It had been two days since The Hokages speech. The villagers had been in dibs and drabs since the speech. Not one of then had ever expected this. They all felt disgusted at their behaviour towards their beloved fourth Hokages son. Many people ... Didn't know what to do.
Some went out of their way to avoid Naruto, out of fear he could now strike back, knowing his heritage. He never did however. Some people went and apologised to had accepted their apology without question. Everyone in the village had changed their behaviour , that was for certain.
After two days, The Hokage had called for Hiashi to meet him, for 'Hyuga Training purposes'. Hiashi formally had a deep grudge against Naruto, as many of the Hyuga clan's members were killed during the attack. Though, after the Hokage had made his speech, Hiashi still had his resentment to the fox, but not Naruto. After he learnt he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, he actually received at lot of respect for Naruto. He had not once considered that Naruto was the container, and Not the actual fox, As the fourth wanted. He began to look at Naruto's qualities, and not those of the fox.
The Hokage was looking over the Academy students's records when Hiashi walked in "Yes, Lord Hokage?"
The Hokage lifted his head and moved all the student's records except for two and addressed Hiashi " Ah, Hiashi."
"I understand you have a problem with The Hyuga clans training methods. Well, I assure you, lord-" Hiashi began, but was cut off
"Ah, Hiashi , I have no quarrel with your Clans training methods. In fact, I want an additional person from the outside to join the Hyuga's training." The Hokage said
The Hyuga had never let an outsider into their training."Who did you have in mind?"Hiashi asked, curious.
The Hokage passed an academy record to Hiashi, who took it and opened the folder. Inside was a picture Of Naruto, and all his information.
Hiashi looked between the picture of Naruto and the Hokage, before speaking " You want me to train Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Indeed. " the Hokage said
"I'm sorry, but I refuse to train him. He cannot learn any Hyuga Jutsu if he is not a Hyuga, regardless if he is the Fourth Hokages son or not!" Hiashi retorted . He was not opposed to training Naruto because he was a Jinjuriki, but because his main fear was that if Naruto learnt any Hyuga Jutsu, the clans security would possibly be compromised. That was Hiashi's main concern.
"I had no intention of having him learn Hyuga Techniques. I actually intend for him to train on his own capability of Jutsu. I have several moves I want him to learn, but Naruto has problems with Chakra control. He uses either way to little or way too much Chakra. All I want you to do Is teach him Chakra control, and check his chakra levels when he attempts to use techniques, and, you willing, provide him with a sparring partner." The Hokage explained
"But why the Hyuga? There are many clans in the village that could be better suited to this task." Hiashi said
"The Hyuga posses the Byakugan. That allows you to check your enemies Chakra levels, am I right?" The Hokage said
"Of course, my lord" Hiashi said
"And you all incredibly skilled with Chakra control?"
"Yes lord"
"Then I see no reason that Naruto could Not train with the Hyuga clan. And I thought you would feel honoured to teach the Fourth Hokages son."
Hiashi considered. In terms of skill, the Hyuga were considered the best in the village, and training the Fourth Hokages skill would increase their reputation greatly. And the thought of serving the village also appealed to him...
"There is, however, another motive I have for having Naruto train with the Hyuga."
Hiashi looked up " what is it?"
"It has come to my attention that Naruto had formed a great friendship with your daughter Hinata. Both their grades have improved since their friendship began. I feel that this would improve both their skills if Naruto were to train with the Hyuga clan."
Hiashi widened his eyes when he heard that Hinata had forged a friendship with Naruto- before anyone knew who Naruto was! He would have a conversation with her later... But regardless... Hiashi has made up his mind.
"Very well. I will oversee the boys training." Hiashi accepted " under several conditions."
"And what are they?" The Hokage asked
" 1 : he is not to learn any Hyuga Jutsu" Hiashi stated
"Agreed. Your clan needs to keep its security. Although, if you change your mind..."
" 2: Naruto is under VERY strict instructions to do as I or any other Hyuga Member says."
"Understood"
"And 3: he is to train with my daughter."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow. As he last checked, Hiashi had sworn to kill Naruto if he had so much as looked at A Hyuga in a funny manner. It was a massive surprise Hiashi had accepted in the first place. But he actually WANTED Hinata To train with Naruto?
"I have seen my daughters grades over the past few days , and they have improved dramatically. I'm not sure if the boy is something to do with it, but I am... Curious to find out." Hiashi said
The Hokage nodded " these are the Jutsu's I want him to learn." He handed a small list of Jutsus to Hiashj .
Hiashi looked through. " I hope he likes hard work."
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The Academy had become a very different place over the past few days. Naruto's teachers had begun to show him some respect, the students had stopped assaulting him, and the academy had become a lot more bareable for Naruto.
It had changed for the better.
It had been the end of the day when Iruka was given the news. A teacher knocked on the classroom door .Iruka opened the door to see a teacher with a memo in his hand
"Iruka, I have a message you need to give Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga." He said, handing the memo the Iruka
Iruka took it "What is it?" Iruka asked
"They are to go to the Hyuga compound after class. Hiashi Hyuga is going to train them."
"Hiashi? What's he got in mind?"
"I'm not sure. Apparently he spoke with Lord Hokage. The Hokage is the one who actually suggested this. I'm just following orders." And with that, the teacher left
Iruka sat down on his desk and called for Naruto and Hinata.
"Naruto, could you come down here?" Iruka said
"Sure thing, Iruka Sensei!" Naruto said, cheerfully.
"Hinata, you as well" Iruka said
"Y-Yes I-Iruka Sensei." Hinata said
Both of them packed up their things and made their way to Iruka. Neither of them Had been told of what was about to happen. Neither of them were expecting it.
"Now, both of you, Lord Hokage has arranged for you to be in a training team." Iruka said "Each day, after class, you are to head to the Hyuga compound for training."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly " T-The Hyuga compound? W-Who's training us?"
"Your father, actually. Hiashi Hyuga." Iruka said
Hinata was shocked. She would never have expected her father to train her again.A few years ago, her father had given up training her in favour of her sister.
"Starting today, actually. You need to make your way there now." Iruka instructed.
"Yessir!" Naruto yelled with enthusiasm. Before Naruto could run there, Iruka have him a stern look
"Now Naruto, Hiashi is a well respected and very strict person- No pranks, be polite, and show respect." Iruka instructed
"Yes Iruka Sensei. " Naruto nodded. He had Gave Up his pranks when he learnt he was Fourth Hokages son. He didn't want to shame his dad. He wanted to become a ninja his father would have been proud of.
Iruka's face became friendly again"Okay, good luck you two." Iruka smiled, as the two walked off.
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The two friends walked along the road in silence. Neither of then knew what to expect. Hinata had had similar training, but she had no idea what her father would put them through.
"Your dad." Naruto said, shattering the silence " what's he like?"
Hinata looked down to the floor " u-Um... H-He's very strict... A perfectionist... H-He won't tolerate you I-If you can't keep up..."
"Sounds tough." Naruto said. He then suddenly slammed his fist into his open hand " I like it."
"T-These are the techniques we're learning." Hinata said , passing Naruto a scroll. Naruto unraveled it.
"The substitution Jutsu... The transformation jutsu...The Shuriken Jutsu... And the Shadow clone Jutsu. And for additional training, we're learning chakra control, and TaiJutsu skills." Naruto read aloud " sounds awesome!" Finally, he would be learning his first was determined to give it his all.
Before they knew it, they had reached the Hyuga compound. Two guards were there, but they allowed the two to enter, without saying a word. They seemed to know they were coming.
Naruto was nervous. He had literally no idea whatsoever on what to expect. He had never been to such a place. The building itself was massive, capable of holding about 50 people, and Naruto had a feeling there were plenty of people in the building.
He was most nervous about Hiashi. He didn't know why. Mostly because he had never met a Clan head before, and he had heard the Hiashi was a very strict teacher. Naruto planned to be polite, and show utmost respect.
"Ah. Welcome home, Hinata."
Naruto and Hinata turned to see a tall man, who looked to be in his late 40's. he had long dark hair, coming down to his shoulders. He had lavender eyes, same as Hinata, only Darker.
He stood before the two children " And I presume this is Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto , deciding it best to act with respect, bowed " yes sir."
"Right. Now lord Hokage has asked me to train you. I must set a few rules before we begin" Hiashi said
Naruto nodded " yes sir."
"You are to follow instructions at all times. You are not permitted to learn special Hyuga Jutsu. You show respect to all Hyuga. You follow orders on the first time if asking, without question. Understand?"Hiashi had laid the law down quite clearly.
Naruto bowed once more " Yes Sir."
"Good." Hiashi said, pleased Naruto understood. " training will be difficult. I expect both of you to do your very best. Especially you Hinata. I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself once again. Use it wisely"
"Yes father" Hinata said obediently.
' once again?' Naruto thought. Did her father give up on her or something ?...
"Good." Hiashi said " Follow me." He walked down a corridor which lead to an open field.
Naruto and Hjnata followed. Naruto looked around , taking in the sights and sounds of the compound. It was quite bland, compared to what Naruto had been expecting. A few clansmen, pictures and the rest was clear walls.
They walked out to an open field with a forest in the background, with two wooden targets in the middle of the field.
"Okay, this is very simple. I want you both to hit the targets as hard as you can. I will use it to judge your Taijutsu skills. It will be essential to learn the Shuriken Jutsu." Hiashi instructed
Naruto and Hinata both nodded. Naruto ran to strike with a clenched fist- BLAM! One strike to the body.
He brought his foot around to strike again - THWACK!
While Naruto was attacking with fist, Hinata seemed to attack like she was going to slap her target. Instead it was the Hyuga style of fighting- the Gentle Fist. It worked by channeling your chakra into your hand, and striking your enemies vital organs. Used correctly, it could stop a heart from beating with a single strike.
Hiashi watched the two for a while, generally impressed with what he saw. Both seemed to be giving it their all, but Hiashi wasn't satisfied. He held two fingers together, and activated his kekkei Genkei " Byakugan!"
They Byakugan revealed that Naruto's stance was off. His strikes were fine, but if he was attacked, he could easily be thrown off balance, and in the heat of battle, that could kill him.
Then there was Hinata. Her stance and everything was fine, aside from her actual strikes. The amount if Chakra she pummelled in was fine, but her strikes the selves were weak. At her level, she would need to put in a certain amount of power into her strike for the gentle fist to work.
"Stop! Stop. I've seen enough." Hiashi said, sounding disgusted with their efforts.
Both of them stopped their attempts and stood still, waiting for their tutors judgement.
"You both are severally flawed in your techniques. Naruto, your stance and balance is way off. That may not seem like much, but a single strike could knock you off your feet, and that could cost you your life in a battle."
Naruto gulped.
"Hinata, your strike is weak. Put more power in. At your level, the chakra won't strike your opponent unless you strike harder. Give your enemy an opening and you will die."
Hinata nodded.
"But using my Byakugan, I was able to see that your chakra is... Decent enough to learn the Shuriken Jutsu." Hiashi said
"Chakra?" Naruto asked " what's Chakra?"
Hiashi looked surprised ' what the hell do they teach these kids in the academy?'
"Chakra is what gives a Ninja the ability to perform jutsus. It flows around your body. It can be used to walk on water, use Jutsu, and for Medical purposes. Your chakra is quite small as of now, but the more you train, the larger it becomes."
Naruto nodded. He still didn't quite get it, but he got the gist of it- used for Jutsu and other purposes, grows over time.
"Now onto the Jutsu" Hiashi said
Naruto grinned . Finally, his first Jutsu.
"Now the Shuriken Jutsu is different to most." Hiashi held up four Shuriken " you need to focus on the target, till only you, the Shuriken, and the target remain. Then, you must focus your chakra into the Shuriken, and then.."
Hiashi , with one quick flash of his wrist, the Shuriken with immense speed, scoring several strikes on the wooden target
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered.
Hiashi threw four Shuriken into the ground next to Naruto's feet, causing him to jump back slightly "try hitting the targets using the Shuriken Jutsu."
Naruto picked up the Shuriken and focused his chakra into his hands as much as he could 'Aim...'
Naruto threw the Shuriken all at once 'THROW!'
THOK! TWOCK! TSSH . TSSCH.
Naruto looked up. Two had hit, two had missed . " not bad." Naruto said
"Not good enough. I won't settle for anything less of all four hits." Hiashi said
"Eh?!"
"An enemy won't give you a second chance. I am. Be grateful."
Naruto sighed. He couldn't really argue with that. He retrieved his Shuriken and tried again.
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By the end of the day, both Naruto and Hinata were sweating something chronically. Hiashi had worked them for 5 hours straight, without break .
Naruto took a deep breath, then sighed " how'd I do?"
"For your first time, I'm rather impressed." Hiashi said " in just a few hours, your skills are much more sharp than they were earlier. But with this, comes more hard work. To keep your skills up to this tone, you will have to train long, and hard. Otherwise you will loose these skills."
Naruto nodded, and gasped for breath " I... I get ya... "
"I assume you will be here tomorrow?"
"Believe it."
"I'm happy to hear it. Okay, you should go." Hiashi said
"Yeah... My thoughts... Exactly..." Naruto gasped. "See ya, Hinata."
"B-Bye... Naruto..." Hinata gasped too
Naruto retrieved his Shuriken from the target. He had three in the target, one on the ground. His accuracy was a bit off, but it was better than it was.
Naruto waved goodbye to Hinata, bowed to Hiashi, and walked down the corridor. Hiashi then turned to Hinata.
"When did you plan to tell me about your friendship with him?"
Hinata widened her eyes. How did he?...
"I spoke with Lord Hokage earlier today. Give me a satisfying reason, and I will allow you to stay with him." Hiashi said, sternly
"I-I fear you would approve... B-Because he I-Is a J-Jinjuriki..."
"I've seen your grades since. Now I don't care. If you become a ninja worthy of the name Hyuga, I couldn't care less." Hiashi said
Hinata had not been expecting that kind of response, but nevertheless, she was happy with it. It meant that she could keep seeing Naruto. That was all she wanted "yes Father. "
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over the next few weeks, Naruto's life had become considerably better. Hiashi had come to accept Naruto as a person, and was extremely impressed with his efforts. He had practically mastered the Shuriken Jutsu. And Naruto showed it a few weeks later.
The students at the academy had stopped Beating Naruto up , but many of them still hated him, for no other reason than they had hated him for years, And they weren't going to stop now.
"Right class." Iruka said, as he went over the days schedule "today we're learning the Shuriken Jutsu. This is a Jutsu that uses Shuriken to strike the target from a distance. Who wants to go first?"
No one moves, so Iruka randomly jabbed his register sheet " Sasuke Uchiha, perform the Jutsu."
Sasuke Uchiha was a member of the leafs most famous clan- the Uchiha. A few years ago, the clan was butchered in an act of violence. Sasuke was the only one left alive. He had black hair and eyes, consistently full of hate. He despised Naruto, because he wasnt a great student.
Sasuke walked up to the podium, as he was cheered on by nearly every girl, aside from Hinata, every step of the way
Sasuke, without emotion, void of care, threw his Shuriken at the target, scoring 3 out of 4 hits. The best so far that all year.
"Impressive work Sasuke. Next... Naruto, care to try?" Iruka asked
"Yeah!" Naruto said, dashing up to the podium. No one cheered for him, aside from a couple of people.
Naruto drew his kunai, and focused. Nothing else was there. Just him, his weapons, and a target. Chakra would do the work.
Naruto threw the Shuriken all at once. He got all four hits. All of them To high value targets.
"Astonishing Naruto! The best I've seen all year!" Iruka congratulated
A few students clapped for Naruto, and some gave him words of encouragement
"Nice shot!"
" Your real good at this!"
Naruto grinned. It was nice to revive some recognition.
Sasuke huffed. Not that he cared if Naruto had bested him. About time the dope pulled his weight anyway.
The day went on in a similar way. And Naruto and Hinata would go to the Hyuga compound at the end of each day, as they would until their graduation. You'd be surprised how quickly 6 months can go. You really would.