haku watched by the side, his gaze was clear, showing no negativity towards Hiashi.
Hiashi, though a terrible father, was also a man who shouldered many burdens. And Hizashi's death could not be fully pinned on him either, after all, Hiashi is also human.
He wanted to live, and ensure his children were not left alone, while Hizashi simply chose to do what he believed was best. Both made a decision, and Neji's situation was the result of their choices.
"I think this is quite easily resolved though" Haku muttered
"Hah?" Hiashi turned to him, his ears barely caught onto what Haku said, and he couldn't help but feel curious.
"How can this be resolved?" Hiashi asked sincerely
"Just kneel down in front of Neji again, I think he rather enjoyed the view" Haku replied honestly
"..." Neji began sweating
'H-Haku saw that smile?' He gulped
Hiashi was stunned, kneel? Again? He turned to Neji, who seemed to be very nervous all of a sudden.
"W-Will that really work?" He asked
"No" Neji snapped quickly
"Pity" Haku sighed
Neji shook his head and nudged Haku
"Just shut up" Neji said frustratingly
'I will make Hiashi kneel with my own strength, not just out of his useless pity' He thought
Haku just smiled calmly
"Up to you" He responded
Hiashi's lips twitched, so what he said earlier was a lie? He sighed faintly as he straightened his back.
"Hinata..." He said
"I'm...I'm proud of you" He said with a faint cough
"And Neji, if you need anything in the future, just ask me, I'll see what I can do about it" Hiashi said, his face was faintly red as he turned around.
Before they could say anything, he walked off, steadily, but hastily. It was clear, he was running away.
After he left, Hinata heaved a faint sigh as a smile appeared on her face. A warm and innocent smile that Neji and Haku hasn't seen in a long time.
"Congrats, Hinata" Haku clapped with a blank expression
"En" Hinata nodded
"And uh, good luck, Neji" Haku added
"F**k you" Neji replied
"Harsh"
The two locked eyes, and a faint snicker escaped their lips
"Don't go saying crap like that again, I almost jumped when you asked him to kneel again" Neji said
"I thought you enjoyed the view~" Haku grinned
"...*cough*, a little" Neji replied awkwardly
"Can I ask if sadism runs in your bloodline? Or is it just you two?" Haku asked
"Probably just us" The two replied, completely in sync as they spoke
"Noted"
"Show was great, want some popcorn anyone?" A fourth voice came through as a bucket of popcorn was placed in front of them
"...Naruto, learn some tact" Haku said
"Come on nii-san, you wasted a bucket earlier, I'm already quite nice for giving you another" Naruto said as he munched on a handful of popcorn
Haku rolled his eyes
"You have me a bucket while they were trying to work through their daddy issues" Haku said
"Wait, daddy issues? I do not have daddy issues" Hinata huffed
"You do" Naruto and Haku both responded in unison
"..."
"What about me?" Neji asked
"Sounded like daddy issue, so it's daddy issue" The two replied again
"..."
Naruto placed the bucket in Haku's hand
"Well, see you all around" He winked before teleporting away
"Even the wind isn't as free as he is" Haku smiled wryly as he looked down at the bucket of popcorn.
He pushed it forward
"Care for any?" He asked
Hinata and Neji glanced at one another, then at the bucket...
"Sure" The two reached out and grabbed a handful
-In a certain snake man's lair-
"Orochimaru, darling~ How are my subordinates doing?" Naruto appeared in his disguise and looked around
Orochimaru slowly placed a few flasks down as he looked up
"They're doing better than I had anticipated, with their help, the tools you wanted will be able to be completed much earlier, especially that Seimei, his efficiency is incredible" Orochimaru chuckled
"Killing their ancestor was the best decision I've ever made" Naruto rubbed his chin and grinned
Orochimaru's lips twitched, he suddenly felt that teaching this kid the edo tensei was a bad decision. With how insane he is, even Orochimaru didn't know what he would do in the future.
"Well, that aside, how much longer until you can molt" He asked
"Another year" Orochimaru responded
"Can I just rip your skin off and have you molt manually?" Naruto asked as he leaned closer, causing Orochimaru to step back.
"Back off kid" He scowled
"Boring~" Naruto clicked his tongue and spat
He then looked around
"Well, my main goal of today's visit was to visit someone, where's the Uchiha kid" He asked
"Talking to himself in the training ground....on that note, what did you do to him? Ever since you visited last time, he's been shouting at air, and muttering to himself" Orochimaru asked, he tried to inspect Sasuke's mind, and even his chakra flow, but nothing was amiss.
It wasn't even an illness either!
"Well, let's just say that he sees ghosts" Naruto tapped the side of his cheeks and smiled
"Ghosts? Might as well tell me the ghost is the same one he sees in his dreams, hahaha" Orochimaru let out a cold laugh, finding Naruto's idea to be ridiculous.
Naruto shrugged
"So why are you looking for him?" Orochimaru asked
"Bored" Naruto replied
"..."
"You see, at one point in my life, I realised I found little joy in beating up Sasuke" Naruto said with a solemn and serious expression, as if he was talking about the biggest secret of his life.
Orochimaru almost choked, how can he say this with such a serious expression???
"And so, I began training him, in hopes I can find my lost determination to beat the crap out of him" Naruto continued
Orochimaru: Can I go now?
"Now, he finally has a chance to grow rapidly, but it seems he's not taking full advantage of it, so I came to ensure he making good use of the gift I left him last time" Naruto said
"Hah, no need to speak anymore, just go look for him yourself, listening to you makes me feel as if my intelligence is being challenged" Orochimaru scoffed and turned his head back down to the chemicals he was researching.
Naruto sighed
"It seems no one can understand my loneliness" He shook his head and said
[Kid...even I'm not this desperate to find a reason to beat up an Uchiha, I just wanna do it, but you make me seem generous in comparison] Kurama said
'It's the sins I need to bear for being this good' Naruto responded
Kurama: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Naruto went to the training ground and saw Sasuke sitting on the ground, cross legged. His eyes were closed, but his expression was constantly changing, looking a lot like Naruto when he argues with Kurama in his head.
"Hey there, handsome" Naruto appeared behind him and said
Sasuke's eyes shot open as he slashed his sword at Naruto without warning
*Clang*
Naruto reacted quickly, and blocked it with a sword of his own
"No hesitation, huh? That hurts my heart~"
"I'm not into guys" Sasuke said coldly, then added, "And I'm in no mood to fight you right now"
Naruto knocked on his head
"You're still arguing with your imaginary girlfriend, aren't you?" Naruto asked
"She's my siste-bah, no, she's just an annoying woman" Sasuke scowled
Naruto laughed at his reaction
"Heh, so, is she next to you right now" He asked
"..." Sasuke didn't reply, but the silence answered his question
"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke...let's fight" Naruto smiled
Sasuke's eyes narrowed
"I said, I'm not in the mood"
"Hm, guess you don't know, do you?" Naruto asked
"What?"
"The woman you can see, she almost defeated me when she took over your body last time" He said
!!!!!
Sasuke's eyes widened, all this time, he stood no chance against the man before him, but he claims that the illusion from his dreams almost defeated him? It made almost no sense!
"That is why I asked you to accept it, but I guess your Uchiha pride got to you, huh?" Naruto asked
"..."
"And that is why you will never beat me~, you don't take advantage of things you own, but try to vie for things out of your reach" Naruto said as he glanced at the sword in Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke's kenjutsu isn't bad, but compared to the professional teachings from Zabuza, it was laughable.
"You have no one to teach you how to use a sword except me, but even then, my teachings are not consistent, yet you still swing it around so confidently, focus on your combat senses with Itachi-chan, then start working on your kenjutsu" Naruto said
Sasuke's expression grew darker the more he listened. A part of him knew that Naruto was right, but another part didn't want to listen.
"Let's fight" He gripped his sword tightly as he stood up
Naruto smirked
"Finally"
He brandished his blade towards Sasuke, who charged immediately. He activated his sharingan, and slashed down at Naruto.
Naruto charged forward despite the blade closing in, and slipped by, appearing next to Sasuke. He then struck with the hilt of the blade, striking Sasuke's stomach.
"Kuah" He coughed as his stomach churned
Naruto then gave Sasuke a light push on the chest, and pushed him back a few steps.
"Come on, my grandma can act faster than you"
Sasuke glared at Naruto, but he didn't strike right away, instead, he waited.
'Dear brother, need a little help?' A chilling, but gentle voice sounded
'I don't need your help' Sasuke responded
'Aw, too bad, because I'm helping you whether you like it or not' A pair of hands pressed gently on his shoulders
Itachi's smiling face leaned over from behind him
'Now, follow my lead~'
Sasuke wanted to shake her hands off, but with Naruto in front, he held it in, and silently observed him.
'Slash to the left' Itachi said
Sasuke didn't listen, but the next moment, Naruto vanished, appearing on his left side, and struck him with the hilt of the sword again!
"Tssk" His eyes twitched as he was pushed back a few steps
'Behind' Itachi said
This time, Sasuke turned around, and slashed backwards
*Clang*
Naruto appeared behind with, and their blades clashed.
'He's going to kick you, side step twice'
Sasuke took a step to the side, but didn't understand why he had to do it twice, so he didn't follow through fully, and just as he did so, Naruto tilted his sword, causing his sword to slide, and kicked at him. Thankfully, he already moved, and the kick barely missed, but Naruto's leg bent, and his knee struck Sasuke in the chest.
'Did that hurt? I hope it did, it's the consequence for not following my words, dear brother' Itachi's voice sounded in his ears
Sasuke bit down on his lips
"Phew..." His eyes sharpened
'Hah...fine, what do I do now' He asked
'That's a good boy~' Itachi's smile widened
Naruto noticed a change in Sasuke's gaze, the earlier look of reluctance was gone.
'Seems like he finally accepted her' He smiled
'I'm starting to get an itch to beat him now'
*Bang*
Sasuke activated his curse mark, and wings sprouted behind his back as his pale skin became grey in colour.
He burst forth, his body spun in the air as the wings slashed towards Naruto. Hidden behind the wings was his lightning coated blade.
Naruto jumped back, and right before the wings came down on him, he spin kicked it, and his blade spun along, clashing with Sasuke's sword the moment he kicked it aside.
*Clang*
Sasuke bit down on his lips, he almost landed the strike. His wings closed in on Naruto, like a cocoon, it blocked off all sides.
"Phew, you're finally putting those wings to some use, huh? Guess I won't call em decorations anymore" Naruto chuckled
*Bang*
The wings closed behind in an attempt to crush him.
*Whoosh*
With a golden flash, he vanished from his spot, appearing behind Sasuke, who immediately opened up his wings, generating a powerful gust of wind and took flight.
'Now...' Itachi-chan whispered into Sasuke's ears, and his eyes widened from shock.
'Will it work?' He asked
'Never know if you don't try'
Sasuke took in a deep breathe, and dove down as fast as he could. In his hand, the chidori had formed, crackling through the air as he dove.
Naruto held the blade tightly as chakra coated the blade. Like a saw, it rotated, clashing with each individual blade formed from chakra.
In mere seconds, Sasuke arrived in front of Naruto, the chidori was pushed forward, while Naruto slashed at his hand with the chakra blade, but on the last second, Sasuke's figure flickered, vanishing from the spot.
Naruto's slash didn't stop however, instead, he kept slashing as he turned his body, because the vanished Sasuke had appeared behind him, with the Chidori still charging towards him.
*Poof*
The blade and chidori made contact, but instead of a clash, Sasuke exploded into a puff of smoke.
'A clone' Naruto thought
And directly above him, Sasuke was diving down at full speed. Naruto looked up, and in Sasuke's eyes, he saw a glimmer of joy.
Seeing the joy in his eyes, Naruto smiled, the flying raijin won't activate in time, he couldn't dodge it, but...
"This ends here!" Sasuke screamed as the chidori charged through, tearing down at Naruto.
*Psht*
Sasuke felt a strong impact, and when he looked again, he saw his own arm on the other side of Naruto, with the chidori still crackling.
"I..."
He was at first joyous, but then it became confusion, lastly, a frown formed. He tore a clean hole through him! He quickly pulled his arm out, the joy of victory lasted merely moments before it was replaced with a hint of despair.
This is the man who had helped him grow exponentially over the years here, and helped him overcome many mental hurdles. He had always said how much he hated him, how he wanted to kill him, but when it really came to it, he realised...he didn't want him dead!
'I-I haven't thanked him yet, I haven't seen his expression when he lost yet, I haven't learnt what his name is yet!'
All this time, he only knew this person as Orochimaru's assistance, but never once has he asked for his name. But now...is it too late?
'What are you doing?' Itachi-chan's voice sounded in his ears
Sasuke gulped
'I...killed him' He thought
'...take a closer look next time before confirming your kill, okay sweetie?' Itachi-chan's voice sounded a bit odd, and what did she mean by take a closer look?
At that moment, a hand was placed on his shoulder
"Yo" Naruto's voice sounded
!!!!!!!!!!!!
He turned around, and behind him was Naruto, completely unharmed! He looked up, then who did he kill?
When he turned up, he saw...another assistance!? They looked identical, though, this one didn't seem dead, and the next moment, it popped into a puff of smoke.
"A-A clone!? When!"
"The moment I teleported out of the wing cage earlier, I made a clone, much like when you used the body flicker jutsu and made a clone at the same time" Naruto replied
"..."
Naruto grinned
"What? Can't bear to kill me? I saw that face you made" He covered his mouth and snickered
"..."
'Kill me'