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Chapter 218 Naruto vs The Elder Part 1
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Tsubaki woke up knowing she had lost seven years.
As the unbearable realization that the little warmth she remembered holding against her chest had grown without her.
Tsubaki Hyūga sat upright in the bed, breathing slowly, as if afraid that if she moved too fast the world would shatter again. Her body felt wrong in the way only something miraculously restored could feel. Strong, responsive, obedient to her will, and yet unfamiliar. As though it belonged to someone who had continued living while her mind had been left behind.
"I'm here," Hinata whispered again, voice raw. "I'm right here, Mom. I didn't go anywhere."
Tsubaki's arms tightened around her instinctively, fingers threading into hair that was longer than she remembered.
"You're… so tall," Tsubaki murmured, voice breaking. "When did you get so tall?"
Hinata let out a shaky laugh that dissolved into a sob. "I—I had to grow up eventually, I guess."
Hanabi didn't say anything, torn between wanting to be heard and feeling like she didn't quite belong in this moment yet.
The moment Tsubaki's hand cupped Hanabi's cheek, she froze.
"So this is you," Tsubaki whispered, studying her face as though trying to carve every detail into memory. "My little fire flower. You know… I named you after the fireworks festival. The one that lit up the sky on the night you were born."
"I'm see," the little girl said quietly, eyes shining. "I'm… I'm sorry I don't remember you."
"That's not something you ever need to apologize for."
The woman pulled Hanabi into the embrace as well, arms encircling both girls, forehead resting against theirs.
"I missed everything," she said hoarsely. "Your first words. Your first days at the Academy. Your birthdays. I wasn't there when you cried. I wasn't there when you were scared."
"You were," Hinata said immediately, lifting her head. "We thought about you every day."
Hanabi nodded fiercely. "Hinata-nee always told me stories. And how you always smelled like jasmine."
Tsubaki laughed softly through her tears. "I still do," she said. "At least… I hope I do."
From a few steps away, Hiashi watched.
He stood perfectly still, hands folded behind his back, posture immaculate. Anyone else might have thought him composed.
He wasn't.
His vision blurred, jaw clenched tight enough to ache as he watched his family reassemble itself without him knowing how to step back into the picture.
Tsubaki looked up and met his eyes.
"Hiashi," she said softly.
That was all it took.
He crossed the room in three long strides and dropped to one knee beside the bed, something he hadn't done in years. His voice failed him the first time he tried to speak.
"I failed you," he said finally, quietly. "I should have protected you. I should have been there."
Tsubaki reached out and took his hand, warm and alive.
"You stayed," she said. "That matters."
He shook his head. "Even if I stayed, I made so many mistakes when raising our daughters."
After a while, Tsubaki spoke again.
"Seven years," she murmured. "Tell me everything. Even the parts that hurt."
Hinata glanced at Hanabi, then back to her mother. "It's… a lot."
"I have time now," Tsubaki said with a faint smile. "All the time I lost."
Hanabi shifted closer. "I'll start," she said. "You should hear about Hinata-nee's first mission. She was really cool."
Hinata flushed. "Hanabi—"
Tsubaki smiled, eyes shining. "I'd like that very much."
Hiashi allowed himself a visible smile as Hanabi enthusiastically tried to embarrass Hinata, exaggerating stories and grinning far too proudly at her own commentary. Hinata sputtered, flustered, while Tsubaki laughed softly, one hand covering her mouth.
For a brief moment, the Hyūga estate felt whole.
Then the air shuddered.
A violent surge of chakra rolled through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of wood splintering outside.
"That chakra… Naruto's outside," Hinata said, already moving toward the door.
Hiashi was faster. "Stay with your mother," he ordered. "I will handle this."
As he turned and strode for the exit, the calm, reserved mask of the Hyūga clan head slipped fully into place. Whatever warmth had been on his face vanished, replaced by cold authority.
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A few minutes earlier.
Naruto sat on the veranda, humming under his breath as the evening sun dipped low, painting the garden in warm gold. Oscar bounded clumsily through the flowers, snapping playfully at a butterfly that seemed far too agile for him.
"…Man," Naruto muttered, resting his chin in his palm. "I really haven't even gone home yet."
He glanced toward the skyline. "Hope Ayame's actually watering my plants."
Suddenly many footsteps approached.
Naruto looked to see a small procession of Hyūga men approaching. At their front walked an elderly man, long brown hair tied neatly behind his head, despite his age. His robes were immaculate, embroidered with traditional Hyūga patterns, and his pale eyes carried an unmistakable sense of entitlement.
The old man stopped several paces away.
"What is an outsider doing within the Hyūga compound?" he asked, voice sharp and disdainful, every word dripping with superiority.
"What's it to you, you old fart?"
A murmur rippled through the Hyūga behind him.
"Mind your tongue. You stand before Elder Haruhiko, former clan head and current head of Hyūga elder council."
Naruto picked at his ear with his pinky. "Ah. So… some old guy with one foot already in the grave."
A vein pulsed at Haruhiko's temple.
"Did your parents teach you nothing of respect?" Haruhiko snapped, stepping forward and raising a hand to strike.
Naruto caught his wrist mid-slap without even standing. "Old man, I'll let that go once. But don't test your luck, dattebayo!"
Haruhiko yanked his arm back, sneering. "You presume far too much. I am Hyūga Haruhiko. My authority in this clan predates your very existence."
"So?" Naruto replied flatly. "I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki."
The Hyūga behind Haruhiko froze.
Color drained from several faces as realization hit. That might've offended the hyuga princess's guest. Haruhiko paused for half a breath… then scoffed.
"I was under the impression the Hokage's whelp was blond," he said coldly. "Not bearing the crimson curse of that clan."
"You're not someone I owe an answer to."
"Why would I care? Whether your barbaric blood awakened or not is of no consequence."
Naruto's smile vanished. "…What?"
Haruhiko leaned forward slightly, "The Uzumaki were a clan of mongrel savages. Loud, unruly, and obsessed with forbidden arts. Their destruction was inevitable and frankly, deserved."
The courtyard went deathly silent.
Several Hyūga went pale. They'd heard Haruhiko's supremacist rhetoric before, his belief that the Byakugan made them closer to divinity than other clans, but saying something like that to Naruto Uzumaki was madness.
Naruto smiled, eyes crinkling in a way that put everyone at ease, as if he'd decided not to take the insult seriously. For a split second, it looked like he knew better than to react. Unfortunately for them, none of them truly understood the bastard that was Naruto Uzumaki.
The headbutt landed with a sharp crack echoed as Haruhiko's nose shattered, blood spraying as the elder collapsed to his knees with a choked gasp.
The other Hyūga surged forward in outrage.
They never reached him.
A crystal paw slammed into the group from the side, Oscar erupting into his ravenous crystal lizard form as he smashed four men straight into the wall, wood fracturing on impact.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
The chakra blast struck Naruto head-on, colliding with his stance and sending a shockwave rippling across the courtyard. Naruto slid back a step, feet digging in, then straightened.
Haruhiko dropped into a Gentle Fist stance. Naruto rolled his shoulders settling into a boxer's stance.
"Congratulations," Naruto said calmly. "You've officially become my least favorite Hyūga."
The air between them tightened.
"Stop."
The command wasn't loud, but it carried enough authority to root both side in place mid-step.
Haruhiko's face twisted into a deep snarl as he pointed an accusing finger. "Hiashi! Have this boy arrested immediately for attacking a Hyūga elder!"
Hiashi's gaze swept over his father. Blood trailed down from a clearly broken nose. Bruises darkened both palms. The signs were obvious that Naruto had made certain the old man would remember this encounter.
"Oh, so the great Hyūga clan is going to arrest me for defending myself from a crazy old man who swung at me first? That's rich."
Haruhiko's nostrils flared. "Defending yourself? You broke my nose."
Naruto widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Oh, my bad. I thought I was just living up to my reputation as a barbaric Uzumaki. But I guess the refined Hyūga can't handle a little wind." He gave an exaggerated crying gesture. "Guess not. Boo hoo."
"Insolent brat—"
"Touchy, touchy," Naruto interrupted, grin widening.
Hiashi exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose. The truth was obvious enough. His father had insulted the Uzumaki clan, and Naruto had responded exactly as anyone with pride and blood in their veins would.
What unsettled him was the why.
Haruhiko was many things. Arrogant, rigid and a relic of an older, harsher Hyūga mindset. But he was not prone to pointless theatrics or reckless provocation, especially not toward someone with Naruto Uzumaki's name and backing.
Which meant this had not been random.
And that realization troubled Hiashi far more than the broken stones or spilled blood.
"Clan leader, deliver justice! Restore the honor of the Hyūga name before the entire household witnesses this farce!"
"What justice? Oscar saw the old man threw the first hit."
Everyone's gaze shifted to the lizard as the ravenous Oscar gave a decisive nod, as if testifying.
Hiashi raised an eyebrow.
"You should be grateful I didn't grab one of my swords and end this fast."
From behind everyone came an unexpected voice. "He's right."
It was Hinata.
"You insulted my guest's honour and acted unbecoming of both a Hyūga elder."
"You ingrate child," Haruhiko snapped, his tone like a whip.
"Enough." Hiashi's voice was calm, but every syllable held the weight of command. "Father, not only did you insult my guest, you insulted the son of Minato Namikaze."
The man turned to Naruto. "And you, Naruto kun… took this far beyond where it needed to go. If you had come to me first, I would have ensured you received justice."
"Maybe. But I figured handling it myself would be faster."
"So neither of you is willing to back down, I see. Then tell me, how do you propose we settle this?"
"Why don't we just finish what we started? One on one."
Haruhiko smirked. "Gladly. I will demonstrate the superiority of the Byakugan to this loud mouthed child."
Hiashi watched in silence as his father departed with the remaining hyuga. He got what he wanted. That realization sat poorly in Hiashi's chest. The question was why.
Hiashi turned back as Naruto finished healing the injured Hyūga, withdrawing his hand with a casual stretch like he'd just patched up a scraped knee.
"Naruto-san," Hiashi said. "I am forever in your debt for what you have done for my family. Say the word, and I will ensure this incident… and that spar… are nothing more than a distant memory."
"Nah," Naruto said lazily. "I've been itching to cut loose for weeks. Couldn't even go to Lordran because of this walk back from uzushio, so honestly? Kinda feels good to stretch a bit."
Hiashi frowned slightly. "My father is not acting without reason. I suspect he is planning something. I advise you not to rush headlong into an obvious trap. Haruhiko Hyuga was once an elite jōnin of konoha."
"Couldn't care less plus he is old and out of his prime."
That much was true, but Haruhiko was still a dangerous shinobi.
"Hiashi-ojisan, you said I could ask for anything." Naruto grinned. "Let me beat up your old man."
Hiashi's shoulders sagged ever so slightly.
He had hoped to return to his wife Instead, he now stood caught between the schemes of his father and the relentless stubborness of Naruto Uzumaki.
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"My lord," a Hyūga guard murmured as he leaned in beside Hiashi, voice carefully low. "The elder has issued permission for the Byakugan to be used to observe the match."
That, more than anything, confirmed Hiashi's suspicion.
Within the Hyūga compound, the Byakugan was not treated casually. Its range and clarity made privacy almost impossible without strict rules. By long-standing custom, clan members were forbidden from activating it within residential spaces unless explicitly authorized. Even then, certain halls and chambers were layered with barrier seals designed to distort chakra perception entirely, creating blind zones where even the Byakugan could not intrude.
Granting permission meant the entire clan was watching.
This was not a spar.
It was a trap for whatever Haruhiko was scheming.
Hiashi exhaled quietly as they approached the massive dojo at the heart of the compound, its wide wooden floor ringed by raised terraces designed for formal observation.
Behind him, Hinata spoke up, voice soft but very clearly amused. "Can I pay you twenty bucks to punch my grandfather's teeth out?"
"Oh, you don't have to pay me for what I already going to do."
Hanabi and Oscar sweatdropped. While Tsubaki shot Hiashi a look that was equal parts fond, baffled, and deeply tired.
"I'm also trying to figure out our daughter."
A low growl rippled through the air as Oscar fixed his glare on Haruhiko, who stood with the other elders near the head of the dojo.
"Lady Tsubaki?"
Deveral elders stiffened visibly as the woman stepped forward, posture composed despite the weight of attention pressing down on her.
"Elders," Tsubaki said, bowing with flawless courtesy. "I hope my presence today isn't too much of a distraction."
Haruhiko stared at her as though she were a ghost.
"How," he demanded coldly, "are you alive?"
Tsubaki smiled gently. There was no warmth in it.
"It seems that even after seven years," Tsubaki said calmly, "some things truly do not change. For your information, Father, my recovery was not sudden."
"My wife's condition was never truly static," Hiashi said. "For years, her chakra network showed faint but consistent signs of responsiveness. The Hyūga have long maintained internal techniques for sustaining damaged tenketsu and preventing further degradation."
He met the elders' gazes without flinching.
"Recently, those efforts reached a threshold. A combination of accumulated treatment, proper timing, and a final corrective procedure allowed her body to resume normal function. What you are seeing now is the result of years of preparation finally bearing fruit."
It was a lie built on truth.
Tsubaki had been maintained. The Hyūga did have internal methods outsiders never saw. And chakra pathways could, in theory, recover given enough time. Naruto understood this lie was necessary so his miracle heals didn't attract the wrong attention.
"In that case," Haruhiko said, folding his hands behind his back, voice dripping with condescension, "this calls for a celebration. I'm certain Tsubaki-chan would enjoy witnessing the strength of the Hyūga after so many years."
"Don't worry, old fart. She'll mostly see you getting your ass handed to you by a genin." He crouched briefly, pressing a quick kiss to Oscar. "Sorry, buddy, you are going to miss out on this on. If you jump in too, it stops being a fight and turns into elder abuse."
Oscar chirped indignantly, as if to say he absolutely did not care.
Naruto laughed, gave him a final pat, then handed him off to Hinata before stepping onto the dojo floor.
The observer's terrace rose in smooth tiers around the arena, cushioned seats reserved for the main family and elders beneath carved lattice screens that allowed clear sightlines without obstructing the combat zone.
Naruto tapped a smoke pellet against his chest.
Puff.
A cloud of gray laced with dense chakra rolled outward, briefly obscuring the center of the dojo. When it cleared, Naruto stood bare of armor, dressed only in a simple loincloth, gear neatly sealed away.
The reaction was immediate.
Murmurs rippled through the Hyūga elders, voices low but sharp with confusion and offense.
"What is the boy doing…?"
"Has he no shame?"
"Does he think this is some kind of spectacle?"
Hanabi's face turned bright red as she stared at the floor. Tsubaki covered her mouth with her hand as Hiashi didn't need to open his Byakugan to know that many of the Hyūga women were reacting despite themselves.
The Hyūga were a conservative clan, disciplined to the point of rigidity. Modesty, restraint, and emotional control were drilled into them from childhood. Displays of the body were frowned upon, attraction something to be mastered rather than indulged. And yet, discipline did not erase instinct. It only taught one how to hide it.
Naruto Uzumaki, despite his age, did not look like a child.
His build was nothing like the lean, wiry frames most shinobi favored. His physique was solid, broad-shouldered, muscle layered thick and functional. There was weight to him.
Hinata forced her expression neutral, eyes fixed forward, though she had already seen him like this back in Wave. Still, knowing he was about to fight dressed like that made her throat dry. She caught herself and quickly wiped at her mouth, mortified.
Naruto remained blissfully unaware that he had, entirely by accident, captured the attention of more than a few Hyūga women, both main and branch family alike.
Haruhiko's face darkened, a flush creeping up his neck.
"What an undignified display," the elder snapped. "You think flexing your body will save you in the shinobi world? Muscles are meaningless without lineage and refinement."
Naruto stretched his arms lazily. "Just say you're jealous."
He even struck a pose, purely to irritate the old man.
In truth, the choice was tactical.
His heavy Armor slowed him down, and against the Gentle Fist, speed mattered more than protection. His crest shield remained strapped to his back, reducing chakra-based damage. Even if a strike slipped through, it wouldn't cripple him.
Haruhiko's jaw tightened.
"So confident you'll win without your armor? Or are you simply reckless?"
"Pretty much," Naruto replied easily. "Want me to add another handicap to make this fair?"
A muscle twitched in Haruhiko's face. For a moment, it looked like he might abandon decorum entirely. Instead, he straightened, hands clasped behind his back, voice dropping into something smoother. Colder.
"How about we make this interesting."
"Go on."
"A wager," Haruhiko said. "The loser grants the winner a wish. No refusal."
The hall fell still.
"I'm listening. What's your wish?"
Haruhiko did not hesitate. "When I win, you will be betrothed to Hanabi Hyūga."
Silence crashed down like a physical weight.
Hanabi froze. Hinata's breath hitched. Tsubaki exhaled sharply. "Father-in-law," she murmured, voice edged with disbelief, "you truly haven't changed."
Hiashi closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
Now he understood.
Haruhiko had never approved of Hinata. Even now, even after her growth, he saw her as lacking the temperament to lead. Hanabi, on the other hand, had been molded under his direct hand. Binding Naruto to Hanabi would secure the Hyūga's future under his vision.
A political fox to the very end.
Hinata clenched her fists, chest tight, then suddenly shouted, voice cracking with emotion.
"Naruto—BEAT his ass!"
Every head snapped toward her.
Naruto gave a thumbs up as he stepped forward, posture relaxed. "Alright," he said casually. "I'll accept your bet."
A wave of murmurs surged through the dojo.
Hinata's eyes widened, but she forced herself still. She trusted him. She had to.
Naruto raised one finger. "Under one condition."
Haruhiko smiled thinly. "Name it."
"When I win," Naruto said evenly, "I claim your Byakugan as my prize."
Haruhiko's smile vanished. To a Hyūga, the Byakugan was more than an ability. It was the embodiment of their bloodline, their pride, and their superiority.
"You…" Haruhiko's voice caught for a moment, as if the words were lodged between fury and disbelief. "You dare?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it's fine for you to gamble with my autonomy, but I can't put something equally valuable on the table? Seems fair."
The murmurs in the hall grew sharper. Some elders exchanged wary looks.
"Start this battle!" Hiashi barked, cutting off the escalating tension before it spiraled beyond repair.
Haruhiko activated his Byakugan and froze.
For the briefest moment, the arrogance drained from his expression as his vision pierced Naruto's body. In the boy's right chest sat a dense, stone-heart. Even stranger, the blood flowing through Naruto's veins shimmered unnaturally, catching the light like liquid mercury rather than something living.
That hesitation was all Naruto needed.
He finally unleashed Shisui's technique without the help of his armor.
Chakra points across Naruto's body flared open at once, blasting chakra outward in a continuous flow.
He twisted that chakra, converting it mid-release into Wind.
The chakra surged upward in twin currents, spiraling from the floor like colossal wings being unfurled. Pressure alone carved them into shape, the air screaming as it was forced aside. Wind coiled around Naruto's arms and waist, then burst outward behind him in vast sweeping plumes that looked like feathers one moment and blades the next, depending on how the light caught them.
Hiashi recognized that jutsu as Shisui Uchiha's creation.
But the difference was staggering.
Shisui's version had always been tight, restrained, almost invisible. A cloak designed purely for movement, optimized for the Body Flicker and short, explosive bursts of speed. Minimal waste. Maximum efficiency. It existed to get him from point A to point B before anyone realized he had moved at all.
Naruto's was something else entirely.
Where Shisui had been precise, Naruto was overwhelming. His chakra reserves allowed him to sustain the cloak around his entire body at all times. It was easy to see now why Shisui had never pursued this path; the cost would have been impossible for anyone without Naruto's absurd reserves.
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Author's Note
Q: Can you expand on Shisui's Fist of the Peregrine / Wind Cloak?
Okay, so this jutsu was introduced way back in the early chapters so a refresher may be needed, but the basic idea is that Shisui copied the Raikage's Lightning Cloak and adapted it into his own style. For simplicity's sake, I usually just call it the Wind Cloak.
The Wind Cloak works by reducing air resistance around the body, allowing the user to fight at extremely high speeds. When combined with Body Flicker, that speed can be maintained and chained together.
Shisui's version was more simple and grounded. It focused on precision and short, controlled bursts of movement rather than sustained combat. His cloak was subtle and optimized for Body Flicker, not prolonged fighting.
Naruto's version, on the other hand, is much closer to the Raikage's Lightning Cloak. He can cover his entire body in a chakra cloak and convert it into a constant wind flow. Visually, you can think of it like Soi Fon's Wind Shunkō. Unlike the Lightning Cloak, Naruto can't enhance his nervous system, so Shisui compensated for that weakness with the Sharingan. Naruto compensates instead through spatial awareness gained via Way of Focality.
That said, Naruto still can't match Shisui's reaction speed. The Sharingan is inherently better at handling extreme-speed combat than Naruto's spatial awareness, even if Naruto has the raw chakra to maintain the cloak for longer.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 15k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 98, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!