Author's note: I do not own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 42: What Do I Fight For?
Inside a stadium, the Village Hidden in the Leaves
It was never going to end. The fight between Nashiko and Minami continued as they both clashed one another by using their elbows. "You're overmatched, Minami" Nashiko taunted her opponent as the kunoichis were trying to overpower the other while using their strength.
"Prove it" Minami said and then raised her palm to attack her. "By withstanding this!" she exclaimed and delivered her palm right at Nashiko's face. Nashiko was sent flying to the ground as a result.
The young pinkette rubbed her face and could even notice hints of blood running from her nose. She faced her opponent, who crossed her arms while forming a smug look.
Nashiko gritted her teeth in frustration. "She only pushed her palm at my face, yet it hurt so bad" she noted while rubbing her sore face.
"Gee Nashiko, you've become so vulnerable" Minami taunted her opponent, who was still trying to recover from her attack. "Where's that overconfident attitude of yours? I thought I just heard you say that I was overmatched" she added mockingly.
Slowly and steady, Nashiko got up on her feet and wiped off the blood running from her lips. "The only overconfident attitude I see is yours, Minami" she said in return and then readied her fighting stance. "But believe me, that is the last thing you need to best me" she added.
Minami narrowed her bright eyes in return while facing the pinkette. "I've had enough of you and your mouth!" she said and called Riko to her side. The bluenette faced her partner with a smug look. "Okay, Riko! Let's get that sucker!" she said and they both stood on all fours.
Nashiko's eyes widened by what she saw. "Wait…...is she for real? Are they planning on using a jutsu from the Inuzuka clan?" she wondered in her head while remaining cautious.
Both Minami and Riko had chakra spreading out from their bodies and obviously they were trying to pull on something. And as Nashiko had suspected, they were about to perform a jutsu practiced by members of the Inuzuka clan.
Manami smirked by seeing Nashiko's reaction and then faced her partner. "Here we go, partner! Tunneling Fang!" she exclaimed and both she and Riko formed each a vortex and spun towards the pinkette. But Nashiko was in for a surprise as the two vortexes soon combined themselves into one single but strong vortex.
Nashiko got cautious. "What? Did she just combine hers and Riko's into one single being!?" she wondered in her head while observing the chemistry. "It's the same jutsu that Takeshi and Arata used, but somehow, Minami and Riko are able to combine their vortexes. This is really bad!" she added with a hint of stress in her voice. But suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she decided to do it, considering that she saw no other alternatives. She did a very familiar hand seal. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she exclaimed and thousands of shadow clones appeared beside her once again. They even began forming a wall to defend the real one.
Seeing this only made Minami snicker. "Again with the clones!? You're really starting to annoy me, Nashiko!" she thought as she and Riko hit their target, causing a loud explosion thanks to her attack.
Dust began covering the battleground and the spectators had difficulties in seeing them. But as soon as some of the dust settled, people could see Minami standing, searching for Nashiko with her bright eyes. She did so with the help of her Byakugan.
While seeing through the dust, Minami could spot a human silhouette hiding amongst the dusts. She smirked and made her move to attack. "There's nowhere to hide now!" she declared and was about to punch her, until something made her stop. The dust settled and what she believed to be Nashiko was nothing but a stick. Manami fumed with anger, as she knew it was only a substitution. "Damn it! I fell for one of her tricks!" she cursed as she knew it was a substitution.
The bluenette looked quickly to both sides to see if the pinkette had bit her time to launch an assault. She saw nothing. But once Minami could notice some shadow appearing over her, she knew it was not a cloud. Rather it was Nashiko, who was preparing to deliver a trademark attack she learned from her father.
"Heh, let's see if you can withstand this!" Nashiko taunted and then swung her right foot on the bluenette's head. "Uzumaki Barrage!" she yelled as the heel of her black boot hit Minami's head. But as she did that, Nashiko was caught from behind, as Riko grabbed her waist to pull her away.
What was even more shocking was that Manami immediately grabbed her right leg and then used her strength to slam her on the ground. It appeared that she had managed to withstand that attack as well, but Nashiko could see that blood ran from her mouth. However, as Nashiko was slammed to the ground, she could feel how painful it felt on her back. She looked up to see the bluenette staring at her with a serious expression on her face.
"Why do you insist on fighting me?" Minami asked coldly. "I gave you a chance to give up the fight, yet you stubbornly refused. You're gonna wish you took my offer, daughter of Naruto" she added and slowly approached Nashiko.
Hearing this only made Nashiko raise an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? "Why are you mentioning my dad? You do know that I'm my own character" the pinkette pointed out to her.
The young bluenette stopped. "Yeah, but you're the daughter two heroes! I'm the daughter of a drunken bastard!" she muttered lowly while clenching her fists.
Nashiko slowly got up to her knees and faced her opponent with a defiant look. "Our parents don't define who we are, Minami! And what about your mom, isn't she also a hero?" she then asked while speaking out her mind.
By hearing this, the bright-eyed girl snapped in realization and her thoughts began drifting back to the past. Even to this day, she felt that getting rid of her bitter memories was difficult.
"Shut up, Nashiko! You don't know a damn thing what really defines us!" the bluenette snapped while frustration took hold on her. "While my dad was a drunk, my mom was nothing but a coward who refused to make changes for the sake of the family…..OUR family!" Minami added, this time sounding less angered and more sad.
Hinata and Kiba had different reactions to how their daughter was doing on the battleground so far. In fact, Hinata had been worried that this match could change Manami and even make her marriage to Kiba more complicated. She looked to see her husband, who had so far, only watched the match with a neutral expression. It was quite similar to Hiashi's. But maybe he was doing this because of a reason, something that Kiba himself felt had been his responsibility.
"Kiba…...are you starting to see how much your children have changed over the years?" Hinata wondered while facing him. The bluenette proceeded to face the battleground and it made her uncomfortable. "I must stop being paranoid. Minami is still the same girl I raised and loved. But perhaps all this trauma she's been forced to endure has somewhat changed her" she thought while seeing her daughter's serious expression.
If there were someone who could notice Hinata's concern, it was both Hanabi and Takeda, her sister and son respectively. So far, Hanabi had watched the fight with slight interest for Minami, and she had to admit that the young girl had indeed improved, thanks to the training Himawari, Hanzo and Hikari gave her. But there was something else on her mind. She even looked up to see where Hinata sat.
"Sister. I have always wanted to support you, even your decision to have children of your own" Hanabi admitted in her thoughts. "But I think you marrying Kiba was a mistake" she added and took a brief glance at her father.
Hiashi had so far only closed his eyes, as this fight had no effect on him. Even though he was slightly impressed by how developed Minami had become, he still didn't feel like giving her his full support, as in his eyes, she was still a halfbreed. The fact that he considered the Inuzuka clan to be animals even astounded not just his fellow clansmen, but his daughters as well.
"Nashiko….." Shunsuke noted lowly with concern in his eyes. The raven-haired boy was standing beside Menma, who had also started to express his worries for Nashiko. "Sensei, have you noticed how different Minami has been acting lately?" Shunsuke suddenly asked the man with the ponytail.
"I have" Menma answered lowly. He then glanced to the seat where Kazue sat among the tribunals. "You weren't kidding when you mentioned about Minami's personality, Kazue. Have you
Kazue had so far been watching the match with a worried expression, even though she was supposed to be backing her student. But while she had wished her students could do better, she didn't want to see one of them becoming ruthless in battle. Kazue was worried that Minami could've become that. The white-haired woman silently prayed that such would never happen.
Saburou had been studying his sensei's concerns, thanks to the insects he had planted throughout the tribunals, including the one where Kazue sat. While he did not feel the same way, the young boy could not blame Kazue for having such thoughts. In fact, it made Saburou think about something related to their team as a whole.
"Kazue-sensei. I know that I have done little to contribute to the team's spirit. Therefore, I will make it up to you someday. And I promise you that I will not let you down" the blonde-haired boy thought while seeing the white-haired woman on her seat.
"This fight makes me feel uncomfortable" Chouta added while facing Saburou and Ochinko. "Was Minami like this when you were put on the same team?" she asked them.
While Saburou did not bother to answer, Ochinko faced her with a shook of his head. "Absolutely not. She was very determined at first" the teal-haired boy answered her before resuming to face the battleground. "But I think her reasons for acting this way does not have its origins with us" he added.
Takeda, who had been listening to their conversation, could see how different his twin sister was behaving now. He knew that the Chuunin Exams would bring some questionable answers with regard to what Minami's goal was. "This is gonna get ugly. I never expected Minami to be that resilient" he admitted in his thoughts. But the long brown-haired boy had been able to hear some of Minami's words to Nashiko. "Seriously, are you actually jealous of Nashiko and her family?" he then wondered. Takeda had begun to think about their childhood and realized that while being fed, clothed and living under a roof, it was not perfect.
Flashback, in the Hyuuga Mansion
Inside the Hyuuga mansion's living room, Hinata was playing with her little twins Minami and Takeda. The small children were playing with plush dogs, pretending that they had been given a dog companion. The twins had been told once they got older, they would be given a dog companion that would accompany them through their life.
"Mommy, when is daddy coming home?" the young and innocent Takeda asked his mother. His brown hair was only reaching to his shoulders, similar to his twin sister's.
Hinata fixed a smile while facing the young boy. "Soon, my beloved son" she said while stroking his brown hair. "Your father has a busy day on work today" she added warmly to Takeda.
"He always has a busy day on work" the young and innocent Minami suddenly said, causing Hinata to fix a slight frown.
The beautiful bluenette tried her best not to look downed in front of her twins as she knew that even as a mother, she had to remain strong before her children's' eyes. Sitting on her knees beside them, Hinata embraced them in a tight hug, something the children themselves enjoyed and returned.
The door suddenly opened and in came Hiashi Hyuuga. The elderly fixed a neutral expression while facing his daughter. Minami and Takeda ran towards their grandfather to welcome him home by hugging around his legs. Instead of kneeling down to their level, Hiashi only patted their heads lightly.
Hinata rose up to her feet and gave Hiashi a respective nod in return. "Welcome home, father" she said with formality in her voice. "I trust that the meeting between the clan heads was a success" she added.
Hiashi only nodded his head lightly at her statement. However, he did not smile much. The head of the Hyuuga clan then looked around the living room, his bright eyes growing stern. "I see that Kiba has not come home yet. You mind telling me why?" he asked Hinata sternly.
The young bluenette immediately ran towards her father and fixed a pleading expression on her face. "He will soon come home. He even promised me this morning, I swear" she insisted to him.
The elderly man's bright eyes narrowed at her. "Do you actually believe that Kiba will keep his word to you?" he asked while raising an eyebrow slightly. Hiashi gritted his teeth in irritation. "When will you learn that you need to stop excusing his behavior and quit letting him do as he pleases!?" he asked her with utter disbelief.
Hinata didn't want to start a conflict with her father, not while her children were around. Facing the floor with shame, she sighed in defeat. "He told me that he would come home after work. He's not heading to the bar, that I can assure you" she told him.
But her father only scoffed at her convincing. "Your words do not convince me, Hinata!" he told her strictly and the faced each of her twins with a similar glance. "And by the way, maybe you could teach your children not to become like Kiba" he added and then took off, leaving both kids stunned and confused.
As Hinata sat to their level, Minami faced her mother with a worried expression. "Mommy, why is grandpa so upset? Doesn't he like us?" she asked the bluenette, who immediately snapped in surprise, finding it unexpected for her to be asking a question such as this.
"Of course he likes you, Minami! How can you say something so absurd?" Hinata insisted to her while lovingly stroking her forehead. She also fixed a fake smile with her mouth. "Grandpa is just in a bad mood today" she insisted to her children.
All of a sudden, the door opened and in came Kiba along with Akamaru. But based upon the way he walked, he was intoxicated, forcing Akamaru to help him finding the right way. As the brown-haired man could her the joyful voices of his twins, he immediately sat down to their level and embraced them both in a tight hug.
"Hello kids! How have you been today!?" Kiba asked with a smile forming across his face.
The two children took a while before wanting to let go of their father and when they did that, Takeda faced him with a stubborn glance. "You are late, daddy!" he said to him.
But Kiba only tickled him in return and Takeda immediately laughed, as he was very ticklish. "Well that's because I've been to work, young man! How else could I be supporting….." he said, but eventually, he could feel himself falling backwards along with the kids. But because they were hugging him, they landed safely upon his chest, while Kiba fell on his back. The three only laughed, seeing this as fun. "Whoops, you made daddy fall on his back, kiddos! But I'm alright!" he said and the twins laughed at him once more.
While Hinata felt herself smile by seeing her husband play with the kids, Hiashi was openly disgusted by seeing his son-in-law interacting with his grandchildren while under the influence of alcohol. In his anger, he went over and removed the twins from their father's grip. The elderly man put them at their mother's side, but Hinata was worried about what was now happening.
Kiba faced Hiashi angrily. "Hey! What's the big idea, snatching my kids away from me!?" he demanded as he got up in the elderly man's face.
Hiashi didn't so much as flinch in return. "I am doing this for their safety, Kiba Inuzuka" he replied sternly while crossing his arms.
The brown-haired man only gritted his teeth in anger and to his wife's utter disgust, flipped his middle finger at Hiashi. "Mind your own business, you bright-eyed cocksucker!" he spat out words with venom. "I am their father, not you!" he added stubbornly.
Hinata desperately tried to intervene by pulling her intoxicated husband away from her strict father, who was already restraining himself from slapping Kiba's face. The young bluenette faced Kiba dearly.
"Kiba…..not now!" Hinata's plea was immediately rejected by her husband, who tossed her away, thereby making her fall on the floor.
"You stay out of this, Hinata!" Kiba bellowed, only to feel a hard punch on his left cheek coming from Hiashi. The elderly man had reacted angrily to how he had just mistreated his own daughter. The brown-haired man fell on the floor, with a red lip, thanks to the blood. He faced Hiashi with an angry glance.
Hiashi was no longer able to restrain his anger, especially since he just witnessed Kiba disrespecting Hinata. "Don't you EVER put your hands on my daughter!" the elderly man told him, not regretting the action he just did. "Do that again, and I shall put you out of your misery!" he added to his warning.
Takeda and Minami had only watched the commotion from the sidelines and so far, they had even begun to hid by a corner. The twins had already begun showing signs of despair and were almost on the verge of crying, if they saw their father ever shove away their mother like that, or if they saw their grandfather just attacking their father. It was a traumatizing experience for them to witness.
While rubbing her left cheek, Hinata could notice the children watch the scene sadly and she quickly rushed to their side, hoping to comfort them as best as she could. The twins faced their mother with tears slowly streaming from their eyes.
"Mommy, I'm scared" Takeda said while cuddling to her.
Hinata looked over her shoulder to see the confrontation between her father and husband still ongoing. She knew he had to do something to stop them. "Kiba! Just leave father alone and come with me!" she called out to him pleadingly.
"Shut up, bitch!" Kiba swore at her with venomous words and faced Hiashi once more. "If I ever see you put your hands on my kids again, I will skullfuck you until you're dead!" he spat at Hiashi, who immediately grabbed the collar of his jacket.
"One more word from you and you will die!" Hiashi warned him sternly, only for Kiba to spit in his face, thus sending him away.
"Why do you even care!?" Kiba demanded angrily. "Throughout Hinata's childhood, you have always treated her like shit! Therefore, there's no way in hell that I want you near my family, you arrogant son of a bitch!" he added with a retort.
In his anger, Hiashi angrily moved his palm against his son-in-law with an angry roar, much to Hinata's distress. However, someone was blocking his attack with a handpalm before Kiba. It was Hanabi, who had actually protected him from Hiashi's attack.
"Hanabi…" Hiashi muttered angrily beneath his breath, his youngest daughter facing him with a somewhat disapproved glance.
"Father" Hanabi spoke lowly. "For the sake of Hinata and her children, please restrain your anger" she requested him, much to Hiashi's own anger.
Kiba gritted his teeth in irritation by seeing his sister-in-law interfering with their fight. "Hey midget! Back off before I…." Kiba was suddenly dragged away by Hinata, who stubbornly refused to let him go. She dragged him out of the living room and into their bedroom, where their children were already at. Both Minami and Takeda sat on the bed, and became wary of their father's aggressiveness. Kiba sat beside them and faced the floor miserably. "Was it really necessary for you to…." The young man was interrupted by a hard slap from his wife.
It felt hard and Kiba only rubbed his sore face in return. Hinata only stood there and faced her husband with open dispassion, while the twins were confused by such behavior.
"Why did you slap daddy, mommy?" Minami asked her mother with wondering eyes, as she still was not used to see her mother behaving this way.
Hinata sighed deeply before answering. "I did it because your father needs to grow up and stop acting so reckless!" she replied with slight frustration before leaning herself against the closet, eventually sliding down to the floor. "For goodness sake, Kiba. Why do you always have to provoke my father?" she asked him pleadingly.
Kiba was still rubbing his sore face, but he eventually faced his wife. "I provoked him? He was the one who placed Takeda and Minami away from me!" he insisted.
"But daddy. Why are you and grandpa always so angry with each other?" Takeda asked his father.
Kiba realized that he was now too bitter to even come up with a concrete answer, but he had to respond to his son, regardless. "It's just that I hate how the world around us is unfair, Takeda!" was all the words the brown-haired man could come up with.
Back to the present
"Damn it" Takeda slightly cursed underneath his breath. "I always knew that there was dysfunction in our family. But as I grew, I never felt the need to do anything to change it, because I saw that as too stressful and costly to my own mental health. And as a result, Minami was forced to carry the burden alone" the brown-haired boy remarked as he recalled what happened in his and Minami's childhood. Surprisingly, realization began taking hold on him. "Wait.…...if I had somehow supported her from the beginning…..instead of sitting on the sidelines….would Manami have become a different girl than what she currently is?" he wondered, as Takeda could see how that question dominated his thoughts.
Minami was now standing before her opponent and readied her Gentle Fist Art once again. Nashiko however, had only begun to stand upon her two feet and watched her preparations warily. The pinkette could notice the hint of sadness within Minami's bright eyes, but also some hints of anger.
"Manami…..why have you become this bitter?" Nashiko asked her friend. "
"Someone like you will never hope to understand me, Nashiko! I never had the luxury of experiencing what it felt being raised by a harmonic family, a loving father, or a loving grandfather!" Minami spat out, while chakra enveloped on her body. "And you know what? I just realized something" she then added.
Nashiko was surprised by hearing the bluenette's words, but did her best to stand tall. However, she got curious about Minami's recent question directed towards her. "What did you realize?" was all the words, Nashiko could muster.
The chakra inside Minami began glowing deeper and Nashiko could see the anger boiling inside of the bluenette. It was like it was empowering her chakra. The muscle surrounding her eyes only narrowed. "If my dad had been named Hokage instead of yours" she said and readied her fighting stance. "None of these traumatizing moments would've ever happened!" she angrily shouted and made her stance with the Gentle Fist Art. "Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!" she shouted and she then unleashed her attack.
Nashiko was to slow to dodge it, as she was punched repeatedly in a fast pace. Those punches felt powerful and this quickly made her realize that it was the same attack that Minami had used to knockout Takeda. But the pinkette was completely unable to mount a defense or even escape. She was being treated like a living punching bag. Her face, her stomach, her chest, all parts of her body were beaten.
Once Minami was finished, she panted deeply, having just used a lot of chakra to deal with Nashiko. Satisfaction began creeping within her and she tried to catch her breath. "How does it feel, Nashiko!?" Minami thought. "How does it feel to be the one embarrassed….humiliated…..defeated!?" she added to her thoughts while looking over at her lying opponent.
"NASHIKO!" Shunsuke shouted with open concern about his teammate. "Damn it! Minami's using that destructive technique again! Nashiko won't survive!" he noted with great fear to his sensei.
"Shit!" Menma cursed beneath his breath. "I just realized something. If her previous attack on Takeda was done without the intense training…no…...NO!" he said out loud.
Shunsuke faced his teacher with worry. "Mamuro-sensei..…..does this mean that….." He was interrupted by the young man's nod.
"Yeah! This time, Minami's attack is much effective than the last time! Nashiko might not even make it out alive!" he said with worry.
Nashiko was sent flying, with blood and bruises covering her. Minami's attack had really taken its toll on the young pinkette. Lying on the dirty ground, most of the spectators gasped in shock over seeing her current condition. But the young girl could barely move her head and she looked up to see how bright the sun was shining.
Haruto was filled with fear over seeing her sister in such state. "Nashiko…." The young boy said lowly, not believing what he was seeing. He then turned to see how his mother was handling this, but she had already lowered her head. "Mom…..are you…" the young blonde-haired boy asked worryingly.
Sakura was clenching her fists and the expression on her face indicated that she felt somewhat sad over seeing her daughter being reduced to like this. Even now, tears began dripping from her eyes. As a mother, she could not stand and watch Nashiko lying there with nothing but blood covering over her.
"Damn it…..what just happened?" Sakura wondered in her head and briefly looked to see both Kiba and Hinata. In fact, she fixed a slight angered expression when facing them. Both could see her and they faced Sakura. "How…..how could you have allowed her to go through such programs!?" she demanded an answer from them.
Haruto watched the scene with great concern in his eyes. "Mom…." Jiro thought while not knowing her intention of speaking ot them.
Kiba only closed his eyes in return. "You DO know that taking out your frustration on us is not gonna make Nashiko feel any better, yeah?" he asked her lowly. The brown-haired man then opened his eyes and fixed a sympathetic glance towards her. "But hey, we understand your worries. We as parents are just as surprised about Minami's stubborn and silent behavior" he insisted to her.
Hearing this made Sakura angry and she rose up from the seat and faced the brown-haired man angrily. "And who do you suppose bears some responsibility for your children for having undergone such traumatizing events!?" the young woman demanded an answer from him once more. "Your neglective parenting caused Minami to feel this way!" she spoke up.
Hearing this made Kiba slight angrier and he rose up from his seat to face Sakura with eyes of irritation. "Don't push it, Sakura! If you think that YOU can lecture me about ignorance and stupidity, then you are obviously ridiculous!" Kiba told her strictly, but Sakura did not back down. "I'm not the one who would poison my comrades, just so I could go and join up with Sasuke, who was definitely hellbent on destroying our village at that time!" the brown-haired man added.
Sakura widened in realization by hearing this. And Ino had so far, not intervened to stop this confrontation. The blonde-haired woman felt slightly uncomfortable when he brought up the case with Sasuke up.
"Kiba, you promised you wouldn't….." Hinata's plea was interrupted by Kiba's hand.
"No Hinata. I think this is something that Miss Enabler here should be reminded of her own mistakes in the past!" Kiba said.
So far, Sakura had only faced the floor with a hint of shame, as she suddenly recalled what happened in the past, when the Fourth Shinobi World War was declared. However, the young woman clenched her fists tightly.
"If you say something like that to my face one more time, Kiba…." Sakura said and raised her head, facing Kiba with a furious expression on her face. "THEN I WILL ATTACK YOU!" she shouted with anger.
Haruto, who could no longer stand seeing his mother being stressed out, blocked her way and tried his best to push Sakura away from Kiba, who had actually returned to his seat, without having to interfere.
Realizing how pointless it was, Sakura sighed in defeat and returned to her seat. She could see the wonderful face of her son, who tried to comfort her to ease her fears.
"Don't take out your anger at them, mom! They have nothing to do with the choices Minami has made" he surprisingly told her, thus impressing Sakura. "They have already been suffering enough, cut them some slack. I certainly know that both dad and Nashiko would've wanted us both to do" he went on
After reflecting on the young boy's words, Sakura immediately embraced Haruto in a tight hug. Be doing this, Sakura only knew the truth in her son's words. She was surprised how fast he was growing, even though he was just a little boy. Even so, he would always be her son, as well as Naruto's.
Nashiko could barely see what was standing above her, but as her vision stopped being blurry, she could see that Minami was standing there, thereby blocking the sun. She faced down with her stern eyes and began to crack her knuckles. As much as she tried to move, Nashiko could feel her entire body becoming motionless. It was like she was nearly lost with energy and chakra. Was this really the end? For her.
"I'm gonna give you this ONE last chance, Nashiko" Minami told her, her voice not filled with the slightest of remorse. "Submit defeat…or you will die" she told her, this time sounding even more colder than usual.
Nashiko was shocked by hearing this. Was this the same girl she had known since they were small kids? Was this the same girl, she used to hang out with to do girly stuff? No, this was a different Minami, one who had completely lost her perspective, all because of the traumatizing moments that had taken its toll on the young girl.
"She said our parents defines us" Nashiko began recalling what she had told her. "Is that really true?" she then went on, although her question began drifting to the past. It was amazing that she could even thing, despite her critical condition.
Flashback, in a playground
Young Nashiko Uzumaki was running quickly towards the playground. She looked as energetic and sweet as she did now, only that she wore different clothes. The young pinkette turned around to face her parents, as well as baby Haruto lying in his wagon.
"Come play with me, daddy!" Nashiko called out while giggling. She then began running around her parents in circles, much to the amusement of her parents.
Sakura leaned onto her husband. "Your daughter wants to play with you, Naruto" she told him, while the blonde-haired man got surprised by her behavior.
Naruto only chuckled nervously in return. "I know that, she's always full of energy" he replied and then began facing his daughter with a so-called mischievous glance. "You wanna play, Nashiko? That sounds fun and I know just the right game!" he told her, much to his daughter's confusion.
"What do you mean, daddy?" the young pinkette asked puzzled.
"Simple, little girl" Naruto spoke sweetly before fixing an evil smirk with his mouth. "I'M GONNA CATCH YA!" the blonde-haired man declared and ran after the young girl. Nashiko giggled and ran as quickly as she could from her father, using the entire playground as their running course. She knew very well what kind of game they were playing.
Sakura stood be the wagon and smiled at her husband and daughter having fun. The beautiful mother trilled the wagon by one of the playgrounds benches and took her seat. Sakura grabbed Haruto and began cuddling him while showing the young boy both his older sister and father playing with each other at the climbing frame.
"Look Haruto, your sister is climbing up" Sakura said while Haruto only looked at them with curiosity. The young boy had barely begun to learn how to speak. However, he did point his tiny finger at them, and Sakura cuddled him as a result. "Yes, you see Nashiko and daddy having fun!" she exclaimed.
Nashiko was hanging in the air and she was trying to impress her mother. "Hey mommy! Look at me! I'm hanging in the….." she was interrupted by her father catching her and began tickling her. Nashiko was very ticklish at that age. "Daddy stop…you're tickling me!" she said while she could not stop laughing.
Naruto only grinned smugly. "What's that? I couldn't hear ya!" he said teasingly while continuing to play with his daughter.
After they were done playing, the Uzumaki Family was having a delicious lunch at the bench with delicious cup noodles. While not as necessarily as good as the ramen, it did satisfy their hunger. In fact, Nashiko had inherited her father's love for ramen. Sakura could see how both she and her husband enjoyed eating it, causing her to think how similar they were to one another.
"Hey daddy, how come I have never seen grandpa and grandma?" Nashiko suddenly asked her father.
This forced Naruto to chuckle at her. "What? Of course you have seen them, girl. They are now resting at their home" he answered her.
But the young Nashiko was not satisfied by the answer. "No daddy. I mean your daddy and mommy. How come I've never seen them?" the young pinkette corrected them, thus snapping both her parents.
Both Naruto and Sakura knew that Nashiko was talking about Naruto's father and mother: Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki respectively. Sakura was trying to intervene in this, only for Naruto to stop her. This surprised the pinkette, and her husband began facing their daughter with a reassuring smile on her face.
"Actually Nashiko…you have seen them" Naruto surprisingly replied and looked up to the bright skies. "In truth, when the stars appear in the skies at night, you can see them, watching over us peacefully" the blonde-haired man told Nashiko, who also faced the skies like her father did.
While Sakura was dumbfounded by this answer, she could not help but to smile at them, as she knew that Naruto was trying not to tell their daughter the sad truth. Hopefully, Nashiko would not learn the truth as a young child. No, she would have to be told about this when she was older. However, Sakura knew that both Nashiko and Haruto should be proud to at least have her parents as their only living grandparents, as only a few of the other children had those. Nashiko and Haruto had both Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, Minami and Takeda had Hiashi Hyuuga from their mother's side of the family and Tsume Inuzuka from their father's side of the family, Shikaien had Yoshino Nara, Chouta and Daichi had Chouza Akimichi and Saburou and his siblings had Shibi Aburame. Many had perished during the last world war, or killed in terrifying events long before it even began. However, since the aftermath of the war, most families wanted to move on and start anew beyond the horizon. Naruto's family was no different.
Nashiko was still facing the sky, her eyes filled with wonder. "Daddy…..have you ever seen them?" she suddenly asked her father, who was surprised by hearing this question.
Eventually, Naruto forced a deep smile with his mouth and even went far as to chuckle in amusement. "Of course I have, Nashiko. Your grandfather may look like a fuzz, but he's actually an honorable man. He is someone who is willing to sacrifice in order to protect those he loves, including those he cares deeply about" the blonde-haired man explained to her.
Nashiko was completely amazed by what her father told her and she wanted to know more. "What about grandma? Have you ever seen her?" she asked in a delighted mood.
Naruto took his time to reflect on what his daughter just asked him. For some reason, Nashiko bore some resemblances to not just himself in terms of personality, but also Sakura and Kushina. And the young pinkette was just as mischievous as him when she was at his age.
"Oh, your grandma is one heck of a beauty, just like your mom!" Naruto said and began leaning towards Sakura, who blushed after hearing what Naruto just told Nashiko. "And she has a long red hair while having this determined strength within her" Naruto went on explaining, much to his daughter's interest.
"Wow! I really wish I could meet her, daddy!" Nashiko said, but she was suddenly embraced by her father, as well as her mother, and together they watched the skies as the sun went down. Even little Jiro did the same thing.
Naruto smiled while Sakura leaned towards him lovingly. "Let us stop focusing on those whom we are unable to reach. They are always with us as we watch them in the skies" the blonde-haired man said and he began facing his daughter, who peeked up with curiosity. "There is something you should know, Nashiko. No matter how dire the situation is, never give up. When you grow up, you will come to learn the meaning of those words" Naruto said while putting his hand on the young pinkette's shoulder.
As her father's words kept invading her thoughts, Nashiko never ceased to stare at the skies. Her little brother did the same thing, although he was more curious about how it functioned.
While they were filled with interest over the skies, Naruto could not help but to remember the words of advice he had receive from both his parents. Even though he met them at different circumstances, he would always remember the love and care they had for him, even in the afterlife.
"Mom….dad…thank you….." Naruto could only think about those words as he and Sakura eventually embraced one another in a quick but passionate kiss.
Back to the present
Reflecting on what her father had told her, Nashiko could not help but to wonder if she and Minami were that different. Maybe it was true. Minami had never a father she could rely on as a little girl, and the same could be said for Takeshi, even though he did not seem to be interested in it.
"I see" Nashiko thought in her head. "I now understand why Minami has some resentment against me. Unlike my dad, her dad never stood for her, or even bothered to guide her in tough times. As a result, she has taken every matters into her own ends, believing that she is abandoned and lost. All because of her father's neglected upbringing, because he never was chosen for the title of Hokage" the young pinkette began reflecting on what Manami had told her so far. Nashiko had begun to see the picture.
Minami was growing impatient by seeing this, so she angrily lifted her foot and was ready to stomp Nashiko's face. No longer would she offer her opponent any more chances to submit defeat. "I'M SICK OF THIS BULLSHIT! TIME FOR YOU DIE!" she yelled angrily and launched her foot at Nashiko.
Surprisingly, Minami's feet was stopped by a hand, Nashiko's hand. The bluenette grew furious as she could not believe that she still had som strength left. With all her might, she tried to force her foot at the pinkette's face, but it was no use. More importantly, she felt pain as Nashiko's hand tightened around the sandal, causing Minami to feel pain in her foot. She could almost feel like her the bones was being broken, but using her hands to free herself, Minami backed off.
The young bluenette winced in pain as Riko jumped to her side. She could still feel the pain in her foot. "Damn it…..when did Nashiko get so….." Minami stopped speaking, as both she and Riko could notice something happening with her opponent.
All the spectators were shocked and stunned, as they could see Nashiko slowly getting up on her feet, despite her critical condition. She was facing the ground and wiped off the blood across her face. She managed to stand like the pain was nothing to feel.
"Minami…I have thought about what you have just said. And I know understand why you resent me for having been raised by a heroic father, as well in a stable family" she spoke up, loud enough for her opponent to hear. However, the pinkette lifted her face up and showed everyone a determined look on her face. For some intriguing reasons, the blood across her face was gone, with only slight bruises left. "But as I said earlier, it is not our parents or our grandparents who defines who we are! What defines us, as the path we chose ourselves! I may not be my grandma, my mom, or my dad, but I am still proud of being the way I am! You on the other hand, are conflicted, as you are wondering whether you should follow your own path, or follow the path others tell you, like your dad or grandpa! Why is it important to hear them!?" she added to her explanation.
Hearing this, caused Minami's bright eyes to snap in realization. However, her face soon turned into that of anger and her eyes narrowed. She even began gritting her teeth. "Just cut the crap, Nashiko!" she said lowly, before unleashing her anger once more. "DON'T ACT AS IF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH!" she added.
But the young bluenette snapped once she could see an unfamiliar chakra enveloping all around Nashiko. It was red chakra but it did not seem malicious nor terrifying. Rather it was filled with strength. It almost looked like a chakra cloak.
Naruto formed a slight smirk with his mouth as he watched the scene. Shikamaru, who stood beside him, also took notice of it and his jaw almost fell. "Woah…what the hell's going on? Shikamaru asked and eventually faced Naruto. "Since when did Nashiko learn to wear a chakra cloak.
The blonde-haired man only chuckled in return. "No, what you see there is no Chakra Cloak" Naruto replied while continuing facing the battleground. "What you see here, is part of the Uzumaki strength she has inherited from both me and my mom. However, she has her own hidden potentials indeed" he went on explaining, much to Shikamaru's surprise.
Nashiko fixed her serious eyes on her opponent, as her wounds began to wither away slowly. Minami was filled with outrage and distress. Nevertheless, she and Riko readied their stances, but Nashiko continued to stare at them, while slowly taking small steps towards her opponents.
"Don't make this harder for you, Minami. I am not necessarily happy to hurt you. You are still my friend" Nashiko spoke up. "You won't want this to end badly" she added with a slight plea towards her friend.
But Minami refused to heed her words and she readied her Gentle Fist stance once again. "I will never surrender to you! I will never give up my pride! My pride is my strength!" she exclaimed while preparing herself.
Hearing this only narrowed Nashiko's beautiful eyes and she could not believe what she heard. Nevertheless, she stopped in her tracks and slowly readied her fighting stance with the chakra empowering as a result. "If that's what you wanna do, then I'll have to hurt it. But I'll hurt more than your pride, since you asked for it!" she replied, and she began clenching her fists tightly. It was apparent that she was prepared to charge at Minami. "And when I'm finished with you…...I WILL OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE TRUTH!" she shouted and ran towards the bluenette in fast speed.
Minami snapped in shock, but remained defiant. She made sure that her partner was also ready. They would stand their ground against Nashiko's charging. Hopefully, they would use the Eight Trigrams technique once more, but she knew how much energy and chakra it would drain from her. Nevertheless, she was intending on facing Nashiko.
"YOU WILL NEVER MAKE ME SEE THE TRUTH! THE TRUTH IS NOTHING BUT A LIE!" Minami shouted as she and Nashiko was about to make physical contact with their attacks.
With Nashiko using her fists and Minami and Rio using their hand palms, the clash resulted in a large explosion appearing in the middle of the battleground. It almost felt like an earthquake and a large pile of dust erupted from it, sprouting right towards the blue sky. Even those outside the stadium could see the pillar, standing above the stadium like a mushroom.
Both friends and families of Nashiko and Minami both watched his closely as they desperately wanted to see the outcome. Even Tsunade had taken interest and she had gone so far as to rise from her seat to get a better look at the atmosphere in the battleground. She could see how calm Naruto was behaving, in midst of all this commotion.
When the dust began to settle, Lee began to inspect the battleground, and she could see that a pile of rocks had emerged from the ground. It surprised the green-clad man. He along with everyone was waiting to see if there was actually a victor among the two kunoichis. And it was.
A young girl climbed upon the pile of rocks and was dragging something along with her. All the spectators were filled with joy by seeing the victor, as she held an unconscious girl in her right hand and a small black-furred dog in her left hand. There was no point in denying it. Nashiko Uzumaki had emerged the victor. The young pinkette stood there, still covered in bruised, but also had blood running across her mouth.
The entire audience cheered for Nashiko, and she only grinned cheekily in return. She eventually did a pose similar to what her mother and grandmother had done, by demonstrating her strength and determination.
Lee was glad to know that at least a victor had emerged and he decided to take over the reins. "MINAMI IS IN NO CONDITION TO CONTINUE FIGHTING! THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT IS…NASHIKO UZUMAKI!" he declared Nashiko the winner and the entire audience cheered for her in return.
Nashiko stood tall amidst being surrounded by that many people. She giggled as she came to like the attention she was getting from fans and supporters alike. However, she took a glance at Minami's unconscious body and fixed a slight smile with her mouth.
"That was a great match, Minami. You really gave me a challenge" she thought, but she eventually fixed a slight frown with her mouth. "But I hope you don't take this loss personal. You and I are still and will always be friends. But maybe this will learn you how to develop yourself, as a perfect kunocihi" the young pinkette added in her thoughts with satisfaction.
Sakura had broken into tears after seeing her daughter standing victorious and she could not be more than happier to see this moment. She even looked up to her husband, who waved at her and did a gesture towards her. From what Sakura could tell, he too, was proud to see their daughter growing up.
"YEAH! WAY TO GO, NASHIKO!" Haruto exclaimed with open admiration for his older sister. "YOU ARE THE COOLEST BIG SISTER EVER! BELIEVE IT!" he said, even using Naruto's own catchphrase.
Sakura could not help but to laugh by seeing her son being so enthusiastic about the outcome. But he had more than right to it.
But for Hinata and Kiba, seeing this felt not necessarily a defeat for them. They were glad to see how Minami had managed to make it into the finals and she had done her best. Hinata could not help but to cry with joy, as she felt like the worst part was finally over. The bluenette snapped in surprise by noticing Kiba putting his right arm around her and leaned onto him. Knowing that he was willing to support her emotionally, Hinata happily accepted it and kissed Kiba's left cheek.
The brown-haired man could not help but to feel that he needed to do something when all of this was over. "Once this is finished…I must see Minami…..I must talk to her…she's my daughter" Kiba thought as tears slowly began falling from his feral eyes. It was very unusual for someone like him to be emotional.
"She did it, Menma-sensei! She won!" Shunsuke exclaimed with happiness over seeing his teammate succeeding. "Nashiko was amazing!" he added with admiration of the pinkette.
Menma mused in return by hearing this, as he could feel himself being proud over being Nashiko's teacher. "I'm proud of you, Nashiko. You won this match…by finding yourself…not your father or mother. You have a bright future ahead of you" the man with the ponytail admitted in his thoughts.
Minami's teammates had both different reactions to her loss. Ochinko seemed to feel worried about the bluenette's condition, but Saburou put a hand on his shoulder. The teal-haired boy faced his teammate with surprise, as he felt like the boy with sunglasses had never done something like this before.
"Do not fret over her, Ochinko. This match was between only Minami and Nashiko. As such, we have no say in its outcome" the blonde-haired boy said to Ochinko and eventually faced their unconscious teammate. "But what I think happened during this match, was that Minami was battling her inner demons. But Nashiko helped her defeat them. That's what I see here" he added while forming a slight smile.
Hearing this explanation made Ochinko fix a smile on his own. And he understood that Saburou had some truth in his words.
Takeda was stroking Arata's fur as he had been pleased by seeing the outcome of the match. "Well done, Nashiko. You never cease to amuse me" he said about the pinkette. However, he also had similar thoughts about his twin sister. "Manami…..after all of this is over….I will try my best to support you" he admitted in this thoughts.
Minami's Hyuuga-relatives had expressed some different opinions on the outcome. But Hiashi was now being confronted by both Himawari and Hanzo, who had left his seat to join his sister with this discussion. The eldest of Hanabi's daughters faced the elderly man sternly.
"Do you see now, grandfather?" Himawari asked him with a slight serious tone. "Is Minami still considered an abomination after all the hard efforts she has made!?" she asked again, this time demanding an answer.
Hanabi rose up to protest. "Himawari, you do not speak to your grandfather in such…" he was interrupted by Hanzo.
"Mom, just shut up!" Hanzo blurted out, thus snapping his mother. "You still don't get it! This match has led Uncle Kiba to make amends for all his terrible mistakes he has done as a father and husband! And he intends on saying those to Minami personally. In my opinion, you should be doing the same thing!" the black-haired boy told his grandfather.
Hanabi was not backing down from this. "That's enough from you, Hanzo! Both of you are under supervision once we….." the brown-haired woman was surprisingly interrupted by the voice coming from her youngest child.
"When are you gonna stop making excuses for grandfather's strictness, mom?" Hikari asked her as she sounded very distressed about this situation. "Minami and Takeda are our cousins, our blood relatives! Don't you think that we should stop condemning and start appreciating all remaining Hyuugas? So many of our clan were lost during the terrible war" she added to her demands, wanting to know when the Hyuuga clan was gonna start to get real for once.
Hanabi was stunned to hear this, but she could suddenly hear Hiashi sigh deeply in return. The elderly man rose up from his seat and then walked off, causing everyone to know where he was going. However, Hanabi decided to follow him, feeling this a responsibility to protect him as his daughter.
"Father…..where are you goin?" Hanabi asked him.
Surprisingly Hiashi stopped and began facing he ground with a sour look. "I am going to do something I should have done years ago. Follow me if you wish" he said before taking off, with Hanabi following him once more.
To be continued…
Author's note: Now that was an incredibly battle! It was a battle between two friends who each fought with all their might. The next chapter will take us to what happens after the match, as well diving right into the next round. Hope you enjoyed this fight! Stay tuned and see you next time!