Once again, thanks for your reviews. So sorry for the long wait. I meant to post it sooner but the urgent business of turning over a few games couldn't be ignored. So here it is.

Chapter Four

Naruto slightly opened the door that lead to Hanabi's room. He hated hospitals. From the overly sterile white floors to the horrible pudding they made you eat. But yet, he was always in here every month. He stuck his hand in the door and waved it around to see if Hanabi was awake. He didn't want to wake her if she was sleeping. Naruto was about to close the door and go visit Hinata, but stopped when a hoarse voice told him he can come in. Naruto stepped inside to see Hanabi staring down in a cup fill with pudding, trying to stir it around with a plastic spoon. Naruto sat in the chair next to Hanabi's bed and watched her. It was kind of funny watching a person with a broken hand trying so hard to stir a cup of pudding.

"Why are you here?" Hanabi asked, looking at him now.

Naruto shrugged and said, "I don't know. I just thought I'd come and see if you were still alive. Hinata did beat the shit out of you."

Hanabi frowned at him and replied, "You came just to rub it in didn't you?"

"No!"

"Then why are you here? Didn't you say you dislike most Hyuuga, including me? Why don't you go visit Hinata?" Hanabi said annoyingly.

Naruto got up and walked to the window. He honestly didn't know why he was here. Maybe it was the caring in his personality that made him come. He wished he could've come up with some excuse. Naruto turned around and studied the girl in the bed. Unusually pale, a broken hand, bandaged head, back propped up against pillows. Naruto grinned at her and said, "You remind of me when I'm in here. The only difference is that you're more ethereal."

Hanabi scowled at him and said, "Can you be anymore insulting?"

"Maybe. Sorry, I meant to say I didn't mean to sound insulting." Naruto said apologetically

Naruto sneaked a glanced at Hanabi. She was staring into the cup of pudding; as if she was trying to make up her mind on something. Naruto sat back on the chair and waited for Hanabi to say something. After about five minutes or so, Hanabi whispered, "Umm… thanks."

Naruto awkwardly nodded his head and turned his attention toward the cup in her hand, still not sure what to say. After some serious consideration, Naruto decided he would pay Hinata a visit and come back later when he knew what to say. Naruto was about to go close the door behind him, but stopped when Hanabi called him. He stuck his head back in the door and asked, "You want something?"

Hanabi looked at him somberly and asked, "Why?"

Naruto replied by giving her a puzzled look.

"Why did you help me? Why did you come back?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto gave her a slight smile and said, "I'll tell you why when I find the answer myself." He then closed the door behind him and left Hanabi to muse about it.

Naruto sighed and made his way towards Hinata's room. He was hoping that someone else would be there with him so she wouldn't ask him any awkward questions. He wanted to make this as quick as possible. He would pop in, ask if she was okay and disappear. He would ask why she did that to her sister later.

Naruto approached Hinata's door. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

"Are you going in or not? You're wasting valuable space." a voice coolly said behind him.

Naruto froze. He knew that voice very well and hated the person it belonged to. Naruto turned around and stepped to the side to see Hiashi Hyuuga giving him a look of disapproval. Naruto returned the gesture by giving the man a look of antipathy. He really hated the man and his hands itched to punch him in the face.

"Why are you here? Don't you have enough people at your estate to scare?" Naruto asked as calmly and coolly as he could. He didn't want the Hyuuga to know he got under his skin.

"It's none of your business. And obviously I'm here to check on my daughter." Hiashi replied grimly.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and in a sarcastic, mocking manner replied, "Oh-My-Gosh! He does have a heart."

Hiashi took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. Of all the people in the village, Hinata chose this one as a friend. How he yearned to beat the hell out of the boy. At one point in time, Hiashi was thinking of having the boy assassinated. But as he had thought about it more, he realized that it was hopeless. The boy had been protected by every hokage in the village from the third and up, including the two sannin. Hiashi ignored the comment, rudely shoved past Naruto and made his way down the hall Naruto had emerged from.

"Where are you going? Hinata's room is right here." Naruto asked him somewhat perplexed.

Hiashi calmly replied, "I know her room is there you abomination. She isn't my only daughter. Besides I might admit you into the hospital myself if I am to be in the same room with you."

Naruto laughed and retorted "You wish you could hag-woman." Hiashi disregarded Naruto and proceeded towards Hanabi's room.

Hinata quickly turned her head when she realized she was gazing at Naruto instead of the door. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when he opened the door.

"Should I come back later?" Naruto cheerily asked, hoping she said yes.

"No y you can stay" Hinata heard herself say. She didn't have the heart to tell him go. Besides she was lonely, her only company was the nurse who gave her medicine and she didn't even like her. She had a creepy cackle and a sinister hairstyle that terrified Hinata.

"You feel okay?" Naruto asked wanting to clear things up with Hinata before anything else awkward happen. The quicker he explained what really had happened, the quicker he could leave and resume his life. He wouldn't even be in here if it wasn't for Sakura. He would've used Jiraiya's tactic to avoid and evade. Then he wouldn't have to talk to Hinata at all. Of course he suggested this to Sakura but she was like, 'Naruto! How can you be so selfish? Think of how Hinata must feel. Now go upstairs and talk to her' so here he was, confronting with this gauche problem.

"I only came to see how you were doing and to explain what really happened between me and Hanabi in Tsunade's office." Naruto said, getting straight to the point and making himself comfortable in a chair next to Hinata's bed. Hinata let out a sigh of relief and said, "Oh. I thought you c came to ask me w why I attacked Hanabi."

Naruto shook his head and replied, "Whatever grudge you have against your sister is none of my business."

"Oh, okay." Hinata whispered, face red from embarrassment.

"Anyway, what had happened was," Naruto started, "Granny Tsunade left Hanabi a note stating that she makes sure I take the needle but I didn't want to. I started running away because Hanabi was chasing me with the needle but I tripped over a flower pot and Hanabi tripped over the same flower pot and fell right on top of me." Naruto paused to take a breath and Hinata motioned for him to continue, figuring there was more to it than that. After a few seconds of putting his thoughts together Naruto continued, "We started struggling on the floor and by some amazing feat, she pinned me to the floor. And then she…err…um...did something and I couldn't move so she took advantage of the moment and stick me with the needle. And that's when you guys came in." Naruto nervously gnawed the inside of his cheek, hoping Hinata wouldn't ask any question about it.

"You're still not mad at us right?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Us?" Hinata asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, me 'n' Hanabi." Naruto stated.

"I'm n not mad at you." Hinata answered, trying not to sound pissed. Where the hell did 'me 'n' Hanabi' come from. That floozy already has him saying their name as if they're an item. I have to stop this madness before she crosses the line. Hinata thought as her gripped tightened on the bedrail.

"So we're cool right?" Naruto asked professing a smile.

Hinata smiled at him and replied, "Yeah we're c cool. But I thought you were mad at me because I attacked Hanabi."

"Why did you think I was mad at you for that?" Naruto asked, clearly baffled.

"You kind of gave me a cold look before you left." Hinata replied, staring down into her lap.

Naruto place one hand beneath Hinata's chin and gently raised her head so she was looking in his face.

Naruto smiled at her and said, "I didn't mean anything behind it. I guess I was just a little mad that you attacked her. She was just trying to shut me up."

That little bitch has him defending her now. Oh Now she has crossed the line. Hinata thought.

Naruto let his hand fall to his side when he saw hate and anger flashed in her eyes for a second. "I mean she did provoke you. But I'm not mad at you." Naruto hastily added.

Hinata muttered something and started cracking her knuckles. Is that a new habit because it's creepy watching you do it. Naruto thought as he took a step back.

"Well…," Naruto started, "Sakura's waiting on me so I better get going."

Naruto started toward the door.

"Umm, Naruto-kun c can I ask you a question before you go?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Sure, ask away." Naruto answered eager to leave.

"I'm kind of embarrassed to ask you this," Hinata said, "but do you find my sister attractive?"

Naruto almost choked on the air he was inhaling. He knew one of those awkward questions would come soon. And to think he was so close in being in the clear.

"Well…jeez Hinata." Naruto stammered. I'd eat my left arm before I answer that. Someone please come rescue me. Naruto thought as he tried to answer her without actually answering her question.

"Well do you?" Hinata repeated fervently.

"I …um…well she's- why? Do you think I think she's attractive?' Naruto asked.

Hinata wasn't prepared for that.

"Well I-,"

"Naruto I'm leaving now." Sakura interrupted as she poked her head in the door. "Oh hello Hinata. Are you feeling-,"

"Well look at that," Naruto shouted, "Sorry Hinata, but I promised Sakura I would help her with something before her guest came home."

"Naruto what are you talking about. I don't have any gu-," Naruto clamped his hand over Sakura's mouth, pushed her out the door and followed her.

"See you around Hinata." Naruto shouted as he quickly closed the door behind him and dragged Sakura down the hall.

"What the hell was that all about?" Sakura asked, wiping off her mouth.

"She asked me a question I didn't really want to answer." Naruto answered hastily. "Now let's get out of here before she comes out of her room." And so Naruto and Sakura left the hospital.

Hinata sat puzzled in her room trying to figure what just happened. Then it hit her that Naruto never answered her question. Feeling a sudden surge of anger, Hinata kicked over her food tray and picked up a ceramic teacup from the debris. She then threw it at the door where it crashed into the doorframe, missing her father's face by a few centimeters as he walked into the room. Hinata picked up something else to hurl at the door but dropped it when she realized who was standing in the doorway.

"You weren't aiming at me by any chance were you?" Hiashi asked frigidly.

"N no, father." Hinata stammered as her anger dropped in seconds of looking into her father's eyes.

Hiashi crossed the room and glanced out the window. "Hanabi told that you attacked her."

"So what? I would've killed her to if it wasn't for Naruto." Hinata shouted, suddenly feeling anger boiling up in her again. Hiashi was taken aback at the outburst. "That is so like you!" Hinata continued, "You always put Hanabi before me despite me being heir."

"Who do you think you're talking to young lady?!" Hiashi shouted, matching Hinata's tone.

Hinata sat up straight so she could look him in the eye. "I'm talking to a self-centered coward." Hinata answered. "That's right. I called you a coward. Ever since mother died giving birth to Hanabi, you've pushed me aside. I went through most of my childhood thinking that I wasn't good enough to be your child. So I worked my ass off trying to please you and prove to you that you were wrong. But regardless of how hard I worked, of how many things I have achieved that raised the power of the Hyuuga name, I never seemed to catch your eye. And so I wondered if something was wrong with me. But then Neji showed me a picture of you and mom and that's when it hit me. You kept me at a distance because I remind you to much of mom. You never got over her death. You can't deny it. You yourself know what I'm saying is true."

Hinata watched her father braced himself against the window pane as a storm of emotion took over his face.

"You have no right to say that. I'll tell you why I pushed you away. It was because you were too weak and pathetic to live up to the Hyuuga name." Hiashi snapped.

Hinata snorted and replied, "That's bull and you know it. If I'm so weak and pathetic to live up to the Hyuuga name, then why is your so called 'true heir' suffering from more damage than me? And you know what else I figured out, that you're afraid. That's why you've been so hard on me lately. You've been afraid ever since I became a jounnin. You're afraid of losing your control over me, which you have by the way. I'm not afraid of you anymore. I can stand on even ground with you now and that's the truth you're running from."

Hiashi laughed and said, "You're weak and pathetic. You've always have been and nothing you can say can change that. I'm not afraid of you. In fact you're afraid yourself. You want to believe those words that you can stand on even footing with me but you can't because you yourself know that you're to weak and pathetic to do it."

Hinata lay back down in her bed and replied, "If you want to believe that crap you're saying go ahead, I won't. But you wait and see I'm going to destroy you from the inside out."

"Are you threatening me Hinata?" Hiashi asked quietly, giving her his famous glare that made most people tremble. Except that it wasn't working on Hinata at the moment.

Hinata simply replied, "No, it's not a threat. It's a promise. Now remove yourself out of my presence."

Now this pissed Hiashi off. No one ever dared to order him around. Hiashi slowly walked to the foot of Hinata's bed and said, "Who do you think you're talking to? I order you not the other way around."

Hinata smirked, "From now on, it's the other way around. You must've forgotten. I'm 21 now and since I'm heir I can claim my position as head of the clan at any moment I choose. Besides, you lost your power and authority over me when you pushed me away and embraced Hanabi. Now leave my room before I summon security personnel to escort you out of my room and off the premises." For a moment Hiashi was dumbfounded, he couldn't think of anything to say or do.

"We will discuss this later." Hiashi said as he exited Hinata's room, slamming the door behind him.

"Good riddance." Hinata shouted at the door. It's going to be easy to destroy him when I take over and the only setback is that thing they pass as my sister, but I can take care of that. Hinata thought as the medicine worked its magic and put her to sleep.

Hinata rolled over as a hand caress her cheek. "When will you show this bold side of yourself to me?" A voice fondly said. After a few seconds the person placed a kiss on Hinata's forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams." And with that the person disappeared through the window just as a nurse came in to check up on Hinata.

At the Hyuuga Estate

"This was bound to happen, Hiashi." The elder said smiling. "It was just the matter of timing is all. Hinata has been planning this for years. I'm just surprise she hadn't executed her plan the day she turned 21."

"You knew about this." Hiashi said fuming.

"Of course I knew. I know everything that goes on in this estate. You'd be surprise to at most of the things that go on. Her plan at first was only to force you into an early retirement, but she added a few things to her agenda." The elder said, fluffing her hair. "I must say though, when she becomes clan leader she's going to break all traditions."

"You mean if she becomes clan leader." Hiashi said, rubbing his temple in an effort to calm his nerves.

The elder chuckled, "I meant it when I said when. Her plan is almost flawless."

"I don't suppose you want to tell me her plan?" Hiashi asked.

The elder cackled and replied, "Nope, but I will tell you that the only flaw in her plan is her sister. Ah. A female clan leader. A dream come true."

Hiashi rolled his eyes and headed toward his room. Damn, I intended to be clan leader for a few more years to come. I can get rid of her, but it'll be risky.

Well that's it for now. Please review. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.

Shippu Jinraikyaku