Chapter 4
Hiashi left his daughters for a late breakfast they enjoyed in the inner garden of their late mother's. He did so with a great reluctance, but the duty was calling. It put some ease at his stressed heart that the sisters got along so well.
He overheard them talk about some shopping they did the other day. He wished he had misheard listening to the ribbons, lipsticks and seducing stocking or cute lingerie in the excited voice of his spare heiress. How could she speak of such embarrassing topics with enthusiasm of this magnitude was beyond him.
Then again, he was learning each day that he truly did not know his daughters at all.
He shook his head slightly terrified by the thought that his daughters were becoming women, and the serene days of childish behaviour they manifested were not to be repeated. Even if none of his latest days were serene. Far from it.
He awaited for important correspondence from a clan from Iwagakure, who wished to enter business with the Hyuuga. He had never dreamt of such an opportunity to be possible and he would be overjoyed, if only the timing was right.
These days, he had spent on juggling his responsibilities of the Head, learning about his daughters luckily reunited after such a long time, faking his alliance with his council to postpone their vicious, scandalous and unforgivable doing to his clansmen of the Branch House which he knew they were capable of, and finally trying his best to prove to his elder daughter that he was ready to assist her in any divine plan she was part of.
On his way to the study, he heard noise just before the main gate. Curious, what had put his guards in such a distress, he went outside. He did not expect this at all.
Ko Hyuuga, the secondary guardian to Hinata, stood nervously eye to eye with legendary one and only Sasuke Uchiha. The brunette man was taller than Ko and was angrily explaining something to his stubborn family member. His jounin gear was neat and nothing out of ordinary. The man certainly wore a great deal of black, in opposition to the always-wearing-white Hyuugas.
Hiashi knew he should not dwell much upon it, but he could not dismiss the thought that this young man surely had lots of darkness in his life. He could not tell for sure if there was any darkness in him now. From what he saw and what he heard, Sasuke Uchiha was no longer a maniac trying to destroy Konoha. What Hiashi understood was that the last Uchiha was a complicated man, of complicated origin, and of miserable empty life, and none of this he put on himself directly. He was also a man without a clan, but the future leader of Konoha. And his daughter's partner in ruling this village.
The Head of the Hyuuga clan came into view and his rigid posture immediately drew attention.
"Hiashi-sama…", Ko welcomed him, stepping back from Uchiha and bowing his head.
"We did not expect you today, Uchiha-dono," said Hiashi, not bowing, but not belittling either, "How can the Hyuuga clan be of assistance for you?"
Sasuke eyed the older man.
He never understood the significance of these social games. The Uchihas were straight to the point, not beating around the bush, not complicated things unnecessarily. And his last name was Uchiha.
"I would like to speak with Hinata Hyuuga," he said eventually, ignoring Ko's indignation.
"Our apologies, Uchiha-dono, but our Heiress is confined to seclusion these days. Clan matters," Hiashi looked genuinely sorry, what shocked Ko and his co-guard.
"I don't want to speak with your heiress, but your daughter. Please do not mix clan matter with the matters of the village," Sasuke replied coolly.
Hiashi barely concealed his panic. The last of his clan or not, Hiashi could not let him spill the secret Hiashi was trying his best to hide from everybody in this clan on Hinata's request.
"Very well," Hiashi managed to reply, "If you could please follow me, I will take you to my daughter. Please remain silent for the time being, we do not wish to disturb the work of these offices," Hiashi motioned with his head closed panels, securing Uchiha's silence and their secrets for everybody but the Hyuuga council to know.
Uchiha did not say a word. He was silent enough for Hiashi to worry if he was indeed following him, or decided to take a shortcut through his rooftops.
Sasuke eyed suspiciously the broad back of the Hyuuga Head.
He could sense that rooms Hiashi indicated were empty.
Why did he agree to his request so easily? Why did he want him silent? Sasuke would never reach the Hyuuga clan if it weren't for Hinata and his responsibility for her wellbeing given by Naruto.
Looking at Tsunade and Neji these days he knew that something was going on with this clan and with Hinata Hyuuga. He did not expect to have even more questions once he entered through the threshold of this house.
Why would a war heroine be confined to seclusion like some far-away princess? Why was no one allowed to see her, even though it hadn't even been a week since she returned home after four long years of absence? Why would the Hyuuga clan Head and father to this woman appear as if he was leading Sasuke to the prison cell, instead of the beautiful garden, full of sunlight that was shown before him?
She was sitting with her sister on the blanket with teacups on their laps. They laughed serenely over something. Both wore light yukatas, their hair not bound by anything. Hanabi saw them first, Hinata had her back turned to their way.
The younger Hyuuga did not conceal her shock, when she saw two men enter the garden. Hanabi's reaction alarmed Hinata enough to turn her head in their direction. She also could not hide her surprise, even though Hiashi and Sasuke saw her calculating sight immediately.
"Father…?" she asked for explanation, eyeing both of them.
"Sorry for imposing on you, Hyuuga. I thought we could talk and make some appointments…" she stood up fluidly, and Sasuke lost his way of thought for a moment. He started explaining himself, before he could stop himself.
She smiled a little and came closer to him. He noticed her smile did not reach her eyes. Something was very wrong. Then it hit him, what she said during the meeting with Kages. The Hyuuga council were plotting something, while they were trying to make her the next head. She never denied her being in danger.
"Sasuke-kun, are you ok?" she whispered to him. He failed to notice when she approached him so closely. "Your Sharingan just…," she wanted to ask, but decided not to and continued to watch him closely.
"I'm fine," he muttered back, wondering in the back of his mind, why would he whisper with her, when obviously her father and sister heard them perfectly well. He deactivated his Kekkei Genkai as soon as it broke out of his control, "I heard from your father you are in seclusion. I need to talk to you."
How can we make this happen, without you being in trouble even though you seem to be already in deep shit? - he wanted to say, piercing his black gaze through her soul, desperate to reach her.
He found her eyes mesmerizing. They were flooded with the sunlight, but it made her eyes glow warmly, despite the fact that she was analyzing him. He could hear the gears running in her head.
She then took care of making some space between them and turned to her sister, who already had stood next to their father. She whispered something in her ear, making the younger girl nod and said to his father softly:
"We would need to be seen together," he heard, but decided not to read into it much.
She then came back to him and said:
"Please, let me join you in half an hour near Ramen Ichiraku,"
"Fine,", he replied and then nodded to the Hyuuga Head, "I will see myself out. Goodbye."
Several minutes later, Hanabi chatted about nothing with Hinata's kage bunshin to play their part. Neji, instructed by the Head to deliver important messages to the council members, with obvious awareness of the purpose of this task, was distracting the elders. Hiashi himself closed the door to his study, finding the hideout from the prying eyes of his clansmen.
The man sat heavily at his desk, unable for a few moments even to gather thoughts, as his daughter was sneaking out of the compound.
Hiashi could not help, but start to be impressed and terrified of what had been unfolding before his eyes, starting with a peculiar day after the end of the Fourth Shinobi War...
Four years ago, Hiashi watched with mixed feelings as his elder daughter tended to the broken hearts of shinobi from all around the world.
Soon after they ended the meeting with Kages and clan heads, he left the tent with Hinata to the medical tent. Neji was soon at their side. Hinata seemed then to see him for the first time. She cried silently and hugged him tightly. After a moment, as the three-man cell they pushed through masses of crowds wishing to take a glimpse of the kunoichi who fought together with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke to end the war. She did not say much, just lowered her gaze on the ground, watching her steps.
He noticed, her hands clenched on the orange cloak she wore. She was the bearer of Naruto Uzumaki's legacy, for the whole world to see. This was not a statement Hiashi wanted to be associated with his heiress.
When they entered the medical tent, he and Neji saw Hinata freeze on spot, noticing the pink-haired kunoichi, who also stopped and stared at her with wide eyes.
Without a word, two kunoichis had run to each other and hugged themselves tightly, bursting in tears. Neither he nor Neji heard what they whispered to each other. Before they could react, Sakura had had Hinata taken care of personally. They were hidden behind the paravan. Neji placed himself in the way to secure the perimeter and prevent any unwanted attention with his back towards kunoichis. Hiashi did the same, when he saw that dirty torn clothes were thrown away from behind.
"Neji-kun," the medic addressed his nephew when she ended tending to his daughter,
"Could you please gather some food for her?" she asked calmly, and Neji departed without a word.
"How is my daughter, Haruno-san?" asked Hiashi, suddenly feeling anxiety, watching the woman's hardening gaze.
"Surprisingly in very good health, Hyuuga-sama," she replied. "Her systems, however, are in a state of extensive exploitation. I haven't seen it with any of the Hyuuga clan members. It looks like her Chakra paths were under pressure of such an amount of Chakra, they stretched in a way, and I am not sure they will be able to return to normal. It may prove to be difficult for Hinata to focus Chakra to the level she was accustomed to. Other than that I find no injuries. And frankly speaking, I am not sure how it was possible, given she fought with the Ten Tails and the Uchiha Obito and Madara. I was barely able to bring Sasuke-kun from the close-to-death state of exhaustion. Hinata's condition is a completely different story… I'm sorry, I am babbling. This is not my best time. My apologies, Hyuuga-sama."
"Please, there is no need for you to apologise. You have my gratitude for taking care of my daughter. I, or Neji, or Ko, will remain by Hinata's side if it is possible," Sakura nodded with understanding. "Is there anything we can do for her now?"
"She needs rest, food and new clothes," he saw to the delivery of these himself. After a couple of hours of sleep, Hinata in her new, standard kunoichi uniform, after changing the regular vest for the orange cloak with black flames, skipped a few doses of sleeping pills and with unsuccessful attempts on Ko's part to put her to bed again, left the medical tent and moved straight to the giant stem of the God Tree. The uproar created by her appearance moved a great part of shinobi forces, given the wee hours in the morning. Sakura was closely after her, but even the hot-tempered kunoichi could not prevent Hinata from doing so.
Hiashi could only watch as their Hokage reached his daughter as first, in order to connect her to the God Tree. With his breath hitched, as all other spectators, he saw his daughter gather her beautiful hair to the side and kneeled at the nearest root. She touched the stem carefully, as if testing it, and then directed Tsunade to place her hand on Hinata's back. The silence around the tree was so profound, he was able to hear his daughter inhale the air as if she was about to dive into the ocean. Then, she connected her forehead to the tree, and the long ebony hair of hers was flown into the air, as if the huge gust of wind lifted it, and entwined Hokage's body, securing her person in a safe and soft cocoon of hair.
Long minutes passed painfully slow. Not a single shinobi showed any disinterest or discomfort. All waited patiently. Finally, the cocoon of long hair fell apart. Tsunade gasped loudly and cried. Finally, she laughed, as if the impossible burden was lifted up from her shoulders. This way Hinata connected an uncountable amount of people to the tree. Hiashi had never regretted not making use of this chance.
When after ten long days of barely sleeping and eating, Hinata finally left the Tree, Hiashi could not guess why her hair would grow to such lengths. The long black trail of hair followed her as she moved through the crowd, swaying in her steps.
Neji was incredibly fast at her side, and her teammates, Kiba and Shino, whom he also saw connect themselves to the Tree, gathered her hair and held them closely, while Hiashi and Ko took it for themselves to cave the path to the tent Hiashi secured to his daughter. He paled, when Hinata's knees suddenly gave up under her weight. Neji swiftly had taken her into the tent as if she weighed nothing. It was a relief, Haruno was there to help.
"Hey," he heard her whisper to Neji, Kiba and Shino, who hovered above her worriedly. "I'm fine. Just tired."
"Rest then, Hinata," said the Aburame soothingly. "We will be here all the time," he assured her. He saw his daughter smile thinly and then pass out.
Hiashi felt horribly when he saw how small and thin her hand was, held protectively by the silent Inuzuka. It spoke volumes given Kiba was usually very loud and hot-tempered. Witnessing three silent guardians, Hiashi knew he could leave them be for a while and take care of several things.
It took two days of recovery until Sakura Haruno was satisfied with Hinata's condition. When she felt better, she asked for Neji and Hiashi to come to her.
She asked a favor of her teammates to secure the surrounding, so no one could eavesdrop.
Hiashi entered the tent and witnessed her laying awake in the bed, covered in the blanket. She eyed the very old scroll, embroidered with silver strings and she clenched the orange cloak in her small fists. She had a troubled far-away look on her face. She was frowning, there was a symbol of a single sky blue drop on her forehead, the supposed parting gift from Naruto Uzumaki.
"Welcome, father," she said without looking at him. Her voice was unnaturally flat, which made him observe her with more diligence. The experience of the last battle must have changed her character significantly. She was not stuttering, even though her voice was still soft and quiet.
"Daughter," he replied shortly, as Neji joined them soon after.
She directed them to sit down at her bed and then she raised her gaze at them. Hiashi failed to understand what he felt then. For the shortest time, he saw a silent commanding presence behind her eyes. He was about to ponder on the impression it left him with, but she opened her mouth to speak:
"In the morning, I will summon the White Divine Tiger to take me with them, as Naruto said. Before I go, I need to discuss some things with you."
"Do you truly need to leave?" asked Neji worriedly. "Is it absolutely necessary? How long will you be gone?"
Hinata wanted to smile, but for whatever reason she was unable to. She looked at him. There was softness in her eyes. She moved a bit in her bed to bring herself closer to him. Without a word she reached her hand towards his headband on his forehead. It fell upon her touch to reveal a clean forehead.
Hiashi suddenly stood up as he stared at his nephew's forehead where the Cage Seal should be placed. It was impossible.
He almost missed how Hinata's eyes watered.
"You were truly dead," she whispered. And then Hiashi understood, which made him sit down again. Once coming from the dead, the seal was no longer binding him. It disappeared. He was a free bird.
"I am fine, Hinata-sama," he said in a low voice, gently touching her hand to retrieve his band. He smiled tightly and wiped delicately the single tear that escaped her eye. She closed her eyes, feeling Neji's warm hand on her cheek. She touched his hand to make sure she was not dreaming he was with her. When she opened her eyes again, she had her emotions in check and she faced Hiashi.
"We rarely see eye to eye, won't you agree, father?"
To say Hiashi was surprised would be the understatement. It took him a few seconds to reply, but he failed to deliver his answer.
"I know you have many questions. I have them too…," she hesitated, "We represent two different generations of the Hyuuga clan. I understand your upbringing to respect the wisdom of the elders and to blindly follow the direction of our predecessors, but I cannot turn the blind eye on what is happening within our clan."
"What are you trying to say, Hinata? I thought we would be discussing your upcoming departure. The council will have objections to your leaving."
"The council has objections to everything I do," she replied bitterly. Hiashi had never seen his daughter speak ill of the elders in their clan. She was entitled to her opinion, but she was never encouraged to share it. "I know they perceive me as a nuisance, but I couldn't care less about their opinion of me."
"It is not advised to act harshly against the council which is to support you and to guide you, especially when you are the next Head of the clan," stated Hiashi.
"Even if I witness their decision to enforce the directives to brand younger and younger children in our clan? Even if I heard for my own ears two days before the departure to this war that the esteemed members of the Hyuuga clan are to join the spare heiress in the hideout, despite the fact that their wisdom and experienced strategies on the battlefield would come in handy for the Allied Shinobi Nations? I won't even start on the unofficial businesses our clan is participating in."
"How do you…?" stummered Hiashi. She knew of the latest most pressing issues with his council. He was sure he kept Hanabi in the dark. She was just a spare heiress, after all. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed too soft and too timid to deal with these issues, not to mention she never attracted any attention.
"I heard the Branch teenagers speak with their parents. I saw the documents on your desk. And I was there during the sessions. I am the Heiress, do you still remember?" her voice was harsh, very unlikely for her personality. "Father, were you not aware or were you ignorant? Tell me the truth." she said.
No. She commanded.
Hiashi heard Neji gasp, his own breath hitched in his throat. Never, in his two lifes, did Neji hear Hinata use a commanding voice. The younger man looked at her as if he saw her for the first time.
Hiashi looked at his daughter. He came to the realisation, he did not know this person. He did not know his own daughter. She was sitting on the bed, her hair falling loosely on the bed and the floor, airing the commanding presence, he never expected of her. She was his Heiress.
"You are right, Hinata, we rarely agree and understand each other. I am first the Head of this clan and second the father to you and Hanabi. Neither means I am on the Hyuuga council's command." he replied coolly, which made Hinata nod to herself, as if she confirmed something. "I do not know how much you know, but I would like for you to be aware of this. The members of the Hyuuga council indeed have their own businesses they do not share with the Head, they wish to push the youngest member of the Branch family to the Cage Seal. They also try to overthrow you from your post, because your ideals differ from the Hyuuga. The idea of the clan and of the shinobi world, which I know now you shared with Naruto Uzumaki, is very much against their interest. They watched you closely from the very beginning, to determine whether you would be their Heiress or not. They want Hanabi to take over the mantle, but we simply cannot have it. She is two hot-tempered, at times too gullible, it is hard for her to see through one's action to decipher their intentions."
"She would be too convenient for them to manipulate…" said Neji solemnly.
"Exactly, which is why I did everything I can to keep Hanabi in the dark," Hiashi confessed. "She has no idea what is happening right now, even though I am aware that it can prove to be difficult as she will be growing up. I am also trying to protect you, Hinata. I am not the best father. Take my word for the truth when I say it, I am aware of that. However, I do not know how long I will be able to keep their hands away from you. You are getting older. I can only predict, they would like to marry you off. I fear they can store something more for you."
The heavy silence fell upon the three.
"Thank you for sharing this with me, father. I am sorry I couldn't be the daughter you wanted."
Hiashi wanted to say something, anything, to prove her wrong. Her latest accomplishments, and her current self were enough to make him proud. But, he failed to express it.
"Can't you oppose the council?" Neji asked, breaking the short-lived silence.
"There is too much to lose, Neji," said Hiashi, lowering his gaze to the floor. "If the council was to learn I was against them, they would use my daughters, you and our other clansmen against me. This is the risk I cannot take."
"Which is why we must make sure they know who is their enemy." proclaimed Hinata, making both men gasp. "Father, would you trust me?" she asked.
Her question ringed in his ears. She doubted him? His own daughter did not trust him? Did this mean he failed as a father? Of course… He was rarely there for her. She have taken the mantle of the lady of the house, she was always alone. She always felt alone.
"I trust you, my Heiress. What are you thinking, Hinata?"
"The Hyuuga clan is rotting in their roots. I wish to expose them and to get rid of them. I also wish to make sure that no one will get hurt and the disease they carry with them will not affect other parts of our clan or any other. There is only one way I can think of. If you truly trust me, make sure that when I am gone, you will never show the council you are against them. We need to secure our clansmen safety at all costs. If they know you are on their side, or, they managed to manipulate you, they will allow you to make necessary adjustments and act your way. I want the council to never learn of what happened on the battlefield, or at least that I had no role into the last battle. They simply cannot know what happened."
"It shouldn't be much a problem," said Neji. "We also don't know what happened then. I asked Rookies... "
"I will tell you one day, I promise," Hinata vowed. "I also want them to never know that Neji was resurrected and that he is not having the Seal anymore. If they do, he would be in grave danger," she added. "Could you do that for me?"
Neji and Hiashi looked at each other.
"But, what would need us to do it, Hinata-sama? How long do you need us to keep it a secret?"
"I do not know when I will return. However, when I will, I am sure I could be strong enough to battle with the council."
"They wish for you to be the Hokage…" said Hiashi. He and Hinata understood everything they thought of. Matters were getting more and more complicated.
"We will worry about it, when the time comes. We still have four years... For now we need to make sure the Hyuuga clan will remain as it is, without much knowledge on what happened during this war, also regarding my upcoming investiture...," she paused. "Father, are we allies?" her voice was strained.
She acted as if she pertracted with the enemy, but there was no one else who could help her. It hit Hiashi differently, on deep levels of his being. He stood up slowly, reaching her occupied hands, but then embraced her, shocking three of them.
"We are not only allies, Hinata, we are family. I am proud of you, my daughter. I promise you that when we meet again, I will be there to help you deal with the disease of the Hyuuga clan. My only regret is, you don't trust me enough to let me bear this burden for you."
Hinata returned the hug, clenching her father's clothes.
"It is not that I don't trust you, father," she confessed in a wet voice, "It is that I have already made the sacrifice that cannot never be returned."
What sacrifice Hinata had to make, they never learned, as those were the last words they said to themselves. When it was clear, their meeting came to an end, Hinata was surrounded by old and new friends. And soon, they all witnessed in silence, as Hinata summoned the White Divine Tiger, a monsterous white creature of air-trembling purr, who collected his daughter to the unknown realm, far beyond their reach.
Now, when she returned, Hinata seemed even more distant than those four years ago. When she sent him this note via Hanabi to act upon his promise to help her in any way he could, it made him stressed heart tremble, when she still questioned his loyalty towards her.
He would do anything within his power, to help his daughter, especially if that meant the future of the clan. And he was the Head of this clan. Still.
In the meantime, Sasuke was blanketed with the shadow, moving quickly unnoticed by civilians' eyes. He watched Hinata making her steps with grace in the fresh sunlight, which made her shine like a star.
He felt better in the darkness. She belonged to the light. And those two were to rule this village; this people; this future of them all.
Black orbs never left the brunette moving in the sunlight. She was some princess, indeed. With grace and nobility she smiled and bowed a little when welcomed by citizens. She patted children's heads and talked to the elders who stopped her even if only for a second.
Then, he noticed she had her eye on him, too. When not dividing her attention to someone else, she looked with the corner of her pearl white eye at his direction. She asked him to join her at Ramen Ichiraku, Dobe's favourite venue...
Sasuke was about to disappear from the shadowed narrow alleys and vanish in the greenness of the woods, however, he stopped in his tracks, when he saw that their common friends surrounded her.
What surprised him was Ino, with a strained smile, who gave Hinata a bouquet.
He was training under Tsunade long enough to see from afar that this was a coded message of the Yamanaka clan, with purple irises visible for anybody who had eyes.
It was the message of the consent.
What was escaping him? Just who the hell was Hinata Hyuuga?
He halted and waited for the princess to finish her small talks and to join him, so he could finally learn what the fuck was happening.