Capítulo 3: Knockdown Drag Out
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I'll be releasing the initial chapters rapidly but after that I figure it will be around one per week. Without further ado, here's chapter 3:
Last time:
…Mizuki went to the hospital where they'd tried every chemical known to man to remove whatever was in his hair. It got even worse because none of the hospital staff could keep a straight face at his ridiculous appearance. They pulled several of his hairs out by the roots (that hurt like a motherfucker) and soon identified the glossy stuff on his head as chakra enhanced spar varnish which was rock hard once it set up and was used to waterproof the hull of a ship to keep it from corroding.
Hours later the doctors gave up removing it and had to cut his hair with wire cutters and scrubbed his head raw to get the stuff off of his skin. Now the teacher's head was completely red from all the scrubbing and he was sporting a hot pink buzz cut (it was the best they could do without pulling all his hair out by the roots) with a reverse Mohawk down the middle. The doctors also said he shouldn't wear a hat because the UV rays from the sun would help to break the varnish down.
The final indignity was he had an allergic reaction to the masses of cheap perfume he'd been soaked in and now had a rash. They'd given him a shot but he still had to deal with infernal itching from hell…and he still smelled awful. Who would have thought that his marking Naruto's tests down intentionally would lead to such suffering? He hadn't counted on Naruto, Hinata and Maya figuring it out…
His entire class exploded into laughter when Mizuki arrived and he was further humiliated. Kiba nearly got sick from the smell of the perfume and Naruto gave him a 'thumbs up' on his new look. When Iruka lost it and burst into laughter Mizuki turned back around in a rage and left the way he'd entered. "I don't need this shit!" he screamed to the heavens.
Once the class finally got their laughter back under control (Iruka-sensei included) they decided to start the afternoon sparring sessions…
…
Chapter 3
Konoha Ninja Academy
Natsume Maya grinned ferally as her name came up. She'd already challenged Ami and knew if the girl bully backed out she would lose all of her credentials and the respect of her little gang. Maya had watched over the years as Ami's group had picked on Haruno Sakura because of her forehead and attempted to pick on Maya herself because of her 'cockroach' bangs she inherited from her Grandmother. They'd picked on others too and Maya was going to thoroughly enjoy pummeling the purpled haired bully into the ground. She knew she was being a bit petty on her part but there was no way Natsume Maya was going to let them badmouth her friend Hinata-chan while she was injured and in the hospital.
Iruka called their names and Maya's blue eyes glinted with malice. She smiled as she saw the fear in the eyes of Ami. 'Oh yes, I'm going to enjoy putting this little Sasuke fan-slut in her place.' To be honest Maya was admired in class so most people were rooting for her but Ami had her loyal followers.
"Kick her ass Ami-chan!" yelled Fuka.
"Show that upper class bitch who the real kunoichi is in this class Ami!" said another one of Ami's followers.
"Show that bully who's boss Maya-san!" said one of Maya's supporters.
"Ami's a coward deep down! You can beat her Maya-san!" yelled Yamanaka Ino.
Maya looked at Naruto for a second and he mouthed 'Crush her Maya-chan.' That was all she really needed.
Ami was frightened but put up a brave face. Maya decided to take a page from Naruto's book and said, "I hope you have good medical insurance 'cause you're going to be in the hospital a while."
The purple haired girl said "I-I'm not afraid of you cockroach girl. I'm going to mess up that pretty face of yours!" Ami sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than actually threaten Maya.
Sasuke simply nodded to himself sagely. It was a foregone conclusion that Maya would easily defeat her opponent. 'After all, she is a noble.' he thought smugly.
Maya assumed her family stance, the Natsume Goushin-Ryu while Ami assumed the Academy standard stance. Iruka was a bit surprised. 'Maya usually uses the Academy style or a variation of it. I remember seeing her Father use the Natsume style and it was absolutely lethal. I hope she doesn't go overboard.' thought the Academy teacher as he said, "Begin!"
The next twenty seconds could only be summed up in one word: brutal. Maya struck like lightning and jabbed Ami in the solar plexus so hard the girl was airborne and had the wind completely knocked out of her. It would have been over after that but Maya kept Ami from flying out of the ring by grabbing the girl's shoulder and bringing her back down to earth roughly. After a fifteen-hit combo Ami was coughing up blood and about to collapse like a puppet with its strings cut but Maya landed a brutal scissor kick on the other girl's chin that literally sent her flying out of the ring. When Ami landed in a lifeless heap she actually even bounced once from the landing impact. Ami never got a single offensive move off and most of the students couldn't follow the fight due to the speed involved though both Naruto and Sasuke could.
Maya landed gracefully in her opening stance and then made the sign of reconciliation. "Thank you for the spar and don't ever talk badly about my friends again or I'll get serious." she said as she bowed to her fallen opponent.
Iruka got out of his stupor and went to check on Ami. "Get the school nurse immediately! Ami needs medical attention. This was a friendly spar Miss Natsume; not a death match! What do you have to say for yourself?"
Maya had a passive look on her face and said, "Her life isn't in danger. I suppose I got carried away in the heat of the moment." Everyone gave her wide berth as she went over and sat by Naruto. She flashed him a savage grin that she only showed when she and Naruto were going all out in one of their own spars on the Natsume grounds. "Was that a bit overkill Naruto-kun?" asked Maya.
Naruto shrugged and said, "Nah; she had it coming. Karma's a bitch you know. You'll probably get an earful from Iruka sensei though."
"I've been through worse." replied the Natsume heiress with a shrug. The students watched quietly as Ami was hauled off on a stretcher.
Murmurs were going about as Iruka came back over to the class. He said to Maya, "We will be talking about this incident later Miss Natsume."
Maya nodded and said "Yes Iruka sensei."
Sasuke was at the other end of the sparring field and frankly, he was shocked. He fully expected Maya to dominate the fight but it seemed the Natsume heiress hadn't even broken a sweat when she utterly slaughtered that purple haired fan girl. 'Natsume Maya, you are truly the kind of kunoichi I desire to be the new matriarch of the Uchiha Clan and to be the Mother to my children.' Sasuke was going to go over and praise her fighting skills but saw the orange menace Naruto sitting with her talking. Sasuke decided that after he soundly defeated Naruto that he could spend some quality time with Maya. 'Once she sees I'm the better choice Uzumaki will be nothing but a memory.' he thought nodding to himself.
Several other spars took place without much incident but the minute Naruto and Sasuke's names were called Naruto hopped up and smiled viciously. Maya said to him, "Try not to kill the Uchiha."
"I'll do my best Maya-chan." answered Naruto. All the girls but Maya were cheering on 'Sasuke-kun' and the boys were divided. There were some that just hated the dead last but there were others like Inuzuka Kiba that wanted to see Sasuke get taken down a few pegs even if it was unlikely. Amidst all the cheering for Sasuke and the heckling of Naruto both fighters entered the sparring ring.
Iruka had a very bad feeling about this. He saw the wild look in Naruto's eyes and knew that the blonde had every intention of laying Sasuke up in the hospital. Sasuke had a look of total superiority and confidence on his face as usual. Iruka could tell the Uchiha heir was expecting an easy win. "Take your stances." said Iruka. Sasuke immediately fell into the Uchiha Clan's famous Interceptor fist stance and Naruto just fell into a sloppy stance Iruka didn't recognize. "Alright, begin!" yelled Iruka as he leapt back.
Sasuke moved quickly and started pummeling Naruto with several hits to the chest and shoulders as Naruto threw a sloppy punch towards Sasuke and missed completely. Those rooting for Sasuke cheered until they saw the punch was a feint. Naruto lashed out with a savage kick that crushed Sasuke's kneecap and caused him to cry out in pain. As Sasuke fell forward Naruto lanced him in the eyes with two fingers. Sasuke reflexively lurched back and covered his pained eyes with his hands. He left himself wide open for a wicked kick in the groin which caused him to buckle forward again. Sasuke was totally disoriented and in a world of pain now. Naruto then boxed Sasuke's ears and gripped his head in one motion before he pulled Sasuke down and used his knee to break Sasuke's nose. The cartilage made an awful crunch and blood went everywhere.
Sasuke fell back unconscious and bleeding badly with Naruto standing over him with the same wild look still in his eyes. Iruka yelled, "The spar is over Naruto! Step back!" He was afraid Naruto was going to start jumping up and down on his fallen opponent like a berserker. Naruto reluctantly took a couple of steps back. He was rather enjoying the view of Sasuke's pretty boy face fucked up six ways to Sunday. The bleeding was good and the bruising and swelling was a nice touch too. "Make the sign of reconciliation and bow Naruto." said Iruka as he once again called for medics.
Naruto bowed and said, "Thank you for the spar Sasuke-chan. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did." With that he went back over to sit by Maya and they gave each other equally bloodthirsty smiles. It took everything they had not to high five and burst into laughter.
Seeing the spars were over; (Sasuke and Naruto were the last ones) Iruka decided he'd had enough for the day and sent the students home an hour early except for Maya and Naruto of course.
…
Academy Classroom
Once the three were back in the classroom the two kids were sat down in the front row with Iruka sitting in front of them in a chair. Initially Iruka was going to yell at them and give them detentions but he decided just to talk to them instead and then decide their punishment. "Alright, I expect this sort of thing from Naruto but what about you Maya? You've always been an exemplary student but what you did today was totally unacceptable. Please explain your reasoning behind this behavior so I can understand."
Maya nodded. "It's simple Iruka-sensei, Ami and her cronies were saying terrible things about Hinata-chan because she's been absent the last three days. You saw what shape Hinata-chan was in. I warned her not to do that and her little group challenged me to a fight. I made an example of Ami so she and her little gang would never say such things again." Though Maya explained it calmly Iruka could see the anger and disgust etched in Maya's facial expressions. He couldn't condone the Natsume heiress's actions but having seen Hinata's injuries himself he could see the girl's anger was justified.
Iruka said, "Next time you have issues like this between you and your classmates I want you to come to me first Maya. Am I clear?"
"Yes Iruka sensei." she answered. Iruka could tell she didn't regret what she did one bit but he also understood why.
"Alright Naruto, would you care to explain to me why you hurt Sasuke so badly?" asked Iruka.
Sasuke has been harassing Maya-chan every time I turn my back." said Naruto. "He claims that Maya-chan shouldn't be my friend because she's a noble and I'm trash. Sasuke seems to think Maya-chan should be with him instead of Hinata-chan and I. He and I got in an argument about it and he challenged me to a spar to prove he was right. He wanted a spar so I gave him one; end of story."
Iruka asked, "Are you sure there's not more to it than that Naruto-kun?"
"You mean aside of the fact he's an arrogant emo prick that treats everyone else like they're lower than dirt?" asked Naruto rhetorically. "I can't think of any other reason to give him a good spanking like the prima donna brat that he is."
Iruka sweat dropped. "You know it's going to go straight to the Hokage that you injured the Uchiha heir don't you?"
"I've been accused of worse Iruka sensei." said Naruto. "Anyway, technically in both cases Academy students were accidently injured on the Academy sparring grounds. It happens all the time. It was a spar and we did what we had to win; simple."
The scar faced teacher sighed. He knew how lonely Naruto was and the idea of losing a close friend like Maya or Hinata to someone else was unbearable. "It's stretching the rules a lot but you are both right. It was a spar and neither of you used weapons, tools or jutsus so I can't scold you for that. You were both utterly brutal, ruthless and what you both did was absolute and total overkill but it was within the rules. I'm letting you both off with a warning but if you do such things again there will be consequences for your actions. As far as the world's concerned you both served a detention with me. It's been a long day and frankly I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be understand?"
"You're the best Iruka-sensei!" said Naruto as Maya happily nodded in agreement. "Do you want to come visit Hinata-chan with us tonight?"
"I'd like to but I got a call from a friend who's really upset." said Iruka. 'I can't believe Mizuki cheated on a nice girl like Tsubaki.' "I promised to go see her after work so I can't go. Please say hi to Hinata for me and give her my apologies. He pulled out his wallet. "Tell you what. Go to the Yamanaka Flower Shop and pick up a bouquet for her from all three of us. I'll give this to you Maya because Naruto might accidentally buy ramen with it." he chuckled.
Naruto pouted but then brightened up. "Say Iruka-sensei, I promised I'd show you a seal didn't I?"
Iruka perked up a bit himself in interest. "That you did Naruto. Does Maya know about your fuinjutsu?"
Maya smiled, "Oh, I know all about it Iruka sensei but I don't comprehend it. Naruto-kun is some kind of sealing genius."
"A sealing genius eh?" mused Iruka rubbing his chin. "Why don't you give me an example?"
Naruto got out a scroll and unsealed some sealing ink and brushes. "Let me think…." said Naruto. "I've got it. Let's get the chalkboard shiny clean Maya-chan!"
Maya nodded and the two scrubbed one of the three chalkboards spotless. Iruka was really puzzled now. The concept of Naruto cleaning a chalkboard without being forced into it at kunai point was a completely alien concept to the teacher. After it dried for about five minutes Naruto said, "Now it's ready!" he quickly grabbed his ink and brush and rapidly painted and intricate seal on the chalkboard and once it dried he charged it with chakra and said "Seal." The intricate design vanished before Iruka's eyes and Naruto said, "Okay, let's graffiti this sucker!"
Naruto unsealed a can of orange spray paint and decorated the chalkboard with some choice profanity before Iruka had time to react. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NARUTO?" yelled Iruka as Maya burst into a fit of laughter.
She patted Iruka's hand and said, "It's okay Iruka-sensei, just watch."
The hyperventilating instructor forced himself to be calm. Naruto gave him a fox-like smile and started to channel chakra into the board before he said "Kai!" and all the graffiti disappeared leaving the chalkboard spotless again. "See? My cleaning seal works perfectly."
Iruka was dumbfounded. "Show me how to use it Naruto." Naruto quickly showed Iruka where to channel in chakra and to say kai once it was reset. Iruka quickly drew some squiggles in chalk on the chalkboard and then channeled chakra and said "Kai!" Then he repeated the process with permanent marker; then spray paint. Iruka was laughing wildly when he finished. "Naruto, where did you learn this magical seal?" the sensei asked with a look of depravity in his eyes.
"You're really creeping me out Iruka-sensei." said Naruto at the desperate man's face. "It's not magic; it's fuinjutsu."
"But where did you learn it?" asked the crazed teacher.
Naruto simply stated, "I didn't learn it Iruka-sensei, I invented it." as he sealed up his sealing supplies.
"You invented it?" asked the now delirious Iruka.
"Well, yeah." said Naruto. "I was scrubbing my bathroom floor and when I got done I thought, 'There must be an easier way' so I invented a seal to do it for me. You can do anything with seals; it just takes some imagination and creativity."
"All the hardwood floors in my house have them Iruka-sensei." said Maya. "It's a real lifesaver!"
Iruka said with wide eyes, "People would kill to have these seals to clean with Naruto. This is…pure genius! Can anyone duplicate it?"
I've got it triple encrypted so even the Hokage couldn't duplicate it." said Naruto nonchalantly. "Someone might be able to make a counter seal and remove it but duplicate it? No way."
"We have to see the Hokage and get it patented Naruto. You could become filthy rich with this seal!" said Iruka enthusiastically.
"What about all the others I've created for around the house?" asked Naruto.
The scar faced teacher asked, "You have more you've invented? How many are there?"
"About seventy, give or take." said the blonde. "But those are just the ones I've proven. I've probably got just as many in the test stage."
"By the gods." whispered Iruka. "This is an S-class secret! We have to see the Hokage right now!" Iruka threw Naruto over one shoulder like luggage and took off for the Hokage Tower with Maya hot on his heels yelling for him to wait up.
Naruto was screaming "Put me down!" and "Abduction!" the whole way as he was being tossed about like a sack of potatoes.
When they made it to the Hokage tower and found out the Hokage was out; Iruka's adrenaline rush came to an end and he sat down in a chair breathing heavily. Naruto patted Iruka on the shoulder. "There; there Iruka sensei. I can get in to see Hokage-Jiji tomorrow. Maya-chan and I need to go see Hinata-chan and buy flowers and you need to see your upset friend remember?"
"Alright Naruto but remember this is an S-class secret." whispered the tired Iruka.
"Okay; S-class; got it." said Naruto as he and Maya quickly departed. Once they were outside Naruto said, "Let's go back to the Academy for Aya-chan and then we'll buy some flowers and head to the hospital."
"Right!" said Maya smiling. "See, I told you you're a fuinjutsu genius. You just need to listen to me more Naruto-kun; you know I'm always right." Naruto just rolled his eyes and trailed along behind her…
…
Hyūga Compound
Hyūga Hiashi was desperate. There were now forty-eight members of the Clan under arrest and the autopsy proved his beloved Himawari was murdered. Most of the Hyūga medical staff was locked up and the whole compound was in turmoil. Hiashi decided to reach out to the one person he felt he could trust in this dire situation –his estranged Mother Hyūga Hanako. She'd divorced his (currently jailed) Father and she hadn't spoken to Hiashi since his twin brother Hizashi died. As far as Hiashi knew the only family members she spoke to were Hinata, Hanabi and Neji. She was close to them and Hiashi hoped she would help him.
Knocking on her door Hiashi waited for a moment and then heard her say, "You may enter Hiashi-sama."
Hiashi cringed at her cold tone. He longed to hear her call him Hiashi-kun in her warm motherly voice again. He entered and saw his mother was fit and slim as always and still very beautiful. You'd never guess she was in her sixties. The Hyuga Clan head just stood there a few moments before his Mother said. "Did you have a reason to come here, or did you just come to stare at me after all these years? If it's the latter; please leave."
Hiashi schooled his thoughts and said, "Kaa-san, I desperately need your guidance. Please talk to me."
Hanako turned around with her byakugan active and stared impassively. "You will address me as Hanako-san; I am no longer your Mother Hiashi-sama. If you need advice, why don't you go see your beloved Father you adore so much? He should be easy to find; he's in jail after all."
Tears started rolling down Hiashi's face and he said, "Please talk to me Kaa-san. My family is in peril, and you are the only one I can trust with this information."
Hanako was shocked to see her son openly weeping but remained impassive. She poured herself some tea but didn't offer any to Hiashi. "I don't know what's going on, but I will listen. Tell me what the issue is."
"Himawari-chan was murdered Kaa-san; they tried to kill Hinata-chan as well." said Hiashi with a sob. "My heart is shattered and my little girls are in protective custody even from me. The Hokage is threatening to declare me an unfit parent and take them away from me. I can't bear the thought of losing them. Please help me Kaa-san. I'm begging you!"
"Hinata-chan thinks you hate her anyway for being too weak." said Hanako coldly. "What difference does it make if they take her away from you? It would probably do the child wonders."
"Why would she think that? She is my precious daughter and I love her." said Hiashi.
Hanako asked sarcastically, "Do you want a list Hiashi?"
"Kaa-san the elders have been torturing her! My baby girl!" cried out Hiashi. "Hinata-chan stayed quiet because they threatened Hanabi-chan's life. The elder council and the medical staff have been horribly abusing my little girl and I didn't even know it! The Hokage's personal Doctor said he'd seen prisoners of war that weren't as injured as Hinata-chan. My poor angel has been suffering horribly and I don't know what to do."
Hanako was shocked. Hinata-chan hadn't seen her recently but given it was her final year at the Academy she figured her granddaughter was simply too busy. Closing her eyes for a moment Hanako said. "Start from the beginning Hiashi and leave nothing out. I want the full truth from you."
Hiashi spoke to his Mother for hours telling her about Himawari's death and the horrid things that Hinata had to endure. He basically laid his soul out to bare. Hanako listened quietly and asked questions when appropriate. Finally, Hanako said, "The answer is obvious Hiashi. Both Himawari and Hinata-chan hated the caged bird seal with a passion and wanted to abolish it. They were a serious threat to the status quo and the elders wanted to eliminate them. The medical staff probably was coerced into helping."
"Why didn't Hinata-chan come to me though?" asked Hiashi. "I'm her Father for god's sake."
Hanako shook her head. "It's probably because she thinks you hate her and would punish her even more. Given your cold attitude towards her it's no big mystery. She might have thought you authorized the torture sessions yourself."
"But I would never-" started Hiashi.
"Given the way you've treated her like a hated stepchild for years do you really think Hinata-chan would believe your words Hiashi?" asked Hanako. "You've done an awful job of raising my granddaughters and the clan has only made it worse. I wish I could fix this for Hinata-chan's sake, but it may be too late."
"But I love my daughters dearly…" said Hiashi with a broken look on his face.
"It's in the Hokage's hands now." said Hanako. "All you can do is testify that you'll change your ways when you plead your case to him."
Hiashi just nodded sadly…losing his brother and then his wife nearly broke him. If he lost his daughters too, he didn't know if he would be able to keep living…
…
Yamanaka Flower Shop
Maya and Naruto were looking for flowers after they dropped Aya off at home. Normally Naruto wouldn't have been seen dead in such a place but he was determined to make Hinata-chan happy and he knew she loved flower pressing. Ino was talking to Maya at the counter. "So Hinata has been in the hospital all this time? Why didn't you tell everyone?" asked Ino.
"We were ordered not to at the time." explained Maya seriously. "We are still under orders not to tell why she is in the Hospital. You don't need to be spreading it around either unless you want to end up like Ami."
Ino blanched as she remembered Ami being hauled off on a stretcher earlier that day looking more dead than alive. "I-I won't tell a soul!" she quickly blurted out.
"Good." said Maya with a smile. "I'd hate to have to mess you up Ino. You're a generally nice person even if you have awful taste in men."
"Sasuke-kun is not awful! He is handsome, smart and dreamy." defended Ino.
"He also treats you like pond scum." chimed in Naruto. "You and his other fan girls must be gluttons for punishment with the way he treats all of you."
"Who are you to talk Naruto?" asked Ino. "You're a midget and a troublemaker and you hurt Sasuke-kun badly earlier today. I won't forgive you!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Not that I'm asking for your forgiveness, but you might recall he challenged me to a spar. Training accidents happen all the time; he'll live."
"Well, I'm going to visit Sasuke-kun after work and console him. You should come with me Maya." said the Yamanaka heiress.
"No thanks." said Maya. "The Uchiha might get the impression I actually give a damn. Besides, I hate to break it to you Ino but the only person Sasuke will ever have sex with is his ego."
"That's just cruel Maya. He just needs the right girl to sooth his troubled soul." said Ino as she rang up the bouquet.
"Believe what you want Ino." said the Natsume heiress. "Thanks for the flowers."
Ino nodded, "No problem. Please tell Hinata I hope she's okay."
"We'll do that." said Naruto. "Later Ino."
As the pair exited the shop Ino thought to herself, 'What is it Maya and Hinata see in Naruto? Is there more to him than being the troublemaking dead last? Sasuke-kun is so much better. Oh well, less competition for Sasuke-kun's heart!'
…
Konoha Hospital, Secured Ward
As ANBU Cat led the two kids in Naruto noticed the security seals had an extra failsafe on them and chuckled. He could easily bypass that too. "You know; if you kids had just shown a little patience and restraint; I would have been able to bring you in without all the drama of your attempted break ins." said Cat.
Naruto grinned mischievously. "It's okay Cat nee-chan; we didn't want you ANBU to be bored so Maya-chan and I thought visiting late at night would liven things up a bit." Cat just sweat-dropped.
Knocking on Hinata's door Cat said, "May we enter Hinata-san?"
Hinata's voice echoed from within. "Yes, feel free to enter."
The door opened and Hinata saw her friends and said joyfully, "Naruto-kun; Maya-chan! I'm so happy to see you!"
Naruto brought in the bouquet. "Here Hinata-chan; these are from Maya-chan, Iruka-sensei and I. I'm so glad to see you're doing better. We've been worried sick about you."
Hinata smiled and smelled the flowers before she the bouquet down. "It's been rough, but I'm all healed now thanks to Doctor Akira and his staff."
Maya gently hugged her friend. "We've missed you so much Hinata-chan; seeing you smiling like this puts my heart at ease." That's when Maya saw Hanabi's head poked up over the edge of the bed just enough that her byakagan eyes were showing. "Well, who might this little one be?" asked Maya with a smile.
Hinata looked and saw her little sister was being shy. "Come out here Hanabi and make your introductions. This is Uzumaki Naruto-kun and Natsume Maya-chan. They are my dearest friends and they made sure I got to the hospital safely when I was hurt."
Hanabi stepped out and bowed formally. "I'm Hyūga Hanabi. It is nice to meet you both. Thank you for helping my nee-chan. I was very worried for her." She looked at Hinata who smiled and nodded approvingly at her introduction.
"So, you're Hinata-chan's little sister I heard so much about." sad Maya happily. "I'm glad to meet you at last. You're even cuter than I imagined."
Naruto smiled. "I can see you're going to be pretty like your nee-chan, Hanabi-chan. How old are you?"
"I'm seven." said Hanabi still a little shy. "You're the two I've seen in pictures in nee-chan's room."
Hinata gathered her sister up and pulled Hanabi onto the bed with her. "Please pull up a chair and sit so we can talk." said Hinata hugging Hanabi lightly. They mainly talked about school until Hanabi dozed off in her sister's warmth. After that the conversation got much more serious…
…
Naruto was totally enraged but kept his voice low so they wouldn't wake up Hanabi. "They tortured you and then tried to poison you to death? I'll kill them all myself!"
Hinata shook her head. "That's not the answer Naruto-kun. The Hokage and his ANBU are scouring the Hyūga compound from top to bottom. Right now, Hanabi-chan and I are in protective custody because of the situation at the compound. Over half of the main branch members are already behind bars. The Hokage and Doctor Akira don't feel it's safe for Hanabi-chan and I to go home."
Maya said, "You and Hanabi-chan should come live with Aya and I. You obviously won't be safe with the Hyūga clan and there is plenty of room at my place."
Hinata lowered her head sadly. "Things are very up in the air at the moment. If we are taken away from my Father's custody I may have to consider your offer. I don't know how it will all work out legally though so we will have to wait a while longer."
"Do you want to go back to your Father Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto.
"Hanabi-chan does but I…after what I went through, I am numb." Hinata had a pained look on her face. "As ashamed as I am to say it a large part of me wants to damn the entire Hyūga clan and leave. I know it's cowardly-"
"It's not cowardly Hinata-chan." declared Maya with absolute conviction. "If you are willing to leave home to protect your baby sister then you are being brave Hinata-chan; not cowardly."
"Maya-chan is right." said Naruto. "Do you have any family that you can say truly loves you like they should?"
Hinata shed a tear and shook her head 'no.' "Except for Hanako obaa-chan I can't think of anybody. The Hyūga Compound is a place I live; it's not a home."
"It sounds more like a prison to me Hinata-chan." said Maya with a frown. "Whatever the Hokage decides and whatever you decide to do; remember that Naruto-kun and I will always stick by you."
Hinata nodded sadly as she received a gentle hug from both Maya and Naruto. She knew they would support her but why did everything have to be so hard?
A nurse knocked before she came in with Hinata and Hanabi's dinner. "It's already past seven kids." she said to Maya and Naruto. "You need to get home. You can come back and visit Hinata-sama tomorrow after class let's out."
Naruto was going to argue but Maya grabbed his arm and said, "Alright Hinata-chan. We'll see you and Hanabi-chan tomorrow. Be good and I hope things are resolved soon. Tell Hanabi-chan we said bye. Naruto-kun…?"
The orange wearing boy sighed. "I wish we could stay later but…anyway, we'll see you tomorrow, okay? –And don't worry, Hokage-Jiji will make this right even if I have to force him too!"
Hinata smiled and bid her friends goodbye. She woke up Hanabi and they had dinner together before they lay down for the night. Hanabi hugged her sister tightly. Hinata could tell she was crying. "What's wrong Hanabi-chan?" asked Hinata concerned.
"Did the elders really torture you and poison you that way Hinata nee-chan?" asked the teary-eyed younger sister.
Hinata gasped. "Hanabi, you…you heard all of that?" Hanabi nodded sadly. "I didn't want you to have to hear those ugly things Hanabi-chan." said Hinata forlornly.
Hanabi shook her head back and forth repeatedly. "You…you nearly gave your life to protect me nee-chan. Our clan is bad and Daddy did nothing to stop them! Why are you protecting them nee-chan?! I never want to see them ever again after what they did to you."
"But the bad ones are in jail Hanabi-chan." said Hinata.
"Daddy and all the others let it happen though! They're bad too! I love you nee-chan." said Hanabi as she hugged Hinata tightly and cried.
Hinata gently rocked her sister back and forth as she did her best to sooth Hanabi the way she remembered her Mother did with her…
…
The Natsume Clan Home
Maya dragged Naruto back to her house for dinner. She knew he had to calm down before he launched a full-scale prank assault on the Hyūga Compound. "Naruto-kun, calm down and eat. Let the Hokage do his job legally before you do something illegally."
Naruto pouted. "I'm just so frustrated Maya-chan. I want to break something…It's a shame Sasuke-chan isn't around to mop the floor with again…"
Maya grinned and Aya burst into a fit of giggles. "Rumor has it you beat up the Uchiha so bad that he's going to need surgery to fix his face." said the younger sister. "A lot of his fan girls are really upset."
Chuckling, Naruto said, "Well, I did send him to the hospital, but it wasn't that bad except for busting his kneecap. Bastard deserved it for being such a prick to Maya-chan…"
Aya raised an eyebrow. "The Uchiha's been bothering you nee-chan? Maybe he thinks you're pretty."
Maya shook her head. "No, Uchiha Sasuke is all about himself and his ego. He's been acting all high and mighty because 'He and I are both from noble houses' and has been insulting Naruto-kun. I was getting sick of it and Naruto-kun fed the Uchiha a knuckle sandwich like the proper gentleman he is."
"Nee-chan, you shouldn't confuse Naruto-kun with a proper gentleman. He might take serious offense." said Aya trying to keep a straight face and failing utterly.
"Aya-chaaan…" whined out Naruto as both sisters broke out into laughter. At least Naruto had calmed down…
POSTSCRIPT:
Okay, the fight with Sasuke wasn't spectacular but it did get the point across. Naruto fights mean and dirty. He's small and durable but he doesn't have a true style yet so he's using what he learned on the streets and from Anko (hard to tell which is a worse influence). I also wanted to show that Maya is a prodigy in her own right. It's another reason why Sasuke is attracted to her as he views her as worthy of his attention.
I plan to bring more interaction between the other classmates and Naruto (we saw a bit of Kiba and Ino in this chapter). I also intend to have some interactions with Sakura but because she isn't Naruto's sole focus of affection (more of an acquaintance really) I'm not sure how they are going to interact just yet.
The Hyuga clan is on the rocks still and it seems that neither Hinata nor Hanabi are too enthused about going back. How will this change the story dynamics? We shall see… See you next time. Blue out. 5/30/23
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