*AN~ long chapter in a long time so enjoy. [words-3160]
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"Ahhh…" With a satisfied yawn, I opened my beautiful white eyes. The first thing I noticed was that I was at my peak once again, at least chakra-wise.
*Grawwwll*
"Dammit, I am hungry," putting a hand on my crying stomach, which was begging for food, I slowly walked toward the washroom to take a bath first.
Gazing at the still-intact mirror, I saw my skinny face.
"What! How long was I out?" Sparing the mirror for showing me such things, I bathed, rubbing the fragrant soap around my body and washing my short neck-length hair.
I picked up the white kimono tied the red sash around my waist and walked out from the bathroom.
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Walking in the dimly lit corridor towards the dining table, I thought, "I will be going to meet my little fox soon. It's been a while since I had bathed in the ocean of his cuteness, hehe," chuckling to myself.
I finally reached the room where my mom was preparing breakfast.
Activating Byakugan, I quickly scanned her. 'She is doing fine, better than ever.'
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Hearing my footsteps, she quickly turned around, and with a motherly smile, which I am so fond of, she asked, "Hinata baby, you finally woke up. You must be hungry. Look, I am preparing a good meal for you."
"Yes, Mommy, you should feed me now," I said, sitting on the chair like a princess.
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"Yes, sweetie, just wait for a minute."
"So how do you feel?" I asked while she served the food in front of me. From what I guessed, she daily prepared the food for me.
"As if nothing had ever happened," she said, lifting me in her arms and sitting on my chair before placing me in her lap.
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"See, I told you, you will be fine, Mommy," I said.
"I still can't believe it. The elders and every clan member were shocked by how much you have progressed," she happily told me with a pride-filled voice.
'Now the awe and amazement-filled gazes will be tenfold. They will only make me more arrogant, hehe,' I inwardly chuckled.
"Now say Aaaaaa," she brought the spoon in front of my mouth.
"Aaaa…" I opened my mouth and savored the tasty meal.
For the next half hour, I sat in her lap with my hands crossed, and she fed me with her hands while whispering sweet things in my ears.
'Are you trying to make me a patient of diabetes?' I wondered, hearing her melodic voice brimming with love.
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Wiping my mouth with a handkerchief, she put me on the table like a doll and looked at me.
"Promise me that you will never show your abilities outside of the clan."
"If someone finds out about it, it will be bad for you and all of us. There are many bad and greedy people out there; they will do anything to get your abilities," with concern, she started to give me advice.
And like an obedient child, I listened to my mother.
'She is right; there are many bad people out there. Hmm, but what about the devil who is sitting in front of you, Mommy?'
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But not to worry her I went along with her, and with a cheeky smile, I said, "But I am strong, Mommy."
"No, baby, you're not, and do as I say, okay," she corrected naive me.
"Okay, Mommy, I will do as you say. I will never show someone my ability. I am your good girl," I happily said.
Believing her innocent little girl, she ruffled my hair and tenderly said, "Hinata is a good girl."
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"Yes, Mommy," I huffed like a child who got arrogant after getting their parents' praises.
"Where are the babies?" I asked.
"They are sleeping in my room," she said.
"Hmph, why do they always sleep? Don't they want to play with sister?" With a grumble, I walked toward my two little sleeping dolls.
"Don't wake them; it will be hard to put them to sleep again," she said when I was about to enter her room.
Entering her room, I approached the crib, and the first thing I did was, "Wakey-wakey, little runts, and play with your benevolent sister."
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I slightly poked their cheeks and woke them up, completely ignoring what my mum had said.
"Whuuuuunaaaaa," opening their eyes, the first thing they did was cry.
"Haha, come here," ignoring their wailings, I took them in my arms and started playing with them.
Soon, their nonsensical crying stopped, and they started giggling with me.
"Hehe, good little sisters," I happily played with them, moving their little limbs, caressing their fingers, and poking them at several places.
"Ahh… they fell asleep again," within half an hour, they were dozing off.
Putting them on the bed, I wrapped the clothes around them like a cocoon, leaving only their faces exposed.
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I tied them behind my back. 'It's easier to move around without waking them up.' I exited the room, telling my mother that I would be training outside.
As soon as I walked into the clan compound, many members looked at me with awe and amazement, whispering amongst themselves.
With my head held high, I walked towards the training ground.
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The three boys were exchanging blows with each other, or I would say two of them, while my dear brother's arrogance was fully on display as his hands were still in his pocket.
Haku and Kimimaru had progressed so much in the past 8 months that they were barely recognizable.
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"Sis, you're here," Neji asked, appearing beside me with a smile.
"No, I am her ghost," I joked with him.
Soon, the two others also appeared, Haku with his iconic smile and closed eyes, greeted me. As for the other one, he was still an introvert.
"Hey, brother, why aren't you in the academy? Did you bunk your classes?" I squinted my eyes at him.
"What classes? They barely teach anything except 'the will of fire,'" he sarcastically said.
"And, by the way, today is Sunday."
Looking behind me, he curiously asked, "Why did you bring them here?"
"Because I feel like it," I said, walking towards a tree, embedding a kunai in it, and hanging two little dolls with the help of a rope.
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"Hey! Hey! Are you planning to use them as target practice?" Neji panicked.
'What!'
I just looked at him before a malicious grin crept on my lips. "I hadn't thought about it before, but you gave me this splendid idea, big brother," I blamed him for it.
"You… you can't do that," sweat drops appeared on his forehead.
"Hehe, if I can do it with you, what's stopping me from doing the same thing with them?" My smile only grew wider and wider.
Seeing his perplexed and panicked face, I let out a chuckle. 'I still love bullying my brother.'
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"I am just joking, brother. Let's start our training." Patting his shoulder, I walked away. Neji heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the twins with a smile.
"Hey, Neji, did she really use you as target practice?" Haku quietly asked with a smile, adding salt to his injuries.
Neji looked at him, "You know, with that smile on your face, I just want to punch you."
Haku only smiled at him, irritating him even more.
"Let's start."
With that, days started to pass peacefully, and in the blink of an eye, 20 more days had passed.
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"Hmmm, hmmm," I happily hummed as I prepared the lunchbox.
"Are you going to play with your friend?" my mother asked me; she was helping me with the food.
"Yes, Mommy, I will be back before evening."
She nodded to me.
"Are you sure you want to bring them with you?" she asked, pointing towards the pair of cocoons on my back.
"Yes, they won't be hungry before night. You just feed them, right?"
"Yes, baby, be careful out there, okay," she started to lecture me again.
"Bye, bye…" saying goodbye to her, I walked towards the park, but in an alley, I disappeared from there.
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In an apartment, the Child of Prophecy, whose entire destiny had been written by a single person, raised his hand, and a flame ignited above his palm. As he poured more chakra into it, the flame started to get smaller and concentrated instead of becoming bigger.
"Ouch, it's hot, hot," Naruto exclaimed when he felt immense heat on his palm. The upper layer of his skin was burned, but due to the fox inside him, the skin quickly healed.
There were only two ways to protect the skin from burning: the first one was to have absolute control over heat, and the second one was to cover your palm in a layer of chakra.
Naruto had been training his flame jutsu for the last 8 months, and he had become an absolute monster at it.
It's been more than 2 years since he had met his angel, and learning from her, the supposed angel was sitting on his bed, watching him with a warm smile that he had grown so fond of.
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"Now put that coin in the flame, Naruto-kun," she said.
Naruto pulled out a coin from his pocket and dropped it into the spear of fire. In just a few seconds, the coin turned completely red, started to melt down, and dripped onto the floor.
"How was it, Hinata-chan?" he asked with a proud smile.
"You're doing very well."
"Haha," Naruto giddily laughed.
But unknown to him, he had become an absolute monster at wind and fire style. With nothing else to do, he trained 12-14 hours per day in his room, with his Hinata-chan watching over him.
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If he placed his hand over someone and tried to cut as he did with the coin, that someone would be turned into a pile of limbs.
Or if he tried to cover his hand with his flames, he could punch straight through someone, melting their body parts in the process.
But Naruto was unaware of his own monstrosity; she had told him not to use it on people.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, when will you come and meet with me? I haven't seen you for more than twenty days," he asked his angel, sitting beside her.
"Are you missing me?" she asked.
"Hmmm," he simply replied.
"Hehe, how cute," she said while touching his face. In the midst of enjoying her caressing, he looked at the window.
Someone knocked on it, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. He quickly rushed towards the window and opened it.
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"What were you doing, Naruto-kun?" I asked him as he quickly closed the window behind me.
"Haha, you are here, Hinata-chan. I was just talking to you about when you will come," he explained to me with a fox-like grin.
"Ohh... then how do you know I am the real one?" I curiously asked him while sitting on his bed, patting the space for him to sit beside me.
"I just know it, and when you come, the other you just disappeared," he happily told me.
"I see," I nodded to him, fully understanding his situation.
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"So tell me, Naruto-kun, how were the days when I was away?" I asked the same question, or should I say, I asked him what he wanted to hear from me.
"Hmm, in the morning, you wake me up. Then, after taking a bath and eating the food, I start doing the flame jutsu for an hour until I become tired. But when you encourage me, hehe, I start doing it until the night, and after eating the food, I spar with you, and then I sleep," he was full of enthusiasm when he rambled about his daily activities.
I happily listened to him with my chin in my palms.
"Look, Hinata-chan, what the Hokage had given me. He said that with this, I will be enrolled in the academy," he quickly showed me the letter, pulling it out from his pillow.
"So from next month, you will be going to the academy," I asked.
"Aren't you going too?" he asked.
"Hehe, I will be with you, Naruto," I watched as how brightly he smiled after hearing this.
"Are you happy, Naruto?"
"Yes, very happy."
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But suddenly, he looked at the things behind me, "Hinata-chan, what are the things behind you?"
"Hehe, you want to see them," I swiftly placed my two sleeping cubs in my arms.
"Whoa! They are babies!" With a surprised yelp, he jumped back and slowly crawled towards me.
"They are my little sisters, Hanabi and Arya," I introduced him to my sisters.
"Really, they are so small," he said.
"Haha, do you want to hold them?" I extended my arms towards him.
"Can I?" he hesitantly asked.
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"Don't be shy, here,"
He received them awkwardly. His body stiffened as if scared of dropping them.
"Haha, they are so light," he commented.
I just looked at him; it was amusing.
Feeling his awkward moments, the babies in hand opened their white eyes, directly staring at the unknown fox-like creature.
"Look, Hinata-chan, their eyes, it's just like yours," Naruto exclaimed.
But suddenly, the babies did what they were experts at, "wuhaaanaaaanaaa," they started to cry.
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"What! Hinata-chan, why are they crying?" he asked panicking.
'How cute.'
"Hehe, you made them cry, Naruto. Now it's your duty to stop them," I said.
"I don't know what to do, please tell me."
"Swing them tenderly, sing a melodic song, or play with them. I don't know; you're on your own."
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With a determined look, he started to swing them, "Sleep, babies, don't cry," he started doing weird things.
'You're not good at taking care of babies, Naruto-kun.'
I watched him with an amused smile as he tried all his tricks, and all of them failed miserably.
"Hinata-chan, they are not stopping," he asked with puppy eyes.
'Now you're melting my heart with your cuteness.'
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"Let me see." I snatched the babies into my arms, and like an expert, I calmed them down. With a smile, I poked behind their necks, and they fell asleep.
"What, how?" Naruto was perplexed to see the turn of events.
"Hehehe, don't be surprised, Naruto. With time, you can handle them," I encouraged him.
"So did you ask the Hokage what I told you?" I asked him.
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With a change in expression, he said, "Yes, Hinata-chan, I asked him if there is someone or some clans who can take me in, but he said there is no one who wants me."
'Hehe,'
"Do you remember the things I told you last time? To be honest, the Hokage didn't ask my father, and there is no problem taking you into my clan," I quietly whispered.
"Yes, Hinata-chan, I remember everything you told me. The Hokage is the biggest liar in this world, and he wants to use the power of the fox inside me. Every time I asked him something, he lied to my face even though I knew the truth," he grumbled in anger.
"But worry not, Naruto-kun. From next month, I will be seeing you daily," I said.
"And forget about the Hokage," 'his days are numbered.'
"I have a gift for you," I smiled sweetly.
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"Gift, where is it?" he looked here and there.
"Hehe, calm down. This is specially made for you." I gave him the dress I made for him: a high-collared black jacket with red stripes around the sleeves and a white T-shirt underneath it. And black pants.
"When you start the academy, wear them. You will look badass and cool, and always look at the window; it makes you look mysterious, hehe." I will make him one of the most powerful and badass shinobi.
"Thank you," he whispered.
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"This is not the end; there is another gift for you."
"Another one?"
"A jutsu," I nodded to him.
"Remember these hand signs; it's called Shadow Clone Jutsu," I started to tell him each hand sign separately.
"These are very useful, Naruto. You will experience what the clone experiences. If you train with them, their progress will be added to you," I explained the real purpose of the Shadow Clones.
If I was teaching him, it would be perfect.
One of the things I hate is when teachers leave their students on their own to figure things out themselves. Heck, even after training for 3 years with Jiraiya, Naruto didn't know the real purpose of Shadow Clones.
'In my eyes, Jiraiya was not a real teacher and never will be. I wouldn't be surprised if he was looking for the Child of Prophecy, not for Naruto.'
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'First, he approached Nagato when he found out that he had Rinnegan, then Minato, and finally Naruto, imposing his dream of world peace on their young minds.'
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"Whooh!" a second Naruto exclaimed, waking me up from my stupor.
"Yo! Boss," the other clone greeted the original Naruto.
"It's amazing," all three of them said at the same time.
"Hehe, now your progress will be tripled, Naruto, and don't show it in public," I excitedly said.
All of them obediently listened to me.
"Yes, Hinata-chan."
"Good, boy," I ruffled his hair.
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After spending some more hours with him and teaching him more about ninjutsu, some taijutsu, and calming down his curiosity-filled questioning, I spoke, "Next time, I will be seeing you in the academy, so until then, take care of yourself, okay?"
"Okay, Hinata-chan."
With that, I scanned the area, and when nobody was looking, I disappeared from there.
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"Lady Hinata," Ren was waiting for me on a rooftop, hiding himself using a camouflage technique.
"Let's go," I said.
"I want to ask you something," Ren said, following behind me.
"I'm all ears."
"With your chakra reserves, why don't you use Shadow Clones? I am really confused. It will skyrocket your progress a hundred times," he confusedly asked.
"Hahaha," I laughed at his stupid question before replying.
"Tell me, Ren, why is Shadow Clone forbidden?"
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"Because it uses too much chakra," he replied.
"No, Ren, this is not the reason it's forbidden. It's forbidden because it has its own free will. The moment it is created, it becomes a new separate being, and I am sure you don't want another Hinata."
"But you can disperse them with a single hand sign," Ren said.
"Haha, Ren, I can trust a random dog on the street, but not myself."
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'You don't know the true extent of my abilities, but I know. The things I had built for so long wouldn't take an instant to crumble.'
Ren was silent and didn't ask any further.
"Let's go home; the babies must be hungry."
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End of the chapter, the childhood arc ends here, tell me your thoughts on the story and how should it proceed...