She opened her eyes a little sleepy from the excess work from previous days. Being heiress of a powerful clan and having to deal with the damn hierarchy of the elders, when she was only 20 years old, was a real headache. Hinata, who loved being kind and caring to everyone who crossed her path, providing to all the sweet feeling of being at home, was now forced to use the cold look she had learned as an example from Hyashi, that mask should last her during the time that each tedious meetings extend.

But Hinata couldn't avoid it and she needed to play along with the elders of the clan, presenting the facade of a leader who could honor her family name.

Enough she had already gained from her experiment of moving away from the main house to the small apartment that was now her home. Oh the sweet memory, how the elders had chattered in those days! She still remembered the most famous phrases that they had dared to say during the hearing in which they were informed of this change of residence for her:

"Do you not have consideration for your reputation?" Shouted the first

-It will seem that the heiress of the clan has been banished for being a vulgar slot- said the second.

"Are we putting the good name and purity of the family's kekei genkai in the hands of a libertine?" One last daring said before Hyashi jumped to Hinata's defense. He had been very negligent in the past with her daughter, at the expense of her relationship with her, but he was not going to allow, under any circumstances, that they humiliate her any longer.

- First of all, I kindly remind you that both women of the main branch carry the special seal that allows their parents to know the state of their chastity. Seal that until now is still intact in my daughters. As a second point, we have absolutely no rule that prohibits the heirs from living on the outskirts of the enclosure, which for all purposes seems quite beneficial to me.-

-Leaving the comforts of the main family and giving a taste of the real world can be a good step before becoming a leader, and forming better ties with the secondary branch - One of the oldest elders ventured to say.

-I dare to agree with you sir - Hinata commented with a subtle but firm voice. How long gone were the days when her shyness held back her words! -I seek the freedom to fully develop myself in various fields, but especially to fully understand the reality of the people to which we belong and serve. Unfortunately, life inside the enclosure ends up being a misleading reflection, thanks to its comforts. It is my humble wish to prepare myself as well as I can to lead my people, maturing and seeking independence are more than necessary. Also, as my father has emphasized, the seal on my virginity is still intact, the more I remind you...- Hinata felt some discomfort at her next words, but nothing was going to stop her from defending her rights and her freedom - At this moment I am engaged to one of the best men that the secondary branch has given us, one that has been approved by all of you, and therefore, the breaking of the seal does not mean a fault of our customs. Without further ado, as an exercise of my leadership, I ask that if my application is going to be vetoed, it be based on reasonable criteria, beyond the simple gossip that can occur in the corridors-

At the end, a discreet look at her father allowed her to contemplate the slight smile that formed on his face when she saw her determined daughter. She knew that Hyashi had learned long ago that Hinata's kindness had not robbed her fierceness in fighting. He considered her intelligent, charismatic and praised the way she knew how to defend her opinions calmly and clearly. That day, no one else dared to raise their voice against Hinata's request and Hyashi granted her the favor of living on the outskirts of the compound, in a small apartment that she would have to pay for with her income as a ninja.

Of course, after their move the gossip did not wait: that Hinata and Hiroki were found in the room having sex, and as punishment Hinata had been sent to the outskirts of the camp until her marriage was properly carried out. Some others added that she was already carrying a child in her womb. In the face of all these comments, neither she nor her father nor Hiorki bothered to waste time and never did anything to deny them.

Unfortunately if there was one gossip that stirred her emotions to the point of completely paralyzing her. Within the same rivalry of the secondary branch of the clan, a rumor had been formed to affect, not Hinata but Hiroki, curtailing his chances of becoming part of the main branch through his marriage with Hinata. From there, knowing the eternal love that Hinata had professed for Naruto for so long, and thanks to the fame of "don Juan" that the blond had acquired in recent years, they had taken it upon themselves to spread the rumor that the Hyuga heiress had lost her virginity long ago in the arms of the hero of Konoha, in order to eliminate Hinata's chances of ascending to the title.

She thanked heaven that Hanabi was with her at that moment, and just for that occasion, Hinata did not react or reprimand her sister, after the severe blow she had dealt to the gardener who made such a comment. Inside, what hurt Hinata the most was that the comment carried an indisputable truth: that if she had had the opportunity to sleep with Naruto, even just once, she would have put aside her responsibilities with the clan, and she would have allowed herself to live out that fantasy.

"But what are you thinking, for God's sake," she chided herself aloud, as she prepared her breakfast. She well knew that any opportunity to share some romantic episode with Naruto, even if it was a bed for one night, was more than eliminated. Shortly after the sad day he had rejected her, Sakura finally agreed to try a relationship with her teammate. Of course, Hinata tried hard to hide her frustrations, and she hid behind the motto of "being happy for the happiness of the man she loved, even if that happiness wasn't with her", however, from that moment her heart melted and had filled with a deep oppression:

Overwhelmed, to see how each day the new couple was getting closer and closer

Overwhelmed, the first time after an exit of the 9 of konoha, both went to Naruto's apartment to spend the night... together.

Overwhelmed, when after a while, at the first rumor of a possible return of Sasuke, Sakura had told the blond that their relationship was not going well and they should end.

Overwhelmed, because shortly after the breakup, Naruto had changed. He now hung out with a lot of his fans, spending nights with them. He was never seen with the same girl more than a few times. All the fans knew it, the hero of Konoha was not looking for any formal relationship, because he ardently hoped that Sakura would give him a second chance.

Overwhelmed, because despite having taken several women to bed, Naruto never tried a single move with her. For a moment she had fantasized that having broken up with Sakura, her chance would appear. However, Naruto showed more interest in seducing Gaara than her. She cursed her bad luck, her lack of beauty, that she was not capable of inspiring the new don Juan of the village even for a 30-minute adventure.

Still, she could at least bless some of her luck. Thanks to the extraordinary effort to hide her feelings, she found herself being more open with the blond. She no longer fainted every time she spoke to him. She no longer did that finger play when she felt she didn't have the courage to speak to him. The conversations began to be pleasant, she felt confident even to make jokes. In their formal meetings, when official matters were discussed in the Hokage's office, they had seen considerable improvements in their communication, and therefore, they began to use the excellent combination of Naruto's strength along with Hinata's charisma in missions more she could never dream of being seen as a woman before blue eyes, she would at least be very good company in all other areas of Naruto's life.

So Hinata had turned her devoted love to a new goal, to be the leader of the Hyuga clan, among other things to eliminate once and for all the heavy family legacy that still kept more than 80% of its members as slaves. In addition, she knew that as the head of the family, she would become an invaluable ally for Naruto, the scope of the Hyuga's power went beyond the borders of Konoha, and their reputation and influence would serve him to negotiate resources, structural changes or military. .

But all of that was now in the background, she thought to herself as she dressed in the most luxurious kimono she owned. Because on this heavy day she would have to face the disaster that she herself had created with the breakup of her relationship with Hiroki. Hinata was aware that at that moment the village was abuzz with gossip about her, she knew that the elders were not happy, and she knew that she was about to lose everything she had worked so hard for. She looked at herself once more in the mirror and her face changed from her to show the hard look characteristic of the Hyuga, today she would have one of the most important battles of her life.