Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
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Later that afternoon, with the sun shining high in the sky, Hyuuga Sojiro and his best friend Hyuuga Kajuko were walking in a secluded section of the compound. The two main branch members were the pride of the clan, or at least the main branch, constantly receiving praise for their strength. At the moment however, their talk was on the recent attack and the subsequent punishment dished out by Elder Hanzaki.
" Thank goodness this whole incident is now over with" said Sojiro, " the attack on Hikita-chan was most brutal"
"Indeed, swift punishment was indeed needed, I don't really see what Hinata-sama was so worried about" replied Kajuko
"Oh, I heard that she's worried that the attack on Hikita-chan was just the beginning Kajuko"
"The beginning? What on earth is going on in…"? Sojiro turned at the sound of his friend's voice trailing off
"Kajuko? What's wrong?" he then noticed a group of four white-clad shinobi standing in the path, in their way.
" Move aside please," ordered Sojiro, the group didn't move.
"Hey! He told you to move aside!" said Kajuko, the group still didn't move.
Sojiro took a step forward, his face creased with annoyance " Who do you think you all are?" he demanded.
"Who do you two think you are to order us around?" came a gruff voice.
"I am Hyuuga Sojiro, and this is my best friend, Hyuuga Kajuko, we are members of the Main House of the Hyuuga clan as well as two of the strongest men in the clan" answered Sojiro " Who are all of you?"
"A small part of the group that will teach you Main branch bastards some manners" came one voice as its masked owner charged forward, catching Sojiro in the stomach.
"What the..?" said Kajuko as he turned to help his friend, only to be caught in the chin by another of the masked attackers; soon both men were facing off against 2 shinobi each.
"Damn it!" Sojiro growled as he charged his attackers, he caught one in the chin and sent him to the ground, with a smirk he turned to the second attacker, only to meet the one he just knocked down. Before Sojiro could even recover, the attacker drew a sword and in one sweep of the blade, created a huge gash in the young man's chest.
"Sojiro! ARRGH!" While Kajuko was momentarily shocked by the sight of his friend falling down, one of his attackers got him right in the abdomen with a Gentle Fist strike. Before he had even hit the ground, his attackers landed 5 more gentle fist strikes to his torso. When he finally hit the ground, he did not get back up.
"K-Kajuko.." Sojiro managed to cough out, before he was rendered unconscious by a fist to the head.
"Nice piece of work there" one attacker said to the other
"Yeah, about time these two got a beating. Sojiro especially" came the reply
"We better get out of here, I think I hear some people coming" spoke up a third
With that the foursome took off, leaving the two men lying on the ground
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A female branch family member raced through the halls of the main branch home, headed for the central courtyard where two young women were currently training.
"Hinata-sama! Hanabi-sama!" she cried out once she reached her goal.
Hinata's foot was paused about an inch from her sister's side; she let her foot down and jogged over to the woman, letting her catch her breath.
"What is it?"
"There has been another attack, on members of the Main Branch"
"Members? As in more than one victim this time?"
"Yes, Hinata-sama. Hyuuga Sojiro and Hyuuga Kajuko"
"Sojiro-san and Kajuko-san!?"
"Yes, Hinata-sama"
Hinata was stunned by what she had just learned, Sojiro and Kajuko weren't pushovers by any stretch of the imagination, if whoever was behind this was that strong…
"Anything else?"
"Yes, there is to be an emergency meeting in two hours, Hinata-sama. Your presence is wanted then."
"I see, what is the current condition of Sojiro-san and Kajuko-san?"
"Both of them are currently in critical condition, they are being treated now"
Hinata nodded then dismissed the young women, before turning to her cousin and little sister, who were looking at her with wide eyes.
"Another attack, Hinata-sama?"
"Yes, Hyuuga Sojiro-san and Hyuuga Kajuko-san were the victims this time"
Hanabi's eyes got even wider " Kajuko-san and Sojiro-san?" she asked
Yes, imotou-chan. which means that whoever is behind these attacks…"
"Hinata-sama!"called Sujiko's voice
"What is it Sujiko-san?"
"I have just come from your father, another attack was discovered!"
"What!?"
"Yes, Hinata-sama. This time its two female Main Branch members"
" They're getting serious now" thought Hinata
"Also Hinata-sama, another scroll was found at the scene"
"Another scroll?"
"Yes Hinata-sama, your father said the contents would be revealed at the meeting"
"I see, thank you Sujiko"
Sujiko nodded and went off, leaving Hinata in the courtyard. Hinata tilted her head back and gazed up at the sky with her snow-white eyes.
"Will my clan be able to ride this storm?"
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Across the village, the conspirators were busy celebrating their latest strike of justice.
"Ha! I bet the main house will be trembling once they hear of how two of their mightiest have fallen!"Hachico cackled out
"Not to mention those two ladies my team took out, that'll show them that no one is safe from justice!" Hikara pointed out.
"I'm just worried about what the main branch's response will be to this" spoke up Kajiko, "you saw how severe their reaction the last time was"
"Will you give it a rest Kajiko? The main branch is running scared now; maybe they will realize the error of their ways. Of course we all know how likely that is" spoke up Hajiro
"They may be running scared Hajiro, but I doubt they will take the attacks as an opportunity to examine the way they do things" Hikaku spoke up quietly.
Hachico turned to his friend " you've been awfully quiet Hikaku, what's on your mind?" he asked
Hikaku turned to the assembled group " I think it's about time that I have a little bit of personal justice"
Hachico eyes widened, " you mean…?" he began
"Yes," answered Hikaku " Its time my sister's death was dealt with"
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The meeting room was in frenzy when Hinata walked in, Elders shouted at one another, one or two had panicked expressions on their faces. Suddenly one voice sounded out above the rest.
"SILENCE!!!!!", the voice came from Hiashi and at his voice the whole room became silent.
"Everyone, please calm yourselves. Sit down and we will discuss these recent events"
Elder Hanzaki stood up and in his usual booming voice said, " Hiashi-sama, these attacks are unspeakable, why are we even here discussing them? Obviously the last reminder didn't do any thing…"
"Elder Hanzaki! Enough! We will discuss these events and decide on a proper course of action. Sit down"
Hanzaki did so, but he was still ready to battle.
"Now then, as you all undoubtedly know, there have been attacks on four more main branch members, two female and two male. I have received news that they are currently stable but in critical condition."
Hiashi looked around at the assembled Elders " Furthermore, it would appear that these attacks are connected with the earlier attack on Hyuuga Hikita. There was a scroll found at the scene of the second attack."
"Oh please! Another one of those fake scrolls? What does that have to do with..?"
"Elder Hanzaki, I'm warning you, one more interruption and I will have you escorted from the room"
After Hanzaki quieted down, Hiashi unrolled the scroll; allowing everyone in the room to view what was written within.
Between midnight's peace and the morning dew
Justice shall come seeking you
Your crimes are great, your sins abound
But we will give you a just reward with the freedom we've found
Your cruelty has aroused our ire
None shall escape our burning fire
Hinata felt her stomach turn into a block of ice, the words echoed in her mind until she swore it roared with them.
"Your cruelty has aroused our ire," she read quietly in her mind "It seems that Elder Hanzaki's punishment had the exact opposite reaction than what he thought would happen. "
Murmurings were heard amongst the Elders, some were speaking to others, while some were pointing at the scroll.
Elder Hanzaki, however, had other thoughts
"Really, Hiashi-sama. Can we stop with the dramatics and start talking about what we are going to do in response to these attacks!? They can't go unpunished!"
"Elder Hanzaki" came Hinata's quiet voice. All eyes turned to the young woman as she coolly met the Elder's gaze.
"If I recall, Elder Hanzaki, you dismiss the last scroll as utter nonsense as well. You also dismissed me when I asked for caution, look where that has lead us. Two more attacks and the branch family in fear that we, The Main Family, will torture yet another group of innocent people for something they had no part in! Your punishment may have even convinced some to join this group!"
"Silence child, you are in no position to question the wisdom of your elders and betters"
"Wait, Hanzaki" came a voice from the corner of the room. It came from an old man in traditional robes, unlike Hanzaki however, this man held a venerable expression.
"Why don't you sit down, and let the child speak Hanzaki? She seems to have as clear a grasp as can be had on this situation, perhaps she can aid us elders in finding a permanent solution to this crisis."
" Elder Kazuki, surely you don't mean listen to this child who seems content to slow everything down to a crawl?"
"Why not? None of us are to old to learn"
"Elder Kazuki, I respect your view, but what we need now is action, not pretty words.
This came from a black-haired man, whose hair was flecked with grey, giving him a badger-like appearance
" But Elder Noburu, Hinata-sama speaks with great clarity, perhaps we should…"
"No! I will hear no more conspiracy theories from a mere child!" Elder Hanzaki shouted, sending the room into an uproar.
" She is no child! She's 15!"
"I say let her speak! She may have some useful insights!"
"She is to young to have a say in these matters!"
" What insights can a 15 year-old girl have that could be useful to us?"
"ENOUGH!"
Hiashi slammed his fist into the paneling beside him, causing a wide crack and breaking his skin. Taking several deep breaths, he turned to Elder Hanzaki.
"How did this conversation get to this point? It seems to me that you are the one interrupting the process Elder Hanzaki" He turned from Hanzaki's bright-red face and addressed the other council members " It would seem these attacks are starting to turn us against each other, as such I will adjourn the meeting now and we will continue this discussion tomorrow. That is all!"
With that the council filed out one by one, Hinata was among the last to leave along with her father. Soon only two people were left in the room.
"Elder Noburu, surely you can see that Hanzaki's tactics will only fracture the clan?"
"Elder Kazuki, I respect your wisdom, but now is not the time to waste anymore precious moments. I want this crisis nipped in the bud before it becomes a major problem."
With that Elder Noburu excused himself and left the room, Elder Kazuki let out a deep sigh and followed him out.
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The night sky was unnaturally dark, clouds covered both moon and stars as a lone figure stood on top of a roof in the Hyuuga compound. The figure stared down the path that he knew the one whom he wished to meet would take. Rage filled his pupil-less eyes. Eyes that, at the moment, rivaled the sky in darkness.
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A/N: Chapter 9 finally up! Sorry I took so long everyone! School is getting a little crazy now, and I'm up to my ears in work. I may try and get another chapter in this week but don't count on it. I have an exam and a 6-8 page paper due this week. Again thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! As always, please read and review, let me know where I can improve. Thanks again!
