AN #1: I'd like to thank everyone for being patient so far. The first three chapters were released on a single night whereas this one has taken nearly a month to write. I have several reasons for this and I'd like to share them so that my readers know what to expect in the future:
#1 - I'm a medical student and free time is in short supply. The last few weeks have been especially rough. I'll try to update as regularly as possible by my mental health and medical training will always take priority.
#2 - All of my editors so far are also medical students and it's been impossible for them to dedicate as much time to this as I need them to. For that reason, I am looking for a beta, if anyone is interest please PM me.
#3 - A significant portion of my free time since the release of the last chapter has gone towards working on the outline for this story. Given how canon-divergent I plan for this story to be, such things take time. That being said, I have outlined the next arc and plan to start writing it soon.
I'd also like to thank everyone that has reviewed so far! This is my first time writing anything, so to see that others are enjoying and engaging with my work is really motivating. I've read them all so far, even if I haven't had the opportunity to respond.
Enjoy.
—-
Chapter 4: "Wargames" or "Pieces in a pod"
—-
Don't Talk to Strangers
11 Years After the Kyuubi Attack
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Damnit pervy sage, did you forget your key again?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he shook his head. He lazily walked to the hotel room door, gripping the door knob and opening the door slightly. As soon as he did, a hand slid and gripped the edge of the door. Before he could respond it was suddenly and forcefully thrust open, knocking him down.
"Is this him? The kid you saw walking around town?" A harsh voice came from the man holding the door open. He had a wide face and big nose, which together with his bald head made him look like a frog. To his left was another, taller and thinner man with a black buzz cut and mustache. To their right was the shortest and youngest of the three, a blonde woman with blue eyes whose hair covered her right eye but otherwise hung down to her shoulders. All three wore a set of red-clay colored pants and undershirt beneath a brown flak vest. Their forehead protectors, marked with a symbol resembling a rock, gleamed against the light coming from the room.
"Yeah, that's him." The mustached man remarked, his voice was both smoother and deeper than the other man's. "Are you sure? I mean, there's got to be plenty of blond kids around here. Maybe we're wrong about this kid." The woman stated, her voice softer than her companion's. It was drowned out as her companions kept conversing amongst themselves.
"No, he's certainly got the looks. If it weren't for these freaky eyes I'd think they'd be brothers." The bald man responded, gesturing to the child.
"I'm telling you, I saw him walking around with Jiraiya of the Sannin. The kid's got to be important somehow." The mustached man reiterated.
As the strangers conversed, Naruto contemplated how to get out of whatever this was. He cursed Jiraiya silently. Why did the pervert have to go peeping at the hot springs every night?
"Regardless, if there's any chance that it might be his kid, we should do something about him." The bald man said, turning to meet Naruto's gaze. "Hey boy, does the name Minato Namikaze mean anything to you?"
Naruto stiffened at the question. A moment later, he rushed to form the hand sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, but this was disrupted by a kick from the bald man that parted his hands and knocked the air out of his lungs. Naruto was sent crashing through the window of his hotel room into the wall of an adjacent window. As his back hit the wall, two kunai found themselves lodged into his shoulders and immobilizing his arms.
"Arghhhh!" He screamed before falling down to the alleyway below, landing on his side. He ignored the pain coming from his ribs and shifted onto his knees in preparation to sprint out of the alleyway. His mouth gripped the kunai lodged in his left shoulder and pulled it out.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his left forearm, preventing him from fleeing. "Running just looks more suspi-" The woman's voice disrupted his thoughts before he suddenly lashed out with the kunai, slicing her cheek open. "-Arghhhhh! He fucking cut me." She screamed, reeling back and allowing him to sprint away.
"Earth style: Earth-Style Wall!" A harsh voice called from behind him. Suddenly, the alleyway's exit was blocked by a wall of stone that kept growing taller. He prepared himself to jump over the wall when two kunai suddenly lodged themselves into his calves. He cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground. The kunai in his mouth fell to his side.
A hand suddenly grabbed his left shoulder and turned him over to face the mustached man. A moment later another kunai was stabbed into his abdomen. His mouth widened in agony as tears welled in his eyes. Blood began to pool at his side. The color began to fade from the world around him.
"...Why?" Naruto asked through grit teeth.
"It's nothing personal, kid. It's just payback for what your old man did, see? Back home, there are a lot of people who are suffering because of him." The mustached man said, pushing the child onto his back and his grip on the kunai tightened.
Time started slowing down as the world around him began to fade. "Those eyes of his sure are freaky, make sure to take them." Everything became quiet as darkness consumed him.
—-
"Pathetic." a dark, booming voice suddenly alerts Naruto that his surroundings have changed. He opens his eyes to find himself laying on his back in a sewer. The fetid water beneath him reaches up to his cheeks, with leaky pipes dripping more onto the floor. He sits up as the voice speaks again.
"So frail, what a disgrace ." The voice mocked as two crimson, vulpine eyes glared at him from the darkness. In front of him stand a series of massive bars in a gate-like arrangement that separate him from the other entity. In the middle, where two bars meet, the word "Seal" is written on a large paper tag. There was no other visible lock keeping the gate closed. A pair of jaws slowly unhinge behind the bars, revealing a massive set of teeth - each canine bigger than he is. The mouth releases a scorching breath which crosses the bars and irritates his eyes.
Naruto glares back in recognition. "Oh, it's you". He spoke the last word as if he was spitting out bitter phlegm. "She warned me about you."
A massive hand-like paw suddenly crashes down, with the tip of one of its claws landing just short of Naruto, splashing water into the air. The entity moves closer to the bars, revealing the face of a massive orange fox with rabbit-like ears and nine long tails behind it. Naruto could see crimson chakra coming from the fox. It began to saturate the air, making it harder to breathe as everything felt heavier. It clung to whatever it touched, imparting an aura of madness and bloodlust.
"What a shame that the fire breathing bitch failed to teach you to respect your betters." The fox growled, its tails moving behind it menacingly. "With those eyes alone she would have left you too much. Those mockeries of -"
"Why did you bring me here?" Naruto interrupted. "Why did you not leave me to die?"
"I will not tolerate such insolence from an abomination like you!" The fox roared as the waters around Naruto became turbulent. Its body bubbled in rage and melted into a crimson foam that seeped through the bars and began to surround Naruto, climbing up his body until only his face was visible.
"As much as I loathe to aid you, your death would mean my own." The madness of its chakra grew more intense as the fox's eyes positioned themselves to stare directly into the blond's eyes. The fox's teeth set into a twisted grin.
"I will grant you a taste of my power. Do not grow used to such generosity". As the fox spoke, more of its chakra clung tightly to the boy, the foam rising to cover his face and climb down his throat. The fox cackled as the boy's world faded to darkness again.
—-
Naruto awoke, not a second having passed, with the mustached man's fingers slowly reaching for his face. He didn't even register the bloodlust he felt as his left hand swiped - cleaving the man's head from his shoulder and leaving an explosion of blood against the wall to his right. The body slumped forward, losing the grip on the kunai that was still lodged in Naruto's abdomen. The man's companions froze in horror.
The world moved in slow motion as Naruto stood. With a clawed hand, he removed the kunais lodged in his body- his wounds healing instantly before his eyes. As he took a breath, he realized that he could smell the blood and fear permeating the air. His tongue glided over his newly enlarged canines as a predatory grin, reminiscent of the fox, spread across his face. Dense crimson chakra billowed from his body; saturating the surrounding air with the foxes' hatred and forming a cloak with ears and a single tail.
Sensing the chakra, the bald man suddenly turned to his female companion, thrusting his hand to the side and screamed "Run! The kid's just like Han! He's a jinchuri-". His words died in his throat as a hand suddenly thrust through his sternum, seizing his still beating heart and blowing his spine out his back. A spray of blood coated the wall behind him and left a fine red mist in the air. The man's remaining hand reflexively rushed to hold the arm protruding through his chest, but he fell over dead before it could even reach.
The woman screamed out at seeing her companions massacred. A moment later, he was standing in front of her, his hands at his side. One held the still beating heart. Her eyes widened and began watering at the sight of her comrades. Naruto was no longer grinning, just staring at her.
She started sobbing, waving her hands in front of her in surrender. "Please! I tried to get them to leave you alone." She took a step back. He took a step forward. She tensed as her back hit a wall. "I have a daughter at home! I don't want to leave her alone, she's just a kid! I'm begging you!"
He paused, tilting his head to the side as his eyes widened slightly. "A kid….?" He asked, puffing out his cheeks and moving the air around as if he were chewing on something. "...like me?". He dropped the heart.
By the time Jiraiya arrived the only evidence of what had happened was the blood coating the walls and the now-lifeless heart which lay in the ground in front of Naruto. He stared at it unflinchingly for hours before Jiraiya was able to convince him to move.
—-
Keep Your Friends Close
15 Years After the Kyuubi Attack - The morning after the bell test.
"We're going to need a picture." Hiruzen said. He took a second to puff his pipe before continuing. "And fingerprints. For security reasons we keep track of the faces and biometrics of all the shinobi in our payroll." He waved his pipe in a circular motion with his hand as he talked. "Your teammates have been through the ninja academy, so we've already collected that information from them. You, on the other hand…"
Finally understanding, Naruto released a breath and relaxed his shoulders. It wasn't every day that one got summoned by the Hokage. "I understand, Hokage-sama." Naruto replied, bowing his head
"Now, don't misunderstand. As it stands, you are a genin of the Hidden Leaf…" Hizuren continued with a warm smile. "...and we're happy to have you. But I can't allow you to go on missions until this gets done."
"Understood. How can I get this done?"
"These things are booked in advance, but shouldn't take more than two day. My secretary should have further instr-"
Suddenly, a brown haired preteen boy burst through the door with a kunai in hand. He was wearing a yellow shirt with the village's symbol on it and green-gray pants. A set of goggles sat where a forehead protector would normally be. Behind him, the secretary could be heard shouting warnings.
"Old man, today's the day I take you down!" The boy cocked his hand back, as if preparing to throw the shuriken.
A moment later he cried out as a hand gripped his neck and forcefully pinned him to the wall. His shuriken fell to the ground, while the tip of a black kunai was pressed to his throat. His hands reach up to grab the arm pinning him in place as his eyes open, meeting the gaze of his assailant. The preteen's brown eyes meet a pair of ringed eyes -
-The pressure is overwhelming. He can't breathe. The world disappears and all that's left is the eyes bearing down on him. He feels cold metal slide across his throat and a warm fluid soaks his shirt. He tries to scream, but only gargles blood. He claws at the arm frantically, but -
"That's enough, Naruto-kun". Hiruzen states, placing his pipe on the table. He narrows his gaze at the blond's back. "Let Konohamaru-kun go." Naruto lets go of the boy's throat and slides his kunai into a pouch.
The boy falls to his knees, eyes wide and hyperventilating. His shuriken bounces off the ground harmlessly. A hand rushes to his throat, but senses that the skin is still intact. His shirt feels wet, but cool. Then, the nausea hits and he vomits on the ground.
"My apologies, Hokage-sama." The blond replies, then gestures to the discarded weapon with a tilt of his head. "I thought he was about to throw a shuriken at you." He registers that the preteen is now observing him with wide eyes and an open mouth.
Hiruzen shakes his head from side to side. "He's my grandson, not a threat." Naruto's eyes widen briefly and he scratches the back of his head while laughing nervously.
"Young master, is this where you've run off to ?!"
Another person barges into the office, breathing heavily and gripping the edge of the door tightly with one hand. This one is a man in his twenties, dressed in shades, a bandana, and a pair of navy blue pants and long sleeve shirt. He stands at attention and salutes the Hokage with a bow once he realizes where he is.
"My apologies for the intrusion, Hokage-Sama," the man says as he fixes his shirt. He takes a second to stand straight with both feet planted firmly on the ground beside each other, his hands at his side. "I've come to collect the honorable grandson."
From the ground, the preteen clenches a fist before yelling out "No way, I don't want to learn from you anymore, Ebisu-sensei!" Baring his teeth at the older man, Konohamaru then turned to point at the blond in the room. "I want to train with him!"
The Hokage raised an eyebrow.
"What!?" Naruto exclaimed before he pointed a finger back at the preteen. "What makes you think that I even want to train with you!?"
"Ha!" Ebisu laughed as he fixed his shades. "Why, he's just a genin. The lowest on the totem pole!" Naruto growled in response. "Whereas I am a special Jounin; a member of the village elite and an expert in teaching others. You're much better off with me, don't you understand?"
Now standing, Konohamaru shook his head. "I don't care! I want to train with him!"
Naruto grit his teeth and prepared to question the boy's sanity, but was interrupted by Hiruzen. "Perhaps it's not such a bad idea. What do you say, Naruto-kun?" The other three occupants in the room stared at the Hokage in shock.
"Lord Hokage! This boy can't possibly-" Ebisu protested.
"That's enough Ebisu, Naruto is one of our most promising Genin. He was trained by Jiraiya personally for the last 5 years. I'm sure he has something useful to teach Konohamaru." Ebisu held his tongue, but clenched his fists at his side. "So, what's your response?" Hiruzen inquired.
"Is this an order, Hokage-sama?" The blond asked, eyes shrouded by his hair.
"No. But I'm willing to make it an official mission, with pay, to sweeten the deal."
Naruto sighed as Konohamaru looked at him expectantly. He reached into his pocket to feel his frog shaped wallet. Gama-chan was skinny currently thanks to the bill Jiraiya had left him two days ago.
"I suppose I accept Hokage-sama."
Konohamaru grinned smugly in satisfaction.
—-
Settings and Expectations
"Uhhhh!" Naruto groaned as he covered his ears with his palms as he started to walk faster through the village streets. Konohamaru rapidly pestered him with questions as he walked.
"- or are you going to teach me some cool jutsu? Or maybe you'll show me how to do that thing where you looked at me and I vomited. Oh! Maybe you can show me how to make my eyes like yours!" Konohamaru paused for a deep breath, only to sprint a second later in an effort to catch back up to Naruto. "Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Naruto turned around to grab him by his collar, his eyes pulsating with emotion as he talked. "Listen here, you spoiled brat. This isn't some pick-your-own-adventure-book. I'll teach you what I want to teach you and what I feel you're ready for. Just because I agreed to take care of you for today doesn't mean I answer to you."
Instead of being scared, Konohamaru only looked back at the blond with eyes wide and mouth agape in awe. "So coooool…." He whispered.
Naruto sighed as he kept walking. He looked up at the sky, lost in thought before addressing Konohamaru again. "The truth is, I'm not really sure what I can teach you. Or how…." He turned to make eye contact. "I haven't exactly had the best role models".
Konohamaru scratched his head in thought. "What do you mean? I thought Jiraiya taught you."
Naruto sighed. "That's the problem. See, Jiraiya is a massive pervert. He mostly just told me things for a few minutes only to disappear for the rest of the day to go spy at a hot spring." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously before continuing. "Just to write those pervy books of his." He shook his head as he spoke. "And the sensei I have now spends his whole day reading those books!"
"He hasn't taught me anything yet." Naruto finished, hanging his head in shame.
"Well, haven't you had anyone else teach you anything?" Konohamaru asked.
Naruto's eyes widened in response, but he didn't say anything immediately. "Maybe I do have something to teach you after all."
"Yes!" Konohamaru chanted, thrusting a hand in the air.
—-
"This is where we'll train." Naruto gestured with his arms wide open. Konohamaru glanced behind him to a training ground, far on the village outskirts, consisting of a large clearing with several training dummies lined up near the edge. Each dummy had a bullseye painted on its chest and head.
Konohamaru glanced at Naruto quizzingly, "Why are we all the way out here, boss?"
"Boss, hug?" Naruto grinned at the nickname. "I thought we could get some privacy here."
"If you say so."
Naruto began walking to the training dummies, gesturing for Konohamaru to follow him. Once they reached them, he turned and spoke to Konohamaru. "Alright, let's see what you've got."
Suddenly, a shroud of dark purple chakra burst from Naruto, startling Konohamaru. He stretched his hands out to each side and the chakra segregated to each hand slowly. On his left, a flame of blue chakra erupted. On his right, a flame of red chakra formed. As chakra continued gathering, Konohamaru began to feel the pressure around him increasing, making it harder for him to breathe. After a certain point, Naruto clasped his hands together and shouted "Creation of All Things". The chakra then coalesced in front of Naruto, slowly forming a dozen shuriken, each as black as the kunai that Konohamaru had seen Naruto wield. The Shuriken levitated in the air for a second, only to fall into Naruto's awaiting palms.
Konohamaru stared slack jawed, pointing with his finger to the shuriken. "You're going to teach me how to do that?!"
"No." Naruto said with a smile. "That would probably kill you, but we'll need the shurikens for what I have planned." He then pointed to the target dummies. "Try to hit the bullseyes with the Shuriken." He then handed Konohamaru the set.
Konohamaru nodded and pointed to a particular target. "I'll go for the head." He then squared his shoulders and took a stance with his left foot in front of his right. His right hand held a shuriken and was raised behind his head.
"Your stance is good." Naruto commented.
Konohamaru smirked. He took aim and let the shuriken fly through the air…. And into the ground several meters ahead of him.
Naruto smiled, clasping his lips tightly in an attempt not to laugh. "Try again."
Konohamaru nodded and took his stance again. He prepared the shuriken in his hand and threw it with less force. This time the shuriken flew towards the dummy…on the right of the intended target, only to embed itself in the branches of a tree.
Naruto snickered, but used the sleeve of his jacket to hide the bottom half of his face. Konohamaru growled and gave him an accusatory glare. "You know what!? This time I'll go for the body!"
Naruto didn't answer as Konohamaru took his stance a third time, shuriken in hand. The preteen narrowed his eyes at the target in focus. His hand swayed in a near throwing motion once, twice, and then released on the third time. The shuriken flew through the air and curved to the right, ending in an arc that took it behind their original position. Naruto burst into laughter and Konohamaru hung his head in shame.
"Stop laughing at me!" The preteen protested. "It's not my fault I haven't been able to practice!"
"Wait, seriously?" Naruto asked between chuckles, moving closer to the boy and wiping tears from his eyes. "What does that sensei of yours even have you do if not this?"
Konohamaru huffed and then crossed his arms. "That's why I wanted to get away from him in the first place! Most of the time he just has me read textbooks on the Hokage. He rambles on and on about how the next Hokage should be charismatic and honorable-"
"Wait, why does he have you do that?" Naruto interrupted.
"Well, I want to be the next Hokage!" Konohamaru responded, only for Naruto to respond with a puzzled look.. "If I become Hokage, people will have to notice me for me, and not my grandfather. Right now, people look at me and all they see is 'Konohamaru, grandson of the third Hokage'" He stopped to take a breath, continuing in a mumbled tone. "It's like I'm not even there…"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, allowing the preteen to continue.
"I hate every last second of it!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "People don't even want to train with me because they're afraid of what will happen if I get hurt around them…" He suddenly shot up to meet Naruto's gaze. "Anyway, that's why I want to be Hokage!".
Naruto hummed as he stroked his chin. "That's not how it works, kid. You can't just expect people to acknowledge you because you're Hokage. You've got it backwards."
Konohamaru growled. "I didn't expect you to understand."
A pregnant silence filled the air for a few moments.
Naruto shook his head, his face contorted in seriousness. "No, I think I understand, even if just a little bit."
"Oh yeah?" Konohamaru challenged.
"Yeah." Naruto responded with confidence. "I get what it's like to have people look at you but not really see you. All my life…" Naruto laid down on the ground, with his hands on his abdomen. Konohamaru joined him. "...it's like all that everyone around me sees is…" One hand rose to gesture to his eyes "...these."
"People either are scared of me or take some weird interest in me, all because of these eyes. Sometimes I wonder if the people around me just want to use me. Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to just be normal." Naruto turned to Konohamaru and shrugged with a dim smile. "I doubt the Hokage would have let you come here with me if I didn't have these… if Jiraiya hadn't trained me."
Naruto took a deep breath and sighed. "But hey, is there really any point in discussing the what-ifs? Let's focus on the here and now." He turned over to poke Konohamaru in the shoulder.
"You're Konohamaru. You are the Hokage's grandson, even if you didn't choose to be. Even if that's what everyone else sees. So how about we get to work on giving them another reason to acknowledge you?"
Konohamaru grinned in response.
—-
Inconvenience Store
A set of door chimes rang as the door to the village convenience store opened, just for Naruto to walk in with Konohamaru in tow. The blond took a second to register the rows of shelves overflowing with items, the register, and finally the signs on the ceiling indicating where everything was. Everything was colorful and expressive in a nauseating way. He turned to the preteen and said, "It might take me a second to find what I'm looking for, so why don't you keep yourself busy until then?"
"You're not going to tell me why you brought me here?" The brunette asked with his hands on his hips.
"Nope." The blond responded with a grin before disappearing behind some of the shelves. "It's a surprise!" His voice called out from behind some of the shelves.
Konohamaru shrugged and began to look around the store. His hunger immediately drew him to the snacks located near the register. His eyes glanced over the selection gluttonously.
"Chocolate covered fudge bar…? Gummy bears? No. A cinnamon roll? Maybe. There's only two left. Wait… do I even have enough?" He glanced down as his hands foraged through his pockets. He groaned at the realization that he had forgotten his wallet.
"Hmmm, maybe the boss will cover me this time?" He spoke to himself. "Wait… this looks familiar." Next to the snacks was a rack of books. A prominent book stood out at eye level; its cover had a man chasing a woman with his hand outstretched and the title read 'Make Out Tactics'. Wasn't this the book that Ebisu sensei read when he thought he wasn't being watched? Konohamaru grabbed the book from the rack, opened to a random page, and began reading. His cheeks lit up in crimson at the first few words.
"Of course you would want to read something like that, loser." A girlish voice taunted from behind him, prompting Konohamaru to jump in fright.
He turned around and was greeted by the sight of a girl his age, holding her hands on her hips and leaning forwards with a smirk on her face. She was pale with long brown hair that reached past her shoulders in front and behind her. Her eyes were big, white, and lacked pupils. She was dressed in a yellow kimono top with a floral pattern and underlying chainmail, as well as a pair of thigh length black shorts. A white Obi was wrapped around her waist.
Konohamaru quickly hid the book behind his back with both hands as he addressed the girl. "Huh, Hanabi? What are you doing here?" He turned his head down and to the side to hide his blush and looked at her from the edge of his eye, trying in vain to look innocent.
Her smirk widened into a grin. She walked up to him until her face was close to his and their chests were centimeters apart. He shrunk away from her with a flinch. "I'm here with my sister, we came looking for something sweet."
She reached behind him with her right hand and grabbed the last pair of cinnamon rolls from the shelf. His eyes widened in recognition as he heard the crumpling sound of the wrapping in her fingers, and he turned towards her arm. However, she took the opportunity to use her left hand to snatch the book from behind him. His arms reached out to grab the objects from her hands, but she hopped backwards to create distance. Then, she retracted her hands and held both objects to the side of her face. She tilted her head back and looked at him through half-lidded eyes in smug amusement. "Unlike you, who seems to like things a little more.. saucy."
Konohamaru growled at her and took another step forward. "Stop toying with me, Hanabi. I don't have time for your games."
Hanabi raised an eyebrow. Then, she tilted her head back with her forearm and spoke in a tone of mock offense. "Oh? Am I distracting the Honorable Grandson from the many important duties he must have? How cruel and inconsiderate of me."
Narrowing his eyes at her taunts, he walked up to her and pressed a finger to her sternum. She hid the objects behind her back and smirked as he spoke. "Listen here, princess. Why do you always have to be so annoying about everything? Why won't you just leave me alone?"
"Konohamaru, it's not nice to bully little girls." Naruto's voice interjected from behind a shelf. As he appeared with a box in hand, he took a moment to glance at Hanabi. "... especially if they're blind."
Konohamaru promptly turned around and shook his head while waving his hands in front of him. "No, Boss, it's not what it looks like!"
"Oh, then what is it? Because it looks like you're about to take a cinnamon roll from a blind girl. How could you do that to little miss….?"
"Hyuga Hanabi." She responded with narrowed eyes at the new face. "... and I'm not blind."
"And I wasn't trying to take her cinnamon rolls! Well… I guess-" Konohamaru rambled.
"As if you could take them from me." She responded, amusement returning to her eyes.
"-I was trying to take them, but they were mine first! I mean, I looked at them first…" Konohamaru looked at the floor in embarrassment.
Hanabi suddenly stalked up behind Konohamaru, popping her head next to his and speaking next to his ear. "I mean, even if you could take them, you'd have to deal with my sister." He jumped at the sudden sound of her voice so close to him, prompting her to giggle. He glared at her in return.
"Your sister?" The blonde asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. "Is she blind too?"
"I'm not blind!" Hanabi growled.
Konohamaru crossed his arms and huffed. "You know what, Hanabi? I'm not scared of your sister anymore. I bet the boss can take her in a fight!"
"Wait, honey bee… you're really not blind?" Naruto asked again.
Hanabi facepalmed at Naruto's fixation and his inability to pronounce her name. "Get it right, it's -"
"Hanabi." A feminine voice announced the appearance of someone from behind the two boys. Naruto turned to see who spoke and -
Her eyes are pupil-less pools of light violet. A waterfall of glossy black hair descends down over her shoulders and onto her lower back, framing a pale doll-like face. Her hair was separated from her shoulders by a violet and white jacket, which was unzipped all the way down. It revealed a set of underlying ninja fishnet chainmail, with no overlying shirt. Beneath it, he could see a black bra and toned abs. Her relatively small waist gave way to wide hips that were confined by a set of black shorts that barely made it onto her thighs. He followed her long, toned legs down to the pair of standard ninja sandals that she wore. His eyes struggled on their way back up, stuck on the glossy red of her lips.
"Who is this?" The newcomer asked, her eyes fixed on Naruto. He can't manage to answer past the breath caught in his throat.
"He didn't say his name, Hinata-nee." The younger girl answered, placing a finger to her lower lip in thought. Suddenly, a smirk appeared as she thought of a way to repay him for his frustrating antics. "But he thinks I'm blind and that he can take you in a fight."
The older girl hummed in thought. "Does he?" She walked over to him slowly until she was standing directly in front of him, with her hands on her hips. She was shorter than him, but that didn't stop her eyes from narrowing and boring into his unflinchingly. "What's your name, boy?" She demanded.
Although a second prior he was holding his breath, hearing the tone of her voice ignited a spark of defiance within him. "It's rude to ask for another's name before offering your own, don'tcha know?"
The girl raised an eyebrow, then she smiled in response to his defiance and let silence sit for a few seconds. "Hyuga Hinata," her voice rose in volume and took on a regal tone.
He narrowed his eyes in return. "Naruto," He replied. It was short, and spoken in an even tone that contrasted with her own.
She broke eye contact and looked him up and down. "My sister says that you think you can take me. Is that true, Naruto?"
"Without a doubt." The blond answered without hesitation. "..but I think I'm above beating up a blind girl." Her smile broke into an amused smirk from his response.
She moved into action a second later, moving a step closer and grabbing the collar of his jacket with her hands. She tugged him forward until his head was at the level of hers. Her eyes scanned his face, starting at his eyes and ending on his cheeks. He tensed in mixed confusion and anticipation for a fight, but was surprised when instead of punching him she reached out her hand and glided in softly across one of his whisker marks. His eyes widened and he looked away with a blush. "H-Hey! What's the big idea?" He managed to choke out.
Hinata laughed at his apparent discomfort, only worsening it. He took in a breath to speak but was interrupted when she tilted his chin so that his eyes locked with hers. "To be so confident when you don't even know the difference between blindness…" in an instant, the veins lateral to her eyes bulged and he sensed chakra pouring into them. "... and the Byakugan…"
He gasped, suddenly feeling naked under her gaze. "Are you normally this handsy with everyone you meet?" He said through gritted teeth.
"No." She lowered her hands to move onto his chest. "But insolence demands a hands-on approach." She pushed him back and he moved with light pressure. Then, the moment was over as soon as it began.
"You're interesting, Naruto." Satisfied with herself, she twisted on the balls of her feet and sashayed away. "Hanabi! Come, let's pay and get out of here."
Konohamaru groaned at the loss of his cinnamon rolls. Naruto stood confused for a full minute before continuing to the register. "What just happened?" He asked Konohamaru, who just shook his head.
As the sisters walked away from the store, the younger turned to the older and asked, "Hinata-nee, what was that all about?". The older sister didn't reply verbally, raising an eyebrow at the younger's question. "You're not one to back out of a challenge."
Hinata looked ahead and hummed to herself. "Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Hanabi tilted her head in confusion, before realizing what her sister was suggesting. A second later, she took a deep breath and channeled chakra into her eyes. Her veins bulged just like her sister's.
She gasped at what she saw: A mass of chakra greater than all of the adults she had ever known put together was condensed into a single person. Whereas other people's chakra was analogous to a wisp of gas, this seemed denser - almost palpable. It shone like a dark star to her Byakugan. It was unbelievable, inhuman, and downright monstrous. "How did I not notice that? He was standing right in front of us!"
Hinata laughed. "That's what I thought too."
—-
Game Night
"You know Boss, I was really expecting more."
Everything was disorderly in Naruto's apartment. There were crates of unpacked furniture stacked in the living room. The kitchen was stocked with canned foods and instant ramen, but there were few utensils and cutlery. The dining room had a singular table and two chairs assembled, but no covering over the table. In the bathroom, there was a small mirror, a toothbrush, a towel, and a single bar of hand soap. At least there was a welcome mat to wipe their feet.
"You try moving into a new apartment, with no furniture, while starting your career as a ninja and then you can criticize me." Naruto stated, deadpanning as he placed two cups of instant ramen on the dining room table. "Now come, sit."
Konohamaru complied, raising an eyebrow. "Are you finally going to tell me what you bought earlier?"
"Yep." A second later, a cardboard box was dropped on the cover of the table, its cover showed a battlefield where an army of soldiers wearing strange white armor battled another, nearly identical army wearing black armor. Naruto opened the box to reveal a board consisting of an alternating black and white pattern with two sets of pieces, carved from wood, in opposite colors. "This is chess."
"Chess?" Konohamaru asked. "Never heard of it."
"It's a board game from the Land of Demons, one of the smaller nations far to the west." Naruto began to set the pieces on the board, each side mirroring each other. "It's very popular over there, I'm surprised that I was able to find a set here."
Konohamaru eyed the board with curiosity, picking up one of the pieces for a closer inspection. "How do you play?"
Naruto smiled and then gestured to the board. "Well, this is the board where the game of chess is played. See how it has an alternating pattern? At the start of every game, we set each piece in a designated position. White on one side, black on the other. Like this." The pieces looked like two rows of soldiers facing each other, reminiscent of the image on the box.
"Then we each take alternating turns, moving one piece at a time. Each piece can move differently than the others, though. White goes first. Simple, right?" Naruto grinned.
"No, actually it sounds pretty complicated." Konohamaru responded in a flat tone.
Naruto groaned and hung his head.
"Why bother with all of this, boss?" Konohamru asked while crossing his arms. "I mean, why do this instead of train more?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a wargame. We train our bodies so that they'll be ready for future fights. People play chess to train their minds for similar reasons. It's the same reason people play shogi."
"Oh…." Konohamaru responded with a look of newfound understanding. "I never thought of it like that."
"Also, not everyone can use chakra, Konohamaru. Civilians need a way to entertain themselves too."
It was Konohamaru who hung his head this time "...I forgot about them."
"Don't you want to be Hokage?" Naruto teased. "You can't forget about them, they're an important part of the village. Now -"
"Hey boss, did Jiraiya teach you how to play this?" Konohamaru interrupted.
"No. Now-"
"Then who?" Konohamaru interrupted again.
Naruto glared in annoyance at the persistent interruptions."That's not important. Are you going to keep asking questions or can I get to explaining the pieces?"
"Sure." Konohamaru mumbled under his breath while eyeing the blond suspiciously.
Naruto pushed one cup of instant ramen and a set of chopsticks towards Konohamaru. "Here, eat this and stop interrupting so much." He sighed before continuing. "Now… where to begin?"
He picked up a piece which was the most numerous and had a simple round top. "This is a pawn." He paused before continuing. "I like to think that pawns are like genin."
"What do you mean?" Konohamaru asked as he broke his chopsticks apart..
"Like the pawns, genin are the most numerous shinobi in any village. That's why they make up the bulk of the front line in any engagement. That's represented on the board by how many there are, and how they begin on the front lines of either side." Naruto gestured to emphasize his point.
"They're almost always subordinate to a superior officer. In chess, that's represented by how limited their movements are. They can only move directly forward most of the time. They can take up to two steps forward the first time they move, but may only move one step forward on each turn after that." Konohamaru hummed in understanding as Naruto displayed the movement on the board.
"Genin are also the weakest starting off, so they must use underhanded tactics to defeat enemy pieces. In chess, pawns can only capture enemy pieces when they're located in a diagonal in front of them, symbolizing a flanking or surprise attack."
"That's weird." Konomaru stated. "Ebisu sensei always goes on and on about honor. Where's the honor in cheap tricks?"
"Ninjas don't fight fair, Konohamaru." Naruto warned, shaking his head. "It's best if you get that notion out of your head now. Your enemy will cheat and you will need to learn how to cheat even harder to win. Only the most experienced and skilled ninja have the luxury of fighting 'fair'"
"That reminds me. Like genin, pawns have the most potential. As they progress through the field, you can consider it as them gaining 'experience'. If a pawn makes it all the way to the other side of the field, you can promote it to be a copy of any of the other pieces, except the king, with all of their associated power. Neat, right?"
Konohamaru nodded and stared at the pawns in interest. "I'm going to be one of these one day, huh?"
"Everyone starts as one." Naruto smiled and placed the pawn down and picked up a piece with a top that resembled the parapet of a castle wall. "This is a rook."
"I like to think that Rooks are like the Chunin in our shinobi system. Rooks can move an indefinite amount of spaces directly front and back or to either side, and can capture any enemy piece in their way. I like to think that this represents how Chunin are more capable of direct combat when compared to Genin, but don't have the specialized skills that Jounin have which offer greater freedom of movement." Naruto continued.
"Boss?" Konohamaru interrupted. "It's kinda weird to hear you talking like this."
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"I mean…" Konohamaru stopped to slurp more noodles. He gulped them down and continued speaking. "I knew you were strong, but…."
"But what? You didn't think I was smart?" Naruto asked, glaring at Konohamaru from the side of his eye.
"Right." Konohamaru answered in a flat tone.
"Show some respect you ungrateful brat! I've been preparing to be a ninja my whole life. Just because I don't go around speaking in fancy words doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing." Naruto huffed and punctuated his words by pointing at Konohamaru.
Konohamaru stared at Naruto in an effort to judge the validity of his claims. After a while, he relented. "Fine. Now can you finish explaining the game? This was starting to get interesting."
Naruto compiled by picking up a piece reminiscent of a horse. "This is a knight."
"... A what?"
"A knight. I think that's what they call their samurai in the Land of Demons." Naruto clarified. "I like to think of Knights like Jounin. Jounin are the elite and they have special skills that allow them the freedom of tasks like infiltration and assassination missions on and off the battlefield. In chess, knights can move in a strange fashion like this." Naruto demonstrated an L like maneuver with the knight in hand. "This let's them attack from odd angles on the board."
"So if they're Jounin…." Konohamaru asked between slurps of ramen. "... are they the most powerful piece?"
Naruto grinned. "Well, that depends on what you consider 'power'." Naruto placed the knight down and picked up a piece with an odd incision. "This is a bishop. It represents a religious leader, but you can also think about it as representing anyone who has a different kind of 'power' than traditional military strength. For example, the Hokage's advisors or council members of diplomats in the Daimyo's court or…"
"Boss, you're rambling."
"Sorry." Naruto laughed nervously. "Anyway, the bishop can move diagonally in an indefinite amount of spaces, like this." Naruto demonstrated.
Konohamaru didn't respond at the end of this explanation, but just neutral utterances displayed continued interest.
Naruto moved on to the two remaining chess pieces, which seemed vaguely similar to one another. He picked up the shorter one. "This is the queen piece."
"The queen piece can do almost everything. They can move in a straight line in any direction in an indefinite amount, but you only start with one of them. The only movement that it can't replicate is that of the knight."
Konohamaru hummed. "So what does this represent?"
"Why don't you tell me?" Naruto asked, sitting back with a smug grin on his face. "Use what I've told you so far."
Konohamaru stared at the board for several minutes, mumbling to himself in between gulps of ramen. After a while, he decided on an answer. "It's the Hokage."
Naruto's grin widened. "Explain."
"Well, the queen piece can move like both the rook and bishop. So whatever it represents must be someone who wields power both traditionally and non-traditionally. Someone who has both military and diplomatic power. All ninja in the village are subordinate to the Hokage, so they can't really wield diplomatic power… all except the Hokage himself."
Naruto's grin reached his eyes with glee. "So you were listening. You're not half the brat I thought you were if you were able to figure this out."
"The Hokage also tends to be the strongest ninja in each village…" Konohamaru rambled contemplatively. A thought came to his head suddenly. "This… everything you're teaching me here. This is what Ebisu-sensei has been trying to teach me. It all makes sense now."
It was here when Naruto finally decided to begin eating his own ramen. "I have a final question for you."
He gestured to the last remaining piece. "This is the king piece. It can move in all directions, but only one square per turn. If it's at risk of getting captured in the enemy's next turn, it's in 'check'. If you fail to make a move to get your king piece out of 'check', then that's 'check-mate' and you lose. See? That's how you win the game, by capturing the other team's king. All the other pieces can be lost without losing the game, all except this one." Naruto paused for a second as he handed the piece to Konohamaru.
"My question is… What does the King Piece represent?"
—-
They're Playing Checkers and She's Playing Chess
8 Years After the Kyuubi Attack
His training had become less physical as her health declined, but she still maintained a strict regimen based on what he had learned so far. She used the extra time to train his mind instead, now that he was older and more capable of understanding abstract concepts. Tonight, she had been teaching him how to play chess.
"Tell me Naruto, what does the King Piece represent?" Although her voice was strained and her body looked frailer every day, she still maintained her commanding presence.
Naruto thought about the answer for a long time. He knew that she would challenge anything he proposed, so he withheld his thoughts until he could defend them. However, although he developed several hypotheses none superseded the others based on the evidence. He gave up after a while.
"I'm not sure."
She raised an eyebrow. He knew what was expected.
"My initial thought was the civilians of the village, as they provide the ancillary services which keep it running. Without people to grow their food, craft their gear, or provide necessary services such as medical care the whole system falls apart. An army can only march as far as its logistics will take it, after all. That being said… they're replaceable. More civilians can easily be brought in to fill those gaps."
"Then, I considered if it could be the Daimyo. Without the financial support of the Daimyo, most hidden villages would lack the funds to function. And capturing their Daimyo could be a tool to force a surrender. But… that's only true for the Land of Fire. The Land of Earth and Land of Water are ruled by their Hidden Villages, the Daimyo are just figureheads at this point."
"And lastly, I considered the Kage, even if the Queen Piece already represents them. What force can function without leadership? They can command as much power and resources as the Daimyo in most cases. But, in the past many Kage have died in battle and their nation has kept on fighting, even winning sometimes. It's how the First and Second Hokage died after all." Her eyes narrowed at the mention of them, as they always did. They also shifted to her Sharingan, which he assumed was a subtle sign of emotion.
"I guess… it depends." He concluded.
She waited for him several seconds after he finished, stone faced, as if prompting him to continue if other thoughts came to him. "You are correct." He smiled.
She elaborated. "It depends on who is playing. Factions differ in their plans and what they're willing to sacrifice to make those plans become a reality. Moreover, they differ in who is the ultimate beneficiary of victory. The King Piece is that piece which is both crucial to the success of the plan and also the recipient of the spoils."
"Daimyos are not crucial to a war effort, even if they receive the spoils of war. Kages do not always reap the rewards, even if they may be crucial to victory. Oftentimes, they are sacrificed along the way. Civilians are in the worst position, they are both replaceable and do not profit in any way from war. They inevitably suffer the most. All of these pieces can be removed and the fighting continues."
"When you engage any group in conflict, you must know their capabilities and motivations. Understand what their pieces are and what they represent. Moreover, you must also analyze your side for such understanding. 'If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles'." She paused. By now he knew that half of her motivation was to allow him to digest the information. The other half was that her lungs could no longer keep up with such drawn out monologues.
"The end of my days draws near, Naruto. I have been preparing for this for a very long time. There are pieces on the board, others who will help us realize our plan in my stead. You are also a piece on the board. Tell me, Naruto…." She paused as her eyes warped to mirror his own. She would take on this form whenever something extremely important was about to take place.
"What piece do you represent?"
—-
The Next Morning
*Knock**Knock**Knock*
"Come in!" Hiruzen called from his disk, not bothering to raise his head as he read through the paperwork.
The door to the Hokage's office opened slowly. The secretary burst her head through. "Hokage-sama, your grandson is here to see you."
"Let him in please." Hiruzen responded as he finished signing a stack.
A second later, Konohamaru walked in, yawning as he did. "You called, gramps?"
Hiruzen raised his head and smiled warmly. "Ah, Konohamaru, you came quickly. How was yesterday?"
Konohamaru grinned in turn. "It was great! You know? Naruto's not half bad at teaching. He's a really interesting guy."
"Oh?" Hiruzen sat up in his chair and raised an eyebrow with a glint in his eye. "Tell me everything."
—-
AN #2: That's right, this isn't canon Hinata.
In canon, Hinata's personality is a product of Naruto's influence on her life. I'd like to think that if he didn't grow up in the village she would have ended up as a different person. This Hinata is based on the Road-to-Ninja Hinata's appearance but her personality is based on someone I know. Hanabi also happens to be a product of Hinata's influence on her life, so she had to change in some ways too.
I hope you enjoyed what I wrote. Make sure to offer a review if you'd like to offer your thoughts!
Thank you to those who have proof-read this work. You know who you are.