My dear readers,
I am a piece of shit. I know it. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in over a year. I could make excuses (and I will) but I understand your unwillingness to forgive me in this. Sometimes life is overwhelming and we have to prioritize our professional goals over our hobbies. Sometimes we live in an undeveloped area in a foreign country for over 5 months and there is no wifi. Sometimes we're just lazy af. In my case it was all three.
But I love this story and I will complete it. We're almost there. I know I said the next chapter would be the last but after seeing how long this one was and underestimating my own laziness I had to break this chapter and the last one into two part so that there are now 3 more chapters until the end. But I have EVERYTHING figured out. All there is to do is write which is the hard part. BUT IT WILL BE AWESOME. So please enjoy this latest installment of The Nefera Bazaar.
And if I continue to be a miserable piece of garbage don't hesitate to call me out on it. Like seriously don't.
-AC
Hinata P.O.V
"NO!"
I bolted upright and bright sunlight blinded my eyes. As I tried to adjust to the canary yellow spots in my vision, my heart which was thumping at an enormous rate, began to calm down. Slowly unclenching my hands from the comforter, I laid back down onto the bed trying to understand why I had woken in a panic. Closing my eyes, I saw the orange glow passing through my lids. A nightmare I thought. But what could it have been? Breathing much slower than before, I tried to conjure up the dream but my mind was blanking. My eyes lazily opened as I rolled to my side and looked towards the curtains that were pulled apart by a maid that had snuck into my room in the early hours.
As I pulled the covers off and sat up in my bed, I watched small blue birds fly past my window in pairs. They swooped low into the trees then quickly rocketed back disappearing into the sky. The sight of it made my heart flutter with excitement and for some reason I desperately craved the fresh air. I jumped from the bed and swung myself around the bedpost, pushing off of the wooden backboard and throwing myself onto the window. After swiftly undoing a small latch, I flung the panes open and felt the rush of wind crash into the room. The scent of lilacs and roses from the bushes below curled around me, filtered into my senses, and spread through my veins. A soft sigh left me as I collapsed back onto the bed. Somehow I felt like I had not been part of the world around me for weeks and that finally I could feel alive again. I hadn't breathed for months and right now I had taken my first gulps of air. My chest felt light and I grabbed the pillow next to me to squeeze it tight. My heart was whole and it was beating fast. I smiled into the pillow and inhaled once again. To breathe full and unburdened felt so unfamiliar. A knock came from the door.
"C-Come in."
"Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama wishes for you to come to his chambers." A kind faced serving girl spoke in a nervous voice.
I panicked. I knew why he was calling me. I rushed to wash my face and change my clothes. My father would be extremely angry with me, an anger I had not felt the wrath of in some while.
Rushing through the door, I tried my best to walk as quick as possible through the maze of hallways leading to my father's chambers. I stopped just before the hallway reaching his room to catch my breath and make sure I was presentable. After checking myself in a nearby wall mirror, I rounded the corner only to stop as the door to my father's room opened. Loud shouting reverberated throughout the hall. I fled back behind the corner and listened.
"Hiashi-sama, what you have done is horrendous! Dishonorable! You could have-"
"How dare you raise your voice to me! I am the head of this clan and the decisions I make are not to be challenged by you!"
"But this is beyond what a clan leader should do! Beyond what a father should do! How could you? To your own-"
"Enough! It has already been done and you will do your best to ensure it remains intact." I peered past the wall to catch a glimpse of the scene. Neji was facing Hiashi-sama who looked stern and menacing. Though I couldn't see Neji's face, I noticed his hands were in tight fists by his side. The scene was near unbelievable. I had never heard Neji raise his voice to my father.
"If that is what you command, Uncle." The malice oozed through gritted teeth. Hiashi-sama assessed the young man carefully.
"You are dismissed, Nephew." Neji turned quickly to walk away.
"Neji," Hiashi-sama said. Neji stopped abruptly to listen. "You will not question my decisions again."
I turned away from them both and pressed my body against the wall as Neji came down the corridor. As he rounded the corner, he nearly ran into me. Neji must have been incredibly preoccupied to have missed my presence but he caught himself before we could collide.
"Hinata-sama!" He declared in surprise. I tried to give him a weak smile to make up for hiding. Even though our relationship had improved drastically in the last few weeks (mainly due to his own troubles with Tenten) I did not think he would approve of me eavesdropping. I waited to be reprimanded. Instead Neji grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes. My own widened in shock and I tried to push him back but his hands continued to hold me in place. He seemed to be searching for something. Slowly the determined look on his face melted into an expression that was even more confusing. It was pity.
"I am sorry." He said before letting me go and walking straight down the hall. I stood there disoriented. Pulling myself together, I turned the corner and walked, trying my best not to make eye contact with the men guarding the door. Knocking very lightly, I prayed my father would not hear me and I could escape.
"Enter." Pushing past the heavy doors, I walked in to see his desk moved back against the wall and where it should have been was a small pillow. My father sat stiffly opposite to the pillow and stared intently as I walked in. I waited for further instruction.
"Sit down."
My knees sank into the cushion and I kept my head down waiting for the reprimand.
"Do you know why I have called you?"
"Please f-forgive me F-Father!" I threw my whole body down in a low seated bow and remained that way for what seemed like a whole minute.
"What is it that I should be forgiving?" Hiashi-sama said slowly. I closed my eyes and willed myself to have the confidence to accept my crime.
"I-I-I" I kept trying to choke out the words. "I am s-sorry F-Father. I f-f-forgot to bring y-you your m-morning t-t-tea."
It may have been my own imagination but I felt my Father let out a sigh. His shoulders had most definitely relaxed and the strong aura of anticipation disappeared. I felt a hand hold my face and another grab my arm and pull me up to my feet.
"All is forgiven, my dear Daughter." I stared wide eyed at him. Though it would not have been called a smile to the ordinary man, the small lift of his lips was the equivalent of a wide grin on my father's face. He let go and slowly paced towards the window and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Hinata, my child, before you are my daughter you are first and foremost the daughter of our clan. You have been steadfast in your commitment to the Hyuuga for many years. It brought me great pride to see you exemplify the kind of loyalty that is required to be the heiress of our lineage. The clan, this family, is more important than our individual lives and interests. In the past you have always respected my word. You understood the necessity of accepting my decisions. However, I fear that you have come to an age where you no longer care for the responsibilities that come as a leader. Perhaps you may even no longer understand the importance of our clan."
"N-No of c-course not Father." He raised his hand and I fell silent.
"Maybe I have not done enough to keep you involved in our family. I may have inadvertently excluded you and that might have caused some of this volatile behavior. True, you have not proven the warrior your sister is but I may have judged you too soon. Perhaps in being quick to dismiss your abilities I have caused you to harbor a resentment towards me. But my daughter, this cannot continue. You are a princess and you must act as such. The lives of our people rest on your shoulders. They will look to you for support and that means making sacrifices for the future. That means putting the needs of the clan before your own. Do you understand?"
I was utterly perplexed. All of this because I forgot to bring in his tea?
"Y-Yes F-Father."
"Good." He walked away from the window and towards the desk. After shuffling some items, Hiashi-sama found what he was looking for. He motioned for me to sit and like before we sat opposite one another.
"This is a calendar gifted to me by the Inuzuka clan. It is a symbolic gesture to countdown the days to the wedding but I would like you to keep it."
I accepted the gift with shaking hands. I could not remember a time when I had been personally given a present by my father.
"I want to give this to you to mark the beginning of a closer bond between you and the clan."
I tried very hard to keep back the tears.
"Th-Thank you F-Father."
"Now onto a different matter. It has come to my attention that perhaps you have not been pushed hard enough in your training. I think under the right tutelage and encouragement, you could begin to rival Hanabi. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. Starting tomorrow you must work harder and make me proud."
I couldn't find the words to speak. I just stared open mouthed gaping at Hiashi-sama. It was as if an imposter had taken over his body. This was not my father.
I smiled a little under his encouraging stare. He waved his hand to dismiss me and I leapt up. Walking, practically skipping, out of the room, I gave both the guards a large grin and beamed at the maids that passed by. The girls giggled back and I wanted to spin around in the spot.
Sleeping in had been the greatest decision of my life.
As I pushed the door into my room, I felt a familiar presence. Without looking at my visitor, I turned to close the door and began removing my petticoat. Hanging the jumper over my chair, I went to join my sister at the sitting table towards the far end of the room. Hanabi was perusing through an old textbook of mine from the academy.
"What brings you to my room Hanabi?"
Hanabi looked up from the book and stared at me closely.
"You seem different...more upbeat since last night. Did something happen?"
Last night.
Last night had been Neji's engagement ceremony. Tenten was devastated and Neji even more so. There were colors and flowers and music and tears and silence. I started to relive the night and watched myself stare admiringly at my cousin's gorgeous fiancee then look horrifyingly as his would be lover tried her very best to remain composed. And by the end of the night...the end of the night...I couldn't remember the end of the night. I remembered speaking to Neji and telling him to call off the engagement. But he said he couldn't. That the engagement was for the clan but it was also for…
"Hinata?" I broke out of my thoughts and stared at Hanabi. She was waiting for a response.
"Oh um...Father called me into his chambers. He gave me this!" I showed her the calendar. This particular calendar was the tear away kind that needed to be changed every day. The pages were thick and tea stained. Complex patterns had been drawn onto the paper and each page had a unique design. I would have to remember to remove the current day before I went to bed each night. Hanabi stared at me a bit baffled but after she regained her composure, she gave me a genuine smile.
"It is an excellent gift."
"Thank you." I got up to place the small calendar on my nightstand. It sat between a flower vase and a jewelry dish. When I turned back to join Hanabi at the table, I found her sitting on my bed instead. She motioned for me to come join her.
"Sister, do you recall that I wanted to talk to you about something during Tsunade-sama's function?"
"...Yes." It took some time for the memories to come back but I vaguely remembered Hanabi telling me something before a woman with pink hair pulled me away to talk about something. Something I couldn't remember. The woman was crying and I remember being very anxious.
"Hinata?"
Hanabi pulled me back to the current conversation. I nodded signalling her to continue.
"Father wishes for me to speak with you about your future marriage. Specifically about prospective bachelors. Neji will be married in a few months and Father hope you will be married soon after that. He would like me to ask you if you would be interested in a marriage to your ex-teammate, the Inuzuka heir."
I was silent for a moment.
"Kiba-kun?" Hanabi nodded. I felt my face grow warm. Of course I had thought about potentially marrying him at one point or another but that was completely different than actually marrying him. My heart began beating fast.
"Yes the man you were talking to during the party. You both seemed quite comfortable with one another and I think Father envisions a stronger alliance with the Eastern branch of the Inuzuka clan. This would greatly strengthen our ties here and I personally feel that this would be an alliance you would not be opposed to."
I stared at her unsure what to say. Kiba was very handsome and incredibly intelligent. He would be the next leader of the Inuzuka clan and I have always respected and admired him. If I were to marry him I could remain in the Kingdom and I could see Tenten and Hanabi as often as I wanted. Kiba has always treated me fairly and as an equal. But he has been my teammate for many years and I doubt he would seem me as anything more than just his helpless partner.
"Please give me some time to think about it."
Hanabi stood up and walked towards the door.
"Take time to make your decision. I will see you tonight at dinner."
As soon as the door closed, I threw myself onto my bed and buried my head into the pillow. Hinata Inuzuka. I giggled.
Naruto P.O.V
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I charged straight at the old dude with the hardest punch I could muster. Just when I thought it was going to land, he jumped out of the way and I went crashing into a tree. I heard a horrible crunch and pain seared through my arm. I bit down on my tongue and slumped onto the ground. Accessing my chakra reserve, I could feel a cool sensation as my arm began repairing the injuries. Jiraiya sat beside me and began to chuckle.
"There's no nuance in any of your moves. It's all too obvious."
"Just shut up." Another laugh.
"I think we're good for today."
"Come on! Let me go again!" Jiraiya who had already gotten to his feet, reached out a hand to me.
"Nah, let's call it a day." I took his hand and pulled myself up. My arm was fully healed and I was ready to throw a few more punches.
"I guess you really are getting old." I smirked trying to antagonize him into another battle. Jiraiya shook his head and went to grab his pack.
"I just have other appointments." I gave a disgusted groan as the two of us walked through the woods and back onto the main road. We had been training like this for months now. First was hard core meditation and focus and believe it or not that was the most difficult portion. Then came chakra extension and trying to access the hidden pool of energy I stored within me. That made a mess of the local mountain range. Now we moved onto strength and precision training. Apparently I was clumsy and predictable but one of these days I was going to pummel that hermit into the ground.
"Hey what time are you coming home tonight?" I asked casually walking by Jiraiya's side. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a very suspicious look.
"Why?"
"Nothing it's just that my friend from back home is in town and I thought she could come by for dinner."
"Which friend?"
"The pink haired one in the photo of my team."
"Oooooh the hot one." Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah that one. She's like 30 years younger than you. Don't be gross."
"You know what, today I'll take a break. I'll come back early and we'll make a nice dinner for your friend. Grab some food and we'll cook something!"
"Wait seriously? Okay cool!" Soon came the fork in the road where we usually split up. Jiraiya walked straight and I veered towards the left. He continued towards the countryside.
"Buy some ingredients and we'll figure out something to make!" And with a quick wave of his hand he vanished behind the hills.
Within 10 minutes I was amidst the hustle and bustle of market life. I took my time checking a few of the stalls, stopping by to say hi to familiar faces and local vendors. There was usually a mid-afternoon rush at the apple stand that I really wanted to avoid. As I was meandering through the stalls, someone roughly grabbed me by the shoulders from behind.
"Hey!" Sakura smiled at me and swiped the gloves she had just bought from the stall behind us. I looked at her in surprise.
"You're here early!"
"Yeah about that...I got out of work early. Something happened today."
"Oh yeah, what?" Sakura looked around.
"Not here. I'll tell you later."
"Alright well, Jiraiya said it was okay if you came over for dinner tonight. I just have to pick up some food and we can head over to my apartment."
"Wow that's so nice! Let's head this way then." Sakura began to talk about her day as we walked past the kitchenware and cutlery. We passed by a few fruit stalls before we reached my destination. I came to a sudden halt though Sakura wasn't expecting it and continued to move forward. Her considerable strength threw me into the nearby cantaloupe stand. I hastily got up and gave the woman an apologetic smile. Turning back, I ran towards the burly man.
"Any news?"
"Not today kid but come back tomorrow!" The man threw an apple at me and I thanked him. Sakura followed me as we walked away.
"What was that about?"
"Well he's the apple guy I was telling you about. I come every day to get information on Hinata. You never know if Tenten might show up or if the apple guy has spotted her. I usually sit there for a few hours but you caught up with me today so I just wanted to check in. If I didn't have to train I'd probably be here all day every day. Sometimes I try to get out early just in case, you know?"
"Oh." Sakura said quietly. I gave her a confused look as I bit into the apple.
"Oh? What's up?"
"Nothing." She said in a very unconvincing tone. I stopped and pulled her back by the elbow. Bending down a little so that I could make direct eye contact with her, I raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?" Sakura stared back at me. A small hand shot from her side to tousle my hair. I retreated backwards.
"Hey!"
"Gosh I keep forgetting how much you've grown. You're so much taller than me!" She turned away and kept moving forward. I rolled my eyes and followed behind her. Fine. If she didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her then that's her business.
"So what are you cooking tonight?"
"What do people cook besides ramen?"
"You're kidding me right?"
"I'm not kidding. It's all I ever eat."
"A growing boy like you needs more than just salt and carbs."
"Sakura what's bothering you?" I said hoping to surprise her into a response. Instead Sakura grabbed a stalk of celery and shoved it into my hands.
"We are going to make a hot pot for three." The hour passed by pretty quickly. It was mostly just Sakura picking out vegetables and meat and me coughing up money. After all the shopping was done, we decided it would be best just to head over to the apartment and start cooking.
I unlocked the front door and made to invite Sakura in but she had already shoved me aside and pushed her way through the door.
"You live here huh? Not what I imagined."
"Oh yeah?" I said dropping off the food in the kitchen and leaning on the countertop. "And what did you imagine?"
"Honestly? A cave." I rolled my eyes and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. Towards the back of the cupboard I found a poorly hidden bottle of sake. Popping open the cork, I poured us both a sizeable portion. Sakura took one of the glasses and sighed.
"I've learned to stay away from this stuff. Tsunade-sama is a bit of a drunk. But a few drinks tonight couldn't hurt." We clinked our glasses and took a sip. I watched as Sakura grimaced against the taste of the alcohol. She mock gagged and I laughed. Suddenly her face fell and she looked deeply into the sake.
"Naruto I need to tell you something but you have to promise not to freak out. In fact I'm not really sure of what I even heard and it's probably not as bad as it sounds but-"
"Out with it Sakura."
"Well I overheard one of Tsunade-sama's meetings today. Apparently the head of the Inoichi clan visited the Hyuuga compound on the clan leader's request. It had something to do with one of his daughters. She had some sort of breakdown or something that they wanted to keep quiet. She's okay though I think. WOAH NARUTO!" Sakura jumped up to grab a towel and began wrapping my hand with it. I looked down to see blood spilling onto the ground next to some shattered glass. The cup I was holding had broken apart in my hand. I pushed her away and threw the wrecked glass into the trash.
"Don't worry about it." Within an instant chakra rushed into the wound closing the gap. Before her eyes, Sakura saw me repair myself.
"Okay I guess that's new."
"Anything else on Hinata."
"Since when could you-"
"Hinata, Sakura. What about Hinata!" I grabbed her shoulders trying to get her back on the topic. She pushed my hands away and gave me an exasperated look.
"Look I don't know anything else but I bet it's nothing serious. It was the night of her cousin's engagement. She was probably just feeling stressed from that and needed some help that's all. I really wouldn't worry about it. Besides I don't even know if it was Hinata. It could have been her sister. I just wanted to let you know." I crouched down to pick up the remaining pieces. There was silence as I threw the shards away and made to grab a new cup. Was Hinata hurt? Was she okay? God I hated not knowing.
"So are you going to tell me what that's all about?" She said pointing to my now repaired hand. As I poured sake into the new cup, I started explaining my regenerative ability. After washing my hands, I grabbed a carrot out of the grocery bag and started cutting up the vegetables while Sakura walked around the small apartment talking about how my self healing abilities compared to a medical technique Tsunade has developed. I was only half listening to what she was saying. The other part of my brain was so focused on worrying and trying to figure out if Hinata really was okay. She was strong willed and tougher than I gave her credit for. She would be alright. But a breakdown during Neji's engagement ceremony? What the hell could have happened? Honestly that sounded more like something Tenten should have done instead of Hinata.
"Look at us." Sakura said mostly to herself as she grabbed a picture frame I kept on the window sill and examined it. She stared at it for a long time. I had moved onto the cabbage by the time she spoke again.
"How's training going?"
"Huh? Oh yeah it's great. Honestly I'm loving it. Learning all these new jutsus and whatnot is really cool. Besides it's a really great distraction." Sakura looked up at me with an affronted look.
"A distraction?"
"You know from this whole Hinata situation." Sakura looked down at the photo. She bit her lip as though she wanted to say something. Steeling herself, Sakura walked back into the kitchen with the photo in hand.
"Don't get me wrong Naruto. I support you and Hinata together. But don't you think she's the distraction and not the other way around?" I stopped cutting up vegetables.
"What?"
"Do you even care about finding Sasuke?" I gave her what I hoped was the most appalled look I could muster.
"Of course I do! Why-why would you say that?"
"Because if you really cared you would be focusing all of your extra time towards finding him."
"I don't know if you've figured this out Sakura but it's not like I can go around asking if anyone's spotted him!"
"I know... I know! I just feel like you spend all day trying to find ways to reunite with Hinata instead of doing the same kind of detective work towards finding Sasuke. And you talk about training like it's something that you have to get over with to get back to finding her." Sakura put her hands up defensively under the look I was giving her. "I understand you love her and you want her back. I get that and I'm rooting for you two. I just feel like you put in more effort into finding her than saving Sasuke."
"Sakura you feel that way because you're in LOVE with him!" I said trying to keep my temper in check. "If it was me that had run off you wouldn't have nearly the same kind of reaction."
"That's not fair." She said slamming down the photo. The frame split apart. I grabbed the picture from the wreckage.
"It's true! You want him back because he's the love of your life. You're doing everything you can to find him because you miss him in a totally different way than how Kakashi and I do. We understand the situation from a different point of view and our need to bring him back is not nearly as high as yours." I pointed to the Sasuke in the photo. "Your main priority has ALWAYS been Sasuke so don't tell me I'm not putting in enough effort when NO ONE can match the amount of effort you put in. Besides you of all people should understand my need to find Hinata. The desire you feel towards finding him is the same way I feel about her!"
"But you're too focused on her instead of your mission which is to-"
"Which is to bring back Sasuke, I know, but listen. Sakura, hasn't Sasuke always been your mission?"
"What does that mean?" She said nostrils flaring.
"I mean Sasuke has always come first for you so you wouldn't get it. Before Hinata, you guys came first but now she's become the most important person in my life. She's the woman I want to marry. The person I want to spend the rest of my life with. She is to me what Sasuke is to you. She comes first."
"But Sasuke should come first! Sasuke HAS to come first for both of you!" Sakura was shouting now.
"For both of us?" I asked. She looked away from me and let out a raspy sigh like she was trying not to cry.
"Kakashi hasn't exactly been the most helpful right now. He doesn't seem to be doing ANYTHING to find Sasuke! Both of you seem to have moved on with your lives. I just-I don't know. I feel like sometimes I'm the only one that wants him back. Like I'm the only one that's worried about Sasuke and actually thinks about him anymore!"
I put the knife down calmly onto the table and walked around to face her. I pulled Sakura into a big hug and she placed her head on my chest.
"I think about him every day Sakura. He's my motivation. The reason I am who I am. Sasuke is your first love but he's also family. Sure I'm looking for Hinata but that doesn't mean I've stopped searching for Sasuke. That's my brother and I'm doing everything I can to find him. That starts with training and getting stronger because you can bet your ass that he's out there doing the same and when we finally catch up to him, he's not going to go easy on us. Trust me. So don't worry, we'll find him."
"This is a bad time huh?" I turned to see Jiraiya closing the door behind him. Sakura moved away from me wiping tears from her eyes. I laughed awkwardly and went back into the kitchen to continue cutting vegetables.
"Uh Jiraiya this is Sakura. Sakura this is my mentor Jiraiya-sama." Jiraiya stretched out a hand which Sakura took.
"It is an honor to meet one of the three Sanin." She bowed.
"Oh please no need for the formalities. Oh and I see you guys have already broken out my good alcohol. Naruto, pour me a drink!"
Soon after we all started cutting up veggies and meats to toss into our hotpot. It was the easiest thing to make and with some coercion I got them to let me throw in some noodles. We were essentially eating ramen. We ate and drank and talked for hours. Jiraiya really liked Sakura and liked her even more after he found out she was Tsunade-sama's apprentice. He told us many stories about a drunk teenage Tsunade gambling away her parents money or flashing bouncers to get them into bars.
"Ah Tsunade. She was my first love and the best rack I've ever seen on a woman." I choked on my drink and saw Sakura try to keep a straight face. I know if I had made that comment I would be dead.
"But I'm not the only one here who's teammate was their first love. Naruto here had quite the crush on you!" Jiraiya moved his head just in time to miss the cup I had thrown at him.
"That's ancient history. Besides it clearly didn't work out." I said as I went to retrieve the cup. Sakura laughed and poured me some more sake as I sat back down.
"Well at least it wasn't a total disaster for you two. My first love ended up betraying the entire village and leaving me on a park bench so there's that." Sakura downed the rest of her drink and slammed the cup on the table. Jiraiya and I both shared a scared look then he poured her some more drink.
"Well they don't all end well. But look where you are now. Stronger than ever. Besides that boy was an idiot not to see what Naruto and I see."
"Yeah well stop seeing so much you perv." I pushed Jiraiya and he fell onto his side laughing. He decided to lay there and propped up his head on his hand. I refilled everyone's cups. Jiraiya raised his.
"A toast!" We all raised our glasses. "To unrequited first loves!"
"You know speaking of firsts…" Sakura gave me a sly smile.
"Don't you dare-"
"Naruto's first kiss was Sasuke!" She shouted jumping away from my hand as I tried to cover her mouth. I leaned back and groaned as I heard both of them burst into laughter. Jiraiya was in tears.
It was strange. I knew there was a 50/50 chance that Hinata was sitting miserable somewhere within the Hyuuga compound. But watching Sakura and Jiraiya laugh and drink made me happy. I was happy and it felt wrong but that was the truth. I was happy but I couldn't bring myself to laugh with them.
Hinata P.O.V
"Excellent job Hinata-sama!" My instructor cheered from the sidelines as I managed to dodge a fast kick from Hanabi. I placed my forearm up to avoid another blow. Though Hanabi's assault had pushed me back a significant distance, I kept my ground. For the first time ever, I had not fallen down.
"Wonderful! Good form!" I beamed at the elderly man before turning to my sister.
"Would y-you mind if we stop here? I was hoping to bring Father's tea early so I could meet Tenten when she arrives." Hanabi nodded her head and went to grab a towel. My new coach walked up to me and passed me a towel as well.
"You have made such great strides Hinata-sama." It was true. In the last two weeks I had made more progress in my fighting abilities than I had in years. I can say with certainty that the improvements came from the support and positive reinforcement of my instructor, Hanabi, and even Neji. During his free mornings, Neji had taken to coming to my practices and helping me with my chakra control. I was starting to believe that I too could be as strong as Neji and Hanabi. At least strong enough to be considered a daughter of Hiashi.
"I should g-go. F-Father will be waiting!" I quickly went to my room to clean up then ran to the kitchens. Normally I would not have been in such a hurry but Tenten would be visiting the compound today. She was supposed to have arrived a week ago but her mission was delayed. It had been nearly two weeks since the engagement and thus two weeks since I had seen Tenten. I was worried about her well being but I trusted Lee to help her through this troubling time. I understood Tenten's need to be away from Neji but I really missed my best friend in those two weeks. I was excited to see her again. Grabbing the tea tray I hurried to my father's room.
"May I come in?" I spoke into the large doors. Hiashi-sama called me in.
"Good morning Hinata." He said without looking up from his paperwork. I smiled and placed the teacup onto his desk. As I squeezed a lemon into the cup, my father put his work down and looked at me.
"I hear you have been improving significantly in your training." I smiled and wiped my hands on a towel.
"Yes sir. I am practicing chakra c-control like you advised. Neji-san has been incredibly h-helpful."
"It also looks like your speech impediment is getting better as well."
"I-Is i-i-it?" I said making to clean up the tray. Before my father could answer, a guard had come to the door.
"Hiashi-sama, I am here to inform Hinata-sama that Tenten-san will be arriving at the gates shortly."
"Please also notify Neji of her arrival. He has something to discuss with Miss Tenten." My father said. The guard bowed and left the room to find Neji. I looked back at my father with a confused expression. He avoided my eyes.
"You may be excused."
"Thank you Father." I said smiling again. Waiting until I reached the door, I tucked the tray to my side and sprinted towards the entrance. Halfway there I paused to catch my breath and a few stares from elders. I tried to compose myself and walk in a dignified manner towards the front gates. As I approached, I saw Tenten walking towards me. Forgetting all formality, I ran towards her and pulled Tenten into a large hug, trying my best not to hit her with the tea tray.
"Uh hey there!" She said hugging me back.
"I missed you!" I said finally letting her go.
"Yeah I missed you too." Tenten seemed bewildered at the sight of me. I could tell the mission had taken quite a toll on her. There were new battle scars and bruises were slowly fading from her arms and legs. We walked back towards the entrance.
"How was your mission?"
"It was fine." Tenten began in a hesitant voice. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" I said confused.
"I mean I'm surprised to see you in such a good mood." We passed through the gates and into the compound. "In fact I'm even more surprised to see they let you out this far."
"I do not understand." But before Tenten could explain herself, she stopped in place and froze. In front of us stood Neji. He walked up to both of us and bowed.
"Tenten, I need to speak with you." Tenten looked at me then back at Neji.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"This is very important. We need to talk alone-"
"Neji I can't do this right now." Tenten said frustratedly. She made to move away from Neji but he blocked her path. She glared at him. But before the situation could escalate, I chimed in.
"Tenten, it's something that Hiashi-sama wants Neji-san to discuss with you." Tenten's eyes widened. Neji motioned for her to follow him and asked me to wait for them. So I sat on a nearby chair and waited but not even a minute passed before I remembered about the tea tray I was holding. I could return it to the kitchens and be back by the time Neji and Tenten had finished talking. I walked swiftly to the kitchens and returned the tray. Taking an alternate route to get back to the compound entrance, I sauntered casually towards the open garden near my room when I heard familiar sounds. From the end of a deserted hallway I heard Tenten's voice.
"That's impossible!" She said in a loud whisper. Her hands were flailing around as she tried to voice her concern. Neji watched her with arms crossed. I knew I should not have been eavesdropping but my own curiosity had gotten the best of me. I wanted to know what it was that Hiashi-sama wanted that made Tenten so upset.
"Inoichi has never been one to make a mistake. Especially in a case like this. I'm afraid they're all gone."
"Every single one? All of them?"
A pause. Neji nodded his head while Tenten's hands flew to her forehead. She was rubbing her temples and pacing around.
"Well someone has to tell -"
"We can't."
"What do you mean we can't?"
"The situation is...unstable."
"Unstable?"
"It was such a volatile reaction to Hiashi-sama. My uncle has never seen anything like what he saw that night. I mean the state of it all...under these conditions...Inoichi-san is worried that any previous memory might trigger a dangerous emotional response."
"So you just expect me to say nothing?"
"You'll have to." Tenten nodded.
"Alright. If that's what's needed."
"If you would like we could talk about this at another time when Hinata-sama is not waiting for us." Neji paused. "Perhaps over tea?"
"Neji…" Tenten began in a breakable and soft voice. "I don't think I can. Not yet…."
I could tell the conversation was taking a personal turn so I quietly walked away before either of them could catch me spying. Both of them were speaking in riddles. I wasn't able to piece together and make sense of any of their conversation. Right as I arrived back at the entrance, Tenten had shown up with an unusual expression on her face.
"So are we allowed into your room now?"
"Yes of course." I said grabbing her hand and walking towards my room. "What was it my cousin wanted to discuss with you?"
"Oh, nothing just mission stuff. Nothing important." We arrived at my room but before we went in Tenten stopped at the door.
"Where are your bodyguards?" I looked at her quizzically.
"Why would I need guards? We are inside the compound."
"Right." She said as we entered. We spent the next two hours talking about Tenten's mission. I told her all about my new training and how much I had improved. She offered to teach me a few things as well. But the entire time we talked something seemed different about Tenten. It was as though she was watching me and waiting for something to happen. Suddenly Tenten interrupted our conversation.
"Do you remember anything from these last few months?"
"Of course I do!"
"I mean, do you remember anything or anyone specifically."
"Is there something I should be remembering?" Tenten looked around.
"We're completely alone Hinata. You can say whatever you want right now."
"You are correct. I can. But what is it you want me to say?"
"You don't...you can't…?"
"Tenten, is everything alright?" I was beginning to worry. After staring at her for some minutes, I held her hand tightly finally understanding.
"Oh I see…" I started. Immediately Tenten's face perked up and she beckoned me to continue. "You wish to discuss the engagement. Do not think I forgot Tenten. I was just waiting for you to bring up the subject."
"Wait what?" Tenten jumped off of the bed and stared at me as if I had physically attacked her. Something was most definitely not right. I stood up as well.
"Tenten please you are beginning to worry me. Is everything alright?" As I tried to approach her, Tenten backed away. She had moved all the way towards the door.
"No, everything's not alright." She turned the doorknob and rushed out of the room. I chased after her but we were intercepted by Neji. Out of nowhere, he had grabbed Tenten and pulled her into his arms. She made to push herself away but Neji's grip kept her in place. Looking back over her shoulder, Tenten gawked at me with an expression of horror. Turning back to Neji, she looked up at him.
"I think I could go for some tea now." She shakily removed herself from Neji and walked towards the gates. Neji excused both of them and followed Tenten. I was left alone to wonder what I had done.
Naruto P.O.V
"So Sakura how about you come train with Naruto and I on your days off? It would be good for both of you to start team building." Jiraiya said one evening when Sakura had come over again for dinner. The pink haired fire starter usually ate at the palace with Tsunade, her assistant Shizune, and her pet pig. On certain nights when leaders of the different clans or Kages from other kingdoms came to dine, Sakura would have to stay and listen to the political ramblings of those in power. She liked it though, saying she preferred to have an insider view of what was going on in the world. But when there weren't corrupt goons to entertain, Sakura would come have dinner at our place which was great because that meant we ate home cooked meals once in awhile. Admittedly, Sakura wasn't the best chef in the world but her food was edible and her company was welcome. After Jiraiya's invitation to train, Sakura had accompanied me during three different days of training. It was rocky at first. Literally. I had never seen the extent of Sakura's strength and it was a miracle I dodge all of her attacks. It was raining rubble as I frantically ran away from her final punch. The maniac was laughing as she chased after me. By our third training session, Jiraiya had helped us start to work together as a team. It was like we were kids again back at the academy, learning combination attacks and trying to read each other's movements.
I was waiting at our usual countryside training ground. Stretching my hands to the sky and leaning back, I watched puffy white clouds swim lazily across the sky. It was cheesy to think but I couldn't help but wonder if Hinata was staring at the same clouds I was. I knew she was under house arrest but maybe they let her outside the compound on occasion. Maybe she was also staring at those clouds thinking of me. I slowly felt the presence of chakra and knew that Sakura was close by. I turned to look at the path and saw her walking towards the grounds. I waved a hand to grab her attention.
"Hey there!" I said as she came closer. In one hand she carried a pouch and in the other she held a lunch box.
"Hey Naruto." There was something off about her voice. She was usually tired by the time she came to practice, exhausted from her own medical training and volunteer work at the hospital. But this wasn't fatigue. There was something more daunting behind her words. I could feel her emotions and the usual upbeat attitude that accompanied Sakura was missing today.
"Whatcha got there?" I pointed towards the parcel in her hand. She handed it over to me and I took whatever it was. Turning the pouch over I saw the kingdom medical seal.
"It's a medical pouch. The one who have at your apartment is old so I figured you guys could use a new one."
"Okay and that?" I looked eagerly towards the lunch box. Sakura gave me a weak smile and handed it to me as well. Quickly sitting on the ground, I ripped into the lunch box and saw a very fancy assortment of expensive food.
"It's leftovers from today's lunch. I brought them for you." Sakura said sitting down next to me. As I chowed down, Sakura began fidgeting with her shirt. Shoveling meat into my mouth, I gave her a quizzical look.
"Naruto I need to talk to you about something serious." Sakura spoke as I was about to bite into another piece of pork. I slowly moved the food away from my mouth and set down the lunch box.
"Okay..."
"But you have to promise not to interrupt or freak out."
"Sakura why would I do that?"
"Just promise please." She maintained fierce eye contact. I shrugged.
"Alright I promise." I said leaning forward. Sakura was rubbing her hands together and took a deep breath.
"Yesterday Tsunade-sama came into the laboratory where Shizune-san and I were working and starting yelling. She was in a rage over something that Inoichi-san had done while he was at the Hyuuga compound. I think Tsunade-sama forgot I was in the room and starting ranting to Shizune-san about how the two clans could do something like this without her permission or oversight. Something about ruining the mental stability of someone so young. Shizune-san made me leave the room once she realized I was still there." Sakura took another breath and I waited for her to continue.
"Well during my stay here I've made a lot of friends and one of my really close friends is actually the daughter of Inoichi-san. Her name's Ino and she's really nice. Anyways I had lunch with her today and I kind of asked her about why her dad was at the Hyuuga compound. Ino told me that one of clan leader's daughters had a mental breakdown and the reason was because of some man she fell in love with. Apparently his daughter's feelings over this man caused her to go insane. At least that's what the Hyuuga leader told Ino's dad."
"NO! That's not possible! That's bullshit! I swear to you-"
"Naruto I told you not to interrupt!" Sakura shouted. I tried to compose myself but the idea of Hinata going insane over me was absurd.
"Naruto, do you know who Yamanaka clan are?"
My first reaction was to say no but something about the name sounded familiar. I took a moment to think about where I might have heard it. Eventually a soft spoken voice creeped into my mind. God asked each man to point to one area of his body which he wanted to enrich. The Yamanaka, wanting to be witty, pointed to God's body and said he wished to control the body of other men. God gave him this ability but told the Yamanaka that if he controlled another's body his own would be compromised.
"They can control people's bodies right?" I said wondering where this question was going. Sakura shook her head.
"Not exactly. Actually the Yamanaka can enter people's minds. I guess the ability to control bodies stems from this. But ultimately the Yamanaka clan are known for being able to see inside someone else's head. The strongest of them can alter thoughts and personalities." Sakura took hold of my hands and tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.
"Ino and Inoichi are part of the Yamanaka clan. Inoichi-san was instructed by Hinata's father to erase her memories and not just all of her memories but specific ones. Specifically alll of her memories of you." I jerked my hands back and leaned away from Sakura. "Naruto, she doesn't remember you anymore."
"That's not possible." I said scurrying away from her as though Sakura was the cause of all of my fears. Pushing myself off of the ground, I began to pace around. "She couldn't, I mean, she can't. She wouldn't ever. I mean she lov-"
"Naruto, this isn't something that can be controlled. This wasn't of her own accord." Sakura stood up and tried to put a hand on my shoulder. Pushing it away I began to clasp both hands around my neck. It felt like I was suffocating.
"Well Tenten wouldn't let that happen. She'll remind Hinata, I know it!"
"Naruto…" Sakura said in a pleading voice as if she was trying to reason with me. But this, this was beyond reason. "Her closest relatives and friends have been told not to mention anything that has to do with you. They're worried that anything to do with you will spark a relapse and she'll go mentally insane again."
"THAT'S FUCKING RIDICULOUS! She didn't go insane! He's making that up!"
"Naruto how do you know?"
"BECAUSE I JUST DO! BECAUSE SHE'S HINATA! BECAUSE I LOVE HER AND I KNOW WE'RE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER. SHE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FORGET ME IF SHE TRIED BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MUCH WE LOVE EACH OTHER!" I screamed at Sakura hoping to force understanding into her. She just kept looking at me with sad pitiful eyes, the same eyes that were scattered throughout my childhood. Those eyes that spoke in tone of sympathy as if I was some stupid child that couldn't comprehend the situation I was in. But she didn't know Hinata like I knew Hinata. She didn't know the persistent will of someone who even after being beaten down for years remained optimistic and compassionate. Hinata would never have succumbed to dementia over our love. It would have made her endure through any obstacle like it does for me.
"Naruto, what is the meaning of this." I froze in fear. Behind me stood Jiraiya and from the sound of it he was enraged.
"NARUTO am I to understand that you're still in love with the Hyuuga girl. Why would you still be in love with her when you were supposed to have stopped seeing her nearly a year ago?"
"Because I didn't." I whispered. My body was flung across the field and I heard Sakura shout. I could see her running towards where I lay but Jiraiya beat her to me. He kneeled down over my body and pick up my head by the roots of my hair.
"You continued to see her?" I tried to nod. Jiraiya let go of me and stood up. I stood up as well glaring at Jiraiya as he walked away from me.
"Naruto do you understand that danger you would be facing if the Hyuuga had found out about this?"
"They already know." I watched Jiraiya spin around, eye flaring with anger. But this time I was prepared. I jumped out of the way avoiding his attack. While I moved backward, Sakura had thrown herself between the two of us.
"NARUTO HOW DARE YOU JEOPARDIZE YOURSELF LIKE THAT?! HOW LONG HAVE THEY KNOWN?"
"A few months now but they haven't come for me."
"Not yet they haven't! But they will and what then?"
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER ANYMORE? WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT SHIT MATTER ANYMORE!" I could feel my body growing hot. My vision turned crimson and hatred rose in me like I had never experienced before. My blood was boiling and skin was burning as I watched happy moments with Hinata blaze into ash. It didn't matter if the Hyuuga came after me because they had made sure I was as good as dead to Hinata. In fact I was worse than dead. Nonexistent. Unbeing. Gone.
They want to stop you. But will you let them? A menacing voice rang. White hot fury resonated through me. Why were all these people trying to keep us apart? The Hyuuga, Neji, Sakura, Jiraiya. I hated them all. Hate and continue to hate. And I did as I was told. I watched myself feel better, feel lost and absent as I gave myself to the demon.
"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted at me but I ignored her. She had wanted me to stop looking for Hinata. She was an enemy to my cause. I gave out a roar that was unlike my own voice. It was animalistic and primal. The only thing that could fuel me was pain of knowing I had lost.
"Naruto you have to control yourself!" Jiraiya ran into my field of view and I knew that that I was about to kill this man. A new appendage made of chakra was ready to lash out when suddenly a vision hummed through me like a beautiful song. Somewhere in the depths of my grieving was something more important. There was Hinata and she was frightened but also brave and imagining her before me was enough to shove away the darkness. There in that moment of clarity she spoke to me.
"It will be alright Naruto. Do not let this anger consume you. If you do you will forget about something more important. You will become anger and you will forget love. My love."
I felt the malicious chakra recede into me and my body collapsed.
"Naruto? Naruto please wake up!" Pink hair clouded my view. I raised a hand to brush it out of the way only to find Sakura crying heavily above me. I tried to sit up but my body was too exhausted to move. From my periphery I could make out a green glow and knew that Sakura was trying to mend me. To my right sat a familiar presence.
"So what are you going to do?" He said. I turned my head to look at Jiraiya.
"What do you mean?" My voice was gravelly and I could taste blood in my mouth. I knew even my vision was still on the mend because Jiraiya shifted from blurs to a fully formed image.
"What are you going to do?" He spoke calmly as if asking me what my next move in a game of chess was.
"There's nothing I can do! Don't you get it? It's over. It's all done. I can't be with Hinata and you're not going to train me anymore."
"Why am I not training you?"
"You said yourself that if I went looking for her then you'd cut me out as a student."
"I was just over exaggerating. I'll still teach you. Obviously this girl means a lot to you and I would be a fool to try to come between you. And I'm not going to stop mentoring you now. Leaving you unchecked clearly has some devastating consequences." Jiraiya gestured to my beaten body. The old sage let out a long sigh. "So do you really love this girl as much as you say?"
"I love her more than anything in this entire world."
"So then, what are you going to do?"
"You tell me old man!" I was tired of his questions and I was tired of doing. All I did was fight and with each battle it seemed like there was no end. I was tired of finding the answers myself. I was tired of shouldering the burden of Sasuke and Sakura and Hinata all on my own.
"Well, here's what you're going to do." Jiraiya looked at me seriously. "You're going to train. You're going to train hard so that you will bring Sasuke back. And then after you bring Sasuke back you're going to train even harder. You're going to go on dangerous missions and climb the ranks of shinobi. You're going to become a chunin and then a jounin. You are going to gain the trust of the people and the elite in all three factions of the Kingdom. And then finally you are going to become Hokage."
Jiraiya placed one of my arms around his shoulder and Sakura did the same with the other. They both stood up and carried me towards the road that lead back to the town.
"But why?" I asked. Jiraiya turned to me and smiled coyly.
"Because nobody in their right mind would reject the Hokage as a son-in-law. Not even a Hyuuga."
I stared shocked at him and then without any intention to, I laughed.
So if you liked this chapter you should leave me a review so that I know what's up! Also encouragement gets me to update faster :D!
But seriously once again, sorry for being so late. I know what it's like to desperately want a new chapter to come out.
-AC