Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Raising the Curtain ❯ Byakugan ( Chapter 3 )

Raising the Curtain

By wiiTneSs

Beta'd by: Seraphina2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did...mwahahaha

 

Chapter Three. Byakugan

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They tumbled along the way, picking up dust until the momentum died down.

Seeing them play, Akamaru gave an excited bark and with one leap squashed Naruto down against his master. Akamaru had always enjoyed this master friend's presence in particular, and today they were playing together!

*****

Whoops.

Naruto carefully pushed off the big dog and got off of Kiba. Argh! What was I thinking! Naruto mentally screamed, pulling her hair. Well, she wasn't thinking.

“What the hell was that for?” Kiba got up dusting his clothes, a tint of red splayed across his face.

Oh crap. He's angry. “I…uh…I want to…want to spar! Sh-show you how manly I am!”

“Huh?” Kiba lifted an eyebrow. He grinned. “Oh. You want to test your skills against mine! You have gotten aggressive, Naruto. You could have just said so, “ Kiba paused, his thumb stroking his chin, “then again, a good ninja should always be ready for a surprise attack.” Kiba cracked his knuckles. “Alright, I see that you have become smarter. Good. I've been wondering how strong you have gotten.”

He did not know. Kiba wasn't questioning her and he didn't go ballistic on her. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing.

Then rest of his sentence processed. “Hey! Are you implying that I wasn't smart before?” Naruto scowled.

As both got into their respective fighting stances, a figure blurred into view between them.

“Inuzuka, Hinata-sama wishes to speak with you.” Neji nodded to Kiba before turning to Naruto. “Uzumaki. You may spar with me and show me how manly you are.”

Neji turned and walked away, expecting Naruto to follow.

Naruto cheeks flamed up like a ripe tomato. He heard! He probably thought she was a weirdo. Oh, her poor, non-existent reputation is dropping into the negatives!

Wait, how long has Neji been here? Shouldn't have been more than seven minutes, if he was here looking for Kiba.

And he sounded like it was a privilege to fight him.

Stuck-up jerk. Naruto stood her ground with her arms crossed, lower lips jutting out, and nose sticking up in the air.

When he didn't hear any footsteps behind him, Neji stopped. What he saw made his body feel foreign and with an amazing amount of control said the first thing that came to mind. “It is your destiny to lose to me, Uzumaki.” With that he proceeded to walk away.

“What?!”

Neji and his stupid destiny again. “Be prepared to get your ass kick!” Naruto stomped after him, sneaking a glance at Sasuke who was staring right… at her. Her eyesight was getting bad.

The great Uchiha Sasuke barely talked to her - How could he even spare this lowly demon container a glance, especially when she was the one who managed to foil his big important plan of revenge time and time again?

Still, Naruto felt a bit responsible for telling him she would spar with him today, even though he never agreed in the first place. He didn't refuse, either, she reminded herself, which was one of the main reasons why she never stopped engaging him. “Wait. I'm going tell Sasuke teme and the others.” Naruto made several kage bunshin to deliver the message.

*****

“How's Lee and Ten Ten?” Naruto watched as a pretty blue and black spotted butterfly landed on a cardinal flower. They were heading to the training ground on the south side of Konoha.

There are more than thirty training grounds in Konoha, nearly all varying in shape and size depending on the type of training a shinobi wants to undergo. Most genin and chuunin tend to go train on the north side of Konoha, where the training facilities provide access to tools for learning basic ninja arts such as training bags, training on stationary and moving targets, wooden dummy partner, etc.

On the southwest side, the facilities are far more complex and challenging. This is where the shinobi train on advanced ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and basic fuuinjutsu. Few ever master or even study fuuinjutsu (seal technique) due to the amount of time and concentration needed to ensure the utmost precision of each stroke, line, and squiggle of the seal. It is about learning a whole new language and more. Despite having the lowest population to study the seal techniques, fuuinjutsu has the highest mortality rate.

Then there are also training grounds that consist mainly of vast empty space for partner-partner, partner-partners, or partners-partners combats. Most of these grounds were located on the southern side of Konoha near the gulf of Fire Country. On special occasions, these combats attract great crowd of shinobi and civilians alike from all over the world. However, after many unintentional casualties, the great Nidaime erected barriers around protected seats arranged in a semicircle, allowing the audience to observe the fights without fearing for their lives.

“Lee is training with Gai-sensei. Ten Ten is still away on a mission.”

Busy feeding on the nectar, the butterfly did not notice the approaching green mantis.

****

BOOM! The tree was obliterated, its bits raining down.

BOOM! Another tree was pulverized. Traces of lightning and fire lingered.

“Damn, he's really into it today.” Suigetsu watched from his reclining position. “At this rate Konoha's going to become a desert.”

“You're just jealous Sasuke-kun is stronger than you.” Karin clasped her hands, not taking her eyes off their sexy leader, loving his tall, lean muscular frame, the way his red eyes were spinning so fast, and how his ebony locks framed his pale aristocratic face. She was so caught up in gluing her eyes to Sasuke she failed to notice a stray bark that rammed straight towards her face. Specks of blood flew.

“Ow!” Karin screeched.

“Hahahaha. Sounds like you said something wrong.”

“ Shut up, waterboy!” Karin swung her arm at Suigetsu but it might as well as be a newborn babe trying to pack a punch.

Juugo watched as another tree went down. Every downed tree was another jab to his heart. He should really have gone back to sparring, so he could divert Sasuke's attentions from other living life forms, but he was too exhausted to even lift his arm. He studied Karin and Suigetsu. They, too, seemed to need more time to rest.

Fifteen minutes later, in a whirlwind, their leader was before them.

“Sasuke-kun. Are you done? Want to go grab lunch?” Karin cooed, taking off her glasses and batting her eyelashes.

“No. We are more moving to a different training ground,” their leader gritted out. Exhaustion finally seemed to be getting to him. “We will train on something different today.”

Or maybe not.

*****

“Hinata-sama, Inuzuka Kiba requests your audience.” The Hyuuga branch maid bowed low.

Hinata nodded, whisking the tea. “Please, bring him in.”

“Yo, Hinata-chan. What's up?”

“Hi Kiba-kun.” The elegant Hyuuga heiress looked up from her tea ceremony training. “How can I help you?”

“Neji said you wanted to speak with me.” Seeing Hinata's confused face, Kiba had a sinking feeling.

*****

Naruto's blood burned with anticipation to fight the Hyuuga prodigy. The last and only time she fought with him was during the chunin exam when she was twelve years old, in her boy form, and that was a heck of a battle.

“You know,” Naruto watched the long, silky black hair with tints of brown that lightly swayed with each step Neji took, “it is known that the bloodline limit of the Hyuuga clan, Byakugan, is the strongest in all of Konoha. Even the famed Uchiha clans are said to be the descendants of the Hyuuga Clan.

“Byakugan users have a vision of nearly 360 degrees, have telescopic views, the ability to see through solid objects, and can see the chakra circulatory system.” In fact, they are so elite, the clan became suspicious and possessive, eventually dividing into the main family and the branch family. Those born into the branch family are forced to bear the cursed seal, forever serving the main family and protecting the secrets of the Hyuuga eyes. The division between the families had always been a touchy subject for Neji. Naruto didn't dare mention it out loud.

Neji did not stop walking but had a small upward tug on his lips. “You did your research.”

Naruto pouted but continue to follow Neji's lead. I'm not that clueless… he doesn't need to know that though. “Anyways, uh…Byakugan can see through solid objects.” It was not a question.

Naruto turned to walk backwards so as to continue watching the green mantis feast. “Does that mean…ah… you can s-see through people's clothes?” She finally said it. Oh, look! A bird is coming!

Neji chuckled, to Naruto's surprise. She could count with one hand the times she heard him laugh!

“You have gotten modest, Uzumaki. Age does wonders to people. To grow is to die. This is fate.”

Is that supposed to mean a yes or no?

Naruto caught to up Neji, trying to decipher his calm, stoic face to no avail.

As embarrassing as this was, she had to find out. If she didn't, the consequence of having her secret exposed would be a catastrophe to her future. The acknowledgement, acceptance and respect of the people, especially the people of Konoha, Naruto worked almost all eighteen years of her life to gain would all be for nothing.

Naruto's palms started to sweat, but she managed kept her face schooled in a happy expression as if totally fascinated with the shrubs they were passing by. It would have been better to stay home today or go somewhere far away from Konoha like she had been doing all along just anywhere where people wouldn't recognize who the nine-tailed demon jinchuuriki or who Naruto Uzumaki was. Oh, why did she do something so foolish today?

Baka Baka Baka Naruto, she berated herself. Baka Baka Baka Sasuke! Making my mind all muddled.

Naruto inhaled, it wasn't Sasuke's fault. She was simply delighted to see him alive and well, just like how she was filled with warmth and relief every time she saw Iruka, Tsunade, and Kakashi. It always soothed her nerves to personally see that Sasuke wasn't trying to bail out of Konoha for the purpose of hurting others. So before she could think, words were already tumbling from her mouth. Something that would never happen again, Naruto vowed.

The sudden shift in mood did not escape the ever observant Hyuuga Neji. The slight upward crease of the blonde's eyebrows and the unfocused sapphire eyes was all the indication he needed. It was very unsettling to see Naruto's distress, let alone to know that he was the one who caused it. Quickly, Neji sought to rectify this, “once Byakugan are activated, we cannot see things in color. Chakra, however, is an exception. Depending on the elemental type a particular being has or uses, the chakra color will reflect on that element.”

Naruto perked up.

Excellent. Neji continued, “This includes all living life forms. Even the very grasses we are stepping on have their own chakras flowing through them. Chakras are like energy centers of the body. Each chakra has a different job. We have at least seven major chakras and hundreds of minor ones. For advanced Byakugan, we may even see the chakras using chi to support the energy body and the physical body. The chi flows in an arranged path through the chakras. Disruption to this pathway causes disharmony and ultimately illnesses upon the life form.”

“We do not see what a normal eye would see.”

“But once you go back to your pupil-less eye, you see just like any other villager.”

Neji nodded. “They are not pupil-less, Uzumaki; it is merely in its relaxed state and its color happens to blend in with the sclera.” Neji stopped. “We are here.”

They were in a wide clearing, its borders defined by the surrounding trees which divided this ground from its neighboring training ground. At the entrance, a circular wooden sign had the number `20' elegantly engraved. A few persistent weeds dotted here and there on the soft reddish-brown soil.

Neji sunk into stance. “Byak-“

“Wait!” Hands on her hip, feet shoulder width apart, Naruto rotate her chest from left to right. “I need to stretch.” She touched her toes and stayed in position counting to 20.

Sensing no movement from Neji, Naruto looked up from her lunge.

Neji stood there patiently, his expression not betraying anything other than the usual cool, calm façade.

Naruto gave him his a grin. “Ehehe, almost done.” He did his arm stretches. “Ero- sennin,” Naruto lost his cheerfulness for a second, “always said if there's any opportunity to warm up before any exercise then do it. It helps to increase the heart rate and prevent muscle tear and muscle cramps. In the long run you will have a better endurance. It really does help. Before Ero-sennin…,” Naruto swallowed a lump. It was still heartbreaking to talk about Jiraiya, one of the few people in the world, who truly cared about him. “I didn't give it much thought, thinking it was a waste of time before I could get to the good stuff. I should've listened when he was still here.”

Neji had to strain his ear to hear the last part.

Just as quick, Naruto returned to his happy self and smiled at Neji, “You should do it, too.”

There it is again; the forced smile. Neji felt his gut twist, feeling utterly powerless to take Naruto's pain away. What could he do? He had never comforted anyone before.

After years of secretly watching over Hinata-sama under Hyuuga Hisashi's orders, Neji inevitably found out about Hinata-sama's hobby of stalking the loud-mouth blonde. Overtime, Neji began to understand a bit why his cousin fell so hard to the point of fainting at the sight of the number-one-knuckle-headed-at-surprising-people, Uzumaki Naruto.

It was indescribable, the first time Neji saw the loud mouth break down all alone in the forest screaming at the sky. The first time he witnessed the violence and hatred directed at the blonde whenever his sensei was not by his side. The first time when he saw the blonde trying to cut his own wrists, arms, and legs, only to be mysteriously healed seconds later. He later found out Naruto was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, the strongest of all beasts within the demon realm. The first time he saw a person training so hard other than Lee, that he would drop dead on the very spot and spend the night there. But that was not the most amazing part. The most amazing part was, Naruto never failed to smile the next day.

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A/N: Heh, there wasn't much action in this chapter so here's a bonus:

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Sai walks by Ichiraku, a dark gray cloud hung above his head.

Naruto sensing Sai turns and greets him, specks of soup splashed all over as Naruto slurped up the noodles.

Naruto: Hey, Sai, wazzup?....You okay?

Sai: *mutters* No curtain time…no inspiration…no models…my brush is rotting...

Lightning flash followed by a cackle of thunder.

Naruto looks uncertainly at Sai, feeling very sad for him.

Naruto: Err…I can be your model. I don't have a very good body though. Hehe.

Sunlight beams through the gray clouds.

Sai: *grabs Naruto's hands* You are the perfect model.

~Fifteen minutes later. ~

Sai: Give me a fierce expression.

Naruto: RAWR!

Sai: Yes, keep that cute face.