hello again!
A/N: Hiashi and his clan are a bit OOC, but then again, the story is changed because of the events of the past. (Uchiha Madara is dead, and the nine-tailed fox didn't attack the village.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Ch.2 Che! Clients
Itachi brushed himself off. "Who are you, child?"
Looking up at him she replied in a shaky voice, "H-H-hinata.."
Itachi didn't know what to do. He wasn't really good with kids, with his brother as the only exception.
"Are you lost?" he automatically assumed.
She sniffed. "Yes. Can you help me find my mommy?"
"Sure." he took the girl by the hand.
"WHAT?" Minato roared, shaking the Hokage Tower with his yelling. He rarely lost his temper, but this reaction was unavoidable.
"Sumimasen, Yondaime-sama." the rookie ANBU got to his feet, shaking.
Minato clutched a desk for support. "You sure Homura's dead?"
"Pretty sure."
The young Hokage growled under his breath. "I want the ninja who committed the crime to be brought into questioning."
He went to the doorway. Before he left, he added, "I also want to conduct the questioning. Send Yamanaka Inoichi in my office."
"H-hai."
The little girl named Hinata clutched Itachi's arm with both hands. She seemed really scared.
"It's okay, we're almost there." he reassured her. She looked at him with wide eyes.
She's so cute... Wait! What am I thinking? Damn Itachi, you're getting too soft.
And yet, looking at the little girl, he couldn't help but smile. Seeing him smiling, Hinata gave a little squeak of happiness.
Itachi guided Hinata into the main house of the Hyuuga district.
"Hinata!" squealed a very distraught woman, who looked similar to her. She took the little girl by the hand.
"Um, thank you, uh-" she began.
"Itachi."
"Thank you, Itachi-san. Oh. Wait, are you the new ANBU?" she asked.
Word travels fast in these parts. He nodded.
"Well, it seems your keen on your job. Meet your new client, Hyuuga Hinata, my daughter." she said, pointing to Hinata. The kid smiled.
This job won't be as bad as I thought, he admitted.
The woman who was Hinata's mom showed Itachi around the compound. He had to admit, it was more sunny than the Uchiha compound.
They walked up the grand stairs, the lady carrying Hinata the whole way. They stopped at two big red doors.
The older Hyuuga pounded on the door twice.
"Enter." said a grand voice.
Hyuuga Hiashi, the leader of the Hyuuga clan, was sitting at a desk. He smiled when he saw the lady.
"So you found the little rascal, eh? C'mere." he said. Hinata laughed and hugged her father's leg tightly.
So that's her father? thought Itachi.
Looking up from hugging his daughter, Hiashi addressed Itachi.
"So you're the new ANBU, Uchiha Itachi, right?"
Itachi stiffly nodded.
"Well, we need a bodyguard for little Hinata here. Some people are starting to stalk her, and it is really worrying me."
"Who?"
Hiashi ignored him. "You'll need to live here for a while. You're allowed to leave whenever you feel like it, and you can leave on weekends, but only after you've told me where you're going."
"Hai."
"Now, I'll ask Hizashi-san to accompany you to your room."
A man who looked exactly like Hiashi came out of the corner of the office. He had a sparkle in his eyes.
"Let's go." he walked out of the head office.
As they were walking down the stairs, Itachi felt compelled to ask him a question. "Um, hope you don't mind me asking, but are you Hiashi's brother?"
Hizashi looked at the preteen. The boy looked like he was ten, but he had very sharp eyes.
"Yes. I'm his younger brother by about twenty seconds. We're close, Hiashi and I."
"Hn."
"Even though he's now Head, he changed the rules of the Hyuuga clan. Do you know about the Caged Bird seal technique?"
Itachi nodded. His father told him all about the different clans.
Hizashi continued. "Usually, when you're part of the cadet branch, you are branded with the mark. It is so that the main branch can control the cadet branch."
They turned and found themselves facing a line of cooks.
"That all ended five years ago. Thanks to Hiashi-sama. He took out everyone's marks and destroyed the scroll bearing that information. We are truly blessed to have Hiashi-sama as a leader."
"ITACHI! WHERE WERE YOU??!?!" screamed Mikoto Uchiha on the other end of the phone.
"Mum!" growled Itachi. Hyuuga servants were staring at him, some were sniggering, others were mouthing the words, "Mamma's boy". He gave each of them death glares.
He turned back to the angry woman on the other line. "It's my ANBU assignment. I have to be a bodyguard for the main branch."
"Main branch of what?"
Itachi sighed. "The Hyuuga clan, Mum."
"Oh. I guess that's all right. Okay, make sure you visit every weekend." It was amazing how Mikoto Uchiha could change her mood at will.
"Ok, bye. Yeah, I love you." Itachi slammed down the phone and sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Minato! Calm down!" scolded Kushina. Naruto was wriggling in her grasp.
The said man was pacing up and down the apartment.
"Kaa-chan! Let me go!" whined Naruto. Kushina gave him a noogie. The little boy started giggling.
Kushina let him go. He immediately went to the fridge and took out a bowl of leftover ramen.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" she said, chasing him. Naruto yelped and bumped into Minato who wasn't concentrating on his wife and son's antics. The mini-Minato ran around again and Kushina caught him and gave him another noogie.
"Kushina?" His wife looked up, accidentally letting Naruto go. He took advantage of the situation to eat the ramen.
"Yes?" his wife looked at him, concerned.
"What should I do? The Uchiha are behind this, but I just can't seem to understand why..."
Kushina rubbed his shoulders. "I know you'll find out an option."
"Yes, but all of the elders are insisting that I hire an Uchiha to spy on the family. I don't want to do it though."
Kushina stood on her tippy toes and gave him a quick peck on the nose. "You'll find out the answers, Minato. I'm sure of it."
Their eyes met.
"TA-DAA!" yelled Naruto, mouth dripping. He had finished his ramen and there were puddles of soup around his leaf village placemat.
"AYA! NARUTO!!!! YOU'RE IN FOR IT NOW, KID!" Kushina yelled. Minato sighed and rubbed his temples and his wife and son chased each other around the house.
Itachi looked at the newly furnished room. He put his backpack on the bed and took off his ANBU gear. He lay on the bed with only his pants on.
He got up and opened the window. The pale silver moon shone in the dank dismal bedroom.
He heard a knock on the door.
"Who's there?" he asked suspiciously. He opened the door, looking for the intruder, instead finding a small child staring at him with bright eyes.
Hyuuga Hinata, he thought. What does she want?
He saw water dripping out of Hinata's eyes. Kneeling so he could look her in the eye, he asked her, "What happened, Hinata-chan?"
"Some mean people came and took otou-san and kaa-chan..." she hiccuped, rubbing her swollen red eyes.
Where are Hinata's parents? Will Itachi manage to finish his assignment? And who is behind all of this? Tune in to find out!