Future Memories
A Naruto fanfiction by FatefulGravy
Previously: Hinata defeats Neji and the preliminaries end. Naruto shows Kakashi stage one of the Rasengan before he leaves to train Sasuke. Naruto and Hinata meet Jiraiya and begin to explain the future.
Chapter 8
Sadness and Sorrow
Jiraiya sat with a thoughtful look on his face,the two genin showed a great knowledge of thing they shouldn't have know. Itachi's abilities, Orochimaru's plans, Tsunade's habits. Neither Naruto nor Hinata should have known a thing about them, and yet they did. The aging Sannin had come to the conclusion that perhaps, they were possibly telling the truth.
"Is there anything you can tell me," he asked, "That would happen sooner, within the next few days or weeks perhaps, that would prove your story to me."
Hinata spoke up, "We can tell you about..."
"Wait," interrupted Naruto, "let us finish our story first. We came to you because we need you help Jiraiya-sensei, if you don't understand what were trying to do you can help us."
"Go on then, but my request still stands, you hear. Its the only way I can be sure your telling the truth."
"Yeah, yeah ero-sennin."
"Brat!"
21st June
Location: Konoha Training Grounds
Naruto pounded his target. It was pissing him off dammit, how dare it just stand there and not make a move! The bastard of a tree didn't even flinch at his blows, no matter how many times he hit the trunk. Naruto was, obviously, not having a good day. In the two weeks, (Two damn weeks!) since he had been announced as Rokudaime he had been subjected to meeting after meeting. What do you intend to do about the academy Naruto-sama? What will be your policy towards missing-nins Naruto-sama? What colour would you like the walls in your office Naruto-sama? If swore if he had to attend one more meeting with council members, retired ninjas or interior designers he was going to flip.
A ninja, one of the assistants in the Hokage tower, appeared in a puff of smoke behind him.
"Oh please no," Naruto whispered to himself.
"Its time for your afternoon appointment Naruto-sama," the assistant said.
Naruto had to stop himself from screaming, "Oh please no."
"The head of the Hyuuga clan has requested your presence Naruto-sama," the assistant continued.
The tree Naruto had been pounding on vanished in a storm of splinters.
Naruto walked through the door of the Hokage tower and headed towards the Hokage's office, soon to be his. While walking Naruto thought about what Hyuuga Hiashi could possible want to talk to him about. The Hyuuga clan head, also Hinata's father he reminded himself, had been present when Naruto had met with the council. But he hadn't said anything then, and gave no impression of having anything important to say to Naruto. This left the soon to be Hokage somewhat confused about his intentions, he just hoped it wasn't another person trying to get on his 'good side'.
He reached the office and nodded to the ANBU standing guard.
"Hyuuga-sama is already inside, Naruto-sama," the guard reported.
"Thank you," replied Naruto as his opened the door.
Shutting it behind him he saw Tsunade standing behind her desk, but no sign of the Hyuuga.
"Hey baa-chan, where's Hyuuga-san?"
"I'm here Naruto-san." The voice came from behind Tsunade. Tsunade who, Naruto now noticed, was standing oddly. Shoulders slumped, head hanging forward. Feet an inch off the floor.
Hiashi let go of Tsunade's body. It fell like a bag of bones, bouncing off the desk before slumping to the floor. Naruto's feet were rooted to the floor, his eyes stuck on the place where the person he had thought of as a mother now lay.
Slowly, Naruto turned now glowing red eyes upon Hiashi, "You," he growled, "what did you do?"
"Me?" the Hyuuga responded, "I didn't do anything, it was you who killed her, Naruto-san." He turned a malicious grin on Naruto, "At least, thats what I'll tell the guards."
Naruto's eyes widened, "They wont believe you," he spat out. He was barley holding in his anger, he could feel the Kyuubi's chakra boiling under his skin. But he knew, that if he even let a whiff of it out, the Hyuuga bastard would have all the evidence he needed to blame Naruto.
"I think they will," Hiashi responded, "All the trust, all the respect you think you've gained. All of it will come crashing down around you once I report this. A demon as Hokage? Preposterous!"
"Why?" Naruto asked, "Why did you do this? What do you have to gain?"
"To gain! With you and her out of the way I will become the head of power in Konoha! I will make Konoha what it should have been!"
"Should have been?" Naruto growled, "What do you mean should have been, Konoha is fine how it is now!"
Hiashi laughed, "Fine! You think this is fine! Before Kyuubi, before you attacked, Konoha was the most powerful Ninja Village. But because of your actions we were brought to our knees. I will make Konoha powerful again, I will crush our enemies, I will rule the world!
In that second, Naruto could see all that he had worked for slipping away from him. Tsunade lay dead, Hiashi would do anything to stop him become Hokage, he would be blamed, and Hiashi would be free to carry out his plan. In that second, Naruto let it slip. For just a second, demonic chakra surrounded him. Just a small amount, just for a second, but it would be enough for the guards outside to feel. Hiashi smirked, "Thank you Naruto-san, I'll go inform the guards."
Hiashi walked past Naruto, who was still rooted to the spot, towards the door. Naruto only had seconds to see his choices. He could stay, be captured and probably executed for a crime he didn't commit. He could run, become a missing-nin and never set foot in Konoha again. Or he could do something to clear his name.
Quickly he dashed to Tsunade's body, "I'm sorry Baa-chan," he whispered, before he picked her up and dashed out the window. He distantly heard shouts of, "Stop!" and "The demons escaping!" behind him. But he didn't stop, he ran.
22nd June
Location: Atop the Hokage Tower
Hinata looked around at those who had gathered. Every Konoha ninja not on a mission had been ordered to report to the top of the Hokage Tower for an announcement of great importance. She was concerned though, wherever she looked she was unable to find Naruto. She hoped that nothing had happened to him, that this announcement had nothing to do with him.
Hinata looked to the front of the gathering, an old man, Hinata recognized him as a council member, was beckoning for quiet. Once the crowd was silent he began to speak.
"Ninja of Konoha," he began, "yesterday Tsunade, last of the Sannin, was murdered," the gathered Ninja let out a collective gasp, this was highly unexpected. "It is believed," the council member continued, "That the killer was one Uzumaki Naruto."
The gathered ninja were quiet again. Hinata was deeply shocked, she couldn't believe that Naruto would do something like that.
'Like hell,' she thought, 'Naruto-kun would never hurt someone he loved.'
Hinata's faith in Naruto was not however shared by many others.
"I knew it!" one cried out.
"We should never of trusted the demon!" shouted another.
"Silence!" The shout came, surprisingly, from her father. Hyuuga Hiashi was stood next to the council member. "Hyuuga-sama was present at the scene," the council member said, "he would like to tell you what he saw." He gestured for Hiashi to begin.
"Thank you," he started, "I was just entering a meeting I had arranged with Uzumaki-san when I saw him, surrounded in red demonic chakra, standing over the body of Tsunade-sama. Naturally I rushed to get the guards and as I returned I saw him dash out of the window with her body."
The roars for blood from the crowd increased. "However!" Hiashi shouted, "However I do not believe Naruto is to blame. I believe that Tsunade-sama was killed by the Kyuubi. As you all know Naruto kept the Kyuubi contained for many years. Heroically keeping us safe from its wrath with nothing but his own will power." The crowd became quiet at this, remembering just what Naruto had been through for them. Hinata however, narrowed her eyes at the man she called father. He had never before shown any respect for Naruto, so why now?
"It is my belief," Hiashi continued, "That despite his best efforts Naruto was defeated by the Kyuubi, and is now being controlled. That is why, my comrades, that we must hunt down and put to death, the one once known as Uzumaki Naruto. It is what he would want us to do."
As the crowd began to move off on its mission Hinata stared long and hard at her father, who had a faint smile on his lips.
'What are you up to, Father?'
Naruto was running through a wooded area of Konoha, tears in his eyes, but he would not flee. If he left Konoha he would never clear his name, he would go down in history as a traitor. He still carried Tsunade's body, but it was hindering him, he could feel a pursuer closing in on him. He couldn't move fast enough to escape with Tsunade, and he couldn't fight on the run. On the other hand he couldn't kill a Konoha ninja, that would doom him. His only chance was that the pursuit could be convinced he was innocent.
He stopped in a clearing, and gently set Tsunade's body down. It didn't take long for his pursuer to catch up, and Naruto was pleasantly surprised at who it was.
"Neji," he said, "I really need your help."
Said Hyuuga looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, the report that Kyuubi was in control was obviously false, there was no red chakra present, and Naruto appeared to be himself. The body of Tsunade was lying nearby however.
"Naruto," he asked, "did you kill Tsunade-sama."
Naruto grew annoyed, "No way!" he shouted, "It was that bastard Hiashi, then he blamed me for it!"
Neji considered his words, "How can I believe you?"
"Look at her with your Byakugan," Naruto chocked out, "Tell be how she was killed."
Neji did so, activating his bloodline limit he studied Tsunade's now empty chakra pathways. All seemed normal, except for several at the back of her head.
"She was killed," he explained, "by a Jyuken strike to the back of the head."
Naruto sighed, "Exactly," he said sadly, "its impossible for me to do that, Hiashi had already killed her when I arrived."
Neji knelt down considering what to do. Hiashi had killed Tsunade, it would be difficult to prove though, he had the majority of the villages Ninja behind him, and had persuaded them that Kyuubi was in control of Naruto. Worse, with all the ninja behind him he could do practically what he wanted. But what were his goals? Why would he kill Tsunade and frame Naruto?
"Why is he doing this?" Neji asked Naruto.
"When I was there," Naruto explained, "He was talking about restoring Konoha to what it was, back before the Kyuubi attack, he said something about ruling the world."
"Ruling the world?" Neji questioned, "Is he crazy?"
Naruto snorted, "Not from his point of view, I think he intends to take Konoha to war against the other Ninja villages, he intends to control all the worlds ninja."
Neji's eyes widened, "In a war that size, there would be hundreds of thousands killed. We would have to fight each village one after the other, theres no way its possible."
"The tailed demons still exist, if he could gather them it would be possible, even without Kyuubi," said Naruto.
"I don't believe that is what he will do, Akatsuki hid the demons they obtained well."
"Whatever he intends to do," said Naruto, "It wont be good for Konoha, he has to be stopped. And I need somewhere to hide."
Neji considered their options, "Many ninja are searching for you. To think, just two weeks ago the village held you in the highest esteem, now many hate you as much as when you were younger."
"All of them?" Naruto questioned with a hint of fear.
Neji gave Naruto a small smile, "Hardly, you still have many supporters."
Naruto snorted and turned towards Tsunade's body, "What am I going to do now?"
"Head for the tunnels in the Hokage cliffs," Neji suggested, "you can stay hidden for days in there."
Naruto nodded at the suggestion, "What about you?" he asked.
"I'll report this area clear, and then I'll talk about this to people we can trust."
"Who, and why?"
Neji closed his eyes and considered what he was about to do. Turn as many people as possible against Hiashi, to try and stop him doing something that would results in many deaths.
"The eleven of us, just for now. We would, in effect, be setting up a resistance against Hiashi. Depending on what he does, we may have to fight against him."
"A resistance?" Naruto questioned, "It's risky, but what he is doing will seriously hurt Konoha, we have to stop him."
1st July
It had been a week since he and Neji had parted ways. Naruto had buried Tsunade it that clearing, digging the unmarked grave had been one of the saddest moments of Naruto's life. He knew that there would be no proper funeral, no spot on the Memorial stone for his Baa-chan, and he had cried as he dug.
He cried now as he sat, tired, hungry and depressed within the extensive tunnel network behind the Hokage monument. He had barley slept through fear of discovery, and had taken no food with him when he ran. It had been years since he had last cried, and now he was unable to stop. His only comfort was, ironically, the Kyuubi. The great fox and been a strong but silence presence within Naruto's mind, giving him the ability to survive. Without the demons chakra and support, Naruto feared what he may have done.
Now he had nothing to do but wait. He supposed it was overly optimistic to expect Neji to come through, he imagined that the Hyuuga had given up on Naruto and gone his own way. He believed that...
"Naruto," Neji whispered, shaking Naruto's shoulders.
"Neji," he said back, "I didn't think you would come."
"Of course were here Naruto-baka."
Sakura-chan?
"We brought ya food."
Chouji?
"NARUTO-KUN! WE WILL NOT LET YOUR FIRES OF YOUTH BURN OUT!"
Lee-kun?
"Shut up idiot everyone will hear you."
"Jeez this is troublesome."
"Everything is troublesome to you."
Ten-Ten, Shikamaru, Ino?
"Guys?" Naruto opened his watery eyes to see his friends around him, "Thank you," he whispered.
"Hinata, Kiba and Shino couldn't make it," Sakura explained, "There the heirs to their clans, and the clans are with Hiashi at the moment."
"At the moment?" Naruto asked.
"Lots has happened in the past week," said Shikamaru, "Hiashi gathered enough support to be declared Interim Hokage by the council, but then they were found dead the next morning. He placed the blame on you, saying that the demon fox was still at large in Konoha, but the clans are suspicious and may withdraw their support for him," he continued to explain, "Kiba and Shino may be able to escape their clans then."
"And Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.
"Hiashi has a close eye on her," Neji answered, "She says she will support you however she can, but she's practically imprisoned in the Hyuuga compound."
Naruto sighed. It came down to just the eight of them against a crazy clan head with most of a village behind him. Some resistance.
"We're not going to be able to do much good are we," he said.
"More than you may think," Sakura replied, "Hiashi only really has support from the Hyuuga main house and some of the ninja who lost most to the Kyuubi, the majority see that he was playing them for fools. Unfortunately any that try and speak out are quickly taken down and Hiashi spreads rumors about them being under Kyuubi's influence."
"Its the beginning's of a civil war down their," Neji picked up, "Ninja that were away on missions a week ago are confused and tend to fall in with Hiashi. The clans support him officially but will neither move for or against him. People that know you claim that you didn't kill Tsunade and openly distrust Hiashi but they don't do anything against him either, and the Hyuuga Branch house is at your service."
"At my service," Naruto asked, confused.
"Well we are a resistance against Hiashi, so we figured we needed a leader," said Shikamaru.
"And," Sakura continued, "we all voted for you."
"So that puts you in charge," Neji finished off, "Naruto-sama."
3rd July
Location: Konoha Town Center
Hiashi stood on a podium, the Hyuuga Main house stood behind him, an honor guard fifty strong. Among them, Hinata silently developed her plans for escape. She had come to hate her father, she couldn't stand to me around the lying, manipulative man. He kept her confined to her room except when she was brought out as a show of strength for situations such as these.
She hated it, but currently escape was impossible. Her father had caught wind of a group assembling to oppose him, and he expected Hinata to run off and join. Given the chance she would, she wouldn't even look back, but her guard was to heavy at the moment.
She hated it because today, Hiashi would declare himself Hokage. He would steal Naruto's dream, and she hated him for it.
In the tunnels, Naruto was consulting Shikamaru. While Naruto was in charge overall, tactics depended on Shikamaru, there was no one better equipped.
"It's getting busy back here," Naruto stated. Indeed it was filling up in the tunnels. Several ninja had managed to reach the resistance, many guided by Naruto' s friends. Konohamaru and his team had arrived the day before, and several members of the Branch family had arrived earlier that day, while the Main house stood guard in the town.
"Sure is," Shikamaru confirmed, "and thats going to become bit troublesome."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
"Several reasons," he began to tick them off with his fingers, "One, we can't defend this position, there are too many ways in and out. Two, we can't possibly keep everyone fed. Three, while hiding back here we are having no influence on the people in the village. And four, its starting to smell."
Naruto sniffed the air, then screwed up his face in an expression of disgust.
"So it does, I hadn't noticed."
Shikamaru didn't bother to reply.
"Okay, what should we do?"
Shikamaru took a second to begin, "Its troublesome, but we need to gain a stronghold within the actual village. A position that will give us access to supplies, but one that we can still defend. Some sort of tower with few entrances would be best."
"A tower hey?" Naruto responded, "I have the perfect idea."
1st August
Location: Hyuuga Compound, early morning.
Hinata crouched against the wall outside her Fathers room. She had planned to escape early today, in all fairness, she should have been long gone by now, but her father had been woken with an urgent message and Hinata wanted to know what it was all about.
That left her where she was now, ear pressed against her Fathers door, holding her breath.
"...attack sometime today," she heard a male voice speak.
"At what location," that was the whispered voice of her father.
"...know...supplies," the other male was whispering too now, making it hard to hear what was said.
"...secure...increase," Hiashi whispered. Hinata heard footsteps approach her position, and slid into the shadows as the door slid open. She didn't dare breath or move as her father and the man with him walked past her position. Once they were gone she went over what little she had heard. Her father was expecting an attack sometime today. The other man had said something about supplies which meant it was probably a resistance attack. He had also said that they knew about the attack, and her father had said something about increasing security. If what she heard was true, she would need to escape now, and get a warning to the resistance. She stealthily slid away.
A few minutes later, Hinata crept towards the front gate, carrying nothing but the few possessions she had managed to scrape together. This was her chance, a chance to escape.
"So your leaving?"
She gasped and spun round, dropping into a combat stance. Her father stood behind her, he had found her, he would force her to stay.
"Your going to join them, I suppose I should have foreseen this." He turned his back on her and walked back towards the mansion. What was going on? Was he letting her leave?
"Just stay out of our way, your not strong enough to make a difference anyhow." He continued to walk away, leaving Hinata with a path to freedom. She took one last suspicious glance at her father's retreating form, before turning back to her escape. Only to run straight into Hanabi, her younger sister.
"I'm not as forgiving as Father, Hinata," the younger girl stated, "I will not let a traitor live."
Hinata glared, and pushed her way past the teen, "Out of the way Hanabi-chan, you can't stop me."
Hanabi executed a perfect backflip, putting her between Hinata and escape once again. "I was always stronger than you!" she shouted, and lunged at Hinata, who grabbed her arm, twisted, and kicked her to the ground.
"Last chance, Hanabi-chan," said Hinata as her sister pulled herself to her feet, "I wont hesitate to kill you."
Hanabi activated her Byakugan and glared out the older sister, "I'm not going to let you leave the clan to join up with a demon and his brainwashed followers! I will stop you!"
"You are going to die little sister, and I am going to kill you."
"As if, traitor. You are within the field of my divination, Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou." As the younger Hyuuga dashed forward to attack the older slid into an unfamiliar stance.
"Foolish move little sister, Akuma Tentou!"
Hanabi's eyes widened as every one of her strikes was blocked. As the last one failed to impact she jumped back to see Hinata lunging at her, hands crackling with blue chakra.
"Sixty-fifth palm!" the chakra enhanced counter impacting Hanabi's stomach, a blue wave of chakra was expelled from her back.
Hanabi fell to her knees gasping for air. "Foolish little sister," said Hinata, "You fail to understand friendship, love. For you, there is only the clan, you simply do as you are told to do. You have no free will and you seek to take mine from me. You will die."
Hinata looked down at her sister, one hand still crackling blue. She saw Hanabi look up at her with pleading eyes, no matter how cold hearted her younger sister was, she could not face death without fear.
"Sixty-sixth palm," the call was whispered, the effect anti-climatic. A simple touch to the forehead and the blue glow around Hinata's hand vanished, along with the life in Hanabi's eyes. A second later an empty shell once known as Hyuuga Hanabi crumpled to the ground. Hinata stepped over it and made her escape. Her eyes were dry, and she didn't look back.
FatefulGravy's Jutsu Dictionary
Akuma Tentou Sixty-sixth Palm
Collected chakra is forced directly into the victims brain, ceasing all brain functions in the blink of an eye.
Used by: Hyuuga Hinata
A/N
A shorter chapter before the flashforward's finale.
I kinda messed up last chapter, since the memories are Naruto's and Hinata's they should all be written from their point of veiw, and the Sasuke fight wasn't, oops.
Also this is the second chapter in a row in which siblings fight each other, odd. And I hated killing Tsunade and Hanabi, oh well.
Thanks for all the reviews!