Hello everyone! This is an idea that I've been bouncing around for a while, so much so that I havn't been able to think about my other stories adequately to get the inspiration to update them. I really worked my ass off to fine tune this, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. The second chapter is already half way done, but I probably won't update for a week or so. Hopefully, I'll be able to update every two weeks or so, if I write enough. My goal is to make each chapter around 8 to 10 thousand words long. This one just barely shaves in under 10 thousand, and I felt that it was adequate.
Since this is a really radical AU, I don't expect most hardcore Naruto lovers to like it, but... well, I hope it is at least enjoyable. One thing I wish to ask is that, when you review, please tell me one thing you liked about the story, and one thing you didn't like. That'll help me find problems with my writing style, and the next chapters will be better.
I hope you enjoy it, and remember one thing: Keep an open mind.
'The history of the Elemental Nations was a series of long, bloody conflicts ever since the induction of the feudal system. From the first written records until around the year 317 BFI, the many Daimyo fought for supremacy, attempting to control trade routs and the limited resources available at the time. This warfare was permeated not only by war between standard armies, but also by accounts of full scale shadow wars between the Hidden Villages. At that time, Ninja were the Daimyo's only warfare option that did not inevitably lead to war, though many times the missions sparked a new conflagration across the land.
However, the course of history was altered by the advent of workable, efficient firearms. With relatively little training, the common peasant could be taught how to shoot, reload, and care for these economic weapons. At first, Samurai and Ninja alike found ways to counteract the effects of these guns, but as technology progressed, more and more Samurai and Ninja were being slaughtered by troops with little more than two months training. In contrast, in excess of 10 years was required for most Ninja and Samurai to be trained to their fullest extent. This, along with lower wages for these new gun carrying troops and the lowered price of supplying not only their weapons but their ammunition as well, changed how warfare was fought at this time. The Samurai class was nearly completely wiped out after the first few years of warfare. Those who were not had already changed their training to adopt guns and the new tactics they brought. Ninja, although not adopting guns until almost 256 BFI, had to drastically change their fighting styles.
Although Ninja at the time could manipulate the elements to cause extensive damage, there were no truly effective techniques to block or dodge bullets. In essence, although they did cause many casualties against their opponents, they also suffered many as well. Since it was easier for a Daimyo to simply conscript a few peasants than it was for the Kage to train new Ninja to replace their fallen troops, the Ninja way of life had to change. They let go of their fierce battles and flashy jutsu, opting for more stealth. No longer would a few powerful Ninja face down an advancing army and walk away with relatively no casualties. In order to support their way of life, they had to change.
They became spies, assassins, and diplomats. They became great merchants, starting up trade routs and using their cunning to manipulate the market at the time to support their villages. They did not use any sort of open warfare until the advent of the cartridge.
Once bullets came pre-loaded into copper cartridges, allowing for faster reload and firing, did ninja begin to become more aggressive. The creation of the semi-automatic pistol was credited to a Ninja. With their technology catching up to that of the rest of the world, coupled with their already impressive chakra techniques, they could once again become the shadow warriors they had been since their founding.
Once again, their way of life was threatened by the advent of a new technology. Computers nearly completely eliminated a portion of a Ninja's job base: information. Once the Internet became more widely accessible, most governments could use that to find any sort of information they wished, even using it to spy on their enemies. Over time, Ninja were lowered down to the level of extremely expensive bodyguards and errand runners. Many of the famous (and infamous) ninja clans left their villages to search for other ways of life, and new recruits to fill the Ninja ranks became much scarcer. Most villages had, at this time, either disbanded themselves, or were destroyed by the nation in which they resided. However, their chakra techniques continued to be passed down from generation to generation, especially within the great clans.
The last Ninja village was destroyed in Fire Country in the year 136 BFI. However, technology destroyed them, and thus technology could re-create them as well. Already, cities had begun building Internet Access Towers, allowing anyone with a connection to be able to freely connect to the Internet. This lead to a new technology called the ComLink. For all intents and purposes, the ComLink was a miniature laptop computer. However, it allowed internet access anywhere a person wished to go, and with extremely long battery times, they could be carried around all day. However, this did not completely open the door to the return of the Ninja, it merely turned the key.
From the years 60 to 1 BFI, cybernetic technology had advanced considerably. It was at the point that, with a cybernetic implant and a small connection array, it was possible to have a complete and total internet connection without having to carry around a large fragile ComLink. Then, a scientist named Jishiko Takeshima, who had experimented with the nervous system, created a way to allow people with the correct implants to be able to fully immerse themselves in a virtual world. The year that the Matrix came online, named after a popular pulp film released years earlier, marked the end of the old calendar. That year was named 1 AFI, standing for After Full Immersion. The years before this date were renamed BFI, standing for Before Full Immersion.
Now, with the advent of this new technology, anyone could access the Internet or the Matrix at any time they wished, anywhere they wished (with a good connection) without the need of equipment other than their implants. This also opened people up to the danger of viruses and electronic attacks. The hacker became the most deadly warrior of the time. In the years that follow, the advancement of firewalls and other protective programs ensured a degree of safety for most people. The Matrix and the Internet were constantly monitored and scanned for any sort of malware, as it came to be called. The way of the hacker almost died out as the technology advanced. However, this is where the Ninja step in. The Ninja who had learned their ways from their fathers and grandfathers, or mothers and grandmothers, latched onto this idea of hacking. After mastering the art of avoiding protective measures, they changed their tactics yet again. They became what we know as Cyberninja. Able to sneak into any place, weather in the Matrix or in the physical world, they became the perfect spies, the perfect assassins, and with new and better guns, the perfect warriors.
Factions emerged, naming themselves after ancient Ninja Villages, once again dominating the world of warfare, either physically or electronically. To counter their rising power, the governments created what we all know as the SIN, or System Identification Number. This number was saved into each person's implant, either when they received it or when the next census was taken (people registered through the internet, where the SIN was downloaded and saved as they registered). Similar to the Social Security Number of past ages, it was required to do anything. Once it was made public, it was difficult to do even mundane tasks, such as buying food, without a SIN. With the SIN in place, governments could keep track of anyone, as long as they were connected. This lead to many problems for the Cyberninja, specifically removing a large part of their income, and as such limiting their resources.
In a stroke of good fortune, the Central Data Servers crashed. All SIN's were lost. The ramifications caused a deep depression in the economy. Many people lost their jobs, businesses went bankrupt, and nearly world wide riots took place. Once the servers were up and running, people flocked to local centers to be re-issued SIN's. However, most Cyberninja did not, opting to create fake SIN's. Since then, the year 42 AFI, Cyberninja have been operating in the shadows. The First Crash gave them back their place in society. The Second and Third crashes merely fortified them as a power once again. Even today, these Cyberninja are the people to go to for any sort of mission. They are the mercenaries of the future, outperforming even governmental Special Forces.
Today, they are widely used by anyone who can afford them. Even the governments use their skills, quite often as well, though they deny such allegations. Despite the nearly 150 years of their absence, the Cyberninja have reclaimed their place in the world.'
Excerpt from Military Forces throughout the Ages
Light… she could see light… it blinded her, even as she attempted to blink away the blurriness of her vision. She could hear muffled voices that were barely perceptible, yet sounded as if they were shouting.
"…ccident was severe; the force crushed her left arm…"
"….vere blunt force trauma to the skull, possible brain damage and memory loss…"
"… piece of glass piercing her left eye, I suggest we remove the eye to prevent complications…"
She tried to turn to face one of the many speakers, even though her vision was still not quite right.
"Oh, shit! She's awake!"
"Give me 20 cc's of…"
"Already on it!"
Her world faded to black…
The girl woke to the sound of raised voices.
"So you're saying that the only way for my daughter to have a functional life is to give her those… those implants! I refuse to allow that filth anywhere my family! It's bad enough that Matrix Chips are required by law, but I will not allow my daughter to become a monster!"
"Sir, if you don't let us give her a new eye and a new arm, she will be crippled for the rest of her life! Is that what you wish for her? Do you want her to be mocked because she doesn't have an arm when replacements are so readily available? Are you an idiot or just sadistic!"
"You will keep a civil tongue or I will remove it! You forget who you are dealing with."
"Oh, only one of the richest men in the world! With Hyuuga Corp's money, you could replace all of her limbs and not even know the money is gone! There is no good reason why she should not get these parts! If you won't give us consent, we'll ask her permission and get a court appeal. Now, if you'll excuse me, your daughter is awake."
Hyuuga Hinata sat up, confused by the darkness she found herself in. With no small amount of trepidation, she reached over to her left arm. All her hand found was air and a bandage covered stump. Tears began to soak her bandages before the door opened and a rather sweet voice spoke.
"Hinata-san, how are you feeling?"
"…"
"I… I'm sorry for your loss. Do you remember the accident?"
Hinata slowly nodded her head, the car wreck coming back into mind.
"You're lucky to have survived. But… I'm sure you know by now that you're missing your left arm at the shoulder and your left eye."
Gentle hands rested on her shoulders and someone's weight shifted the bed as the doctor sat on the bed next to her.
"My name is Takeshima Miho, and I'm your doctor. I know that loosing your arm and eye must be pretty hard on you, but we can replace them. Your… father refuses to allow us permission, so we want to ask you if we can."
"…"
"So… would you like a new arm?"
The door burst open and Hyuuga Hiashi stormed into the room.
"Hinata, if you dare to allow that filth anywhere your body, I'll exile you from the clan!"
Fresh tears leaked out of her eyes, further soaking her bandages. Slowly, hesitantly she stuttered "I… I j-j-just w-want my a-arm back!"
The doctor gently held her as sobs shook her body. Gently rocking the crying girl back and forth, the doctor shushed and comforted her. Mentally sending a command from her own 'plant, she triggered the release of an anesthetic into her IV drip, and waited until the girl fell asleep.
Standing up, she said "I don't care how much you hate cybernetic limbs, this girl is going to get the best available, and with your insurance, you're gonna pay for every nuyen of it!"
She stormed out of the room, leaving a gob-smacked and very angry man behind her. She had an operation to do.
The Hyuuga Council had long since been disbanded, around the same time that the Hyuuga Clan had left Konoha. Since the Ninja way of life was no longer a viable option for the Hyuuga, they became merchants. Since they already had a large workforce in the Branch family, they could easily start a new business to support their family. The Cursed Seal eventually fell out of favor, although the family was still split. Oh, they got along much better than before, but the Main family consisted only of the current Clan Head, his or her spouse, their parents, and their children. Once an heir was chosen, the others were given Branch Family status.
As it was, the Hyuuga Clan owned and operated one of the largest corporations in the world. They rivaled other super corps, like Ranraku, Ares, and Glyss International. It was always owned by the Hyuuga Clan Head, who always owned the majority of the stock and was always the acting CEO. Even though the Hyuuga retained much of their knowledge of the way of the Ninja, it mostly resided in the area of how to use the Byakugan and mastery of the Jyuken.
Hyuuga Hiashi, as the clan head, was the CEO of Hyuuga Corp. That was an obvious fact. What wasn't so obvious was who was to be his heir. He had two daughters, and though both were adequate in the Hyuuga Marital Arts, Hanabi had always done better in her business management classes. Thus, she was favored to become the next clan Head.
The position was still debated quite extensively, until recently. Hiashi's great grandfather had been against any sort of body modification. 'The perfect beauty of one's body should not be marred by that which man created. Leave perfection as it is' he had said. Oh, they had allowed some small changes, such as inconspicuous implants and the like, but what his daughter had done had gone against clan law. She chose to have her arm and eye replaced by machines. Because of that, there were only two options.
After the First Crash, everyone who was not already extremely wealthy had lost everything. The depression that followed had changed the social stratus of the world. Here in Fire City, the sprawling megalopolis and capital of Fire Country, the rich lived in the Uppercity. The huge building that reached high into the sky were connected through walkways and platforms. Anything above the 100th level belonged solely to the rich. The budding middle class practically controlled the Middle city, the areas between the 100th and 30th level, depending on one's acquired wealth. The poor lived in the Lowercity, any level between the ground level and the 30th level. But, those who were truly destitute lived below that, in the abandoned and non-functional sewers and dark street corners.
As the tallest building in Fire Country was the Central Bureaucracy Tower, which held the Fire Daimyo's palace in the uppermost levels, and it lay dead center of Fire City, the social stratification for the levels remained in proper proportions to the nation's population. As each building out from the CBT was shorter than the last, even if the levels were sectioned off by wealth and status, the poor was still the largest class, the middle class was still larger than the upper class, and the rich were still the smallest population, but with more money than the rest put together.
Now, Hiashi could do two things. One, he could banish Hinata from the clan, stripping her of their clan name and her SIN, leaving her to a life of poverty in the Undercity, or they could marry her off as a political favor. The problems with the first option would be that the Hyuuga's honor and, by proxy, reputation would be irrevocably smeared. But, that was a much easier choice than the second. The reason why the upper class was such a hard place to reach was not because it was difficult to make money. No, in fact there were quite a few 'middle class' businessmen and women who controlled more monetary wealth than some of the less wealthy upper class. It was all about power. A large portion of the upper class consisted of former Ninja and Samurai clans, nobility, and war heroes. It was rare that one not born into such a position was accepted into the upper class. The Hyuuga clan belonged to this world. They always had been, as far back as their records reached, and always will be.
The problem with the second option was that, even though Hinata was of an appropriate age to marry, there were so very few eligible bachelors to choose from. The life of the upper class was all about power, whether it was monetary, military, or political.
Using his MatCon, the only implant allowed by the Hyuuga Clan, to access the Matrix, he brought up a list of all eligible men. It was rather short, and even then, many of them were eliminated because a political marriage would bring nothing to the Hyuuga clan. One by one, the remaining names on the list were eliminated until none remained.
With a resigned sigh, Hiashi prepared to take the necessary actions required to banish his daughter. Bringing up the required information, he let his thoughts drift to the current political climate.
The whole upper echelon was in shambles. At least, the political arena was a mess. With the most recent war against Stone Country, many nobles had joined, hoping to attain honor and glory on the battlefield. Unfortunately, many had come back in body bags. Entire bloodlines were wiped out. Several influential families had lost every single heir, and in the power struggle to attain the title of Clan Head, the clan had collapsed and all members were either killed or banished by the Fire Daimyo.
As it was, the Fire Daimyo himself was a newcomer to the Royal Throne. The armies of Stone had come dangerously close to Fire City, having taken most of the suburbs. The previous Fire Daimyo had gotten scared, so he had taken his family and himself aboard a hovership and attempted to flee the country. It was shot down before it even left the city. With the throne empty, the Stone armies had pushed to take the rest of the city, but in a brilliant move by an upstart general named Namikaze Minato, the Fire armies had counter attacked. In a rout, Stone's armies were pushed back beyond their borders and the country was forced into a strenuous peace treaty. Namikaze had quickly seized control of the throne, expertly thwarting his political rivals and filling the power vacuum left by the death of the entire Royal Family. Before the war, the Namikaze family had been side-note, given little notice by the other nobility.
Even after almost 16 years of rule, the nobility continued to struggle against him. Each and every insurgence was put down without mercy, many members of the offending families put to death. Whether out of fear or out of true loyalty, more and more political factions have been openly supporting the new Fire Daimyo. It was even rumored that the Hokage had even declared his allegiance to Namikaze. If he truly had the weight of the Konoha Cyberninja behind him, there was little that any internal threat could do to oppose him. Therefore, it would be wise to align his own faction with that of the Fire Daimyo's.
As it was, the Fire Daimyo had no wife or heir. There had been the most fabulous rumors spread that he had secretly married the Princess of Whirlpool Country shortly before attaining the throne. While Whirlpool Country had been occupied by Water Country, and most of the royal family killed, there has never been any proof that the Princess had been found. While the time frame fit, Namikaze's bid for the throne and the disappearance of the Whirlpool Princess, it would be obvious that he would have revealed the existence of his wife and heir, if he had one. The political climate was at the point that it was safe to reveal them, and it had been for at least 8 or 9 years.
Something clicked in Hiashi's brain. Pulling up the Matrix, he ran a deep scan, using all of the power behind Hyuuga Corp's supercomputers. Remembering something from long ago, he ran the name Uzumaki.
When he was a teenager, there had been a civil war in Whirlpool country. Their Daimyo was overthrown by the nobles, but the fight for who would seize the throne was getting out of hand. Fire Country had sent a large contingent of troops there to keep the peace… one that included Namikaze Minato. It was there that the current Daimyo's military career had begun. Though the details were hazy, it was a long time since he had thought about the incident, Namikaze had become General of the forces there. He had thrown the weight of the Fire Army behind the Uzumaki family… who had gone on to seize control of the country.
That was the connection, and a self-satisfied smirk adorned his face. The Uzumaki Family were the Royal Family of Whirlpool Country. The Whirlpool Princess was never found, and her disappearance occurred at nearly the same time that Namikaze attained the Royal Throne of Fire Country. If he had not felt safe to reveal his spouse and, hopefully, child, then he would have hidden them in plane sight… as a minor noble family.
With a small sound, his search engine finished searching. There were only two matches found. One for Uzumaki Kushina, and her son, Uzumaki Naruto. Unfortunately, Uzumaki Kushina was registered as deceased, and Uzumaki Naruto… wait, it had to be a mistake…
He was registered as living at ground level. That was no place for a noble, let alone the son of the Daimyo. Maybe it was a mistake… but, then again, even if it wasn't, Hinata would be off of his hands and out of the clan. If he was correct, then the Hyuuga would be directly tied with the Royal Family. That would just make his day… screw that, it would make his decade.
The Fire Daimyo had ceased meeting with his subjects personally: there had been too many attempts on his life for that to continue. No, he met with them on the Matrix. An entire throne room had been created for these meetings, and with the extensive amount of anti-virus and other electronic protective measures, it was impossible to do him harm. That was where Hiashi found himself.
The plan was perfect. As the Uzumaki were considered a noble family, even if the only member left lived at ground level, then it was socially acceptable for him to request an arranged marriage between his daughter and Uzumaki Naruto. If the Fire Daimyo denied his request, then Hiashi would know that there was some sort of connection between the two, and he could, possibly, use that as an edge. If the marriage was allowed, and there was a connection, then the Hyuuga would gain a major foothold above all of the other royal families. If Uzumaki was not connected in any way with the nobility, well, at least Hinata would be off of his hands without a stain on his honor. Any way this turns out, Hiashi would walk out a winner.
"Hyuuga Hiashi… to what do I owe the… pleasure." The word was spoken with such guarded emotion that it left no doubts in Hiashi's mind that it was anything but.
"My lord, I wish to arrange a marriage between my daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto." The Fire Daimyo chuckled.
"You never were one for dragging things out. Short and to the point. I like that…" for a few moments, silence permeated the metaphysical throne room. Even though it was just a computer rendered image, it felt so real that it was almost like actually being there.
"Why do you wish this arrangement, Hyuuga-san?"
"… I feel that much good could come from this marriage, my lord."
"Oh? And why, precisely, do you think that?"
"… I'm sure we both know the reason, my lord." Hiashi's gaze met the Fire Daimyo's. For a second, the man stiffened. No one else would have caught it, but the Byakugan doesn't lie, not even in the Matrix. Hiashi smirked, knowingly. The last piece had fallen into place.
The choice was on the table. Either accept, or your secret will be revealed. No words need voice this fact. Nobles had long since learned to communicate without words, using context and roundabout speech.
"… very well. It shall be done." The Fire Daimyo practically glared at the kneeling noble. "I will arrange everything. Send your daughter to the Palace this Saturday along with anything she wishes to bring. Be in the Court of Nobles by 10:00 or I will assume that you wish to call off the marriage."
"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord." Hiashi bowed his head again, his nose nearly touching the ground, as was fitting for someone facing the Daimyo.
"Make no mistake, Hyuuga-san. Cross me and you will regret it. Threaten me, and my revenge will be swift and merciless. Do no attempt to coerce me, ever. Your life depends on it."
Hiashi quickly bowed again as he disconnected. It was set. This would either make him or break him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to go down in flames. The Hyuuga would always rise, always move towards the sun, just as their name described.
"Get up."
Hinata started, falling out of a rather complex dream that she was already forgetting. Quickly, she glanced around the room, finding the source of her rather unwelcome wakeup call. Her father stood in the doorway, a look of barely contained contempt on his face.
She struggled to sit up, still unused to the movements of her new arm. The mechanical limb was far more technologically advanced than most, but it would never be able to replace a real arm. Sure, with modern nerve-splicing technology she had a limited amount of sensation from it, thanks to subtle sensors, but it still felt fake.
"Y-yes, father." She, rather self-consciously, waited until her father had closed the door before throwing the blanked aside. Carefully standing up from her futon, she glanced around the room, attempting to make sense of the distorted images she received. After all, her mechanical eye did not have the range of motion that her real eye did, and as such did not have as large of a visual range.
Sliding open her closet door, she chose a rather simple outfit. A rather large portion of her clan chose to wear more formal kimono robes and other forms of traditional dress. Most of the others wore business suits, as their positions demanded that attire. She, instead, chose to wear a pair of capris, a simple tee-shirt, and a hooded jacket over that. While the jacket was not required in the nearly completely climate controlled world of the Uppercity, it served it's purposes, namely hiding her budding assets, and more recently, her cybernetic arm. After quickly straightening her hair, she left her room.
She knew her father wouldn't wait outside for her: he wasn't that kind of person. Instead, she made her way to his personal study. He sat in front of a simple holographic projector, going over some of Hyuuga Corp's paperwork. She waited, silently, until he was ready to address her.
"I've decided that banishing you will not serve the clan."
Her heart jumped a bit. Was it at all possible that he would let her stay? Even after she had broken one of the clan's most sacred unwritten laws, he may still care enough to let her stay! Her world came crashing down with his next statement.
"Instead, you are to be married."
Marriage… that wasn't something she had expected. Oh, she knew that if she failed to take the title of heiress that she would most likely be forced to marry. It was a fact of life to all noble women. Like all girls, she had fantasized about meeting the right guy, falling in love, and then getting married. This… this was undoubtedly arranged. After all, she had to be useful to the clan. Forging alliances by selling her off to the highest bidder was useful.
"Yes, father." Her meek reply leapt to her lips, unbidden. It was practically an automatic response by now. Her father accepted nothing less than complete subservience. At least it made it easier to stay on his good side, if you played it right. That was a lesson she had learned the hard way.
"You are betrothed to Uzumaki Naruto. Go pack your things; you are to be at the Central Bureaucracy Tower by 10 o'clock. I will have transportation ready for you. Do not be late or I will banish you."
"Yes father."
A quick bow later and she was already retreating to her room. She had very few personal effects. A few knick-knacks here, a stuffed bear there, a fair amount of cloths, and a few holos were all she packed, besides her maintenance kit for her attachments.
The time passed in a haze. Whether it was because she was in shock or because of the tears fogging up her non-mechanical eye, she couldn't tell. Before she knew it, her bags were loaded into a hovercraft and she was off to face her destiny.
Silently, she mused. Few happy thoughts passed through the fog clouding her brain. Melancholy, cynical thoughts choked them out before they could take root and lift her spirits. Bittersweet described her feelings. She was finally getting out from under her father, only to be sold to another master. There were no reservations. Court marriages were notorious for being loveless. All she could hope for was that her new master was kinder than her last.
She barely registered stopping at the CBT and switching crafts, nor the three other times she was transferred to a new hovercraft. She barely even registered the fact that the Fire Daimyo himself was sitting across from her. Depression tends to cut one off from the world.
He was almost there… just a little closer… one last firewall and Water Country's secrets were his! Carefully weaving a few more lines of code, he further weakened the last barrier preventing him from hacking into one of the most secure servers in existence. Then someone knocked on the door.
Cursing, he lost his focus and had to act carefully to prevent being traced. Quickly bringing some of his backup programs to the front, he bombarded the server's countermeasures with spyware and a myriad of viruses and Trojans of his own making. While their countermeasures were busy clearing out the more immanent threat, he carefully extracted himself from the firewalls and erased any possible way to trace the source of the hack. Finally, once he was assured that he was safe, he logged off.
Carefully standing up so as not to aggravate his aching joints, as sitting cross legged on the floor for hours at a time will do that, he stalked his way to the door, intending to give whoever it was a piece of his mind… or a bullet to the brain.
"What do you…?"
The words died in his mouth as he saw who it was. He practically bristled at the person standing in the doorway, his hand twitching, longing to reach for the pistol at his hip. The presence of several well armed and armored bodyguards stopped that notion, no matter how much he wished to follow through with it.
"Is that any way to treat your father, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's scowl deepened. Of all people, why was he deciding to visit?
"I apologize for my rudeness, Daimyo-sama."
Despite his words, his actions made it perfectly clear that he was not at all apologetic. Grudgingly, he stepped aside and let the small group into his rather humble apartment.
It wasn't much, and most certainly not fit for the son of the Daimyo. There was little more than a very small living room with only a couch and a holoscreen, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. The furniture looked like it was practically falling apart, and the poorly done plaster walls were cracked and falling apart. The internal frame of the building was visible through the myriad of holes. All in all, it looked like exactly what the nobles had come to expect from the ground level: a dump.
"Your apartment has a certain… quaintness to it."
"Just tell me what you want and get out!"
One of the bodyguards stepped towards the boy, yelling "Show some respect for the Daimyo, brat!"
With a flash, Naruto's arm darted forward. He hit the man in the gut with an open palm strike. When he pulled his arm back, a blood covered blade withdrew from the man's gut, retracting into Naruto's obviously mechanical arm. The guard's mouth worked, but no sound came out of it as he fell against the wall, leaving a streak of blood as he slid down it.
When the other bodyguard brought his weapon to bear, Naruto's other hand pulled the pistol from his holster. Quickly, he fired off a precise shot, the bullet striking the other guard right between the eyes. The back of the guard's head exploded, sending blood and grey matter splattering against the opposite wall. The corpse dropped where it stood, never to move again.
"Naruto!"
Before the words were even out of the Daimyo's mouth, he was staring down the barrel of Naruto's pistol.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now."
"Because I'm your father."
"Some father. I didn't even know you existed until last year. I lived down here, down on the streets until you finally remembered that you raped my mother and she got knocked up! The only reason you ever tracked me down was because I was suddenly useful to you! A bastard child is better than no child at all, isn't it? Shouldn't have fucked around with all those whores and maybe your bits would still work."
"Naruto-"
"Just tell me what you want and get out."
"God dammit, Naruto, will you just listen to me for a moment!"
The blond haired hacker just pulled back the hammer on his gun. "30 seconds."
The Daimyo of Fire Country, arguably the most powerful man in the world merely blinked. Intelligently, he said "What?"
"You have 30 seconds until I blow your brains out."
"… very well. You're to be married."
"… what?"
"I've chosen you a bride from a noble family. You are to marry her, learn the ways of the courts, and join me as the Heir Apparent."
"Isn't it enough that you control an entire country? Do you have to continually fuck up my life?"
"Son, please-"
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!"
The man shut his mouth. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the two had problems. The son glared with anger, and the father stared with regret. Trouble in paradise just didn't seem to cover the scope of the situation.
"… Naruto, if you don't marry her, she's going to be banished to the Undercity."
"Yeah, well, it's fathers like you that fuck shit up like that."
"Please… just do this for me."
"Why should I do anything for you? I've survived on my own this long, and quite comfortably too, until you came along. I don't want to have anything to do with you, don't you get it!"
"Do you really not care about the wellbeing of the citizens of Fire Country?"
"…"
"If I do not declare an Heir, the nobles will begin squabbling over the line of succession. I know the Cyberninja will have a field day with all the assassination, but do you realize what this would do to the rest of the population? Bombings killing countless civilians, clans hiring gangs and thugs to bully the populace into supporting them, other countries invading! Is all of that unimportant to you? Will you let them all die just because you want to get revenge because I made a mistake?"
"… that's all I ever was to you. A mistake. And now I'm a mistake that has a use."
"… please. I'm at my wit's end. I don't know what else to do. I can't make any more heirs, you know that. I can't just nominate a person from one family or another. It would start a civil war. Naruto… son… I need you to do this. I know it's asking a lot from you, but… please. I'll do anything." Namikaze Minato, Daimyo of Fire Country got down on his knees, placed his hands on the floor, and nearly touched his forehead to the floor in a traditional bow. He was, quite literally, placing his life in the hands of his own son, one who was merely a step away from killing him.
Naruto's jaw clenched. It was taking all of his willpower to keep the gun steady. The tension kept building. His trigger finger kept twitching, itching to pull that trigger, to just give up on this man that just happened to spawn him.
With a resigned sigh, Naruto un-cocked the hammer and slid the gun back in it's holster.
"… thank you."
"Whatever, old man. I don't care about your stupid court. I'm doing things my way, and if people don't like it, they can reason with my bullets."
Although greatly lessened, the tension was still palatable. Then, Minato grinned.
"You should see your new bride, she's quite a looker."
Naruto scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms across his chest. The slight blush that adorned his cheeks caused Minato to chuckle.
"Whatever. Get someone to clean this up, dad. I'm gonna go get some food."
Minato sighed. "Please, go get ready. I'll be there in a bit. Lunch is on me. By the way, your bride is still in the 'craft. You might want to get to know her a bit. Who knows, you might like her."
"Tch. Says the man who's only gotten laid by raping princesses and paying whores."
Naruto stalked into his room, leaving a thoroughly depressed and somewhat angry Minato to call the clean up crew. He slid off the loose hoodie and shorts he wore, replacing them with a pair of well-fitting pants. The pseudo-silk felt nice, but that wasn't why he bought it. Carefully, he pulled on the lower half of a suit of Flexiguard. It was a rather well protective armor suit that didn't hinder any sort of movement. Unfortunately, it also left a few gaps that could be exploited by a skilled opponent. The chest piece was pulled on next, over top a pseudo-silk tank top. He didn't bother with protecting his arms. They were cybernetic and could be easily replaced. His cybernetic arms blended well with the armor, leaving no weak spots on the shoulder. The chest piece also adequately protected the vital organs in his torso. He clipped on a collar next, pushing a button on the side and calmly observing several pieced of metal climb up the back of his head down to his forehead and up his neck to cover the lower half of his face. Finally, he pulled on a pair of goggles, somewhat resembling the old night vision goggles of ages past, although much more technologically advanced.
Feeling secure, finally, he disengaged his helmet piece, watching as it folded back on itself back into the collar. He pulled the goggles up to rest on his forehead, letting them hold back his blonde locks that so reminded him of his father, preventing it from getting in his eyes.
He strapped on his pistol holster, securing it, before pulling down a compact rifle from the wall. He tapped it against the back of his armor, and the computer there magnetized the metal plate to hold the rifle in place. Finally, he pulled on a pair of boots that went with the armor. Fully armed and armored, he walked passed his bemused parent, who was calling a clean up crew for the place, and made his way to the car.
Hinata finally pulled herself out of her stupor once she realized that they had stopped and hadn't moved for a while. Somewhat calmly, she looked around at the dilapidated buildings and dirty streets. Everything was artificially lit, since most of the tall buildings occluded the sun at any given time of the day in this part of the city. Somewhat curiously, she observed, for the first time, the Lowercity. Dark shadows shrouded the entrances to alleyways and areas that the lights didn't reveal. Many were burnt out, giving the place a dreary, spooky, even dangerous feeling. Even though it was close to noon, it looked like it was midnight, for the most part.
Despite the dark, quite a few pedestrians roamed the walkways. Some were carrying groceries and other various purchases. They all looked different, some large and muscled, some small. The one thing they all had in common was that they all carried some sort of weapon. Her mechanical eye constantly zoomed in and out, identifying each and every weapon, pulling up stats and specs on it over the net.
Absently, she noted that the door to the building they were parked next to opened and a rather intimidating figure stepped out. The effect would have been more profound if it wasn't for the fact that he looked barely older than her 14 years. That caught her attention. She stared closely through the tinted glass of the vehicle.
The boy's blonde locks were carefree, and spiked all over the place to prove it, barely held back by the goggles on his forehead. His blue eyes, although possessing a spark of mischievousness, were jaded, disillusioned. They carefully monitored his surroundings as he calmly approached the vehicle. She absently noted that her eye identified his mechanical arms, again pulling up stats on them. The armor was rather impressive, she decided after her eye identified it as well. It had built in nanobots to actively repair it if it was damaged. It was far superior to the bulky armor most of the Hyuuga guards wore. She noticed the stock of a rifle poking out over the boy's shoulder, but there wasn't enough revealed to give the eye an accurate estimation as to what model it was.
There was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. The tattooed whisker marks on his cheeks were a nice touch to the overall look, but weren't exactly what was bothering her. It wasn't until the Fire Daimyo stepped out behind the boy and stood next to him that she made the connection.
They had the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same physique (what she could see under the armor, that is) and both carried themselves as if they were expert warriors. It was unnerving. In fact…
A cold feeling of dread struck her, and her adrenal glands kicked into overtime. The boy was the Daimyo's son. There was no doubt about it. He was practically a clone of the taller man beside him. After hearing about the ruthlessness of the Fire Daimyo all her life, she had developed a healthy fear of him, as had all the nobles. His son looked exactly like him, so chances were that they were similar in personality. The thought was almost enough to make her faint.
This… this must be her future husband. The Fire Daimyo's son… Oh, her father really picked it this time. Everything he had done had made her life difficult, but this just made it a veritable hell. If she wasn't already cried out, she would have burst into a fresh round of tears.
"Come on, Naruto. We need to get going."
"… whatever."
Carefully closing and locking the door behind him, Naruto turned and fallowed Minato into the rather out of place hovercraft. There was no way that a vehicle as high quality as this had any good reason for being in the Lowercity. It was way to conspicuous, but, of course, his father just had to go in style.
He took a seat almost directly across from his father, sitting next to the practically cowering girl. Sending one last glare at Minato, he absently waved his hand.
"Driver, go to these coordinates."
"Understood, sir."
The miffed look on Minato's face was worth it. Smirking over his petty victory, he turned to the girl next to him. Somehow, he couldn't think of anything to say.
Her blue-black hair was trimmed to her shoulder. It was perfectly straight and was kept well groomed. Although she had been crying and her one biological eye was puffy and red, he still noted the extremely pale lavender color and lack of a pupil.
'Great, a Hyuuga. Fine, choose me a bride, but god dammit, why did it have to be one from the most stuck up clan in all of Fire Country?'
In any case, she wasn't too bad looking. Although her simple jacket concealed her figure quite well, his trained eye could see that she was well developed for her age. Although he knew that the Hyuuga resented cybernetic accessories, he noted that both her left arm and left eye were mechanical. Probably why she was chosen to marry him, after all, he was from a very minor clan and no one knew of his father.
All in all, she wasn't that bad, as far as nobles went, but between the fact that she had been crying and had most likely been practically cast out of her clan, he didn't think that they would hit it off so well.
"Hinata-san, I would like to introduce you to my son, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, meet Hyuuga Hinata."
Minato watched bemusedly as the two turned to regard each other with jaded looks. Oh, now this would not do.
"Well, by the laws and bylaws of Fire Country, I pronounce you husband and wife." Out of no where, Minato handed them a saucer of sake. Following the traditions, Hinata took it and offered it to Naruto. He absently sipped and handed it back. After a few repeats until the saucer was empty, they did nothing but drink and continue to observe.
"Sir, we have arrived at our destination."
"Excellent. I'll leave you two alone. Join me when you're ready."
Although the phrase was innocent enough, the innuendo behind it left the two blushing, although still wary. Finally, Naruto broke down and spoke first.
"Hyu… Hinata-san, I realize that neither of us want to be married. But… I'd rather not have you hate me. I realize that we'll probably never love each other, but…" he held his hand out to her "could we at least be friends?"
"F… friends?"
Slowly, cautiously, she tentatively held her hand out and gently grasped his.
Naruto gave a little grin.
"Thank you. Um… would you join me for lunch?"
"O-ok."
He escorted her out of the vehicle to the small restaurant it was parked next to. The old, fading sign read "Ichiraku's" The building itself wasn't much better, but it was cleaner than most places around it. The newlyweds entered and sat down. Slowly, the two opened up to conversation over their ramen, gently becoming used to each other. It was slow, but the two began to open up to each other, almost completely ignoring Minato, who was too wrapped up in his own bowl to pay attention.
About half way through the meal, Minato straightened up and got a glazed over look in his eyes. A minute later he snapped out of it.
"… dammit! I'm sorry, son, but I've gotta go. Urgent business. Think you can make it back without the 'craft?"
"I've been getting around on my own since I was 8. Without parents to help out, you learn to be self sufficient."
Minato cringed slightly at the barb. Kushina had died 6 years ago, caught in the crossfire between a gang and some Shadow Runners who were taking them out. It had taken him 3 years to track down Naruto after that, since the boy kept moving periodically. Even then, he hadn't contacted him until last year, and that was only because the nobles had been pestering for him to declare an heir. Never once had Naruto failed to remind him of his failures, and he regretted them now more than ever.
"… I'm sorry. I'll see if I can come by later tonight… wait, scratch that. Tonight's your honeymoon. I'll come by tomorrow if I can catch an hour or two away from the paperwork."
"Whatever. Don't let the country fall apart, old man."
"Wouldn't dream of it, son."
Naruto turned back to Hinata and they resumed chatting as Minato set down a few big bills and practically sprinted back to the 'craft. The didn't even notice as it took off into the sky, dodging the platforms and what little traffic there was in the Lowercity.
After the two had eaten their fill, Naruto eating almost thrice what Hinata ate, the two left the stand and started walking down the better lit portions of the street. The two lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable silence, having run out of topics. Tired of the silence as they walked, Naruto took a glance at her arm.
"So… why did you go with the Hiroko 3650? I mean, yeah, it's a top of the line model, but it's not the best out there. Sure, it's got a fast training time, but it's a lot weaker than most models you could have gotten. It's not really a great combat model…"
"Um… my father didn't want me to get one at all. He would have preferred I stayed crippled for the rest of my life."
Naruto wasn't really surprised at the bitterness in her voice.
"Seems like both of our fathers are assholes."
Hinata didn't say anything, but she nodded her consent.
"Um… what did you mean by a fast training time?"
"Well, that arm was designed so that it would be easy for people to adapt to moving it. It's supposed to be the easiest to adapt to."
"Really? I've had it for a couple of weeks and it's still giving me problems." Hinata self-consciously moved and 'flexed' the arm, but the movements were jerky. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. He reached out and gently grabbed her mechanical wrist. He pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and inspected the arm, holding by it's hand. His eyes went blank for a moment as they walked, but when they refocused he looked annoyed.
"Well, the problem isn't the arm. And don't worry; it isn't your fault either. Your implant is an older, outdated model. It doesn't have the right capabilities to control such a high tech arm with any accuracy."
"Oh… but, what can we do about it?"
"Tomorrow I can take you by a Cyberware store. They can replace your implant in under an hour and get you something that'll really put some kick into that arm."
The pun wasn't lost on Hinata, as she giggled a little bit. The two continued to walk down the walkway, both noticing that neither had let go of the other's hand, mechanical or not, nor did they care all that much. To them, it just felt right. They were married, after all.
"Here, if we cut through this alley we'll be right next to my place. It'll be easier than going down the next block to get there."
"O-ok, if you're sure."
The two turned into a very dark, dank alley. The light was dim, so Naruto pulled his goggles over his eyes with his free hand, activating the night vision. Hinata had already switched her mechanical eye's night vision feature on. The alley, although not as bright as day, looked much brighter than the street they had left, even though they weren't using their night vision then.
"Oh, what have we here? A couple of punks wandering down a dark alley?"
"Didn't your parents ever tell you to stay away from these places?"
A couple of thugs were blocking their path. Naruto turned, but the alley was blocked by a couple more behind them. Naruto gently pushed Hinata to the side of the alley, close to the wall. His other hand drifted to his pistol, silently drawing it.
"Didn't you ever learn to pick your battles wisely? You never know when someone's better than you."
"Hah, as if a brat like you could beat all four of us. We're members of the Daggers. We own this area. So drop any valuables you have and we might let you off easy… if we feel like it."
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing."
"You little punk! Don't get cocky, we outnumber you 4 to 1, there's no way you can win!"
"Really? Then maybe you should try fighting without your leg."
As he spoke, the guy's knee gave away and he slammed to the ground. A satisfying crunch signaled the impact from his face to the concrete.
"You little shit! You're gonna pay for that!"
The three remaining members charged at Naruto, intending to catch him off guard. The two behind were only a few steps away when they started screaming and clutching their foreheads. They dropped like rocks, blood pouring from the noses and ears. The other guy stopped in his tracks a look of surprise and no small amount of fear. He paid dearly for his hesitance when Naruto lifted his pistol and shot the guy in the knee. He collapsed, but since his cry was only in surprise it was clear that his leg was cybernetic. Naruto calmly approached him, kicking him in the ribs and rolling him onto his back.
"Daggers, huh? Why don't you go crawling back to your base and tell them not to mess with me. No one outwits the Cyberfox. Come one, Hinata."
The timid girl carefully stepped around the guys, somewhat scared because of Naruto's cold calculating fighting style, and somewhat amused as the last guys tried crawling away by pulling his body along with his arms. He was practically pissing himself from fear.
The two made it out of the alleyway and into Naruto's house. He grinned sheepishly, saying "Sorry it's a bit of a mess. I'm not the neatest bachelor around…"
"No, it's fine. I don't know what I'd do if I lived on my own…" Hinata trailed off.
"Yeah, well… sorry about those thugs. That gang's been getting on my nerves recently. Maybe I should teach them a lesson."
"Ano… Naruto, why did he get scared when he heard 'Cyberfox'?"
"Um… well, that's because that's my handle. I'm a hacker, one of the best there is. Not to brag, but I've out-hacked a few Jounin in my time. I'm kinda famous in the underworld. Just about the only places I can't hack are government information servers. I almost had Water Country's cracked earlier today, but dad interrupted me."
"Oh… So you're the one who put the malware in the Yamanaka servers…"
"Well, they deserved it. Besides, father actually asked me to do that. They were getting too powerful. So, I knocked them down a few pegs."
"Ah… I see. Um… is it hard to learn how to hack?"
"Not really, if you've got the right teacher… why, do you wanna learn?"
"Ano… if it's not too much trouble…"
"Hinata, we're married. Of course I'll teach you. You'll probably need it, being the future Daimyo's wife…"
Hinata froze up for a moment… She was married to the Daimyo's son… he was the Crown Prince… she was the Crown Princess… It was almost too good to be true. Somewhere, she had acknowledged that she'd be in a place of power because of this marriage, but the scope of it only really struck her then. She was going to be the second most powerful person in Fire Country… It was like a dream come true! As a little girl she'd always dreamed that a Samurai would come sweep her off her feet and carry her off to be a princess and eventually a queen, but she'd never actually thought that it would have happened. But… the realistic side of her knew that she'd be in danger. Unless Naruto controlled the nobles, there would be attempts on her life. If what she just saw was any indication, being a hacker could help her defend herself…
"Ano… I would love to learn."
"Alright then! I'll take you by the Cyberware store tomorrow and we'll get you some upgrades. Trust me, you'll need them."
"Ano… I don't mean to be rude, but how will you afford them?"
"Hinata, I only live on the ground level to piss off my father. I've got more than enough money to pay for these parts a hundred times over."
"O-oh."
Naruto grinned and put his arm around her shoulder. The close contact flustered her, and Naruto seemed to be blushing a little bit as well.
"Hey, Hinata, have you ever played a hologame?"
Ok! I hope you guys enjoyed this! It's a pretty radical change from the canon universe, but don't worry: you'll see quite a few ninja pretty soon.
Anyway, like I said before, if you review could you please tell me at least one thing you liked and one thing you didn't like? I would really appreciate it, and it would help me write better.
Also, if you have any questions, please ask me and I'll post the answers in the next chapter. Or I might just answer them in a PM. In any case, they'll be answered.
Anyway, thanks for reading!