Chapter 7: The Annual Clan meeting
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Hinata stood in the middle of the room with two servants adding the final touches to her kimono.
"I'm almost ready." She said softly to the figure standing by the door. When her father entered the room, she tilted her head, silently questioning what was on his mind.
"The Uzumaki is a very important speaker tonight,"
She already knew that.
"I'll make sure to engage him in discussions,"
"No need, I will take care of that on my end and write you a recap."
"But why? You always say I shouldn't deliberately hand over the decision of power to someone else...yet you're making that decision away from me..."
"Daughter, sometimes you're far too obvious, and I can't allow anyone else to see what I already saw. I'm aware that he hurt your feelings one way or another. But you must start making amends. The negative energy has been festering for far too long. This is coming from a place of concern for not just you, but also your friends,"
He didn't need to explain what he had meant, for she had noticed it as well. She knew Kiba and Shino had always favored her over Naruto. From what she had witnessed, the guys tended to be a little cold and hostile towards Naruto at times. The worst part of it all was her silence, she didn't mind the strong loyalty they had towards her.
After her father left the room, Hinata moved to the vanity mirror. Sitting down slowly, she zoned out as they finished styling her hair. She vaguely reacted when the servants excused themselves. Looking away from her reflection, she reached for an ornament out of a collection of many, her eyes fixated on a particular hairpin with blue gemstones that reminded her of his ocean blue eyes.
Talking to Naruto meant lying to him about her heart, it was still shattered with not enough pieces to put back together. She thought about how she will have to pretend she does not remember how his lips felt before everything changed. Recalling Naruto's remorseful expression mixed with guilt, she gripped the hairpin tightly in her hand.
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"N-Naruto-Kun," Hinata had said to him, a little over a year ago, as he lay on a hospital bed. She hesitated to visit, afraid to see what he would look like without an arm. Once she was there, Hinata felt relieved that he was healing okay.
"Hinata-chan…" He had struggled to sit up, and she automatically moved forward to help. Seeing Hinata's face so close, he wouldn't meet her eyes until she was further away, back on the chair.
The two remained in uncomfortable silence. Hinata knew the reason she felt the way she did, she couldn't look at him without seeing Neji's sacrifice. She reached for Naruto's only hand, held it to her cheek, and cried.
Gripping her hand, Naruto pulled her to his chest.
"I'm sorry…" He whispered into her head as he stroked her hair. "I couldn't save him…"
The next time they met was after the ceremony was over, Naruto managed to catch up to her as she was leaving. With her father's permission, he pulled her away as Hiashi called out a curfew time.
They had dinner together at a cozy ramen stand, his favorite one, it was one of the few places that somehow remained intact. They mostly talked about Neji. The subject briefly shifted to something else, Naruto mentioned he was going to extend an invitation for the Uchiha to move in with him so that he didn't have to be alone anymore. Those words had stung a bit.
The third time he sought her out, was right after he had gotten an arm transplant. He visited her home and invited her on a short walk.
Hinata remembered feeling a sense of confidence that the confession had been well received, and did not account for Naruto being a man first. He was unable to turn down her advances once they started. She had been pinned against a tree, and as sudden as their relationship had begun, the bizarre moment of passion ended months after, with him pulling away as though he had been burnt.
His dark eyes were downcast, lightening up once again to an ocean blue after the lustful moment disappeared. A remorseful expression mixed with guilt took over his features. She stopped listening after he uttered the words "sorry." Instead, she followed the movement of his mouth, feigning understanding, which is how the image of his bruised lips was burned inside her head.
She remembered walking home alone that day, with her arms crossed. Thinking back, there were a lot of things she could've done better than react like such an immature child. But it was hard to let go when she loved him before she even knew what love was.
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Blinking back tears, Hinata willed the memories away and dropped the hairpin back into a stack of many.
"Onee-chan, what's taking you so long?"
Hanabi's reflection appeared in the mirror as she stood behind her. Hinata turned, her eyes softened as she took in her appearance. Her orange and yellow kimono, she thought, suits Hanabi's personality.
"Help me…"
Hanabi's eyes trailed to the opened jewelry box and noticed what appeared to be her sister's struggle. Rolling her eyes, she effortlessly picked the perfect hair ornament to match her sister's kimono. She pinned the cascading orchid flowers on the side of her hair, and stood back with her hands behind her back, grinning at her work. The color red looked nice against her bluish-violet hair.
"There!"
With one last glance at the vanity mirror, Hinata met her sister at the door. She reached out for her hand, their fingers automatically intertwining. She couldn't wait for the day to be over.
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All the prominent clans in Konoha were gathered at Nara's residence, under a beautiful clear sky. Included in the roll call were the Hyuga elders, the last Uchiha, the Uzumaki, the Sand royals, with special guests which included Sakura Haruno, Lady Tsunade, and Shizune. Representatives from the Akimichi clan, and the Yamanaka clan, stayed close together with the Naras. The Aburame clan and Inuzuka clan lurked close to the Hyuga clan. As Lord Kakashi continued his speech, it did not escape his notice, nor did it surprise him, while keeping an eye on Konohamaru, a Sarutobi, who seemed to show interest in just being around Naruto's friends.
When the speech ended, Kakashi descended from the podium stage. The Kazekage, several clan leaders, the Hyuga elders, and the Konoha councils immediately flocked to Kakashi and Naruto, seemingly pushing the Uchiha out of the picture as they effectively cornered them for further discussion.
Why had he even bothered to come? Sasuke thought to himself as he gravitated towards familiar faces who hung close to the nearest white-clothed catering table.
"You know, you could've just said no to the invitation," Sakura said, teasingly, while hiding her fidgety hands behind her back. She hadn't left Shizune's and Lady Tsunade's side, since she was feeling a little bit out of place.
Sasuke's brows knit together and pondered why Sakura thought he had a choice in the matter. Saying no to the invitation was essentially saying no to Naruto. He didn't want to deal with what the outcome would've been, so he might as well suck it up.
Almost realizing the same thing, Sakura took her words back.
"That's right, you didn't have a choice, did you?"
"I won't be staying for long," Sasuke's shoulder gave a slight shrug.
"That's a bummer," Konohamaru said as he joined the group with a glass of orange juice in his hand.
"Konohamaru, whoa, you're taller than me now!" Sakura said while tiptoeing and making hand gestures to prove a point.
Sasuke took notice of how the cherry blossom hair ornament swayed on her side, as she expressed herself.
Glancing down at her kimono, the color almost matched her hair perfectly. It's not that Sakura Haruno had suddenly become prettier, for she has always been a beautiful girl. From what he had seen lately, she had mellowed out. He even forgot the last time he saw her raise her voice or punch something or someone out of anger, it was a welcomed change.
Looking away, he vaguely wondered why his idiotic friend has not made a single attempt at pursuing Sakura.
Remembering the stupid plan Naruto concocted for that day, Sasuke had an idea of what could be preventing his friend from acting on his feelings for Sakura. He searched the crowd, the same way he searched for his target during battle, and honed in on the unsuspected victim.
Hinata Hyuga. Why his best friend keeps on wasting his efforts on mending their friendship is beyond him. Either way, until then, Sasuke remained vigilant, waiting for Naruto's signal.
His thoughts were interrupted by Tsunade's and Shizune's laughter.
Noticing the two already had a glass of wine in hand, Sasuke wondered when that happened, since he didn't even see the two ladies move. He didn't question it any further.
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Shikamaru stayed by Temari's side as he was confident Naruto didn't need any help this time, as they had used the last few weeks to prepare in advance.
"You got this!" Shikamaru mouthed to a very nervous Naruto, whose demeanor changed the moment he received the encouraging words from across the opened space garden. Naruto nodded with confidence in returned, his attention turning to the people in front of him listening to him talk.
"Look at him, I'm always amazed at how far he has come," Ino said, as she joined the group with Choji in tow, taking drinks in their hands from the table closest to them.
"I love Naruto," Choji said fondly. "He's such a great guy," He decided to rest his legs, so he opted to sit on an empty white chair.
"Who doesn't?" Ino replied with a grin on her face as she joined him, sitting across from him.
Two names came to mind. Shikamaru's eyes shifted to Shino and Kiba's location, as they took their place next to Hinata as though the formation had been practiced before.
"I heard you went looking for us the other day, sorry we keep missing each other," Kiba said, with his arms behind his head. Hinata shook her head and smiled.
"It's okay Kiba-Kun," Hinata replied, as she kept her eyes staring ahead, as they all slowly strolled towards Yoshino and Kurenai's table.
On her way there, she inquired about her friends' well-being. If Hinata had been paying more attention, she would've caught Kiba's little slip-up, but was too distracted with how cute Mirai looked, sitting on a big chair while wearing a Kimono.
"I've been good, I can't complain about the mission we've been given-I mean-I've been given. I've been working alone." Kiba said, then shifting his gaze to Shino, he gave a slight nod his way.
"I've been very busy as well, with solo missions," Shino replied as he tagged along.
"Hanabi-chan might be offered a permanent apprenticeship under Sakura-chan," Hinata shared, filled with pride over her little sister's accomplishment.
"That's awesome, way to go Hana-chan!" Kiba gave her a thumbs up, for which Hanabi merely shrugged her shoulder in response.
"Onee-chan makes it sound like I'm going to be the next big slug sage, but please don't get your hopes up."
"She's so humble," Hinata reached out but stopped herself from pinching her cheek in public. Instead, she patted her sister's head.
"Onee-chan, please stop, I'm not a baby anymore," Hanabi deadpanned as they stopped in front of Yoshino and Kurenai.
"Hello Yoshino-san, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata greeted them, letting go of Hanabi's. Her eyes followed Yoshino curiously as she reached out for a hug.
Yoshino could tell the brief hug she gave her caught the Hyuga off guard.
"Thanks again for the help with putting all of this together," Yoshino said, pulling away. Yoshino then turned to greet Hanabi and smiled. It was amazing how the younger sister looked like a copy of Hiashi, while Hinata looked more like her late mother.
"Hello," Hanabi said with a polite bow, her demeanor becoming guarded around the stranger. She immediately clung close to Hinata, almost behind her, hating herself for a moment for she understood why her sister kept on treating her like a child.
Hinata glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Hanabi, who returned her gesture with a glare, as if to say 'quit it'.
Eying Hinata's teammates next, Yoshino giggled behind her hand.
"Oh, my, The Inuzuka clan and Aburame clan are so protective of you,"
"Please don't tease my boys," Kurenai said to Yoshino, with her daughter in her arms.
Feeling uncomfortable, Kiba and Shino greeted Shikamaru's mother and Kurenai before retreating away from Hinata's side, stating they were going to listen to Naruto's talks.
"See? You made them run away," Kurenai stated while rolling her eyes, knowing why those two had become nervous all of a sudden.
Hanabi tugged at her sleeve to gain her attention. "Why aren't you over there, next to dad?" Hanabi's chin pointed towards the group around Naruto and Kakashi.
"Hanabi," She poked her sister's cheek. "Those were his instructions to me," She knew her younger sister didn't take too well-being treated like a child. But the way Hanabi's blushed cheeks puffed up was so damn cute.
"I'm going to go greet Sakura-san," Hanabi said before leaving her.
Hinata watched her go and approached Sakura, who had been staying close to Sasuke, Konohamaru, Lady Tsunade, and Shizune. Hinata looked away when Sasuke glanced her way. She still remembered the last time she tried to look directly into his eyes, even though he was nowhere nearby. She still resented the way he revealed to her his family's history, afterall, she had known enough to fill in the gaps.
When Hinata sat down, Yoshino and Kurenai seemed to continue the conversation where they left off.
"So, have they made things official yet?" Kurenai said as shifted Mirai's weight in her arm, the girl seemed grumpy, bored, and sleepy.
"That son of mine is so lazy. Even with Temari being under the same roof, he won't make a move,"
Hinata's attention shifted to the subject, her lavender eyes searched until she found the couple.
Temari's downward gaze as she smiled, and Shikamaru's casual lazy slouch, were something that didn't seem out of place. Maybe the older women around her could see something she could not.
Thus, Hinata remained didn't feel the need to comment. After all, she barely knew the Sand princess outside what needed to be known. She was certain Temari was a lovely person, otherwise, Yoshino and Kurenai wouldn't be so fixated on the two coming together.
As conversations continued around the table, Hinata glanced up in her father's direction when she saw him talking to Gaara. The Kazekage seemed to notice and glanced her way, and sent her a polite nod. Hinata briefly looked away when her father's attention had been diverted her way.
'Father, do not even think about it,' Hinata mouthed, knowing he was watching, as she turned back to the conversation happening around her.
Mirai's weight felt heavier than before, she had finally fallen asleep. Turning to the two, Kurenai smiled softly as she excused herself from the group, moving inside to tuck her toddler in a bed, in the spare guest room she had been offered.
"Something seems to be on your mind," Yoshino said to Hinata as she reached across the table to hand her a drink.
"Is it always that obvious?" Hinata frowned before continuing to share what was on her mind. "I was in the process of writing a draft to abolish arranged marriages, but I seem to be running out of time since I keep getting interrupted by my other responsibilities."
"You do know that's not your only option," Yoshino said while grabbing her glass of wine and giving it a swirl. "So tell me, why do you hesitate? You have so many allies that won't mind helping you fight for your cause. If you reach out and ask for help, achieving something like that should be easy for you."
"That doesn't sound like a peaceful way to go about it." After all, they just finished achieving something slightly close to world peace.
"Writing a draft, getting votes, and having a peaceful fight, I'm all for that too. Just don't forget, any legal battle tends to drag out for years. By then, you'll be married with kids and won't have the same passion to fight for a different outcome, my dear." The more Yoshino shared her point of view, the more dangerous it was to continue such a conversation in public.
"Yoshino-san, mind your words, a lot of my family members can read lips." Hinata leaned in and said in a hushed tone.
"Just keep in mind what I said."
Shifting her gaze away from Yoshino, Hinata sipped from her glass of wine.
"Your son is right, you know..."
"Shika?"
Instead of answering her, Hinata's gaze turned emotionless, she tried her best not to falter.
"Hinata-chan, did you just call me troublesome in your head?"
She might've implied it.
After their giggles finally subsided, Hinata's gaze lingered on the drink in her hand, realizing it was no longer Hinata-san, it was Hinata-chan.
"It was nice talking to you again," Yoshino said, finally lifting herself from the chair. "But I need to go and entertain others now." She felt her duty as a hostess was calling out to her.
Sitting alone, Hinata was left to fantasize about what marrying for love would look like, only to find she had a really hard time picturing it. As she swirled the drink in her hand, the notion of an arranged marriage might be the only path for her after all.
She casually lifted her gaze, her eyes becoming naturally drawn to the attention she felt was on her. There he was, talking amongst his group, but she could tell half of his attention was elsewhere. When Shikamaru's brown eyes lingered, the look he gave her was like a silent invitation to join him. While on her way, the isolated and hidden smile he sent her way was enough to make her pause in her tracks. When did Yoshino's son become so charming?
Shikamaru noticed the slight hesitation to the invitation. He didn't dwell on it, making the effort to meet her halfway, not minding the curious glances he had received as he suddenly departed from the group. It didn't help that he had parted from them with several vague words which expressed no explanation whatsoever about his intentions.
Shikamaru had been watching her from afar, noticing the Hyuga leader had been spending a lot of time with his mother. It was natural to be curious about what the two were up to. Thinking back to what Yoshino had said at dinner, maybe this had been the beginning of her mother trying to forge a friendship.
"Hyuga-san," Shikamaru had taken a few steps close to her just to make sure his eyes weren't failing him, for she had a glint of mischief he wasn't used to, and for some reason, he was the subject of her amusement.
He instinctively drew closer, just enough to interpret her quiet words among all the background chatters.
"I almost called Yoshino troublesome," Hinata said to him, as though she had been sharing a scandalous secret. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right, because she said Yoshino, not Yoshino-san.
He looked in his mother's direction. "What a drag, she let that slide because it's you, but resorts to violence if is me,"
Lifting her gaze, her lavender eyes were met by his piercing brown ones.
"And why do you think that is?"
"My mother seems to think you're cute," His lips twisted into a lazy smile as he relaxed into a slouched.
Had he said something wrong?
Shikamaru swallowed, trying to discern why Hinata's cheeks rouged to several shades, a sight which had once been all too familiar back in their genin days.
Finally stepping back to a respectable distance, Shikamaru was unable to continue the conversation without feeling guilty for the rest of his life. Looking around for a reason to leave, his eyes quickly found Temari's as she rejoined him at his side.
"Hyuga-san, did you get my last letter?" She asked as she clung to Shikamaru's arm.
Hinata smiled pleasantly. "Yes and I enjoyed the time I spent with Lord Kazekage-san,"
Temari's smile was genuine.
"My dear little brother would be glad to hear your feedback,"
Turning to Shikamaru, Hinata thanked him for hosting this year's event, for which he reminded her that he wasn't given much of a choice in the matter.
Regardless, she bowed politely before leaving the couple, with Kiba and Shino rejoining her side as she made her way toward a smiling Sakura.
"Hinata-chan!" Sakura took a few steps forward, gripping both of Hinata's hands to make sure she was real. Seemingly slipping into doctor mode, she began to point out the signs of fatigue she noticed on Hinata's skin and reminded her that her check-up was right around the corner.
"S-Sakura-chan, I know."
"Hey, where did that kid go?" Lady Tsunade asked, noticing a crowd dispersing around the podium.
"He's not a kid anymore, Tsunade," But there was no use in reminding her that. "And who knows, he probably went on a bathroom break," Shizune said while taking a sip of her drink.
When Naruto went missing, Sasuke seemed to remember the stupid operation, as he hastily took a few steps before reaching Hinata.
Glancing at what seemed to be her bodyguards, the last Uchiha silently asked for their permission to have a word with her. Kiba and Shino exchanged looks and nodded towards him, having a vague idea that the last Uchiha had some sort of business with her.
"Hyuga-san, do you have a moment to talk?"
Hanabi's brow furrowed as she looked between the two, while the rest stared as they wondered about Sasuke's sudden interest.
Hinata sighed inwardly. The Uchiha reminded her of a cat. Sometimes he approached her, and sometimes he ignored her. But what else could he possibly want if their business was already done? She gave her teammates one last look before walking away with Sasuke in tow.
After the two took off, Hinata began to lead the way. Being familiar with the layout of Nara's mansion gave her an idea of a place to go. Entering the Nara forest, she turned and waited patiently for him to speak his mind, when no words left his mouth, she tried not to sound irritated when she spoke to him.
"What is it, Uchiha-san?"
Sasuke threw a glance over his shoulder as if to explain the reason why they were there. When he stepped to the side, he made way for her to see Naruto emerging from behind a tree as he tucked his arms inside the Yukata's sleeve.
Fight or flight mode kicked in and Hinata chose the latter as she quickly began to walk away.
"Sasuke, grab her!" Naruto called out, the tone of authority he used had surprised them both.
Although Sasuke's hold had been as gentle as he could manage, her wrist had gone limp in Sasuke's grasp.
"Uchiha, unhand me."
Slowly letting her go, Sasuke wondered how the hell he had allowed himself to get dragged into Naruto's drama. The pat on the shoulder he received from Naruto, as he walked past him, only worsen his mood.
"You fucking owe me, dobe," Sasuke said, his figure disappearing behind trees.
"I'm sorry that it had to come to this, Hinata-chan," Naruto said once Sasuke was gone.
For every step he took towards her, she retreated further away.
"You are still one of my closest friends, and I really miss you. I meant what I said back then, I don't ever want to lose what we have." He finally made no further attempt to get close.
He continued when she seemed unable to give him an answer.
"But if you don't care about me anymore, Then I have no choice but to understand and respect that as well," He clenched his hand to his heart. Hinata was still very important to him, the same way Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Gaara were important.
"I promised Neji, you know, to always protect you and have your back," Naruto said, knowing he couldn't give her the kind of love that she wanted. Still, he felt that it was unfair for her to continue to ignore him for as long as she had.
Minutes ticked by when she finally looked up. Then, at last, there it was in her lavender-tinted eyes. Naruto had found his answer. He bit the bottom of his lip, stopping himself from grinning over his triumph. His operation had been a success.
Ah, but how her heart still hurt just by saying his name.
Moving away from their hidden spot, Shino glanced back at Kiba and gave him a decisive nod, his way of hinting that they didn't need to eavesdrop any further.
Earlier, when Sasuke had returned without Hinata, both guys had immediately left in search of her. With little effort, they found her, only to witness her accepting Naruto's friendship.
"Guess we don't have to worry anymore," Kiba said, as he strolled next to Shino, back to the event.
"I didn't like his sneaky method of cornering her like that." Still, Shino respected Hinata's decision to accept Naruto back into her life.
"Agree. But this is supposed to be our future Hokage," Kiba said while frowning.
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Edited: 5-13-2021
9-24-2021 Grammar
9-8-2022 Everything