Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. It will always belong to Masashi Kishimoto, and I will always be just one of his many fans.
The engagement
Chapter 10: Naruto and Hinata vs Keisuke
It was finally here.
The Hyuuga conference room was filled to the brim with all it's members, including the branch house since this concerned them as well. Today was the day of the debate which would decide the outcome of his daughter's future and the fate of his eventual grandchildren.
Should they fail, either Hiashi would be forced to witness his daughter's children be branded with the same seal that caused so much bad blood in his family, especially to his brother and nephew or witness his son in law being forced to abandon his own clan in favor of the Hyuuga way.
That was why failure was not an option today.
Hiashi's eyes landed on Keisuke who was with the other elders, he was silent but Hiashi knew he had a lot of tricks for this evening.
He might be old but Keisuke was a genius when it came to politics, it was one of the reasons why his father held him in such high regard when he was still alive. Keisuke was manipulative, conniving and knew how to fabricate believable lies and convincing arguments at the drop of a hat…all the while making himself look as if he was reasonable and diplomatic.
Which he wasn't.
Hiashi tried to keep himself from glaring at the deceptive old man. Keisuke might be tricky but Hiashi wasn't exactly a fool himself. He and his daughters, along with Uzumaki-san spent days preparing for this debate, discussed strategies and everything necessary to convince the majority of the clan to decide against using the cage bird seals on his daughter children when she joins the Uzumaki clan.
That's not "if", it's when she joins her fiance's family. He was going to make sure that his clan won't be held responsible for the end of the Uzumaki's proud lineage, especially while their clan was already secured and prosperous.
The subject of Hinata's engagement to the village hero was of utmost importance, and everyone simply wanted what was best for the young couple. The problem was that some people simply wanted to do what they thought was best for them….which was something Hiashi was doing his best to keep them out of it.
People like Keisuke were very much in love with the idea of adopting the boy into their registry and making him learn all their norms in order to make the dream of a Hyuuga becoming Hokage a reality…..even if it was at the cost of another clan ending.
Hiashi thought about the boy who would soon wed his elder daughter….along with the many Uzumaki's that while he may not have personally known, he respected for all the sacrifices they did in the name of the village.
It was time someone did a sacrifice for them.
Family honor was at stake here….For his daughter and her fiance at least. Tradition made it clear that Uzumaki-san was expected to continue his family line and rebuild his clan...something Keisuke didn't care about so long as he got his way.
"Mark my words Keisuke-teme...You will fail today..."Hiashi thought in determination as he discreetly eyed his opponent for the evening who was silently waiting for things to start.
Hiashi saw his daughter and her fiance enter and he knew now was the time. Hiashi noticed that all eyes were on them now. Some with looks of sympathy...other with looks of desire and he noticed the younger generation was looking at them with admiration. In the case of Hinode's granddaughter Hitomi, it was both admiration...and perhaps jealousy as well. Hiashi shook his head and ignored her...He had more important matters to attend to.
"Here goes everything..."Hiashi thought while he kept his serious expression
"Good evening everyone, today's meeting will be over the matter of my daughter's engagement to Uzumaki-san and which clan they will reside in..."Hiashi said in a stern, clear voice to the other members of the clan.
The silence within the conference room was unnerving to someone who was not used to this type of formality...like Naruto was. The Hyuuga clan being a formal clan knew not to speak out of turn and were waiting for Hiashi to continue.
"It's come to my understanding that some members of the clan are not supportive of the idea of my eldest daughter joining the Uzumaki clan upon marriage...'Hiashi said as he tried hard not to look straightly at Keisuke and his supporters.
"That's an understatement..."Naruto thought sarcastically but tried not to show emotion.
"However as we all know, tradition states that when a clan is with little to no other members, any remaining men are expected to continue the family line, no exceptions….'Hiashi said sternly.
"The Uzumaki clan was once a proud clan much like our own, as well as one of the village's greatest allies during it's founding…."Hiashi continued as he noticed many of the younger generation of the clan showed visible interest.
"It's sobering to know that such a proud legacy has been greatly reduced during the years….However, Uzumaki-san has an obligation to his clan to continue his family line, and in order to do such, his heirs must be given his name...'Hiashi said carefully as he remember his strategy with his daughter.
Hiashi then was silent and it was clear it was time for the opposing team to make their move.
Hiashi saw a man raise his arm and he saw that it was Ichiro, a member of the main house and Keisuke's grandson. He was also on the side that favored the idea of making Uzumaki-san join the clan by force.
Hiashi raised his brow at this….He assumed Keisuke was going to be the first to speak since this was his doing….but he knew that in the shinobi world you have to expect the unexpected.
"With all due respect Hiashi-sama, while we understand that Uzumaki-san has a duty to his clan, we cannot forget we have our own duty to our clan..."Ichiro said in a calm voice though Keisuke was smirking on the inside.
Ichiro was a proud member of their clan and he was a very smart young man. He was all eager for the chance of making the hero of the war an official member of their clan.
By any means necessary.
"There are very high chances that any children they have may gain the Byakugan and if that were to happen, we are obligated to brand them with the cage bird seal unless they become members of the main house..."Ichiro simply said.
Naruto scowled and felt angry at the way the way Ichiro said it, his tone was so nonchalant and it made him angry and disgusted. Hinata sensed his anger and put a hand on his shoulder getting his attention.
Naruto looked at her and looked at the serious expression on her face….Even he could see the message she was trying to say...Now was not to time to show his anger...that was what they wanted.
"Uzumaki-san, how do you reply?..."Hiashi said suddenly and Naruto knew it was his turn.
Now was time for them to put their input and convince everyone here how selfish and stupid they were being…..though even he knew that it probably wasn't wise to use those exact words right now.
Taking a deep breath and briefly squeezing Hinata's hand, Naruto began.
"Everyone….I understand that you are concerned with your kekkei genkai and only want to keep it from falling into the wrong hands but I can guaranteed to you all that no matter what, that the Byukugan will be protected even if it's within my clan..."Naruto said slowly as he tried to remember his manners and keep his head cool.
Now was not the time for screw ups.
"It would be my greatest honor to take Hinata-chan as my wife but I cannot accept my own children being branded simply for not being Hyuuga's in name…."Naruto said sternly.
He tried hard not to smile as he noticed several members of the younger generation glancing down, which according to Hinata meant they were uneasy.
It was obvious that the use of the cage bird seal was infamous even to some main house members.
"I understand the alternative solution is for me to become a member of the Hyuuga clan….and while I am honored you seem to hold me in such regards..."Naruto continued though it was hard to force the last part out.
"Honored" was not what he felt when Hiashi dropped the bomb on them, though he said it might be necessary to do some ego building by making them think he was.
"But I cannot forsake my own clan, anymore than Ichiro, or any other man here could forsake theirs…."Naruto said and tried not to smirk when he saw the brief flash of anger on Ichiro's face.
"I can promise you all however that you can expect me to protect the Byuakugan with my life and you can expect help from me and my clan during any times of crises..."Naruto said before Hiashi gave him the signal to sit down.
"Take that you old creep…."Naruto thought as he eyed Keisuke and Ichiro who were now whispering to each other.
He could see everyone was discussing and thinking over what he said. After a few more minutes, it was time for Keisuke's side to speak again.
This time Keisuke raised his arm and Naruto's eyes narrowed a bit.
"Uzumaki-san...I understand that you are a ninja of the highest caliber and also a man of great honor...while I am willing to trust your word, there is more than simply protecting the Byakugan...there is also the matter of making sure your children unlock there potential and learn the art of our clan...something that cannot be granted to people who are not main house members…"Keisuke said and pretended not to notice some of the branch members glaring at the way he said that.
It was predictable that Keisuke would switch from protection to potential….and not so subtly reminding everyone that their rules still existed. Luckily, Hiashi predicted this little sneak attack and had a nice counter to it…
Which means it was Hinata's turn.
"Yes, daughter...You wish to speak..."Hiashi granted and all eyes were on the former heiress.
Hinata remained composed and took a deep breath….She was ready for this.
"Kesiuke-ojisan….I must remind you that in the event if my children gain our kekkei genkai, I am fully capable of training them to control they're Byakugan..."Hinata said calmly.
Had it been a few years ago, some people here would have told her she was not suited enough to pass they're clan's technique to a younger member but she was no longer that scared little girl anymore.
She was strong and they knew that….and Keisuke hated that he couldn't used the "you're not suited for the task" line to counter her argument.
"Also I should remind everyone that our clan's technique are no longer exclusive to the main house, as Neji-niisan, may he rest in peace, was allowed to learn them..."Hinata said and was pleased with the results.
Neji may have been a member of the branch house but he was still highly regarded as an elite and one of the most revered member's in their clan's history. He was also the main reason both houses were getting along better over the years.
Neji was and always would be a hero to her and Hinata knew that if he were still with them, he would be fighting tooth and nail to make the fools here understand that there was truly nothing to lose from her marrying into another clan.
And that there would be much to lose if Naruto ended up doing such a thing.
"With all due respect Hinata-sama, branch house or not, Neji-san was still an official member of the clan in both name and blood..."Keisuke said and smirked as he noticed some more people were considering his point.
"With all due respect Keisuke-ojisan….we all know that he was firmly against the use of the cage bird seal..."Hinata said in a cold tone.
Inwardly, she was disgusted at the way Keisuke tried to use Neji's memory to strengthen his threat of branding her children with the same seal that scarred him. Everyone here knew that Neji despised the cage bird seal with every fiber of his being and hated the idea of seeing more of their own being subjected to it.
He wanted nothing more than to see it abolished and for their clan to finally be at true peace as a family...It hurt her that he would never lived to see it's day….but she wasn't going to let all his suffering and sacrifices be in vain.
She was never going to let her own children face such a fate.
Taking a deep breath and trying to keep herself calm, Hinata continued with her argument.
"Everyone, I understand that everyone here wants to do what they believe is best for the clan….but we have to accept that the cage bird seal has been counterproductive, especially in recent years…."Hinata said and braced herself.
Soon many main house members were arguing against her while the majority of the branch house and several younger members of the main house were defending her.
Naruto stood there agape at the sight of some of the most uptight people in the village suddenly in a full blown mass argument.
"So much for composed and proper..."Naruto thought sarcastically as he saw everyone trying hard to make themselves be heard.
"The cage bird seal was created to protect ours secrets from falling into enemy hands and to keep order within the clan itself…."Youta said sternly only for a branch member to scowl.
"Then do you consider the branch house an enemy?! Do you have absolutely no faith within you're own clansmen?!..."Ko said sternly.
Ko might be a man of the main house but he was against the use of the cage bird seals as much as Hinata and Neji were.
"How dare you accuse me of such things..."Youta yelled indignantly.
"He dares because it is truth!..."Iroha, a branch house member said angrily.
"The clan was divided so that the main house would run things while the branch house protected the member's of the main house but in reality you only use the cage bird seal to control us like were cattle...tools to be used instead of kin..."Iroha said angrily causing the other branch member's to start arguing against the member's again.
"Watch your tongue branch house..."Hinode said angrily only for Natsu, a female of the main house to glare at her.
"It seems Iroha's argument holds some truth..."Natsu said sardonically causing Hinode to glare at her.
"What did you just say Natsu-chan?..."Asked in the tone which meant "I dare you to say that again..."
"Come off it Hinode-obachan! It's the truth and the real reason you all want Uzumaki-san to join the clan is for the glory of having the hero of the world as one of our own!..."Natsu said boldly.
"Natsu-chan!..."Hinode exclaimed in a scandalized tone of voice only for those around to roll their eyes, a clear sigh of annoyance in their clan.
"How dare you accuse my grandmother of such nonsense!..."Hitomi said angrily to her cousin.
"It's no surprise you would defend her...You both are exactly alike..."Hoshi said evenly and caused Hitomi to glare.
"What are you implying?!..."Hitomi demanded.
"ENOUGH!..."Hiashi yelled in a loud voice, no longer using his stern facade of being quite and composed.
"Look at yourselves...And you all have the nerve of calling yourselves refine...Hiashi snide which caused the majority to look down embarrassed for their behavior...especially with the hero of the world in the same room as them.
"Damn..."Keisuke thought bitterly as things were heading south very quick...He could tell that more and more people were considering Hinata-sama's and Uzumaki-san's points and that was very bad for him.
"Damn it...Looks like I need to switch to plan B..."He said sullenly as he waited for things to calm down.
"Hiashi-sama...forgive me for being so bold….but I believe I should point out that you are desperately trying to forsake one tradition in favor of another..."Keisuke said and was pleased to see that everyone was looking at him now.
"Excuse me?…."Hiashi asked in an accusing tone.
"What are you planning?..."Hiashi thought in suspicion as he noticed the change in tactics.
"You stated that tradition dictates that Uzumaki-san must rebuild his clan "no exceptions", yet you are knowingly ignoring our own traditions for someone who is not even one of our own yet...Keisuke said and ignored the death glare Hiashi was sending him.
'That bastard!..."Naruto tried to repress his anger and clenched his teeth.
He couldn't believe he was trying to twist things around and make it look like Hiashi was being a hypocrite towards his own people. However he also noticed that Hiashi still kept his poker face...though he could sense the anger radiating inside of him...not in hot fire anger...but cold as ice.
"I gotta give him credit...He knows when to keep his cool..."Naruto thought as he noticed Hiashi was going to speak again.
"Everyone, please try and understand...I am not being disloyal to you all, I will do anything to protect the Byakugan and keep our clan safe...but you must also understand our kekkei genkai will be in good hands...as you said Keisuke, Uzumaki-san is a ninja of the highest caliber and will be an important ally in times of crises….I know I can trust him to protect both my daughter and the Byakugan no matter what..."Hiashi said as he gestured to Naruto who looked a little embarrassed of being referred to as "a ninja of the highest caliber"…
Soon everyone was talking among themselves, thinking over both arguments and it was making Naruto worry increase more and more.
"Now...all in favor of placing the cage bird seal on my daughter's offspring after she weds into the Uzumaki clan..."Hiashi said and was dismayed to see that roughly half the room's hands were raised.
"All opposed?..."He asked and prayed that his desperation was not obvious.
He was slightly relieved that half the room raised their arms as well.
It was basically a tie...another deadlock.
"Damn you Keisuke..."Hiashi thought angrily but kept his composure.
"It seems...that we cannot reach an agreement today...'Hiashi said and tried to keep his disappointment to himself.
Hiashi dismissed everyone who promptly left the conference room, leaving Hiashi alone with both his frustrated daughters and his very, very displeased future son-in-law.
"Well that was a bust!..."Naruto growled to himself. He couldn't believe that they were right back where they started.
"Indeed...damn that Keisuke...He knew he couldn't win today so he opt to buy himself more time..."Hiashi said more angry at himself for not seeing that little sneak attack.
"You were right about him being a tricky one sir...Naruto said as he now knew why Keisuke looked so confident. It wasn't because he thought he would win today...It was because he knew a way to make sure he couldn't lose.
"I cannot believe we're still in deadlock.."Hinata mumbled in dismay. She was so sure that she would be able to convince her clan that there was nothing wrong with her marrying into Naruto's family.
But she underestimated just how many people trusted Keisuke over her own father.
"Don't worry...It's not forever...Just think of this as a ceasefire, Keisuke may have bought himself some time but remember we still have half the clan on our side, let's just use the extra time to turn things around..."Hanabi said optimistically to her older sister.
"So now what do we do?...'Naruto asked.
"Now...We stay strong and regroup..."Was all Hiashi said.
Soon they saw Madoka entering the room with a phone in her hand.
"Forgive me for intruding Hiashi-sama but there is a woman claiming to be from the Konoha Live News on the phone..."Madoka said to the leader of the clan.
Hinata's eyes widened at the mention of it...With all that's been going on lately, she had completely forgotten about Shibata-san's request for an interview.
"A reporter?..."Hiashi said as he took the phone.
After a moment, he handed it to Hinata.
"This person is requesting an interview with you, daughter about you're engagement..." Hiashi said.
"Oh my...I didn't think she was serious.."Hinata muttered as she took the phone.
"What do you mean?..."Naruto asked in confusion.
"This morning a woman came up to me claiming to be a reporter and asking for an interview but I told her I was busy and she said something about… "talking to my people to arrange a proper interview..."Hinata explained to her beloved.
"Hello..."Hinata said.
"Greetings Hyuuga-sama...I am Koyama Kyoko, I represent Shibata-san of the Konoha Live News, my employer will be hosting a show this Saturday and would like to know if you're available that day..."Kyoko said in a professional voice.
"One moment please..."Hinata said as she placed her hand on the speaker part of the phone.
"They want to interview me this Saturday about our engagement..."Hinata said to her father, fiance and sister.
"Really, that's awesome..."Naruto said to his flustered fiance.
"Do you think I should?..."Hinata asked to her family and future husband.
"You should totally go for it Hinata-chan..." Naruto said without hesitation...He knew Hinata was special and he thought it was time everyone else knew as well.
"I think it's a good idea...and it will help with you're PR image sister..."Habani said to her older sister.
"Father?..."Hinata asked him and Hiashi thought it over.
An interview would probably work in they're favor, everyone watched the Konoha Live News and maybe it would get more attention from Keisuke's followers.
"I believe it could work in our favor daughter...We can't just tell them our situation...but maybe some time in the limelight will help get more attention from Keisuke's foolish followers..."Hiashi explained to his eldest who nodded her head.
She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with talking about her feelings of her engagement in front of the entire village...especially when she can't reveal the complete truth without risking repercussion.
But if it would help her knock some sense into her clan...she suppose she could do it.
"Koyama-san...I accept..."Hinata told the representative and Hinata could almost hear what sounded like a muffled squeal.
"Wonderful Hyuuga-sama….The show will be this Saturday at 8:00am sharp, we'll send some people for you...also if you don't mind, do you think it would be possible of getting your fiance to join you, my employer would like to know if it would be possible to talk to both sides of the village's favorite couple..."Kyoko asked to the Hyuuga heiress.
Hinata tried to fight her blushed at being told she and Naruto were the villages favorite couple...She was 20 years old and already engaged to be married….she had to stop being flustered so easily.
"She's asking if you would like to join me for the interview Naruto-kun..."Hinata said to her blonde fiance who shrugged.
He was used to being interviewed by now and he honestly didn't mind….besides he would get the chance to show the whole village just how lucky he was to have Hinata as his bride.
"Sure...I don't mind..."Was all Naruto said to his dark haired bride.
Hinata soon made the arrangements and they were all set.
"Look's like we'll be busy this Saturday..."Hinata said while her fiance shrugged his arms once more.
"It was bound to happen at one point.."Naruto said.
"Speaking of which...Let's not forget about you're upcoming engagement ball, the preparations are still underway….Hiashi reminded while Naruto let out a groan.
"Not that again...Do we really have to?.."Naruto asked and Hinata tried to resist her giggling at his whining.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but you know what Rokudaime-sama said….It's to help strengthen our ties with the other villages…."Hinata said to her pouting fiance.
"More like to bring more tourists..."Naruto muttered under his breath.
Hiashi soon returned to his office, leaving his daughters and the blonde youth alone for the time being. Once at his desk, his eyes glanced at a familiar picture. He stared at the image of his late wife and felt that same feeling all over again.
Hikari was the daughter of one of their allies, she was never a ninja but she was the youngest daughter of an important family, her lack of a kekkei genkai made her perfect for marrying into their clan since it would cause a lack of political conflict.
Despite the fact that their marriage was arranged since he was a boy, he always loved her and was pleased that such a beautiful, kind and brilliant woman felt the same way about him. His Hikari was like an angel….only now she truly was one.
He tried to ignore the familiar pain. He knew that if she was still alive today, she would be doing all she could to help him protect their daughter and grandchildren from the elder's intentions.
He knew she hated the cage bird seal and all it stood for.
Hiashi soon found himself glancing at another picture in the room. It was the picture of his beloved brother and nephew...it was back when Neji was still too young for the cage bird seal.
It broke his heart to know that he couldn't keep his promise to his brother...that he couldn't protect the only thing he had left of him. The only thing he could do now was to make sure that they're sacrifices were not in vain.
Hiashi knew that he wasn't going to give up until the cage bird seal was nothing left but a memory...a bad memory.
He was sick and tired of the elders and the more uppity members of the main house corrupting the system...treating the branch members like they were nothing else but servants and treating outsiders as if they were unworthy without the Hyuuga name.
No more.
He swore to his daughter, his late wife, his brother, his nephew and the many other members of their family that were scarred by that accursed seal….that no matter what he would see it ends once and for all.
"I promise...This time I will not fail..."Hiashi thought to himself as he touched the image of his nephew.
No matter what failure was not an option.
-To be continued-
Next time on The engagement
Interview's and preparations for the Ball
A/N: I'm very, very sorry for the long wait compared to my other updates, I had a lot of homework, projects, other hobbies and other fics that took my attention away from this. I hope this chapter makes up for it.
Announcement: A prequel to this fic is out called "My first Valentine". I made it in honor of this recent Valentine's day. So feel free to check it out.
REPLIES to my totally awesome reviewers :)
slythefoxx2: I hope this update makes up for it.
Rose Tiger: I love the enthusiasm my fellow NaruHina lover :)
YamiChaos27: Thanks once more for spotting that little typo.
AlexaMorgan13, Ogiug001 and Slytherin's pimp: Thank you for the praise and don't worry, I will not abandon a single story….I just might take a while to update is all.
VictorianFrog: I hope I did well doing Naruto's "talk no jutsu"….Though I bet none of you predicted that Keisuke had his own version of it as well :3
Vangull: I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait.
Shrenav: Don't worry, Sasuke will show up soon enough...though I can't say when exactly.
:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)