My first fanfiction. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer. I do not own Naruto or any of the characters (sadly)

The Caged Heart

A few months after the battle with Pein, the village Hidden in the Leaves was back to normal. The villagers managed to fix all the damage done. It seems like nothing was going wrong in the quiet village of Kohona anymore. And they all thanked Naruto for that. Ironically enough, the one everyone despised in his younger years was the one who managed to stand up for them. Out of love for the village.

But Naruto wasn't the only one who stood up that day. A pearl eyed girl stood up and did what she thought she would never do in a million years. Confessed. She stood up for Naruto when he couldn't and fought for him, even if she knew she had no chances of winning. Some of the villagers looked up to her when they found out. Because they believed, that if she hadn't done that, they wouldn't be there right now. And they were half right. The rest of the people though, thought lowly of her. She was just a nuisance to the whole situation. That's what they believed. And again, they were half right…

The bottom line is, that Everyone knew of what the girl had done. Some would praise it, and some would think of it as a selfish and foolish act. One of these people is the head of the Hyuuga Clan. Hiashi Hyuuga.

"Hinata," Hiashi's stern voice echoed throughout the whole meeting hall.

Hinata stood there, in front of many elders of the clan. They all looked at her with pity, but their eyes showed traces of disappointment and anger.

"Your foolish actions a few months back have been looked into." His cold stare looked at the papers present in front of him. "You were obviously a nuisance to the Fox boy. Even the Kyuubi's host would agree. He obviously now deserves better than you. You have degraded yourself Hinata. You have soiled the name of the Hyuuga once again. And to think you are from the Main Branch."

These words pierced Hinata's heart. But she showed no emotion. She wouldn't give her father that pleasure.

He scoffed. "You were weak, foolish, and your bravery was only a result of selfish desires." He raised his voice to emphasize his point. "Hinata Hyuuga. I am ashamed to call you my daughter."

Hinata felt like a knife was repeatedly being stabbed on her heart. She wanted to run, cry, and scream out of desperation. But she didn't. She remained there. Standing while her father was calling her a disgrace.

"You have disappointed us for the last time." He hissed. Hiashi was cold. Everyone knew that. But somehow, he turned colder today.

"I'm s-sorry father." She bowed in front of him, hoping that he remembered that she was his daughter. "It will not h-happen again."

"We know it will not." He glanced at his daughter, with authority. "The elders and I have decided that you will be no longer the heiress. The clan wants no more embarrassments. It is… for the best."

All the present Hyuuga clan members gasped, surprised by their decision. But Hinata saw this coming. She believed that she was never right for the role of the heir anyway. She was weak, shy and lacked a lot of confidence. But she just didn't know how to react to it all.

"And you will be immediately placed in the Branch Family." He continued as Hinata's eyes widened. The meeting hall turned silent. The wind decided to stop blowing, the noise of the children playing outside was no longer heard.

Hinata's head shot up. "B-but Father—"

"It has been decided Hinata." He stood up, ready to leave, not wanting to discuss the topic anymore further. Everyone stood up along with him and bowed. "And I have assigned Neji to keep a close eye on you until further notice. Now that this has been explained. I must go."

Hiashi left, with the Elders right behind him. This left Hinata in the room with the rest of the Hyuuga clan, who still couldn't get the meeting through their heads.

"We are sorry Lady Hinata." One of the Senior members said. His eyes showed her that he did in fact mean his apology. "We need to put the Caged Bird Seal on you now."

Hinata smiled softly, accepting her fate. But deep inside, she was broken.

She followed the Branch members out of the meeting hall where they led her into another room, much more smaller and plain. This room was where her life would forever change…

"That's him mommy!" a little girl jumped happily and smiled at the blond ninja. "That's Naruto!"

The mother of the hyper girl smiled kindly at Naruto and said to her little girl. "Yes, that's certainly him."

Naruto enjoyed his fame. He did after all save the village.

He thought about everything that happened. The gentle blowing of the wind encouraged him to just relax. A lot of thoughts ran through his head. Nothing in particular though. He just started thinking, with his goofy smile.

'Because…I love you.' Those same words echoed in his mind. He still did not know how to react. That was the first time he has heard those words. His goofy smile turned bigger upon remembering the pale eyed girl. He never paid much attention to her. He felt guilty for that. But still, he was amazed on how someone like her, would like someone like him. She was a noble, and he was just the boy who had a Kyuubi inside him.

He sighed, unsure of his feelings for the raven haired beauty. He decided to let his thoughts wander again. He stood up from the bench and walked around the village.

People smiled at him as he walked. They usually engage in conversation with him, but they didn't do that today. They saw in his unfocused eyes that he wanted to think alone.

He ended up by the open market. Everyone was loudly talking and rushing by the streets. Naruto didn't mind. He missed the chaos that Kohona brought. He overheard a lot of conversations. The market was also known for their very juicy gossips and rumors. Most of the rumors that he overheard were about him, he just smiled when he heard them.

But he then heard something that made him stop on his tracks.

"Did you hear what the Hyuuga clan did to their heir?" the woman asked her fellow marketer with curiosity dripping out of her voice.

"Who didn't?" she replied. "Her own father practically disowned her. She was placed in the Branch Family. Poor child. They practically took away her freedom."

"And all because she stood up for that Uzumaki boy."

Naruto's hearing stopped. He stood there for a while. Guilt slowly took over him. There was no reason to be guilty, he knew that, but he was still feeling the painful pull in his heart. The words haunted him. He couldn't believe any of it. Did they really dethrone her? Many thoughts ran through his mind.

Naruto was frozen, only one word escaped him lips. "Hinata…"