As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Hinata waited against the wall outside the hokage's office. Much had happened since they returned to Konoha, and exhaustion was taking its toll on the new head of the Hyuuga clan. Her tired heart thumped hard in her chest, begging for sleep, but there was too much to do and learn for her to rest.

She didn't know why she agreed to deliver her message in person. A messenger with a written notice would have been sufficient. It wasn't as if what she was going to say would be a surprise to anyone. This was a mere formality.

Maybe she'd agreed, because she was too tired to argue with Neji again. Her over-protective big brother was being very over-protective and very big brothery at the moment. The concern came from a place of love, but her lack of sleep was beginning to fray her temper, surprising as it was to people that she had one at all. Hinata had managed to keep her snippiness to only Neji, who wouldn't take her annoyance the wrong way—something she couldn't be sure of with the branch family.

Neji didn't understand, though. Hinata wanted to be tired. She wanted to remain so exhausted she had no time to think. Thinking beyond the needs of the clan was her enemy. Thinking took her to places she didn't want to be or remember. Like Hizashi and her team . . . and the dream. No, she couldn't allow herself to think about anything but the clan's needs at present. The clan was her life now.

Which brought her back to the door she waited across from and the message that would solidify her fate within the village. She scolded herself for caving to Neji. She should have sent a messenger—not because she had no time, but because standing there waiting gave her time to think.

The door opened and an older jounin exited followed by an all-too-familiar face. Kakashi's mask crinkled with a smile when he saw Hinata resting against the wall.

It felt strange seeing someone who'd been her teacher wear the white coat of the hokage. As if she was back in that dream where everything was slightly off, and now she was thinking about the dream, which she refused to allow. The dream wasn't real, and she indulging in it only made things worse.

The smile she returned to Kakashi came easily. It was the same practiced smile she'd worn whenever someone talked about the wedding before the war made that moot. A happy mask to keep people from delving too deep into the truth.

Watching her, Kakashi's smile faded and he cocked his head to the side. The jounin speaking to him stopped talking to follow the new hokage's gaze. Even exhausted, Hinata read the jounin's curiosity at why she'd grabbed Kakashi's attention.

Hinata straightened her back at the scrutiny. She was the head of the clan now and had to maintain certain standards when in public. Gone was that little bit of leeway that being a teenager and a shinobi provided.

Whatever conclusions Kakashi drew from his examination of her, he kept to himself. His grin returned, and he waved Hinata into the hokage's office. "Go on and take a seat inside, Hinata. I'll be back in just a minute."

She nodded and, after the others opened a path, entered to find the office very much like Tsunade's office before Konoha was destroyed—complete with stacks of paperwork engulfing the desk. It would have been easier if it hadn't been similar. That would have given it a feeling of new and progressing. It wouldn't feel like the same place she came with her team for missions she'd never receive again.

Alone, dejected, and exhausted, Hinata allowed herself an undignified flop into a chair against the wall. Kakashi's sense of time could be fickle, and she was too tired to stand still for a long time. It could be a minute like he said, but it could also be twenty minutes if someone needed help crossing the road. She closed her eyes and the image of Kakashi in his hokage jacket leading a stiff-legged old lady by the hand made Hinata smile for real. Did he actually help people like he said? Hinata supposed it didn't matter—it was Kakashi. Maybe some things staying the same were okay.

The fatigue played tricks on Hinata's sense of time, and her body stubbornly refused to let her open her eyes again until necessary. At least she wasn't thinking anymore. There was only the chair and her body and the darkness that drew her closer. She didn't need to think in the darkness . . . only embrace it.

A clanging of metal outside the office jerked Hinata to attention, and she grabbed hold of the edge of the chair to keep from jumping up. A few deep breaths calmed her panicked heart, but with calm came awareness—something she'd let go of apparently.

Kakashi sat behind his desk, partially hidden by the stack of paperwork that wasn't tall enough to conceal the annoyed glance he sent the office door.

Hinata blinked as she processed her surroundings. Kakashi was in his office. She hadn't heard him enter, but why didn't he get her attention? Her stomach dropped in embarrassment as the answer to those questions worked itself free of her befuddled mind.

She dropped her head into her open hands to hide from the entire world. "Don't tell me I fell asleep?"

"You seemed to need it, so I didn't want to wake you." She couldn't see the smile, but she heard it in his voice.

Hinata had fallen asleep in the hokage's office. That was not the dignified Hyuuga head she was supposed to be. Wiping the mortification from her face, Hinata accepted what she'd done. It wasn't as if she could take it back. "How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour and a half," Kakashi said, still grinning.

"An hour and a half! I'm surprised no one in the clan came looking for me."

Kakashi's eyes widened in the way it did whenever he made up an excuse for being late. "Well . . ."

Hinata covered her face again. "Neji-niisan came, didn't he?"

"About twenty minutes in," Kakashi confirmed. "He was concerned, but I told him it was fine to let you rest here for a while. You looked exhausted when I saw you in the hall."

Hinata sighed and sat up straight. "There's too much to do for me to nap in the middle of the day. I should get back to the clan."

"No need to rush," Kakashi said. "The clan will be there when you return, and it's important to take care of yourself. Very little can't be put off for another day."

"Tell that to my grandfather," Hianta said with a tired chuckle. The insinuation was a lie, but insinuation better hid the truth from someone as perceptive as Kakashi.

For once, Hyobe showed as much concern for Hinata as he did the expectations he demanded she meet. Hinata wished he would treat her like normal. This sudden worry for her well-being made him less the grandfather she knew and more like the grandfather in her dream. Hinata needed to forget the dream.

"I understand the stress of others' expectations," Kakashi said, motioning to the office that was now his. "But if you don't take care of yourself, everything you do will suffer for it."

"I need to show the clan I can handle whatever happens," Hinata said with a shake of her head. "Things will get better in time."

Kakashi sighed, but didn't push the topic. "I believe you came here for a reason."

"Yes." As much as Hinata needed to say this, a knot twisted in her heart and the pause drew out longer than she'd intended. "I am here to formally remove myself from Konoha's service. I'll always protect Konoha should the need arise, but . . . but I cannot remain in my team."

Hinata bit down on her tongue to hold back the tears that threatened to escape with her words. Nothing could stop what must be done, but deep down she felt like she was being ripped from her family. Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai were her refuge from the clan—a safe, cheerful place where she never had to be the Hyuuga heir.

But she wasn't the heir anymore, and she couldn't return to the way things used to be.

Gentleness settled in Kakashi's gaze. "I accept your withdrawal."

"If . . . if you need us . . ." Hinata heard the words coming from her mouth as if it were someone else talking—a stranger who didn't know her new life wouldn't allow what she wanted. But her heart proved stronger than her head at that moment, and Hinata gave voice to the words she'd tried to bury deep inside. "If you need the best tracking team in Konoha . . . I won't refuse."

Kakashi's eyes showed all the warmth his mask hid. "I'm glad to hear that. I promise not to abuse that invitation."

Stupid. She shouldn't have said that. Right now the clan had options, but in a couple of years, Hinata's death could throw the clan into chaos. Shou had to be sealed, and with the sealing went the obvious heir to the clan should something happen to her.

Even if she made plans that Neji's future children would be next in line, if Hyobe didn't live to teach and pass on the main family's seals, there'd be no one left who could protect byakugan. She might hate the seal, but it served a purpose that kept the clan safe. That was why she wanted to change it, rather than eliminate it altogether. Until she had children, Hinata was too valuable to the clan to risk. She always had been. Why was it so hard to accept that fact?

Kakashi leaned forward and set his elbows on the desk, hands up close to his face. "How are you faring with the non-clan at the compound? You're not overcrowded yet, are you?"

"No, and we can make more room, if needed." Hinata considered all the single people who had yet to double up quarters; families were being given priority in terms of space. "We could handle six more families if anyone needs a temporary home."

"Hopefully it will only be four or five more months of inconvenience. Housing is our first priority in finishing the reconstruction."

Hinata shook her head. "It's no trouble. Actually, it's been helpful to the clan as well, having so many people to take care of the children, and Shou's made out-of-clan friends much earlier than Neji-niisan or I did. The Hyuuga are happy to support Konohahowever we're needed."

"Spoken like the head of the Hyuuga clan," Kakashi said in a serious tone, but with a smirk behind his mask. "And since we're on the topic, there is someone who needs a place to stay. Tsunade will be working on the arm for some time, but Naruto doesn't require the hospital's attention. Would the Hyuuga be able to accommodate him for a while?"

Kakashi meant it to be a favor freely given, possibly with a little matchmaking twinkling in his eyes. It was no different than when her friends came by and asked if she'd been to visit Naruto in the hospital, but the thought made Hinata tense up and look away.

Naruto was the biggest reminder of that perfect world—a world she needed to forget. Hinata had only seen him once since the war ended, at the mass funeral. She'd stood between Naomi and Neji, but when Naruto arrived, Neji slipped around to stand beside Naomi without a word. Naruto filled the empty place with his warm, solid presence. When he looked at her, the empathy in his eyes was different from when they talked about their parents as children. The emotion was richer—more real—and Hinata suspected that he grieved for the father he'd gained and lost as much as she mourned Hizashi.

Part way through the service, Naruto leaned closer and slipped his hand into her own. The casualness of his action, and the ease with which she leaned against his shoulder, brought the memory of her dream to the surface like a tsunami crashing to shore. Her hand in his felt as natural as walking down the street with him in the dream.

She should have pulled away—remembering that false life was dangerous—but the pain of Hizashi's loss pushed her closer. Hinata craved the familiar comfort just standing beside Naruto gave her thanks to the dream.

She still should have pulled away.

Hinata wouldn't make the same mistake twice. If Naruto lived in the compound, he'd have to live in the main house to have any shred of privacy. He would become a part of the household, eating meals at the table with her family—just like that perfect world. Right now, Hinata struggled to push the memory of that illusion away. If Naruto lived with the Hyuuga, it would remind her of that happiness—that freedom—every day. She couldn't allow herself to indulge in the fantasy every time she saw him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Hinata said, still facing away from Kakashi to hide her expression. "Naruto-kun wouldn't have any privacy at the compound. With so many people in close proximity, he'd be swarmed every day with people gawking at him. That already happened before we left for the war; I can't imagine what it would be like now."

Hinata settled her emotions as best she could. Those were all good and valid arguments not to have Naruto in the house. There was no reason to think her refusal was anything but concern for her friend.

Kakashi sat in silence for a full minute, his attention boring into her though she refused to glance back. When he finally spoke, his voice remained as unconcerned as usual. "I suppose you're right. The hospital does offer more protection from the village's praise."

Hinata's shoulders relaxed, and she turned back with her trained smile back in place. "If there's nothing else, I need to get back to the clan."

With a proper dismissal obtained, Hinata hurried out of the hokage's office and into the open air of the street. The cool wind and steady lull of people soothed her nerves. For a moment, she was not the head of the Hyuuga clan, but simply another person walking among the crowd. Her heart wanted to slip into the role forever.

The guilt of that knowledge broke her from her small reprieve and commanded Hinata back to the Hyuuga compound. That perfect world wasn't real, but what she felt in it was. If the clan ever learned the truth that Hinata wasn't Hyuuga—in a dream born of her deepest desires—they would never trust her to lead them. No one could find out, not even Neji or Naomi.

If she relaxed even once and let the joy of that world slip onto her face, she risked too much showing, and a clan born to read people's feelings and intents would see how much she didn't want to be with them. She couldn't let that happen. The clan was important to her. Hinata would be the leader they needed, no matter what it cost her.

How could she do any less?

With Hinata out of sight, Neji dropped down from the roof to land inside Kakashi's office. The enigmatic hokage pushed his chair back to see Neji rather than a pile of paperwork. Even though he'd known Kakashi for years, seeing the man in the white coat emblazoned with Rokudaime Hokage changed the intensity of his presence. Neji wasn't seeking advice from a senior shinobi, but instead risked wasting the hokage's time with unwarranted concerns. At least, Neji prayed they were unwarranted.

"What did you think?" Neji asked when Kakashi didn't begin the conversation.

Kakashi showed neither worry nor dismissal. "I see what you mean about something being off with Hinata, but as I said when you came to check up on her earlier, it's not surprising with everything that's happened."

Neji bristled at the casual response. "She fell asleep in your office. She turned down Naruto. I know my sister, and this isn't right."

"But that's why you asked for my assessment. As her brother, you're not objective."

"I know," Neji snapped, his temper getting the better of his judgment. Hinata wasn't the only one stressed lately. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he continued. "I know. But this isn't how Hinata deals with change involving the clan. She puts too much pressure on herself and internalizes her stress. It's not good for her to hold everything in. Surely you see that."

Kakashi considered Neji with the same infuriating omniscience that Tenten complained about when he used byakugan to read her. Neji did not like being on the other end of that situation.

"Hinata must have ways to cope with clan stress after all this time," Kakashi said.

"Her team was how she coped. They were a safe place for her to vent or escape to. Now, she doesn't have that."

"Just because she's not on her team, doesn't mean she doesn't have Kiba, Shino, or Kurenai to go to."

"But she's letting them help," Neji insisted. Why didn't people understand how dangerous this was for Hinata and the clan? "I don't think Hinata's been outside the compound except on clan business for weeks. When her team comes to visit, she refuses to make time for them. That is not Hinata."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Why are you this upset? Hinata could just need time, and her reasons aren't unjustified."

"She always has reasons, but that doesn't mean it's the truth. If she's hurting I need to help her," Neji said, which was true, but not the whole truth. He dragged over the chair Hinata had used and sat down as if he couldn't hold the answer's weight anymore. "There have always been problems between the main and branch families in the clan. My and Hinata's fathers were estranged despite being twins."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair. "Because of the seal."

"How did you—"

"Hinata told me during her training."

Neji knew that Kakashi trained Hinata in sealing techniques, but he hadn't realized how much clan business she'd revealed in the process. That saved him some time.

"Yes, the seal drove a wedge between the two families for generations—until Hiashi-sama died. Dad taking over the clan and Hinata being raised by branchers gave the branch family hope that the main family could change. And Hinata never acted like previous heirs. Our grandfather might have hated that, but the branch family began to see her as different. They're not afraid of her."

Neji paused and sorted out his thoughts. There were so many pieces to his worries it was difficult to find the right order. "Until recently, the only people who knew why my father demanded Hinata be made genin was him, my grandfather, and probably my mother, but before we left for the war, he sat me down and explained everything. He was afraid that if he died, it would all begin again."

The curiosity on Kakashi's face won out against his earlier sternness. "What would begin?"

"The division." Neji's words tasted like ash in his mouth. "It was about the time Dad became genin that he and Hiashi-sama became estranged. Dad said he'd always blamed the division on the main family before, on their power over the branch family and the arrogance that came with it. But not long after I got my team, he witnessed Hinata doing the same things Hiashi-sama did back then. He didn't believe Hinata could become as arrogant as her father, and it gave him a new perspective."

Neji ran a hand through his hair. He didn't like knowing how much his inattention back then affected Hinata, but it was necessary to remember to stop history from repeating itself. "Dad determined that the lack of freedom the heir has drives them to push away the things they can't have and choose the clan. He made Hinata genin to give her more than the clan, and it worked."

"So why are you afraid it will happen again?" Kakashi asked, and Neji wished it was easier to read Kakashi without byakugan. Did he wear the mask just to hide his intentions from everyone?

"Dad thought that if Hinata didn't get to choose when she came back to the clan, she would struggle to accept losing everything she worked so hard for. Hinata fought over and over for the right to control her own life. She may be willing to fulfill her role as clan head, but it wasn't her choice. Dad warned me she might push everything away again if she returned to the clan because of his death."

Neji looked out the open window toward home where his little sister was forced herself beyond her limits to meet everyone's expectations. "She wasn't ready to come back yet. I've tried to get her to spend time away from the clan. Kiba and Shino have tried. Kurenai has tried. She refuses everyone's help. I'd hoped it would ease my fears to hear someone outside the clan tell me I was being over-protective—that this was a normal reaction for someone in her position—but . . ."

"You've already convinced yourself it's not normal," Kakashi finished for him, not unkindly. "I wouldn't say she's acting normal as far as I know her. It could be stress or it could be something more. If pressured to choose a reason, I would trust the judgment of someone who knew her better . . . like her overprotective big brother."

Neji dropped his head and stared at the cold, empty floor. "I don't know how else to help her."

Kakashi stood and walked over to place a hand on Neji's shoulder. "You don't give up. Sometimes that's all you can do."