Twisted Yet Still Pure

Arvarno: Yes he does. Explained in this chapter

Arvarno: Alright, I've read your review, thanks for the tip xx All I'm saying is that I put the meaning right next to the word because in my experiance it annoys me when people put it in the end. But if everyone else likes it at the end then I'll do it xx

Wow, two chapters in a day… Well, I was bored. I don't know when the next update will be because I need to work on the plot some more so enjoy this one xxx

Chapter 3

Two Weeks Later…

A familiar ringing sound chimed in Hinata's ears as she stepped into the Yamanaka flower shop. She was nervous; today she was going to try something new.

Inoichi greeted her pleasantly behind the counter like he did every day.

"G-good afternoon I-Inoichi-sama." Hinata answered quietly. Her speech had a little gotten better over the past two weeks, along with her knowledge of herbs and flowers. She had completely read the Idiot's Guide to Herbs and Potions: That could kill someone! and successfully made all of the recipes in there, including her miracle drink, the Body Booster Tea.

It had had a positive effect on the toddler, it had relaxed her nervous disposition (making it easier to sleep as nightmares of kidnap and death haunted her as soon as she closed her eyes), it was quite tasty (even without the sweeteners) and about a week after drinking the tea as suggested, her appetite had returned. She was eating and drinking normally again, but she made her own meals now. She used to ask the cooks to make her something before the death of her mother, but she wanted to be more independent. She was going to need it if she wanted to become a strong kunoichi.

"You don't have to add sama to my name, Hinata-chan." Inoichi told her kindly.

Hinata blushed and looked down. "Yes Inoichi-sam-san."

Inoichi gave the blue head an indulgent smile as his daughter ran into the room.

"You ready to go?" Ino asked, bouncing on her heels excitedly.

"Y-yes…" Hinata mumbled, nerves coming back with a vengeance.

"Don't be nervous Hinata-chan! Everyone will love you!" Ino gushed, grabbing her friend's hand.

"O-okay…"

"Be back before 4, its 2 now." Inoichi called out to the pair as they strolled out the door, or in Hinata's case, dragged.

The two were going to the playground, somewhere she had been forbidden by her 'farther' to go until lately. She never saw her father at all now, but that didn't bother her too much. Although, she did wonder what he was doing with his time. He wasn't with her baby sister named Hanabi, she knew that because he wasn't there when she tried to visit. She hadn't been allowed in, because they didn't trust her to be around the newborn as she could be jealous and might attempt to harm the baby. That angered Hinata, she wasn't even allowed to see the one family member who wouldn't be bias against her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

The reason she was apprehensive about going to meet other people was simply because she feared they would reject her like her family had. Ino didn't know about what her family had done to her, but the blonde had commented on her father a couple of times in a dark fashion. Hinata would have defended her father if it wasn't for the fact that Ino's words rang true. Plus, her father didn't deserve her defence as 1) he could defend himself quite well and 2) simply because of the way he had treated her. She wanted to forget about everything her dad had done and love him like a daughter should, but there was no way to erase the pain he had caused her. It caused Hinata great sadness to know that her relationship with her father could never be like that of Ino's and Inoichi's. She prayed one day though, he would look at her with pride and accept her for who she was.

The delicious smell of cinnamon wafted around and Hinata looked at her friend pleadingly. Ino giggled at the blue hairs puppy eyes expression.

"Fine… We can go and get some." Ino giggled. Hinata opened her mouth. "I'll pay."

Hinata gave a smile, something she did only when she was around Ino and her family, and put away her purse. She knew who would win when arguing over who paid for the stuff; Ino had been victorious every time after all.

They went into the bakery and Hinata drooled a little as Ino ordered a medium cinnamon roll and a large chocolate chip cookie. The baker smiled and handed over the goods to the impatient blonde, whilst looking at Hinata with interest. Hinata drew back a little and so did the baker, noticing her discomfort. Ino carried out the transaction and then they were on their way again, nibbling on their treats.

The playground wasn't too full today despite it being a nice, sunny day (wasn't it always sunny in Konoha?). There were about 4 kids in total, all going different things.

One had black hair up in a pineapple like ponytail. He lay on the ground, just staring at the sky. Hinata got the impression this one was very lazy, yet had a hidden strength.

There was another boy next to him. There was a polite word to describe him. He was big-boned. He sat next to the lazy boy, snacking rapidly on crisps. He had honey brown hair that was spiked up and two distinctive red swirls on his cheeks.

They were being shouted at by another boy, one with spiky golden hair and eyes like little pieces of sky. His most defining character was the whisker like marks on either of his cheeks. Hinata wondered why, but she liked him immediately. He was shouting at the two other boys.

"Shikamaru-kun, Choji-kun, you are soooooo lazy! C'mon and play already!"

As Hinata got nearer, she heard the reply of the ponytail pineapple boy.

"Tch… Troublesome. I'd rather watch clouds. What about you, Choji-kun my friend?" He asked the larger boy next to him.

"I'm happy sitting and eating. Beef crisps will keep me happy for ages." The boy called Choji replied over his munching.

Another boy ran over to the group. His appearance was remotely wolfish, what with his brown shaggy hair and pointy canine teeth. He had bright red marks on either one of his cheeks. Hinata recognised them as a mark used by the Inuzuka Clan.

"Hey, Naruto-boke, you know they don't play properly!" the Inuzuka boy shouted.

"Can't help trying! C'mon Kiba-baka, play tag with me!" Naruto shouted back.

"Troublesome…" sighed the one who Hinata guessed was Shikamaru.

Naruto turned to Kiba, but then stopped and whipped right round to face both Ino and Hinata.

He, along with Kiba bounded up to the pair. Hinata instinctively hid herself behind Ino. Ino pulled her gently to face the two that were a little too close for the blue heads liking. The blonde boy was right in the girls' faces.

"Hey, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it!" Naruto shouted loudly. Hinata stepped back a little from the power of his voice. Somehow, she wasn't too afraid of him, he reminded her of Ino just a little. Still, there were personal space boundaries, and he was going over them.

Kiba stepped up too, but he wasn't as in your face as Naruto. "Yo, I'm Kiba Inuzuka. What's your name?" he almost barked to Hinata.

"This is Hinata Hyuga guys. My new best friend! You better be nice to her or I will be on your case for like… Ever!" Ino threatened playfully.

Kiba stuck out his tongue at Ino and pulled her blonde hair.

"Hey, didn't your mother tell you not to do that!" Ino screeched whilst chasing the canine boy.

Hinata flinched at the word mother, and saw the boy called Naruto looking sad too. He was observing her carefully, but his eyes were pained.

"You too huh…" he whispered to her. She blushed in embarrassment and looked down in grief.

"Y-y-yes… About 3 w-week-weeks a-ago…" she mumbled back shyly.

"I didn't have any." Naruto commented, but then he brightened up again. Hinata was unsure, but she thought the smile was fake. Nevertheless, Hinata was in awe at him for putting on such a brave face.

"Well Hinata-chan, since Kiba's playing chase with Ino-chan, do you wanna play tag with me?" Naruto offered, hopefulness sparkling in his azure eyes.

"Y-yes… Ho-how do-do y-you pl-play?" Hinata asked, not meeting those bright eyes.

"How? Well, it's easy really! One person is on and the other person has to touch them and then that person is on!" Naruto explained. He tapped her arm. "See, you're on! Try and catch me!" the boy took off in a cloud of dust.

Baffled but thrilled that someone was actually playing with her, Hinata took off after him. He was quite nimble and made her chase him all over the playground, but Hinata had an advantage. She could use chakra.

After she had finished reading the Idiots Guide to herbs, she started on Beginner Ninja: What is chakra?. She had skimmed over the basics, but hadn't gone too far into it.

When she studied it properly, she found out many useful things. One being that chakra could be used for making yourself faster. She had tried it once when she was out on the town. She ran all the way to the flower shop putting chakra into her legs. She nearly collapsed when she got there, but Inoichi had been understanding and let her rest before calling his daughter out.

She didn't want to collapse in the playground, so she used her chakra wisely.

When she was in range of the blonde boy, she sent a stream of chakra to her legs. In turn, she acquired a burst of speed. She tapped the boy on the back and quickly ran away from him. After 10 minutes, Hinata was sweating buckets but her playmate was still raring to go.

I-I t-t-think h-he's i-inhuman! Hinata's mind whispered as the blonde swung on the monkeybar's energetically.

"C'mon Hinata-chan… You can't be tired already!" Naruto shouted.

"No worries Hinata-chan, he's always like this when he's found a new friend." Choji told her, still eating crisps. She wondered where all of them came from… And then she remembered she hadn't finished her cinnamon roll as she put it back in the paper bag when she neared the playground.

She flopped onto the floor and got it out again, watching Ino still chasing after Kiba. Naruto joined in their antics soon after, and was disappointed when the two stopped from tiredness.

She noticed that Choji eying up her treat and offered the quarter that was left to him. "H-here… Yo-you can h-have it…"

"Aha! Thank you!" Choji took what was left of the treat split a mouthful off and offered it up to Hinata, along with one of his beef crisps. "You bought the roll, therefore you should have the last bite, and heres why I like beef crisps so much!"

"T-th-thank you C-Choji-kun…" she thanked, taking the food. She popped the crisp into her mouth, savouring the meaty taste. Although still she preferred the sweet flakiness of her cinnamon roll better, the beef crisp was nothing to be sneered at.

"I-it's v-very nice… I-I s-see why yu-you like t-them…" She was about to eat the last bit of the cinnamon roll, when Choji held up a larger-than-average hand.

"Wait, I must finish this bit and then you can have the last bite." He ate the entire thing in one almighty gulp, while Hinata's eyes boggled. When his mouth was clear, she was allowed to finally finish her treat.

Sometime later, the Kiba and Ino came to sit with Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji, completely out of breath. Naruto however, was still up and ready to go.

"Huff… H-have you been nice to H-Hinata-chan you t-two?" Ino panted.

"T-they have b-been v-very kind I-Ino-chan. C-Choji-kun s-shared his f-food with m-me…" Hinata answered for the two boys.

"Choji-kun sharing food… The world's coming to an end! Kidding Choji-kun!" Ino quickly joked at the rising red of Choji's face. Hinata shivered involuntarily, she had a feeling that they all were in grave danger.

"Hey, you guys come he- GET OFF!" Naruto screamed, as a black blur whisked him off his feet. Hinata was the first one to react.

"Please, we need to go after him!" Hinata spoke, for once not stuttering.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, but got to his feet.

The other two children said nothing, but nodded. In a flash, 4 scared children followed Naruto and his kidnapper into the forest.

Kami-sama… Please, g-give me strength to save Naruto-kun! I can't lose another person! Hinata prayed, sending a burst of chakra to her feet. She shot on ahead of the others, much to their surprise. Hinata's need to save her new friend over rid all her body's protests to stop. She was so frightened in for him, she didn't feel the pain of chakra exhaustion. The others, seeing her determination, sped up too somehow (even Shikamaru).

They all went deeper and deeper into the forest, whilst the sun set lower and lower. With the lowering sun came less light, and it became harder to see where they were going. On occasion, one of the toddlers tripped over a tree root, but they always got back up and ran again.

The group stopped when they got to a dark cave. Inside, they heard the sound of deep voices.

"W-we can't ju-just leave him in th-there…" Ino stuttered, shivering from fear.

"I-it's tr-troublesome… And t-the o-odds ar-are against us… But w-we can't abandon a f-friend in need…" Shikamaru gasped, clutching his side.

Choji nodded, so did Hinata. The four crept into the cave, Hinata using her wallflower technique to blend into the walls. It worked at home, why wouldn't it work here?

Unfortunately, she didn't succeed at becoming invisible and ended up being seized by strong hands. Rough rope grafted her skin and she screamed long and loud along with the others. Obviously they were being captured too.

"Well... Well… Well… Our plan worked perfectly, didn't it Fuuga…" a rough voice cackled.

"Yes… Our plans for power are coming to fruition. You did make sure that none of them had any special tricks up their sleeves?" a smooth voice inquired.

"Yupp… They're all useless… A Hyuga who can't use the Byakugan, a silly flower girl, a demon with no power, a weak little pup, a shadow with no motivation and a fat kid who eats all the time."

Choji boiled in rage at being called fat, but couldn't do anything as he was trussed up like a turkey and gagged.

"Good… I can't wait until I have their power… You did well, Fumio. I will be unstoppable… The eyes of the Byakugan, the senses of an Inuzuka, mind control from the Yamanaka, the power of the Akimichi and the shadows will do my bidding. Not to mention… The crown jewel… The chakra of the demon-brat…" Fuuga laughed manically. "Fumio, when you are done extracting their powers, kill them, apart from the demon child. You will be paid well."

"Let's start then men shall we?" the rough voice that belonged to Fumio cheered. The sounds more than one man cheered back.

Hinata heard footsteps approach her. She cursed herself, this wasn't meant to happen. She was supposed to protect her precious people… Not get them into trouble.

Sitting there, she realised her father was right. She was weak and useless. If only, if only she could save her friends. Nothing else mattered, not even her own life.

I would gladly die if they were to be spared… It would give my useless existence meaning if I died for them. Those were the thoughts that Hinata thought were going to be her last.

Then, everything changed.

All of a sudden, she could see.

The world was in plain black and white. She wasn't tied up at all, she was sat on the forest floor next to her friends, who were shaking and stiff, as if they were tied up by invisible bonds.

There was 4 gruff looking men approaching them, and Hinata could see their chakra systems. She could even see 6 tenketsu points; one on each arm, one of the head, one on the chest and one on either leg. Not only that, she could see everything around her; her range of vision stretched all around her and beyond into the forest. It went all the way back to the playground, where 4 adults were stood. There were 3 men, one she recognised as Inoichi, and one woman who looked like Kiba. She, unlike the men beside her, looked furious instead of worried.

The B-Byakugan… But why? Hinata whispered to herself in awe. But that wasn't the problem right now. The problem was, was that her friends were still caught in some sort of illusion. She had to break it. But how?

In her range of vision, a slender man stood, hands formed in the Snake sign. She honed in on him, and felt his chakra disturbing the air around him. He was the creator of that terrible genjutsu.

Back at the playground, the scary looking woman suddenly shouted, and the fathers dashed off into the forest, heading their way.

They won't get here in time… I-I have to do something! Concentrating harder, she was able to see the waves of chakra surrounding her friends. She could feel it; too, it was like a niggling little pulse of something. Suddenly, the chakra waves surrounding Shikamaru disappeared, and he looked straight at her and gasped for some reason.

But she didn't bother with that now. She was trying to get rid of the little pulse she could feel. She pushed it away with her mind, and she saw the waves change direction, heading towards the cruel men. All at once, her friends relaxed and the rough looking kidnappers fell to the ground as if bound up like chickens.

Her black and white world of clarity reverted back to normal. Everything was in colour again as the parents entered the clearing.

Her vision started going hazy, and then black. The last thing she heard was her name.

xXx

"I agree with my son, the Byakugan was nearly stolen and she was too weak to escape or activate it. It was by the mercy of Kami that the genjutsu rebounded on the enemies allies. That child hasn't even activated the Byakugan so it leaves it there for the taking!" The voice of her grandfather rang out. "We were lucky this time, but what if it happens again? The Byakugan cannot be stolen by the enemies of Konoha!"

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the Hyuga council chambers. Hinata listened carefully; keeping still on what she guessed was the floor. All the events came rushing back.

I-I h-have m-my By-Byakugan… It-its strange though… I thought there w-was a bli-blind spot? M-maybe it's a m-myth? Hinata's ears perked up as the mumbles of approval stopped abruptly.

"So be it. The Cursed Seal it is." Hinata inhaled deeply as her world came crashing down. She was going to be stripped of her title of Heiress and placed in a Branch family. Among execution, placing a Cured Seal on a Main Family member was the worst punishment available. It was degrading, humiliating, to be considered so weak that she needed a safeguard in case her Byakugan was taken. Unlike the Branch Members whose fate was decided the minute their father's were born, Hinata had had a chance to prevent this from happening. If only she had impressed her 'father', this whole occurrence wouldn't have come about. But… It was too late.

"I will do it." Her father offered. No one protested. She knew her father thought she was weak, but to go as far as placing the Seal that would remove her from the Main Family… Her 'father' must truly hate her. Hinata's fragile hopes of her 'father' acknowledging her existence as an equal were shattered, and her will to become strong burned harder than ever.

I don't need to become strong for them anyway… That feeling… Of saving my friends… Was far more precious than any memory my family had given me!

Hinata was shaken roughly. She snapped her eyes open and looked at the cruelly smiling face of the man that she could no longer call her 'father'. What he was going to do to her, and smiling about it… That wasn't her father. That was the work of a true demon.

"Well Hinata… It seems my plans have succeeded." He whispered harshly. Hinata's mind whirred, but she couldn't think straight. "You really thought you could sneak around the Hyuga house without being noticed. You are more stupid than I first thought." He smirked. "Sneaking around… Stealing like a common thief… I thought I taught you manners." He spat in front of her. "I knew what you were doing all along. You were studying herbs. Herbs. The Heiress to the Hyuga Clan was studying something as stupid as herbology. That is for the Branch Members… The ones that serve us. You serve us now, slave." He chuckled lowly, but then his face went icy again. "I saw how weak you were from the beginning and tried to get the Seal Placed on you earlier. But… The Clan needed another heir to take your place, and so… Hanabi was born. I thought that would be enough to remove you of your status." Hiashi glared. "But no, the Council still thought you should be given a chance to prove yourself, that maybe a sister would provide competition for you. And then… You were kidnapped by those damned Kumo thieves… and they took my wife from me." His fists became white, but he reached for the ink pot that was near him. He dipped the brush into the ink and pulled up Hinata's shirt. She was laid on her back, and her father began painting the Seal on the small of her back. "But still… The Council was on your side. Since that Kumo Nin was able to infiltrate our compound and kill my wife, they thought that you stood no chance even if you were able to defend yourself like I wanted my child to." Hiashi sneered as he continued to ruin the girl's life with that disgusting Seal. "And then you began sneaking around. At first, I thought it was you wanted to please me, but when I found out what you were really doing… I didn't care anymore. I wanted you gone again. So I let you roam around Konoha." Hinata couldn't shake in fear and disgust as her body was frozen. Her own father plotted to get rid of her. "It was only a matter of time before someone tried to take the legendary Byakugan. I was right. This time… The Council agreed. You are a liability, a failure and a waste of space. You never should have been born."

The strokes of the paintbrush stopped and Hiashi whirred through hand signs. "Sealing Art: Cursed Seal of the Branch!" a searing pain shot through Hinata, radiating from her lower back.

The man she couldn't even recognise anymore chuckled at her obvious pain. "You're probably wondering why I placed it on your lower back… The spine controls the nerves in your body does it not? Well, my Seal will activate all the nerves at once in your body… Causing blinding pain and then… Your body will attack itself until it destroys itself and the Byakugan will remain safe." The man stood and walked away from the child whose physical pain had gone, but mental anguish remained. The Hyuga council looked a little disgusted at Hiashi, but no one dared question his actions. Because no one wanted to end up like the girl crying on the floor.

xXx

Boke- Mean idiot in Japanese.