Yay! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. R&R plzzzz. Thank you so much for the reviews. (They made me feel so special.)
Shippu Jinraikyaku
Chapter Six
Hiashi stormed through the estate like a nasty hurricane, hurling insults, reprimands, and punishments toward any random Hyuuga who had the poor misfortune to be in his way.
"Get me Neji!" Hiashi ordered bursting through the door of the main house, shouting at a new servant. He walked through the foyer, into the hall, knocked a vase over, and went back into the foyer. "Why the hell are you still here?!" The confused, now terrified, servant dropped the tray she was carrying on the floor and bolted out of the door, heading towards the branch family.
Hiashi glared at the mess on the floor and kicked it. How dare that boy lie for Hanabi? He stormed down the hall towards the kitchens. He'd noticed the quick furtive glances Naruto was sending toward Hanabi and it pissed him off. He'd tried to keep Hinata from associating with him, even going as far as forbidding her to talk to him, but her compassionate side made their meeting inevitable. He'd be damn if he let the boy corrupt Hanabi. He stalked over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and paced around the beige and black marble island, in an attempt to calm himself down. He paused when he noticed the servants in the kitchen staring at him. He glared at them. "Get out! Stop whatever you're doing and get out!" The servants stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious. If he sent them out now that would mean dinner for the entire estate would be late. (Everyone in the estate ate dinner at the same time.) The head cook, a burly old woman with hair so white it matched her eyes, stepped towards Hiashi.
"Hiashi-sama, you can't possibly mean to tell us get out." The cook started wiping her hand on her green apron, which matched the green seal on her forehead. "That would mean dinner would be late." The other cooks and servants in the kitchen stared at her in awe; they couldn't believe the old cook was standing up to one of the main branch members, Hiashi no less. The members of the main branch had a tendency to use the seal as a form of quick punishment and amusement on innocent and unsuspecting branch relatives.
Hiashi stared at the old cook in shock. "Excuse me? You're disobeying an order?"
"Yes I am." The old cook straightened her posture and raised her chin defiantly in the air. "Dinner hasn't been late in the main branch since I became head cook. I've been head cook for twenty nine years. I'll be damn if dinner is served late because you're throwing a tantrum."
Hiashi glared at the cook and became angrier when she didn't even flinch. "Get out."
"Hell to the no."
Hiashi raised his hand to form the cursed seal hand sign. "Try it Hiashi," the cook said drawing a stained butcher knife from out of her apron, "and goddamnit we'll fight to the damn death in this kitchen."
"Uncle!"
Everyone turned to see Neji standing in the doorway, leaning on the door, his chest heaving. He took in a breath and walked toward Hiashi and the cook.
"Please forgive him Mameha-baa-sama," Neji said bowing to the cook, "He's had a trying day. Don't mind him; please do get back to work."
The cook made a rude noise and went back to her stove. Hiashi opened his mouth to say something but Neji pulled him out of the kitchen. His uncle could be a handful at times. He wouldn't know what the branch family would do if he wasn't around to deal with Hiashi when he threw one of his 'temper fits'; according to Hiashi grown men didn't have tantrums. They entered the courtyard and Neji motioned to the people who were lingering around to leave. Some hesitated but after they glanced at Hiashi they vanished.
"Now," Neji started, sitting on a bench that was under a magnificent oak tree, "you should know better than to pick a fight with Mameha-baa-sama. You know how she goes."
Hiashi narrowed his eyes at Neji and ignored the mild reprimand he just received. "It's my damn kitchen."
Neji sighed and shook his head at his uncle. He'd been pampering Tenten when a servant from the main branch pounded on his door, shouting that Hiashi was having tantrum and requested him. He'd fly to the main branch in fear and panic. The last time Hiashi threw a tantrum all the servants, except Mameha, were on the floor, either unconscious or writhing in pain clutching their foreheads. He'd had to call in Sakura to help with the injured as the medic ninja they had on the estate had their hands full. After the council was nursed back to health, they'd sentence Hiashi to anger management sessions; which did more harm than good. He grimaced at the memory. He glanced at Hiashi, and was relieved when he saw that his temper was receding.
"So what coerced you to grace us with your temper?" Neji asked quickly, wanting to get back to Tenten. He didn't want to leave her alone in her state. She was in her final trimester. In a couple more months he'd be a happy father of two.
Hiashi frowned at Neji. "I won't hold you up. I know you want to get back to Tenten." Hiashi still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that his nephew was married and a father-to-be. Hiashi turned to face Neji, face impassive. "Tell me exactly what you heard about Hinata and Hanabi."
Neji donned his impassive face. Hinata had told Neji what happened herself and she made him promise not to tell Hiashi. If Hiashi found out that Hinata beat the hell out of Hanabi, he'd have her sealed, and despite how Hinata acted towards her sister, she really wanted to spare Hanabi the pain of being sealed. He knew Hanabi told Hiashi that Hinata attacked her but; Hinata had told him to tell Hiashi that Naruto broke up the fight.
"Well?' Hiashi insisted.
"Hinata attacked Hanabi and Naruto stopped it before anything serious happened." Neji said, keeping his promise.
Hiashi narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Neji. "You're sure?"
"Yes. It's what I heard." Neji replied. "Why?"
"The council is pressuring me to retire as clan leader and let one of them take over." Hiashi said grimly. "I need to know which one is stronger. I assumed you would know."
"I honestly don't know." Neji said lying through his teeth. He glanced at his uncle and saw, for the first time, the scattering of gray in his hair and the ever so slight creases in his face that marked his age. "I thought Hinata was next in line."
Hiashi sat back and frowned, "Because she was the first born, she is, rightfully, next in line. But I renounced her as heir a few years ago."
Neji stared at his uncle in disbelief. This was news to him. "When was this?"
Hiashi turned his head away from Neji. "It was a private decision made by myself and approved by the council."
"Why would you do that?" Neji prompted in a casual tone, trying not to sound disappointed.
"She wasn't showing the strength she has now." Hiashi replied standing up. "And Hanabi had accomplished far more than Hinata at the time."
"So why didn't you seal Hinata?"
A flash of guilt washed over Hiashi's face. "One of the elders told me to wait, that she had great potential if she applied herself."
Neji was glad that he did. "So who are you choosing?"
"I honestly don't know." Hiashi said, "I want Hanabi to be clan leader but I can see Hinata as clan leader also."
Neji thought for a second, and then asked. "Why do you want Hanabi as leader?"
"Because she's traditional." Hiashi quickly said turning his face away from Neji, hiding the real reason why he wanted Hanabi as leader.
"In other words," Neji said clearly seeing Hiashi's main reason, "You can control Hanabi but not Hinata."
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Hiashi said trying to avoid eye contact with his nephew.
"That if Hanabi became leader you would still run the clan because you can manipulate her." Neji stated.
"I could never hide anything from you. You get that from your father. He saw through everything." Hiashi said smiling. "If I had my way I'd name you leader. You're the strongest and one of the wisest in the clan."
Neji smiled for an instant and reverted back to his impassive state. Hiashi had told him that before but Neji never really believed him. Still, it was nice to know that he could've been clan leader.
"I have to name the new leader at the next meeting," Hiashi stated walking back to the kitchen. "I want you to be there, your vote has considerable weight. Its in two months so stay free."
Neji opened his mouth to ask a question but closed and let Hiashi walk off. He'd have to warn Hinata and Hanabi. He'd warn Hinata first though. He thought Hinata would be the better leader. Besides, the position was rightfully hers to begin with. He didn't think Hanabi had the patience or the dedication to be a leader. But nevertheless, he'd tell the both of them.
He followed Hiashi's steps into the kitchen and was pleased to find out that all was in order. He turned the corner and walked into Hanabi.
"Watch where you're going, you asshole." Hanabi said reflexively before looking at who walked into her.
"Aren't we in a pleasant mood today?" Neji said picking up the bag she was carrying.
"Neji!" Hanabi exclaimed. She turned her head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay." Neji handed over her bag. "If you're not busy could you and Hinata pass by me tomorrow? I have something I need to talk to you two about. It's quite important."
Hanabi nodded and watched Neji walk off. She wondered what Neji wanted. She'd think about it later. Right now all she could think of and wanted to think of was Naruto. She floated unnoticed to her room on a cloud of fantasies. She fell out of her cloud when she saw a note lying on her bed. She picked it up and read it.
Meet me on the training grounds
in the forest at seven
We don't want Hanabi following you like the last time
So take a complex route and stick to the shadows
Don't be late!
"What?" Hanabi read the note again, perplexed. She glanced around the room, saw a jacket carelessly thrown on the bed, and realized that she was in Hinata's room; she must've taken a wrong turn. She scanned the note again, committed it to memory and quickly exited Hinata's room- just in time to as she was coming up the stairs.
"Neji wants to talk to you." Hanabi told her.
"What for?" Hinata asked.
"How the hell should I know?"
Hinata eyed the cast on her sister's arm, guilt washing over her. "When does that come off?"
Hanabi scowled at her sister, anger boiling up in her. "I was supposed to take it off an hour ago."
"Well fix your face before you have to put one on the next arm." Hinata sneered.
Hanabi opened her room door, her temper threatening to break free. She wanted to punch Hinata in the face so bad but was in no condition to deal with the events that would follow; instead she decided to irritate her. "You know why I wasn't able to take this off?"
Hinata narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Hanabi "Entertain me."
"Well," Hanabi started, edging into her room, "Naruto popped in. We were well on our way to finish what we started in the hokage's office, but the nurse was coming in and he jumped out the window." She pretended to study her nails, watching gleefully as Hinata went pale with anger. She figured she could irritate her some more, it was only fair. "Let me tell you, he's very thorough with his hands. And he has quite the talent for kissing. He even-"
"LIES! I KILL YOU!"
Hanabi slammed her bedroom door, just in time, as Hinata threw several butcher knives at her. Hanabi stared at the points of several knives that were lodged halfway through her door. Where the hell she gets these from, she thought, making her way to her closet. She pulled out a kunai and started to hack away at the cast. The cast crumbled to pieces and she studied her arm. Due to a lack of exposure to light, it was a little paler than the rest of her body. She moved to get a muscle relaxer from her closet when she noticed the note lying on her pillow. The note was written in an orange ink so bright that it hurt her eyes. Nonetheless, she read it.
Directions on back.
Meet me there 7o'clock tonight.
Naruto
P.S. – Don't hurt your head trying to figure out how I got in your room.
Hanabi read the note twice, excitement swelling up inside her. Dinner was at seven, and after dinner was when her father usually handed out his punishments. Was she really going to skip dinner and her punishment hearing just to go meet Naruto somewhere? Hell yeah! She glanced around the room suspiciously and slipped the note under her shirt. She glanced at the clock ticking on her wall: 6:00. She had enough time to get there. She walked over to her window. Her only problem now was getting off the estate without being noticed. She'd have to sneak through the branch family's "secret" tunnel that led out to the forest east of the estate. Tricky, as the tunnel was hidden in plain sight, but not impossible.
With her first problem solved she walked over to her closet to solve her second problem: what the hell she was going to wear? Glancing at the clock she dived into the deep crevasse of her closet, hoping to surface with something presentable to wear. She heard Hinata slam her door and thought for a second.
The note she read in Hinata's room had said seven also. She had to make a choice. She really wanted to follow Hinata and see who she was going to meet but, she really wanted to see Naruto again. Hanabi weighed her options. Follow Hinata into some forest and risk getting in some sort of fight or go meet Naruto in a secluded place, possibly get catch and end up in a shitload of trouble. Hmmm, she thought, both sounded potentially problematic. She decided to go meet Naruto for two reasons. One - it wasn't everyday some guy said they like her and asked to meet her, and two, Naruto + secluded place endless possibilities. Hell yeah! She was definitely going to meet Naruto.
End of Chapter Six
Hoped you liked it. I thought it was okay. I only wrote it so I could lay out the carpet for the next chapter. Review plzzz. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.
Shippu Jinraikyaku