Chapter Ten
Naruto sat on his bed, staring at his hands, waiting. The look on his face was grim and determined. Grim because of the precarious situation, because of the darkness of Hinata's future – determined because he'd be damned if he was going to let the bastards get away with it.
He looked at the door again, like he did about every five seconds now. His nerves were acting up badly. Neji hadn't been very talkative when he had led Naruto back to his room, but at least he'd promised that Hinata would be brought there as well. That was such a vague statement that Naruto now mentally scolded himself for not asking for details – after all, it didn't say when exactly Hinata would be brought, or in what state. Logic told Naruto that, since Neji already seemed to have awakened his Namigen, Hinata's powers must already have been extracted, but his heart refused to believe that.
I would have noticed it, he tried to reassure himself. Somehow. Besides, the hero in a story should always have a chance to stop the evil plan and rescue the... princess. Everyone knows that. There has to be a chance, no matter how small.But what if he had already had his chance, but had missed it? What if his chance had come and gone even before he had reached this place? What if... what if...
What if this was real life and not some fairytale?
But then the door interrupted his thoughts by suddenly being opened from the outside, and Naruto jolted upright immediately.
"Hinata?!"
"Naruto-kun...!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him in spite of what he knew he should and shouldn't do according to general etiquette. She was astonished for a moment, but then gave in to his hug. Their embrace, completely out of the blue, seemed to last ages, and when they finally let go of each other again Hinata was so flustered she didn't know where to look and her cheeks gave a whole new meaning to the concept of blushing. But Naruto just looked at her happily, immensely relieved – as the minutes had dragged by, the images before his mind's eye had become gradually worse, up to the point where he pictured a near-dead Hinata being brought in on a stretcher by two indifferent men who asked him if he had any last words for her.
"I've been worrying sick about you! Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah," she lied, "I'm fine. Just a little tired... that's all."
"Great! Let's make sure it stays that way. You won't believe what I heard – Neji is in league with the leader of this clan and they're planning to-"
"Naruto-kun... I already know. Neji-nii-san just told me everything."
"Huh? He did? Then you agree we have to get out of here as soon as possible, right?"
Hinata looked away unhappily.
"Naruto-kun, I... I need to talk to you."
Naruto frowned. "What do you mean? We are talking right now!"
"Yes... please, let's go somewhere else for a moment. I think I would like some fresh air..."
She smiled weakly, then started walking down the hall. Naruto stood dazzled for a moment, then quickly caught up and walked alongside her, eyeing her curiously.
What's she talking about? She's acting strange. Maybe... maybe she wants to tell me something but isn't sure how to? But why can't she just tell me already?
He sighed. Girls had such a weird way of talking. Sometimes they said what they meant and sometimes they said the exact opposite. How could a guy keep up with that? Besides, how could she want to be talking at a time like this, when they should be trying to find a way out?
"Okay, that's fine then," he conceded, "but at least tell me what happened to you since I last saw you! Neji said you were kidnapped and hospitalised, is that true?"
"Y-yeah... that boy Ingou brought me here, and then last night, they... did something to me that caused me to end up in the hospital."
"Did something? What did they do?"
"Please, Naruto-kun... we'll be there soon. I don't want to talk here."
"Where are we going then?"
She smiled shyly, but also a bit mysteriously.
"You'll see. I haven't seen it myself, but I've been told it's a nice spot."
They passed through the wood-coated hall and the large double doors in silence, and just when Naruto thought they would go down to the village – something he didn't feel like doing at all – Hinata left the road and walked to one of the many tunnel entrances that could be found throughout the entire cave.
"More tunnels?" Naruto asked sourly as she entered one of them. Hinata shook her head but didn't say anything, and he followed with a sigh.
They followed the tunnel for about five minutes, and a few times they encountered Hidden Branch members, who generally ignored them or shot them angry stares. And just when Naruto was about to propose to turn around and go back, the tunnel ended, and he was treated to yet another of those surprises that the past few days seemed to have been littered with.
Because while he had expected to step into another cave, he suddenly found himself in direct sunlight, which blinded him and hurt his eyes; and while underground it had been cold almost constantly, the temperatures here were so high even breathing was troublesome.
However, once his eyes had gotten more or less used to the brightness around him, he saw that they were in a sort of miniature valley, complete with a murmuring brook and more kinds of vegetation than anyone could care to count. Large fields of flowers in a thousand colours were interrupted here and there by patches of trees which provided some shadow to the people who were out enjoying the sun, picking flowers or washing clothes in the clear water of the small stream. Walls of rock rose up high and almost perfectly vertical on all sides, separating the entire place from the world around it and probably keeping dangerous animals out as well – the only creatures Naruto could readily indentify down here were birds, bees and butterflies, which flew or hummed around lazily in the hot air. The sky was cloudless, a bright endless blue that indicated summer was at its best.
Hinata smiled at Naruto.
"Do you like it?"
"It's amazing," he admitted. "Very peaceful."
She nodded. "Apparently, there are many of these places around here. Some are used to grow vegetables and herbs, and some, like this one, are mainly for relaxing in..."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and Naruto knew how she felt; it was a huge relief to be outside again, even if they had only been underground for a night and half a day.
They found themselves a somewhat secluded place, where they lay down and enjoyed the beautiful weather in silence for a while. The effect of this place was amazing; Naruto could feel himself relax, in spite of everything that was going on. But he didn't relax so much that he stopped caring for it altogether; in fact, his mind had already noticed that the rock walls, which would keep normal citizens inside and animals out, could be easily scaled by a shinobi.
"Hinata," he said softly while pointing at the rocks, "look at this place. It's wide open. We can go up those walls and then we're out of here. This is why I can't understand they let us walk around freely. We can escape without any trouble."
Hinata didn't answer, and Naruto turned his head to look at her, only to find himself staring right into those large white eyes, that apparently had been watching him all the time.
"Gah! Don't stare at me like that!" he laughed, but his smile faded as he saw Hinata's sad gaze. "W-what's wrong?"
She looked away unhappily. "Naruto-kun... I can't leave here."
"What? Why not?" he asked, astonished.
"I'm not as well as I said I was... my illness has been getting worse, and they haven't found a cure yet. I need medicine to suppress it, so if I would leave this place I would never make it to Konoha..."
Naruto made a valiant attempt to hide his shock.
"Okay. Okay... that sucks. But there's a solution. We just have to get our hands on a bunch of that medicine before we escape. How's that sound, huh?" He smiled encouragingly.
Hinata sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring at her toes miserably. The more optimistic Naruto tried to be, the more it hurt her to have to disappoint him. But she had made her choice.
"Naruto-kun, even then... I still can't go."
"But you can't stay here! Don't you know what they're planning on doing to you?"
"I do. But if that's what it takes, then... so be it."
Naruto moved to a sitting position as well and looked at her in confusion, not understanding what was going on, only seeing the trouble she was going through in telling him. Hinata avoided his questioning gaze and bit her lip. She would have to state it clearly, even though it hurt her to do so.
"Please forgive me, Naruto-kun, but... I decided to help Neji-nii-san," she said softly.
For a moment, Naruto was speechless, but then the part of his brain concerned with talking kicked back in.
"Are you serious? Help him? Ruin your own life for some crazy scheme?"
"It's not that crazy...! You're an outsider, Naruto-kun, you don't know what it's like..."
She shook her head and forced herself to calm down a bit.
"Please let me explain. The situation in the Hyuuga clan right now... isn't good. It's bad, very bad. The branch family members are forced to answer to every call of the head family, have to obey them at any time and do anything they wish. The power of the head family members has corrupted some of them, and they treat their fellow Hyuuga as slaves instead of as kinsmen. My father sees no problem. He likes to point out this has always worked for us and will continue to do so in the future. But the branch family members are suffering! They know no freedom, can't choose their own life. This is not the way humans should treat each other, and it's been going on for way too long already. So now that I have a chance to end their suffering... how could I be selfish enough to refuse? How could I choose my own life over that of so many others?"
"But there's no need to rush this all over! You are still the heiress, right? So you will eventually be the new leader, and then you can change whatever you want. Why waste your life now for something you will get for free later on?"
Hinata looked at him sadly.
"Because there isn't that much time. The branch family has always accepted their fate, but ever since Neji openly showed his dismay during the Chuunin Exams, something has been stirring in their ranks. They are starting to realise that they are just as worthy as the head family, and should have just as much right to determine their own lives. Over the years, things have gone from bad to worse. Strange accidents have befallen some of the... less friendly head family members, and one branch family member was found dead recently, stabbed repeatedly with kunai and then thrown in the river. Things are heating up, and if we don't change the clan radically soon then it will be the event of all those centuries ago all over again. Only this time there will be no escape. Only death."
After these words they both were silent for a while. Hinata absent-mindedly watched some children run by, laughing, rolling through the flowers and making a lot of noise. She watched as they splashed in the stream, saw how the light reflected of the water, noticed some birds fly away in fright of the ruckus. But she still saw everything in a blur, and she wondered if this would be the last time she saw these things. She had never imagined she would live the rest of her life in darkness, but now it seemed almost logical. What better Hyuuga than one who gives up everything for the greater good of the clan?
"I... see now why you want to do this," Naruto said suddenly, in a surprisingly soft voice. "I think I understand how you feel. You want to help your clan, and you would give your own life for that, just like I would give my life to save Konoha if it ever came to that. It's the same thing, only on a different scale. So I can understand it."
He clenched a fist.
"But... that doesn't mean I can accept it. Hinata, I... I can't sit by idly while they do this to you, I just can't! My mind says it's none of my business, but my heart..."
He shook his head.
"Hinata, there's something I have to tell you..."
She looked up, startled, panicked.
Does he mean...? No, no, I can't let that happen... not yet! The trouble it would cause...!She recalled Neji's cold and determined words, words that had shoved her into a corner she had to get out of before she could even think of being with on the other hand... she wanted it so badly! She wanted to hear him say it, to have her doubts erased, to know he cared for her.
"Hinata," Naruto started nervously. "This... has been on my mind for a while now. Ever since I saw you again, to be honest..."
...you are the heiress of Konoha's oldest and most influential clan, echoed Neji's voice in her head. Naruto Uzumaki is a nobody when it comes to status. Your father would never allow you to be together...
"You have really changed a lot over the years. I saw that immediately..."
...he is determined to change this pathetic situation...
"You have become all grown up... all ready to lead your clan one day..."
...nobody ever leaves the clan, at least not for long. The elders won't hesitate to order your death if you run away...
"My point is... what I really want to say..."
...do you think your friends will stand by idly? Do you think Naruto will? They will try to protect you, they will fight the clan if necessary. No matter who wins, many will die. Because of you..."That I... that I really feel..." ...because of you... you... you!
"What?"
"Please, please don't," she begged. "I made up my mind, so please don't make this so hard on me. I... had hoped you would support whatever decision I made, not make me feel bad about it..."
That was too close, she thought sadly. But I did the right thing. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun...
Naruto looked at her unhappily, wishing she would understand how he felt, why he could not just support her, but the moment had come and gone and he had missed it. He would have to reflect on that later – for now, he had to try and talk Hinata out of this craziness.
"It's not just about what I want," he said in a new attempt to change her mind. "It's also about what Neji wants. He says he wants to restore order and equality in the clan, but is that what he's really after?"
"I trust Neji," she said firmly. "When he told me his plans and my role in them... I knew he was telling the truth. His cause is a good one."
"Okay, but he's not the only one in this. Wasn't this whole plan the idea of that Rousoku? What if these Hidden Branch guys are just using Neji for their own goals?"
She sighed.
"By making him extra strong? I don't think that is very logical. Naruto-kun, I really appreciate that you... don't want to see me harmed, but can you not just consider that this might actually be the right thing to do?"
"No!" he said heatedly. "Rousoku looked much too smug to my liking, and that assistant of his is smarter than he seems as well. They're up to something, I can just feel it. So, how about you? Can you not just consider that they are in fact planning something bad? Would you want to give up your own future for some evil plan of theirs?"
Hinata hesitated. She recalled Kiza had been suspicious of Rousoku's plans as well. Could it be that she herself was just too gullible?
"No... I wouldn't want that, of course not. But I still trust Neji. So... I don't really know what to think."
She sighed again, then made a decision.
"Look here," she said with a new, strange determination. "Neji explained to me that the transfer technique that is used on me and him takes a lot of time and energy. So much that it cannot be completed in one go; it has to be used three times in total to make it work. If it is not completed, the effects will automatically be undone over time. They've already used it once last night, so a third of my power is transferred to Neji and a third of his seal has been erased, allowing him to use a third of the Namigen's power."
She looked into the deep blue of Naruto's eyes.
"If you can prove, before the technique is completed, that Neji is just being used, I'll escape with you. But if you can't, then I have to do this – I can't risk missing an opportunity to save my clan."
"And I can't risk losing you," Naruto said softly, causing her to blush.
"Alright then," he continued, "I'll prove to you that something shady is going on here. It seems they told you more than they told me, so any idea where I should start looking?"
She hesitated.
"I've been here no longer than you have... but I guess... you could try talking to Kiza."
"Who's that?"
"The heiress of this clan. A really sweet girl. She seems to harbour the same kind of suspicions against her father that you do."
Naruto nodded. "I'll look for her, then. What does she look like?"
"She shouldn't be too hard to find, I guess. She has long blonde hair, which is a lot less common among Hyuuga than dark hair. Apart from that it's hard to tell. I... I couldn't see her very well."
Unlike what she had expected, Naruto picked up the hint immediately.
"Couldn't you? Are you saying that your eyes... that they already...?"
She nodded. He stood up.
"When is the next transfer?"
"Tomorrow night... Neji will come pick me up when it is time."
"Then I have no time to lose. I'm going to look for that Kiza right now."
She smiled gratefully. "Naruto-kun... thank you. I'm glad I have someone like you with me here."
He treated her to a grin and a thumbs up.
"Don't you worry about a thing, Hinata. I'll get you through this in one piece, or my name isn't Naruto Uzumaki!"
He strode off with large, impatient strides, and Hinata watched his retreating back with a smile still on her face.
If only you knew how glad you really make me, Naruto-kun... but the time for that hasn't come yet. But who knows, if we make it out of here okay...Her expression darkened a bit.
I don't want to go blind. There are so many beautiful things to see in the world. I felt confident about this right after I made my decision, but now I'm starting to have my doubts...She looked around the small valley, watched children playing and women chatting happily, unaware perhaps of the changes that their clan might soon undergo. These people had lived here for hundreds of years; were they really still that tied to the Hyuuga clan of Konoha?
Do they even really care about what is going on there? It's not their problem, after all. Wouldn't renewed contact only bring trouble for them, like those men said earlier?With a troubled mind, she leaned back down on the warm ground and stared up at the sky.
I just want to do what's right... but what if there is no right way? ***
"I really don't see why you are so upset."
"I'm not upset! I'm simply displeased with the way you deal with things. You keep planning your own little schemes without informing me, constantly jeopardising our work in the process."
Rousoku turned around and stared at Neji with a hint of boredom.
"Are you still so worked up about that incident with the Bloodline Limit kid?"
Neji huffed.
"Don't play games. You sending Ingou out was a stupid decision which nearly ended it all, but that was nothing compared to this. Can you even explain why you thought it was a good idea to anger Naruto up to the point where he would release his inner demon? Was there even a plan, or did you just want to mess around?"
"It was necessary." Rousoku shrugged. "What's the point of you having such a rare power if we don't experiment with it? The ancient scrolls say the Namigen can suppress the tailed beasts' power. This was a test to check the validity of their claims."
"Idiocy. If I'd known that was the only reason you wanted to talk to him I wouldn't have brought him. What if the scrolls had been wrong? What if I hadn't been able to suppress him? I only carry a third of the Namigen's power right now, what if that hadn't been enough?"
"You worry too much. It worked, didn't it?"
Neji groaned in frustration.
"The Kyuubi's powers are not to be messed around with! You are so reckless, I don't understand how we even made it this far."
Suddenly, he took a step forward and slammed his hands on Rousoku's desk loudly, causing the man to start.
"But you know," he said quietly, "that's not what worries me most."
Rousoku eyed him suspiciously. The Namigen showed in Neji's eyes now even if wasn't activated; vague circles that nevertheless made for a strong disconcerting stage.
"No?" was all Rousoku said.
"Oh no," continued Neji. "What worries me the most is what else you could be hiding from me. What other things are you scheming behind my back? If you don't even trust me enough to inform me of these decisions, what bigger plans are lurking in the shadows?"
Rousoku smiled. "Anything else I might have planned is really none of your business, now is it?"
Neji's eyes narrowed. "I rather think it is. Tell me. Now."
"I really don't think-"
"Tell me!"The authority in Neji's voice seemed to fill the room, his eyes seemed to become larger and his gaze became extremely intense. Raw power filled the air, and Rousoku's smile turned into a strange grimace. Now, he looked at Neji with something of worry, perhaps even a hint of fear. And then suddenly it was over, as sudden as it had started, and Neji had to lean on the desk to prevent himself from falling over exhaustedly.
"How dare you even use that on me!" Rousoku said angrily when he found his voice again.
Neji, who was panting and trembling, shot him a strange smile.
"Heh. I'm just - what did you call it again? – experimenting with the power of the Namigen."
"If that had worked-"
"But it didn't. That's what matters, isn't it? Those are your own wise words."
Rousoku stood up. "Don't use that tone against me! Who do you think you are? I was leading this clan before you were even born!"
"But you're not very good at it, are you?" Neji asked subtly.
Rousoku's eyes narrowed.
"What did you say?"
Neji smiled. "I see things. I hear things. People whisper in the halls of your caves. They look at me as if they're seeing a ghost. You didn't tell them what is going on, did you?"
"I told them to not harm any of you, and that's all they need to know."
"Spoken like a true oppressor. Don't your people trust you, Rousoku-sama?"
"They don't have to trust me to follow my orders!"
"But they won't follow your orders if they don't trust you. You'll see."
Rousoku made an angry gesture.
"What are you even talking about? Do you know how to lead a clan? Do you have any idea how hard it is?"
Neji regained enough control over his trembling legs to let go of the desk and stand confidently in the centre of the room, where he spread his arms out wide.
"I don't have to know how to build a house to be able to see when someone has done a bad job at it. It's when it falls apart, you see. But don't worry about it. Not all men are born leaders."
Rousoku clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Out," he hissed. "Get out of my office, right now."
"Oh come on, you're really only denying the obvi-"
"Get out!" roared Rousoku. "Leave right now and I might still be merciful enough to forgive you for your idiotic words!"
Neji made a mocking bow.
"As you wish, Rousoku-sama." He opened the door, but stopped in the doorway and shot the man a mischievous glance over his shoulder. "But perhaps it is time you started treating me with the proper respect. For the sake of our cooperation, of course."
Then he left, and slammed the door shut behind him.
