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Shy Fox Chronicles
Chapter 10: So, You're Saying You Got A Chance
Another long day at the academy had passed, and Neji dragged his feet on the way home. He was easily waved past the guards, as always. Even though he had achieved what he desired… something was off to him. He did not expect the monotony, the drudgery of it all. He walked on autopilot through the halls before a familiar voice snapped him out of it.
"Hey, Neji! How was class?" The voice of the Fifth Hokage's son asked.
"What? Oh, it's just you Naruto… wait, why are you here so late?" Neji asked, having to take a double take on the blonde Uzumaki being in the house so late.
"Oh, quit being a stick in the mud, Neji." Enten groaned, rolling her eyes at her cousin.
"And he did say he was going to protect us while you were gone, remember?" Hinata chipped in. "Are you okay? You look exhausted." she asked with concern.
"I'm fine. The academy was just… difficult today." Neji said with a sigh, trying to end the conversation quickly.
"Difficult how? Did you get tripped? Wait, Lee threw you into a wall." Enten asked, but Neji cut her off before her 'predictions' got too crazy.
"It was just a difficult day. My teacher just pushes us hard because we are the top class." Neji growled, shocking the three with his tone.
"Well, on the plus side, that means that they probably think you're strong and wanna make you stronger." Naruto added with a small smile.
"Don't you have to go home or something?" Neji asked Naruto.
"Not until six." Naruto replied.
Neji let out a deep sigh. Seeing no way out of this… chatty conversation, he threw his bag on the ground. Then he sat on an unused cushion, likely one they had out for him. However, his ever-fouling mood was quickly noticed by the others, and Naruto decided to try to fix that.
"Neji… are you sure you're okay? If something's bothering you, you can talk to us about it." Naruto told the older boy.
"Nothing is wrong. Stop asking." Neji growled, crossing his arms.
Enten glared at her cousin. "Hey, Naruto's just trying to be nice! Learn to lighten up, Neji!" She chided him.
"Being nice doesn't help you as a shinobi." Neji shot back, further shocking the twins with his behavior.
"It helps you make allies, which can be useful in battle." Hinata added, trying to help her sister.
"Allies across shinobi history only bring betrayal. No alliance has lasted for more than a few decades at most." Neji explained coldly.
"Because nobody's bothered trying to change that. Be the change you wanna see in the world, that's what my mama always says to me." Naruto added clearly to try to get Neji to be more optimistic.
"Such optimism got Hashirama nowhere. When the body dies, optimism dies with it." Neji answered, turning his pupilless eyes to the Uzumaki.
Naruto glared at the older boy with a look that surprised the three. "Because that was fresh off a time of a lot of fighting and pain! I'll show you that optimism can get you somewhere if I have to beat it into you!" He declared, standing up.
To the twins' further horror, Neji stood up, towering over the short blonde. "I'd love to see you try." Neji replied.
"B-boys, boys! We don't need to go that far…" Hinata nervously told them.
"Oh, I think we do, Hinata…!" Naruto replied, glaring coldly at the long-haired boy before him.
"Alright then, Naruto. If you want to fight, then let's do it. Meet me at the Hyūga Dojo in half an hour." Neji declared; his icy stare locked on Naruto.
"You're on!" Naruto replied, his own glare burning red-hot into Neji's soul.
Meanwhile: Lee Clan Compound
"505. 506. 507. 508. 509…" Lee grunted as he performed pushups with several planks of wood on his back.
"Rock! Your weird friends are here!" His mother's smooth voice came from the front lobby.
"Issen-kun and the triplets accepted my invitation!? Please, send them in!" Lee excitedly replied.
"Death Lee!" Jazz Lee called out.
To the four Kamishini boys' shock, out of a surprisingly tiny door came the largest man the boys had ever seen. Wearing a traditional set of serving clothes, the man threatened to burst from them with his sheer size and bulk. Easily exceeding seven feet and nearly as wide as the hallway, it was as if a statue of some great hero had been made flesh and bone. His face was nearly flat, with an almost squarish shape on it. Two gray eyes looked down, as if taking in every detail of them, and a set of bushy eyebrows were raised at them. His giant mallet hands smoothed out his crop top hair, with white jagged lightning bolts running through it.
"You called, Lady Jazz?" The giant of a man asked in a slow, monotone voice.
"Yes, Death. Please take them to see Rock in the dojo. Oh, and feed the snap trap plants along the way. I think they are getting peckish." Jazz ordered with a delightful smile.
The now identified Death Lee put an arm across his chest before bowing slowly and stiffly. "As you wish, Lady Jazz. Mind your step and walk this way please, honored guests." Death replied before beginning to walk in the direction of the dojo with a stiff, lumbering pace to him.
Seikoku began trying to walk like the lumbering giant only to be smacked in the back of his head by Shinkoku. Seikoku cried out in pain and winced, rubbing the back of his head, and glaring at his brother. Kei and Issen rolled their eyes as the four then began to follow the mountain of a man to the dojo. Eventually, Death opens the door to the Dojo to reveal Rock Lee having added several more blocks on top of the boards, and already on his 177th rep.
"Master Rock. Your weird friends are here to see you." Death Lee said, stepping aside so the four could pass.
"Why do they call us weird when they have a living mountain and snap trap plants in their home…?" Issen muttered to the triplets only to get elbowed in the gut by Kei.
"Thank you, Uncle Death! And compliments on how slippery you made the Dojo floor! It took me five minutes to get my balance!" Rock Lee chipperly answered.
"You flatter me, Master Rock. Will that be all?" Death replied, looking down at his nephew.
"That will be all. Thank you as always, uncle!" Rock Lee said with a smile.
Death simply put an arm across his chest and bowed slowly and stiffly. Rising back up to his full towering height, he then turned and slowly exited the dojo. As he did, his feet slid ever so slightly along the slippery floor, as if he were gliding out of the room.
"Hey, guys! Thank you so much for accepting my invitation! No one ever wants to come home with me." Lee said happily, as he stopped his pushups.
"I can't see why. Also, what are you feeding that guy? Mountains?" Seikoku replied to their… 'enthusiastic' friend.
"Grandpa had him stop eating mountains decades ago. It made him lose his girlish figure." Rock Lee answered simply, before seeing the horrified looks of his friends. "It's a joke, guys. Come on!"
"I can't help but wonder about that…" Issen muttered.
"What is wrong with Uncle Death? Your Grandpa is big too…" Lee tried to say before being cut off.
"Yeah, but gramps isn't the size of a large summoning animal." Kei replied.
"Grandpa also forbade him from eating those too." Lee said.
"... Please tell me that was a joke too." Seikoku replied in disbelief.
"... We are getting off topic." Lee replied simply.
"So… what did you want us over for Lee?" Shinkoku asked nervously.
"I wished for us to do some training together and play until dinner time. Work up our appetites to make the food taste better." Lee informed his friends with a smile.
"How we gonna do that, wrestle lions?" Kei muttered under his breath.
"No. We will be using the obstacle course." Lee replied before walking to a lever in the dojo.
"How do you guys have an obstacle course? We don't have an obstacle course!" Seikoku exclaimed in shock.
"My great grandpa had it built. Great grandpa Opera always was an eccentric man." Lee replied before pulling the lever.
As the shoji screens opened, they revealed the hell that lay before them. Pit traps, crocodiles, fire-spewing pillars, spike jumps, and more. Flying blades spanning chasms filled with giant spiders. The sheer dizzying number of things just seemed to go on and on and on. Shinkoku soon fainted at the sight as the other three brothers stared in pale-faced horror.
"Who would like to go first? We can start you on the lowest difficulty instead of this one!" Lee announced to his friends.
Meanwhile: Back at the Hyūga Compound
Hinata and Enten sat in the audience portion of the dojo as Naruto and Neji stared at each other. The only reason they hadn't started throwing hands yet was some form of dominance display. They wanted to prove they were right just through the power of eye contact. Finally, after what felt like forever, long enough for Enten to want to take a nap, the two finally started. Dropping into their own individual stances, the two rushed at each other with as much force as their legs could muster.
"About time… I was ready to fall asleep, these two were so boring…" Enten tiredly said.
"Enten! Naruto-kun and big brother Neji could hurt each other!" Hinata chided her twin.
"Most likely. Why can't they have entertaining beef like Father and Uncle?" Enten groaned, waving off her sister's concerns.
Hinata sighed. "Because boys are stupid. You know that as much as I do…" She replied in frustration.
"At least Naruto is entertainingly stupid. Right, sis?" Enten said with a sly smirk.
Hinata blushed and glared at her sister. As this happened, Naruto and Neji made it to each other as Naruto dodged a palm thrust from Neji. Clenching his hands into fists, he threw a wild haymaker at the older boy that Neji dodged. However, when Neji went for a palm strike to Naruto's solar plexus, the blonde Uzumaki swung his leg low to sweep Neji's feet. Jumping up to dodge, this left Neji open for Naruto to swing his leg up and back in the other direction, forcing Neji to put his arm up to block while bracing it with his other hand.
The force of the kick, as minor as it was, still knocked Neji from his jump and sent him tumbling. Naruto took off running after the Hyūga boy, jumping a bit to bring his foot down in a move he had seen his older cousin Rea use once. Rolling to dodge the sloppy heel drop kick, Neji got to his feet and took off, aiming a two-fingered strike at Naruto's thigh where he knew a pressure point was from his lessons. Sensing danger, Naruto stepped his leg back to dodge before moving with his own momentum into another haymaker.
Catching the punch, Neji tried to strike another pressure point only for Naruto to aim an uppercut at his chin. Changing the position of his hand and moving to intercept, Neji caught the fist before it could get to his chin. However, this left Neji open to a knee to his stomach that knocked the breath out of him. As Naruto reeled his knee back for another blow, Neji stopped the impact with his foot before pushing Naruto's knee down, forcing Naruto down to one knee on the floor of the dojo.
With a quick roundhouse kick to the face, Neji knocked Naruto to the floor. Before Neji could get on top of him to pin him down, Naruto swept his foot, kicking Neji's legs out from under him. Quickly getting on top of the older boy, Naruto went for a blow his mama taught him called a Hammer Fist. Raining blows down on Neji, who covered himself to block them, Naruto tried to get a punch through Neji's guard. Seeing Naruto about to go for a double hammer fist, Neji rolled his upper body aside before kicking Naruto off him.
Climbing on top of Naruto, Neji went for multiple Hammer Fist and palm thrust blows of his own, trying to break Naruto's own defenses. When Neji went for his own double hammer fist, Naruto shot up as fast as he could, headbutting Neji in the face. Jumping off Naruto and clutching his nose, Neji was unprepared for Naruto to tackle him to the ground with a shoulder-tackle to the stomach. The impact knocked the breath from the prodigy's lungs, having not expected such a tactic from a future shinobi.
Shaking himself to try to get some sense of what was going on, Neji barely dodged as Naruto went for a running punt kick to his chin. Stomping his foot to the ground to stop his own momentum, Naruto turned on his heel and sent a backwards roundhouse kick Neji's way that the boy was forced to block with his arm. As Naruto's heel impacted Neji's arm, the two sprang apart, panting a bit. Catching Naruto's foot as he rushed in and went for another kick, Neji pulled him in to throw him off balance before landing a palm smash to Naruto's face. This disoriented the blonde Uzumaki long enough for Neji to wrap his hands and legs around Naruto's leg and drop to the ground, pulling tight on it.
Crying out, Naruto tried to get loose as Neji pulled tight on his leg. Punching at Neji's legs and wrists, Naruto tried to force him to loosen his grip as Neji refused to let go. Finally, after a full-strength hammer fist to his wrist, Neji winced in pain and finally released the son of the Hokage. Rolling away from each other, the two scrambled to get to their feet, panting and glaring at each other. Giving each other small smiles, the two fell over, panting heavily.
"See, Hinata? They're alive." Enten said simply, motioning her arm towards them.
"Oh good. I hope they didn't hurt each other too much. Should we get the first aid kit?" Hinata replied, looking at her younger twin.
"I'll get it. You go over and keep them from getting up again." Enten sighed as she soon walked out of the room.
After Enten returned with the first aid kit, she already saw Hinata fretting over them like a mother hen. Much to the boys' mutual annoyance. However, as they were getting patched up, the two could not help but smile. Even if the two did not say it, they at least worked out part of their issues with each other. And having a good scrap like that was kind of fun. After being patched up, Naruto walked home with a smile across his face.
To say that his mother was livid would be a charitable interpretation of what he received. In fact, she was ready to march over to the Hyūga's and break skulls open. Only the stern words of old man Oda and several of the strongest Uzumaki holding her back prevented a potential massacre. After fretting over Naruto all night, a lovely dinner, and a warm bath, Naruto was finally ready for bed. He even went to bed at a reasonable time for once, which further freaked Kushina out.
However, after Kushina tucked him in, Naruto swiftly went to sleep. He was excited to get to his dreams. His dreams were always great. Mostly involving his friends, family, and ramen. Tonight, however… tonight, it was different…
He opened his eyes to the dark, dank, and chilly sewer corridor. Rarely did he ever get into this dreamscape. He trembled as he heard a rumbling growl going further into the darkness. He never got close, too afraid of whatever monster was over there. Yet, tonight, he heard something… no… felt something. Something the other direction of the growls. Turning around, he began to take the tentative first steps. Eventually, he reached a door and nervously opened it.
The room was far different than any he had ever been in his dreams. It appeared to be that of a temple, one of dark stone and red wood. On the red wood pillars were strange flowing runes, running like water in ways he had not seen kanji done before. Bizarre gray and green accents began to form around in various features, as he saw a cloaked figure in front of him. The figure turned to face him, indicating a cloaked boy older than himself by some years. Yet what was odd was his face.
The only discernible feature of his was dual-colored eyes one of topaz yellow one of amethyst purple, as if he were staring at the gemstones of a master craftsman. Beyond that, however, he could not pick anything out. His face seemed to shift and twist, conjuring, changing, and deleting features in mere moments. As if his face was reflecting a kaleidoscope of the human condition. Finally, the boy spoke before him, catching Naruto off guard.
However, to Naruto's surprise, no sound came out of the boy's mouth when he spoke. When Naruto tried to call out to him, Naruto found that no words came from his own mouth. Raising his arm, the cloaked boy pointed towards a door in the temple. Looking at it, Naruto walked over to the door and slowly opened it. As Naruto opened it, light burst from the door as Naruto covered his face. When the light faded, Naruto was surprised to find himself in a wide-open forest clearing with beautiful green tree leaves blown from the branches of their trees by a gentle breeze.
Looking at Naruto saw an older version of himself standing with the hooded boy. The two walked as Naruto followed them. Soon, the three of them came across a family of four Timberwolves, three cubs and a mother, opposing a larger wolf. The youngest cub, black and white with green tribal markings on its fur and emerald-green eyes like the hooded boy's, was injured and bleeding from its leg. The three watched as the cub cowered before a massive male wolf, its fur black as the darkest void with faded green markings similar to the cub's, its eyes an empty black with white sclera and emerald-green irises. The massive wolf growled at the cowering cub as it made its way closer.
The other adult wolf, a smaller female with white fur and emerald-green markings that resembled the youngest cub's, snarled at the male with a vicious glare. The other two cubs, an adolescent, black-furred male cub identical to the opposing wolf with green markings and eyes that resembled the youngest cub's, stood beside his mother in defense of the black and white cub, snarling and growling at the male in a defensive stance. The middle cub, a white-furred cub with the same markings and eyes as the others, stood back behind the older cub and mother, gently licking its injured sibling's wound before turning and snarling at the massive male before them.
Rushing in, the older Naruto rushed in to stand beside the wolf cubs and mother. The three glared and snarled at him before he walked forward and stood in front of them, opposing the male. Putting his hands in a hand seal with his index and middle fingers extended and placed in a cross, the older Naruto looked back and said something to the hooded boy. Confused, but nodding, the hooded boy rushed ahead and stood before the vicious male wolf, extending his hand towards it in a threatening motion as a strange spearhead made of glowing, electrically sparking energy, one that did not resemble chakra in the slightest, appeared in the palm of his hand.
The mysterious hooded boy fired the spearhead towards the great wolf, sending out a flash of light. The flash soon made Naruto forcibly wake. Panting heavily, he sat there sweating. He could not figure out what exactly happened. Yet only one thing stayed on his mind. The word his older self said in the dream.
"Ranmyaku…?" Naruto asked in confusion…
To Be Continued…