Neji Hyuga sat at the base of a tree on his team's training grounds. Kunai and shuriken littered the soft dirt and his comrades were lying flat, chests heaving from their heavy training session.

Wiping his forehead, he looked up to the clear sky, his view only blocked by a few branches and vivid green leaves.

Three shinobi stand bravely before the Hyuga Elder and Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the main branch. The room was still, but the hearts of one genin, chunin, and jounin were beating fast and loud.

With a deep breath, Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki simultaneously broke the silence.

"Father, please-"

"Mr. Hiashi, I-"

Neji placed a hand on each of their shoulders to quiet the two.

For the past hour, Hinata and (mostly) Naruto were stating their argument in favor of the cadet branch; to remove the curse seal and for the main and side branches of the Hyuga to come together as one. It was rather exhausting to hear them talk, as each point that they had brought up were quickly shot down by the Hyuga Elder. Neji kept quiet in place between the two, not removing his eyes from the floor beneath him.

Tears of frustration towards her father began to form in Hinata's eyes as she gripped the sleeves of her shirt, not wanting to accept defeat.

Naruto, on the other hand, clenched his fists in pure anger, his eyes deadlocked on the stubborn Hyuga Elder.

"Thank you for your time." Neji bowed to the his uncle and grandfather and left with his two comrades.

After the door closed, The Hyuga Elder sat up in his chair.

"You have more patience than I do, Hiashi. The Hyuga's will always be divided into the main and cadet branches, you'd be right to make sure your daughter understands that."

Hiashi remained quiet and seated. He began to think about his brother Hizashi.

Neji's thoughts about the events that occurred earlier that day were interrupted by one of his teammates, Tenten.

"Come on Neji, Lee and I are going to go get some dumplings...you should come with"

Neji looked up at his teammate, the sunlight brought out the warm, chocolate color of stray hairs, flying softly across her face.

"Nothing like an afternoon full of hot, sweaty training!" Lee boasted, breaking the trance that was Tenten's beauty...which he never seemed to take notice of before.

The three walked together, well two walked together. Lee was walking on his hands only.

Neji was mostly aloof throughout the walk to the dumpling shop.

The three sat down at their usual table.

Noticing Neji's silence (which was rather normal for him, but this was a different quiet, a contagious quiet), Tenten coughed a little to catch his attention.

"So, Neji, how did the talk with your uncle go this morning?"

What Tenten and Lee didn't know, was that the events from earlier had been clouding his thoughts all day. It had exhausted him.

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling too well. I'm going to head home for now, I will meet up with you guys tomorrow morning for training." Neji quietly sat up and took his leave.

Hiashi sat outside, his mind retracing memories from Neji's match with Hinata at the preliminaries for the Chuunin exams. At the time, Neji always seemed to have this fixation on destiny, and how there was no escaping such a long and winding tunnel. It was Naruto who opened his eyes to the many different paths one could take in their lifetime. Shortly after his exam, it was revealed to Neji that his father died by choice, not fate...and the news brought forth a new light to his eyes.

Neji had always been a precious memento of his late brother, Hizashi Hyuga. Some time ago, Some discrepancies occurred between the Konohagakure's Hyuga clan and Kumogakure. It was assumed that the reason a shinobi from Kumo would kidnap Hinata Hyuga was for the secrets of the Byakugan. Hiashi took action and killed the man. As payment for the death of Kumo's head ninja, it was decided that Hiashi Hyuga was to die. However, being Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi chose to take his place. This way, the curse seal would banish any traces of the Byakugan and the clan's kekkei genkai would be safe. (Hizashi did it for the sake of his brother, not the main household.) It's vital to note that Hizashi did in fact make this decision, and was not forced to die for the sake of the main branch. This was what Neji had always thought up until his defeat at the Chunin exams.

While Hinata had shown excellent progression in her strength since then, the Hyuga bloodline always flowed stronger in Neji than any other member. Hizashi knew this, but it was Neji's brawl with Naruto that revealed the fact to Hiashi. At the time, it was almost a nuisance...to think that a member of the cadet branch was surpassing the main branch. But now, seeing his nephew and daughter sparring together, he began to ponder the idea that perhaps the main household was experiencing a stagnancy in strength. After all, Hizashi's ambitious blood flowed true in Neji's veins, and he had outshined his peers these past 4 years by becoming a Jounin.

The Hyuga was Konoha's strongest clan, and maybe it was time to bring forth change. For the idea that the two branches could work together in harmony was no longer just a possibility, it became reality.

Hiashi listened to the breeze form a melody with a few birds nearby.

"Hizashi…" He said, looking up to the clouds that framed a bright sun. "...thank you. For everything…"

Neji had told his teammates that he was not feeling well, which was right for the most part but it was a feeling that a soft bed could not fix. His palms became raw with every hit to the training dummy that he had been sparring with since he got home.

He took notice of a familiar presence, and stopped to see his younger cousin with two cups of tea.

"Hello, Lady Hinata." Neji walked over to the silent heir, grabbing the tray and setting it down. Neji hadn't noticed how sore his hands were until he gripped the hot cup, but it didn't bother him.

Hinata sipped her tea quietly, listening to the noise of frogs in the distance; Their croaks adding to the ambience of a humid summer night.

"It's getting late, Neji. You should get some rest." Hinata softly stated.

Neji's continued silence was all that she needed to hear in order to understand what her cousin was feeling.

She remembered the fear that took over when she and Neji had battled each other a few years ago. It was a feeling of pure hostility and hate that pierced her heart everytime she recalled the memory. Yes, Neji was different now...but is that to say that his feelings from back then were invalid? Hinata was always on the sympathetic side, and while she did not know what it was like to be at the mercy of a curse at all times, she did know what it was like to feel rejected.

"Give it time, brother." She gently wrapped her arm around him and hooked her hand on his shoulder.

"My father is more understanding than some people think. I was once denied as well, but I proved him wrong. You can too, Neji." She smiled slightly, remembering Naruto's boasting from earlier that day. "Naruto broke a barrier today, it didn't seem like it at the time….but I saw it. My father knows that change is coming to the clan soon."

Neji took in every word that she spoke. He looked down at his hands, thinking how foolish he was to think that all hope was lost. Was it not just 4 years ago that he was proved wrong for thinking that destiny was inescapable? Was it not just 4 years ago that he was called a genius by that very person? And now Hinata, whom he used to despise so much, was clutching on to the dream that he believed was only his. An ambition that was now shared with not just her, but his friends as well. It was becoming clear now, for the passion for change outweighed the desire for tradition.

Hinata stood in front of Neji and wrapped her warm hands around his wounded ones.

"Let's go bandage these up and call it a night." She had a calm visage, her eyes as serene as the dark indigo sky.

"You're not alone, Neji." Hinata squeezed his hands, not to hurt him...but enough to reassure his doubtful thoughts.

"Thank you, Lady Hinata."

Naruto woke up earlier than normal to begin his training the next morning. His mind had been restless since his meeting with the Hyuga, and while his red-hued crinkled face gave the impression that he was hateful, he was really just frustrated.

After recalling his fight with Neji at the Chuunin exams, he began to think that stubbornness ran in the family. Why was it that the Hyuga always seemed so fixated on the idea that things should remain the same; That there's only one path for a person in life and he should never try to go astray? For someone who didn't have the word "can't" in his vocabulary, the thought of accepting a fate of sorts was infuriating.

But what Naruto failed to notice was that he had planted a seed on that day he triumphed over Neji. Naruto had always been the type of person to seek a resolution at the exact moment he saw fit. In other words, he wasn't very patient when it came to problem solving.

The situation here is, Naruto would get so worked up about not attaining his goal at the moment, that he would become blind to the fact that his efforts did not go unnoticed; And while he felt that defeat was upon him, it was his opponent that would eventually give in. Getting through to people was Naruto's specialty, and he was never really aware of that.

"Hey, Naruto." Tenten was walking back home from her own training session, and noticed Naruto was alone.

"Oh, hey Tenten." Naruto looked over to her, not realizing that he hadn't taken a single break all morning. He felt a little lightheaded. "Where's Lee?...and Neji?" He sat down against a nearby tree, cooling off in the shade.

Tenten sat down beside him and handed him a canteen of water she summoned from one of her scrolls. Leave it to Tenten to have whatever you need at all times.

"Well, Lee and Guy sensei went sprinting off somewhere and I think Neji is training with Hinata this morning."

"Hey….Tenten, how is Neji? I mean, is he…..It's just I haven't seen him since our meeting and I was hoping I would run into him today." Naruto looked down, ripping small blades of grass from the ground one by one.

"At first, I was worried." Tenten grimaced as she recalled the concern she felt for him the day before. The loud silence that brought even Lee's optimistic behaviour down. "But he's going to be okay. Neji's changed a lot since we were kids. He's always encouraging us to push harder. It's almost like the Neji from before is completely in the shadows." Her frown turned into a grin, and she nudged Naruto with her elbow. "It's all thanks to you, Naruto."

Naruto picked his head up and looked at Tenten, "What do you mean?"

Tenten's expression turned soft, "You gave him the insight that he needed. It was up until then that he believed he was some sort of caged bird...and that no matter what he did, he would be nothing more than just that."

"That's what I don't get." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed a little. "If I made such an impression on him, why does it seem like he could care less about change? I mean he barely said anything when Hinata and I joined him to talk to Mr. Hiashi..."

"That's where you're wrong." Tenten quickly snapped back at him, a fierce gaze about her dark brown eyes. "The thing is, Neji wasn't the only one to hear your words during that match...we all heard you. I have no doubts that Mr. Hiashi didn't hear you as well."

Tenten watched as a small bird hopped around on the ground, pecking at the soft soil. "I've been around Neji enough to understand how his head works. He's not a very communicative person, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings. Neji is like the soft soil after a fresh rainshower...absorbing and retaining knowledge any time it is presented to him. Once a seed is planted, you can't exactly see the bud for the first few days that it is forming because it is underground...but it is there nonetheless." Tenten looked back to Naruto, who had stopped pulling at the grass. "Just because it doesn't seem like he is thinking about something, doesn't exactly mean he isn't thinking about it."

"So, are you saying that is how Mr. Hiashi is too?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, trying to piece the puzzle together.

"Exactly. It's only a matter of time before we start to see a bud break through the surface."

Hiashi waited on the steps to the courtyard for a few minutes before interrupting Neji and Hinata's sparring. He smiled to himself at the sight of the two, working together to improve each other's strength. It was a powerful glimpse at the what the Hyuga clan's future held.

"Hinata," Hiashi said in a tone of voice that was a little more placid than normal, "Shino and Kiba are outside, I believe you three have a mission."

Hinata nodded to her father and turned to Neji, "Thank you for the training, brother." She jogged to the compound entrance to meet with her team, "You were training all morning! No way you'll have the energy to tag along with us." Neji and Hiashi could hear them jabber. "No Kiba, you're wrong! I feel fine." "Of course she will be fine. Why? Because I have faith in my comrades." Slowly the voices trailed away.

"Neji, will you join me for a walk?" Neji glanced to his uncle, "Of course, sir."

Neji and Hiashi sat opposite each other in a gazebo, surrounded by beautiful greenery. Colorful flowers painted the setting with a sweet aroma. The tiny splashes of birds in the birdbath melted with the sound of wind chimes singing with the gentle breeze.

"My brother and I came here a lot when we were young." Hiashi stated, recalling the significance of the place. "We would pick flowers and see who could lure the most hummingbirds before they flew away." The memory of his brother put him at ease.

"It's peaceful." Neji added, and it really was. Something about the place soothed him, and to think that his father loved being here was heartwarming.

"I don't blame you if you still feel bitter towards us, Neji." Hiashi's face turned serious, but was in no way being harsh. "Your father always abhorred us in the main branch; It is only coherent that you inherited that same resentment."

Neji's expression turned almost sullen as he remembered the anger he once felt toward his uncle. Resentment wasn't a good word to describe how he felt at this point in time. Ever since Hiashi told him the truth about his father, Neji had been on a path of understanding and acceptance of his family's custom. He had once called it a "Heritage of hatred", but that title no longer seemed fitting.

He had developed dreams of his own, and that included becoming stronger so that no one else could defeat him. Training with Hinata had opened the possibility of becoming stronger not just by himself, but with his family. The only obstacle was destroying the barrier that separated the cadet branch from the main.

"Hiashi, sir, I no longer feel that way." Neji focused is attention to his uncle, who had relaxed his face a little from his statement. "I understand our clan's practices, and why it is that we enforce them so strictly. My father did not die in vain, and that is enough to put me at ease."

Hiashi nodded, "Mm, this is true. Your father was a great man, and he was right to say that the Hyuga bloodline flows thicker in you than any other member. It's fascinating, really; You have that seal, yet your wingspan is far wider than even mine." Hiashi smiled softly.

Curious, Neji tilted his head to the side slightly, for what could Hiashi mean? Of course Neji had changed, but he never wanted to give the impression that he was greater than his own uncle. He almost felt the urge to apologize, but was quickly overwhelmed with a sensation of accomplishment.

"The situations that occurred with your father has weighed heavily on my mind. I never truly felt right about the predicament we were in back then. I always felt like there could have been another way." Hiashi looked down to his fists that were clenched tight on his lap. "Instead of dwelling in the past, I took advantage of the fact that I was the one who survived and thought heavily on the idea that all Hyuga should be able to fly freely. You, Neji, are living proof that such a feat is possible. You set an example for the Hyuga, and if your father would be so proud of you, just as I am."

Neji's face lit up as the voice in his head that had tormented him since he was a kid had been hushed. "What are you suggesting, Mr. Hiashi?"

"I'm going to unite the cadet branch with the main branch, and combine our strengths as one. The Hyuga will fly side by side towards the sun, and the cadet branch will no longer fly in the shadows of those of us in the main household." Hiashi stated calmly with no qualms in his decision.

The air began to feel less dense as the weight of acrimony had been swept away by the wind. The hard bench became softer, the flowers became brighter, and the sky much bluer. Neji had become engulfed in a rush of alleviation and happiness that was akin to a burst of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He wanted to look to the sky to see if his father heard everything, and was acknowledged when the clouds parted ways for a luminous ribbon of sunshine to fall gracefully to the ground.

"It's time we stop choosing fate for others before they even know how to walk. Destiny is too great a feat to be pushed aside, and far too delicate to be tampered with." The sunlight blanketed over the two, as if embracing them in an earnest hug.

Hiashi stood up quietly, a soft smile upon his face. "I have to meet with Lord Elder to discuss what further actions we must take. So if you will excuse me." As he walked away, Neji remained in his seat. The sunlight still held him in it's warm arms as tears pooled in his eyes.

The next week, Neji, along with every other member of the cadet branch, had the curse seal removed. An aura of new beginnings radiated from Neji Hyuga that day.

Ichiraku ramen was packed, as all four teams came to celebrate this moment in Konohagakure's history.

"Well, come on! Take it off, let us see!" Naruto begged Neji as he poked his headband.

Neji smirked, "Well, alright."

Everyone sat up and crowded in front of Neji, eyes beaming with anticipation. He slowly untied the head band and revealed his forehead, which was completely bare. The mark that was once sealed to him was now gone.

Tenten hugged Neji from behind, releasing an expression of surprise from his pale face. Her embrace felt like an open sky, limitless and inspiring.

"We're all so proud of you, Neji."

Neji turned his head to smile at her, then looked again to the group.

"Thank you everyone."

Father...the birds are flying freely today. They look so happy.