WARNING: Second chapter of the day. Please go to chapter 6 and start from there. Thank you~

Oh, and also, all the chapters are rather short, so it just seems like a lot of reading.

Not owning anything. Well, Tori's mine :)


"Finished," Naruto announced happily, dropping the resealed scroll onto Tori's desk. The Hyuuga turned as he entered the room, smiling at him brightly.

"Great. Now, you have a choice. I can give you another scroll to read, or you can try to apply what you've read to real patients," Tori offered. Naruto pouted.

"Can't we go see Hinata-chan instead?"

"No, Naruto-kun," Tori chuckled, amused. "But, if we get down here early, we can see if Hinata wants to come to Ichiraku's with us."

"Yosh! Let's start!" Naruto cheered. Tori only smiled.


"So you attach the wire to the-"

Tori knew right away that, whatever Naruto was explaining to Hinata, it wouldn't end well for anyone.

"Naruto-kun, it's time to go home. You too, Hinata-chan," Tori said, interrupting their hushed conversation. Hinata jumped ever so slightly, startled by her aunt's appearance, but Naruto only pouted at his caretaker.

"Aww, already? It's not even sundown!" Naruto pointed out. Tori raised an eyebrow and Naruto pouted.

"You still have a scroll to finish," Tori reminded him. The six year old sighed in remembrance. "Besides, I have something to discuss with Hiashi-niisan."

"What do you have to talk to..." Naruto's voice drifted off at the almost dangerous look in Tori's pale eyes. He chuckled nervously, slipping off of his stool.

"Ano... It's okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata reassured him. "I had a lot of fun today."

"Thanks for the ramen," Naruto called out to Teuchi. The restaurant owner poked his head out of the back, smiling at the three as they left.

"Arigatou, Teuchi-san," Hinata smiled.

"Ja ne." Tori nodded at the man before leading the two children in the direction of the Hyuuga Compound.


"Absolutely not!"

Tori sighed, fighting the urge to rub her temple. She knew that it wouldn't help alleviate the headache that the Council was steadily giving her, but it could have a placebo effect at the least.

It was just her luck that she had managed to stumble upon a Council meeting. She had tried to escape, but her brother forced her to stay.

"Why not?" she asked tiredly. "It's a simple solution, and probably the best for her."

"It is not! Hyuuga Hinata must be trained within these walls for her own protection, not to mention the protection of Hyuuga techniques."

"So you think I'm going to start passing off Jyuuken lessons to any random clan that comes along? No! What I recommended will be ultimately good for Hinata. She is not like every other member of this family. She is nervous and unconfident with her own abilities. Being part of this clan doesn't bring her pride, it makes her fear being attacked. Need I remind you that I found her alone last year, being bullied just for being related to Hyuuga Neji!"

"What does that boy have to do with any of this?" An older woman asked Tori instantly. Tori kept herself from sighing.

"Neji is a quick learner, and talented. The boys in his class were jealous of his ability, so they took it out on Hinata. But that's not the point! Hiashi-niisan-"

"Don't address him so casually!" a man barked. Tori looked at the man incredulously before looking back at her brother.

"Hiashi-niisan, with all due respect," Tori added, glaring at the Council member who had just yelled at her. "Your training regime for Hinata is very strict for a six year old girl."

"She must be strong if she is to one day lead this clan," Hiashi nodded slowly.

"Hitomi may not be the fiercest fighter the Hyuuga Clan possesses, but she has an uncanny ability to make friends and allies, an ability she passed on to Hinata. Is diplomacy no longer a strength for this clan?"

"We must not let the heiress become poisoned by her," an old woman hissed to her companions. Tori forced her expression to stay smooth.

"Raitora-san, I assure you that I heard every word you spoke and I can promise that being in the ANBU as well as a medic nin has taught me dozens of ways to kill you without a trace of my interference. With that in mind, I gain nothing from killing you, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your thoughts to yourself.

"Hiashi-niisan, you said that Hinata needs to be strong to lead the clan. There is more than one type of strength, though. This Council sees strength only in battles won and enemies defeated. Thankfully, they don't have any power in this matter."

"What?"

"That is a lie!"

"Shut up already," Tori groaned. "Hiashi-niisan, I checked the clan's regulations. You have the ultimate say in the education of your children... It's your choice."

There was silence as Hiashi decided. After all, this decision could change the way his eldest daughter lived and worked.

"Hinata will be trained by her aunt starting next week. Hanabi will be trained by myself when the time comes for her to begin training. That is final."

When the meeting was finally over, Hiashi pulled Tori to the side.

"Don't let me regret this, Tori."

With that, he left, disappearing into his study.


A/N:

Mwahahahaaaa-

Oh, wait, that's a good thing...

Please review!

^.^ Susie ^.^