Hey there guys, hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of the rewrite. As I mentioned there will be things that are different in the rewrite compared to the original story over on Fanfiction's site. Here's a list of changes being made:
1. Houjin and Sakura will have an even closer sibling relationship than in the original story, so much so that they'll seem way less like adopted brother and sister and more like the actual thing.
2. Houjin and Hanabi's relationship will be more fleshed out. After reading through the original story abit, I realized that their pairing seemed to be rushed too quickly. Plan is to have them more as friends/rivals with the attraction being on Hanabi's side before it ends up being mutual between them. Houjin is a Saiyan and they're a little slow when it comes to romance, so I'll take that into account.
3. The type of Saiyan Houjin is will be a mixture of Broly from super and more along the lines of Trunks or Vegeta, so he's not dumb. Houjin will be calculating and smart, just maybe not as smart as say Vegeta is.. somewhere in the middle.
4. This is a reincarnation story, so yes he is a version of Goku Black, but he's also a version of Broly from Super so keep that in mind when reading this story. So yes, he WILL have SSJ Rose, the Ikari form, and Broly's LSSJ form at his disposal. But he'll also have a new fan made form that I'll just call SSJ Flame.
5. Yes, Naruto will also have an expanded role as the story progresses. I didn't do a very good job of that in the original story.
6. All of the Naruto characters will be stronger in this story since there will be dbz and super villains present.
7. Yes, Goku Black will still appear in the story just.. not for a little while as he'll be in the Kakashi or Jiraiya type role for Houjin as his mentor.
8. Hinata and Hanabi will experience certain changes to themselves later in the story that you guys can probably already guess lol. It makes for a smoother transition in their overall strength. Not all the naruto female characters will experience changes like Hinata and Hanabi.
9. Yes, Naruto will still have his jutsu's and other shinobi abilities. He'll just have Ki attacks and upgraded martial arts added to his arsenal.
10. The Sakura and Sasuke pairing is still up in the air for now as I haven't decided if I'll go a different route or to keep them together.
Well, anywho, that's enough rambling for now. Onto the story! Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball z/ Dragon ball Kai/ Dragonball Super/ , Naruto, or any of their characters. I only own the oc's, and the overall plot of this fanmade story, nothing more!
Chapter 2: Teams & Fateful first Meeting!
The next day was filled with excitement, at least in terms of the students who'd graduated the Leaf Ninja Academy that is. Pure excitement was in the air as students made their way towards the school to prepare for the day. This of course, included a certain brother and sister who strictly speaking physically at least, looked nothing alike. These were of course Houjin, the dark skinned boy with vibrant orange hair and an odd furry belt around his waist, and Sakura Haruno.
Sakura, unlike her brother, had light skin, green eyes, and vibrant pink hair like cherry blossoms. She was over the moon at the news her big brother graduated from the academy and was becoming a shinobi like her. Secretly, she'd been taking some rather copious notes when she'd seen her father and Houjin train at home. She couldn't say if she was very skilled in taijutsu or not, but she was at least able to defend herself.
All of the pre teens and other students filed into the classroom around 9:00 that morning, full of excitement and anticipation. Sakuraa sat down next to her brother, Houjin, as the other students filled the room.
"Are you nervous, sis? I bet you're excited.," Houjin asked her.
"Y-yeah, I am a little bit. What about you, nii san?," Sakura asked a little nervous.
Houjin chuckled slightly.
"Well... Can't exactly say that I'm not nervous, that would be lying. , " Houjin told his sister.
Sakura nodded and smiled towards her brother. The pinkette was glad someone she knew aside from her friend/rival Ino was in the graduating class. Sakura sat next to her brother for the moment because she was a little worried about him, something which Houjin took notice of immediately.
"Look sis, I'm happy you're worried about me but don't worry. I'll be alright. Go on and join your friends over there (Gestured to the area in which, Ino, Midori, Kasumi, Hanabi, and Hinata sat).," He said.
Sakura looked at him concerned.
"Are you sure you'll be okay without me over here, nii san?," She asked.
Houjin nodded.
"Yes, I'm sure sis. Go on, they're waiting for you to sit by them.," Houjin responded.
Sakura sighed and nodded.
"Well, alright... If you say so, nii san.," Sakura said reluctantly.
Sakura reluctantly got up and walked over to her seat, which was right across from her friends and right next to the one boy she really didn't get along with. That boy being, Naruto Uzumaki. She was happy at the same time though, as her seat was in the same row as her crush, Sasuke Uchiha, her friend Midori's twin brother. She gave Ino a bit of a sly smirk, that was one for her.
Sakura vs Ino Score:
Sakura - 1
Ino- 0
The excitement was still palpable in the room, but quieted down when Iruka came walking into the room.
"Alright everyone, let's try and quiet down now. I know you're all excited, but let's calm down now shall we?," Iruka said.
"Yes, Iruka sensei.," The class said in unison.
Everyone then stopped talking and listened intently to what Iruka had to say, being careful to pay attention so that they wouldn't miss a single thing he said. He then began naming off the individual team and who would be on them. It took him a very short amount of time to get through teams 1 to 5. Finally, it came to Team 6....
"Team 6... Kasumi Uzumaki. Kizuna Inazuka. Hanabi Hyuga. And...,"
"And?!" all the other students thought surprised
Iruka cleared his throat as he explained.
"Ahem! Since there are an odd number of students this year, there will be some teams who have more than just the traditional 3 member teams aside from their sensei. Team 6 is just one such example. Houjin Haruno.," Iruka said in explanation as he finished addressing the aforementioned quartet of students. "The 4 of you will be under Yugao Uzuki as Team 6, she will be waiting for you at a specified location once we're finished here."
Kasumi pumped her fist in excitement, while she inwardly squealed.
"Yes! I'm with Kizuna, this is my chance!," Kasumi thought excitedly while sporting a silent blush on her face.
Hanabi looked over towards Houjin.
"Hmm.. so i'm with Sakura's brother, huh? This should certainly be interesting enough.," Hanabi thought to herself.
Kizuna just grunted silently in thought. In his opinion, actions spoke louder than words ever could. Iruka then continued as he moved to the next set of teams.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto stood straight up and grinned in excitement.
"Sakura Haruno!"
Naruto could be seen cheering, while Sakura slumped into her desk. She really didn't want to be stuck on the same team as Naruto.
"Sasuke Uchiha!"
This time Sakura was cheering and Naruto was seen to be slumping into his desk. Why him?! Why'd they have to put him on the same team as that stuck up Uchiha? It wasn't fair! At least... in Naruto's opinion, it felt like he was being taken pity on because he had the worst grades out of all the students. He hated that.
"Team 7 will be led by Kakashi Hatake.", Iruka informed the kids.
He then continued.
"Kiba Inazuka"
Kiba nodded with a smirk.
"Hinata Hyuga"
Hinata was slightly saddened by this as it appeared she wouldn't be with Naruto, the boy she admired secretly.
"Oh.. it looks like I won't be with Naruto kun then...," Hinata thought saddened by this.
Hanabi noticed the sad look on her sister's face and placed a hand on her shoulder in encouragement.
"Nee san, it'll be okay. You'll still get to see him around the village and occasionally interact with him.," Hanabi reassured her sister.
This seemed to calm Hinata down as she hugged Hanabi, thanking her for the encouragement. Hanabi smiled and nodded towards Hinata.
"Hey, that's what sisters are for Hinata nee san.," Hanabi replied with a smile towards her sister.
Iruka continued on with the revealing of the teams with some names that surprised everyone, including Naruto himself.
"Neji Hyuga"
Neji closed his eyes, inwardly smirking.
"Of course.", He thought.
"Ten Ten Higurashi"
The aforementioned girl just nodded silently.
"Rock Lee"
Lee pumped his fists in excitement.
"Yosh!", he said in excitement.
Iruka paused as he then introduced the final member of that team.
"And Jinjer Yuhi"
The aforementioned trio looked to their left to see a girl with dark hair and an odd furry belt warapped around her waist. Iruka then continued.
"Shikimaru Nara"
A boy with black spiked hair shaped like a pineapple just sighed.
"This'll be a drag..." He said uninterested.
"Choji Akamichi"
Choji was just seen munching on some potato chips.
"Ino Yamanaka"
The blonde was seen to be gripping her head in frustration.
"Ugh.. why?! Out of all of the teammates I could've gotten... It HAD to be 2 of the laziest kids i've ever seen!," Ino thought frustrated.
Sakura was seen smirking at Ino from across the room. Ino gritted her teeth in frustration.
Sakura- 2
Ino- 0
Iruka continued as he wasn't finished yet.
"Eleryc and Midori, you two are the last remaining students here. You have a choice as to what you want to do. I unfortunately cannot authorize a two man team as there needs to be at the very least three students to make up another. So... you have the option of joining whichever team you like as long as they don't already have 4 members." Iruka said.
Midori was the first one to speak up on the matter as she had already made her decision.
"If.. it's alright with you, Iruka sensei... I think I'll join team 10. That way, Ino isn't the only girl on that team.," Midori said.
Iruka nodded.
"Very well then, Midori Uchiha will be added to team 10's roster. What about you, Eleryc?," Iruka said.
The black haired youth pondered his choice for a moment before making his decision. Looking at the alignments of the current teams... the one he would theoretically fit in the best with would be....
"Sensei, I've made my decision.," Eleryc said.
Iruka smiled as the other students listened in anticipation for the youth's next words.
"If it's alright with you, could I join team 7?," Eleryc asked.
The whole classroom erupted in surprise.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT??????!!!!!?!!!?!!!!!", the classroom exclaimed in surprise.
Iruka did his best to calm down the students before he spoke again.
"I.. can certainly do that, but why team 7 if I may ask?," Iruka replied.
Eleryc shrugged before responding.
"Honestly, i'm not sure myself. But... if i had to guess... They seem like they'll be fun to be around. Guess I like a challenge is what i'm saying." Eleryc explained.
Iruka nodded and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Seeing as he's made his decision and explained his reasoning as to why, Eleryc Nara will be added to Team 7's roster as a reserve member.," Iruka announced. Team 7 will be led by Kakashi Hatake, Team 8 will be led by Kurenai Yuhi, Team 9 will be led by Maito Gai, and Team 10 by Asuma Sarutobi"
Shikimaru looked over out of the corner of his eye, he had a small smile on his face but quickly hid it. He felt bad for what the kid had to go through, but maybe... just maybe he'd be alright with team 7. Iruka then dismissed the teens as they went to meet the jonin sensei's in charge of their respective teams. While Naruto was initially in a foul mood after learning who his teammates were, he was now more curious than anything about his newest teammate, Eleryc. The black haired youth had piqued his curiosity, after all. The blonde was now focused on that more than anything else.
Time skip: with Team 6....
While the other groups had spread out across the village to meet their instructing sensei's, Kizuna, Kasumi, Hanabi, and Houjin all met on the roof of a tall building. They now waited on their jonin sensei. Hanabi couldn't help herself but to be more than a bit curious about the dark skinned and flame haired boy on their team. He certainly didn't look like anything special, at first. The girl retracted her initial thought process upon closer inspection.
"What in the world is this boy?! He's built like a mountain!" Hanabi thought upon closer inspection.
How could anyone be THAT huge and still only be around 13 years old?! It boggled the mind for her to think of the reasons as to why that was the case. As she inspected further, somehow using the byakugan (without Houjin noticing lol), she was able to see that Houjin wasn't exactly "normal". His chakra or energy should have had a bluish hue to it, however the color she saw was more of a golden yellow or emerald green inside of him. Houjin eventually noticed the hyuga girl staring at him intently for some odd reason.
"Uh... can I.. help you?," He asked.
Hanabi deactivated her dojutsu in an effort to not give Houjin any wierd ideas about her. She turned towards him as the dark teen approached her.
"Is.. there something weird on my face?," Houjin asked curious.
Hanabi looked towards him as she responded.
"Hm? Why do you ask?," She questioned.
"Um... cause you keep staring at me for some reason?," Houjin replied a little confused.
Hanabi quickly turned away, seemingly uninterested.
"You're imagining things.," Hanabi said non chalantly. "I just find you a little bit odd, nothing more and nothing less."
Houjin had a rather confused look on his face as he wasn't really sure what to make of the Hyuga girl's response just now. This caused the dark teen to shrug his shoulders in confusion. He'd figure it out later.
It wasn't too long after that Yugao finally made her appearance, introducing herself with the criteria she put in place. The criteria she put in place inluded the person's name, their age, their likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dream(s) for the future. Yugao was a slender woman with long purple hair, brown eyes, and she wore the standard uniform of the village's Anbu Black Ops. That consisted of black and grey armour, metal arm guards and a katana strapped to her back. She spoke to get the quartet of teens attention.
"You, with the blonde hair. her throat and then spoke up in response to Yugao's question.
"Sure thing, Sensei. Anyways, my name is Kasumi Uzumaki and I am currently 12 years old. My likes include spending time with my twin brother and my few friends. I don't like being ridiculed by villagers who don't know or care what myself and my brother have had to go through. They praise me, but openly mistreat my brother... in what world is that even fair? We both have circumstances neither of us chose and it makes me mad when people don't even give my brother a chance to explain himself. Those types of people really annoy me! (sighs) But.. that's beside the point. As for hobbies... I'd have to say I like walking around the village and enjoying the scenery with the hustle and bustle of the village. And my dream for the future is to become an influential shinobi someday, someone people can rely on when they need to.," Kasumi answered.
Yugao smiled, she liked this girl who valued her loved ones. That was good first sign.
"Very good, Kasumi. (looks at Kizuna) Alright, you with the dark hair and tail... why don't you go next?," Yugao said.
Kizuna opened his eyes after he was addressed and unfolded his arms. The boy had tanned skin and dark hair that draped over his shoulders and spiked to certain points of the front, sides, and back of his head. His hair was the darkest black anyone had seen in a while with the usual streaks of facial paint that were customary for members of the inazuka clan. He wore a small red Haori with some small scruff that outlined it like fur, the teen wore it over the top of his shoulders like a cape. This went with silver and gray pants, with a green belt, topped off with black ninja sandals instead of the traditional blue ones.
"The name's Kizuna Inazuka, 13 years old. I'm only going to name two things that I like. And those are: 1- Food, and 2- Training. I dislike slackers or people who are just born naturally talanted because they make the rest of us have to work twice as hard to get stronger, while they don't really have to even lift a finger. My hobbies are... the same as my likes I would say. And my goal for the future.... Show those who are priviledged that if someone works hard enough, they can surpass even the elite in society. They shouldn't expect us to do what they say with no questions asked." Kizuna said.
Yugao nodded.
"Good, seems that we have at least one ambitious one in this group so far. Hyuga, you're next.," Yugao replied.
Hanabi nodded.
"Yes, sensei.," Hanabi replied.
Hanabi had hair a bit longer than her sister, that was also black. She also had the white pupil less eyes that were outlined by lavender, cream colored skin, she wore a mixture of white and gray clothes ( jacket, pants, belt), finished off with a pouch on her side, and the blue shinobi sandals.
"As most of you already know, my name is Hanabi Hyuga and I am 12 years old. I like spending time with my sister, Hinata, and her friends. It's fun and I enjoy doing so. I also like letting loose and laughing a little bit instead of being so stoic and serious 24/7, like my cousin, Neji, has become. I don't like being forced to do things without any choice or say so in the matter, that makes it feel like my choice is being taken away from me. Like what I feel and think don't matter in the situation, and I hate that feeling. My Hobbies would be training with my father, and Koh, who's my caretaker so to speak. My dream/goal for the future is to become an influential shinobi someday. That way, I can use that influence to change the Hyuga Clan and the way they do things. It's all based on tradition and Fate, and quite frankly, it's really stupid! Since my sister has been deemed unworthy to do so, I'll change the clan myself so that no one else has to suffer the way my sister has.," Hanabi said.
Yugao smiled, she liked Hanabi already. She had a good head on her shoulders and was clearly a very kind person, but she wasn't naieve either, she had the ambition to match her rather assertive personality.
"Very good, Hanabi. It seems all of you are rather ambitious so far.," Yugao said as she looked towards Houjin. "Alright Haruno, you're the last one up. So make it count."
Houjin nodded and spoke up, the other three teens getting the first real glimpse of what the strange flame haired dark teen actually looked like. The teen had the odd armor his father had given to him on. It was sky blue and outlined in black, he had matching arm bracers, with what appeared to be a golden necklace around his neck, he wore purple pants with a black and furry belt wrapped around his waist, green, gold, and purple boots, and finally a dark brown pelt of what looked to be a bear of some kind tied around his waist like the furry belt just above it. His forehead protector with the symbol of the leaf was worn like a second necklace around his neck.
"Of course, Yugao sensei. My name is Houjin Haruno, 13 years old. I really like food and a great fight or challenge! I really don't appreciate being called 'monkey' , 'demon', or 'freak of nature'. So please, for you're own good never call me any of those derogatory things. I... (sighs) have what my family calls a bit of a anger management problem when called certain things. My hobbies are training and eating, I guess.. Spending time with my family too cuz well... (laughs genuinely) I don't have any friends. Everyone is afraid of me for some reason or just avoids me altogether. My goal for the future is rather simple.. I want to become as strong as I possibly can be. At the very least become strong enough to protect those who matter to me. I want to surpass the Sage of Six Paths, because my goal means surpassing even him." Houjin said.
"Quite the ambition you've got there, Houjin. You really want to be stronger than one of the most legendary shinobi ever to have existed?," Yugao asked.
Houjin nodded without even an ounce of hesitation, it was his ultimate goal after all.
Yugao then smirked as she then spoke up again.
"Alright you lot, rest up. Be back here for training tomorrow. Now that i've gotten to know you for even just slightly better, It's time to see what you're made of.," Yugao said as she then suddenly vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Kasumi and Kizuna turned and left to take care of their own business for the day, while Hanabi hung back. She found Houjin to be a little odd and that warranted some further investigation for her personally. Houjin was going to head back home too, but he also wanted to get some training in first. The dark teen sped off towards one of the many training fields within the village, unaware for the moment, that Hanabi had decided to follow him. Finding one of the training fields a few moments later, Houjin decided to do some stretching before beginning his training exercises. The Hyuga girl who'd followed him, hid behind some bushes, observing the teen.
"What is it about this boy? Why can't I take my eyes off of him?," Hanabi wondered to herself.
This boy had peaked her interest and she wanted to find out why that was. Hanabi took to watching Houjin from a safe distance away, so she wouldn't be spotted by him. She was fairly certain the boy already knew that she was watching him, but had chosen to just go about his business as usual. From what she had observed, he seemed to be quite adept in taijutsu(hand to hand combat), and,despite his huge and muscular frame, he was extremely agile. That surprised her. How someone as large as Houjin could move so quickly defied all common sense and logic. Now she was really interested to see what exactly this boy could do in combat. Hanabi was determined to find out the secret behind this kid's power that she had felt and seen when she first met him. The time would come eventually for that, for now, she was content to play the long game with this reasoning.
Time skip: With Mebuki and Kizashi...
The two Haruno parents had been waiting awhile for their son to come home before Sakura did. At least in the mind of Mebuki, their adopted son would return before their daughter would. Their daughter was probably out chasing after the uchiha boy again, so she most likely wouldn't be home for a little while. Mebuki knew what her son was probably doing, but she wasn't exactly known for being patient when it came to her son's hobby.
"What do you think is taking the boy so long, dear?," Mebuki asked looking towards her husband.
Kizashi simply chuckled, knowing that his son was more than likely out training. Kizashi was abit tanner skinned than his wife was, his hair fanned out in the back in a bit more of a faded Rose pink color. He also wore a simple beige shirt with a long jacket like haori over it, brwon pants and wooden clog like sandals.
"Knowing him, dear, he's probably out getting some extra training in.," Kizashi replied with a slight chuckle.
Mebuki sighed.
"True, that boy of ours certainly likes to train. But, he could at least come home for dinner early..," Mebuki said sighing.
As if on cue when she said that, the two then saw their son walking towards their house. He was most likely covered in sweat and probably stank from sweating so much. His hands looked like they had a number of scuff marks and scratches on them, a sign from hard physical training more than likely. The flame haired teen, who was pretty tall far his age walked up to his parents.
"Hey mom, dad, sorry i'm a bit late getting back.," Houjin said apologetically.
Kizashi chuckled lightly before responding. While Houjin was tall, he was still shorter than Kizashi was. Just short enough for the man to ruffle the boy's wild and unkempt hair.
"It's fine, son. But, I think you should go take a shower first.," Kizashi said.
Mebuki got a wiff of her son and had an immediate scowl on her face. No son of hers was going to stay smelling so horrid.
"You go take a shower right now, young man. No son of mine will be smelling like wet dog any longer!," Mebuki said a little disgusted at the boy's smell.
This caused the boy to to sniff himself and recoil slightly, he did smell pretty terrible.
"N-Noted, mom... I'll get on that right away.," Houjin said before heading into the house.
Mebuki looked back to her son.
"Be sure to clean THOROUGHLY this time son, you hear?," Mebuki said as more of an order than a request.
The woman couldn't help but to chuckle lightly.
"That boy... what am I going to do with him?", Mebuki chuckled.
Kizashi looked to his wife.
"He's the little boy you wanted, even if it was by happenstance that we came across him.," Kizashi said smiling towards his wife.
Mebuki nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you are right dear. Even when he grows bigger and stronger than he is now, he'll still always be our little boy.," Mebuki said.
Kizashi nodded before Mebuki continued.
"You know that we'll eventually have to tell him about "THAT", right?"
Kizashi sighed and nodded.
"yes... I'm aware dear. And.. I suspect that our son has always recognized the fact that he was just a little bit different compared to everyone else.," Kizashi said sighing.
Mebuki spoke again.
"Well.. better that us, as his parents tell him than for him to find out from someone else.," Mebuki replied.
Kizashi nodded.
"I certainly cannot argue with that. Perhaps i'll take him aside and tell him after dinner tonight.," Kizashi mused.
The two stood outside for a few more minutes before walking back inside of their home, confident that Sakura would come back at any minute now. After they head inside of the house, the scene then transitions.
Time skip: A little while later...
Sakura was seen to be walking back to her house, a little bummed out. She had been unsuccessful in catching her crush, Sasuke, again. The boy would keep running away from her, giving her the cold shoulder when she'd ask him to go out on a date with her. So needless to say she was sulking a bit, but she figured that she'd just try again tomorrow. That seemed to lift her spirits a little bit, and.. she also knew that she could also talk to her brother about it. Even if he just listened the whole time, Sakura always enjoyed spending time with her brother. She adored him. He helped her out when she was teased for her forehead as a child after all. Because of that, she'd always had a soft spot for her brother since she was young. Not in a creepy way, but rather just as a sister who really loved her big brother. She entered the doorway to her family's home as she had returned for the day. It was early evening then and the smell of her mother's cooking in the kitchen, filled her nostrils. That was always a welcome occurrence to her when she came home.
"I'm home...," sakura said a little solemnly.
As she came into the door, she saw her brother coming down the stairs with a towel around his shoulders. He spotted her and smiled towards his sister.
"Hmm? Hey sis, welcome home.," He said smiling towaards her before noticing the slight sulk in her demeanor. "No luck today either, huh?"
The pinkette shook her head in response. The orange hair and dark skinned teen then spoke up again.
"Wanna talk about it later, then?" He asked.
Sakura was seen offering a small smile towards her brother and nodding her head. She may have been older now, but this was still her big brother which she adored beyond anything else.
"Thank you, Nii-san. I'd.. like that.," Sakura replied.
Their father came into the room a moment later, noticing Sakura was home now.
"Oh Sakura, finally home eh?," Kizashi asked.
Sakura nodded abit embarrassed.
"Oh y-yeah heh heh.. Sorry for not greeting you or mom first, Dad.," Sakura apologized with a little of a nervous chuckle.
Kizashi shook his head and smiled towards his daughter. He figured that the day must not have gone how Sakura envisioned it to, so she wanted to talk to her brother about it. He knew that always seemed to make his daaughter feel better due to how close as siblings his two kids were. It was no secret in their family that Sakura adored her big brother, Houjin, so he let the two have a few minutes to talk before he entered the room.
"Well, you're just in time for dinner. Why don't you quickly freshen up and we can get started?"Kizashi suggested.
Sakura nodded and headed upstairs to quickly clean up before she joined her family at the table for dinner.
Houjin then joined his father and mother as they sat down at the table, awaiting Sakura before they ate dinner. Over the years, Houjin had learned to somewhat "control" his appetite when at the dinner table, but every so often, he'd have issues curbing that insatiable hunger for food he had. One couldn't exactly blame him though, Mebuki's cooking was fantastic and always left her family wanting more food after.
Mebuki was seen to be smirking in approval as she saw her soon all fresh and cleaned up.
"I see my son can clean up properly." she said in approval.
The teen was seen wearing a more casual red tee shirt, gray sweatpants that had a hole in the back for his tail, and matching gray socks. His hair slightly drooped as it was still a bit damp, but it looked more... "normal" as Mebuki would put it. It wasn't the unkempt, spiky, and wild look it normally was. She smirked slyly.
"If your sister approves of you looking like this, I can only imagine how many girls you'd attract if you kept up this look.," Mebuki said smirking.
Houjin was seen to be lightly blushing at the thought.
"M-Mom! Please don't tease me so..," Houjin said a little embarassed.
Kizashi chuckled and reigned in his wife's teasing.
"Alright dear, let's not tease our son too much. He's still only a boy. There'll be time for such topics like girls having the ... *ahem!* "hots" for our son in due time.,"Kizashi said.
Mebuki chuckled and agreed to cease the teasing banter for now.
"Right you are dear.," Mebuki replied.
Sakura joined her family at the table a moment later as they all said a quick blessing over the food, clapping their hands together briefly before digging in.
Small time skip later...
The Haruno family had just finished eating when Hojin stood up and looked towards his father. Sakura was confused at this behavior and wondered why her brother took such an action.
"Nii san?," Sakura asked confused.
He looked towards his sister and smiled.
"Not to worry sis, everything's fine. There's just... something I've been wondering about for awhile. Maybe Dad can tell us?," Hojin said.
Kizashi nodded towards his son, he knew this day was coming. Mebuki also nodded towards her husband. It was high time their kids know just what exactly Hojin was.
"There's something you and mother have been waiting to tell me, isn't there Father?," Hojin asked.
Kizashi nodded.
The man stood to his feet as he got the family to follow him into living room. Sakura was a little confused at what was happening but said nothing as she was curious about why her parents were so silent all of a sudden. Only when the family of four sat down did anyone speak another word.
" So.. Father, Mother, perhaps you can answer this for me but... why am I so different compared to the other kids in the village?," Hojin asked.
Kizashi sighed, letting his shoulders sag before straightening to answer his son.
"I see... Your mother and I knew this day would come eventually.," Kizashi said with a heavy sigh.
Sakura raised a curious eyebrow at the response from her father.
"Father, what do you mean by that?," Sakura asked.
Mebuki spoke up then.
"Listen Sakura. Your brother is... not exactly normal. We neglected to tell you this, but... your father and I found Hojin not far from the village shortly after you were born." Mebuki explained.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Hojin, her dear elder brother wasn't really her blood related brother... did that mean.. they weren't actually related?
"He came in an object we'd never even seen before. Like it came from the stars. And there's one more piece of evidence to support this..," Kizashi said nodding to Hojin.
Hojin stood to his feet and removed the fur pelt that he'd always worn around his waist. To Sakura's surprise and shock, a brown furry monkey tail unraveled itself from Hojin's waist and began wiggling on it's own.
"N-N-NII SAN HAS A TAIL?!" Sakura shouted in surprise.
Her parents and Hojin both nodded. Did that mean her sweet elder brother was really... a freaking alien?!
Hojin put the fur pelt back on around his waist, but not before poking a hole in it so his tail could wiggle about freely.
Kizashi bowed his head towards his daughter in shame.
" i deeply regret not letting you know sooner, Sakura. But we did so for your safety. Your brother invited a lot of trouble to himself when he was younger.," Mebuki said.
Hojin spoke again as he turned towards his adoptive sister.
"That said... It still won't change the fact that I'm your brother. Even if we aren't blood related, you're still my sister, Sakura.," Hojin told her.
This caused the kunoichi to smile warmly at him.
"Nii san..." Sakura said touched.
Kizashi then continued.
"That said... Hojin.," Kizashi said addressing the dark skinned boy.
"Yes, Father?," Hojin asked.
Kizashi continued after a brief pause.
"You must avoid becoming angered for any reason.," He said.
Confused, Hojin raised an eyebrow at this.
"Is there a reason why Nii san has to avoid becoming angry?," Sakura asked.
Kizashi nodded.
"Yes. It is due to the particularly large amount of hidden power he has within him. From.. what I've observed in training with him since he was young.. Son, that vast hidden power is directly tied to your emotions. If you were to become truly angered... I'm not even sure who would be able to stop you. Your power is unstable, thus you must learn to harness and master it.," Kizashi explained.
Hojin said nothing, he simply nodded as if he understood. Kizashi looked towards his daughter. Sakura was silent as if she was simply taking in all of this new information about her brother. Sakura then spoke up, voicing a question she now had.
"Umm... Father, so what does brother having a tail and the fact that he's apparently an alien have to do with anything?," Sakura asked curiously.
Kizashi looked towards his son and his wife, both of who nodded for him to continue with the explanation.
"Well Sakura, I can't tell you the details of why yet.. but, there's a specific reason why Hojin's never been allowed to look at the full moon.," Kizashi started.
Sakura gained a look of confusion, wondering what the moon had to do with any of this.
"Huh? Father, what does NII San not being allowed to look at the full moon have to do with this?," Sakura asked confused.
Kizashi spoke again.
"It has everything to do with it. The reason i've been training your brother is so he doesn't lose control of himself when he sees the moon. I'm not sure why exactly but... When your brother looks at the full moon, a monster even worse than a tailed beast appears. All I know is that it has something to do with your brother's tail... which is why it is essential that Hojin learns to control the vast amount of hidden power lying dormant inside of him.," Kizashi explained.
Sakura adopted a thoughtful position before speaking again.
"So... let me get this straight... If Nee san looks up at the moon without warning, something EVEN WORSE than the attack of the Demon Nine Tailed Fox attack on the village from 12 years ago could happen?," Sakura asked.
Kizashi nodded.
"I.. see..," Sakura said in thought. "Well, I guess I'll just have to make sure Nii san is calm then, won't I?"
The Haruno parents chuckled seeing their daughter's determination. She pouted slightly, but she knew her parents were just happy about how she adored her older brother. The rest of the night seemed to pass by quickly as before the pinkette realized what time it was, it was time for them to turn in for the night.
Time Skip: The Next Morning...
Hojin was up early as he then made his way downstairs to have breakfast with his family. He was the first of the two Haruno siblings to arrive at the table, followed shortly by Sakura. She still looked like she was half asleep as she groggily rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes before yawning. Hojin raised an eyebrow when he noticed his sister not eating anything.
"You okay sis? You're not eating anything..," Hojin said a little puzzled at his sister's actions.
Sakura looked towards him with a nervous smile.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine Nii san.. Sensei just told us that it'd be better if we skipped breakfast today. I guess he doesn't want us barfing up our morning meals during training today.," Sakura said with a nervous chuckle.
Hojin was a little perplexed by this, but shrugged.
"Well, if you're really sure that's necessary I won't stop you sis..," Hojin said before heading towards the door of their house after a quick breakfast.
Kizashi and Mebuki, who were listening in on their kids conversation already knew who their daughter's joniin instructor must have been based on her description of him. They both felt themselves sweatdropping upon realizing what Sakura's Sensei was doing.
"Well... That's Kakashi for you...," Both of them thought slightly nervously.
Hojin looked towards them as they both waved to the parents.
"Well, we'd better get going sis.. We'll be late otherwise.," Hojin said.
Sakura nodded as the two siblings exited the door before sprinting off towards their destinations.
"See ya later, mom, dad!," Sakura said waving goodbye.
They waved back, watching their children sprint off to their destinations.
Kizashi put a hand on his wife's shoulder as they looked on.
The two siblings ran together for a bit before stopping as they came to where they'd have to go separate directions.
"Later, Nii san! Have a good day.," Sakura said briefly hugging her brother. He returned the gesture before patting her head.
"Same to you. Do your best today, okay sis?," Houjin encouraged her.
Sakura nodded before she pulled away from gesture and sprinted off in the direction of where her own team was meeting up. Hojin then turned and dashed off towards where his own team was metting up. With his speed, he could get there within a few minutes.
With Team 6....
Hanabi was the first to arrive at the meeting place, she was taught to never be late to anything after all. She had just resolved to sit down and wait for her teammates when Hojin, the boy she'd been intrigued by happened to show up just after her.
"Huh, thought I was the first one here. Seems you beat me to it.," Hojin said.
Hanabi eyed him curiously before she subtly decided to investigate why his chakra felt so different. Thankfully, her other two teammates Kasumi and Kizuna, served as a distraction for Hojin as they were seen to be chatting freely with him. As the trio talked, the hyuga heiress used her dojutsu to look into why Hojin's chakra seemed different than everyone else's. To her astonishment, she found energy within him unlike anything she'd seen before.
She was unable to find what shinobi referred to as "chakra gates" within him. What she did find was pure energy, and.. it seemed endless, vast even. But, it also felt a little... dark for some reason. Like.. there was more beneath the surface that he was hiding or that he wasn't aware of yet. She subtly deactivated her dojutsu and was inwardly panting at what she discovered.
"What the-?! What in the world is He? I've never seen energy like that! And... it's so powerful too.. Perhaps.. I misjudged Hojin, he seems to be more than I intially guessed.." Hanabi thought to herself.
Hojin then looked to Hanabi with a raised eyebrow.
"Is.. there something weird on my face or what?" He asked puzzled.
Hanabi raised a confused eyebrow at him.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well... it's just, you keep staring at me for some reason. So I thought maybe..." He trailed off before Hanabi interrupted him again.
Hanabi vehemently denied his claim by shaking her head.
"You're imagining things. You just seem interesting, that's all.," Hanabi answered.
Not long after that is when Yugao finally made her appearance before her new team of students.
"So you four are the team I'm in charge of eh?" Yugao remarked aloud.
She surveyed them, quite interested to see how they'd respond to her.
"Very well, since I'll be your instructor from now on... why don't we all introduce ourselves?" Yugao suggested.
"And what would that do exactly?," Hanabi asked.
"A fair concern, miss Hyuga heiress. Since you four will be a team from now on, it will be beneficial if you at least get along and know your teammates a little bit, don't you think?" Yugao said.
She did have a point there, it couldn't hurt to learn a little more about her teammates. Especially the Haruno boy, she wasn't sure why.. but, there was something different about him that intrigued her. Perhaps if she got to know him better, she'd learn the secret to his hidden power.
"I suppose you're right.," Hanabi reluctantly agreed.
Yugao looked towards the blonde haired girl of the group and spoke up.
"Uzumaki, right?," Yugao asked.
The aforementioned girl nodded in response.
"Yes, that's me.," The girl replied.
"Why don't you go first in introducing yourself? It can be anything ranging from likes, dislikes, hobbies, and your dream for the future. Things like that.," Yugao suggested.
The girl nodded.
"Right. Ahem! My name is Kasumi Uzumaki, and I am 12 years old. I like to spend time with my friends and my brother, Naruto. I don't like when the villagers insult and ridicule him, just because they can. They have no idea what he's been subjected to.. I hate it when they say he shouldn't even exist, people like that make me mad! As for hobbies... I do enjoy taking a stroll around the village and taking in the scenery.
The Setting Sun's Shadow
Kasumi's words hung in the air, her fierce defense of her brother causing a momentary silence among the group. Yugao nodded approvingly, noting the passion in her young student's voice. The jōnin's eyes moved to Kizuna next, gesturing for him to continue the introductions.
"I'm Kizuna," he began, his voice carrying a confident edge that reminded many of his cousin Kiba's brash nature, though somewhat more restrained. "I spend most of my time at the hospital, learning medical ninjutsu from the staff there. They say I have a natural talent for it." He paused, running a hand through his wild dark hair that marked him as an Inuzuka. "My dream is to become a medical ninja who can save lives on the battlefield, just like Lady Tsunade."
As Kizuna spoke, Hanabi found her attention drawn back to Hojin. The strange energy she'd witnessed within him seemed to pulse slightly, like a heartbeat just beneath the surface. She wondered if he could feel it himself, this vast reservoir of power that seemed so different from ordinary chakra. Looking back at Kizuna, she noticed something peculiar – there was something vaguely familiar about his energy signature too, though not nearly as pronounced as Hojin's.
"Hyuga-san?" Yugao's voice cut through her thoughts. "Would you like to go next?"
Hanabi straightened her posture, years of formal training taking over. "I am Hanabi Hyuga," she stated, her voice clear and measured. "As the heiress to the Hyuga clan, my primary focus is mastering our traditional techniques and preparing to lead our clan." She hesitated for a moment, considering how much to reveal. "I... I also enjoy pressing flowers, though few know this."
The admission surprised her teammates, particularly Hojin, whose eyebrows rose slightly. The subtle reaction didn't escape Hanabi's notice, and she found herself curious about what other preconceptions he might have about her.
Finally, it was Hojin's turn. Hanabi activated her Byakugan for just a fraction of a second as he began to speak, unable to resist another glimpse at that mysterious energy.
"Well, I'm Hojin Haruno," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I like training and trying to figure out new ways to use my abilities." There was something in the way he said it that made Hanabi wonder if he too had noticed something unusual about his power. "My dream..." he paused, seeming to choose his words carefully, "is to understand who I really am and what I'm capable of."
Yugao studied each of her students in turn, her expression revealing nothing of her thoughts. "Very well," she said finally. "Tomorrow morning, we begin your real training. Meet me at Training Ground Six at dawn." A slight smile crossed her face. "And I suggest you skip breakfast."
As the team dispersed, Hanabi lingered, watching Hojin's retreating form. The energy within him seemed to ripple with each step, like darkness moving beneath still water. Her eyes shifted briefly to Kizuna, noting again that strange similarity in their energy patterns that she couldn't quite place. She made a decision then – she would solve the mystery of these unusual chakra signatures, no matter what it took.
But as she turned to head home, a whisper of doubt crept into her mind. What if some mysteries were better left unexplored? What if the darkness she sensed wasn't just her imagination? The setting sun cast long shadows across the village, and for a moment, Hanabi could have sworn she saw both Hojin's and Kizuna's shadows move in ways that didn't match their steps.
One way or another, she'd get to the bottom of this mystery surrounding her teammate, Houjin.
To be continued in Chapter 3: Hanabi's Growing Suspicions