A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Cat and Mouse
As a decorated war hero and fearsome clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga knows that advantages come in many different forms. On the battlefield, advantages come with quick wits and clever scheming and brute strength. But clan negotiations are a far more delicate matter, and advantages are drawn from strategic emotional disarmament. Hiashi frowns, perspiration building on his brow as the smithy comes into view.
As the war draws near, Hiashi knows he must secure the services of a blacksmith or risk sending his clansmen empty handed to the frontlines. But as he crosses the threshold of the smithy, soot already dusting his pristine white robes, he pauses. There is a young girl expertly pouring liquid metal into a mold for a blade. She does so without any visible strain, as if she has done this everyday for many years, her toned arms unwavering in their movements. He notes the confident swagger in the set of her shoulders and thinks of his nephew.
Hiashi's lips curve into a catlike smile as an idea begins to formulate in his mind. His nephew, eighteen and still unwed out of stubbornness and a blatant disinterest in all the aristocrats that have attempted to court him, will be a perfect match for this girl. The daughter of the blacksmith, Hiashi smirks, will be his leverage.
The girl's father comes to receive him then, bowing deeply and ushering him to the back room he uses as an office.
"Forgive me for keeping you waiting," the blacksmith begins, but Hiashi waves away his apology. He is eager for these negotiations to be finished and asks the blacksmith about the girl in the front room. "She is yours?"
The blacksmith is taken aback and answers cautiously. "Yes, she is my daughter."
"Unmarried I presume?"
"Yes."
Hiashi's smile widens. He tells the blacksmith about his nephew with genuine fondness. He is a prodigy, Hiashi boasts, and a highly sought after bachelor. But he is picky and has yet to find the perfect bride. "Your daughter seems to be a humble, resourceful girl. Perhaps something can be arranged between them, but for a price, of course."
The blacksmith eyes him warily. He has not expected this meeting to stray outside the boundaries of business. "A price?"
"An exclusive contract. You will forge weapons only for the Hyuga clan and in exchange, your daughter will marry my nephew."
The blacksmith's eyebrows furrow. He is a novice in making these types of wagers and he chooses his words carefully.
"Why my daughter? She has not been bred for a life of nobility."
Hiashi laughs, a sound he rarely makes, but one that is useful in diffusing the growing tension in the room. Laughter always disarms. "My nephew has no desire for a traditional wife. I can assure you that your daughter is just his type. "
The blacksmith considers this silently, and Hiashi's eyes narrow as if he were examining the armor of an opponent. But the tension in the blacksmith's shoulders tells Hiashi he has found his opponent's weakness, and only a little more pressure will break him.
"It will be best not only for her safety during the war, but also for her future," Hiashi pushes.
But the blacksmith says nothing more and Hiashi knows that he will have to tread carefully. "I will come back in a few days time, and we can negotiate further. I urge you to seriously consider my offer. It is one you and your daughter will never receive again."
As Hiashi walks down the path to where his escort awaits, he looks back once, and catches the blacksmith watching him from the door of the smithy, anxiously wringing his hands like a mouse that has just barely escaped a predator.
And Hiashi knows he has won.
A/N: Thank you for reading and please review!
~M.I.
