Chapter 11 – Meanwhile In Konoha
Team 8's training
"Yipe!" Kiba said.
Kiba's yelp echoed off the trees as he jerked backwards, his frantic reaction allowing him to evade a Gentle Fist strike by a mere fraction of an inch. Backpedaling rapidly, he dived sideways as another strike scythed through where he had been.
"Enough!" Kurenai said.
Both combatants halted, Hinata merely breathing heavily while Kiba hyperventilated as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from his system.
"That was… quite incredible, Hinata." Kurenai said, walking over to them. "You've really become a lot faster."
"Thank you, sensei." Hinata said quietly. "I knew my Taijutsu needed work, so I… asked someone for help. I don't mean any insult, but you're a Genjutsu specialist, so…"
Kurenai smiled.
"No insult is taken. I know my limitations, as a Genjutsu user, I am best in a team with frontline fighters, or in a recon group like this. Who did you ask for help?"
"My cousin's sensei, Might Guy. He gave me some weights to help build my speed and strength, and Anko Mitarashi taught me exercises to help me become tougher and more flexible." Hinata said.
"It's worked." Kiba panted, managing to lever himself into a sitting position. "Sensei, I think I need weights. If they can do that for Hinata, then I need to get some of that."
Kurenai nodded. "Well, that's all for today, we've done the missions, training and sparring. Meet back here at ten tomorrow. Hinata, wait a moment please."
Kiba nodded and gratefully accepted Shino's proffered hand. The taller Genin pulled him to his feet and, pausing just long enough to scoop up the equally-exhausted Akamaru, started to lead him back to his clan compound. As they left, Hinata turned to face Kurenai.
"Gomen… I didn't mean to suggest that you…" Hinata said.
Kurenai held up her hand to stop the apology.
"I am not angry with you, Hinata. Quite the opposite, in fact. You saw a weakness in yourself and took steps to correct it. And the results have been spectacular. When you started the spars, both Shino and Kiba held back so as to not beat you too badly, now they have to go all-out just to last more than a minute. No, the thing that concerns me is that I saw quite a bit of anger near the end of that spar. Is your family doing something again?" Kurenai said.
Hinata shook her head, a blush coloring her cheeks and Kurenai raised her eyebrow.
"That blush… you're not angry at someone, you're angry for someone, yes?" Kurenai asked.
Hinata's blush deepened and Kurenai bit down on a laugh.
"Someone you want to be close to, hmmm? Perhaps… someone as fast as Rock Lee?" Kurenai asked teasingly.
Hinata's blush seemed to glow as she ducked her head down into the collar of her jacket and Kurenai found herself hard-pushed not to burst out laughing.
"So how long have you had a crush on Might Guy?" Kurenai asked.
"KURENAI-SENSEI!" Hinata exclaimed in horror.
Kurenai could no longer hold it in. Seeing the horrified expression on Hinata's face in response to her joke, she fell sideways, clutching at her ribs as tears of laughter trickled down her cheeks. For what seemed like half an hour, she gasped for breath, each time she started to recover, the look on her student's face sent her into a fresh gale of laughter. Finally she managed to pull herself together and looked up into a pair of pale, angry eyes.
"I'm teasing you, Hinata, but that was a wonderful reaction. Everyone knows you've got a crush on Naruto." Kurenai said.
Hinata's face suddenly flamed red again before vanishing into the jacket's raised collar. Kurenai almost burst into laughter again, but managed to hold it down to a wide grin.
"So, why do you need to be stronger? Aren't you strong enough already?" Kurenai asked.
Hinata shook her head.
"Naruto-kun's scared of losing control of his Kekkai Genkai. You can see it; he's always trying to hold back as much as he can so no-one around him gets hurt. That's why I need to get stronger, so that he doesn't have to hold back as much, so that he can relax a bit without worrying about hurting… m… me." Hinata said.
Kurenai thought about it for a moment, and then nodded slowly.
"I… see. And what does your family think?" Kurenai asked.
"My father doesn't mind, I recently found a document from before I was born, a marriage contract between me and…" Hinata said.
"Naruto." Kurenai stated. Hinata nodded.
"But when the council passed that law, saying Naruto wasn't who he was, the document became useless, and since Hanabi has already been confirmed as the new clan heiress…" Hinata said.
Kurenai frowned.
"I'm surprised that the elders didn't push to put the Cage Bird Seal on you." Kurenai said.
Hinata giggled.
"Dad took them to see one of Naruto-kun's training sessions, they saw him flatten Neji-nii-san in a full spar and fight Lee-san to a standstill in pure Taijutsu. And with the tigers that Naruto-kun controls, the elders want to have me marry him to get an alliance between the Hyuuga and the Kagetora clans." Hinata said.
Kurenai's eyebrows had risen as Hinata spoke.
"But what about the Byakugan?" Kurenai asked.
Hinata sagged slightly.
"They have thought of that. When I do marry Naruto-kun, I'll receive the Sleeping Bird Seal so that I don't pass my Byakugan to any children. But I don't mind, they'll inherit Naruto-kun's Kekkai Genkai." Hinata said.
For a couple of seconds, silence seemed to reign, and then Hinata obviously realized what she had just said. Kurenai lunged forwards as Hinata turned a bright red and collapsed, a small trickle of blood coming from her nose. Kurenai looked down at the unconscious girl in her arms and chuckled.
"Kurenai-san! Is my daughter…?" Hiashi asked.
"She's fine, Hiashi-sama." Kurenai replied, looking up at the approaching figure. "She just trained a bit too hard, that's all."
Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he saw the trickle of blood on his daughter's face.
"Really? I would have said that she accidently thought about being married to Naruto-san. After all, whenever her face is that color, with the nosebleed, that is generally what and whom she was thinking about." Hiashi said.
Kurenai scooped Hinata up into her arms, only to pause as Hiashi stepped forwards and gently took Hinata from her, cradling her so that her head was against his shoulder.
"Kurenai-san, may I talk with you?" Hiashi said.
Kurenai lifted one eyebrow slightly.
"Of course, Hiashi-sama." Kurenai said.
Hiashi turned and started to stroll towards the Hyuuga compound, Kurenai taking position by his side.
"Can you please cast a Genjutsu to keep this conversation private?" Hiashi asked.
Kurenai nodded and her hands blurred through a short sequence of seals.
"Done. I've slightly blurred our faces so that we can't be lip-read, and our voices will seem distant and indecipherable to any who try to get close." Kurenai said.
"Thank you." Hiashi said, inclining his head slightly. "I am sure you have questions for me."
"Like who you really are?" Kurenai asked semi-humorously. "I've never seen you act so… gentle to Hinata before."
"You have a valid point, one that I am not proud of." Hiashi said slowly. "At the time, I thought it was for the best. She held the position of heir, and those on the Hyuuga Council who were opposed to me tried to have her branded with the Caged Bird Seal. I tried to make her stronger, but… I realized too late that it was not working, so in order to protect her, I tried to push her away, so that the Elders would not see her as a way to control me. I have already apologized to her and explained my reasons. Hinata was kind enough to forgive me." Hiashi said.
Kurenai glanced up and saw Hiashi's eyes shimmer slightly before he blinked several times.
"About her and Naruto…" Kurenai prompted and Hiashi smiled slightly.
"Hinata has trained with Naruto several times. He sees her as a friend. I intend to talk to him, show him the Marriage Contract and I feel sure that between the friendship he shares with Hinata and his desire to pay the council back for their actions, he will at least consider the possibility of matrimony." Hiashi said.
Kurenai looked at him again.
"And the fact that he is a Genin without a team?" Kurenai asked.
Hiashi burst into laughter, almost causing Kurenai to lose control of the Genjutsu. Once he had calmed down, he looked at Kurenai with an expression she had never seen before.
Mirth.
"Kurenai-san, he is a team by himself. No, he is an army. He can create over a thousand Kage Bunshin, he has over a hundred Great Tigers backing him up and he studies under your friend, Anko Mitarashi and now Ibiki Morino, as well as Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake. Even you have taught him a bit. Would you like to re-think your stance on that one?" Hiashi said.
Kurenai blushed slightly.
On a street with Kiba and Shino
"I can't believe how strong Hinata-chan has become." Kiba half-panted as he staggered down the street, relying on his team-mate to stop him from measuring his length on the ground. "I really need to get some of those weights."
"The increase in Hinata-san's combat capabilities has proven to be both unexpected and fortuitous. It is highly possible that her combative capabilities exceed those of both you and I at close ranges." Shino said.
"Huh?" Kiba asked confused.
Shino sighed.
"It is good she has got better. She may be better than both of us close in." Shino explained.
"Why didn't you just say that?" Kiba half-moaned. "She was kicking my tail around the training field like I was her personal plushy; it was all I could do to not get knocked out."
"I also experienced a significant counterforce whenever I attempted to…" Shino stopped talking as Kiba glared at him, then he cleared his throat.
"She was able to out power me at close range, and her chakra reservoirs have increased, she lasts longer against my Kikkai." Shino said.
"She's got good." Kiba agreed. "I really think I need weights, I'm so talking to mom when I get home."
"I also have reached the conclusion that I am lacking in Taijutsu." Shino said. "The use of weights is a concept most agreeable to my current mental appreciation of the situation."
Kiba frowned in concentration.
"So, your fighting is not as good as it could be, and using weights is a good idea. Right?" Kiba asked.
Shino nodded slightly.
"That is approximately what I said, yes." Shino said.
"Dumb it down for me next time." Kiba groaned. "You and Hinata are the brains of the group. Until Hinata hammered me like that, I thought I was the brute strength. Heh. Have to do some serious training if I want to claim that title back."
"Her combat capability has indeed increased exponentially." Shino said. "I admit to curiosity as to the origin of the unprecedented and unexpected increase in her skills and tactical acumen."
Kiba stared at him.
"She has become very strong, I wonder how." Shino translated and Kiba shrugged.
"Dunno. How about we follow her on our day off and see if we can find out?" Kiba asked.
Shino nodded.
With Hinata
"Hinata-chan! It is good to see your youthful face this wonderful morning! We were just about to begin our warm-ups, would you care to join us?" Guy said.
"Thank you, Guy-sensei. I would, if it not too much trouble." Hinata asked.
"You are always welcome, Hinata-san!" Lee said.
"Thank you, Lee-sempai." Hinata said.
Kiba's jaw dropped as he watched Hinata remove her jacket and join the spandex-clad duo in their morning ritual of press-ups, sit-ups and other exercises. Beside him and peering over his shoulder, Shino's eyebrows had risen above his shades. Several minutes passed, and then Kiba sighed.
"Hey, Shino, Hinata's really grown! How did she hide those?" Kiba asked.
Shino turned to stare disbelievingly at Kiba, who was staring at Hinata, or more accurately at a certain portion of her anatomy as she did so. A brief glimpse of her lower abdomen as her t-shirt lifted slightly showed that she was well-toned enough that her musculature was visible.
"Wow." Kiba drooled. "She's got a really honed body; did you see those stomach muscles?"
Shino's disbelieving stare intensified.
"We are here to see if we can adapt our team-mates training to aid in our own, not to… salivate over her." Shino said.
"But look at her legs, her arms, her boo…ow!" Kiba yelled.
Shino lowered his fist as Kiba rubbed at the new bruise on the top of his head.
"Will you please be quiet?" Shino said.
You didn't have to hit so hard." Kiba pouted. "Hey, they've finished."
"Lee, ten laps around Konoha, go!" Guy said.
"Yosh, Gai-sensei!" Lee said.
As the young teenager blurred into the distance, Gai turned his attention to Hinata.
"Are you recovered enough for a spar, Hinata?" Guy asked.
"Yes, Gai-sensei." Hinata said.
"No way." Kiba whispered as his team-mate and Konoha's Taijutsu master squared off and began to spar. Instead of relying on the Jyuuken, Hinata was using a flexible, sinuous style that Kiba vaguely recognized.
"Snake style, used primarily by Anko Mitarashi." Shino said quietly after a few minutes. "One of Naruto's sensei uses it. It would seem that Hinata has been seeking out and incorporating multiple specialties into her supplemental training."
"Yeah, and she's learned some cool new stuff, too." Kiba whispered back as Hinata almost managed to land a hit.
Shino face palmed.
"Good morning, my youthful friends!" A voice said.
Both Shino and Kiba leapt at the unexpected greeting, inadvertently revealing themselves to the sparring duo before them as they spun round to confront the person who had spoken out behind them. Kiba opened his mouth, but what came out was not what he had intended.
"Eyebrows!" Kiba screeched.
Shino face palmed again.
"Please excuse my intellectually-challenged acquaintance. What he meant to say was 'good morning'. My name is Shino Aburame and this is Kiba Inuzuka, you already know our team-mate Hinata. May we know your name?" Shino asked.
The green-clad black-haired boy posed with his thumb raised.
"I am Rock Lee, the Second Green Beast of Konoha! It is my dream to prove that one can be a great ninja primarily relying on Taijutsu. My otouto Naruto Kagetora healed my inability to use Chakra, for which I am eternally grateful!" Lee said.
"…otouto…?" Kiba whispered.
"Come on my newfound friends! Let me introduce you to my most youthful sensei!" Lee said.
Shino fought down the urge to face palm yet again.
He was uncertain that he would make it through the day without developing a distinct red mark on his forehead.
But at least he now had a chance to improve.
With Team 8
"So, it's not just Gai-sensei who teaches you?" Kiba asked a shocked expression on his face as he staggered back to his home, supported by both Hinata and Shino.
"Anko-sensei has taught me quite a bit," Hinata admitted, "And Kakashi-sensei has taught me a couple of Jutsu."
"That is quite impressive." Shino said from Kiba's other side. "Your improvement seemed inexplicable until now. I am intrigued as to how you got permission from your clan to learn non-Hyuuga jutsus, though."
Hinata shrugged.
"If all goes well, I am to marry outside the Hyuuga. As such, the Elders don't care anymore about forcing me to become a perfect Hyuuga. I'm still working on increasing my chakra reserves. Kakashi-sensei says that if I continue to do so at the rate I'm doing, I'll be able to learn the Kage Bunshin before the year is out." Hinata said.
Kiba whistled in shock while Shino raised his eyebrows.
"That is… quite incredible. What inspired you to achieve such a feat?" Shino asked.
Hinata blushed.
"N… Naruto…" Hinata said with a blush on her cheeks.
Shino nodded.
Omake: Lee, Naruto, and Neji's Spar
"Come at me Neji-teme. Show me what you got." Naruto said.
Neji leaped at Naruto with his Byakugan blazing and tried to hit him with the Gentle Fist strikes. Lee was on the sidelines cheering them on. Unknown to all three of them, they had an audience. It was Hiashi and the Hyuga elders.
"Why are we here Hiashi? We must prepare for Hinata's Cage Bird sealing." A Hyuga elder said.
"Just watch. I don't think you want to piss him off." Hiashi said. The Hyuga Elders hmphed but continued to watch the spar.
Naruto dodged all of the Gentle Fist strikes and started firing back with some of his own strikes. Naruto ended up knocking poor Neji out with one punch to the face which sent Neji sprawling to the ground, twitching every now and then.
"Now do you see his strength?" Hiashi asked the Hyuga elders.
"I'm not impressed." Another Hyuga elder said.
"Let's spar Lee." Naruto said. "Pure Taijutsu."
"YOSH. Let's go." Lee said as he dashed at Naruto.
Naruto blocked all of his strikes and landed some of his own on Lee. The spar lasted for a half until Lee was breathing heavy. Naruto on the other hand didn't even break a sweat.
"Now are you guys impressed with his skill? I for one will not go against him." Hiashi said.
This time the Hyuga elders were impressed.
"We must get Hinata to marry him so that we can get alliance between the Uzumaki-Kagetora clan." A Hyuga elder said.
"What about the Byakugan?" Another Hyuga elder asked.
"We will put a sleeping seal on Hinata so that she will not pass the Byakugan down to any children but the children will inherit Naruto's power, if she agrees with the marriage proposal." Another Hyuga elder said. The other Hyuga elders nodded.
"I don't think Hinata would mind one bit. We will inform her of the marriage proposal after dinner." Hiashi said as he left with the Hyuga elders who were still discussing the marriage contract.
Later that night after dinner
"Hinata, we have much to discuss." Hiashi said.
"What is it father?" Hinata asked.
"The Hyuga elders watched a spar between Naruto and Lee and Neji and have decided to set up a marriage proposal between you and Naruto. You will be applied with a sleeping Byakugan seal that will not allow you to pass the Byakugan down to the children except they will inherit Naruto's power. If you choose to accept the proposal." Hiashi said.
"KKKKKKYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." Hinata said. "I ACCEPT FATHER."
Hinata passed out with her face beat red and blood dripping out of her nose and was twitching with a happy look on her face.
Hiashi had to cover his ears. He was pretty sure the Hyuga elders heard her and had to cover their ears.