Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I never will.
A Sunny Place No Longer
Chapter 1: A Dark and Stormy Night
Hiashi Hyuuga looked coldly on as his oldest daughter Hinata sparred with the current clan prodigy in a small room within the Hyuuga compound. A small tic could be seen at the corner of his eye as he fumed over his eldest daughter's weakness. Why can't she see that this is what is necessary? No matter, she tried to leave the compound after our talk. That alone shows exactly where her loyalties are.
Neji was moving like a well-practiced dancer, deceptively gentle moves taking on tremendous stopping power with the chakra that was ejected on each hit.
Hinata was gasping for breath, dodging attacks by only the barest of margins. I have to keep going! I have to be like Naruto-kun!
*FLASH*
Naruto gave a howl of glee as he dashed across the marketplace, splashing through the mud puddles running from the pursuing herd of Chuunin. The look on his face said it all- he was good enough to avoid them, and he knew it. As he vanished from sight, a sunbeam tore through the clouds, and Hinata smiled.
*FLASH*
Hinata tripped on some invisible crack on the floor, and Neji pressed his advantage.
*FLASH*
Naruto stood on top of the Hokage monument in the pouring rain, shouting to all of Konoha that he would one day be the Hokage. He turned to Hinata and gave her a thumbs up as she peered out from her hiding place in the bushes.
*FLASH*
Neji jumped into the air to bring his full weight to bear on her, but as he crashed down she rolled out of the way and attempted to sweep his feet out from under him.
*FLASH*
Lightning lit up the sky on the anniversary of the Kyuubi's death. A crowd chased Naruto through the streets as he bled from the kunai stuck in his calf.
*FLASH*
Hinata rolled backwards into an open stance. The two fighters circled each other warily—the leg sweep had caught Neji off guard.
In the background, watching the spectacle was Hinata's younger sister Hanabi.
Hanabi could see that her sister still wasn't even up to her level, let alone Neji. Although she also wore the nigh-cliched Hyuuga poker face, she couldn't help but feel concern for her sister. There's something wrong here, something different. What is father up to?
Hanabi turned to her father and spoke in a clear monotone.
"Father, what purpose does this match serve? Hinata cannot hope to win or even learn from this match. She is clearly outclassed."
Hiashi was silent as he ignored Hanabi in favor of watching the battle.
Neji took two quick steps forward and launched a spinning kick towards his cousin. Hinata easily moved out of the way, but he managed to close the chakra node controlling her left arm.
*FLASH*
"Are you my friend, Hinata?"
A dense fog covered the village of Konoha, mist slowly falling to the ground, soaking everything. Hinata steepled her hands, blushed, and nodded.
*FLASH*
Hinata jumped back, but her left arm was now useless. Bruises began to appear elsewhere where she had blocked a few of the crippling attacks.
Hinata ducked a lightning fast strike to her temple but fell backwards as the following double scissor strike closed off the chakra nodes in both her legs.
*FLASH*
"With me as Hokage and you as clan head, we can get rid of the caged bird seal together!" Thunder rolled in the distance, and hail pounded on the roof.
*FLASH*
Neji advanced slowly, glancing at Hiashi as Hinata tried to scrabble backwards, clawing at the floor with her only functioning arm.
Hiashi gave a single nod.
"Finish it."
*FLASH*
Smoke was heavy in the air, and a stinging rain fell to the ground around the two young children.
"Why does your cousin hate you Hinata?"
*FLASH*
Hanabi could only stare in horror as Neji's hand blurred towards her sister's chest. As it struck, Hinata's expression of fear turned to surprise and then regret.
*FLASH*
"The Hokage is holding us back Hinata. With the Uchiha gone we are the rightful heirs of Konoha."
*FLASH*
Hinata looked her sister in the eyes as the light slowly faded from her own
"Na …ru …to…" I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough...
With that last breath, Hinata Hyuuga was no more.
Hiashi's eyebrows quirked briefly, but he remained otherwise expressionless.
Hanabi's eyes widened even more. Oh Kami-sama, Hinata-chan is dead!
"Inform the Hokage tomorrow that Hinata has unfortunately perished in a training accident," Hiashi ordered Neji.
"Hai."
With a curt bow, Neji left the room.
A feminine voice cut through the air, startling Hanabi.
"I am to be the heiress then?" It said coldly. Hanabi mentally shuddered at the tone before realizing it was her own.
Oh Kami-sama, Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan!
"Hai. Return to your room. I will have a branch member clean up the trash."
Hanabi 's shock quickly gave way to anger at the statement.
Is it not enough that you had her killed, you bastard, but now you have to insult her corpse?
Hiashi Hyuuga paused for a moment, and stared at Hanabi's carefully blank face before speaking once more.
"You will make a fine heir. We will have our rightful place once more."
Wrestling down her anger, she nodded and quickly left, walking towards her room.
Hanabi had no intention of staying there. Hinata said a name with her dying breath- Naruto. The boy everyone hates, but she admired. He deserves to know.
Hanabi slipped easily past the branch member guards and into the streets of Konoha where she broke out into a dead run. The rain poured down through the night's inky darkness, and it was only with the aid of her byakugan that she was able to find Naruto's small apartment.
Hanabi stood on the doorstep, soaked to the bone and shivering, and reached out her slender hand to knock.
Rat-tat-tat! The noise was loud but it was quickly drowned out by the steady pounding of the rain. Unable to stand her emotions any longer, she fell to her knees and wept bitterly. This was how Naruto found her on the step.
"Oh Hinata-chan!" Hinabi sobbed between unintelligible words.
Naruto stood there in shock for a moment before picking up the younger girl and bringing her inside.
With the door shut, the ceaseless roar of the wind was blocked, and the hiss of the rain was lessened.
Konoha's loudest ninja was silent for several minutes as he dried Hanabi with his last clean towels and set her on his couch.
Hanabi had stopped sobbing, but was still trembling. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. What kind of person can't bring themselves to perform their sisters last request?
"They killed her, didn't they, Hanabi-san?"
Hanabi looked up, exhausted, and gave a single nod.
"Hinata-chan told me all about the branch family, and how when she was clan head she would change things. We should have kept our mouths shut- this is a ninja village!"
After rising in a crescendo, his voice quickly quieted again as Hanabi flinched.
Naruto ceased his pacing and sat down next to her, letting her collapse onto him and nearly collapsing himself.
Through the wind and the rain a single beam of moonlight shone unhindered through the window, as if the moon herself was grieving with them.
"We need to go to the Hokage."
Naruto knew the way by heart, and the two of them dodged and darted through the streets and over rooftops to where the Sandaime would be even at this time of morning- his office.
Two drenched and exhausted children stood trembling before him.
The Sandaime frowned as he looked at them, and tapped a couple of seals on his desk. Danzo and his ilk had no clue about the delay he had set into their surveillance seals. They also thought he took a lot of naps and read dirty books while on the job. Misinformation can be such a wonderful weapon.
"What brings you here at this hour, Naruto-kun, Hanabi-chan?"
Naruto wanted to start crying and fling himself at his surrogate grandfather, but restrained himself.
"Hokage-s-sama," he stumbled, "Hyuuga-san and I are reporting the murder by p-proxy of Genin Hyuuga Hinata by Hyuuga Hiashi."
Sarutobi's heart broke a little inside. Bastard. If I'd discovered the Uchiha incident a few minutes earlier he'd be dead.
"Your report is acknowledged genin, now stand down."
In a flash, the old man was across the room and holding Naruto and Hanabi in his strong arms.
The two of them clung to him like a life-preserver in a stormy sea, dry sobs escaping from them for several minutes afterward.
Naruto looked up at him with watery blue eyes filled with a single question.
"No Naruto, it wasn't your fault. Let me tell more about why I have been unable to help you as much as I should have through the years. There are two main factions who have been attempting to subvert control of Konoha, or failing that, to initiate a coup. One is my old rival, Danzo. Another is the Hyuuga Main House. I'm sorry Naruto, things have gotten nearly beyond my control. On top of this I suspect there are agents of other organizations that have been attempting to infiltrate us ever since you were born, and we can ill afford to show weakness."
He disentangled himself from the small arms and legs and walked over to his desk.
"The Chuunin exams are coming here again Naruto. I trust you know what that means."
Naruto stared at the Hokage with a hint of betrayal in his eyes, but that was quickly replaced with a forlorn look of sadness and understanding.
Sarutobi sighed again, and pricked his index finger. He smeared the blood in a pattern on the desk calendar, which then glowed slightly and absorbed the blood as if it had never been there.
At the Hyuuga compound, an identical light pulsed softly and went out.
"I believe you will find that the Hyuuga main house will be sleeping quite deeply tonight. It will be better for Konoha if they never woke up."
Hanabi's eyes widened in understanding.
"We're dead if this gets out and we're still in Konoha. Having us take care of it gives us a fighting chance," Hanabi whispered.
Naruto nodded at the old man.
"I've always wanted to be the Hokage you know. But being Hokage means doing what's right for Konoha first, and if I don't do that when I'm not the Hokage, who's to say that I ever will?"
Sarutobi knelt on the floor and embraced the two of them once again.
A few minutes passed by in silence as the young ninja steeled themselves for what was to come.
Naruto finally reach in a pocket, and tossed a kunai to Hanabi, who expertly caught it.
Meeting each others eyes, they spoke in unison.
"The Main House dies tonight."
Author's note:
This is the third version of the first chapter. Sorry about the wait- revisions of the others to come soon. Hope you like it!
~earthrise