Chapter 42 – Hizashi's Trouble

"Talk"

'Think'

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto sensei.

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Hokage Office

Half an hour after Hiashi has left, Shisui's door was knocked again.

"Enter" he said.

The door opened and Hizashi appeared. 'What are the odds' thought Shisui, wondering if Hizashi came for the same reason.

"What can I do for you, Hizashi?" asked Shisui.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I was wondering if there's a long-term mission that I can apply?" requested Hizashi.

"That is unusual. May I know the reason behind it?" asked Shisui.

Hizashi was silent for a while before he said "I'd like to get away from the Hyūga Compound for a while".

"That sounds personal. While I can grant you a mission based on personal reason, that was not enough" said Shisui.

Hizashi began with the history of Hyūga clan, the Cursed Seal, the Main and the Branch Family "…I know that my brother, Hiashi has nothing to do with me being branded with the Cursed Seal, but I still resent that. I resent the fact that I was being branded for something that is beyond my control which was me being borne later, albeit only for a few minutes. Moreover, I know my son will be the strongest Hyūga of this generation, yet he was destined to serve Hinata who was much weaker than him!"

"I thought I can keep this ugly feelings contained until the Chūnin Exam where I hope, you niece will show the Elder that the Hyūga no longer needs the Cursed Seal. But today I found out that she and her team was on a long-term mission. I can't keep this feeling bottled up any longer. I-I fear I might do something that I'll regret later. That's why, I asked for a long-term mission, I hope being away will cool down my anger and resentment" explained Hizashi.

"Have you ever considered talking to your brother?" asked Shisui.

"No! I mean, I-I don't know. Every time I looked at him, the anger within me boiled. It takes all my will to control it though sometimes, it escaped and my brother had to use the Cursed Seal, which angered me more" said Hizashi.

"Tell you what, why don't both of you come to my house tonight for dinner? Naruto and Noriko are away and Shizuka has a night shift, so both of you will have the house to yourselves to talk freely, away from the prying ears of Hyūga Elders and I'll be around should you lose your control" proposed Shisui.

"That would be nice. I appreciate it, Hokage-sama" said Hizashi.

The dinner ended late. It was awkward at first, but Hizashi found that once he started talking, he cannot stop until he has voiced out all his resentments. To his surprise, not once did his brother use the Cursed Seal on him. Once they both had talked and listened, Hizashi understood the burden of being in the Main Family; the need to keep up appearance, to be hard and strong, to hurt even if deep down, you don't want to. He also learnt that he and Hiashi have the same goal, to end the use of the Cursed Seal.

Since Noriko was pivotal to the plan, Shisui asked permission from both Hyūga to tell Noriko about what had transpired, minus the drama. They agreed to it.

'She is so going to freak out again' thought Shisui with mixture feelings of worry and amuse.

Uzu no Kuni

Noriko felt a chill running down her spine 'Uh uh' she thought worriedly. She channelled Rajah's ears to listen to the sound of the night, trying to detect any sign of anomaly, since it was her turn to guard.

Noting nothing out of place, Noriko began to practice her byakugan, trying to improve its distance, since it is something she can do while stationary.

The following day, Naruto, Noriko and Tenzō decided to explore together. The sight of the ruins saddened Naruto.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" asked Noriko gently.

Naruto just smiled sadly. Tenzō looked at the interactions with sorrow, he could understand Naruto's feelings, the thought of what could have been. 'At least he knows where he came from' he thought before chided himself.

"Look at these skeletons" muttered Noriko "I think I'll collect them"

"Eh?" asked Naruto "You want to collect skeletons?"

"Not as collection, but I do think they deserve a burial, don't you think?"

"Even if some of these are the one who attacked?" asked Tenzō.

"Yeah…I mean, there is no way we can know which is which, so I proposed to dig a big hole, then we bury them together" said Noriko.

"That is a lot of work" said Naruto "But I like it. It makes me feel like I'm doing something for my clan" He formed hand Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"

Noriko smiled and followed his action.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Kakashi. It was late afternoon and he came looking for his students. He found them sweaty and dirty, standing over a large hole full of skeletons and bones.

"We found these-" Naruto pointing at the skeletons and bones "lying around. So Noriko proposed that we buried them…is at ok, sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Sure, and what are these?" Kakashi asked, pointing at a pile of scrolls.

"We found them while collecting all these bones. Can we open them after this, sensei?" asked Tenzō.

"If you don't mind, let me check on them first? They could be traps" said Kakashi.

"Can I see how you do that, sensei?" asked Noriko.

"Sure, in fact, I think all of you should learn it" said Kakashi "But…finish this first while I get dinner ready"

They filled the hole with newfound energy, excited at the prospect of learning something new. After that, Naruto and Noriko went to look for flowers and planted them around the burial site.

Meanwhile, Tenzō was planting a small sapling in the middle of the burial site. Afterwards, he performed hand seals and pressed his palm against the ground. The sapling grows into a tall tree.

"Wow, thank you, Tenzō" said Naruto in amazement.

Later, they offered a small prayer and then left the burial site.

End Chapter 42

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Multiple Shadow Clone Technique

Uzu no Kuni – Land of Whirlpools