Chapter Two: Homecoming

"Kakashi-sensei, are you still stopping by here every day?"

"Shien, I didn't know you were back. And yes, I will continue to mark this memorial every day I am able. Tell me, Shien. Since I hadn't heard that you'd arrived yet, I take it you just got back?"

"Yes, sensei. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're being obvious. Why aren't you up in the administration building, where you know your parents are?"

Man… I guess if this guy trained my dad, he'd have to be sharp. Well, there's no way around it. "Well, now that you mention it, I need information before I head in, and you're the most reliable source in Konoha. Not to mention, of course, that you come here daily, at the exact same time, where I can find you."

He smiled. Don't ask me how I knew, since with that mask, I'm not sure, but he did. "Always the practical one. Must be from Hinata, since a certain student of mine would have charged in anyway. What did you need to know?"

"Well…"

"Wait, let me guess. Your parents are as busy as ever, though they're fine. Konohamaru's team is out, and won't be back for a few days. The Chuunin selection exam finals are in four days' time, hotel room is hard to find. Lastly, Hyuuga Hiromi and Uchiha Kentaro are due back from a mission tomorrow… just in time to make their second Chuunin Exam attempt. Does that about sum it up?"

"Yeah, it does. And they say the Byakugan is better than the Sharingan for seeing things clearly."

"If you think I needed my Sharingan to read my pupil's mind, then you're sadly mistaken. Now, hurry along. I'm pretty sure you were expected back yesterday, since your parents looked a bit worried."

His last words found no ears but his own. Hatake Kakashi was my Jounin instructor, and by the time he said "hurry", I knew the conversation was over. In any case, with my teammates due back tomorrow, I needed to take care of a few things. For example, finding out who was going to be their third, since I couldn't help them. That, and finding out whom the examiners were going to be. Now, who says knowing high-placed people is a bad thing? Aren't the shinobi supposed to gather information?

The distance between the memorial and my dad's office passed by at a sprint, yet I arrived at the doorway barely breathing hard. Some think it's because the Kyuube decided to gift me with extra power, but there is no red chakra within me. My claim to stamina comes instead from having to keep up with my dad, throughout fourteen years of my life. Think of it as a survival trait, since if I hadn't, I probably would have been run into the ground by now.

From the entrance, you take the right, the left, the right, the right, up the stairs, bear left, pass the fifth portrait, and here's the door. I think, next time, I'll head up the outside wall, instead.

Even outside the door, I could clearly hear my dad talking. People say he's actually gotten quieter over the years. Honestly, I don't believe them. Louder than this, and Kakashi-sensei would probably have been deaf by now. Suddenly, the noise inside stopped, then footsteps came to the door. I guess Mom is in there with Dad, today. Must be serious…what the…?

The door opened, and it was, indeed, my mom who opened it. Strange, how in three months, I went from looking up at her, to looking slightly down. Behind her stood the Rokudaime Hokage, my father, and with them were…
Gods and ancestors, it looks like half of the Hyuuga house is here! I've never seen Hiashi-sama outside of the Hyuuga family compound. Neji-sensei and Hanabi are here, too. This must be serious.The next words only confirmed my dread, and they came from Hiashi, the aging patriarch. "Shien, you have perfect timing. Our conversation today concerns you, closely."

Not good. The last time he said anything like that, Neji-sensei had to stop teaching me. Clan tradition forbidding it, or something. From the looks on everyone's faces, something similar is about to happen.

"Hanabi, your aunt, is the Main House heir. Her first son turned three a week ago. In the traditions of our house, all children with Hyuuga blood in them, yet not of the main house, must receive our Seal."

"And I say that nobody will go through that pain again!" Dad's really emphatic about it, this time. I know the tone, the look. Nothing will change his mind on this, period. The others just didn't know it yet. Or maybe they did, they're known for being observant. Thing is, what could be so bad about wearing the Hyuuga family seal? One glance at Neji's expression was all it took. Whatever it was, this seal was NOT something I wanted. For that matter, there was another potential recipient on my team. Hyuuga Hiromi was Neji's daughter, and since Neji was a branch-house member, she would have to receive the seal, whatever it was. In any case, I couldn't join in effectively without knowing what was going on.

"Wait, then. Whatever it is, if it's so important that it drives the patriarch of Konoha's greatest clan into direct opposition of the Hokage, then the parties involved should ALL know exactly what is going on. That means both me, and Hiromi-chan. In any case, my teammate will soon be going through her second attempt at the Chuunin Exam, and this sounds like it might actively detract from the Hyuuga clan's representation there."

Neji gave me an appraising look, as did several of the other Hyuuga clan members. Among the bloodline of the Byakugan, this means significantly more than you might think. Suffice to say, if I hadn't been so certain that my statement just averted a major calamity, I probably would have broken under the mental pressure. As it stood, things felt like the information they got from their glares went far further than the topic at hand.

"THAT's the way to go, son!" my dad half-yelled, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere. Mom smiled that half-smile of her's. I guess this is something he's done before, frequently. "Hiashi-sama, I will have Neji explain things to Kakashi's team, but not until AFTER the Chuunin exams. Nor will you speak of any such thing unless Hiromi does so first. You don't have to consider that a command from your Hokage, but I will MAKE it one if I have to."

And that is about the most diplomatic things are going to get for about the next half-hour, if I know Dad. I'd best get out of here and go home, quick.
And so I did. Later, when my parents finally got home, I made my official report, and then finally relaxed, in a place as safe as I could be. With my family, laughing over a good dinner, catching up on recent news, and trying to get the feeling of incoming doom out of my head. While I was at it, I gave my best shot at getting exam information, anyway. What can I say? I'm loyal to my friends.

Interlude Two: Concerning the Hyuuga Family Traditions

The House of Hyuuga is one of Konoha's oldest and most respected families, and certainly they number among them several of the Leaf's finest shinobi. Among other things, they teach a unique Taijutsu style, called the Jyuuken, which is effectively only usable to its fullest extent by them, by reason of the Byakugan. However, its members are strongly bound by tradition and internal law.

For one thing, whenever a newborn heir to the main house is born and survives to the age of three, all branch-house members have a seal permanently imprinted onto their forehead, representing a caged bird. This is a secret technique, used for two things. First, the main house members can activate the seal, causing extreme pain our even death on the one wearing the seal. Also, upon the sealed one's death, the Byakugan is obliterated from their blood, hiding its secrets.

Another detail is that the Jyuuken's highest secrets can only be taught to main house members. Only one branch member as ever managed to figure them out for himself, that one being the genius Hyuuga Neji. Even having done so, he is bound to never use the techniques except in the direst of need.

The Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, has taken exception to these binding traditions for several reasons. This is no secret, since even in his first Chuunin exam, he announced to hundreds of observers that, should he become Hokage, he would end the traditions of hatred. The elders of the Hyuuga house, however, have been making a rather strong attempt to maintain their laws and traditions. Outside observers to this confrontation liken it to watching an oncoming train wreck, and the results will certainly be just as spectacular in the end.