A/N: Valentine's Day is near, so please read the Naruto Valentine's Day fic I wrote a few months ago. Anyway, next chapter is here!
Chapter 21: The Defector
Hiashi was working at his desk when his door was roughly opened by his eldest daughter. "Hinata, what is the meaning of…"
"Is it true?" she demanded.
Hiashi shook his head. "First of all, calm yourself Hinata. This is not becoming of a Hyūga, especially one of your stature. Now please leave, knock, wait for permission, and…"
"No! You're gonna tell me if it's true!" Hinata shouted back, not moving from her spot.
"Hinata, I am your father and the head of this clan! And as such you will show me the respect I deserve!" Hiashi retorted. "I have tolerated your rebellious attitude for long enough!"
"Is that why you agreed to marry me off?" Hinata asked.
This caught Hiashi off guard, but he quickly recomposed himself. "I see. So you are already aware."
"Turns out Ino found out and revealed it to me after my match and Neji confirmed it. I can't believe you! I expected this from the elders, but you?"
"I was reluctant to accept, but eventually I saw this was for the good of the clan. Ever since the destruction of their clan, the Uchiha have gain popularity. You would be assisting in the restoration of one of the founding clans of the Leaf. And our clan's own status will rise as a result. Not to mention you'll be ending the feud that has existed between our two clans. Besides, this way your sister Hanabi won't be branded and neither will you."
"If you really wanted to keep one of us from being branded, you'd get rid of that stupid curse mark!" Hinata argued. "Or at least adjust it so it can't be used to 'discipline' our family and we can all wear it!"
Hiashi shook his head. "You are too naive, Hinata. Believe it or not, I do want to stop that infernal practice, but unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way. Too many people are after our eyes. You should know that better than most." Hinata shivered as she remember that night the Cloud nearly kidnapped her. "And sealing isn't as simple as that. The fact is there is no way to protect our eyes and remove the, ahem, undesirable part of the seal. Believe me, I've asked Lord Jiraiya, the current foremost expert on seals. I had him observe the seal and he admitted there was no way to adjust the seal without compromising its effectiveness."
"I still won't marry him," Hinata said stubbornly. "And I won't let Hanabi be branded either. I still plan to end the use of the Caged Bird Seal."
"Believe it or not, not all arranged marriages are bad," Hiashi said, trying to reassure his daughter. "First Hokage Hashirama was in an arranged marriage, and from what I've been told, they ended up very much in love."
"I can guarantee you that will not be the case in this instance," Hinata said and turned to storm out.
"Where are you going? I have not dismissed you."
"To my room to pack my things," she answered, causing Hiashi's eyes to widen. "I can't stay here. I can't believe you would do this to me! I can barely stand to look at you I'm so mad!"
"Hinata get back here!" She didn't listen. She had left the room to pack her things.
-
Kurenai sat on her couch sipping some sake when she heard a knock on her door. Getting up, she walked over and answered it. She was surprised to find Hinata on the other side with two large packs. "Hinata, what an unexpected surprise."
"Um, sensei? You know how you told us to come to you incase we ever needed help." Kurenai nodded. "Well, after what my… What Hiashi did to me," she corrected. She was so mad she couldn't refer to him as her father. "Well, I wanted to know if I could stay here for a bit.
Kurenai grabbed one of her bags. "Of course. Stay as long as you want." She couldn't blame Hinata. Frankly, she was pissed too. "Let me show you to your room and then I'll make you some tea. Then we can discuss how we're going to train you for your fight against Gaara." Hinata nodded and grabbed her other bag, thanking her sensei.
-
Three days had passed since the preliminaries. Naruto could not sleep. His thought wandered to the preliminaries. Finding out Hinata was forcibly engaged to Sasuke, watching Lee and Gaara fight, with the latter crippling the other, and then finding out he would fight Sasuke in the finals while Hinata had Gaara. Plus, Karin had to return to the Hidden Grass. She was the closest thing to family he had and now he may never see her again. He asked the Hokage if he could do something. He promised to try but could not guarantee anything.
As he laid in bed he heard a knock on his door. Wondering who it was, he got out of bed, removing the tadpole hat he wore to sleep. He opened the door and a hand grabbed his arm and dragged him out. Looking at the assailant, he saw it was Dosu, the only Sound genin to make it to the finals. Naruto pulled his arm back and got ready to make a few shadow clones when Dosu spoke. "I'm not here to fight." Naruto stopped before he made the sign and looked at him confused. "I need you to take me to your Hokage. I've got some news he'll want to hear."
"W-what do y-you need me f-for?" Naruto asked, silently cursing himself for stuttering in front of Dosu.
The Sound genin ignored that and explained. "Since they know Orochimaru leads the Hidden Sound, they're less than receptive of us. But if a Leaf shinobi brought me to the Hokage, one close to him, then I'd have an easier time."
"Why a-are you…"
"I'm not gonna waste time explaining now! Orochimaru has eyes everywhere. I'd rather get this done soon, before he realises what I'm doing."
Naruto thought for a moment. This could be a trick to get close to the Hokage. 'But the Hokage's really strong, right. This Sound genin couldn't beat him.' After some debating, Naruto agreed to lead him to the Hokage.
The guards were hesitant to allow them in. They didn't trust the Sound and Naruto, but eventually they were let in when the Hokage heard about his arrival. Now they were in his office. "So, I'm told you had some information for me, but tell me, why betray your village?"
"I don't trust Orochimaru. He sent us to kill Sasuke, but the truth was he wanted to test the boy's strength. To him, our lives are meaningless. The final straw, though, was what he did to my teammates."
"I see. What did he do to them?" Hiruzen asked.
"He sacrificed them for a jutsu. I peeked through the door. They were bound when Orochimaru started his jutsu. They were covered in paper and turned into different people."
"Who?"
Dosu walked to the window. "Those two," he replied, pointing at the heads of the First and Second Hokage.
Hiruzen nearly dropped his pipe. 'So, he learn Lord Second's reanimation jutsu. And now he's revived my predecessors, no doubt to use against the village.' "I see. I'm sorry for your loss."
"They were never my friends," Dosu replied. "We were thrown together. We only worked together on missions and training. Their deaths had no real effect on me. But Zaku was a deeply devoted to Orochimaru, and seeing how that devotion was repaid, I knew it was only a matter of time before it was my turn. Now here the deal, I have important information on Orochimaru's plans. All I ask is that I'm protected and once the exams are over, I'm made a shinobi of the Leaf. As I'm sure you saw, I'm very strong and capable."
Hiruzen stroked his beard as he pondered Dosu's request. It's true. His jutsu was quite effective, and the information he had on Orochimaru could prove invaluable. "Could you give me something about this information?"
"Only that Orochimaru has big plans for the finals. If you want to know, I've laid out my demands."
"And what's to stop me from taking you to Ibiki and extracting the info from you forcibly?" Hiruzen asked.
"The simple fact that you get much more my way. After all, not only do you get information, but a powerful addition to your ranks," Dosu answered.
Hiruzen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, you have my word that we will do all we can to protect you from Orochimaru, and afterwards, induct you into our ranks." Dosu nodded.
"Um," Naruto said, reminding them of his presence. "S-should I go?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No need. You can stay. I may need to talk to you afterwards." He directed his attention to the Sound defector. "Now, what has Orochimaru got planned for the finals?"
"An invasion. Of Sound and Sand shinobi."
"I see," Hiruzen sighed. 'So our alliance with the Sand has ended.' It was the first time the old Hokage had witness the fall of an alliance, but it didn't make it easier for him.
"Also, he has a spy. A Leaf genin named Kabuto Yakushi," Dosu added.
"K-Kabuto!" Naruto said in shock. "A-are you sure?"
"Yeah. And he's not just any spy. He's Orochimaru's right-hand man and an expert medic. And he's no wimp. If he wanted, he could have protected himself when I attack him back in the first test. That was just to further cement his cover as a Leaf genin, not that it was required. Trust me, the guy's at least jonin level."
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought Kabuto was a nice guy, maybe a friend. Sure, they didn't interact much, but still. He looked down sadly as Hiruzen cleared his throated. "Thank you, Dosu. I'll ask for more detail tomorrow." He summoned his ANBU, who took Dosu away to a secure location. Naruto was about to leave when Hiruzen stopped him. "Summon Kakashi," he ordered the remaining ANBU. "And tell him if he's late this time, he'll be on Tora catching duty permanently."
Naruto asked why he was still there, but Hiruzen told him he'll find out soon. "Soon, Kakashi showed up. "Yo. What so important that I needed to be awakened and threatened so severely?" Hiruzen informed him of the warning of the invasion, with the Sound and Sand working together. Kakashi shook his head. "That is grave news indeed, but why is Naruto here? And why summon me now?"
"Naruto, remove your headband." Naruto did as he was told, revealing the three swirls on his forehead.
Kakashi's eye widened. "That's…"
"I figured you'd recognise it, considering who your sensei and his wife were." Hiruzen inhaled deeply from his pipe, released smoke, then walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his forehead. There was a blue glow under this hand before he removed it, and Naruto's eyes changed into the ripple pattern of the Rinnegan.
Kakashi was in utter shock as he stared at the boy, making the blond uncomfortable. "Those… Those are…"
"The eyes of the Six Paths. Naruto possesses them and I need you to train him." Hiruzen told him.
"Me?" Kakashi asked, pointing at himself.
"Yes, you. I'd rather not have revealed this yet, but events have forced my hand. The battle with the Sound and Sand will not be an easy one. The power of the Rinnegan may prove useful. I'd rather have Jiraiya do it, but I have no idea where he is or if he'll get here in time. You are the second best choice. Well, third, but I'm much too busy to train him myself."
"Why?"
"The Rinnegan allow a natural affinity with all five basic elements. As the man who's copied a thousand ninjutsu, you are the best to teach him at least one of each element.
Naruto couldn't help but feel a little excited. He was finally gonna learn to use his eyes. Then he remember the invasion and his upcoming fight with Sasuke and his good mood dampened. 'But what if it's not enough? What if I'm not good enough to use these eyes properly?'
"Lord Third, not that I have a problem training Naruto, but what about Sasuke? I can't abandon one of my students, especially for his opponent."
Naruto was saddened to hear then and Kakashi was about to say something to him when Hiruzen spoke. "Perhaps you can train him for half of the month and train Sasuke for the other half. I'm sure Naruto will be able to find someone to train him afterwards. Perhaps Asuma when he isn't training Shikamaru."
"Hmm." Kakashi thought about it. He did have an obligation to teach Sasuke as his sensei. And he was worried something bad would happen to Naruto like everyone else close to him. But he doubted the Hokage was really giving him a choice and besides, he could still train Sasuke the other half of the month. And he wasn't really against the idea of training his sensei's son personally. "Ok. I guess I'm your sensei for the moment, Naruto."
"Good. Kakashi, I assume you know the seal?" The jonin nodded and replaced the seal to hide Naruto's eyes on him. "You're all dismissed."
The two of them walked out of the office. Naruto still looked down. "Hey, Naruto." The boy looked at him. Kakashi still could not get over how much like his father Naruto looked like. He was almost a mini Minato, but with Kushina's face. "I hope you understand my hesitation. You see, Sasuke is my student, and it would be wrong to abandon him. I know the two of you don't get along, especially after learning of the… arrangement."
"I g-guess I get i-it," Naruto said. "S-Sasuke's more i-important t-to you."
"Well, I'm not exactly happy with some of the things he's done. But I am his sensei. And as such, I have to work on putting him on the right path." 'One that doesn't lead to Orochimaru. Or this dark path of revenge he's put himself in.' "It's an unusual arrangement really. I mean, I'm gonna train the two of you to fight each other. I wonder if anyone else has had that problem before." They arrived at a crossroads. "Well, I'm this way. Tomorrow at 8. Training Ground 3. And don't worry," he said with a smile as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "I'm sure things will work out."
-
Morning arrived. Sasuke had gotten dressed, eat a light breakfast, and was about to leave when he heard someone knocking on his door. He answered and saw Kakashi. "This is odd. Normally I have to wait hours at the training ground for you."
"About that." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. He was not looking forward to this. "Seems something has happened. I'll only be able to train you for half the month."
"What! Why?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, turns out the finals are gonna be more exciting than expected, so Lord Third wants me to train someone for a bit. But don't worry. I've got someone in mind to help you out while I'm doing so."
"Who?" Sasuke asked.
"You'll see."
"At least tell me who else you're training," Sasuke demanded, crossing his arms.
"It's… Naruto," Kakashi answered, bracing himself for the outburst that was sure to follow.
It didn't come.
"Oh." Sasuke uncrossed his arms. 'That's a strange turn of events, but at least I might be able to have some fun, and make it all the more satisfying when I beat him.' "So, where do I meet this sensei you've assigned?"
Kakashi was a little surprised by how well Sasuke was taking this. 'Well, less hassle for me.' He told Sasuke where to meet his new sensei and took off. 'Maybe this won't be so bad.'
Sasuke walked off to meet his new sensei. 'This actually works out well. With Kakashi focused on someone else, I might be able to find time practice with the curse mark,' he thought. He arrived at the training ground but didn't find anyone. He looked around but as far as he could see, he was alone. "Huh, wonder if he's hiding, and I have to find him." He was about to activate his Sharingan when he heard a noise. He looked to the right. 'You've got to be kidding me.'
"Sasuke!" Guy shouted as he approached, walking on his hands. "Just in time! My eternal rival Kakashi has asked me to help you while he's busy."
'Great. I get the weirdo,' Sasuke thought. 'Although, considering Lee's taijutsu, this might not be a bad thing.'
Guy got on his feet. "Ok, first of all, I have something for you." He pulled out a green spandex bodysuit like his and Lee's causing Sasuke to sweatdrop. "Some stylish clothes that won't restrict movement.
"I'm not wearing that," Sasuke stated.
Guy got depressed, eliciting another sweatdrop. "Well, I guess the outfit is optional." He then got back up like it never happened and put away the outfit. "Ok, we'll start things off light. 100 laps around the entire practice field, followed by…" Guy continued to list what he had planned.
'This is light? This better help me surpass Itachi!' Sasuke thought as he started his brutal workout.
-
Naruto arrived at the training ground at 7:58. He then had to wait 2 hours before Kakashi finally showed up. "Sorry, a black cat crossed my path," he explained. Naruto sweatdropped and wondered if this was gonna be a recurring thing. He was never late back during the wave mission. Then again, he couldn't be since they were staying in the same house and therefore left together when training began. "Anyway, first I need to unseal your eyes." Naruto removed his headband and Kakashi released the seal, causing Naruto's Rinnegan to return. "Ok, since we only have half the month, I'm gonna tell you a little secret. Your shadow clones have an interesting feature you probably don't know about." That got Naruto's attention. "You see, when you dispel a shadow clone, what it learns, you learn. Let me show you. First make a shadow clone," Naruto nodded and made a single clone. Kakashi did the same. "Ok, now our…" He paused when he noticed that both Narutos were frowning and looking around. "Something the matter?"
"Um, Kakashi-sensei, s-something weird is h-happening." Kakashi motioned him to elaborate. "W-well, I can s-see through m-my clone's eyes. T-that's never h-happened before. Is t-this what you meant?"
Now Kakashi frown. "No. That's not normal." He pondered this. 'What could be different?' "Wait! I think it has to do with your eyes. Yeah, I think the Rinnegan allows you shared vision with your clones," he hypothesised.
"R-really?"
"Yes. With training, it could prove advantageous," Kakashi explained. He couldn't deny he was eager to see how he applies this new ability in the future. "However, it will limit the amount of clones you can make, since I'm sure having a hundred pairs of eyes would probably be too much for your brain to handle. So I need you to start making clones one at a time, so we can find your limit."
Naruto nodded, a little disappointed. Numbers were his biggest advantage, but his new eyes limited that advantage. He started making more shadow clones. Each one made him more disorientated. Once he made the sixth clone, it became unbearable. He shut his eyes and dispelled them all. "F-five," he said, recovering. "T-that's my b-best."
Kakashi noted the disappointment in his voice. "That's not bad actually. And the good new is, that's one clone for each element."
"W-what do y-you mean?" Naruto asked.
"Remember. I said when you dispel a clone, you learn what it learns. For example, make a clone again." Naruto did so. 'Well, the rock paper scissors idea is out. This shared vision will allow him to see who wins.' "Now I'm gonna whisper something to your clone." He took the clone away and whispered in his ear. "Ok, dispel." The clone did so and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Now, what did I tell you?"
"T-that I eat t-too much ramen," Naruto answered, then blink. "Oh."
"See? This technique will cut training time. And since you already have learned tree and water walking, we can go straight to elemental training. So make five clones again." Naruto did so. Kakashi waited for him to adjust to the increased vision. "Now, I want each clone to grab a bunch of leaves. One will try to ignite a leaf with fire chakra, one will try to dampen one with water chakra, another will wrinkle it with lightning, the fourth will split it with wind, and the last one will make the leaf turn to dirt and crumple away with earth chakra."
"A-and what a-about me?" the real Naruto asked.
"Well, we'll be working on your physical training, but that will be later in the day. I actually have a special jutsu to teach you. It's non-elemental, so you can practice it right away, but I need you to promise me something."
"W-what?"
"Promise you won't use it in your match with Sasuke! This jutsu is too dangerous! Promise me!"
Naruto nodded. "O-ok, I promise not to use this jutsu against Sasuke in the finals."
Kakashi smiled. "Good. I just need to help your clones get started and then we can begin."
-
Inoichi knocked on his daughter's door. "Ino, please open up. It's been three days."
"No!" Ino shouted before continuing her sobbing.
"Ino, please. Tell me what happened. Let me help you," Inoichi pleaded but to no avail. Three days ago, Ino came home sobbing. She locked herself in her room and hasn't come out since. 'I wish she would let me help. And whoever did this to my precious daughter, I will show them no mercy! They'll learn just how terrifying our jutsu can be!'
It was late evening. The sky was turning a brilliant orange as the sun set. Naruto tried hard but made no progress in his training. Kakashi assured him it was natural. Elemental ninjutsu was difficult to master. "B-but still, Kakashi-sensei, I t-think s-something's wrong w-with me."
"How so?"
"W-well, e-ever since Orochimaru h-hit my stomach w-with his j-jutsu, I've felt funny. And m-molding chakra is h-harder."
"Hmm, let me see your seal." Naruto lifted his shirt and focused some chakra to his stomach. Kakashi examined the seal. 'That's odd. I've seen the seal before, and I don't remember that.' He referred to the extra layer around the seal. 'Wait, I think that's the Five Pronged Seal. That must be what's messing with his chakra. I don't know if I'm strong enough to break a seal made by Orochimaru, but I'll give it a try. I was Minato-sensei's best student, after all.' "Ok, stay still." Kakashi lifted his hand. Five kanjis appeared, one on each finger. "Five Pronged Seal Release!" He thrust his hand to Naruto's stomach. The boy was launched back.
"Finally! I don't need anymore seals on me!" the Nine-Tails exclaimed.
'Nine-Tails! Y-you're back! W-what happened t-to you?' Naruto asked.
"That damned snake's seal suppressed me, that's what! And it messed up your chakra control too, so don't think that was a good thing," the demon fox explained. "I've still been keeping tabs on what's been happening so I know about the Uchiha stealing your mate. Tell you what? Just this once, I'll let you draw on my power so you can kill him, just because I hate his entire damn clan."
'T-thanks for the offer, b-but no. I d-don't want t-to kill him.'
"Even though he stole your mate?"
'Hinata d-doesn't want t-this, s-so maybe t-there's a way t-to stop it.'
"You are incredibly soft, you know that?"
"Naruto, you alright?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto sat up and nodded. "I t-think t-that fixed it."
"Good. We'll continue tomorrow." He resealed Naruto's eyes. "See ya." Kakashi left in a swirl of leaves.
-
"It seems Dosu has betrayed us, Lord Orochimaru. Apparently he saw what you did to his teammates. Shall I get rid of him?"
Orochimaru shook his "No. That would be a waste of effort. He has no information of real value. The locations he can give as for some of my lesser experiments. Their loss is meaningless to me. And even if they know about our invasion plan with the Sand, they can do nothing but wait. Especially since Dosu know little about how we plan to execute it." Orochimaru smirked. "Besides, I have a more important mission for you."
-
Sasuke walked home, completely fatigued. 'And to think, today was light! No matter. As long as it makes me stronger, I'll endure anything!'
"Hey, Sasuke!"
Sasuke turned around. "What do you want, Kabuto?"
-
Alpha: And done.
Hinata: (Completely red) I can't believe I acted like that earlier. I'm so embarrassed. I'm really sorry.
Alpha: Hey, don't worry about it. I'm fine. 'Although I wish I didn't have to pay Kakashi for his help.'
Kakashi: Personally, I should be thanking you. This book is really good. Not as good as Master Jiraiya's, but great nonetheless.
Alpha: Why don't you read real books?
Kakashi: I have. They're not as good as these kind though.
Alpha: Speaking of Jiraiya's books, I want to read his one good one. "Tales of a Gutsy Ninja". The one Nagato inspired.
Naruto: Oh, I have a copy. Here.
Alpha: Oh, um, thanks. 'He's calm. I feel I should be worried.' I'm gonna go read this in my room. (Opens the door and a bucket of oatmeal lands on Alpha's head) NARUTO!
Naruto: Gotcha! (Starts running while Alpha chases him)
Alpha: Get back here! When I catch you I'm gonna…"
