I thank my friend LexKixAss for letting me abscond her twins for my story. As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Please review.
"Neji-kun, Hinata-sama, why don't you both go in and try and cheer the boys up?" Ren suggested, waving them off to a room in the back. "They've been sulking in the dining room since they got home."
Naomi watched the children disappear into the back of the house before turning back to her worn-down cousin. "The boys really didn't think they'd be separated?" she asked with just enough skepticism befitting knowing the twins.
Ren rolled her eyes in motherly exasperation. "They swore it wouldn't happen, that they were far too valuable together. They even went to the Hokage after they were dismissed today and pitched their case why they needed to be put on the same team."
"You're kidding me," Naomi laughed as Ren led her to a small couch whose occupants had just vacated. "What did Sandaime-sama say?"
"That they could accept their teams or give up being genin because all the teams had been assigned already."
"I bet that made things so much better," Naomi chuckled, not that she was surprised.
"Honestly, Naomi, I think Sandaime-sama's right. Could you imagine them on the same team? They don't need to speak to communicate with each other. Whatever poor girl that got assigned to their team would be completely isolated from them." Ren sighed and sunk deeper into the cushions. "Don't get me wrong, I love my boys dearly, but they're not 'team players'. Sure they can make friends with no problem, but they've created this bubble that works for the two of them alone, and they don't really know how to work with people outside of supporting 'them' as a singular entity."
"Well, they'll learn now," Naomi joked and received the smile she'd hoped for from her cousin.
"If their teams survive the sulking," Ren returned. She sent a long, loving glance toward the dining room. "Seriously though, I really hope they can learn to separate. Maybe if they got a little more individual identity people would be able to tell them apart. I'm half afraid they'll try and switch teams just to spite them."
Naomi wanted to laugh but the humor faded when she saw the seriousness in Ren's face. A mother's worry never ended. Naomi wrapped her hand around Ren's wrist in a comforting gesture. "They'll be okay. It'll just take time for them to get used to it. And if you figure out how to make it easier, be sure to tell me. Hinata had enough trouble with Neji going to the academy; I'm dreading when he gets a team and starts leaving the village."
"Did you ever think you'd be worrying about the heir to the clan missing your son?" Ren chuckled.
"Did you ever think your sons would be inviting her over?" Naomi replied.
"Not even if I'd married Hizashi myself," Ren answered. The mirth left her face as she surveyed the morose guests standing around talking in her living room. "I did my best to thin the invites when they told me she was coming, but it doesn't look like it helped much."
Naomi followed her cousin's gaze. A stillness permeated the room that hadn't been there when they'd arrived. It had been subdued, but now the people were tense. She could see it in the strained muscles in their neck that held their posture stiff, the way their eyes narrowed when they passed the dining room, the downcast gazes and low grimaces as they spoke of something –someone– that disgusted them. The part of Naomi that was a mother, that would always see Hinata as family, bristled with a protective instinct blatant in her white eyes, but that was as far as it reached. She couldn't condemn them for the very things she'd done only five years earlier. The clan wasn't going to change simply because she had.
Naomi sighed and took a moment to tuck away any lingering agitation. "It's all right, Ren. If you refused to invite anyone with a grievance against the main family no one would've come."
It was Ren's turn to offer a comforting hand. "It's still amazes me how much my boys adore her, though. It's the branch's duty to protect the main family, but those two would protect her in a heartbeat. The rest of the main family, I don't know, but to Hinata-sama there's not even the thought of ill will."
"Trust me, the feeling's mutual for Hinata. She loves Osamu and Isamu. If it weren't for Neji and them I'm not sure how well she would have handled these last five years. And we're trying to keep her from hearing too much of the troubles between the houses, yet."
Ren let out a quick, snide snort. "Good luck with that."
"We know we can't hide everything," Naomi amended, sliding a half-hearted glare at her cousin, "but we don't want it to be something she grows up thinking is normal. Hizashi once said change the way the head sees the clan and you change the way the clan sees itself. We want Hinata to have a good connection to the branch family. Maybe then things in the clan might change for the better."
Ren's eyes flashed towards the dining room but quickly snapped down to hide the pain in her memories. "The clan may not be able to change anymore."
"I used to think that, then I started raising her." A slight smile softened Naomi's face.
Ren kept her gaze away, looking beyond Naomi so as to avoid meeting her eyes. "Even if you see it, the clan doesn't. Do you know what they're calling her now?"
The smile drew back into a thin, even expression that betrayed none of the dread Naomi felt. "Do I want to know?"
"Main house mouse."
"Oh please," Naomi groaned and sunk as deeply into the couch as the soft cushions allowed. "As if she doesn't get berated enough by Hyobe-sama for being timid."
"Where do you think we're hearing this from?" Ren asked. "You know how these things get around. Those working in the main house are watching how Hyobe-sama and the others in the council react to her. They're how most over here are gauging her ability to lead by."
"She's eight-years-old. Who's ready to lead an entire clan at eight? If they'd only give her enough time, she's improving. Slowly, but she is improving." Now Naomi was the one avoiding Ren's gaze. "I just hope she doesn't hear that. Her self-esteem is tentative enough some days."
"If you're that worried about her hearing that, you better be careful she doesn't hear what else some of the clan's saying."
Naomi rubbed her temple. She didn't used to have to hear all the gossip after it'd been circulating around the branch family, but living in the main house had cut her off from most of the people willing to backtalk the main family. That and most knew by now she wouldn't tolerate insults against her niece. "What else?"
Ren moved closer, not too much to draw attention, but intimately enough to keep anyone from overhearing. "A few have been taking note of Neji. How much more skilled his is than Hinata-sama. More skilled than he should be for his age. I've heard several people say the wrong child is heir. The fact you're living over there and he's technically only one generation out of the main family . . . well, that kind of talk is getting stronger."
Naomi pinched the bridge of her and closed her eyes to hide any emotion that dared to show itself on her face. The last thing she wanted to hear was that people were comparing Hinata and Neji. It was impossible for Neji to become main family. Even if, heaven forbid, something should happen to Hinata, Neji, like Hizashi, was already sealed and only an unsealed descendant of the main family could fully take control. At most Hizashi could remain regent until Neji's first born was able to take over. So even entertaining the idea would do nothing to make it possible, but it could do immense damage.
Hizashi and Naomi's worst fear was that history would repeat itself, and if there was something capable of wedging bitterness between Neji and Hinata, constant demeaning comparisons would be it. She was eight; she still had ten years before she was expected to take over. But how many years would it take of hearing she's unworthy, that she shouldn't be heir before she comes to resent Neji? How much longer before she learned to read it in the clan's faces and Naomi and Hizashi wouldn't be able to hide it? As much as Naomi wanted to believe that Hinata's softhearted nature would keep her from engendering hate to a boy she called 'brother,' that same nature made her so very susceptible to outside criticism.
Naomi took a deep breath and focused on the sensation of the cool air swirling in the back of her mouth and coating her tongue. If there was one thing a Hyuuga learned how to do it was hide their true emotions when they needed to (or else there'd be no privacy in the compound). Naomi turned back to her cousin, her eyes asking for an honest answer no matter what it was. "And what do you think of Hinata?"
"I wasn't sure at first," Ren admitted, "especially when Osamu and Isamu began playing with her. It frightened me to think they were so close to the main family. But if there's one thing I trust my boys to do it's be able to see through a person. And since they have faith in Hinata-sama, for now I will too."
"For now?" Naomi repeated.
"Until I'm proven wrong." Ren's voice was light, but the slight turn of her lips told Naomi the unsaid meaning. Until Hinata betrayed the twins' faith in her. Until she became the same as the rest of the main family.
"We can hop–"
The sharp crack of wood splitting snapped both women to their feet and sent them running to the dining room before the table, which had been tossed against the far wall, returned to the ground in pieces. The brancher nearest the dining room held a befuddled Hinata in his arms and quickly backed away from the fight threatening to destroy Ren's entire dining set and overflow into the kitchen.
Naomi wasn't even sure who was fighting whom, but Neji, Osamu, Isamu, and at least four other branch children were trying the hardest to beat the crap out of each other. It wasn't the surprise of the fray that struck Naomi most, but the hatred burning low and cold in her son's eyes. She'd never seen hatred like that in her child before, and since moving to the main family, she'd hoped she never would.
One of the boys fell to the ground and Naomi took the chance to break into the center of the fight. In one fast burst she expelled chakra from her entire body, knocking all of the remaining boys back.
"Enough!" she screamed before anyone could right himself to attack again. Her pale eyes leveled on each boy in turn with slow, frozen fury and each took a step back in response to her unspoken command.
"What the hell happened?" Ren demanded, her anger content to remain solely on her own sons and the dinner table now scattered in four pieces on the ground.
"We told him to shut up," Osamu seethed, his hands shaking at his sides.
"So you destroy our house because they were smart-mouthing you," Ren snapped back.
Isamu edged forward, not a full step –the warning glance from Naomi was enough to hold him in place– but enough to make Nobu, who was holding his arm protectively, to shirk back. "Why don't you tell them what you said? I bet Aunt Naomi would love to hear what you think of Hinata-sama."
Nobu looked at the ground to avoid Naomi's sudden attention, but his face remained in the same tight, angry grimace as the others.
"That's enough," Naomi interrupted before anyone else could speak. If this was main versus branch she needed to stop it as quickly as possible. She pointed to the branch children. "You four, go home now, and if one of you speaks another word before you walk into your houses I will know. Go."
The four boys slunk past Naomi and Ren with downcast eyes and loathing simmering in every forced step. The next generation of hate growing by the day. Whenever she saw that it made her wonder if Ren wasn't right. Was the clan even able to change if they raised their children to resent each other?
Naomi settled her gaze on Neji, who looked as ready to jump back into a fight as the twins did. "Ren, I'll come by tomorrow to sort everything out. For now I'm taking Neji and Hinata home and leaving the twins to you."
"Don't worry, Naomi, I'll take care of my boys," Ren replied and the twins took an instinctual step closer to each other.
"Neji," Naomi snapped, breathing in long and slow so her son knew he better be moving before she exhaled. He was. Naomi took Hinata's hand as they passed the brancher watching over her and escorted the two children home. Hinata looked up at Naomi with a questioning expression but remained silent.
"Mom–"
"Not until we get home," Naomi interrupted Neji. "You'll be explaining this to your father, too."
He scowled at the ground. "It was their fault."
"Not another word."
Naomi had a suspicion their efforts to shield Hinata from much of the clan problems just flew out the window. She didn't know what could produce such hate in her son, but for any Hyuuga it could only be one thing. But what happened? And which side was he on? Until Hinata was safely away she didn't want Neji saying too much.
They walked in silence until the moment the door slid closed behind them. Naomi gently pushed Hinata forward. "Hinata, go tell Uncle Hizashi to meet us in the sitting room, and then I want you to go to your study and wait for me. All right?"
"Yes, Aunt Naomi," she murmured in a barely audible voice and hurried off.
Naomi warned Neji before he even got his mouth half open, "Not – one – word until your father gets here,"
Neji, arms crossed, stomped his way across the formal sitting room and plopped down on one of the cushions left out for any waiting guests. Naomi kept a reproachful watch on him from her place at the door while she waited. Normally she could read her son quite well, but his anger overwhelmed any other traces of explanation in his expression and mannerisms.
The soft tread of footsteps across the wood floor drew her attention to Hizashi hurrying toward her, his face strained in confusion. He took one long scan of her countenance and matched it before turning the corner to glower disapprovingly at their son. He walked silently and, with careful, measured intent, slowly picked up one of the other cushions to set down opposite Neji. Naomi followed his example, moving with implicit thought and direction until she knelt beside her husband. Four white eyes stared down Neji in silent condemnation. Another day she would have been proud of how steady he held his ground against them. That was not the case today.
"So what exactly happened?" Hizashi asked with the quiet calm that heralded a storm.
"They deserved it," Neji answered, trying his best to mirror his father's calm, though his hands remained fisted across his chest.
"Whether or not they did, you nearly destroyed Ren's dining room in that fight. And what if Hinata had been hurt?" Naomi chided in order to inform her husband what exactly he was to be upset about. Beside her, Hizashi's brow rose infinitesimally.
"We wouldn't have let anything happen to her," Neji muttered, his confidence faltering slightly. "But it's still their fault. Osamu and Isamu warned them to shut up and then he . . ." The hatred Naomi'd seen earlier returned to her son's face, and she noted Hizashi's surprise at seeing it.
"Start from the beginning," Hizashi instructed. "What happened?"
Neji huffed out his frustration and resigned himself. "Nobu said the twins were acting like spoiled mainers, and Hinata-chan was right there so we told him to shut up, but he kept going on about branch and main family anyway. So the twins told him to shut up about it since they invited Hinata-chan and it didn't matter. But then he called Hinata-chan . . ." Neji's lips thinned and he stared at the ground between them as if he could burn the wood planks from sheer intensity. "He called Hinata-chan main house mouse, right in front of her. We couldn't just let him say that and do nothing."
Hizashi glanced at Naomi before Neji raised his head to see, and she answered with an affirmative, 'I'll explain later' nod. Hizashi waited for Neji to settle himself again, which took less time than Naomi expected; he'd never tried so hard to act mature in front of them before.
"Neji," Hizashi started, picking his words carefully, "what do you understand about the problems between the houses?"
Neji hesitated, and Naomi could see the confusion in his eyes. They'd mentioned aspects to him, things he couldn't get away from understanding being branch, but they'd moved to the main house before he was old enough to understand it all. They'd never had a proper, serious conversation about the reasons for all the bitterness between the houses with either of the children.
"Well, the branch house doesn't like it that they have to have the seal," Neji explained as best he could, "and that only the main family gets to learn all the powerful techniques."
"And that the branch is bound by clan law to protect the main family," Hizashi added. "There are generations of resentment growing between the houses because of those reasons. You can't fight everyone in the branch family who insults the main family or you'll be fighting the entire clan."
"But he did it in front of her, can't I fight then?" Neji muttered, clearly unhappy at their explanation.
"Neji, you can't be her shield forever," Naomi warned. "She has to learn to handle what the clan is going to say, how they're going to see her. If you, or even we, fight her battles for her, she'll remain the main house mouse in their eyes. Someone unfit to lead. And if they see her as weak, they'll fear her as their leader."
"But she'll have Dad and you to help her until she learns," Neji insisted.
Hizashi shook his head and waited until Neji's whole focus returned to him. "Neji, that's not why they'll fear her. They'll fear that a leader who can't command will keep control through the seal. Whether you like it or not, you need to accept the fact that Hinata not only has the power but the right to inflict pain on any member of the branch family she sees fit. Your grandfather hasn't taught her the technique yet, but the threat's there for the branch family."
"And we are branch family, Neji." Naomi closed her eyes and took a moment to clear the regret from her face. Lately, she had to remind herself of that as well.
"But I know Hinata-chan, she wouldn't . . ."
Hizashi shook his head. "One day she may. With her disposition she probably won't enjoy it, but one day she very well may use it. Even on you."
"Hinata-chan wouldn't–"
"Neji–"
"Hinata wouldn't!" Neji snapped. "I know I'm not supposed to call her it because I'm branch, but she's my sister. She wouldn't do that."
Hizashi raised a hand to silence his son, his reproaching eyes fading into something more melancholic. It wasn't the expression Naomi expected to see. The bitter resentment was gone.
"Hiashi was my twin. I was sealed early to ensure there was no question of heir, but I was still raised here with my brother. That didn't stop him from using the seal on me."
Naomi looked away, her son mirroring her actions. She had only been told of that ill-fated occasion; Neji had witnessed it. But even in only hearing, the thought of Hizashi being subject to the pain of the seal was difficult to bear. Hizashi reached over and rested a gentle hand on her arm. The tender action was enough to quell the foul atmosphere that mentioning the seal had created.
"Neji," he began again, "we're not saying this to turn you against her. We don't want you and Hinata to end up like me and Hiashi, but you need to realize there is a difference between you being branch and Hinata being main. One day you both are going to have to accept what that means. More importantly, you need to understand that you can't beat change into the clan. Only Hinata can begin to produce any change, but not if they don't trust her. She has to learn to bear their criticism and stand on her own."
Neji avoided his parents' eyes and fisted his hands against the ground – open and closed, open and closed. That he was so passionate to protect Hinata was more than they'd ever hoped for, but it also meant if history repeated itself the betrayal would be so much worse.
But Naomi wasn't ready to believe they'd made so many mistakes yet. The proof of it was before her in the form of their frustrated, angry son unwilling to believe his sister could ever willfully cause him pain. What they would be as adults was uncertain, but that they held such loyalty now was a good portend of the future. It brought a soft, quiet smile to her lips.
"Neji," she began tenderly, "if you want to help Hinata with the clan, instead of fighting others, support her. Don't be a shield or a sword for her, but be the person she can go to when she can take no more. Be the one she can show her weakness to without fear and scorn. That's what she's going to need. Can you be that for her?"
Neji finally looked straight into his mother's eyes and nodded.
"We're pleased to hear that, Neji," Hizashi spoke with a finality that told his son there would be no more debating, "but you'll still be punished for the fight, regardless of your intensions. You're mother and I will discuss it tonight, for now, go get cleaned up."
"Yes, Dad." With a short bow before standing up, Neji left the room.
Hizashi turned to Naomi properly for the first time since he saw her in the hallway. "Main house mouse?"
"That's hardly the worst of it," she answered, relaxing into a slump now that she didn't have a son to discipline. "According to Ren, they've begun comparing Neji and Hinata's skill level. Some are saying the wrong child is heir."
Hizashi pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths to process the news. "We've almost got her equal to her age level, but it'll look like nothing if they're comparing her to Neji. He has an exceptional ability to learn and understand jyuuken. It's ridiculous to compare him to anyone close to his age."
"I know that, but the fact is they are comparing him to her, and we need to be prepared for that." Naomi adjusted her kimono and stood up so that her husband was forced to look up at her. "We need to explain what's happening to Hinata. I don't want this to be the wedge that pushes her and Neji apart."
"Exactly how much do you think we should explain?" he asked as he stood up to join her.
"I don't think we have the luxury to hide anything anymore, not if this is what the clan's saying."
Hizashi leaned in and placed his cheek against hers. It was only for a moment but the unspoken comfort was more soothing than any words he could have said. It was enough to steady her for the next conversation.
They headed for Hinata's study. After her parents' deaths, Hinata had turned Hiashi's office into part playroom, part shrine to Hiashi and Atsuko. Since entering the academy, the room had become more of a study, where she'd do her homework or read the gardening or medical books she'd recovered after Atsuko's death. Hinata hadn't been able to read them when Atsuko had died, but she'd kept them in the room until she could.
The shoji door was closed when they came to it, so Hizashi rapped a light warning on the wood frame before opening it. Hinata sat in her father's chair looking like a doll placed against the back to wait for the child's return. In her lap was one of her mother's books, though by the way her hand slowly stroked the page Naomi doubted Hinata was actually reading it.
"Hinata," Hizashi called, giving her time to set the book on the desk as he retrieved the visitor's chair from the corner for Naomi to sit in. "Hinata, we need to talk to you about what happened and why Nobu said what he did."
Hinata curled her leg up and hugged her knees to her chest. It was instinctual, Naomi knew, but that kind of defensive distancing was exactly what encouraged people to see her as meek. For now Naomi let Hizashi control the conversation; she didn't want Hinata to feel they were ganging up on her.
"Do you understand why Nobu said what he did?"
Hinata rested her cheek against her knees to avoid looking at them. "Because some people are just jerks and you can't do anything about it."
Hizashi chuckled. "While that's true, that's not why Nobu said that. For him there was a reason."
"Why?" she asked, sparing a quick glance at them both before turning her head the other way.
"Because not everyone in the branch family likes the main family." Hizashi placed a hand on Naomi's shoulder, but she knew the action was more for him than her. "In fact, most of the branch family is unhappy with the main family. It's not your fault, Hinata. These problems have been festering in the clan for generations."
Naomi saw Hinata's arms tighten around her legs. "Why doesn't the branch family like the main family?"
"For many reasons. A long time ago, the main family put restrictions on the branch family, restrictions many find unfair. Like how when I came over to live here, Grandpa had to teach me certain techniques so that I'd be able to teach you when you're older. I had to learn them then because members of the branch family aren't allowed to learn those techniques, no matter how skilled they are. Only main family is allowed to use them."
"Why?"
Hizashi sighed. "I don't know. Someone long ago decided it, and it's made many people angry. But that's not the only reason. Hinata, come here."
Hizashi waved Hinata out from behind the desk and knelt down before her so their faces were nearly level. Very deliberately, he untied the knot holding the black scarf over his forehead and revealed the green markings of the seal. Despite having one herself, Naomi found herself struggling to look directly at it without the heat of anger and bitterness seeping into her face. Hinata, on the other hand, stared at the seal with innocent wonder. It was rare for her to see it uncovered on anyone.
"Hinata, do you understand what this is?" He took her hand in his and let her fingers trace the design marring his forehead.
"It's the seal that protects byakugan if a Hyuuga dies."
Hizashi remained still as she explored the seal, doing better than Naomi in controlling what emotions he showed. "Do you know what else it does?"
Hinata lowered her hands at the tone of Hizashi's voice and shook her head. Hizashi reclaimed her hands in his own and held them securely. Naomi was amazed he was able to remain so calm with her, knowing the pain the seal inflicted.
"The seal is a way for the main family to control the branch family. It can cause great pain. Do you remember a day when your father was still alive, and I came to see you train? Do you remember I screamed out and fell to the floor?"
Hinata scrunched her face up as she thought back, but eventually she nodded.
"I screamed and fell because your father had used the seal to hurt me," he explained. "I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"Bu–but, why'd Father want to hurt you?" she stuttered, her eyes wide in horror.
Hizashi pulled her closer and wrapped one arm around her so she couldn't run away from him. "Because before I moved over here to take care of you, I was one of the people who blamed the main family for restricting us. I was jealous of the main family's freedom, and your father used the seal to remind me of my place."
"Father wouldn't . . . he . . . you're . . ." Tears threatened to overflow Hinata's white eyes as she fumbled to get her thoughts out. Naomi hadn't wanted to destroy Hinata's fairytale image of her father, but they didn't have a choice if they were going to make her understand.
"Hinata," Hizashi called to refocus her, "we were brothers, but the main family often looks down on the branch. I knew when Grandpa or the council looked at us that my life was less worthy than your father's. Seeing that for so many years grew bitterness between us. By the time we'd grown up, we weren't close anymore and sometimes it was hard to be together."
What restraint Hinata'd held onto to keep the tears from falling vanished under the flood of emotions attacking her fair face. Fear, confusion, disbelief, if one was more powerful than the other Naomi's trained eye couldn't see it. Hizashi cradled the frightened girl against him and let her cry out her fears. She took the clan problems so differently from Neji. How was she ever going to stand up to the branch family's criticism if she folded so easily to their hatred?
From within the muffled, sob-broken cries Naomi heard bits of her niece's voice break through. "Ne– . . . Neji and . . . hate me . . ."
Hizashi pushed her back so that she could see him and wiped her cheeks clean. "Neji loves you and so do we. We don't want what happened to me and your father to happen to you and Neji, that's why we're explaining this to you. It's going to be much harder to avoid hearing what the clan thinks. The fact is, Neji is much more skilled than you, and I'm afraid even though you've improved so much over the years, the clan is going to see you as weak compared to him. I know how hard it is to hear you're worth less than your brother, and if you don't want to lose what you and Neji have, you have to become strong enough to face those voices."
"But . . . I'm not . . . strong," Hinata wept.
"There are many kinds of strength, Hinata," Naomi said, reaching out to take one of Hinata's hands from Hizashi. "Neji is physically strong and he's strong in jyuuken. The twins are strong in reading people. Uncle Hizashi is a strong leader, just as your father was. But you inherited a very special strength from your mother, one that will make you an even greater leader than Uncle Hizashi or your father if you let it."
"I did?" she sniffed.
Naomi stroked back Hinata's hair with her free hand in motherly affection. "You did. You have a wonderfully strong heart, just like your mother. You care so much what people think, you want to make them happy, and you don't want there to be conflict. Those are great traits to have. This clan needs a leader who won't accept the problems between the houses as merely what the clan is. It needs someone who'll listen to them, accept them, and who wants to make things better. You don't want the clan to keep hurting the way it does, do you?"
Hinata shook her head furiously, which brought a small smile to Naomi's lips. "I didn't think you did, and I know you're strong enough in your own way to make this clan better. But just like you have to train your body to be able to withstand battle, you have to strengthen your heart too, because some of the things you're going to hear will hurt you. So you need to become strong enough to listen to those hurtful words and not hide from them, to know that that is what you'll change one day."
"Do you . . . do you really think I can be strong enough?" she asked. The crying had stopped, but her voice was still so very frail it surprised Naomi she heard it at all.
Hizashi stole back the hand Naomi had claimed and pulled Hinata so that she was forced to look him in the eyes. "Sometimes, Hinata, it's not a matter of can you. For you it's a matter of you must be. You must be strong if you don't want the clan's bitterness to become yours, and it's not enough to simply endure on your own. You must make the clan believe it too, because if they don't believe you're strong, you'll never change them."
Hinata curled into Hizashi's embrace, calmed but still unsure. The frown on her pretty face was enough to make Naomi's heart ache. "Will you . . . will you stay with me even if everyone else hates me?"
"Of course we will," Naomi assured her. "As long as you need us we'll be here for you. But we know you can do great things for this clan, if only you start to believe it."
She buried her face into Hizashi's shoulder and held on with all her might. "I–I'll try."