Ugh long story short: I had a crash on my laptop that just wiped all my files for this story, which meant i'd have to read all the chapters that I had posted and try to remember where I was going with this. That was a little bit discouraging, so I just was about to give up on this, but, in a moment of boredom I picked it backed up and thought, eh, I might as well just finish it. Lol, owe it to you guys. So here it is, after a gazillion years.

Shippu27

P.S. - as always this hasn't been beta'd so excuse the errors.

Chapter Fifteen

"An assassin," Hinata stated, taking laboured breaths to calm herself down.

"Lord Hiashi, stay back please." Hiashi's guards jumped in front of him.

"Please," Hiashi said with disgust, pushing past his guards heading toward the dead assassin. He turned towards the head of security for the Hyuuga compound. "Kazama! How is it another assassin got into the estate without your knowing?"

Kazama faltered for a moment, then said, "Hiashi-sama, there were no reports of a breach of the estate."

Hinata crouched over the body, pulled off the mask, and gasped.

"What? Who is it?" Hiashi demanded, elbowing his eldest child out of the way. He inhaled sharply.

It was a Hyuga. From the seal on its forehead, someone from the branch family. He moved from the body, and the small crowd that wa sin the room for he trial gasped and murmured at the obvious branch family member.

"This is highly suspicious!" One of the elder's who sat on the council exclaimed. He continued, "How is it that a second branch family member would try another assassination? This is what I was warning you about Hiashi! It's an attempt for a coup d'etat! I suggest an immediate lock down of the branch family estate until an inquiry has been established!"

This brought an uproar from representatives of the main family household and the branch family estate alike. A lock down was akin to prison sentence with maximum security conditions.

"Such unfounded allegations!" Another elder from the council exclaimed amid the clamour. "Just like the main household to cast the blame on us! How do you not know it wasn't someone outside the estate?"

"For what reason would someone outside the state have to meddle with the Hyuga, much less the main household?" The first elder replied, "Hiashi, I implore you to sanction the lock down. They can not be trusted!"

"Are you implying we're criminals?" the other elder angrily asked.

"It has happened before! History often repeats itself!" The elder shouted. Their banter ignited an even greater noise. Hinata slipped away ever so vaguely during their state of confusion.

Hiashi stood there while the small crowd bickered, tensions rising. If he didn't handle this correctly he might very well have a coup d'etat upon his hands. But honestly, two attempted assassinations, an heir match, and now this tension between the families. How easier it would've been if Hizashi were alive. As the clamor grew louder and louder, it became increasingly difficult for Hiashi to hear himself think.

"SILENCE! ALL OF YOU! OR SUFFER SEALING!" He yelled into the noise, using a bit of chakra to help project his voice. The crowd instantly quieted. Great.

"Kazama!"

"Yes Hiashi-sama?" the guard replied, eager to do something. Being the head of the guard, he was in a pretty hot shoe. Since he came in contact with the branch family more often than the main, he figured it'd be best to await an order instead of taking a personal action that might cast him and his guards in disfavor to either households.

Hiashi turned to him while taking off his robe and throwing it over the body. "Alert the ANBU, have them send an examiner over for the body. Increase the patrol among the branch family estate, also, have someone see to the repairs of the room." He turned to the crowd. " The council will break until there has been a general meeting on the affairs going on in the estate! All trials and previously scheduled meetings with the grand council will be temporarily on hold until further notice. All existing sentences are still in effect until stated otherwise. Any new situations that require a council trial will be held by your inclusive council in the estate you reside! Until further notice these orders are effective immediately! You are dismissed!"

With hushed murmurs everyone slowly filed out of the room while trying to get a proper glance at the body. When only Hiashi remained, he summoned two guards to guard the room and the body, and gave them strict instructions to keep anyone unauthorized out. He then took himself off to his private quarters until the ANBU arrived.

"Something's amiss" Hanabi stated while escorting Naruto, or rather Otura-san back to the entrance.

"How do you figure?" Naruto asked, while glancing around. Surprisingly, after they left the secret room, they didn't run across anyone.

"Despite we stayed in that room past my trial time, no one has been looking for me." Hanabi replied slowly donning on her usualy demeanor. She continued, "I wonder what happened?" She used her byakugan while they walked, stretching her vision to see if anything unusualwas happening.

Naruto glanced at her and was tempted to grope her a bit, but decided it would look odd for an old woman to be inappropiately touching the heir. He studied the little veins that appeared around her eyes while she peered about discreetly. This girl was growing on him. During their intimate moment in the little secret room, she shared with him her reason for her behavior, why she's the way she is. He found them to be similar in a sense. They were both lonely people. He grinned, they were also both attractive hormonal young people. The implications were endless.

Thinking more of the room, they were quite different as well. Where his emotions showed on his face and lives in his words, hers are portrayed in her actions. The way she clung to his body, just showing the need for company, a desire to be seen other than a puppet. Her passionate kisses were sometimes fierce with anger, soft with sadness, gentle with empathy. The strong hands that held his head in place, that raked his back, that roamed his body, were just eager with excitement. The sounds, the scents. Ugh, he thought, there was no denying they had some kind of bond on some level. Besides somewhat fulfilling a physical need for both of them, the short time in that room also brought an understanding between them. He wondered if she felt the same way. His desire for her company was only growing stronger.

"...heard me?"

"Huh, " Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What were you asking?"

"I asked what were you thinking...?" Hanabi replied. She was finding him to be oddly comforting.

"Oh dear," Naruto started, making sure to stay true to his disguise, "you don't want to know. But i'll tell you anyway. This old woman had thoughts that ressurect these old breasts of mine, as well as replenish the water in this old well that has been dried for many centuries..."

The smallest of twitches appeared around the corners of Hanabi's lips. "Really, for an old hag like you, you should retire from such thoughts. I doubt that dust factroy of a body can even produce enough steam for moisture, much less a full drop of water for a well."

Naruto chuckled. "Such description"

"I was right, something is amiss. There's some clamor at the branch family estate. I wonder what happened..." Hanabi stated tilting her head ever so carefully to the right.

Naruto looked around and only saw the decorated pathway that was leading to the main entrance to the Hyuga estate. Sure there were buildings a bit in the distance around them but there was nothing amiss he could see. "Really? I don't see anything, how are y- right.. Fancy eyes you got there." He teased. "I'd hope you weren't oogling my naked body..."

Hanabi made something akin to a snort. "Like your grotesque body is something to look at. Please we Hyuga's have a strict code of moral honor about the use of our byakugan."

Though as she signed him out the estate, she casually mentioned, "Though sometimes duty dictates a call to...forget about it, as it may." She gave the slightest tilt of her head in acknowledgement as Naruto walked away chuckling.

When he was a good much away, the guard said, "Hanabi-san, you should not be out. There was another assassination attempt. There is unsettling tension. It'd be best if you stayed within the main household."

Hanabi thanked the guard, a relatively young one. Probably fresh from the academy she supposed. And how he'd addressed her, she assumed he must have not heard much about her. He flustered a bit at her gratitude. Hanabi turned and ninja-sped her way back to the main compound. She figured she'd bring herself up to speed about the assassination attempt. Reaching the compound, she covered herself in a servants robe, as to avoid people, and headed towards her father's private quarters.

End of Chapter

A/N:

Heh I know I know its terribly short after a hell of an absence, but I took some time to read back up the previous chapters and try to think of some ways to tie up all these plots. As i'm aiming for this to be completed with 20 chapters, the next five will be a bit long and quite eventful, As always R&R. It's good to be back a bit heh. Hope you guys will stick around.

shippu27