We walk slowly through the city. We bathe in waves of surprise. The head of the most powerful and second most influential clan of Konoha (the first, naturally, is the Sarutobi clan) is walking with a little demon! Ino, who met us on the way, dropped her jaw.
We walk, talk about the weather, discuss kunai. Hiashi asks about life, is interested in missions. In response, I am curious about his clan. So, what do I know about the Hyugas in the end?
The clan has more than 600 fighters, among them more than 150 are jonin, about 200 are chunin, the rest are genin. The total number of members exceeds 3,000 people. There is a ruling branch of the clan, it includes those born in the original family and the most promising of the side ones are accepted.
The attitude towards all clan members is almost the same, the children are common, they are taken care of, as they say, "by the whole world". Low emotion and strict adherence to traditions are part of their credo and school of combat, like an internal philosophy. They despise weakness, and they can't be weak. After the Uchiha were killed, the Hyuga remained the main striking force of the village, and to the best of their ability they try to hold the bar for two clans at once.
Their eyes allow them to see either around at a distance of 30 to 250 meters, or with a concentrated beam in any direction, then the distance is measured in kilometers. Hiashi admitted that he does not have the strongest Byakugan, his all-round view is 232 meters, and he can look as far as 21 kilometers into the distance. I just clicked my tongue in admiration, listening to the numbers. There are no blind spots, but you can see a little worse behind your back, and you have to train for a long time to get used to panoramic vision.
The clan is rich and does not need anything, although the expenses are huge. I asked a little about Neiji. He is truly considered a genius and is about to be accepted into the main branch as the youngest son. Relations in the clan are extremely warm, but proximity to the main branch and the order of succession greatly affect the weight of the vote in the clan council.
The head of the clan is the sole controller of foreign policy. He also "represents the face". Inside the clan, the council controls everything, and it also recognizes the head. The council can force a person to resign from the post in favor of another member of the main branch.
Finally, the gates of the quarter. Inside, an atmosphere of peace. Neatly trimmed lawns, no less neat bushes. Paths made of coarse white sand, fountains. Well-groomed trees. Honestly, everything looks simply wonderful and extremely traditional, which does not spoil the impression at all. I shook my head in admiration, Hiashi smiled proudly. Someday, my quarter will be no worse, it definitely will be!
A small table, cushions for sitting. Hinata is serving, blushing terribly, her hands are shaking, but the tea is not spilling. My seal is snorting with jealousy. Sorry, but you are not my type, Hina. A wimp who can't utter a few words? If someone likes this, go for it. But not me.
-Hiashi-dono, may I allow another member to join the conversation? - An adventurous experiment, of course, but we still need to show Hinata that she has no chance. Let her build her happiness with someone else.
-I will gladly accept another guest. - Hyuga answers, but there is a sense of caution in his emotions.
I create a shadow clone, the leader's eyebrows fly up. The outlines of the copy blur, and after a few moments, Kuro appears before us, dressed in a traditional kimono, delicate white with a blue border. She bows ceremoniously.
- Hello, Hiashi-dono. I am Kyuubi-no-Yoko, may I join you? - Hyuga nods with a slight pause.
Kuro sits down to my right, carefully tucking her tails under herself. Since she didn't introduce herself by the name I gave her, it means she doesn't consider the other person worthy of calling her by that name.
- Is it really Kyuubi? D-demon? - Hinata dropped her cup and recoiled in horror. Hiashi hissed at her irritably.
- Yes. That's it. - Her nose is proudly upturned. Her ear twitches.
I hide my smile behind a cup of wonderful green tea. I'll have to carefully ask where this one came from, and it would be a shame if it costs as much as my monthly salary.
Ten seconds later, Hiashi asked for Hanabi and let Hinata go. This little black-haired miracle entered. Eyes wide open in amazement, mouth opened for greeting and remained open. A happy cry and here one of the tails is clutched in small hands. Kuro frankly does not understand how to react to this childish squeezing, ear twitches, she herself is red almost to the roots of her hair. Hiashi, who was about to swear, waved his hand and looks with laughing eyes, but he is collected, remembering that there is a demon in front of him.
-Stop squeezing me like that! I will relax! - Kitsune finally found the words.
- Relax? Are you an illusion? Illusions do not work on us, we are Hyuga! - The little girl says with pride in her voice.
- I'm in the body of Naruto's shadow clone, and he's fragile! Be careful! And anyway, I'm a demon!
- Soft! - Rubs his cheek against Hanabi's tail. Demon? Who cares! It flew past my ears.
Hiashi is already openly laughing along with me. We wink at each other and watch the show. I pour tea for both of us myself, not caring about etiquette.
- Can I touch your ears? - And, without waiting for permission, he climbs up to them. Here is a shaking ear squeezed in his palm, and then begins to diligently stroke it.
Kuro throws me a hopeful look. Save? Oh well.
- Hello, Hanabi-chan. Could you warm up some tea for us? - the girl shuddered. She turned her head. She saw me with her father. She quietly squeaked "Ouch" and blushed to the tips of her ears. Hands behind her back, looking at the floor. She shows with all her appearance that she is terribly ashamed, but I feel that this is just a pretense. In fact, the girl is having fun and is eager to cuddle the interesting guest again.
The rest of the tea party took place in a completely relaxed atmosphere. The Hyuga can behave like humans when they want! Most likely, the presence of a child at the table played a role.
- Kyuubi-chan, what is going on with you and Naruto-san? - Hanabi's question again drives the demon into a stupor.
- I belong to him. - My eyes are popping out of my head after this phrase. - He created me and raised me. - A little doubt on my face. - He raises me.
- Are you her dad? Things belong to someone! People do not belong, you teach them wrong! - And then doubt. - Are you sure you are her dad? He is so small.
Hiashi can hardly hold back his laughter again.
-Ku-chan, I didn't say that you were my property, don't confuse the child! - I'm indignant.
-I'm yours! And only yours! Don't you dare refuse! - The bijuu presses.
-So you're family! She's your wife, right? - Another question from the child.
-Yes! - Kyuubi quickly answers, not understanding the meaning of the question.
I facepalm, although I want to hit my head against the wall. A couple of times. Hiashi choked slightly on his tea. Hanabi nods with satisfaction, she figured everything out! After another five minutes, Kuro dispersed, and I got ready to go home.
-What are your impressions of today's visit, Naruto-kun? Did you like the tea?
-The tea was wonderful and I would come again with great pleasure, and please excuse my manners, I probably behaved inappropriately, Kyuubi is little better than a child...
-No need to apologize, Naruto-kun. - Hiashi nods favorably. Well, yes, children are a symbol of holiness for him, they can do almost anything.
- One more thing, Hyuga-dono. - I switch to formal address, because the following words should be taken seriously. - After this visit, I have several more reasons to fight for the good of our village. - One thought clicks in my head. What does it cost me? - I would like to pass on one technique to you, I think it will strengthen your clan.
Hiashi straightened up, the kind daddy disappeared somewhere, the head of the strongest clan of Konoha was in front of me again. A couple of minutes later I was on the clan training ground, under the gaze of a whole crowd of clan warriors.
- So, the technique itself. - I put my hand out. A couple of seconds and a ball of chakra lies in my palm. - Rasengan.
- Demonstrate the effect. - Skeptical looks. Yes, it does not look very impressive. A buzzing ball, as if made of translucent glass, no special effects.
I smash a buried log to pieces. After a few whispers, they bring in a samurai armor. I slap the breastplate. No visible effect. I turn the dummy around with its back torn to shreds. A few more tests for lethality, after which the looks become hungry.
- Naruto-san, are you sure that you want to pass on to us a unique A-rank technique? - One of the elders asks.
Unique? Now I was surprised, but then it turned out that Minato in this world did not invent the rasengan, the Flying Thunder God was enough for him - the only combat teleportation technique in the world. And the rasengan would have taken too long to create for his super-fast type of combat, he used all sorts of modifications of raiton strikes more.
- Absolutely sure. This technique has excellent striking power, even in this unfinished version.
-Will we be given the full version? - The clan leader's eyes flashed.
-Unfortunately, it requires mastery of the elemental elements. In the near future, I plan to develop a long-range modification of this technique, it will be presented to your clan. - If at the beginning of my sentence a shadow of disappointment appeared in the Hyuga's eyes, then at the end they again gathered, several whispers were heard. Long-range combat is also not the Hyuga's strong point. Of course, they have techniques like chakra senbons, but it wouldn't hurt to diversify the arsenal.
Then fifteen minutes of descriptions of training in creation, which were carefully summarized and sealed. They saw me off solemnly, with long wishes for health and well-being.
The next day in Konoha all the balls were bought up, and in general everything rubbery of a spherical shape, the Hyuga hastily mastered the Rasengan, which gave them a brute attack force, which was so lacking.
I began to carry out missions together with my team, to which Neji was finally added. The training was truly hellish, Sakura, to everyone's joy, took the B rank in medicine and could, if necessary, even swap her arms and legs, so that everything would work.
Sasuke also confidently began to master the B rank of lightning and the A rank of fire. The third tomoe awakened in the Sharingan, which allowed him to copy other people's techniques. Considering the shadow clones, the training was going by leaps and bounds. Neiji was transferred to the main branch and was intensively trained. He had not yet reached the highest techniques like kaiten, but he could already throw 32 two blows per second. As for me, I trained with Kuro, but the fourth tail is only a dream. In the elements, the emphasis is on lightning, the other directions are almost abandoned, because the Hokage generously gave me a scroll with the legendary Flight of the God of Thunder - Hiraishin. In addition, I carefully took up fuin, but runic magic is difficult, because I understand too little, and there are no mentors. For now, my limit is the creation of powerful explosive seals, good flash-bang and weak sealing ones.
It's time for birthdays. We celebrated on the same clearing that we all chipped in to buy from the village. The lion's share of course comes from Sasuke and Neji, they are the richest among us, but Sakura and I have also invested a fair amount.
For my fourteenth birthday, Sasuke gave me a tanto made of icy chakra-conducting metal and a bone sheath with a skillfully carved fox. The blade seems to jump out of the mouth. You look at it and understand - the thing is very expensive. My previous one was consumer goods, bought at the nearest weapons shop. I looked at this tanto with a shudder. It would be a shame to take such a thing on a mission, a work of art! At home, in a display case under glass with barriers, and with seven locks...
From Sakura I got a set of clothes in an unusual color for the locals - camouflage! Here he simply did not meet, only the standard form of chunin and jonin was greenish, because shinobi can hide wherever you want, henge and done, well, and there are more powerful techniques like the "cloak of concealment" from the ANBU. Even if he was in a clown costume in the middle of the street - they will not notice. But I do not care, the thing is more for myself, and it looks cool, and when I found out that the work is handmade, the value of the gift soared to the sky!
Neji gave combat gloves with protective pads and an expensive set of a calligraphy master with a bunch of brushes and many types of ink. It was folded into a suitcase covered in beautiful carving, in the center of which the hieroglyph "perfection" was flaunted. A very useful gift, the quality of my seals increased, and therefore our combat effectiveness and survivability.
Sasuke got two katanas from me. Oh, and I spent a lot on them, I had to dig out my stash, and even then, it was barely enough! Afterwards, I argued for a long time with the blacksmith, whom I invited all the way from the Land of Iron! Zabuza's Decapitator (not all of it, of course) was used for the metal, because there was nothing better to be found. The price was reduced many times, because many craftsmen dream of working with such a weapon their whole lives. They were forged for almost three months, strengthening the metal with special techniques. Long, barely noticeably curved blades, a small guard and bone handles. On one handle there is the inscription "I keep", this katana does not conduct chakra at all, you can even cut a chidori and be sure that it will not shock you. On the second one there is the inscription "I punish", and it has simply excellent chakra-conducting properties, better than the standard metal used in such products. One thing - for now the blades were too big, they are designed for an adult. Sasuke stroked the tanned bone of the handle, covered with the sandpaper skin of some sea monster, admiringly cut his own fireball, shot lightning from the tip of the other katana and dragged both of them somewhere into the house to hide. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money for a decent sheath.
From Sakura, Sasuke received bracers, reinforced with fuin and with a spatial pocket. Where she dug up such a treasure from the times of the whirlpool - she did not admit. I almost went crazy, licking my lips at the unfamiliar seals.
Neiji gave me clothes in a traditional style, with a sewn-in mesh protection that worked from chakra. A very useful gift.
I gave Sakura a set of ANBU poisons and a reference book on them. To access it, you need to be an ANBU yourself, otherwise you won't get even a cap, let alone a list with all the details of how to make it. I only smiled slyly at the dumbfounded looks. The birthday girl was torn away from her book with difficulty, the party almost fell through.
Sasuke gave her clothes and several pieces of jewelry with fuin hiding places. It's better not to let her cook now, she'll jokingly throw in a laxative from her ring and sit there and think.
Neiji handed over a scroll with medical equipment, judging by the girl's slack jaw, it contains the personal developments of the Hyuga. Very, very generous!
Neiji, who, unlike us, was not fourteen, but fifteen, received from me a real chainmail, which is many times more effective than the simple mesh that is used everywhere. The clones cursed these little rings, and so did I, when I made mistakes in joining the scraps and had to rivet a bunch of rings. It was a shame I missed a couple of classes at the reenactors' club, oh, it was a shame! I guessed the size right, and the chainmail adjusts itself quite well. Neji was delighted and asked me to pass on the manufacturing technology. I promised to think about it. Sasuke handed over the bracers that we worked on together. The Fuin cache that I was able to construct and... the hidden blades created by the Uchiha. We were able to replicate them after all! We were able to! Oh, how hard it was to part with our creation. Neji's reaction was peculiar. The happily screaming Hyuga - I doubt that anyone except us saw it! Now his 32 heavenly strikes not only block chakra, but also leave the same number of new holes in the victim's body. Oh yeah, he inherited our love of poisons. I infected everyone with it! And the fact that only sandboxers play around with it is not right.
Sakura gave Neiji silk bands for his hands, which, when chakra is supplied to a certain point, transform it into medical chakra. I have never heard of such things. Conclusion - our entire team plays around with artifacts! I figured out the cost of such bandages - it was a round sum, a very round sum.