Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Tsunade's Heir ❯ Chapters 5 - 6 ( Chapter 2 )

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Chapter 5

Life at the Hyuuga Complex

And so, the Houous set themselves up for residency at the Hyuuga sector, taking a small and unused house for their own. Of course all Hyuuga houses were high-class, so there were few complaints on the choice on either side. Naruto continued to play with Hinata, glad to have a steady playmate in her. And Hiashi let them play, even in the face of his daughter loosing a few precious hours of training. To him, the act was seen as an investment. That much was clear among the adults. Though whether his aim was to strengthen relations with the remaining Houous, or whether it was in the vain attempt of winning the war against Hinata's inherent hesitancy and self-depreciation was a speculation that none could take a firm stand on. Naruto himself was either oblivious to the middle-aged man's ulterior motives or he just didn't care. It was most likely the former, for despite Naruto's extended stay at the Hyuugas, he managed to remain spectacularly unaware of certain things. Missing Hiashi's alternative motive ranked about fourth or fifth on that particular list.

“Hey Hinata-chan…” Naruto mumbled one afternoon.

Hinata turned from her calligraphy: merely another of those things that she was expected to practice - and like it. “Yes?”

“Um, well…” Naruto scratched the back of his head. An act that his friend had quickly discerned as a sign of mild embarrassment. “It's been bothering me for a while, but it's just that well…”

Was this really Naruto? Hinata could scarcely reconcile the hesitant undertone in her new friend's voice with the loudly outspoken youth that she'd gotten to know over the past weeks. In a way, finding that even Naruto could sound like this gave her hope for herself. She smiled a little at the prospect. “What is it Naruto-kun?”

Naruto took a deep breath, do or die time. As if a great dam busted within him, Naruto's next words blurted forwards. “Why do you have such weird eyes?”

“Thud!” sounded Hinata's brush as it met with the floor, the heiress's easy hold on it failing after the arm holding it - still raised in the forth stroke of her kanji, fell loosely to her side. The long, ruining mark of ink that was dragged behind went unseen as Hinata stared at Naruto, her silhouette frozen in shock.

“E-Err… sorry!” Naruto apologised, feeling he'd crossed some kind of line.. “I shouldn't have asked! It's obviously some mistaken mutation beyond your control and, er…. w-well, anyways, they're not that weird, really. And…” Noting that Hinata's form wasn't getting any less statue-like, Naruto was starting to panic. He'd broken her! Shizune was right: girls really were sensitive to these things! “Sorry?” He tried.

“N-Naruto-kun, y-you really don't know about-” Once more regressing to stuttering, whatever Hinata was attempting to convey was interrupted by a newcomer.

“Ah, Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama, am I interrupting anything?” A white-eyed boy asked politely as he entered the room.

Naruto silently thanked the stranger for giving him a legitimate out from the awkward situation. “Ah he he. No, not really…” Naruto replied. “What's up?”

My father has asked me to test your mettle. Neji almost said aloud, the words of his father yet echoing inside his head.

x-Flashback-x

“Neji!”

“Yes father?”

Hyuuga Hizashi trailed a speculative eye over his son. His pride. The boy was a genius, there were no two ways around that fact. The child's gift with the Byakugan notwithstanding: he was also a genius in every other aspect as well. The boy soaked up Jyuuken techniques like a sponge and his analytical and decision making skills were far above his level. A true prodigy. He'd none of the… failings of Hiashi's daughter. None of the weakness. And he was still both polite and kind: a perfect son. Any father would be proud.

Perhaps it was the greatest source of pride left in his life. After being allocated to the branch-family and having the accursed seal placed upon his head: his fate had been sealed. Forever was he at the main branch's mercy, his brother's mercy. It was a trend that would continue until his death day. And why? A few seconds difference? They had been brothers - equals at one time. He bared his pain silently, but when it became apparent that his offspring had been so much more gifted than his brother's, his pain had increased seven-fold under the weight of his resentment. What 'could have been' taunted him. Neji… was so fit to be the next head of the Hyuuga: he had everything that Hinata was lacking and more. Yet could give his son nothing of what he truly deserved - it was all being given to another. It was almost a joke: a cruel prank played by the gods of fate. And one day soon, Neji too would be branded forever with the cursed seal of the branch-family. All this he had to bear while pretending that he deserved no better?

“Neji, are you aware of Tsunade-sama's arrival?” The elder Hyuuga finally asked.

“Yes father, I heard about it last week.”

“She has a son only a year younger than you, who has -like you- been training from a young age. I want you to challenge him to a spar. Check his progress, and your own” Hiashi smiled, “there is no one left to challenge you within your own age group, after all.”

“Hai, father!” Neji said, smiled, and turned to walk out towards his newest challenge.

“And Neji” Hizashi interrupted. “Do your best.” For only through you are there any ways to gain victories - small and neglected though they would be - against the main-house: against my brother.

“Yes father” Neji said, interest newly dulled. His father's face just now had a hint of something else. A shadowy overcast dwelt within his father's eyes, signal of a harsh, `adult' world that existed in one's mind. A world that very few children sought out to bring into their sunny days of open fields and clear skies. “I'll do my best.”

x-End Flashback-x

“Naruto-sama, my name is Hyuuga Neji” Neji bowed formally. “It's an honour to make your acquaintance.”

“Sure, likewise” Naruto responded. No need for formalities, this guy couldn't be that much older than him, right? “What's up?”

Neji glanced between Naruto, who seemed nervous about something, and Hinata who seemed dumbfounded by something. Was he really not interrupting anything? “I'm here to challenge you to a spar”

x-Hyuuga Complex: Central Garden-x

Hinata could not help but notice the perfection in motion as Neji took up his stance. His arms were spread out perfectly in front and behind him, the front arm slanting upwards from the ground, and the arm behind continuing that trend. His weight was resting primarily on his right leg as his left stretched out before him.

Hinata easily noticed the form as one that could easily flow into either close-combat offence or defence. It's only weaknesses were to back-attacks and being surrounded by the foe. It was a favourite for one-on-one battles among the higher-ups on the Hyuuga power scale. Naruto, on the other hand, stood loosely with no semblance of form whatsoever. With a sinking feeling, Hinata realized that Naruto had no exactly what kind of opponent he was up against.

Time passed as the two combatants stayed neutral in their small, grassy arena.

She was just about to give her friend some kind of warning when it happened.

The complete silence of the scene was broken, a subtle splash being heard clearly by the combatants. Naruto's eyes tracked the slender blue fish as it made a small leap out of the small pond it inhabited. His eyes elsewhere, the soft tap, tap, tap of feet was the only warning he received: Naruto's eyes snapped back to his quarry, who'd already closed the distance by half. With an internal swear of `Damn!' Naruto's eyes slid shut as he concentrated on what he could sense of his opponent's chakra in preparation for the first strike.

There! Naruto's eyes snapped open, his body already side-stepping open-handed strike of his opponent. But it was not possible fro Jyuuken to over-extend or leave the user suffering from any significant recovery time due to his own failed attacks, and Naruto found himself with no room for a counter-attack as the succession of offensive blows continued. His eyes were telling him one thing, but his chakra-sense was saying something significantly different. When forced to choose between the two, his decision hadn't taken a second. Naruto bent his knees and batted away the striking arm from inside Neji's guard. All he could immediately tell was that those fingers were dangerous.

Neji was in was trapped somewhere between excitement, terror, and complete awe. Never before had he ever heard of someone choosing to dodge the opening move with his eyes closed, and then step inside their opponent's guard in order launch an effective defence. But his strikes were being battered away as quickly as he could launch them, with such impossible force that each attempt ended in his striking arm being thrown wide; the speed -the precious speed- of his assault suffering as a result. It was perhaps the only reason that Naruto's unexceptional taijutsu skill could keep up with his own offence. And Neji had no choice but to stay on the offence, it was either that or go on the defensive against the raw power that Naruto displayed while inside his guard.

Hinata watched in a kind of horrified awe.

Naruto's thought process was a confused frenzy. His attention was not split evenly between combat and tactical analysis, it swung -like an erratic pendulum- between concentrating fully on countering what, to him, seemed like lightning fast blows and trying to figure some way out of this situation. His senses were working overtime. His hearing and chakra-sense working together to alert him to the general angle of attack shortly before the eyes could properly track it, and the rest was a frantic scramble. He'd knock a strike wide away, only to find his opponent's other hand halfway to his shoulder. A shift of the weight, step in again, past those dangerous fingertips, and he could deflect yet another attack in a seemingly never-ending assault. Rinse, dry, repeat. Here's the ten-million ramen-packet question: how long could he keep it up?

Neji was still struggling to deal with the situation which was completely unique to his world. He was constantly on the offence, but also constantly on the retreat: back stepping to get the room to launch another quick strike before Naruto once again closed the distance and defended. He'd been on the offence the entire battle and had never landed a hit, but arms stung with pain every time Naruto knocked one aside with a raw physical power he may have never seen the likes of and he was left wondering which would run out first: the strength in his arms, or the space behind him available for retreat.

His Byakugan gave him the answer: two steps of space left. Neji struck out with his left, the strike getting batted away like all the others. This time, Neji went with it.

The spinning sweep kick caught Naruto completely by surprise as he was sent falling backwards. Naruto struggled to keep his feet underneath him; he landed in a crouch rather than on his back, and sprung back to his feet. More surprising: Neji had come out of his sweeping kick into a stance that reminded him frighteningly of a coiled spring ready to release.

“Jyuuken!”

The Hyuuga prodigy landed five strikes on his opponent's torso. He hadn't the strength remaining in him to continue the combo but rather than go on the defensive, Neji ended in a thrusting palm-strike that sent Naruto sprawling backwards and out of counter-attack range. Options like that where what made Jyuuken one of the most feared taijutsu styles in the world.

Knocked off his feet once more, Naruto struggled back to his feet and slowly back stepped to increase the distance from his opponent. Something was wrong, his chakra-sense was telling him something was definitely wrong. With a sinking feeling: all the pieces came together. Naruto's eyes were disbelieving as he pulled down the collars of his jacket and shirt with his left hand to see the slight red points of inflation below his collarbone. “N-No way, you closed my tenketsu? You…” as the realization sunk in, Naruto could feel the moisture in his eyes as he tried to blink the tears back.

“You can form needles of chakra on your fingertips? You can even sense the location of tenketsu and close them?” His opponent suddenly seemed ten-times more skilled than he had previously. The level of chakra control and chakra sense to perform such things could only be imagined. Naruto didn't even feel his jealously: it was washed away in a sea of anger, some for his opponent, but most of it directed towards himself. This stranger was so far above him in his own field. “D-Damnit!” the words broke free from his emotionally-chocked throat as Naruto's left hand struck into the ground with all his frustration. “… What have I been doing… all this time?.!” The small tremor of the ground as he struck it went unnoticed by the blond as he didn't bother to remove his hand from it's imprint in the earth - or get up out of his kneel by it. “I've been working… working so hard, but you… you-!” Naruto's anger faded, not knowing what to do. All that was left was the pain. The desperation in his voice was evident “Am I really so hopeless after all? I trained all my life: while I was supposed to be asleep! While I was tired! While I was sick!”

Neji didn't know what to say. Did Naruto not know about Byakugan or Jyuuken? It seemed impossible, but at the same time, the only explanation that made sense. What about Jyuuken could have such an effect on the golden-haired youth? He tried to say something, but he couldn't find the words. “Naruto-sama…” Neji's eyes widened as a stray thought grabbed his attention and wouldn't let go. If Naruto didn't know about the Jyuuken, then how…? “You can sense the form of my chakra as I use Jyuuken?” To be able to sense something like that: such an accomplishment at such an age? It was not completely unbelievable, but to actually encounter such a thing…

“Don't look down on me!” Naruto growled as he stood angrily, his rage back with a vengeance. “Even if you're better, do you think that I can't even manage something like that? Don't get so high-and-mighty, who the hell do you think I am!..”

Neji was more aware of the stinging in his arms than ever. He tried to raise them into the stance he'd used at the start of the battle, but the pain gave him pause. It was then that his first-class sight caught movement on one of the surrounding rafters. A shift of cloth: father? Neji bit back the pain as he shifted his body into the open-swallow stance for the second time that morning: picture-perfection once again. It was then that Naruto finished his angered speech, accenting the last word with the beginning of his thunderous charge, running full-tilt towards Neji's location - `do or die' written in his eyes. Steeling himself, Neji sprinted forwards as wells. The distance quickly closed and Neji struck out with his right hand an open-palm strike to Naruto's left shoulder, but the strike only met with Naruto's own palm. Another shock registered in Neji's mind: his opponent had just chosen to sacrificed almost every tenketsu in his left palm. The reason why became apparent as the fingers quickly curled around his own - locking his arm in place.

“Owari da!” Naruto's angered growl of `this is the end!' was the only warning Neji received before he was yanked forwards by the right arm as his opponent bent his knees and slammed an already cocked-back fist into his unguarded torso. The impact itself was such that it produced an audible `boom' and sent Neji sailing into the large tree behind him, upon which, the Hyuuga child's flight was abruptly ended and the boy slumped down at the base of the tree, doubtful of his prospects of getting up to rejoin the fight again.

Neji glanced up to see his opponent already standing before him, left hand hanging limply by his side - all but useless, the right hand still clenched tightly in a fist. “It's my loss” the Hyuuga consented, his mind still reeling from the blow. But even as his mind reeled, it demanded that his opponent's right fist deserved further attention. Externally: first degree burns? And internally: though he'd only closed the tenketsu in Naruto's left hand, the chakra lines in the blonde's right hand had been nonetheless been damaged by… something. Perhaps it had to do with the bright flash his Byakugan detected just before impact? Neji deactivated the Byakugan and struggled to get up and converse with the victor properly. “Naruto-sama…”

“Stay still” Naruto interrupted as he kneeled down, his anger exhausted for the time being. “I've broken one of your ribs. I can do the bandaging and binding, but my chakra-coils are too damaged to do the rest: It'll be up to Nee-chan.” Tusnade didn't personally heal anyone unless it was Naruto, one of the injured animals Naruto brought home, or she was being paid - a lot.

“You know…” Naruto said reluctantly as he removed Neji's under-shirt and placed his right hand on his chest, slowly leaking his chakra into the injured boy's system, seeking out the broken rib that was doubtlessly floating around in his patient's chest area. “…with your skills, Neji-san... you could make,” Naruto struggled to force the admission past his lips, “a great medic-nin. Maybe, the… best of our generation.”

Neji winced: bracing for the pain that he was sure would come.

He was happily disappointed. Blinking, he was noticed the feeling of something moving around inside his chest was quite strange, it was no more painful than being pinched by marshmallows.

Now that the match was over, Hinata had scurried over to her friend's side, looking at her cousin with some concern. Noticing that Neji was strangely all right, despite having a broken rib, she turned to her friend and the issue that seemed to trouble him so. “Naruto-kun, you really don't know about the Byakugan? Our eyes…”

-
What followed was a ten-minute eye-opener about the Hyuuga and just what made them the most prominent clan in Konoha. It was Naruto's first personal encounter with a bloodline-limit, and it shook his world. The concept of such power being attained simply due to one's heritage felt wrong on many levels to the boy, who'd worked his hardest for every scrap of ability he'd ever acquired.

Naruto sat quietly, a significant change for him to say the least. He was contemplating what he'd just been told, but his revere was soon broken.

“Oy, brat!”

“Huh, Kaa-chan?”

Tsunade came to stand in front of Naruto, who stood up to meet her. Glancing slightly at Neji's prone form out of the corner of her eye, Tsunade formed seven handseals too quickly for the children to follow and slapped her palm onto Neji's chest and slipped a sticky note onto his forehead (read: no strenuous exercise, two weeks.) in a very `I'm barely paying attention to what I'm doing' attitude. The whole time, she hadn't looked away from her son.

Neji blinked. Today was an odd day, he kept meeting godly medics. “Tsunade-sama, arigat-”

“Whatever, kid. You're healed so get out of here already” the sannin made a `shoo'-ing gesture. “You too, Hinata, I need to talk to the kid.”

The two Hyuuga's were quick to comply, they knew not to mess with the woman. Soon the mother and son pair was alone. “So,” Tsunade took up her son's right hand in both of hers and examined it, “you used `it'?”

Naruto's gaze fell to his feet. “Yes,” he mumbled, “but I still can't do it properly.”

“Look at me, Naru-chan” Tsunade demanded. “Don't underestimate that technique's difficulty, even sharingan masters have tried to copy it and failed. You'll be the second person in history to use it, because you're the only one I've taught it to.”

“Even Nee-chan can't?”

The mother shook her head; her voice took on the patient explanatory tone that all good mothers keep in reserve. “Shizune just wants to be a medic-nin. If she never sees another battlefield she'll be happy, so what does she need `freakish strength' for? Besides: she was my apprentice, and you're my heir - there is a difference.”

Naruto chuckled, almost embarrassed.

Moving right along, Tsunade came to the main reason she was out here. “Anyway, I came to talk to you, kid. Me and Shizune will be working on a tough case for a few weeks, so you probably won't see us around…”

“Tough case?” Naruto echoed.

“Hinata's mother.”

Naruto was shocked and concerned all at once. “What! That's horrible! You have to do something! I have to do something! Does Hinata-chan know? We need to do something!”

“Shut up!” Tsunade yelled, pounding her fist into the top of her adopted son's head. “Calm down already, you noisy brat! You're giving me a headache: yes it's horrible, I am doing something, you don't get to help, Hinata knows, and no we don't need to do anything but I somehow got stuck agreeing to help her…”

“What,” Naruto deadpanned, “you owe her money?”

POUND!

Naruto peeled himself off of the floor… again. “You know, I could file for both child abuse and malpractice” he glared, “I'm still injured, damnit! Restrain yourself, woman!”

TWHACK!

You would almost think Naruto was going for some kind of obscure record. “Ow! You're no help at all!” he complained. “I'll heal my own painfully injured hands, thank you very much!”

“Oh shut up, you insolent brat! Keep your mouth closed and you'll live longer!”

Naruto, opting to avoid further punishment for now, sighed and dropped the argument. “So how did you `get stuck' agreeing to help Hinata-chan's mom?”

Tsunade dropped the argument as well. “Hiashi grovelled” she shrugged. “…a lot. And I knew you'd blow up at me if I turned it down. Besides, I wouldn't call her my friend but… she's an acquaintance, at least.”

“…” Naruto said nothing. His mind had frozen at “Hiashi grovelled”. Wasn't that an oxymoron or something? He was sure there was some rule that you couldn't use “Hiashi” and “grovel” in the same sentence…

Tsunade hadn't let go of her son's injured hand yet. She bet down at the waist and looked the boy in the eye seriously. “That's right Naru-chan, he grovelled - pitifully. He broke down and cried” she clarified pointedly. “This is also an important lesson of being a medic-nin, don't forget it. It doesn't matter how strong they are on the battlefield: because when their family, friends, or loved ones are on the hospital bed, they can't do a damn thing to help. Fathers, mothers, sisters, and lovers will turn to you to keep the light in their lives and their loved ones by their sides. Do you understand?”

Naruto nodded slowly. When his mother said it like that… the concept of the stony-faced Hyuuga grovelling was not so hard to believe.

Tsunade sighed regretfully. “You're not going to be just a medic-nin, Naru-chan. You're going to be the son and heir of `the legendary Tsunade: miracle healer. The medic-nin that can cure anything'. People have that image of me, Naru-chan, and they'll expect the same of you once you're training is over. The worst cases that everyone else would give up on will be brought to you, and you'll be expected to do something about it. ”

Naruto nodded, “I get it…” yet another dimension was added to idea of being a medic-nin. Layers upon layers, there were always new aspects to consider.

“Good,” Tsunade placed a light kiss on her adopted son's forehead, “let's go inside and treat that injury of yours.”

“Yeah” Naruto agreed, and as the mother-son pair headed inside; a question bred of his insecurities popped into Naruto's head. “Hey, Kaa-chan?”

“Hm?”

“Do you… know anyone that became strong without a special ability?”

Tsunade raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Of course” the sannin said as she slowly traced her index-finger through the air. For a second, Naruto thought his adopted mother would point at herself, but the finger kept moving along it's course and pointed off to the distance.

Squinting against the glare of the afternoon sun, Naruto gulped as the finger came to rest while clearly pointing towards rightmost corner of the Hokage monument: clearly visible even from this distance.

“Well, there's always your biological father, Yondaime certainly started out with no special talent at all,” Tsunade smirked “And of course, there's one more that comes to mind…”

“Yeah? Who?”

Using the same index finger, Tsunade poked her son's forehead playfully, “don't sell yourself short, brat. It doesn't suit you.”

“W-Whatever” Naruto blustered.

x-scene change-x

“Father, I've returned” Neji announced, entering his father's room.

“I see, and the results?” Hizashi asked in an all business tone.

Neji shook his head. “A complete loss on my part. Naruto-sama's fighting is incredible, it's as if he does not know fear. His tactics were swiftly made and executed without any hesitation at all. He did not flinch once, despite the dangerous situations he put himself in.” The white-eyed boy paused briefly to collect the words for his next sentence. “His senses were razor-sharp, and his power was overwhelming. Though, it's strange: his taijutsu skill itself was very… basic. But in the end, I was disabled with one blow” Neji couldn't stand it, he focused on the floor: too ashamed to look his father in the face.

Hizashi sighed through his nose. That was just another reason to be proud of his son: he never made excuses. “You fought well” the father recounted factually. But sometimes your best isn't enough the man almost said aloud: but Hizashi would be the last to disenchant his son's childhood. He was his precious son, after all. “You're young yet, Neji, the hand fate has in store for you has barely yet been revealed. That in mind: continue to work hard!”

“Hai!” the boy instantly beamed, he'd make his father proud. “But Father, Naruto-sama's last move still puzzles me…”

“Ah,” Hizashi sounded in understanding, “so you caught that with your Byakugan? It was the secret technique of Tsunade-hime herself, which combines with her physical strength to produce a monstrous impact. Maximum amounts of chakra is molded and then concentrated in the fist and released in an instant. You should understand that the version Naruto-sama used was incomplete, and the power was weakened and he injured himself. If Tsunade-hime used that technique in her prime, even Hokage-sama would have trouble surviving a single blow. It is no shameful loss, and while you have suffered defeat for the first time against a peer, you've also gained an acquaintance. In fact, I believe I hear him outside right now…”

Neji glanced stood and looked out the near window: indeed, Naruto was once more playing hide-and-seek with Hinata.

Hizashi smiled, “…why don't you join them?” even if it meant spending time with Hiashi's daughter. Hizashi's Byakugan did not lie, and right now he could see clearly for the first time in a long time, that he'd been pushing Neji too hard lately.

Neji blinked, “Really? Hai!”

Omake

There was always, of course, Naruto's outfit and the story behind it.

“Hmmm” Tsunade mused, observing her adopted son with a critical eye. “Yes, it will do.”

Naruto stood in front of a full sized mirror, looking thoroughly miserable in his new long-sleeve jacket and unadorned pants. He felt stifled. He felt so... uninteresting. “Kaa-chan, what the hell is this? It's seriously restricting!”

Tsunade snorted, “Wait until I write the movement restricting-genjitsu onto it.”

“Heh, bring it on” Naruto only replied arrogantly.

“Naruto-kun, your arrogance is showing” Shizune chastised kindly

“Ah, gomen…” Naruto responded, properly scolded.

Looking at the outfit he was wearing, it was no wonder Naruto felt stifled. The long-sleeved jacket may not have been thick or particularly hot, considering how `closed-up' it seemed fashion-wise, but the color scheme left a lot to be desired in his eyes. It was pure white. And those painfully plain pants? Pure white! He was surprised they hadn't bleached his hair yet! Could he not get some color over here? A splash of blue? Even a measly speck? Oh, what he wouldn't do for some orange right now-!

“I look like a geek!” Naruto cried. “A complete geek!”

“What are you talking about?” Tsunade demanded. “It looks good on you!”

“Yes Naruto-kun,” Shizune placated, “you look… scholarly”

“The cool, intellectual kind of scholarly?” Naruto sniffed. “Or… the geeky, doesn't know how to have fun, and is always reading a book kind of scholarly?”

“w-well…” Shizune's hesitation wasn't helpful to her case, “er…”

“I KNEW IT!” Naruto screamed in vindication, “I look like a geek!”

“Oh stop complaining!” Tsunade yelled. She'd had those clothes made especially for him! How dare he…

“Oh, just leave me alone!” Naruto yelled. “My life is already over!” he cried. “It wasn't enough for you to put that girly seal on my head, was it?” he demanded. “You just had to dress me up like a geek, too!”

“You're still complaining about that? It's been three years already, get over it!” Tsunade demanded. “That seal is for Genesis Regeneration, grow up and accept it!”

Shizune felt like crying. It was not just clothes, the argument was starting to branch out into other areas now as well. They were making such a scene!

“Genesis Regeneration is fine and all,” Naruto grudgingly admitted. “But it turns into a diamond! A girly little diamond! At least make it a frog or a slug or something!”

Tsunade looked like she was going to be sick. “And you want me to listen to your fashion sense? You idiot brat! If you had your way, our house would be one big, orange, animal farm!”

“Stop insulting the color orange!” Naruto demanded fervently

“Orange is stupid!” Tsunade yelled down at her son adamantly and with an alarming display of immaturity. “Orange is ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! It really is the ugliest color in the world!”

“Gah!” Naruto shook his fist. “At least my fashion sense doesn't make me look geeky!”

“It's `scholarly', you idiot!” Tsunade shouted back. “At least my fashion sense doesn't make you look like a pumpkin!”

“Grr,” Naruto growled, “how could you do this to me, Kaa-chan? I'm telling you: I really hate these clothes!” he yelled loudly

Tsunade flinched. “Y-You idiot! I spent two hours picking out the design myself!” she yelled angrily.

The two locked in an intense glaring contest. Both seemed hurt that the other wouldn't understand their feelings on the subject.

Soon, the glares broke, and the pair -oddly- left the store in silence after paying for Naruto's outfit.

Shizune trailed worriedly behind.

x-scene change-x

Shizune was worried, the two hadn't spoken much since their argument at the store. Surely, it wasn't unusual for them to fight or argue - they did it all the time. But this time seemed strangely different. Shizune could almost feel the pressure of unsaid words hanging in the air as if it were a tangible force.

Naruto walked into the living room, towel draped over his shoulders, and hair wet.

Looking up from the medical scroll she'd been reading, Tsunade spotted Naruto and his appearance visibly surprised her. “What are you doing brat?” she asked evenly. “If you just take a shower to get clean, don't wear the dirty clothes from before. It's common sense.”

Naruto looked down at his plain, white, `geeky' outfit. “Well… I just got it today right? It's not really dirty, so…” Naruto paused, “so I'll just wear it again. I-It's not really that geeky anyway, I guess…”

Tsunade didn't know what to say. “Yeah? Well good” she seemed somehow uncomfortable. “T-Though thinking about it, a brat like you loves to wear holes in your clothes. We should probably… go shopping again tomorrow… or something…” she mumbled. “Maybe even grab… one or two orange things…”

“Orange?” Naruto asked.

“Well… if it's one or two…”

“Orange!” Naruto repeated, energetically.

“Now hold on brat!” Tsunade yelled. “One or two, I said!”

Was that it? Shizune mused. Did they want to just say “I'm sorry, you actually have a point”? She chuckled, what was she thinking? Sometimes, those words were the hardest to say. Either way, as long as those two reconciled already, then everything would be all right.

“ORANGE!” Naruto screamed with his arms raised gloriously to the ceiling: either just because he was excited, or he simply wanted to piss his mother off more.

“One or two!” Tsunade demanded. “One or two, I say!” Damnit, she would be heard! “Don't you dare get carried away!”

End

Hyuuga Hizashi is Neji's father.

Revision pointed out by a helpful reviewer has been plugged in: Hiashi is only older than his brother by a difference of seconds. They're identical twins.

Genesis Regeneration is actually one of the English alias for SÅzÅ Saisei, a.k.a. that extreme self-healing seal on her forehead. Though I should probably use the literal translations "Creation Rebirth," or "Creation Regeneration", or perhaps even something like "Genesis Rebirth". I won't budge on this subject without a strong reason. I definitely want to call it Genesis Regeneration.

Owari da means something like This is the end or It's over

Gomen means sorry

By the way, I actually keep an updated chapter completion estimate (by number of words) on my author's page. It's kept accurate, though thinking about it, it may be a little useless. Thought I'd put the information out there anyway.

I'm a little excited about the next chapter.

Please Review. Of course, I always appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 6

Step by Step

Life continued on for Naruto. His adopted mother and sister weren't around much, as Naruto had been informed. For weeks, the only contact he'd have with them would be brief meetings in the halls. Occasionally, they'd forgo eating in their research room - which Naruto was not allowed into - and take their meal at the table along with Naruto, Hinata, and Hiashi, as if they were actually civilized people and not people that were tragically overworking themselves. Noting that it might not be safe, and factoring in her bare minimal trust in Konoha, Tsunade made very clear that she didn't want Naruto outside of the Hyuuga Complex for any reason.

Naruto mumbled incoherently as he stumbled towards the breakfast table, dressed and ready to go but still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “G'morning…”

Hinata smiled at her friend, already at the table. She restrained herself from giggling at Naruto's appearance - it wouldn't have been appropriate. “O-Ohayo, Naruto-kun. Are you… excited about today?”

“Today?” the sleepy boy croaked out. “Today is…” Naruto scrambled to remember: was there something important today? “Oh!” he suddenly shouted, looking for all the world as if he hadn't been the very image of a walking zombie previously. “It's that day! YES!” he cheered, bouncing over to the table.

Hinata giggled, as she usually ended up doing when Naruto was around. “Hai, it's Hero's Day” she informed.

Hero's Day. The biggest festival of the year: so named after the Yondaime Hokage, who had traded his life in to `defeat' the terrifying Kyuubi no Kitsune. All of Konoha gathered to produce the liveliest gathering many would ever see, as if to bask in the joy of life which they had come so close to forfeiting to the Kyuubi those years ago.

Hinata's heart wrenched as her words had the opposite of their intended effect. It hurt to see Naruto's eyes reflect his shock before his `hyper-happy' face slowly slide from that state to one of desperation, neutrality, and finally: one of resigned dejection. His right hand came up to stop just inches from touching the whisker-marks upon his cheek. It was as if the world was suddenly placed on his shoulders and he wasn't the least bit surprised that his burden would increase one-hundred fold.

Her fault. It was always her fault. Why could she just never do a single thing right? She had to try to cheer her friend up, somehow. “Y-You're the Yondaime's son and the container for Kyuubi. E-Everyone will probably be so happy to see you” she tried vainly to little result. “M-Maybe th-they'll give you free ramen, or…”

“Maybe” Naruto assented, though he didn't sound hopeful in the least if his subdued voice was any indication. “Hey, do you know if kaa-chan or nee-chan are coming to breakfast?” he asked, looking left and right as if expecting his adoptive family to walk down the halls at any second. “They should be here today…”

“Ah…” Hinata looked worried. “Breakfast was s-sent to their research room again…” The pair of high-end medics had holed themselves up in an unused room and had scarcely come out for food and washroom breaks.

“Oh…”

And so the minuets ticked past, Naruto saying nothing and Hinata following suit. The boy looking as if his day had been wrecked utterly, but that at least he could see his family at the breakfast table. Hinata wanted her friend to feel better, but was too sure that she could only make his day worse to try to cheer him on. So it was that Naruto was left to cope with his problem on his own.

“N-Narut-kun” Hinata finally managed. “A-Aren't you hungry?” he hadn't touched his food.

“No” the boy muttered, dulled eyes locked onto the tabletop. “You start eating; I'll eat with Kaa-chan and Nee-chan when they get here.”

“N-Naruto-kun…” what could she say?

“Hinata-sama!”

“huh?” the Hyuuga heiress spun in her seat to face the arriving branch-family member.

“The seamstress has arrived. I'm to escort you to her.”

That's right, the seamstress appointment. It was for tonight's kimono. As she'd be helping represent the Hyuuga influence at the festival, the entire day had been allocated towards her getting dragged to outfitters and the like.

“Na-Naruto-kun, I'm sorry…” she apologized.

“No, it's okay. I'm just… going to keep waiting here” Naruto said, producing a forced smile, even as he remained clenching a portion of the tablecloth on top of the table in his firsts sub-consciously, as he'd been doing for the past hour “just in case they come after all.”

It was noon by the time young Naruto finally left the breakfast table. As a branch-familly member arrived and took up his breakfast-plate, replacing it with lunch, Naruto simply stood up and left without a word.

“So, they even made a festival…” Naruto mumbled, standing now in the Hyuuga Central Garden, before the very `counting tree' that he'd become so familiar with. He didn't know why he'd ended up here, but he similarly couldn't think of anywhere else he could go at the moment.

They'd made a festival out the day a demon had been sealed inside him, the day his biological father and mother had died, the day he'd been born. Somehow, the cold glares he knew awaited him outside the confines of the Hyuuga complex combined with the images of happy, normal families enjoying a happy, normal festival on this day… it was pissing the hell out of him.

SLAM!

The sound was that of his foot impacting the massive tree-trunk before him. He didn't know why he was doing this, maybe he was trying to prove something - but just what he didn't know. Naruto proceeded to walk up the tree in a vain attempt for what seemed like the thousandth time. Step after step, each slow step being a little more difficult than the last. Naruto was seven steps - his all time personal record - up the tree when he lost control. The boy didn't even bother to try landing on his feet and impacted flat on his back, staring dispassionately at tree-covered sky above him.

“Happy birthday… to me.” He wouldn't have minded getting presents or congratulations, but he didn't really care either. He didn't need that. He'd just wanted to talk to his family at the breakfast table today: a piece of normalcy time together. He would have been so grateful, just for that.

Naruto didn't move from his position sprawled on the ground at the base of the counting tree. What was the point? Naruto let a stray leaf drift down to land on his forehead, where it started to itch. He paid it no heed. Looking rather impassive, he didn't move a single muscle. Because it doesn't matter who you are: sometimes your problems, people's expectations, uncertainties, responsibilities, just pile up. One after the other, and you can pretend like it doesn't matter, but you secretly know it does. And so it is that the world just brings you down, and at that point you'll just feel so tired that you'll never want to get back up.

Naruto's gaze remained unfocused and ahead. In fact, he didn't so much as flinch at what happened next. Catching a swift movement within his peripheral vision, Naruto's right hand shot out and caught the falling object. His eyes slowly drifted towards the contents of his right hand and he was broken out of his stupor at last “…bird?”

Looking up, Naruto took note of the corresponding nest, then back at the bird he'd saved. “You're… learning how to fly, aren't you?” he spoke to the bird, as if he half-expected the creature to understand him. He stood up and put the suicidal avian on a nearby fence. “You're obviously too young to fly, you birdbrain” he informed. “You could be seriously injured, and-”

But the rest of Naruto's words became stuck in his throat as the little bird hurled itself off of the fence and started to flap it's wings like it's life depended on it. Which it probably did.

“You idiot bird” Naruto huffed, having caught the damn thing again. “Who do you think you're trying to impress? Your kaa-chan probably can't even see you from where she is” he scolded, putting the bird once more on the fence, as he knew how much birds disliked staying on the ground. “Besides… what's the point? I'm telling you it's dang-”

The small bird's tiny chirp halted Naruto's speech as the strange thing went ahead and hurled itself off the fence again. Raw reflex was the only thing that let Naruto catch his plummeting acquaintance, as the boy was truly shocked. But as his thought process re-booted, a familiar glint entered the boy's eyes and suddenly, he was tired of being tired. What the hell was he doing? It took a second for Naruto to notice that he was chuckling.

“This has got to be a joke…” he muttered, looking at the ball of feathers. “outdone by a bird?” He suddenly snorted. “Yeah right.”

A fire was re-kindled within Naruto's heart, and it expanded and grew until it was the roaring bonfire that was accustomed to being there.

SLAM!

Naruto braced his right leg against the tree-trunk, keeping the young bird that he might deem a comrade tucked against his chest. “Try number... one-thousand and one”. And with that, the birthday boy was off like a rocket.

Step after fierce step, the ascension transformed from a brisk walk into a dead run and Naruto never gave an inch he took.

thud!

thud!

thud!

thud!

“There!” with one last push, Naruto lighted upon the topmost branch of the counting tree, bird safely in-hand and feelin' good. Damn good. “Here you go” he practically chirped, depositing the bird into his nest of origin. Despite that fact that the idea of the tiny bird actually managing to fly should have been truly ridiculous, Naruto was yet only half-surprised when the little bird flung itself out of the nest once more and this time proceeded to, while struggling, fly. “heh… ha ha ha! …Go figure” he could only say, shaking his head in wonderment.

Watching the little bird's course of flight, Naruto's gaze got hitched at a certain point. While the central garden was indeed at the centre of the complex, it was also at the south end and beyond the wall before him, the sea of trees that the Hyuugas had around their complex seemed to call to the young boy. It was time to see for himself: the Konoha that he might one day come to call “home” for good.

“Ready or not, Konoha, here I come.”

-

x-Hyuuga Complex: Unused Room (now Tsunade and Shizune's `operating room')-x

Tsunade hissed as she slumped back into the comfy chair that she'd absolutely demanded be present. Of course it was disinfected and covered with a plastic cover that stopped it from releasing any particles into the air, but… it was a comfy chair nonetheless, and right now her back really, really needed a comfy chair.

Shizune slumped against a far wall, in a similar state to her mentor. “It's over” she tiredly declared, as if she couldn't believe it.

Tsunade nodded and rubbed her temples “finally”.

Hiashi was kneeling by his wife's side, actual emotion on his face for a change. “Hiatari-chan…” he keened

Shizune almost fell over. Somehow, she still didn't expect Hiashi to use `-chan' even with only two other people in the room.

Tsunade sighed. “As I thought, we weren't able to remove it completely… she'll be fine for now, but this is a temporary fix at best.”

Hiashi's back tensed, but he didn't turn from his wife's side. “How… how long?”

“At best? A little over one year”

“I… see” Hiashi said. “Thank you… for giving us the time you have” He still hadn't turned from his wife's side.

“The headaches will come back, along with the loss of sight, and everything else” Tsunade informed, standing up. “Your bloodline makes it hard to operate on the cranium… don't try for another operation, you hear?”

“I… understand” and again, the man did not turn.

“...We're leaving, Shizune!” Tsunade barked. Hizashi needed to be alone with his wife right now, and Tsunade needed to see her son and then get some much-needed sleep. Tsunade opened the door and frowned

Shizune shakily stood up, she was only the assistant and she was still tired. Scampering over to her mentor's side, she was ready to head out and look for her otoutou but Tsunade's arm was suddenly before her, barring her progress. “Tsunade-sama?” she followed the sannin's frowning gaze to the floor, finding two plates of food. “Dinner?” she asked, sounding befuddled. She was hungry and both mentally and physically exhausted. Connections just weren't being made within her mind at any kind of speed.

“No” Tsunade answered. If anything, she was more exhausted than Shizune, but also more naturally perceptive to her environment. “Rolled omlet, rice, miso soup… fuck: this is breakfast.”

“Wh-What?”

“We purposefully chose a closed off room which even light didn't penetrate. And worked through the goddamn night by accident” she ground out, she couldn't believe it. Of all the times for this to happen…

“But-!” Shizune sounded distressed, and suddenly wakeful. “But Naruto-kun!”

“Yeah” Tsunade growled “it's Naru-chan's birthday and we didn't even have goddamn breakfast together!” She said as she purposefully stepped over the cool breakfast and stormed down the Hyuuga halls, yelling in search of her son.

Shizune was not one second behind her in the task.

And so it was that the assistant medic ran smack-right into the back of her mentor when the woman suddenly stopped.

Tsunade, for her part, just glanced over her shoulder at her apprentice. “Shizune, did you get a look at the moon last night before the operation?”

“I- yes. Yes I did, Tsunade-sama.”

“What phase was it in?”

“Wh… What? It…” the color drained from the `Nee-chan's face. “It was…”

The look on her apprentice's face was answer enough. “Fuck” Tsunade iterated. “Naru-chan! NARU-CHAN!”

-

x-Konoha: streets-x

“It's the demon!” Whispers

“It came out? We have to finish it while it's still a child…” Those damn whispers

“No, if Sandaime-sama finds out-!” How many times?

“Shh! Be quiet, it'll hear you” This same goddamn conversation more or less repeated everywhere he went.

Stupid ninjas, Naruto thought. Were those guys just exceptionally bad ninjas, or did they know that he would hear the whole conversation and pretended that they didn't?

Either way, two things were becoming very clear. One: The “Hero's Day” festival was indeed as big a deal, if not a bigger deal than he'd been led to believe it was. And Two: The villagers and ninjas of his home-village would rather he didn't exist.

Some seemed confused at what to make of his existence, while the rest seemed resolute in their beliefs. But sadly, what both factions were united in was that everyone would be only too happy if he were dead. Some didn't care how he would die, from what he could gather, but the vast majority wanted the sincere pleasure of ending his life personally.

But they were all talk and no action, for now. And none seemed to be acting on whatever murderous thoughts hid openly behind the obvious whispering and dismantling glares.

But that was okay. They just had to get used to the idea that he wasn't the demon sealed inside him. They'd see, they wouldn't have a choice: Naruto wasn't feeling generous enough to give them one. He'd make them see his face every day: his and not the Kyuubi's. In fact, he'd be so `in your face' that they couldn't help but notice him. And over the weeks, months, years -whatever it took- they would see that he was still there, in their faces, having done nothing intentional harmful or demonic. And then they'd start to think. Really, really think. They'd think on their own, apart from their clubs, groups, or gossip-rings. And they wouldn't think about how the demon was biding it's time, or how he was going to kill them all… because the evidence for that would be too pitiful, and that would be stupid. They'd be thinking that hey, that Naruto-kid doesn't seem dangerous after all. And then they'd stop being afraid. And then… then maybe he could call this place home - for good.

Oh, what a dream.

But then again, every child needs to dream sometimes.

And though they won't admit it to themselves or each-other, every adult needs to dream just as much.

-

x-Playground-x

“Ha ha ha, hey look guys, it's the big-foreheaded girl!” A child said and pointed. Sakura's stomach dropped. They were here, the bullies. Not the boy kind that beat you up after school, though. Rather, they were the girl kind that spat on your dreams and dismantled your self-worth. They were the bane of Sakura's every day.

“Ooo, is she making a saaand castle?” came the sing-song second voice

Sickeningly sweet words, Sakura recognized. It was the most dangerous tone of voice.

“Hey! Hey!” One brown-haired girl piped up. “It's actually pretty good!”

Sakura foolishly got her hopes up. It was a really good sand-castle, she'd slaved meticulously over it for hours on her own and managed to create something beautiful and with a meaningful existence. And as it's creator: maybe, just maybe she could have those same values attached to herself. Maybe they would stop teasing her all the time… Maybe she could even join their group: be one of them.

“Ha ha, she probably smoothed out the walls with her forehead!” One joked. The reference to her abnormality caused a deep sting for Sakura, as she recognized that she'd been a fool. They'd never accept someone like her.

“Don't let your head swell up in pride, Sakura! If it get's any bigger, you won't be able to fit through the doors!”

“Ha ha ha, oh look it's a mosquito. Quick Sakura, get it with your forehead, so it can't escape.”

The cackles of those children continued among the teasing. Some of which was getting repetitive, but the children certainly didn't care.

A blond slowly made here way to the front of the pack. “Ah! Ino-chan's here!” the brown-haired girl declared. Contrasted to Sakura, Ino was always `cool' and `with it'. She knew the popular trends, the popular topics, she was just popular.

“Hmph” the young Ino snorted. “Making sand-castles? Stop wasting your time with childish things and grow up Sakura, and get some fashion sense while you're at it” she added, as if as an afterthought. “For god's sake, do something about that forehead of yours” she accented her statement by walking past the pink-haired girl and roughly kicking her sand castle: ruining it and spraying sand everywhere. In the world of the girl's half of the playground: Sakura was weak. Those that were weak didn't need to stay weak. They could learn how to talk, how to walk, and how to dress just like Ino. You just had to put in the hours and the research. Sakura chose to stay weak by staying so unimpressive, and the strong preyed on the weak. That was the nature of the world. Ino stepped back to observe her handiwork

“NO!” Sakura cried.

But, laughing, the other bullies merely followed their sometimes-leader in her sudden act of meanness. They did it because it was fun, because it made them feel important, grown up, and influential, and like they could get away with anything.

“Ha ha ha, you're such a cry-baby!” And indeed, Sakura was far into her tears by now. Thoughtlessly, a brunette threw the first stone. And though Ino tried to stop the act, she'd found herself too slow.

The rock was not two inches away from Sakura's face when a boy appeared out of no-where and was there to instantly catch it in an outstretched palm. Those present would later theorize that he'd arrived during a blink, except none of them had blinked.

“Oy,” the new blond growled, “don't you think you're going too far?”

Ino blinked, kids didn't just move like that. Her father moved like that. “Yeah, as a matter of fact: I do” Ino testily replied, making sure the new-comer could see her eying the brunette girl who's arm she still held tightly, presumably a failed attempt to abort the brunette's throw. “But what's it to you, new kid?” She hadn't thought a kid could pull off the whole `move faster than you can actively register' trick, even against other kids.

“You know, it sucks: I'm trying to show people that I'm not dangerous to anyone but I don't… like bullies” Naruto informed warningly, scaring a few people.

Ino didn't back down. “And so what?” Ino demanded. “My dad's a ninja. He's a Jounin, and he'd kick your ass!”

“Oh, so formidable” Naruto mock-cringed in fear. Sarcasm was practically dripping from each word as Naruto continued. “You gang up five-to-one on a kid that's just making sand-castles, and then you're gonna' drag your father into this? I can realy, reaaaly respect your spine.”

Sakura wiped her tear-stained face with her sleeves. She'd been saved from those bullies... someone was standing up for her! It was like a fairytale, except it wasn't like being saved by a knight in shining armour at all. It was more like being saved by an angry bear.

“Listen kid, we did her a favour. Forehead-Girl's already a looser - if she wastes her time on childish things like sand castles, she'll just become even more looser-ish” Ino sneered. The way this guy stood, the way he talked… he had it all. Everything Ino had. He could be one of the cool kids - and a leader - easy. Why stand up for a looser?

“What the hell?” Naruto growled. The pack of girls (minus Ino) gasped in response to his language. “Sandcastles are childish? So what? We're children, you complete idiot!” he yelled to Ino's face. “What the hell about you is so special that you feel like you can look down on the rest of us? I'm taller than you but you keep calling me `kid'. Listen up! I'm only going to tell you this once so try to wrap your little blond head around it. My name's Houou Naruto, and I'm a childish brat that can kick all your asses!”

“Yamanka Ino” Ino spat back. “And I'd like to see you try!” She totally neglected the fact that she barely ever took her father's light training sessions seriously, and that her friends were either the same, or just civilians. This is what's called `hot-headed' thinking.

“Ino?” Naruto stared. “You're making fun of someone for their forehead size but your name means… `pig'?”

“SHUT UP!” Ino hollered. “It's a respectable tradition in my family, you `fish-cake' boy!”

“Fishcake? Fishcake!.?” Naruto echoed. “Oh, it's on now, Ms. Piggy.”

The two blondes faces were mere inches apart, each having their right fists raised and shaking with anger. To a casual bystander, it would look like the two were on the verge of beating the ever-loving snot out of each other, but this wasn't true. In actuality, they were on the verge of an insult-hurling contest the likes of which the playground had never known.

“Wait, Ino-chan!” one of the offended girl's `friends' came to try and restrain her from getting into what she thought would be an actual fist-fight. “I-I've heard about him!”

“Yeah!” another shouted, restraining Ino's other arm. “My dad told me. He said that if I saw a kid with whisker-marks, that I should stay as far away from him as I could! He's dangerous, Ino-chan!”

Dangerous? The word echoed in his mind. The villagers had gone so far as to warn their children away from him. Go figure. But… he hadn't thought it would be so painful. Their eyes had all been fixed on him in glares before. But now, their gazes wouldn't meet his eyes. He doubted their gazes even met his shadow, except for one. Yamanka Ino was still looking at him face to face, eyes searching as if she saw something she couldn't quite figure out.

All of Ino's `friends' were looking away from the new kid. But she kept looking. Looking into that face that fiercely hated `bullies' and trying to find some way to explain how he was supposed to be dangerous. She looked at him and she didn't see a sheep: one of those vast numbers of kids that would just follow the crowd. She didn't see a loner: one of those kids that kept to themselves and acted like nothing was important. She saw a tough, stubborn, loudmouthed blonde that wouldn't keep his opinion to himself if you paid him to shut up. She looked at him and saw someone that she could treat as an equal.

Finding nothing of the answers she sought in that face, Ino eventually let the pack of girls drag her away. But Ino knew where she could get her answers. Her father paid special attention to human thought patterns and knew the real stories behind a lot of things.

Naruto watched as the gaggle of girls departed. Of course he'd wanted them to leave, but not like that. He shook off the depressing thoughts and spun around, finally, to face the girl he'd stood up for.

“Hey” he smiled. “You okay?”

Saved by the devil? No. As Sakura looked up (she's sitting in the sand, he's standing) at the tired smile that her savoir was sporting, she realized something profound. He was just like her. “You're not… bad at all, are you?” she asked wondrously. “People just don't like you because you're different right? Because of your… whisker-marks.”

“Huh?” Naruto was genuinely surprised. The girl was connecting his whisker marks with her forehead? Heh, maybe if he didn't have these damn marks, his problem would be smaller, at least. “No, my problems a little different from yours…”

“Oh. Still alone with my big forehead, huh?” Sakura mumbled, gazing at the sand at her feet.

“Well, not really” Naruto objected.

Sakura “eep”ed, she'd said that out loud?

“I mean,” Naruto continued, “there's you, your forehead… and me: makes three” he joked. “Right?”

Sakura's heart plummeted. Her savoir was picking on her too? She'd thought he would be nice to her. “R-Right” she confirmed when prompted, nonetheless. What? He'd even begun laughing. And slowly, somehow, Sakura started to laugh too. It started out as a giggle, as she realized that she'd insulted her own forehead before he did. But then her giggles seemed to bring forth even more powerful gales of laughter from the boy before her and soon they were both clutching their sides in mirth. It was then that she realized that he was laughing with her, not at her.

Ah, she'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Sakura laughed harder, as if making up for lost time.

Somewhere between giggles and guffaws, Sakura told hero her name.

“H-” giggle “Haruno” giggle again “Sakura!”

The pair laughed for a good while. In fact, at the end of this chuckle session, thier cheeks were sore from smiling and their throats were dry from laughing. Noting this, Sakura showed her new friend to the water fountains, and the subject of sand-castles came up. Sakura explained that the one that Ino destroyed had been her best work, and she was sure that she couldn't ever match it again.

“Nope” Naruto immediately disagreed. “You can definitely do much better”

“What? I just told you… it's impossible” Sakura complained. She was hesitant to sound rude and maybe drive her new friend away, but had he not been listening to her at all?

“Hmm…” Naruto pondered the situation at a little more length. “Nope, you're definitely wrong and I'm right”

He's defiantly not listening at all! Sakura's mind demanded.

“Because, you see:” Naruto lectured. “That sand castle was your best one, but now I'm here to help!”

“Huh? Y-Yeah…” Sakura smiled.

“We'll make the best sandcastle ever!” Naruto shouted

“Yes!” Sakura cheered. “The best ever!”

x-later-x

“Because, you see:” Sakura mimicked in a fairly good `Naruto' voice “That sand castle was your best one, but now I'm here to help!”

The girl waited a few seconds and took a deep breath. “YOU'RE ABSALOUTELY NO HELP AT ALL!”

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Before the pair was a mound of sand that could only be assumed to have been an attempt at… something. Probably a sandcastle… but it was hard to tell. “Hehehe, s-sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me today.”

Instead of the best… he was pretty sure they'd made the worst sand castle ever. Well, it was sort of a sand castle… if you squinted really, really hard.

“Ah! Are you sick, Naruto-kun?” Sakura asked, concerned. All traces of earlier eardrum-blowing rage long gone.

Naruto saw fit to comment on this. “Ah, Sakura-chan? Weren't you just yelling so loud that I had to cover my ears?”

Sakura visibly flinched. “Ha ha, sorry Naruto-kun. It's just that you kept ruining the sandcastles for two hours straight. Over and over and over and over again. And I kind of… exploded. Gomen!”

Naruto gave a short chuckle. “No, don't worry. Kaa-chan yells louder: I was just surprised” Naruto explained. “Though maybe you shouldn't bottle up your rage and let it compound upon itself until the pressure of your suppressed emotions cause you to explode in a loud and frightening display of righteous anger upon the nearest viable target once your rage capacity-limit is reached” Naruto smiled. “It'd probably be healthier for you… and me.”

“Sh-Shockingly detailed!” Sakura observed in shock. A sweat drop rolled down the back of her head unnoticed.

“Heh, yeah. You could even cause your suppressed anger to reach such a point that, in order to find an outlet your mind subconsciously creates a second personality that openly displays it's emotions in the ways that you secretly want to, but don't. And then it will stay inside your head all day and yell things like `Shaaaan-na-ro!' enthusiastically while punching the air and making various other gestures.” Naruto laughed.

Sakura's sweat drop grew. “Even more detailed!” she shouted in disbelief.

“Yeah. Spooky” Inner Sakura agreed.

Seeing the girl stare at him dumbstruck as she was, Naruto thought that maybe he'd gone too far. “Er, medic-nin humour… sorry.”

“Th-That's all right.”

Omake

The months that passed by before Hiatari's operation were not empty of events.

x-Hiatari's room-x

“Ah, good morning Tsunade-sama” the bed-ridden Hyuuga greeted, turning her head towards the doorway. “I hear your son training and playing outside all the time, you should be proud of him.”

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow “who says I'm not?”

The ill Hyuuga gave a weak laugh. “You're mouth is as smart as ever Tsunade-sama” Hiatari observed, before wincing and holding her head gingerly.

“Of course” Tsunade replied, for all the world as if the person she was casually talking to didn't have an uncontrolled cancerous growth at the back of her brain.

“But your son” Hiatari brought up again. “He really is strong…”

“Yeah? Hmph. You haven't seen anything yet. His hard work is going to start becoming more noticeable soon.”

“No. Not that…” Hiatari objected. “I meant… here” she said, placing her hand over her heart. “Please thank him for me. My little Hinata has never had anyone to play with…”

“Thank him?” Tsunade snorted “that guy won't want to hear it.”

“I see, you're right. Tell him I'm sorry then, for thanking him when I had no place doing so” Hiatari asked.

“Heh. I'll relay your messages” Tsunade agreed.

“Ah, Tsunade-sama!” Shizune interrupted. She normally wouldn't, but this was important. “What did you mean when you said that Nartuo-kun's hard work would become more noticeable?”

“What, you don't know?” Tsunade asked. “What kind of apprentice are you?”

“…” Shizune looked suitably embarrassed.

“Listen up, Shizune. I shouldn't have to explain this to you” Tsunade lectured. “Don't you think it's weird that Naru-chan can pull off an imperfect form of my technique, but can't even walk up a tree?”

“Of course! The difficulty level should be nothing to him…” Shizune mumbled.

“That kid's first perception of his own chakra was when he was a baby and the Kyuubi's chakra was still mixing with his own. He didn't get the `lock' seal until he was two. That guy had absolutely no natural concept of how to move his chakra once the ratio of chakra in his body suddenly switched to one hundred percent all him - and stayed that way” Tsunade explained as she walked over to the window and gazed out, seeing if she could spot the little troublemaker training. She did. “A normal person can simply focus on the need for their chakra to do something, and it'll respond. But Naruto can't do that, he has to focus on the chakra and try to move it on his own every single time. Every pitiful and slowly achieved scrap of chakra-control that Naru-chan has, he's built from the very base up.”

Shizune's eyes widened in understanding, she joined her mentor in looking out the window at Naruto training.

“Naru-chan's understanding of his chakra's movement is more… scientific. And he started off at a disadvantage, but he's just going to keep building on what he has and slowly: he'll definitely surpass the both of us” She smiled. “Well… that's only if he continues to work hard”

Shizune giggled. Heck, even Hiatari giggled, though it caused her head-pains to increase. She'd heard him outside enough to say that he was probably not going to slow down his training any time soon.

“The only reason Naru-chan can't walk up that stupid tree… is because he doesn't think he can do it. It defies gravity and that throws him off. Being able to stay calm in extreme circumstances is also a part of Chakra control and for most people that do this training: walking up instead of forwards counts as an extreme circumstance. But it has a bigger effect with Naruto because we naturally overshadow him in the chakra control department and the tree-climbing exercise is a fairly big turning point. In short: Naru-chan only needs to climb up that tree once and he'll never fall off of one again…” Trailing off, Tsunade noticed Naruto finish off his chakra and drag himself into the house they were living in at the Hyuuga estate. She was surprised to spot him through the kitchen window soon after “Huh? What's that brat up to in the kitchen? He's sitting down, he's looking around, and now he's… GOING FOR THE KITCHEN CABINETS? THAT'S MY-!”

“Otoutou!” Shizune cried in despair. “Nooooo!”

“OUT OF MY WAY, SHIZUNE!” Tsunade bellowed as she barrelled past, or rather, through her assistant and down the hall.

“Oh my” Hiatari commented, not able to currently see, but certainly able to somewhat hear the sound of Shizune being flattened in Tsunade's mad dash out

“Otoutou!” The road kill that was Shizune suddenly and miraculously got up in a flash, surprising the hell out of all conventional logic-based expectations. “Nooo! Don't do it!” She cried as she too scrambled out the door and barrelled down the unsuspecting corridor.

x-Houou Residence-x

The house was quiet as Naruto tip-toed through. His adopted mother and sister had just holed themselves up in an unused room and slapped “Research Room” on the front of it this morning. Hinata was off doing something girly or other, and it had occurred to Naruto that now was the perfect time to try out something he'd been meaning to do.

Nervous as all hell, Naruto tip-toed… No! He slinked, he glided towards the kitchen cabinets and sat down before them after giving his surroundings a thorough check, grinning mischievously. He carefully opened the cabinet so that it wouldn't make so much as a squeak, and took his prize. “Huh” he sounded, placing the jar on the counter top and reaching for a saucer that was - conveniently - left on the countertop (he couldn't reach the overhead cupboards). “I always wondered what the big deal about this stuff was. Why does Kaa-chan like it so much, anyway?” The saucer had barely touched his lips when things went horribly wrong.

“NAAAARUUUU-CHAAAAAN!”

The voice of his enraged mother froze Naruto solid. His eyes widened to the size of small tennis balls.

“Hold still!” the woman demanded and proceeded to pull out a pocket camera and fiddle mercilessly with it. “Damn `frontier' technology my ass, not worth the god-damn…”

“NOOOooooo!” Came the anguished holler that could only be his Nee-chan. Oh - shit.

While Naruto's adopted mother stood in the kitchen doorway huffing as if she'd just run through several solid wood walls and… were those woodchips in her hair? Shizune opted to dive straight through the window and send glass shards flying everywhere.

Click!

“Damnit, Shizune! I just got the damn camera to work and you obstructed the #)+)(&$#! Picture!” Tsunade roared. A quiet whirring was heard and lo-and-behold, a picture of Shizune diving onto the floor in the middle of the frame with small pieces of Naruto with a sake saucer to his lips in the background where Shizune wasn't obstructing the view.

Hearing the tell-tale whirr, Shizune scrambled to her feet and snatched the developed picture out of the air. “No evidence must exist!” she quickly cried before proceeding to consume the photo with gutso.

“Urk! Uh, um... Nee-chan?” Naruto was sweating, his Kaa-chan and his Nee-chan had arrived! He hastily distanced the saucer from his lips and started scrambling for an escape plan involving the egg-timer, two salt shakers, a bottle of sake, and jumping out the destroyed window that his Nee-chan had broken in through.

“What the hell? Naru-chan move to the left so I can have a clear picture!” Tsunade demanded.

“Er”

“NO!” Shizune hollered and -tackled- her mentor to the ground. Where she opted to target the source of the problem and began to bite the ever-loving hell out of that camera.

“U-Um” Naruto tried weakly. Things were looking really, really bad.

“Damn you Shizune, I can't see! What if he's drinking it right now?.! Oh, hell. Forget the picture!” Tsunade yelled, throwing aside the camera - and Shizune with it.

“What are you waiting for?” she demanded, standing in front of him, “drink already!”

“You're not… mad at all?” Naruto asked in awe.

“Are you kidding? I was there the first time you opened your eyes, I was there for your first steps, I was there for your first word!” she yelled. “And I'll be damned if I'm not there for your first sip of sake!”

Naruto almost face faulted, leave it to his Kaa-chan…

“And when you grow up and get married, I'll even be expecting a video tape of your wedding night!” Tsunade declared

“WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?.!” Naruto screamed, thoroughly freaked out. She was just saying that to emphasize her point… right? Right?

It was then that Shizune rejoined the fray - broken wires and other camera parts dangling from her mouth - and tackled her mentor to the ground for the second time ever, Naruto getting caught up in it and hitting the floor as well.

“Gah!” Tsunade grunted. She'd somehow managed to grab the sake saucer on the way down and she proceeded to try to move the sake to her son's lips despite the Shizune that was desperately screaming “Noooo!” and holding back her mentor's arm with both of her's, her body weight, some help from her otoutou who wanted nothing more than to just get out of there, and her left leg.

She wasn't meeting with much success. Desperately, she switched to tactic #2 and chomped down on her mentor's arm with gutso

“AAAAAAARGH!”

End

The chapter ended with a few unanswered questions, but I'm going to be working on the next one in the following days, rather than the normal wait of certian amount of time before I begin to write again. The reason for this is because I had origionally just wanted to cram more into this chapter but I changed my mind when I noted that this thing was pushing the 7 000 word mark.

I got some very awesome reviews lately. Sometimes, I just sit down and re-read them when I feel in particular need of a pick-me-up during my life.

Ino means pig or rather, wild boar. The tradition she's referring to has to do with the "Ino-Shika-Cho" team that she, Shikamaru, and Choji call themselves later in the series, following thier parent's footsteps who were the previous generatin of Ino-Shika-Cho. The name itself originated from a Japanese Card game called 'Hanafuda' in Japan. Getting the three cards of Ino (boar) Shika (deer) and Cho (butterfly) were a part of a three card combo you could make and net yourself 5 points.

It seems a little strange for Tsunade to have a portable camera that developes it's pictures itself, but the Narutoverse has both moovie theatres and photographs thrown at various random places, including pictures of the young Shodaime and Nidaime. So photography's been around for a while, I'd say. Besides, Tsunade somehow got suckered into buying one of those overpriced new products that are always around.

I once knew a person with a very large forehead. You'd be surprised how much of a big deal it cane be made out to be.

The whole Ino bullying Sakura thing will probably wierd a few people out. I already got a few comments concerning that in reviews. Some people are a liiiitle different in my story, please just suffer through it.

Hey, if I make mistakes: even just grammer or odd wording that you think is repetative or annoying go ahead and tell me. Advice is always good.

I'm going to be more busy now than I was in the summer: I suffer.

Please Review.