Byakuya

Chapter 23

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Naruto blushed immediately as Iruka let out a shocked yell. Iruka had always been like a father of sorts to him, and he couldn't help but to be ashamed that he had gone and leaned something like the Fuketsu Koodori. He had tried to ignore that Iruka was a part of the council as he had answered the councils' questions, but he couldn't ignore him anymore.

Swallowing silently to himself, Naruto slipped into his role as the #1 idiot loudmouth ninja.

"Nee, Iruka-sensei," Naruto started, keeping his eyes closed carefully, "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei didn't force me or anything. I asked for this. Konoha needs someone to do their filthy work after all, and the pay isn't that bad either." Naruto smiled, and opened his eyes hesitantly. The look of utter sadness on Iruka's face wrenched his guts into a mush.

Will he turn away from me because of this? Because I've done something he wouldn't approve of?

Iruka saw the tint of rejection on Naruto's eyes, and even though he didn't feel like it, he forced a tiny smile, trying to comfort Naruto. Even though the blonde was so terribly confident and strong, he was so very afraid that his relationships with people were made of glass.

And I don't suppose I blame him after he was turned down so many times as a child, Iruka sighed to himself, even as he offered that thin smile to Naruto, who brightened at once. I worry so much for him sometimes, the brunette thought as Hiashi started to interrogate Naruto on his success with the Fuketsu Koodori.

"You've been trained on Fuketsu Koodori?" Hiashi asked, and even the grownup man couldn't quite hide his excitement. He had never seen the rumoured fighting style, even thought it was very common knowledge that it was one of the best, and that even the famous copy-ninja Kakashi himself had been trained on it.

"Yes. Two years now. I've about reached level five, but there are still some kicks to work out." Naruto nodded, while Shikato snorted at Hiashi's unveiled excitement.

"In just two years? And from what I understand you had no talent in tai-jutsu when you left the academy?" Tsunade asked. Naruto nodded.

Hiashi nodded as well, rolled up the sleeves of his dark green kimono, and jumped over his desk to stand behind Naruto with swiftness that surprised Naruto. It was his experience that some taijutsu users became stiffer with age. The only exceptions of this rule he had seen were Gai, and now Hiashi. Hiashi settled into the gentle fist stance, with his one hand in front of him while the other was situated near his chest.

"Let's see then." Hiashi said. After throwing a doubtful look to the council stands, Naruto moved into his fighting position as well.

The Fuketsu Koodori stance differed from the gentle fist stance by the mere fact, that while actually standing in alert, you looked like you were actually taking it easy and posing for a photograph or something similar. Settling one foot in front of the other slowly, trying to settle more comfortably into his geta shoes, Naruto stopped the flow of chakra, and almost fell over.

He wasn't going to fight Hiashi using tiny tricks like that, it hardly seemed fair when the purpose was actually to test his abilities, or so Naruto believed. Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he noticed the chakra flow stop, and Naruto wondered how he could sense it even though his Byakugan wasn't activated. Ignoring Hiashi, Naruto settled into the stance, bringing his right hand near his torso, with the index and forefinger open. He breathed out softly, before bringing his other hand in front of him front of him, the fore and index fingers on his left hand also stretched out.

"Taijutsu only." Hiashi said, staring at his fingers. Naruto nodded, before breathing in again, trying to find his inner beat. He was hardly going to offer any kind of opponent to Hiashi if he didn't do his best. Naruto's blue eyes met Hiashi's white irises, and they locked into each others gazes.

"Begin!" Tsunade said loudly from her seat, and the ninja spurred into action.

Hiashi came to Naruto, with his fingers outstretched but avoid of any chakra, much in a similar style Neji had once used. Naruto twisted in the air slightly while bending himself over so that he could duck under that arm. He aimed a kick on Hiashi's back, which was easily crabbed by Hiashi's hand, before bringing both of his arms towards Hiashi's neck to hit the pressure points and render the Hyuuga unconscious. Hiashi twisted easily out of the way of the attack, before with speed Naruto almost didn't see; poking his fingers between Naruto's ribs.

It didn't hurt, per say, but it did make him feel slightly ashamed. He felt like he was a small child being thought by his father. Naruto smiled slightly before lunging at Hiashi again.

First the fight was all about testing the others strength and Naruto was surprised when he noticed that Hiashi had, indeed weaknesses. He seemed to harbour his left side more than his right, and he always tried to poke him between his ribs. Not that realizing that actually helped Naruto, seeing as Hiashi was easily too fast for him, and after being poked into the ribs for the hundredth time inside five minutes, Naruto was sure his ribs were going to break the next time somebody touched them.

Putting more speed on his attacks, he noticed how Hiashi's eye glimmered with excitement as Naruto pushed more into the fight and sunk into the sweet calmness of Fuketsu Koodori. Soon every tap, brush or broke on his skin, or against Hiashi's skin created a beat for him he could easily follow.

Hiashi aimed for his chest with an open palm which Naruto easily deflected; Hiashi went for a low kick, Naruto jumped over both the kick and Hiashi, trying to kick the older man on the back, Hiashi twisted out of the way, sending a poke between Naruto's ribs, and inside his head, Naruto cursed. Pushing some concentration on his movements Naruto moved into Fuketsu Koodori's second stage, and then Hiashi was no longer able to poke him in the ribs. One of the major points of Fuketsu Koodori, was in fact, twisting, bending, and jumping.

So Naruto started to dance around Hiashi. Even though the gentle fist was a super tai jutsu art, Fuketsu Koodori was exactly what it was named after;

Dirty

There is no honour in Fuketsu Koodori, even though it looks beautiful. The gentle fist was designed after an honour of sort, when one sorts of blows are not accepted, but Fuketsu Koodori, was in that sense, completely limitless. Naruto aimed a kick for Hiashi's privates, but was easily blocked.

Naruto didn't exactly notice when they started to push chakra out of their bodies, and into their fingers, palms, and feet. He was aware that at some point he started to push chakra into his feet again so he could fight better, and sensed Hiashi to do the same. They traded kicks and hits which were easily blocked.

Naruto moved onto to level three, and was surprised to see that Hiashi was starting to sweat. He hadn't actually expected to push the Hyuuga's limits. Their fight became faster, and soon all that could bee seen was their chakra, calm blue against a brighter blue, that met in the air with sparkling power.

The air crackled with electricity and after Naruto succeeded to land a hit on Hiashi, the Hyuuga activated his Byakugan. Naruto moved into level four, and started to web his genjutsu around it, before he remembered what Hiashi had said. Taijutsu only. Naruto twisted in the air at the same time he made a high kick, and wasn't surprised to hear his kimono tear. The sound was as silent as a tearing sound could be, but to his enchanted ears the noise made him aware that he was exhausted, sweaty, and surprisingly, grinning like never before.

It had been a long time ago since he had met a Taijutsu master. It exited him to fight with someone who didn't change between ninjutsu, weapons and genjutsu all the time.

Hiashi's open palm came in a vertical strike at him; a hit that would have crushed his windpipe had it hit. Naruto rolled his head so that the palm passed just under his jaw, before slamming his own palm towards Hiashi's chest. It was blocked, but Naruto noticed it was a lot slower than before. Getting exited at the change of winning, Naruto doubled his speed and went for a crude attack he had once seen a samurai use after he had lost his sword.

He crabbed hold of Hiashi's wrist and went to twist it in a way that would break it. Hiashi twisted in the air, slammed his left palm into Naruto's chest with a last burst of speed Naruto didn't expect, sending both of them flying from each other. Using the force of the hit Naruto made a double volt backwards, before landing in a crouch, ready to defend himself, should Hiashi attack again.

Hiashi was standing calmly before him, not attacking and trying to gain his breath.

Naruto slipped out of his fighting stance too, feeling slightly self-conscious now that the both sides of both on his Yukata and under kimono were ripped, revealing his legs and a good bit of his sun kissed thighs.

"Enough." Tsunade said her voice echoing in the huge room, and Naruto turned to glance at the council members, only to double look, when he noticed everyone was staring at him. First he thought he had something on his face or that his underwear was showing, but then he noticed that their glances went to Naruto, to Hiashi, to Naruto back again.

Don't tell me they've never seen Hiashi sweat before? Naruto asked incredulously from himself.

"You did well, Naruto-kun" Hiashi said, and Naruto's eyes widened. Never, had he expected to the Hyuuga show any sign of acceptance, lest he be accepted as a human being in the white eyes. Naruto smiled slightly.

"Of course I did, I'm going to be the next Hokage of this hole, and don't you forget it!" Naruto exclaimed, hitting his fist high up in the air. Iruka sighted in the stands for his lack of respect. Hiashi blinked, before turning to the council again.

"I suggest we grant Uzumaki the rank of a Chuunin, and send him to the next Jounin exams." Hiashi said, and Naruto could practically feel his jaw drop down in slow-motion. He was even more surprised when another voice spoke from the stands, one that did not belong to the Gondaime, or Iruka.

"Seconded." Shikato Nara said lazily. Naruto felt the world tilt around him, and he fell on his knees in shock. He had been expecting the council to protest against him being a chuunin, and was ready to accept that he would probably be a genin for years to come.

And they want me to try for jounin? This can't be true, Naruto told himself as he looked hazily at Hiashi as the Hyuuga neared him.

"Ah, Uzumaki Naruto. congratulations on your promotion to chuunin." Hiashi said, the end of his mouth twisting slightly into a smirk. Naruto gulped. He could feel the tears start to gather in the corners of his eyes and swallowed heavily.

One step closer to Hokage, Naruto's mind proficiently supplied. Naruto forced his head to move as he nodded, before bowing to Hiashi.

"A-a-arigatou, Hyuuga-sama." Naruto stuttered, his eyes wide.

Thank you. You won't regret this.

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Naruto looked at himself in the mirror; Messy and sweaty blonde hair; shocked still wide, blue eyes; a ripped kimono. Naruto smoothed the fabric of his red yukata before reaching to splash his face with cold water from the sink. Naruto sighted to himself, his mind still reeling with what had happened only moments ago in the hall where he had fought Hyuuga Hiashi; The head of the Hyuuga clan.

'congratulations on your promotion to chuunin.'

It swam in his head feverishly, that simple sentence. Naruto doubted the clan head even knew what it really meant to him. The council had started to accept him; and through the council; Konoha.

Naruto drank some of the cold water before closing the tap. Some water droplets continued to fall, dripping into the sink quietly. Naruto leaned to the side for some of the paper tissues on the side of the sink and dried his hands. He glanced up to the mirror again, and it took him a moment to realize what he was seeing.

Dark yellow eyes with slit pupils, sharps fangs protruding out a twisted mouth, shaggy, short brown hair, simple brown pants and a green were ripped shirt, and sharp and bloodied claws.

Naruto's eyes widened and his hand went for his sword, hidden under the folds of his yukata, but was too late. The hanyou jumped, claws stretching, jaws open and digging into the soft flesh of Naruto's neck. Naruto was caught off guard by the pain, and his eyes flashed red.

How dare an insolent hanyou dare attack him?

Naruto turned slightly to throw the hanyou off his back with a simple flick of his now clawed hand. Naruto's burning red eyes fastened on the hanyou that was looking at him in horror. The hanyou looked wildly around before lunging for the door.

Naruto growled.

He liked it when the prey ran. It made the hunt so much more interesting.

Not sparing a thought at the animalistic instincts or feelings invading his mind, Naruto dashed out of the bathroom, ignoring the sword that was hanging on his hip, instead choosing to draw a kunai from his tamoto.

I'm going to enjoy gutting this pup.

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A/N: Oh god…that Hiashi/Naruto fight was such a bother…and really, I envisioned the whole bathroom scene differently. Oh well...

I'm just so tired right now with this whole story… but I'll try to update Saturday again… possible Sunday, I think I may have to work a bit more on the next chapter and stuff…

Because fights are a bit hard to describe, so it's going to take a bit more time…

Well, review, or, whatever

--Dark