Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Between Deception and Truth ❯ Shinobu ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lord Archive 
No one ever said childbirth was easy. Some even call it a battle. For Ai and Jiro, it literally becomes the fight of their lives.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 10.29.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 772 | Status: Completed
No one ever said childbirth was easy. Some even call it a battle. For Ai and Jiro, it literally becomes the fight of their lives.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 10.29.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 772 | Status: Completed
Between Deception and Truth
Chapter 13 - Shinobu
By: Lord Archive
Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, all rights reserved. I'm only borrowing them.
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Tsunade looked over her intertwined fingers. "There was at least one other incident that occurred before Shinobu's birth."
Jiro shifted uneasily. "I, er... thought we were to keep that a secret."
"As it holds a strong baring on your future, this cannot be ignored," Tsunade retorted.
"Besides, it's not like it won't come out soon," Ai added.
"What are you talking about?" Sakura wondered.
Tsunade picked up an apple from the fruit bowl that had been brought in for them to snack on. "Every baby's soul starts out smooth and flawless. As they grow into children, they receive bumps and bruises." She emphasized her words by squeezing the fruit, leaving dents into it. "These flaws help shape who we are. However, there are some things that leave deeper scars." She plunged her fingernail into the apple, cracking it. "Some people just feel they have another person inside themselves from this kind of injury. I believe you are aware of that, Sakura."
Sakura flinched, but then nodded.
"While the damage may not fully go away without proper healing, most who experience extreme childhood trauma can remain emotionally healthy. Repeated trauma, however, can widen the crack. Too much damage to the mind, and it will eventually break." Tsunade split the apple, which fell into three pieces. "Switching genders did not help. Also, Kage Bunshin applies heavy strain to the mind, especially with excessive and prolonged use."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Are you saying...?"
"Kage Bunshin... Henge..."
Sakura's head whipped to see Jiro and Hinata sitting next to each other. The boy's posture was even stiffer than before, though he would not look toward anyone. The girl almost curled up into her chair, her eyes glued to the floor. "Wha...?"
"I was first born not in the Land of Waves, in that small village, or even when Hinata looked upon the mirror when she first looked upon this face..." Jiro began.
"He was born when I was kidnapped. A strange man had violated the safety of my home and took me away." Hinata swallowed hard. "I was scared... but my fear of him paled to what happened next. Father found me. He was... angry. I have never seen such rage. He didn't just stop my kidnapper... he murdered him." Her hand shook as she touched her face. "I still remember his blood splashing onto my face."
"Hinata never wanted to see her father angry again. She became afraid of doing anything he would disapprove of. Yet even as she timidly lived in his shadow, he asked her to shine. To be strong, to make decisions for herself. But she couldn't. Not with her fear of making him angry." Jiro looked at his soul sister. "I am the one who was not bound by her fear of her father. The one who would stay out late practicing, believing father would be proud of our determination more than angry for being late."
"And that is the primary reason why Kage Bunshin was banned from being taught. Had Hinata never learned the technique, even after turning into a boy, Jiro may not have become separate and distinct from her." Tsunade placed the pieces of the apple on the table. "Now there are three pieces. Hinata, Jiro and the young girl who watched her father take a life. It is the last of the three who acts as the controller for Hinata and Jiro, deciding who is the one in control and never taking it for herself."
Sakura pouted. "With their situation, addressing the trauma to her mind would be a difficult task, wouldn't it? Having a separate voice in your head is one thing, but they're really different people."
Hinata stared at Sakura with wide eyes.
"If little Hinata never comes forward, healing would be impossible. Especially if her father doesn't aid her," Tsunade replied.
"You also have to take in mind that we might not want to be 'cured,'" Jiro added.
"Right..." Sakura nodded. "You are separate people... now. So... how did you separate?"
"It might seem silly to train a shadow to utilize her abilities when a single punch could take her out, but the Hyuuga bloodline prides itself upon having the ultimate defense. By making her strong enough, she would never be hit," Jiro related.
"As the training went on, more and more I realized I was not just a shadow and Jiro was not me," Hinata meekly added. "I didn't want to disappear, so I ran away. I had to make sure Naruto knew I existed."
"Why is that?" Kakashi wondered.
Hinata flushed. "I was afraid..."
"That if I knew I was no longer Hinata, I would try to bury her in an attempt to replace her. That when it came time to return to our real bodies, I would refuse it," Jiro finished bitterly.
"So, what does that mean for Ai? Is she and Naruto...?" Sakura trailed off.
Ai smirked. "That would be getting ahead of the story."
"What's left to say? Isn't Shinobu-chan's birth the last event to be talked about?" Sakura wondered.
Ai smirked evilly. "You'll understand."
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Ai really, really, really hated being a girl. Especially all the pregnancy bullshit. Her body was stretched in all sorts of unnatural ways. Her breasts swelled to a size that made only Jiraiya happy, and they were always sore so Jiro couldn't even 'enjoy' them. If he ever really cared about big tits. Her waist was even worse, stretched to all hell and getting kicked all the time from the inside. And the extra weight sat in her all wrong, adding too much pressure to her poor insides, her bladder especially. She was hurting in places she never knew she had. At least she had nice, firm nails and thick, full hair.
"You should just sit down and let me do take of the cooking," Jiro told the mother of his child.
"Not happening." Ai wagged a spoon at him. "I can't just sit around and do nothing all day. I'll go nuts!"
"But you need to save your strength. You could go into labor any time," Jiro reminded her, nervously fretting around her.
"When the brat is ready to come out, it'll be time. Until them, I'll do what I want," Ai snarled. She suddenly lurched forward and grabbed her bulging waist.
"Ai?! Are you okay?!" Jiro cried out.
"Just another weird pain. It'll go away." She didn't sound confident in her words.
Jiro's eyes went wide. "Have you felt this before?"
"Not as bad as that one, but yeah. Last cramp was hours ago," Ai told him.
Jiro bit his lip. "Could be contractions. If it is, we still have time."
Ai pouted. "You mean the baby might come soon?"
"No use getting scared now," Jiro pointed out, though he seemed to be telling himself that as much as the mother-to-be.
"Yeah... No use..." Her eyes went wide and she suddenly screamed in pain. She fell backyards, only to be caught by Jiro. Water began to ooze from beneath her dress.
"Ai?!" Jiro got no response. He knew something was wrong. "Kage Bunshin!" Two copies of him appeared. One of them ran out of the house for the mid-wife.
The other clone immediately used henge to change into Hinata. "Byakugan!" she added, and her eyes went wide with fright. "Kyuubi is doing something to the baby!"
"WHAT?!" Jiro cried out and activated his Sharigan eyes. He could see the Kyuubi's chakra engulfing the girl in his arms. He couldn't allow this! He had to do something!
Two dots within each of Jiro's eyes became three and he fell next to his beloved.
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Ai knew the inside of her mind all too well, the dark, damp cave with a massive metal gate. And with a single look, she also knew why the Kyuubi had been so quiet these past several months. Kyuubi's head had oozed partially out of its prison, hovering over the body of an infant. The beast wanted her baby. There was one question she needed to know. "Why the hell do you want my baby?!"
"Why?" Kyuubi chuckled. "My dear mother, the seal is upon you, not your daughter. And even if my full awakening is somehow prevented, I would be able to continue to exist after your death."
Ai growled in anger but then blinked in surprise as Jiro appeared next to her. "How are you inside me?"
"I'm not really sure myself," Jiro admitted.
Kyuubi grinned evilly. "I had expected the Uchiha blood to activate enough for you to appear. Let's see what the other you has to say about this."
Hinata suddenly appeared in front of the beast. She looked around in confusion. "This isn't the inside of Jiro."
"We are inside of Naruto's mind." Kyuubi smirked at the squeak of surprise the girl had upon seeing him. "And as this is truly his world, why don't we awaken him?"
Next to Hinata appeared the girl's blond-haired crush who looked more confused than she did.
"This is the chance to reclaim what is yours. Defeat your other self and when you awaken, you shall be in permanent control of the body you were meant to have." Kyuubi pointed at Ai and Jiro. "They have taken your lives, here is your chance to get them back. No more hiding in the back of their minds. You will be free!"
"I won't be the 'fake' anymore?" Hinata whispered.
"Is that even possible?" Ai wondered.
"Quite possibly," Jiro replied nervously.
"No more being repressed. When you return to Konoha, nothing will stop you from returning to your rightful bodies. No more being the wrong gender. No one will look at you funny as they do not have to know you're the wrong parents. You could even say you've adopted," Kyuubi told them.
Naruto wearily looked at the beast with a frown. "I should believe you why?"
"You're not as stupid as you look. I know this better than most," Kyuubi replied. "If not for the seals, I could devour you and take full control. You know I could. It is the same thing. Defeat Ai and you once again are in control of your life."
"I... I want to live!" Hinata cried out, launching herself at Jiro. She tackled him to the ground. "I want to live!"
"Let them have their fight in privacy of their own mind." Kyuubi sent a blast of energy at the two, and they were gone.
Ai was thankful her mental self wasn't pregnant as she stood ready to fight.
Naruto gazed at her, his hand reaching for the kunai he always carried in his trusty pouch.
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Jiro blinked as he looked around from where he laid on the ground, vaguely recognized where he was. It looked like he was in the central hallway of the Hyuuga family's main house. However, this hallway was much longer and with many more doors. A few were fully opened, some were ajar, others were closed, and a few were sealed tight with chains. "What happened?"
"Kyuubi has sent us back into our mind," Hinata replied as she rolled to her feet. "I've spent enough time here to know."
Jiro frowned. Not sure what to think about all of this. He didn't have too much time to think as he had to roll away from Hinata as she tried to kick him. He tried to knock her off her feet as he moved to stand up, but she leapt over his attack. He thought it was odd that as she attacked him, she didn't activate Byakugan and that she was using the same fighting style he did rather than the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist. He tried to activate Sharigan and found the reason she didn't use her bloodline limit. Everything was chakra here, making it harder to see rather than easier. "Why do we have to fight?"
"Because I'm the real one! I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of YOUR life!" Hinata cried out, tears in her eyes. "I want to live!"
Jiro understood Hinata's words. She was right in that she was the 'real' person. However, there were two important issues against that. "I want to live too. And what about MY baby? I'm going to be a father!"
Hinata's axe kick faltered slightly, but she still pressed the attack. "I can be the baby's mother. The way it was supposed to be!"
"What happens if you and Ai wins? How will things work then? Two mothers and no fathers?" Jiro retorted.
"Naruto would never lose!" Hinata spat out, gritting her teeth as she struggled to land any serious hit.
Jiro was frustrated at his own inability to gain any lasting advantage over her with his attacks. He didn't know why she didn't attempt to use any jutsu, but he needed to finish this soon to help Ai. He leapt away and grasped his wrist. "Chidori!"
"I wouldn't do that," Hinata warned.
Jiro ran forward, the lightning of his attack brushed a nearby sealed door. Suddenly he was a four-year-old girl standing across from Neji as if they were about to spar. Her father telling her to use the move he had taught her, and she did. Neji immediately gripped his forehead, crying out in pain. The memory ended with her father praising her and telling her to use that if she ever needed to put someone in the branch family in their place.
As Jiro came back to his senses, Hinata was behind him with her arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold.
"Please don't fight it," Hinata pleaded. "I just want what is mine."
"And I'm supposed to forget Ai and my baby?" Jiro wheezed out. "The baby is real. I am real! And if we keep fighting, Kyuubi might take both of them from me, from us. You might get control, but what about Naruto? Are you going to let him fight Kyuubi alone just to live?"
Hinata didn't move for a moment, but then her arms went slack. "I can't lose Naruto. If he... this past year has been for nothing. My life was nothing."
Jiro grasped her hand. "Then let's go back and save them together."
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Ai dodged a set of kunai with relative ease, as if her male self was testing her. "Will you stop and think for a second?!"
"You just have ta give up. Then I can deal with Kyuubi," Naruto retorted, launching another attack with kunai.
"My baby is in danger!" Ai cried out.
"I will protect MY baby," Naruto promised. "This is the first real family I've ever had."
Ai bowed her head. There was no time to continue fighting herself. Kyuubi had to be stopped now. There was no choice. She dropped her posture. "Fine. You win. Protect my daughter."
Naruto smirked evilly as he reared back a set of kunai. As his arm began to move forward he twisted and launched his attack at Kyuubi's right eye. The attack came as a complete surprise to both Kyuubi and Ai. The blades found their mark and the beast roared in pain.
Kyuubi growled in anger. "You miserable little girl!"
Naruto shifted into Ai, much to the copy's surprise. "Huh?" The confusion didn't last for long as the beast roared, leaving only the original Ai.
"What's going on?" Ai wondered. "What happened to Naruto?"
"There is no Naruto, girl. He stopped existing when you fucked Uchiha," Kyuubi spat. "You killed him!"
Ai glared at the beast. She didn't believe a word he said. His words meant nothing. She had to save her daughter. She snatched some of the kunai Naruto had intentionally missed her with and leapt to attack. The beast moved and twisted its head, but only seemed to minimize the potential damage. Kyuubi was not fighting back.
Everything began to shake as if there was an earthquake. Ai tried to keep her footing. Kyuubi smirked evilly as the baby faded slightly.
"What's going on?!" Ai demanded.
"You're a moment closer to being my mother," Kyuubi taunted.
Ai growled angrily. If she were not fighting Kyuubi, she would be channeling the beast's power now. She gritted her teeth, suspecting upsetting her was part of the plan. Kyuubi's chakra flowed easier when she was upset, and the beast would need that to take over her daughter. She had to keep calm.
"Where's Naruto?" Hinata asked from behind Ai.
"Ai destroyed him," Kyuubi gloated.
Ai turned around to see Hinata collapse to the ground while Jiro scowled darkly at the beast. "We've got to save my baby! We can't let Kyuubi be reborn!"
Jiro wasted no words launching into various attacks that were largely ignored. Ai resumed her attacks as well, but time was becoming a serious issue as there was another quake.
"Time is almost up!" Ai warned.
"Was that a contraction?" Jiro wondered.
"I won't let you take my baby!" Ai yelled, launching herself at the beast's face.
Kyuubi growled and shook his head to dislodge the girl from his nose. "There's no use fighting this, Mother. I will live beyond you. Just as I've lived beyond Naruto."
Everything began to shake once more.
"If that's another contraction, time is about up," Jiro warned.
"Is Naruto really... gone?" Hinata asked in a whisper.
"Do you see him here?" Kyuubi taunted. "Ai destroyed him. The boy you love will never come back."
"Is that true?" Hinata questioned with dread.
Ai didn't answer her, focusing on fighting the fox's head. "You won't take my baby!"
Hinata tried to think of her beloved. Tried to see where Naruto had ended and Ai began. She wasn't sure where the two were separated. Both never gave up. Both fought to help others and kept their words. But Ai wasn't a boy. She couldn't be with Ai the way she wanted. She might not be Jiro, but at least she could make sure he would have his family.
"Ai, stop! Don't do that!" Jiro cried out.
"RASENGAN!" Ai cried out. Memories of Naruto's lonely childhood haunted her thoughts. Days and nights of being alone with no family. Before her was her daughter. Finally someone of her flesh and blood to call her true family. She would let nothing get in her way. She slammed the spiraling mass of chakra on the snout of the beast.
Kyuubi began to howl in pain and anger. "You will not leash me! I will have my freedom!"
Hinata bolted forward, covering the fading image of a baby girl with her body. "If you want a body, take mine!"
"You have no body!" Kyuubi hissed. The beast pulled his head away the only direction he could, inside the cage. "You will regret this!"
"Even if you torture me until I die, I will never regret saving my baby!" Ai shot back.
"Enjoy motherhood," Kyuubi spat venomously.
Ai blinked and suddenly she was upon her bed in her home. "We did it. We beat-" She suddenly screamed as she felt like someone was ripping her apart at the hips. Never before had she felt such unimaginable agony. Even Sasuke plunging a fist into Naruto's chest had not caused this much hellish pain.
"Couldn't you have slept for another minute?" Tsunade grumbled. "Keiko, Inari, hold her steady. Just a couple more pushes."
Ai didn't feel reassured by the presence of her students. She had no clue how Tsunade knew she was giving birth, let alone how the Hokage had gotten there.
Jiro groaned as he woke up. He leapt up immediately upon hearing Ai's moans of pain. He immediately made a copy, who promptly changed into Hinata. Both activated their special eyes, making sure Kyuubi was defeated and that this was not another trick.
"One more push!" Tsunade ordered.
Ai didn't know what the hell she was talking about, but her insides seized up painfully and then nothing. All the pain she had experienced suddenly evaporated. The pressure between her legs was gone.
Ai looked up to see Tsunade holding an infant by the feet. With a small, but sharp strike on the infant's rear, a cry echoed within the room. A quick cut of the cord attached to the baby's navel, followed by a short wash in a waiting water basin, and then the crying baby was handed to her mother.
"You're my daughter," Ai said with awe. The tears of pain she had held back now flowed as tears of joy. "I'm really a mother..."
Jiro smiled tenderly. "I have a daughter..."
"Have you picked a name?" Tsunade asked, looking upon the family fondly.
"Shinobu," Ai answered. "I wanted to name my baby Shinobi, but he didn't like that idea."
Jiro smirked. "It's close enough for her."
Keiko giggled. She reached out and tentatively touched the infant. "She's so small."
"Thank god she wasn't bigger!" Ai retorted weakly.
"Let the girls rest," Tsunade told them all firmly. "Jiro, I want a report from you."
"I'll keep watch in case Kyuubi tries something," Hinata promised.
Jiro nodded and ushered Keiko and Inari out of his home with Tsunade following them.
Hinata took a seat next to Ai. "So... I guess I'm an aunt..."
"Or a second mother," Ai replied.
Hinata looked away. "I hardly think I can count as that."
"Look, I don't know about this whole mind splitting stuff. That you and Jiro are the same yet different isn't something I think I'll ever understand. What I DO know is that you're part of this dysfunctional family," Ai told her.
Hinata looked at her sadly. "I don't know if I want to be. You... you're not Naruto are you? You won't be changing back."
Ai gazed down at her now sleeping baby. "I can't change back for a while. She needs me. But... I believe I'm still Naruto. With me there's no 'him' and 'her,' there's just me. Tsunade-baachan talked all about childhood trauma creating Jiro from you, but as screwed up as my childhood was, I didn't have any one stand out incident like you did. I don't think my mind 'cracked,' just bruised and attention starved."
Hinata blinked. "You mean there was no Naruto because you adapted? You saw a challenge and faced it?"
Ai nodded. "I think that's what I'm saying. That's why there wasn't a real Naruto there. Kyuubi made a copy and tried to make us think he had split from me."
Hinata pouted. "I see... You know... I'm not really into... you know... girls."
Ai reached out and grabbed Hinata's hand. "I wasn't into guys even after the switch."
Hinata blushed. "I know... It's just... this wasn't the life I was hoping for."
"Few get what they want out of life," Ai replied jokingly.
"At least I still have you, even if you're a girl now, Naruto." Hinata leaned over and gently kissed mother and daughter before disappearing.
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"The next couple months was spent raising Shinobu, recovering my form, and making damn sure nothing of Kyuubi was in my daughter," Ai summed up. "When it came time to leave, it was a good thing Inari is such a good study. He needed escape techniques just to get out of his mother's death-grip of a hug. Tsunami may have had months to prepare, but she still didn't want to let her son leave. Tsunami likely wishes she could've come with us, but Tazuna didn't want to leave and he's getting on in age. It did help that Keiko's foster mother decided to come with us and help support her daughter and her lover."
"LOVER?!" Sakura cried out.
"Oops." Ai grinned sheepishly.
Hinata blushed madly.
Jiro shook his head. "With their lack of innocence and abundant time alone combined with Keiko's existing knowledge, there isn't much surprise they took that step."
"I guess." Sakura shook her head. "It's just I remember Inari from when we fought against Gato. He was so... young."
"And now he's the same age you were before graduating from the ninja academy, and I know you had certain... thoughts you wished had happened," Ai returned.
Sakura flushed. Old fantasies of being with Sasuke washed over her thoughts. The question if she could've kept him from leaving had she made her full feelings known and... well... helped him with the second part of his life goal, 'the rebuilding of the Uchiha clan.'
Tsunade folded her hands together. "I will remind you that everything discussed in this room is of the highest top secret level. I want you all to think over the situation before giving any ideas about how things should move on from here."
Kakashi nodded. "There is no need to make hasty decisions."
"Exactly," Tsunade replied.
Rock Lee shrugged helplessly. "I wouldn't have a clue on what to suggest."
"We'll meet in my office in a week to discuss the options. Rock Lee, you do not need to attend," Tsunade told them. "You're all dismissed."
"Good. I'm sure Shinobu is hungry by now," Ai mentioned before quickly leaving the room.
Jiro followed quickly after her, Hinata lingering for a second before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
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Author's Notes:
Coming Next: Chapter 14
Ai and Jiro have arrived in Konoha and the questions for their future looms above them.
So ends the first arc of Between Deception and Truth. Events will certainly be different from here, starting with that Ai's return to Konoha is around one month ahead of when Naruto returned in the manga.
Thanks to Jeremy Mullin for prereading this chapter.
Chapter 13 - Shinobu
By: Lord Archive
Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, all rights reserved. I'm only borrowing them.
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Tsunade looked over her intertwined fingers. "There was at least one other incident that occurred before Shinobu's birth."
Jiro shifted uneasily. "I, er... thought we were to keep that a secret."
"As it holds a strong baring on your future, this cannot be ignored," Tsunade retorted.
"Besides, it's not like it won't come out soon," Ai added.
"What are you talking about?" Sakura wondered.
Tsunade picked up an apple from the fruit bowl that had been brought in for them to snack on. "Every baby's soul starts out smooth and flawless. As they grow into children, they receive bumps and bruises." She emphasized her words by squeezing the fruit, leaving dents into it. "These flaws help shape who we are. However, there are some things that leave deeper scars." She plunged her fingernail into the apple, cracking it. "Some people just feel they have another person inside themselves from this kind of injury. I believe you are aware of that, Sakura."
Sakura flinched, but then nodded.
"While the damage may not fully go away without proper healing, most who experience extreme childhood trauma can remain emotionally healthy. Repeated trauma, however, can widen the crack. Too much damage to the mind, and it will eventually break." Tsunade split the apple, which fell into three pieces. "Switching genders did not help. Also, Kage Bunshin applies heavy strain to the mind, especially with excessive and prolonged use."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Are you saying...?"
"Kage Bunshin... Henge..."
Sakura's head whipped to see Jiro and Hinata sitting next to each other. The boy's posture was even stiffer than before, though he would not look toward anyone. The girl almost curled up into her chair, her eyes glued to the floor. "Wha...?"
"I was first born not in the Land of Waves, in that small village, or even when Hinata looked upon the mirror when she first looked upon this face..." Jiro began.
"He was born when I was kidnapped. A strange man had violated the safety of my home and took me away." Hinata swallowed hard. "I was scared... but my fear of him paled to what happened next. Father found me. He was... angry. I have never seen such rage. He didn't just stop my kidnapper... he murdered him." Her hand shook as she touched her face. "I still remember his blood splashing onto my face."
"Hinata never wanted to see her father angry again. She became afraid of doing anything he would disapprove of. Yet even as she timidly lived in his shadow, he asked her to shine. To be strong, to make decisions for herself. But she couldn't. Not with her fear of making him angry." Jiro looked at his soul sister. "I am the one who was not bound by her fear of her father. The one who would stay out late practicing, believing father would be proud of our determination more than angry for being late."
"And that is the primary reason why Kage Bunshin was banned from being taught. Had Hinata never learned the technique, even after turning into a boy, Jiro may not have become separate and distinct from her." Tsunade placed the pieces of the apple on the table. "Now there are three pieces. Hinata, Jiro and the young girl who watched her father take a life. It is the last of the three who acts as the controller for Hinata and Jiro, deciding who is the one in control and never taking it for herself."
Sakura pouted. "With their situation, addressing the trauma to her mind would be a difficult task, wouldn't it? Having a separate voice in your head is one thing, but they're really different people."
Hinata stared at Sakura with wide eyes.
"If little Hinata never comes forward, healing would be impossible. Especially if her father doesn't aid her," Tsunade replied.
"You also have to take in mind that we might not want to be 'cured,'" Jiro added.
"Right..." Sakura nodded. "You are separate people... now. So... how did you separate?"
"It might seem silly to train a shadow to utilize her abilities when a single punch could take her out, but the Hyuuga bloodline prides itself upon having the ultimate defense. By making her strong enough, she would never be hit," Jiro related.
"As the training went on, more and more I realized I was not just a shadow and Jiro was not me," Hinata meekly added. "I didn't want to disappear, so I ran away. I had to make sure Naruto knew I existed."
"Why is that?" Kakashi wondered.
Hinata flushed. "I was afraid..."
"That if I knew I was no longer Hinata, I would try to bury her in an attempt to replace her. That when it came time to return to our real bodies, I would refuse it," Jiro finished bitterly.
"So, what does that mean for Ai? Is she and Naruto...?" Sakura trailed off.
Ai smirked. "That would be getting ahead of the story."
"What's left to say? Isn't Shinobu-chan's birth the last event to be talked about?" Sakura wondered.
Ai smirked evilly. "You'll understand."
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Ai really, really, really hated being a girl. Especially all the pregnancy bullshit. Her body was stretched in all sorts of unnatural ways. Her breasts swelled to a size that made only Jiraiya happy, and they were always sore so Jiro couldn't even 'enjoy' them. If he ever really cared about big tits. Her waist was even worse, stretched to all hell and getting kicked all the time from the inside. And the extra weight sat in her all wrong, adding too much pressure to her poor insides, her bladder especially. She was hurting in places she never knew she had. At least she had nice, firm nails and thick, full hair.
"You should just sit down and let me do take of the cooking," Jiro told the mother of his child.
"Not happening." Ai wagged a spoon at him. "I can't just sit around and do nothing all day. I'll go nuts!"
"But you need to save your strength. You could go into labor any time," Jiro reminded her, nervously fretting around her.
"When the brat is ready to come out, it'll be time. Until them, I'll do what I want," Ai snarled. She suddenly lurched forward and grabbed her bulging waist.
"Ai?! Are you okay?!" Jiro cried out.
"Just another weird pain. It'll go away." She didn't sound confident in her words.
Jiro's eyes went wide. "Have you felt this before?"
"Not as bad as that one, but yeah. Last cramp was hours ago," Ai told him.
Jiro bit his lip. "Could be contractions. If it is, we still have time."
Ai pouted. "You mean the baby might come soon?"
"No use getting scared now," Jiro pointed out, though he seemed to be telling himself that as much as the mother-to-be.
"Yeah... No use..." Her eyes went wide and she suddenly screamed in pain. She fell backyards, only to be caught by Jiro. Water began to ooze from beneath her dress.
"Ai?!" Jiro got no response. He knew something was wrong. "Kage Bunshin!" Two copies of him appeared. One of them ran out of the house for the mid-wife.
The other clone immediately used henge to change into Hinata. "Byakugan!" she added, and her eyes went wide with fright. "Kyuubi is doing something to the baby!"
"WHAT?!" Jiro cried out and activated his Sharigan eyes. He could see the Kyuubi's chakra engulfing the girl in his arms. He couldn't allow this! He had to do something!
Two dots within each of Jiro's eyes became three and he fell next to his beloved.
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Ai knew the inside of her mind all too well, the dark, damp cave with a massive metal gate. And with a single look, she also knew why the Kyuubi had been so quiet these past several months. Kyuubi's head had oozed partially out of its prison, hovering over the body of an infant. The beast wanted her baby. There was one question she needed to know. "Why the hell do you want my baby?!"
"Why?" Kyuubi chuckled. "My dear mother, the seal is upon you, not your daughter. And even if my full awakening is somehow prevented, I would be able to continue to exist after your death."
Ai growled in anger but then blinked in surprise as Jiro appeared next to her. "How are you inside me?"
"I'm not really sure myself," Jiro admitted.
Kyuubi grinned evilly. "I had expected the Uchiha blood to activate enough for you to appear. Let's see what the other you has to say about this."
Hinata suddenly appeared in front of the beast. She looked around in confusion. "This isn't the inside of Jiro."
"We are inside of Naruto's mind." Kyuubi smirked at the squeak of surprise the girl had upon seeing him. "And as this is truly his world, why don't we awaken him?"
Next to Hinata appeared the girl's blond-haired crush who looked more confused than she did.
"This is the chance to reclaim what is yours. Defeat your other self and when you awaken, you shall be in permanent control of the body you were meant to have." Kyuubi pointed at Ai and Jiro. "They have taken your lives, here is your chance to get them back. No more hiding in the back of their minds. You will be free!"
"I won't be the 'fake' anymore?" Hinata whispered.
"Is that even possible?" Ai wondered.
"Quite possibly," Jiro replied nervously.
"No more being repressed. When you return to Konoha, nothing will stop you from returning to your rightful bodies. No more being the wrong gender. No one will look at you funny as they do not have to know you're the wrong parents. You could even say you've adopted," Kyuubi told them.
Naruto wearily looked at the beast with a frown. "I should believe you why?"
"You're not as stupid as you look. I know this better than most," Kyuubi replied. "If not for the seals, I could devour you and take full control. You know I could. It is the same thing. Defeat Ai and you once again are in control of your life."
"I... I want to live!" Hinata cried out, launching herself at Jiro. She tackled him to the ground. "I want to live!"
"Let them have their fight in privacy of their own mind." Kyuubi sent a blast of energy at the two, and they were gone.
Ai was thankful her mental self wasn't pregnant as she stood ready to fight.
Naruto gazed at her, his hand reaching for the kunai he always carried in his trusty pouch.
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Jiro blinked as he looked around from where he laid on the ground, vaguely recognized where he was. It looked like he was in the central hallway of the Hyuuga family's main house. However, this hallway was much longer and with many more doors. A few were fully opened, some were ajar, others were closed, and a few were sealed tight with chains. "What happened?"
"Kyuubi has sent us back into our mind," Hinata replied as she rolled to her feet. "I've spent enough time here to know."
Jiro frowned. Not sure what to think about all of this. He didn't have too much time to think as he had to roll away from Hinata as she tried to kick him. He tried to knock her off her feet as he moved to stand up, but she leapt over his attack. He thought it was odd that as she attacked him, she didn't activate Byakugan and that she was using the same fighting style he did rather than the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist. He tried to activate Sharigan and found the reason she didn't use her bloodline limit. Everything was chakra here, making it harder to see rather than easier. "Why do we have to fight?"
"Because I'm the real one! I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of YOUR life!" Hinata cried out, tears in her eyes. "I want to live!"
Jiro understood Hinata's words. She was right in that she was the 'real' person. However, there were two important issues against that. "I want to live too. And what about MY baby? I'm going to be a father!"
Hinata's axe kick faltered slightly, but she still pressed the attack. "I can be the baby's mother. The way it was supposed to be!"
"What happens if you and Ai wins? How will things work then? Two mothers and no fathers?" Jiro retorted.
"Naruto would never lose!" Hinata spat out, gritting her teeth as she struggled to land any serious hit.
Jiro was frustrated at his own inability to gain any lasting advantage over her with his attacks. He didn't know why she didn't attempt to use any jutsu, but he needed to finish this soon to help Ai. He leapt away and grasped his wrist. "Chidori!"
"I wouldn't do that," Hinata warned.
Jiro ran forward, the lightning of his attack brushed a nearby sealed door. Suddenly he was a four-year-old girl standing across from Neji as if they were about to spar. Her father telling her to use the move he had taught her, and she did. Neji immediately gripped his forehead, crying out in pain. The memory ended with her father praising her and telling her to use that if she ever needed to put someone in the branch family in their place.
As Jiro came back to his senses, Hinata was behind him with her arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold.
"Please don't fight it," Hinata pleaded. "I just want what is mine."
"And I'm supposed to forget Ai and my baby?" Jiro wheezed out. "The baby is real. I am real! And if we keep fighting, Kyuubi might take both of them from me, from us. You might get control, but what about Naruto? Are you going to let him fight Kyuubi alone just to live?"
Hinata didn't move for a moment, but then her arms went slack. "I can't lose Naruto. If he... this past year has been for nothing. My life was nothing."
Jiro grasped her hand. "Then let's go back and save them together."
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Ai dodged a set of kunai with relative ease, as if her male self was testing her. "Will you stop and think for a second?!"
"You just have ta give up. Then I can deal with Kyuubi," Naruto retorted, launching another attack with kunai.
"My baby is in danger!" Ai cried out.
"I will protect MY baby," Naruto promised. "This is the first real family I've ever had."
Ai bowed her head. There was no time to continue fighting herself. Kyuubi had to be stopped now. There was no choice. She dropped her posture. "Fine. You win. Protect my daughter."
Naruto smirked evilly as he reared back a set of kunai. As his arm began to move forward he twisted and launched his attack at Kyuubi's right eye. The attack came as a complete surprise to both Kyuubi and Ai. The blades found their mark and the beast roared in pain.
Kyuubi growled in anger. "You miserable little girl!"
Naruto shifted into Ai, much to the copy's surprise. "Huh?" The confusion didn't last for long as the beast roared, leaving only the original Ai.
"What's going on?" Ai wondered. "What happened to Naruto?"
"There is no Naruto, girl. He stopped existing when you fucked Uchiha," Kyuubi spat. "You killed him!"
Ai glared at the beast. She didn't believe a word he said. His words meant nothing. She had to save her daughter. She snatched some of the kunai Naruto had intentionally missed her with and leapt to attack. The beast moved and twisted its head, but only seemed to minimize the potential damage. Kyuubi was not fighting back.
Everything began to shake as if there was an earthquake. Ai tried to keep her footing. Kyuubi smirked evilly as the baby faded slightly.
"What's going on?!" Ai demanded.
"You're a moment closer to being my mother," Kyuubi taunted.
Ai growled angrily. If she were not fighting Kyuubi, she would be channeling the beast's power now. She gritted her teeth, suspecting upsetting her was part of the plan. Kyuubi's chakra flowed easier when she was upset, and the beast would need that to take over her daughter. She had to keep calm.
"Where's Naruto?" Hinata asked from behind Ai.
"Ai destroyed him," Kyuubi gloated.
Ai turned around to see Hinata collapse to the ground while Jiro scowled darkly at the beast. "We've got to save my baby! We can't let Kyuubi be reborn!"
Jiro wasted no words launching into various attacks that were largely ignored. Ai resumed her attacks as well, but time was becoming a serious issue as there was another quake.
"Time is almost up!" Ai warned.
"Was that a contraction?" Jiro wondered.
"I won't let you take my baby!" Ai yelled, launching herself at the beast's face.
Kyuubi growled and shook his head to dislodge the girl from his nose. "There's no use fighting this, Mother. I will live beyond you. Just as I've lived beyond Naruto."
Everything began to shake once more.
"If that's another contraction, time is about up," Jiro warned.
"Is Naruto really... gone?" Hinata asked in a whisper.
"Do you see him here?" Kyuubi taunted. "Ai destroyed him. The boy you love will never come back."
"Is that true?" Hinata questioned with dread.
Ai didn't answer her, focusing on fighting the fox's head. "You won't take my baby!"
Hinata tried to think of her beloved. Tried to see where Naruto had ended and Ai began. She wasn't sure where the two were separated. Both never gave up. Both fought to help others and kept their words. But Ai wasn't a boy. She couldn't be with Ai the way she wanted. She might not be Jiro, but at least she could make sure he would have his family.
"Ai, stop! Don't do that!" Jiro cried out.
"RASENGAN!" Ai cried out. Memories of Naruto's lonely childhood haunted her thoughts. Days and nights of being alone with no family. Before her was her daughter. Finally someone of her flesh and blood to call her true family. She would let nothing get in her way. She slammed the spiraling mass of chakra on the snout of the beast.
Kyuubi began to howl in pain and anger. "You will not leash me! I will have my freedom!"
Hinata bolted forward, covering the fading image of a baby girl with her body. "If you want a body, take mine!"
"You have no body!" Kyuubi hissed. The beast pulled his head away the only direction he could, inside the cage. "You will regret this!"
"Even if you torture me until I die, I will never regret saving my baby!" Ai shot back.
"Enjoy motherhood," Kyuubi spat venomously.
Ai blinked and suddenly she was upon her bed in her home. "We did it. We beat-" She suddenly screamed as she felt like someone was ripping her apart at the hips. Never before had she felt such unimaginable agony. Even Sasuke plunging a fist into Naruto's chest had not caused this much hellish pain.
"Couldn't you have slept for another minute?" Tsunade grumbled. "Keiko, Inari, hold her steady. Just a couple more pushes."
Ai didn't feel reassured by the presence of her students. She had no clue how Tsunade knew she was giving birth, let alone how the Hokage had gotten there.
Jiro groaned as he woke up. He leapt up immediately upon hearing Ai's moans of pain. He immediately made a copy, who promptly changed into Hinata. Both activated their special eyes, making sure Kyuubi was defeated and that this was not another trick.
"One more push!" Tsunade ordered.
Ai didn't know what the hell she was talking about, but her insides seized up painfully and then nothing. All the pain she had experienced suddenly evaporated. The pressure between her legs was gone.
Ai looked up to see Tsunade holding an infant by the feet. With a small, but sharp strike on the infant's rear, a cry echoed within the room. A quick cut of the cord attached to the baby's navel, followed by a short wash in a waiting water basin, and then the crying baby was handed to her mother.
"You're my daughter," Ai said with awe. The tears of pain she had held back now flowed as tears of joy. "I'm really a mother..."
Jiro smiled tenderly. "I have a daughter..."
"Have you picked a name?" Tsunade asked, looking upon the family fondly.
"Shinobu," Ai answered. "I wanted to name my baby Shinobi, but he didn't like that idea."
Jiro smirked. "It's close enough for her."
Keiko giggled. She reached out and tentatively touched the infant. "She's so small."
"Thank god she wasn't bigger!" Ai retorted weakly.
"Let the girls rest," Tsunade told them all firmly. "Jiro, I want a report from you."
"I'll keep watch in case Kyuubi tries something," Hinata promised.
Jiro nodded and ushered Keiko and Inari out of his home with Tsunade following them.
Hinata took a seat next to Ai. "So... I guess I'm an aunt..."
"Or a second mother," Ai replied.
Hinata looked away. "I hardly think I can count as that."
"Look, I don't know about this whole mind splitting stuff. That you and Jiro are the same yet different isn't something I think I'll ever understand. What I DO know is that you're part of this dysfunctional family," Ai told her.
Hinata looked at her sadly. "I don't know if I want to be. You... you're not Naruto are you? You won't be changing back."
Ai gazed down at her now sleeping baby. "I can't change back for a while. She needs me. But... I believe I'm still Naruto. With me there's no 'him' and 'her,' there's just me. Tsunade-baachan talked all about childhood trauma creating Jiro from you, but as screwed up as my childhood was, I didn't have any one stand out incident like you did. I don't think my mind 'cracked,' just bruised and attention starved."
Hinata blinked. "You mean there was no Naruto because you adapted? You saw a challenge and faced it?"
Ai nodded. "I think that's what I'm saying. That's why there wasn't a real Naruto there. Kyuubi made a copy and tried to make us think he had split from me."
Hinata pouted. "I see... You know... I'm not really into... you know... girls."
Ai reached out and grabbed Hinata's hand. "I wasn't into guys even after the switch."
Hinata blushed. "I know... It's just... this wasn't the life I was hoping for."
"Few get what they want out of life," Ai replied jokingly.
"At least I still have you, even if you're a girl now, Naruto." Hinata leaned over and gently kissed mother and daughter before disappearing.
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"The next couple months was spent raising Shinobu, recovering my form, and making damn sure nothing of Kyuubi was in my daughter," Ai summed up. "When it came time to leave, it was a good thing Inari is such a good study. He needed escape techniques just to get out of his mother's death-grip of a hug. Tsunami may have had months to prepare, but she still didn't want to let her son leave. Tsunami likely wishes she could've come with us, but Tazuna didn't want to leave and he's getting on in age. It did help that Keiko's foster mother decided to come with us and help support her daughter and her lover."
"LOVER?!" Sakura cried out.
"Oops." Ai grinned sheepishly.
Hinata blushed madly.
Jiro shook his head. "With their lack of innocence and abundant time alone combined with Keiko's existing knowledge, there isn't much surprise they took that step."
"I guess." Sakura shook her head. "It's just I remember Inari from when we fought against Gato. He was so... young."
"And now he's the same age you were before graduating from the ninja academy, and I know you had certain... thoughts you wished had happened," Ai returned.
Sakura flushed. Old fantasies of being with Sasuke washed over her thoughts. The question if she could've kept him from leaving had she made her full feelings known and... well... helped him with the second part of his life goal, 'the rebuilding of the Uchiha clan.'
Tsunade folded her hands together. "I will remind you that everything discussed in this room is of the highest top secret level. I want you all to think over the situation before giving any ideas about how things should move on from here."
Kakashi nodded. "There is no need to make hasty decisions."
"Exactly," Tsunade replied.
Rock Lee shrugged helplessly. "I wouldn't have a clue on what to suggest."
"We'll meet in my office in a week to discuss the options. Rock Lee, you do not need to attend," Tsunade told them. "You're all dismissed."
"Good. I'm sure Shinobu is hungry by now," Ai mentioned before quickly leaving the room.
Jiro followed quickly after her, Hinata lingering for a second before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
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Author's Notes:
Coming Next: Chapter 14
Ai and Jiro have arrived in Konoha and the questions for their future looms above them.
So ends the first arc of Between Deception and Truth. Events will certainly be different from here, starting with that Ai's return to Konoha is around one month ahead of when Naruto returned in the manga.
Thanks to Jeremy Mullin for prereading this chapter.