Edited 01/01/2020
Her clansmen always said that Konohagakure is a strong village filled with powerful shinobi so the war between them and Kumogakure shouldn't wage on for too long and Hinata didn't doubt it. If her mother believes it to be true then it surely must be so. Hahaue is never wrong.
Even so, the Hyuuga Clan worried for the safety of their young heiress so her caretaker, Ko was instructed to begin a gentle exercise routine in order to give her a head start and to make sure there were no complications with her chakra pool (or lack of) in the future. The more she trained, the more chakra she would have access to in the future and the faster she would be able to activate her Byakugan.
Hinata's father was pleased with her progress but the elders were not. They believed she was lacking in other areas, such as etiquette, causing the matriarch to blow a fuse. She did not appreciate them meddling with her daughter's progress, the girl was barely three years old.
Despite this, the Hyuuga Matriarch acknowledged the disappointment even she felt to a certain extent when she found out her firstborn was a girl. It was common knowledge, even for the young heiress that the council was still bitter over the fact that it would likely be a female who would inherit the leadership of the clan. The subject caused a bit of a division between the older and younger generations of the clan who had different views when it came to kunoichis (and women in general).
Between the Main House and the Branch House, Hinata preferred to spend her time among the younger members Main House who never spoke ill of her and usually let her watch their training sessions. Despite this, unlike the rest of her kin, she didn't see the members of the Branch House a lesser. Just more mean. Of course, she also noticed the exceptions to her observations such as her cousin, Neji who would smile and wave at her when they crossed paths and Natsu, the chuunin who always brought back foreign sweets for her. Lady Hyuuga was also an exception (kind of) since she originally belonged to another clan, but she was Hinata's favorite.
She was a very kind and beautiful woman, the type who would nurture an injured bird or spend leisure time in a garden, tending to various herbs. If it weren't for her equally great arrogance, she would be considered worthy of marrying into royalty.
The matriarch often reminded her daughter to not go anywhere near her garden if she wasn't around. Hinata didn't know why those plants were off limits, but always complied with the demands of her eccentric mother.
As the young heiress approached the garden she took a moment to observe the woman's profile as she tended to the herbs. Unlike the rest of the people in the compound, her mother possessed long dark bluish tresses that easily got wild if not properly maintained and pretty obsidian eyes that Hinata swore turned red every now and then. She wished to have those dark eyes herself after one of the civilian kids compared her own to the blank stare of a dead fish.
"Have you finished your exercises?" Her mother asked curling her index finger towards herself a few times. Hinata got the message and rushed over with a bright smile. She always enjoyed spending time with her in the garden because they always talked about the various plants of Hi no Kuni and surrounding lands.
"Of course! Um, you—you said I could help you...with the plants, I mean. " The woman almost imperceptibly curled her lips down as the young heiress pressed her index fingers together.
"I could use a hand, but please don't make it a habit to speak that way. I'll get you a pair of gloves," with that said the woman stood up and dusted off her simple yukata before heading off.
The girl only bit her lower lip as she started to walk around the lone garden, eyes darting around for bright colors. It served as a good distraction from her mother's words. She was starting to notice the beginnings of a stutter that is unacceptable in any shinobi clan and Hinata couldn't find it in herself to be bothered by her attempts to eliminate it before it grew any more prominent. She was only trying to help.
That flower looks pretty! As she reached out to touch it, the crunch of a broken twig snapped the half a twig in each hand. "It's important to remain vigilant to any alterations in your environment."
Hinata tilted her face with a pout. So much for having a good vocabulary for her young age, she thought with dismay.
"That means you should pay attention to everything around you, Chibi. Once you become a genin it will become a situation of life or death."
Not quite understanding the seriousness of the topic, she nodded her head, "yes, Hahaue."
As if a switch was flipped, the woman suddenly brightened up and pulled a pair of gloves hanging from her obi and passed them to her daughter who eagerly slipped them on her still chubby hands.
"I knew those would fit perfectly! Now if you could start pulling the weeds from this bed and then water the plants…"
—
As the sun was slowly hiding behind the surrounding trees giving Hinata was happily clinging to her mother's sleeve as they made their way back in the compound and to the woman's room. During the silent walk the girl noted the air was becoming increasingly cold as the moon had replaced the setting sun.
Thinking back to earlier in the day, everything seemed perfect to Hinata. She would be happy to continue working in the small section of the not very humble gardens of the Hyuuga Compound for the rest of her life if the council and her father allowed it but she figured they would be against it ("Hyuugas are shinobi not gardeners!"-pretty mucheveryone in Konohagakure).
Now that she thought about it, to be a shinobi would mean going to the Academy. Would she find mean kids there? Hinata sure hoped not. Maybe she should try to activate her Byakugan before going there. Just to be safe.
"When will I go to the Academy?"
"Well, most kids start attending the Academy when they are around five," Hinata sighed in relief, she wouldn't be going there anytime soon , "but you will be joining a bit later. You've no need of the Academy until they are past the basics."
She tugged her mother's sleeve and spoke in a rushed whisper. "But what if I need the basics?"
The matriarch scoffed and looked down at Hinata. "You won't. I will be teaching you everything you need to know."
"Ah, well...I think that's great! You're gonna teach me here in the compound, right?"
"Not me." She hesitated. "You will be instructed on taijutsu here, but I will be taking out for our training."
"Will I be allowed to?"
"Of course! Gentle Fist aside, I want you to learn fire techniques without burning down the compound." As an afterthought, she added nonchalantly, "not everyone here deserves to burn."
Hinata was aware of her mother's disdain towards the Elders and couldn't help but agree. No matter how politely she addressed them, they seemed to thrive in her tears and her mother's anger. Once she became the head of the clan, she would definitely kick them out if they weren't dead by then.
"Say, Hinata?"
"Y-yes?"
"Let's have a sleepover. I promise to bring any dessert you want!"
"Really?"
The woman hummed and and brought a finger to her chin. "Yup and If you manage to impress me with what you have learned I'll let you have a real kunai. Sound good?"
"Uh huh! Will you teach me how to use it too?"
The matriarch snickered and patted Hinata's head. "Oh yes and if we're lucky we might accidentally hit one of the elders. Pure coincidence I can assure you."