Guess who's back, back again
It's ya stinky boi B)
Have another chapter
Months soon started flying by again, the girls working on bettering their skills and cleansing the corruption in the dungeon. Before they knew it, another year had passed once more.
"We're literally so close!" Yelled Ino, exhausted. The girls had just returned from another trip, and had reached the 1% mark of corruption cleansing. Sakura, too out of breath to respond, just plopped down on the ground. There was one thing she needed to discuss with the girls though, before they reached the point of no return.
"We need a battle plan." Sakura stated simply. Hinata and Ino looked over at the girl questioningly.
"We don't know when the boss will spawn, and how strong it'll be. We need to prepare before we fully cleanse the forest." she explained. Hinata and Ino nodded along, before Ino piped up "I think it would be best if I made some more potions right?" Sakura nodded in response before looking at Hinata "I would also like to get Hinata some more protective gear, as she is our tank after all." Sakura said, while Hinata nodded in agreement.
Then Hinata said something that made both girls perk up "I-I can see if my clan can provide something. My father has wanted to meet you two anyways, so we can kill two birds with one stone." she said softly.
Sakura felt a bit burdened by that thought. Hinata had only occasionally opened up about her family, and with the additional stories told through Ino, she knew Hinata's father was a strict and up tight man. He also seemed to be quite mean to Hinata, which was something she couldn't quite wrap her head around. However, she knew there'd be no denying this request, as clan business was serious business.
Nodding while smiling softly, Sakura replied back "Sure! When are we welcome?" Ino nodded alongside the girl. Hinata, eased by her friend's soft countenance replied "Today, I-If that works for you two." Hinata pointed her fingers together nervously.
It was on a short notice, but luckily both of their schedules were free for the rest of the day.
And so the girls found themselves entering the Hyuuga compound an hour later. Sakura was glad Ino made them wash up first, as it was obvious the Hyuuga clan cared about appearances a lot. One glance around the street they were walking made it clear that elegance and nobility were preferred.
Soon they reached the head clan's housing. It was grand, opulent, and well maintained. Sakura tried to hide her nervous swallow. The Hyuuga weren't one of the noble founding clans for nothing.
They took of their shoes at the genkan, a Hyuuga member with a seal on their forehead providing them with house slippers. Ino's eyes flashed with an emotion Sakura couldn't decipher. Before she could ask what's wrong, they were led further into the house by the same servant.
The inside of the house was just as gorgeous as the outside. A beautiful garden was found in the middle, the house wrapping around it. Sakura noticed a section of the garden was kept clear, with training equipment placed thoughtfully.
Returning her eyes to the front, Sakura noticed Hinata was quite tense. Speeding up a bit, Sakura laid her hand on Hinata's shoulder, making the girl look back. They smiled at each other, Hinata losing a slight bit of her tension.
The servant soon stopped in front of one of the sliding doors, knocking gently "Hiashi-sama, Hinata has returned with two guests." she said demurely. "Come in." sounded from the other side.
The servant slid the door open, a dining room being revealed. The person who she assumed was Hiashi sat at the head of the low table, drinking a cup of tea. He gave them a once over before taking another sip of his tea.
As Hinata stepped into the room, the two girls nervously followed. "Father," Hinata began softly, her whole body slouching insecurely "This is Yamanaka Ino, and this is Haruno Sakura. They are the two friends I have been training with." she ended. Hiashi gave them another once over before gesturing at them to sit. They followed Hinata to one side of the table, Ino sitting next to her, with Sakura next to Ino.
A servant briefly came in to serve the girls some tea before leaving again. The silence was stifling. Sakura had never seen Ino so nervous.
"I see." Hiashi said simply. Sakura looked up from her tea to see his face in a neutral expression. Once his eyes landed on her though, his look got sharper.
"You have much to benefit from training with the Yamanaka, but what exactly does miss Haruno have to offer?" His tone was cutting. Hinata looked between her father and Sakura nervously.
"Sakura's father taught us three the basics of tanto wielding and-"
"Weaponry is useless to us Hyuuga, we only need our taijutsu style." Hiashi said curtly.
Sakura internally flinched and started raging at the same time. Hinata was a badass both through her taijutsu and tanto usage. It's her flawless combination of the two that made her so special. Not only that, but she is pretty sure Hiashi is thinking lowly of her father. Two of her precious people being undermined like this made her blood boil.
"I'd recommend you focus more on your taijutsu Hinata, as it hasn't improved at all since meeting these two." Hiashi stated, a tone of condescension present.
A fist making impact with the table rang out through the room. All eyes turned towards Sakura who was seething with anger, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Don't, and I mean don't talk down to Hinata like that!" Sakura snapped. Hinata and Ino gaped at Sakura's sheer ballsy ass.
Hiashi however chuckled lowly "Give me a reason not to." he stated, eyebrow raised.
Sakura felt the figurative smoke coming from her body, her anger fuelling her bravery "Give us anyone to spar to and we will beat them." Sakura stated simply, fire in her eyes.
Hinata gasped about to protest when Hiashi replied back "If you think you can, sure.".
Ino looked between the two girls, worried. On one hand she wanted to high five Sakura at her bravery, and on the other hand smack her over the head for her foolishness.
The group was corralled to the garden, and led into the training area. A boy was already training fiercely, the sweat dripping from his body. Simultaneously at their arrival, a young girl entered the garden.
"Neji, Hanabi, come here." Hiashi said curtly. The two instantly complied, the boy more annoyed while the girl was eager to listen.
"Neji, I want you to spar with the girl here. Hanabi, I want you to spar with Hinata afterwards." He stated simply.
Before Sakura knew it, she was facing off the unfamiliar boy. Before the start rang out she got out her own wooden training tanto from her backpack. Brandishing the weapon she examined her opponent.
【❀】HYUUGA NEJI \\ LV. 9【❀】
【RANK: CIVILIAN】
【OCCUPATION: ACADEMY STUDENT】
【AGE: 8】
【TRAITS: HYUUGA \\ BRANCH MEMBER】
【❀】STATS【❀】
【STRENGTH: 9】
【PRECISION: 10】
【ENDURANCE: 7】
【CHARISMA: 3】
【INTELLIGENCE: 7】
【AGILITY: 6】
【LUCK: 1】
Neji looked pissed, but in a weird sophisticated way. The boy was obviously looking down on her, seeing her as a waste of time. He seemed to only be a year older than her though. His stance however screamed experience. Sakura was starting to worry a bit, but there was no backing down now. For Hinata's sake.
"Start."
Neji instantly rushed at Sakura, throwing her on the defensive. She tried parrying one of the blows with her tanto but instantly felt it wouldn't work in her favour. She quickly threw the weapon to the side, holding up her own two fists instead.
After a good bit of dodging, Sakura saw Neji getting annoyed. It was obvious he was normally the clear winner. Sakura wasn't going to give it to him easily though.
Neji sprung back, surprising Sakura. Looking at the ground, she suddenly got a plan. Sakura took the small opening and advanced herself. She may look small and weak but her punches hurt.
Neji scoffed at her, easily countering her, but not expecting her to pull his arm causing him to fall towards the ground. He easily caught himself, but Sakura advanced on him once more.
Neji countered all his attacks by using his gentle fist technique, causing a few of her tenketsu to close up. She felt her leg slowly turning numb and knew she had to end this quickly.
Finally at the place she meant to end up, Sakura flipped back, her hands landing on her discarded tanto. She grabbed it, using the momentum to slash up a dirt cloud. As she had hoped, some of the dirt had landed in his eyes.
Knowing his vision still wouldn't fully be impaired, she quickly dove up. Dodging a swipe sent her way, she struck her tanto out at his stomach, hitting it cleanly causing him to grunt in pain.
Silence fell over the clearing as realisation soon set in.
Sakura had to smile wryly as Ino tackled her excitedly. The only reason she won was simply because Neji underestimated her and she played a little dirty. She also had to muse at the fact that this was the second time she had to prove her and her friend's worth in a fight. What an odd life did she live.
Neji stormed off before she could perform the seal of reconciliation with him, leaving Sakura standing there awkwardly. She resigned herself to her fate and sat down on the engawa where the others were resting.
Hanabi and Hinata were already standing in the place where she once stood. Hinata looked extremely nervous, which Sakura found to be odd.
Ino and Sakura had heard a few stories about Hinata's little sister Hanabi. However, Hanabi was about 2 years younger than Hinata so this fight should be easy right?
As the start rung out Hanabi quickly advanced, forcing Hinata on the defensive. Something was off though. It was obvious when comparing their stats that Hinata should come out on top, but she was letting herself be pummeled.
Before Sakura could continue her train of thought, Ino screamed out from beside her "Stop holding back Hinata!"
Hinata flinched, looking at Ino shocked. The girls exchanged a wordless conversation before Hinata turned back towards Hanabi, fire in her eyes.
Before Hanabi could register it, she was on the defensive. The girl was obviously shocked at the fierce Hinata before her. It wasn't Hinata at her full power yet, but whatever Ino had conveyed to her had convinced the girl to win.
The fight was over before Hanabi even knew what had happened, the girl now lying face down on the ground with Hinata pinning her down. Hinata suddenly sobered up, leaping off the girl and quickly helping her up. Hinata started apologising but Hanabi simply held up her hand in the seal of reconciliation. Hinata stopped herself midway another apology and wordlessly took the seal. Something flashed in Hinata's eyes before tears started spilling out, the girl running off towards her room.
Ino and Sakura looked at each other worried before following quickly.
Hiashi in the meantime, escorted Hanabi to the dining room, pondering over the events that had just taken place.
Ino and Sakura rushed after Hinata, the girls ending up in Hinata's room.
Hinata was now sobbing freely, cradled up in Ino's arms. Sakura stood off to the side, feeling awkward. She had done something wrong but didn't know what.
Well obviously picking a fight with her father was a mistake, but she knew something was up with the fight between the two sisters.
As Ino calmed down the girl to just quiet sniffles, Hinata started telling them a tale about the Hyuuga clan. Ino looked grim, seeming to already know what it was about.
As Sakura heard the Hyuuga clan's branch system being explained though, she started feeling sick.
"I-I was just trying to protect Hanabi from being sealed by acting weaker and prolonging the sealing." Hinata smiled wryly "But now that father knows about my strength she's surely going to be sealed." Ino continued rubbing the girl's back comfortingly.
Sakura sighed heavily, sitting down on the tatami floor alongside the girls. What a mess she made.
Ino however, still had things to say.
"Hinata," Ino turned Hinata around to face her "this is not your fault. Besides, if you had lost you would've not been allowed around us anymore." Hinata sniffled, nodding sadly. Sakura moved closer tentatively "Isn't it better to be stronger to support her, and be able to change the clan in the future?" Sakura asked carefully. She was a stranger to clan politics after all.
Hinata pondered over her words, before sadly resigning herself to her fate. Hinata's life was a cruel one. Choosing between the safety of herself and her sister. However, Hinata looked up determined.
She would become strong enough to protect both herself and her sister, seal be damned. She would become strong enough to convince the clan to drop the seal. She would become strong enough, and nobody would be able to stop her.
Standing up she wiped away the remaining tears on her face. She smiled at the two girls who had given her the confidence to keep standing up after every fall. Ino beamed back, jumping up and embracing the girl. Sakura stood up as well, hugging the girl a bit calmer.
In the end it was Hiashi who apologised to the girls, claiming he had judged them too quick. Ino beamed at that, and Sakura sighed in relief.
And thus regular activities resumed, with Hinata taking her newly acquired allowance to gear herself up.
As Hinata was paying for her new armoured fishnet shirt, she turned around to look at the other two "A-Are you sure you don't want anything from me as well? I truly don't mind!" Hinata asked Ino and Sakura. Sakura however smiled kindly "Just keep your money for yourself for now, I'm sure I can scrounge up some money myself by doing some chores around the house!" Sakura lied as easily as she breathed. The only thing she got with chores is when she didn't do them and got her ass whooped. Ino nodded as well "Same for me! If I help out at the store I get a bit of money." Ino stated the truth however.
Hinata nodded, finalising her purchase.
【❀】ARMOURED FISHNET SHIRT \\ DEFENCE: +10 \\ 100%【❀】
【AN ARMOURED FISHNET SHIRT. IT'S THREADS ARE IMBUED WITH A SPECIAL CHAKRA WEAVED FIBER, RESISTANT TO BASIC CUTS.】
The girls soon arrived back at Shika Glade, Hinata's new purchase shining lightly in the sunlight. Sakura was busy crafting some more makeshift axes and arrows, thinking of new creative ways to use her supplies, while Ino was crafting up some more potions. She had also recently been able to brew a health potion, combining Tree Balm and the newly found Heart Grass.
【❀】HEART GRASS【❀】
【GRASS SHAPED LIKE LITTLE HEARTS. HAS SLIGHT HEALING PROPERTIES.】
Hinata in the meantime was churning out gloves like nobody's business to up her sewing skill. Each girl had their own pair at this point, but sadly Hinata was only able to make gloves for the time being with her skill. Any other garment immediately failed. Sakura suggested saving them and selling them in the future or saving them for their future teammates.
Sakura knew it was wishful thinking to end up on Hinata's team. They would never put a civilian on the team of a prestigious clan heir like the Hyuuga clan, despite their friendship. She deflated a bit, sad to not be on either Ino's or Hinata's team.
Shaking those negative thoughts out of her head, Sakura realised all girls were done preparing.
"Alright let's go girls!" Sakura said, leading them into Shika Glade excitedly.
Eliminating the remaining 1% of slimes was easy. However what came after was not.
About 5 minutes after cleaning up the last corrupted slime bits, they came across a big clearing with a cave opening. Sakura tensed up, recognising it as their final destination.
She held out her arm to stop the other two "Be on guard you two, it's definitely here."
The girls spread out, Ino climbing into a tree, Hinata up front to parry the first blow, and Sakura drifting at the edge of the clearing to keep an eye on the situation.
A sudden rumble interrupted their preparation, followed by an ear piercing roar.
Out of the cave opening came a big deer, bigger than would ever be possible. Was this a summon? No. It was a different entity entirely. However this entity was obviously in trouble, as it was covered in the goopy slime of their enemies.
【❀】TSUBA THE CORRUPTED / LV.13【❀】
Sakura gulped. The creature was 6 levels above theirs. Would they be able to manage with just the three of them?
As Hinata dodged the first blow, Ino fired of her first arrow. It pierced through the slime, making the entity roar in pain, its now raging red eyes turning on Ino. Ino had to quickly jump to another tree as the slime covered deer charged at the tree she was previously in, causing it to crash to the ground.
Sakura experimentally slashed at the goop with her axe, mindful to not hit the deer below. The health bar dropped slightly. As Ino fired another piercing arrow into the beast, it's health went up again. Sakura realised what the mechanic was.
"Hinata, Ino! Don't hit the deer underneath, just hit the slime!" Sakura yelled. The two girls yelled their ok's at her before continuing the fight.
However, it still didn't seem to have the effect needed to beat the boss. Sakura's mind was racing, when she suddenly had her eureka moment. She turned towards the other girls, shouting "Use the cleansing potion on your weapons!" Hinata and Ino nodded, quickly dousing their weapons in the potion.
It worked, the health going down at a steadier pace.
As they chipped away at the green goop, a new layer of purple was slowly becoming visible. Sakura's eyes narrowed, suspecting what was going on.
When they had chipped away 33% of the health bar, the beast roared again, the purple slime shooting off of the beast. It was time to use a poison counter.
"Ino, did you finish the antidote for the purple slime?" Sakura yelled across the clearing. "Of course I did!" Ino yelled back, hopping over to each girl to deliver a vial each. They proceeded to lather their weapons in the potion, latching on to Sakura's brain of thought.
The second phase was a bit trickier, now not only have to dodge the charging beast, but also dodge the poisonous goo that got fired off every now and then. Soon however, they had chipped down another 33%, revealing a layer of blue.
Sakura didn't need to tell the girls what to do, they all wordlessly doused their weapon in the fire potion they had concocted to counter the blue ice slime.
Soon, the girls were nearing the 10% point. Sakura started smiling triumphantly. So far only Hinata and herself had to heal up with a potion with Ino being fully in the clear. It made her feel proud of the progress her and her companions had made.
When the bar hit the 10% mark, another shift happened. Sensing this to be the final phase, she ordered the girls to regroup and be careful.
The beast let out another ferocious roar, before a new type of slime they hadn't encountered before coated it's body. Orange. They soon got their answer to what it would do when goops of orange got spat around the clearing, burning everything they got into contact with. It was a nasty surprise, but lucklily they had the perfect counter.
"Hinata, the stage is yours." Ino said, dramatically bowing to the girl. Hinata giggled, jumping into the fray with her Frost Silk Gloves at the ready.
Ino's and Sakura's roles had now changed to protecting Hinata from as much projectiles as possible, while the girl herself pummelled the orange goop into nothingness.
There were a few close calls, with Hinata almost being burned alive, and Sakura gaining a nasty burn mark on her arm. But soon, only a few traces of the goop remained.
Soon Hinata jumped up, using her gentle fist techniques to deliver the final few blows. The last bits of slime evaporated under her touch, leaving the beast clean of any goop.
Backing off, the girls awaited their fate.
Soon, the deer beast started glowing, seemingly purifying itself of any last traces, before its full ethereal self came into view.
Tsuba looked at them, before turning around and walking into the cave. The girls hesitantly followed the being, careful not to be ambushed.
But there was no remaining danger, only Tsuba looking at them gratefully, before disappearing with a softly whispers "Thank you.". The place where Tsuba disappeared now held a big shining treasure chest, their loot for beating the boss.
The girls tentatively walked up to the chest, checking for any traps but finding none. They all laid one of their hands on the top, smiling at eachother as they slowly pushed the chest open.
Inside they would find the following loot.
【❀】TSUBA'S HORN \\ DAMAGE: 25 – 30 [UPGRADEABLE] \\ 100%【❀】
【 ONE OF TSUBA'S SHEDDED HORNS. IT HAS BEEN FORMED INTO A KNIFE LIKE WEAPON, ITS BLADE SHARP AND UNRELENTING. CAN BE UPGRADED AND MAINTAINED.】
【❀】TSUBA'S PELT \\ DEFENCE: +20 \\ 100%【❀】
【A PIECE OF TSUBA'S FUR, STRONGLY WEAVED INTO A LONG SLEEVED SHIRT. ITS TOUGH AND HARDY, PROTECTING ONE FROM EVEN THE STRONGEST HORNS.】
【❀】TSUBA'S ESSENCE【❀】
【 THE ESSENCE OF TSUBA, TIGHTLY CONFINED INTO A VIAL. IT IS SAID TO HEAL ANY WOUNDS. ONE TIME USE ITEM.】
The girls gasped in awe, as they found an unknown bag of currency along the other treasures, along a mountain of herbs, some not seen before.
Sakura picked up a coin, examining it.
【❀】SILVER COIN【❀】
【 THE CURRENCY OF THE GIFTED. AVAILABLE TO BE REDEEMED IN THE ITEM SHOP】
A new pop-up showed up in front of the three.
【❀】UNLOCKED: COIN SHOP【❀】
They cheered in triumph, high-fiving one another.
Soon though, they had to sit down and divide the spoils.
"So, the pelt should obviously go to Hinata. It will fit nicely over her armoured fishnet shirt, and give her more protection for upfront." Sakura surmised. The girls nodded, giving their consent.
"As for the knife, I'm not sure. All of us can use the upgrade." Sakura continued. She was soon interrupted by Ino though "I think you should have it Sakura, as well as the coins and the essence." Hinata nodded, agreeing with Ino. Sakura stuttered but Ino would have none of it "It's only logical, this ability is yours and you always have it turned on. Both the essence and the coins would go to waste with us two and the knife will give you a nice damage boost." Ino said simply, before continuing "Besides, it's obvious those herbs are mine to play with!" she ended smugly.
The girls shared a laugh at Ino's little act before agreeing to split it that way. The pelt fit Hinata well, but she would keep it stored away in the inventory and only take it out on their expeditions to not gain any suspicion. The knife was beautifully crafted, along with being able to be upgraded and maintained meant it would grow along with her and not break if properly maintained. The essence was basically their fail-safe in case of a major fuck up, and the coins were a new type of value they hadn't experienced before.
The Coin Shop was a new separate window in the interface. Items could be bought there, as long as they had discovered them first. This meant they could buy the herbs they needed, regardless of the season and conditions. They also found that the shed deer horn they found before allowed them to buy more. It was perfect to upgrade the knife with and could possibly be crafted into new weapons and gear once a high enough level.
Their coins were finite for the time being however. So far the only source they had was the boss fight they just participated in. She assumed higher level monsters could possibly drop them as well, but they hadn't yet encountered such a thing.
After the girls re-entered the dungeon after the victory, they got a side quest assigned to them.
【❀】SIDE QUEST: SLIME PURGE【❀】
【HELP MAINTAIN THE CLEANLINESS OF THE FOREST BY PURGING THE SLIMES. REPEATABLE QUEST.】
The quest gifted them a good amount of coins for each clearance, making it their new source of income. It also meant they could now use the Shika Glade for grinding, as they wouldn't have to worry about boss fights anymore.
In the forest, a new slime had appeared however. It was the orange fire slime they had to battle in the boss fight, providing them a new fun little challenge.
All in all, the girls were extremely proud of themselves, and they had their levels and loot to show for it.