Hey loyal reviewers and readers, and sorry for the late update. This has got to be the most painful chapter yet and things are getting a bit hectic here... Anyway, pointless excuses over - enjoy.
Bold writing – demonic or summoned creatures speaking and technique names
Bold italics – demons or summoned beings thinking
Italics – people talking inside other's heads or thinking/ or letters
Normal – either descriptions or humans
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliated products or characters I do however own Akaken and my other OC's
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"Hiashi-san," Akaken said, stepping out of the shadows in Hiashi's study. "May I have a word?"
Hiashi started, not having noticed him. "Y-yes, I'm free." He cleared some space on his desk and closed some of the files. "Take a seat."
"Thank you." Akaken pulled out a chair from the desk. It would be low to point out that you would have to stand at least a foot above Hiashi just to sit eye to eye with him. The study was decorated so that the only light was behind Hiashi's desk and the wood panelling grew steadily lighter as it came closer to him. Akaken looked around and raised an eyebrow.
"You have realised by now that intimidation doesn't work, right?"
Hiashi looked around the study. It had been used for centuries, but it had been a long time since Hiashi had looked at it from Akaken's side. He smiled.
"Yes, I seem to recall that the last person who tried that was Fugaku-san. I think I am rather too busy to spend a month or two in hospital." Hiashi's brow furrowed. "Come to think of it, there was only a month or two between that and the massacre. You didn't... ?"
"No. And I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries. I came to ask about your daughter."
"Oh, what about her?"
"Interesting. Hokage-sama did say that the contract was void without Akaken's approval..."
"Is there already a betrothal contract for her?"
"There is, technically... she was betrothed to Namikaze Naruto. I say technically because since you adopted him, all contracts are void without your consent. May I ask why you wish to know? Despite being our heiress, she is one of our weaker members."
"She is not weak. Merely different. I'll give my consent to the contract.' He leant back, staring Hiashi down. 'Will you?"
"Yes. On the condition that when she is married, she relinquishes the title heiress."
At that moment a servant entered, carrying a message to Hiashi. Akaken looked at him then specifically at his forehead, his eyes flashing silver before returning to a deep, pensive blue.
"My apologies," Hiashi said after conversing shortly with the servant. "My nephew Neji-kun has taking to training after dark in the hopes of avoiding my notice. I like to keep an eye on his progress."
"Not a problem. However, I must ask about that seal on your servants forehead."
"The caged bird seal? Odd. Not many people notice that. It's a control seal - it stops the branch members attacking us and prevents children with only one Hyuga parent in the branch family."
"It also weakens them considerably, seems to reduce the spirit energy in the chakra weakening it. You realise that since if the betrothal goes through, that is something Hinata will use over chakra - and cannot have that seal."
"Yes. Branch members tend to be weaker than the main branch." He sighed.
"I was afraid you would say that Hinata could not have the seal. The elders have a lot of power in this clan, mostly to stop a full scale rebellion from the branch members. If we had to kill them all we would be severely weakened and that is what would certainly happen. The original creator of the caged bird seal only made it for the reasons I told you, and also branded the main branch with it. But his son did not want the main branch to be weaker than the side branch and changed the seal to be able to cause pain or death, before destroying every copy of the seal's workings."
Akaken started at that, before letting Hiashi continue.
"They are bitter old fools and use the power that was given to them, to give the branch power and appeasement to rule over them. They will force the caged bird seal on her because they were branded with it themselves."
"The seal is very similar to some of the submission seals from my world. In fact I'm starting to think there is a link between the two worlds. Yes, many techniques are similar; anyway, the seal has a water base in the magic - probably because your style seems very like a masculine Mizuken. Water is Hinata's primary affinity - if I teach her to remove the seal as well as leave you a copy of the workings, could you stop them branding her?"
"Yes, I think I could manage that. You say that the Jyuuken is like your Mizuken - could you help Hinata improve?"
"... no. However, I can teach her a style which uses the same principles as the Jyuuken but suits her better."
"Very well. I would like to see this style?"
"I can show you now, if you want."
"That would be good. Allow me a moment to gather the elders?"
"Of course, the main training hall?"
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"All right! Listen up. I've organised a sparing match between our team and Kakashi-san's team. I happen to know that Kakashi preaches about teamwork a lot, so expect the team to work together," Tsume announced.
"So we we'll have to increase our team training. After missions, we'll meet back here to discuss tactics and strengths. Over lunch - then you may return to your respective clans."
"Hai, sensei," Naruto, Hinata and Shino chorused.
She smiled. "Good. Then let's begin; Hinata - you and Kuromaru will continue working on your Byakugan, Naruto you and Shino will be working on fighting two on one."
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"Honoured Elders," Akaken began. "Because of what I have heard from my son of your clans, Jyuuken, I have come to test the claims that it is the greatest Taijutsu method. It struck me that the style is very male oriented with very few of the female clan members achieving what you term proficiency with it."
He changed, switching fluidly into the form of a young woman of about eighteen dressed in a close fitting jumper and three-quarter lengths.
"Because of its similarity to the Mizuken, that is what I will fight you with."
"Very well, Hiashi-sama. We give our consent to the fight. If he succeeds in defeating you... we will consider your proposal," the leading council member announced after some moments' deliberation.
"Elder-san. In case it escaped your notice, I'm not a man at the moment..." She smiled sweetly. "Kindly don't address me as one. Hiashi-san, shall we begin?" she asked him with a taunting smirk.
In answer Hiashi slid into the major Jyuuken stance.
"Why do I get the feeling that this won't be as easy as I thought it would be?"
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Hinata was sitting a long way from Naruto and the others in the wooded part of the forest. The last time she had been training here, she'd managed to activate the Byakugan's first stage without the use of the Ram seal.
"Amazing. Is this what Otou-sama sees whenever he activates his Byakugan?
This time, rather than having to force her chakra through the first stage, she could see the major Tenketsu without it, simply by activating her Byakugan with the Ram seal.
"Concentrate!" a deep voice barked beside her.
"Gomen, Kuromaru-sensei," she whispered, sat down on a branch and prepared the scented kunai Tsume had given her for this exercise. She had been surprised when Tsume suggested this exercise to increase the range of her Byakugan. It was very different to the rooms in the complex where you simply forced more chakra into your eyes until you could see the marks built into the wall.
"Although, it would explain why Neji had improved so much when he started training with his team."
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Hiashi was just beginning to show signs of tiring. Just. Of course, it didn't help that she always seemed just out of range and that her body was so... mobile. He began to growl with frustration.
"What's wrong, Hiashi-san?" she asked. "Oh, you want me to fight back?"
After saying this, she ducked under the next attack and used both hands to attack one striking his neck, the other his solar plexus. Surprised at the change - Hiashi didn't dodge. Crumpling, winded and clutching his throat she grabbed the top of his shirt taking his balance with her hips. She threw him. He flipped and landed on his back, slamming his head on the floor.
Akaken simply walked over, placing a foot on his throat.
"Dead."
She flicked her hair out of the tight bun and sauntered out.
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"Don't allow them to separate you!" Tsume commanded. Shino attacked again from the side with his bugs. Naruto caught her attention by attacking her with his staff, a strike to her right side followed by an attack to her left side with the other end.
Tsume sighed. "No. Now you have to charge me again. Keep one person close. Shino, if you don't involve yourself in Taijutsu, you'll be unable to fight effectively when you must. Here is where you learn."
Shino simply nodded, surprised that she had not mentioned what he had just noticed. If he had positioned his bugs behind her, Naruto could have stayed with her. He resolved to ask her more about Taijutsu after the session was over - whilst his clan had a Taijutsu style, so few now practiced it with so many variations, Shino was unsure what would be most effective.
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"Tsume-san, may I have a word?"
A voice from the shadows came as soon as Tsume entered her office. It had become dark out and she had spent the past five hours teaching Shino what he would find most effective in Taijutsu, so that he could find someone who practiced a suitable style.
Startled, she reached for a kunai. "Who are you?"
"Well, I guess we haven't really met before. I'm Akaken, Naruto's father."
Now that he had stepped out of the shadows she could see him clearly. He was striking. "I'll talk, however - I have little time, so please be swift. This paperwork doesn't sign itself you know."
"Too well. Actually, what I came to talk to you about may help give you more time to complete the paperwork. Since both Naruto and Hinata have begun to train in the use of my style which is wholly different to the ninja way, I would like to join in some of your training sessions so that I can teach them more of what they need to know. I also have training which may benefit Shino as well."
"How is your style different? I saw some of Naruto's techniques - but they simply look like advanced techniques to me!"
"My style uses purely the spirit component of chakra, which we than refine and filter through our soul to create what we call magic. I'm sure you can see the clash with ninja techniques here."
"Quite how do you propose to do this? There are no real requirements for you to teach them, other than my permission! I even heard a rumour that the Sannin had four teachers; Hokage-sama and then some others who taught them there specialties whilst he caught up with his paperwork."
"I will teach three of the five lessons a week. If we alternate days, then you will both not run out of paperwork and be able to help them incorporate what I have taught them into an effective team."
"Done. Now, if you will excuse me?"
He left. He would begin his training the next morning.
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"All right kids, you're going to have me every other day as a sensei from now until... whenever I decide to stop. Whilst I'm in charge I am Kami, got it?"
Their new sensei had made quite an impression on entry. Then again, ripping up several trees with a simple Shunshin and stepping out of the whirlwind without a hair out of place was enough to impress anybody.
"Um, Akaken-sensei - what happened to Tsume-sensei?" a slightly timid Hinata asked.
"She is drowning under an evil which cannot be named. If she doesn't survive, well..."
He let the sentence hang, somehow making it seem like a chilling threat and slightly light hearted at the same time.
"Now, Naruto." A sudden wind picked up around him, blowing several leaves towards him. With just a look, he sliced the leaves into a dust almost too fine to see.
"You will be using your Kaze Yaiba to achieve this effect. I will test you at the end of the day. This is to make you concentrate on multiple tasks at the same time and will be useful in the third tier of the Kazeken."
"Hinata, you will be drawing moisture from the air and ground, like we were practicing last night." He created a ball of shimmering water about four metres in diameter. "When you can make a ball this big in under three seconds, hold it above the trees and I will give you your next task."
"Shino, you will be with me. We'll be practicing the way of my ninja. Before you ask! They are very different. My ninja are assassins and messengers trained purely for stealth - from the moment their training ends to the moment of their death they are never seen by any except their teammates and their superiors. This will suit your use of bugs and poor Taijutsu skills." He turned to look at Hinata and Naruto. "Well? Don't you have training to do?"
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And done. This has got to be the hardest chapter I have written yet; it was almost excruciating and almost entirely to set up the next few chapters. Anyway, I don't think any new words were used this chapter so
R&R