Chapter II: And Thy Name is Tomato.

A/N: This chapter will be slightly shorter than usual, mostly because I wanna try something out. You see, I want to change POV's between different characters, to show how everyone sees things a little bit different. I tried to test with a meek personality like Classic Hinata, and see how it contrasts with a more "fuck it" persona like the Gamer.

Call it an experiment. To see if I can turn the MC into something of an unreliable narrator. Don't know if it will work as intended, but hey...no risks, no rewards. Also, I'll try to keep the writing light, casual and goofy- I'm just back from a rather long break in writing...anything, really, so for now, I'll keep things casual.

Anyway, onto the reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own the Gamer Manhwa or any of the series/anime/movies/comics/games/books cited. I just own this satirical and kind of funny fanfic.

"Gamers always believe that an epic win is possible and that it's always worth trying and trying now."- Jane McGonigal.

Chapter II: And Thy Name is Tomato.

Hinata

At first, she hadn't noticed the changes. Her studies at the Academy, not to mention her training with her father, took up a lot of her time. Not to mention the fact her graduation was closer than ever, and she had to do her best to be placed on one of the Genin teams. Besides, it wasn't like they were friends—at least not anymore.

Hayato, Neji and Hinata had been very close when they were kids. Being about the same age and growing up in a closed environment like the clan, it's not like they had many options for friendships in the first place. Thus, the three became almost inseparable - they did everything together, from reading books to watching clouds and playing hide and seek. Even after they both received the Caged Bird seal the day of her third birthday, their bond remained strong.

Then, the incident happened- and Neji gradually turned cold and distant as the years went by. Not long after, the one she saw as an older brother began treating her with nothing but hatred and contempt.

Even still, Hayato was there for her. Even as the Academy began to demand more and more of him, he still took some time to keep her company. When her father, grandfather, and the clan elders all chose to set her aside as heiress in favor of her younger sister, his attitude remained the same as ever—cheerful, spirited, impulsive and without a care in the world. He reminded her of Naruko, in a certain way. Even back then, he already swore like a sailor- a trait her father once commented he'd inherited from his mother, alongside the bright red color of his hair, an oddity within the clan. She still fondly remembered the day one of the older boys called him a 'Tomato', and he promptly told him to "shove it up his ass".

Everything changed, however, two years ago. When Hayato came back home the day after becoming a Genin, he was no longer the same. Much like Neji, he became indifferent, distant and apathetic- and she still couldn't understand why. Hayato's cheerfulness was replaced with slothful indifference, he stopped caring about anything. Nothing seemed to matter to him anymore- neither friends, nor training, or even himself for that matter.

The most obvious sign of this lack of care was that his hair, once of an intense, vivid red, had turned a dull, rusty brown from neglect. He'd still mumble off a greeting to her whenever they were paired up to practice, but that was it.

That used to be the case, until the mission to the Hidden Stone. When he came back, her former friend was practically a different person. It was almost as if the fire inside him had ignited once more.

Suddenly, he became much more invested in training. Every day, he fought Neji- getting beaten several times, only to get up and challenge him again and again. At first, she'd assumed the Branch House leaders decided to force him into practice as punishment for his negligent behavior. It made sense, after all, Neji was the famed prodigy of the Hyūga clan and an extremely brutal opponent- no one in his right mind would want to fight him.

But if anything, Hayato seemed to like it. Whenever the two fought, anyone could see how eager and full of life he was. Even when Neji sealed off all of his tenketsu, he still kept fighting on and on like a man possessed- each day, their spars only grew more and more brutal and intense, to the point where her father had to personally intervene once the older boy started bleeding from his mouth due to the Gentle Fist's internal damage. Neji also seemed to enjoy it, if only because he'd never fought someone who wouldn't be incapacitated for several days in a row if he really went all out. During one of those sessions, she even overheard some Branch House members comment such rapid recovery was abnormal.

Such a clear change in attitude made her wonder... if they could ever be friends again. If only Hinata could build up the courage to actually go and talk to him...

Never in her life would she expect to reconnect in such an embarrassing way.

"Thanks for the help, Hina-tan. You're a sweet angel from Heaven, you know that? If it weren't for you, I'd have slept right then and there." Hayato lazily states, as he falls down on his couch like a sack of potatoes. He looks completely worn out, reddish hair matted with sweat and leaves, and his usually white kimono now turned almost brown with dirt. "Damn, those two maniacs really ran me ragged- I can't move a muscle." He snorts in amusement at that. "Anyways, seems like I owe you one now. How can I repay you?"

"I-It was nothing, r-really. I'm glad I could be of h-help, so please... t-t-there's no need for that." Hinata stutters out with with an intense blush on her cheeks, her eyes refusing to meet his after practically carrying him on her shoulders. This was way too much!

"Nah, really, I insist. A man has to pay his debts, after all." He rebukes, casually leaning back against the couch, wincing a bit in pain. "You find yourself needing a hand, hook me up. I'll see what I can do."

"A-Alright then, I'll...I'll keep that in mind." the girl timidly replies, her eyes practically glued to the floor. "A-Anyways, how are you feeling, Hayato-kun?"

Hinata immediately regretted asking. After two years of treating each other as almost complete strangers, her calling him by his old nickname was strange to say the least, presumptuous even. "Kun-" indicated an intimacy that no longer existed. She was afraid of how he would react. Was he going to do like Neji, and push her away?

"Hayato-kun, huh?" Surprisingly, her former friend seems more amused than anything else. "Well, I guess it's been a long while. Sorry about that."

Did he just apologize? For a moment, Hinata can't believe what she just heard. Finally taking her eyes off the plush carpet, Hinata looks up to see a thoughtful expression on his face- his blank eyes distant, as if he's lost in a daydream- before he gives her his usual grin.

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry...for how I acted those last few months. Geez...smooth as sandpaper, aren't you, Hayato?" Hayato explains with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment- a slight reddish tint to his cheeks. "Guess I'm still the same. Anyways, I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I hope you can still forgive me, Hinata."

Seeing him like this, so open and filled with remorse…it made her feel so weird. For an instant, it was as if she was seeing two images overlapping each other- it was as if she was seeing two overlapping images - on one side was the friend she knew, headstrong, confident and witty, with fiery red hair and a temper to match; on the other was a 14-year-old teenager, a boy barely older than herself who didn't know what he was doing and couldn't deal with his own failings and insecurities, repentant and doubtful.

This lasts only for a moment, before he looks up to the roof, a long sigh escaping his lips.

"It's alright, Hayato-kun." Hinata says, a warm, gentle smile forming upon her lips. She knew it would take some getting used to, but it was nice to have someone to talk to again. "I forgive you."

"Heh, look at me being so emotional, maybe I should sing some Baka-Mitai too. Might set up the mood." He jests, now back to the usual deadpan. "Now that that's out of the way..." he nods to her new forehead protector. "Looks like someone finally made it to Genin, huh. Care to tell me about that?"

Hinata smiles. 'It's good to have you back, Tomato-kun.'

Gamer

Hinata Hyūga- how do I even begin to explain her? [Game: Is that a Mean Girls reference?]

Well, I guess we used to hang out a lot when we were kids - me, her and Neji. Doing childish things like throwing rocks in rivers or reading scary stories, trying to get the jump on one another. I admit I was a bit of a third-wheel between the two of them, but then again, not like I can remember much about that time- my attention span used to be that of a goldfish, so things tended to just blur by.

We chatted for a little while after that, before she had to go home. I was happy for the gal, truly- getting promoted to Genin and managing to be placed into one of the teams was a big deal. Most Academy students would actually end up in the corps, climbing the long ladder up to the higher ranks, with no help along the way. I really hope Hinata doesn't end up on that smug, copycat asshole's team, though.

Cause' if that's the case, she better be prepared for a long ass time at the Genin Corps, alongside the rest of her team. Just like me. Kami, I swear one day I will shove a Kunai up his...no, don't think about it. I'll not let that jerk ruin my day.

That aside, it's really cool I managed to reconnect with her, though our personalities are like night and day. I'm Goro Majima, and she's Makoto Makimura. While I am dark, rugged and handsome rogue, Hinata's a kind, meek and timid princess.

A NEW SKILL TREE HAS BEEN UNLOCKED! Genjutsu unlocked!

[Genjutsu]- Shinobi Skill- Lvl: 5 (Novice)- Congratulations, sucker! You have reached such a level of self-delusion, that you can now learn how to project your distorted fantasies into the minds of others.

Genjutsu is one of the three main categories of Jutsu. It is the subtle art of manipulating the mind and senses. Unlike Taijutsu or Ninjutsu, the effects of Genjutsu are not real, being only sensory illusions experienced by those who fall victim to it.

Though the Uchiha Clan were once considered the ultimate masters of the art- due to the illusory powers of the Sharingan- any shinobi may learn how to employ it.

Feeling creative today, aren't you? Genjutsu, though...it wasn't something I could learn on my own, much like any shinobi skill truly. I needed to find a proper teacher, or at least have access to the scrolls at the Konoha Library- scrolls which were only available for chūnin and above.

"Still, it's not a skill to be overlooked." A properly placed Genjutsu could change the course of a fight. For example, I could project an illusion into my opponent's mind, showing an attack coming from a different angle - only to use the opportunity to strike at a crucial Tenketsu, completely cutting off the flow of chakra into an arm or leg. Of course, there are less subtle effects- like the Uchiha used to do, trapping people inside their own minds before killing them. "Who would say huh? That having the Sharingan would make life a whole lot easier."

Not like the Byakugan could do half the crazy shit my 'memories' showed. Or could it? "Open: Menu."

{Byakugan}- Kekkei- Genkai- Stage II (Practiced)

Description: One of the "Three Great Dōjutsu", legend has it that the pale eyes of the Hyūga hail from the Moon. Individuals possessing the Byakugan usually do so from birth, and are easily identifiable due to the uniqueness of their eyes- which possess enlarged, pale irides and lack distinguishable pupils.

When the user activates the Byakugan, the vessels close to the eyes become dilated with increased blood flow, bulging underneath the skin and making any pretty face quite unnerving.

At Stage II, your Byakugan is young, and has become fully developed from its infancy in Stage I. You possess a near-360º field of X-Ray vision, save for a blindspot at the back of your neck, right above the first thoracic vertebra. You can see through almost any barrier, with very few exceptions.

The Byakugan also possesses the ability to see chakra, perhaps even more precisely than the Sharingan. As such, users can see the 361 Tenketsu that make up the Chakra Pathway System within a target's body. It can also determine if someone is under the influence of a Genjutsu.

At this stage, your Byakugan has a range of thirty meters. You are resistant to low-Rank Genjutsu.

There's an interesting detail in this description- it's the reason why I've looked at it so many times these last few weeks. It's a pretty minor thing, but still shows how far I am from truly understanding this system. You noticed it?

It's the first time the System has given me an exact number related to an ability-or in this case, related to the range of my dōjutsu's line of sight. While it may not seem very significant, it still differs a lot from the rest of the Skills I've read. Aside from the level, which gives me a rough estimate of where my skills stand, the system tended to be pretty vague about most stuff. Almost as if it was done on purpose, though for what purpose I could not tell...

'It's also one of the many instances in which the Game doesn't tell me everything about a certain skill.' I muse silently, getting enough strength back on my limbs to walk into the shower. Instant relief courses through my body as the warm water begins to wash away the dirt and grime from the day's training.

The Byakugan is extremely powerful, of that there's no doubt- there's a reason why it's so coveted, especially by the Hidden Cloud. Its greatest strength are the uncanny sensory abilities the ones born with it possess, the older and more experienced Hyūga being able to observe several miles around them. What many outside the clan do not realize, however, is that this power comes as a double-edged sword.

A Hyūga may very well see all the tiny, little mites crawling all over your skin- hence the reason why most of us shave all body hair, except from the head- and a particularly perverted one might even peep on that pretty lady across town while she's taking a bath, but...expanded senses come at a price. If someone pops a flashbang, or uses a particularly bright Jutsu like Raiton, the Hyūga will be like a civilian looking straight at the midday Sun with a fucking telescope.

That's why my eyes were damn near useless once the Mad Bomber Deidara started carpet bombing the entire city. So many explosions in one place practically stunned me whenever I tried activating the Byakugan to dodge the blasts, so intense were the luminous stimuli. Sensory overload could be a bitch.

Of course, a particularly experienced shinobi probably has the means to either counter, or resist such effects. There are many secrets hidden amidst the Main House scrolls, secrets that usually only the Clan Head and his heir have access to. One could also just straight up "train" his eyes to become desensitized to such stimuli.

Which is somewhat similar to "training" your skull to not crack when it's hit by the Raikage's thunder fist.

That aside, another thing it doesn't really explain, is how freaky and abnormal my recovery time actually is. It's nothing new either. In fact, this has been going on ever since I was a cheeky little brat. There was this one time, when I was chasing a stray cat across the rooftops of the clan compound, but- well, let's just say 7-year-olds don't have the best coordination. Skip to only a few seconds later, and I find myself on the floor with a broken arm and a panicking Hanabi, bawling her eyes out.

A week later, I was back to being a pest. Not a scratch on my ugly Tomato mug. It also helped me a lot, when my courier job involved running halfway across the continent do deliver stuff.

Either way, the Game told me fuckall about it, and the memories- useful as they are- are still just that, memories. While I could remember the more important details, like the Princess on the Moon, Madara, Akatsuki and the Shodai Hokage, I don't know everything. It's like trying to remember every from a fever dream the next morning.

"Shit, I'm overthinking stuff again." I mumble, letting the water run through the strands of red hair, before massaging my scalp with a cheap shampoo. Not like a Genin could afford the fancy stuff, sides', I'm a guy- I could very well wash my hair with bar soap, and for some reason, it would still be softer than most kunoichi's.

Turning off the shower, I step out of the shower to dry off before taking a look at myself in the mirror. "Just a scar, huh?"

It still surprised me, to be honest. Even after taking a bomb straight to the face at point-blank range, I looked pretty much the same, except for a tiny scar right under my left eye, where a particularly nasty piece of shrapnel pierced right through skin and bone. I suppose my hair was a tiny bit longer, but then again, the damn thing always grew fast.

Never particularly liked the color either. None of the other Hyūga children had red hair- although now, I suppose it's more of a rusty brown- it just did not fit in with the look. When I was a kid, old man Hizashi- who led the Branch House at the time- once told me I had my mother's hair, and also her attitude. He'd also told me she was basically an eight-foot-tall Amazonian. Not like I ever knew the crazy bitch.

"Here I go again." I just had this ugly habit of thinking too much. Maybe because I spent way too much time alone. "Kami, I really need a nap."

I may be less tired now, but I'm still fucking exhausted after that crazy training session with Gai and Lee. I didn't even bother putting on my pajamas, I just dragged my feet over to the futon, and landed right on my face, already half-asleep.

Only then did something come to mind- Hinata had just graduated from the Academy, and if I remember stuff correctly, the first episode of the "anime"- no, I'll not have an existential crisis right now- involved a certain blonde kid, stealing a certain scroll from the Hokage Tower, only to be attacked by a certain asshole teacher.

"Well shit, there goes my nap."

A/N: Tell me your thoughts on the reviews. Should I keep this to a single POV, or branch out to give other characters their own view on events?