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Naruto: Shattered Mirror Ch13

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Far away from Konoha, Jiraiya was giving Hinata some lessons. Right now he was having her stand on water while making a long tree branch hover above her hands, which were held as high over her head as she could reach. The purpose of this exercise was to get an idea of her chakra control and levels.

'Summoning Gamabunta like that was not normal. So how did she do it? What's her secret?' He asked himself as he watched her perform this task almost effortlessly for the past twenty minutes. The only reason Naruto had been able to summon the giant toad, was because he was the host for the Kyuubi, so that gave him a nearly unlimited chakra reserve.

Jiraiya took the opportunity to perform a sensory jutsu that would enable him to briefly 'see' the chakra aura each ninja radiated. It was used primarily to give one an idea of how limited their jutsu usage was and their overall health, but not their element. He had waited to use this because he initially thought she wouldn't have lasted this long without needing a break. Since she proved him wrong, he was going to see for himself how much she had to offer.

The Toad Sage wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting to find, but it certainly was surprising what he did find. Her chakra aura was incredible massive, almost high jounin level in quantity.

'How can this be?' Jiraiya asked himself. 'The Hyuuga are known to not have the highest amount of chakra but the best control over what they do have. Even a jounin Hyuuga has never had this amount as far as I know. And yet... it still looks somewhat... constricted. Like it's not freely flowing thru her, what's holding it back?'

"That's enough, come on over." He shouted to her.

Hinata dropped the branch and headed to shore where he was seated on a tree stump. "Yes Jiraiya-sama?"

"Have you ever had problems with your chakra in the past?" He asked.

"Only w-when I was t-training in my c-clan's methods. I never seemed to get them r-right or u-use the correct chakra amounts to... do them right." She shamefully admitted.

"Do you know why you were having a hard time?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. Ev-everyone i-in the Hyuuga just told me I w-was p-pathetic and d-doomed to fail at everything. I asked for help, and m-most of the time they told me to just give up."

"What about the other times?"

"Th-then they'd say I did... didn't deserve to be stronger. That I should j-just accept my place below them and b-be grateful."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "I think I know why they said that." He saw her interest peaked. "Only someone in your clan or who used a jutsu I just did would be able to notice this, but the problem is you have too much chakra."

"Too much?" Hinata asked. "How much?"

"I'd estimate close to my own amount when I was in my twenties."

"H-h-how is th-that p-possible?" The Hyuuga heiress asked in disbelief.

"I can think of only one logical explanation." The super pervert said. "What can you tell me about your mother?"

"My mother?" Hinata asked herself. "W-well, I n-never really kn-knew my mother. I'm told she was f-from outside the clan and that's why my eyes can't s-see as far as they should and why my b-body isn't suited to the gentle fist. I... I didn't want to believe that, but when Kurenai-sensei tested my team for our element, my paper said I w-was... a water type. Everyone in my clan is an earth type. So ob-obviously, I'm n-not a full Hyuuga, and I think they hate me for it."

Jiraiya nodded slowly in understanding. "I think I see the problem here. Your clan doesn't consider you one of them, and refuses to modify your training to suit your unique needs. They likely already know you have more chakra than any of them do and would rather not see you become strong and confident enough to challenge their own power. So they handicap you and demean you to keep you weaker than them."

"Just like people have done to Naruto-kun." Hinata stated.

Jiraiya nodded. "Indeed. And like him, you have the potential to be strong enough to prove them wrong. What you need is a proper training regime, and a confidence boost. I can help you with the latter much sooner than the former, so let's start there."

"What do you suggest?" Hinata asked.

Jiraiya stood up. "I want you to shout out as loud as you can all your frustrations and anger. Just yell out what makes you angry and why. I'll even provide you with a sound barrier so you can keep your privacy and avoid alerting anyone else around."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Wha-what will th-that accomplish?"

"More than you may think. Venting can be very therapeutic when you tend to suppress everything negative. And I'm getting the feeling that you've kept everything hidden. When you were on the water, I noticed your chakra was a bit constricted, meaning you wouldn't relax. I think if you get your frustrations out of your system, it will improve your future training greatly."

Jiraiya then made a few hand signs and a barrier shimmered around Hinata. "This is a standard sound barrier. I can't hear you, but you can hear me. And since no one can hear you, don't censor yourself. Say what you want and say it loudly. It will help you out, trust me." He then turned his back to her, giving her a bit more privacy.

Hinata didn't say anything just yet. 'He wants me to just yell out? Shout my problems to the sky? I can't do that.'

Jiraiya glanced behind himself and saw no change in her actions. "It doesn't matter what you have to say, just say something. Start out comfortable, and go from there." He saw he was still hesitant. "Here's an idea. Say something about your family you don't like. There's bound to be something there you want to get off your chest." He turned back around.

Hinata took a deep breath. 'Let's give this a try.' She closed her eyes and then spoke softly. "I... I don't like the fact that my... my clan doesn't f-feel like a family to me. They, they treat me more like... like I should apologize for breathing. Even my own f-father, who... who looks at me like he can't believe he sired me."

She paused for a moment, her eyelids and fists clenching a bit tighter now. "What did I do to deserve that? If he didn't want me, then why was he with my mother in the first place? Why blame me for his one-night stand? Why does everyone look at me like I can do nothing right and he can do no wrong? If they don't want me around, why did they take me away from my mom in the first place?"

The young white-eyed girl then frowned and scoffed. "Why am I asking such a stupid question? I know why they really keep me around; it's so no one else has my eyes. I'm good enough to protect but not enough to be loved by my so-called family." She said 'family' like such a title was a curse. "I bet the only reason they haven't already killed me was someone high up in Konoha ordered them not to."

The momentum was building and she was not slowing down. "Always treated like the weakling, always looked down upon. They don't even give me a chance; they give Hanabi extra training and consider making her the clan heir despite my birthright. Their own customs they hold in such high regard tells them they can't, but does that matter to them? No, of course not. They are so willing to toss me aside. I am not trash, I could do better if given the chance."

Her fists became clenched as she finally got down to the nit and grit, her eyes becoming hard despite their closed state. "Father always preferred Neji-niisan. He thinks I don't know but I do know. It's as plain as the nose on his face. He had hoped that he had been his child and not me. I'm not even sure me and my sister were born from the same woman. I wouldn't be surprised if that were true though, and frankly right now I don't care."

Finally the shouting started. "I HATE YOU FATHER! YOU NEVER SUPPORTED ME, AND YOU ALWAYS TREATED ME LIKE I WAS A WEAK PATHETIC CHILD WHO COULD NOTHING EXCEPT GET IN THE WAY! I AM NOT WEAK, I CAN BE STRONG! I AM NOT PATHETIC! I HELD MY OWN AGAINST NEJI-NIISAN, AND I AM NOT AN OBSTACLE! I AM A NINJA OF KONOHA, I PASSED THE EXAM, I AM ON A TEAM! I AM A HYUUGA AND I WILL SHOW YOU ALL THAT I DESERVE TO BE LOVED TOO! BUT DON'T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT I WOULDN'T GIVE UP YOUR NAME AND LOVE IF IT MEANT I COULD HAVE NARUTO-KUN'S INSTEAD!"

Now her volume softened, but her resolve didn't. "Naruto-kun, wherever you are, I vow to you that you will not be alone for long. If home truly is where the heart is, then my home is wherever you are. Even if that home turns out to be death itself, I'm coming to you, and doing what I should have done a long time ago."

Once she finished, Hinata took a few deep breaths and placed her hand over her quickly beating heart. 'Wow, I feel so much better. Jiraiya-sensei was right, that helped out so much. I feel... released.' She then stepped thru the barrier. "Thank you Jiraiya-sensei, I'm done."

"Feel better?" The Toad Sage asked as he dropped the barrier.

"So much better. You were right. I needed that." The pale-eyed girl told him.

"Good, because I'm going to check on our best lead to Naruto's location right now." He told her, earning a bright smile from her. He performed the summoning jutsu and called forth a toad.

"What's going on ol' timer?" Gamakichi said as he appeared before the two humans and hopped over to Jiraiya. When he noticed Hinata he gave her a sly wink. "And hello pretty lady."

For some reason Hinata felt a sort of shiver go down her back when the toad winked.

Jiraiya knelt down so that way he was more eye level with the small toad. "Is there any new information on locating Naruto?"

However the little orange toad held up a webbed hand. "Hold on there old man, I missed dinner to come here and tell you this, and knowing Gamatatsu and my Pop, they have already gobbled it all down. So gimme some snacks first or I won't tell you squat." He said as he crossed his little arms.

Jiraiya went red in the face. "Why you pint-sized tadpole I oughta-"

"Wait." Hinata said as she held a hand in between the two of them, then took off her knapsack and dug through the contents and after a moment she pulled out a small bag of chips. She didn't eat chips as much as Chouji did but she did occasionally snack on them. "Would these do? They are barbeque flavor." The Hyuuga said as she offered them to Gamakichi who took them immediately.

"Thanks pretty lady, and if you ever need a toad just give me a call. So long as you got some of these." He said as he tossed a toasted spud into the air and caught it with his tongue.

"Alright you little runt, enough stalling. Tell us what you have found." Jiraiya said he sat on the ground.

Gamakichi finished chewing before he spoke. "Nuthin'." He reached into the bag for another chip.

"What do you mean nothing? The contract says that Naruto is not dead so you must have found something." Jiraiya demanded. "Right?"

Gamakichi ate another chip before speaking. "Well then check it again dumb-dumb, cause according to the Elder Toad, Uzumaki Naruto does not have a Contract with the Toads." The small amphibian sounded rather crushed to say that, and chewed without enthusiasm.

The sage raised a brow, then performed several hand signs and as before a giant toad appeared, one that made Gamakichi look like a Toy Poodle when compared to a Great Dane. The larger toad opened its mouth and the big scroll rolled out as Jiraiya caught it.

The sannin unrolled the scroll and began to look over Naruto's name trying to see if there was something he had missed, and he found it.

"Well I'll be damned." He said as he tapped his finger on a space beneath the name.

"What is it sensei?" Hinata asked as she looked over his shoulder trying to see.

"Hinata, fun fact for the day, when it comes to a beast contract there are three things that make it null and void. The first is dying, as a dead person cannot summon anymore. Unless they're somehow brought back to life, but that's more speculation than anything since no one's proved it yet. Anyhow, if Naruto had been dead a large black spot would have appeared by his name, to indicate he was no longer alive to summon anymore. The second condition is if you make a contract with another beast, because you can only have one contract at a time, it's a rule that cannot be ignored. If you do sign another contract, then a small X will be shown under the name of the former signer."

He moved aside and showed Hinata, right beneath Naruto's name was a small almost unnoticeable X.

"Stupid thing is so small though, as if written by toads themselves, so how the hell were we supposed to see that thing?" Jiraiya asked the large toad who simply remained silent. Gamakichi hopped right up onto the other summoned toad, holding his bag of chips tightly.

"We don't make the rules you pervert. And if you're hard of seeing then get glasses. It's plain as day to us toads. But anyway, as much as I hate to say it, Uzumaki Naruto is no longer a Toad Summoner so he is unfortunately no longer someone we can keep tabs on. I'm sorry. He was a good guy and I'm going to miss him." He then turned to Hinata who was still staring at the spot on the scroll. "Catch you later pretty lady. Don't be afraid to call me whenever you want." Suddenly the two toads and the scroll vanished with a puff of smoke.

"Well that breaks that lead, so much for finding the gaki thru the toads. We're going to have to search the hard way then." Jiraiya said as he scratched his grey hair. He then turned and looked over at Hinata who was simply smiling as a small stream of tears fell from her eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked, wondering if something was wrong with his student.

Hinata shook her head. "No everything is fine, because now we know for sure… Naruto-kun is alive. He is out there somewhere, alive." She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "The scroll proves he's alive."

"A good point, however a new question is now raised. If he is alive, why hasn't he tried to come back to the village or contacted anyone?"

The brain storming had begun.

"Maybe he is hurt, or being held against his will by an enemy." Hinata offered.

"No, if that was true why sign a contract with another beast instead of just summoning a toad to help him?" Jiraiya responded as he paced.

"I don't know." Hinata quietly added. "Did you ever tell him he can't have two contracts?"

"Yeah, I told him on the first day. He couldn't have forgotten that."

Hinata blinked, as if thinking smething that surprised her. "What if he did?"

"Huh?" Jiraiya asked.

"What if Naruto-kun for some reason did forget that rule?"

Jiraiya thought it over. "I don't see how, but we must keep our minds open. For now though, let's get a move on so we can reach a palce to sleep indoors."

Hinata nodded and followed her instructor as they started walking off, her pace noticeably fresher and more at ease. "Say, Jiraiya-sensei, what's the third condition for voiding a contract?"

"Oh, that's offending the summoned animals and their boss. But I doubt Naruto would do that. If hanging onto Bunta's head for hours on end didn't offend the big guy, then nothing would. Also, someone who voided the contract that way has a line drawn thru their name to ensue they never regain the right to summon again. So we can guarantee that whatever Naruto did, he hasn't upset the toads."

Hinata nodded. 'Naruto-kun, what happened to you?'


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They reached a small town by nightfall and decided to spend the night in an inn. They checked into their room, and Jiraiya left Hinata alone while he went down to the inn's bar to do some research with a young woman.

Hinata, respecting her sensei's wishes, remained in the room.

After a quick shower, enjoying the feeling of being clean and fresh after getting sweaty, she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas when her right foot accidently tripped on Jiraiya's bag and it fell over, and one of its contents fell out, a single red notebook.

The young Hyuuga picked up the small notepad that had fallen out of Jiraiya's bag. She knew it was wrong to look thru other people's things, especially that of her sensei's, but she had seen him writing in it throughout their travel so far, and was dying to know what he had been writing about.

Looking over her shoulder, to make sure the door was still closed, she opened the notebook to a random page and started reading.

Tsukikage Manako

by Jiraiya

"You came for me?" Naoki tenderly said as he stroked her tear-stained face, his fingers feeling the cool smoothness of her skin. After so long without this kind of contact, he wondered how he ever did without it, or would do without it again.

Hitomi, feeling the gentle touch of the man, who so many in their quaint village had given up for dead, brought more tears into her eyes as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him. "How could I not, my love?" Her grip was strong, holding him tight, almost afraid that if she let him go again he might vanish once more.

Naoki returned the embrace, simply wanting to hold Hitomi in his arms again after so long. It was like a dream come true. The kind of dream one never wants to wake up from.

Under the light of the almost-full moon the two of them stood there, surrounded by the slightly swaying trees that moved gently in the breeze. Crickets chirped around them, and just a bit off in the distance the creek water continued to run downward, the sounds it generated adding to the touching moment. The setting seemed almost perfect, as if taken out from the pages of a story book.

It was Naoki who broke the silence first. "Why me though, when there were so many others, so many others far better than I, why would you choose me?"

Hitomi pulled away from him and stared at her blonde loved one with a kind fond smile. "Because, you were the only one who believed in me, the only one who treated me like I was strong, not delicate. It was because of you I found the strength to do all that I did rather than let myself be fragile. Without you, I am nothing. To others, I'm a doll, a symbol, an idol to be seen but not touched. But when I'm with you, I can be a person."

Naoki almost shedded a tear for her, his crystal blue eyes shined in the moon light, almost sparkled like twinkling diamonds. "I was such a fool, a fool not to notice you before. I am so sorry that I could not have returned your love sooner."

It was then that Hitomi slowly, almost teasingly, unzipped her jacket, revealing the two perfectly formed orbs that were her breasts, covered only by a thin black shirt with no bra underneath. "Then let us make up for lost time." She said as she slowly began to undo the rest of her clothing while…

"HINATA!"

The Hyuuga yelped and shut the notebook quickly, turning around to see Jiraiya standing behind her with his eyes wide.

"Sensei… I was just… your bag got knocked over and… what is this?" She asked as she held up the notebook, which the Toad Sage quickly took.

"This, my dear apprentice is what is going to pay for our entire trip." He said as he held the notebook fondly, almost as if it was a child.

"But what is it? I was just starting to get into the story and I noticed that it had some… ecchi-like qualities to it?"

Jiraiya's eyes darted back and forth, trying to come up with an excuse, but he realized he had been caught, and it was better the girl find out sooner rather then later. "Alright, while I might be a super amazing ninja, Toad Sage, and one of the Great Sannin, I am also a talented author, well known for books regarding… adult literature. As in the extremely mature kind."

When he said that, Hinata felt her face go red and hot, she suddenly knew what those toads had meant. Her sensei was a pervert.

"And this story my dear… well let's just say you inspired it. Your utter love and devotion to Naruto, being willing to do anything to find it. It's such great material for a plotline I couldn't resist. You are like a writers dream, a living muse. And so far I have been taking notes based off of things you have told me about yourself and Naruto and started to turn that into my next biggest seller."

Hinata arched an eyebrow. "And... if it does well, sales of that book are going to fund our search for Naruto-kun?"

"Correct. We currently are using the budget Konoha generally gives me to maintain my spy network, which I have to manage sparingly. My books give me extra money to live off of while I'm at it." He explained, nervously awaiting her response. 'Please, don't let her start calling me Ero-sannin too and impede my research. I need some me time now and then.'

"I see." Hinata told him, making him wonder what she concluded. "In that case, how can I assist you in this?"

"What?" Jiraiya asked, completely dumbfounded by this reaction.

"If this book is going to fund our search, it's not in my interest to see it's completion hindered or delayed. If I'm your student, and your muse, I should help ensure you make it as good as it can be. So how do I do that Jiraiya-sensei?

On the outside, the Toad Sage was grinning like he made a major conquest. On the inside, he was cheering like he just caught Tsunade skinny-dipping and she invited him to join. "For starters, when I need to go do some research, don't interfere." He was happy to see her nod. "Another thing is once in a while give out some suggestions on what you think the female character would say or do."

"Okay, I can do that. But I'm not posing or doing anything ecchi myself." Hinata proclaimed. 'That's saved for Naruto-kun.'

Jiraiya held up his hands. "No sweat. Tsunade would kill me if she heard I did anything like that. And I don't mean that as a metaphor. She would literally kill me." He saw Hinata nod. "Okay, now that we have an understanding, I'm going to go back out and do some research." He pocketed his red notebook and pulled out some blank papers and a pen. "While I'm gone, I'd like you to write down some things you think would make great material for the storyline. I'll see you in a few hours." He then left the room without waiting for an acknowledgement.

Hinata looked at her writing supplies, then shrugged. "Better get started." She sat down at a desk in the room and started jotting down notes.
This story is a co-op between myself and Brown Phantom

And check out more work by BrownPhantom here [link]
© 2011 - 2024 Knight-BIshop
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TorturedPrinceofFire's avatar
Can't wait to see. lol