Invisible Fox
Chapter One
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For most of Konoha, it was a bright and pleasant day. The Demon Brat had died a month prior, causing quite a few celebrations, followed very soon after by several mass admissions to the hospital as those who saw the lineage of the Jinchuuriki as being more important than his burden disagreed with those who hadn't bothered to understand the difference between something that is sealed and what it is sealed in.
It was probably worth noting that almost all the hospital admissions were people in the latter category, with a very large majority of them being non-ninja. Although the injuries were generally not permanently crippling, they tended to be very painful and slow to heal, often leaving scars.
Oddly, most of the victims received spiralling scars on their lower abdomens, scars suspiciously similar to the seal that had once been used to restrain the Kyuubi.
After the fuss had died down to a low simmer, Konoha entered a new phase. With the loss of its greatest weapon, the Hokage decided to re-organise his ninja to compensate. Within two weeks of Naruto's apparent demise, the first non-Uchiha military police had been recruited from the Hyuuga, Aburame and Inuzuka clans while almost half of the Uchiha ninjas of chunin level and above had been reassigned to the active shinobi ranks with a specific code of conduct being enforced regarding the use of their Sharingan within Konoha itself (although this was balanced by the payment of bounties for jutsu copied from the ninja of other nations and placed into a new archive for any ninja to learn from).
This was only the first (and the most obvious) of the changes.
.
Hinata tried to back up further, but the tree behind her prevented her retreat as the three girls loomed before her.
It wasn't fair! She was only almost six, what had she done to annoy them like that? Why couldn't they leave her alone? All she wanted was someone to be friends with, not to be hit for something that she didn't even have anything to do with.
The leader of the trio, a girl named Ami, smirked as she slowly swung the stick that she was holding, a stick which she had snapped so that the end was sharp and jagged.
"Why are you doing this?" Hinata begged and Ami's face twisted into a wicked grin.
"Because you are a Hyuuga, so high and mighty. Well, we'll show you that you don't need to be in a clan to be strong."
Hinata crouched, curling her arms to protect her face, then she heard a loud slap.
"Who did that!?
"I… didn't see anyone, Ami."
"Well someone hit me." Ami snarled, looking round, then her gaze snapped back to her confused victim. "I bet it was you, we all know you Hyuuga do weird things."
Hinata shook her head. She had no idea what was going on, but…
SLAP!
Ami leapt into the air with a scream, grabbing her butt. Her two friends stared at her in shock.
SLAP! SLAP!
Hinata managed not to giggle as the other two girls suddenly reacted, grabbing at their own butts.
"…hide…"
Hinata blinked as the young voice whispered into her ear, then she nodded and quickly slipped behind the tree that the trio had backed her against. Keeping her back to the tree, Hinata wished that she had managed to activate her Byakugan so that she could see what was happening on the other side of the tree, where the three girls were standing back to back and…
Hinata blinked in shock. She could see them, even though the tree was between her and them. The colours had faded and she could see the glow of chakra…
She had activated her Byakugan!
Managing not to shout with joy, Hinata concentrated on what was happening. Her Byakugan was only letting her see about twenty meters, but it was more than enough to let her watch the bullies.
SLAP!
Ami's head jerked round, he cheek reddening with the invisible impact, then another slap sounded and the girl with the large hairstyle started to cry. The third girl raised her hands to cover her face, only for something to grab her hair and pull, causing her to stumble to her knees.
"Who's doing this?!" Ami screamed and Hinata gasped as the voice that had told her to hide spoke.
"I am Yurei and I was bullied while I lived. Now all who pick on others shall feel my pain!"
Ami's nerve broke and she fled, her face fixed in an expression of terror, her two friends running after her, leaving liquid evidence of their presence.
Swallowing, Hinata stepped back round the tree, her Byakugan fading as she did so. "Y… Yurei-sama? Are… are you still here?" Although the voice didn't answer, Hinata could almost feel invisible eyes looking at her. Gathering her courage, she bowed deeply. "I.. My name is Hyuuga Hinata. Thank you for saving me."
For a moment there was only silence, then the voice whispered a name.
"Yurei Ruto?" Hinata repeated. "Thank you Ruto-sama."
"…you are not scared of me?" the voice whispered and Hinata smiled.
"You saved me. Why should I be scared?"
Hinata almost jumped as an invisible hand took her own, then she reached down with her free hand to stroke its fingers. Moving her hand, she traced a path up Yurei's arm, feeling a worn, loose sleeve over his bony limb, then up to his shoulder, his neck and finally she stopped with her hand cupping the side of his face. Although she couldn't see him, she stared into the space where his eyes would be and smiled.
"Hinata-sama!"
Hinata jumped at the call and dropped her hands, realising just too late that in doing so, she no longer knew where her saviour was.
"Hinata-sama, it is time for you to return to the clan compound. Your mother wishes for you to meet your new sister."
Hinata gasped with joy. She had known that her mother was due to give birth, and now she had a sister.
"Coming!" She shouted, then she looked round, realising even as she did so that it was probably a totally pointless action. "Ruto-sama, will you come with me? Please?"
For a moment, there was no response and Hinata blinked away the tears that threatened to fill her eyes.
"…alright."
Hinata smiled as she felt a hand slide into her own.
.
"…she's so small." Hinata said in astonishment, gazing at her new sibling. Hitomi giggled tiredly.
"She will grow, Hinata. She will grow."
"Indeed she will." Said another voice and Hinata looked up to see her father smiling down at them. "I think we should tell our daughter the name of her new sister, don't you?"
"Her name is Hanabi." Hitomi replied, looking down at her newest daughter.
"An excellent name." Hiashi said, gently reaching out to run a finger down the cheek of his youngest child. "Hinata, come and say hello to your sister."
Hinata moved forwards and smiled as Hanabi briefly opened her eyes.
"Hello, Hanabi. I'm your neesan, Hinata."
.
Hinata closed the door to her room. Grateful for the privacy seals in the walls, she pulled out a box of food that she had liberated from the kitchens under the pretence of getting a bedtime snack.
"Ruto-kun? Are you here?"
"…yes."
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief and held out the box. "Here, I brought you some food. If you want water, help yourself."
As she spoke, Hinata glanced at the small jug of water on her bedside table and hid a smile as she saw that the level had already dropped somewhat. A moment later, the box seemed to float out of her hands and into the corner, where it sank until it was only a little above the ground, at almost the same height as it would have been had Hinata balanced it on her lap. The top lifted off and was placed on the floor, then an invisible hand picked up the first onigiri.
"Itadakimasu." Ruto's voice said and then part of the onigiri vanished. Hinata watched almost entranced as the food vanished into an invisible mouth, bite by bite. Soon, the box was empty and it floated back into her hands. Hinata placed it on her desk and then bumped into Ruto, grabbing him to keep her balance.
"Oh, sorry."
"It's okay."
Hinata smiled, then a thought occurred to her. Where was Ruto going to sleep? There was, after all, only one bed in her room.
One bed.
"Ruto, what do you sleep in? Do you have pyjamas?"
"No, I wear my boxers."
Hinata nodded and used her hand on his shoulder to lead Ruto to the bed. "You're sleeping here tonight, okay?"
"Sure." Ruto shrugged.
.
Hiruzen stared at the square of fabric that had been placed on his desk.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?"
Chunin Ebisu adjusted his small sunglasses before replying.
"Hokage-sama, I was training when I stepped on this. What caught my attention was that although I could feel it, I couldn't see it. Please, examine this for yourself."
Sarutobi frowned, then carefully reached for the centre of the fabric. His questing fingers encountered a length of fabric-wrapped metal and his eyebrows shot up.
"Is this…?"
"A Kunai." Ebisu replied. "As far as I can tell, it is a chakra-conductive Kunai which somehow… is invisible. I cannot explain it."
Hiruzen nodded absently as he closed his eyes and extended his other senses. The way that the Kunai channelled the chakra was familiar… the way that the metal was folded so that the outer surface had none of the ripples of the more common mass-produced Kunai… the tensile strength of the blade… the etching on the inside of the pommel ring…
"This is a Higurashi Special Kunai." Hiruzen finally said, opening his eyes again to look at how his hand appeared to be empty even though he was gripping the handle firmly. Holding out his hand, he placed the Kunai in Ebisu's hand. "I know that you are very well-read, see if you can decode the etchings."
Ebisu blinked, then carefully ran his fingers round the inside of the ring.
"8… 16… 3… I have a Kunai from the same batch as this one! But that means…"
"That someone has managed to create a process that turns things invisible, but lost the Kunai that it was used on." Hiruzen replied soberly. "Take the Kunai to Higurashi tomorrow and let him examine it, since he made it, he may be able to work out what was done to change it."
"As you command, Hokage-sama." Ebisu bowed, then he vanished in a shunshin.
.
"Hinata-sama? Are you awake?" a voice called in through the door. "You asked to be woken early today."
Hinata opened her eyes and yawned with a smile, pausing as she realised that her arm was trapped under Yurei's body.
"I'm awake, give me a minute!" She called out, pulling gently to extract her arm without waking her saviour up. Her efforts proved unnecessary when Ruto sat up and yawned.
"Good morning." Hinata whispered, praying that Ruto would take the hint and keep quiet. Her prayers were answered when Ruto hugged her and whispered "Good morning, Hina-sama."
"You can call me Hina-chan, Ruto-san." Hinata whispered back, returning his hug, then she released him and moved to her wardrobe, pulling out a towel.
"Ruto," She whispered, "You need to wash too and the bath-house is normally deserted at this time. If you leave your clothes in the corner so you can find them afterwards… it'll be quiet later and you can wash your clothes then."
A rustling of fabric was her answer and Hinata blushed at the thought that Ruto was naked.
"Come on." She whispered as Ruto took her hand and she shifted his grasp to her shoulder as she opened her door.
.
Hinata shrugged off her sleeping robe and hung it on one of the hooks, trying not to blush as she stripped in front of Ruto. Walking to the corner washing cubicle, she filled a bowl and pulled out a stool.
"Sit down and I'll wash your back."
"Okay."
Hinata picked up the soap and a flannel, using them to lather her hands, then she reached out cautiously and her questing fingers encountered Ruto's head.
"Close your eyes."
"They're closed." Ruto retorted with amusement. "But I can see through my eyelids."
Hinata's eyebrows shot up as she thought about it for a moment, then shaking her head, she poured some water over Ruto and started to rub the soapy lather into his hair. Within seconds, she heard Ruto inhale sharply as her fingers caught in a knot and she used the distribution of the suds to see where the hair was tangled, easing it loose. Soon, the hair was clean and Hinata poured the basin of warm water over Ruto, only to pause in shock.
She had expected to see a shape as the water clung to his skin, but instead the water was turning invisible too as it flowed over him. Curious, Hinata brushed her hand across his back and it came away wet with the invisible water slowly fading back into view. Shrugging, she lathered her hands again and started to wash Ruto's back, her hands gliding over his protruding ribs as she scrubbed his back and flanks while he used another cloth to wash his front and limbs. After a few moments, she refilled the basin and rinsed the suds off, then she gathered her courage again.
"Will you… wash my back?"
The stool scraped slightly as Ruto stood up and Hinata moved forwards, only to trip over Ruto. As she fell, Ruto grabbed her to try and keep her upright but only succeeded in slowing her fall and landing across her. Hinata's blush intensified as she realised which portion of his anatomy she was feeling pressed against her stomach, then Ruto was off her and pulling her to her feet. Feeling as if her blush was causing her to overheat, Hinata turned and sat on the stool as the flannel and soap seemed to float into the air and move behind her. A moment later, Ruto poured some water over her as she had done to him, then began working the lather gently into her hair. Hinata closed her eyes and found herself leaning into his ministrations. Too soon her hair was rinsed and Hinata almost sighed before Ruto began washing her back. Once again, he did it the way that she had done to him and Hinata almost fainted from embarrassment as his hands rubbed against her sides.
"Hinata-sama?"
Hinata forced her eyes open and looked blankly at the soap and flannel floating in front of her before she realised what Ruto was trying to tell her. Feeling her blush extend down to her chest, she mumbled her thanks as she took the cloth and began washing herself.
.
"Hinata, can you look after Hanabi for a moment?" Hitomi asked and Hinata nodded as Hitomi placed the carry-basket by Hinata's side, then she glanced at the book that Hinata was holding.
"Reading that story again? I'm sure that Hanabi would love to listen to it as well."
"Yes, kaasan." Hinata smiled back, choosing not to mention that she was reading it aloud to help Ruto learn to read as he had admitted that he only understood a few of the simpler kanji. Giving Ruto an apologetic glance (to which he responded by briefly tightening his one-handed hug), she turned back to the first page of the book which had become extremely popular despite the other series that the author was famous for. Taking a breath, she smiled down at her sister as she started to read.
"The tale of the utterly gutsy Shinobi.
"A novel by Jiraiya of Konohagakure, dedicated to Nagato, Yahiko and Konan of Amegakure.
"May peace one day be enjoyed by all.
"Chapter One.
"The journey of a thousand steps begins with but a single pace, but it is the most important since without it, the journey cannot be travelled. Naruto stood outside the entrance to the ninja academy and looked at the building before him…"
.
"…and so Naruto stood proud as his new sensei accepted him as part of the team, his new life as a ninja open before him as he finished taking the first step on his new journey." Hinata finished. Placing the bookmark so that she would be able to find the second chapter when she decided to continue reading it, Hinata smiled down at Hanabi, then jumped with an 'eep!' as a small round of applause sounded. Looking round, her eyes widened as she saw over a dozen Hyuuga of both the Main and the Branch Houses had settled around her to listen, completely unnoticed by her until that point.
"That was excellent reading, Hinata." Hitomi smiled as she rose from where she was sitting and walked over to kneel by Hanabi's side. "I think your sister really enjoyed listening to you."
"Thank you." Hinata smiled as she slid the book into her bag and picked it up.
"She really is a good reader." One of the other Hyuuga women commented and Hinata's smile widened slightly.
"You are." Ruto whispered into her ear and Hinata blushed at the sincerity of his voice.
Hitomi stood, holding Hanabi in her basket. "Thank you, Hinata. Now, I think it's almost time for dinner."
"Yes, kaasan." Hinata replied, lifting her bag. "I just need to put this away first."
Hitomi nodded and strolled off. Hinata breathed a small sigh of relief, then Naruto whispered in her ear.
"I'll sneak some food from the kitchen and meet you in your room."
"Alright." Hinata whispered back.
.
Ruto's whimpers woke Hinata and she shifted position, cradling his head against her shoulder. After a moment, Ruto woke with a gasp.
"Ruto-kun, what happened?"
"Nightmare." Naruto said quietly. "Bad dreams… memories."
"Tell me." Hinata said, sitting up and shifting Naruto so that he was just beside her, his hand in hers as she hugged him. For a long moment, Naruto remained quiet, then he started to speak.
"Before we met, I had a different name. My name was Uzumaki Naruto…"