Hinata did not like Dog.
Her tutors had educated her on the most powerful and influential people in the village, this education allowed her to recognise the man under the ANBU mask.
Kakashi Hatake; son of the white fang student of The Fourth, wielder of the sharingan. A model shinobi.
She still didn't like him.
For a few horrible moments, she thought Naruko was dead. That the sun that had lit her path, that gave her strength and warmed her in her darkest moments had gone cold and the world lost what little light that was left in it.
Only for her anguish to be written off as a joke
She was so upset she wasn't even stuttering when she informed poor izuku of Kakashi's poor excuse for a joke.
She could understand that Naruko and Izuku had been reckless, but using the death of a comrade to teach that lesson when a scolding would suffice was… it was something her father would do.
"Hokage-sama."
She was so upset that she didn't even stutter when she greeted the commander and chief of her village. Maintaining a calm and poise that would make her etiquette tutors proud.
"Hinata-chan, Izuku-kun, Hidachi-chan. What brings you to my office this fine morning?" he said with a kind smile, though his gaze had been locked unto Naruko as soon as they had come through the door.
Hinata was not aware that the Hokage cared so greatly for Naruko but learning that he did warmed her heart.
The more people that saw Naruko for who she was the better.
"The gremlin made a new jutsu." Hatake said casually insulting Izuku-kun, stoking Hinata's ire.
"I see." The Hokage said, watching izuku carefully. The red eyed boy deflated under his stare.
"Dog report." Lord third ordered
"The client made an altered variant of the bunshin with the goal of reducing the chakra control requirement and increasing the chakra cost to allow Naruko to cast said jutsu." Kakashi spoke as ordered, his tone slow and methodical.
"He succeeded." he finished his report.
Izuku snapped his head up to Kakashi's mask-clad face in shock. Hinata's heart went out to him, he was so worried for Naruko he couldn't process the fact that the jutsu clearly succeeded—even if there were some unintended side effects.
"It was a clone variant that requires active control at all times." Kakashi continued
"Hmm, purely neutral in chakra makeup?" lord third asked
"Yes."
"Impressive, but not groundbreaking." the Hokage concluded.
"It was a perfect physical copy. Kekkei Genkai included."
The Hokage's face changed at that, gaining an intensity and, dare she say, excitement at what he was hearing.
"With real time feedback?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
Kakashi went through the 88 hand signs in what seemed like a blur to everyone else present.
88 hand seals were performed in less than twenty seconds.
The Hokage did them in less than ten.
A puff of smoke followed a copy of lord third appearing standing across from him.
He took a moment to close his eyes and with both their eyes closed the clone walked around the room for a few moments before opening its eyes and vanishing in a lightning fast Sunshin.
Leaving the room in silence and the children wondering what was happening.
Then a few seconds later the Hokage speaks up.
"Even with my control I could only sustain a range of three hundred and fifty metres. The durability of the clone is based on how well the chakra is molded. An advanced skill that most ninja do not possess, but aside from the range the clones may travel beyond the caster, it does indeed have a low requirement for chakra control." The Hokage stated, analysing the jutsu in moments
"Well done, Izuku-kun." lord fourth concluded with a proud smile.
"Thank you Hokage-sama but I cannot accept your praise, I was reckless." Izuku said, head bowed in apology.
"Did you force Naruko to cast the Jutsu?" lord Third asked, reaching into his robe and pulling out his pipe.
"No but-"
"Then you are at the very least not solely to blame."
"I should have asked for Dog's help." Izuku insisted, determined to take sole blame, most likely to absolve Naruko of any, an action made Hinata budding admiration for him—the boy who had the courage to do what she couldn't and reach out to Naruko to offer friendship and when the time came, forgive her for her transgression against him and accept her into that friendship—to swell even further.
Izuku was truly one of a kind.
"Indeed, but then again Dog has not made himself available for such things now has he?" the Hokage rebutted Izuku's attempt at martyrdom.
"An oversight I intend to correct hokage-sama." Hatake interrupted to cover his failures
"See that you do." lord third, opined taking a drag of his pipe,
"Now, I believe Naruko-chan has spent enough time asleep, don't you?"
Kakashi nodded and placed a hand on Naruko's head where she lay in his arms. Hinata's Byakugan was activated immediately. Logically she knew that he could do nothing to hurt Naruko with the Hokage present, but after such a deception, she was taking no chances.
Under the byakugan her already perfect vision expanded into a 360⁰ view of all that surrounded her in a radius of one kilometre. But she ignored all the other happenings in her vision and focused on the actions of the ANBU in front of her. His chakra flared and flowed into Naruko's body, where it dispelled a chakra construct that floated around her head in her chakra network.
A genjutsu? When? She hadn't even seen him cast it, his sharingan wasn't even out!
Kakashi turned to her and gave her a smile that crinkled his eyes and shifted his beauty mark.
The nerve.
She looked away and deactivated her blood line just as Naruko jumped awake.
"Who?! What?! Where?!" Naruko yelled as she jumped awake, unable to do anything silently, not even waking up.
Hinata thought it was adorable.
"Hello Naruko-chan, how do you feel?" The Hokage questioned her from his chair as Naruko scrambled out of Kakashi's arms and latched onto Izuku, who latched right back relief written across his face. Hinata ignored a brief flare of jealousy at their closeness. That could have been her if she was brave enough to reach out, but she didn't, now she could only watch on.
"Jiji? What the hell happened? Last thing I remember was testing out Izuku's ultra cool jutsu then everything went all double…" Naruko said and Izuku tensed in her arms, guilt spreading across his face.
"The jutsu Izuku-kun created has a very high requirement for the ability to multitask. Abilities that you lack, placing a great stain on your faculties for sensory processing and executive function."
"Huh?"
"The jutsu was too much and you passed out."
"Oh! Why didn't you just say that! Dattebayo!"
Hiruzen gave a fond chuckle before turning to Izuku.
"So, Izuku-kun, what have we learned?" Lord Third said his tone containing a light reprimand.
"Don't let your friends test jutsu you made in an afternoon."
"Exactly. Take heart Izuku-kun, it is the prerogative of the young to make mistakes and the duty of their elders to shield them from consequences beyond those necessary to learn. Why, I remember my first foray into jutsu creation. I gave myself a horrid rash that stayed for over a month!" He chuckled softly.
"I had to smear a horrible smelling salve all over my body…. Biwako made it. She then threatened to flay me if I didn't use it." He said with a nostalgic sigh.
Naruko looked confused at who Biwako was, but she followed the cue of everyone else in the room and maintained silence to allow the Third to reminisce about his late wife in peace.
"Anyways," The Hokage began after a moment of silence passed, "Izuku-kun no more testing jutsu without adult supervision. Kakashi-kun, make sure you are present to provide said supervision. Hinata-chan, Hidachi-chan? A pleasure to meet you, have a nice day."
They all took the silent dismissal for what it was and began filing out.
"Wait! What about my awesome jutsu?!"
Well almost all of them.
"You will have to undergo training to significantly improve your ability to multitask before you could use that jutsu safely. Kakashi?" the Hokage replied patiently.
"I will get right on it."
"Anything else?" lord fourth his undivided attention to Naruko, who fell silent for a moment, looking unusually serious.
"... You free to get some ramen later Jiji?" Naruko asked hesitantly.
The Hokage's face lit up in what seemed to be his first honest smile, a smile that turned mischievous a moment later.
"No…." he said and Naruko deflated.
"But I'll make time." he promised
"Thanks Jiji!" Naruko exclaimed then skipped out of the room. Their group trailing behind her.
Needless to say, I fucked up.
Naruko could have died.
I'd been thinking of jutsu like spells—but treating them like party tricks. Lazy in my studies. Reckless in application. I leaned too hard on the fact that chakra was an internal energy system—more forgiving than mana. That illusion of forgiveness bred complacency.
No more.
I was a goddamn wizard. It was time I started acting like one.
If I was going to face the chaos that was ninja magic, it would have to be with the precision and discipline of a true arcane scholar. First step? Use the resources at my disposal.
"Dog-san," I said, "I'd like to begin my tutelage under you."
"Oh? Why the sudden enthusiasm, Gremlin-kun?" Dog—no, Kakashi, as the Third had named him—replied, walking beside me through the streets of Konoha. His ANBU mask hung at the side of his head, face exposed, though no one so much as glanced at him. Genjutsu, probably.
"…I'd like to avoid a repeat of today's events."
He hummed. "Alright."
"Wait a minute!" Naruko shouted. "You're gonna be teaching Izuku super cool jutsu?!"
"Yes," Kakashi said flatly. "That's what I'm being paid to do."
"I wanna learn cool jutsu too! Dattebayo!"
Kakashi stopped walking. We all halted behind him.
He turned and looked Naruko in the eye. She puffed up under his gaze, eyes bright and defiant.
"…You do have a lot of spunk," Kakashi admitted.
Naruko's grin split her face, pride swelling.
"So I'll have to say… no. Way too troublesome."
He turned and kept walking like the conversation never happened.
"Hey!" Naruko squawked. "I'm gonna be an awesome ninja someday, and when I am, you're gonna regret not contributing to the rise of the great Naruko Uzumaki! Believe it!"
Kakashi didn't reply. He just pulled out that damn orange book.
Naruko spent the next five minutes haranguing him about jutsu and training. It was so entertaining, I didn't realize where we were until we arrived.
Large brown gates. Looming grey walls. The Hyūga clan symbol etched in ancient stone.
The Hyūga Compound.
Two guards stood at the gate in flowing white robes.
"Halt. State your business."
"Here to drop off the princess," Kakashi said, eyes still glued to his book. The guards didn't even flinch. Huh. Maybe the Hyūga were more chill than I thought.
"Understood, Hatake-san," the one on the left said before turning to Hinata—and making the most punchable expression I've ever seen.
"Hinata-sama," he said, voice soaked in condescension. "Please proceed into the compound. Hiashi-dono awaits you. The rest of you—" He gave us all a look like we were dirt under his shoe. His eyes lingered on Naruko the longest. My knuckles itched.
"You may leave," he finished, as though speaking to us physically pained him.
Hinata shrank in on herself. Hidachi just smiled that weird, polite smile she'd had this entire time. And Naruko… Naruko was turning red and looked seconds away from launching herself into a fight.
But before she could blow up, a wave of chakra pulsed through the area. Subtle—but powerful. Kakashi and the guards reacted. I felt it too, though no one else seemed to. The guards stiffened. One of them snapped his head toward the compound, Byakugan activating, veins bulging around his eyes.
He stood silently for a moment, clearly listening to something. Then his jaw clenched like he'd just bitten into something sour. He turned to me and bowed stiffly.
"Honored guest. Hiashi-dono requests your presence."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
Kakashi answered for me. "Well, kids, it looks like Gremlin-kun has business to handle. We're out."
"No way!" Naruko protested. "You don't know what these white-eyed freaks want with Izuku!"
The guards didn't so much as blink at the insult, keeping their expressions blank.
Kakashi's hand shot out and grabbed Naruko by the scruff of her jumpsuit, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
"HEY! What the hell?!"
"C'mon, Creepy-chan," Kakashi said to Hidachi. "I'll walk you home."
"Oh, thank you, ANBU-san," Hidachi replied, smiling that toothy, not-at-all-innocent smile. "But I'd rather wait for Izuku."
Even the Hyūga guards watched her cautiously. Kakashi, though, just seemed fondly nostalgic.
"Alright then, Creepy-chan. Looks like it's just us, Naruko."
"PUT ME DOWN, YOU BASTARD!"
"Rude," he muttered, before vanishing in a blur.
I really needed to learn that jutsu.
I turned to the guard. "Lead the way."
He nodded, and I followed them through the Hyūga compound.
The compound was beautiful in the kind of ancient, subtle "fuck-you" money way only old clans could manage. Stone paths wound through meticulously raked gravel gardens. Rice paper doors framed buildings with sloping wooden roofs, shaded by old cherry trees. Koi ponds glimmered beneath little red bridges, and carefully pruned bonsai trees sat like living sculptures along the walkways.
Eventually, we reached a building guarded by more white-robed sentinels. They opened the sliding doors and led me inside.
The room was small and spare. Tatami mats covered the floor. A single low kotatsu sat at the center, where a man waited. A steaming pot of tea in front of him.
Lord Hiashi, I presumed.
He had the typical Hyūga long hair and sharp features, but that's where the resemblance to Hinata ended. Where her hair was a dark, soft blue, his was a pale brown. Her face was rounded and gentle; his was hard-edged, square-jawed.
"Lord Hiashi," I said with a respectful bow.
"Father," Hinata said beside me, bowing as well. Her voice was emotionless. Not neutral—empty.
"Daughter," he replied without looking at her. His pale gaze focused on me instead.
"Hanam-san," he greeted with a nod. "Please, be seated."
I sat. Hinata remained standing. Weird—but maybe shinobi etiquette dictated something I didn't know yet.
Then came the silence.
Hizashi didn't speak. He just stared. Seconds stretched out. Thirty, maybe more.
Ah. Power play.
He wanted to make me squirm. See if I'd fold under pressure.
I simply stared back.
Eventually, he spoke.
"It has come to my attention," he said, "that you have gained proxy status."
Right. No preamble, no warmup.
Let the politicking begin.