I don't know why she would forgive me. It doesn't make any sense. If I was her, I'd hate me forever. The way I treated her… the way I talked to her… the way I hurt her. I tried to kill her. I actually wanted her dead by my hands. And she just took it. She took all my abuse. She tried to fight back, but she couldn't. That's the kind of person she is- she's sweet, kind, loving; a lover, not a fighter. She's smart, even though she didn't back down from our fight at the Chuunin exams. She stood up to me, trying to prove to me that people could change. I didn't believe her. I thought that she and the Main Family would always be evil.
But I was the one who was evil. I assumed that my father was forced to give his life to protect Hiashi-sama. I believed that if Hinata could have defended herself from that kidnapper, my father's life would not have been lost. Hiashi would not have had to kill that Cloud nin. No one would have demanded the head of a Hyuuga, and my father would have been spared. She was three. How could I possibly expect her to fight off such a fierce opponent?
I blamed everything on her, all of my problems. I hated her. I loathed her. I treated her like shit. Despite my obligation to protect her, I even tried to kill her. How easy would it have been for her to stop me? To just activate my cursed seal, and remind me of my place? But she never stooped to that. She wouldn't bring herself down to my level.
And that made me hate her more. She was too perfect. Everyone loved her, or so I assumed. I knew she was weak, but I had no idea how her father felt about her. When she started her missions as a genin, he all but told Kurenai he didn't care if Hinata came back alive or not.
When she entered the Chuunin exams, I knew it was only because of her teammates. She wouldn't let them down. And I was actually happy about that. I really hoped she would die. But I was wrong, very wrong. She entered to prove to herself how much she had grown since graduating from the academy. She didn't want to prove it to me, Naruto, her father, her teammates. Just herself.
When I learned the
truth about my father- that he had made that sacrifice on his own, I
didn't know what to think. I realized I had terribly misjudged the
Main Family, but I wasn't willing to admit that I was wrong.
It
took so much time for me to get up the courage to apologize to her.
She smiled her sweet, beautiful smile. And she forgave me. That was
it. That was all there was to it.
And it made me even angrier. She was perfect. She was too perfect. She was kind, smart, sweet, beautiful. I don't know why it made me madder. I don't want her to forgive me. I want her to hate me. I want her to despise me. Then I'll know that she's actually human.
It's strange. Everyone looks up to me as the Hyuuga genius: a cool, calm, collected, ninja who isn't afraid of anything. But I want to be more like Hinata. I want to be able to just forgive and forget. I want her inner strength, her ability to love others without limit. I want to be just like her. She has a tough position in life. She has to inherit our family and deal with all of its idiotic rituals, and she plans to change them.
It's funny how strong that girl really is. If I was ever to face her in a match again, I'd forfeit immediately. Not just because I swore to her I'd devote the rest of my life to protecting her, but because I am genuinely impressed by her strength.
My teammates- I hate to admit it, but they impress me also. Gai-sensei is strong, I will admit it. His strength and speed are frightening, plus he has a strong supply of ninjutsu and genjutsu. He's very… encouraging, to say the least, but certainly a frightening personality. And Lee is a frightening copy of Gai. But I can understand why those two get along- they're both very determined. Lee will never give up, not until he's able to beat me. There was a time when I never would have imagined that could happen, but now I'm not so sure. Lee, as I witnessed at the Chuunin exams, can be a very tough person, with lots of tricks up his sleeve. It's been good for me to train with him. He makes me keep my guard up. As much as I hate to admit it, I do have to work hard to beat him. Tenten. She's beautiful, strong, and smart. It's refreshing to have a female ninja that's not completely obsessed with guys. She keeps cool, and is never willing to run from a fight. She's a very valuable asset to our team, indeed. I'm grateful I didn't get stuck with a girl who'd be gushing over guys all the time. I'm grateful to be part of such a strong team.
I believed in destiny, a cruel, awful thing. Destiny that made my father the second born. Destiny that gave me the true strength of the Byakugen. Destiny that made Hinata the "weak" one in our family. Destiny that gave Lee so much desire to be a ninja, and no talent as a ninja. Destiny had a twisted sense of humor. But I think it may work out best for our family. Hinata will be a kind leader. I'll be there to back her up, act as her strength. She'll find a way to get rid of the separate houses. No Main Family. No Branch Family. Just the Hyuuga family, which sounds much better to me.
My destiny was to serve my family, to protect the Byakugen. I've altered that slightly throughout the years. My duty now is to Hinata-sama, to make up for my years of abusing her. I will protect Hinata-sama, and consequently the Byakugen. I will make up for every wrong I have done. I will make my father proud.