I do not own Naruto or One Piece.
"Yohohoho!" normal speech
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"Boo!" demon speak
Chapter 12: Defying Fate's Truth
Minato watched as the medics took Uzume away on a stretcher as Kushina took Arashinome with her as she returned to the stands and knew that sealing away Uzume's chakra was for the best. "Your son is quite impressive," said the Kazekage, "Are you sure he's a genin?" Minato smiled and said, "Uzume may have had training since at a young age, but she lost everything when she let her pride and greed take control of her." The Hokage knew that it was also his and Kushina's fault for not raising the twins better as neither twin should have been put into such situations. "That kid's pretty powerful," said the Otokage, "I wish we had someone like him." Minato feigned pride as he watched Naruto's next opponent, Neji Hyuga, enter the arena and prayed that Naruto knew what he was doing.
In the arena, Neji sized up Naruto as the blond stood before him. "You have a lot of courage to fight me right after fighting your sister, especially after spending so much chakra." Naruto knew that using the Seven Sealing Methods had drained him a good bit and being resurrected by Brook's power, but Uzumakis had a high chakra level and endurance so Naruto could still fight. "I have no problem with the situation," said Naruto as three swords appeared on his waist, "I can easily fight you with just swords and taijutsu while my chakra recovers." The proctor saw that both contestants were ready and said, "Hajime!"
Naruto drew one of the blades and began side-stepping slowly around Neji, who then began side-stepping as to not give the blond the advantage. Both fighters circled each other until Neji decided to throw the first attack, only for Naruto to dodge and counter with a kick to the Hyuga's side. The combatants returned to circling each other for another few seconds before Naruto went in for a swing. Neji ducked and landed a strike to Naruto's stomach, pushing Naruto a few feet from the force of the blow. Everyone watched the fight with tension similar to two ferocious wolves fighting for dominance.
"Why do you try to defy fate?" asked Neji as his eyes never left Naruto, "You cheated death with that odd jutsu of yours when your sister cut your head off. Do you not understand that you are destined to have nothing as no one would dare be with such a monstrosity such as yourself?" Naruto's eyes narrowed as he swung the blade and followed it with a knee to Neji's face. "What do you have against me?" asked Naruto as Neji rubbed the blood of his mouth, "I know you didn't have much to do with Uzume, but you almost sound like her. Is it because that Hinata is to be wed to me? Because there's another girl in the relationship and that the two of them are willing to share? What is your deal?"
Neji quickly rushed in throwing one attack after another while Naruto either dodged or blocked the attacks with his sword. "Although true that I have hardly had much to do with your sister," said Neji as he summoned a clone that soon joined the attack, "she should have been able to defeat you. She had training that you never had access to and your powers prove that you are what people see you to be, a monster. Lady Hinata should never be wed to the likes of you!" With one quick slash, the Neji Clone was decapitated before disappearing in a plume of smoke as Naruto drew out another sword. "If not for me," said Naruto as he crossed his arms, "Hinata-chan would be in Iwa being used for her Byakugan and they would have their own Hyuga Clan; one that could be loyal only to them or even stronger that our Hyuga Clan."
Naruto and Neji rushed towards each other and stopping right behind each other. Naruto felt the pain in his side, knowing that Neji landed a powerful blow while Neji's jacket had a large x-shaped tear in it. Blood slowly seeped from Neji's wound as the two turned to face each other. "I will show you that one cannot defy their fate. All lives have their paths laid out before them the moment they were born," said Neji as he got into a different stance. Naruto began to use his Haki as Neji launched his attack in a rapid motion.
"8 Trigram: 2 Palms!"
Two clear misses…
"4 Palms!"
More misses…
"8 Palms!"
Okay, the last three clipped him a bit…
"16 Palms!"
Crap! Four of them connected…
"32 Palms!"
Damnit! Lost my center of balance…
"64 Palms!"
Naruto reeled back as his body began to feel heavy from the last set of palms Neji threw at him. "Watch it Naruto," said Chopper as Naruto felt the reindeer heal his body, "Neji struck a lot of places on your chakra path. I can't even get to some of them." Naruto placed the final sword in his mouth and thought, I'm not finished yet! Naruto held out the two swords and began spinning them in a fast motion. "Santoryu," said Naruto as he rushed towards Neji, "Three Thousand Worlds!" Before the attack landed, Neji spun around as a large dome of chakra blocked the spinning blades and sending Naruto back a few feet.
Damn it! Naruto thought as he recognized the Rotation technique from the Hyuga Clan, How am I to get through that! Neji finished the Rotation technique with a confident smirk on his face and said, "Can your swords not cut through the ultimate defense? Sad to say that those three swords are just for show." Naruto glared at the Hyuga before him in anger and said, "How dare you insult Zoro-sama's teachings!" Naruto threw another three bladed technique; only for Neji to deflect the attack. "Give up," said Neji as he smirked at Naruto's failed attempts, "Fate has allowed me to master the Rotation so that I may defeat you."
"Fate has nothing to do with winning fights," said Naruto as he stared down Neji, "All fights are won with three important elements: skill, determination, and chance!" Naruto rushed in with all three swords striking in a flurry of motion and said, "Skill determines who the better fighter is as even the tiniest slip can take down a master!" Neji had escaped with a small number of stab wounds; only for Naruto to twist his body, creating a vortex of sharp shock waves "Determination," said Naruto as the bladed twister dissipated while he rushed towards Neji, "can even grant the smallest of plants the power to obliterate an entire mountain!" Neji had just escaped the shock waves with his shirt in ribbons and cuts covering his body and saw Naruto running towards him. "As for chance," said Naruto as he crossed his arms, "Never hurts to have a little luck." Neji quickly substituted himself with a nearby log.
"Your little speech is honorable," said Neji as he glared at Naruto, "but why should you believe that you should allow the very demon that attacked our village to call himself your father." Naruto froze at what Neji had said. "Your 'father' as you called him died due to the lack in chakra," continued Neji, "you should have died with him, but instead, you allowed him to grant you with even more demonic power. You practically spit in the face of Fate as you continued to use this demonic power as you become a miniature version of the Demon Fox and then a walking skeleton." Neji never even noticed the dark aura enveloping Naruto. "You will always be known as what Fate had deemed you 'father,'" said Neji with a face of disgust, "a vile monster that doesn't deserve to call itself human or even have any existence!"
Everyone in the stands couldn't believe what they had heard as they saw the one of the most powerful genin leaving himself open as another mercilessly berate him. Neji saw Naruto move his arms in motion as six more arms appeared with a sword in each hand. "So you can duplicate your weapons now," said Neji as he rushed towards Naruto, only for Naruto's four left arms try and slash him but cutting the sleeve of his shirt, "What?"
"What you see before you is no illusion nor is it any of the other powers I have," said Naruto as the six arms now crossed themselves, tears flowing from his eyes, "This is the power of the Kyutoryu, Nine Sword Style." Naruto rushed towards Neji as the Hyuga got ready for another rotation. "You believe everything is decided by fate," said Naruto in a dark tone, "but let's see how you handle one of Fate's more crueling punishments! Kiki Kyutoryu: Kyuubi!" Neji saw an image behind Naruto in the form of a fox with nine tails and immediately went into the rotation. "Kyuubi," said Naruto as he dashed behind the dome of chakra, flaring his Haki, "Sins of the Father!" Neji watched from the dome to see a paralyzing sight: his own father in a demonic form about to cut him down. "I am terribly disappointed by you," said Hizashi as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder as he walked by, "How could I call someone who crosses those forbidden lines a son." Blood began to fly as the dome dissipated to reveal Neji spinning around as his body was now covered in cuts.
Neji then collapse onto the ground as Naruto's extra limbs just vanished into a dark aura. "Neji," said Naruto as he stood over the fallen Hyuga, "if fate wanted Uzume to win, she would have been fighting you at this moment. If fate wanted Hinata to be used by our enemies, it would never have led me to her. If fate wanted you to win, then you ultimate defense should have blocked my attack." Neji watched and prayed that Naruto would show mercy. "There are times when even our own beliefs get tired of us just talking so much about it and trying to shove the teachings down so many unwilling throats," said Naruto as he squatted to get closer to Neji's face after sealing his three swords, "that it will show us that there will always be something that defies what you know…and it will always be one Hell of a bitch slap."
Naruto stood up as Neji lost consciousness from the blood lost. "Winner: Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki!" yelled the proctor as the medic took Neji away on a stretcher. Up in the stands, Hiashi decided to leave as there was something he wanted to talk to Neji about. It is about time Neji learns about his father, Hiashi thought as he headed towards the Medical Wing.
Neji weakly woke up and saw his bandaged body and the IVs providing blood to replace the amount he had lost. "Father…" Neji said weakly as he remembered that nightmarish image. The Hyuga tried to get up, only to feel a hand lightly holding him down. Neji looked to see Hiashi Hyuga over his bed and said, "Lord Hiashi…what are you doing here?" Hiashi gently helped Neji sit up and gave him a scroll. "This scroll is from your father…" said Hiashi as Neji began to unroll the scroll in his hands, "It is a letter he had written to you sometime before his death." Neji slowly read the scroll in his hands as he had recognized his father's handwriting…
Neji,
Son, I can imagine that my brother, your uncle, had given you this scroll when he saw when you were ready. My brother can be really paranoid and he had probably blamed himself for my death. Even though he had used the Caged Bird Seal on me, I have seen the pain and reluctance in his face. You should have seen his face when he learned that I was dying from an incurable disease; funny how the other head members and the elders did nothing after I gave Hiashi a good punch to the face.
Neji, I hope that you are getting along with Minato's son, Naruto, and I'm pretty sure you could use a friend. You don't need special eyes to see that the boy is alone as that brat sister of his, Uzume, had manipulated the village and their parents into favoring her. I can't help but see nothing but evil in that girl as she has the largest network of 'friends' and used her title to such a disgusting advantage. I believe that it is the Demon Fox's power and chakra corrupting her, and I have told Minato about this, but he dismissed it as the Byakugan seeing some of the 'flares' that the brat suffers.
I pray to both Fate and Kami that Naruto is alive as I have seen something inside Naruto, like another fire, flickering weakly. You don't need to be a seal master to see that when two living beings are sealed, they are connected for the rest of their lives; should one dies, the other goes with them. If Naruto is alive, then one of my final prayers has been answered and I hope that the two of you are the best of friends.
The other prayer I have asked for is that you remain safe until your time and live out your life. I feel the disease eating at me at this moment, so I may not have long. I am truly sorry that you will be left alone, but do not forget to go to those that will be there for you. I finish this letter with one last piece of information: I love you son, and I will always be proud of you. I know that you may make choices that I do not approve, but I will always be proud of you, my son.
Love,
Hizashi Hyuga, Your Loving Father
Tears fell on the scroll as Neji felt like that he had disappointed his father because of what he had said to Naruto. Naruto… Neji thought as he had seriously hurt the one person that his father wanted him to be friends with, seems like you and I aren't all that different then. Neji then saw his uncle on the floor bowing towards him. "What are you doing Lord Hiashi?" asked Neji. "I was such a fool to keep such a vital piece of information from you when your father wanted me to give it to you on the day he died," said Hiashi as tears fell from his face, "I disobeyed my brother's wish because of MY fear and look at what it had done to you."
"UNCLE!" shouted Neji as he got out of the bed and lifted his uncle from the floor, "You are not to blame here as what had happened to me was because of MY actions!" Neji let go of Hiashi's robes and sat back down on the bed. "I have a lot to fix between Naruto and I," said Neji as he laid back down, "but first I must get some rest and I did lose a lot of blood in my fight." Hiashi quickly flashed a smile before returning to his ever stoic face and said, "If you cross those lines like that again, I WILL use the Caged Bird Seal during your next hospital visit!" Hiashi 'stormed' out of the room and after shutting the door, he said, "He's just like you Hizashi…he's just like you."
I know having Neji bring up Kurama like that was harsh, but I needed a good incitive for Naruto to use Kyutoryu. I also used a different version of this by giving Naruto six extra arms instead of four like Zoro's. Both are cool, but I wanted Naruto's to be an inspiration from his father, Kurama.
Ja Ne