AN: I plan to go back very soon and edit/clean up all the past chapters again to catch any spelling, grammar, POV errors, inconsistent translations of terms, and resolve minor contradictions or add details I simply forgot. I wanted to get this chapter out first for the sake of getting it out of my way, but I will update the story on A03 when I finish my larger revision and re-upload this chapter.
Chapter 11
In the time it took to travel back to the Hidden Leaf Village, all the pride and excitement at surviving their first encounter with enemy ninja slowly bled from Sasuke. It was replaced by a sense of disgust. Irritation with himself.
He wasn't nearly as strong as he should be, even with the Sharingan. He knew he had a way to go before his goal was in reach, but seeing the gap between him and a couple of rogue Chunin left a foul taste in his mouth. His whole team could have died so easily without Kakashi's assistance. They really were just kids. And even then, it was Naruto that stalled enough for help to arrive, and Sasuke wasn't actually sure what he did in that moment. He might have been seeing things from sheer exhaustion, because people just...didn't have red chakra. And it wasn't supposed to be that intense, like it was trying to consume him.
No, the important part was that Sasuke had wanted to give in. Because at the end of the day, he was still too weak to avenge anyone. He couldn't even keep two people safe by himself. Unacceptable. He needed to train harder, and judging by Hinata's matching silence, she felt the same thing.
Maybe Naruto was less skilled, but his endurance and willpower were somehow far above them. They should both be ashamed that someone who struggled to make a clone had the guts to talk back to the ninja trying to kill him. He ended up voicing it later, days after turning their mission in, filling out an extensive report on what happened, and accepting their now A-rank payout.
"Hyuga," he said, interrupting their break. Well...their break if you ignored Naruto grunting from across the field, still trying to throw a giant shuriken Kakashi saddled him with for the day. She sat up from her position under one of the trees spread around the training ground, not too far from him. Had she been spacing out? They did just finish a five minute taijutsu match, and she still refused to use more than "light" Gentle Fist strikes on him, even if it gave him an advantage. Wasn't it tiring pulling back her strikes like that?
"Hm?"
"We're worse than Naruto right now." It stung coming out of his mouth, but there was no use lying to himself. He read a brief flash of panic in her eyes before it was gone again, like a ripple in a still pond.
"That's a harsh way to describe things," she said, inspecting the grass. She wasn't refuting him.
"Fearing you'll lose...that just makes you weaker. I realized it when we were losing against the rogues."
"What exactly do you mean?"
"I can't tolerate just being good enough to survive. I want to win." Kakashi couldn't babysit them forever. They had to push further, or they really were just as irrelevant as Kenzou claimed. Disposable. Forgotten names on gravestones. He wasn't allowed to die until he saved the Uchiha name. He needed to keep moving forward to reach Itachi. "Isn't it the same with you?"
"I…" She paused, and then nodded. "If that's what you want, I'll help. We'll train harder." Would that be enough? He stood up and walked over, stopping in front of her.
"I mean it. No holding back, because no one else will outside of this village."
"Sasuke, I can't"- Hinata said, before stopping to take a deep breath. "You really want me to attack your chakra network, then?" She sounded detached now. "If I strike you the wrong way, I could seriously hurt your organs, or even rupture your chakra network."
"Then I'll learn to dodge faster next time. We have a hospital here." He studied her face as she seemed to consider it. Every other time he asked before their C-rank mission, she'd been adamantly against it. He needed to improve, and if she wasn't going to push him to his limits, then there was no point in-
"Fine. I'll spar with the Gentle Fist." And now she was okay with it? He paused, and then decided to take the offer before she changed her mind again. He felt...lighter now. Like a weight was removed.
"Alright then, we're going all out." He held out his hand and pulled her onto her feet. "Tell Naruto that I'm not accepting half-assed work from him either." She almost laughed, but settled on shaking her head at him.
"I think you can tell him that yourself. I think I can handle one more five minute spar." Hinata backed off until she was about ten feet away from Sasuke, taking up a defensive position. Her Byakugan peered straight through him. "Ready."
"It's getting late," Kakashi said. Hinata paused her own chakra melding exercise to watch as he hopped down from the branch he'd been perching on. Apparently he still hadn't finished that book of his. Sasuke deflected the last knife thrown his way, leaving Naruto to jump back as it rebounded. He yanked his kunai out of the ground and gave Sasuke a dirty look. "We'll start with a mission tomorrow, meet me at the Administration building before eleven."
"Ooh, can we get another C-rank?" Naruto asked.
"We'll see." Kakashi disappeared, and Naruto hurried to collect his still salvageable equipment scattered around. Sasuke took a little more time checking the condition and sharpness of his weapons as he packed up. Hinata stood up from her meditation spot and checked the time, using the sun's position. Only 6 in the evening. Hm…
"See you guys tomorrow, I gotta get a seat at Ichiraku's before the crowd shows up!" She watched him charge off in the direction of the residential district. It seemed like he wasn't dwelling on his performance during the mission nearly as much as she and Sasuke were, but maybe that was a good thing. She almost wished she could move on so quickly.
"He's as dense as ever." Sasuke shook his head and looked at her. "We'll pick things up whenever the mission's done. It's probably just another D-rank." That was about what she expected. There was no way the Hokage would authorize them to leave the village again so soon, especially after running into enemy ninja. He left abruptly after that, never one to bother with polite goodbyes. There wasn't a need for them outside the bounds of clan politics or dealing with higher ranked ninja. Hinata waited until Sasuke left her view, and then re-wrapped her hands with tape and began striking a wooden post. She could fit in another hour of accuracy and control drills before she returned to the compound. The evenings were warm as Summer dragged on in the Leaf Village.
She was falling behind.
That thought never really left her, constantly driving her to keep up a steady training regime, but now it felt urgent. She'd been weak. Too weak to save Katsuo by herself. Too weak to even use her own technique right without Naruto and Sasuke backing her up. This wasn't the performance a clan heir should have. She wanted Father to keep teaching her more, but she had to get past this roadblock first or there was no way he'd give her access to the Rotation-
"Still working hard, I see." Hinata spun on her heel and delivered a kick, only to be caught by a hand. Her breathing slowed as she took in Kakashi-sensei, who let go of her leg. She pulled it back and tried not to look like he just caught her off guard.
"...Oh."
"Good reflexes." Was he smiling under his mask? And why was he still at the training grounds?
"My apologies, Kakashi-sensei…" she said. "Is something wrong?"
"Hm, that's what I was going to ask." He scratched the back of his head. "Is there a reason you haven't gone home yet?"
"Oh, I just...wanted more practice." She pulled on a loose end of the tape keeping her palms safe.
"Did you feel like you weren't making progress today?" he asked. "You know...I did see you and Sasuke discussing something while I was busy." Her throat went dry, so she stayed quiet as he continued. "And then you fought by directly attacking his chakra network." It really was impossible to tell when a Jonin was paying attention. "I've never seen you do that before. I'm starting to wonder if something got into you two."
"I...um…" What was she supposed to say? "We wanted to become stronger, that's all. The mission was...we could have died, but it shouldn't have been that close."
"Is that so?" He always sounded so...calm, no matter what they said to him. Kakashi's single visible eye fell on her. "Are you sure those aren't just Sasuke's feelings? Are you doing this because he wants a better sparring partner?"
"No, of course not!" She raised her voice before she fully processed the question. "Back when I was fighting Kenzou alone, I...I could have stopped his chakra flow and incapacitated him before he received backup. My own skill wasn't enough to break his guard in time. Naruto and Sasuke shouldn't have been hurt by him in the first place if I had mastered striking the chakra points." That was the truth. Seeing them beaten down trying to help her, was… Her fingers dug into the coat still tied around her waist, and she took an unsteady breath. "That was my fault." She let him get into her head and crush her resolve.
"So?" Kakashi set a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. "You couldn't win by yourself in a direct battle. That's alright because your team helped you finish the mission. You all did the best anyone could expect of a rookie genin cell without a leader."
"...What?"
"You were very admirable and didn't abandon each other to the enemy. Together, you had the strength to take him down. Ninja don't fight fairly, remember?" He wasn't disappointed in her, or any of them. Kakashi-sensei was proud? After the shock wore off, she broke eye contact and shoved her hands in her pockets to avoid fidgeting.
"Um...thank you," she mumbled.
"And if you feel like you're disadvantaged with the techniques you already know...maybe I could find a jutsu that would compliment your style. I know the Hyuga practice chakra shape transformation already, but have you started nature transformation training?"
After explaining that he needed to prepare a few things before he got into chakra nature and leaving her behind in a flurry of leaves yet again, Hinata decided to return home. It took a few minutes of standing around outside the compound gates to stop smiling before she drew any awkward questions.
The next day, after a few hours of repairing a section of wooden fences, Kakashi presented a small stack of thick, square papers to them.
"This is called Litmus Paper. When infused with chakra, it shows your natural affinity. This is a very expensive tool, so try not to destroy the paper by overloading them with chakra." His gaze lingered on Naruto. Hinata doubted he caught the hint in his sheer excitement at learning a new technique.
"So are you gonna give us a jutsu after we take the paper test thing?"
"That was roughly my plan, sure. I mean it though. Use a little bit of chakra, like sticking a leaf to your forehead." Kakashi held a slip in between two fingers, and it crumpled up on its own. "That means I have Lightning affinity. If the paper burns away, that's Fire. If it gets soggy, then it's Water. It's Earth if it turns to dust and crumbles away, and wind chakra will cleanly slice the paper. Got it?" He passed out three more of the squares. Sasuke's sheet burst into flames instantly. He dropped it in the dirt and watched it burn away, unimpressed.
"I could have guessed that…" he said, before the second half of the paper crumpled up. "Hm?"
"Well look at that, Fire with a leaning towards Lightning." Kakashi stepped on the fire until it went out. Hinata's paper crinkled in on itself...and then also burst into chakra flames. She almost dropped it by accident, but held on and watched until the flames consumed the paper.
"Lightning with a Fire leaning. That makes things a little easier to teach." Did she really match Sasuke? The Hyuga clan weren't known for elemental technique mastery, but most Chunin and every Jonin knew their favored nature and a few jutsu just in case. Elite Jonin were expected to be capable of using at least 2 elements well in combat, which usually meant a deep understanding of that chakra nature's applications. Her family tended to have natural Earth, Water, or Lightning chakra. Specializing in Fire was a Uchiha thing.
"Don't plan on begging me for any Fire Style shortcuts, Hyuga," Sasuke said. Ah, so he thought he had an advantage?
"Taking shortcuts would imply that I couldn't figure it out on my own. Unless you think I'd pick up your technique faster somehow"-
"Of course not." He smirked and shook his head. "Just don't burn yourself too badly trying to catch up."
"You guys can fight later, it's my turn!" Naruto's paper glowed in between his fingers and then tore itself apart. "Woah…" Kakashi sighed.
"Well so much for not having to do extra work. Wind Style is pretty rare in the village, so…"
"Wait, so you're now gonna teach me? No fair!"
"Calm down, Naruto. I just don't know a jutsu for people at your level. I'll have to ask someone else."
"Oh…"
"And what about us?" Sasuke asked.
"Well...before you try to use any nature change techniques, you should learn to properly convert chakra to the right element. Once you understand that, you can apply it in different situations even without specific jutsu. Like this, for example." Kakashi drew his parrying kunai and pushed his chakra through it. The metal blade hummed and glowed a very light blue, and then crackled as a layer of electricity settled over it. Hinata's Byakugan flickered on as she studied the blade.
"Your chakra vibrates, which creates a static charge," she said.
"And that is the basis of all Lightning Style techniques. When chakra is in this state, it both numbs and pierces what it comes in contact with, making this kunai…" He threw it in the ground, where it drilled into the dirt until only the hilt remained visible. "Extremely strong for a short period of time." She could see the use in that in a close range fight.
"How do you get your chakra to that point without hand seals?" Hinata asked. They were usually what made chakra easier to manipulate, but she imagined it took hours upon hours of practice to use a technique instantly.
"Yeah, finally something cool! How do we start doing that?" Naruto pulled out his own kunai. "How do I get the wind to make this thing go faster?"
"You start with leaves." Kakashi pulled a few off a low branch and handed them out.
"...What?" Naruto squinted at his leaf. It was a decent sized one, about the size of their palms.
"You need to channel the right elemental chakra into those leaves to create the same reaction as the Litmus Paper. That will help you consistently perform a nature change. We'll be spending at least an hour a day on this exercise until all three of you understand it, and then I'll teach you a jutsu with hand seals." So her first goal was to crinkle the leaf with just her chakra. Sasuke frowned at the leaf, but then nodded.
"This won't take long."
"Naruto, Wind Style cuts and spins to gain power. You'll want to try rubbing your chakra against itself to make it do that to the leaf," Kakashi explained.
"Uh...sure! I got it!"
By the end of the day, Sasuke had burned more leaves out of frustration than he electrified, Naruto couldn't get his to cut in half without losing control and shredding it, and Hinata barely got her own to crinkle like the paper did. This was much more difficult than reshaping chakra, even if she could picture what she was meant to be doing. In a way, it was a grueling exercise in fine chakra control.
It took them about two weeks to satisfy Kakashi's standard of "passable" for nature transformation, and then he finally handed over a few technique manuals. The first two were for Lighting Style jutsu, and the last one was for Wind Style.
"The more you practice with these lower level ninjutsu, the easier creating elemental chakra will become, letting you perform stronger techniques at a higher speed."
The addition of hand seals made attempting the jutsu far less stressful, but now they had to try and waste as little chakra as possible as they practiced, trying to refine the process until the seals were unnecessary.
Hinata went straight home after that first, chakra draining session of ninjutsu training. She took the minimum time to eat and bathe before retreating to her room to sleep in peace. It wasn't exactly...polite to avoid speaking with most of the people she passed, but that was better in her mind than embarrassing herself falling asleep in front of anyone. A couple of hours later, Ko woke her up with a message from her father. Instead of in the Main Branch's private training hall, he sat at the desk in his office.
"Father," she greeted him, giving him a polite bow. Was this about the extra time she'd been spending with her team? He said he didn't mind that, but maybe it was taking away from clan responsibilities… He didn't appear upset though, simply pushing aside some paperwork he'd been looking at.
"I hear that you've been branching out into element-based ninjutsu lately," he said. She stood up a little straighter. They didn't get to talk face to face much after she returned to the village, mostly because he was even busier than usual with something above her clearance, but she spoke to Ko and Hanabi enough for things to be passed onto him.
"Yes...I thought that having a longer range technique at my disposal would make it easier to close the distance with an opponent." Hinata had thought for a while about how to justify it. She was simply shoring up a weakness, even if it was non-standard for a Hyuga. After a pause that seemed to stretch on forever, he hummed in approval.
"It's good to see you taking personal initiative with your training. Understanding chakra nature changes also serves as a defense in case the techniques are used against you. Knowing what a jutsu looks like before it's completed allows skilled shinobi to predict attacks." Was that a use for the Byakugan? She knew that their eyes could pick up on minute movements and interpret intentions from there, but outright prediction was something she thought only a Sharingan could accomplish. Before she could ask about it, he continued. "With your current level of control, I believe that it's time for us to work on the next technique." He pressed a hand against an elaborate seal over one of the desk's drawers and retrieved from it a very aged, but still intact scroll. "The Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation."
"Lord Hokage!" a young Chunin secretary entered the office, adjusting a pair of glasses. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork stack, adjusting the pipe in his mouth.
"Is something the matter?" The Chunin stopped and bowed at the door before continuing in, a scroll clutched in his hand.
"Sir, we've received an urgent report from the southern border." He set the scroll down, and Sarutobi unsealed the contents. The border patrols focused mostly on keeping foreign forces out of the Land of Fire, but they also tracked trading activity and any anomalies in the area. The southern border sat close to the Land of Rivers, an ally since the end of the Second War, and the Land of Waves, a ninja-less country where many shipping companies operated. His eyes passed over the report.
"A large surge of refugees by boat, and bandits and rogues running wild. What caused this in such a short time?"
"A man named Gato, Sir," He explained. "He owned the largest shipping business in the Land of Waves. Bought out countless other companies and had an economic stranglehold on the area. He was on the verge of a full monopoly."
"And what happened?"
"After halting the construction of a bridge that would have connected the island to the mainland, he was...killed by a pair of rogue ninja. Gato Shipping collapsed soon after, and his "hired help" split his remaining fortune and territory up. The trade routes are now controlled by gangs. Port activity has ground to a near halt, and we'll be feeling the effects within the next few weeks." Sarutobi frowned. This was bad news for multiple reasons.
The Land of Waves served as a midway port for trade between the Land of Wind and the Land of Water as well. They too would feel this strain, and while the Sand Village was on friendly terms and could switch to a land route, the Mist Village was neutral. They were not allowed to step foot into Fire territory without express consent, and the Land of Waves was their preferred intermediary to trade without causing an incident. If that avenue was blocked, it could cause Mist ninja to be sent out to "re-establish control" and grab some new territory. Or worse yet, they would try to claim the former Land of Whirlpool territories to the east. There hadn't been a true ninja village there in years since it was destroyed, but the Leaf kept a constant watch on it out of respect for their former comrades. Letting Mist ninja use it as a base would be both insulting and dishonorable.
"Send back a message to the border team. I want them ready to deploy on my order, and reinforcements will be sent soon." Retaking and stabilizing the Land of Waves was a priority. "I will be speaking with the Daimyo about our new position. I am sure he will understand and fund our security efforts. Tell the eastern border to be on high alert as well. Extend regular patrol routes to the Whirlpool ruins. They are not to engage with other ninja unless attacked first."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." The Chunin saluted and exited the room. A minute later, a lone Anbu member stepped out of the office's shadowed corner. She wore a rabbit mask.
"I assume you will want a team assembled to depart for the Wave area?" she asked. Sarutobi exhaled a stream of smoke.
"Yes. I want information about Gato's dealings extracted and brought back here, Rabbit. Copy as many files as you can find, and then remove anyone disrupting normal operations."
"I will inform the Commander." Rabbit's presence faded from the room. Sarutobi took another long drag from his pipe.
"This better not extend into the Chunin Exams…" he grumbled. That was already a security nightmare in the making. The last thing the village needed was to be on thin ice with Mist Ninja.