I do not own any of the Naruto or Kuroko no Basuke characters. Their ownership resides solely with Masashi Kishimoto and Tadatoshi Fujimaki.

Normal speech - "Kurama"

Flashback – kurama

Sound effects – kurama

Chapter 14

"Akamaru! Kurama! Don't go to far!" Kiba shouts as he watches the huge dog and fox run off into the park.

Everyone was helping to set up the picnic site for the day. Excitement filled the air as this was the first time in months that the entire group of friends and family managed to gather together for a day of fun and relaxation.

Himawari set up a comfortable chair in the shade of a big tree as Sasuke and Naruto helped a very pregnant Sakura over. She was due in just over two months time and Naruto couldn't wait to become a godfather. He swore to treat his godchild just as he would Hima-hime.

The family spent the day playing games and eating food, everyone having a good. Himawari spent the day secretly taking pictures of her dad with her new phone. After much begging and pleading, Naruto finally gave in and sent her off with Shizune and Rin to go out and buy her a new phone. Himawari was planning on sending the pictures to Alex later.

As the day wore on, the public became more aware of the well known family having a picnic in the very public park. Through the use of many pictures and videos taken on cellphones, it was soon all over social media. This is exactly what Shikamaru planned for and he wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, its go time!" He exclaims with authority. "I want the girls to go and mingle. Bring back some little kids over to Sakura, she's the mother for the day. Guys, go out and play sports but make sure that there are little kids playing around with you. Naruto, you are obviously on basketball duty. Head to the court and take on all challengers. Kakashi, Obito, you guys film it on a live stream. Take plenty of pictures and videos. Old people! You guys relax. Keep an eye on Sakura and be nice to anyone who comes here for conversation."

Everyone scurries off to do as Shika ordered them to. None of them wanting to face his wrath after witnessing him take away Naruto's ramen privileges.

Speaking of Naruto, he was busy making his way over to the basketball court that was close by to where the family set up. Himawari was once again sitting on his shoulders, giggling at Akamaru and Kurama as they ran in and around everyone in the vicinity.

Naruto and Himawari watched a bit of the game that was being played on the court. Hardly anyone noticed them standing off on the side. Those that did still hadn't yet recognised Naruto.

"What do you think Hime-hime? Should I go there and ask for a game or make a super cool flashy entrance?" Naruto asks in all seriousness.

Himawari giggles at her father's antics while she's busy taking a video of him. She and Alex haven't stopped talking since Himawari got her phone. Both of them were incredibly happy to finally have found a real friend in each other. They spoke about anything and everything. Alex was amazed by how smart and mature Himawari, while Himawari was amazed at how fun and caring Alex could be.

"Go and make a super cool flashy entrance Tou-san." Hima-hime giggles.

Naruto hands her over to Obito before casually making his way onto the court. He watches as the ball gets passed pretty clos to him. He pounces on it before the players can react and races down the court. As he gets to the free-throw line he gathers himself and jumps in the air to perform his signature move.

"Rasengan!" he shouts as he throws the ball down for a meteor jam.

The players on the court and on-lookers watching the game finally begin to recognise Naruto. Before he knows it he's surrounded by everyone. He gets handed many things to sign and sends a small thank you to Shika for telling him to take a marker with him. Eventually, when his fans and admirers run out of things for him to sign, he walks over to a small boy who has a basketball and kneels down in front of him.

"Hey there lil guy. How about me and you play a little 1v1?" Naruto asks with a gentle smile on his face. The boy nods his head excitedly as he follows Naruto to one half of the court as everyone else makes space for the two.

Naruto spent the rest of the time having fun with everyone. He plays 1v1's with everyone that asked him to, even playing against someone of the guys who kept thinking they could beat him. He allowed the younger kids to score against him most of the time, even helping them to dunk by lifting them high into the air.

The highlight of everything was when he told Himawari to come and play against some of the kids that were a bit older than her. At first they were sceptical about playing against a girl but after she won against everyone that she played against, they all started taking her seriously. She even asked Kakashi to take videos of her playing against the other kids and send it to her friend Alex.

Sometime after lunchtime Naruto was still playing against everyone on the court. A huge crowed had gathered on the side-lines to see if anyone could finally beat him. He was having the time of his life, even reverting to using streetball moves to get around opponents and score some points. His friends even came onto the court and had a couple of matches against him only to be soundly beaten by him in the end.

Naruto was busy talking to Himawari as he waited for the next opponent to make his way onto the court. Suddenly, his reflexes take over and snaps his hand towards Himawari's face to catch the basketball intended for her. He turns his head towards the direction in which the ball came from and his body stiffens in shock. Himawari, noticing the reaction from her dad, questions him on what's bothering him.

"Hima-hime, go over to Kakashi and don't leave his side at all. Do you hear me?"

"But Tou-san –"

"Himawari," the amount of anger in his force is enough to scare her into silence, "don't leave Kakashi at all."

Its not as if he raised his voice or anything but Himawari knew that Naruto was at his angriest when he appeared to be calm. She quickly runs over to Kakashi who wraps his arms tightly around her. She watches as her uncles all make there way onto the court to provide back-up for Naruto, all of them doing a horrible job of hiding their anger.

Naruto stands stock still as he appraises the group standing before him. The tension is so thick and so obvious that even the crowd that spent the day watching Naruto could feel it. A lot of the people were starting to get nervous as they took in this new group. They were covered in tattoos and looked like they spent too much time in the gym.

"Its been awhile, hasn't it, Naruto?" the leader of the groups asks in a haughty tone of voice, a smirk placed on his face as if he was born with it.

"Not long enough if you ask me." Naruto replies nonchalantly but those who knew him could easily hear the anger and hatred laced into his voice. "What are you doing here, Neji?"

Neji Hyuga, the one time cousin of Hinata before she got adopted by Tsunade. He hadn't changed much since the last time Naruto saw him. He still had his long hair tied in a ponytail. The only difference was all the new tattoos he had and all the muscle he seemed to have put on.

"Well, Mr Bigshot NBA Player, a little birdy told me that you were having a family day here today. So, me being the caring uncle that I am, decided to come visit my little niece." Neji answers as he makes his way forward.

His path however, is blocked as Sasuke steps in front of him with a patented Uchiha glare on his face.

"What makes you think I would allow you to go anywhere my godchild, Hyuga?" he spits out with venom.

"Out of the way, Uchiha. This does not concern the likes of you."

The tension builds as neither one of them is willing to back down. Both sides tense up in preparation for the fight that is surely to happen.

"Neji, do you still play ball?" Everyone turns their gaze towards Naruto as he calmly walks over to the basketball lying under one of the hoops. "As I seem to recall, you were said to be one of the top prospects in highschool basketball before you decided to gets on your knees and kiss the asses of the Hyuga elders."

That got a reaction out of Neji and his friends as they bristled in anger as he walked over to Naruto.

"You think you can take me on Mr BIgshot Laker Boy? As I seem to recall, every single time we played against each other ended with you panting on the ground beneath your superior. You sure you want to embarrass yourself in front of all of your fans?" Neji mocks Naruto.

"Oh I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Naruto mocks Neji by curtseying, "Your Majesty."

As Neji and Naruto walked to opposite sides of the court, followed closely by their friends, Jiriaya and Itachi made their way over to Kakashi to add some extra protection for Himawari.

"This can only end badly." States Itachi.

"I know. Did you see that smile on Naruto's face?" questions Obito.

"Yeah… it was the exact same smile Minato used to have when someone tried to hurt Kushina or Naruto." Jiriaya says.

"I just hope he can control himself." Kakashi says as for once he is as serious as can be. "It wouldn't be good for him to get involved in a fight with so many witnesses around."

Himawari just held on tightly to Kakashi, scared of what might happen to her father down on the court.

Back on the court Naruto and his friends were waiting for Neji and his group to get into position. Without even saying a word to each other, they knew that none of them would be showing any kind of mercy. Even Shikamaru was feeling the need to put Neji in his place.

Naruto threw the ball across the court for Neji's team to start the game off with an inbound. The ball was passed to Neji. Naruto kept his eyes trained completely on Neji, the bored expression on his face indicating that he was already in his 'Kitsune Mode'.

Now, what Naruto said earlier was absolutely true. Before he got involved with the elders in the Hyuga family, he was one of the top prospects highschool basketball has seen in years. He was one of the very few that Naruto struggled against, going so far as to soundly beat Naruto on more than a few occasions. Many chalked it up to Naruto being a couple years younger than Neji but Naruto always knew that wasn't the case. By the time Naruto started hitting his stride in all the camps and tournaments, Neji had already left the basketball scene; only appearing on the courts late at night where players would play for respect and reputation on the streets. Suffice to say, even though Naruto was a NBA player, Neji would definitely be able to hold his own.

The haughty smirk on Neji's face fell away as he crossed half-court. He knew that the Naruto standing before him was leagues above the Naruto he used to play against as kids. He drives straight at Naruto only to pull back right in front of him and pass the ball of to a teammate.

While everyone else on the court kept the game going, Neji and Naruto stayed right where they were. Both players were leaning forward aggressively as their glazed eyes looked into nothingness. What no one else could see was the dozens of scenarios the two of them were going through in their heads. Mirages of the two of them duelling it out was happening all around them. The watching crowd was starting to get restless but that did nothing to detour them.

Both players suddenly race down court towards the ball, Naruto calling for the pass. He receives it only to have Neji press right up against him. He dribbles the ball with his left hand while keeping his body between it and Neji. He turns slightly and posts up on Neji, pushes him off with his right arm and jumps back for a fade-away.

Naruto doesn't lose the bored look upon his face as Neji snarls at him while receiving the ball. Without taking his eyes off of Naruto he sends a bullet pass down court into the waiting hands on his open teammate.

This was what Naruto hated the most about playing against Neji. Beside being able to handle the ball with amazing precision, his court awareness was almost godlike. Most times he didn't even need to look in the direction he was passing.

"Did you really think I would allow such a lowlife commoner to get the best of me again? Last time we met you got a lucky shot in. It is your fate to kneel before me!" Neji spits out venomously as he settles himself in a defensive position.

Naruto caught the ball and drove towards the basket. Neji stays on him even after he performed a crossover. He spies Kiba making his way towards the basket so he decides to throw the ball onto the ground with force, causing it to bounce over Neji's head and into the hands of Kiba who throws it down for an alley-oop.

Neji receives the ball and quickly makes his way over half-court. He drives right at Naruto until they are both at the baseline before he jumps up for a shot. As Naruto jumps up to meet him, Neji spins his body and throws it to the open man beyond the arc.

The match continues like this for a while with both teams roughing each other up quite a bit. Since it wasn't an official match, there were no referees to keep the game clean. Neither team gave any quarter, both playing to their absolute limit. The crowd realising that this was more than just a basketball match, sat in stunned silence as the battle on the court continued to rage on.

Neji and Naruto were playing the hardest out of both teams, both players refusing to give an inch to the other. Cuts and bruises littered their arms, torsos, and faces. Even though it seem like they were evenly matched, those who knew what to look for could tell that Neji was slowly starting to gain the upper hand in their private duel.

"Kakashi, what's going on? Shouldn't Naruto be dominating Neji?"

"Normally, that would be the case but you have to keep in mind that this isn't a NBA game or anything close to it. Its streetball. No rules, whatever it takes to win. Naruto, no matter how good he might be, is not accustomed to the rough play. It'll wear down on him much more heavily when compared to Neji who has made a name for himself on the streets."

On the court it finally came to a head when Naruto drives past Neji and goes for a lay-up only to get smacked down to the ground as Neji swats the ball out of bounds. Naruto lands heavily on his side, the wind knocked out of him, as Neji stands above him.

"This is where you belong. This is your rightful place in the world, the place that fate decreed you would be. The Hyugas come from royalty. You are nothing more than trash." Neji waves his arms, indicating Naruto's friends and family. "You surround yourself with trash. Its truly pathetic but also very understandable. You'll never amount to much." Neji kneels down and speaks to Naruto in a tone so low that only the two of them can hear. "You cannot fight fate Naruto. It was Hinata's fate to die. I only regret that I was unable to have a hand in it. But not to worry, I'll make sure that my niece grows up exactly as her mother did."

Neji looks at Naruto with a smug smirk of satisfaction on his face as he gets up and turns his back. He calmly walks away, not noticing the change in demeanour that overcomes Naruto.

"There is so much I wanted to do with you and Himawari. So much I wanted to experience with the two of you. I never wanted to leave my baby girl alone in the world, like my mother left me alone. I wanted to hear her first words, watch her first steps…" another coughing fit, "…take her to her first day of school, and give her advice about the boy she falls in love. I wanted to do so much…" she falls once more into a coughing fit.

"Hina-hime please save your strength! You aren't going to die! You aren't leaving me or Himawari!" Naruto shouts at her while she gaze at him with all the love in the world.

"You will have to do all those things in my place. Promise me Naru-koi. Promise me that you will look after our baby girl." Hinata uses her lasting remaining strength to kiss Naruto one last time.

A snarl stops Neji in his tracks. He finally takes note of the dangerous atmosphere on the court that threatens to flatten everything it comes into contact with. Even the people on the side-lines shudder in fear as an overwhelming sense of dread drops onto their shoulders.

"Where do you think you are going, Neji-hime? I ain't nearly done with you yet." Naruto says in a voiced laced in so much hatred that even the stoic Itachi Uchiha struggled to hold back a flinch. The bored look on his face morphs into one of pure unadulterated anger as he holds his hand out for the ball.

Naruto receives the inbound from Sasuke and faces Neji. He takes a deep breath and relaxes his entire body. He drives to the left of Neji only to come to a complete stop and watch Neji stumble on. Just as Neji regains his footing Naruto performs a lightning quick crossover in the opposite direction. As Neji falls down onto his ass, Naruto races past him. A defender steps in his way and jumps in the air to block him. Naruto jumps right at him, using the al most incomparable explosive power of his legs to get above the defender. As he knocks the defender back he swings the ball down through the hoop with such force that it rattles the entire backboard.

The defender stumbles back into the post holding up the hoop and shouts in pain. Naruto however, pays him no mind as he turns around to face a Neji who is still seated on the ground.

"Come bear witness to what happens when you anger a demon upon his court." Naruto steps over Neji as he and his team set up on defense.

It stopped being a game after that statement. The nickname 'Kisune' had never suited Naruto as well as it did right then and there. He was a true demon on the court. He would taunt and mock whoever dared step in his way before humiliating them in front of the entire crowd.

At one point he had his hand holding onto Neji's head as he laughed and dribbled in front of him. On the next point, he throws the ball against Neji's face before catching and shooting it, hitting nothing but net.

On defense, he swings his arm down to block the ball at such an angle that the ball hits Neji in the face, once again sending him to the ground. He stops each and every one of Neji's passes, causing Neji's amzing court awareness to be obsolete.

The crowd ate up the display being put on by Naruto. They didn't know what was said between the two players but the way Naruto was humiliating his opponents made them all forget about trying to find out. The keep cheering and chanting, waiting for the next amazing move Naruto would pull off. There was not one player on the opposing team who hadn't had their ankles broken by Naruto.

After Neji gave up guarding him, Naruto started raining down 3-pointers from all over the court. Many times he would point to a spot where he would take off. The ease with which he was able to shoot the ball amazed everyone watching him that day, including his friends and family.

With sweat pouring down his face, Naruto grabs a rebound and races down the court. Neji, in a last ditch effort to save some of his pride, steps in to try and stop him. Both players jump into the air at the same time yet Neji starts his decent much quick than Naruto. Naruto slams into Neji mid-air before throwing the ball down for a violent meteor jam.

As he lands on the ground he hears a snap followed by a shout of pain. Looking forward he sees Neji cradling his left wrist against his chest, pain written all over his face.

Naruto turns around and walks away from Neji. He steps off the court and makes his way out of the park without saying a word to anyone.

A figure makes his way out between the sliding door of the emergency room of a Hospital. He walks down the darkened street towards home with a cast covering his left wrist. He suddenly spins his body around, thrusting his right hand out at the presence behind him.

His assailant dodges the attack before driving as fist into his liver. The scream that makes its way up his throat his silenced as a shot to the temple knocks him out. Falls roughly to the ground before being picked up and thrown into a van that pulls up on the curb.

The sound of the door being banged upon wakes up the household. The master of the house refuses to leave his bed, instead choosing to wait for someone else to answer the door.

It is only after the feminine scream is heard that he rushes out of bed and down the stairs. He gets to the bottom landing and casts his eyes upon his daughter who is cradling the injured body of his nephew.

"Hanabi! What is the meaning of this?" he exclaims.

Hanabi holds out her hand and its only then that he notices the note that is covered in blood. With shaking hands he takes the note from his daughter and turns it over.

I warned you

years ago not to come after my family

make sure this does not

happen again Hyuga

I will not be so lenient next time

Naruto falls down to his knees in front of the headstone before him. He doesn't even attempt to stop the tears that flow freely down his cheeks. Heart-breaking sobs shake his entire being as he lets go of his emotions without anyone alive around him to bear witness. A gentle breeze blows through the graveyard and sweeps his hair to the side as if someone were there to brush it out of his face.

"I'll bear all of it, Hime." Naruto says with conviction as the tears slow down to a crawl. "If it means keeping her safe and away from them, I'll bear all their hatred upon my shoulders."

okay i know this may seem like a filler chapter but i promise you that its part of the actual plot. you just have to wait awhile for it all to make sense. let me know what you think in the reviews. if you think i was too violent in this chapter then please go back to the flashbacks in chapter 2. again, i will keep the NBA teams as close to real life as possible with only a couple of changes to the teams so that the storyline actually makes sense