Chapter eleven:
She closed her eyes and began to prey. Tears of joy streamed down her face and she held and smelled the letter.
*Neji.. Neji sent me a letter. The paper smells like his masculine scent.*
Today morning Haruka gave Hinata her mail. It had 2 letters, one from Neji and the other form the Academy. The academy sent her a letter asking about her interest in continuing being a jounin sensei..
*I guess they haven't been filled in on my status's if he has lost hope? What if he will not wait for me? He can't waste his life waiting for someone who might not ever be freed..*
"Nee-san, would you like to join me for brunch?" Hanabi pocked her head into Neji's room. It was 10 in the morning and Neji was still wrapped in his bed sheets and blanket. After Hanabi and he had head home, none of them talked about Hinata. All Hanabi had brought up was clan business, which Neji couldn't care less about.
He hasn't got a reply from her yet. It was 4 in the morning when he had finished writing his letter, placed it in an envelope and ran, as fast as the wind, to where he knew Hinata was. He kept the letter in the mailbox outside the property for Hakura to fetch, in the morning.
Neji stirred in his bed and slowly open his eyes to just mere slits. The light from his window was too bright and irritated his sensitive, all-seeing and all-knowing eyes. He wasn't ready to start his day unless someone told him that he got a reply from Hinata, which no one did yet, so he was not ready.
Hanabi entered the room and had a look of amusement on her face. Neji was well known to be an early riser, seeing him still in his bed at this time of the day made her chuckle.
His hair was everywhere! On his face, spread on the pillows, like a waterfall of chocolate brown hair and wrapped around his neck. "Neji, I think it's time to get up now. We need to talk about things. Clan matters. I have a request to make and I need your help. So please, get up and have brunch with me so we can talk."
Neji grumbled and looked at his young cousin, an irritated look was plastered on his, incredibly handsome, face. He pushed back his messy hair, tied it in a high ponytail and propped himself up.
"Good morning to you too." He mumbled, barely audible. "Give me some time to freshen up and I'll meet you in the dining hall." Hanabi's eyes light up, which reminded him of Hinata's eyes when he agreed to something she wanted. "Great! I will be waiting for you." With that said Hanabi left the room and shut the door with a muffled thud.
*Just like her. She's turning just like her elder sister. But Hinata is still different. Even her eyes are different. Kami help me please. I miss her, I miss her like crazy! And Hanabi isn't making it any easier, she's acting like her and.. and that makes me miss her even more..*
Neji got up, rubbed his face with his palms and starched out his limbs. He wore nothing but comfy sweatpants to bed. Good thing he was covered in sheets and blankets, he didn't want to be seen half naked in front of Hanabi. Not that he was insecure or anything, he was quite proud of his toned, muscled and perfectly athletic body, but he wants to keep everything for only Hinata's eyes to see.
He took a quick shower and wore a black pants and a long sleeved silver shirt that matched his eyes. He wrapped the bandages on his forehead like he always did, every morning of everyday. He towel dried his long and silky hair, brushed it and tied it in a low ponytail and went to the dining hall.
It was 10:15 when he reached the dining hall. He found Hanabi sitting across the table with a cup of tea in hand. The table was filled with delicious food but he wasn't really hungry. He hasn't been, since Hinata left and he was just there to know what her request was.
"I'm glad you agreed to join me nee-san. How are you feeling? I hope you're not suffering from a hard hangover. Here, these are pain killers if you need them." Hanabi was trying to be cheerful like her sister and make Neji feel okay but she knew that she wasn't making any progress.
Neji kept silent and accepted the pills she offered. He began to eat silently. After a few minutes, Neji could feel Hanabi was tensed and wondered just what her request was.
*I hope she's not still thinking of leaving after Orochimaru. I know I want to g oafter that sick bastard and rip his head off.*
"What are the matters that you wanted to speak about? I am listening." He said as he placed the bowl of rice on the table. He looked into her eyes to find them watery and fear, he could see fear in her eyes. Hanabi was restless, she wanted to tell him but she was afraid that he would rage and hurt himself.
"Neji, there are a few things you should know but first, I want to ask you something. Would you become my personal advisor?" the fear he saw just a moment ago was gone and replaced by plea.
He knew that this request had something to do with Hinata. He also knew that no branch member can be the clan head's personal advisor, only the clan elders were advisors and this request is breaking the rules.
"Why are you asking me this, when you know that I cannot accept your request because it breaks the rules? I wouldn't mind being your personal advisor but I cannot. So my answer is no." He continued to eat and did not look at her. She was restless, she was too nervous to the point that she was fudging with the hem of her robes.
"They want to execute her. They are planning to do it as soon as the next caretaker leaves. They will not send anther one by purpose and send a ninja to execute her. Their plan is to make it look like someone from Orochimaru's followers killed her. I cannot allow that!"
Neji was up on his feet and slammed his hands on the table so hard causing the tea from both of their cups to spill and the food to fall of the plates.
"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE GOING TO KILL HER! I WILL KILL THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING HER!" Neji screamed at the top of his lungs. His face was red with anger and the veins in his temples popped up as he activated his Kekki genkai.
He stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him and raced towards where the main branch clan elders lived.
"NEJI! NEJI WAIT PLEASE!" Hanabi ran as fast as she could. She, too, activated her Byakugan and followed him. a few moments later ans she caught his arm forcing him into a stop.
He turned to her and slapped her hand away rather harshly. "WHAT?! ARE JUST GOING TO SIT THERE AND ASK ME TO BE YOU ADVISOR?!"
"Neji CALM DOWN! We need to talk more! That's exactly why I asked you! I need you Neji! Hinata needs you now!" surprisingly, the mention of Hinata needing him calmed him down.
Neji took deep breathes and tried to calm down. They both deactivated their bloodlimt and headed back toward the dining hall. People from all the room had gone out to see who was screaming and causing all this chaos.
When they saw their Clan Head being yelled at from a branch member they were dumbfounded and wide eyed from the scene. They waited for Hanabi to use the seal any moment but she didn't, which made them even more shocked and surprised.
They both walked back to the dining hall. On their way they both threw deadly glares at whoever was staring at them. The clan members all scrambled inside their homes and gossip was sure to start spreading about this.
They sat back down and asked for a branch member to clean the table. When everything was set and back to place, Hanabi opened her mouth to be cut off even before she started with Neji's ice cold voice.
"Okay. I will be your advisor but I want every detail about this before I kill them all."
"Yes of course. Neji, I am truly happy that you have accepted my request. I know that this is against the rules but I am the clan leader and I know I have the authority to change the rules. And that's exactly what I am doing, I am changing the rules. Just like what Hinata would have done if she became the clan leader." They both took a deep breath and tried to calm their boiling blood.
"I heard them talking last night when we got back home. They were drinking and laughing about it. Our grandmother, Hitomi, was the one who suggested this. I cannot understand nor believe how could she suggest such awful things.. So this is why I need you Neji. I need you to be my advisor. So that you can be allowed in their meetings, I need you to be allowed in there and listen to their every word. Become one of them and make them trust that you want Hinata off this planet just as much as they do."
"You want me to bad mouth Hinata, agree to murder her and pretend that I hate her?" he said in total disbelief.
"No Neji. I need you to know what they are planning. What and when will happen. Who will do it and how much are they paying him. What are they planning to do after that and most importantly why do they want her dead. I do not wish for you to turn your back on Hinata. I do not want you to bad mouth her. I only need you to gain their trust and know exactly what are they hiding."
Neji sighed and massaged his aching temples. "Fine. But we should inform them first that I, from now on, am your personal advisor and as from now, it is a rule that I join their late night top secret meetings. But do not tell them that you know about those meeting just yet. That will only make them meet up in another time and place and I will not have the slightest chance to be invited in those meetings." Hanabi looked into his eyes and found them unreadable.
They were not cold not warm. She couldn't see any emotion in them and she wondered will handle this without truly killing each and every one of them.
"Good. We shall then meet with them tonight, 8 o'clock, main branch meeting room. I will see you there. Now, do you want me to order you another brunch or will you just wait for lunch?" a humorless chuckle escaped both of their lips.
"I suggest we drink to this new plan that I know will definitely work. Do not forget that I used to bare hatred for my now beloved Hinata Hime. They will believe me easily when I tell them that I hate her for being very stupid and cause chaos for this clan. "A smirk drew itself on his face. Hanabi, too, smirked and ordered sake for their little celebration. They both were too involved in their conversation to notice Hikaru, who was listening to their conversation the whole time.
Happiness bubbled inside her and replaced the sorrow she felt when she knew the execution plan. Her smile reached her ears and she slowly entered the room, a few minutes later, after she heard the ordering bell ring in the nearby kitchen. The bell was really loud and irritating to her sensitive, old ears. She was even happier to bring them sake to celebrate. She too, drank a sip or two to mark this day.
The day when the plan for saving Hinata began.
"Give me reports about the teams." Said Naruto.
"Hai. Hokage-sama, team 1 found an old hideout with prisoners inside. They want your advice on what to do with them. Should they free them or just leave them be. Team 2 has encountered some sound shinobi and a konoha shinobi was injured and he is on his was to Konoha to seek medical attention. Team 3 did not make any progress in finding anyone but they did find many scrolls in yet another abundant hideout. Team 4 and 5 are still undercover and roaming the towns and villages for any information."
Naruto sighed and thought for a few minutes. He looked at the masked ANBU bowed in front of him. "I will send two teams of medical ninja to see to the prisoners. I want them to know from which village or town the prisoners are from and take them back to their families. Anyone with no home or family is to be brought here to Konoha.
"As for the scrolls, I want the team to put all the scrolls in storage scrolls and bring everything they can here to be examined. Let the other teams continue their work and update me every three days. Dismissed."
The ANBU bowed again and disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Hai" Naruto went back home and asked his wife to feed him and massage his much tensed shoulders.
Naruto called Shikamaru and discussed the updates with his personal adviser who happened to be the smartest ninja in the shinobi world.
"And I will make the builders start building a facility for the coming prisoners. Better be on the safe side and have everything ready just in case we have to shelter new people in this village. What do you think of that?"
Shikamaru smiled proudly at what Naruto suggested. He knew no matter how much Naruto screwed up, he was a good person on the inside. He saw how much Naruto had blamed himself for what happened and what's happening to Hinata. "Yes Naruto-sama. I totally agree. But I also think that we should do our research about each and everyone of them once they arrive."
"yea yeah of course. And stop calling me SAMA!" They both laughed a little until Shikamaru excused himself to go and continue watching the clouds. After being Naruto's adviser for so many years, the blonde got the hang of almost everything, which meant the his job was less troublesome day by day. He has to only double check the papers that come out of Naruto's office and discuss important issue and decisions with the hyper-active Kage.
Here ends the chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it.