Chapter 06: Brutal Training, Best Results
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The training with Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke was proving to be quite brutal for Hinata but she was absolutely adamant about catching up to her teammates and being of use in the coming war. She had just never noticed how weak the academy had made many of the shinobi when compared to where they needed to be. Sasuke and Naruto had explained to her that the other countries had much better academies even if their methods were questionable. From what she heard of the future she was inclined to believe that. She had heard that Shino was having a very difficult time with his team as well. Kiba and Sakura must be holding him back. She was a little miffed at Kurenai for not getting those two in line by now. Sure she saw the jonin as a surrogate older sister but at the same time she was acting so much different than she remembered. Then again Kurenai hadn't done much to help her confidence either. Stretching she stepped out of the shower, dried off and began to dress for the new day.
Breakfast was a quiet affair like normal, although she noticed that Neji kept staring at her as if there was something that he wanted to ask like usual. She never understood why he hated her so much but she was bound and determined to mend the rift that had grown between them. Placing her dishes in the sink she grabbed the bag she always brought to training and darted out the door. Kakashi-sensei said that they were going to be doing some rather harsh training today and she wanted to at least be warmed up before he decided to half kill them. Reaching the training field in record time she noticed Sasuke and Naruto do a quick spar and critiquing each other's form. She had found that their daily habits seemed odd at first but then had come to the realization that they were making each other stronger.
The two combatants ended their spar when Hinata stepped into the clearing. Naruto ran his eyes over her and then nodded. Stretching they headed over to the heiress and smiled warmly at their teammate.
"Well, all those chakra building exercises are coming in handy. You are ready to learn the shadow clone. That means that we can get more done faster. Now the thing you need to know about this method Hinata is that if you overdo it, you will die. So please try not to advance it past the limits that we give you okay?" Sasuke asked. Hinata couldn't help but beam at the praise.
"Bear in mind though that Sasuke and I can use it far more freely than everyone because we have had practice, far more chakra and we've learned how to deal with the mental backlash that comes with it." Naruto stated. "I can use it more than Sasuke can because of the fox. Now the shadow clone is an advanced clone that allows you to make a solid copy of yourself that has its own chakra network. As a result the clone can cast jutsu and use your techniques although I am not certain how well your byakugan will work with a shadow clone. It also takes a lot of chakra. Most jonin avoid using it because of how draining it can be. However, you can easily send your clone into enemy territory and scout for information and then simply have it dispel when it finds what it is looking for. The information that it gains will be sent back to you, along with remaining chakra. However, it also sends back the exhaustion as well."
"The payoff is worth it. The exhaustion and mental backlash of the memory transfer is what makes it dangerous as a training tool. However, proper training and meditation help to minimize the backlash. Never make more clones than you can handle either. Always dispel the clones after approximately four hours of training or two hours of reading that way you will get used to the effects faster. During training if your clone finds a way to improve the technique or makes headway with a technique dispel that clone in order to transfer the knowledge of what was discovered. That way the rest of your clones will be able to take it even further. Physical training cannot be done with the shadow clones either. Muscle memory yes but strength, endurance, speed and resistance training no. Jutsu and elemental manipulation as well as fuinjutsu and iryo-jutsu can." Sasuke continued. Hinata nodded in understanding. Just from what they had told her it was clearly a very useful but dangerous training method if used improperly.
"I'm ready." She said conviction filling her voice. Since starting to work with Naruto and Sasuke she had managed to get more confident than she had ever been and had lost her stutter. Something that she was very grateful for. She was bound and determined to stand by Naruto's side during the coming darkness and nothing would stop her.
"Now then here is the only hand seal for the shadow clone." Naruto stated bringing her attention back to the present. Nodding in understanding she set to work on master the shadow clone and becoming one step closer to reaching their level.
When Kakashi arrived at the training field a half hour later, he was greeted by the sight of multiple copies of his students doing various exercises while a three way fight was occurring in the center of the training field. 'They know the shadow clone?! Since when? I really need to start asking them about this. I suppose that the Uchiha clan could have written down the shadow clone at one point however, do they realize how dangerous this training method really is?'
"Well it seems that you are up very early this morning. Plus you got a head start on your training. What are your shadow clones working on?" He queried innocently.
"Oh you know, various clone techniques and well since we didn't have any litmus paper we decided to test our chakra the hard way by learning E-class ninjutsu of various elements and seeing what was easier to learn. Plus Hinata's clones are still helping us fine tune our chakra control so that is a thing? Ummm…..We are also doing some weaponry training over there to get better practice with them. You know work on muscle memory and all." Naruto answered nonchalantly as he dodged a foot flying at his face and quickly spun to avoid a juken strike.
"I see and when did you learn the shadow clone?"
"Um…a while ago from one of the scrolls in Sasuke's library. I learned it first because of fuzzy and then Sasuke learned it a few months later when his chakra reserves were up to par and we just taught Hinata an hour ago." Naruto replied catching Hinata's hand and throwing her into Sasuke. Kakashi was very impressed.
"So how often and long do you usually train before and after our sessions end?"
"Together? About half an hour to an hour before and somewhere close to two or three after. Alone? I don't think we stop even in our sleep." Sasuke replied standing and helping Hinata to her feet. Kakashi could say that he was honestly impressed by his team. They had taken the initiative to train even harder than he was pushing them and they seemed happy about it.
"So sensei, could we learn our chakra types? We wanted to start learning some elemental ninjutsu and try to make some combination attacks with them but since we aren't sure exactly what types we have we are at a loss on where to start. Hinata is having some trouble with the jutsu I think because the Hyuga clan stresses taijutsu so much. Her chakra isn't used to be being used outside of that capacity." Naruto queried. Kakashi couldn't help but feel pride welling up in him but at the same time he was starting to get even more suspicious of the two boys and their very determined way of pushing themselves to get stronger than most genin right out of the academy ought to be.
"I suppose it wouldn't do any harm. Elemental manipulation is something that most chunin haven't even started. So don't be disappointed if there are no results." Kakashi said. He had hoped that if he stayed on the cautious side but also opened up a little more than normal they would eventually trust him enough to not give vague answers to his questions. Pulling three sheets of litmus paper out, he grinned to himself.
"Do you know how litmus paper works?"
"You put chakra in it and the reaction is indicative of which elements you are more suited for?" Hinata answered a little tentatively. Nodding he handed the sheets to his students and laughed as Naruto squinted at the paper.
"You know I never did figure out how that worked. Granted the paper is made from chakra trees right? The books I've read on chakra trees however say that it is impossible to harvest anything from the tree because even the smallest amount of chakra can cause a reaction making it useless. So how do they get the paper?" He questioned in genuine curiosity. Surprised Kakashi shrugged.
"I have no idea." He said and then cleared his throat. "Alright then. If the paper burns well you obviously know that it is fire. If it crinkles than it is lightening. If it gets wet then it is water and if it tears then you have wind. Got it?" The three genin nodded in understanding.
"Alright then who wants to go first?" Kakashi asked and smiled to himself when Hinata volunteered. The heiress was very quickly overcoming her shyness and becoming more outgoing and assertive thanks to the team and he was hopeful that she would be able to keep up the progress. He was surprised when the paper crinkled and then began to burn. 'Two chakra types? Lightning and fire. I just might have more fun than I thought with this team.'
"Good. Lightning and fire. An interesting combination especially for a Hyuga. It's fine though. It will make your juken that much more devastating." Hinata nodded and watched as Sasuke shrugged. 'Another lightning type? Again with fire as well? Did I really pick a team with all the same chakra types?'
"Well that's interesting. I've never seen two genin have the exact same chakra types before. Naruto shall we make it three for three?" He joked. Naruto smirked and applied the chakra to his paper. Kakashi had been half joking when he said make it three for three, however, Naruto did indeed follow through. That wasn't all though. First the paper split into four sections and each section reacted differently. One of the sections got wet, another crinkled, another burned and the last crumbled. Kakashi could only stare in chock at the grinning genin. All three of his genin had the same chakra type and one of them had them all.
"You never cease to amaze me Naruto. All five chakra types? It seems as if your fire and wind are the strongest with wind being slightly stronger. If you are able to combine them, technically you have access to all of the elemental kekkai genkai. So then shall we start on elemental manipulation?"
The next few days saw the team rapidly increasing in progress and longer training sessions. It wasn't much of a problem for Naruto and Sasuke as they were used to training all day and night, but it was a different story for Hinata. Hiashi was the first to notice that she would be asleep within a half hour of arriving home and that she was doing more of her training away from the compound. Even if Kakashi had sent her home with exercises he never saw her do them. However, he could tell that her chakra reserves were increasing far faster than he believed that they should. So he decided to ask Kakashi about his training methods. He wasn't angry just worried. Naturally Kakashi was somewhat late but not by as much as usual and he had a good excuse.
"Sorry about being late Hiashi-sama but I had to find someone to watch my team while they did their daily D-rank missions." Kakashi apologized as soon as he entered the room.
"It's fine. I had a few questions on Hinata's training I wanted to ask and seeing as training went on till almost ten o'clock yesterday I figured I would have to question during training."
"Did it really? My apologies I'll try not to keep them as long." Hiashi couldn't tell if Kakashi really meant that or if it was sarcasm.
"What is Hinata learning at the moment?" He said cutting to the chase.
"Well right now, literally how to clean a river while wearing weights attached to her arms. If you mean at training in general then we are working on weaponry, strategy, stealth and elemental manipulation. She is also receiving iryo training at the hospital." Kakashi replied. Hiashi took a moment to process what he had just been told.
"Are they not a bit young to be doing elemental manipulation?"
"Normally I would say that genin are. However, Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto are absorbing what I am teaching them and by the time I get to training the next day they have taken it almost four lessons ahead. Furthermore Hinata has a lightning and fire affinity that I just couldn't ignore. I figured that if they didn't have an affinity we could work on chakra strengthening exercises and if they did elemental manipulation. They have truly taken to it. They have developed their own training methods as well. I'd say one or two more days and then they will have their elements mastered. Afterwards I intend to teach them a few jutsu of their respective elements and then take them on their first C-rank mission." Kakashi explained to the baffled clan head. Hiashi was not expecting any of that. He most certainly did not expect to hear that Hinata had two affinities.
"You are aware of the clan's position and jutsu and weaponry right?"
"You are aware that as her jonin I can teach her whatever I want and then clan can't interfere unless it poses a direct threat to her safety right? The way I see it limiting her to only the juken is a waste of her talents. She is very skilled and her accuracy with a bow and arrow is starting to make most ANBU look like amateurs." Kakashi countered. Hiashi realized that war had been lost. The clan elders wouldn't be happy but Kakashi was right. There was nothing they could do to stop him as long as his training did not pose a threat to Hinata's safety. Sighing he turned to look out the window.
"I have nothing against Hinata. I truly care for her however, the pressure to crown an heir and brand the other is getting quite tiresome. She had shown so little improvement I gave up on her. Merely keeping her position as first born and Hanabi's skill level as a buffer so I didn't have to choose."
"It is not wrong to protect one's children. The only thing that could be wrong is how you protect them. In Hinata's case it tore down her self-confidence. Instead of accepting things the way they were, training with her more and looking for the trouble areas would have sufficed. By keeping their skill levels roughly the same the buffer would be more effective as there would be more reason to wait. Arguing that while they were at the same skill level currently, either one could pull ahead and become stronger than the other. Buying more time with less headaches. She doesn't blame you. She loves you. All she wants is your approval, and to reunite the clan as the family that it should be." Kakashi said standing. "If you'll excuse me I really need to get back to my team. One last question before I go though. Is it true that the cage bird seal can be replaced without the elder's interference so long as a similar seal to protect the Byakugan is produced?"
"Yes." The question had taken Hiashi by surprise but he had answered nonetheless. Nodding Kakashi shunshined out of the room leaving the Hyuga to his thoughts.
When Hinata returned home she was sore. After training had ended Naruto and Sasuke had used some strange jutsu and somehow managed to do almost six months of training in only half an hour. They said that it was a space-time ninjutsu that they had developed to improve faster and to be honest it was kind of neat.
"I'm home." She called out and found her father sitting in the dining room staring at a glass of tea. "I'm home father. Kakashi-sensei said to take tomorrow off so we are well rested for our first C-rank."
"Already? He said that he would only accept one when you mastered your elements and learned a few jutsu from each." Hiashi nearly squeaked.
"Um…we kind of trained through lunch; Naruto, Sasuke and I." She admitted in embarrassment. The look on Kakashi's face when they came back from lunch with their elemental training complete had been priceless. Of course each of them had a few shadow clones doing the training at the same time ever since they learned the exercises so it went faster than he had expected. Hiashi shook his head in amusement. Perhaps Kakashi had taken a team he couldn't keep up with. Lifting his hand he handed Hinata a scroll that he had been keeping on him since Kakashi's visit.
"These are your mother's scrolls. She was working on some techniques for the juken and her notes are in there." He whispered startling the girl. "She would want them finished and I can't think of anyone more suited than you." Hinata smiled fondly and hugged her father for the first time in years.
"Kakashi I know that you have been making excellent progress with your team I really do but I think that you may be pushing them to hard. You haven't had them long."
"I understand that Sandaime-sama however, I think that you are underestimating how much they are pushing themselves. I am the one struggling to keep up. Furthermore, I believe that Naruto is well aware of his heritage he just isn't saying anything. All I am asking is permission to go to Uzu and try to recover anything that may be left by the Uzumaki clan for him. He deserves that much don't you think?" Kakashi countered. He had been arguing with the Hokage for a few hours now. Why was it so difficult to allow them to stop at Uzu on the way back from a mission?
"Be that as it may Kakashi you are well aware of why I haven't allowed any missions to Uzu to try and locate anything that may have been left behind." The third fire shadow countered.
"I know what you say but I don't believe that is the real reason. Sandaime-sama, Naruto is an Uzumaki and the heir of not just the Uzumaki clan but also of the country itself. As a foreign diplomat I can't stop him if he chooses to return to his homeland and at the rate he his improving he may need access to his clan's techniques if we want to slow him down before he hits ANBU level in a few months. Furthermore I believe that the two have yet to open up to me because we are in the village where people could be listening." Kakashi countered. He knew that he was pushing boundaries and crossing the line only to get back behind it again but he had to get the Sandaime to see that he had to get Naruto to Uzu. It was the least Kakashi could do for abandoning his sensei's son the way he did. He just hoped that the Sandaime didn't make things worse for his failing relationship with Naruto. He had seen how quickly things had changed between the two and he had a sinking suspicion it was because Naruto knew who his family was and that the Sandaime had been lying to him the whole time. The look on the old leader's face told him he would be there for a while though.
:To Be Continued: