25. Compulsion

Hiashi refused to have his second born branded. It was a breach of custom, but Hiashi did not need to press the council much. Hideoshi also approved. The breach of custom was in Hyuuga's best interest. After all, Hinata did not show promise as a leader.

Hanabi had awakened her Byakugan when she was three years old, while Hinata's had only surfaced at the age of eight after harsh and rigorous training.

It would not do to have a weak leader. But Hideoshi knew that was not the reason why Hyuuga no kimi kept Hanabi's forehead bare. The man could not bring himself to seal his daughter. It was the same sentiment that almost led him to take upon himself the very thing for which the branch houses existed.

A Cloud shinobi had breached the security of Konoha's most powerful clan and paid for it with his life. When the Cloud demanded a life in return, it was Hizashi who died. Hiashi had never been the same after his brother's death. His gaze swept far beyond Hyuuga to places where Hideoshi could not follow. Hiashi was worried by what he saw. Hideoshi would not acknowledge what he could not see.

For Hyuuga no kimi the incident with the Cloud was a reason to move outward, not inward as Hideoshi suggested.

'Do you not find it strange that Hokage and Hyuuga complied to the request of submitting our own?'

Hideoshi thought about it for a moment. Every path his reasoning took lead to one conclusion. 'It was the only thing we could do.'

'Why?'

'To refuse would lead to war.'

'Nonsense.' Hiashi said. 'This… assaults my pride.'

Hideoshi remained silent. Hyuuga no kimi should say such things. He was right, but Hideoshi could not accept it.

Hiashi spoke of bringing the Uchiha child within the folds of clan.

Hideoshi's heart rate had quickened, such was his adversity to the idea.

'The boy has defected. He should have come to Hyuuga, instead of going to that despicable snake. Where's the honour in that revenge?' He made an effort to keep the anger out of his voice. 'We should not associate with him.'

'There is no vengeance without honour.' Hiashi stated simply. 'We share a bloodline. That Sharingan could be used against us. I can look past his connection with the snake, if he kills Itachi.'

'Then I hope that kinslayer kills the brat, before you track him.'

For a long moment Hiashi took in Hideoshi's countenance.

'That anger, is it really yours?'

Hideoshi was taken aback. He had braced himself for a counter-argument. 'I do not know what you mean, Hyuuga-sama.'

Hiashi's face remained unreadable.

After that, Hiashi no longer confided in him. Hideoshi realized he no longer was Hiashi's most trusted advisor. He had fallen from grace.

Hiashi now took Branch members to Konoha's meetings.

Hyuuga's leader had gone insane.

He forced his decisions through the council. Dissenting opinions would not get through to him. He was Hyuuga no kimi and it was still within him to let clan do as he willed.

The leader stands elevated. He is the personification of clan.

Hiashi saw it in a daughter who seemed afraid of her own shadow. He gave her one of the heirlooms. He sealed the other into Hanabi's inheritance.

And as if the gods were punishing him for his folly, he became sick soon after. The physicians were at a loss. Hideoshi suspected that the deeper root of Hiashi's insanity had now surfaced. He was worried for his leader, but he was relieved as well. With Hiashi's absence, the council slowly came under his influence. This development was in Hyuuga's best interest. It was now Hideoshi who met with Konoha's prominents. He made it a point to let them know that it was Konoha who needed Hyuuga, not the other way around. Tsunade offered to take a look at Hiashi. Hideoshi refused, Hyuuga had its own physicians who could look at their leader's heart without cutting him open.

Besides, he did not trust her. Danzou had confided to him that he suspected a plot against Hyuuga. His Anbu Root had detected an insect user who could spread disease. If that drunken disgrace who called herself Hokage did not know such a lethal person was prowling their lands, she was unworthy of her name.

It came as a surprise when Hiashi died. Hyuuga was known for the longevity of its people. That Hyuuga no kimi should die so young was an affront to Hyuuga pride. Hideoshi took Hiashi's death with grim acceptance. He would see to it that things were set right.

The weak Hinata realized this, and shamed the clan by leaving. Then shamed it again by defeating those who went to retrieve her. And as if to spite his judgment she became strong and made a name for herself. Until he was forced to change tactics. Hyuuga could no longer go around the dissident respect she commanded.

To think she had trembled before him only a few months ago.

-X-X-X-

All the players were present. This fight with Hanabi had served its purpose before it began.

She recognized a battle lust when she saw it. Hanabi was brimming with it. Great fighters looked forward to a good spar.

For years she had avoided fighting her little sister. Fighting meant losing and she did not want to lose. Losing against Neji wasn't so bad, there was no hope of ever defeating him anyway. That first time they fought during the Chuunin Exam, it was evident from the onset that Neji was playing with her. He could have easily finished her in mere seconds. But even though he was playing, he never expected her to last as long as she did. That's how pitiful she had been in his eyes.

Her matches with Hanabi never lasted longer than a minute. Hanabi's pride would not allow her to give less than she got. She wasn't cruel like that.

Hinata flicked her head, letting the tip of her braid dangle above her waist. She had trained hard to escape the disgrace of being disappointing. She was stronger. She knew how to fight. If by now she was unable to be a match against her younger sister, she was unworthy of her name.

'I see you're ready.', Hanabi said, and moved.

Her blows came with incredible speed. Hinata could barely dodge. Hanabi's Jyuuken had always been flawless and she had reached a form Hinata could never attain. But now at least, she could see Hanabi's strikes. They flowed like sharp gusts of wind. Where she could see, she could dodge. That wasn't enough against someone as talented as her sister. She let Hanabi's right palm come and ducked. In the same movement she rotated with a low kick, sweeping Hanabi off her feet. The girl managed to awkwardly adjust her fall and landed neatly several yards away.

She was breathing heavily. 'That…that is not Jyuuken.'

'No…', Hinata was breathing heavily as well. 'You should know, I'm not really good at it.'

Hinata moved forward. She couldn't let Hanabi out of her range. If you're certain the opponent's range reaches further than yours, make sure he's within your own. The first rule Neji drilled into her.

'Tssk. I guess simple attacks won't work against you anymore.'

'You call that simple?', Hinata asked incredulously.

Hanabi shrugged. She took a familiar stance. 'You're in the range of my divinity.'

Hinata's heart stopped a beat. Hanabi's form was perfect. If she tried to compete with that, all of Hanabi's intended strikes would land home.

'Gentle Fist Style: Divine One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Strikes!'

-X-X-X-

Training Hinata had been challenging in many ways.

Neji did not know of anyone else who had such difficulty with mastering basic Jyuuken.

She was a slow learner. The Gentle Fist was practically burned into Hyuuga's genes, it should come naturally.

Acquiring a technique cost Hinata thrice as long as an average Hyuuga. And even then, her technique was never quite perfect. Sometimes he wondered if she had been meant to awaken her Byakugan in the first place. But Hinata was determined to become strong.

Neji did not know of anyone else who was so proud of being Hyuuga.

He could tell she had been training on her own. She began to move fluidly. She became faster, more precise. Her movements were Hyuuga, but different. Hinata's style was based on water, elusiveness, extreme flexibility. Traditional Jyuuken was the fickle nature of the wind. Spiralling, straight and sharp.

She had worked hard on her defensive abilities. With swift flexibility she could weave a net of chakra that repelled attack. Shugo Hakke: Rokujuu Yonshou. A splendid technique. Yet inferior to Hanabi's attack. A defense based on 64 strikes would be broken through by 128 strikes. She should know that she had to come up with something else in the half second Hanabi needed to launch her attack.

She brought her hands to her side and balled her fists.

'Juuho: Soushiken! – Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fist!'

This was her most awesome attack. So powerful that many Hyuuga tried to imitate it.

Chakra, visible to the naked eye, flared up from both her hands.

This time they were not shaped like lions. They looked an awful lot like twin swords.

-X-X-X-

She longed for the weight of her blades. On her back, they would make sure her feet pressed firmly on the ground. In her arms they gave edge and power to her movements. The lions acted like her swords, they were as they were meant to be.

'Two strikes!'

She spun.

'Four strikes!'

She blocked.

'Eight strikes!'

She ducked.

'Sixteen strikes!'

She pushed Hanabi backwards.

'Thirty-two strikes!'

Hanabi had trouble keeping up with her. Hinata's makeshift blades slowed Hanabi's onslaught as they hit her.

'Sixty-four…'

She spun and swung her twin swords, hitting her little sister square in her torso. Hanabi fell on her back with an expression of stunned fear.

Now, to finish this. Hinata jumped high, her arms stretched, her blades pointed downwards.

Her chakra blades pierced the ground at both sides of Hanabi's head and disappeared. She now lay on top of her sister, her legs cradling Hanabi's waist, her arms encircling her head. They breathed in each others scent. She could feel her sister's body shaking. 'Imouto, you proposed a match… everyone is here. Arigatou.' She tucked the scroll in the folds of Hanabi's kimono. 'Onee-sama, what are you….'

'Keep it!', Hinata hissed sharply.

Their ears picked up footsteps running towards them in top speed, she rolled off her sister and jumped on her feet. It was Kikyou, carrying Hinata's swords on her back. She untied them and handed them over.

'They're coming.', Hanabi said softly. She stood with her arms crossed.

The Council of Elders was walking towards them, almost leisurely. Their kimono's billowed with their movements, their hands were loosely by their sides. No Byakugan, no build-up of chakra. All fifteen faces were impassive and unreadable. It was terrifying.

Neji joined the three girls. He handed over Hanabi's needles and positioned himself in front of her. Together with Kikyou he formed a line of defence that seemed ridiculous against the advance of the fifteen Elders. Super elites who had survived war and numerous high rank missions. These Main House shinobi would not be carried away by arrogance.

-X-X-X-

Hideoshi studied the four young ninja before him.

Neji of the Branch, Hyuuga's genius.

The boy carried himself proudly. For all of his low status, he exuded clan. From his handsome ice-cold features, to his ruthless perfection in battle. Hyuuga would have been proud of him, if he had not forgotten his place.

Kikyou, mother of Hanatarou's grandchild.

An acclaimed sensor, but an average fighter at best. He did not understand what drove her. Her stiff stance betrayed fear.

Hanabi, Hyuuga's heir.

She had disappointed him. In the end, she never gave up on her sister. The girl had a talent for strategy and combat. She knew how to pick her words carefully. She would have been a great leader.

Hinata, the deserter. The most puzzling one of all. She had discarded all trace of humility. She did not avoid his scrutiny and he resisted the urge to rip out the eyes from her gaze. Hinata had won the match. She may have become strong, but she had left clan. She was unworthy. And her reason for coming back, were nothing but arrogance.

'The Council is pleased that you have accepted its invitation to reside in the heart of clan.' The silence carried Hideoshi's words to every corner of the court. This Hyuuga did not need to raise his voice to be heard.

He noticed wariness clouding her face. 'If it pleases you, I humbly place myself in your care.', she said.

'You two-faced…' Hideoshi raised his hand to stop Hanatarou from completing his insult. 'Not now.' Hanatarou ignored him. He stepped forward, chakra was visible on the tips of his fingers. There was no emotion in his face, but all the more in his voice.

'The murderer of my only son stands before me. This wench who ran away and killed my boy. My son who went to take her back…!' Hanatarou's bitterness was almost tangible. He seemed to walk as in a trance. Kikyou was barely keeping her body from shaking. Neji remained ice-cold. Hanabi schooled her posture into an emotionless statue. And Hinata…she showed regret?

'Step aside, Branch House!', Hanatarou barked. The hand signs he began to weave did not bode well for Kikyou and Neji.

Hideoshi leapt forward and placed his hands over Hanatarou's.

'You will hear me now, that is enough. This is not the time or the place. The girl is here, we will allow her to speak.'

Hanatarou's Byakugan receded and the chakra on his fingertips ebbed away. His hate remained.

His words were directed at Hideoshi, but he locked his gaze on Hinata. 'The girl was foolish enough to come, she will die. Maybe not now, but soon.'

Hideoshi turned to Hinata. 'Hanatarou has valid points. You are a defector. Your words carry no weight. And yet you want to change this clan. How is that not insolence? How it that not arrogance? If you were honorable, you would have come back to repent and take up the Seal. You would have done your duty.'

'My duty?' Hinata stepped forward. Her lithe form moved with a confident grace. It was a tired confidence, that came from hard won knowledge. The young woman knew what she was doing. He could read it in her every movement. She was prepared to do what she must to reach her goal.

'Duty.', she said, looking him straight in the eyes. 'That word is the backbone of this clan. Not our Byakugan, not our nobility.' She was not addressing him. He realized it now. She was addressing the crowd that had come to watch the fight. She wanted witnesses.

'We have taken duty too far. Too far! And we, who pride ourselves with our keen sight, have let abomination enter this clan.'

She drew her swords. 'My father's most trusted advisor, Hideoshi-dono. You are under a compulsion.'

Her distrust of him was like her father's. The way she looked at him was the same.

-X-X-X-

She could feel the compulsion oozing from him, cloaking the minds and thoughts of those around him. This was what the Hime meant. The Seal had protected her against this. The whole Council, not just the Elders, must be tainted. She glanced at Hanabi. The girl stood composed. Hanabi's mind was still her own. How had she been able to withstand this? The compulsion directed a strong hate at Hinata. She supposed it was impossible for Hanabi to hate her sister.

And Hinata…that magnificent young lady. The council had lured her home to kill her. And fully aware of their killing intent, the Hime had drawn her swords. Hinata would not die before completing her task. She was too strong for that. They could all see how strong she was.

Hyuuga was not a clan that gave careless praise. The Branch were the servants and the Main were the masters, but strength was acknowledged where it was due. Neji's status as a Branch member would not bereave him of the respect afforded to strength. He was Hyuuga's genius. Hinata's status as heir would not exempt her from the disdain afforded to the weak. If anything, her status made it more cutting. The Hime had worked hard for her skills. Hinata knew what she could do and did not waste time on the things she could not do. Kikyou was well pleased to serve such a Hime. If Hinata could change herself, she could change clan.

She untied her hitai-ate baring her forehead for clan to see.

The Elders' shock was written on their faces. They could not belief what they saw. She could feel the chakra signatures of her brethren from the branch houses nearing. They were poised and ready to attack. Four dozen jounin from the Branch, they had all cast off their hitai-ate and were surrounding the Council of Elders.

The Council quickly composed itself. They were taking in the situation. Kikyou knew they were assessing her strength and that of her companions.

'You want to kill us?', Akane-san asked. This woman had been a sensei to the late Hyuuga no kimi. She was blessed in abundance with Hyuuga longevity and looked deceptively young for her age. That made her all the more dangerous. 'What is this? Some sort of revolution?' The woman sneered. 'It will destroy you.'

'I would not be so sure.', Hinata said. 'These shinobi are elites.', the pride she felt rang through her voice. 'I do not want to kill my own. But I will defend myself if I have to. Please, hear me out.'

Hideoshi walked over to Neji. The Branch leader was neither apprehensive or fearful. Neji was the more powerful and Hideoshi valued his life. He let the older man invade his personal space and study his forehead.

Hideoshi turned from Neji to Hinata. 'You removed their Seals. Why?'

The Hime had expected that question. She sheathed her swords. Neji's eyes began to glow silver.

'Because no one is born to be a slave. In the old days, those who took up the Seal were praised. They were the ones who took the most risk. Those who did not take up the Seal were honored. They were the ones willing to use their lifeblood to create the scrolls. Somehow throughout the centuries we divided into Main houses and Branch houses and now the seal represents an ugly servitude. It has caused much pain. It made me…willing to…kill to escape it.' Her eyes swept over the crowd. ´Let me make one thing clear. I returned to bring change to this clan and I will remove every Caged Bird Seal for those who ask it of me. Also…clan should know that the late Hyuuga no kimi was murdered. I will do right by my father and bring his murderer to justice. My father's demise is connected to the compulsion that binds the Council of Elders. It will end today! My brother…'

-X-X-X-

There was only darkness and the moonlight of his eyes. And those eyes could see his core. His soul, his body and the flow of his thoughts.

He could see himself through those eyes. For those eyes, there was only darkness and life. He was unique, like any other person in this world.

Something was meddling with his mind. A doujutsu that should have died when Uchiha died seeped into his mind and manipulated him. It built upon things that were already there. Feelings of disappointment, fear, anger, pride were intensified and pushed his thoughts down roads they should not take. So far removed from his original thoughts that they were not his own anymore. They were Danzou's thoughts. He wanted Hyuuga eyes and Hyuuga secrets.

'That anger, is it really yours?'

Hyuuga no kimi had realized it.

Hideoshi wept.

-X-X-X-

The Branch shinobi had the Council completely surrounded. They were on edge. Though they outnumbered the Council by three to one, they did not underestimate its skill. And the council members were not the only Main House shinobi they might have to deal with. They were there, among the onlookers. Fuuko and her own elites, ANBU and the jounin council.

They could all decide to step in.

In the short time available to her between Hanabi's challenge and the start of the match, she could only unseal the branch members now present. Kikyou and Neji had assured her that these elites would not fail her. They would not strike at the Council of Elders in vengeance. The same Council of Elders that had brought agony to them with the flick of their fingers. Remember your place, Branch House.

There was an old saying among the clans, no vengeance without honor. Carrying out justice for harm done against you was always honorable. That creed would fit well in an age of war. For Hyuuga to grow strong, they should not fight amongst themselves. Though revenge might bring personal satisfaction, it would not help clan. Her thoughts inadvertently turned to Sasuke. Preaching to him had been useless. Of course it had been. His revenge was on an entirely different scale. His clan was murdered and he knew who did it. He could not live without acting on that knowledge. He would get revenge and uphold the honor of his clan. And he would die. Foolish! So foolish! She balled her fists. Not now, she must not think about him now.

That was not difficult, because she saw something she would never recall without wonder.

Hideoshi was kneeling at Neji's feet, tears running down his face. Neji looked stricken, he was at a complete loss. To see those two proud men so, was like seeing the sun fall from the sky.

The Council of Elders too seemed at a loss, they appeared to be slightly disoriented. Beside her she heard Hanabi gasp, she turned and saw that her sister had paled.

'The compulsion is gone.'