Hello, fellow Naruto lovers! This is my first Naruto fanfiction. I've watched the show for about a year now, and I love it. The thing is however, I'm quite nervous. I plan on making a few action scenes, but I've never really done one. I really don't know the Japanese names of any of the jutsus, and I would LOVE some helpful hints or suggestions. Please, constructive critisism (I think I spelled that wrong) is enthusiastically accepted. Also, please, if I misspell something, please tell me. I would love to know. Well, that's it for my rambling. On with the story!
Disclaimer. I do not own Naruto nor any of it's characters except for Hibiki and Hozumi. I can't even draw anime...The eyes end up making them look like Dora the Explorer.
A Hyuuga No More
Chapter 1: The Punishment
"I can't believe this!" Hyuuga Hiashi slammed his fist on the table. "How could you fail ANOTHER mission, Hinata? Another mission!" he shouted, glaring at his daughter. He was sitting on a chair in front of a large table, Hinata standing below him. Her slightly lavendar eyes were brimming with tears, but she was not letting them fall. This effort was so challenging that it made her throat sore, making it impossible to say a word. She wouldn't have dared to talk in the first place, anyway. It would have only made her father even angrier. No one dared to speak to the leader of the Hyuuga clan when he was this furious.
"Are you crying Hinata?" Hiashi questioned Hinata, not an ounce of compassion in his voice. "How can you be head of a clan when even the raise of my voice brings you to tears? Why can't you be stronger? Crying solves nothing!"
Maybe I could've been stronger if you acted as a father should, thought Hinata. All you ever cared about was the clan, but not because you love the clan. It's because of power. Hinata cared about other things besides the clan. Yes, she did love the clan, but only because she grew up with these people. Although not all of the clan was not blood-related to each other, they all lived as a family. She loved them, despite the looks of disappointment and hate that she had received in the past years. But the clan was not the only thing she cared about.
She cared about her team; Kiba and Shino. They were like brothers to her. They had always been there for her in the past, when she was sad, and, although it was rare for her, mad. She also cared about Akamaru, Kiba's faithful young dog. There were times she wished he was her dog, to offer her company when no one was around. She cared about her other fellow genin as well even if she didn't know some of them really well, like Lee, Tenten, Choujii, Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura. She even cared about Sasuke, whom she hoped would return from Orochimaru. There was always Naruto as well, and so many others.
Naruto. The only boy that she ever loved. She was, and still is, deeply infatuated with the whisker-faced blonde genin. He was everything she wasn't, or she thought she wasn't; strong, courageous, fun, successful, encouraging, and confident. The boy that, for some reason, was an outcast his whole life, but decided to turn it around by determining to one day become the greatest Hokage the village of Konoha ever had. He was always cheerful, always laid-back. He was her inspiration. There were times where her heart ached for him. She had wanted to tell him how she felt so many times, but always failed. She knew that Naruto was in love with Sakura. Hinata never held that against the pink-haired konoichi, though.
"Hinata, how many times have I told you not to be a burden to others? How many times have I told you NOT to get in anyone's way? Hanabi shows so much more potential for you, which is why we are planning for her to be the future leader of the Hyuuga clan."
I've worked so hard, Hinata thought with sadness. I've worked tirelessly, either with Kiba and Shino, or by myself. I'm stronger now; Why can't you see that Father? Why don't you...love me? She didn't care so much that she would not be leader of the Hyuuga clan. She was happy for Hanabi, who wanted the position far more than she did. All Hinata wanted was to be recognized by her father. She also had a longing desire to become a great ninja. She had not worked hard only for her father and Naruto, but for herself.
"Not only are you a burden to others, daughter, but you are a burden to me as well. Sometimes I wish you weren't my daughter. You have disappointed me and embarassed me far too much."
Now she let her tears go. Her father had said hurtful things before, but never that hurtful. She gasped in her tears, forgetting to hold back. Why was I born into this clan? Why? Why am I such a failure?
Hiashi watched her cry, no trace of feeling on his face that wasn't anger. "You are just like your mother, not caring about the clan as much as she should. She just wanted to live life like nothing could go wrong. She lived carelessly, which is the reason why she died. She didn't deserve to live."
Hinata suddenly felt something that she didn't usually feel: anger. "Don't...t-talk about M-mother like that!" she yelled. She was shuddering, and felt weak. She wanted to drop down to her knees. Hiashi's mouth curved into a slight smile. "Just like your mother," he said. "Standing up for people who don't even matter in the scheme of things."
Hinata opened her mouth, trying to talk, but nothing would come out.
Her father stood up, his palms on the table. "So I have made a decision," he said, eyes closed. "I would like to live the rest of my life as if you never existed. So I have come up with a proper punishment."
Hinata tensed, preparing herself for the punishment.
"You shall be banned from Konoha forever."
Her crying suddenly stopped, and her eyes widened, her mouth gaping. "W-what?"
"You shall be banned my dear," he said, a hint of pleasure in his voice. "It hasn't been done often in the history of the Hyuugas, but I am done with you. I have seen all of your potential, and it isn't even close to being satisfactory. Far from close. You shall be given a few supplies and provisions for your banishment, and you shall be banished today. You don't deserve to be a Hyuuga, so that name shall be stripped from you, and you will only be known as Hinata. Guards!" He shouted.
Four Hyuugas walked into the room. One guard, with black hair that went down to his ears, stepped forward. Another was carrying a black pack. The guard that had stepped forward bowed to Hiashi, and said, "Is it time for...the disposal?" He was obviously the leader.
Hinata was now on her knees, hands over her eyes, crying the hardest she had ever done in her life. No...Please...
"Yes, Hibiki, it is time. Hozumi, if you would please give Hinata her pack." The guard with the pack walked up and leaned down so he and Hinata were at eye level. Hinata took the pack and looked at Hozumi's face. He looked sympathetic; the first kind face she had seen all day. "I am sorry, Hinata..." he whispered, and stood up.
"Hinata, stand up! You look like a fool," her father ordered. She stood up. "Now, come to me!" he commanded, as if she were a dog. She, of course, obliged.
"Now, that pack has things that you will find useful for the next couple of days. It has rice cakes and bread, and two flasks of water. And, because you were a part of the head family, there is also a small amount of money in there. You shall be escorted by these four guards and about a mile out of the city gates, and then they will leave you. Should you come back, there will be consequences. Perhaps, even...death."
Hinata gasped. "You would let them...kill me?"
"If you were ruthless, yes..."
Suddenly, any remaining love for her father vanished. Nobody loved her. Nobody cared. Maybe...She thought, this banishment will be a good thing.
Then pictures of Kiba, Shino, her sensei, Neji, and her precious Naruto flashed through her mind. No...NO! I don't want to leave my friends! I love them! And Naruto...I can't ever see them again!
She straightened up. "When...must I leave?"
"Now."
"Keep 'em comin', Old Man! I got a hankerin' for some more ramen!"
Naruto was sitting at the counter of his favorite ramen restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen. He had just finished three brutal hours of training on the training grounds, and Naruto was starving by the time he had finished.
He was still hungry, even after five bowls.
The old man laughed, his attractive daughter laughing beside him. "You sure you got the money left for that?" he asked his best customer.
Naruto took a little wallet shaped like a toad's head and unzipped it, looking inside.
Empty.
Naruto groaned. "Aww man! I'm still hungry!"
The ramen cook placed a bowl of ramen in front of him. "Okay, I'll let you have another bowl, but only because you've been such a faithful customer these past years."
Naruto gave him a fox grin. "Thanks!" He began slurping the delicious noodles as if he had never eaten in his life. Once he was finished, which only took him about two minutes to, he put his hands behind his head. "Ah, nothin' like a good lunch for a good day." He just kind of sat there for a while, enjoying the nice day.
"Move it, outlaw!"
Naruto's eyes popped open and sat up. Outlaw? he thought. Since when were there outlaws in Konoha? He jumped off his chair and waved goodbye to the old man and ran outside.
He saw four men in a circle, holding kunai. Naruto noticed the white eyes and recognized immediately that they were Hyuugas. He also noticed that someone was in the middle of the circle, though he couldn't tell from the distance. He ran up to them.
"Hey, what's...?" He gasped. He finally saw the person in the middle.
"Hinata?"
Hinata turned, and her eyes grew bigger at the sight of him. "N-Naruto-kun? What...W-what are you doing here?"
One of the men poked her with his kunai menacingly. "No talking, outlaw!"
Naruto gritted his teeth. "You can't tell her what to do! Why are you calling her an outlaw? She's no outlaw!" Hinata quickly withdrew her eyes from Naruto and looked ahead, walking forward.
The man looked at the shinobi, obviously annoyed. "We can tell her what to do, and she is an outlaw," he said rather calmly. "Hyuuga Hiashi has ordered Hinata, due to her current failure on a recent mission, to be banished from Konoha forever."
The orange-clad ninja's eyes were filled with fury. Hinata's my friend! She doesn't deserve this! "Forever?! Does the Hokage know this?!"
"She doesn't need to. It is our right to banish members of the Hyuuga clan. It is based on an ancient treaty that was created when the Hyuuga clan was created. Members would try to teach others, even enemies, the secrets of the Byakugan, and as punishment they would be stabbed in the eyes and banished."
"YOU'RE GONNA STAB HER IN THE EYES?!"
"No. That is the only thing in the treaty that was changed over the years. And she has not taught the secrets of the Byakugan to others."
Naruto sighed in relief. At least they wouldn't hurt his friend. Of course, he was still angry.
"What was the mission?" he asked rather quietly.
"I do not know. Outlaw," the man said. "You may speak, and answer his question."
"Um...K-Kiba, S-Shino, and I were sent out to attack three shinobi who were planning on attacking Konoha's citizens. Two had jutsu specialized in poison, and one specialized in acid. They were very advanced ninja, and we couldn't handle them...They had to send out another team."
"Did they win?"
"N-no. They got away."
"Then we'll get em' next time!"
"But Hinata will not be there," another white-eyed man said with grim satisfaction. Naruto threw him a death glare.
By then, they were at the gate.
"You may not follow us any longer," Hibiki said. "You may say goodbye to your friend, then you must leave."
"I can do whatever I want! I'll follow you if I want to! I'm not done yet!" Naruto shouted angrily. Hibiki grabbed him by the shirt and looked at him eye-to-eye, his Byakugan activated to look more threatening.
"One more obnoxious sentence out of you, and I'll beat you to a pulp, you little brat!"
But Naruto, being Naruto, wasn't fazed. "Ha! You don't scare me!"
"Oh yeah? Say one more word and we will poke Hinata's eyes out." He held out his kunai.
"You're lying."
"Oh yeah?" He grabbed Hinata and brought the kunai to her face, inches away from her right eye. "Think I'm lyin' now?"
"He will do it," Hozumi warned. "He does not lie. He has killed many men for disobeying him."
Naruto brought his shoulders down in defeat. "Fine."
Hibiki smiled in victory. "Alright, outlaw," he said, pushing Hinata towards Naruto. "Say goodbye. Forever."
Hinata gulped. It's now or never...I must tell him that I...
Her thoughts were interrupted, though, when Naruto put his arm around her and hugging her. Her face turned five different shades of red before looking like a tomatoe. She managed, for the first time ever in her life, to hug him back.
Naruto put his lips to her ear, and she tensed. "Hinata," he whispered. "I'm gonna get Kiba and Shino and tell them what happened, and then the three of us are gonna find you, then we'll figure this out. I already lost Sasuke. I'm not willing to lose another friend."
The the hug broke, and Hinata was speechless. "You...care about me," she said quietly.
"'Course I do!" he replied. "I care about all my friends!" He grinned, and Hinata smiled back. "Thank you..."
"See you, Hinata. Soon."
"Alright outlaw! Time's out! Let's go!" Hibiki grabbed Hinata's arm and they all circled around her. Hinata turned her head to have one last look at Naruto.
He was still smiling, a confident look on his face.
And, for a moment, she began to hope.
Well, there's the first chapter! I'm quite satisfied with it. Also, I will not make Naruto fall for Hinata in, like, two days ok? It'll be slow. Believable. Once again, please, if you have any advice, don't hesitate to give it! And if you happen to know the Japanese names for some jutsus, please let me know. Thank you! Please review, and I hope you liked it!