Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Kage Bushins can be useful ❯ Having Fun ( Chapter 4 )

Having Fun

 

 

 

Back in the main room Naruto was BORED! Luckily for him Neji noticed and moved toward his leader and friend.

 

Stopping before Naruto and Hinata Neji said “Hokage-sama, would you like to take a tour of the Hyuuga training grounds? The cadets are training at this moment and you could observe them while they go through their basic drills”.

 

At this point if Neji had asked Naruto if he had wanted to see the Hyuuga's compost pile Naruto would have said “Thank you, Kami!” and ran from the room.

 

So Naruto just grinned and said “Yes, as Hokage I should know what kind of ninjas I have at my disposal”.

 

Naruto kissed Hinata on the cheek and then left with Neji.

 

As soon as they were outside and out of earshot Naruto groaned a sigh of relief and said “Thanks Neji, no offence but I needed to get out of there”.

 

Neji smirked and said “None taken, Naruto-dono”.

 

Naruto rolled his eyes and said “Neji, we're alone. There no reason for you to use that term now”.

 

While they still walked toward the training grounds Neji replied “I am honored to be able to call you my friend but you are still the Hokage and as such I can call you nothing less”.

 

Naruto knew that even though Neji had changed a lot since the Chuunin exams some things would never change.

 

Naruto and Neji arrived at the Hyuuga's main training ground which was a large open field which had a number of padded wooden posts in a line at the far end. At the end closer to Naruto and Neji were a similar line of wooden posts but these weren't padded and some of them looked shredded. In the middle of the field there were approximately twenty cadets between the ages of ten and thirteen being led by an Instructor through the basic kata forms any taijutsu class would perform. Naruto may be the Hokage and married to Hinata but clan secrets were `clan' secrets and the special areas for teaching those moves were still closed to him. Now these cadets were in training to be used mainly as a security force within the Hyuuga compound. While some of them would attend the Konoha Ninja Academy and become part of the main ninja forces of Konoha, the vast majority would stay within the compound handling internal affairs. These internal affairs could cover any thing from protection from assassination attempts to petty theft, trespassing and even enforcing clan law. These internal squads were holdovers from the Clan Wars before the Hidden Villages were founded. Most major clans still maintained these squads and they were usually kept separate from the main ninja forces unless there was an emergency like a war or a Bijuu attack and then these squads came under the command of the Hokage.

 

Moving amongst the cadets the Instructor was observing their forms, correcting each individual as necessary. When the Instructor noticed Neji and Naruto standing along the sidelines in front of the viewing stands he immediately called the class to attention.

 

Moving swiftly he stopped in front of the pair and bowing first to Naruto saying “Welcome, Hokage-sama”.

 

The class of cadets behind the Instructor stayed in formation but also bowed in perfect synch with their Instructor.

 

Then the Instructor turned to Neji and also bowed saying “Welcome, Neji-sama” with the cadets still in perfect synch.

 

Neji smiled and said “Thank you, Shigekazu. We are sorry to interrupt the class but I wanted to show Hokage-sama our latest group of cadets”.

 

Kita Shigekazu filling with pride said “We are honored to have Hokage-sama's presence on our field. Would Hokage-sama care to review the men?”

 

Naruto smiled and said “I would be honored” and proceeded to walk amongst the `men' taking note of the crisp white uniforms and straight backs.

 

As he was walking between the cadets Naruto thought to himself “Man, I am glad I am NOT a Hyuuga”.

 

After Naruto had completed his `inspection of the troops' he moved back to the front and turned to look at the group of cadets.

 

And even though the `men' stood as a straight as boards and looked straight ahead, he could see curiosity and wonder in some eyes and said “Hey, why don't we all relax. Why don't you guys just sit down and then I will answer any questions you may have”.

 

At first the cadets couldn't believe their ears and didn't know what to do so they looked from their instructor, next to Neji and then back to their instructor who finally smiled and just nodded. The cadets immediately sat down with legs crossed and soon the air was filled with hands.

Naruto pointed to the closest boy in the front and said “You, there”.

 

The young man shot up straight, bowed and said “Hyuuga Takai, Hokage-sama. I've heard tell you are the only non-Hyuuga to fight a Hyuuga in close hand to hand combat and win and that you even withstood the Divine 64 Hands of Hakke, is that true?”

 

Naruto smiled thinking back to that Chuunin exam battle between Neji and him and answered “Yes and my opponent that day was none other than Neji-dono. But even though I won I was still sore two days later”.

 

The small group chuckled and then the hands were back in the air. Naruto picked on a boy in the middle row next.

 

The youth shot up straight, bowed and then said “Hyuuga Seiichi, Hokage-sama. Is it true that you can make a thousand Kage Bushins at one time?”

 

Naruto looked pensive as he replied, “A thousand? Eh, I don't know. That numbers seems quite high.”

 

And then making the familiar hand signs he said “Why don't you count them”.

 

At that moment the entire field and the viewing stand were covered with Narutos. The cadets all stood up one by one, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

 

After a few moments Naruto dismissed the clones and asked “Any more questions?”

 

The question and answer session had continued for a few more minutes with most questions about the Akatsuki and Pein when Naruto noticed one boy who seemed to be more agitated then the rest. Both Neji and Shigekazu took notice of Naruto noticing the boy and thought in unison “Please, not him”.

 

However Naruto did pick the young man and the thirteen-year-old shot up and said “Hyuuga Yukio, Hokage-sama”.

 

Then the boy immediately dropped to his knees, sat on his haunches, placed the forehead firmly on the ground with both hands flat on the ground near his head and said “Forgive me Hokage-sama if my request is too bold but could you grace us with an example of your taijutsu?”

 

Shigekazu, embarrassed, said through clenched teeth “Not now, Yukio”

 

Yukio turned toward his sensei, still in the same position, and said “But sensei, you have always said that the best way to become a better fighter was to fighter better opponents”.

 

Naruto looked over at Neji, who was holding the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, and said “He seems a lot like your old teammate”.

 

Neji removed his hand, took a deep breath and said “Yes, I know. That's why whenever Lee-san or Guy-sensei visits I make sure they do not meet him”.

 

Naruto turned back to the group of cadets and said “Sure, why not. Studying something is not the same as experiencing it first hand”.

 

Everyone present was soon staring at Naruto, eyes wide and mouths gaping. Neji recovered first and began saying “But Hokage-sama…” but Naruto interrupted him saying “Don't worry; I won't fight myself, besides Hinata would kill me if I ruined this kimono”.

 

At that point Naruto made twenty clones so that each cadet would have a chance to spar. When Neji saw this he said “Okay, but here are the rules. Taijutsu only against the Gentle Fist and each spar will last only 5 minutes. The cadet's goal is to dispel the clone. The combatants must stay within a twenty-five foot circle Shigekazu will draw.” “The first person who steps outside the circle loses.”

 

Then Neji looked straight at Naruto and said “NO enhancements, Hokage-sama”. Naruto, looking confused, said “I wasn't going to use the fox's chakra”. Neji still looking at Naruto said “I was speaking of Sage Mode”. Naruto, feeling embarrassed, just grinned and said “Oh”.

 

Soon Shigekazu had prepared the designated fighting area and Neji had escorted Naruto to the viewing stands.

 

As Shigekazu was selecting the first cadet to spar, Neji casually said “I believe we have the finest group of cadets we have seen in a while.” “I would even say that these cadets would have been better than your graduating class at the academy”.

 

Now Naruto could tell the beginning of a con game when he heard one but he decided to play along.

 

“I don't know about that, we fought some pretty powerful opponents during our rookie year” replied Naruto.

 

“Forgive me, Naruto-dono but under the current rules I believe my students can even handle your clones” Neji said.

 

“If you are that sure” Naruto replied “then why don't we have a little wager on the outcome?”

 

Now that the con was out in the open Naruto said “I bet you 50 ryu that not one of my clones will be destroyed”.

 

“Out of the whole class only one cadet has to win?” asked Neji.

 

Naruto nodded and Neji smirked saying “You On”.

 

While the clone was putting on a tasuki to hold back the sleeves of the kimono Shigekazu was telling the first cadet “Don't worry about holding back.” “This is only a clone not the real Hokage” “Your goal is to destroy it” “Do your best.”

 

The cadet bowed to his sensei and got into the standard Hyuuga defense position.

 

Shigekazu raised his hand while watching both opponents and suddenly dropped it yelling “Begin”.

 

The first few matches went as expected, cadets rushing in without assessing their opponents and missing with their attacks. The clones for the most part were just blocking with forearms and knees remembering to keep their opponent's palms pointed away. It was the classic case of youth versus experience. Most of the cadets were telegraphing their moves and the clones would even allow the cadets to finished setting up their taijutsu traps before deflecting the `winning blow'. Naruto was feeling pretty smug at this point. He had to admit though that many of the boys showed a lot of promise and would make good shinobis but they weren't going win this contest. Neji for his part just sat there showing no signs of worry and watched the matches. The matches were down to the last five when a young boy of about ten years stood up for his match. This was the only time Naruto noticed a change in Neji's demeanor, Neji gave a small smile. The match started out pretty straight forward, the boy throwing out kick and punches but wasn't as aggressive as the other boys. Naruto thought this was a little odd until he realized the kid was testing the clone, actually feeling out his opponent.

 

Neji noticed Naruto's interest and “I thought you might like this one”.

 

The clone noticed that the boy was herding it towards the edge of the circle but decided to play along to see what kind of trap would develop. As soon as the clone was about a foot from the edge of the circle the boy made his move. First he struck out at the clone's right side with his left hand. The clone immediately grabbed it at the wrist keeping the palms down. Then the boy struck out at the clone's left side with his right hand. Again the clone immediately grabbed this one at the wrist keeping the palms down.

 

For a second the clone thought “Fast, but not fast enough”.

 

At this point the boy dropped to his knees and sat on his haunches. The clone, not wanting to let go of the cadet's wrists lest the boy strike at his feet, held on to the wrists and leaned forward to compensate. What happened next caught the Naruto by surprise. As the clone leaned forward the part of the sleeves of his kimono hanging below the tasuki was grabbed by the boy. The cadet, using the sleeves for support, sprung from the ground and planted both feet into the chest of the clone expelling chakra from the soles of his feet. The clone immediately vanished dropping the boy to the ground flat on his back but the boy didn't care because he had won. Naruto was shocked at first and then, impressed with the boy's ingenuity, he started laughing and clapping.

 

Neji glanced over at Naruto and said “I thought you might be impressed with that one.” “His name is Hyuuga Kisho and he has a way of adapting his fighting style to suit his opponent, like someone I know.” “I have high hopes for that one.” “I am going to enroll him at the Academy and let him join the Konoha ninja forces so he can fight other and learn how to adapt the Hyuuga fighting style to cover any weaknesses.” “Then after a suitable time I want him back to be a sensei to a new generation of Hyuugas.”

 

The last four matches were uneventful as the clones had learned their lesson and were more wary.

 

At the end of the matches Neji signaled to Shigekazu and the instructor immediately approached him.

 

Shigekazu bowed and said “Yes, Neji-sama. What is your wish?”

 

Neji replied “All the cadets did as well as I expected”

 

Shigekazu bowed again saying “Thank you Neji-sama.”

 

Then Neji asked “Could you please have Kisho come over here? Hokage-sama would like to speak with him.”

 

Looking a little surprised Shigekazu hesitated a little and bowing said “Hai”.

 

Naruto watched as Shigekazu walked towards Kisho and spoke to him. Naruto could see the boy's eyes widen then, bowing to his sensei, Kisho raced towards Neji and Naruto.

 

Upon arrival Kisho bowed to Naruto saying “Hyuuga Kisho, reporting as ordered, Hokage-sama.”

 

Naruto chuckled and said “Relax Kisho, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to say that was a pretty nice move you did to win the match.” “What made you decide to try it?”

 

Kisho stood up straight and said “While Hokage-sama's clones were fighting the other cadets I noticed that Hokage-sama was taking care to not hurt anyone.” “I also noticed that Hokage-sama was allowing us to set up our traps even though some of the traps would have been obvious to a first year cadet”. “So I decided to take advantage of the fact that Hokage-sama would not let me get hurt.” “However if Hokage-sama were to release me, all I had to do was force Hokage-sama back one step and Hokage-sama would have been out of bounds.”

 

Now Naruto thought “I also could have rose up on my toes and leaped over you” but he said “Very good, I like my ninjas to be able to adapt to a given situation.”

 

Neji said “Thank you, Kisho. You're dismissed.”

 

Kisho bowed and returned to his companions where he was immediately surrounded and bombarded with questions.

 

Naruto smiled, turned to Neji and handed him a small pouch with Neji winnings in it saying “Not bad, not bad at all.”

 

When he noticed that he compound's lights were already on, Naruto said “Well, we might as well return to the party before Hinata and Tenten get upset.”

 

Neji nodded thinking an upset Tenten he could handle but an upset `pregnant' Tenten was something entirely different.

 

When Neji and Naruto returned to the Main room they found Hinata and Tenten talking with Hanabi.

 

As they came closer Naruto heard Tenten say “... and don't let Konohamaru take you for granted. Make him take you to a fancy restaurant this time.”

 

When Hinata noticed Neji and Naruto she turned towards them and said “Good, you're back.” “It's getting late and it's passed the children's bedtime.”

 

Naruto grinned and said “Yeah, sorry but we got so involved watching the cadets spar that I lost track of time”.

 

Turning towards Neji, Hinata said “Neji” and then looking at Tenten, she said “Tenten, we had a lovely time but its time to get the children into bed.”

 

Tenten nodded and said “Yes, Akina should be in bed also.”

 

Hinata turned to Hanabi saying “Again, the ceremony was perfect.”

 

Hanabi replied “Thank you, sister”

 

With that said Naruto and Hinata bade a goodnight and went to the children's area to get Mine and Kiyoshi. When they entered the room Hinata noticed the attendant sitting in a chair reading a story while the children lay on their mats listening. Mine, Akina, Chika, Hana and Kiyoshi had all fallen asleep while listening to the story. Hinata and Naruto silently picked up their children and nodding to the attendant quietly left the room. As they were heading towards the main entrance Hinata was hoping to see her father before they left however Hiashi found them first.

 

Coming up behind them, with hands clasped behind his back, Hiashi said “Ah, I see it time to go.”

 

Hinata, turning around replied “Yes, father. The children are tired and I was looking for you to say goodbye.”

 

“Will the children be accompanying you on your visit this Saturday?” Hiashi asked.

 

When Hinata replied “Yes, they will”, Hiashi said “Good”.

 

Then after looking at Hinata and her family for a few seconds Hiashi said “You have done well, my daughter. I am very pleased”.

 

Hinata smiled and then as a tear glistened in her eye she walked to her father, kissed him on the cheek and softly said “Thank you, thank you very much”.

 

Hiashi gave a small smile, nodded towards Naruto then turned and walked away.

 

After leaving the Hyuuga compound gates Naruto didn't summon any clones. At a time like this it was nice to just carry the children home while they slept in their parent's arms. With the Anbu patrolling the Village and keeping a special eye for the Hokage, he felt it safe to just relax and enjoy his family. Besides in the ninja world night time was actually safer than day time because in the day time there were more people on the street. An assassin could simply blend in with the civilians making it easier to get close to the target and after the attack the assassin could again blend in with the crowd to escape. Even if the assassin was identified he could, during the ensuing battle, use the civilians as hostages or diversions. In the night time there were very few if any people on the streets. The night time shadows don't offer that much cover to the trained ninja's eyes. So the assassin would have to cover the open space between his concealment and the target very quickly which would give the target a chance to react.

 

When they reached their gate Naruto released the seal on the gate and opened it for Hinata. After resealing the gate the two patrolling clones appeared before him, he then dismissed them and created two more with fresh chakra reserves to handle the night patrols. He and Hinata took the kids into the children's bedroom and dressed them in their bed clothes. As Hinata was dressing Mine the little girl awoke in a drowsy state. Hinata asked her if she had fun tonight and Mine just nodded.

 

Hinata then asked if she enjoyed all the different foods at the party and Mine again just nodded but as Hinata was tucking Mine into her futon Mine mumbled, “But yours taste better”.

 

Hinata smiled and then leaned down and kissed Mine's forehead and said, “Goodnight baby”. Then Naruto and Hinata left the children's bedroom and headed for the Living room where Naruto plopped down on the couch and Hinata snuggled up next to him. Then Naruto proceeded to tell Hinata about the clone and everything that happened while Mine and Kiyoshi were in the children's area at the Hyuuga estates.

 

After a few minutes unwinding, Hinata quietly asked Naruto, “Now the party wasn't that bad, was it?”

 

Naruto had to admit to himself that the beginning was boring but after awhile he really had a nice time, so he said, “Naw, not really. I actually enjoyed myself at the end”.

 

Hinata smiled and said, “Good, because I have a little surprise for you”.

 

Naruto's mind wandered to the promise Hinata had made earlier, smiled and asked “What is it?”

 

Hinata nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck and said, “Remember at the hospital today when I told you Sakura said I looked flush and shouldn't let the kids tire me out?”

 

Naruto was puzzled but just said “uh huh”.

 

“Well,” Hinata continued, “the reason I was flushed was not because of the kids. It's because I'm pregnant”.

 

Naruto took about five seconds before he realize what Hinata just said and suddenly sat up straight, looked at Hinata with his eyes wide opened and said “Pregnant??”

 

Hinata just smiled and nodded.

 

Naruto literally leaped off the couch and shouted “Yes!!”

 

Hinata, just as fast, leaped off the couch and covered Naruto's mouth saying “Shh, you'll wake the kids!”

 

But Naruto couldn't contain his joy so he just picked up Hinata in a bear hug and twirled her around the room. Hinata just started giggling and held on tight while Naruto expressed his enthusiasm.

 

He suddenly stopped, looked straight into Hinata's eyes and then slowly brought his lips towards her. Hinata met him half way there and when they kissed Hinata felt exactly the way she did when Naruto first kissed her. Her head felt light and her body felt as if her bones had faded away as she melted into his embrace. After a while they pulled away and just looked at each other with their foreheads touching.

 

Then Naruto softly said “I love you, Hinata-chan” and Hinata softly replied “I love you, Naruto-kun”.

 

A few moments later Hinata said “You know, you still have your other surprise waiting for you”.

 

Naruto grinned, but then grew concerned and said “Are you sure, Hinata? I mean, you know, with the baby and all.”

 

Hinata put on a small smile and said “That didn't stop us when I was pregnant with Mine or Kiyoshi, did it?”

 

Naruto just grinned, picked up Hinata bridal style and started heading for the bedroom.

 

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. Naruto set Hinata down and went to answer it. Outside one of the patrolling clones said there was an Anbu at the gate who needed to talk to the Hokage. Naruto instructed the clone to bring the Anbu while Naruto waited curiously by the door.

 

When the clone and the masked Anbu appeared, the Anbu knelt on one knee, bowed his head and said “Excuse me Hokage-sama but I must speak with you”.

 

Naruto, recognizing the voice and mask, allowed the Anbu to enter and told his clone to continue patrolling.

 

After Naruto closed the door the Anbu again apologized for interrupting and said “One of the Daimyos, who were to arrive tomorrow, appeared at the Village gate just now demanding entry and a meeting with you. We have already directed him and his entourage to the hotel where he has been assigned but he still insists on meeting with you tonight, Hokage-sama”.

 

Naruto had a sneaking suspicion which Daimyo it was but decided to ask the Anbu anyway.

 

The Anbu answered “His identity has been confirmed as `Lord Himura Kanaye'”.

 

Just the person Naruto thought it would be.

 

Lord Himura was the Daimyo of a small prefecture in the southern part of the Fire Country. The area's economy was based mostly on agriculture and a few hot springs. However Lord Himura wanted to expand his economy and thought that tourism would be the best way. He had an idea that if he could build a vacation resort for the rich and famous then his coffers would swell and bring him to the attention of the Daimyo of the Fire Country. To achieve this dream he wanted the financial help of the Hyuugas as he figured with their reputation attached to the project it would have to be a success. Now since the Hokage of the Hidden Village of the Leaf happens to be married to the eldest daughter of the (former) Head of the clan, it would behoove Lord Himura to lobby the Hokage to present his request to the Hyuugas. Lord Himura had sent many messages to Naruto explaining about how this project was good for the Fire Country as a whole because people from all the other Elemental countries would flock there to enjoy the exquisite views and relaxing baths.

 

Now Naruto didn't really know if the project was a good idea or a bad one nor did he really care. What really bugged him was the subtle bribe that was offered; Lord Himura would always state that as his prefectures coffers grew there would be more money for higher rank missions that he would direct towards Konoha. Now this irked Naruto to no end but since Lord Himura was a Daimyo (albeit a lower one) Naruto couldn't act on such a petty offence. Although frowned upon in public, a small number of business deals were accomplished in such underhanded ways and probably more than Naruto would have liked. So Naruto told the Anbu to inform Lord Himura that he would meet Himura in his office in 20 minutes. The Anbu nodded and then was escorted to the front gate by one of the patrolling clones.

 

As Naruto turned towards Hinata he could see the sad look on her face as she said, “Naruto-kun, you can't leave now. It's your day off and…”

 

Naruto silenced her with his index finger pressed lightly to her lips and quietly said “Shh...”

 

Then Naruto made his famous hand signs and a Kage Bushin appeared. He instructed the Kage Bushin to go to the Tower and meet Lord Himura, let the Lord ramble on as much as he wanted and then tell the Lord the he would have petition the Hyuugas personally. After the clone had left Naruto noticed that Hinata had a smile on her face and then suddenly a blush appeared as if she just had a sudden thought.

 

“Naruto-kun” Hinata said, with the slight tinge of blush growing on her cheeks, her hands together with her index fingers wrestling each other.

 

Naruto looked at her with a slight look of surprise as he had not seen her like this in a long time. He answered, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

 

She seemed to look about and then said “Could you.., Could you...” and then leaned closer and whispered something into his ear.

 

Naruto's eyes widen at first and then he smirked as she finished speaking. As Hinata pulled back, her face was as bright as a tomato but her eyes looked apprehensive. Naruto did as she requested and the familiar smoke appeared. As the three of them turned the corner into the hallway leading towards the bedroom Naruto thought he saw Hinata silently clapping to herself. The only thought that came to his mind was an old saying his sensei always said.

 

Jiraiya would say “Naruto, be careful. It always the quiet ones”