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I thank my friend lexkixass for use of her twins. As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

The late-morning air was clear and warm, and white clouds of fluff painted the blue sky. It was a fine day to be outside. Hyobe walked through the halls in search of his grandson, the servants moving back in polite deference that held little of the fear he was accustomed to seeing. Few could be so bothered on such a peaceful day, even in his presence. Failing to find the boy inside, Hyobe headed to the back training yards where Shou often practiced the early forms of jyuuken. Opening the back door, Hyobe released an almost inaudible sigh.

Naomi looked up from her place opposite Shou, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Hyobe. Following his mother's gaze, Shou turned, his face brightening as much as Naomi's soured.

"Grandpa!" Shou abandoned his frustrated instructor and hurried to take Hyobe's hand so he could drag him out onto the field. "Come watch me. Mama's teaching me a new kata today."

Hyobe obediently obliged and Naomi's lips thinned. On anyone else and in any other situation, Hyobe would be quick to remind that person of their place, but Naomi's place included that of mother to Shou and Neji, and caretaker to Hinata. Her disapproval of his actions came from a successful application of that role, and though he needn't accept it, such small slights were tolerated.

"I'm sure your grandfather has more important things to attend to," Naomi said.

On a usual day 'more important things' was their way of avoiding unnecessary confrontations between Hyobe and the rest of the family while in front of Shou, and he normally was content to wait for another time to be alone with the only grandchild who enjoyed his company. Unfortunately, Naomi's decision to work within the village had severely reduced such opportunities, and Hyobe was beginning to miss his time with Shou.

"On a day such as today, I can think of nothing better to do." He urged Shou back to the yard and sat on the porch to watch.

Naomi took a deep breath that straightened her back and raised her head. "Go ahead and repeat what I've shown you while I speak with Hyobe-sama."

Shou nodded happily. "Don't forget to watch me, Grandpa!"

With calm, even form, Naomi made her way across the yard to take a seat next to Hyobe. When she spoke, her voice was too low for Shou to overhear at a distance. "I may not be as skilled in jyuuken as you, but I am quite capable of teaching the basic forms. Perhaps it would be better for you to visit with Shou another time."

"Your continued presence in the village has made 'another time' rather scarce. It seems you and I must come to terms. I would rather not order you in front of Shou."

Naomi scoffed. "You had no trouble sealing me in front of Neji."

Hyobe glanced sideways at Naomi, a warning that she was far too close to the kind of disrespect he would not tolerate from her. "I do not care if you agree with how I treat Shou, but any division between us will be your doing, not mine. Would you have him fear me as Neji an Hinata do?"

"No," she said, looking away. "None of your grandchildren would have to fear you if you treated them better."

"I treat them according to their needs, but that is immaterial. I have been respectful of your dislike of me because you are his mother and the only maternal figure Hinata has, but I wish to spend time with Shou. If you are to be in the village, then we must come to an agreement. I am willing to take my time with him alone, but I expect such time to be provided. Otherwise, you will have to accept my presence."

So close, Hyobe could see her jaw clench, though Shou would hardly notice as he focused on his kata. "And I have no more—"

A sharp blast in the distance broke them from their quiet confrontation. Shou hurried to his mother, confused. "What was that?"

Deep in the village, smoke drifted into the air. Hyobe and Naomi activated byakugan, searching for the cause of the commotion. Some ways from the compound a giant centipede scuttled up the side of a building and crushed it beneath its massive legs.

"Are we being attacked? How did an enemy get so far into the village?" Naomi said, not so much of a question as a confirmation of what they both were seeing. A second explosion echoed further south, confirming their fears.

"Whatever's happening, it doesn't seem the border patrol is going to be able to handle it. They'll sound the emergency signal soon. Head to the branch house and start directing the civilians to the gate. I'll collect those in the main house. We'll start for the tunnels and escort them and anyone we come by to the shelters with what shinobi we have in the compound."

Naomi nodded and looked down at Shou. "I want you to stay with your grandpa and do as he says. Understand?"

Shou looked between them, searching for answers. "What's going on?"

"Something bad is happening, so we're going to take everyone to a safe place until it's all over. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Hyobe picked Shou up and motioned for Naomi to go. "Hurry, while the fighting is still contained to the south."

She nodded without complaint or question. Everyone knew what needed to be done in the event of an attack, and personal feelings were no longer a concern. He hurried through the halls of the main house, though most of the servants were already gathering up on their own or helping those who couldn't simply leave their posts to finish their tasks securing the house before abandoning it. Hyobe, too, had one last task he needed to perform before leaving, and he planned his route through the house to led him to his study.

Setting Shou down and ordering him to stay, Hyobe opened an old trunk in the corner of the room and placed his hand against the inside of the lid. Green chakra lines grew and twisted on the wood until a small plank released and moved away with ease. Hyobe reached inside and froze. It was empty.

That was impossible. The trunk had obviously never been tampered with, and only he could open the seals on the trunk to get to the sealing scroll.

No, he wasn't. Hinata could open it as well. Hyobe's jaw clenched. Hinata had been foolishly naive in the past, but to remove the scroll from his protection. He had no time to search the house or find her to locate it, but neither could he risk leaving it undefended in the house with enemies nearby; he'd have to rely on power, intuition, and dumb luck.

Scooping Shou up once more, Hyobe shifted his route to double back to Hinata's study. Hinata was a sentimental creature. If she wanted to hide something as important as the scroll it wouldn't be in her bedroom, it would be among her mother's and father's possessions. Hyobe activated byakugan and prayed she wasn't stupid as well as foolish. Gathering chakra from the invisible seals that marked him as a clan head, past or present, Hyobe released it in one large burst evenly distributed through his body.

Green veins of chakra glowed bright over the bookshelf in the wall, long threads that turned shelves and trinkets and books into a protective seal. Hyobe placed his palm against the center of the shelf and activated the seal with matching chakra. The glow began receding line by line until it reached a single book, tucked inconspicuously among the rest. Hyobe removed the tome; it was one of Atsuko's texts on medicinal plants, the kind Hinata kept in her garden.

In truth, it wasn't a terrible hiding place as unsuspecting as it was and protected by the seal, but Hyobe would still have words about it being taken. There was little time left to gather with the others and get to safety, yet Hyobe needed to be certain the scroll was, in fact, within. As he attempted to open the large book though, it refused to budge. Hyobe activated the seal's chakra as before, and a new seal appeared. Hyobe swallowed, his eyes wide.

The seal that appeared over the surface of the book was not the same as the one on the shelf. The latter had been of similar construction to the one he'd placed on his trunk to protect the scroll. This seal was entirely different and far beyond anything he'd taught Hinata. To say the scroll was safe inside that book was an understatement. It would take him days or more to break through the sealing she had surrounding the book. When had she learned such powerful sealing techniques? Why did she learn them when she despised her natural skill so?

Footsteps running down the hall pulled Hyobe from his confusion. He had no time to dawdle around with questions that couldn't be answered at the moment. Tucking the book between himself and Shou pressed against his chest, Hyobe hurried out to finish clearing the main house. In a ninja village, even civilians were well trained in what to do in emergencies—it kept the death toll to a minimum—and given that most Hyuuga families had at least one shinobi in it, the clan was especially quick to gather at the gate.

Civilians collected into small groups flanked by shinobi, each a short ways from the next to avoid any one attack from connecting with them all. Hyobe, still carrying Shou and the book, was gathered near the end of the groupings to watch for an attack from behind, Naomi, being quicker to react to unknown threats, led the group to the evacuation tunnels.

Shou's little hand clutched the front of Hyobe's kimono, his head tucked against the crook of his neck. "What's happening?"

"Nothing the village can't handle. We just need to get those who can't fight to safety."

"You and Mama are worried."

Hyobe smiled. Shou was getting perceptive. "We'll stop worrying once everyone is safe in the shelters. Especially you."

"But—"

An ungodly shriek from above cut off the child now shaking in his arms. A massive bird, twisted and decayed, not a normal summons at all, swept down to the east of them, buildings cracking and crashing under the gale force from its decrepit wings. Debris soared through the skies, chunks of wood and mortar as tall as a person raining down over them. Before Hyobe could react, kunai flew into the falling debris and exploded, followed by a wave of chakra that blasted the smaller pieces back toward the emptied buildings.

Hinata perched on the edge of the rooftop flanked by Isamu and Osamu. Jumping down, she scanned the area with byakugan. "Is everyone all right?"

Hyobe nodded. "So it seems. Your timing is excellent."

One of the two young men, Hyobe couldn't tell the difference, smirked to his brother. "You hear that, Otouto? We're excellent."

It seemed leaving the clan made them no less childish in their humor. Hyobe moved to remind them of the seriousness facing the village, but Hinata motioned them forward with a command in her voice Hyobe had never heard from his granddaughter.

"Isamu-kun, Osamu-kun, the entrance to the evacuation tunnel is blocked by the debris. Clear it out before Aunt Naomi's group arrives. Try and keep the civilians already there calm."

The other brother grinned a much-too-familiar expression for talking to the heir to the clan. "Don't worry, Hinata-sama. If there's one thing we're good at, it's guarding entrances."

"Keep the doors open. I'm going to make a sweep through the damaged streets in case someone's trapped. I'll bring anyone I can find to the tunnels, or meet you there if the street is clear."

"Hinata." Hyobe shifted Shou in his arms enough for her to catch a glimpse of the book safely tucked between them. "I will be waiting for you."

He could see the understanding in her eyes, but what he didn't see was the shame she'd shown any other time the seal was mentioned. When the village was safe again, they would speak of this at length.

"I'll come," she said, meaning far more than returning this day.

Hinata and the twins separated, leaving Hyobe once more alone to guard the civilians the rest of the journey. Carefully they traversed the battered roads and fallen debris, but no other major problem arose. The twins waited above the entrance to the tunnels, their keen eyes keeping watch for nearby enemies or allies in trouble. The summoned creatures kept at their ever-increasing destruction of the village, but the young men showed nothing but the sure confidence that befit a Hyuuga. One jumped down as the last of Hyobe's group escaped underground. At haste, they would get to the shelters in the mountain within fifteen minutes or so; there had been none in their collection too infirm or injured to make quick time.

"Hyobe-sama. Aunt Naomi's group is already a third of the way to the shelters, and the tunnels show no sign of damage despite what's going on up here. We've been scanning the area continuously and don't see anyone else coming. Hinata-sama is on her way back alone. If you don't need us to hold the entrance, we'll meet back up with her and head to the east to search the rubble for survivors."

Hyobe nodded. The destruction was reaching a level that only byakugan or other trackers would be able to search through. It would also be a relief to have someone with Hinata. If she should die, the clan would be thrown into turmoil far worse than when Hiashi died, or perhaps, Hyobe loathed to admit, it would be he who would suffer more. He would not lose merely the heir and his grandchild, but in restoring the main house line, he would lose another, the only one who actually smiled when he entered a room. Hyobe's grip on Shou tightened. He did not want to lose so much.

"Naomi and I will join you as soon as the civilians are safe," Hyobe said, shaking off his fear. "With Hizashi and Neji gone, it will be up to us to represent the Hyuuga name in this battle."

The young man bowed before spiriting away, his brother following in a blur. The civilians moved quickly once in the safety of the tunnels, though gazes often turned upward as the battle above rumbled through the earthen ceiling. Process slowed again as their tunnel began merging with others throughout the village, but that meant they were close to the mountain shelters, and Hyobe used that comfort to ease his anxious need to defend his home.

Finally, Naomi appeared in his sight. She stood sentinel at the entrance to the shelter seeing to it that all who'd been in their company arrived.

"No casualties among those we brought," she said once he was near. "And there's already a full compliment here to protect the civilians. We're free to return to the village. Osamu said you saw Hinata. Is she all right?"

Hyobe nodded, scanning the group for the person he needed. "She left to search for stranglers. Those two, the twins, they went to join her in searching the damaged section to the east of the tunnels. I told them we'd join them there."

Shou tugged at Hyobe's collar, his pale eyes wide with worry. "You're leaving me?"

Finding his target, Hyobe gestured for Naomi to retrieve Shou's caretaker, Miki, which she quickly obliged. "We must protect the village with the others fighting right now, such as Hinata. We cannot leave her out there alone."

"No!" Shou demanded, burying his head against Hyobe's chest. "Don't go!"

"Shou," Hyobe said in a voice of authority he rarely used with the young boy. "We must, but you have a very important duty while I'm gone. No one else in the clan can do it, so I need you to stay strong. Can you?"

Cautiously, Shou looked up, childish desire filling his frightened face. "I have a duty?"

"You do." Hyobe urged the book between them into Shou's too-small arms. "This is a very important book. You must keep it safe and let no one take it from you. Can you do that? Can you protect this book?"

Shou wrapped his arms around it as though it were both charge and shield. After a moment's silence, he nodded. "I'll keep it safe."

"Good. Don't ever let it go." With Naomi's return, Hyobe handed Shou off to Miki, a little awkwardly as the boy refused to release the book even to hold on. It was better this way. Both of the things Hyobe needed to protect would be together, and if the civilians ended up under attack, then there might not be a village or clan left at that point to fight for.

For speed's sake, they traveled back through the same tunnels that had brought them to the shelters. By now almost all of the civilians should have been safely there or near the end of the tunnels, which made their path fairly clear, and backtracking allowed them to come out closer to where Hinata and the others should have gone. Both of them scanned the area until Naomi caught sight of her niece and nephews to the north at the aid of shinobi trapped by the impaled centipede.

It was difficult to run through the village in such a state. It had only been a few years since the attack from Suna left them devastated, and here, these unknown enemies had done as much damage is far less time. What would a prolonged conflict turn their home into?

Under his clear sight, Hinata's coil system burned bright and strong. She'd removed the suppression tags already, though with this level of enemy that was hardly surprising. What shocked him was how steady her face showed under his scrutiny. There was no hesitation in thought or movement, no doubt sneaking in after a failed attack. Hyobe had known her confidence had improved considerably since successfully learning the kaiten, but this was his first chance to see that in practice.

Just as Hyobe and Naomi arrived to pull the injured from the path of battle, the centipede vanished into a burst of smoke. Grey plumbs drifted high into the sky across the village. For the enemy to retreat so suddenly was more unnerving than the battle itself.

"Does anyone see where the invaders went?" Hyobe asked as the others took the chance to tend to the wounded. "They couldn't have simply left. We weren't even pushing them from the village yet."

Naomi shook her head. "I don't see anyone."

"Look up!" Hinata called. "So much chakra . . ."

Hyobe followed her gaze to the sky near the center of the village where a single man seemed to float high above them all. The chakra burned so brightly from him, Hyobe couldn't make out the details of his face, and that chakra was growing. No normal human could create chakra at such levels . . . was he a jinchuuriki? No, there was only one source of chakra. One massive, building chakra.

"Everyone prepare yourself."

The man's chakra finally peaked, the level of power almost inconceivable, and in one massive shockwave it exploded out. The rooftops closest to him burst off first, sailing through the air for blocks before colliding with other buildings. Then the buildings shattered. Stone and wood cracked like broken glass and burst open, turning homes into shrapnel. And still it all moved, rolling and crumbling into itself.

Hyobe leapt back to stand in line with the others in front of the wounded. This was not something they could stop, but they might survive it. "Everyone together!"

All five Hyuugas expelled their chakra into a wall in front of them as the juggernaut of debris that had once been their village reached them. The twins shifted back to provide a weak ceiling as the village passed overhead. Pieces of wall tumbled as easily as kitchen chairs and children's toys, but each impact strained his fortification. The Vacuum Wall Palm wasn't meant for continued use. It was to block a single strong attack, and required a great deal of power to maintain even at short intervals. All of them were being driven back.

Hyobe's foot struck one of the bodies of the injured and, in a moment's loss of balance, the force of the impacting debris tossed him back, head over feet, over the body. Pain shot through his leg as the other shinobi, injured but not unconscious, caught his left leg before he was thrown beyond their small, safe hole. Had the demise of their home not been roaring across them, Hyobe would have heard the crack of bones snapping. Hinata and Naomi struggled to maintain the wall, their bubble growing ever smaller the longer they held it, until finally the screaming walls subsided to the still darkness of a tomb.

Byakugan revealed what the light couldn't. They were buried beneath the remnants of their village. The debris had settled into a tenuous stability thanks to the chakra wall and ceiling they'd held, which gave them all a chance to rest and breathe, even trapped as they were. Hyobe's shinobi rescuer released his grip on Hyobe's ankle, which elicited a hiss as the pain traveled the length of his leg. He would not be standing on that without the help of a med-nin.

"I can't believe what just happened." Naomi said, her voice broken by gasping breaths.

"We need to get out of here." Hinata was searching the dome around them with byakugan, her eyes more focused than Hyobe had expected. After a moment, she approached the left side of the front wall where the debris was thinnest. "Isamu-kun, Osamu-kun, get ready to pull the wounded out. I don't know how long this will stay up once I break through."

They nodded, one going to the unconscious man Hyobe had tripped over, and the other coming to aid Hyobe. He was not one to allow weakness in himself, but he conceded to the help. There was no quick exit for him with his leg more than likely broken. Naomi offered to help Hyobe's rescuer, but his injuries weren't as severe as his partner's and he was able to move on his own.

When all were ready, Hinata moved in as close to the debris was as she could. The years she'd spent strengthening her coils system—a novel idea in itself—certainly showed its improvements. Not merely in succeeding in performing kaiten, which Hyobe had feared she'd never be strong enough to master, but now after holding the chakra wall as long as she had, she still had the strength to perform a kaiten capable of expelling the debris nearest to her, effectively punching a hole in their shelter.

The roof above them shook with falling intent, but the moment her chakra receded, they swept past her into the open air above. The twin holding Hyobe nearly dropped him as the shock of what was before them settled in.

There was no village left to protect. A gaping crater laughed its empty maw in what had once been the heart of the village. Hyobe had known they were pushed back, but not even he could believe how far. He'd expected yards, perhaps a block or two, but they'd come out on the outer rim of the city, streets away from where they'd been. Everything was in the outer rim now, destroyed. Hyobe's heart stopped for a moment and he forced byakugan's sight behind them, to the shelters in the cliffside, the only thing left that proved this was once where Konoha had stood. As if protected by the hokages carved in its face, the shelters within held. Shou cried into the book still held in his arms. Scared, but alive.

He wasn't the only one crying. There beside Hyobe, the composure Hinata had shown during the attack crumbled in the wake of so much destruction. Silent tears fell down her dirty cheeks as she looked to Naomi like a child reaching for her mother during a thunderstorm. The twin holding him lowered him to the ground in stumbling shock. These children had never known true war, never suffered the devastation that consumed nations. Not even the invasion by Suna years before could prepare them for the ruin this kind of hatred wrought. Hyobe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Peace was a beautiful dream, but it never lasted. It was foolish to think they would be spared this horror.

A spike of chakra drew Hyobe's sight back to the crater below. The enemy stood near the center—Akatsuki from the coat; he could see now that the enemy's chakra wasn't at a level for mass destruction. Across from him was a sight Hyobe never expected to see again, not after Jiraiya's death. Toads the size of buildings sat like sentinels between the Akatsuki and what little remained of the village.

"Who besides Jiraiya-sama can summon toads?" he asked, not expecting an answer as he searched for the tiny blip of chakra somewhere amidst the toads'.

"Naruto-kun." The horror of the attack faded from Hinata's face and, confusingly, hope began to take its place in her expression.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Hyobe knew little of the jinchuuriki beyond the few stories that circulated the village. He vaguely remembered hearing the boy had left with Jiraiya, and Neji seemed to respect his skill, but in this situation, what could even the Demon Fox do to save them? "I fear it's too late for his presence to matter. The village—"

"The buildings are gone, but the village is still here," Hinata said, fighting every word as if to convince herself. "Naruto-kun won't lose. He'll protect the people, even if he couldn't save our homes."

"He's only one boy."

"Naruto-kun is going to be hokage one day. He won't fail Konoha." Hinata wiped the tears from her face, and the command from earlier returned to her. "Isamu-kun, find me two long, straight pieces of wood or metal to use as a splint for Grandpa's leg. I can't heal it, but I can keep it from getting worse."

Hokage? The way Hinata said it—a challenge and a certainty—was more than one who knew him only by reputation or in passing. On another day Hyobe would have questioned her further, but today was not another day, and the pain that spiderwebbed like knives across his nerves when she adjusted his leg was distracting enough.

"Can you tell me what's happening in the fight?" she asked.

Whether Hinata needed to concentrate wholly on his leg or she was merely attempting to keep his mind focused, Hyobe took the chance to think about something beyond the shrieking pain. He forced byakugan to activate and adjusted his sight to the battle below.

"The Uzumaki boy is . . . holding his own . . . with the help of the toads. His chakra is different. . . . like the toads'. Could he have . . . mastered the sage art?"

"I wouldn't put anything past Naruto-kun."

Hinata took the wood from Isamu and carefully placed it on either side of his leg. As she tied it off around his calf, Hyobe grit his teeth and kept his eyes on the fight; the mental exercise was likely the only thing keeping him from blacking out against the agony of tightening rope around damaged bone.

Naruto was more than he'd imagined. The control he had over all that power, and none of the Fox's influence yet. Watching him fight—watching him defeat one Akatsuki after another—Hyobe could almost understand how Hinata had such faith that he wouldn't lose. A jinchuuriki kept a village safe from other nations, but this was Naruto fighting for Konoha. If he succeeded, the people would never see him the same way again.

Hyobe exhaled as Hinata finished her manipulations, and a quiet fell over them, each watching the battle unfold in the uneasy silence that heralded the unknown. No matter how powerful Naruto was, he was still facing an enemy would could reduce an entire village to rubble in a matter of seconds. How could any one person succeed against that? Perhaps the Hokage might . . .

Hyobe retracted his sight and looked up to Hinata. Her lower lip was pulled into her mouth to release the nervous energy, but beneath her fear remained hope, firm hope in the one she watched. Hokage, she'd said. She believed. Throughout her life, she doubted so much, yet she didn't doubt this. In her eyes, no matter her worry, he was going to win.

Her hands fisted at her sides, and Hyobe returned his gaze to the fight. There was only one enemy left, but something was different now. The oldest toad, the one with the greatest chakra, had fallen, impaled at the end of a black rod. Until now, Naruto's composure in the fight was admirable, but he, like the children here, did not suffer death the way the older generations had. He did not know how to fight through his grief, and instead, fury overwhelmed his better sense in that moment. The last enemy's chakra spiked and Naruto flew through the air toward his waiting grasp. In a second he was pinned, another of those black rods piercing his hands. They waited, but he did not move.

Hyobe closed his eyes, ashamed of the hope he'd allowed himself to believe due Hinata's certainty. "So, it was too much for him."

"No, Naruto-kun can still win." Hinata's hands shook at her sides as denial clung tightly to her face.

"He's not moving, Hinata. Whatever those rods do, it's incapacitating him. This battle is over. No one can go to his aid. They'd never survive if they did."

Hinata was silent for a moment; her hands stilled. "They wouldn't have to."

Hyobe's eyes narrowed, a sick feeling closing the back of his throat as he stared into his granddaughter's eyes, a shadow of something he'd seen before. Something he never wanted to see again on one of his family.

"They want my body?" Hiashi's lips curled in disgust at the very notion.

Sandaime sighed. "The Raikage is using the death of his head shinobi to demand a price of equal measure."

Hyobe shook his head, his fury hidden behind a mask of indignation. "All he wants are the secrets to byakugan, just as he wanted when he tried to take Hinata. Now he insults us by asking for our head as penance for his attack."

"If we refuse, it will mean war again."

"They took a child from her bed and we're suppose to bow our heads now?"

"Father." Hiashi motioned for him to calm.

Hyobe could see Sandaime agreed, but war and loss had worn him down, especially when peace had been so close. "You're of Konoha, so of course we'll protect you if you refuse, and you're not a part of the military, so I can't ask you to make this sacrifice."

"But I am a part of this village."

Hyobe turned to his eldest son, fury turning to terror. "Hiashi."

"I will not be the one to bring this village to war again." A calm washed over Hiashi's face. "Affairs must be dealt with first. In two days you may come for my body. All will be done by then."

"You can't do this, Hiashi. What of the clan?"

Hiashi's eyes were steady with harrowing resolve. "The clan will be safer if the village is at peace with Kumogakure. Let mine be the last life this war takes."

"Hinata," Hyobe called, but her gaze was beyond his voice. She was looking back, to the faces of hokages long dead which protected so much of their clan, of their village. Her expression resolved.

There was no apology or explanation; she ran straight and sure toward the battle already lost.

"Naomi, stop her!"

The others were still pulling themselves out of the fight at his scream, but Naomi didn't waste a moment. Her feet ripped rubble from the ground as she chased her would-be daughter step for step into danger. With his leg broken, all Hyobe could do was watch his heiress run. She didn't hesitate. She didn't look back at Naomi's frantic cries. She didn't slow to consider other options. There, on her face, was the knowledge of what she had to do.

Hizashi and the others who'd come for Hiashi screamed on the floor. Hiashi stood over them defiant and furious, his hand raised. "You think I'd let Hizashi take my place?! Did you actually think I would let him die for me?!"

Hyobe looked away from his younger son. "It's the correct decision. He has the seal already. He is branch; it is . . . his duty. He understands that."

Hiashi dropped his hand and those on the ground writhed in the aftermath agony of the seal. "Send them for me again, and it will end the same. Now, Father, you either seal me or hand the Raikage byakugan, but tomorrow I will be the one to die. It is your choice to make now."

Naomi collapsed and ripped her forehead protector off, the normally faint lines marking her skin burning bright. There was no remorse in Hinata's determined expression, only the absolute authority he had spent thirteen years trying so hard to instill in her. Hyobe never thought she'd be able to use the seal without falling apart emotionally. To use it without wavering on Naomi . . . the only mother figure Hinata truly remembered . . . to not miss a step in the process . . .

Hyobe watched her, nothing more than a witness to the woman she had become. One who was strong and resolute. One who had turned that softness and compassion into selfless action. As Hinata neared the prone figure of Nartuo trapped by the black rods and inevitability, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Father."

Hyobe did not meet his son's gaze. "Do not thank me for condemning you to death."

Hiashi gingerly touched the bandages covering his forehead. "I'm thanking you for protecting the clan."

Atsuko set her tray of herbs next to the tea pot already waiting and knelt beside her husband. With a gentle hand, Hiashi wiped the tears from her raw cheeks. Arranged marriages were rarely grand romances, but in the five years since they were married, Hyobe saw love bloom between them. Quiet, unassuming love.

"You didn't have to be the one to do this," he told her.

Atusko kissed the inside of his palm before urging his hand away. "Someone else might make it wrong and you'll suffer before you die. I won't."

While Atsuko's attention fell to the mixture of herbs she set to brew, Hiashi closed his eyes and prepared himself. "I have a request of you, Father."

Hyobe's fists clenched at the thought of hearing Hiashi's last wish. "Anything."

"Bring Hizashi back into the main family."

It was fortunate they were alone; Hyobe couldn't hide the shock at Hiashi's words. "You know that can't be done."

"You can do it. Refuse to be clan head again. Hizashi could then replace me. He belongs here, where he grew up."

"He was not fit to replace you in death, but you want him to replace you in life?"

"I want to give him the life I took by being born first. The fact he wanted to take my place made me realize how far we had fallen from the brothers we should have been. If I can give back a fraction of that life to him, if I can give Hinata the uncle—the family—she deserves to help her through my death, then I beg of you to promise me you will honor my wishes."

Atsuko's soft voice broke through the tension. "It's ready."

"Father . . ."

Hyobe didn't want to answer. If he answered, Hiashi would have nothing left to keep him in this world. After a pregnant pause no one dared interrupt, Hyobe finally raised his gaze to his son's face. "I promise."

"Thank you."

Opening his eyes, Hiashi drank.

Opening her eyes, Hinata jumped.