A few minutes, can change someone's life. Whether you take the time to get a coffee, and drive down the road later than normal, avoiding an accident that could have left you paralyzed. Or you got lunch and the line was really long, and by the time you got back, your building had caught on fire, and you would have been there had the line been shorter.
A few minutes changed one person's life so dramatically, that it affected generations to come, yet no one had even known it...
"Tou-chan! Are you in here?" A young boy, the age of four called into his house. "Tou-chan? Kaa-san?" He said, sticking his head into the kitchen.
He saw his mother cooking in there, her long brown hair falling just past her shoulders. She turned and smiled.
"Neji-kun. Just sit at the table, your lunch is almost done." She said.
"Thanks Kaa-san! Ne, where is Tou-chan?" Neji asked, seating himself at the table.
"Oh, he's going to get Auntie and Uncle, as well as your cousin. We're going to eat lunch with them, so if you need to, change." She said.
"No, I'm fine Kaa-san, but do we have to? Hinata never talks to me. The lunches are so boring. Can't I go play with Sasuke instead? Me and him actually have fun." Neji complained.
"Neji-kun, I know you have fun with Sasuke-kun, but Hinata-chan is fun too. She's just shy. Maybe you can help break her out of her shell." His mom said.
"Whatever." Neji said.
This was so annoying! Not only did he have to eat lunches or dinner with his boring cousin, but since he was the heir he had to deal with dinner with different head family members too! And they just had egotistical kids that thought they were better than him. When he became clan head, he was going to put a stop to this torture! Why couldn't he just go have fun with Sasuke? At least his dad had made sure to become close with the Uchiha clan, so he had an interesting friend!
"So Hizashi, how is Neji's training going?" Hiashi asked as he and his older brother were walking into the main house.
"Great. It seems he has the most developed Byakugan yet, according to his description, he can see chakra points! I just asked him what he saw as usual, but he described chakra points even though he has no idea what they are. He has the motions down for the basic training already. He seems to be the most promising heir yet." Hizashi said. "How about Hinata?"
"Well, it's not so great for her. She stumbles and does the wrong movements at the wrong times, and her Byakugan seems a bit weak. She's quite far away from where Neji is." Hiashi said. "It seems that fate decided that you should be born first for a reason brother, Neji seems to be more suited than Hinata for the next clan head."
"Well, ever think that fate might have made me born first because I was the better of us?" Hizashi asked.
Hiashi looked at his brother and smiled slightly. "Nope."
"Brat." Hizashi said, rolling his eyes.
"Lord Hizashi, your wife says that lunch is prepared and ready to serve." Said a woman that had come up to them.
"Thank you. Shall we, brother?" Hizashi asked.
"Of course." Hiashi said, following his clan leader into the dining room.
Hizashi smiled and went over to the head of the table, sitting there with his wife on one side and his son on the other. He ruffled Neji's hair, earning a smile out of the young boy. Hizashi loved that. His father had been rather cold to him, so he wanted to be better with Neji. It helped that his son had such talent, so he didn't have to be strict to make sure he got better. All he had to do was give him lessons and he was fine, so he was able to love him without the elders making a big deal about it. He just wanted Neji to be a nice Hyuga, one that wasn't arrogant and made bonds with others.
He watched as Hiashi took a seat at the other side of the table, and his wife, Hana, took the seat next to his own wife, Kyoko. Hinata then took the seat next to Neji, looking shy at even being around her own family.
The lunch was served, Kyoko taking the time to serve everyone herself. And they ate, not much talking was done, and it was mostly between Hizashi and Hiashi or Kyoko and Hana.
When they were mostly done, he noticed that Neji looked a bit excited. Hell, he was practically bouncing in his seat. Hizashi was curious, but didn't ask, he would know soon enough.
"Tou-chan? May I be excused?" He asked.
"Yes Neji." He said.
The boy was up and running in a split second, he raised an eyebrow and heard Kyoko laugh.
"You better change young man! Don't go ruining your good clothes, change into your play clothes!" She called after her son.
"Okay!" He yelled back., and they quickly heard a door close.
"So, what's he all excited about?" Hizashi asked, turning to his wife.
"Mikoto is taking him and Sasuke to the park today." She said, getting up herself. "I'm going as well, don't want anything to happen to my son without me there, now do I?"
"Meaning you want to see him meet a girl outside of the clan for the first time?" Hizashi asked, smiling lightly.
"Maybe. Well, I'm going to make sure he actually changes. See you later." She said, kissing her husband lightly and the forehead.
"See you." he said.
Kyoko was walking out of the room when she stopped and turned back to the people in the room. "Ne, Hana, why don't you take Hinata to the park with us? I'm sure she would have fun, Neji and Sasuke seem to be excited."
"That sounds like a great idea, Hinata hasn't seemed to have gotten to the park yet. Hinata-chan, why don't you go change quickly?" Hana said, standing and having Hinata stand as well. The girl walked out and went towards her house to go change, accompanied by her mother.
"Kaa-san, why do we have to wait?" Neji asked, standing next to his mother at he main gate of the Hyuga compound, dressed in a brown t-shirt and black cargo shorts as well as black sandals. "I want to go to the park, and we're losing time!"
"I know honey, I know. Oh! There they are! Hana! Over here!" Kyoko called, waving her hand. "Hinata and Hana are joining in for the trip to the park."
"Okay." Neji said, knowing whining about how it was supposed to just be Sasuke and him would get him no where.
They walked to the Uchiha, where they met up with Sasuke and Mikoto. Sasuke and Neji ran ahead, talking and playing, while the women stayed behind, and Hinata hiding behind her mother's leg.
"So, who's that girl that came with you?" Sasuke asked Neji.
"Oh, she's my cousin. My kaa-san suddenly invited her to come at the last moment. I don't even really like her, she's to shy and she never wants to play, so she's kinda boring." Neji said.
"Is she even gonna do anything at the park?" Sasuke asked.
"Who knows? Maybe." Neji said.
"Look! There it is!" Sasuke yelled, pointing to the park that was now in sight.
The two boys ran up ahead, the women walking leisurely behind them. They were simply chatting and laughing. Upon reaching the park, Neji and Sasuke were already involved in a game of tag with a few other boys.
One had scruffy brown hair, a big smile with sharp canines, and red marks on his cheeks, obviously an Inuzuka. A boy with black hair that was tied up into a small ponytail at the back of his head, with a lazy look to him, Nara. Another was an overweight boy with brown hair that was munching on a bag of chips. Akimichi. And then there was another boy with longer, slick, black hair and huge eyebrows.
Hana looked around and spotted a girl with pink hair and another with blonde hair sitting in the sand box and playing. She crouched next to her daughter.
"Hinata, why don't you go play with those two girls over there? They seem nice enough." Hana suggested. Her daughter just shook her head and held onto her pant leg tighter. "Why not?"
"W-W-well t-they j-just s-s-seem a-a bit s-s-scary." Hinata stuttered out. "I-I've n-never just g-gone u-up to t-t-talk to s-someone b-before." She held onto her mother's pant leg tightly and hid behind her.
Hana sighed, she couldn't make Hinata make friends, but she wanted her daughter to. She looked up and saw Mikoto and Kyoko talking about their sons and were watching them talk and interact and play with some of the other children. Where had the confidence that was in her brother-in-law's son gotten lost in her own daughter?
"Let's play hide and seek!" One of the boys suggested.
"Yeah!" The others chorused.
One of them looked over to the other girls. "Ne, Ino, Sakura, wanna play too?" He asked.
"Sure!" They said, standing up and brushing the sand off themselves and going over to the group of boys.
"Hinata, why don't you go play with them?" Hana said to her daughter. Hinata shook her head pushed her face into her pant leg again.
The others ran off to find a hiding place as Neji covered his eyes and counted. After reaching 30, he went off to find the others. He looked in some of the bushes over by the edge of the park, and went a little bit into the forest. While he was looking around, he heard something. He turned to face that way, whens something collided into him.
"Please! Please help me!" A small voice squeaked.
A moment later, a woman burst through the thicket with a frying pan in hand. Neji, just acting on instinct, forced some chakra into his palms and hit the woman in the leg and stomach a few times. The woman screamed and quickly ran away.
He turned around and got a good look at whatever ran into him and saw a girl with long blonde hair that hung down to her waist. She had deep cerulean eyes that seemed to look right through his own pale white eyes. She wore a black tank top and orange shorts, with black sandals. Cuts littered her legs, small, but still distinct, she looked rather frightened, something he felt didn't look right on her.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
The girl looked at him and nodded her head. He kneeled in front of her an grabbed her face. "Are you sure? You don't seem very well."
The girl had a blush but answered anyways. "Well, that woman, she was trying to attack me."
"Why?"
"I don't know. After I spilled my juice on the floor, she yelled something about me an ungrateful demon, and then she suddenly just started trying to hit me with a frying pan! I just don't know what happened!" She said, and flung herself onto him, crying her eyes out on his shirt.
"Look, it's okay.. uhhh... I didn't get your name." Neji said.
"Naruko. Uzumaki Naruko. Yours?" She replied quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Neji. Hyuga Neji. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure my kaa-san can help with the cuts on your legs. How did you get them?" He asked, leading her out of the shrubs.
"Oh, I tripped a couple of times while running away from the lady, and I tripped over and onto a bunch of thorns one of the times." She replied, her eyes still red and puffy, but the waver in her voice and the tears seemed to have disappeared.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm sure my kaa-san can fix it." He said, leading her to his mom. "Kaa-san, I met this girl in the woods, and she was running away from this mean lady, and now she has all these cuts. Can you help her?"
"Oh no! What happened? Why would anyone hurt such cute little girl like you?" Kyoko said, digging some napkins out of her purse and wetting some of them in the water fountain. She kneeled before the blonde and started dabbing at the cuts. "What's your name sweetie?"
"Uzumaki Naruko." She said.
Kyoko stopped dabbing for a moment, her eyes widening, but she quickly schooled her face and continued cleaning the cuts. 'Uzumaki eh? How could I have not recognized it earlier? The container of the kyuubi, of course someone was chasing after her. Poor girl, without Kushina or Minato around, she can't stand a chance. I had always assumed she'd been adopted by someone, but apparently not. Well, I can't just let my old best friend's daughter live in the orphanage now can I? Hmmm, I wonder what Hizashi will think when I bring an extra child home. No matter, don't worry Kushi-chan, I'll look after your daughter.' She thought, smiling lightly.
"Ne, who was chasing you Naruko-chan? Do you know?" She asked, throwing away the napkins and digging through her purse to find some band-aids.
"Yeah. It was my stupid caretaker." She said, gaining a scowl on her face for her obvious dislike for the woman.
"Oh honey, I won't let you go back there okay? You're gonna come home with us tonight, if that's okay with you." Kyoko said.
Naruto gained a surprised expression, and you could see the hope in the girl's eyes. "Really?"
"Well of course. Now, before we go home, would you like to play with Neji and some of his friends?" She asked, smiling.
"Yeah!" The little blonde cheered.
"Oops... I'm supposed to be looking for them, since we're playing hide and seek." Neji said, remembering the game.
"Since I delayed you, can I help you look?" Naruko asked.
"Sure, I could use some extra help. Let's go!" He said, and the two children ran off to play.
"Hinata." Kyoko said, still looking after her own child and Naruko run off. "It's not too late to join you know."
"N-no t-t-thank you." She stuttered out, becoming pink and hiding behind her mom.
"Okay, just wanted to offer." Kyoko said, patting the girl on the head and resuming her conversation with Hana and Mikoto again.
They arrived back at the Hyuga compound when it was time for dinner. Hizashi had offered to cook since is son wanted to stay at the park for as long as possible, and he was happy to see his son excited for social interactions, since Hyugas tended to be loners by choice.
Needless to say, when his wife came back with the blonde girl that looked so much like his dear passed friend Minato, he was pretty surprised.
"Kids, why don't you go wash up before dinner?" Kyoko said. Both children nodded and went to the bathroom to clean up.
"Alright, who's the child?" Hizashi asked.
"It's Uzumaki Naruko." She said.
"Ahhh... so I was right, Minato and Kushina's kid. But wasn't she adopted?" He asked, setting the table.
"I assumed so, but it appears that's not the case... Hizashi-" She started to say.
"Let me guess, you want to adopt her?" He asked, smiling slightly.
"If you would agree then yes, I would love to." She said, putting on a face she knew always made her husband melt.
"Oh alright, I wouldn't mind having Minato's kid around, I miss that man." He said. He and Minato had been on the same genin team, and had been rather close, unlike Minato was with Hiashi. The two seemed to detest each other for some odd reason.
"Ah, but what if she turns out more like Kushi-chan as a kid?" Kyoko asked, smiling.
"Then god help us all." Hizashi said.