Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twice Shy - Story Completion ❯ Broken Barriers ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: eternalshiva 
Hinata's opening a can of wordy woop ass to her father!
Edit - Time line issue, fixed.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.13.2009 | Updated On: 03.14.2009 | Pages: 6 | Words: 8.2K | Visits: 529 | Status: Completed
Hinata's opening a can of wordy woop ass to her father!
Edit - Time line issue, fixed.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.13.2009 | Updated On: 03.14.2009 | Pages: 6 | Words: 8.2K | Visits: 529 | Status: Completed
Twice Shy – Story Completion
By eternalshiva
DameWren has given permission to anyone that wants to continue her wonderful fic Two Halves which I intend to do. I greatly appreciate any feedback / comments.
AN – k the Pein arc is getting... interesting. If not overdone! I did however do a line art of a very vulnerable Naruto~ go check out my deviantart :3
Thank you Hinata’s Husband for the beta, I appreciate all the hard work you do and how you put up with my terrible writing in drafts.
Disclaimer –
I do not make any monies off this fanfic. Naruto is copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. Sora, Yasu, Miki, Nori, Dango, Kaze Clan, Shivani are all copyright of DameWren.
Chapter 7
Broken barriers
There are certain moments in life that are defined by a specific event. The one that defines the certainty of existence can be pinned down to that split second you find yourself at a crossroad pointing in several directions. The moment that changes the path of history can be insignificant like deciding to wear blue that morning to the grand scale of a timed birth during the midst of a village’s destruction, your brother murdering your entire clan only to let you live to seek him out and avenge his treachery or your father questioning your choices, your ability as the future leader of your clan.
Hinata had arrived at that defining moment, kneeling here before her father, her eyes closed slowly as time slowed around her. She could hear the rustling of the wind outside the manor, and picture the azure eyes of Naruto smiling at her through all the hard times with all the warmth and safety of his love. Her previous nervousness slipped away as she took several deep breaths, each clearing her mind of anything that would create doubt, would leave her vulnerable. She had made this decision two years ago when Naruto confessed to her; there was nothing to regret or to be ashamed of.
“What about him father?” her father raised a brow in curiosity, her previous uncertainty seemed to have all but disappeared and a calm confident look stared back at him.
“I have several concerns with him and the direction of your friendship.” His voice held a dangerous edge she noted, frowning slightly.
“What direction would that be?” she feinted disinterest in his question.
“It’s been brought to my attention that you are very close...” his voice trailed off a moment, his eyes narrowed their focus on her. “...some would even say you two are lovers.” Hiashi watched his daughter’s reaction. She did not flinch from her position, she only continued to stare at him with a bored expression.
“And if we are?” she gave him a look that challenged him silently, dared him to continue. He accepted it willingly and forged on.
“You are aware that he is in fact-“
“The Kyuubi vessel?” she finished his sentence, almost bored. Her father seethed, no one had ever had the gull to speak to him in such a manner, let alone one of his daughters.
“Yes, he holds the-“
“Nine tail demon fox was sealed 16 years ago by the fourth hokage, inside the body of a baby – whom we know as Uzumaki Naruto – son of the Yondaime.” She returned the hard glare but was met with a shocked look from her father.
“The son of the fourth?” He sounded genuinely surprised. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity but his face soon returned to what she was familiar with, emotionless.
“Regardless of this, the fact remains that the boy is a monster. Your relationship will never be supported by the elders.”
Hinata closed her eyes again, taking another breath to calm herself. She could see her old self standing at that crossroad in her mind’s eye, staring up at the signs. Her father was still looking at her, expecting a response. She straightened her spine, squared her shoulders and thought about the road she had chosen. The broken one where the path was dark and unsure, where she held a warm hand and it guided her through the mess. This was the right path, even if it was difficult.
She needed to make her point clear to her father like the use of intention in battle, she needed to project certainty and power behind her reasoning. She couldn’t back down from this obvious call out by her father, he was questioning not only her ability to make proper decisions for the clan but her own self-worth and her faith in the man she loved. She took one last deep breath and let her heart speak.
“Naruto is no monster. He is simply Naruto, the man I chose to dedicate my life to, the man I chose to be partnered with in battle. I trust him explicitly with my own life as he trusts me with his.” Her voice held the sharpness of steel that caught Hiashi’s focus.
“You have no right to judge him solely on the consequences of his existence, anyone that would have suffered his fate would have been crushed or worst, turned against the village. He’s never given up against the terrible odds and the disgust of the villagers.” Hinata was no longer kneeling, her fists were bunched up the kimono’s material, her eyes were fierce and burned with every word she spoke to her father.
“He’s taught me more about defying the odds, to take destiny in both hands and rip it from its path and change it whenever I wish, to never let my own self-doubt and my fears control my choices, to stand on my own two feet kicking and screaming against those who would deny me my existence.” Hiashi felt the sting of those words deep within his own failiure with his past, his own treatment of his daughter.
“I will not stand here and listen to you belittle the monumental feat of Naruto overcoming the isolation he suffered driven by the stupidity of this village.” Unknown to Hinata, her father had to resist the urge to stand up and back away from his daughter as she took another step, she was angry and although her voice had yet to rise above that of a whisper, the intent she was throwing at him was enough to make him break into a sweat. She wasn’t done yet, she could see her father fidget and for once she felt like he was finally listening to her, finally watching her.
“I’m his precious person father. I love him without restraint, without prejudice and he’s never felt that before because he believes deep down he does not deserve it. The lives taken for that lineage are a heavy burden.” A pained look crossed her face as her father frowned.
“He has nothing but fierce unrelenting devotion for this village. And for some unknown reason beyond my own understanding, he would gladly give his life to protect this village that would sooner throw him aside than protect him from those that seek to destroy him.” Hinata stood tall and narrowed her eyes, they glinted with pride as she spoke the last bit of her speech.
“I will never give up Naruto.” She stared hard at her father. “I refuse to be held down by what ifs and baseless tradition. He is a strong partner, in both body and mind and would make a great addition to our lineage, more than what the Hyuuga deserve.” Hinata’s voice became low and threatening for a moment as she took another step closer to her father, forcing him to focus intently on her.
“The monster isn’t Naruto. It’s the village’s fear.” She had his full attention for the first time in her life.
Hiashi felt the intent pull away as fast as it had come, he blinked in surprise as Hinata sat kneeled again before him and tried to regain control of her uneven breathing, her pale lilac eyes held his with unyielding authority he’d never seen before in his shy daughter.
To be honestly frank, he had no personal issue with Naruto, not for several years anyway. The kit had managed to get under his skin after the fight with his nephew that had not only exposed the severity of the problems between the two branches but how deeply wounded the spirit of the Hyuuga had been. A civil war had been averted and his nephew saved from the chains of hate that bound him from his true role as a branch member.
He was purposely pushing his daughter’s buttons to test her loyalty, defend her ideal and her faith in herself, testing her skill as a leader, a protector. He was glad to see that she was effectively surpassing his expectations. Unfortunately, he had to continue this charade, continue to be her worst enemy until she was strong enough to withstand the elders. She had won his respect this night if nothing else. He eyed her cautiously restraining a smile as she openly glared at him, her posture defied him to deny her victory.
“Good.” His voice startled her and her posture faltered as he managed to disarm her with a simple unexpected word.
“Good?” she repeated, a little surprised and confused.
“Your partnership will be evaluated at the third exam. How you interact and battle will set a precedent with the elders on your abilities. Do not disappoint me or the elders Hinata.” He dismissed her, but called to her again when she was almost out of the room.
“One last thing, daughter.” She turned to look at her father and was surprised to see a look of curiosity openly displayed on his face.
“Yes?” she waited patiently as he seemed to pause for an unusual length of time.
“Where did you learn the projected intent?” His question caught her off guard with the unusual interest he showed in her skill.
“It’s a required skill with both Shina-To-Be and Shina-Tsu-Hiko; the partner training Naruto and I underwent. I’m not as skilled as Naruto.” She answered.
“And why is that?”
“The principles need to be sterner, focused like the arts he practices. I can only push an impression on an opponent, I have trouble putting it to action with combat.”
“What’s the difference between the two forms?”
“Shina-To-Be, the training I have done is more graceful, more fluid in style. It’s focused on quick and powerful bursts of power which is why my Jyuuken is well suited for it. The fact that I am very flexible and have the Byakuugan makes it even deadlier.” She looked down at her hands as she busied herself with pressing out the wrinkles in her kimono.
“Since it’s more of an assassin type of fighting, I am not required to use intent as often since I have Naruto to shield my presence. I only have to concern myself with making my presence as unnoticeable as possible or to project fear into my opponent when I come face to face with them as I strike them down.” Her father nodded in understanding at her role in the partnership.
“What is his role exactly?” he asked, genuinely curious. Hinata tipped her head a little as she thought.
“Shina-Tsu-Hiko is a form that I should describe as solid and devastating. He uses intent in combination with his attacks to enhance his already powerful presence to distract or destroy the opponent. He’s more the shield and spear, while I act as the knife hidden in the shadows.”
Hiashi nodded in dismissal as he pondered what his daughter had just said. He had to admit that the team battles this year were definitely worth getting excited about if his daughter was in fact as fierce as she had described her team to be.
Hinata walked away from her father’s office with more questions than answers, her brow knitted together in frustration as she made her way to her room. She needed to wash up and prepare for the morning’s training.
“Good evening Hinata.” Her cousin’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. She pushed them away as Neji approached her slowly.
“Neji? I thought you had gone with Kakashi to search for Sasuke.” Her cousin nodded at her question.
“That was the original intent but a few pressing matters came up and I had to refuse. They were direct requests from the Hokage.” Hinata made a small “Ah” sound as she fell into step with her cousin.
“Then, I wish for you to help me for the next nine days since you will be around.” She looked straight ahead toward the end of the hall, avoiding her cousin’s gaze.
“Anything in particular?” He asked.
“Yes, I want to look at the more advanced Jyuuken forms you spoke to me about a few weeks ago. I have improved my chakra pool with a daily exercise.” She refrained from mentioning to him that the exercise was a cranky summon. Neji couldn’t help but give her another curious look and she smiled faintly.
“Let us meet in the dojo then tomorrow morning. I will evaluate your chakra coils and test your ability to expand them. This will be very intense, please be sure to rest tonight.” With that he turned on his feet and left the kunoichi in front of her bedroom door.
* * *
The darkness of the apartment was an unwelcomed sight to Naruto. He’d been spoiled with Hinata staying as of late. Stepping inside, he’d momentarily forgotten that Sakura was still in his room. He noisily went about his apartment, flicking all the lights on, turning the T.V. to a movie channel and busied himself in the kitchen cooking some leftovers and putting away the dishes Hinata had been kind enough to clean for him after lunch.
The sound of feet shuffling and a muffled yawn startled him. Sakura stood behind him with an annoyed look, having been pulled out of a deep slumber by a very rude boy.
“You could make a little more noise” she spoke sleepily. Naruto smiled sheepishly.
“Ah Sakura, forgot you were here. Are you hungry?” he turned and continued to dig through the cupboards for an extra plate. For some reason Sakura had the impression that wasn’t really a question.
“Hai” she muttered as she sat down at the table, her mouth felt like a layer of velvet had settled in it.
“Here.” He pushed a plate of soy-dipped meat and rice in front of her, she hadn’t realized she was hungry until her mouth had begun to water. “Thanks Naruto... for everything. I mean it.” she said groggily before taking a bite. Naruto reached down to her plate, plucked a piece of meat, and threw it in his mouth smiling.
“No problem Sakura, you’d do the same.” He shrugged as she glared at him, deciding she was more hungry than she let on.
Sakura ate quietly while Naruto gave her an overview of the supper with Shikamaru and Temari. He had been surprised to find out that the two couldn’t seem to make up their mind on the status of their relationship. Mostly Shikamaru was too lazy to figure out what Temari wanted. Or at least that was his claim. The protégé of master strategist Asuma and the son of Shikaku couldn't possibly be truly ignorant. But his mantra of laziness afforded him the luxury of not admitting to awareness. Naruto wasn’t surprised.
Although he was talking, Sakura wasn’t listening. Her eyes were focused elsewhere. Her mind was thinking about heavy and complicated scenarios over her own lover and Naruto felt helpless. He reached over to her hands and placed his own on hers, his eyes softened as she was startled back to the present.
“They’ll find him Sakura, Kakashi promised.” He spoke softly to her and she looked away, fighting the urge to break down. It was a few minutes before she could speak.
“It’s not that I’m worried if they'll find him...” her voice wavered a moment. “More like I’m worried in what shape he’ll come home to me.” There was nothing he could honestly say after that to cheer her up, she was going to be ok now he knew but it didn’t take away her sadness.
“Let’s watch the shitty movie on the TV.” He perked up out of the blue, startling her.
“The what?” she was confused.
“The movie. It’s really funny and it doesn’t require thought. Perfect solution right now.” He stood up and walked towards the couch. “Since you’re going to be keeping me up, make the popcorn.” He said in a disinterested tone, like it couldn’t be helped. Sakura laughed and shook her head.
“Ok, but I have dibs on the blanket.”
“Fat chance in hell.” She heard him say but it was muffled by the pillows and the blanket in his arms. She laughed again and wondered how he managed to always make her see the bright side of things.
“Ok, fine but if we’re sharing, I get to use you as a pillow.” She saw him consider a moment and he nodded.
“Fair enough, you’re so emotional right now, you need a manly chest to let your feminine-“ He didn’t get a chance to finish as he felt something hard hit him behind the head. He snickered and headed towards the couch, Sakura scolded behind him, popcorn in hand.
“That butter could have been used for the popcorn.” He gave her a heavy-lidded look, unimpressed with her current use as a kunai. She snorted and sat next to him, stealing the blanket.
He shook his head and yanked the blanket, propping his feet up on the coffee table, put one arm over the back of the couch and gave her an expectant look.
“What are you waiting for, this was part of the deal.” She smiled and appreciated the gesture, he knew she needed it. She snuggled up to him and let herself relax. He definitely knew how to comfort an old friend. She could feel herself drift off to sleep listening to Naruto’s heart, lulling her and comforted by the sound of his muffled laughter, she couldn’t help but feel a deep loss, missing Sasuke.
Naruto looked down to his best friend and watched her finally drift off into sleep. This wasn’t something he would normally do for anyone but Sakura was fragile even if she exuded power at a frightening level, she was still human and she still needed to know she was precious. He hoped Hinata wasn’t going to be too mad when he told her in the afternoon.
* * *
Hinata wasn’t too sure how to wake the two cuddled on the couch. It was barely the crack of dawn and she had wanted to come see how Sakura was doing before she went to train with Neji. Although she trusted Naruto to have a good reason as to why Sakura was tightly entangled around his chest while he was sleeping in a sitting position, she couldn’t help but feel a little jilted.
She poked her boyfriend on the arm, waking him slowly. He gave her a large beaming smile when he finally opened his eyes and realised she was standing in his living room, but there was something off about her expression... it was too happy, he’d seen that before. Why could he feel another body against him?
“Ack!” he stood up suddenly knocking Sakura off the couch in a very disgraceful fashion as it dawned on him. She yelped as the blankets tangled around her and she felt the hard wooden floor meet her rump, Naruto tripped over her in the confusion, knocking the left over popcorn in all directions along with the table. Hinata raised an eyebrow in amusement at the display.
“Hi-Hinata! Don’t misunderstand!” Naruto began to frantically explain the situation as he seemed to drown in the blankets, popcorn was mercilessly trapped in his messy yellow hair. Sakura complained loudly as his cold feet hit soft parts of her body. He really didn’t want to know where.
Sakura and Naruto both stopped moving as Hinata’s laughter echoed in the apartment. She was doubled over, tears stinging her eyes. Naruto grunted, giving up on his explanation as he realized Hinata was playing with him. He pulled down Hinata into the chaos of blankets and popcorn before he started to tickle her. She yelped and struggled against him, choking on laughter as Sakura joined in and aided Naruto in defeating the Hyuuga in the tickle war.
* * *
Hinata had left with Sakura in tow, he was relieved that she hadn’t been too upset with him. She had confessed to snuggling with Sakura when she had slept over at her place a few weeks prior. Naruto had earned a solid hit to the arm when he made a crude comment in regards to Hinata’s snuggling another woman and a glare that could melt paint off a wall from Sakura.
Ignoring the curious looks from the villagers that still knew him as the vessel, he made his way to Tenten’s family shop. It was a good place to start when one was searching for Konoha’s Green Beast. He pushed open the shop door and heard a feminine greeting, much older than Tenten’s.
“Good morning Tentui.” Naruto bowed in respect before the older lady, Tenten looked very much like her mother. “I’m looking for your sister.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the woman behind the counter and she blushed, laughing.
“Oh Naruto, you silly boy. My daughter is in the back.” She smiled as he approached the counter and grinned at her.
“Also, I wanted to order some arm and leg weights, like the kind Lee uses.” She nodded and proceeded to busy herself with the order. He thanked her as he moved to the back of the shop, trying to avoid the various weapons sprawled about the floor and sticking out at odd angles from that wall. This place was dangerous!
“Tenten?” he called out. He could hear someone back there and the sharp sound of metal grinding.
“Hai, Naruto!” he heard the distinct voice of the weapons master. She looked up from the kunai she was sharpening and smiled at him. He couldn’t help but swallow hard at the sight. That’s one lady he never wanted to mess with, Neji was a brave soul.
“ What can I do for you?” she asked before returning to her kunai.
“I’m looking for Lee. Would you happen to know where I could find him? I want to do some training with him.” She looked up momentarily with an interested look.
“He’s been waiting for that, he’s at the training grounds today. Gai is out of town so he’s got nothing else to do but... be Lee.” He could have sworn he saw her shudder.
“Thank you Tenten.” He bowed to her before turning around and left the weapon mistress with her babies.
* * *
The training grounds were nostalgic for Naruto, fond memories of Team Seven surfaced when he noticed a small bridge not too far off the grounds. Several hours had been wasted there as the three young shinobi waited with bated breath for their perverted sensei. The excuses were always entertaining.
His expression darkened a moment as he thought about Kakashi, he couldn’t help but notice that they both had avoided each other perfectly over the last few months. Although he wanted to speak with the man, Naruto didn’t really want to hear what he had to say deep down. He knew that conversation would be painful for both of them, no matter what.
Naruto arrived at the first set of training grounds and he groaned, loudly and unappreciatively. Lee wasn’t there and from what he could see in the horizon, wasn’t anywhere near the easier ones.
‘So typical of Lee to make things more difficult than they should be...’ he looked up towards the sky and frowned at the rising sun, he needed to find the boy fast, and he only had a few more hours before he would meet Hinata.
* * *
Lee, oblivious to Naruto’s suffering of searching the grounds for him, sat in the shade of a tree, plotting his next miracle exercise that would bring him closer to Chakra Gate 7. He could get to number six quite easily now but couldn’t quite figure out the push to seven.
“47... For the love of god, training ground 47!” He heard a familiar voice spit out. Lee turned quickly towards the voice and his eyes opened wider than usual.
“Yosh! Naruto!” His friend looked highly irritated but Lee was very good at ignoring visual cues.
“Oi. Lee! Why would you train all the hell way out here?” he shouted at the Taijutsu specialist. Lee only managed to throw an insane grin of joy towards his so called ex-rival in love and completely ignored the blonde’s tirade.
“What brings you out here Naruto?” A very serious look took over Naruto's face and he pushed aside his irritation at the wasted two hours searching.
“I need help with something I think you’d really be interested in.” A sudden glint of curiosity twinkled in Lee’s eyes and he fisted his hand in front of him, anticipating what his friend had to say. Energy was pouring off him.
“Training? What sort of training would require my help Naruto?”
“I need your input on developing a different type of focus I’m having trouble with.” Naruto’s own eyes twinkled in excitement.
He couldn’t help himself; the more Lee seemed to get pumped, the more he was getting swept away by it. He had even begun to speak louder, almost shouting in excitement, matching the same level as Fuzzy Brows. Maybe it was the exuberance of energy and his companion’s thirst for taijutsu knowledge, but Naruto was beginning to feel re-energized.
“I will need you to be more specific Naruto, I have seen your use of combat and focus does not seem to be a problem!” Lee interjected, both fists now clenched in anticipation. Naruto followed Lee’s example.
“I want to increase my ability to project intention but I can’t seem to really get to the core of the 'feeling'.” Lee was confused. “It’s a form of focus but there are several principles to it.”
“Principles?” Lee looked very serious for a moment as he contemplated the meaning behind what Naruto was trying to explain. “Is this like the Chakra Gates?” he asked.
“Sort of, how can I explain this clearly?” he crossed his arms in thought and closed his eyes, trying to dumb it down so Lee could get it faster.
“Show me.” Lee had moved away from him and sat down on one of the Kunai throwing poles and stared down intently at his friend. “I am ready, Naruto!” he shouted. Pumped up by Lee’s enthusiasm, Naruto formed his first combat stance.
“In Shina-Tsu-Hiko, one must first learn the forms.” He proceeded to go through a few of the forms, showing Lee that it was similar to Taijutsu. Lee nodded in understanding. “This is normally a partnered form; Hinata practices the doctrines of Shina-To-Be and complements my battle formation.” Lee grinned and Naruto rolled his eyes.
“Hinata?” Lee asked innocently. Naruto sighed.
“Eyes on the prize Lee! I’ll tell you all the details later of how hot my girlfriend is.”
“Ossu! You and Hinata are in the full bloom of youth! I will definitely hear of how you two came to be!” Lee stood up and shouted. Naruto could have sworn there was fire in his eyes, and laughed.
“Yes, yes, the fire of youth is strong in us. Moving on.” Naruto laughed again as Lee seemed to deflate.
“As you battle, part of the psyche of Shina-Tsu-Hiko is the use of Intention.” Lee watched as Naruto flipped up in the air and back completing a solo combat set.
“When you speak of Intention, do you mean something like Killing Intent?” Lee asked, trying to grasp what his friend could mean.”
“Sort of. But it’s more complicated since you have to not only think about the intent but you have to follow through with the use of chakra and you have to let go of control.” Lee was getting really confused now. He couldn’t use any chakra, how was he going to be able to help? He opened his mouth to say just that but he closed it as soon as he saw Naruto stop his movements. His eyes were closed in concentration and he took several deep breaths.
Lee’s eyes opened in wonder as a pulse of chakra seem to explode from Naruto. His whole being seemed to give the impression of unyielding strength.
“Once you have set your intention, in this case I focused on Power, you need to move on to a more specific type of feeling to complete the goal you set.” Lee gave him a quizzical look as he wondered how it could possibly go any further, the feeling was inspiring. No sooner had he thought of it, Naruto leaped to Lee and startled him.
“Principle of Power – Incursion” he shouted at Lee and egged him into a defensive stance. Lee was suddenly focused not only on his friend’s attacks but he couldn’t seem to fend him off as he began to strike at Lee. Naruto was entirely focused on breaking through the defences Lee was throwing up and to the Green Beast’s dismay he was having trouble reading Naruto’s moves and anticipating them. Naruto gently tapped Lee on the right shoulder and stopped, having proved his point.
“That was the third step. I have the Power Principle sub-branches figured out mostly since I use them the most with Hinata in battle but the other ones, I really need to go against you, you’d find all the flaws in Taijutsu. Hinata can only help me so much.”
Lee’s interest sparked further after this display, this could also be a key to figuring out how to reach the Seventh Gate for him.
“Naruto!” Lee shouted again, startling him. “Please break down the principles you wish for me to help you with! We will look at how we can increase your focus on the individual sets!” Lee’s enthusiasm was catching.
“Ossu! For the next few days I would like us to focus on the first principle -The principle of Overwhleming!” Lee nodded demanding more details which Naruto happily provided.
“One must overwhelm the opponent either with the intense emotion of defeat or overwhelm with superior force!” Lee shook his fist and cut the air with it, firing up Naruto.
“What are the sub-branches?” He pointed to the blond who was now standing on guard and prepared to recite the three sub-branches.
“Sub-branch number one! The principle of Engulfing.” Naruto thought a moment on how to explain this. “To engross one’s self-awareness entirely on the opponent, to force them to absorb my presence and my presence only!”
Lee closed his eyes and pressed his lips together, trying to think on how to focus the hyperactive ninja with that specific one. “To project that feeling, we will work on you concentrating your chakra field to over-power the opponent, make them focus on the power and energy of your physical body and your chakra! Speed and weight training is a must!”
“Ossu! The second sub branch: the principle of Absorption! Force the opponent to focus their attack on you, take the hits, absorb the pain!” Naruto continued as Lee’s eyes seemed almost bursting with fire.
“Training the mind to withstand great amount of pain! Naruto! We will need combat and sparring without defence, endurance training! Prepare yourself!”
“Ossu! The third sub-branch and final one for Overwhelming: the principle of Deluge! To be provoked into a free-flow torrent of attacks, overwhelming and submerging the opponent into the fear of destruction!” This had Lee fired up even more, now we were talking his language!
“This sounds like opening the gates! We will look into the doctrines of letting the flow of chakra take control of your movements!” They both yelled out in agreement as Lee had formed a battle plan on gruelling training.
“These are interesting concepts.” Lee said after a few minutes. “Some of which need distinct chakra control which I lack the knowledge to teach you, Sakura might be able to enlighten you in the use of concentration of power. Regardless! I wish to learn the principles as well!” he shouted, rejuvenated with the opportunity to learn more focus in his own abilities.
“Go to Tenten’s and request weights for your arms and legs Naruto! Meet me here in an hour and we will begin on your strength and endurance training!” Naruto smiled glad that his friend had agreed to help him out.
Naruto broke into a run towards the weapons shop. Although he didn’t need chakra control since that’s pretty much all he trained for while being away, he curious to know what Sakura could possibly teach him with bursts of chakra power. From what he had seen, Sakura was able to release chakra in a devastating and destructive manner.
* * *
Kiba crouched down close to the ground and sniffed it, feeling the taste of Sasuke’s scent on his tongue. The trail was old and was barely there no thanks to the sudden heavy rain from earlier.
“The trail is seven days old at most, the rain may have changed that.” Kiba whispered to Kakashi. It was met with a heavy-lidded stare of indifference. It was hard to read him with three quarters of his face hiding behind a mask and headband.
Akimaru woofed quietly to alert his master that the trail picked up again to the West. Kiba motioned to Kakashi the new direction and all three shinobi picked up the chase again.
Several hours later, they stood before a destroyed building. Kakashi looked around the battle ground, he could see damage from the chidori on several walls and blood stained the dirt. Shino released his insects to provide him with more detailed information.
“There were three types of chakra used here.” He informed the other two. “One of them was Sasuke for sure. I cannot determine who the others are, but Sasuke left this area alive.”
Kakashi looked around at the carnage and destruction, he knew the boy could take care of himself but he had a strange feeling. He summoned Pakkun and gave him a message to bring back to Tsunade. Parting ways, they continued to rely on Akamaru to lead them towards Sasuke.
* * *
Neji watched the coils in Hinata. He could see the expansion over the last several years and the scars from some form of chakra trauma. He frowned, the damage was extensive.
“What happened to your coils?” Her cousin’s voice cut through her thoughts. She blushed at being examined so closely by him.
“Naruto pushed his chakra through when my own was low as an emergency. It overwhelmed the coils and ripped through.” She watched him as he frowned and continued to analyse the coils. “It was necessary.” She gave him a small smile and he decided to not push the issue further.
“Your coils are still able to expand for the training we will be following up. The damage is not that extensive.” He dismissed his Byakuugan and straightened.
“What is it exactly that we will be doing?” She asked, curiosity getting the best of her finally. Neji gave her a quick glance and motioned for her to follow him towards the center of the Dojo.
“As you know, the Jyuuken utilises chakra in small bursts to close the points.” She nodded watching him attentively. “You will be learning to expand the use of your chakra, to mold it into a physical form that you can expel from your body. The chakra will then be able to shut down the coils on its own from the force of the projection. It’s extremely precise but I believe you will be able to do this.”
“Expel it?” she was confused. Didn’t she already do that?
“Yes, push it from you and use it as an extension from your arms, like this.” Neji stood still a moment, closed his eyes in concentration, he activated his Byakuugan and she unknowingly did the same. The fact that she used no seals did not go unnoticed by the resident genius. He ignored it for the time being and proceeded to form quick seals to bring up one of the techniques.
“Hakke Hazengekki” he spoke before a wave of chakra expelled from his hand as he punched the air before him. The force of the chakra being expelled blinded her as the echoes illuminated her byakuugan. This could be a problem she mentally groaned. Something new she had to filter out.
Neji turned to his cousin who blinked rapidly, clearing her eyes of the bright lights. “Had there been a target before me, they would have been pushed back; their coils exposed to the wave would have been shut down. I’ve discovered that the force is strong enough to shatter stone.”
She was impressed to say the least and suddenly eager to learn all he had to show her in regards to these techniques.
“Lets begin today by expanding your chakra coils. This requires a lot of focus and meditation.” She nodded as he motioned to a seating area prepared for the excercise.
“We will spend most of the morning expanding them and it will be very tiresome, I suggest you take your training with Naruto this afternoon lightly as you will be strained more than usual.”
They settled into a meditative position face to face. Neji began to explain what she needed to focus on within her coils, how to pressure them down and fatten them. She could feel the immense strain inside her and Hinata found out very quickly that the key to expanding her coils was very similar to the basics of principles.
* * *
Hinata was late. Naruto stared up at the clouds drifting by. He was feeling pretty tired out from the weights on his arms and legs but Lee had told him to wear them at all time and to increase the weight when he got used to them. His belly growled again, a painful reminder that his girlfriend was standing him up for lunch. He sat up and gave a quick look around and decided to go, tacked a note to the tree he had been under for her to find in case she came by and headed up to Ichiraku’s for some ramen.
He took the long way there, hoping to come across his favourite kunoichi but he was having no luck. He did however, run into Sakura.
“Oi Sakura, want to eat with me? Hinata seems to have forgotten about me.” He pouted. Sakura was surprised to see him.
“Sure, I was just about to grab some food.” She followed him as he led the way through the heavy crowd.
“How’s the medic training with the old lady?” He asked as he carefully avoided knocking into people. She grunted.
“That woman... she’s a great teacher but has the temper of some wild animal. I wonder sometimes if I’m actually training or I’m just being used as target practice.” She glared at nothing but Naruto could sense some animosity there.
“That reminds me,” he looked back to her and she gave him a curious look. “You think you could show me a few Chakra release tricks?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to learn how you break shit with your chakra.” He said in a flat tone. She laughed.
“Be friends with idiots and make sure to hit them a lot, you’ll learn in no time.” She smiled sweetly at him, he scolded her.
“That’s not funny! I’m serious! I need to refine it a bit more for intention training.”
“That fancy stuff you and Hinata do?” she asked, her interest growing.
“Yeah. I’ll teach you a few punch-destroy moves if you help me out.” She grinned at his term, she couldn’t refuse that.
“My dear, you had me at punch-destroy.” He laughed. They entered the ramen stand and ordered their food. It was another hour before he parted with Sakura and headed to his apartment. Hinata still hadn’t shown up and he was getting worried. This wasn’t like her and with that branch member following her every move, it gave him an uneasy feeling.
He climbed the stairs to his building and opened the door and sighed in relief. There she was, passed out on his couch. By the looks of things she barely managed to make it there. He quietly walked over to her and checked on her. She seemed exhausted.
“Hinata?” he poked her gently. She was out cold. He wondered what kind of training she was undergoing to make her that exhausted. He grabbed the blanket from this morning off the floor and covered her with it, she smiled in her sleep and he kissed her lips gently before turning and leaving the apartment.
If she was that tired, she’d be hungry when she woke, time to pick up some food for what he sensed would be a late supper.
* * *
Kakashi looked up towards the mountain they had arrived at following the trail of Sasuke’s scent. Akamaru whined and Kiba looked around worriedly.
“What is it Kiba?” the copy ninja asked, tired of the fidgeting.
“There’s a shield here, an illusion.” Akamaru barked in agreement. Shino frowned and released his bugs. They weren’t able to cross the shield.
“The illusion seems to be hiding something massive. My colony cannot get through it.”
Kakashi looked up again and thought the place looked familiar. “Sasuke’s blood goes beyond this point?” he asked Kiba again. The dog ninja nodded. Pushing chakra into his hands, he activated a small chidori and pressed it against the shield. It did nothing to him but he sensed a change in it, the composition changed for a moment and he thought he saw a purple flare of chakra on the shield.
“Lets keep moving, we need to find Sasuke as soon as possible if he’s bleeding like this.” The team began to move along side the shield, avoiding direct contact until they could figure out what to do to pass it. Kakashi couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched.
* * *
RR please!
* * *
For those interested, I have thought long and hard on the Principles of Intention and here is the breakdown as to what I believe the intended path could have been ^^; I’m not sure what all 9 were since DameWren never went into detail but here’s what I will be using for our super awesome duo.
Splits into 3 branches : Overwhelm, Power, Disorient
Splits into 9 sub-branches : Engulfing (Overwhelm), Absorption (Overwhelm), Deluge (Overwhelm), Delusion (Disorient), Confounding (Disorient), Stun (Disorient), Devastation (Power), Strength (Power), Incursion (Power)
Overwhelm: Overcome, as with emotions or with perceptual stimuli. Overcome by superior force.
Power : The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government.
Disorient: Disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably. A mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly though and behaviour.
The principle of Engulfing: Engrossing oneself entirely. To swallow up or overwhelm, to absorb. The principle of engulfing would entail overwhelming the opponent. Naruto would have to use a combination of strength, jutsu and speed to confuse the opponent.
The Principle of Absorption: Retained without reflection. Be the decoy, take the hits. Naruto needs to increase his physical ability to take hits, absorb the opponent’s attention solely make it seem as though he is losing. Forces the opponent to solely focus on Naruto and ignoring everything else around them.
The Deluge Principle: An overwhelming number or amount, a torrent of abuse. To overwhelm, to cover, to overspread, to overpower, to submerge, to destroy. Letting loose, Naruto overwhelms the opponent with a flurry of attacks.
The Principle of Delusion: The act of deluding, deception, a misleading of the mind. Naruto would create a physical illusion that would convince the opponent they were winning, that Naruto was defeated or incapacitated. Maybe even death. Unable to use genjutsu thus he would have to use his bushins or reduce his chakra to the point he would be too weak to react, a fake out.
The Confounding Principle: To throw into confusion or disorder, to perplex, to strike with amazement, to dismay. Cause to be unable to think clearly. Naruto would have to overwhelm the opponent into distraction, to prevent a planned act to come into play by use of jutsu, physical attacks or speed.
The Stunning Principle: To make senseless or dizzy by violence, to render senseless by a blow. To astonish, to bewilder. Naruto would use power and strength to momentarily stun and disorient his opponent.
The Principle of Devastation: Plundering with excessive damage and destruction. Cause physical injury. Naruto would have to increase his strength in hits and physical resistance to cause as much damage as possible.
The Principle of Strength: Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding. Naruto increases his stamina and physical endurance to pain. Resulting in increase in his overall strength.
The Principle of Incursion: A running into, an entering into a territory with hostile intention; a temporary invasion, a predatory or harassing inroad; a raid. Naruto uses power and strength to break through the opponent’s defences / attacks ignoring his own safety / limits.
By eternalshiva
DameWren has given permission to anyone that wants to continue her wonderful fic Two Halves which I intend to do. I greatly appreciate any feedback / comments.
AN – k the Pein arc is getting... interesting. If not overdone! I did however do a line art of a very vulnerable Naruto~ go check out my deviantart :3
Thank you Hinata’s Husband for the beta, I appreciate all the hard work you do and how you put up with my terrible writing in drafts.
Disclaimer –
I do not make any monies off this fanfic. Naruto is copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. Sora, Yasu, Miki, Nori, Dango, Kaze Clan, Shivani are all copyright of DameWren.
Chapter 7
Broken barriers
There are certain moments in life that are defined by a specific event. The one that defines the certainty of existence can be pinned down to that split second you find yourself at a crossroad pointing in several directions. The moment that changes the path of history can be insignificant like deciding to wear blue that morning to the grand scale of a timed birth during the midst of a village’s destruction, your brother murdering your entire clan only to let you live to seek him out and avenge his treachery or your father questioning your choices, your ability as the future leader of your clan.
Hinata had arrived at that defining moment, kneeling here before her father, her eyes closed slowly as time slowed around her. She could hear the rustling of the wind outside the manor, and picture the azure eyes of Naruto smiling at her through all the hard times with all the warmth and safety of his love. Her previous nervousness slipped away as she took several deep breaths, each clearing her mind of anything that would create doubt, would leave her vulnerable. She had made this decision two years ago when Naruto confessed to her; there was nothing to regret or to be ashamed of.
“What about him father?” her father raised a brow in curiosity, her previous uncertainty seemed to have all but disappeared and a calm confident look stared back at him.
“I have several concerns with him and the direction of your friendship.” His voice held a dangerous edge she noted, frowning slightly.
“What direction would that be?” she feinted disinterest in his question.
“It’s been brought to my attention that you are very close...” his voice trailed off a moment, his eyes narrowed their focus on her. “...some would even say you two are lovers.” Hiashi watched his daughter’s reaction. She did not flinch from her position, she only continued to stare at him with a bored expression.
“And if we are?” she gave him a look that challenged him silently, dared him to continue. He accepted it willingly and forged on.
“You are aware that he is in fact-“
“The Kyuubi vessel?” she finished his sentence, almost bored. Her father seethed, no one had ever had the gull to speak to him in such a manner, let alone one of his daughters.
“Yes, he holds the-“
“Nine tail demon fox was sealed 16 years ago by the fourth hokage, inside the body of a baby – whom we know as Uzumaki Naruto – son of the Yondaime.” She returned the hard glare but was met with a shocked look from her father.
“The son of the fourth?” He sounded genuinely surprised. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity but his face soon returned to what she was familiar with, emotionless.
“Regardless of this, the fact remains that the boy is a monster. Your relationship will never be supported by the elders.”
Hinata closed her eyes again, taking another breath to calm herself. She could see her old self standing at that crossroad in her mind’s eye, staring up at the signs. Her father was still looking at her, expecting a response. She straightened her spine, squared her shoulders and thought about the road she had chosen. The broken one where the path was dark and unsure, where she held a warm hand and it guided her through the mess. This was the right path, even if it was difficult.
She needed to make her point clear to her father like the use of intention in battle, she needed to project certainty and power behind her reasoning. She couldn’t back down from this obvious call out by her father, he was questioning not only her ability to make proper decisions for the clan but her own self-worth and her faith in the man she loved. She took one last deep breath and let her heart speak.
“Naruto is no monster. He is simply Naruto, the man I chose to dedicate my life to, the man I chose to be partnered with in battle. I trust him explicitly with my own life as he trusts me with his.” Her voice held the sharpness of steel that caught Hiashi’s focus.
“You have no right to judge him solely on the consequences of his existence, anyone that would have suffered his fate would have been crushed or worst, turned against the village. He’s never given up against the terrible odds and the disgust of the villagers.” Hinata was no longer kneeling, her fists were bunched up the kimono’s material, her eyes were fierce and burned with every word she spoke to her father.
“He’s taught me more about defying the odds, to take destiny in both hands and rip it from its path and change it whenever I wish, to never let my own self-doubt and my fears control my choices, to stand on my own two feet kicking and screaming against those who would deny me my existence.” Hiashi felt the sting of those words deep within his own failiure with his past, his own treatment of his daughter.
“I will not stand here and listen to you belittle the monumental feat of Naruto overcoming the isolation he suffered driven by the stupidity of this village.” Unknown to Hinata, her father had to resist the urge to stand up and back away from his daughter as she took another step, she was angry and although her voice had yet to rise above that of a whisper, the intent she was throwing at him was enough to make him break into a sweat. She wasn’t done yet, she could see her father fidget and for once she felt like he was finally listening to her, finally watching her.
“I’m his precious person father. I love him without restraint, without prejudice and he’s never felt that before because he believes deep down he does not deserve it. The lives taken for that lineage are a heavy burden.” A pained look crossed her face as her father frowned.
“He has nothing but fierce unrelenting devotion for this village. And for some unknown reason beyond my own understanding, he would gladly give his life to protect this village that would sooner throw him aside than protect him from those that seek to destroy him.” Hinata stood tall and narrowed her eyes, they glinted with pride as she spoke the last bit of her speech.
“I will never give up Naruto.” She stared hard at her father. “I refuse to be held down by what ifs and baseless tradition. He is a strong partner, in both body and mind and would make a great addition to our lineage, more than what the Hyuuga deserve.” Hinata’s voice became low and threatening for a moment as she took another step closer to her father, forcing him to focus intently on her.
“The monster isn’t Naruto. It’s the village’s fear.” She had his full attention for the first time in her life.
Hiashi felt the intent pull away as fast as it had come, he blinked in surprise as Hinata sat kneeled again before him and tried to regain control of her uneven breathing, her pale lilac eyes held his with unyielding authority he’d never seen before in his shy daughter.
To be honestly frank, he had no personal issue with Naruto, not for several years anyway. The kit had managed to get under his skin after the fight with his nephew that had not only exposed the severity of the problems between the two branches but how deeply wounded the spirit of the Hyuuga had been. A civil war had been averted and his nephew saved from the chains of hate that bound him from his true role as a branch member.
He was purposely pushing his daughter’s buttons to test her loyalty, defend her ideal and her faith in herself, testing her skill as a leader, a protector. He was glad to see that she was effectively surpassing his expectations. Unfortunately, he had to continue this charade, continue to be her worst enemy until she was strong enough to withstand the elders. She had won his respect this night if nothing else. He eyed her cautiously restraining a smile as she openly glared at him, her posture defied him to deny her victory.
“Good.” His voice startled her and her posture faltered as he managed to disarm her with a simple unexpected word.
“Good?” she repeated, a little surprised and confused.
“Your partnership will be evaluated at the third exam. How you interact and battle will set a precedent with the elders on your abilities. Do not disappoint me or the elders Hinata.” He dismissed her, but called to her again when she was almost out of the room.
“One last thing, daughter.” She turned to look at her father and was surprised to see a look of curiosity openly displayed on his face.
“Yes?” she waited patiently as he seemed to pause for an unusual length of time.
“Where did you learn the projected intent?” His question caught her off guard with the unusual interest he showed in her skill.
“It’s a required skill with both Shina-To-Be and Shina-Tsu-Hiko; the partner training Naruto and I underwent. I’m not as skilled as Naruto.” She answered.
“And why is that?”
“The principles need to be sterner, focused like the arts he practices. I can only push an impression on an opponent, I have trouble putting it to action with combat.”
“What’s the difference between the two forms?”
“Shina-To-Be, the training I have done is more graceful, more fluid in style. It’s focused on quick and powerful bursts of power which is why my Jyuuken is well suited for it. The fact that I am very flexible and have the Byakuugan makes it even deadlier.” She looked down at her hands as she busied herself with pressing out the wrinkles in her kimono.
“Since it’s more of an assassin type of fighting, I am not required to use intent as often since I have Naruto to shield my presence. I only have to concern myself with making my presence as unnoticeable as possible or to project fear into my opponent when I come face to face with them as I strike them down.” Her father nodded in understanding at her role in the partnership.
“What is his role exactly?” he asked, genuinely curious. Hinata tipped her head a little as she thought.
“Shina-Tsu-Hiko is a form that I should describe as solid and devastating. He uses intent in combination with his attacks to enhance his already powerful presence to distract or destroy the opponent. He’s more the shield and spear, while I act as the knife hidden in the shadows.”
Hiashi nodded in dismissal as he pondered what his daughter had just said. He had to admit that the team battles this year were definitely worth getting excited about if his daughter was in fact as fierce as she had described her team to be.
Hinata walked away from her father’s office with more questions than answers, her brow knitted together in frustration as she made her way to her room. She needed to wash up and prepare for the morning’s training.
“Good evening Hinata.” Her cousin’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. She pushed them away as Neji approached her slowly.
“Neji? I thought you had gone with Kakashi to search for Sasuke.” Her cousin nodded at her question.
“That was the original intent but a few pressing matters came up and I had to refuse. They were direct requests from the Hokage.” Hinata made a small “Ah” sound as she fell into step with her cousin.
“Then, I wish for you to help me for the next nine days since you will be around.” She looked straight ahead toward the end of the hall, avoiding her cousin’s gaze.
“Anything in particular?” He asked.
“Yes, I want to look at the more advanced Jyuuken forms you spoke to me about a few weeks ago. I have improved my chakra pool with a daily exercise.” She refrained from mentioning to him that the exercise was a cranky summon. Neji couldn’t help but give her another curious look and she smiled faintly.
“Let us meet in the dojo then tomorrow morning. I will evaluate your chakra coils and test your ability to expand them. This will be very intense, please be sure to rest tonight.” With that he turned on his feet and left the kunoichi in front of her bedroom door.
* * *
The darkness of the apartment was an unwelcomed sight to Naruto. He’d been spoiled with Hinata staying as of late. Stepping inside, he’d momentarily forgotten that Sakura was still in his room. He noisily went about his apartment, flicking all the lights on, turning the T.V. to a movie channel and busied himself in the kitchen cooking some leftovers and putting away the dishes Hinata had been kind enough to clean for him after lunch.
The sound of feet shuffling and a muffled yawn startled him. Sakura stood behind him with an annoyed look, having been pulled out of a deep slumber by a very rude boy.
“You could make a little more noise” she spoke sleepily. Naruto smiled sheepishly.
“Ah Sakura, forgot you were here. Are you hungry?” he turned and continued to dig through the cupboards for an extra plate. For some reason Sakura had the impression that wasn’t really a question.
“Hai” she muttered as she sat down at the table, her mouth felt like a layer of velvet had settled in it.
“Here.” He pushed a plate of soy-dipped meat and rice in front of her, she hadn’t realized she was hungry until her mouth had begun to water. “Thanks Naruto... for everything. I mean it.” she said groggily before taking a bite. Naruto reached down to her plate, plucked a piece of meat, and threw it in his mouth smiling.
“No problem Sakura, you’d do the same.” He shrugged as she glared at him, deciding she was more hungry than she let on.
Sakura ate quietly while Naruto gave her an overview of the supper with Shikamaru and Temari. He had been surprised to find out that the two couldn’t seem to make up their mind on the status of their relationship. Mostly Shikamaru was too lazy to figure out what Temari wanted. Or at least that was his claim. The protégé of master strategist Asuma and the son of Shikaku couldn't possibly be truly ignorant. But his mantra of laziness afforded him the luxury of not admitting to awareness. Naruto wasn’t surprised.
Although he was talking, Sakura wasn’t listening. Her eyes were focused elsewhere. Her mind was thinking about heavy and complicated scenarios over her own lover and Naruto felt helpless. He reached over to her hands and placed his own on hers, his eyes softened as she was startled back to the present.
“They’ll find him Sakura, Kakashi promised.” He spoke softly to her and she looked away, fighting the urge to break down. It was a few minutes before she could speak.
“It’s not that I’m worried if they'll find him...” her voice wavered a moment. “More like I’m worried in what shape he’ll come home to me.” There was nothing he could honestly say after that to cheer her up, she was going to be ok now he knew but it didn’t take away her sadness.
“Let’s watch the shitty movie on the TV.” He perked up out of the blue, startling her.
“The what?” she was confused.
“The movie. It’s really funny and it doesn’t require thought. Perfect solution right now.” He stood up and walked towards the couch. “Since you’re going to be keeping me up, make the popcorn.” He said in a disinterested tone, like it couldn’t be helped. Sakura laughed and shook her head.
“Ok, but I have dibs on the blanket.”
“Fat chance in hell.” She heard him say but it was muffled by the pillows and the blanket in his arms. She laughed again and wondered how he managed to always make her see the bright side of things.
“Ok, fine but if we’re sharing, I get to use you as a pillow.” She saw him consider a moment and he nodded.
“Fair enough, you’re so emotional right now, you need a manly chest to let your feminine-“ He didn’t get a chance to finish as he felt something hard hit him behind the head. He snickered and headed towards the couch, Sakura scolded behind him, popcorn in hand.
“That butter could have been used for the popcorn.” He gave her a heavy-lidded look, unimpressed with her current use as a kunai. She snorted and sat next to him, stealing the blanket.
He shook his head and yanked the blanket, propping his feet up on the coffee table, put one arm over the back of the couch and gave her an expectant look.
“What are you waiting for, this was part of the deal.” She smiled and appreciated the gesture, he knew she needed it. She snuggled up to him and let herself relax. He definitely knew how to comfort an old friend. She could feel herself drift off to sleep listening to Naruto’s heart, lulling her and comforted by the sound of his muffled laughter, she couldn’t help but feel a deep loss, missing Sasuke.
Naruto looked down to his best friend and watched her finally drift off into sleep. This wasn’t something he would normally do for anyone but Sakura was fragile even if she exuded power at a frightening level, she was still human and she still needed to know she was precious. He hoped Hinata wasn’t going to be too mad when he told her in the afternoon.
* * *
Hinata wasn’t too sure how to wake the two cuddled on the couch. It was barely the crack of dawn and she had wanted to come see how Sakura was doing before she went to train with Neji. Although she trusted Naruto to have a good reason as to why Sakura was tightly entangled around his chest while he was sleeping in a sitting position, she couldn’t help but feel a little jilted.
She poked her boyfriend on the arm, waking him slowly. He gave her a large beaming smile when he finally opened his eyes and realised she was standing in his living room, but there was something off about her expression... it was too happy, he’d seen that before. Why could he feel another body against him?
“Ack!” he stood up suddenly knocking Sakura off the couch in a very disgraceful fashion as it dawned on him. She yelped as the blankets tangled around her and she felt the hard wooden floor meet her rump, Naruto tripped over her in the confusion, knocking the left over popcorn in all directions along with the table. Hinata raised an eyebrow in amusement at the display.
“Hi-Hinata! Don’t misunderstand!” Naruto began to frantically explain the situation as he seemed to drown in the blankets, popcorn was mercilessly trapped in his messy yellow hair. Sakura complained loudly as his cold feet hit soft parts of her body. He really didn’t want to know where.
Sakura and Naruto both stopped moving as Hinata’s laughter echoed in the apartment. She was doubled over, tears stinging her eyes. Naruto grunted, giving up on his explanation as he realized Hinata was playing with him. He pulled down Hinata into the chaos of blankets and popcorn before he started to tickle her. She yelped and struggled against him, choking on laughter as Sakura joined in and aided Naruto in defeating the Hyuuga in the tickle war.
* * *
Hinata had left with Sakura in tow, he was relieved that she hadn’t been too upset with him. She had confessed to snuggling with Sakura when she had slept over at her place a few weeks prior. Naruto had earned a solid hit to the arm when he made a crude comment in regards to Hinata’s snuggling another woman and a glare that could melt paint off a wall from Sakura.
Ignoring the curious looks from the villagers that still knew him as the vessel, he made his way to Tenten’s family shop. It was a good place to start when one was searching for Konoha’s Green Beast. He pushed open the shop door and heard a feminine greeting, much older than Tenten’s.
“Good morning Tentui.” Naruto bowed in respect before the older lady, Tenten looked very much like her mother. “I’m looking for your sister.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the woman behind the counter and she blushed, laughing.
“Oh Naruto, you silly boy. My daughter is in the back.” She smiled as he approached the counter and grinned at her.
“Also, I wanted to order some arm and leg weights, like the kind Lee uses.” She nodded and proceeded to busy herself with the order. He thanked her as he moved to the back of the shop, trying to avoid the various weapons sprawled about the floor and sticking out at odd angles from that wall. This place was dangerous!
“Tenten?” he called out. He could hear someone back there and the sharp sound of metal grinding.
“Hai, Naruto!” he heard the distinct voice of the weapons master. She looked up from the kunai she was sharpening and smiled at him. He couldn’t help but swallow hard at the sight. That’s one lady he never wanted to mess with, Neji was a brave soul.
“ What can I do for you?” she asked before returning to her kunai.
“I’m looking for Lee. Would you happen to know where I could find him? I want to do some training with him.” She looked up momentarily with an interested look.
“He’s been waiting for that, he’s at the training grounds today. Gai is out of town so he’s got nothing else to do but... be Lee.” He could have sworn he saw her shudder.
“Thank you Tenten.” He bowed to her before turning around and left the weapon mistress with her babies.
* * *
The training grounds were nostalgic for Naruto, fond memories of Team Seven surfaced when he noticed a small bridge not too far off the grounds. Several hours had been wasted there as the three young shinobi waited with bated breath for their perverted sensei. The excuses were always entertaining.
His expression darkened a moment as he thought about Kakashi, he couldn’t help but notice that they both had avoided each other perfectly over the last few months. Although he wanted to speak with the man, Naruto didn’t really want to hear what he had to say deep down. He knew that conversation would be painful for both of them, no matter what.
Naruto arrived at the first set of training grounds and he groaned, loudly and unappreciatively. Lee wasn’t there and from what he could see in the horizon, wasn’t anywhere near the easier ones.
‘So typical of Lee to make things more difficult than they should be...’ he looked up towards the sky and frowned at the rising sun, he needed to find the boy fast, and he only had a few more hours before he would meet Hinata.
* * *
Lee, oblivious to Naruto’s suffering of searching the grounds for him, sat in the shade of a tree, plotting his next miracle exercise that would bring him closer to Chakra Gate 7. He could get to number six quite easily now but couldn’t quite figure out the push to seven.
“47... For the love of god, training ground 47!” He heard a familiar voice spit out. Lee turned quickly towards the voice and his eyes opened wider than usual.
“Yosh! Naruto!” His friend looked highly irritated but Lee was very good at ignoring visual cues.
“Oi. Lee! Why would you train all the hell way out here?” he shouted at the Taijutsu specialist. Lee only managed to throw an insane grin of joy towards his so called ex-rival in love and completely ignored the blonde’s tirade.
“What brings you out here Naruto?” A very serious look took over Naruto's face and he pushed aside his irritation at the wasted two hours searching.
“I need help with something I think you’d really be interested in.” A sudden glint of curiosity twinkled in Lee’s eyes and he fisted his hand in front of him, anticipating what his friend had to say. Energy was pouring off him.
“Training? What sort of training would require my help Naruto?”
“I need your input on developing a different type of focus I’m having trouble with.” Naruto’s own eyes twinkled in excitement.
He couldn’t help himself; the more Lee seemed to get pumped, the more he was getting swept away by it. He had even begun to speak louder, almost shouting in excitement, matching the same level as Fuzzy Brows. Maybe it was the exuberance of energy and his companion’s thirst for taijutsu knowledge, but Naruto was beginning to feel re-energized.
“I will need you to be more specific Naruto, I have seen your use of combat and focus does not seem to be a problem!” Lee interjected, both fists now clenched in anticipation. Naruto followed Lee’s example.
“I want to increase my ability to project intention but I can’t seem to really get to the core of the 'feeling'.” Lee was confused. “It’s a form of focus but there are several principles to it.”
“Principles?” Lee looked very serious for a moment as he contemplated the meaning behind what Naruto was trying to explain. “Is this like the Chakra Gates?” he asked.
“Sort of, how can I explain this clearly?” he crossed his arms in thought and closed his eyes, trying to dumb it down so Lee could get it faster.
“Show me.” Lee had moved away from him and sat down on one of the Kunai throwing poles and stared down intently at his friend. “I am ready, Naruto!” he shouted. Pumped up by Lee’s enthusiasm, Naruto formed his first combat stance.
“In Shina-Tsu-Hiko, one must first learn the forms.” He proceeded to go through a few of the forms, showing Lee that it was similar to Taijutsu. Lee nodded in understanding. “This is normally a partnered form; Hinata practices the doctrines of Shina-To-Be and complements my battle formation.” Lee grinned and Naruto rolled his eyes.
“Hinata?” Lee asked innocently. Naruto sighed.
“Eyes on the prize Lee! I’ll tell you all the details later of how hot my girlfriend is.”
“Ossu! You and Hinata are in the full bloom of youth! I will definitely hear of how you two came to be!” Lee stood up and shouted. Naruto could have sworn there was fire in his eyes, and laughed.
“Yes, yes, the fire of youth is strong in us. Moving on.” Naruto laughed again as Lee seemed to deflate.
“As you battle, part of the psyche of Shina-Tsu-Hiko is the use of Intention.” Lee watched as Naruto flipped up in the air and back completing a solo combat set.
“When you speak of Intention, do you mean something like Killing Intent?” Lee asked, trying to grasp what his friend could mean.”
“Sort of. But it’s more complicated since you have to not only think about the intent but you have to follow through with the use of chakra and you have to let go of control.” Lee was getting really confused now. He couldn’t use any chakra, how was he going to be able to help? He opened his mouth to say just that but he closed it as soon as he saw Naruto stop his movements. His eyes were closed in concentration and he took several deep breaths.
Lee’s eyes opened in wonder as a pulse of chakra seem to explode from Naruto. His whole being seemed to give the impression of unyielding strength.
“Once you have set your intention, in this case I focused on Power, you need to move on to a more specific type of feeling to complete the goal you set.” Lee gave him a quizzical look as he wondered how it could possibly go any further, the feeling was inspiring. No sooner had he thought of it, Naruto leaped to Lee and startled him.
“Principle of Power – Incursion” he shouted at Lee and egged him into a defensive stance. Lee was suddenly focused not only on his friend’s attacks but he couldn’t seem to fend him off as he began to strike at Lee. Naruto was entirely focused on breaking through the defences Lee was throwing up and to the Green Beast’s dismay he was having trouble reading Naruto’s moves and anticipating them. Naruto gently tapped Lee on the right shoulder and stopped, having proved his point.
“That was the third step. I have the Power Principle sub-branches figured out mostly since I use them the most with Hinata in battle but the other ones, I really need to go against you, you’d find all the flaws in Taijutsu. Hinata can only help me so much.”
Lee’s interest sparked further after this display, this could also be a key to figuring out how to reach the Seventh Gate for him.
“Naruto!” Lee shouted again, startling him. “Please break down the principles you wish for me to help you with! We will look at how we can increase your focus on the individual sets!” Lee’s enthusiasm was catching.
“Ossu! For the next few days I would like us to focus on the first principle -The principle of Overwhleming!” Lee nodded demanding more details which Naruto happily provided.
“One must overwhelm the opponent either with the intense emotion of defeat or overwhelm with superior force!” Lee shook his fist and cut the air with it, firing up Naruto.
“What are the sub-branches?” He pointed to the blond who was now standing on guard and prepared to recite the three sub-branches.
“Sub-branch number one! The principle of Engulfing.” Naruto thought a moment on how to explain this. “To engross one’s self-awareness entirely on the opponent, to force them to absorb my presence and my presence only!”
Lee closed his eyes and pressed his lips together, trying to think on how to focus the hyperactive ninja with that specific one. “To project that feeling, we will work on you concentrating your chakra field to over-power the opponent, make them focus on the power and energy of your physical body and your chakra! Speed and weight training is a must!”
“Ossu! The second sub branch: the principle of Absorption! Force the opponent to focus their attack on you, take the hits, absorb the pain!” Naruto continued as Lee’s eyes seemed almost bursting with fire.
“Training the mind to withstand great amount of pain! Naruto! We will need combat and sparring without defence, endurance training! Prepare yourself!”
“Ossu! The third sub-branch and final one for Overwhelming: the principle of Deluge! To be provoked into a free-flow torrent of attacks, overwhelming and submerging the opponent into the fear of destruction!” This had Lee fired up even more, now we were talking his language!
“This sounds like opening the gates! We will look into the doctrines of letting the flow of chakra take control of your movements!” They both yelled out in agreement as Lee had formed a battle plan on gruelling training.
“These are interesting concepts.” Lee said after a few minutes. “Some of which need distinct chakra control which I lack the knowledge to teach you, Sakura might be able to enlighten you in the use of concentration of power. Regardless! I wish to learn the principles as well!” he shouted, rejuvenated with the opportunity to learn more focus in his own abilities.
“Go to Tenten’s and request weights for your arms and legs Naruto! Meet me here in an hour and we will begin on your strength and endurance training!” Naruto smiled glad that his friend had agreed to help him out.
Naruto broke into a run towards the weapons shop. Although he didn’t need chakra control since that’s pretty much all he trained for while being away, he curious to know what Sakura could possibly teach him with bursts of chakra power. From what he had seen, Sakura was able to release chakra in a devastating and destructive manner.
* * *
Kiba crouched down close to the ground and sniffed it, feeling the taste of Sasuke’s scent on his tongue. The trail was old and was barely there no thanks to the sudden heavy rain from earlier.
“The trail is seven days old at most, the rain may have changed that.” Kiba whispered to Kakashi. It was met with a heavy-lidded stare of indifference. It was hard to read him with three quarters of his face hiding behind a mask and headband.
Akimaru woofed quietly to alert his master that the trail picked up again to the West. Kiba motioned to Kakashi the new direction and all three shinobi picked up the chase again.
Several hours later, they stood before a destroyed building. Kakashi looked around the battle ground, he could see damage from the chidori on several walls and blood stained the dirt. Shino released his insects to provide him with more detailed information.
“There were three types of chakra used here.” He informed the other two. “One of them was Sasuke for sure. I cannot determine who the others are, but Sasuke left this area alive.”
Kakashi looked around at the carnage and destruction, he knew the boy could take care of himself but he had a strange feeling. He summoned Pakkun and gave him a message to bring back to Tsunade. Parting ways, they continued to rely on Akamaru to lead them towards Sasuke.
* * *
Neji watched the coils in Hinata. He could see the expansion over the last several years and the scars from some form of chakra trauma. He frowned, the damage was extensive.
“What happened to your coils?” Her cousin’s voice cut through her thoughts. She blushed at being examined so closely by him.
“Naruto pushed his chakra through when my own was low as an emergency. It overwhelmed the coils and ripped through.” She watched him as he frowned and continued to analyse the coils. “It was necessary.” She gave him a small smile and he decided to not push the issue further.
“Your coils are still able to expand for the training we will be following up. The damage is not that extensive.” He dismissed his Byakuugan and straightened.
“What is it exactly that we will be doing?” She asked, curiosity getting the best of her finally. Neji gave her a quick glance and motioned for her to follow him towards the center of the Dojo.
“As you know, the Jyuuken utilises chakra in small bursts to close the points.” She nodded watching him attentively. “You will be learning to expand the use of your chakra, to mold it into a physical form that you can expel from your body. The chakra will then be able to shut down the coils on its own from the force of the projection. It’s extremely precise but I believe you will be able to do this.”
“Expel it?” she was confused. Didn’t she already do that?
“Yes, push it from you and use it as an extension from your arms, like this.” Neji stood still a moment, closed his eyes in concentration, he activated his Byakuugan and she unknowingly did the same. The fact that she used no seals did not go unnoticed by the resident genius. He ignored it for the time being and proceeded to form quick seals to bring up one of the techniques.
“Hakke Hazengekki” he spoke before a wave of chakra expelled from his hand as he punched the air before him. The force of the chakra being expelled blinded her as the echoes illuminated her byakuugan. This could be a problem she mentally groaned. Something new she had to filter out.
Neji turned to his cousin who blinked rapidly, clearing her eyes of the bright lights. “Had there been a target before me, they would have been pushed back; their coils exposed to the wave would have been shut down. I’ve discovered that the force is strong enough to shatter stone.”
She was impressed to say the least and suddenly eager to learn all he had to show her in regards to these techniques.
“Lets begin today by expanding your chakra coils. This requires a lot of focus and meditation.” She nodded as he motioned to a seating area prepared for the excercise.
“We will spend most of the morning expanding them and it will be very tiresome, I suggest you take your training with Naruto this afternoon lightly as you will be strained more than usual.”
They settled into a meditative position face to face. Neji began to explain what she needed to focus on within her coils, how to pressure them down and fatten them. She could feel the immense strain inside her and Hinata found out very quickly that the key to expanding her coils was very similar to the basics of principles.
* * *
Hinata was late. Naruto stared up at the clouds drifting by. He was feeling pretty tired out from the weights on his arms and legs but Lee had told him to wear them at all time and to increase the weight when he got used to them. His belly growled again, a painful reminder that his girlfriend was standing him up for lunch. He sat up and gave a quick look around and decided to go, tacked a note to the tree he had been under for her to find in case she came by and headed up to Ichiraku’s for some ramen.
He took the long way there, hoping to come across his favourite kunoichi but he was having no luck. He did however, run into Sakura.
“Oi Sakura, want to eat with me? Hinata seems to have forgotten about me.” He pouted. Sakura was surprised to see him.
“Sure, I was just about to grab some food.” She followed him as he led the way through the heavy crowd.
“How’s the medic training with the old lady?” He asked as he carefully avoided knocking into people. She grunted.
“That woman... she’s a great teacher but has the temper of some wild animal. I wonder sometimes if I’m actually training or I’m just being used as target practice.” She glared at nothing but Naruto could sense some animosity there.
“That reminds me,” he looked back to her and she gave him a curious look. “You think you could show me a few Chakra release tricks?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to learn how you break shit with your chakra.” He said in a flat tone. She laughed.
“Be friends with idiots and make sure to hit them a lot, you’ll learn in no time.” She smiled sweetly at him, he scolded her.
“That’s not funny! I’m serious! I need to refine it a bit more for intention training.”
“That fancy stuff you and Hinata do?” she asked, her interest growing.
“Yeah. I’ll teach you a few punch-destroy moves if you help me out.” She grinned at his term, she couldn’t refuse that.
“My dear, you had me at punch-destroy.” He laughed. They entered the ramen stand and ordered their food. It was another hour before he parted with Sakura and headed to his apartment. Hinata still hadn’t shown up and he was getting worried. This wasn’t like her and with that branch member following her every move, it gave him an uneasy feeling.
He climbed the stairs to his building and opened the door and sighed in relief. There she was, passed out on his couch. By the looks of things she barely managed to make it there. He quietly walked over to her and checked on her. She seemed exhausted.
“Hinata?” he poked her gently. She was out cold. He wondered what kind of training she was undergoing to make her that exhausted. He grabbed the blanket from this morning off the floor and covered her with it, she smiled in her sleep and he kissed her lips gently before turning and leaving the apartment.
If she was that tired, she’d be hungry when she woke, time to pick up some food for what he sensed would be a late supper.
* * *
Kakashi looked up towards the mountain they had arrived at following the trail of Sasuke’s scent. Akamaru whined and Kiba looked around worriedly.
“What is it Kiba?” the copy ninja asked, tired of the fidgeting.
“There’s a shield here, an illusion.” Akamaru barked in agreement. Shino frowned and released his bugs. They weren’t able to cross the shield.
“The illusion seems to be hiding something massive. My colony cannot get through it.”
Kakashi looked up again and thought the place looked familiar. “Sasuke’s blood goes beyond this point?” he asked Kiba again. The dog ninja nodded. Pushing chakra into his hands, he activated a small chidori and pressed it against the shield. It did nothing to him but he sensed a change in it, the composition changed for a moment and he thought he saw a purple flare of chakra on the shield.
“Lets keep moving, we need to find Sasuke as soon as possible if he’s bleeding like this.” The team began to move along side the shield, avoiding direct contact until they could figure out what to do to pass it. Kakashi couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched.
* * *
RR please!
* * *
For those interested, I have thought long and hard on the Principles of Intention and here is the breakdown as to what I believe the intended path could have been ^^; I’m not sure what all 9 were since DameWren never went into detail but here’s what I will be using for our super awesome duo.
Splits into 3 branches : Overwhelm, Power, Disorient
Splits into 9 sub-branches : Engulfing (Overwhelm), Absorption (Overwhelm), Deluge (Overwhelm), Delusion (Disorient), Confounding (Disorient), Stun (Disorient), Devastation (Power), Strength (Power), Incursion (Power)
Overwhelm: Overcome, as with emotions or with perceptual stimuli. Overcome by superior force.
Power : The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government.
Disorient: Disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably. A mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly though and behaviour.
The principle of Engulfing: Engrossing oneself entirely. To swallow up or overwhelm, to absorb. The principle of engulfing would entail overwhelming the opponent. Naruto would have to use a combination of strength, jutsu and speed to confuse the opponent.
The Principle of Absorption: Retained without reflection. Be the decoy, take the hits. Naruto needs to increase his physical ability to take hits, absorb the opponent’s attention solely make it seem as though he is losing. Forces the opponent to solely focus on Naruto and ignoring everything else around them.
The Deluge Principle: An overwhelming number or amount, a torrent of abuse. To overwhelm, to cover, to overspread, to overpower, to submerge, to destroy. Letting loose, Naruto overwhelms the opponent with a flurry of attacks.
The Principle of Delusion: The act of deluding, deception, a misleading of the mind. Naruto would create a physical illusion that would convince the opponent they were winning, that Naruto was defeated or incapacitated. Maybe even death. Unable to use genjutsu thus he would have to use his bushins or reduce his chakra to the point he would be too weak to react, a fake out.
The Confounding Principle: To throw into confusion or disorder, to perplex, to strike with amazement, to dismay. Cause to be unable to think clearly. Naruto would have to overwhelm the opponent into distraction, to prevent a planned act to come into play by use of jutsu, physical attacks or speed.
The Stunning Principle: To make senseless or dizzy by violence, to render senseless by a blow. To astonish, to bewilder. Naruto would use power and strength to momentarily stun and disorient his opponent.
The Principle of Devastation: Plundering with excessive damage and destruction. Cause physical injury. Naruto would have to increase his strength in hits and physical resistance to cause as much damage as possible.
The Principle of Strength: Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding. Naruto increases his stamina and physical endurance to pain. Resulting in increase in his overall strength.
The Principle of Incursion: A running into, an entering into a territory with hostile intention; a temporary invasion, a predatory or harassing inroad; a raid. Naruto uses power and strength to break through the opponent’s defences / attacks ignoring his own safety / limits.