Chapter Twenty-three: Of Seals and Vows
"Naruto!" Tsunade called. Naruto, who was walking a just in front of her, turned around to face her. Ducking her head, Tsunade pulled the cord holding her grandfather's necklace over her head and held it up for Naruto's inspection. "You and I had a bet, and you won, fair and square. So here it is." Naruto ducked his head and let Tsunade put it on. Picking the dark green gem up from against his chest, he studied it for a few seconds, before letting it drop back down.
"I still say it is tacky." Tsunade just rolled her eyes and walked on.
Tsunade had already packed most of her possessions, so it was mostly an issue of collecting her bags and signing out. Jiraiya and Naruto did the same at their hotel; everyone double checked their luggage and headed out.
Jiraiya set a hard pace on the way back to Konoha, with good reason. It had been exactly twenty days since Jiraiya and Naruto had set out to find Tsunade, and they had made it back in a day and a half, traveling from before dawn to after dusk, subsisting on what they eat on foot.
The three ninja dropped out of the canopy half a mile out from Konoha and slowed as they came within sight of the guardhouse. Ninja were a suspicious and untrusting lot, by and large, and dashing straight up to the gate was not the best way to gain entrance quickly. Once the guards had gotten over the shock of Tsunade's presence, everyone's passport was stamped, and the group went directly to the hospital. As they passed by the residential district, Naruto created a pair of clones who peeled off and went in different directions. Again, Tsunade's presence caused a stir, and she wasn't where she had to knock heads, but she did clap her hands loudly enough to make ears ring before anyone would do more than run around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Once she had gotten the hospital staff's cooperation, she was quickly directed to the ward where the Hokage was being kept. He was lying on a bed, in a hospital gown, unconscious. He was hooked up to an EEG and EKG of course, and an IV drip. His other arm had a dialysis machine plugged in, constantly purifying his blood of the Kusanagi's poison.
The problem with the poison was that it was not actually a poison. Any normal poison would have been filtered out of Sarutobi's blood within hours by the dialysis machine. But the poison acted more like a biological agent, self-replicating and self-sustaining. The dialysis machine was able to filter his blood quickly enough to prevent further toxification of his blood, but unable to detoxify his blood at a rate that would bring him to healthy levels at a workable pace. Relying on dialysis alone would take years to bring the level of toxification down where it would be safe to wake him up.
Sarutobi had placed himself in a hibernation trance as soon as Orochimaru had fled, lowering his metabolism, heart rate and breathing to a virtual standstill, apparently dead to every human sense, only the electronic monitoring able to detect signs of life.
Doctors had attempted to remove the virus, because that was what the poison acted most like, with antivirals and various medical techniques, but the poison was so complex that they couldn't. The virus was so tiny, the virus particles, or virons, were hardly larger than the red blood cells and quite a bit smaller than the lymphocytes. In short, there was nothing the doctors could do.
But Tsunade was far beyond the skill of even Konoha's most talented medics and doctors. Hell, she had pioneered the field and was the most talented healer in the world. Nevertheless, even Tsunade was stymied initially. She was able to detect something that had eluded the others though. One question about the virus was how it was replicating itself. Knowledge of viruses was not new, and while it was known how they replicated themselves, by altering the body's cells to create more virons, this particular virus did something never seen before; it infected the immune system itself.
The worst part about the virus was that it evolved at a terrifying rate, altering itself so that any antivirals given to the Hokage were ineffective within three generations. Eventually, while trying to identify how the virus was mutating, the doctors had noted the Hokage's depressed levels of white blood cells, but had not been able to do anything about it. If this virus did not kill him, then there was a strong possibility that a secondary infection could.
Jiraiya and Naruto were watching Tsunade work from across the room, silent to not break her concentration. There was a crowd of medics surrounding Tsunade, so the pair could not see much, but every other minute or so, one of the doctors would whisper something to Tsunade and she would either shake her head or nod. What little Naruto could hear was so filled with medical jargon it was incomprehensible. An hour into her diagnosis, Tsunade stood up. Knuckling her back, she passed through the crowd to approach Jiraiya.
"How is he?"
"Frankly, I am not entirely sure how he is alive, but that is an unrelated issue. I think I can remove the poison, but we have to move quickly. This poison is self-altering, and does so very quickly. I think I have come up with a way to destroy it, but I need your help. I need you to prepare a room with a total containment seal."
"That is going to take a while. It is going to take me until tomorrow at least."
"Alright then. Get to work as soon as possible."
"Tsunade-sama, there are some other cases we would like you to take a look at."
"I need to prepare for the procedure tomorrow, but I can spend a few hours here at least. Take Shizune as well. She is almost as capable as I am, and she can help you out as long as she wishes."
Tsunade, Shizune and the rest of the staff filtered out of the room quickly, splitting up, half the doctors going with Tsunade and half with Shizune. Jiraiya thumped his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Exhaling noisily, he rocked away from the wall. "C'mon Naruto. We are going to be up most of the night, so let's go get some food before we start. When we do, we will not be able to stop until we finish.
Naruto followed his master out of the hospital and down the dusty streets until they arrived at Ichiraku's. "You know, for once I was not going to suggest that we go here. I would have been fine somewhere else."
"Really? That is unusual for you. But I wanted to come here. I am not quite as obsessed with ramen as you are, but it is good to have every so often."
"I am not obsessed with ramen."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Do you to want to order, or should I wait until Jiraiya concedes defeat."
"Who says I would ever lose this runt Ayame-san?"
"Because as stubborn as you are Jiraiya-sama, Naruto's head has to be at least twice as thick as yours."
"Hey, that isn't true Ayame-chan!"
Ayame declined to answer, stifling her giggle with a hand. "So do you know what you want yet?" They did, and Ayame went back to the stove to prepare their orders. She returned a few minutes later with their food. The pair dug in and finished their meal off quickly and headed back to the hospital. Asking the nurse at the front desk, he was directed to one of the unused operating rooms to set up. They took the stairs to the third floor, where the room was. The room was tiled, and almost painfully bright at first, the fluorescent lights reflecting off the white tile to create a bright, almost directionless illumination. Slinging a scroll off his back, Jiraiya unsealed a pair of large brushes and huge pot of ink.
"What we are going to be inscribing today is what is called a total containment seal. Once activated, it will seal the target area off from all outside influences. This is going to be the most complex seal you are going to be doing for a while, so be sure to pay careful attention to what I tell you to do, and do not screw anything up." Naruto nodded solemnly.
Naruto quickly agreed that Jiraiya was completely right about its complexity. The total containment seal was not a single seal, but a series of concentric seals designed to create barriers to prevent anything from crossing.
This primary seal was designed to prevent any sentient life form, like people, from crossing. It started with a circle that encompassed the entire room, with over three thousand sub-seals to create the overseal. The next seal prevented any non-sentient life forms, such as bacteria and germs, from crossing. This one was only slightly less complex than the first, as it only had to filter anything that passed the first seal. The third prevented any non-living objects from passing through. This caught anything that wasn't caught by the first two seals, such as dust particulates and the like. The fourth seal was a mental barrier, preventing any kind of psychic intrusions.
"Psychic intrusions?"
"Boy, trust me when I say that us ninja are only one of many orders and organizations with superhuman abilities. I have told you of the Jedi of the Demon Country, but there are many other groups out there, some with abilities that make what we can do seem like parlor tricks. For the most part, we vastly outnumber anyone else, mostly because anyone can learn to use chakra, which is rarely the case with other abilities. Hell, there are people out there that can do the most amazing things with nothing but pure belief.
"Seriously? Like in a religion?"
"Usually, but not always. Anyways, take my word when I say that ninja are not at the top of the food chain, so to speak."
Jiraiya tuned back to his work, instructing Naruto to do the same. The pair worked through the night, preparing it to Tsunade's specifications. Stepping carefully so they didn't smudge any of the ink, the pair of sealing adepts left the room. Jiraiya pulled a passing nurse to go and tell Tsunade was ready.
She appeared escorting the Hokage ten minutes later, again surrounded by a swarm of doctors. It took Naruto a few seconds to see them, but both Tenten and Hinata were there also. "Hey, what are you two doing here?"
"Your clone said that you were stuck here at the hospital, but we couldn't get in to see you. Jiraiya had left instructions for you not to be disturbed."
"We slipped in behind everyone else. Once we were in the restricted areas, everyone just assumed we were supposed to be there, so…"
"Heh. Surprising how blind people can be."
"How are you feeling though?"
"Been up all night Hinata-chan. But okay, aside from the exhaustion. What have you guys been up to while I was away?"
"Cleanup mostly. The business district was not hit that hard, so we got off with mostly superficial damage. Broken windows, the front door, which was about it."
"Invaders never made it anywhere near the Clan District. The Complex was untouched. Most of the damage was in the administration district, around the Hokage's Tower and government buildings. But I want to speak to you in private later. There is something at home I want to show you."
A questioning look on his face, Naruto nevertheless let it pass for the moment. If Hinata did not want to discuss whatever was going on in public, he wouldn't press her. Letting Tenten pull him to his feet, everyone moved out to the waiting room when security finally realized that they actually weren't health professionals. Jiraiya immediately plonked down on one of the faux-leather couches and passed out. Naruto did a reasonable imitation, his arms curled around both Tenten and Hinata's shoulders.
The trio remained that way for several hours. Eventually, sometime just past noon, Naruto was shaken awake. Looking around blearily, Naruto rubbed the mucus out of his eyes and focused on Tsunade. She was dressed in unflattering green scrubs, hair tied up and away from her face, looking somewhat drained.
"It worked. The Hokage is in post-op, and barring any infection, he should make a full recovery."
Naruto leaped to his feet immediately, followed by everyone else in the room, except for Jiraiya. He was still asleep. Tsunade waved their congratulations off, as "he is not out of the woods yet. He is still unconscious and weak. The Kusanagi virus took a serious toll on his health, and he will need care for a while yet. But the worst is over."
Tsunade lumbered over to a chair and collapsed into it. Leaning back and closing her eyes, she tried to give every signal for people to leave her alone for a few minutes, but it was not to be. Cracking an eye open, she saw Naruto standing over her, with two girls who were presumably Higurashi Tenten and Hyuuga Hinata.
"Yes?" she croaked.
The brunette stepped forward, bashful and clearly in the throes of a serious bout of hero worship. She wasn't digging her toes into the ground, but it was close. "Um… Tsunade-sama, I know that this is probably not the best time, but my name is Higurashi-"
"-Tenten," Tsunade interrupted. "Yes, I know quite a bit about you from Naruto. From what he has told me, you have wanted to meet me for a while now."
"Yeah. I mean, you were my role model when I was in the Academy, and after I graduated too. You are the epitome of what it means to be a kunoichi, and if I can be half the woman you are-"
Tsunade cut the young woman off again with a wave of the hand. "Higurashi-san, I appreciate the compliments, but I am tired. Is there anything in particular you wanted right now?"
"Um… no, not really. I just wanted to introduce myself."
"Alright, how about this. Leave your number with Shizune, and I will call you, when my hands are not burning from molding too much chakra, and you and I can talk, maybe over lunch or something. Give you an autograph, or whatever else you want. Sound good?"
"Oh yes! Yes, yes it does! Let me find a pen and I can give you my number right now. Actually, I do not live that far away, and- mmph!"
"Hey Granny, nice seeing you again, good job with the Hokage, see you later, bye!" Naruto had locked an arm around Tenten and a hand over her mouth and dragged the young woman out of the hospital by main force. Tenten tried to struggle free, but Naruto's arms were iron bands holding her against his chest as he hauled her out. Once outside, the blond let her go.
"You okay now? No more gushing?"
"I was not gushing!"
"Tenten-chan, I have never seen you get that excited about anything before. You were gushing. The pair argued like that while the group strolled down the street, a Naruto for each one. Hinata parted ways with Tenten with her Naruto quickly, eager to get home for once.
Hinata gave quick and curt greetings to those they passed, which was slightly unusual for her. Hinata no longer felt the need to be overly polite to everyone she met, but she was still courteous to all she met, and rarely brushed anyone off. Today however, she clearly had a destination in mind, and wanted to get there quickly.
The destination was a fairly large room with a very complex seal inscribed into the floor. The seal was about thirty feet across, with a ten foot area in the center, presumably for someone to sit or stand. Naruto halted a pace in and stared.
"Hinata, this has to be one of the most complex seals I have ever seen, and that include the seal that I spent all of last night on. I see sigils for the spirit, for the mind, for the body, the soul. I see every single symbol required to contain a creature of considerable power, both physical and spiritual. What is this for?"
"Me." Naruto shifted his gaze to her, uncomprehending. "Remember back in the second exam? How my inner Hollow began to take over? Well, I have been speaking to Urahara-sensei, and he says that I have become something that has been entirely theoretical until now, something he calls a Vizard; a being that is not wholly Shinigami, nor wholly Hollow. He says that my inner Hollow is only going to become more and more dominant as time goes on. To prevent that, I have been training to control it. I have to go into my inner world to do it, and that allows my inner Hollow full control. The Hyuuga sealing masters created this to contain me."
"Hinata-chan, I am pretty good with seals, but this is way beyond me. This has to be the strongest barrier I've ever seen. You would have to have a dedicated demolitions team to break through it."
"That is kind of the point. You saw how I was when it was partially in control. Letting my inner Hollow unfettered access to my body, I just do not want to take any risks."
"Well, at first glance, this would certainly do it. And you could definitely call a Hollow a spiritual being." Naruto continued surveying the seal as he spoke, and only got more impressed as he examined it.
"The seal masters took two weeks to develop it, and that was putting a rush on it."
"Two weeks, no kidding. If it had been me working on it, I would have asked for twice that. Does it work?"
"Yes."
"I hope you gave it a test run before trying it for real. You did test it before you let your inner Hollow take over right?" Hinata did not answer and averted her eyes. "You dove in head first, without even seeing if it could contain you?"
"It works," Hinata mumbled. "The masters said that the Hollow-me wasn't even able to make a dent in it."
Naruto grimaced and shook his head. "Please tell me that Urahara-sensei was here to supervise."
"He was."
"Well, that is one thing you did right at least. But still… ah what the hell. It worked in the end. I'm not going to get angry at you for doing something stupendously stupidly risky as long as you weren't hurt. The results are all that matter, and it works. Just don't do anything like that again, okay?"
Hinata nodded, smiling with relief that Naruto had not gotten angry with her. "I can maintain my Hollow mask for almost a full minute before I lose control now."
"What did you start at?"
"Forty-five seconds."
"So that is like a thirty percent increase? Impressive."
"Not really. Once it breaks, I have to wait for several hours before I can use it again. Using it is tiring, because I have to completely subjugate my inner Hollow to use the mask, and I just am not strong enough to maintain it for a useful amount of time."
"Sixty seconds is a long time in a fight."
"Yeah, but I have to split my attention the entire time, focus on controlling my inner Hollow and fighting. I can't use any ninjutsu or Jyuuken while I have my mask on either. Pretty much the only advantages it offers me is increased speed, physical strength and intuition. I get like a sixth sense, almost like I can tell what my opponent is going to do before he does it. It doesn't work like the Sharingan, I can only tell what my opponent might do, but it is similar enough to make my father and some of the elders think something is afoot."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. But I seem to get these looks after a training session, and it is a little weird."
"Well, I doubt that they have anything dangerous for you in mind, so whatever. How often do you train?"
"Every other day, in the afternoon after Jyuuken training. Father seems to be of the opinion that training when I am already tired will help. I will say that it is a bit harder, which is the point."
"I want to take part next time then. I want to see some of this stuff in action."
"I warn you, I put several chunin in the hospital already."
"I am sure I will be fine. I have the Kyuubi in me after all."
"If you insist honey."
"I do. Anything else interesting happen while I was away?"
"Not really. Neji has been acting kind of off lately, but it is hard to tell. He seems to be avoiding me. Or at least he is spending a lot more time out of the compound." When Naruto's mouth twisted in distaste, Hinata hurriedly continued. "I know there is no love lost between you two, but he is the son of my father's brother. Neji has changed."
"How do you know? You just said he hasn't been spending much time around here."
"He is my cousin, the closest thing that I have to a brother. I know. Chalk it up to woman's intuition if you must, but he is different."
"Okay, so what? You want me to hunt him down and talk to him?"
"I know you don't like him, but he is family. I want you two to get along. Just like I want you and Hanabi-chan to get along."
"Alright. I will go find him and have a chat. And I will try to keep it civil."
"Thank you Naruto-kun."
"Anything for you, love."
Naruto grinned when Hinata grinned and slunk over to him. "Now, I have told you everything I have been doing, but I haven't heard much about what you have been up to."
"Nothing much. Met some guys, won a bet. But I don't really think you want to hear that right now."
Hinata didn't get a chance to answer before she walked into Naruto's embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth in his. Hinata obligingly snaked her arms around him and kissed him back.
"You know, I think I have to spend more time out of the village if this is how you greet me."
"Hmph. I know you would miss me as much if I were the one that was constantly disappearing with strange people."
"Hey, you were the one who got an inner Hollow, remember? You vanished for days before we knew what had happened with you."
"Well at least I do not pick fights with monsters and demons, or go looking for fights while wounded. Gaara makes, what, five times now?
"Five? That seems a little high." Naruto paused for a moment. "Oh come on. You are counting Wave. You can't count Wave against me. And I was the only one who could have stood up to Gaara."
"Maybe, but what about the Hollow in Grass?"
"What about it? It never even touched me."
"You saw how it tore me up and yet you went tearing after it."
" I was defending you! Are you honestly going to hold that against me?"
"No, but you do have an alarmingly tendency to pick fights with people and things you have no right to beat."
"No right to beat? I am the goddamn Kyuubi Jinchuuriki! I can take on anyone and anything out there, no problem."
Hinata sighed and pulled away. "Look, Naruto, why don't you go look for Neji? This is a conversation I don't want to have right now."
Unsure of what he said to upset her, he was nevertheless wise enough to do as she said. He had learned a long time ago not to irritate his wife, doubly so since Hiashi had taken over her Jyuuken training. Stepping out of the apartment, he pulled his sandals on when he reached the front door. Exchanging quick greetings with Yun and Jun, he headed out to the training grounds.
He did not know Neji well, only well enough to not like him, and as a result did not know any of his haunts, assuming he had any. So he decided to start out at the training grounds, and then go from there. Twenty minutes of searching finally yielded results.
He was at Training Ground Three, a basic forest clearing area. There were a handful of training posts set up, but they were being unused. Team Gai was standing in the center of the clearing, doing what appeared to be doing a complicated series of stretches. The group was so absorbed in their routines that Naruto had to clear his throat from the edge of the clearing before anyone noticed him.
Gai turned around, bring a leg down from above his head and addressed him. "Good morning Naruto-san. How may I help you this morning?"
"Good morning Gai-sensei. Sorry for interrupting training, but I would like to have a talk with Neji. It won't take more than a few minutes, I promise."
"May I ask what you want to speak with him about?"
"Ah, I am sorry, but it is a personal issue, not a professional one. I promise I won't try to start a fight with him."
"Alright. Neji-kun, do you want to speak to him?"
"I do not mind Gai-sensei."
Tipping his head to one side, Naruto walked to the edge of the clearing. Turning to face the blond, Neji spoke first. "May I ask what is so urgent that you had to speak to me immediately Naruto-sama?"
Naruto took a long second before answering. During their fight in the Finals, Naruto had inflicted substantial damage, and not even the most talented medic-nin had been able to restore Neji's face to its pre-Chunin Exam state. The first and most obvious change was his hair. It now hung a hair short of his collar, the greater part having been shorn off by Naruto's Rasengan. Neji parted it down the middle of his head and let his dark brown hair fall to either side of his face. The second change was a large scar, about three fingers wide, that stretching from just shy of his hairline, going straight down over his right eye and cheek before ending at his jaw. The edges were slightly ragged, with slight down-and-to-the-left striations, following how Naruto's Rasengan had gone. His eye had been unharmed, but unknown to anyone but himself and the nurse who had healed him, he had asked to keep the scar, as a reminder to himself.
"Hinata-chan said that you have been acting odd lately. Normally, I really would not care, but Hinata wanted me to speak to you. She said that you have not been spending much time at the house lately, and is concerned. Why she would be after some of the shit you had done, I do not know, but it is who she is. Now, I will try to keep this brief, so I will only ask you one question, is there anything that Hinata or I should know about what is going on with you?"
Neji paused for a few seconds, tilting his head in a peculiar manner. "It has been a long few weeks since our fight in the Chunin Exam, hasn't it?" Naruto did not reply. "I have thought a long time about what you said to me back then. You told me to stop prattling on about fate because I am not a loser. You were right. I had accepted a long time ago my place in the world, and because I thought it was unjust, I decided to take my hate out on the one who had caused my circumstance. But when I couldn't do that, I took it out on the only one I could, though she was completely innocent of any wrongdoing. What I did to Hinata-sama and how I have acted toward her has been nothing short of reprehensible. There is nothing I can say in mitigation of my actions, because they are unpardonable." Pausing for a few seconds, Neji bowed his head, and went to one knee, one fist pressed to the turf, the other clenching his knee.
"I do not ask forgiveness, but to follow. You may not know this, but each Main House member is allowed to choose one from the Branch House as a personal retainer and bodyguard. I ask to be allowed to fulfill that role."
"And why would I allow you nearer to Hinata-chan than I have to? You put her in the hospital, Neji. You would have killed her. Tell me why I would let her would-be murderer within a hundred feet of her."
Daring to raise his gaze from the grass in front of him, Neji nearly flinched at the icy hate that Naruto looked at him with. Hurriedly ducking his gaze again, he spoke quickly. "I have no good reason, except that I have changed, Naruto-sama. I wish to help you achieve your goals; help you to change the Clan. I want to be part of the future that you represent."
"Hinata and I wish to abolish the Caged Bird Seal, I assume that is what you are referring to?" Neji nodded. "Is there any other reason you want to follow me, other than that? Because if that is it, it would seem that your motivations are entirely self-centered. How can I trust a bodyguard whose only reason for protecting me is because I will free him from slavery?"
"Some would argue that that is the best kind of motivation Naruto-sama."
"I will have to think it over. Now go back to your team."
"Hai, Naruto-sama." Neji didn't quite scurry, but he made his way across the field quickly. He had not expected Naruto to turn him down immediately, and that had caught him off guard. He suppressed a shiver at remembering those icy eyes, completely different from the bloody red ones he had during the Chunin Exam, but frighteningly similar at the same time. Naruto was only thirteen years old, but he possessed a singular force of personality, a presence, an overwhelming sense of being here that made you pay attention to him.
It wasn't anything conscious on his part; he just seemed to be more real than anything else. Neji swore he could almost feel the world warping around him when in his presence. Part of that was the force of his emotions, when you had done something he did not like, you knew it. He did not have to say anything, you just knew it, you could feel the displeasure radiating off of him. It was simultaneously terrifying, and awe-inspiring. He had not been surprised in the least to learn that Naruto, a mere, well, mere was probably a bad descriptor of him, but a rookie genin nonetheless had sent seasoned jounin scurrying when he said 'go' during the invasion. Neji knew that if there had ever been someone born to become Hokage, it was Naruto. If there was anyone that could have been said to be born to lead, it was Naruto.
He ignored the glances and worried looks that his teammates sent him as they resumed their training, instead crossing mental fingers and hoping for the best.
OoOoO
"You will not believe what Neji asked me," Naruto said when he had returned to Hinata.
"What did he ask?" she asked from somewhere in his room.
"Apparently, the reason why he has been avoiding you is because he has been feeling guilty. He basically said he was sorry and that he wanted to become my bodyguard."
"You should let him."
Looking over the back of the futon he had sat on, he saw Hinata poke her head past the open door to his room. "I see no reason why. He almost killed you. I am not letting him get any closer to you than I have to. And if I were to let him be my bodyguard, he would be around you quite a bit."
"You cannot hate him forever Naruto-kun He has changed, I know it. If he asked to serve you, he is being honest."
"Sure I can hate him." But Naruto had to admit that Hinata might be right. Before the Chunin Exams, there had always been a slightly disgusted and sarcastic undertone whenever he spoke. But he had not heard any of that when he had spoken to Neji a little bit ago. When he said "Naruto-sama" it had sounded like he had honestly meant it.
"Then do it for me. This has to be important to him, and spending time with him might help you to let go of some of your hate towards him."
"How important is this to you?"
Hinata came out of his room and sat down next to him. "Naruto, it isn't healthy to hate someone this much, and it has me a little worried. Everyone says that the Kyuubi was pure hate, and I am concerned. What if the Kyuubi has more influence over you than even you know?"
Naruto had never considered it like that, and he had to admit that Hinata had a point. "Fine then. I will do it, if you really want me to."
"I do," she said, nodding. Hopping up, she grabbed his hands, leaning back, trying to lever him up. Naruto only grinned, and let himself be pulled to his feet. "Come on. We have to tell my father."
"How come?"
"It is complicated. I'll explain it when we find him"
Acquiescing, Naruto followed as they looked for Hiashi. He was not in his office, or his private chambers. The dojo was empty, as were the gardens. Starting to wonder where he was, Hinata almost tripped over him as she rounded a corner.
"Father, there you are."
"Were you looking for me?"
"Yes. Naruto has decided to choose a personal retainer, but I don't think he has been established within the Clan yet."
"No he hasn't. Has he selected a his sigil?"
"No, he hasn't had the chance."
"Wait, what are you two talking about?"
Hiashi gave him an odd look before refocusing on Hinata. "Come with me then. You can explain it to him on they way."
Hinata nodded wordlessly and allowed her father to lead. Walking behind Hiashi, she turned to Naruto, ready to explain. "Let me explain first and then you can ask." She waited for his nod before continuing. "When you and I were married back in December, as far as the village was concerned you became a full member of the Hyuuga Main House. But you have never been formally established within the Clan itself. Technically, the Branch House Hyuuga do not have to do anything you say, as there is no Hyuuga Naruto within the family lists.
"When a Main House Hyuuga comes of age, by either graduating the Academy or turning 16, he or she selects a symbol to use to identify him- or herself within the Clan, and as a Clansman outside. A Branch House member goes through the same ritual when he or she gets a seat on the Council."
"So I just pick something and what, that makes me an official Hyuuga?"
"It is a little more complicated than that, but essentially, yeah. Your sign will be set into a ring which you can use to seal documents against tampering and to make sure they aren't read and give someone permission to act with your authority."
From Naruto's expression it was clear he didn't understand. "I will explain it better later. Right now, just try to pick some kind of symbol that you think represents you."
"Like what?"
"It can be anything. I never wear my signet ring, but mine is rather simple for a sigil: a seven-rayed sun. My mother said that seven rays of sunlight fell on me when I was born, and that is why I was such a happy child."
That Naruto understood, and he nodded to show that he did. "I don't know. The best that I can think of is the tailed swirl that I put on my coat."
"That is just fine. It doesn't have to be anything extremely elaborate, just something that you think represents you well."
"Hey Hiashi, what is your sigil?"
Hiashi looked over his shoulder as he said, "mine is a shattered chain."
Naruto quirked an eyebrow at Hinata who shrugged. "He has never told me, or anyone else as far as I know, what it means."
"The only other person who knew what it meant is dead."
"Kind of an odd pick for you, a broken chain?"
"A shattered chain," Hiashi corrected.
"A shattered chain, then. Still, kinda weird."
He ignored the comment, instead sliding a door open and saying "here we are." Hiashi held the door open for the Hinata and Naruto and followed them into the room. Naruto looked around in mild curiosity at the cluttered room. There were desks along most the perimeter, and papers stood in slightly disordered stacks on a few of them. The shelves attached to the walls, taking up the remaining space were crammed with wood- and leather-bound books. "Hoitsu, where are you?"
"One moment please, just one moment." A few seconds later, a middle-aged mane emerged from a second room, holding wiping ink-blotched fingers on a scrap of paper. "Ah, Hiashi-sama, good day. What brings you here today?"
"My daughter's husband needs to be established within the Clan. He requires a signet ring and seal. You should have the marriage certificate somewhere here."
"I will take your word, Hiashi-sama. I do believe that I had heard that Hinata-sama had gotten married and had been wondering when he would have to be established."
"He has a design ready, and the paperwork has already been prepared."
"I see," Hoitsu said. "May I have it?" he asked Naruto.
"Ah, I don't actually have it drawn out, but I know what I want it to be."
"That is fine. Can you draw it out?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Okay then, Come back here with me." Naruto did as told, and followed him into the rear room. It was crowded with various machines, including some kind of huge press, a kiln and what appeared to be a jeweler's station, judging by the huge magnifying glass and loup. When Naruto looked back, Hoitsu was holding a clay tablet, and what looked like a metal quill.
"If you can draw your design into the clay tablet here, I will use it to make your ring."
Naruto took the tablet, which was about as large as both his hands, and maybe two inches thick. Hoitsu cleared off a section of table and let Naruto sit down. Picking up the metal stylus, he carefully drew a his symbol and handed the tablet back to the man. He set the tablet aside, and pulled him over to another part of the room, where he tried on various styles of rings. In the end, Naruto chose a thicker ring, the band almost as wide as one of the bones in his pinkie. The top of the ring was flattened, and slightly wider than the band, and squared, with the corners chopped off, so that it looked like a stretched-out octagon. When he was finished trying on rings, he was told to return the next day.
OoOoO
Tenten and Naruto walked in silence for a while, arm in arm. The silence was broken after a few minutes when Tenten said "I finally found an apartment."
"So you finally decided to move out?"
"Yeah. Mom and I had another fight. It has been getting to the point where she and I are fighting on almost a daily basis, and I just can't handle it any more. There is an apartment in the schoolyard for about ¥22,000. It is small, and only partially furnished, but it is not like I need a whole lot of space. Almost certainly going to end up dipping into my savings for stuff."
"Well, if you need money, I can help you out some."
"I should be fine. I really do not spend much, as up until now, paid no rent, didn't pay for food or utilities or equipment. I have saved a nice little nest egg for just this day."
"Well, give the lady a cookie!" The smile on his face took most of the bite out of the words though. "Need help moving?"
"Not really. Most of my stuff is already sealed away, and I am not taking any of the furniture, so it is mostly just kunai and shuriken and gun supplies, things like that."
"How about a party then? To celebrate you getting your own place?"
"No thanks Naruto-kun. This really isn't something to celebrate in my opinion."
Naruto pulled Tenten to the side of the road and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry Tenten-chan. I know that this must be hard on you."
"It is okay. I know that you are just trying to cheer me up. I love my mom, but she just can't accept me being with you. It has just become too stressful to stay there. Dad said that I can still come buy to get equipment and stuff, but I dunno. It would feel I am still trying to cling to them if I have to go back to them for stuff like that."
"Don't feel like you have to completely sever yourself from them just because you are moving out. They are still your parents, Tenten-chan, no matter what. I never got to know my biological parents, and if it wasn't for Anko, I don't know what would have happened to me. She is the only parent I have, and I cannot stand the thought of losing her. She and I have had out fights, but we still love one another."
"I know. Sometimes I think that if Mom was a ninja, she would understand. But she isn't, and she doesn't. It must be nice having a parent who understands you."
"I am not so sure about that. Mom is not really much of a measuring stick for normal mothers. We don't argue about you or Hinata, but we argue about other things. I think it is less that she is a civilian, and more that she is your mom. I am sure that if your mom and dad were ninjas, you would just be arguing about different things. In my opinion, ninja families don't really get along that much better than civilian families."
Tenten just sighed into his chest. "I don't know. I'm just depressed."
"Well, why don't we get you moved into your new place, and then I'll see what we can do to cheer you up. Maybe we could go out to dinner somewhere, or to a movie, or something. Anything, just to get your mind of this stuff."
"We'll see. C'mon, let's get this over with."
Naruto released Tenten and followed her to her parents house. Kouseki didn't say anything as they entered and went straight upstairs. The packing took several hours, all her clothes, pictures, weapons, knickknacks and whatnot sealed into a large luggage scroll. Once that was done, just about the only thing left to do was pick up her guns, slip her gunbelt over one shoulder and grab her black trench coat. She paused for a seconds in the doorway, looking back at the stripped-down room before going back downstairs.
Naruto lounged on the other side of the room as Tenten walked up to her father. Kouseki walked around the counter and gave his daughter a serious stare. Tenten handed him a slip of paper. "That is my new address. I don't have a phone yet, but I will let you know when I get one."
Kouseki accepted the paper solemnly. "So this is it? You are really leaving?"
"Yeah."
"Well, just know that you are always welcome here, Tenten-chan. As much as you and Chichi argue, we both still love you. Please come by sometimes, so we can see you."
"I will." Both embraced suddenly, and Naruto turned away, moving to the door to give them some privacy. A few seconds later, Tenten took his hand from behind and led him out the door. She didn't look back once on they way to her apartment.
The apartment was tiny, an alcove for a foyer with a shoe rack built into one wall, a living room to the right with barely enough room for a pair of couches along one wall square, and attached kitchenette, with a bar, again, just large enough for the stove, refrigerator, sink and dishwasher. A hallway went along the straight left wall with a bathroom on the right behind the kitchenette and bedroom at the end.
Aside from the refrigerator, dishwasher, a single bookshelf in the living room and twin bed, it was bare. Looking around, Naruto said "it's... cozy."
Tenten looked over her shoulder from where she was in the hallway, going to drop her stuff in the bedroom, that told him she knew what he really meant. "Do me a favor. I gotta go talk to the landlord and sign some papers. Start unpacking for me."
"Where do you want me to put your clothes? No dresser."
"Stack them, neatly, on the floor for now. I will have to go furniture shopping tomorrow or something. Just stack the rest of my stuff against the wall where you can. Be back in a little bit."
Tenten slipped her shoes on and left. Naruto sighed. "She would leave me to do all the work." Nevertheless, Naruto unrolled the scroll and started to unpack. He tossed her gunkit and ammunition onto the coverlet, as well as her pistols. Her rifles were carefully leaned in a corner. The next seals contained the contents of her warchest, organized as close as it had been before. After that were her clothes. Her shirts and pants were already folded, so it just an issue of stacking them into pyramids, sot they didn't fall over and make a mess. The last seal contained her unmentionables. He immediately resealed those, because with his luck, she would walk in just as he was handling them and think that he was doing something that he wasn't.
Finished unpacking, he moseyed out into the living room/kitchen area. The refrigerator required a bit of a yank of get the door open, and when it did, it had a funny smell. The gas stove lit at once, surprisingly, and the water coming out of the faucet was clear, even though he could taste some hard mineral deposits in it.
Naruto stood up and looked through the bar when he heard the door open. "I'm back," Tenten called out as she tucked her shoes in the rack and closed the door behind her.
"In the kitchen," Naruto replied. Walking over, Tenten leaned in the doorway. "I think you are going to have to clean your new fridge out. It smells kinda bad. And the water is hard."
"Well, I was not expecting everything to be perfect when I checked it out. But it is mine now. Just signed the last of the papers with the landlord and gave him my security deposit. Glancing up to the analog clock hung on the wall in the living room, and noted the time. "It is getting late, so I think I will take a shower and go to bed."
"I will get going then." Tenten waited for him to slip past her and walk to the door before she hugged him from behind, a sudden urge seizing her.
"Naruto?" she said, her voice quavering slightly. "Don't go, please. Stay with me tonight." Her tone was quiet and breathy, an almost childlike neediness in it that pulled at Naruto's heartstrings.
Naruto turned in her embrace and cupped her chin. "You sure?"
Tenten kissed him before answering. "Yeah, I am sure. I just do not want to be alone tonight. Besides, you already proposed to me, and have slept in my room before, so it is not that big a step."
Naruto gave her a gentle smile as he leaned his forehead to rest against hers. "I know. I would be glad to stay here with you for tonight, and tomorrow, if you want, and as long as you wish me to." He punctuated that statement with another kiss, slipping one hand around her shoulders and one around the small of her back. Tenten pulled away after a few seconds and glided into the bathroom, after getting her toiletries from her room. Yelling through the door, he said "I am going out for a minute. I'll be back before you get out of the shower."
He waited for a response, but heard nothing but the hiss of the shower head. Shrugging, he left the apartment and walked down to the corner pharmacy. Going through the aisles, he picked out a cheap toothbrush and some scentless shampoo, as anything Tenten had was likely to be lavender or melon or something like that. The last thing he got was a package of condoms at the counter. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure what Tenten really planned, but he wanted to prepared in any case. He paid for his stuff, and hurried back to the apartment. He had barely gotten into the bedroom and slipped the condoms under the bed when Tenten came out.
She had blow-dried her hair, so it hung down to below her shoulders. Unwrapping the pink towel she had wrapped over herself, Naruto let out a mental sigh of relief. She was wearing a brassiere and panties under it, and nothing really racy either. He loved Tenten, but he was not ready to consummate their relationship. He and Hinata still had separate bedrooms.
Tenten smirked when she saw him relax when she took the towel off, mistaking relief for disappointment. "What, did you think I was going to be naked?"
"Uh, no," Naruto lied.
"I love you Naruto-kun, but we are only thirteen. It will be a while before I am comfortable enough to have sex."
Swaying over to him, she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him while pulling his shirt up and over his head. Tenten rolled over and past him onto the bed, slipping under the covers. Naruto removed his pants and stood up, clad only in his boxers. Pulling the thin coverlet back, he slid in next to Tenten. Tenten had rolled over to face away from him, so he threw an arm over her stomach and pulled her in close to him. Eyes closed, already dozing off, Tenten smiled and wriggled a little to get closer. Naruto nestled his face in the crook of her neck and fell asleep smiling.
OoOoO
When Neji was summoned to the Council's meeting room late the next morning, he went with quick steps, a hair short of jogging. Kneeling and knocking on the wood frame of the rice-paper door, he was admitted within short order. Kneeling again once he had closed the door behind him, he gave Hiashi a quick glance. The full Council had been assembled, the U-shaped tables arranged so the open end faced the door. Hiashi was seated in the center of the middle table, with Naruto seated on his left, and Hinata on his right. Stopping in the approximate center of the room, Neji bowed and addressed Hiashi. "As I have been summoned, so have arrived, ready to serve, at your pleasure."
Standing up, Naruto stepped into the center of the room, passing though a small gap between the center table and the two before Neji. "Neji, you have said that you came today ready to serve. Are you prepared to fulfill that promise?"
"I am Naruto-sama.
"Then kneel and swear." Neji knelt, carefully noting the new ring that Naruto wore, as well as the silver platter with several objects Hinata carried, stand a step behind and to the right of Naruto.
"Here do I swear fealty and service to Hyuuga Naruto from this hour henceforth. I swear to give my life for his, to be honest in all things and protect him from defamation and deceit until he releases me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I Neji, Son of Hizashi, of the Hyuuga Clan of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Shifting slightly, he lowered his head, hands on thighs, elbows pointed outwards. "Born to serve, my life to give, may death be my only release."
"And this do I hear, Naruto, Son of Minato, and I will not forget it, nor fail to reward that which is given: fealty with love, valor with honor, oath breaking with vengeance. This do I swear, until death take me or the world ends.
Turning to Hiashi he asked, "good enough?"
"I suppose. There is something to be said for brevity."
Naruto nodded once to him and turned back to Neji, holding his right fist out. As Neji had noticed a moment ago a silver band with a dark green stone inset now adorned his finger. Leaning forward to kiss the ring when Naruto told him to, he noticed the design carved into the stone, a circle with a spiral inside, nine tails wrapping around it. Stepping back, Naruto removed a large green elliptical stone, a little larger than his palm and maybe three fingers thick from a cloth-covered tray that Hinata offered him. Pressing the stone seal to a wide bowl of ink, he channeled some chakra into the green stone seal. Neji quickly shrugged off his tunic and turned, his right shoulder to Naruto. Naruto pressed the chakra-charged seal to Neji's shoulder, instantly tattooing the spiral-and-tails design into his skin.
Neji ignored the sensation of having a hundred needles pressed into his shoulder, turning to face Naruto and took Naruto's hand, helping him up. Hiashi picked up a gavel from here he was sitting and knocked it against the table once, signaling that the audience was at an end.