Man I know I shouldn't really be writing this since I need to update my other fics, but I had a writers block. And whenever I'm pressed for ideas I tend to write one-shots about nothing in particular (sweat drops).
Summary: Konoha hears the call of war, but with who is a father to leave his precious princess with? Well, with a knight of course. "He had been the only one strong enough to protect her, and his attraction to her only made him more devoted…thus making him the perfect guardian, the perfect candidate, the perfect knight." (Mainly from the fathers' perspective.)
Pairings: SasukexHinata, NejixIno
Note: The rookies are 16 and Gai's team are 17.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything affiliated with the show, but I do own this computer…I think.
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The Perfect Knight
Konoha: one of the strongest villages in the world was now being put to the ultimate test. Who knew that a simple dispute over land and missions would lead to a full-scale war? No matter, this was a perfect chance to put the enemy village in its place and show the rest that the leaf village was not to be messed with.
Fortunately for the leaf village the fighting would mainly take place in the outskirts of the enemy's village. Unfortunately for Konoha's shinobi this meant that they would be far away from their families. They would not be able to check on family members or keep them safe incase of a sudden attack or invasion on the village…or worse, in the case of many fathers of teenage girls, from boys.
Such were the worries of Yamanaka Inoichi, a powerful shinobi who hailed from a prominent clan. He was also, however, a father, and of a teenage girl at that.
Since this war was big, far more complicated, and to be fought in another area, unfamiliar to many young shinobi, Tsunade thought that it would be best to send experienced, powerful, and level headed shinobi who would get the job done quickly and efficiently. Due to her order this meant that the Naruto gang would not see war, but their parents would. The only ones left in the village would be genin, newly appointed chunin, merchants, and villagers, mainly consisting of women and children.
This terrified Inoichi even more because if the town were to be attacked, who would protect his one and only lovely daughter, not to mention protect her from teenage boys? His little princess was a beauty and he had noticed over the years that there were many guys who fancied and desired to date her. Of course, all those years he had drove them away. But now that he would be gone, for god knows how long, he wouldn't be able to protect his princess. Therefore, he needed someone he could trust…someone who would not make a move on his daughter...someone who was valiant, strong, and had grown up with virtues. Hmm. How about Uchiha Sasuke? No way! Inoichi hand noticed his daughter was quite fond of the Uchiha and he did not want to come home to any unexpected surprises, especially not the kind that involved the word "Grandfather".
Well then who else? Shikamaru? Na, he was trust worthy and all but to do his intellect he would probably be needed by Tsunade to create battle plans. He would be too busy to look after Ino. How about Choji? No, he can't either. Since his father will be gone as well it will be his responsibility to take care of his mother and run the clan. Who then?! All of a sudden it hit him like a ton of bricks; Inoichi finally realized the perfect guardian, the perfect candidate, the perfect knight to protect his princess.
Another person who was having a similar problem was Hyuga Hiashi. He hailed, and ruled, the strongest, most prestigious, and most illustrious clan in all of Konoha. Not to mention he was personally known as a calm but fierce, collected, and ruthless shinobi. He showed no mercy, no compassion, and was the quintessence of a killing machine…but despite this he was also a father, and the father of the Hyuga heiress at that.
Hiashi didn't quite have the exact problems that Inoichi had however. His worry didn't include boys, since his daughters were no beauty queens. True, they were angelic, classy, and pretty, but they were nowhere near as gorgeous or as stunning as Ino. The thing that really worried Hiashi was keeping the heiress and the secrets of the Byakugan safe in case of a sudden invasion. This was a hard task though since almost all of the Hyugas would be off fighting, meaning there would be no one left to guard Hinata and Hanabi.
Hiashi had to find someone, or rather someones, who would be able to keep his daughters safe at all costs. But who? This Hyuga didn't want just any rift raft. Though, for Hanabi it was easier to think of someone to watch over her, since the logical choice was Konohamaru. This young shinobi had grown strong over the years and the wisdom that had been handed down to him by the third hokage made him the perfect guardian, the perfect candidate, the perfect knight to protect one of his princesses. What about Hinata? She still needed a knight. But of course Hiashi didn't want just anyone guarding the heiress. The person had to be the one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, of all the shinobi that would be staying. He needed someone, who like Konohamaru, had grown up in an aristocratic family with certain values, virtues, and knowledge. Then it hit him, he knew the perfect knight to protect his princess.
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Knock. Knock.
Upon hearing a tap on the door of her office Tsunade quickly put away the sake bottles that were on her desk. "Uh Come in."
Shizune opened the door and poked her head in. "Tsunade-sama they're all here now."
The Hokage sighed. "Send them in."
"Hai." Shizune opened the door all the way and allowed the rookie nine and Gai's team to come in.
One by one they came in and formed a semi-circle around the front of Tsunade's desk.
"Ok what's this all about baachan?!" demanded Naruto, trying to take charge of the meeting.
"Well if you stop yelling I'll tell you," the fifth Hokage answered. "Gah you're giving me a migraine."
"Um Tsunade-sama, he's not yelling," informed Sakura.
"Yeah," added Sasuke, "that's just how the dobe talks." A smirk spread across the Uchiha's lips.
The fox boy pointed an accusing finger at his teammate. "Why you?! Sasuke-teme!"
Neji sighed and turned towards the blonde. "Just be quiet Naruto so we can get this meeting over with. You of all people should want to know what our mission is."
"But Sasuke-teme started it!" yelled Naruto as a pout formed on his tan face. "I'm the next Hokage so he should respect me anyways!"
"Billboard brow, can you tell your boyfriend to shut up for once?!" The Kyūbi boy was beginning to gnaw at her last nerves.
Sakura's head jerked violently toward her blonde rival. "He's not my boyfriend!" She then turned back to her teammate. "Gosh Naruto can you just shut up and leave Sasuke-kun alone!" the kunoichi screamed, hitting him on he head.
Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk. "Will you all just BE QUIET?!"
The room went silent.
The legendary sanin got up from her desk and walked to the window. Clasping her hands behind her back she took a long look outside before talking. "As you all know, this war has caused all of our man power to leave the village." She turned to face them. "Because of this we need you all to take more participation in tasks that deal with the safety of Konoha."
"Well what do you want us do to?" inquired Ino.
"You? Nothing. As well as Hinata."
Hinata looked at the Hokage. "But…what do yo-…"
Tsunade placed her hand up in the air in a stop position. "Let me finish, and then you'll understand."
The Hyuga heiress cast a glance at Ino and both nodded in consent.
The sanin took that as a sign to continue. "I'm expecting you all to take on the duties of patrolling the borders, doing night watch, keeping order in town, and things of that nature. As Chunin, and some of you as Jounin, I know you guys are more than capable of handling it."
"Of course Tsunade-sama," replied Tenten.
"Shizune, the scrolls."
Shizune grabbed a stack of scrolls from Tsunade's desk and passed them out to each of the teenagers, except to Sasuke, Hinata, Ino, and Neji. Noticing this, they kept quiet, awaiting the Hokage to explain as to why.
"What's this?" questioned Kiba.
"Those are your schedules. I've divided your times between each task. However, each group will have one specific assignment that they will be assigned to so it will be every other day that you will rotate." The sanin walked to her desk and sat down. "Except you Sakura; your schedule consists mainly of working at the hospital. Because of the war, we will have much more casualties so we need all the help we can get." The Hokage placed her elbows on the desk, cupped her hands, and rested her chin on it. "Now let's get down to business shall we? I've had a couple of fathers come to me expressing their concerns about their daughters' safety."
"Oh no," groaned Ino. She knew her father was probably one of the fathers who had come whining to Tsunade.
The sanin gave the blonde blue eyed kunoichi a smile. 'Judging by her groan I guess she knows where this is headed.' "These fathers have also brought to my attention what is at stake if Konoha were ever to be invaded. They want to make sure that if that ever happened then their daughters would be safe from harm…among other things."
"Well who are those daughters baachan? Are they beautiful 'cause I will personally volunteer my services to be those girls' bodyguard." Naruto was beginning to imagine the whole scenario, perhaps he would be rewarded with a kiss from one of those damsels…or better yet from both!
Kiba began to chuckle, "You can't even protect yourself from me punching you."
"What do you mean?" While Naruto was distracted about the comment Kiba punched him right in the shoulder. "Oww."
"See, what makes you think you're qualified for this job?" Kiba pointed at himself. "If anyone deserves to have this job it should be me."
Before Naruto could retaliate Tsunade spoke up. "Well, you are right Naruto; they are beautiful. In fact they're Ino and Hinata."
Naruto's jaw dropped down to the ground.
"And I'm sorry Kiba, Naruto, their fathers each asked for someone specifically."
"Wait," began Sakura, "why do they need protection? They're both more than qualified to protect themselves."
"I was getting to that," responded Tsunade. "You see," she added as she opened a drawer on the left side of her desk, "both Hiashi and Inoichi brought to my attention that Konoha is home to a number of powerful clans, a few of which have kekkei genkai abilities. Those that do not are still just as formidable. Therefore it is important that nothing happens to the heirs of those clans. However, as you can see, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, Kiba and Sasuke are strong enough to protect themselves. But, Ino's dad has always been overprotective and since she is his only daughter she is the heiress, if you will, of her clan and has much more to learn about manipulating the minds of opponents and such." She took out two violet scrolls from the drawer and placed them on her desk. "As for Hinata, well it's much more obvious isnt it? She's the heiress of the Hyuga Clan. Nothing, and as Hiahsi repeated, absolutey nothing can happen to her. She, as well as her sister, both possess a powerful kekkei genkai and it would be a tragedy if one of Konoha's secrets were stolen."
"You mean someone would want to steal the Byakugan?" asked Naruto
"Well they've tried before," answered Neji.
"Exactly," stated Tsunade, "and the Byakugan is the last kekkei genkai that Konoha has that no one else does.We can not afford to jeporidize the Hyuga Clan or Konoha by having it stolen."
"What about the Sharingan?" questioned Sakura. "Shouldn't you protect that too?"
"The Shaingan is a powerful kekkei genkai but there is only one user among us." She looked towards Sasuke. "And since he is the only one, he does not jepordize a vast number of people as Hinata does. If Sasuke were to have children then of course we would take extra precautions as well but since that is not the case then we have nothing to worry about."
"Then who did Ino's and Hinata-chan's fathers ask for specifically?"
"That's the best part," the sanin grinned. "Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji."
The whole room went silent. After about a minute Naruto couldn't help but blurt out, "What?! Why would they choose Sasuke-teme?"
"Because their fathers both thought that Sasuke and Neji are the only ones strong enough to protect them. Ok now, Neji you're assigned to protect Ino, and Sasuke you're assigned to protect Hinata." Tsunade picked up the two scrolls on her desk.
"WHAT?!" This time it was Sakura who yelled out suddenly. 'My Sasuke-kun is going to protect Hinata?! Why can't he protect me?! There is no way she's going to steal him from me!'
A blush formed on the Hyuga heiress's porcelain skinned cheeks. She couldn't help but look at the ground. She could feel the Uchiha's stare broing into her and it was making her quite uncomftorable.
'So I'm going to be protecting her eh?' Sasuke couldn't help but think that the way the heiress blushed and acted under his gaze was cute. In truth she was the only one that caught his attention because she didn't throw herself at him whenever she got the chance to.
Ino couldn't help but blush as well. Just the thought of having Neji follow her around made her nervous. Sure he was hot but she didn't know him that well.
Neji seemed unfazed by the news that he would be looking after the Yamanaka, or so everyone thought. 'I'm going to be guarding Ino?' The Hyuga took one look at the blonde and turned away slightly masking the flush on his pale cheeks. Unknown to everyone, except Tenten and Lee, the Hyuga had developed somewhat of a crush on the blonde since she always seemed to be at the Hyuga manor visiting Hinata. He practically saw her everyday.
"Hey how's that supposed to be the best part?" asked Sakura.
"Since Hinata will always be near Sasuke and Ino near Neji then I can kill two birds with one stone. You should understand very well Sakura since you were the one that brought up the sharingan."
"What?"
"They are going to be toghether, meaning they're going to be safe, so that also leads to having both the Sharingan and the Byakugan safe."
"But how come Neji wasn't assigned to protect Hinata. It seems more logical since they're from the same clan," conveyed Shikamaru.
"Hiashi said it wouldn't be wise to have two Byakugan users to be together, that would just attract more attention, making them a much more potential target. Ok , now that that is settled these two scrolls are for you four. One for Sasuke and Hinata and the other for Neji and Ino."
Both the male Hyuga and the Uchiha went up the Tsunade's desk and retrieved the scrolls.
"Are these our schedules?" the Uchiha asked.
"Yes, somewhat. The scrolls also contiain information about the person you're guarding and what is required of you as a body guard."
"Seriously?" questioned Ino. She motioned for Neji to open the scroll and when he did she scanned the information over. "Wow, it has everything from my bloodtype to my favorite food."
"Neji, Sasuke."The hokage now took a more serious tone. "You do understand that starting now you two are not to leave their sides for anything until the war is through?"
Both the Hyuga prodigy and the Uchiha nodded. "We understand Tsunade-sama."
"Wait a minute! Why am I not being protected?!" screeched Sakura.
"Because one you are not from a clan, and two you don't need protection. You were trained directly under me so you are more than qualified to protect your ownself," responded Tsuande as she took some sake out of her drawer.
"But..but."
"Don't worry Sakura-chan," yelled Naruto, "I'll protect you!"
'Oh great, just what I didn't want. I want Sasuke-kun to protect me!'
"Remember," the sanin stated one last time, " Do not leave their sides for anything until the war is over."
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Unknown to Hiashi and Inoichi, as well as Tsunade and the new body guards, the war was to be dragged on for years, eight years to be exact. For eight long years both fathers were without contact with their daughters and for eight years Sasuke and Hinata, and Neji and Ino were stuck together like glue on paper. Both males were the perfect guardians, the perfect candidates, the perfect knights.
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Finally! After eight long years the war was finally over and Konoha came out victorious! The many shinobi that had been called off to war were finally returing to their homes. However, upon their arrival they came to a shocking conclusion: Konoha had changed so much over the years. Everything they had once remembered was completely different. Despite this, they were all happy to be home.
Nobody was as shocked as Inoichi and Hiashi. I mean one of them came home to find a new name waiting for him: Grandpa! The other was shocked to find that he no longer had an heiress!
Let me explain shall I?
Inoichi was happy, he was more than happy he was ecstatic. He was finally home and was going to see his little princess for the first time in eight years. He stood in front of the Yamanka Flower Shop and took in its surroundings. It was almost exactly as he remembered it. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and made his way in.
Ino's ears perked at the sound of the bell that came from the door, since it signified a customer had entered. Without looking up Ino instinctively said, "Hello welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop. How may I help you today?"
"Cupcake?"
Ino looked up from the counter. "Daddy?"
"Of course it's me. Now are you going to give me a hug or what?" He held out his arms.
Ino began to squeal, "OMG I can't believe you're finally home daddy!" She ran towards Inoichi and embraced him in a big hug.
Just then a little boy with long black hair tied in a loose pony tail and sky blue eyes came out behind the counter. He looked to be about three years old and was wearing the customary Hyuga robes.
Inoichi's jaw dropped to the ground. "Who's that?" he asked letting go of his daughter.
"Well he's," began Ino as she went and picked up the little boy, "he's your grandson."
Inoichi began messing with his ears, trying to make sure he had heard right. "Who's grandson?"
"His name is Hizashi and he's mine and Ino-chan's son," replied a deep male voice.
Mr. Yamanaka looked around and saw the owner of the voice. It was none other than the knight that he had chosen to look after Ino. He was coming from the direction of the storage room.
"So you're saying I'm a gra..grandpa?"
"Yes," responded Neji placing his arm around Ino.
With that confirmation Inoichi collasped on the floor and fell unconcious. I guess it was too much of a surprise for him to handle.
Meanwhile with Hiashi…
Hiashi entered the Hyuga compound for the first time in eight years. The manor was bustling with returning Hyugas and in the mist of the excitement he did not notice his two daughters standing behind him.
"Father," Hinata stated.
Hiashi turned around. "Hello girls, I trust that you've been well taken care of."
"Of course father," replied Hanabi. "But there is something that we wish to discuss to you that involves the future of this clan."
"Let's go into my office." Hiashi led the way down the hall, to the left, and into a big study room. He sat down on his big black chair and folded his hands neatly on the desk. "Ok what is it that you wish to talk to me about?"
Hinata took a deep breath. "I've decided to renounce my title as Hyuga heiress." She winced, awaiting her father to start yelling at her…but he didn't.
"And why is that?" inqured Hiashi.
"Sasuke-kun proposed to me a year ago and I accepted. We both figured it would be best for me to join his clan, seeing as he is the only heir." Hinata tried not to look at her father in the eyes.
Hiashi sighed. "Very well then, I guess this makes Hanabi the new heiress of the Hyuga Clan. I will inform the elders shortly about the new shift of power and of your betrothement to the Uchiha."
Both female Hyuga's looked at eachother in confusion but quickly shrugged it off. "Thank you father," the girls stated in unison. They bowed and left the room.
Once outside of the room Hanabi couldn't help but blurt out, "Man I thought dad was going to lose it."
"Yeah me too," responded Hinata. "But why didn't he?"
Why was that? Why did the usual tempermental Hyuga not have a negative thing to say? Two words: ultimate bloodline.
Hiashi remained seating at his desk, placing his elbow on the table and supporting his chin on his fist. 'I always wondered what a baby might look like if it had pure Hyuga and pure Uchiha blood.' He began to chuckle. 'I guess now I'll finally know.'
Within two months, with the Hyuga council's approval, Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke were married thus becoming Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke. She no longer belonged to the Hyuga family, but rather a part of something new.
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Both Hiashi and Inoichi could not believe that they had lost their princessess to the very knights that they themselves had appointed. They had chosen the two shinobi because they had been only ones strong enough to protect Ino and Hinata. Unknown to both fathers, the knights' attraction to their daughters only made them more devoted…thus making them the perfect guardians, the perfect candidates, the perfect knights.
Inoichi had left on the idea of not coming home to any unexpected surprises; especially not the kind that involved the word "Grandfather". But I guess beggars can't be choosers. Then again what did he expect? He had practically flung his daughter into the Hyuga's arms, not to mention he had also given Neji the scroll detailing her every likes, dislikes, and personality traits. When you know that much about someone and spend that much time together for eight years you're bound to develop feelings for one another. Well at least it was with someone who was trustworthy, valiant, strong, and grown up with values in one of the most illustrious and noble clans in Konoha. True, he did not realize that although he had chosen Neji, who was the only one strong enough to protect his precious daughter, he had also chosen one that was attracted to her. Inoichi had underestimated Ino's nature, her personality, her beauty, and the power that she held over her knight. But then again, that same attraction and power made Neji more committed and more likely to put his life on the line. Well at least he gained something wonderful out of that experience, a grandson- a three year old little boy who had his mother's beautiful colored eyes and his father's kekkei genkai-the ultimate little knight.
Hiashi, on the other hand, had left on the idea of his daughters being secure from any harm by two qualified shinobi. True, he had come home to that idea but he did not expect to come home to no heiress. The Hyuga leader never thought that the Uchiha would ever fall for his daughter, and vice versa. Well at least Sasuke was from a noble clan and possessed a powerful kekkei genkai, meaning Hiashi would receive a grandson with the ultimate bloodline. Despite this, Hiashi couldn't help but be a bit distrubed about the fact that he had not seen it coming. His all seeing eyes didn't help him or warn him about this possibility. The Hyuga had underestimated Hinata's kind nature, her ability to relate and befriend all, an the power she held over her knight. But then again, that same attraction and power made Sasuke more committed and devoted to Hinata, thus making it better for the Hyuga Clan to protect the Byakugan. In the end, he realized that although he lost his heiress, his princess, to the Uchiha, the knight, he also helped the Uchiha Clan have a possibility of reviving, therefore hopefully gaining a powerful grandson, and at the same time helped Hinata and Sasuke find love. Sasuke of all people needed someone as kind as Hinata, he needed someone he could relate to. After all, they both had grown up in similar surroundings and perhaps their union would help the Uchiha open up and become more willing to work with others for the benefit of Konoha.
Although both fathers came to these conclusions they also realized that they had underestimated the most powerful thing of all: love. How could they have categorized love and loyalty in separate subjects? How could they have not comprehended that devotion, commitment, loyalty, and love were all intertwined? Consequently, this mistake, or rather chance of good luck, led each of the fathers to select the perfect guardian, the perfect candidate, the perfect knight.
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Yeah I know it isn't that focused on the said pairings but for some reason I felt it would be more fitting if I wrote it from their fathers' perspectives. Anyways it's more of a drabble so I didn't really focus on making it perfect or anything...I don't even think there is a point to it. (sweat drops).
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