Chapter 149: The Results of the Training

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

Dialogue

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 149: The Results of the Training

Three weeks later, Hyuga Compound

"What have you been doing all this time?!" Lord Hiashi was not amused upon their return.

"Training, remember? We had a deal that I would train her for a month. It's only been three weeks, and you sent her to bring us back." Naruto pointed at the Hyuga attendant standing beside Hiashi.

In truth, Naruto had planned to return around this time anyway. Jiraiya was expected to arrive soon, which meant Naruto could finally leave the village for a while.

So, when Asami, Hinata's personal attendant, arrived and informed them that her father wanted to see them, Naruto wasn't particularly bothered.

"I haven't forgotten that," Hiashi replied, "but you took her to the Forest of Death...for two weeks!" he said with evident anger in his voice.

The Hyuga Lord would never admit it, but he'd been worried sick about his daughter's safety in that forest, even though he made sure that someone was always watching over her.

"So? It was the best place to go. After all, we weren't allowed to leave the village," Naruto explained.

Initially, he'd planned on taking Hinata outside to do some hunting or even attack a few bandit camps. However, he hadn't been allowed to take one step beyond the village walls.

Naruto found himself in a difficult position. His team had been dissolved after Sakura's death, and Kakashi had resigned from his position as Jonin Sensei. Team Seven was no longer active, leaving Naruto as a genin without a team.

On top of that, he was the Jinchuuriki, and a dangerous group of criminals was out to capture him.

Without substantial protection, he wasn't allowed outside the village, at least not until Jiraiya returned and officially took him as a disciple, or until he reached Chuunin rank.

Because of this, he'd chosen the Forest of Death as their training location. He needed a place where he could experience real combat, and the forest was filled with dangerous creatures.

"Look at her!" Hiashi gestured to his daughter.

She was covered in dirt, and her clothes were torn in several places, revealing more skin than he would have liked. But Hiashi couldn't ignore the change in her eyes...there was a hint of coldness that hadn't been there before.

"What happened to her?."

He questioned his decision to leave Hinata with Naruto almost every day.

"Are you okay, Lady Hinata?" Asami asked worriedly. She had taken care of Hinata since her mother's death and had never seen her like this before.

Hinata glanced at her. "I'm fine, Asami." She answered in a calm tone.

"See?. She is fine." Naruto told them.

The truth was that Hinata had gone through a lot more than what Hiashi knew. The observers never got close and just spied on them from afar with their Byakugan, otherwise they would have noticed what Naruto was doing.

"Well, it's only been three weeks, but if you want to test the results, feel free," Naruto told Hiashi.

Hiashi frowned. He didn't appreciate being told what to do, but he was genuinely curious to see if Hinata had changed that much in such a short time. For the reports, she had spent most of her time either sparring with Naruto or hunting some of the dangerous inhabitants of that forest. Surely that much had some effect on her.

"Very well. But first, she needs to look more presentable. Asami, I'll leave her to you," Hiashi said.

"Of course, Lord Hiashi." Asami turned to Hinata. "Follow me, Lady Hinata. Let's get those torn clothes off…"

Hiashi glanced back at Naruto. "That goes for you too..."

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After being allowed to take a bath and change into clean clothes, Naruto was led to the main dojo of the compound, where Lord Hiashi, Neji, and several other important clan members had gathered as witnesses.

Hiashi had decided that if Hinata's performance was still disappointing, he would finally announce the change of successor.

He hadn't personally witnessed her training, but he'd read the reports on everything she'd gone through in that forest. And if all of that wasn't enough to spark a change in her, then she was truly unfit for the life of a ninja.

'The elders of the clan won't be pleased… but it won't matter,' Hiashi thought.

If he declared Hanabi as the heir, the elders would likely push to place the cursed seal on Hinata. But he wouldn't permit it.

'I'll fight them if I have to… I just want my daughter to be happy. If the ninja life isn't for her, then we'll find another path,' Hiashi resolved.

But he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Seeing Hinata's confident posture and demeanor sparked a glimmer of hope in the Hyuga Lord. It was as if all her previous doubts had been washed away.

Hiashi glanced at Naruto, who was calmly seated on a cushion, sipping tea. "Why is she there?..." His eyes moved to the person next to Naruto.

"Are we ready to begin, my lord?" A clan member, acting as the referee, approached Hiashi.

Pushing his concerns aside, Hiashi addressed the man. "Yes, ehm...go ahead."

"Very well…" The referee looked over at Neji and Hinata, who had already taken their positions.

Neji eyed Hinata with curiosity. Much like Hiashi, he'd immediately noticed there was something different about her.

And he wasn't the only one.

"What did you do to my sister? She seems… different," Hanabi asked, seated next to Naruto.

"You'll see soon enough. Now, pour me more tea, Firecracker," Naruto said, moving his cup closer to her.

The young girl furrowed her eyebrows. "You idiot! My name is Hanabi, not Firecracker!"

"Is that the way to address me?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh… you're insufferable," Hanabi grumbled, though she still poured him tea.

The referee then explained the rules of the duel: the participants were restricted to using only Hyuga clan techniques, and no outside jutsu was permitted. Other than that, he didn't put in place any restrictions. After all, he knew that his Lord would want to push his daughter to her current limits.

With a gesture, the referee announced, "This duel can… begin!"

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