Chapter III: Shadow Clone go Boom.

A/N: Sup' guys. I started writing this chapter just after publishing Chp 2, but decided to take a bit longer to write- working a bit slower in order to improve the quality and stuff. I'll take a break after this one, and start working on the next chapter by the end of the month.

I've been reading your reviews, and wow- I'm glad you're enjoying reading this, as much as I like writing it. Like I'd said before, I intend to keep the story fluid, with wacky sense of humor mixed in with detailed description of things. I'm trying to work on the dialogue now, and this chapter is also a bit of an experiment on that too.

I hope I did Naruto's personality some justice, even if I decided to turn him into Naruko just for the giggles.

As for the MC, yeah- Hayato's a crossbreed. His mother had Uzumaki blood, while his father was a Hyuga. As both died when the Nine-Tails attacked, he's kind of unaware of his mixed heritage.

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings. On to 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.

"There's gotta be a way out of this dungeon."- G. Gygax"


Chapter III: Shadow Clone go Boom.

Naruko Uzumaki bothers me.

I had just turned two, the night the Nine-Tailed Demon attacked Konoha- despite that, the memories of that night were the most vivid of any I had from my childhood. It was the night my Byakugan first activated, and also then night both my parents were killed- and to this very day, I can still clearly visualize that monstrous beast's chakra in my mind. Tainted red chakra, so evil and powerful it could be seen from miles away.

That very same chakra can be seen within Naruko's network, flooding her tenketsu with the Demon's power.

Maybe other Hyūga - those who weren't present for or didn't bear witness to the attack - couldn't distinguish this from the girl's normal chakra. But even before the Game showed me glimpses of the truth, I could already see it, and I'm quite sure I'm not the only one too.

'On the bright side, tracking her is child's play.' I just needed to activate my Byakugan and follow her chakra signature. Once you know what to look for, the girl is almost like a big, shining beacon in the darkness of the night.

'Finally, I may now roleplay as a Persona fan and follow a child across town.' Jokes aside, I might not be a very good shinobi, but I'm a damn good tracker. I'd been shadowing Naruko since she left the Hokage Tower, always making sure to stay several hundred feet behind her, so as to not alert the little pest to my presence. 'Then again, she seems to be moving faster and faster.'

And she barely seemed fazed at all. But then again, with chakra reserves as monstrous as that, the least I expected off the girl was an equally absurd amount of stamina.

I decide to pick up the pace, popping one of the chakra pills I often carried in my bag. Almost instantly, I feel my reserves going back to full capacity, the pain in my muscles receding almost entirely. Grinning, I quickly form the handseals: Half-Tiger, Ram.

"Ninpou: Shunshin no Jutsu!"

The world turns into a blur, as my body moves from tree to tree at full speed, using my heightened senses to avoid getting hit by the branches as I do so. Shunshin no Jutsu- the Body Flicker Technique- had always been my favorite Jutsu, and probably the one I was the most proficient at. The sheer speeds I could reach while using it were plain absurd- that, coupled with my quick recovery times- was why the Hokage often gave me the courier missions in the first place.

I am basically the fastest mailman in the Leaf.

"You know, kiddo. It's kinda rude to steal the old man's scroll like that." I state, once I come to a halt right behind Naruko. "I'm gonna need it ba- oh fuck!"

Just to get kicked straight in the belly by a jump-scared Uzumaki. ""Don't come sneaking up on a girl like that, kono baka! Who the heck are you anyway?!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid cunt! Why did you hit me?" I curse out, clutching my stomach in pain, before shooting a murderous glare at the idiot before me, who glares right back with equal intensity.

"Huh? What did you call me, teme? Say it again, see if I don't kick your ass!"

I feel something snap inside of me. I can even hear the sound of glass breaking in my head- it's my all patience and self-control, going straight down the drain. Maybe it was the memories, the memories of the Nine-Tailed monster that killed my parents that came right back every time I even looked at this girl, who wore its chakra like a cloak. My reddish hair flares up as my old, explosive temper comes to surface once more.

"Kick my ass huh? What? You? The girl who failed every single exam in the Academy?" I explode, remembering the time she tried to take the tests with my class. "I really doubt it. You know, for someone who's supposed to be a Demon, you're actually quite pathetic."

"Try me, then! I'll put you on the ground and make you swallow your words dattebayo!" Naruko furiously rebukes, her eyes starting to tear up in anger.

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt the little idiot's feelings? How about you give back the scroll and run straight back to your mother?" I say rather acidly. "Oh wait, hold on...Naruko Uzumaki doesn't have a mother. What? Did she abandon you because you were too stupid? Or is it because you're a Demon?"

Silence falls upon the clearing. I can see Naruko looking down at the grass between her feet, her fists clenched to the point her nails started digging into the skin- drawing blood. She was trembling, trembling in anger, and then she looks up at me- her eyes glowing in a murderous red. That's when I knew I'd fucked up, and fucked up badly.

"You bastard...I've just had enough of you!" She screams out, a translucent shroud of red chakra forming around the girl's body. Chakra so dense and powerful, it seemed to bubble and boil around her body, forming a mantle similar in shape to a fox's. "I'll rip you to shreds!"

'This is bad. Really, really bad.' I curse out internally, while getting into a Gentle Fist stance- feet spread apart, right arm extended and pointing forwards while the left was flexed in a defensive position. The sheer amount of chakra emanating from the girl was enough to send chills up my spine- simply unbelievable. 'So...this is the power of the Nine-Tails. Fuck.'

While the girl before me was different from the Naruto I'd seen through the Game's memories, I knew she was the one carrying the Nine-Tails within her, and I knew it would come out in times of great anger. Yet I still went and did it, because knowing she carried that monster within her had me so on edge and bothered, I couldn't control my temper.

Luckily for me, salvation had come- in the form of Mizuki-sensei.

"Well, well, well- look what we have here." the Chūnin states with a grin, having landed on a nearby branch. "So...the Demon Child finally shows her true colors. And would you look at that..." his gaze then lands upon me, which I respond with a raised eyebrow. "Hyūga-kun, right? You used to be one of my students. Good job on tracking down the scroll, though I wonder...how did you know?"

"I was making my way to the Hokage Tower for a mission, when I saw Uzumaki sneaking around." I reply, making up an excuse on the fly. Through my Byakugan's 360° line of sight, I can see Naruko's attention had now shifted to the man instead. "Decided to follow, and see what she was up to."

While Uzumaki's chakra is almost blinding now, I can't help but notice how...weird, Mizuki-sensei's chakra actually looks. It was dark, twisted and looked almost liquefied pitch flowing within his tenketsu- and I could see it emanated from a spot on his neck, where something like a...seal was placed. I could recognize it as such, recognizing some of the patterns from observing others like the Caged Bird, which is placed in all members of the Branch Family.

Then it clicked- that seal...it was one of Orochimaru's. I'd seen it a few times before, in the Game's memories, placed upon Sasuke Uchiha's neck.

He seems to have noticed the suspicion in my eyes, because a grin forms on Mizuki's lips as he states. "Oho, noticed it, haven't you? In truth, this seal is still on an experimental phase, but..." There's a monstrous peak on his chakra, as the Cursed Seal comes to life, glowing, flame-like markings spreading all over Mizuki's skin. "...it's a pity, Hyūga-kun. I originally intended to kill the girl only, but now, it seems you must die too. You know too much."

"What the hell are you talking about, bastard?!" Naruko roars out, her nails extending and turning into sharp claws.

Mizuki, however, doesn't even bother to answer her; instead, jumping off the tree with a quick Shunshin, planting his feet on a tree trunk on the other side of the clearing, before throwing his fūma shuriken straight at the girl's exposed back. With a smirk, he then quickly forms the hand seals: Rat- Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger-Monkey. "Katon: Hōsenka Tsumaben!"

Not on my watch!

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms, Revolving Heaven!"

As the blazing shuriken soars through the air towards us, my chakra practically explodes out of all my Tenketsu as I begin to rotate at lightning-fast speed. A glowing barrier of chakra rotating at immense speed forms around me, the fūma shuriken ricocheting with such force that it splits an adjacent tree in half before I come to a halt, panting.

"Oh, would you look at that?" Mizuki arches his eyebrows in mock curiosity. "I don't recall seeing such a technique before. Where did you learn this, Hyūga-kun? Have you found a new sensei?" he inquires, his tone oozing false grief. "Now I'm hurt..."

"Not a sensei." I reply, taking in heavy breaths, in great pain from the fresh burns in my hands due to his Katon jutsu.

"Hm...what do you mean?" Mizuki rebukes, this time producing a few Kunai from his pouch.

"I said...he's not a sensei. He's a damn drill sergeant..." I state with a cocky grin, having finally caught my breath after using such a straining technique. "...and his name is Neji."


It was on the last day of our first month of intense training, that Neji showed me the technique for the first time. At this point, we had been fighting all the way through morning, afternoon, and evening for nearly a week straight, with only a few short breaks whenever Team Guy needed to do some D-rank missions- painting fences, hunting down stray cats, standard stuff.

During the course of those last few weeks, I found out that I quite enjoyed sparring with Neji. Whenever we traded blows, I felt motivated; alive, like I haven't felt since the rejection two years ago. My partner seemed to feel the same way; it had been a long time that Neji and I hadn't really talk, but he seemed to have a lot of fun beating me to a pulp.

"You know, I had forgotten how fast you recover. If you tried this hard before, maybe we'd be on the same team. It would be better than dealing with Lee's stupidity." I remember him saying, before he sat down next to me by edge of the pond. After we took our training a tad bit too far, which ended with me vomiting blood all over the floor, lord Hiashi forbade us to fight in the clan's dojo.

Needless to say, Neji was pissed off and wanted to argue with him, but I quickly suggested that we use one of the village's training areas instead- the Third Training Ground in particular coming to mind, because it was where that one-eyed asshole tested my would-be Genin squad. After a bit of back and forth, I managed to convince him to accept- if only to avoid the punishment for arguing with the cunt.

"I've yet to meet him, so I can't judge." I remember replying, words that I'd come to regret saying a few days later. "So...what do you think?"

"About..." Neji arches his eyebrows, his face plain- but I can sense the irony in his tone. The prick.

"My taijutsu, duh." I snort, taking a generous gulp off my water canteen. "You've been kicking me around for four weeks now, surely I got a bit better."

"Hmm... I would say there has been a noticeable improvement. Your stance has improved, your footwork is in better synch with your strikes. I'm impressed..." Neji ponders, crossing his arms while looking deep in thought. "...with my skills as a teacher, that is. I'd say you've reached an acceptable level of skill for a child lady Hanabi's age."

"Shup up, you fucking troll." I scoff, jokingly punching him on the shoulder. "So, what's next?"

"What do you mean, cousin?" He'd taken to calling me that now, it is a bit of a progress from 'freeloader'- though a bit of an overstretch. Even with the consanguinity that seem to be common amidst the clans of Konoha, Neji and I are quite far apart in the family tree. I'm not even a full-blooded Hyūga, my mother having come from outside the clan.

"I'm not a complete idiot, Neji. I know the basics aren't everything you know; else the elders wouldn't be singing praises about you all the damn time." Well...the Branch House elders, that is. To the old geezers at the Main Family, Neji's genius was more likely a nuisance- a splinter in the superiority complex they seemed to share. "Is there any technique you can teach me? I'm ready for it."

"That's some dangerous talk, you know that, right?" I knew what he meant, of course. Almost all of the Jūken's secret techniques were exclusive to the Main Family, usually to the Clan Head and his firstborn child. Over time, individual members could develop their own, but that was quite rare indeed.

"Never took you for one to be afraid of a little danger."

"I am not afraid. Just stating the facts as they are, kono baka."

"I may be a baka, but at least I'm not a scaredy cat."

"Why do I even humor you?" Neji scoffs, before elbowing me to the side. "Fine."

"So, you'll teach me then?" I ask, watching as he rises to his feet, taking one last sip off his canteen. "Hell yeah! Thanks man, I really owe you one."

"If that's what it takes for you to stop pestering me. Though I don't want to hear any complaints if you can't keep up." Neji rebukes, before getting into a taijutsu stance. "Now, watch and learn, cousin."

"Jūkenhō: Hakkeshō Kaiten!"


[MENU]

Name: Hayato Hyūga (Kanji: 日向勇人- Hyūga Hayato)

Chakra: 379/600.


Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms, Revolving Heaven – or Hakkeshō Kaiten, whatever you prefer- is without a shadow of doubt the most powerful technique I've ever learned in my entire life. It is one of the secret Jūken techniques from the Main House, and it took me the rest of that entire week, practicing all day with Neji, in order to finally get it right (kind of?). It still used up much of my Chakra reserves, and I couldn't block all the damage (as the burns indicate).

The reason why the Palms Revolving Heaven is such a powerful defensive technique, is that it is able to compensate for the blindspot of the Hyūga's Byakugan- by emitting his or her own chakra from all of their body's tenketsu, they are able to create a protective shield around them as long as they keep rotating. It may also be used offensively, in theory, though Neji wasn't quite sure about that yet- from what he'd told me, he learned the technique on his own just from observing lord Hiashi perform it. Once.

Neji really is a genius, and a bro too.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH" From the corner of my eye, I can see Naruko barreling towards Mizuki at full speed, chakra claws hacking and slashing wildly at the chūnin- tearing him to pieces before his body is replaced by a trunk.

'Kawarimi?!'

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

'He's fast!' Even with my Byakugan active, I couldn't follow his movements as he used the Shunshin to appear behind me, before exhaling a huge ball of blazing chakra from his mouth straight at me. "Damnit! Ninpou: Kawarimi no Jutsu!"

I barely manage to switch places with a rock before the fireball impacts where I'd been instants before, exploding in a huge inferno. I jump up to the lower branches of a tree, before tossing a few Kunai in Mizuki's direction, only for him to easily block them with a volley of his own.

"You know, you should pay more attention to your surroundings, Hyūga-kun."

"Take this, you bastard!" Before even I have a chance to understand what he means by that, Naruko slams into me with the force of a fucking truck. With her brute strength greatly amplified by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruko's headbutt sends me barreling down to the ground, and I barely hold back a scream of agony as my left shoulder is completely dislocated by the force of the impact.

"FUCK!" I growl out in pain, rolling out from another volley of Kunai from Mizuki. "Damn you Naruko, he's going to kill us both you fucking idiot!"

Then I notice the second tail manifested into her Chakra mantle, and everything clicks. 'The baka lost her reason. Damnit!'

As Naruko switches the focus of her aggression to Mizuki, she charges him with a roar of bestial fury, slashing at him with her claws and trying to bite him with her fangs. The Chūnin smirks, meeting each of her blows with the power given to him by the seal, the cursed markings burning into his flesh.

'Damnit! Damnit!' Down one arm, there wasn't much I could do except throwing in one Kunai or another. There was no way that would be enough to beat a seasoned chūnin like the white-haired sensei. 'I'll have to put it back in its socket.'

This might sound easy, but I wasn't a Medical Ninja- in fact, all I knew about Medicine were the extra anatomy classes I'd taken in the Academy, as well as the First Aid training we received at the Genin Corps before being sent out to C-Rank missions outside village borders. Putting limbs back on their places wasn't covered in any these courses.

"This is going to hurt like a bitch." I curse out, tossing one last hail of Shuriken in Mizuki's direction while he kicks Naruko back a few feet- before drawing his katana. I let a sigh escape my lips, before my hand goes to my left shoulder, and pulls it.

For a brief moment, my entire vision goes white. Then I hear a cry of pain in the distance - only to realize that the voice is mine, and that it's me who's doing the screaming.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I bite down on my lip, strongly, in an attempt to curb the screaming, before popping another one of those soldier pills. After effects be damned, I wouldn't die here.

"Gah!" As Naruko takes a slash straight to the chest from Mizuki's blade, I see my opportunity and charge in while the chūnin has his back turned to me.

'Third Thoracic Vertebrae, left Deltoid muscle, Sixth Thoracic Vertebrae, Left Latissimus Dorsi.' Four strikes, one after the other. Four tenketsu blocked before Mizuki even has time to react, as the chūnin turns towards me while making the handsigns for the Goukakyuu, my tenketsu flare up once more.

"Hakkeshō: Kaiten!"

My former sensei's eyes widen in shock, as I rotate once more, a shallow crater forming around me as the Goukakyuu is pushed right back at him at point-blank range. I can feel my palms burning in agony, and nearly bite down my tongue in other to keep myself from screaming and losing the focus needed for the Kaiten. Once I'm finished, the chūnin has been pushed back several feet, his body covered in severe burns.

"Gah...you fucking brats...I'm going to kill you!" Mizuki roars out, as Naruko gets back up and prepares to charge him once more. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll fucking rip you to pieces!"

As he screams, the chūnin's body starts to grow and deform, his features becoming hideos and monstruous. His stature grows into a full eight feet, his skin becoming a sickly grayish-black and covered in scales like chitin, his arms growing apelike and ropy, with sharp talons in his fingertips and his face twisting into a mix of man and serpent. A row of spines sprout from his vertebrae, and his body irradiates that dark, twisted chakra to such a point its almost palpable in the air now.

"I'll tear you both to pieces, and then...I'll feast on the flesh of the Demon Fox and take its power for myself!" Whatever reason Mizuki had before, had become lost to bestial madness, as he charges towards Naruko with his talons poised to kill.

"I won't let you! Hakkeshō: Kaiten!" Ignoring the burning sensation on my palms and the agony in my tenketsu as I force them open once again, I knock this feral Mizuki back to the other side of the clearing with the Palms of Heaven, his claws tearing shallow cuts across my arms, before turning to Naruko. "Uzumaki! Get your shit together! We need to work together! Or we're both dead!"

"Gaaaah" Naruko growls ferally, her whiskers thickened as her eyes glow an eery red. With her standing so close to me now, I can't help but be paralized for a second- as if it stood before me once more, the Nine-Tails; the Demon who took my parents away from me, who destroyed Konoha.

'No No! Snap out of it, Hayato! That's what caused this shit in the first place!' That's why most of the villagers hated her, why none of the children wanted to play with Naruko. He had seen it in his memories, he had seen it in his own life- all this time, this girl was treated like a monster. Even he did it, in a stupid flare of temper. 'No, I did it out of petty revenge.'

I knew Naruko wasn't the Nine-Tails, I knew it from the memories of the previous life, I knew it from the way Hinata seemed to idolize the girl- yet I'd still done it. I did the same as every villager who called her out in the streets, who refused to sell her basic items such as food and cosmetics, who kicked her out of restaurants because 'the Demon does not belong here'. I wasn't blind, I'd seen all of those things happen more than once.

And I still did it, because I was fucking immature. I acted like a damn boy.

"Damnit Uzumaki, snap out of it! We're going to die!" At the time, I didn't notice I was screaming to the full force of my lungs. To be honest, I was beyond caring at this point- Mizuki had gotten back up, and was charging at us once again. "Don't let its chakra control you! Don't let it dictate who you are!"

Sensing Mizuki's approach, I enter the Gentle Fist stance once more, my entire body screaming in agony- from the dislocated shoulder, to the scorched palms of my hands, to the tenketsu that burned with the sudden expenditure of chakra. 'This is it; this is my last one.'


[MENU]

Name: Hayato Hyūga (Kanji: 日向勇人- Hyūga Hayato)

Chakra: 121/600.


I only had enough energy left for one more attack. One more attempt at rotation, before my reserves went out for good, and my body collapsed from chakra exhaustion- as I readied myself for the incoming blow, something happens, something I hadn't expected.

"Suiton: Teppoudama no Jutsu!"

A voice calls out in the dark, as a massive ball of pure, condensed water chakra hits the transformed Mizuki square in the head, forcing him down as a familiar figure jumps between him and us.

Umino Iruka had arrived, and he was pissed.

"Naruko, Hayato! Stay back, I'll handle this." The chūnin states, his voice oozing with confidence I'd never expected from the friendly, big-hearted and goofy sensei I remembered from the days of the Academy. This Iruka was out for blood, and seemed to be fresh out of mercy. "Mizuki..." he berates, looking at his colleague with clear disgust in his face. "The Hokage has already informed me of what transpired, of how you manipulated one of your own students into stealing a forbidden scroll. How could you do this? How could you turn your back to the Leaf?"

Iruka pauses, as his former colleague gets back on his feet, his claws scratching against the earth as he circles around the shinobi like a wild animal tracking its prey. Whatever the Seal had done, Mizuki's mind had been completely taken by it: the only thing in his mind now was the instinct to kill, to hunt and tear his prey apart. His tongue flicks out of his mouth like a serpent's, before his mouth opens to reveal a pair of long, viperine fangs dripping with venom.

"I'll put an end to this farce. Katon: Hotama no Jutsu!"

As Iruka-sensei engages the monstruous Mizuki in combat, my eyes turn to Naruko, who watches the scene with clear shock in her eyes. The Nine-Tails' chakra coating her has ripped most of her clothing to tatters, yet she barely seemed to noticed- having finally snapped out of the bestial frenzy she'd been in.

"Snap out of it, Uzumaki!" I call out, reaching out with my hand to shake her out of it. "We need to help Iruka-sensei, he can't defeat Mizuki alone!"

"Don't touch me, you bastard! You said all these mean things to me, and now you want my help?! Not a chance!" The girl replies with a growl, slapping my hand away. The Kyuubi's chakra burns me as she does so, like my hand had been dropped into a pool of acid. "You can get lost! I'll help Iruka-sensei on my own!"

'Like you actually can, you fucking donkey!' Even now, Iruka-sensei was barely managing to hold Mizuki back, the monstrous abomination hacking savagely at him with its vicious talons. If he had to worry about Naruko getting hurt while fighting, Iruka would be dead in a second- chūnin or not.

Realizing what needed to be done, I hold back the roar of pain, as I grab the girl by the shoulders and turn her towards me. Uzumaki tries to wriggle out of my grasp, trying to slap my hands away- but my better taijutsu training overpowers her for a moment, as I practically scream out. "Naruko, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for saying such mean things about you!"

"W-What?" Uzumaki freezes. She just stares back at me, as I feel my eyes starting to tear up from the agony her chakra cloak causes me, my skin feeling as if if would melt away from the bone, but I still continue nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, I had no right to say those things about you, or your mother. You're not the Demon Fox, Naruko Uzumaki." I finally state, calling upon the last reserves of mental fortitude to look her upon the eye. "Now, I ask of you. Will you help me? Will you help me save our sensei?"

Naruko stares deep into my eyes, the feral crimson of the Nine-Tails' jinchuuriki meeting the pale white of the Byakugan- she seems to be weighting the truth of my words, as the sounds of the clash echo behind us.

Then, a smirk worms its way into her mouth, as the girl says. "Apology accepted, bastard. From this day forwards, you're my first underling!"

Naruko then shrugs my hands off her shoulders, before stretching her arms out and loudly proclaiming for the whole world to hear. "For I am Naruko Uzumaki, and one day, I shall be Hokage!" then she turns to me, with the same cocky smirk plastered on her lips. "Now, let's kick some ass, dattebayo!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The last thing I see, are hundreds of Narukos appearing all around us- and I can't help but snort in amusement, as the Shadow Clones descend upon Mizuki like an absolute mongolian horde of half-naked, blonde anime girls.

The name is Hayato, Hayato Hyūga- and I am...about to pass out.


A/N: Holy shit, this was funnier than I expected. Hoped you liked this fight, as much as I enjoyed writing it. A bit of Speech no Jutsu there- but the MC was panicking, and Naruko's stubborn as a mule.