Naruto was sprawled out in his bed, muttering something or other in his sleep. He flipped his body over, subconsciously in search of a more comfortable position, and his arm fell flat on the other side of the bed. This woke him up and he lifted his head and peered around the room.

"Huh, I wonder where she is" he thought to himself as he rubbed the weariness out of his eyes.

Just then the scent of coffee permeated the room and eventually filled his lungs "Ah she's in the kitchen"

He squinted at the clock on the wall "Hmm it's 10:15. I gotta stop sleeping in so much. I wonder long she's been up."

Naruto rolled off of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. When he was through, he proceeded downstairs, giving his messy hair an impromptu comb with his fingers.

Hinata was seated at the dining table, holding a coffee mug in her hands and reading a book which lay flat on the table. Naruto approached her from behind, placed his arm gently around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh good morning Naruto, you surprised me there" she said, and the surprise was evident as her cheeks were now flushed.

He rested his head on her shoulder "You're up early aren't ya?"

"More like you're up late again" she laughed, placing down her mug and caressing the back of his neck.

"Ugh I've got three missions today and I have to do all the paperwork by myself. I think we should call the police, Kakashi-sensei is trying to overwork me" Naruto pouted.

Hinata giggled "Um I don't think this is under police jurisdiction."

"Well we've got to do something. I'm pretty sure he's gonna kill me for waking up this late and not attending to my duties yet." Naruto replied.

Hinata consoled him "Look, Kakashi-sensei just wants to make sure that you're adequately prepared to become the Hokage. He knows just how much work it entails and he sees you as his successor, so he's doing all this to ensure that you can handle the workload when you take up the position"

Naruto sighed and walked into the adjoining kitchen in search of food "Yeah, I guess you're right Hinata"

"You know, you could just tell me whenever you need to head out early and I'll wake you up" she stated.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Hinata questioned.

Naruto was a bit nervous "Well, either it's Kakashi-sensei coming to scold me or it's the mailman… I'm hoping to God it's the mailman"

Naruto walked gingerly over to the door and opened it cautiously. Standing on the other side was neither option, instead it was a member of the Hyuga Clan, Ko Hyuga.

Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief and laughed hysterically "Boy am I glad to see you Ko!"

"Err why?" Ko asked, a bit confused at Naruto's reaction.

"Oh, uh it's a long story" Naruto replied, realising he may have come off a bit weird. He then called out to his wife "Hey Hinata, Ko's here!"

Hinata joined him at the door "Ah Ko, good morning! What brings you here? We don't have any Hyuga business scheduled today right?"

"Good morning Lady Hinata" he responded, giving a little bow "You're right, we had nothing scheduled today but Lord Hiashi has requested everyone's presence for some reason"

"Something serious?" Hinata asked.

"I don't think it's anything too alarming. However Lord Hiashi has looked like something has been nagging him for the past few weeks. Maybe it has something to do with that" Ko responded.

"I see" Hinata said, she then turned to Naruto "You'll be alright by yourself yeah?"

"Yeah I'll just make a quick breakfast and then I'll be off" Naruto answered.

"Alright just don't burn down the house" Hinata joked.

"I'll try not to, no promises though" Naruto smirked.

Hinata went to her room and changed her clothes. She then gave Naruto a kiss and left the house alongside Ko. The trek to the Hyuga manor was a short one and before long they were nearing the entrance. In the distance she saw her cousin Neji accompanied by Tokuma Hyuga.

"Good morning Neji! Are you just coming in too?" Hinata called out.

Neji noticed her and increased his pace so that they met just in front of the entrance to the grounds.

"Good morning Hinata. Yes, I'm just arriving. Tokuma caught me in the middle of some early morning training and told me about this urgent meeting" he explained "Do you know what it's about?"

Hinata shook her head "Haven't got a clue"

"Well let's get inside. It seems almost everyone is present" Neji advised.

They entered the main building, where all the meetings were held, and sat in their respective places on either side. Hinata among the main house members and Neji among the branch house members. The building was just about full, Hiashi sat silently with closed eyes at the front waiting for everyone's arrival. After a few minutes everyone was accounted for and the meeting was finally able to begin.

Hiashi rose to his feet from his position in front, which was customary for the Clan leader, and began his address.

"Good day everyone, first let me apologize for calling you out on such short notice" Hiashi began. He walked from side to side, making eye contact every now and then, as he spoke.

He continued "However, something has been bothering me for the past couple months. It has been six years since the Fourth Shinobi World War. We the Hyuga played a great part in Konoha's efforts during the war. We suffered great losses but we persevered and came out stronger. I was your leader through all these times, during both the glory and the agony, and let me just say, it has been my greatest honour. My 55th birthday is on the horizon, and now, I think, it is time to hand over leadership to the new generation. Let those who have inherited the Will of Fire light the way for the future of the Hyuga Clan."

By now murmurs had broken out among the members of the Clan piercing through the once dominant silence. The previous Hyuga leader, Neji and Hinata's grandfather, called for silence and the peace was restored.

"I know that it may seem sudden but I've always trusted my instinct and my gut tells me that the time for change is now" Hiashi stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the entire Clan "Now, I'd like to announce the candidates. Please come to the front when your name is called."

"Hinata!"

She rose to her feet and joined her father in front, displaying an aura of self-assurance despite a feeling of anxiousness she could not shake.

"Hanabi!"

The young Hyuga walked briskly to the front and joined her sister.

Hiashi then took a long contemplative pause… "Neji!"

Neji stared at him incredulously "Lord Hiashi…?" he questioned.

"You're the 3rd and final candidate… come to the front" he replied after another brief pause.

Neji scrambled to his feet and slowly made his way to the front, astonished at what was taking place. The murmurs had once again erupted among the family. However, this time they were in an aggressive manner. A member of the branch family could never lead the Clan!

Hey! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I've got several more planned out in my head so it's just a matter of me getting the time to write 'em. My inspiration for writing this Fic stems from the fact that I am a big Neji fan and I always wanted to see him lead the Clan despite being from the branch family. Unfortunately that never came to fruition so I figured I would write a little story about it!