"Are you sure about this Lady Hinata?"

Hinata smiled at Neji, taking in his sweet though slightly degrading worry. For someone with such advanced eyes, he never saw her for what she really was. He, like everyone else, thought that Hanabi was just more talented. It was sad for her to see that worry on his face, though it made her want to beat her sister's ass all the more! Brutal though it would be, she hated hurting Hanabi but she would have to cause her dear sister a little pain to bring about the changes that she sought. It would be a noble sacrifice, nothing less. She just hoped her sister could forgive her...

That it would force Neji to reevaluate his views on her would only be a benefit. Same with her father really...

"I can do this Neji. I never lost to her out of skill, merely a fear of hurting her and a lack of self confidence. That has changed, and today I will prove that I am in fact worthy of the title so cruelly taken from me." She could easily read the doubt on his face, it made her sigh. "Have some faith in me, I actually held my own against you in the Chunin exams rather well. Yes you were far better but I was easily Chunin level in terms of combat where as you were easily Jonin in terms of taijutsu."

That seemed to jar her cousin for a moment, and he slowly nodded. " I never thought it like that but your right. Maybe you can do this after all. I wish you luck."

"Thank you, I won't need luck but I appreciate the thought." She enjoyed seeing the shock in his perfect eyes, he had no idea how she had changed over the last month. Having a goal had done wonders for Hinata, it helped her focus her life through a lense that wasn't Naruto focused. She realized, with Hana's praises really helping quiet a bit, just how much she was worth. She never deserved the treatment her father, and by proxy her entire clan, gave her. She was worth far more then the abuse and neglect they had spewed at her.

She was not weak... she was accomplished, unique and smarter then your average kunoichi by far. She was special and she deserved to be treated as such... and damn it it was about time the rest of the world saw it too.

Giving Neji one more smile, she marched over to the sparring circle where her sister and father were waiting. "You came, I thought you would back out." Her father's words were soft but there was no cruelty, just doubt. It made her want to rub his face in her victory...

"As I told Neji, I never lost out of skill just a fear of hurting my sister. I realized that to carve out the future I crave I need to sacrifice a little of my own wants. Hanabi is great for her age and in general, but compared to me... well, she will fall and you will see what I can do." She turned to her sister, smiling a little. "I am sorry for what I am about to do, I hope you can forgive me... for I, Hinata Hyuuga hereby challenge Hanabi Hyuuga for the position of Clan Heiress!"

The room went silent for a moment before filling with the sound of hushed whispered and shocked disbelief. Her sister looked at her with a stunned, pained look but that didn't match the utterly stunned, hurt look on Hiashi's face. It was a priceless image that she would carry with her for the rest of her days.

"Hinata... do you know what you are doing?"

"Taking my place as head of our family, to carve out a future that cannot otherwise come to fruition without my guidance." Standing tall, she turned her entire gaze to the Elders, foolish and cruel and without compassion towards their own, she hated them. Always had, but fear and a lack of courage kept her from owning up to the depths of that hatred. Having technically lived four months, all with determination and self value, burdened with the power of a goal... she had changed too much to deny her utter loathing. She learned one lesson in that time that helped here more then anything... Fake it til you make it. For what was technically four months she faked her confidence and now it was real. "You have long since looked down at me, spat at my compassion and saw it as a weakness. Well I will show you how wrong you are. Today I will face Hanabi, in a month exactly I will defeat Neji. In a year I will defeat my father." Her words carried long and far, she saw humor in their eyes and it pleased her. "Go ahead, doubt me. It will make my victory all the more sweet." Twisting around, she flared her chakra, making Hanabi step back with wide eyes. "Come at me, and don't hold back."

Hiashi stepped back. "Do not hold back, for this fight will determine who is destined to become the Clan Heiress. Now... Fight!"

By the time Hanabi took a single step, Hinata was behind her, a knee spiking up to her spine. Her sister spat out, almost crying out in pain as she bent back. In a one swift motion, Hinata reached over, grabbing her sister's shoulder with a chakra spiked hand and tossed her back. Still in pain and disorientated from several closed chakra points, her sister rolled on the matts for a moment before popping up.

Hinata finished it the moment she was upright, slamming a palm home to her chest, shutting down her main chakra points and sending her sister slamming into the wall with a horrid gasp... and with that, Hinata won the fight in only three moves.

Standing upright, she walked over to her sister and kneeled before her. Hanabi was barely conscious, eyes rolling around as she struggled to remain awake. The image made Hinata smile. Reaching forward she started massaging her sister's chest and shoulders, using her chakra to painlessly unlock her sister's chakra network. It only took a moment for her sister to wake up, and when she did the first thing she did was sigh.

"I knew you were holding back, but this much? I need to work harder..."

"You are doing amazingly well Hanabi, don't ever doubt that. I have years on you, battle experience and I have been training harder then ever for the last month, learning and adapting my Gentle Fist to make it better." She smiled at her, brushing aside her hair and kissing her forehead. " Now, get up and watch your big sister kick some ass."

Hanabi actually gaped at her, breaking any trace of the rigid façade the elders preferred them to show case to the world.

It was a delicious sight and Hinata drank it in. Then she felt it, her father approaching her with a slow, deliberate stride as if he was too afraid or uncertain to talk to her. She relished in it, in showing what she was really capable of. It was wonderful, for the first time in her life she was totally without the doubts that had plagued her. Doubts her father had seeded and nourished with his cruelty and neglect. She wondered if he was regretting his life choices, he should be in her mind.

"Hinata... you've changed." His voice was filled with pain, pain that she felt justified for causing for once.

Slowly, she turned to face him, drinking in the sight of his expression which was too pained for him to mask as he usually did. "Being reassured of your value and not being told your death would never matter does that to you." He actually recoiled, his eyes turning away from her as if he was afraid someone else would hear her words. "What, you cannot handle that? You did say that to Kurenai, that you wouldn't care if I died. I am sorry to disappoint you but I do not plan on dying for a very, very long time. I plan on becoming Heiress and doing more for our clan then you have. Now, since I have won I do believe I am now the Heiress once more. I will see you for training tomorrow."

Proud of herself and a little smug, Hinata turned on heel and marched out of the room, happy for the chaos she had just caused. Not for Naruto's sake but her own. She had proven herself, her worth, her value, her importance... proven that there was more to her then the weakling they all saw her as. She was not a mistake, she was valuable and beautiful and they should be grateful to have her around. That she would be more useful for Naruto was only a side benefit as far as she was considered.

'''

Hiashi's heart ached, hearing his daughter's cold words as she threw back his own vitriol back at him. He had thought that they could put the past behind them when Neji had begun to heal, but it was clear from her tone and words that there were many scars that had yet to be addressed.

'The Axe forgets but the tree always remembers indeed... and this tree has many pounds of flesh to carve out of us all.'

Hiashi had no doubts that Hinata was out for revenge, nor that she did deserve it on some level. He regretted it but had been more then cruel to her for a long time. Neji had been worse, the entire clan had turned on a small child and expected loyalty. They would be lucky if a few pounds of flesh was all she took from them. She deserved to take so much more.

''

Hana wanted to applaud her student loudly and proudly, but kept quiet, knowing it was for the best that she didn't say a word. She wasn't exactly welcomed in the sanctum of the Hyuuga. No one knew that she was teaching the girl anyway, it would be best to keep it that way. For a while at least, till Hinata's position was more advantageous. Till she was too important to be shifted from her personal goals and desires.

No one needed to know why she was there, hiding in the shadows...

And no one would, as she vanished with all of the skill she was able, returning to her Compound with a sense of pride in her heart.

"This is going to be easier then I thought." Naruto mumbled as he crawled across the rooftops, slipping into an old man's house. They had staked him out, using the clones Naruto had around town to get a gauge for the man's worth. He was a loner, hated by many and loathed by everyone else. He was the perfect victim for Naruto's jutsu, to gain the true power of the Nine tailed Fox. To fulfill his end of the deal and bind together the power his father had stolen from Kurama.

To get his revenge on his father...

It was a perfect cycle really... and one he was looking forward to, even if he had to kill someone to do it.

The first step had been knocking out Jiraiya once more, an easy enough feat if only a tad tedious. The seal was a simple matter and only cost him an hour of time, some chakra and a lot of clones. It was actually kind of fun to do, knowing how easily he was getting one major one over his idiot, neglectful Godfather. He could not wait to do more but for this would suffice.

Step two had been to make the decision of who to kill and again this had been easy. Lee was a miserly old man accused of pedophilia, making him a good first target. Naruto knew that not every target would be a monster but starting with one would help desensitize to death and murder, the bread and butter of being a Ninja. Or so was his hope...

The last step was simple casting the justu. He had already prepared the Live Marionet sealing jutsu, a technique that would grant him total control over the man in question. However, as a biproduct he would feel the man's pain as he died, something he asked for so he wouldn't devalue the act itself... his first kill, the great taking of a life...

It would be great and terrible all at once.

With a flip, Naruto flew into a window, landing gracefully by the beside of Lee the pedophile. The man was old and decrepit, an ancient creature of at least seventy missing many of his teeth, much of his muscle and fat and all of his hair. He was a pitiful thing really, hardly worthy of such an honor but here he was, being given a great honor...

Pulling out the seal, Naruto threw it at the man, it landed on his forehead, searing painfully into the man's skin with agonizing precision and yet the seal bound his consciousness so he would only activate when Naruto commanded him.

Running through a variety of handsigns, Naruto channeled a huge chunk of chakra and thrust his hands out, causing a ripple of power to exploding like a ballon bursting, wrapping the area in a powerful barrier. "Uzumaki Style : Great Sealing Barrier, Futility of Expression Jutsu!"

Sighing and allowing his chakra to recover, Naruto summoned the Shinigami mask and placed it next to the old man.

He was ready and it was time.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was fun to write, and exciting to start.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.