As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Please review.

Naomi headed for the front porch to see Neji and Hinata off for the day. Breakfast had been a rush of early mornings and late wake ups with little talk between the four of them. Getting them all together for the morning meal was difficult enough with Gai's belief that morning starts before the sun rises and the odd hours missions can take. She'd been pleased to see both her children at the table that day, even if it was brief.

Neji was already pulling on his sandals when she arrived at the front door. He spared a quick glance back to his mother before heading out. "Bye Mom, I'll be home late. Training!"

Before Naomi could call back to him, Hinata slipped around her and jumped into her sandals without even bending down to fix the back. "Sorry, Aunt Naomi, I'm running late. See you tonight."

"Have a good day," Naomi whispered to the empty porch as she closed the door behind her.

The halls were empty save for a couple housekeepers making their daily rounds. The laundry was done, the kitchen already cleaned from breakfast, and there wouldn't be any important guests to prepare for for months. Naomi walked through the polished, waiting rooms of the main house and found not a cushion out of place. It was perfectly ready to be lived in.

Naomi sighed.

She headed towards to Hizashi's office. Footsteps could be heard as she turned the corner and came face to face with her husband heading the opposite direction.

"Naomi," he said, surprised to find her there. "Were you coming to see me?"

She shrugged. "Just a visit. Do you have to be somewhere?"

"Father wants to see me to go over Hinata's progress," Hizashi groaned. Going over Hinata's progress was the nice way to say Hyobe wanted to complain that Hinata wasn't spending enough time preparing to take over the clan.

Naomi smiled rubbed his arm consolingly. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks," he laughed. An odd expression crossed his face as he looked on her, and Hizashi placed a hand on hers still on his arm. "Naomi, is everything all right?"

"Of course. I just came by to visit, nothing's wrong."

Hizashi kept his hand on hers, and his pale eyes scanned her face the way only a Hyuuga could.

"Honestly, Hizashi, absolutely nothing's wrong," Naomi insisted, almost laughing at her husband's skepticism.

"Come here," Hizashi demanded, and he led the way back to his office.

"Don't you have to meet with Hyobe-sama?" she asked. Naomi knew he was blowing whatever he thought he saw out of proportion, but the earnest worry in his eyes forced her to follow.

"Father can wait," he said as he closed the door behind them.

Once alone and away from prying eyes, Hizashi moved in close and kissed her. By itself, the open affection was enough to catch Naomi off guard, but it was also slow and tender and filled with all the love he felt for her. She knew what he'd seen in her after that kiss.

He lingered a moment longer, his eyes staring into hers. "Naomi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she repeated, but the lightness had left her voice. "There's nothing wrong. There's nothing out of place. There's absolutely nothing for me to do." She pulled away and sat down in the chair reserved for guests. There was an emptiness in her gaze as she traced the lines in the stained wooden floors.

"It was easier when the children were home more often," she continued, "but now . . . I feel like I should be decorated and put on display for all the use I am in the house. The servants do the cooking and cleaning, you have your duties as clan head, and I . . . I'm just here."

Hizashi knelt down so he was on more even ground with his sitting wife and took her hands in his. "Have you thought about going back on active duty?"

Naomi shook her head, but her avoiding gaze betrayed the truth. "I don't know. It's been so long and I'm sure Hyobe-sama would disapprove of the clan head's wife off gallivanting in the woods somewhere."

"I don't give a shit what Father thinks," Hizashi spat, which earned a genuine smile from Naomi. "What I care about is you. When we had Neji, you never planned to give up your career forever. We agreed you'd go back once he entered the academy. It's only because we moved to the main house that you didn't. Maybe it's time you went back."

Naomi couldn't deny the appeal returning to work offered. It wasn't a lack of confidence that was stopping her –Naomi had continued her jyuuken training over the years– but she understood the image of the main family. She might not have been technically main family, but so long as Hizashi was acting clan head she was by-proxy a part of it. And the main family existed for the clan. Not for the village, the clan. No matter how 'branch' she was, if Naomi decided to return to active duty it would appear as if she were shirking her duties to the clan.

Hizashi watched the silent thoughts pull her away from her desires and lifted her hands to press gently against his lips. "Naomi, forget the clan, forget my father, forget the children. Answer me, truthfully, what will make you happy?"

Naomi closed her eyes and exhaled all her doubts. "I want to feel useful again. I need to feel useful again."

"Then there's no choice to make," Hizashi said softly. "I'm sure Hokage-sama will understand there'll be times you'll be needed here, but until then go back to work and let me worry about dealing with my father. He's already upset with me enough, one more thing won't hurt."

Naomi leaned in and rested her forehead against his. Her smile was finally free of all the loneliness that had stopped Hizashi in the hall. "Promise you won't get jealous that I'm having adventures out of the clan?" she joked.

"Oh, I'll be jealous, all right," he chuckled, "but I'd rather be jealous that you're happy, than content with you being miserable."

Naomi lifted their still joined hands and caressed his cheek. "Sometimes you remind me why I love you."

"And the rest of the time?"

"The rest of the time I remind you why it's good to keep me happy," she answered with a coy smirk and a far, far too playful kiss. "How long are you willing to keep your father waiting?"

Hizashi rose up and pulled her close until her legs straddled him. "Father? What father?"