Days passed as men and women, young and old, were moved around at the Hokage's orders. Soon, two boys were told to practice their skills only in their own home, to keep secret the powers that continued to build inside them. Families asked questions of their own progeny, who either said nothing, or told all, as was their will. But even so, each child, seeing the power of their classmates, pushed themselves harder and harder, growing in their own ways.
Autumn gave way to Winter's cold winds, and snow covered much of the Land of Fire. Training provided the heat though, and sweat covered the training mats every day as the children sharpened themselves against each other. Every match seemed to reveal something new. Naruto's clones, powerful though they were, were still clones, and had minds that weren't quite as fast as the original, so they could be confused easily. Heero's armor, while nearly impenetrable, was heavy enough that he couldn't move like a ninja could, limiting his mobility, and providing opportunities for those who could exploit them.
The class settled into a routine, with ranks determined, and with only minimal changes. Heero, Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke stood at the top. The first with his armor able to simply push his opponents from the ring, the second with her touch able to paralyze her opponent, the third with his multiple selves, no one ever quite sure which was the real him, and the fourth, his strikes powerful and direct enough to drive his foes before him. The fifth rank in the class changed almost daily, as those below jockeyed for position. Sakura one day landing a lucky hit on Ino, causing their friendship to strain. Shino showing off a bit more dexterity than normal to knock Kiba from the ring, and of course, every once in a while, Shikamaru stepped up to be the ninja everyone in the class knew he could be, if he weren't so lazy.
~The Final Day of Class Before Winter Break
"Freedom!" shouted the boy, his dog barking from his back as he held on. The pair gleefully howled together as Kiba ran on all fours, snow being flung all about him from the previous night's storm. His classmates followed behind in small groups, bundled together against the biting cold air.
"Is he gonna do that every time we have an extended break?" asked Sakura as she watched him charge off. Next to her, Ino just sighed, her breath coming out in a cloud of steam that caused her to huddle closer to Sakura for warmth, the two shivering. The rest of the class chose to walk slower than was normal, even the usually exuberant Heero and Naruto seemed to take the uncharacteristically cold weather as a sign not to just go running off into it. This slow pace allowed a set of footsteps to catch up to them as they walked home.
"Excuse me, boys?" asked a voice they knew well, and both turned around to find Hizashi who had spoken, as well as Hinata and Neji standing behind them. Three Hyugas seemed immune to the cold, standing there in the ankle deep snow, before they bowed to the pair, who returned it as gracefully as they could in their winter coats.
"Hai, sensei?" asked the two boys in almost perfect unison.
"Oh, don't be so formal now. We're not in class, and I came to ask you something. My brother wanted to meet the other top five students in my class, who could give his daughter a hard time. Normally, we'd extend the invitation through the family, but you two are an exception," said the white eyed man rather warmly, and the two looked at him.
"So, you want us to come to your house?" asked Naruto after a second's thought.
"More specifically, dinner tonight. If you two are busy, I can tell Hiashi that we'll need to reschedule, but we would be honored if you would grace us with your presence," said the man, and the two boys stared at him, turned to each other, and then back to him.
"Um...who else will be there?" asked Heero.
"As I said, this honor is extended to the top five students of Class B. So Hinata, and you two of course, as well as Sasuke and Shikarmaru. Beyond that, it should be a closed affair, I believe. Just our immediate family," answered their teacher.
"Oh, okay, cool. We'll be there then. When should we arrive?" asked Heero.
"We should have preparations for the meal completed in around two and a half hours, so five o'clock would be the best time to arrive," said the white eyed man, before bowing again, and walking off. The two kids by his side bowed towards the two boys as well, a bit deeper than their elder, before following. Of course, the instant the three were gone, they bound off into the sky, leaping over roof tops, and finally finding Shikamaru only about a quarter of the way to the Nara household.
"Shika! Wait up!" shouted Naruto as he leapt down from a rooftop, landing in a snow drift that buried him up to his neck. Heero, instead ran down the side of the building, and stood on top of the snow.
"Huh? What do you two want?" asked the boy. Out of another student the tone would have indicated annoyance, but Shikamaru always said things like that, and his eyes tended to be how you tell what he really was thinking, in this case, the single raised eyebrow indicated he was curious why the two would come barreling through the snow to talk to him.
"What do we wear to dinner tonight?" blurted out Naruto, and Shikamaru stared at him.
"Uh, whatever you want?" responded the pineapple headed boy, growing confused.
"He means to dinner at the Hyuga residence. We've been invited, and so have you and Sasuke, since we're the top five in the class other than Hinata" explained Heero, and Shikamaru got a rather odd look on his face, before stroking his chin with his finger.
"Troublesome. I knew I shouldn't have tried to win against Ino," responded Shikamaru, while motioning the boys over to an alley so he could sit on an empty crate.
"Well, you did, so what do we wear? I mean, we don't have those fancy kimonos or robes or whatever," said Naruto, pulling at the orange jumpsuit he always seemed to wear. In actuality, he had over three dozen copies of the outfit, all with pockets in various places for storing things from weapons to snacks.
"Well, if they're inviting us tonight, and in this weather, I doubt it's a formal event. Just clean yourselves up from class, and you should be good," he explained, and the two boys nodded.
"What about food, should we bring some?" asked Heero, and Shikamaru shook his head.
"No, if we're going to be guests of their house, they'll provide the meal. But be on your best behavior. It'll make trouble for all of us if one of you starts to act up," he warned, and then started off towards his home, murmurs of 'troublesome' coming from behind him, before he vanished into the snow. Looking at each other, the pair of boys leapt into the air again, and made their way along the streets to their home. Once there they striped off their school clothes and set about cleaning themselves up as best as possible. Luckily, the pipes did warm, as well as freezing water, allowing for them to bathe comfortably despite the weather. With their bodies clean, and their best clothing on, which consisted of a school standard jumpsuit for Heero and Naruto's signature orange, the pair found themselves outside the Hyuga compound, just as the winter sun began to set on the horizon.
"Welcome to our Clan's Home, Yuy-san, Uzumaki-san," said Neji as he greeted them at the gate, after they'd run the bell. He bowed, a little less deeply now that his father wasn't watching, but still respectfully towards the two, who returned the gesture.
"Arigato, Hyuga-senpai," the two said together, getting a small grin from the white eyed boy as he led them into the Hyuga's Compound. The place looked...well, like a smaller version of the village outside the high wall. Paths had been dug through the snow between the homes, and it was obvious were places like wash house and even a store were, as people brought bags and baskets from those filed with laundry or food respectively. Neither boy tried to react to the sights around them, to the knowledge that this whole place was owned by a single family, and yet, their eyes showed their wonderment at it, which only made Neji smile wider as he led them to the largest home in the compound.
Once inside, they were instructed to take off their coats and shoes, which they promptly did so, Heero's ending up looking just a bit neater than Naruto's pile of garments, before both were permitted into the home proper. The home was sedate, rather than opulent, as one might expect of one of the Four Noble Clans. The walls were simple, adorned only periodically with the symbol of the Hyuga's House, and only a few tables stood in the halls. On those tables were pictures, some of single people, but most of families, all smiling at the camera or the artist as they stood there. The last of these was obviously Hinata, a picture of her, her father, and her sister.
"Ah, here they are now," said Hizashi's voice from the room they were led to. Inside they found Shikamaru, Sasuke, Hinata, a young girl who was obviously Hinata's sister and...two Hizashi's.
"Father, Uncle," said Neji, bowing to both men, before taking a seat at the table, crossing his legs beneath him as he sat on the pillow. Not wanting to be rude, Heero and Naruto did much the same, before taking their own places at the table.
"So, you are the two who regularly beat my daughter in contests of strength, if not of mind," said one of the Hizashi's. His voice was different though, a bit older sounding, like he was tired, but refused to go to bed.
"That's mostly Heero, Hyuga-sama. His armor renders the Gentle Fist a bit more gentle than fist," said Naruto simply, getting an elbow to the chest for his trouble, while everyone around the table just blinked at the bluntness of the statement. Then the Not-Hizashi Hizashi burst out laughing, having to set his tea cup on the table before him as he slapped his knee.
"Ah, so that's how that works. Now then, since you already know my brother, Hianta, Uchiha-san, and Nara-san, allow me to introduce Hinata's sister, and my daughter, Hanabi," he said this, gesturing towards the girl beside him, the two respectfully inclining their heads to the young girl, who couldn't have been more than six years old. Oddly, she carried herself like an adult, already, as she bowed gracefully from his sitting position towards the pair.
"As for myself, I am Hiashi, twin brother to your sensei, and leader of the Hyuga Clan," he said this while pointing to himself, and then to the crest of his family hanging on the wall behind him.
"Now, I want you all to eat well, I have a few questions, and a request of you four, when the meal is done," having said this, the man snapped his fingers, and seemingly having been waiting hours for that signal, several panels along the wall slid open, and out of them came several members of the Hyuga clan bearing trays of food. The group then ate, only the sound of clinking chop sticks and dishes to mar the silence of the mealtime. Not that any of the four guests ate like the Hyuga, who seemed to be able to levitate the food without effort, whereas Heero and Naruto seemed to have trouble with it. Even Sasuke seemed to not be able to mimic the Hyuga's grace, and Shikamaru didn't even try. Luckily, the meal was small, by the standards of growing young boys, and ended in a few minutes, leaving the group around the table after the dishes had been cleared away.
"To business then. You boys are the ones best able to match my Hinata at combat, and as Winter Break is coming, I would ask a favor of the four of you," said Hiashi as he sat there, his face looking very serious.
"My daughter is the heir to our clan, and her strength is our strength. As such, I would request that you help her train," he said this with a bow that was far deeper than should normally be given to children, and the four boys, sitting next to each other, were silent.
"Um, not to be a downer, but don't we already do that? School training and everything," commented Shikamaru, and Hiashi shook his head.
"You compete there, pushing her harder, but I want more than that. My daughter is the future of our clan, and I want her to be the very best she can be. You four have proven, many times, to be her equal in combat. Neji, my nephew, has proven this as well. His mastery of the Gentle Fist style is a testament to his hard work, and dedication," as he said this, Hiashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, causing a bit of red to sneak into Neji's cheeks, before he banished it, and just swelled his chest out with pride.
"Still, against him, all she can do is get better against the skills of her own clan. You can offer her more than that. You can provide challenges the clan could not, and as such, she could provide you with the same, pushing you farther than you ever thought possible. I ask this of you, not as the head of one of the great clans, but as a man who wishes to see his daughter blossom into her true power, would you help me?" he said this, pushing himself off his seat, and then laying with his forehead pressed into the ground. The four boys looked at each other, and then, with a sigh, Shikamaru gave their answer.
"It will be troublesome, but, we agree to help sharpen Hinata to a fine edge, as she sharpens us," he told the man, who smiled as he rose to his feet, and then began to discuss details of the arrangement, Naruto and Heero mostly caring about more food, while Sasuke was more concerned with getting help awakening his Sharingan. Shiakmaru, as one might expect, was just going along with the flow, but if one knew him well, one might have noticed his eyes studying every detail of Hiashi, trying to divine the reason he might make this request.
~Later that night
"They agreed to this a bit too willingly," said Hiashi as he talked to the men in his sitting room. Before him were some of the most powerful men in Konoha, including its current leader, the master of its ANBU, and the heir to one of the four noble clans.
"They are young, and this sounds to them like an opportunity to gain greater physical power. Young men care about such things, not yet understanding that such power is the least of which a man might wield," commented the Third as he sipped from a cup of tea Hiashi had provided.
"True, and I do like the idea of my Hinata gaining such power as well. I must admit, I have not been as much of a father for her as I would have liked, but Hizashi seems to be picking up the slack in that area. Heh, he read her a bedtime story tonight," said Hiashi, his shoulders slumping a bit as he spoke. All three men in the room nodded their understanding, though only one had children with which to compare the experience. To be the leader of an organization like the ANBU, or to be the head teacher at the Academy meant the other two knew of time constrains one's position could put on one.
"So, you will make sure the boys will be protected?" asked Itachi as he poured himself another cup of coffee from a pitcher of the bitter tasting liquid.
"Of course. This was a most interesting idea, might I ask which one of you came up with it?" asked the head of the Hyuga clan as he sat there, and both Itachi and Sarutobi looked towards Kakashi.
"Well, it was my suggestion. Your clan is one of the most prominent, so having private training sessions with them would increase the notoriety of the boys, but at the same time, if they ever seem just a bit too strong, it would be chalked up to training with Hinata, and not to other abilities," explained the one eyed ninja.
"And by bringing in two others, you further dilute the gossip, spreading it around. A most interesting idea indeed," said Hiashi as he looked at a wall. Through it, he could see his daughter, asleep, a smile on her lips. She had a good home life, a loving uncle, a warm, if distant, father, and a cousin who encouraged her, even when he was beating her like a drum. She didn't have many friends outside of the clan though, and never invited any to their home. Perhaps this would be a good experience for her.
