My Eyes
By Shiranui the Brave
Hey everybody! I finally got my first fanfiction ready, and its meant to be mainly centered on Hinata, just after Asuma died (in part 2). Now, since I'm going to be diverging from the manga, I'm really not going to pay much heed to people telling me, "That's not how it went". I know full well how the story proceeds after Asuma's death, and hey, since this is going to be from Hinata's perspective, it won't even matter much. Originally, Naruto Legends was supposed to be my first story posted but as of now, I'd like to get a couple of chapters down first, so that I can set the necessary backstory before heading into the action. Oh, and a disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't claim to own any of the Naruto characters or any of the places that appear in the Naruto story (other places are original). There is no yaoi, no yuri, and no idiotic humour. It's a love story with a dash of action and adventure. Enjoy!
Prologue
I have to become strong…
"Oto-sama," said the young girl timidly.
"Hinata…Are you still wishing for a reply?" Hiashi, the leader of the Hyuuga clan and the topmost member of the Main Family looked down at his elder daughter with a blank expression.
"H-Hai…" Hinata looked down meekly as, strands of her long indigo hair began to fall on her face.
Hiashi let out a deep sigh and proceeded to walk into his room. Hinata was pondering on waiting for another time to receive the answer to her proposal, but she was pleasantly surprised when she found that her father was beckoning her to enter as well. Hinata smiled meekly, and seated herself on her knees, just across from where her father was sitting. He was holding a long wooden mahogany box in his hands.
"Hinata…You are the heiress who will inherit the right to lead the Hyuuga clan. It was only a few years ago…I said that you were unworthy of bearing the Hyuuga name and that there was no place for you here." Upon seeing this, Hiashi lowered his head in shame. "However, I was wrong. You have grown into a strong young woman, whose kindness and intelligence is something from which she can create strength and the will to continue. I am proud to have you as my daughter, Hinata, and I fully support you in whatever decision you may wish to make…
"But Hinata, my daughter, I cannot simply allow you to leave Konoha for two years to pursue a new and rigorous training regime."
"Oto-sama…I…"
"Do not think that the council is against you leaving. Hyuuga owns many private training grounds across the entire Fire Country. It is not just because you are the heiress of Hyuuga or because I am afraid of the Byagukan falling in the wrong hands…It's simply because you are my daughter and I have grown happy to wake up each morning and see your smiling face in front of me. If something were to happen to you…If I discovered that you would never be coming back alive…That I would never see your smile again…" At this thought, he clutched the wooden box in his hands tightly.
Hinata had remained quiet and heard what her father had to say. She then took some time to process the meaning and the reality behind his words. But as she did, she saw several images—Her cousin Neji, when he came back from his mission almost three years ago when he went up against the Sound's Four, as he nearly lost his life simply because he was forced to use Jyuuken on an enemy who specialized in long-range fighting, simply because he had practically no knowledge of long-range Ninjutsu that could be useful in such a situation; her team-mate and best friend Kiba, as he was crying in pain when the doctors were closing the wound on his stomach ("It's the most painful of all injuries and it takes a long time to die on top of that," said Tsunade-sama, which cost her countless nights of sleep); and finally, Naruto. He gave everything he had…no, it was clearly stated that he could have killed Sasuke if he wanted to but he simply couldn't go back on his words to return him alive. The injuries he sustained…the sheer magnitude of exhaustion he experienced…and worst of all, the frustration he felt when he returned empty-handed. His sad eyes simply couldn't hide this fact from Hinata, whether she was a Hyuuga or not. And what was recently happening…Naruto once again training beyond his limits to return Sasuke, the death of Sarutobi Asuma just a few weeks ago by members of the Akatsuki, the resolution of Team 10 to not back down even in the face of such powerful foes…And when she looked at her father, dressed in his pure white robes and then into his deep pearl-like eyes, she saw herself and where she would be in only a few more years. That's when the thought in her head that had strengthened her to make her proposal was reawakened and she looked at her family, her father, her friends, her village, and the entire world with a new resolution, one she wish she had the courage to make when she was younger, but nevertheless, it was still not too late.
"I am Hyuuga," said Hinata aloud, as she stopped look back in the direction of her home village. "I will not be weak…not anymore…"
She felt the sword that was now strapped on to her left side, as it remained in its sheath. This sword was passed on down the Hyuuga line for generations to each progressive heir, and now it was hers to wield. The sword that beckoned her father to send her alone, as if its aura was commanding him. The sword that her father said would always protect her no matter what happened. She hadn't had the chance to see the blade for herself, but her father told her its name. It was a charka blade, which could only be wielded by the most skilled Hyuuga, the Tsumugari. Hinata was filled with more determination and courage then ever as she knew that in order to become stronger than any of the heirs before her, to become stronger than any of her friends, to even reach the peak that the Kages and Sannins occupied, she would have to work without exhaustion or fail, and become proficient in the regime she had laid out for herself.
Hinata looked at the rapidly descending sun and decided to set up camp as soon as possible, and then afterwards, when she finished her dinner, she set up a mildly powerful genjutsu to prevent any from sneaking up on her—if they looked carefully, they'd see nothing, and if they got to close, they'd be stuck in an endless limbo where their eyes were telling them that they were walking forward when they were instead walking in the opposite direction and this persistence in vision would continue for approximately fifteen minutes until their eyes finally revealed the truth. It was a very simple genjutsu that she learned from Yuuhi Kurenai, her Jounin sensei from when her three-man genin cell was first formed.
Kurenai-sensei…Hinata thought of the young, crimson eyed woman with sadness, when she remembered that she had lost the one she loved. Hinata lay back on her sleeping bag, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together. May your soul find piece, Asuma-sensei, was her last thought before she rolled over and finally fell into a solemn slumber.
Next! Chapter 1: Awakenings! This prologue is short but from here on out, the chapters will be longer. Hope you enjoy them!