Chapter 5-A Bruised Leaf
"HE DID WHAT?!" demanded Tsunade while at the hospital treating a now conscious Namikaze Minato of being drained of almost all his chakra when he suddenly appeared in her office via a strange portal.
Beside her was Jiraiya, Orochimaru, the Sandaime, Kushina, and Naruko with horrified looks on their faces. Minato had just told them what happened while he was with his team of Leaf Shinobi assigned to taking out an Iwa encroachment team. How he had been suddenly pulled away from the battle and soon found himself surrounded by those who called themselves the Elder Gods. How they bound him in golden chains and was soon confronted by Shao Kahn, who had revealed himself to be Minato's discarded son. The very same son they had let the village hate and abuse since his birth, but now...now the boy was a man. A giant, muscled, and demonic looking man who had ripped the other half of Kyuubi from the former Hokage's body into his own.
"He has the other half of Kyuubi inside of him now. The two are now one from the way Naruto implied things," explained Minato the group before him looking disturbed by this news.
"This is bad. Without the other half of Kyuubi's chakra that was sealed inside Minato and we can't use Tsunade-hime's skills with medical chakra into the mix, the ability to make the old become young again has become lost to us, If our enemies discover this, they will swarm upon us from all sides," said Jiraiya worriedly and Orochimaru frowned since it was because of that procedure that his Immortality Jutsu did not require him or Hiruzen to switch bodies every three years. Tsunade was back in her prime and so was Jiraiya so they had no need for the Immortality Jutsu.
Which meant a chance to mold future bodies to take in the future for everyone when the time came, but the recent pain in the snake Sannin's chest if not deeper into his soul two days ago gave him a fearful sense of...dread was it? He didn't know where it came from, but Orochimaru did not like it one bit, and didn't know if he should tell anyone here.
"Can we get it back? Can we do what you did last time? Divide it into two and seal them up?" asked Kushina with Minato shaking his head no.
"No. Naruto is still Naruto, but with Kyuubi as a whole merged with him. Apparently, the half he had sealed inside of his body merged with him years ago, and now the other half that was ripped from me has done the same. He also has the blessing of these Elder Gods too from what I saw in that room," answered Minato with Jiraiya frowning.
"I need to confer with the Toads about this. Maybe they can shed some light on what is going on," replied Jiraiya before he left out the window.
"It will be at least a week before you are back on your feet. I'll send some reinforcements to your team's last known location should that Iwa encroachment team overpower them," said Tsunade before she left to handle things on her end.
"So the demon has finally returned. Just like he promised," remarked Hiruzen, as he now slowly walked toward the window, and looked out at Konoha.
"I didn't think he would keep it. Considering the state of his injuries when he left," replied Minato with Hiruzen nodding since he didn't expect it either.
"We need to find out where your son is before he can gain a foothold in this world. Once our enemies know of his return, their moral in this war will increase one hundred fold," remarked Orochimaru with Hiruzen nodding.
"Jiraiya will find him. Someone of that size, the attire he was wearing, and his face from what you saw is not something that can be hidden so easily," replied Hiruzen with Minato and the others nodding.
"What do we do until then? We can't warn the village? It will cause a panic! Our enemies will learn that much faster through their spies," said Kushina with Orochimaru nodding since he had sent Kabuto on a spy mission to Kumo to gather more information on the two Jinchuriki there.
"We must be discreet. For the moment, we must make everyone inside, and outside of the village believe that nothing is amiss," answered Orochimaru in a sagely tone while in the back of his prodigal mind, he was preparing for a possible escape plan should things turn against Konoha to the point where being loyal to it wasn't in the best interest of his newly acquired health.
'Soon my brother. Soon we will see which one of us is truly the superior sibling. The one who is worthy of being a Namikaze and Uzumaki,' thought Naruko, as she clenched her fists, and narrowed her eyes at the idea of fighting the man that was her big brother by a few seconds.
For years since being born, Naruko had been told she was the better one. The one that her parents always wanted. She had been given the best training, instructions on all things Shinobi. From powerful Jutsus to Taijutsu, chakra control, strategies, and molding of the chakra chains she inherited from her Mother. Naruko was everything her parents said she was and more from the way she progressed in training.
She was her Father's daughter. Her Mother's daughter. Their progeny. Period!
At least, it was what Naruko believed until recently, and was starting to question whether she was the superior progeny when compared to her lost brother Naruto. Sure, she didn't face an A-ranked Missing Nin, save a country from a tyrant, fight Orochimaru, or save a Princess turned Daimyo of a country from an evil Uncle. But she was still the offspring of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina! So that had to count for something right?
Right?!
Since coming to Konoha following her brother's failed execution, Naruko took her own set of missions, which got harder as time went by, and the war they were now fighting helped prove her metal. But now...now her brother was back! He had ripped Kyuubi's power right out of her Father and was apparently stronger then ever before. She knew the only way to settle this little family feud between them was to see which sibling would win in a fight between them.
(Mount Myōboku)
"You have done a terrible thing Jiraiya. You told us the boy had been killed because he was losing control of the Kyuubi inside of him! YOU LIED!" the Great Toad Sage yelled at the Sannin currently quaking in fear at the rare display of anger.
"I-I-I had to do it. Minato believed either he or Naruko was the Child of Prophecy you foretold. All the signs pointed to one of them. I trained Minato when he was a Genin and then I trained Naruko when I wasn't focusing on my spy network or doing my...research," explained Jiraiya while mumbling the last part.
"And what of Minato's son? You didn't train him? Even after he signed our summoning contract" questioned Shima, as she gave Jiraiya a piercing stare, and saw the man looking away.
"Aside from summoning, I only taught...the Rasengan," mumbled Jiraiya with the Toads looking unhappy with him.
"It doesn't matter if you taught him a lot or a little bit! The original vision I once had of the future showed that the Child of Prophecy was learning from you to combat the evil that was to come. Now the vision has been changed to something else entirely! Now I see a demonic warrior, forged from a dragon of royal blood, and him marching to war with those that hate Konoha. Tell me Jiraiya...why do they hate Konoha?" demanded the Great Toad Sage with Jiraiya looking even more uneasy.
"Because they were allies and friends with Naruto when he went on missions. Plus, some of them are past enemies from when Minato, and Kushina were out in the public eye," explained Jiraiya with the Toads looking furious.
"You baka! Because of you, your student, his family, and those that support him with this war mongering...the Shinobi way as we know it is being threatened! The system is at risk of falling apart and will either be changed into something else or...it will be destroyed. At the very least, Konoha will not survive this onslaught, and you only have yourselves to blame!" declared the Great Toad Sage with Jiraiya looking shocked by this.
"We can still stop this! We destroyed the first prophecy and it became something else. Why not try to do that again?" questioned Jiraiya with the Toads looking at him with murderous eyes.
"Because you fool, a prophecy is never meant to be destroyed just as it is never meant to be influenced by mortals. It is a sin above all others! It is a spit in the face to all the Gods, all the deities, and the Universe itself! The punishment for doing something like that is a new prophecy coming about. A dark prophecy. One that foretells the ending of things rather then providing a hope of a possible chance in saving it! You lied to us Jiraiya! You and everyone in Konoha spit in the face of the Universe! Now you expect us to help you fix this mess? It cannot be fixed! Especially not now with what you told us about the ones responsible for bringing Naruto back to our realm," explained Fukasaku with Jiraiya now looking confused as well as worried.
"What do you mean 'our realm' Fukasaku?" asked Jiraiya before the Elder Toad sighed in frustration at having such an idiot of a man being their summoner.
"For once in your life Jiraiya, you will pay attention to what we have to say for this will not be repeated again. This is a story past down from before the time of the Sage of Six Paths, who learned it himself from his own teacher, and his teacher before him. This is the story of the many different realms, the One Being, and...the Elder Gods," replied the Great Toad Sage before explaining about the One Being, the Elder Gods, and how the One Being was destroyed to make the realms while the Elder Gods maintained watch over all the realms following that event.
And how they were the final supreme authority in the Universe who made rules to govern the realms without interference unless necessary.
"Oh crap! When Naruto was about to be executed all those years ago, I remember how he called out to the Elder Gods to save him from death. Something about the pact Minato had made with them when sealing away the Kyuubi had been violated," mumbled Jiraiya to himself, but the Toads still heard it.
"And now the Child of Prophecy has returned with hatred in his heart," replied Shima in a depressing tone.
"But...it just can't be possible he is the Child of Prophecy. Naruto barely received any training under me. There is no way he could become strong enough to fight Konoha like you are saying after only six years away from our realm. Even if he gathered allies from all over the Elemental Countries, the Akatsuki are still around, and they are going to want his power for themselves," explained Jiraiya before being hit on the head by Fukasaku.
"Baka! Have you not heard a word said to you? The Elder Gods have spoken! Naruto has come back to this realm a warrior. Whoever took care of him since he was gone was able to mold the boy into what he has become now. We warned you that the boy might have the potential to surpass his parents just as much as Naruko. But you wouldn't listen!" said Fukasaku before smacking him again.
"He was the Kyuubi Jinchuriki! His purpose was just to be a tool for the Leaf village to use how we saw fit. To be molded into the benefit of Konoha's prosperity and glory. His life was suppose to have little to no meaning!" protested Jiraiya, but it only resulted in him getting hit harder.
"Liar! If you really believed that junk, then Minato himself would have been used as one too instead of faking his own death. He was just as much a Jinchuriki as Naruto was and yet you hurt the latter!" exclaimed Shima before she joined in beating the Sannin up.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop! Please! How do I try fixing this? There must be some way to stop Naruto from bringing doom to everything and everyone?!" questioned Jiraiya before they stopped beating him up.
"You can't stop it Jiraiya. Not this time. Know that the boy you used, hated, and abused for your wicked schemes no longer exists. In his place, is a warrior, a conqueror, and he won't stop until Konoha is consumed by the very fires of war you helped fan. No one can escape it. Not you, Minato, Kushina, Naruko, Hiruzen, Orochimaru, or anyone else can run from the war machine you all created turning against the Leaf," proclaimed the Great Toad Sage before deciding to instill some fear into the man using his mastery over nature chakra to create a window into the past.
"What's this?" asked Jiraiya before seeing events from another place happening before his eyes.
"This is to show you what you are up against Jiraiya. My mastery over nature chakra is at a level we never nor shall we ever teach you in reaching. I have seen rise and the fall of your enemy twice over. Now you will see it too," commanded the Great Toad Sage with the events of Naruto as Shao Kahn waging war in different realms being shown to the Sannin.
Jiraiya watched in fascination, shock, and horror at the following events in seeing when Naruto rose to the throne of Outworld as its new Emperor after the slaying of Onaga: The Dragon King. How the boy, now a demonic powerhouse, went by the name of Shao Kahn, and how the new Emperor was conquering more of the realms. Only when Shao Kahn failed to defeat Earthrealm did Jiraiya feel joy at the sight of his former student failing, but it changed when the very Earthrealm warriors, who defeated Shao Kahn were unable to kill him, and forced the Emperor to retreat in a weakened state. Watching the following events intently, Jiraiya saw how his former so called student had tricked his enemies both inside, and outside of his ranks using a clone of himself into thinking he was dead. Jiraiya saw the move happened just in time to avoid the return of Onaga: The Dragon King and recovered his strength long enough to slay him in order to take back the throne with a little help from old allies. The Toad Sannin soon saw the events following Shao Kahn's victorious return, the battle soon waged by two warring sides desiring the other's blood, and how Armageddon had almost happened on the top of the Pyramid of Argus when fighting the Thunder God Raiden.
"Where are the Elder Gods, Raiden?" asked Shao Kahn, as he stood over Raiden's body, and laughed at the pathetic sight before him that was the defeated Thunder and Elder God of Earthrealm.
"Their pathetic Mortal Kombat shackles me no longer," declared the Emperor after he picked up Raiden by the front of his armor before striking him several times in the face with his fists before throwing him across the top of the pyramid.
"They masquerade as dragons, but are mere toothless worms," mocked Shao Kahn, as he walked over to Raiden's downed form, his Wrath Hammer in hand, and saw the Thunder God turning over before stomping a massive foot down on him.
"My venom spreads. It is the end of all things. Armageddon!" exclaimed Shao Kahn, as his body was sudden covered in a golden fire, and bathing in its power.
"STOOOP!" Raiden yelled out, but all he got was a content sigh from the one standing over him.
"It is done." remarked Shao Kahn before picking Raiden up so the two could look the other square in the eyes.
"Your time has passed," said the Emperor before throwing Raiden back to where had first fallen near his broken amulet.
Raiden notices the broken amulet on the ground and reached for the majority of them.
"Ages wasted in foolish resistance. Now is the dawn of my rule!" declared Shao Kahn, as he walked toward Raiden, who picked up the amulet pieces, and began chanting in an unknown language.
It made Shao Kahn laugh.
"Yes. Pray to the worms, Raiden. As your world ends!" declared Shao Kahn just before Raiden finishes his chanting and brings his Wrath Hammer up to bring down the killing blow with a war cry.
"He must win!" whispered Raiden before seeing the Wrath Hammer come down on his head.
Jiraiya saw Raiden had used his power mixed with the broken amulet to send a message via brief visions of what was to come, back to his previous self, and using those visions to prevent the future Armageddon from happening. Only for the Toad Sannin to see each change brought about one new disaster after another until finally Shao Kahn had entered Earthrealm with an almost repeat performance of what happen on the Pyramid of Argus happening on that tall building.
"Ah, Raiden. You have come to your senses," said Shao Kahn with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Earthrealm's citizens suffer. Further resistance serves no purpose," replied Raiden in a humble tone while the Emperor laughed.
"All these ages you have fought me. You denied me my rightful claim. Not this time," said Shao Kahn before standing in front of Raiden and hit the Thunder God with a mighty uppercut that sent him flying back.
It was here, reality began to distort itself from events from another time.
"The Elder Gods fear me, now," declared Shao Kahn before laughing and lifting Raiden up by the front of his clothes.
"Their pathetic Mortal Kombat shackles me no longer," declared the Emperor after he picked up Raiden and began striking him several times in the face with his fists before throwing him across the rooftop.
His badly cracked amulet falling off of him and shattering into many pieces.
"They masquerade as dragons, but are mere toothless worms," said Shao Kahn mockingly while he walked towards Raiden, Wrath Hammer in hand, and standing over the Thunder God before putting his massive foot down.
"You can feel it. Closing in around you. It is the end of all things," boasted Shao Kahn while seeing this realm being taken over piece by piece.
"Elder Gods, where are you? Why do you forsake me?" asked Raiden while looking at the heavens above and awaiting for some kind of miracle by the Elder Gods.
"Your time has past," said Shao Kahn after picking Raiden up again and throwing him across the roof.
Raiden was struggling to stand.
"Ages wasted in foolish resistance. I have won," declared Shao Kahn before he stood in front of Raiden's kneeling form.
"Yes. You have won," admitted Raiden, as he finally conceded defeat fully, and awaiting for the killing strike once more like what happened to his future self.
"Now, Raiden. Your world ends," declared Shao Kahn with a grin on his face and he now brought his Wrath Hammer up to deliver the killing blow while letting out a war cry.
Only for golden lightning to shoot down from the sky, getting the Emperor of Outworld's attention, and the Elder Gods appeared around Raiden. They entered his body and healed him of his injuries before addressing the warlord through the Thunder God's body.
"You violate our will, Shao Kahn. You merge realms without victory in Mortal Kombat. Our penalty is clear," declared the combined voices of the Elder Gods through Raiden before they got golden lightning at the Emperor.
Only to see it doing absolutely nothing except making Shao Kahn laugh.
"An anemic effort from ineffectual deities. Today, I become THE Elder God!" declared Shao Kahn, as he was not harmed in the slightest by the attack, and saw his opponent was now going to fight him for the right to this realm.
Jiraiya watched in awe as the Thunder God possessed deity fighting Shao Kahn for the right to realm they were in. The battle itself was vicious, brutal, and there were quite a few times when the Sannin thought the Shao Kahn would win. But in the end, the Elder Gods prevailed, and took Shao Kahn away in his weakened state to be judged by them.
"Now do you see Jiraiya? You are fighting someone with countless years of experience in fighting and killing others. You are not fighting a weak boy with little Shinobi experience gained while growing up with nothing. We are talking about an entity that has challenged many, who nearly caused the end of all things in the Universe, and had no problem with bringing about Armageddon," said the Great Toad Sage with Jiraiya snapping out of his thoughts and slowly nodding.
"I understand, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to stop fighting Naruto, or whatever he calls himself these days. I will stop this prophecy from happening and I will find a way to finally kill that brat," replied Jiraiya before he left to tell the others what he knew.
"That stupid boy! Has he learned nothing from what we have just told him?!" questioned Fukasaku in anger while Shima shook her head.
"I doubt it. The perverted boy never did see things properly. We only chose him to be our summoner and tolerated his past actions because we knew of his connection to the Child of Prophecy," replied Shima with Fukasaku sighing.
"All we can do is see how this plays out," remarked Fukasaku sadly with the other Toads nodding in agreement.
(Konoha-Sometime Later)
"WHAT?! THE ENTIRE SHINOBI DIVISION I SENT TO WAVE COUNTRY WAS WIPED OUT?!" yelled Tsunade with Kakashi recovering in the hospital, his body in a cast, and seeing the angry look on the woman's face.
"Yes Hokage-sama. Naruto made it across the bridge, tricking Genma's team somehow, and waited until the day where a pair of protesters were about to be executed. You know the ones I'm talking about," replied Kakashi with Tsunade nodding.
"Tazuna's family. Tsunami and Inari. They refused to have the name changed because they loved Naruto over Sasuke," replied Tsunade with Kakashi nodding.
"Naruto apparently attacked Anko, Iruka, and their Shinobi protection detail the day of the execution. He killed everyone except Anko. He somehow forced her to obey him and turn her against us. She was fighting Yamato in the Wave Daimyo's castle and I have no doubt she was forced to tell him the location of our Shinobi teams before taking them out prior to attacking the teams at my location," explained Kakashi with Tsunade gritting her teeth.
"What happened next?" demanded Tsunade with Kakashi wincing.
"Naruto fought the ANBU and myself. His punches and kicks were beyond human. They rival if not surpass yours Tsunade-sama. I was badly beaten by his sheer power and brute strength. Yamato saved me at the last moment and we fled to the bridge thinking that we could make it back to Konoha together, but...Naruto somehow made a green spear shaped projectile made of chakra. It hit Yamato in the chest and killed him soon within moments of it piercing him. After that, Naruto turned his attention to me, and...he let me go," said Kakashi with Tsunade narrowing her eyes at him.
"But not without a price," concluded Tsunade in a knowing tone with Kakashi nodding.
"Yes. My body being badly damaged, the loss of my Sharingan Eye, and the simple fact he wanted you to know where he was upon his return our world to be the price of my life being spared," said Kakashi in shame at the end knowing it cost him so much to come back to Konoha.
"You really messed this up Kakashi. The invasion was suppose to be simple. The Wave Daimyo was dead, Tazuna was dead, the rest of his family was going to follow, and the people of Wave had no one left to oppose us. You had superior numbers, skills, and that Sharingan Eye at your disposal. How could you have possibly fucked up our invasion?!" demanded Tsunade with Kakashi wincing again at her threatening tone.
"I underestimated Naruto. His skill, his power, and the sheer brutality behind his attacks were overwhelming. I've never faced anything like it before," replied Kakashi with the Hokage not looking pleased.
"When you've fully recovered from your injuries, I expect you to be ready for a mission to kill that damn brat, and if you fail me when the time comes to deliver...you will be executed," said Tsunade before she left the room.
"Your failure is indeed most troubling," remarked Danzo, as he had been listening from the shadows of the room, and was no longer the old man walking with a cane.
Thanks to Minato's Jinchuriki powers and Tsunade's medical skills making him the first person to have his youth restored of course. Though the war hawk still kept his various appendages a secret from Sasuke since the Uchiha would not take kindly to his clan's bloodline being used by those outside of it.
Kakashi was suppose to be the official exception.
"He's not human anymore. He even said his name is no longer Uzumaki Naruto," said Kakashi with Danzo scoffing.
"It shouldn't matter what his name is now Kakashi. Or if he is not human anymore. You are a Konoha Shinobi. A student of the Yondaime Hokage himself. If the boy has become a demon, you should have subdued, and brought him back to face justice. That boy was meant to be our weapon and be thrown away on our terms. Not escape and come back to get his petty revenge on us for doing what is right to do. Humans rule this world. Always have and always will. You are human Kakashi and therefore belong to the superior race. You got cocky and that was what cost you your Sharingan. Fortunately, I do have some spares in storage you can use, and be retrained in using for when the time comes to kill if not capture the demon," stated Danzo with Kakashi not looking convinced.
"Hokage-sama wanted me healed and out the village gates the moment I'm healthy to kill Naruto before he gains a foothold in Wave Country," explained Kakashi with Danzo now sporting a smirk on his face.
"I'll talk to her. She knows about my Sharingan Eyes in storage and knows you have a far better chance of winning with one of the eyes then without it," countered Danzo before he left the room.
(Hyuuga Clan Compound)
Hinata moved with deadly precision in her Gentle Fist in the practicing area of her home, as she used her style of the clan Taijutsu, and manipulated the water around her. She had long since perfected it, honed the affinity for water long before today, and finished her training in a way that could only considered...a flawless artistic stance. After Naruto had escaped death, Hinata trained vigorously, going against all the Hyuuga Clan traditions by developing this form of Gentle Fist, and her Father along with the Clan Elders tried to put a stop to it. They felt her form of Gentle Fist was an abomination since it used flexibility rather then attacking in a straight line like all other Hyuuga Clan members did. That it should not be changed just because of one weak Hyuuga could not use it. So Hinata did the only thing possible in a situation like this that only Naruto would think of doing if his back was against the wall.
She turned the Hyuuga Clan Traditions against the Hyuuga Clan.
How?
She challenged her Father, Neji, and Hanabi in a three on one fight. Their own respective choice in Gentle Fist versus her own flexible style with the winner naming terms of the prize upon victory. By the Hyuuga Clan's own laws, if Hinata won her match, no one in the clan could stop her from doing what she wanted, and if they did...the Cage Bird Seal would be placed on the offending party. And if the person was a Branch family member? They would be killed with the very seal branded on them before the entire clan and then throw the body away into the Forest of Death for the animals to eat. No burial.
Hiashi, in his arrogance had believed that his daughter, his nephew, and himself of course were going into this battle with a win already in their favor. His youngest daughter was just like him, Neji was a Prodigy in Gentle Fist, and was just like Hiashi's brother Hizashi in terms of skill. He had told Hinata that should she lose, the Cage Bird Seal would be put on her, and altered so it could be used by the Branch family so Neji could use it on her if he wished. Neji himself had smirked at the idea, as well as Hanabi since neither liked Hinata for what they believed was a weak woman within the clan.
They were in for quite the surprise.
Hinata showed her true potential before the entire Hyuuga Clan, which the Elders in their "infinite wisdom" had commanded to witness what they believed would be the Hyuuga girl's fall. To see her be made an example of before the rest of the clan regarding what happens to those foolish enough to go against the Hyuuga Clan and its traditions. They had fully expected Hinata to fail, shaming the girl for all time, and treat her like the piece of trash they all felt was the position that would be her new life.
How wrong they were.
Hinata had unleashed her skills in Gentle Fist using her new style in such a way that it threw Hiashi through a wall and put Neji into the ground with enough force to cause a massive crater. As for Hanabi? She was left skidding on the ground a broken bleeding mess before Hinata walked over to the barely conscious Hiashi and declared that as the victor of the spar she would claim what was rightfully hers in terms of victory.
First, she declared that her style would not be locked away or considered shameful for a Hyuuga to use. She further explained to the rest of the Hyuuga Clan watching that the reason her Gentle Fist style is different, is because its connection to those with a water affinity, and the usual Hyuuga Gentle Fist style required those with earth affinity. That in rare cases, some Hyuuga (namely the women) have a developed such affinity, and thus they could not use the "traditional" Gentle Fist style. Hinata further explained that those Hyuuga women with such affinity were either killed mysteriously or had the Cage Bird Seal placed on their heads before being sent to the lowest ranked branch of the clan to suffer for their supposed weakness.
Second, Hinata declared herself a free Hyuuga, and had the right to marry whoever she wished without the Clan Head or anyone else deciding for her. In the recent years, the girl turning into beautiful woman knew of her Father trying to marry her off to some nobles of different ages, and so called nobility. Some were her age, others a few years younger, and more then a few of them were old enough to be her Grandfather.
If she was going to marry anybody, it would be one of her own choosing, and it would be someone who too old to perform sexually without help from a pill.
Third, she decreed that as a free Hyuuga, the Cage Bird Seal could not, and would not be put on her no matter what the situation. Hinata would only have it placed on her forehead willingly and without any form of outside interference on her decision. Not that she was expecting to do that anytime soon, but it was done to make them all believe a situation may one day come where they could do it.
After finishing her daily training regimen, Hinata walked to her room, but was stopped by the scowling form of Hyuuga Neji, and she scowled back.
"Hinata-sama," said Neji though it was strictly formal with no affection or love of a big brother.
"Neji," replied Hinata curtly, but she honestly didn't put any form of respect behind it, and had no intention to in the near future.
"Hiashi-sama demands your presence in his office," said Neji with Hinata scowling.
"He demands? You should know by now Neji that my so called Father can no longer demand anything from me. Or have you forgotten?" replied Hinata icily with Neji's eye twitching at that last part.
"No. I have not forgotten," answered Neji while Hinata nodded and walked by her cousin before she stopped to give him a cold look.
"Just remember Neji. I am not the same weak girl you brutally beat during the Chuunin Exam Preliminaries all those years ago. I will not be intimidated by the likes of you, Father, or the clan as a whole ever again. If you so much as leak killer intent toward my direction again like you did just now...I'll kill you using the Cage Bird Seal you hate so much," whispered Hinata with Neji narrowing his eyes at her.
"You're bluffing. You hate the seal more then I do. You wouldn't dare!" whispered Neji before he felt a stabbing pain on his forehead and he gasped before falling to his knees.
"I do hate the Cage Bird Seal dear cousin, but at the moment, I hate you even more, and will not let the once close blood ties between us stand in my way of carving out my own path in life. Perhaps, if you had not strayed from the path Naruto showed you years ago, or betrayed him for what he held...you would truly see things with eyes wide open. As it stand now...your eyes are wide shut," whispered Hinata while her hand was on the sign to cause pain to the Neji when she channeled chakra into it.
'She is serious. She would really use it on me,' thought Neji before the pain stopped and he collapsed onto the ground.
"Remember your place Neji. You are beneath me in Gentle Fist and you are beneath me in status within the clan. Even my status is one currently disliked by those within our so called family," said Hinata before walked around the corner and was gone from sight.
When Hinata reached her Father's office, she entered cautiously, slowly, and used her eyes before opening it fully to ensure what lay beyond the door wasn't a trap. From what she could see, Hiashi was in his office, waiting for Hinata, and looked like his usual stoic Hyuuga self.
It made Hinata believe her Father was part granite.
"I see you showed up. Good. You can still take orders," remarked Hiashi while Hinata entered the room and shut the door.
"I came here because I wanted to Father. Not because I had to come. I could have easily ignored your request and gone about the rest of my day uninterrupted," countered Hinata with Hiashi grimacing since that was true.
"Regardless, we are going to discuss your future within the clan. Namely, you being the new Clan Head in a few years, and marrying someone worthy of being your husband," said Hiashi with Hinata narrowing her eyes at him.
"You mean an arranged marriage. I am free from such things Father. Remember? That was one of the conditions you and the Elders have to honor after my victory to keep my style of Gentle Fist from being discarded as something of an oddity in the eyes of the clan," replied Hinata with Hiashi scowling at her.
"Be as that may, you will have to settle down, and marry someone to become the new Clan Head of the Hyuuga Clan. Its what you wanted from the start, correct? So you can try changing the clan for the better?" questioned Hiashi with Hinata shaking her head.
"At one point, I did want to change the clan because there were people in it worth saving, and I thought they would return the favor one day. Now I see these people in this clan for what they are and it disgusts me. I do not want to be Clan Head. Give it to Hanabi. She will do a fine job in succeeding you in bringing about increased division from within this family. Or have you forgotten how she repeatedly abuses the Cage Bird Seal almost every chance she gets?" challenged Hinata with Hiashi grimacing at the truth despite his stubbornness telling him she was young and it was just a phase.
Hanabi did abuse the Cage Bird Seal whenever the moment suited her. She used it like a child uses her favorite toy to bring about happiness when sad and wants to feel better. The problem with that was the fact a Branch family member's suffering was Hanabi's new favorite joy and she had no problem making that fact known while laughing at the sight of one in perpetual agony. She activated the Cage Bird Seal on anyone that would bring about amusement and it didn't matter the age either. Hiashi had once witnessed his youngest using it on a child who had received it less then three hours after it had been put on The poor boy had cried and wailed while pleading for Hanabi to stop, but she didn't until the child had died from the Cage Bird Seal scrambling his brain into mush. The Elders of course didn't care since it brought about fear aimed at the Branch family so they didn't get any ideas in breaking free from their chains. As for Hiashi, he was filled with too much stubbornness, and pride as a Hyuuga to see his youngest had become a psycho within her own clan.
Hanabi could kill off every Branch family member from youngest to old and more then likely get away with it.
"Your sister simply reminds the Branch family of their place Hinata. They have become slack in their duties," countered Hiashi with Hinata scoffing at his excuse.
"You wouldn't be saying that if Uncle Hizashi were alive to see this," countered Hinata with Hiashi's eyes widen and were filled with a flash of rage.
"Don't you speak to me about my brother like that again Hinata. You were partially to blame for that incident by being too weak to fight off your kidnaper," Hiashi shot back while Hinata looked unimpressed.
"And I suppose you were strong enough to fight off a fully trained Jounin level Shinobi at the age of three?" questioned Hinata with Hiashi scowled further.
"I would have at least done better then you at that age," Hiashi shot back.
"That's a matter of opinion Father. You'll have to forgive me for believing yours is a bit biased. Perhaps if you were to somehow turn back into a three year old again, I could try arranging a kidnapping scenario where a Jounin takes you from the house in the middle of the night, and while you slept unaware of being taken until its too late," replied Hinata with Hiashi's scowl increasing.
"I am not here to argue about the past. I am here to discuss your future. While Hanabi is indeed acting as a true Clan Head should, you are regrettably stronger, and thus have the might to lead," said Hiashi while Hinata shaking her head.
"Regrettably? Ten years ago, you called me weak, and wasn't worth your time. That I was worthless not only as your daughter, but as your Heiress, and Hanabi was better suited in my place. I did everything to make myself stronger and prove I was worthy in your eyes. Now that I am stronger, you regret the idea of me being strong? Does that even make sense?" questioned Hinata with Hiashi sighing.
"This is regrettable because at one point, Hanabi was the only one worthy of being Clan Head. Now, there are two worthy, and there can only be one true successor. If you do not take the title of Clan Head when the time is right, Hanabi will in your place, and you will be made a Branch member," replied Hiashi with Hinata's eyes narrowing.
"We had a deal, Father! One that the Hyuuga Clan as a whole must accept. Or would you prefer to just discard clan traditions entirely, knowing what would happen if you did?" asked Hinata with Hiashi gritting his teeth knowing it would cause internal chaos and anarchy within the Hyuuga Clan.
"You would be doing this to save the clan from a possible civil war. The Branch family members may try something should Hanabi be made Clan Head," countered Hiashi with Hinata shrugging.
"You should have thought of that before raising such a cruel daughter, who uses the Cage Bird Seal like it was an extension of herself, and enjoys seeing the suffering of others. Besides, there is a good chance a civil war will happen within the clan if I am made Clan Head in Hanabi's place," Hinata shot back while Hiashi secretly wanted to scream at the obvious truth laid out before him.
Damned if he chose one daughter and damned if he chose the other.
"An iron fist is required when running such a noble clan Hinata," said Hiashi though the strength behind his words failed him.
"Some nobility. We act like we're better then everyone else, yet enslave half of our clan, and treat them like lowly servants meant to die when we say they can. Should they get out of line or even move a finger out of place, we use the Cage Bird Seal on them, and watch them struggle to live while they beg for forgiveness. That's hardly strong grounds for declaring our nobility. Maybe we should rename our fighting style and call it 'Iron Fist' to match our perceptions of how a Clan Head should govern this noble clan," replied Hinata, as she walked out of the room, and didn't look back.
"God damn it," whispered Hiashi in defeat knowing full well Hinata was right.
(Hokage Tower-Meeting Room)
"So the demon brat has truly become a demon," remarked Homura, as he along with the others among Konoha's governing body were in the room when Jiraiya gave his report about what the Great Toad Sage showed him.
"Yes. And a strong one at that. He was incredibly strong before taking Minato's half of the Kyuubi's chakra," explained Jiraiya with Koharu, Homura, Tsunade, Hiruzen, Danzo, Kushina, Shizune, and a wheeled in Minato listening intently.
"And now with the other half in him, my...son will no doubt become even harder to kill, or possibly control depending on what methods we use," added Minato while still feeling drained, but had heard about the meeting, and wished to attend.
"But how do we control him? The Sharingan Eyes have the power to control the Biju, but Uchiha Sasuke hasn't acquired the next level to make that happen," said Koharu with the others wondering the same thing.
"The boy doesn't play well with others. He never has since the Uchiha Massacre. Sasuke maybe a Prodigy in terms of being a Shinobi, but he's not what you call social, or one to embrace friendship. He sees everyone around him to be either weak or a stepping stone to getting power to kill his brother," said Hiruzen while giving Danzo a pointed look that the war hawk ignored.
"He would do better under my command with Root if it were up to me. Emotions make you weak when being a Shinobi," remarked Danzo while no one in the room agreed with that statement.
"Says the man who is at the leading the drones. You wouldn't be saying that if you were one of them," remarked Kushina, as she never liked Danzo's method since its supposed strength in how they functioned was also its weakness, and had one person at the top giving them orders.
An Aburame would describe Root Shinobi as basically being drones serving the "Queen" of the proverbial "hive" and doing what was in the best interest of the "hive". However, if the "Queen" were taken out, whether by old age, natural, or...other means of a life ending the drones would simply stop functioning. They lacked freewill to think on their own or even choose what to do next if such a scenario happened where their leader perished. If it did happen, the enemy could swoop in, and kill the mindless drones with ease.
Which was probably why Danzo preferred to stay hidden in the shadows and always sent his drones out while doing nothing himself despite his enhancements he kept hidden from the public. While Konoha as a whole wouldn't care if given an excuse like saving all the Sharingan Eyes from being lost in their use, Sasuke would not be so reasonable should he learn the truth, and get violent over the issue. It could divide Konoha and maybe even have some of its Shinobi question their loyalty to the governing body running the village.
"How I command Root is none of your business Kushina. Perhaps you should have done everyone in Konoha a favor and simply killed off your son shortly after his birth before sealing the Kyuubi inside Naruko...rather then doing the opposite," Danzo retorted while Kushina bristled at the insult.
"Says the man who is afraid of death and refuses to openly get his hands dirty like the rest of us," remarked Hiruzen with Danzo shooting him a glare now.
"Enough! How exactly do we deal with Naruto? Or Shao Kahn, as he has decided to call himself," asked Tsunade while everyone began to think up ideas.
"Assassination is our best bet. But it must be done on our terms. We have to lure him into a situation where his death is practically guaranteed," suggested Koharu, as she saw the others nodding in agreement.
"How? The demon surely won't leave his country for anything unless it is worth leaving. Most Daimyo's these days are politicians. Not warriors. That generation of Feudal Lords died by the end of the Second Shinobi War," said Homura since the Second Shinobi War was what got the attention of the Daimyos and their successors in seeing the value of using Shinobi to fight battles rather then rely on their armies.
"That's the problem. Naruto isn't some snooty, barely lifts a finger, and doing hard labor kind of Daimyo we are so use to these days. He's fought in battles, wars, killed people, defied Gods, and nearly brought about Armageddon. If we do set a trap for him, we must be damn sure there are no screw ups, and he doesn't escape," replied Jiraiya knowing that the prophecy could still be cast down since it was not in full swing yet like it once was before Naruto's escape from Konoha.
"What about Anko? How do we deal with her?" asked Tsunade knowing that was an issue.
"Based on Kakashi's report, Naruto used his power to extract half of what Orochimaru used for his Curse Seal, and put a piece of himself into it so she is bound to him. As such, Anko has become a liability since she knows much from her time here in Konoha, and we need to consider...cutting ties to all loose ends," remarked Minato with Tsunade nodding and so did the others.
"So we kill her too. Even if we free her from this new seal Naruto placed on her, its clear Anko will have done too much damage by that point, and we can't allow such a liability to return to our ranks. If we can capture her alive, we will until all the information she can give us has been extracted, and then we'll end her life quickly as a reward for years of loyal service to Konoha," ordered Tsunade with no one arguing about it since they had no reason to argue.
"What do we tell those close to her? She did have some friends outside of her love life with Iruka," remarked Kushina knowing there would be questions being asked soon.
"We'll tell them on a need to know bases. For now, focus on the newly made Daimyo that is my son, and see if we can't force him into a situation where we can prevent this altered prophecy from gaining momentum," commanded Minato with the others nodding.
'Sasuke must be told about this. He'll come to me for more training and I can gain more favor to the point where the brat will come to me over the others,' thought Danzo, as he decided to pay Uchiha Sasuke a visit, and see what the boy turned man was up to right now.
(Konoha-Training Ground #14)
It didn't take long for word to spread about Naruto's return under the name of Shao Kahn thanks to the blabber mouthing gossip network of Yamanaka Ino, who heard it from one Haruno Sakura, who was with Sasuke when Danzo came to see him, and told the Uchiha the news. Naturally, it sent the village into a frenzy, almost panic like even, and it made the Rookies feel a need to meet in order to discuss this amongst themselves while their senseis did the same. They knew Naruto had made that promise of revenge and if there was one thing they knew about Uzumaki Naruto that was consistent with the dead last at the Academy was that he always kept his promises.
"So Naruto's back. Like he promised. Troublesome blonde," remarked Shikamaru while sitting against a tree and admiring the clouds.
"From what we heard regarding his new appearance, I don't think he's a blonde anymore Shikamaru. The helmet he wears may imply disfigurement," replied Shino, as he was standing across from him, and saw the Nara shrug his shoulders.
"He's still troublesome," replied Shikamaru while Shino said nothing.
"He wiped out the entire invasion force in Wave Country. Kakashi was the only survivor because Naruto spared him to deliver news of his return," said Kiba, as he had heard it from his Mother, who heard it from Kakashi.
"The entire invasion force? Iruka-sensei was selected for that mission," stated Shikamaru with a frown while Shino nodding.
"According to what Kakashi told my Mother...Iruka-sensei was killed by Naruto himself when he arrived in Wave," replied Kiba with the Rookies and Gai's team wincing since the man had been their teacher since they were children.
"He needs to be stopped!" exclaimed Tenten angrily.
"Agreed. But how? He took down Hatake Kakashi, Iruka, and just about every Konoha Shinobi we had over there. All of them strong," Choji reminded them while scratching his head.
"Anyway we can," said Shikamaru while the others nodded.
"If I could get close enough to him, I could use my Gentle Fist Taijutsu, and strike his heart to cause it to explode," offered Neji while Shikamaru thought it over.
"It could work. It would have to be a team effort. I would have to hold him down long enough for you to deliver the necessary strikes. Even before we did that, the rest of us would have to get involved in some way to distract him so he wouldn't see my Shadow Possession Jutsu work on him," replied Shikamaru while Sasuke sneered at them.
"No one is going to kill Naruto but me! He's my ticket to achieving the next stage of my Sharingan Eyes. I will be able to fight on even terms with Itachi," said Sasuke in a hotly and demanding manner.
"Yeah! Sasuke-kun would have done it back then too if it wasn't for his injuries caused by the baka," said Sakura while Sasuke glared at her.
"Shut up Sakura! I don't need your opinion on this. Just stand there and nod when I say something. Don't talk. Just nod," commanded Sasuke with Sakura flinching, but obeying all the same, and just nodded happily.
While many women were jealous of Sakura dating the last Uchiha, they had no idea just how bad the relationship between them really was, and any (sane) other woman would have left Sasuke in a heartbeat. Why? First, the man was cold to Sakura unless he wanted something from her, and treated the pink haired woman like she was an idiot. Under more normal circumstance, Sasuke wouldn't date one of his fan girls, but sadly for him, out of all his fan girls, Sakura was the strongest, and his most devoted. Most had moved on from what they considered a school crush or phase in their lives before finding a man to be their silver medal.
Second, the Uchiha had the personality when it came to romance of a hard ass drill sergeant, who would sooner cut off his arm then wrap said limb over the shoulder of the woman he was with. The Uchiha only tolerated Sakura's presence because she obeyed him and wouldn't tell anyone anything unless he allowed it. She was the ideal housewife for an Uchiha male with the exception of being Chuunin and only because she passed a special written exam about various Shinobi related things.
The third thing that would have made Sasuke deadweight as boyfriend material was his sexual intimacy with a woman was not as manly as many in Konoha would like to believe. Everyone had just assumed because he was from the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke would be well endowed, and be able to satisfy any woman he desired, and be more then capable of reviving his clan.
They were wrong.
Sasuke was in terms of greatness in terms of a male's "pride", if you were to use Inuzuka Clan terms, was a runt among his late clan members, and was not a great stallion in bed. Sakura let everyone think he was after she told just everyone about how they had their first time together. She had told everyone how he took her in bed, his hands everywhere on her body, touching in just the right places, and how she screamed his name all night long in his bedroom. What no one knew was that Sakura lied the entire time she bragged about her sexual relations with Sasuke. Whether she did it to try covering up the Uchiha's own inadequacies, or simply due to the girl's own delusions of the Uchiha actually being good yet she was really bad being unknown. But the (secret) fact remained, Sasuke was not the stallion Sakura made him out to be in order to gain jealous looks from the women around her that were once "rivals" for the Uchiha's attention. The first time they were together, Sasuke called the shots on how they were going to do it, from commanding Sakura to strip to just bend over, and take it when he thrust into her without any chance to prepare. A few seconds of squirming awkwardly behind her later, Sasuke thrusts into Sakura while the girl wonders if he's fully in yet, but keeps her mouth shut before the fantasy of being made love to plays in her head, and has the belief the night is still young.
That was shattered within five seconds of her little fantasy when Sasuke shot his load into her, fell onto the bed, and went to sleep before the pink haired girl blinked in shock. At first, she was assuming he wanted to do more from a new position, but hearing him snore, and stay limp told Sakura otherwise. Even worse, the girl's already fan girl based mind made her believe that the problem was herself, and needed to improve in order to keep Sasuke interested. In Sakura's mind, the more interested Sasuke was in her, the longer he would last, and be able to satisfy her in return.
That had yet to happen in her eyes, mind, and loins.
"In any case, we need to prepare ourselves for the fight that will happen, and be prepared to kill him," said Shikamaru with the others nodding.
"I'm ready now. Just give me a chance and I'll send a kunai right between or into one of his eyes," replied Tenten since she wanted to hurt Naruto after hearing from Tsunade about how much of a monster he secretly was.
Her idol was never wrong when it came to judging people so why would Tenten question the Gondaime Hokage now?
As for Hinata, she watched them all, listening to what the other Leaf Shinobi around her age would do to Naruto if they had the chance, and was silently seething at what she had heard. Naruto had done so much for Konoha, brought in so many powerful allies, clients, and defended the village despite the fact its overall populace would sooner kill him just for breathing within its walls. When she heard his promise, Hinata knew that Konoha would one day fall, despite the return of the Yondaime, his wife, the Sandaime, and even Orochimaru of all people. Hinata knew when an Uzumaki made a promise, it was kept no matter what, and not even death itself stood in the way such a vow.
And Naruto did not disappoint in that regard. He was back from wherever his bloodied body had been for the past six years. Now Naruto was bigger, stronger, and far more determined then ever it seemed to bust some heads if what she heard happened to the invasion force sent to Wave Country was any indication. But what did that mean for her? Did he even remember her? When he promised everyone in Konoha would be wiped out, did Naruto also include her in that? Hinata hoped not! While she was positive he did not hate her, there was no telling what his frame of mind was, and if Naruto would lash out at her.
She never was able to know what Naruto was thinking when growing up and Hinata felt she needed to see him again to find out.
Hinata realized that the best way to do that...was to leave Konoha. Yes. She would leave the village and head to Wave Country to seek out the boy now grown man of a crush. A man, who when growing up, had showed her that you had to keep fighting for what was yours no matter what. To take hits and hit back when it mattered. To fight back no matter how big the odds, the enemy, and the numbers that went with them. Hinata saw Naruto come from nothing, live off of nothing, and survive against the dark abyss with nothing. She admired Naruto's courage, his determination, and inner strength that most people did not have these days since no one had suffered like he had suffered. And for what? For being a Jinchuriki? She didn't care about that. Naruto was not some monster. If he had been a monster, the village would not be standing, and she wouldn't be alive right now.
Hinata knew who the real monsters and demons were and some of them were standing in front of her.
'I'm coming Naruto-kun. I just hope you don't hate me like you do the others in Konoha. I do wonder what you will do when you see me again after so long. Will I be hugged? Or will I be killed? Will our reunion be joyous? Or will it and I by extension...be damned?' thought Hinata, as she walked away from the group, not wanting to hear anymore, and decided to go for a walk around Konoha to clear her mind.
She didn't notice Shikamaru was looking at her from the corner of his eyes with a hint of suspicion in them.
(A/N: YAY! Another update. It pays to work on this late at night when no one is around to bother you and you've got some good mojo flowing for writing. Hope you liked this chapter. As to what happens next? Only the Elder Gods know! And they aren't telling. LOL! Until next time...PEACE!)