Hinata Hyuga: A Gamers Potential
New chapter finally, also we have had some great responses for the rare spawn competition you can check them out here myforums/BraveVesperia/5709443/. There is also a link on my profile.
It had been about an hour, for that time Hinata lay unmoving on the ground as her body slowly knit itself back together. She ate her remaining apples and that had helped to mend some of her injuries but for now she waited.
She had been replaying the fight over and over inside her head analyzing her foe, her conclusion was that the Rabbit Deva had been strong. No strong did not truly encapsulate it, Kiba and Shino were strong but the Deva had been fierce.
It moved with swiftness and power that Hinata had only seen watching a few of her clan members spar. It moved with sureness, knowing that each action it took would have the desired outcome. In terms of stats it was not that much stronger than herself but she had still been easily overwhelmed.
The rabbit Deva seemed to be able to respond with more explosive strength than her as a result of it being more adept at chakra flow. However its most devastating trait had been its two signature techniques. Even when she had reclaimed the flow of the battle those two techniques were enough to turn the tide against her.
Hinata let out a deep breath as she watched the clouds drift by, but despite all of that she had won.
"Because that's my nindo, my ninja way" she said softly as she thought back to her declaration.
Hinata felt a small feeling well up in her stomach as her cheeks flushed red, pride. For the first time she could remember she felt pride in her abilities. It may not have been a clean win but a win was a win.
As she turned her head to the side she spotted the small pile that had spawned where the boss' defeated corpse had once been. Felling steadier on her feet now that she had rested Hinata walked over to inspect her winnings.
Using observe she identified what appeared to be a scroll and an equipable item.
Rankyaku: Usaginoashi (Storm Leg: Rabbits foot)
Rank: C
Bounces: 3
Hand seals: None
CP Cost: 50
Rankyaku: Usaginoashi is one of the signature techniques of the Rabbit Deva. The user kicks and unleashes a powerful blade of compressed Chakra that can slice objects and greatly damage a human body. This technique as a variation of the standard Rankyaku bounces across any surface it comes into contact with before reaching its target. The more proficient the user is with the technique the further it can travel and the more bounces it can do.
Well Hinata could certainly attest to that, the technique had been rather painful and difficult to keep track of as it bounced around.
The next and final item in the pile appeared to be clothing of some sort. It appeared to be a white hooded jacket with two black buttons on the front. The jacket had a white hood but what was strange was the two pieces of cloth that extended from either side of the hood making them look like floppy rabbits ears. The ears themselves had two blue stripes that ran parallel on the outside of the ears.
Survival Hoodie (Epic quality)
Increases all stats apart from charisma by 10.
Increases HP and CP regeneration rate by an addition 5 per 10 minutes.
Forged through trials and fire, this garment was once worn by one who wished to protect his world from the stars themselves. Oh son of man clad in both light and darkness can you pass the trial ahead as your predecessor once did?
Let's Survive!
Hinata continued to stare at the hoodie in front of her when she stared at it she felt a deep sadness but also determination. The determination to stand against the odds and rally people to your banner, the strength to take on the entire world.
Placing the hoodie in her inventory she brought up her equipment screen and equipped the item. Her fears of it being too big were unfounded as it seemed to slim to the contours of her body and fit rather nicely.
Just from wearing the clothing she felt more powerful. A small smile graced her face as she slipped the hood up over her head letting the ears fall back behind her.
Returning her attention to the scroll she decided there was no time like the present and decided to learn the technique if she could.
Would you like to learn Rankyaku: Usaginoashi
Y/N
Clicking yes she was delighted to see the scroll make no protests as it broke down into small motes of light and get absorbed into her.
Like before the knowledge of the technique rushed into her head and she instinctively knew she could perform it. Even though she was somewhat recovered Hinata decided to leave experimentation for another day.
Hinata thought to herself that it might be time to pick up her hobby of making healing salves again, her aching body stood testament to the fact that more healing was in order. Still at least with her new change of clothes she would not walk back into the clan compound looking like death.
On the spur of the moment Hinata decided to take some cuttings and seeds from the flowers in the dungeon as many were plants she did not recognize and did not look indigenous to Konoha.
With nothing further to do Hinata decided to leave.
"ID escape" Hinata said while placing her hand outwards.
Once more a door sprang into existence much like the one that brought her here. Having had enough excitement for one day Hinata decided to leave.
Hinata stepped through the doorway with a jolt as she once more found herself back in the training field. The position of the sun let her know that it was around midday.
With tentative steps Hinata made her way back to the Hyuga compound passing the guards at the entrance who gave her slightly questioning looks. At this moment in time she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a delicious Cinnamon bun, unfortunately that small pleasure looked like it was about to be denied to her as she spotted the figure walking towards her.
"Hinata-sama where have you been I have been looking all over for you?" came the strict and commanding voice of the woman in front of her.
Approaching the young heiress was an elderly Hyuga who Hinata knew to be in her 70's but did not look a day over 50. Her immaculate black hair was done up into a tight bun and she was wearing a lose fitting blue kimono with a black sash. Her regal features displayed minute traces of irritation that on any other clan member Hinata would have thought aimed at her due to their inherent dislike of her weakness. However on the woman in front of her it was merely due to her irritation from being kept waiting.
Hyuga Sayako was many things, overbearing, strict and a touch vindictive but no one could accuse her of not being fair. She was one of the few people in the clan that did not berate Hinata for no reason and if she had cause to it was always because Hinata had done something wrong.
"Good afternoon Sayako-san" Hinata said with a small bow, low enough to show respect but not low enough to display weakness.
Hinata noticed Sayako watching her with an appraising eye before nodding in what seemed to be satisfaction.
"Good afternoon Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama has requested that we once more resume your lessons now that graduation is over and you have had time to adapt to your new team" Sayako said.
Hinata inwardly withheld a grimace at that, her lessons with Sayako always made her nervous. She always felt she never lived up to the elder Hyuga's standards.
"Hiashi-sama has decided that you have been too lax as of late and that we must continue your instructions for when you will eventually lead the clan" Sayako said.
For years Hinata had been drilled with information on clan politics and other nuances fro how to run the clan, in recent months before they postponed the lessons she had been taught the beginnings of finance, all useful skills for a clan head.
Hinata was quickly ushered away by the older woman into one of the study rooms where various books and ledgers were laid out in waiting on the table.
Getting comfortable behind one of the desks Sayako spoke "Now Hinata-sama what can you remember from our last lesson together"
Casting her mind back Hinata remembered that they had been discussing trade within Konoha.
"L-last lesson we discussed t-trade relations within Konoha and the businesses owned by the major clans" Hinata spoke.
Hinata noticed Sayako narrow her eyes slightly and could not help but gulp "Hinata-sama, remind me of the first rule of our lessons together" she said.
Realising her mistake Hinata sat straighter and made eye contact with Sayako attempting to display an image of confidence "my responses should be clear and concise, stuttering is a sign of weakness that cannot be permitted from the clan heir" Hinata said while facing the woman.
Sayako let an appraising eye wander over the young girl a small twitch of a smile cresting the edge of her mouth.
"Better, not long ago you would have refused to make eye contact, it seems you may be salvageable after all" she said.
Hinata felt a small flutter of warmth in her chest at the praise.
"But yes you are correct, trade in Konoha is a very fluid thing but certain aspects are predictable. The Akamichi own a large portion of the restaurant trade in the village. The Nara supply many of the medicinal ingredients for the hospital and the Yamanaka own most of the florists and provide the bulk of the raw ingredients for poisons used by various Konoha Shinobi." Sayako explained.
"These established strangle holds have left the market rather stagnant, not much new blood has come into Konoha in recent years which means there have been few opportunities to exploit in recent years save one, can you tell me what that was Hinata-sama?" Sayako continued.
Nodding her head Hinata answered "The Uchiha clan massacre" Sayako inclined her head beckoning Hinata to continue.
"The Uchiha clan ran the military police but also had a large stake in the manufacturing of various Shinobi apparel such as boots and vests. Their destruction left a gap in the market that my father exploited by buying up the various businesses that lacked direction or folded from financial stress. This complemented our own businesses well as we are well known for producing the finest Kimono's and formal wear in Konoha" Hinata explained.
"Very good Hinata-sama it seems my lessons were not in vain after all" Sayako praised.
Through diligence in remembering your previous lessons intelligence has increased by 1
"However this brings us to the point of today's lesson. In the ledgers in front of you is the total spending for the clan in the last fiscal year, I want you to look through these to see which investments have paid dividends and what other spending the clan typically focuses on. In the future it will be your responsibility to guide and monitor future investments so a sound financial education is paramount" Sayako explained.
"Yes sayako-san" Hinata said.
"Good I will leave you to your reading then" Sayako commented as she made her way to the door only to stop as she heard a low rumbling coming from behind her.
Hinata's face sported a bright red blush as she inwardly cursed her stomach for its betrayal. She caught sight of Sayako leaving the room shaking her head in disappointment.
Trying not to let that bother her Hinata immersed herself in the ledgers. One of the first things she noticed after she glanced over them quickly was the Shinobi apparel seemed to produce a very steady income with no real dips or rises. This made sense as there was always the need for equipment and short of another war there would be no reason to see any real surges in the market.
The formal wear on the other hand saw various spikes through the year most noticeably during October for the festival that honored the Yondime Hokage. That festival always brought up bittersweet memories for Hinata.
It was during that festival when she was 5 that she first met Naruto, she had been accosted by a group of bullies when suddenly in charged a little blond storm to knock the bullies away. Naruto may have gotten beaten up but to Hinata it was the bravest thing she had ever seen. That year had been a hard year all round, her mother had just died and her father seemed to withdraw into himself.
Her father used to be so kind and full of joy but that all changed after her mother passed. Naruto saving her had been the first time someone had stood up for her in months. Even when he got knocked down he kept getting right back up.
That day something changed in her childish mind, if that boy could do it she could too right?
Since that day she had always been on the lookout for him, at first it was just to give him the scarf she knit him to replace the one that got destroyed when he saved her. But over time she noticed things, little things.
How he lived alone, the looks the villagers gave him, the muttered curses under their breaths 'Demon' they called him.
She could never comprehend that, that kind boy that saved her how could someone like him be a demon.
She tried to work up the courage to speak to him she really did, but any time she would get close she could feel the heat rising to her face and her mind become woozy. After all these years the scarf she knitted for him still sat in a little wooden box in her room.
That was one of her biggest regrets that even though she saw how lonely he was she still could not pluck up the courage to face him.
Over the years she had done little things, leaving some groceries on his doorstep, leaving a wrapped present for him on his birthday every year. During the academy she knew that he would search for the person that left him the gifts, but she didn't do it for thanks just to see him smile. Not the wide smile with his eyes closed, she hated that smile but his real smile; she would do anything for that smile.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a branch member opened the door to place a hot cup of tea and a cinnamon bun down in front of her. Hinata flashed him a warm smile as thanks as he left the room. Hinata knew it was Sayako that sent him but if she were ever to ask the older lady would always deny it.
The thought of her teacher brought her mind back to the task at hand. As she browsed through the ledger she noticed an item that caught her interest. It was a utility bill on a building the clan owned, that in itself was not unusual as the clan owned lots of property in the village. What was unusual was the location of said building; it was a location Hinata was very familiar with.
The building itself was on the far side of the village just before the red light district. Hinata had visited it many times whilst sta-observing the object of her attention. This building was the apartment block Naruto lived in.
Naruto had often said that his apartment was paid for by the Konoha orphans fund, at the time she dismissed this but now that she thought about it she had never heard of such a scheme. For what reason was the Hyuga clan paying for the bills on Naruto's home?
NEW QUEST ALERT
A HOME FOR THE HOMELESS
OBJECTIVE: discover why the Hyuga clan is paying the cost of Naruto's living.
REWARD: 300 EXP
Y/N
Well the answer to this question was obvious Hinata thought as she pressed yes. Hinata was mulling over how to solve this issue while eating her food when Sayako came back evidently feeling she had had enough time to review the material.
"So then Hinata-sama what is your opinion of the documents provided?" Sayako questioned.
Hinata considered bringing up Naruto's apartment but thought better of it, there would be little point bringing extra attention to the issue. People tended to get very secretive around Naruto, while she was sure Sayako was more open minded than most it was not worth the risk.
Hinata went on to tell Sayako about her observations regarding the clan businesses to which she got a hum of approval from the stern lady.
"And if you were in charge what measures would you take to increase profitability?" Sayako questioned.
Giving it some thought the main thing she thought Konoha could do with was some more variety. "I would begin importing more from Suna, if we could get local goods from there we would diversify what we could offer here. Perhaps even import our goods to Suna since they are our allies" Hinata commented.
"Yes while in principle that is a reasonable idea the reason we do not already do so is the trip to Suna via merchant Caravan is roughly two weeks the time taken is an issue but we would also have to pay import and export taxes. As well as this due to the length of the journey bandits tend to roam the trade routes as such many merchants are wary to make the trip. Due to this we would have to hire Shinobi for C possibly B ranked missions for each trip to ensure safety which would eat into our profit margins." Sayako explained.
"Do you see Hinata-sama at present the venture is not economically viable for the amount of effort it would take. If we had a cheap and effective way to store and transport the goods then it would be another issue" said Sayako.
"What about sealing scrolls?" Hinata questioned.
Once again a small quirk of Sayako's lips was the only praise Hinata received.
"The problem with that is the inherent storage capacity of mass production storage scrolls. Yes it would let us carry more goods but not in sufficient quantity we would still need someone to ferry the large quantity of scrolls so it's no real difference to purchasing and travelling with the raw goods. For example a mass produced scroll may be able to store 500 kunai but would only store perhaps 50 metres of cloth. We export all over Hi no Kuni so the amount of material we would get through is staggering, not to mention if you wanted to pick up local products that would take up extra space"
"Also it is not feasible to hire a Fuinjutsu Master as Jiraiya-Sama is the only one Konoha possesses and even if he were around the costs for his services would make the venture moot. Fuinjutsu is a hard skill to come by since the Uzumaki's downfall" Sayako said as her eyes suddenly went wide at the slip.
"U-uzumaki's" Hinata whispered in shock.
Knowing that the young heiress was unlikely to let the matter drop Sayako sighed.
"Yes the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure were renowned and feared as masters of fuinjutsu. During the second Shinobi world war a coalition between Iwa, Kiri and Kumo set out to destroy the village. Konoha was allied with Uzu at the time but we were too late to reinforce them as a result Uzu was destroyed but not before taking over 50% of the invasion force with them. It was due to this act that we were able to be victorious in the war due to our enemies weakened state. To honour their sacrifice we wear the crest of Uzu on the back of our Jonin and Chunin flak jackets." Sayako explained solemnly.
"H-how come we were never taught this in the academy?" Hinata asked.
"I don't know Hinata-sama they must have changed the curriculum" Sayako said as her eyes tightened somewhat.
"She's lying" Hinata thought to herself.
"Now enough of this I am satisfied with your performance today, we will continue your lessons every Saturday from now on so run along" Sayako said forcibly ejecting Hinata from the room.
Hinata's mind was whirling as she made her way back to her room "the Uzumaki clan, why does everyone clam up as soon as an Uzumaki is mentioned, what are the adults hiding" Hinata muttered to herself as she entered her room.
"Ahem" Hinata heard from beside her as Kiba made the exaggerated motions for clearing his throat.
"I hereby begin the first weekly team 8 bonding session, congratulations everyone on completing our first week as Genin" Kiba said with a shit eating grin.
Shino tilted his head to the side in confusion "weekly?" he enquired.
"Well yea I figure we may as well make this a weekly thing, since you guys are going to be watching my back as I break hearts and take names all over the elemental nations I figure the least I could do was let you bask in my presence every now and then"
Hinata could only shake her head at her teammate's antics, and the worst part was she was unsure if he was joking or not.
"Kiba-san there were so many fallacies with that statement that we would be here till next week if I were to highlight them. However in the spirit of team cohesion I will let it go." Replied the stoic Aburame.
"What?" replied Kiba as Akamaru whined next to him placing his paws on his head.
"Um I believe Shino-kun feels you shouldn't be so boastful Kiba-kun especially since you are still struggling with the Genjutsu" Hinata replied causing Kiba to slump slightly.
When the trio had met up the first thing they did was compare notes on their assignment Hinata and Shino had both succeeded in their task but Kiba was still having difficulty.
"Gaah no offence to Sensei and all but who needs Genjutsu when you have kick ass Ninjutsu right Akamaru?" Kiba said getting a bark of approval from his canine companion.
"Kiba-san Genjutsu is a valid and well respected area of Shinobi arts" Shino commented. "And I do not think sensei would appreciate your derision, isn't that right sensei"
For a moment Hinata thought Kiba turned into the reincarnation of the yellow flash as he darted up from his seat and took a defensive posture expecting to see their sensei behind him.
Kiba's sharp movements caused most people in the restaurant to send queer looks their way.
Looking around frantically and discovering there was nobody there Kiba turned to face Shino.
"D-did you just make a joke" Kiba said with his mouth hanging open.
Seeing the look on Kiba's face Hinata was struggling to keep her mirth at bay, however the dam broke at Shino's next comment.
"I believe it is wise to keep an atmosphere of levity during our personal moments"
If it were not for his glasses Hinata would have sworn she saw Shino's eyes twinkling, then she remembered that nobody ever saw an Aburame's eyes so she must have been mistaken.
"Well played Shino, but I hope you realise that this will require a response" He said with a grin.
"You won't know when it will happen but at some point in the future I will get you back and it will be amazing" He boasted.
"I see... in that case I may need to employ the services of Naruto-san in the future" Shino replied completely wiping the smug look of Kiba's face.
There was a time in the academy when the two of them competed to see who was the true prankster king of Konoha. It had taken three weeks for the smell of female dog pheromones to was out, suffice to say that had been a very uncomfortable few weeks for the Inuzuka.
"N-no fair, no recruiting help from outside the team" Kiba stuttered.
"A pity" Shino murmured as Kiba took his seat once more.
Once he sat back down he noticed that Hinata was beside herself with laughter and had pulled her hood up over her head in order to help stifle her giggles.
Deciding to have a bit of revenge Kiba said "and what about you Hinata that's a pretty fancy new outfit you have there. Did you have anyone special in mind when you picked it out... I don't know blond hair, blue eyes perhaps even some whiskers?" He teased causing Hinata's laughing to abruptly stop and her face to flush atomic red.
From there time seemed to pass quickly and before they knew it the sun was beginning to set, Hinata was amazed they just spent hours and hours talking.
"I guess this is what having friends is like" she thought.
While she could do without some of Kiba's teasing it was nice to just relax with people who did not see Hyuga Hinata clan heiress or Hyuga Hinata failure, it was nice just to be plain old Hinata.
Reputation increased with Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba by 50
"What do you mean she just disappeared Sai?" Spoke the man sitting behind the desk.
"As I said Danzo-sama, she stepped through the doorway and did not return for hours. When she did she looked visibly fatigued"
Danzo paused for a moment in deep though, he had not heard of a technique like that before, what did it mean?
"For now she is an unknown, I dislike unknowns. Continue your surveillance but do not approach, for now consider this your full time assignment" Danzo commanded.
"Yes Danzo-sama"
Authors Notes
Sorry this update took so long; every time I sat down to write it I ended up having to stop because a new interview came in. Thankfully I have had a job offer so I should be able to get back to a more regular update schedule soon probably by the end of May as to give me time to settle in.
If this chapter does not flow too well I apologies as it was written mostly in loads of short bursts. What I plan to do is go back to all my previous chapters and do some light editing for spelling and grammar but right now I am exhausted.
On that note I am now going to be looking for a Beta reader, if any of my readers are interested then the only requirements I have is a good grasp on English and solid grasp of Naruto lore preferably having been a beta once before but not necessary.
I recommend anyone interested to check out the rare spawn contest as there have been some very creative entries and any that make it in to the story will of course be given full credit.
One thing I do need to clarify as a couple of people have asked is that Educated does not give merit points it increased the stat points she gained on level up from 5-6.
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, If you have the time it would mean the world if you dropped me a review.
