Chapter 9 - A Change of Pace
Sasuke was irritated. Granted, this wasn't an unusual thing for him, but today it was at a boiling point. He had hoped that his training would finally get serious after he had left the academy. Instead, he felt like he was stuck in place, unable to do anything to seriously affect his growth. For over a month now, all his sensei had taught them was team-building exercises. He didn't need or want the man's sentimental lessons.
This plus the fact that they were stuck doing chores every day was driving him mad. He refused to call them missions. No matter how much Kakashi explained how the D-ranks were essential for the village and a right of passage for genin, it was still a waste of their time.
What bothered him even more was the feeling that he was no longer miles ahead of his teammates.
He glared at his two teammates. Hinata was off warming up with her jyuuken katas, while the major source of his sense of inferiority sat across from him with his nose stuck behind another one of his books.
Even though he still held no interest in studying fuinjutsu, he couldn't help but feel jealousy creep through his body over the boy's proficiency in the art, especially after his latest news.
After years of effort, the blonde had finally arrived at the final book of the intermediate series. During their missions, he wouldn't stop talking about how excited he was for some sort of test. Apparently, if he passed it, he could finally move on to the advanced series.
Although he could have been more humble about it, Sasuke had indeed earned the right to consider himself the strongest of his age group. That being said, even he wouldn't claim to be any kind of expert in the fields he specialized in. His levels in taijutsu and ninjutsu were certainly above most chunin, but still nowhere close to earning a title of mastery.
It was humbling and vexing to admit that he wasn't the only prodigy on the team. The boy may have been socially inept and struggled with the simplest of subjects, but somehow he was at a level of skill that already surpassed the majority of fuinjutsu users in Konoha.
Not that there were many fuinjutsu users in Konoha. For how important the art seemed to be, he was surprised when he had found out that they were extremely uncommon. His mother had once told him about a failed sealing corps project from before he was born. It had been a project created by the Yondaime as an attempt to revitalize the dying art back to Konoha. In fact, a close friend of Sasuke's mother had apparently been some sort of teacher for this project. However, the project fell apart after the Kyuubi attack and the Yondaime's death. Without teachers, the students were apparently unable to progress any further, after they approached the more complicated course load.
Yet someone his age was advancing further than grown adults had managed with help from the Hokage.
He tried to shove the accomplishments of the irritating blonde out of his mind as his gaze fell upon his other teammate.
Even she was progressing, although not exactly in her skills as a ninja. She had finally become more comfortable around the two boys and her stutter had all but disappeared. Of course, she still blushed up a storm whenever Naruto complimented her or got too close.
Today as he gazed at her face, he noticed something was wrong. It was like her body was on autopilot as it moved from set to set. Her face betrayed that the fact that something was bothering her.
Hinata's mind was indeed occupied. Her thoughts lingered on the conversation she had before she arrived at the training grounds.
(Earlier that morning)
Hinata had made it abundantly clear she held no fondness for the bottom floor of the clan library. In fact, the only positive memory she could associate with the place was of the jutsu scroll her mother had left her. She hated the dark, cold feeling the room gave off, which seemed to mirror the main family that were its only visitors. That being said, she couldn't deny that the room was an incredible source of information. It was just that none of it was helping her right now.
The previously dark room was now brightly lit as new lanterns had been placed along the walls. Hinata sat at a desk in the corner of the room consumed by a sea of scrolls.
Ever since that day when the scroll finally decided to reveal its contents, she had immersed herself in research. She had realized that this was something that was never going to go away until she dealt with it. So, she decided to take the initiative. Her father had given her full access to the clan's records and she was making the most of it.
She usually never worked on her project in the mornings. Normally, she reserved time for the scroll only after her daily missions and her own private training. Today, she had decided to come down to the floor because she believed she might have stumbled upon a breakthrough the night before.
However, just as the others before it, her lead turned out to be another dead end. While her lead had initially held promise, records from multiple sources just didn't line up with the story in the scroll.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at her clock. She decided she could read through it one more time before she had to meet up with her teammates. She picked up the scroll and began reading the fable she almost had memorized by this point.
The Tale of the Rabbit Goddess: Part 1
It is believed that power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is the tale of the rabbit goddess.
How she came to be, came to love, came to fear, and came to hate.
For love breeds sacrifice, which in turn breeds hatred.
When we lose someone or something precious to us, hate is born. Vengeance is the product of that hate and so death and pain follow.
For millennia, pain spread across the world of man, bringing with it the ultimate byproduct of human nature: war.
Wars for greed. Wars for love
Wars amongst enemies. Wars amongst friends
Wars amongst rivals. Wars amongst brothers.
It was a never ending cycle that consumed the human consciousness.
Then one day, a being clad in blinding light descended from the sky.
Her skin was as white as ivory. Her eyes were as pale as the moon.
This celestial maiden was revered and taken into the world of man.
She was taken in and served the lord of the land she arrived in.
This lord and the maiden made a connection during her service.
However, this was not love.
Love was a foreign concept to her. She had only one desire in this world.
Her wish was for a world of peace devoid of fighting.
Over time, rival nations grew jealous of the lord and his mysterious mistress, and decided to lay claim to the land.
However, a great spirit inhabited this land.
In the center of the mountains stood the Divine Tree, whose branches towered above all. From this tree, a single fruit was born. This fruit was said to contain great power, but the tree spirit would defend its power from any intruders.
To end the fighting in her name, the maiden stormed the stronghold of the spirit and took the power of the fruit for her own.
From the moment the fruit entered her mouth, their destinies were entwined.
From that point forward, one could not exist without the other.
Their energies merged, and with her newfound power, she laid waste to the armies of man.
Thus began the rein of the Byakugan Queen, who was praised for her power and became a goddess to the people of the world.
To maintain this power, she cut all her ties to the lands she had previously known.
This included her ties to the lord with whom she had connected.
Over time, the fruits of their connection emerged and the rabbit goddess gave birth to two sons.
These sons were also blessed with the power of the tree, and she finally learned to love.
However, the seeds of mistrust had already been planted.
The story abruptly cut off at this point, and it irritated her to no end. Hinata was someone who could not stand to leave a book unfinished.
She felt that she had only been given a glimpse into this story and she wanted to know more. Who was this woman? How did she fall from grace?
Hinata had never heard of such a title of a "Byakugan Queen." She had combed through the piles of scrolls of the clan's history looking for any hint towards the story.
This is what led to Hinata returning this morning. She had been following a lead of a Hyuuga matriarch who had used a similar moniker. However, her origins were well documented and did not align with the story.
Hinata didn't know what to make of the story. This whole situation of ghosts, goddesses, and divine figures made her feel uncomfortable. While she wanted to dismiss the story as a fairy tale, she had the sinking suspicion that this was more of a precautionary tale.
She had tried her best to figure out a connection between the characters in the story with the Hyuuga ring, but she couldn't solve a puzzle if she didn't have all of the pieces.
This was all too much for a 12-year-old genin, who also had to focus on maintaining her training and completing missions. If she was ever going to solve this puzzle, she needed help.
(Same Time)
This train of thought was shared with her father as he sat face to face with Shikaku Nara.
It wasn't every day that a Hyuuga hierarch admitted that they needed help. While the prospect was certain to be troublesome, it had definitely proved interesting.
"I'm sure your council would object to me aiding you in this," he drawled as he cast a lazy eye over the symbols and hieroglyphs.
"That's why I have neglected to inform them of our meeting. I can no longer pretend to act as if the Hyuuga can solve this on our own. Generations have tried and gotten nowhere. The council has grown stale and deadlocked. They seek progression, yet are unable to accept change."
Shikaku nodded as he scrolled through the pages of the journals, his eyes absorbing the information off of the page.
"I'll certainly take a crack at it. I have a cousin who works in the cryptology department. He's extremely passionate about this sort of thing. To be honest, if it weren't for pressure from his father, he'd probably be an archeologist. Is it alright if I bring him in on this?"
"If you believe that he will provide substantial help towards your progress, then by all means."
After a few moments of silence, Shikaku looked Hiashi in the eyes.
"How is Hinata-sama responding to all of this?"
Hiashi closed his eyes. "Originally, not well. An incident like that would be traumatic for any child. It took a lot of coercion to get her to return to the bottom floor. However, she has lately been going down there more and more."
"Do you think she has made a breakthrough?"
"I don't know. Honestly…"
Hiashi paused as he activated his byakugan. The sight of the veins made Shikaku tense, as the Hyuuga patriarch made sure that they were alone.
"This is strictly to be kept between you and me. Do you understand?" Shikaku nodded.
"I've begun to notice something rather…odd."
Shikaku frowned. This was the head of the Hyuuga clan. A clan renowned for its elegance, precision, and intellect. "Odd" was a very interesting choice of words.
"Odd how?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"There have been moments, when I have noticed large segments of time missing in my memory after talking with Hinata. I never even noticed it at first. It wasn't until one of my maids told me that I had been sitting in my office for two hours after a talk with her. It happens whenever she approaches me about something, but I can never seem to be able to remember what we discussed. Even when I have approached her about the topic, the same thing seems to happen."
Shikaku's mind raced a mile a minute. He was very careful with his next choice of words. "No offense Hiashi-sama, but are you certain that your daughter isn't placing you in a genjutsu?"
"Absolutely. She has the chakra control for a powerful genjutsu user, but she has never been taught any outside of the ones taught at the academy. In any case, I made certain to activate my byakugan on one occasion before speaking with her, and it was still active after I finished. Besides, she isn't the type to keep big secrets. She is far too kind for her own good."
Shikaku closed his eyes as his mind began to wander through the possibilities.
"She may not be the cause, but she is definitely the link."
He rolled around an idea in his head. "She may not be the one directly doing it," he said slowly. Seeing the frown on Hiashi's face he continued. "From what you've told me about this monument of yours, this goes beyond the normal clan secrecy bull. Whatever Hinata-sama has gotten herself involved in, its discovery is certain to have a permanent effect on how the clan is seen and structured. This puts her in a position of extreme leverage. Someone may be trying to utilize this. Hinata-sama claimed to see a figure during her event in the library. While there obviously wasn't a ghost, there is a serious possibility there was another person in the room with her."
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Are you suggesting that this individual is the cause for my gaps in memory?"
"What I'm suggesting is that there is a possibility of another party involved in this. For now, keep your eyes open for any shady activity within the clan. Especially keep a close eye on the council. They would be the only ones with clearance to that level."
He began packing the supplies Hiashi had given him into a storage seal and shook's Hiashi's hand.
"Thank you for considering this for me. I am very grateful."
"Don't mention it. Besides, I still owe your wife for saving the lives of my team during that mission in Earth country. Before I go, I'd suggest having another talk with Hinata. If she really has made a breakthrough, she will need as much help as she can get. Try writing a letter to her beforehand in case you find yourself subjected to whatever is going on."
With that, Shikaku left Hiashi's office. As he headed for the front gate, he was surprised to run into the very topic of his last conversation.
"Well good morning Hinata-sama," he said as he gave the girl a small bow.
"Oh, Nara-sama!" she said as she deeply bowed to the Jounin Commander, "I had no idea you were here."
He chuckled as he stared at the girl. "I had to attend to some business with your father regarding a personal project. I take it you are heading out to meet your team?"
"Indeed sir."
"Well then. The Nara estate is in the same direction as the training grounds. Would you mind if I accompanied you?"
"No sir. Not at all."
With that, the two headed out of the gates and began walking towards the west side of the village.
"How is Shikamaru-san? Is he adjusting to his new team?" the girl inquired.
Shikaku sighed as he ran a hand over his hair. "The boy is even lazier than I had been at his age, but I can already tell he is going to be twice as sharp as I am. Concerning his teammates, he has been close with Chouji and Ino for years. At this point, its like throwing three siblings together on a team."
Hinata giggled as she pictured Ino standing over the two boys. She could clearly see her barking orders as the two boys groaned and complained.
"Speaking of teams, I'm very curious about yours," Shikaku said as he glanced down at the girl.
"Really? Why is that?" she asked.
"Your team is a special one. I don't know if you have any knowledge about the history of Team 7, but it's worth looking into. Every member who has been placed on that team has gone on to leave a permanent mark on history."
This surprised Hinata. She had never thought about the previous incarnations of her team.
"Could you name someone I would be familiar with?"
'So you haven't told her yet Hiashi,' Shikaku thought. Shaking his head, he continued, "Well, this was about three iterations back, but the Team 7 of old used to be team used by the Sandaime when he taught the Legendary Sannin."
Her eyes were as wide as saucers. The Hokage had seen to place her on a team whose legacy included the likes of the Sannin? He saw that kind of potential in her? And what did that say about her sensei? She had known he was skilled, but to that extent?
"I hear the team is now made up of yourself, the Uchiha heir, and that troublesome blonde brat, who painted the horns of all of our deer bright orange," Shikaku said with a clear look of irritation.
Hinata had to bite her tongue to contain her laughter. She had completely forgotten about that incident. Shikamaru had been angry with Naruto for a week after that. Mostly because he had been the one forced to clean it up.
"Well, Uchiha-san is very reserved and doesn't like to talk to the rest of us very often. He is incredibly talented and certainly lives up the reputation of the Uchiha legacy. His taijutsu is precise and he is very skilled in ninjutsu. However, he seems to carry a heavy burden upon his shoulders. I don't know what is causing him that pain, but we are hoping he will open up to us soon."
Shikaku nodded, storing that for later. "And what about the Uzumaki? As much as that incident bugged me, I can respect the brat for actually managing to sneak onto our property without being found. From what I hear, he's quite the fuinjutsu expert."
Hinata nodded and beamed. "Yes sir. Naruto-kun has proven to be very adept at the art sealing. While his taijutsu certainly needs a little work, I'm certain he'll be able to fix it. His speed is incredible. I have never seen anyone our age move so fast."
Shikaku looked down at her with one eye. "Is he using any sort of weight training? It's old fashioned, but I've seen the results they can accomplish," he said as a vision of green spandex burst into his mind.
"No sir. I don't believe so. He might be receiving help from someone, but he hasn't told us yet. Although I don't know when he'd have the time. If he is not spending time on missions, he is always off in the woods reading and experimenting with new seals."
Shikaku opened an eye and gazed down at her. "Now how would you know what he is doing in his private time?"
She tried to prevent the crimson hue from spreading across her face. Was she really that easy to read? And in front of a clan leader no less! She knew this was Shikamaru's father, but still…
Shikaku chuckled as the two continued their walk in awkward silence, well awkward for the embaressed girl anyway. As they neared the west gates, it was time for them to part ways.
"I hope you and your team have a productive day Hinata-sama."
"Thank you Nara-sama. And I wish you success on whatever project you and my father are working on."
He nodded and she began to head out of the gate.
"Hinata-sama, a moment."
She turned around to stare at the Nara hierarch. Gone was the jovial expression he had worn on their walk over. He was staring at her with a serious expression that she had only ever seen on Shikamaru's face once or twice.
"It is never a bad idea to look for help from others, especially when you are in over your head. Keeping secrets will only add to your stress and make things more difficult for you. If you have a problem stopping you from telling someone, take a step back and find a way around it."
With that, he turned and left the white-eyed girl shocked and speechless as she stood under the arch of the gate.
He knew.
(Present)
To say she was shocked would be an understatement.
There was only one way he could possibly know about her issue. It surprised her that her father was so dedicated to this problem that he would reveal such important secrets of the clan to an outsider.
Could the monument be the project that Nara-sama had been referring to?
In any case, he was right. Being unable to share any information about the scroll was starting to take a toll on her. She almost completely avoided contact with her father in case he thought she was going crazy.
It was also time to start reaching out to others for help.
She would renew her efforts to reach out to her father. Maybe it was time try a simple solution. If he something was preventing him from seeing the story in scroll, then maybe he would see it on a different one.
She made one final strike before raising her hands over her head and brought them down in the ending position.
'Thank you Nara-sama.'
She turned around to see Sasuke staring intently at her face. He turned away quickly after they made eye contact. She was about to speak, when a cloud of smoke erupted on the bridge, revealing the form of Kakashi.
"You're late baka-sensei!" Naruto shouted.
Kakashi bopped him on the head. "Mind your manners, Naruto. Good news team. There will be no training today. We have received a special mission from the Hokage just for us. It will be a nice change of pace to get out of the village for a while."
All of his genin perked up with this and stared at him with wide eyes.
"YATTA!" the blonde yelled as he bounced up and down. He grabbed Hinata's hands and started spinning in a circle.
"WE GOT A C-RANK! WE GOT A C-RANK!" the blonde chanted as Hinata fought tooth-and-nail to stay conscious.
"I'm sorry to say it Naruto, but it is not a C-rank mission," Kakashi said.
Naruto instantly deflated and face planted on the ground. Sasuke didn't seem too pleased either. Hinata spinned in place as she tried to regain her bearings.
"The mission is still a D-rank," Kakashi said, which caused the two boys to groan, "It's for a lumber business less than a day's travel away from the village."
"But we're going out of the village. Doesn't that mean it's a C-rank? What if we get jumped by bandits?"
"While most missions outside of the village are generally C-rank or above, that is not the case due to how close the outpost is from the village. Regarding any bandits, no bandit in their right mind would try anything so close to the village. We have scouting teams sweeping the area constantly, so no groups of bandits could ever set up camp along the path. Sorry to disappoint you, Naruto," Kakashi said with an eye smile.
Naruto pouted and grumbled as Hinata reached out and patted his head.
Sasuke pushed off the bridge and faced Kakashi. "So why is this mission so special?"
Kakashi turned to him and pulled out the mission scroll. "The Hokage personally asked us to take care of this job for one certain reason. Him," he said as he pointed the scroll at the blonde.
"Me?" Naruto exclaimed.
"Him!" Sasuke echoed.
"Indeed. A fire broke out in the worker's quarters two nights ago. While many of the workers were injured in the fire, thankfully no one was killed. The owner of the lumberyard has a very important order for a wealthy client in the village, and, sadly, the client isn't a very patient person, so the order needs to be shipped out right away. He has asked us to help him with loading the lumber into the wagons and escorting it back to the village. He and the Hokage are old friends, so when he reached out, the Sandaime gladly offered him a cheap D-rank mission with the perfect man for the job."
"But why am I so special for this mission?" Naruto asked as he wrinkled up his face.
"Simple: your kage bushin and gravity seals. With your help, loading the carts will be much faster as you can replace the workers who were injured and reduce the weight of the wood for everyone."
Naruto stared at Kakashi before saying, "Hell, I can do you one better than that Kakashi-sensei."
"Hmm?"
"Why don't I just seal the lumber away in a storage seal? That way it is easier to transport and it would reduce the amount of time necessary for loading and travel."
Kakashi rubbed his chin as he considered the idea. "That's not entirely out of the question. We would have to run it by the owner before we tried it."
He turned his attention back to his other students.
"Alright team, since time is of the essence, we are moving out today. It is going to be about an 8-hour hike from here to the town, so we should arrive around 7 p.m. if we leave on time. Pack for an overnight mission and we'll meet at the front gates in 2 hours. Don't be late."
With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto looked excited. He rarely got to go outside of the village, and any chance to show off his fuinjutsu skills was all right with him. He stormed off towards his apartment shouting his goodbyes to his teammates as he ran off.
This left the two clan heirs alone as they headed back towards the village.
"Are you excited for the mission Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked trying to make small talk.
"Hn. I'm not too thrilled by it, but it will at least be a nice change of pace," and that was all the boy said on the matter.
They continued walking in silence for several minutes, until Sasuke surprised Hinata when he asked, "Are you also irritated by Kakashi's lax teaching method?"
She rolled the question around in her head and chose her words carefully when she replied, "While I can agree with Kakashi-sensei's attitude towards the importance of team work, I can admit that I would also like something a little more challenging. While I am sure he is taking things at his own rate, it can seem frustrating at times."
Her answer seemed to satisfy him.
"Good. When we come back from this mission, I want you and Naruto to back me up when I confront him."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm tired of not learning anything new. I want to learn some actually skills that don't revolve around teamwork. Working together is fine, but we aren't always going to be facing enemies together. When we get back, I am going to make him change up our training schedule."
Hinata paused before she asked, "And what if he says no."
Sasuke frowned as the gates came into view. "Then I'll just have to find someone else who is willing to teach me. You have your family to help you and the dobe has his stupid books. I am not going to waste my time anymore."
The resentment in his voice startled the Hyuuga heiress. "I don't believe it will come to that. I think Kakashi sensei will listen to us if we present our case to him. Besides, we are a team. Whatever we do from now on, we do together."
Sasuke sent her a look that she didn't quite recognize before he curtly said goodbye and headed off towards the Uchiha district.
As she headed back towards the Hyuuga compund, her thoughts drifted back to the scroll that plagued her free time and a headache started to form.
A mission out of the village would certainly do good for everyone.
Author's Note:
Getting into some conspiracy shit! Is it really a spirit or is there something more nefarious going on? You'll just have to wait and find out.
Major milestone on Tuesday. You guys doubled the previous record and the story had 2.29 thousand views. I'm extremely grateful for all of the feedback. It has really helped pick us some small errors and shape some of the finer details of the story.
*****In case some of you still don't get it, here's a rundown of what's happening to Hiashi:
Whenever Hinata tried to show her father the scroll or even bring it up in conversation, Hiashi would act as if it had never happened. If she forcefully tried to make him see the scroll, nothing would appear. Even if she didn't have it with her and just brought it up, the same effect would happen. But this effect only activates if she tries to talk about the existence of the scroll. If she were to, say, write down its contents on another piece of paper and show him that, then he would be able to see it.
So now, for the question corner. Where I'll look at the reviews and answer questions without giving too much away.
In response to Kartikey's question: "why can Naruto learn a fire jutsu so early?" Yes, his main element is wind and he is more likely to adapt better to wind jutsu. That being said, I did't want to conform to the trope of him only learning one elemental type. I also did it cause I really wanted Naruto to inherit a couple of jutsu from Kitsune early on. Don't forget, it's not like he learned this out of thin air. He had received it as a birthday present from Kitsune. He has been working on it for over a year, and he is still only in the first stage.
If any of you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer.
