A/N: To my reviewers: I just want to say one thing—I love you guys. It's been great sharing this magic with you, and it's been even more awesome to keep talking about it. If any of you ever want a review or an opinion from me on anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. PM me with email me, hit me up on MSN/Windows messenger, I'm almost always willing to hear you out—besides, a lot of you have been sticking with me for so long that you pretty much deserve it... repayment, ya know?

Okay, now that THAT's out of the way...

I'd like to know if any of you still have any questions that I haven't answered in the story. If there are, I'll do what I can to get them answered ASAP. You have my word of honor.

Now, if you're ready (I'm sure you are, but you never know), lets move on in Lacking Sight with...

Interlude: Hyuuga and Uzumaki

Night had settled over the Hyuuga compound. The throng of spectators that had witnessed the battle in the courtyard and garden had been herded back to their rooms by the ANBU, who even now patrolled the property with an authoritative and tense disposition. All of the lamps and lights had been doused, and the place had been plunged into pitch darkness. The Hokage had imposed martial law upon the Hyuuga Clan.

The only place where there was any light whatsoever was in the Main House's practice hall, where Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the clan, knelt in judgment before the Godaime Hokage. Here, the ANBU had provided dim green glow-lamps, which were placed around Hiashi in a square pattern, lighting only the Head's form and nothing else. He knelt alone, surrounded by darkness.

"Hyuuga Hiashi," began Tsunade, "I come to your home to settle a number of issues that have come to my attention. As you might have guessed, some of these concern you personally, and you will be judged as the village law dictates." The Hokage's eyes could be felt burning into him through the inky dark, and though her tone was level and clear, it held the promise of doom if he did not satisfy her requirements.

"Are you prepared to accept the judgment of your Hokage and to be bound by honor and discipline to your sentence?"

There was only one reply Hiashi could give. If he had nothing else left, he had his loyalty to the village.

"I am, Hokage-sama."

"Then hear me," said Tsunade. "Upon our arrival here, it was discovered that you had fought and intended to kill Haka no Keisuke and Hyuuga Haruka, two of your fellow shinobi and citizens of Konohagakure no Sato. Over a dozen witnesses confirm this. Do you choose to deny these claims?"

Hiashi grimaced. He hadn't wanted to kill Haruka, but the blind man was part of the same accusation.

"I do not, Hokage-sama."

"Second," continued the Godaime, "The malevolent conspiracy of your Advisory Council has committed an act of high treason; they deliberately confused our counterespionage operations against a foreign invader to suit their own ends, and in doing so endangered our entire village. In addition, they have plotted the murder of a fellow shinobi and citizen of Konohagakure no Sato. Were you aware of this, Hiashi?"

The claim was a complete surprise to him. However, reviewing his past interactions with today's council, he decided that he would not have put it past them.

"No, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's gaze grew colder. Though he could not see it, Hiashi could feel it on the back of his neck.

"As a leader for your clan," she said, "Do you feel that you did everything in your power to keep your Advisory Council under control and made every possible effort to know their intentions?"

A pang of guilt shot through him. "No, Hokage-sama."

A long silence passed before Tsunade spoke again. Hiashi could feel ten pairs of ANBU eyes watching him, as well as the Hokage's cold scrutiny. He had no intention to oppose them, but the pressure of their intimidating presence was felt nonetheless.

Finally, Tsunade asked, "Hyuuga Hiashi, I am prepared to render your judgment and sentence. Will you hear it?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Another short pause as Tsunade nodded, and then one of the ANBU turned on the overhead lights. Pressure was lifted in the room as the pure, white illumination flooded the hall.

"No complaints have come forth from either Haka no Keisuke or Hyuuga Haruka. In fact, both of them have spoken to me and confessed to provoking you. They have asked me to formally drop all charges if you will agree to the conditions that they have dictated to me. Will you hear these conditions?"

Though it prickled him to have to accept retribution from Keisuke, Hiashi was tired of fighting.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade spoke them for him, reading from a paper: "First condition: You, Hyuuga Hiashi, will forbid any mistreatment of Hyuuga Haruka by any Hyuuga under your command, including both Main and Branch Houses. The penalty for violation must include the public display of all reputation-compromising items in the front yard of the Hyuuga compound, properly labeled with the offender's name, and the unceremonious dropping of the offender into a garbage receptacle no more than two days prior to the scheduled emptying of that receptacle."

The order got a laugh from a couple of the ANBU standing watch. Hiashi didn't doubt which one of them had thought up that particular condition.

"Second," Tsunade went on, "You, Hyuuga Hiashi, must make reparations to your daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, for 'numerous nameless discourtesies' done to her by your will. The nature of these reparations will be defined by Hinata herself, and you, Hiashi, will be honor-bound to fulfill them or face punishment the nature of which will be determined jointly by Haka no Keisuke and Hyuuga Haruka."

This one surprised Hiashi. Since when did this impostor of a blind ancestor care about the goodwill of Hiashi's daughter?

"Third and last," said the Hokage, "You, Hyuuga Hiashi, must acknowledge Haka no Keisuke as the true identity of the blind man whose death you sought this afternoon."

Could he accept this? There were plenty of reasons not to.

"Do you agree to abide by these terms, Hiashi?"

Yet, here was one reason to believe: the man had the best interests of the Hyuugas' children at heart. If Hiashi could believe that, then he might one day learn to believe in the man himself.

"They are, Hokage-sama," he said.

Tsunade smiled. "Then I acquit you of those charges."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"As to the matter of your weak control over your council, certain measures have already been carried out. Your Advisory Council has been disbanded, and Hyuuga Takashi has been put to death. The rest of the advisors have been arrested and are awaiting trial. We will require you to attend these trials as a key witness, of course."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Also, you will be allowed to remain the ruler of your clan, but I will be placing you under probation. Once daily and at any other time that I choose to, I or an ANBU representing me will come to call at your house. At these times, you will answer the questions that we ask you truthfully and submit to all requests to search the property. Is that clear?"

"It is, Hokage-sama."

"Good."

Tsunade signaled to the ANBU. They packed up the glow-lamps and began to file out of the hall. The Godaime left last, pausing only to speak a final word to him over her shoulder.

"My condolences for what happened to Hinata. The ANBU and I will keep all of this quiet for as long as we can, or until you choose to go public with it. The girl has been through enough; I think its only fair that she doesn't lose anything more by belonging to a clan with a sundered reputation."

With those parting words, Tsunade left Hyuuga Hiashi to his thoughts. The ANBU left the Hyuuga compound, and all became tenuously peaceful.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hinata tread the dark passages of her home swiftly and silently. She was swift because she wanted to conduct her business an leave; her cousin and her friend waited for her by the gates, and she did not wish to make them wait long. She was silent because she did not wish to alert the other residents to her presence. Hinata was only going to meet with one person here, and contact with anyone else could prove to be unpleasant.

She was not surprised to find her parents' bedchamber unoccupied. After what had happened that day, she did not think that she would be getting much sleep, either. She moved on, checking the gardens, the dining room, and, lastly, the practice hall.

At this last place, she knew she had been successful, for she passed the Godaime Hokage as she was leaving. Tsunade gave her a wink as she moved by, and Hinata took it to mean that things had stabilized. Choosing to interpret this optimistically, the young Hyuuga collected herself for only a moment before she entered the hall. Inside, she found her father on his knees, his eyes closed, lost in himself.

Hinata walked towards him, motioned to kneel before him.

"Otousan..."

"Hinata," he interrupted. "For all of your life, I have expected so much of you. In your early years, I expected too much... but that is past now, long past. I believe that you have forgiven me for that already."

His face twisted into a grim smile for a moment before he continued, though his eyes did not open.

"For these most recent days, I have expected what I had no right to expect, or even to dream of expecting from you. I expected you to kowtow to the illegitimate demands of a corrupt body that had gotten the best of me. Because of this, my poor leadership, you have suffered damage that can never be undone."

Hinata, looking at him, could see the tears leaking out from behind his tightly closed eyelids. Though he tried stoically to withhold them, they would not be held. Hiashi fell to his hands and knees, lowering his head to her.

"I am sorry, my daughter! I have been commanded to make reparations, and I will obey, but I know that nothing I can do for you will erase my debt to you."

Hinata was unused to feeling pity for her father. Feeling it now made her feel uncomfortable. She knew that she could not allow him to go on acting this way, or else the discomfort would never leave. Her father was a strong person by nature; before she left, she would see him off of his knees and onto his feet. Lifting her hands, she untied her hitai-ate and let it fall to the floor.

Hiashi stared at it as it lay at his daughter's feet. He dared not look up into her face, for he feared the sight of the seal there would eat at his soul forever. Yet, when Hinata's voice floated down to him—clear, strong, and gentle—he found that he could not refuse.

"Father, look at me," she said.

Slowly, he raised his head. Then his eyes experienced a wild series of fluctuations. First they showed confusion, then disbelief, then they moved on to wonder and finally settled on the one Hinata wanted: joy. For upon Hinata's forehead, he had seen something that he had never dreamed he would see there again.

He had seen nothing but pale, healthy skin.

"Hinata!" he cried. He leaped to his feet, running his hand across her brow as though he could not get enough of the emptiness there. "You are clean! Hale, whole, uncursed!"

"Hai, Father," Hinata said. "I have not been damaged as you thought I was. Nor will I be."

"The gods smile upon us!" Hiashi said. His eyes were awash in gratitude to those gods, and his lips were curved so far upward that his mouth nearly went vertical with happiness. "My prayers were answered. We will hold a banquet in their honor, and in yours, Hinata..."

"There is one other that you should consider honoring," Hinata said. "For he is responsible for the council's failure."

"Ah, yes," Hiashi said. "Somewhere in this clan, mercy must still exist. Perhaps one of the Branch, who had been through such pain before, took pity on you... Who was it, Hinata? I will thank him personally, and he will be revered in this house for all his days..."

Hinata's face was calm and composed as she spoke the name her father least expected to hear.

"He was not a Hyuuga. He disguised himself and took the branding in my place. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Neither of them spoke another word. Hinata bowed to her stunned father, turned, and left the room. She went back to her companions, leaving him to absorb the information in blessed solitude.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Thankfully, there had not been many people out and about that day, or Sakura, Neji, and Hinata would have had to endure the questions of the general populace as they clustered around the Hyuuga complex wondering what all the noise had been about. As it was, the trio was able to move through the night unmolested.

Still, they spoke in hushed voices to one another. None of them wanted to have to explain the entire long, complicated story to any random passerby.

"Do you really think that Naruto will be all right?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto-kun is strong. The team that the council sent to assassinate him probably isn't nearly as strong," Hinata said.

"And if they are," Neji added, "Then he is strong enough to last until the reinforcements arrive. Tsunade-sama told me that she sent extra-special aid to him..."

"No, that's not..." Sakura said. "I'm sorry. You're right, but that wasn't what I meant. I was talking about this seal that you said he has now."

"I wonder about that, too," agreed Hinata, watching her feet. "It hasn't been done to anyone who was not a Hyuuga. And the Kyuubi... I keep worrying that some horrible side effect will show up..."

"But you said that he seemed fine when he left, Hinata-sama," said Neji.

"Yes," Hinata said, "I did. But..."

"Neji-san," said Sakura, "You would probably know more about the whole process than either of us. Is there anything we should be watching out for?"

Neji considered for a moment, and the eyes of both girls lingered on his contemplative face. At last, he looked straight ahead of himself and started talking.

"As you said, it hasn't been done to anyone like Naruto before," he said, "But I can tell you what is normal, and we may judge his symptoms—or lack thereof—against that."

Hinata and Sakura nodded.

"Normally," Neji went on, "One can expect mild headache and irritation, which becomes more severe in older subjects. Occasionally, mild unexplained changes in behavioral patterns, such as lack of appetite or a mellowing of attitude, will become apparent, but this is usually temporary. Other than that, most subjects can function normally within minutes of the procedure's completion."

"He had the headache," Hinata recalled. "It was so bad at first that he could barely walk straight. Terrible..."

"But he was acting normally very quickly, wasn't he?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Hinata said, her pride for Naruto evident in her eyes, "He was."

Neji, after a few more moments consideration, offered another point. "I think that there is little to worry about at present. While the subject lives, the only function that the seal has is to bring pain to the subject when the secret Main House seal is formed. All that is needed for this function is nerve cells, which Naruto has.

"It is the effect that the seal has on the dead that I think we should be concerned about. When the subject dies, it is supposed to seal up the Byakugan ability so that its secrets are not revealed. However, Naruto has no Byakugan, so this function cannot be carried out as intended. What will happen when Naruto dies, I cannot say, but I think that if the seal will be at all dangerous, it will be then."

"Well then," Sakura said, "We'll just have to make sure that he doesn't die, won't we? Think you can handle the job, Hinata-chan?" She gave a witty smirk in the Hyuuga girl's direction.

Hinata looked at her incredulously at first, but then her expression softened. She smiled at her pink-haired friend and nodded her head.

"I think so, Sakura-chan. I'll do my best."

"We're here," Neji announced.

Together, the three of them pushed through the gates of Keisuke's home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"It's dark," Sakura observed.

"Maybe Keisuke-san is sleeping?" suggested Hinata.

"Nah, with Haruka taking care of him, there's no way he'd sleep peacefully..."

With Neji in front, they strode down the hallway towards Keisuke's dining room. No noise of bickering between the two occupants greeted them, and no lights shone to guide their way. It seemed as though the place were deserted. Finally, they reached the door, and Neji pulled it open.

"How about some light, you guys?" Sakura asked. She couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness.

Neji and Hinata were better prepared for darkness. Their Byakugans activated almost as one, and they entered the room seeking some source of light to aid their less gifted friend. After a moment, Sakura heard Hinata give a soft laugh.

"Eh?" Sakura said, "What's so funny?"

"Please, keep your voice down," said Neji. "You'll disturb them." Sakura couldn't see him, but she could almost hear the smirk in his tone of voice.

"Ah, that's not fair," Sakura whispered loudly. "You can't hide it forever, come on! Tell me what it is."

At last Neji, who had made his way carefully to the other side of the room, pulled open the door that opened to the outdoor walkway. Cool night air rushed in, and with it came the dim light of distant street lamps. Sakura strained her eyes, searching the room for whatever it was that had so entertained her two friends. After a few moments, she found what she was looking for.

Hinata had been right; Keisuke was sleeping, and quite soundly from the look of it. His exhaustion from fighting Haruka and then Hiashi, coupled with the strain of activating the Sanjuuni Reiude, had taken all his energy away from him.

But it was not the fact that Keisuke was sleeping that brought the smirk to Sakura's lips; it was the sight of Haruka laying sideways across his chest, her head cushioned on his sternum, as fast asleep as her partner was. She had apparently drifted off while guarding his rest.

"Look at her face," Hinata giggled, "It's just as sinister as when she gave me those pictures..."

"Yet, she seems oddly at peace, as well," observed Neji. "Perhaps we had best be going. We wouldn't want to wake them up when they're... erm... like this."

"Yeah," Sakura said, "Keisuke-san may say something wrong and get hurt."

"He probably will whether we're here or not," Neji said, starting for the door, "Come on." He stepped out, and Sakura went after him.

Hinata came last. She stopped at the door, turning to take one last look at them. Then she bowed.

"Thank you," she said.

"Hinata!" came Sakura's harsh whisper, "Are you coming?"

Hinata turned back to the door.

"Coming, Sakura-chan."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In a secret place known only to the last survivors of the Uchiha Clan, a tall young man knelt alone before a shrine. The compact space was lit by a single candle, which flickered ominously in the darkness. It illuminated dark hair, a noble, handsome brow, and fair skin.

This young man had watched, waited, and planned for long weeks. All of his forces were now ready; they awaited only his command, which they knew would come soon, for the enemy above was experiencing troubles among their own ranks. Now was the perfect time to capitalize on their weakness.

He felt the presence of one of his subordinates behind him, and turned to face it. His eyes opened. The subordinate cringed in fear of the red irises, the three black tear marks revolving around each pupil. He had seen those eyes reduce bigger men than him to lifeless sacks of so much flesh and bone and blood. Yet he was fortunate today; his master's thoughts of carnage were elsewhere.

"Sir," the subordinate said, bowing low, "Your forces are growing restless. We have been waiting long now. They grow anxious for blood, and want to know when they will be allowed to spill it. Sir, what shall I tell them?"

"Tell them," said Uchiha Sasuke, "That they'll have their fun tonight."

OoOoOoO End Interlude OoOoOoO