As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.
As he walked to Hinata's study, Hyobe carefully reviewed his decision one more time. The strained relationship he had with his two eldest grandchildren made it difficult for either to come to him for help. Neji's pride increased that resistance, turning any request into a confrontation on what was best for the clan or Hinata. That was why when Neji knelt and bowed his head to the floor to beg for Hyobe's assistance, the old man listened with more consideration than he would have otherwise.
There'd been something off with Neji ever since Hinata died during the battle with Pain. Her return to the living removed the grief and sadness, but that brokenness created a desperate need to protect her. Since the end of the war and with Hizashi's death, that protectiveness was borderline smothering, and it colored all his actions and demands surrounding Hinata.
Hyobe understood that need, but he didn't indulge Neji's requests merely because his grandson asked. Most problems brought to Hyobe's attention weren't issues that needed to be addressed. Hinata was changing—that was inevitable. The weight of the clan as heir and the weight as clan head were incomparable, and she'd had far too little preparation before taking over from Hizashi. It would take time for her to adjust to her new role, and such change was stressful. Her actions were not out of line for a clan head, no matter how much Neji wanted to keep her the same girl she was before.
Hizashi's death only added to any aberrations in her behavior. They each grieved his loss in different ways. Neji focused all his attention on Hinata, in essence, taking on his father's role. Hinata threw herself into the clan to avoid thinking about her grief. Hyobe grieved in private, showing only enough to soften his interactions with his granddaughter, who needed patience as well as guidance.
Hyobe didn't deny that an edge was forming on Hinata's personality that felt unnatural to the woman. She'd appeared far more relaxed when she took care of the clan after Konoha was destroyed, and the lack of that easy command caused tension within the clan. It was the reason Hyobe always listened to Neji's requests despite their disagreements. If Hyobe saw their fathers in them whenever they fought, that too may be inevitable.
This time, Neji approached him with an unusual suggestion: convince Hinata to enter the chuunin exam. Hyobe considered the benefits of sending her away and the cost her absence would have on the clan, doing his best not to let Neji's fears sway him one way or the other. The chuunin exam might indeed give her some closure to her life outside the clan, as Neji said, but it would be a considerable time commitment away from the clan. And yes, Hinata had not allowed herself to grieve for Hizashi, but Hyobe didn't think she was ready to either.
The suggestion was not without merit, but by Neji's arguments alone, the costs outweigh the benefits. Thankfully for his grandson, Hyobe knew of one more problem such a diversion would address, and that tipped the scales in favor of Neji's plan.
Hyobe opened the door to Hinata's study without knocking. Familiar, raised voices left little doubt as to who he would be interrupting inside. Neji and Hinata stood across from one another with her desk in between, and matching stubborn expressions stared at each other, neither yielding a single concession. They looked so like their fathers that, for a moment, Hyobe's heart ached with grief for both his children—not that he allowed the emotion to show.
"Grandpa," Hinata said with a deep exhale to restore her composure. "What brings you here?"
Hyobe closed the door behind him and stepped forward to stand alongside Neji. "I'm here for what you two were arguing about."
Hinata rolled her eyes at Neji. "Whatever Neji-niisan told you, don't worry. I have no intention of participating in the chuunin exam. There's no point, and I'm no longer part of Konoha's forces anyway. My place is with the clan."
"Your place is with the clan," Hyobe said, and Neji's hands fisted at his side. "But in this case, I agree with Neji."
"What?" Neji and Hinata said in comical unison and matching expressions of shock.
"You actually agree with me?" Neji asked. Despite wanting Hyobe's help, Neji must have expected his request to be a lost cause.
Hyobe sat in the chair in front of Hinata's desk, forcing both of them to turn and focus on him rather than each other. "Not for the reasons you provided or not entirely for those reasons. I believe some of your concerns are inevitable changes that must occur now that Hinata is officially head of the clan; however, I have been watching a problem become more severe and the chuunin exam would provide the time needed to resolve it."
"What problem?" Hinata asked, her body tensed—not with anger, but frustration. "I've done everything you've asked of me. What more should I do?"
"You have done what I've asked, and in time the mantle of clan head will feel natural. But right now, the stress you're under is too much for you to handle. Every day you look more and more like Atsuko after Hiashi died, and I will not watch you succumb to the same fate as your mother. You need to take care of yourself before you become sick."
Hinata glanced away to deflect his comment. "I'm fine."
"Are you?" Hyobe's eyes narrowed on his granddaughter. "Your face says differently. Have you already been ill?"
Her jaw twitched in a desire to keep her mouth shut. "It was nothing, just a little congestion. Sakura-chan took care of it, and I'll slow down some, but I don't need the chuunin exam to do that."
"Why did you hide it then?"
"Because I knew it would worry the clan. I'm perfectly healthy now, and I'll keep myself that way. I am aware of the dangers of being sick at a time like this."
Hyobe shook his head, disappointed in Hinata's obvious lie. "If that were true, you would have gone to Yumi, not Haruno Sakura, and you wouldn't have hid it from Neji, Naomi, or myself. The fact is you didn't want anyone to know, because then you'd be forced to address the underlying problem."
"I am addressing it," she said. "I'll do better to reduce some of the stress and give myself more time to rest."
Neji scowled. "Then go out with your team! Kiba and Shino want to see you. If you're going to relax, they're the best ones to do it with."
Hinata's hands fisted atop her desk, crinkling papers into her grip. "Will you stop with that already? We're all too busy right now. I'm not going to drag Kiba-kun and Shino-kun away from their work every time I'm a little stressed."
Neji struck on another one of the reasons Hyobe chose to endorse the chuunin exam. Hinata wasn't using any of the coping methods that helped her deal with the pressure of the clan. Hyobe didn't agree that an heir allowed to be genin was good for the clan, but he would admit that Hinata being made genin was good for her, and through her the clan.
Her team acted as a release valve. With them, Hinata could escape the expectations of the clan for a short time and let go of all the emotions building up inside her. It was how she got through her first sealing and what gave her the strength to choose marriage instead of returning to the clan. She needed them, but now, when she was under more stress than she'd experienced in her life, Hinata refused to use them.
Hyobe saw Neji ready another argument and held up a hand to stop his reply. If Hinata were utilizing the help around her, Neji would be her confidant; instead, his attempts to help only served to antagonize her. After a deep breath to tuck his anger away, Neji relented to Hyobe with a terrified hope in his white eyes. Neji couldn't convince her, so Hyobe must be the one to make the case for the chuunin exam.
"Neji's correct. Your team would be the best way for you to relax, but seeing as they are not available, you must find another way to take control of your stress. The chuunin exam can provide that, while also giving you the time and distance necessary to grieve for the loss of Hizashi and your life outside the clan."
"How many times do I have to say I don't need it?" Hinata huffed.
Hyobe stared at her with the same harsh censure he had all her life when she failed to live up to his expectations. "How long are you going to act like a petulant child? You are the head of the Hyuuga clan, now act like it. Put away your emotions and look at what is best for the clan."
Hinata dropped her eyes at the rebuke. Good, that meant she was listening.
"Right now what is best for the clan is to have a stabilizing force at its center," Hyobe continued. "We've lived with uncertainty for too long. You are the stabilizing force needed, but only so long as the clan trusts that you will be there to lead them into the future. If I see Atsuko in you, others do, too. With the pressure you're under, it's only a matter of time before you get too sick to hide it, and then the clan will be afraid again."
Hyobe paused to let that last sentence sink in. "We cannot lose you, Hinata. Until you have children, the only viable heir we have left is Shou. If you fall the same way your mother did, then that would mean another fifteen years at least before we have a legitimate clan head in place. I may not live long enough to help Shou into power, which means he would have to be prepared for the seal immediately. Should I die, he would have nothing but the scroll to learn from and no support to handle his first sealing. Could you image going through that time alone?
"Now, Hinata," Hyobe punctuated each syllable of her name. "Tell me what is best for the clan."
Hinata closed her eyes and grimaced. "Securing my health is best for the clan."
"Precisely," Hyobe agreed. "Since you appear unable to do that here, the chuunin exam is an acceptable solution."
Silence grew like a thick smoke choking off the room. Hinata was clan head, so not even Hyobe had authority over her anymore. But she was young and ill prepared for the role, and that insecurity gave his words weight. She couldn't brush them off as easily as she did with Neji.
Hyobe caught Neji's questioning glance and shook his head to tell the boy to wait. Hinata needed their expectation of an answer to push her forward. If they broke the silence, the expectation would vanish and Hinata would have control of the conversation. Neji was skilled enough at reading people to understand that without Hyobe's confirmation, but his relationship with Hinata had frayed like a rope pulled too tight. Doubt found an unwelcome home in his eyes.
"I do not need the chuunin exam," Hinata began calmly, opening her eyes. "But what matters is the clan's perception of what I need, and I know the transition hasn't gone smoothly. I can see how some might be worried I can't handle the pressure. If participating will ease the clan's fears, then I'll go."
Relief swept through Neji, and he grabbed the back of Hyobe's chair to keep himself steady. Hyobe considered his grandson. He may have underestimated the severity of Neji's fears while being at odds with Hinata. The separation would do him good, as well.
"Thank you, Hinata," Neji said, smiling for the first time in weeks.
Hyobe nodded his approval and stood up. They no longer needed to continue their unspoken power struggle.
"You understand Kakashi-sensei may not allow me to go," Hinata warned, a hint of stubbornness holding tight. "I'm no longer active, and I'd be stronger than any of the genin attending. Whatever team I'm on would have an unfair advantage."
Neji smirked. "Do you think I'd go through all this only to leave that loophole open? Kakashi-sensei already agreed to let you enter."
Annoyance bled across Hinata's face. "Now, I feel set up."
"Maybe so," Neji said, "but only because we care about you."
"Fine, then you can go tell Kakashi-sensei my decision. You already took care of everything else," she said, plopping into her chair in a huff.
Yes, the chuunin exam was the right decision. Both Neji and Hinata needed to process the changes to their lives. Until they did, the two wouldn't be able to reconcile, and Hinata needed Neji's support to lead effectively.
Hyobe saw what Hinata was capable of back when Konoha was destroyed, and she held the clan together confidently with Neji at her side. Not once did Hyobe fear for her health despite the strain of losing their home and returning from the dead. That was the woman the clan needed to feel safe again. That was a woman who would not die like her mother.
Hyobe refused to grieve for one more person that he loved. He'd lost too many already.