Phoenix Fragment: a Mischief Fragment alternativeby Greylle

Reposted by TheBeardedOne

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Chapter 21: Aftermath

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto. This was written due to dissatisfaction with elements of his original works, and if you judge that from the sheer number of altverse fics out there — i ain't exactly alone there.

The Phoenix Force, though modded out, originated from Marvel Comics. Toltiir tweaked it a bit here and there when he copied it.

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The Hokage Tower had been hit by a massive attack and was leaning at a slight angle.

"Fuss and bother," muttered the Hokage as he watched a chair slide across the floor.

"We can stabilize with Earth jutsu, Hokage-sama," said an ANBU. "It's just going to take a little time."

The Hokage hmphed a bit at that. "Did Danzo offer any explanation yet WHY he and our two esteemed councillors did NOTHING when the village was invaded?"

"Currently all three are still missing," said the ANBU.

The Hokage hmphed again at that, then smirked. "Oh. I believe I may have a way to draw them out. Tell Naruto Uzumaki that I want to see him."

"As to that, Hokage-sama, the reason I came. The Fire Daimyo is on his way here, and should be here in a matter of minutes."

"Ah," said the Hokage, picking up his pipe. "I love it when a plan comes together." With that he put his pipe in his mouth and just grinned at the ANBU.

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"No. It's That Boy. He's probably just planning something."

"Would it kill you to say something nice about him?"

"...Maybe."

"Incorrigible."

"Then maybe you shouldn't incorrige me. You're just gullible."

"Ugh. Don't think you're getting out of this. I'll hear you say something nice about Naruto Uzumaki or else."

Hinata slowly cracked one eye open to see one of the nurses arguing with an orderly. She was in a hospital?

The nurse shook her head. "People don't change. 'A leopard can't change its spots.' 'A scorpion is always a scorpion.' He was a brat and a prankster and a demonspawn. Always will be."

"You're wrong," said the orderly. "I was there. He protected the village and he saved this girl."

"If he saved her it was so he could eat her later," said the nurse. "Say one more word and you're going on report!"

"Excuse me," said Hinata, getting slowly out of bed.

"You can't get up now! You're still recovering," said the nurse, moving to block the patient.

Hinata let the nurse grab her shoulders before she extended two fingers and drove it into the woman's right forearm. She slowly brought up her head, revealing a hint of gold in her eyes. "You do not know Naruto-kun."

"W-what?" asked the nurse. "I'm a civilian. You can't assault me without a board of inquiry upon you."

"I don't care," said Hinata, then realized she really didn't. She had seen Naruto in a way few people got the chance to do. She had seen the pain he kept hidden. She had seen the face he didn't show to others. Maybe, when they had linked with Yamanaka and each other — they had gotten a little mixed up and she had some of Naruto's confidence. Whatever the case, she had no regrets. "You will speak more respectfully of Naruto-kun, or I will have words with you."

"What are you..." The nurse's voice trailed off as her right arm suddenly went limp.

"Your arm will return to normal in a few minutes," said Hinata, turning her attention to the orderly. "I will return to my clan's compound to recover there. Will that be a problem?"

"No, not at all," said the orderly, who wasn't about to argue. Funny, he'd heard this girl was a cringing wallflower or something but what he'd seen in the arena and just now certainly didn't fit that description at all.

"Good," said Hinata, unsteadily making her way from the room. She held herself up though, it would really detract from things if she let herself fall down.

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"— and I just just kept an eye on the guy. He was obviously planning something and he kept getting and giving signals with various members of the invasion force. I signalled the ANBU with a signal that Iruka-sensei taught us back in the Academy for 'hidden enemy approaches' and the ANBU apparently caught it. No big deal."

"You're just saying that because it would be troublesome if you got promoted," said Choji, reaching for some pork rinds.

"Well, that did occur to me," admitted Shikamaru.

"Things are gonna be different around here," said Choji before munching on his snack.

"They already are," said Shikamaru, nodding his head towards the side.

Choji stared at the third member of their team for a few minutes.

"What?" asked Ino eventually.

"You're quieter than usual," said Shikamaru.

"I'm still trying to get used to... things," said Ino. "I'm still trying to get a handle on some of it."

"You mean you're seeing things from the future?" asked Choji.

"Sort of," admitted Ino. "Trying to make sense of them."

"Sasuke walked by earlier and you didn't say a thing," said Shikamaru.

"My kami! She's been replaced by a foreign-nin?" exclaimed Choji.

"Get real," said Ino, glaring at her team-mate and looking as if she'd be ready to grab a blunt trauma instrument and start swinging if he wanted proof she was still her.

"So what have you seen in the future that's so concerning?" asked Shikamaru.

"Glimpses of things that don't make any sense," said Ino. "Oh, here comes that girl from Sand. Be nice to her."

"Why?" asked Shikamaru. "Because she's one of those who immediately surrendered rather than fight to the death? Because Sand ended up surrendering and now she's an ally?"

"Because she's a hostage, transferred to OUR village?" asked Choji.

The girl in question glared at all of them, then finally looked over at the girl who'd possessed her during the invasion. "If you ever have to tie up someone in the future, you might want to consider not crossing the ropes in certain areas."

"I didn't do it," pointed out Ino, slightly amused. "That was all Sakura's doing."

Temari hmphed as she found her own seat. "If our roles had been reversed, I would have simply killed you."

"I saw you, in the future," said Ino.

"Oh?" asked Temari, tuning out the presence of the boys. "I heard something about that. Uncontrolled flashes of possible future events. You saw me, in YOUR future?"

"No," said Ino, getting a very mischievous look. "In Shikamaru's."

Temari stared at Ino for a moment before pointing. "HIM?"

"Troublesome."

"Troublesome? You call me troublesome?" asked Temari. "You haven't even begun to see troublesome."

"Wow, they're already acting like a couple," noted Choji.

He was rewarded by two sets of glares for his trouble. Ino merely went back to contemplating the future. And craving a cinnamon roll, but she wasn't about to mention that as she didn't understand that part at all.

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"Any idea who he was?" asked one of the ANBU.

"He assisted Iruka Umino in defending the shelter," said Inoichi Yamanaka, looking down at the old man's body.

"He used what looked like a Yamanaka technique, which is why we called you." The ANBU looked down at the body.

"Iruka Umino is a skilled chunin from what I hear," said Inoichi. "However, I would not rate him as an expert on Yamanaka techniques."

"So, just some unknown old ninja that decided to fight on our side," summed up the ANBU.

"Yes," said Inoichi. "Whoever he was, he apparently found peace at the end of his journey."

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"Yo, jiji. You wanted to see me?" asked Naruto.

"Formal manners, Naruto," gently chided the Hokage. "Do you know who this is?"

Naruto looked at the other old man before a stray thought was overheard. "The Daimyo of Fire Country?"

"Yes," said the Daimyo, preparing to say something more when the door burst open.

"SARUTOBI!" Koharu Utatane stormed in. "What is the meaning of this?"

Homura Mitokado looked rather thunderous himself, but as usual kept it very low-key when he spoke. "We just heard that you were promoting Naruto Uzumaki to chunin."

"REALLY?" asked Naruto excitedly.

"No," said the Hokage.

"Oh," said the immediately disappointed Naruto.

The two councilors on the other hand looked greatly relieved.

The Hokage let that sit for a moment. "Daimyo?"

"You know of my younger brother, younger half-brother actually?" asked the Daimyo, leaning against a wall near a window and toying with a folding fan in his hands.

Koharu nodded at that. "Yes. It is a practice not unheard of that the younger child goes off to live in a monastery or similar cloister. That way they are out of the succession and it is seen as an honorable and traditional method of retiring from the field."

"Except my half-brother didn't go to some temple or cloister," said the Daimyo, tapping his fan into the palm of the other hand. He smiled, knowing the dramatic buildup and enjoying it. "He changed his name, becoming Minato Namikaze."

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his 'poker-face' in place. He simply enjoyed seeing the blood drain entirely from the two councilors' faces.

"You're joking, right?" asked Homura. "Everyone knows how fond the Daimyo is of clever jokes."

"Not joking," said the Daimyo. "The politics have been particularly cut-throat lately. Many people see me as not able to continue past another decade. With no heir, things are a bit chaotic in fact."

Despite being able to maintain a completely neutral expression, the Hokage almost smirked. The two had partially recovered from their earlier shock only to move past mere 'shock' or startlement.

"W-w-what?" asked Koharu in a very small and uncertain voice she hadn't used since she had been in a genin team.

The Daimyo felt no need to maintain a poker face, he simply kept up the facade of the harmless clown he often maintained. "Imagine my relief when I found out that there was an heir."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered if it were possible that when the two talked to Danzo Shimura — would the old man simply have a heart attack and save everyone some grief?

Naruto looked from one to the other in the room, trying to figure out what all was going on.

Jiji, aka Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage, was amused about something and really darn well shielded. The only thing escaping him at the moment was that amusement with a trickle of concern underneath that.

The ANBU, Cat and Boar, were likewise hard to read. Part of that was their masks.

So the (Fourth Hokage/Yondaime/Minato Namikaze) was in the line of succession to Fire Country Daimyo, was an errant thought from the Cat-masked ANBU. Interesting. Oh, he's reading isn't he?

Naruto didn't flinch at the sound/image of vault doors slamming in his face, just went to the two agitated presences.

What he saw there, past the disapproval and hostility, made Naruto break his momentary cool and stare at one of the two. "I'm the son of the FOURTH?"

Koharu blinked before glaring at the youth. "How dare you use your Yamanaka techniques on me!"

"Can't help it, you're practically shouting at me," said Naruto, absently as he tried to sort through the images bombarding him now. So that's what his mother and father looked like when they were alive?

"Well now, Naruto," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, steepling his hands in front of him on his desk. "I hadn't planned on promoting you, but..."

The shock and alarm from the two hostile old people went up a notch or two.

The Daimyo snapped his fan open. "Well now. Since he's needed for a long mission away from the village, wouldn't it be best if he WAS promoted?"

Naruto's eyes flicked to the Daimyo.

Young one, you need to train in your gifts, but also just in case I pass on, went the Daimyo's thoughts, being deliberately shown towards Naruto. And you may be able to do additional service to your village and country. Yes, I think this will stir things up nicely.

Naruto glanced at the two disapprovals before turning his full attention to the Hokage. "So what do you need me to do?"

As he listened, Naruto wiped the smirk from his face. In a way, it was a prank. He hadn't pranked anyone in quite some time, and he'd have to do something about that.

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"Troublesome," said Shikamaru Nara as he looked over the posted results of the exam.

"That you made chunin?" asked Choji.

"Yes, now I'm going to be expected to lead a squad. Extra work and extra responsibility," said Shikamaru.

Choji just shrugged. Shikamaru would probably find something to complain about if he hadn't made chunin.

"Naruto made chunin too," noted Ino. "Not surprising."

"I can see Shikamaru making chunin," said Choji, "but doesn't Naruto just have raw power going for him?"

"Chunin means he also can get more advanced training, and he certainly needs the control," said Ino. "Some resources are restricted to chunin and up."

"Those laws really aren't followed that much," said Shikamaru. "At least in our village they're not."

"Well, it could be worse," said Choji, opening a bag of potato crisps.

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"Okay," said Kakashi Hatake. "Training."

"I don't see Naruto or Sakura," noted Sasuke.

"Naruto has had... complications come up," noted Kakashi. "Special control training among other things."

Sasuke nodded at that. Control was important. Seeing the scorched remains of some enemy nin indicated that Naruto already had pretty good control, but improving that control was certainly something that could be considered desirable. "And Sakura?"

"Is having some special training of her own," said Kakashi.

"Why does that somehow sound as if she's undergoing training horrors at the hands of a sadist?" asked Sasuke.

"No idea, but that's fairly accurate," said Kakashi.

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"Okay then," said Anko. "We ready for another day of happy fun stuff?"

"No," honestly answered Sakura.

"Good! That's the positive winning attitude I love to crush out of people," said Anko. "Hmmm. You're overdressed a bit."

Sakura blinked and considered it. It was her usual outfit.

"And what's with that zero? Are you advertising your power level?" asked Anko.

"No, actually, that's not it at all," began Sakura. "It's a circle, which is symbolic of-"

Anko got out her whip.

Sakura knew this was not going to be fun at all.

She was right.

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The Jyuuken was all about circular motions. Flowing and shifting like water, turning the opponent's strength against itself. When striking, it was as precise as a surgeon's chakra scalpel.

Hiashi watched and noted the improvements that Hinata's performance in the family martial art was showing.

Somewhere she'd gotten more confidence from. Hanabi was still more aggressive, more forceful, more willing to strike and strike hard. Hinata was still more defensive than offensive.

Underneath that though, the extra confidence and strength changed everything. Hanabi the storm-tossed sea, Hinata the ocean more at rest. In a real fight, Hinata could potentially wear out Hanabi.

Hiashi Hyuga was entirely too aware of the image that the Hyuga carefully maintained. Showing any sign of approval towards Hinata's upswing in performance had to be subtle.

"Adequate," said Hiashi.

"Yes, Hyuga-sama," said Ko. "I was really surprised by the Chunin Exam results. Hinata-sama did so well in the second part and in fighting during the invasion, but poorly in training prior to that. While Neji who did so well in training and up through the first part of the exam..."

"Was knocked out in the Invasion by a poisoned senbon," finished Hiashi. "As you said, it was quite surprising."

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"My life is hell," said Neji.

"Oh, so you got passed over for promotion," said Tenten.

"That's not it," said Neji.

"You couldn't keep your Byakugan going through the whole invasion," said Tenten. "And you couldn't help it that you got knocked out during the Invasion. At least you managed to fight Naruto."

"That's not it," said Neji.

"It's not that Lee has a girlfriend is it?" asked Tenten.

"Yes... no. Definitely not," said Neji.

"Well, look at it this way," offered Tenten, "she's tsundere."

"I..." Neji considered that. Oddly enough, it DID make him feel a bit better that even if Rock Lee had managed to turn a kunoichi — she had a major personality flaw.

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Epilogue

Three years later:

"Papers please," politely demanded the guard.

Sakura already had them in hand, and so passed them over without hesitation.

"No henge or genjutsu detected," said a samurai, moving up behind the guard. "Good e'en, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura glanced at the samurai but couldn't place the face.

"Goto, 32nd regiment, we met last time you were at the capital," said the samurai.

"Ah," said Sakura, remembering that. Not the samurai though, there had been a lot of new faces then. Had that really been last year? "Part of the honor guard?"

"Yes, milady," said Goto. "This way please."

Sakura nodded, looking around her as she followed the samurai. More soldiers visible here and there than she remembered. "Expecting trouble?"

"I believe the Head of Security will want to speak with you herself," said Goto, stopping and standing to the side outside a door. He rapped on it twice.

"Enter and be welcome, Sakura Haruno," came a familiar voice from the other side of that door.

Sakura entered, knelt, and checked for genjutsu by manipulating her chakra while being as inobvious as possible about it.

When she was done, the woman in the formal kimono had shifted three feet to the left but was otherwise unchanged. Well, except for the hair being longer. "You're looking well, Hinata."

"As are you, Sakura," said the bodyguard. "It's safe."

The old man in samurai armor nodded. "You've no doubt noticed the extra security. The young lord found a spy three days ago, one who didn't even realize he was a spy."

Sakura nodded. "That's probably related to why I'm here. The Akatsuki are on the move."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

i wanted to get Mjolnir and Phoenix thru the Chunin Exams, and this was done.

As far as i know, this story is the only one where Hinata kills Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams. (With the possible exception of Time Braid, where a time looped version of Hinata manages to do it. This was one of my planned events/divergences, and i had to think about using it after all when i ran across that. This particular Hinata hasn't had decades to build up her power level though.)

Sorry it took so long to post this, as i hadn't realized that i hadn't posted it already until recently.

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TheBeardedOne's Notes

This story was written by Greyff, but was deleted from FFN late April 2019 for reasons that Greyff has not divulged at this time. I managed to find a copy on a Russian fanfic website and downloaded it for reposting. As of this time, I have been unable to track down any copies of the Mjolnir story which is a shame since it was great fun.