Chapter Three
It was a nice, breezy day for the hidden leaf. It was also quiet. Early in the morning, it was as if the entire village was unable to make noise. And although it was a peaceful, quiet, relaxing day for the village and villagers, that wasn’t the case for team seven. All week they have been doing D-rank missions. Such as; clean the park, get groceries for an elderly woman, babysitting, cleaning the park up again. It was boring, and to make matters worse, training was just as bad. Kakashi wasn’t teaching them anything. He was taking a bigger interest in Sasuke than the other three.
Of course, it didn’t matter to Naruto, he was being trained by Hiashi and also training himself. But it bothered him because Shikamaru and Sakura haven’t been able to train. So whenever Naruto could, he’d sneak out of the Hyuga estate and meet with the two and teach them everything he’d learn, and by them, it was mainly Sakura, because Shikamaru seemed to master the small things already. The only thing Naruto could help teach Sakura, chakra wise, was tree walking.
He’d tried to teach water walking but he never seemed to get enough chakra control to do it, although, Sakura was able to. The time they spent together training brought these three together. Of course, Sakura wasn’t letting the ‘Naruto bashing’ stop anytime soon. Anytime he’d mess up, she’d criticize him. But she also always seemed to thank and hug him when he taught her something new.
But training wasn’t the issue right now. Oh no, it was the mission they were on currently that was the issue. A cat had gotten lose and guess which team was lucky enough to get that mission? Yup, team seven was currently chasing down the feline. Naruto shouted as he was lying on the ground covered in dirt. He had gone to jump and grab the cat but the damn thing was fast.
“Naruto you baka you let it get away!” Sakura shouted as she, Shikamaru, and Sasuke ran up to the blond.
“At least I’m attempting to get that thing.” Naruto huffed out before the four ran after it. After a long chase of knocking things down, the team managed to corner the feline in an alley. Breathing heavily Shikamaru pointed to it.
“Well, go ahead Naruto, pleasure is all yours,” He told the blond as he, Sasuke and Sakura made sure to stay away from it. Naruto shrugged a little, not knowing why the others were keeping their distance from the cat.
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“Oh, baby snookums!” A woman shouted hugging the cat squeezing it tightly. She happily pays for the mission being complete before leaving the room. Naruto had his arms crossed with a large frown on his face. His face was covered in scratches as well as his arms, but thankfully, Kurama healed the ones on his arms. He didn’t heal the ones on his face due to not wanting the group of friends to see the rapid healing. Naruto was easily able to hide the healed scratches on his arm with his sleeves.
After being paid for their mission team seven would go on with their day. Shikamaru going to find somewhere to lay down and look up at the sky. Sakura went to help Ino with her flower store. Yes, they did compete against each other for Sasuke’s attention, they were still friends. Sasuke had gone with Kakashi to train. He was always training, and Naruto thought it was a little weird. And for our blond ninja, well he went back to the Hyuga clan house.
As the ninja stepped into the home he would see Hiashi sitting in a chair staring at the ninja. Naruto knew by the look Hiashi was giving him that he was in trouble. He contemplated on whether or not he wanted to be yelled at. “Naruto, it’s come to my attention that you’ve been sneaking out late at night the past week. Is this true?” Hiashi questioned with his hands folded, sitting in his lap.
“Yeah, what about it?” Naruto asked shrugging softly. The way he said it was polite, but Hiashi could tell that the blond was being disrespectful by his posture. Hiashi sighed softly standing up. He got close to the blond ninja.
“You are not to sneak out anymore. If I or any of the branch members report to me that you’ve sneaked out again you will be grounded and punished,”
Naruto scoffed at this and walked away from him. “You can’t do that! I’m sneaking out to train with my friends! Isn’t that the whole Hyuga motto?” Naruto questioned raising his voice a little. Hiashi’s eyebrows raised a little hearing the ninja raise his voice. “Train, train, train! All the Hyuga’s do is training. Yet, when I do it, I’m yelled at? You don’t punish Neji, or Hinata when they sneak out to train,” Naruto started before going silent, the realization hitting him. “You don’t yell at them because they’re actual Hyuga’s,” Naruto stated quietly and Hiashi furrowed his brows.
“Don’t you dare say that,” He warned going to place his hand on Naruto’s shoulder. But the energetic ninja was quick enough to step away from him.
“You don’t care that they sneak out to train, because they’re blood-born Hyuga’s. And I’m just some unwanted, unplanned byakugan user.” Naruto scoffed looking at the Hyuga with hopes that he’d say Naruto was wrong. But Hiashi said nothing, he only looked at the ground remaining silent. Tears began filling Naruto’s eyes before shoving past Hiashi and running out of the house and off of the Hyuga clan site. Hiashi took a deep breath shaking his head. Why did he not say anything? Maybe deep down he didn’t want Naruto there. Or he could just care more about Naruto than he does with the others. He does trust that Hinata and Neji know how to defend themselves against someone who is out for the byakugan. Could it be because he’s scared someone could find out Naruto’s heritage and who his father and mother were? Hiashi knows that if Minato’s enemies know of Naruto they would stop at nothing to kill him. He quickly shook these thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on finding Naruto first. And he decided to go to Iruka to see if he had any idea as to where the blond could have gone.
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His mind was a mess. Why did no one want him? “Am I really that much of a nuisance to people?” Naruto thought to himself as he raced across the rooftops of Konoha. He didn’t know where to go. He wasn’t going back to the Hyuga estate. He kept jumping from roof to roof before landing on his old apartment rooftop. He was out of breath after running as fast and long as he did. When he got to the roof, he fell to his knees, full-on sobbing.
“Kit, you know that he doesn’t hate you. Please, don’t cry,” Kurama spoke up and Naruto shivered a bit taking a deep ragged breath. His body was shaking slightly as he fought back tears.
“He thinks I’m a monster!” Naruto screamed in rage punching the rooftop until his knuckles were bleeding. “He doesn’t trust me because he thinks I’m a demon. Does he think like the other villagers?”
“No Kit!” Kurama’s voice boomed louder with anger. “You are not a demon, and you do not deserve death, so stop thinking like that! I am the demon, and you are the same energetic knucklehead ninja. Do not let anyone change you,” Kurama told the boy who looked at his bloody knuckle, letting the nine-tailed fox heal it. Naruto smiled softly closing his eyes. He knew the fox was right. Maybe Hiashi didn’t hate him, but why would he not trust him?
Naruto snapped out of his out thoughts as he could feel another presence with him. It wasn’t one he knew of. It wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t hostile either. Naruto slowly pulled out a kunai from his bag closing his eyes. Upon hearing a footstep getting closer to him, he spun around throwing the weapon. Before the young ninja stood a man pale skin, shaggy white hair, and six magatama designs tattooed on his collarbones to resemble a necklace. Although, his eyes were gone, replaced by empty eye sockets. He had caught the kunai as it was just inches from his face, but to the side so, even if he hadn’t caught it, it wouldn’t have hit the man.
Naruto gulped standing up staring at the man. As he took a step towards Naruto, the blond took a step back. The man gave a warm smile to the kid. “No need to be afraid Uzumaki Naruto. I am not here to lay harm upon you,” The man spoke kindly. Naruto didn’t really think he was here to hurt him though. The only reason he moved away from the stranger was due to his empty eye sockets. It scared the crap out of the genin.
“Naruto, use your Byakugan. You can easily block off his chakra points,” Kurama informed Naruto who smirked hearing that suggestion. After doing the hand signs, Naruto activated his byakugan. Without warning the blond charged at the white-haired stranger. As he went to hit the first chakra-point the man grabbed Naruto’s hand. He tilted his eye keeping his warm, creepy smile.
“Such pretty eyes you have,” The man softly told him. Naruto gulped softly trying to desperately pull his arm away. “I can make them so much prettier,” He whispered as his free hand covered the blond’s eyes.
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Hiashi and Iruka were both walking down the village streets. The first stop they made in their search for Naruto was Ichiraku Ramen. But shockingly he wasn’t there. So the two decided to make their way to his old apartment. They thought maybe he’d go there to just relax and calm down. But as they were walking they would hear a loud, painful scream. And by the look Iruka had, Hiashi knew who it was screaming. Naruto screamed was so loud, in fact, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the rest of team seven heard it.
Hiashi and Iruka were, however, the first ones to the roof, but soon joined by Kakashi who shunshined to them. The three were met with the sight of the strange man crouched next to Naruto with his hand over Naruto’s eyes. Upon seeing the three adults, the man stood up with smirk his eyelids closed. “I shall return for his eyes. Once he has mastered them, I shall return, and take them. Or I might take another Hyuga’s eyes.” The man spoke before disappearing into thin air. Hiashi was furious with himself, he shouldn’t have let Naruto leave. But right now he had to make sure Naruto was even okay.
The three adults rushed over as Naruto was crying holding his hands over his eyes. Kakashi was visibly concerned, which was something he usually never looks like. He slowly pulled the ninja’s hands down. “Naruto, open your eyes please,” Kakashi spoke softly as the three looked down at the boy. Naruto began to slowly open his eyes. Hiashi let a sigh of relief out as they saw both of his eyes were still there. And nothing looked to be wrong with them.
“Can you activate your Byakugan for us?” Iruka asked as the blond child sat up sniffling softly. He did the signs for the byakugan but as soon as he activated it, the pain came back and the three adults saw exactly what the stranger had done to him. Naruto’s byakugan wasn’t a solid blue anymore. It was glowing, but not continuously. It was glowing and stopping, before glowing and stopping again.
“Kit, do not deactivate your byakugan. You have to deal with the pain. It shouldn’t last long,” Kurama told his captor and Naruto began breathing heavily in relief as the pain began to subside.
“I-it’s starting to hurt less,” Naruto told the three as Hiashi activated his byakugan trying to see if he could see if anything was going on with his chakra. Naruto’s featureless blue Byakugan eyes began to gain white pupils filled with what resemble overlapping purple flower patterns. Naruto mumbled softly deactivating the new byakugan form, before passing out but was caught by Iruka.
“We need to get him to the Third,” Iruka told the other two as they stood up. Iruka holding the unconscious child.
“You take him to the Hokage. Kakashi and I will scan the village for that man. Make sure he isn’t still here,” Hiashi told Iruka who nodded before jumping down off the roof landing on another roof making his way to the Hokage tower. Hiashi looked towards the silver-haired jonin. “I’ll take the South end of the village, you scan the North end,” Hiashi said before the two split up planning on meeting in the center of the village.
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Naruto opened his eyes finding himself in his mind, in the sewer where Kurama was being held. As he sat up he could see Kurama’s eyes staring at him. “About time you came to visit me, kit. I was starting to think you forgot how to get here,” Kurama chuckled softly and Naruto stuck his tongue out at the fox.
“What am I doing here?” Naruto asked standing up rubbing his temple. It appeared the headache wasn’t gone just yet.
“You passed out, and I figured since you’re here. I can inform you on what happened to your eyes, and exactly who that man was. That is if you’d like to know,” Kurama spoke and Naruto instantly nodded shouting ‘yes’ jumping up and down begging for the fox to explain it to him. “Well, I suppose starting from the beginning could help a lot,” Kurama sighed having Naruto sit down since it might be a long story.
“I was created, long ago by a man of the name Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. He split the ten-tails chakra into nine separate bodies. But, my backstory isn’t important right now. The man who attacked you goes by Toneri Ōtsutsuki. The Ōtsutsuki-clan is an ancient clan of celestial beings. What Toneri did to you was something that none of the Ōtsutsuki-clan are allowed to do. Normally, they would take the eyes of a byakugan user, and implant them into their eye sockets and that would give them what they like to call, the Tenseigan.” Kurama informed the child whose eyes widened in shock kinda disgusted with picturing someone putting a different person’s eyes in their sockets. “But what Toneri did, it’s considered an act of rebellion in the Ōtsutsuki-clan. He imported his celestial chakra into your eyes to give you the Tenseigan.”
“Why? He was able to take my eyes, so why didn’t he?” Naruto questioned tilting his head.
“That is a question I don’t know the answer to. He could have done it so he could come back when you mastered it and take it from you, that way he doesn’t need to do the work, but he must not know that if your eyes are removed, the process for the Tenseigan must be restarted and the rate of success a second time is significantly low. That is all I know though. Get some rest kit. I will try to heal your headache. You should get some rest, because I may have heard you may have a new, better, mission soon,” Kurama told him and Naruto’s eyes lit up with excitement and nodded giggling softly. As he left his mind palace, Kurama chuckled a little rolling his eyes and lay his head down closing his eyes.