Densetsu no Yonnin (The Legendary Four) – Chapter V (Rework in Progress)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... which really sucks.
The second year of the academy has passed. Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were extremely excited to have completed another step of their ninja careers.
Hinata was pleasantly surprised to have made it this far. Having a family that always criticized everything she did made her doubt that she could pull through. As if no matter what she did, it would never be good enough. Her not only completing the second year but also being in the top 5 served as a major confidence booster. Though, she still had her moments of self-doubt.
Naruto was excited to have passed the second year. He may have put up a boisterous front that said, "nothing is gonna stop me," but in truth, he was sure if he could make it. His past consisted of a long line of failures, and he was afraid that this year would be no different. Especially after his humiliating defeat at the hands of his friend Sasuke and since his performance last year left a lot to be desired. But, with the help of Sasuke and Sakura, he managed to pass the second year, and he was eternally grateful to his two friends.
Sasuke was not surprised, but he was still satisfied with his passing the second year. He knew he was going to do exceptionally well. His being at the top of the class was proof of that. He didn't shout his excitement like his blonde companion, but the pleased smirk on his lips refused to take a hike.
Sakura was delighted that she was able to complete her second year. She was concerned that she would drop out since the combat portion was introduced. She performed exceptionally in the theory portion, but she knew that wasn't going to be enough to pass. Thankfully, her friend Sasuke was there to help her learn to fight and she would be forever grateful for that.
Overall, the quartet was the happiest they've been in a while and decided to celebrate their achievement by eating at a certain ramen stand.
(Ichiraku's Ramen)
"Hey, Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-chan!" Naruto called out. The ramen shop owner and his daughter turned around to face their favorite customer.
"Hello, there, Naruto. How are you doing today?" Teuchi greeted while Ayame gave Naruto and his friends a big smile.
"We're doing great!" Naruto gestured to his friends who all greeted the duo. "We just passed the second year of the academy!"
"That's great, Naruto-kun," Ayame praised while beaming at Naruto.
"Yeah! And now we're here to celebrate. So, I need 10 large bowls of miso ramen!" Naruto requested.
"Baka-chan, take it easy on the ramen," Sakura admonished. She had been trying to get him to eat less ramen. Which is like trying to break a brick wall with a peashooter, but she's making progress. A few weeks ago, he would have ordered 15 bowls.
"Okay, Okay," Naruto relented. "I need 9 large bowls of miso ramen," he requested with the same energy. This caused Sakura to facepalm, Sasuke to shake his head, and Hinata to giggle. Teuchi and Ayame just laughed at Naruto's antics.
"Naruto-kun, it's not healthy to eat all that ramen. At least get some vegetables with it," Hinata insisted.
Naruto wanted to protest but when faced with Hinata's kind and caring gaze, he decided against it. "Fine... I'll take five large bowls of miso ramen," was Naruto's final request.
This surprised both Sasuke and Sakura. They expected Naruto to be more stubborn about this, but Hinata managed to break through that figurative wall with ease. They exchanged glances with each other.
"How did she do that?" Sasuke asked Sakura.
"That's what I wanna know. I've been trying to get him to do that for weeks, yet Hinata got him to do it with just a few words," Sakura replied while gazing at Hinata as she put in her order ramen.
"Eh, we'll figure it out later," Sasuke shrugged, and Sakura let the issue go for now. They both placed their orders before sitting down with Hinata and Naruto.
After the four received their food and enjoyed it with gusto, they engaged in conversation about the previous school year. All four of them looked back on the year with fondness as they discussed their various antics.
Naruto explained one of the pranks he pulled with the help of Hinata. A store clerk refused to allow him to enter his shop to buy food, so he decided to retaliate. He filled up several balloons with paint and planned to throw them at the clerk. Then, he got the bright idea of bringing Hinata along with him. Initially, she refused because she thought it wasn't nice, but Naruto managed to convince her that he wasn't hurting anybody, and she accompanied him.
They stood on top of a building and scouted the area to make sure the coast was clear enough. Naruto decided to let Hinata throw the first balloon. She protested against this, but when faced with Naruto's grin, she felt her resistance break. Hinata threw a balloon and it hit him right in the face. Shocked by her actions, she ducked behind the roof and covered her mouth. Naruto was initially shocked, but he soon started cheering Hinata for a job well done.
The store clerk didn't see Hinata, but Naruto was visible to him, and he started cursing the blonde. His curses were cut short by Naruto throwing the rest of his balloons at him, splashing the rest of his store. The clerk called for ninjas to come to catch Naruto, and the blonde grabbed the bluenette's hand before dashing away from the scene of the crime. Naruto was laughing all the while and his cheerful attitude was infectious and Hinata found herself laughing along with him.
"Hmm. Never thought you'd have it in you to do that, Hinata," Sasuke stated while rubbing his chin. "But seriously, you hit him in the face. Well done."
"O-oh! Um... It was nothing," Hinata replied while looking down and poking her fingers together.
"How could you let her get involved in that, baka-chan!" Sakura shouted at Naruto. "What if her clan found out about this."
"S-Sakura-chan, there's no need to worry," Naruto tried to placate the angry pinkette. "I made sure they didn't know Hinata was a part of it." When the ninjas caught up to Naruto, he made sure not to mention Hinata being involved in the prank. He even went as far as to tell Hinata to run away and lead the ninjas away from her.
Sakura calmed down, but she still gave Naruto a glare and a warning, "She better not get in trouble for this."
Then Sakura explained the time she went shopping with Sasuke. Sakura went to the store to buy some groceries and she ran into Sasuke while she was there. They decided to help each other find what they were searching for. Sakura's mom tasked her with finding food according to a diet plan she found out about. Sakura would've drowned in her irritation with having to do this if Sasuke weren't there with her.
When they went to pay for their groceries, Sasuke noticed that the price for his items was lower than Sakura's. He spoke up and the store clerk said that he was giving him a discount and referred to him as 'Uchiha-sama'. Sasuke became irritated and insisted on paying the full price and for the clerk to stop calling him that. However, the clerk was insistent on giving Sasuke 'proper respect he deserved', which irritated Sasuke even more. He would've just given in if it weren't for Sakura speaking up. She told the clerk that if he wants to pay the full price, then let him. Sasuke tried one last time to get the clerk to agree and this time the clerk relented.
While they were walking home, the pair was noticed by a group of Sasuke's fangirls. They initially squealed in delight before their moods soured when they noticed Sakura. They started whispering to each other about Sakura's huge forehead and her ugly pink hair, but Sakura still heard them. Sakura snapped when they said that she was trying to steal Sasuke from them. She would've pummeled them if it weren't for Sasuke holding her back. He had to drag her back to her home, all the while she was screaming curses at the terrified fangirls. She finally calmed down when Sasuke reassured her that what they said wasn't true.
"You held her back and you didn't get pummeled," Naruto asked astonished. He turned to Sakura, "How come when I try to hold you back, you wind up hitting me, too?"
Sakura had the decency to look sheepish. "Umm... Sorry?" she offered.
Naruto turned away from her, pouting childishly.
Next up, Hinata told the tale of when they skipped flower arranging class. One day, Hinata noticed that Sakura was absent from flower arranging class and she decided to look for her. She found Sakura throwing kunai at a target she created. Hinata asked why she was there, and Sakura told her that she didn't see the point of flower arranging. They were training to be kunoichi, why do they need to know which flowers go together.
Realizing that Sakura had a point, Hinata decided to stay with Sakura. She watched her pink-haired friend as she practiced kunai throwing. Hinata was amazed by Sakura's performance. At the beginning of the year, she could barely hit a bullseye. Now, most of her shots hit close to the center. Hinata then got an idea, and she went to pick up several kunai.
Sakura stopped her kunai throwing when a knife she didn't throw hit near the center of the target. She turned her head and saw Hinata with her hand outstretched and a satisfied smile on her face. Sakura narrowed her eyes and threw another knife hitting near the center again. Hinata replied by doing the same. This went on for several minutes with each girl trying to outdo the other. Unfortunately, their little competition was brought to a halt when they were caught by a chūnin instructor. They were forced to go back to class, but they silently vowed that this wasn't over.
"You skipped class?" Sasuke asked baffled. He didn't expect the girls to do that, especially Hinata.
"Yeah, that's something I would do," Naruto in the same state of bafflement.
"Well, it's a pointless class," Sakura stated. "How is flower arranging going to help us defend the village."
"While I don't like the idea of skipping class, Sakura-san does have a point," Hinata stated, and the two boys nodded in agreement.
Finally, Sasuke told the story of when he raced with Naruto. The two were walking home one day and Naruto decided to have another competition. Sasuke sighed but decided to humor his blonde friend. It took a little bit of thinking, but they decided to race on the rooftops. The boys jumped onto the roofs and made the Academy their destination. They also made it interesting by stating that if Naruto won, Sasuke had to buy him ramen for the next week, and if Sasuke won, Naruto had to buy him onigiri for the next week.
At a silent signal, Naruto and Sasuke shot off like a rocket towards the Academy. They initially started in the same place, but Sasuke slowly managed to pull ahead of Naruto. The blonde tried to catch up, but Sasuke continued to move ahead of him. The smirk he sent his way made ticked Naruto off even more. Desiring to win at any cost, Naruto decided to play dirty.
Sasuke stumbled in shock when a box hit him on the head. He looked behind him and saw Naruto with a bunch of items in his hand and he was throwing them at Sasuke. Sasuke continued to dodge, but it made him lose focus and Naruto was slowly catching up. Deciding to beat him at his own game, Sasuke picked up several items and started throwing them at Naruto. The two of them kept throwing stuff until they ran out of things to throw, so they resorted to pushing and shoving each other. They were so focused on messing each other up that they didn't notice the end of the roof and they wound up falling to the ground, kicking up a large dust cloud.
After Naruto and Sasuke regained their bearings, they noticed that they were at the academy. They both started cheering about their victory until they realized that the other was cheering too. They started arguing about how they won and the other lost. This continued until they were noticed by Iruka who chased them both away from the academy. Naruto and Sasuke silently vowed to finish this bout.
Sakura stared at the two boys with a dull expression, and Hinata stared at them with a concerned expression.
Both boys looked between the two girls with confused looks. "What?" they asked simultaneously.
Sakura continued to stare until she busted out laughing. "Oh my god. That was hilarious," she managed to gasp out. "I swear, you two take this rivalry thing too far."
"I agree with Sakura," Hinata spoke up in a concerned tone. "You both could have gotten hurt from that fall."
Naruto waved off her concern. "There's no need to worry Hinata-chan. It's gonna take a lot more than a fall to keep us down."
"Yeah, what the idiot said," Sasuke jabbed.
"What did you say, jackass?" Naruto snapped.
"Guys..." the duo immediately stopped their bickering at the silent warning from Sakura. They knew that if they continued, she would hit them over their heads.
The quartet continued to enjoy each other's presence until it was time to go. They paid for their ramen and stepped outside the shop. Before they could leave, Naruto spoke up. "Hey, guys. Can I show you something?"
"What is it Naruto-kun," Hinata asked.
"Follow me," Naruto replied before he dashed off in a random direction. His three friends rushed to catch up with him.
"Where are we going?" Sakura asked while running with the other three.
"Just trust me," Naruto answered cryptically. His three friends took his word for it and remained quiet until they reached their destination.
(Hokage Mountain)
The four now stood on top of the Hokage Mountain, a monument built to honor Konoha's four leaders. When Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura looked out over the village they were speechless. The village by itself created a beautiful sight, but the setting sun made Konoha positively glow.
Naruto noticed their speechlessness and he grinned cheekily. "Like it?" he asked.
"It's beautiful," Hinata spoke up.
"I never knew our village could look like this," Sakura stated.
"Wow," was all Sasuke said.
"Yep. I come up here all the time. It's kinda like my thinking spot," Naruto explained. "Hey, come on, sit down and enjoy the view." His three friends followed his request, and the quartet took a seat on the head of the Fourth Hokage. As they enjoyed the view of the village, they thought back on their lives.
Before she met her friends, Hinata was always focused on being the perfect heiress. Her clan had a low opinion of her, so she did whatever she could to gain her clan's approval. However, with her friends, she never felt like a burden. Naruto always reminded her that she wasn't weak, Sasuke was there to help her get stronger, and Sakura was like a sister to her. If Hinata hadn't met them, she would still be a shy, stuttering mess.
2 years ago, Naruto felt unwanted. He could count on his fingers the number of people that cared about him while the rest of the village completely ignores him. After he met his friends though, the feeling of neglect disappeared. Hinata was there to keep him grounded, Sasuke was like a brother to him, and Sakura made sure he didn't do something stupid. If Naruto hadn't met them, he would still be a loudmouthed loser.
When the Uchiha clan was still alive, Sasuke felt overshadowed by his older brother. Now that they are gone, the fake sympathy from the villagers did not help him. After meeting his friends, he felt wanted and not just for his name. Hinata was someone he could relate to, Naruto was like a true brother to him, and Sakura got him to speak out more instead of just ignoring things he deems annoying. If Sasuke hadn't met them, he would still be a broody and emotionless asshole.
Sakura's mother had abnormally high expectations of her. She wanted her to always look a certain way to catch a rich boy's eye. With her friends, she never felt pressured to be someone she wasn't. Hinata was like a sister to her, Naruto reminded her that she didn't have to be perfect, and Sasuke never focused on the qualities that she hated about herself. If Sakura hadn't met them, she would still be a shy girl that cries whenever someone makes fun of her.
The four also reminisced about their training.
Hinata had finally gotten the basics down on her new Gentle Fist style including stance and movement. However, she still needed to work on her attacks and defense. Help from a full-fledged ninja would definitely help in that endeavor.
Ever since Naruto found that textbook on his doorstep, he has become a Sealing Arts nut. He is rarely seen without his face buried in a textbook, which baffled his peers. Especially since they couldn't make heads or tails of the art, yet he understood it perfectly. Much to the surprise of his friends, he managed to perform storage sealing within a day. He was eager to practice more seals, but his friends forbade him from getting into the material too advanced for him. Now he was stuck perfecting storage sealing and improving his calligraphy.
Sasuke hasn't made much improvement himself. Although to be fair, he was already above average with his fighting skills. He did, however, focus on his sword skills. He found some scrolls in the library and used them to better his kenjutsu. He was pretty good if he did say so himself, though he was a little biased. He would need a trainer to help him refine his kenjutsu.
Sakura was working on her medical ninjutsu and use of poisons. She focused on poisons more than healing because she hadn't had a lot of chances to practice. Whenever her friends got a bruise or a cut, she would heal them. She had to stop Naruto from harming himself to help her. With poisons, she studied plants that create the best ones. However, she couldn't try them out since she didn't want to hurt someone and most of those plants weren't native to Konoha.
The four were brought out of their musings by Sakura asking a question. "Hey, Naruto. Why do you want to become Hokage?" The other three were surprised by this question but Hinata and Sasuke were curious as to the reason as well.
Naruto was caught off guard by the question. Despite his boisterous attitude, Naruto was reserved about his life. Him shouting about his dream may be a common occurrence, but he would never talk about himself. However, these were the first real friends that Naruto ever had. So, he knew that he could trust them.
"Ever since I could remember people have always ignored me," Naruto started and the other three listened attentively. "They always act like I don't exist. Like I don't matter. And I don't know why. Although sometimes they don't ignore me, but they give me nasty looks, like I'm some sort of plague. Adults wouldn't let me play with their kids. Merchants won't even let me walk in their stores, they always kick me out. And that's when I knew the village hated me." Naruto was now looking down at the village with a somber expression, the other three continuing to listen.
"I thought that maybe my parents did something bad, but no one will ever tell me about them, so I'm just left in the dark." There was a short pause as Naruto gathered his thoughts. "It really hurts, you know. Being hated by the entire village and not knowing why. And because I don't know why, I can't do anything to fix this." Naruto paused his words as he envisioned dark figures with red eyes staring down at him with contempt.
He snapped out of it and continued, "I think you guys are probably the only ones who don't hate me, aside from Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-chan, Hokage-jiji, and Dog. Then, one day, I was walking with Hokage-jiji and I saw how everyone treated him with respect. They didn't ignore him, and they didn't talk about him behind his back. That's when my dream was born. If I become Hokage, the village won't look down on me anymore." Naruto finished his tale and turned to gauge his friends' reactions.
Hinata had tears in her eyes and had her hands over her mouth, Sasuke's eyes darkened, and his fist was clenched, and Sakura had a somber look and a clenched fist. All three of them knew that their blonde friend was suffering, but they didn't realize it was this bad. The atmosphere took a huge nosedive and there was an air of awkwardness, especially with Naruto.
"Naruto," Sakura spoke which got the blonde's attention, "You want to be Hokage just for that?"
Taken aback by her question, he asks back, "What do you mean?"
"Well, the Hokage is a very important position. They are the leader of the village. If you want to be the leader of the village just to gain respect that seems kind of... selfish," Sakura finished hesitantly.
The pinkette's words struck Naruto like a blow to the gut. He stared at the ground slowly digesting her words, "How?" Naruto turned his gaze back to Sakura and she flinched when she saw the hurt behind his eyes, "How is it selfish of me to want acknowledgment. How is it selfish of me to want to not be ignored?!" He shouted the last question.
"Wait, Naruto, I don't think that's what she means," Hinata tried to calm him down.
"Then what does she mean?" his anger died down, but he was still tense.
"I think she means that there are other ways to gain respect, and becoming Hokage is not the best way," Sasuke explained. "Although, if you ask me, I say screw the villagers. If they want to keep ignoring you, I say let them. They don't care about you anyway."
Naruto finally calmed down and he stared at the ground for several moments as he digested his words, "I see..."
Sakura noticed that Naruto was uncomfortable and decided to ease the tension. "You know, you're not the only one who's looked down on," Sakura started which gained everyone's attention. "My dream is to become an amazing kunoichi. Ever since I heard about legends like Yūhi Kurenai, Senju Tsunade, and especially the Red Death, I wanted to be just like them." Sakura had a fond smile as she remembered the women she looked up to.
The smile dimmed as she continued. "But my mom was against my dream. She would always tell me that kunoichi and barbaric excuses for women and that I shouldn't be like them. I would go against her wishes but every time I did, she would hit me. She even threatened to beat me if I didn't do what she said." A shocked expression crossed Hinata's face while both Naruto and Sasuke had murderous ones.
"But that's not all," Sakura started gaining the other three's attention again. "My mom is obsessed with becoming a noble. She always tries to groom me to be perfect so I can catch the eye of some rich boy. She put me on a diet plan, makes me wear absurd amounts of make-up, although I wipe it off before I get to school, and tries to get me to look like girls in beauty magazines. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with women who do that, but that's just not me. And..." she trailed off as she looked down at herself and wrapped her arms around herself, "It makes me feel self-conscience."
Hinata gazed to the ground somberly, Naruto still looked murderous, while Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean you only became my friend to get close to me," he tried to keep the pain out of his voice, but Sakura still detected it.
"No, no, no, no! That's not true," Sakura was quick to reassure him. "I really am your friend. In fact, I would've stayed away from you had you not been a nice guy." Sasuke could feel the sincerity in her words and his visibly calmed down.
"By the way, you shouldn't listen to what she said," Sasuke stated which earned him Sakura's attention. "If you want to be a kunoichi, I say go for it." Sakura smiled at Sasuke and nodded her head.
They lapsed into silence until it was broken by Hinata. "U-Umm, my clan is very prestigious." The other three turned their attention to her, wondering where she was going with this. "They value strength and hate any sign of weakness because they believe that weakness would bring dishonor to the clan. Unfortunately for me, they believe that my kindness makes me weak. They keep telling me that I shouldn't treat people as if they are on the same level as the Hyūga." She engaged in her nervous habit of twiddling her thumbs.
"I also can't perform the Gentle Fist. No matter how hard I tried, the stances and movements didn't feel right to me. The elders would always berate me for failing to live up to their standards." Hinata's gaze shifted to the ground as she continued. "It also didn't help that my younger sister, Hanabi, was a prodigy in the Gentle Fist. That cemented their belief that I was weak."
"The elders also don't like me because I want to unite the family." This gained curious looks from the other three and she elaborated. "My family is divided among itself. There's the main family and there's the branch family. The main family treats the branch family like they're servants except me, my father, and my sister. I want to become the clan heiress so I can unite the clan under one family, but the elders don't like that. They say that what I want goes against tradition, but I think the truth is they like keeping the branch family below them." Hinata finished her story and looked up from the ground.
Naruto looked livid, Sasuke was silently pissed, and Sakura was fuming. "Those heartless bastards!" Naruto growled. "What kind of people treat their own family like this!"
"That's just the way they do things," Hinata replied with her head lowered.
"Hinata," Hinata snapped her gaze to Naruto, especially since he didn't use chan with her name, "You listen to me. Don't listen to what they say. You are not weak. And your kindness is what makes you awesome. I don't care what those stuck-up assholes think, you are still a princess to me."
"R-Really?" Hinata stuttered and she blushed from Naruto calling her princess.
"Of course, Hime-chan," Naruto gave her a grin. He donned a confused expression when her face turned even redder. "Hey, Hinata are you alright?" he asked.
Hinata shook her head to get rid of the blush, "I-I'm fine Naruto-kun." Naruto turned his confused face to Sasuke who just shrugged his shoulders. But Sakura had a sneaking suspicion as to the cause of Hinata's behavior.
Once Hinata shook off her embarrassment, she, Naruto, and Sakura turned to Sasuke with expectant gazes. Sasuke realized the meaning behind those looks and sighed. He wasn't eager to reveal his past, but his friends revealed theirs. So, it's only fair that he does so, too.
"My clan is similar to the Hyūga. They both value strength and despise weakness. My older brother, Itachi, was a prodigy among prodigies. He graduated when he was 7 and became an ANBU captain when he was 13. Needless to say, he was praised a lot for his skills," Hinata was indifferent since she heard this story already, Naruto had a wide-eyed expression, and Sakura surprised too. "Unfortunately for me, that meant that I would always be in his shadow. Whenever I'd accomplish something, they say that Itachi did it better. The only people who didn't do this were my older brother, his friends, Shisui, and his girlfriend, Izumi, and my mother."
"Even your dad looked down on you?" Naruto asked.
"Yep," Sasuke nodded. "Even though I didn't like being in Itachi's shadow, it wasn't too bad." Sasuke's face then darkened and the other three flinched at the hatred emanating from him. "That is until that night." Sasuke had to consciously stop himself from shaking so he could focus on telling the story. "I was coming home from training and all the lights in the compound were off. This was strange because they were off earlier than usual. I continued walking and that's when I saw it." Sasuke's fist was now clenched. The other three noticed this and were almost scared to hear what came next, but they still listened.
"There were dead bodies everywhere," Sasuke managed to choke out, and his friends stared in shock. "I ran around looking for survivors but, there were none. I'm the only Uchiha left, and I swore to kill the man responsible." The others were surprised by Sasuke vowing to kill someone, though they couldn't fault him for it. If they were in the same situation, they probably would've done the same. Sasuke managed to quell his shaking and he took several deeps breaths before continuing. "After that tragedy, the villagers all gave me their sympathy. At first, I was grateful that they were there to support me. But then I realized they only did it because of my name. I guarantee that if it was some random civilian whose family was murdered, they would have given their condolences and moved on. But because I'm an Uchiha, they all want to suck-up to me."
"So that's why that store clerk was so insistent on giving you a discount," Sakura realized.
"Yeah. And I hate that. They didn't care about me. They just wanted to get in the good graces of the last Uchiha," Sasuke finished his tale and the quartet lapsed into long silence.
"Our lives are pretty shitty," Naruto stated bluntly.
"While I wouldn't use those words, I agree with you," Sakura replied.
"But our lives got better when we became friends," Hinata realized.
"If we didn't, our lives might have gotten worse," Sasuke agreed.
"So if we break up, we'll go right back to being in hell," Naruto realized. "I don't wanna do that."
"Me neither," Sakura agreed and Hinata and Sasuke did too silently.
"I say we make a vow," Naruto spoke up catching the others' attention.
"A vow?" Sasuke questioned.
"Yeah. A vow to always stick together and help each other accomplish their dreams." Naruto explained. The others thought this over for several moments before agreeing. "Hey, guys. Stand up." The other complied with his request. "Do this," Naruto clenched his fist and pointed it to the setting sun. The others stared at the blonde for a few seconds. Hinata was the first to point her fist to the sun, then Sakura, and finally Sasuke. They stayed like that for several moments as the sun cast a bright glow over all four of them.
"Great. Now we've cemented our vow!" Naruto cheered. The four of them turned to face each other: Hinata had a small smile, Naruto had a large grin, Sasuke had a small smirk, and Sakura had a big smile.
"All right guys, it's getting late. I'm gonna head home. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Sasuke spoke as he waved goodbye to the other three. Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura also said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
(Hyūga Compound)
When Hinata arrived home, she went straight to her father's office. She ignored the looks and scathing remarks from her family. There was only one thing on her mind, and she needed to settle it.
Hinata knocked on the door to her father's office and entered when she was given permission. Hiashi looked up and was surprised to see the conviction in his daughter's eyes, even if her legs were trembling.
"Father... I have a request," Hinata started. When Hiashi nodded, she continued, "I wish to spar with you."
This caught Hiashi off guard. Never in a million years did he expect his eldest daughter to ask him this. "You wish to spar with me?" he asked to make sure he heard right.
"Yes, father," Hinata's eyes did not waver.
"Very well then," Hiashi stood up from his chair, "I'll arrange to have the elders-."
"No," Hiashi raised an eyebrow at the interruption and Hinata quickly corrected herself. "I-I ap-apologize for that. But I wish for it to be just us present."
Hiashi stared at his daughter for several seconds. He figured that his daughter had something on her chest that she needed to get sorted out, so he granted her request. "Very well then. Follow me." Hiashi walked out of the office and Hinata followed him to the dojo. Unknown to Hinata, she had an observer who heard the whole exchange.
After changing into their combat clothes, Hinata and Hiashi stood across from each other. They both met each other's gaze without flinching. Slowly they got into their Gentle Fist stances. Much to Hiashi's surprise, Hinata's stance is different from his. He decided to ask her about it later.
"Begin," Hiashi announced and Hinata dashed forward throwing a palm strike at Hiashi. Hiashi wasn't expecting her to make the first move, but he still managed to deflect the attack. Hiashi went to deliver a palm strike but to his further surprise, Hinata flowed around the blow and twirled outside of his strike range.
Hiashi's face became one of curiosity as he dashed at Hinata. He threw a palm strike to her shoulder, but she flowed around the blow again. Hinata attempted to deliver a strike to her father's stomach, but he deflected the blow and delivered a strike to her chest sending her back.
Hinata staggered for a few seconds. That blow was faster than the previous one, so she was unable to dodge it. Though, the strike did not deter her. She managed to right herself and stood in a ready position yet again surprising her father.
This went on for several minutes. Hinata managed to barely keep pace with her father even though he was holding back. Hiashi also made mental notes of Hinata's performance. Her stance and movements are different from the normal Gentle Fist. So where did she learn to do this from?
The spar continued for a few minutes until Hiashi noticed that Hinata was starting to slow down. Deciding to end the spar, Hiashi broke Hinata's guard and delivered a palm strike to her chest. Not hard enough to put her out of commission, but it did send her to the floor.
Hinata fell to the floor in a coughing fit. When she got her breathing under control she looked up and saw her father gazing at her with a blank stare. She lowered her head to the ground expecting him to berate for a terrible performance. After all, that's what always happened.
"Well done, my daughter."
Four words. Four simple words. And yet those four words filled Hinata with a warmness she hadn't felt in a long time. She'd always wanted to hear those words from her father, but she believed that it would never happen. Hinata slowly got to her feet, all the while struggling not to cry. "Thank you, father."
"Those style was different from the normal Gentle Fist. Where did you learn it?" Hiashi inquired.
"I actually created it myself. I noticed that the Gentle Fist wouldn't work for me, so I created my own," Hinata responded though she couldn't stop her eyes from shifting.
"Interesting," Hiashi commented. He noticed her shifty eyes but decided not to comment on it. "That's an interesting style you created. Don't you think so too, Hanabi."
A small "eep" of surprise originated from the dojo's entrance. The door opened to reveal Hanabi standing there with a sheepish look. "Sorry, father."
"It's alright, Hanabi. Just ask next time you want to watch a spar," he stated, and Hanabi nodded. He then noticed Hanabi's pensive expression. "If you want to say something, you can speak freely."
That was all the permission Hanabi needed. She bolted towards her sister and enveloped her in a tight hug. Hinata was surprised by the gesture but still returned the embrace. All the while, Hiashi smiled at the scene. Hanabi let go of her elder sister and began to ramble. "Holy Cow! That was amazing, Nee-sama! You all like-," Hanabi imitated Hinata's fighting by throwing two palm strikes and a roundhouse kick. "That was so cool! You did awesome! Can you teach me to fight like that? I want to be able to fight like you, Nee-sama!" her rambling was interrupted by Hinata placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Hanabi-chan, but I can't. This style needs you to be flexible, and I don't you're flexible enough." Hanabi pouted at her sister's refusal, and Hinata had to resist glomping her. Her little sister was too adorable sometimes.
"You know, it's been a long time since we've spent time together," Hiashi spoke getting the attention of his daughters. "What do you say we go get some cinnamon buns?" Hiashi offered. Both girls' faces lit up at the suggestion, and they rushed off to get ready to leave. Hiashi chuckled at the display from the two sisters before he too left the dojo to prepare himself for departure.
(Hokage Office)
Naruto was in deep thought as he strolled away from the Hokage Monument. Sakura's questioning of his dream made him rethink his goal for becoming Hokage.
Is his reason for wanting to become Hokage really selfish? Maybe him wanting recognition was understandable but becoming Hokage to gain it wasn't the right way. Plus, if what Sasuke said is true, then the villagers wouldn't accept him even if he was Hokage. They might leave the village if he was the leader.
But if he couldn't be Hokage, how could he get the villagers to respect him?
"Damn it!" Naruto cried mentally. All these questions were giving him a headache.
He couldn't figure this out on his own. So, he decided to go to the one person he knew could help him.
A few minutes later, Naruto stood outside the Hokage office with sweaty palms and an accelerated heartrate. This wasn't the first time he had visited the Third Hokage, so why was he nervous this time? He didn't know and he was too caught up with what the Hokage would say to figure out why.
Naruto stood there for what seemed like hours until he finally worked up the courage to raise his hand and knock on the door. An old and tired voice gave him permission to enter and Naruto opened the door to come face to face with the Third Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was an old, tired, and withered man who has lived through all three wars and fought in many battles. He had black eyes, brown hair that spiked in the back including a tuft of hair on his chin, and several wrinkles on his face. He was wearing a black and red robe and a hat with the same colors and the kanji for fire on the front rested on the desk signifying him as the Hokage. If one were to see him now, they would see a man that looks like he should be retired and playing with his grandchildren and not a strong warrior that could strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.
Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork and his expression brightened when he saw the blonde ball of energy that was like a grandson to him. "Oh, Naruto-kun! What brings you here?" he questioned.
"Hi, Jiji. I just came by because... umm...," Naruto's eyes shifted to the ground and a moment. He turned his gaze to the Hokage with a nervous face, "I need to talk to you".
Hiruzen could tell due to Naruto's face that this was a serious topic. So, he sent his ANBU guards out of the room with a wave of his hand. Now it was just the two of them in the Hokage office. "Okay, Naruto. What do you need to talk about?"
"Umm... I was talking with my friends as we were celebrating passing the second year of the academy," Naruto started.
"Congratulations on that by the way," the Third Hokage interrupted with a smile.
"Thanks. Well, our conversation led to us talking about our dreams and I told them about my dream to become Hokage. Then, Sakura said that my reason for being Hokage was selfish," Naruto stated with uncertainty.
Hiruzen became curious at this development, "Well, why do you want to become Hokage?"
"I want to be Hokage so that the villagers will acknowledge me. I hate how they keep ignoring me, so I want to change that by being Hokage," Naruto explained energetically before it died down with his next words. "But Sakura said that that's selfish of me. Plus, Sasuke said that if the villagers don't want to acknowledge me, then I shouldn't try to get them to." Naruto's gaze shifted to the floor. "I just want to know," he started as he looked up to the Hokage, "Are they right?"
Hiruzen frowned in contemplation. He could tell by the desperation in Naruto's voice that this question was eating him up inside. He briefly considered just telling Naruto they were wrong and he should work to gain the respect of the villagers, but quickly squashed the thought. Telling him what he wanted to hear would not help him in the long run. Hiruzen needed to be direct and honest about this, but he also needed to choose his words carefully.
"Naruto," Hiruzen started, "I'm going to be honest with you. Your reason for wanting to be Hokage is selfish." Naruto's eyes widened before they traveled to the floor and a depressed expression crossed his face. Hiruzen felt his heart clench at the sight, so he quickly continued. "But it's understandable why you'd think that. You were desperate for acknowledgment, and you felt that becoming Hokage was the only way to do that. I can see why you'd feel that way. It's just you shouldn't become Hokage just to gain respect," Hiruzen explained.
Naruto's depressed face disappeared but he was still frowning. "I guess you're right about that," he muttered.
Hiruzen figured that the gears were starting to turn in his head, so he continued with his explanation. "Come over here Naruto," Hiruzen told the blonde as he got up from his chair and walked over to the window. Naruto followed the Hokage with a confused expression. "Look out there and tell me what you see," Hiruzen requested as he gestured out the window.
Naruto became even more confused as he looked out the window. He could see the Leaf Village bustling with life: kids were playing in the playgrounds, merchants were selling goods in their stores, and couples walking around in the park. "I just see a normal day in Konoha," Naruto answered. He was confused at what the Hokage was getting at.
Hiruzen smiled as if he knew that's what he would say. "Well, that's not what I see. When I look out there, I don't just see a village. I see my family," Hiruzen started.
"Wait, you're related to the entire village?!" Naruto shouted in shock. That was one huge family tree.
Hiruzen chuckled in amusement, "No, Naruto. They're not my blood family, but I still care about them as if they were. And I have to protect this village at all costs. Even if the cost is my life," Hiruzen turned his eyes to meet the widened ones of Naruto. "That's the job of the Hokage: to put your life on the line to protect and lead this village."
Naruto's eyes widened further at this new information. He never knew the position of Hokage carried this much weight. In fact, he never thought about what the Hokage was supposed to do. He figured that the Hokage was the strongest ninja, but he never thought about why the Hokage was the strongest ninja. Now he knew that the Hokage was the strongest because they needed to be able to protect the village.
Naruto had been selfish. He was so focused on gaining recognition that he sought after the most important position in the village. The Hokage has a lot of responsibility, and the position shouldn't be given to someone who only wants it for fame and glory.
Suddenly, the Hokage hat didn't seem so appealing.
"But, Jiji," Naruto spoke up. "If I can't become Hokage, how am I supposed to be recognized?"
Hiruzen placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a grim look. "Personally, I think you shouldn't work yourself to the bone to impress the villagers if they don't want to see you for who you are. You shouldn't care what the villagers think. You should only focus on what the people who care about you think."
Naruto mulled over Hiruzen's for a few seconds. Slowly, the gears clicked into place in his head, "So you're saying that I should ignore what the villagers think about me because they don't care about me. Instead, I should focus on what my friends Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-chan, and Dog think."
"Correct," the old Hokage smiled, and Naruto beamed. "If those people respect you, then it doesn't matter if the whole village thinks you're just a nobody. But if you still want them to respect you, you don't have to become Hokage. You just need to become a strong ninja. Do you know who Hatake Kakashi is?" Naruto nodded his head. "He's not the Hokage, but people still acknowledge him because he is one of, if not the strongest ninja in the village."
"Yeah, I hear people talking about him sometimes and how great he is," Naruto spoke up. "I never realized this."
"It's okay. I don't expect you to. You're only 10," Hiruzen walked away from the window and sat in his chair still facing Naruto. "So, are you satisfied with my answer?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Jiji. I don't need to be Hokage, but I'm still gonna be the strongest ninja in the village!" Naruto proclaimed with gusto.
"That's a pretty big goal. Are you sure you can do it?" Hiruzen asked in amusement. He chuckled when he saw a fire lit inside Naruto's eyes.
"Of course, I can! I'll be the strongest and I won't settle for anything less!" he shouted before he dashed out the door. A few seconds later he came back to the door, "Thank you. You really help me a lot."
"No problem," the Hokage replied. Naruto smiled and dashed off towards his home while the Hokage went back to completing the daily paperwork.
(Uchiha Compound)
Sasuke stood in front of the entrance to the Uchiha Compound with his legs quivering and hands sweaty. For 2 years he never set foot in the home of his now deceased clan. The painful memories were too much so he avoided this area like the plague.
Although now that he's gazing at the arc with the red and white fan symbol of his clan, he notices that the memories don't hurt as much. Before they felt like a sledgehammer to the ribs, now they feel like the dull ache from a stubbed toe.
Sasuke took several deep breaths to steady himself. He closed his eyes and mentally prepared himself to enter the compound. When he opened his eyes, he finally walked into the Uchiha Compound for the first time in 2 years.
As he strolled around the compound, he saw flashes of the bloodies corpses of his clansmen in certain areas around the district. The sight still horrified him, but it didn't deter him.
He continued walking until he arrived at his home. He walks around the home while flashes of himself running up to hug his older brother who just returned from a mission, while his mother and father watch from outside a door. He chokes down a sob as the flashes disappear and he continues to his parent's room.
Sasuke briefly stops and growls at the room his brother used to live in before continuing on his path. He arrives in front of the door to his parents' room and just stands in front of the door for several minutes as he is hesitant to go inside. Eventually, he musters up the courage and enters the room.
The sight in front of him would haunt him forever. His parents were lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a slash wound from a sword on each of their backs. Sasuke blinked, and the sight was gone. Sasuke stares at the floor with tears in his eyes and clenches his fist. He knew he couldn't avoid the Uchiha compound forever, but the memories still pained him. However, this trip did manage to reignite the fire that was the desire for revenge.
Sasuke looked up from the floor and stumbled back. In front of him wasn't his parents, but his friends. Each of them lying on the floor in a pool of blood unmoving. Sasuke's breath began to quicken, but when he blinked the sight was gone. Sasuke didn't know where that came from, but he knew one thing.
He could not let that sight happen.
Sasuke was brought out of his musings when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He dashed out of the house to confront the intruder, but they were already meters away. He briefly marveled at the person's speed before he pursued them. Sasuke idly noticed that the area around him seemed clearer and he could perceive the intruder's movements better. The figure them him on a long chase around the compound. They figure dashed through alleys and jumped over rooftops, but Sasuke was still on their tail. Eventually, the figure managed to give him the slip when Sasuke thought he cornered him, but the raven-haired boy managed to catch a glimpse of long brown hair.
"Who was that?" Sasuke was left wondering. If anyone was there with him, they would have seen Sasuke's normally black irises replaced by red ones with one black tomoe in each.
(Haruno Household)
When Sakura arrived home, she noticed that her mother was absent. She goes up to her room and sits on her bed while thinking over the talk with her friends. Sure, she wants to be a kunoichi, but could she really do it? That was the question stewing in her mind as she stared at the floor.
Her gaze shifted from the floor to her room and she looks at all the things her mother bought for her to look beautiful.
She looked at a make-up kit.
"Hold still, girl!" Mebuki ordered to a fidgeting Sakura, "You need to look your best if you want to woo a rich boy."
"But mom, I don't want-," Sakura's protest was stopped by a slap from her mother.
"I said hold still," Mebuki ordered and this time Sakura complied.
She looked at a diet plan.
"Here. From now on, I'm putting you on a diet," Mebuki stated as she handed Sakura a diet plan book.
"Why?" Sakura questioned.
"Because boys don't want a girl who's fat," Mebuki explained before she went over the book with her daughter, paying no mind to Sakura as she looked down at herself and frowned.
She looked at a beauty magazine.
"Here," Mebuki handed Sakura a beauty magazine.
"What's this for?" Sakura asked.
"For you to know what you need to look like," Mebuki answered. She ignored Sakura's frown as she looked at the magazine.
Sakura turned her gaze back to the floor and frowned. Then, Sasuke's words echoed in her head.
"By the way, you shouldn't listen to what she said," Sasuke stated which earned him Sakura's attention. "If you want to be a kunoichi, I say go for it." Sakura smiled at Sasuke and nodded her head.
At that moment Sakura made a decision.
She walked out of her room and came back later with a trash bag. She took all the make-up kits, diet books, and beauty magazines and shoved them into the bag. Once she finished doing so, she walked out of the house to throw them away.
But, when she got to the trashcan, she paused. This seemed much easier back in her room. What if her mother found out? If she found out she did this, she would give her the biggest beating of her life. Suddenly, the bag weighed a lot more.
However, before she could fall down that rabbit hole, she jumped off that train of thought. Her eyes hardened and she threw the trash bag in the trash can before walking back into the house without a second glance. Sakura would no longer allow her mother to dictate her life. She was going to be a kunoichi, and nothing was going to stop her.
A/N: And done. The childhood arc is finally over. Now we can get to the good stuff. I hope you have enjoyed the lightheartedness, because now shit is gonna south. So, prepare yourself.
Also, be sure to check out my other story. It's a Naruto X Zombieland Pseudo-Crossover titled "The Land Hidden in the Zombies".
Fanon v. Canon
F: Kakashi is still in the ANBU.
C: Kakashi was taken out of the ANBU when Naruto was in the academy.
F: Hinata gains her Hiashi's approval after performing well in a spar against him.
C: This spar never happened and she was cast aside for her younger sister by her father.
F: After a talk with Hiruzen, Naruto abandons his dream of becoming Hokage.
C: Naruto never had this talk and didn't find out what it truly meant to be Hokage until the Fourth Shinobi War.
F: Sasuke went back to the Uchiha Compound and encountered an intruder.
C: This entire event never happened.
F: Mebuki, Sakura's mother, is against her daugher's dream of becoming a kunoichi.
C: She never shows disapproval for her daughter becoming a kunoichi.
Thanks for reading.
Happy New Year!
Date: Dec/31/2021