It had been a week since he saw Sakura, but Naruto believed that she would be fine with support from Kakashi, Ino and many others by her side. It was a great loss, but it was one she could walk out off.
Looking for her life force, Naruto found Sakura in the Konoha Hospital beside Ino and Shizune. It seems everyone was extremely busy even now as the healers were dealing with all the mutations caused by the dispersion of heavy chakra across the planet, especially one that was harmful to all living things.
The increase in the number of chakra users across the planet slowly caused changes to the natural environment and things mutated adapting to the increase in energy. However, this was process was slow and took decades or more. On the other hand the changes came suddenly and on a large scale because of the appearance of the Juubi, the Shinju tree, Kaguya, Sasuke and Naruto.
Just the remnant chakra across the planet from the battle with Madara, Obito and Kaguya was more than what exists on the planet normally. Now with the addition of Naruto the chakra concentration of the planet had changed and it was forcing the planet to adapt to him by increasing the concentration of natural energy. It was further increased by the people that went through an increase in chakra capacity after surviving the chakra sickness. Without any deep thinking, it was obvious that the all living things on the planet would become stronger.
Naruto decided to walk inside and greet her instead of delaying it because it might leave a wrong impression. He didn't know whether Sakura would appreciate it or not, but Naruto thought she might.
Dodging the hoards of patients, Naruto saw Sakura healing a child in the operation theatre. It was not a case of chakra sickness or some simple healing, but a complex viral sickness that required understanding and patience.
Looking at the scene, it made him feel grateful for others once again. It was impossible to do everything alone, he needed others beside him. At this moment he stood at a peak beyond others, but he needed others to reach his level or there would be a gap between them even in their relationships.
It was already a problem when he only had Kurama, but now he was undoubtedly far removed from all mortal existence.
'How can I help them reach my level?' Naruto didn't consider monopolizing his power or stopping others from reach the peak. He planned to help people that were trustworthy.
With the thought of helping others to increase their powers, Naruto's mind concluded with Sage mode and increasing chakra capacity along with density through his personal help. There was also the partnership with Tailed beasts like he had done.
Entering the room without a sound, Naruto allowed Sakura to see him so that she wasn't distracted by his sudden touch.
'I am here to say hi.' Naruto spoke silently and got closer. Placing his hand on the doctor, Naruto transferred large amount of chakra.
Normally it would be impossible for Sakura, but she could store the excess chakra into a seal. Dealing with the chakra expertly, Sakura felt energized and felt her fatigue lessen.
'Thanks, but I won't be able to keep you company today.' Sakura mouthed as she continued to focus on the delicate child under her watch.
'No problem, I will see you tomorrow.' Naruto gave her thumbs up and vanished from the room using his rinnegan. Sasuke's Rinne-Sharingan ability allowed him to teleport anything within the range of his sight and he could see within a range of one kilometer. Through enhancement, he could even reach 5 Kilometers. It was an extremely powerful ability that almost allowed Sasuke to one shot Naruto, if he hadn't seen it in action before hand and possessed the precognition powers. Sasuke had almost sent a lighting kunai directly to his brain and Naruto sensed it before the action even started. Naruto would have died to such a move directly since he still couldn't survive brain destruction.
The eyes could see through solid matter easily, so Naruto was not stopped by any obstacles. Walking away from the hospital, he decided to visit Hinata.
While walking to his destination, Naruto couldn't help but think about how he would go about convincing the tailed beasts to join an unknown human again. He was also distracted by the thoughts about whom he could choose to stand by his side. Naruto would have believed it to be an honor and a victorious moment, but he had grown out of that childish mindset after he had lost Jiraiya and thought about the world.
The power was a blessing, but it came with heavy responsibilities. Anyone he chose would lose the right to a normal life and would live a life burdened with the weight of the world. How many people could take such burden on their shoulders? Naruto was unsure, and he couldn't even guarantee his own soul as he had only just started and he was already feeling the pressure.
Would it become easier with age and experience or would it become worst? He didn't know the answer and that answer could decide everything for his world, so it was something he had to ponder carefully.
It seems that Naruto had gotten used to getting lost into his thoughts and it was lucky that he was keeping the Six Paths on all the time, because he could his life otherwise. It was something he didn't like to think about, but reality was that the world was filled with evil and he could never allow them the chance to eliminate him.
It was something that Kurama told him before going to sleep as the fourth war had drained him completely and combining with a double required time. The point was further reinforced by Kakashi and Gaara.
Arriving at the Hyuga compound, Naruto entered without a problem as Hiashi had given him permission. Allowing the attendant to guide him, Naruto found his target sparring with Hanabi.
It had been one week since the funeral and the clan had moved along even though they had lost around 100 members. It was their culture. The Hyuga clan didn't scream or cry loudly for their fallen and considered it a shameful act that deserved a punishment.
They would move along after one or two days as it was considered disrespectful to the fallen and to their own souls.
Even though Hinata was more sensitive and emotional unlike her brethren, she had also moved along fast for the sake of her family members.
She was someone that lived for others and took courage from the fact her strength was helpful to someone else.
Living in a clan that encouraged emotionless and practiced cruel traditions such as putting the slave seal on the other children beside the first born, Hinata was forced to act weak and step down so that her sister would not be branded.
With such a goal, she was constantly berated verbally and physically which led to her weak mental state. However that started to change when Neji helped her train and the clan seemed to start to change after the attack from Suna village. Hiashi seemed to have softened after that attack and the distance between the main and sub-division lessened.
It was her dream to change the clan for better and for that Hinata needed power. However, she didn't feel confident in her strength to change it. She started to rely on Neji and expected him to become the Clan head.
However, reality was indeed very cruel as he died saving her. Hinata believed it would have been if she had died, but things would never change because of her words.
Talking with Naruto helped her gather her thoughts, and Hinata was able to focus. When the clan was at its weakest, Hinata gathered her spirit and proposed that they should drop the old traditions and allow the clan to become one.
Otherwise, it would take them too long to regain their strength. Hundred main clan members were killed while the subdivision stayed in the village, and these members didn't even possess most of the clan skills.
With how the world was moving, if they didn't change it could lead to total destruction like the Uchiha clan.
Seeing the disgraced heiress of the clan speaking about the future, the clan elders were angered and commanded a guard to show her the gate.
For the first time, Hinata stood her ground and fought back. With a show of force that came as a shock, she took down the guard with a single hit and the other guards followed.
One of the elders decided to intervene personally and it became a real battle where Hinata showed the results of her training. The Hyuga clan witnessed Hinata's prowess and acknowledged that she was the strongest fighter from the younger generation, meaning only an elder could defeat her in battle.
It also meant that Neji was strong as an elder.
Hiashi stepped in after seeing his daughter's grit and convinced the council of elders to change the policy, especially since Naruto might just step in and change it forcefully. The elders had a different image of Naruto and didn't really know him, so Hiashi managed to use that ignorance.
He also managed to convince them to acknowledge Neji as an elder and honor him across generations. That was the drama happening in the clan while Naruto was away and Hinata started training seriously to accomplish her other goal.
She had changed her clan and now she wanted to help Naruto. She loved him more than her life. She wanted to stand beside him. She wanted him to be happy and for that, power was needed. Physical, mental, economical and political power as Naruto would never use his powers selfishly.
It didn't matter whether Naruto accepted her love, but Hinata vowed to fill his weaknesses.
Getting back to the present, Hinata was training with her estranged little sister who had started to accept her after a real battle. It had been difficult to beat Hanabi personally, but Hinata managed to harden her heart. It wasn't an easy battle since Hanabi was also an exceptional fighter after being trained personally by multiple elders and even the clan head.
Fully focused on the intense spar, the two girls only stopped once one of them was incapacitated. Watching the battle, Naruto realized that the Hyuga style was extremely useful to his cause. He didn't wish to kill people, so he could easily incapacitate them with the Hyuga style.
"Hey Hinata, would your clan allow me to learn the Gentle Fist?" Naruto asked without dancing around the topic as he was someone very straightforward.
Turning to him, Hinata didn't act shy and greeted him back while Hanabi hid behind her as she didn't know how to converse with her hero. Hanabi was one of the new fans that Naruto gained.
"I will have to ask my father since it has never happened before. But, why do you want to learn it?" Hinata would have said no for anyone else, but Naruto was a special case now so maybe the clan could allow it.
"I only have an abundance of pure power, but I am still lacking in skill. Plus, I don't have any skill to capture others so I want to learn the Gentle Fist." Naruto replied honestly and hoped that Hiashi would allow it without even considering the fact that he could force the clan to give it to him.
"I see, give a moment and we can go meet my father." Hinata excused herself as she felt conscious of her sweaty body and left Naruto alone with Hanabi.
"Hello, it has been a long time since we last saw each other. You have really grown stronger since then, and softer." Naruto turned to Hanabi and remembered a brief encounter with the little girl when he went to visit Hinata during the Chunin exams. At that time she had been cold as ice and looked at him like he was an insect.
Unlike Naruto, Hanabi didn't remember their first meeting as he had been insignificant to her existence. However, all that changed after knowing about Naruto's achievements. His feats against the Shukaku during the Suna invasion seemed impossible and made up, but the Pain Invasion cemented his heroics along with him becoming the world savior during the fourth war.
Hanabi was someone that respected strength and she had come to believe that Naruto represented her ideal. No, he represented power beyond her wildest dreams. He had become a living legend. He was not a mortal anymore, but an Immortal from those fairytales that she had discarded as dreams of the foolish.
It made her reconsider reality. It made her reconsider those tales. Was there an element of truth to them? Maybe it was the folly of their generation and the previous generation that such legends had been discarded as mere stories.
Maybe if they hadn't limited themselves to what they perceived as reality, things could have been different and the standard limits of a ninja wouldn't be so low compared to Madara.
Looking at Naruto, Hanabi couldn't separate the image of his golden figure from what her eyes perceived at the moment. She just couldn't see him normally and felt like there was a halo around him.
Meeting her idol unexpectedly, Hanabi ended up slipping over her words and ran away before she made a fool out of herself.
'How embarrassing! I hope he doesn't remember this encounter.'
Naruto didn't understand the situation and thought Hanabi had also become shy like Hinata. He wasn't someone that was looked up to by the masses, so it had yet to dawn upon him that he had become the center of the world.
While waiting for Hinata to return, Naruto decided to experiment since he didn't want to lose himself to his thoughts at the moment and he wished to learn his new powers properly.
He had watched the battle between sisters and even seen, and felt their chakra so following his senses Naruto decided to replicate it.
Usually it was so difficult to memorize new movements, but with his Sharingan always on he was able to remember the steps and with his mastery of chakra from Six Paths plus rinnegan it all became very easy. Just like breathing, Naruto was able to follow the steps of both sisters completely. Getting lost in the flow, he ended up replicating the fight by making a clone.
It was the scene that Hinata returned to. It made her happy, but it also made her sad. Naruto had just taken something she knew and made it his own. She had planned to teach him and spend time with him. However, she already lost her unique point.
It was truly discouraging and the reality of the situation seemed to push her down to make her accept defeat.
'No, I will not give up.' Hinata shook away the negative thoughts and greeted him cheerfully.
"Naruto, we can go meet father now."
With her words, Naruto came to his senses and realized that he had once again lost his focus of the world around him. He really needed to stop and act like a proper ninja, a proper fighter.
Popping his clone with a heart blow, Naruto realized that he had just ended up copying the Hyuga secret arts without their permission.
"Sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing. I just wanted to explore my new powers. So, I won't use the copied move set without permission." Naruto felt ashamed of stealing Hinata and Hanabi's move set, and was very apologetic.
"I trust you and father will definitely give you permission, so don't worry about it." Hinata didn't allow him to feel that shame and cheered him up.
"Thanks for believing in me, and I owe you one so don't hesitate to ask a favor from me. I also owe your little sister as well." Naruto gave her smile and put his fist toward her for a fist bump.
Hinata didn't recognize the gesture and took hold of his fist to shake it.
"No, no, you got to make a fist and bump it with mine."
"Oh" Hinata did as asked and bumped with his fist. It was small gesture but it made her happy.
"I never go back on my words." Naruto muttered confidently and ended up recalling that he failed to keep his promise of returning with Sasuke, and he would never be able to keep that promise.
"Let's go, we shouldn't keep father waiting." Seeing that Naruto's mood was going down, Hinata distracted him hastily and forced him to follow her pace.
She wasn't alien to the fact that Naruto had made that promise and how close Sasuke was to him. Before leaving Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke had become extremely close after the Wave mission. Plus the Chunin exam had only enhanced that emotion, though it had also invited dark thoughts. It was the reason why Sasuke believed that killing Naruto would unlock his Mangekyo, because Naruto was the only person he cared for in his life at that moment.
It went the same for Naruto. Sasuke had become the most important figure to him somehow without his knowledge and understanding, even surpassing Iruka. They had even sparred and lived together in the Uchiha compound for a time even outside of team time. It was these experiences that made everything worse after his death.
"Welcome Mister Uzumaki, I am honored by your presence." Hiashi greeted Naruto respectfully, fully acknowledging the young man's new position of power even if the hero had not realized it.
It was a new thing for Naruto and he didn't how to react to it.
"Good afternoon Mister Hyuga, I hope I am not disturbing you." Naruto greeted him normally since he didn't know how to talk like these clan leaders and elder. He was a simple person with simple talking style.
"I will always have time for you, Mister Uzumaki. You are an important guest of the Hyuga clan, so please make yourself comfortable and speak your mind….What would you like to drink, tea or juice?" Hiashi led him to a seat and they sat down.
"I will have mango juice." Naruto replied causally as he ordered for his favorite fruit. Land of Fire was famous for its mangoes, oranges and Watermelons, and he loved the sweet fruits.
On the other hand the two Hyuga's opted for a green tea and the servant left to bring the drinks.
"How have you been doing, Mister Uzumaki?"
"I am doing fine, how about you?"
"I feel like I have been given another life, energized and full of spirit. I would love to share the details with you, but it seems that you have something to ask."
Hinata could see that her father was intending to make a connection with Naruto. It was easy to see from his body language and tone. However, Naruto wasn't used to such things and didn't notice the obvious.
"Yeah, I don't know how to say this…I want to ask if I can learn Gentle Fist." Naruto was casual about it before, but sitting there he realized the weight of his request.
Hiashi was not expecting that request. However, he didn't show any change of expression and kept it neutral.
"Why do you want to learn it? I don't think our meager skills are important enough to learn for someone of your stature." Hiashi was proud of his clan techniques, but he knew the limits of the Gentle Fist. The skills were not on the level of jutsu that Naruto used and with his level of power it seemed unnecessary.
"I want skills to incapacitate my opponent. I have power to kill and protect, but nothing to trap my stop my foes. I believe Gentle Fist would solve my problem and further enhance my fighting capabilities. I know it is an impossible request, but please consider it."
Hearing the answer, Hiashi could see the reason. Naruto definitely lacked capture skills and Gentle fist would definitely enhance his powers, since it would allow him to bypass natural defences. With his massive chakra, Naruto would literally explode people on touch. Though, that additional power seemed useless to him since he could explode people even without Gentle fist.
Regardless, it was something that the clan had never done. They hadn't done it for Hashirama or any of their other benefactors.
It was the Hyuga secret art that had been in the clan from the age of the Sage. Just like the Uchiha and Senju clan, the Hyuga clan was also connected to the Sage except they were from his brother.
However unlike the Senju and Uchiha, the Hyuga clan had never been able to utilize their powers to represent that connection and had completely forgone their past history as a lost cause.
Nonetheless, Naruto was totally different from the previous cases and their situation was also different. He was the savior of the world and the strongest being in existence while the clan was at its weakest.
Giving Gentle Fist would cost them nothing, since Naruto was way more precious.
"What will you give in return?"
"I can give the rasenshuriken, if you want."
That was an attractive prospect, but not something useful for the Hyuga clan.
"How about becoming an Honorary elder of the Hyuga clan? Like this you won't be an outsider and we can teach you our techniques."
"Honorary Elder? What does that mean?"
"You will be an elder in name and would be only required to help the clan in case of an emergency."
"I see. Hmmm, please give me a moment to think about it. Hinata, could you follow me." Naruto stood up and excused himself.
Hiashi allowed it, though he was surprised that he took Hinata with him.
'Could it work?' He wondered whether Naruto could marry Hinata.
"What do you think?" Naruto stopped outside the small building and asked Hinata for her opinion. Normally he would have said yes instantly, but he realized that was being careless. So he needed a trustworthy opinion.
Hinata felt extremely delighted by his trust and decided to deliver what was needed.
"I think you should accept since it is not detrimental to your purpose. The Hyuga clan would never use your presence in the wrong manner and they understand your nature. They only wish to use your presence for safety purposes, which you would have done regardless. With this offer you will learn the Gentle Fist and even gain strong support for the Hokage seat."
"Hokage seat? What does the clan have to do with that?"
"Um, do you know how the Hokage is chosen?"
"Not really, I never thought about that."
Hinata was definitely surprised by that statement as she realized Naruto basically knew nothing about the Hokage seat and its procedures.
"The Hokage is chosen by the council of clan heads, meaning they vote for the candidate and if the candidate doesn't have more than half the votes then they are rejected."
"Really, but isn't the Hokage above them. How can they choose their superior?"
"It is the procedure in place by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It makes sure that an appropriate leader is shown, someone that is acknowledged by the founders of Konoha. Of course there are other requirements such as knowledge, experience, power and character as well. I believe you already have the support of everyone and the power, so you will just need to get specialized lessons on governance and experience some managerial roles before you are ready to get elected." Hinata answered to vanquish his confusion while completely planning out the best path for Naruto to succeed in his goal.
"I expected it was hard, but that really sounds troublesome." Naruto was a man of action and someone that loved to learn ninja arts. It really seemed to go against his nature to take on such a role even though he had been yelling it to the world.
"But, I will still do it. Hinata, you won't mind helping me out from time to time?"
"I won't mind. I would love to help you." Hinata smiled affectionately reminding him of her confession.
"Thank you for your support, and I didn't forget about it. I was really happy when you said those words. However, we don't really know each other. We have never really hung out. So, I was hoping we could just start as friend's and see if it works out." Naruto was extremely happy and it moved his heart to know that she had been willing to put her life for him. She was the only female beside Tsunade that had done such a thing.
She had been the only girl to ever show romantic emotions for him.
"Thank you for giving me a chance and, I will definitely make you happy." Hinata felt her heart almost burst because of his words. The happiness bloomed on her face and she hugged him tightly, declaring her intention.
Taken aback by her pure emotions and words, Naruto could only hug her back as he felt embarrassed being the target of such love.