A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I wasn't expecting this chapter to take so long.
Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I love you guys!
Journey of the Jinchuriki
Chapter 27 - Byakugan vs. Shadow Clone
The next morning, Naruto arrived at the spot where he'd agreed to meet Hinata, his eyes sweeping over the area as he waited for her to arrive. It was a beautiful morning, he noted with a smile, feeling the warm rays of sunshine through his thin layer of clothing. The sky was clear, with no cloud in sight, looking down at them in all its blue glory.
It was a good thing he'd managed to get his hair cut out of the way. Having long hair when you wore a mask nearly all of the time was not what one would call a good idea. He looked away from the sky when he sensed someone approaching. Judging from the soft sound of footsteps it had to be Hinata.
It was.
She smiled shyly when she saw him. "Good morning, N-naruto-kun."
"Hey, Hinata," he smiled, turning to face her. "Are you ready to start?"
She nodded. "I'm ready."
"Great! We'll start with a little warm up, okay?"
Again, she nodded, her body moving into the same fighting stance she'd used last time, the veins and arteries around her eyes protruding as she activated the Byakugan. He, too, moved into a fighting stance, carefully looking her over before he made the first move.
The first half hour or so involved him being on the offensive while she deflected his attacks with her Gentle Fist Style and attacked in between. By the time they were finished with the warm up he'd worked out her weak and strong points.
It was pretty much the same conclusion he'd come to last time. Her movements were sharp and precise in the beginning, but then after a while they wavered, losing their hard edge. Her lack of confidence was the main issue here, not her skills. It would take some time, but he was confident he could help her. All she needed was the right kind of support.
"Hinata, do you remember what I told you last time?" He asked her after they'd sat down to rest, leaning back as he used his hands to support his weight.
White eyes tinted with lavender looked down at the grass. "It doesn't matter what p-people think of y-you as long as you h-have the strength t-to believe in yourself. A-as long as you never g-give up nothing c-can stop you from a-achieving your heart desires."
He smiled. "That's right," he said. "Those words helped me overcome my weaknesses, and I'm sure they will help you, too. From what I've seen, Hinata, you have what it takes to be a great konoichi. The only problem is your lack of confidence."
He heard her sigh. "I-I can't help it," she said, the distraught in her voice clear. "I-I want to do my very best, b-but every time I try I just c-can't..."
"Calm down," he ordered her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder, the action making her look towards him with wide eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Hinata. Everyone has weaknesses, even I do. It doesn't make you weak. What makes you weak is if you let those weaknesses control your life. What makes you weak is if you give up! Are you going to let those weaknesses control your life? Are you going to give up so easily?"
Taken aback by his words, she could only stare at him. He didn't look away, hoping deep down that his words were having some kind of effect.
It was some time before she finally spoke.
"No," she said firmly, her eyes filling with that seriousness he'd seen last time. "I won't give up. I won't let them control my life!"
He let go of her shoulder and stood up, silently noting that she hadn't stuttered this time. He took it as a good sign. "Good. Let's get started."
Once they'd resumed their fighting stances, they started attacking once more. Soon enough, bright streaks of chakra lit the area surrounding the two sparring pair, as they began to move in a quick succession of movement.
Naruto attacked Hinata persistently, the clinking of kunai and feet scraping against the earth, the only sound to be heard. When she was serious, she had admirable accuracy while attempting to target vital areas of the body that could interrupt chakra flow, but he wasn't about to give her a chance to hit them.
His eyes were vigilant, realising that she was entering a Gentle Fist stance again. Aware that he was close to her, he quickly darted backwards before he could take the brunt of what could have been a devastating blow to his chest.
He smiled underneath his mask. She had made some noticeable improvement, even if it wasn't a great deal. Her eyes were more focussed, not giving into the reluctance he saw in them earlier. If she continued to improve like this, there was no doubt in his mind that she would overcome her weaknesses.
He moved to attack once more, swiping at her with his kunai. She moved out of the way, her right palm shooting out towards him, intent on striking his left side as he passed her. He quickly managed to block her with a strong arm. Swinging at her with his left, she then blocked that one.
They suddenly engaged in a flurry of close-range combat. Hinata lashed out at him with her palms in a series of uninterrupted blows and he dodged each one. By now, however, he could sense the apprehension she was feeling. It was showing on her face, despite her performance.
He debated on whether or not they should stop, not wanting to push her so hard when they'd only just started, but then wondered if maybe all she needed was a bit of reassurance.
"Don't give up, Hinata," he encouraged her. "You're doing great!"
As she continued to assail and block with her palms, he noticed the uneasiness in her expression had faded somewhat and grinned, moving forward to attack her once more…
It was just after midday, when Naruto decided to call it a day. After arranging to meet up again tomorrow morning, he'd parted ways with Hinata a while ago. However, instead of heading home like she had, he'd ended up finding a secluded place to get some meditating done for a few hours.
Feeling refreshed, mentally as well as physically, he made his way back to his new apartment, eager to appease the emptiness in his stomach after taking a hot shower. As he pondered over what to eat, he noticed a familiar person with pink hair turn the corner and head in his direction. Apparently, she was quick to notice him as well, her eyes lighting up instantly before she hurried towards him.
"Naruto! Where have you been?" She said in a rush, the worry evident in her tone. "I went to see you earlier, but I was told you were no longer staying there. Do you know how worried I was? I thought you'd left Konoha again, and…"
She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening as if she'd said something she wasn't supposed to.
"Again?" He repeated with a frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She immediately stiffened, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. Her abrupt change in behaviour told him something was amiss. She was hiding something.
"Sakura? Are you okay?"
It was only a few seconds later when she finally looked back at him. "We need to talk," she told him.
He observed her quietly, noting the determined look. He wasn't going to deny he was surprised she was even talking to him. He'd assumed she would keep her distance after the mission was over, now that she knew he was a Jinchuriki. Yet, here she was, standing before him as if nothing had changed.
And just what did she want to talk about, for he hadn't missed the little slip she'd made. Could it be she'd worked out the truth behind his past? He'd known, after revealing his secret, it would be only a matter of time before the others would put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out his connection to Konoha, but he hadn't expected it so soon.
However, the only way he was going to find out for sure was by talking to her.
He nodded. "I need to go home and shower first. Is that okay?"
"Sure," she responded, and fell in step beside him as he led the way.
They didn't bother making small talk on the way. He noticed her eyes on him a few times, but didn't say anything.
"This is it," he told her, when they finally approached the apartment building.
When she saw the red building, her eyes widened in surprise. "You're staying here?"
"Yeah," he responded, leading the way inside and up the stairs to the third floor. "The other apartment we were staying at was only temporarily, until they could find me a place of my own. I moved in yesterday."
"I see…" She muttered distractedly. "So, um… Have you had a chance to meet your neighbour yet?"
"Not really," he admitted, glancing at the only other door on this floor besides his. So far, there'd been no sign of whoever lived there, and he hadn't heard so much as a sound coming from its direction. Whoever it was had to be living alone.
After unlocking the front door, he quickly deactivated the seal he'd set up before opening the door, gesturing for Sakura to enter before he did, and closed the door behind him.
"Are you hungry?" He asked her, once she'd finished taking in her surroundings. "I was planning on making something to eat when I'm done having a shower. You're welcome to join me, if you want?"
She smiled. "Sure, why not. In that case, I might as well give you a hand. It gives me something to do while I wait for you."
"Thanks, Sakura," he answered gratefully.
After quickly pointing out where everything was in the kitchen, he left her to decide on what they were having for lunch, and went to grab a change of clothes from his bedroom before he made his way towards the bathroom.
Once he was standing naked underneath the shower, he closed his eyes, allowing the sprays of lukewarm water to wash away any lingering dirt or sweat from his spar with Hinata. He reached for the bottle of shampoo, as soon as his hair was completely wet, and began the process of washing his hair.
As he massaged the shampoo into his hair, his thoughts drifted to the looming conversation with Sakura. Truthfully, he wasn't really sure what to expect, since he didn't know Sakura well enough to predict how she would react or even what she would say. There would be questions, obviously, but whether or not he chose to answer them would depend entirely on what she would have to say, and her reasons for wanting to know, of course.
She was a nice girl, without a doubt, but he had gone too long without sharing his secrets to start sharing them now with just anyone. Bearing in mind the situation with Akatsuki, the less people knew about him the better.
He sighed, knowing it was futile to hope the truth of his past would remain hidden after he'd revealed that the Kyuubi was sealed inside him. Everything about him up until now had been a mystery. It was enough to arouse anyone's suspicions, which was why he couldn't blame Sakura for wanting to find out the truth.
He already knew that Sai knew more about him than the others. From what he'd gathered, he didn't seem like the type of guy who would gossip, but then again one could never know for sure. After all, it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
And then there was Sasuke. After that brief confrontation Kakashi had interrupted, it was obvious the bastard was also curious about him. He was another one to watch out for.
Once he was finished having a shower, he quickly got dressed and went to join Sakura. The smell of cooking hit his senses as soon as he'd opened the bathroom door, and as if on cue his stomach growled in protest once more.
She looked up as he appeared. "I'm almost done here," she told him. "You might as well get the plates ready."
He fetched two plates from one of the cupboards and placed them on the kitchen counter, along with a set of chopsticks for them to use. From the fridge he pulled out two cans of soft drinks, setting them down beside the plates, just as Sakura reached for one of them. He waited until she'd piled the fried rice with chicken on to the plates before he picked them up and walked over to the table.
They sat down to eat together, silently working on emptying their plates. Naruto helped himself to another plateful, finishing both servings before Sakura could even finish the first.
"I guess you must've been really hungry," she teased him with a small smile.
"No doubt," he chuckled, moving to pick up the empty plates. He dumped them in the kitchen sink before returning to his seat. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
She didn't answer for what seemed like a long time, lost in thought as she stared at the carpeted floor.
"I don't know if you're going to like what I'm going to say, Naruto," she said eventually, keeping her eyes on the floor. "I know you have your secrets, and, like everyone else, you're not going to appreciate anyone poking their nose in, but…ever since the last mission, I…can't help but want to know what's going on…"
He observed her silently, easily picking up on the signs that indicated she was nervous. It was obvious she was worried about his reaction to this.
"I've been thinking about this a lot," she admitted, "and then gradually things started to make a little sense." She looked up to finally meet his eyes. "We were told the Fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi when it attacked the village sixteen years ago, but the truth is that it was sealed inside you that night, wasn't it? You told me you were the same age as me so that means you were only a baby when it happened, and the only way they could've gotten hold of you was if you were already here in Konoha," she paused for a moment, probably waiting to see if he would say anything. When he didn't, she continued. "So what happened, Naruto? Why were you taken from Konoha? I know for a fact the Third Hokage wouldn't have allowed you to leave. He would've kept you here where you were safe."
Naruto had turned away from her at some point, mentally going over everything she'd said. He wasn't going to deny his surprise at how much she'd been able to figure out in such short time. It made him wonder again whether the others already knew, if she hadn't told them.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"I only mentioned what I told you to Tsunade-sama, but she refused to tell me anything without your permission. In case you're wondering, I haven't mentioned anything to Sai or Sasuke.
He nodded distractedly, turning to glance at her. "Why do you want to know all this anyway? He asked her. "I mean, it's not like you've known me for long. Why do you care?"
The question startled her, though, she was quick to answer this time around. "I may not have known you for long, but I see you as a friend," she said softly. "You saved my life on more than one occasion, Naruto, and now that the Akatsuki are after you, I want to help you in any way I can. So, please, don't push me away…"
"Doesn't it bother you that I am a Jinchuriki, Sakura?" He couldn't help but ask. "I'm sure you know the villagers would hate me if they ever found out the truth."
"No, it doesn't," she replied simply, placing her hand over his. "I don't care what anyone else thinks, because I know what kind of person you really are. What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't choose to have it sealed inside you."
He wasn't going to deny he was taken aback by her words. All this time he'd assumed that if people ever found out the truth about him he would get the very same treatment Gaara had received, but here was someone he barely even knew, who had absolutely no connection to his parents, and she was willing to judge him for who he was, not what he had sealed inside him. It was enough to leave him completely speechless.
"Sakura… I…"
She smiled. "I know it's not easy, but I want you to know that you can trust me."
He couldn't help but return the smile. "Thank you..."
After Sakura had left, Naruto felt like taking a long walk and headed outside. Like always, he found his eyes drifting, dimly noting his surrounding and the many faces he encountered. He received his fair share of stares also, reminding him that he was still practically a stranger here. Out of the hundreds of people who lived in this village, only a handful knew who he was.
He knew that would change at some point in the future. The truth would come out eventually, no matter how much he or anyone else tried to hide it. Today Sakura had confronted him, tomorrow it could be someone else. There was no avoiding it.
In the end, he'd decided to answer Sakura's questions. Hearing her words had assured him that he could trust her, though, he hadn't told her everything. She still didn't know anything about his parents, or what happened after Minoru-sensei had taken him from Konoha, even if she knew why they'd left in the first place. He knew she was aware that he hadn't told her everything, but thankfully she hadn't said anything.
The sound of children laughing and talking snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned towards the sound, spotting a group of children rushing out of a large building, where a group of parents waited. A sign on top of the building informed him that this was the Academy. He stood there for some time, simply watching as the children rushed up to their parents and excitedly told them what they had done today.
It was a heart-warming scene, no doubt, but one that stirred up memories of the past. Lost in thought, he wasn't even aware how long he stood there. It was only when someone started waving their hand in front of his face did he finally come out of his reverie.
He looked up to see a tall man with brown hair pushed back in a ponytail standing before him. He had a prominent scar that ran across the bridge on his nose and was dressed in the standard Konoha Shinobi outfit.
"Hello," the man greeted him in a friendly manner. "I couldn't help but notice you standing here alone as I came out. Are you okay? Is there someone you're waiting for?"
"Uh, not really," Naruto responded bashfully, unable to believe he'd allowed himself to be distracted. "I was just walking by, and…"
"Are you an old student?" The man interrupted him before he could think of what to say. "I don't remember seeing you before. What's your name?"
Unable to think of anything else to say, he ended up speaking the truth, or maybe he just didn't see any reason to lie. "My name's Naruto, and no, I didn't attend the Academy."
The man seemed a bit disappointed by his answer, for some reason. "Oh. Well, did your parents make you take private tuitions then?"
He looked away. "My parents passed away a long time ago," he muttered softly.
Before the other man could reply, he turned and started walking away…
After several hours of training alone in one of the unoccupied training grounds, Sasuke steadily made his way back home, debating in his mind whether or not he should pick up something to eat on the way. Even if he normally preferred to cook his own meals, he couldn't deny he was feeling a bit lazy today.
And then there was also the fact that his fridge and cupboards needed refilling. It had been a while since his last trip to the supermarket. Decision made, he changed route and headed towards the usual place he brought his food. Once he'd showered and eaten, he would rest for a little while. Grocery shopping could wait until the evening, when the streets were less crowded and he was less likely to encounter anyone who knew him.
After he'd picked up his food, he took the short cut home, eager to shower first so he could eat. It was only when he was approaching the corner which led to his street did he notice a familiar figure walking towards him from the other direction.
Blue and dark eyes narrowed slightly when they clashed, but neither of them said anything.
Mentally rolling his eyes at the idiot, he turned the corner and starting walking down the familiar street, recalling their last encounter outside the Hokage Tower. It was a shame that kunai had missed.
He frowned when he noticed that the idiot had followed him. They were now literally walking side by side. He chanced a sideway look, briefly wondering whether he was being followed, but then pushed the thought aside. There was no reason for the idiot to do such a thing.
Or so he thought.
"Are you following me?" He demanded, glaring sideways at him when they turned towards the same red building.
The idiot glanced at him briefly before he looked at the building in front of them. "I could ask you the same thing."
"Hn. I live here, moron."
His answer caused the other man to stop short and turn to face him fully. He seemed surprised. "So do I," he answered.
Sasuke hid his surprise. "Since when?"
"Since yesterday."
Frowning, he turned away and headed towards the staircase, ignoring the idiot when he followed him.
Just what was Tsunade-sama playing at? Out of all the places she could've picked for the idiot to move into, why did it have to be this building? He briefly wondered if Kakashi had put her up to this. It sounded like something he would do. He mentally made a note to kick his ass in their next spar.
The footsteps behind him trailed him all the way to the third floor, stopping only a small distance away from his front door. He turned to glare at his unwanted new neighbour, only to see him glaring back at him in return. Mentally rolling his eyes, he turned away to unlock his door before entering his apartment.
By the time he'd finished showering and sat down to eat, the prospect of having the idiot as his new neighbour was starting to seem a little appealing. In fact, he decided, it would open up many doors of opportunities to find out more about him in the future.
Even if it was unlike him to show one person this much interest, he knew it wouldn't make any difference. The moron knew nothing about him so he wouldn't suspect anything out of character, and as long as he stayed oblivious, nothing would get in the way of his search for answers…
Over the next week or so, Naruto gradually settled into a routine. After finishing his training with Hinata in the mornings, he usually ended up training alone, or with the old man when he had time. By the time he was finished, he was usually too tired to do anything else and ended up falling asleep early.
It'd also been a while since he'd last seen Kakashi, and wondered at times whether he was away on a mission. It wasn't like him to disappear like this.
Even though he'd grown used to Kakashi's company, it wasn't like he was completely alone. He'd become good friends with Hinata over time. She was a nice girl, and he enjoyed her company. There was a noticeable change about her now, one that he was proud of helping her achieve. She was no longer a stuttering mess, and spoke with a newfound confidence. She had also improved a great deal in their training. Her attacks were more poised, lacking none of the apprehension she'd first shown. He was proud of her.
Spending time with the old man also had its perks. Their relationship had steadily grown the more they were around each other. He began to look up to him and found it easier to open up when he felt the need to talk.
As for their training sessions, they were nothing like the ones he'd had with Minoru-sensei. The old pervert was lazy, and had the tendency of disappearing after giving him something to do. Even though it annoyed him at times, he'd grown used to it. The trips to Ichiraku's afterwards usually made up for it, though, so he couldn't complain.
Closing his front door behind him, Naruto briefly glanced over at the apartment next door to his before he made his way towards the staircase. There'd been no sign of his new neighbour ever since the day when they'd found out who they were now living next door to. He'd briefly considered that maybe Sasuke was avoiding him, but then decided it would be beneath him to do such a cowardly thing.
Pushing thoughts of duckbutt aside, he headed towards the usual place to meet with Hinata. Today they were meeting in the evening, since Hinata was meeting her teammates, Kiba and Shino, for their weekly morning training session. It was today when she'd been planning on revealing how much she'd improved to her team. He smirked, imagining the look of surprise on their faces.
As he neared, he frowned when he noticed their usual meeting place was occupied. He sensed six different chakras signatures, recognising one of them as Hinata's. Curious, he lowered his ki and settled for observing from a distance.
His eyes quickly took in what was going on. Hinata, it seemed, was in the middle of a spar with her cousin, Neji. Her teammates were also there, as well as Neji's.
After watching them fight for a few minutes, he could tell Hinata was not giving her all. Even though they fought in the same fighting style, it was obvious Neji was the one with the upper hand.
"Give up, Hinata-sama," he heard Neji say. "You're not suited to become a ninja. You are too kind. You seek harmony, and avoid trouble. And you have no self-confidence. You always feel inferior."
Hinata clearly was shocked by his words. "No… I-I just…"
"People cannot change," Neji continued. "A failure is a failure. His personality and power will not change. People cannot change, so that's why terms like 'elites' and 'failures' exist. Everyone judges you by how good your face, head, abilities, body shape and personality are. These are things that cannot be changed. Just like we cannot change the fact that I am from the branch family and you are from the head family. My Byakugan has seen many things. That's why I know. You are just trying to be tough."
Naruto felt his hands tighten into fists in anger after hearing Neji's words. Just who the hell did this guy think he was? How dare he even say such things? He could tell Hinata had been shaken by his words, so much that she'd started stuttering again. The confidence he'd been seeing in her had all but vanished.
"You're wrong," he said out loud, finally revealing himself. "People can change."
All eyes turned to look at him, clearly surprised when they saw him.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata muttered softly.
He turned to look at her. "Don't listen to anything he says, Hinata. You have changed. I've seen it with my own eyes. It's time you show them."
Her eyes softened at his words, and she nodded. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."
Turning back to face her opponent, she settled into a fighting stance again. "I won't give up," she said confidently. "I won't run away."
"Very well," Neji responded, moving into the same fighting stance. "Don't blame me later on."
They resumed fighting once more. Naruto observed as they exchanged blows one after another. Hinata's attacks were more assertive this time around – a fact which didn't go unnoticed by her opponent and everyone watching.
"Come on, Hinata," Kiba cheered. "You can beat him!"
Things started to get serious after then. Neji had increased his level of speed, no doubt hoping to land the final blow quickly and end the fight. Hinata quickly adjusted, a fact that surprised Neji.
Naruto couldn't help but look back on their training as he watched her fight. Hinata had improved remarkably in many ways. Not only had she learned to attack more confidently, but she had improved her level of defence. This in turn had increased her alertness and speed. Now that she'd overcome the problems that'd been holding her back, she could work on being an even better konoichi.
Keeping his eyes on the battle, he snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that both Hinata and Neji had managed to land a strike on each other. Whilst Hinata coughed up blood, Neji remained unfazed – a fact that confused Hinata and everyone else.
"What's going on?" Kiba cried out. "She landed a hit on him!"
But it seemed Hinata wasn't done. Pushing aside Neji's hand, she aimed for his chest. However, Neji caught her hand before it could touch him, striking a point near her elbow with his other hand. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Neji pushed back her sleeve, revealing the red spots visible on her skin.
Hinata seemed shocked by what was revealed to her. "Did you… So you were…"
"That's right," Neji confirmed. "My eyes can see the tenketsu."
With that, he delivered another blow in the middle of her chest, sending her flying backwards.
"Hinata-sama, this is the difference in our unchangeable powers," Neji said nonchalantly. "It's the difference that separates the elites from the dropouts. This is the unchangeable reality. You were destined to regret this when you said you weren't going to run away. You should be in despair right now. This is your last warning. Give up."
"I'm…not going to…take back my words," Hinata struggled to get to her feet, much to her cousin's surprise. "That's my way of the ninja."
Naruto's eyes widened at the statement. "Hinata…"
She turned to look at him, her lips lifting in a small smile before she turned her attention back to Neji.
Caught in a dilemma, Naruto was unsure about what he should do. It was obvious Hinata couldn't continue this fight any more. Neji was going to win, either way. Yet, he couldn't ask her to stop, not when she was showing so much courage and trying to prove herself.
He glanced at her teammates. Shino looked solemn, whereas Kiba looked like he was ready to rip Neji's head off, but neither of them intervened. They knew she needed to do this.
The fight continued, but it was nowhere near the level it was at before. It was all too soon that Neji struck her down with another strike to her chest.
"You are such a stubborn person," Neji told her. "Your attacks had no effect on me to begin with. It's over."
To everyone's surprise, Hinata struggled to her feet once again.
Neji didn't look happy. "Why did you stand up? If you push yourself, you're really going to die."
Out of breath, she managed a smile. "I can't show such an unsightly scene…in front of the person I admire."
"Why?!"
"I can still…"
"There's no point in acting tough. You're barely able to stand up. I can tell with these eyes that you have carried the destiny known as the Hyuga Family. You cursed your powerlessness, and blamed yourself. But people cannot change. This is destiny. There's no need to suffer. Let yourself go."
Hinata shook her head. "You're wrong, Neji-nii-san. Because I can see that you are suffering more than me."
"What?"
"You are the one who is confused and suffering inside the fate of the head and branch families."
Her words obviously struck a deep nerve, because Neji suddenly lost his cool and came rushing towards her. Before he could so much as touch her, someone got in the way.
"That's enough," Naruto said coldly, restraining both of his arms.
"How dare you…" Neji glared at him.
Noticing Hinata coughing up blood, Naruto released his arms and caught her just as she fell forward. Kiba and Shino had also rushed forward. Lying her on the ground gently, he looked down at her worriedly.
"Hinata, are you okay?"
"Naruto-kun," Hinata gasped. "I…"
"We need to take her to the hospital right away," Shino moved to pick her up. Kiba helped him, and together they hurried to the hospital.
Naruto watched them leave, recalling Hinata's words from earlier.
"I'm…not going to…take back my words. That's my way of the ninja."
"You were trying to kill her, weren't you," he directed those words at Neji, turning to glare coldly at him.
"A failure will always be a failure," Neji responded calmly. "You can't change."
Naruto clenched his teeth in order to hold back his anger. "Why are you so judgemental? Just because you're strong, it doesn't give you the right to mock someone who's only trying to do their best."
"It has nothing to do with you."
"Hinata's my friend. You ridiculed her and labelled her a dropout. Branch family, head family, I don't know what happened between you, but I won't forgive you for calling her a failure."
Neji scoffed at his words. "You would never understand," he started, looking up at the sky as he saw a small bird fly into the distance and narrowed his eyes. "About the Hyuga's fate of hatred!"
"The Hyuga clan is divided into two family houses. The main house and the branch house. The main house runs the family while we of the branch house are given the task of protecting it," Neji said, his eyes now focussed on Naruto's own. "Upon the heir's third birthday, members of the branch family are branded by a seal known as the Cursed Seal Technique." Neji reached up to untie his headband.
"The cursed seal symbolises a caged bird, and is also a symbol of those who are bound in an unescapable destiny. The seal's primary purpose is to seal the Byakugan away upon the person's death. What many don't know is that it has a second purpose." Neji removed his headband and revealed the seal on his forehead. "When a Hyuga from the main house activates the seal with a special hand sign, it destroys the wearer's brain cells."
"One day, when I was four, this detestable seal was carved into me by that Cursed Seal Technique. That day, there was a big ceremony going on in Konoha, but our clan was the only one who didn't attend the celebrations, because it was Hinata-sama's third birthday. That very night, she was kidnapped. Her father, Hiashi-sama, managed to catch the kidnapper and kill him, but then discovered that the kidnapper was none other than the ambassador from Kumogakure, who came to Konoha to sign a peace treaty. Kumogakure demanded that the man who killed the ambassador had to pay with his life."
"That night, a meeting took place, and they decided to sacrifice another man instead of Hiashi-sama. The man they chose to send in his place was Hiashi-sama's younger brother, Hizashi-sama. That man was my father!" Neji shouted, unable to hold back his anger.
Naruto listened in silence, finally understanding the reason for Neji's hatred. "I don't know how tough you've had it with you father getting killed a long time ago, but you've got the wrong idea by using that alone to decide fate is predetermined."
Neji's eyes narrowed in anger. "You know nothing. To carry a seal that can never be removed. A guy like you will never understand what that means!"
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle bitterly at his words. "No… I understand. So what about it? Stop acting cool, you're not the only special guy here. Hinata was suffering like you. She is from the head family, but she tried her best to change herself because no one would acknowledge her. That's the determination she had, and she fought you even after she was injured. That goes for you, as well. The branch family is supposed to protect the head family, yet you did that to Hinata when it was only a spar. You were trying hard to fight against fate, weren't you?
"I think you talk a lot." With that, Neji turned away, dismissing everything he'd said.
"You know, for someone with your talents, you're nothing more than a cry baby," Naruto called out. "What Hinata said was true, you know. You're the one who's suffering and confused."
The insult was enough to stop the Hyuga in his tracks. When Neji turned to face him, the anger was visible in his eyes.
"What's wrong? Did I say something you didn't like? If you want to, you're welcome to do something about it," Naruto challenged him.
"You're going to regret this," Neji responded as he moved into a fighting stance.
"Guys, I seriously think you're going about this the wrong way," Tenten attempted to pacify the situation. "There's no need to fight."
"I agree," Lee added in a serious tone. "Neji is a Jounin, Naruto-kun. He is not to be taken lightly."
Naruto couldn't help but smirk, internally looking forward to the fight. It'd been a while since he last fought someone high-levelled…
Kakashi closed the door to the Hokage's office, and steadily made his way towards the exit of the building, thinking about the conversation that'd just taken place.
It was as he was passing the hospital did he notice Shino carrying what looked like an unconscious Hinata, with Kiba and Akarmaru accompanying them. He frowned when he saw the blood around Hinata's mouth and clothes.
"What happened?" He asked them.
Kiba stopped to answer, whilst Shino hurried inside with Hinata. "She got injured in a fight with Neji," Kiba said angrily. "It was only meant to be a spar, but the bastard was a little too hard on her."
Kakashi nodded, all too aware of the problems between the Hyuga families. "Where is he now?"
"He was with Tenten, Lee and that other guy, Naruto, when we left."
Kakashi's brow lifted in surprise. "Naruto?"
"Yeah, he's just moved here recently, I think. He wears a full mask on his head. Don't know if you've seen him."
"I know who he is," Kakashi answered. "Where are they?"
"They were at our training spot, last time I saw them."
Kakashi nodded, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves…
Naruto surprised everyone by summoning a dozen of his clones to attack Neji, mixing amongst them as he focussed on learning what he could about his opponent's abilities. There was no point in getting serious when he was unaware of the Hyuga's other talents. Since his sword was at home, he settled for using his kunai to fight.
Neji, like Hinata, specialised in close-range taijutsu combat. After watching his fight with Hinata, Naruto already knew his attacks were fast and fluid, striking precisely in rapid succession. Having spent a fair bit of time training with Hinata, he was already familiar with the Gentle Fist Style, so he wasn't completely unprepared.
Half of his clones occupied the Hyuga in hand-to-hand combat, whilst the other half conjured up twin balls of Rasengan. Just as the balls of chakra were about to strike Neji, he spun around and formed what could only be described as a rotating shield of chakra, dispelling his clones and his ninjutsu instantly.
"You see," Neji smirked confidently. "There's no way you can win. You were meant to lose, just like Hinata-sama."
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the display of arrogance. "I wouldn't get too happy just yet," he said. "The fight's only just begun."
He formed his favourite hand sign again, and this time conjured at least a hundred clones. The only way he was going to end this fight quickly was to land a strike, and he'd already planned how he was going to do it. All he needed to do now was get Neji to use the same technique again.
Placing one hand out, he began to summon another Rasengan, ordering all the clones to attack in one go. Like he'd predicted, Neji immediately spun around to ward off the attacks. He waited until Neji was down to the last dozen or so before he disappeared from sight.
Reappearing alongside Neji, whilst he was in the middle of performing his technique, he slammed the Rasengan into his back, sending him flying into the trees surrounding them. He crashed into one of them, dropping to the ground on to his back. He didn't move.
Lee and Tenten's mouths dropped opened in shock.
"Well, I guess that determines who the winner is," a familiar voice commented out of the blue.
Naruto looked over to see Kakashi stood leaning against a nearby tree, with his book in one hand.
"I don't believe this," Tenten muttered, rushing over to check on Neji. She stopped suddenly, when she noticed someone else had beat her to it.
Naruto stood leaning over Neji, looking down at him with a serious look in his eyes. Neji's pale eyes were open, looking up at the sky above with something akin to disbelief.
"How?" He muttered softly.
"I placed a seal on your kunai when we exchanged blows," Naruto explained. "It allowed me to teleport to you when you were distracted." He turned to leave, but then looked back over his shoulder. "I don't know about the Hyuga's fate of hatred, but if you think it's impossible then don't do anything. Stop complaining about fate and saying it can't be changed. You're not a dropout."
He started to walk away, leaving Neji's teammates to take him to the hospital. Neji wasn't hurt too badly, and would recover from the injuries inflicted by his Rasengan, since he hadn't used too much chakra in the jutsu.
He turned his attention to Kakashi, who'd silently watched the exchange. "Long time no see," he greeted him. "Where've you been?"
"Around," Kakashi answered casually.
Naruto scoffed at the reply. "So… Any reason behind your visit today?"
They started making their way back to the village together. Kakashi took his time to answer, as usual.
"I bumped into Kiba and the others by the hospital. He told me what was going on so I thought I'll come and check up on you guys, just to make sure you were behaving yourselves."
"It was nothing serious."
Kakashi chuckled. "I don't think you realise what you just did," he sounded amused. "Neji Hyuga has never lost a fight, and you defeated him without breaking a sweat."
Naruto sighed. "I don't care about that," he said. "I just wanted him to realise that he was wrong in assuming that his fate was predetermined. Fate is never set in stone. It can be changed, if one has the willpower to do it."
"Hmm."
"I'm going to go and check up on Hinata," Naruto told him, as they were approaching the hospital. "Are you going home?"
Kakashi nodded. "I will be soon. We can meet tomorrow for a spar, if you want?"
"Sure. You can treat me to ramen later."
"We'll see…"
After checking up on Hinata, Naruto headed home a short while later. The nurse had told him she was resting so he couldn't see her. They wouldn't reveal anything about what was wrong with her, much to his annoyance. There'd been no sign of Kiba and Shino anywhere so he couldn't ask them either. There was nothing more he could do but try again the next day.
When he finally reached home, he was surprised to see the old pervert waiting for him.
"What are you doing here?"
Jiraiya sighed peevishly. "Obviously, I'm here to see you."
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. You just surprised me, I guess."
"Whatever, boy. Hurry up and open the door."
Naruto merely rolled his eyes before moving to open the door. He waited until Jiraiya had entered before following him inside, closing the door shut behind him.
Dark eyes roamed their surroundings, once he'd turned on the lights. "Not bad. I like it"
"So, what's going on?"
Naruto knew something was going on. Why else would Jiraiya pay him a late evening visit?
Sensing the seriousness in his voice, Jiraiya decided to cut to the chase. "I'm leaving Konoha tomorrow morning," he revealed. "There's a mission that's come up."
Naruto frowned at the news. "What kind of mission?"
"It's classified," he explained. "I can't tell you."
"When will you be back?"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes in thought. "I'm not sure. It could take weeks, even months. I didn't want to leave without seeing you once."
Naruto looked away, not sure what to say. He wasn't going to deny that he was going to miss the old pervert's company. Being around him had helped him adjust to life here in Konoha, and also lessened the pain he felt due to Minoru-sensei's absence.
"Take off that mask so I can see you."
Naruto did as he was told.
Jiraiya smiled. "When did you cut your hair?"
"Yesterday. How does it look?" He ran his hands through the shorter locks.
"It's good enough to get the ladies all hot and bothered, if that's why you're asking!" Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it! Pervert!"
Jiraiya laughed wholeheartedly. "You know, I've never seen you eyeing up the ladies. Are you sure you're not gay?"
Naruto couldn't hold back the blush from appearing on his face. "No! And even if I was, so what? There's nothing wrong with being gay!"
The old man blinked a few times. "Was that a confession?"
"Will you be quiet?!"
Jiraiya burst out laughing again. "Relax, kid. I'm only teasing you. As your godfather, it's my duty to embarrass you. That's why I'm here."
"Shouldn't you be leaving now?"
"I'm going, I'm going! Jeez, the younger generation, nowadays. No respect whatsoever. In my days…"
Naruto tuned him out, mentally going over the items in the fridge and cupboard so he could decide what to make for dinner.
"…Are you even listening to me, brat?"
"Of course I am…"
After leaving the graveyard, Kakashi decided to walk back home. It was a warm night, perfect for a late evening walk. As he enjoyed the calmness around him, his thoughts drifted to the earlier conversation in the Hokage's office.
It seemed that Jiraiya was leaving Konoha again. This time it was because he had found the location of the Akatsuki leader. Infiltrating Amegakure was nearly impossible without getting detected, according to the rumours. If anyone could pull it off it was Jiraiya.
With Jiraiya leaving, he would take over Naruto's training, preparing him for the exam he would have to take soon. It wouldn't be easy, but he was confident Naruto would surpass it. If he could defeat Neji Hyuga, not to mention the Akatsuki members, this would be a piece of cake…
A/N: Well, there you have it. Another long chapter. Took me a while but got it done, thankfully. Who knew writing a fight scene between Neji and Naruto would take so long…
I couldn't think of a good title for this chapter so ended up picking one of the original ones. It takes forever to think of my own.
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to reading your feedback. Review please!