"Salad?" Boruto was stunned to see his classmate at the home. "What are you doing here?"
"My name is not Salad," Sarada hissed. "It's Sarada. Get it right before you even dare approach me. Stupid boy!"
"Well excuse me, Princess," Boruto snarled, sticking his tongue out. "Have you come to see your grandparents too?"
"No," Sarada replied. "Mama works here. We're going home once as soon as she finishes her shift."
"Hi Sarada," Himawari bounced over to Sarada and have her a hug.
Sarada's stern face quickly turned into a slim smile. "Oh hello there!" Sarada patted Himawari's head. "Don't you end up like your brother; he's an idiot."
"But he's a lovable idiot, right?" Himawari said as she walked behind Sarada and waved at Boruto.
"I'm not sure about lovable," Sarada admitted.
The gentleman sitting next to Hiashi in the lounge stood up and approached the three children. The man had three plushies in his basket. He seemed happy but Boruto couldn't help but notice the large bruises on his face and arms.
"Hello there children," the man said as he bent down and placed the basket in front of his lap. "I am the world famous Professor Oak. Where are you all from?"
"We all live in Konoha," Himawari replied with her arms in the air.
Professor Oak chuckled. "That's a long way from Pallet Town. Well I'm very happy that you three girls have come all the way from Konoha to start your own adventures as a pokemon trainer."
"HEY I'M NOT A GIRL!" Boruto yelled at the top of his voice. For a young boy being called a girl was perhaps the most offensive name. Especially if he was trying to become an even greater ninja than his father. It all seemed to have fallen on death ears as Professor Oak continued to speak. Hiashi looked at the three children and couldn't help but smile.
"Just play along with it," Hiashi advised his grandson. "The Professor thinks he's at work."
"Now please take your time and pick a pokemon." Professor Oak passed the basket to Boruto as all three of the children paid attention to the plushies in the basket. The fuzzy feel of the toys made them so great to touch. Since Boruto's village was also known as the hidden leaf village, he was drawn to the green bulbasaur plushie on the left. He loved how the lovable monster had a seed on his back, to him it could symbolize future strength.
"Bulbasaur is easily the best of these three," Boruto exclaimed as he held the bulbasaur in his hand. "If we ever had pokemon in our village then my venusaur would kick everybody's butt."
Sarada smirked. "Bulbasaur is garbage!" Boruto gasped as Sarada snatched charmander from the basket. "There's a reason why charmander is the top choice. Charmander evolves into charmeleon who then evolves in the strongest pokemon in the world; Charizard."
"No offence Salad, but Charizard is the most overrated pokemon in the world," Boruto added. "People should use venusaur more."
"Venusaur sucks," Sarada announced. "That's why nobody uses it. Charizard is the only pokemon besides Mewtwo to get two mega evolutions. Not only that he was a playable character in Super Smash Brothers."
"I like squirtle!" Himawari screamed, taking Boruto and Sarada completely by surprise. "He is the cutest. Auntie Hanabi likes squirtle? Don't you Auntie Hanabi?"
Hanabi, who had been standing behind her father's wheelchair the whole time, had an outburst of laughter. Her cheeks began to glow red as she watched her neice, nephew and Sarada debate about the best Kanto Starter.
Professor Oak clapped his hands. "Oh my, there is nothing like a good old fashioned pokemon battle." He looked over to Hiashi and said, "It takes me back to my youth. I was very good back in the day."
"I'm sure you were."
"I love squirtle!" Hanabi repeated herself as she hugged the plushie tight. "And when they grow up they become big huge blastoise. It can wash charizard away and also freeze venusaur."
"Be careful," Hinata called her children. "Don't forget the toys belong to the professor so please don't damage them."
"Yes mama," Himawari said in unison. Boruto and Sarada were too busy debating, insisting that their favourite types were superior."
"There is no logical way that a venusaur can beat a charizard," Sarada told Boruto.
"VENUSAUR KNOWS EARTHQUAKE!" Boruto yelled.
"Charizard is immune to ground-types, idiot."
"I can toxic stall!"
"Your venusaur would've fainted by the time toxic knocked Charizard out."
Hiashi felt that he had a pleasant morning. It was as good as it could have been. The weather was nice and warm and the home was peaceful until Manfred Von Karma yelled so loud that all of Japan could have heard him. The Von Karmas had a reputation of being very ruthless lawyers from what Hiashi could tell and Manfred's both of his daughters had decided to continue the family tradition.
"OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Manfred Von Karma screamed at his eldest daughter. Hiashi didn't catch his elder daughter's name, but knew the younger daughter was named Franziska. "HOW DARE YOU LOSE A COURT CASE. I DEMAND PERFECTION!". If Manfred didn't like something, he would go on a rampage. His fists slammed the wheelchair as he continued to roar. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! LEAVE! YOU'RE A BLOODY DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY!"
"Do you mind?" Marvin Grossberg said as he yawned. Grossberg was a large man but he was also a lawyer too in his prime. Nowadays he spends his time snoozing in his chair. "I'm trying to sleep!"
As awful as it was to watch, Hiashi realised how fortunate he was to have his family visit whenever they could. A lot of the other residents didn't have any relatives or friends come to visit them at all. Manfred's daughter had come all the way from Germany to see her father and even though Manfred couldn't help it, Hiashi really wanted him to come back to his senses.
His daughter ran out of the room in tears as the chef came pushing the dinner trolley with both hands. The food service was always efficient. The portions were small, but enough to satisfy one's hunger.
"You are a fool," Hiashi told Manfred. "She came all the way from Germany to see you. You have no idea how fortunate you are."
Manfred slammed the table. "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS YOU IRRELEVANT FOOL!"
Marvin gasped as he opened his eyes again. "Where is everyone?" Hiashi, Marvin, Quercus and Manfred were the only people in the dining room.
"I suppose they've all gone to bed," Quercus Alba said as he clutched to his black cape. He shivered and clipped his lips together. "Oh it's ever so cold today. I don't blame them for staying in their warm beds."
Hiashi was stunned. "Cold?" Hiashi was drinking the cold coffee by him just to keep him hydrated. "I think it's actually pretty humid in here." The care workers were rushed off their feet as they gave the gentlemen on the table fresh drinks and their soup. The miso soup had a nice kick to it, but a foul smell from the other side of the table made Hiashi unable to appreciate it.
"I'M COVERED IN SHIT," Manfred screamed. He slammed the table as his the cutlery began to vibrate and move around the table. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, EDGEWORTH!"
"Please," Quercus begged as his spoon ended up in his cup instead of the soup bowl. "Don't do it when we're eating."
"Oh!" Marvin cried out as he clenched his hands. "My haemorrhoids are awful."
Hiashi swallowed his last spoonful of miso soup in disdain. His once rumbling stomach had turned sour. He bowed his head and wheeled himself out of the dining room. His fingers slipped as he struggled to gain control of the sturdy wheels. One of the health care workers, Usagi marched up to him.
"Mr. Hyuga, would you like me to bring you any food to your room?" Usagi asked.
"No thank you," he said as he tried to return to his room in peace as soon as he could. Since he had the stroke, he was unable to control his feet. All he could feel in his legs was chakra wasting away. Eventually Hiashi managed to take himself to his him where the cold breeze from his bedroom welcomed an uncomfortable dinner, Hiashi was determined to put himself to bed. He felt overwhelmed by having two strangers wash, dress and transfer him to his wheelchair every morning and night. Every moment became a task for the carers. It wasn't the world he grew up with nor was it the world he wanted to be in. He wanted to be with his family, but at the same time he did not want to be a nuisance to his family.
The way Manfred brought his daughters to tears with his harsh words had startled him. Hiashi thought if he ever ended up like Manfred, he would give permission to end his life. He wanted his daughters and grandchildren to know that he loved them very much. That was why maintaining his independence was so important to him. His clan were strong believers of fate, but Hiashi knew there must be more to his fate. He did survive shinobi wars to end up being confined.
The doctors said he would never walk again and was advised not to practise any ninja techniques again. They had written him off as a resident of a care home where he was to life a quiet life. That's how it felt to him. He felt that he understood his brother and nephew's actions even more. As he got his night clothes ready, Hinata's wedding photo stood out from the middle of his table.
"I see now that the Circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."
He recalled a quote from a film that his grandchildren made him watch. He may not have been the ideal father after his wife died, but he was equally proud of both of his daughters. He could not have been happier with the way that Hinata and Hanabi had stood out; both had exceeded his expectations. The same photo of Neji that Hanabi was holding in the wedding photo was the same picture that stood next to Hiashi's window.
He didn't want to lose his independence, he had to remain strong for his family and himself. Everything had happened so quickly, one minute he was getting himself ready for bed and the next, he landed head first on the floor. It had all happened in a heartbeat. He wanted to try and do as much as he could without using his call ball. As he lifted his head from the floor he could see blood pouring from his mouth.
His legs were so stiff. He wanted to turn around and sit back on his wheelchair, but the chair had wheeled away against his bed. His legs felt so heavy and he couldn't move. His eyelids were dropping and everything became black. When Hiashi opened his eyes, there was a creature shaped as an angelic pink blob like the ones portrayed in the anime that his granddaughter watched. He could feel plump cushions behind his head and the clothes that he had picked out for bed where now on him.
"Mr. Hyuga," the creature said. "I'm Matron Blissey, I'm the nurse. We found you asleep on the floor."
"What happened?" Hiashi asked.
"You had a fall."
"I know that," Hiashi said. "But I don't know how or why I fell."
"You might have slipped out of your chair while you were getting ready for bed," Matron Blissey explained. "But I can neither confirm or deny this as nobody saw how you fell. Try and get some sleep. Call us if you need anything."
"Thank you Matron."
Hiashi knew that he was not going to sleep well. His left arm felt numb and his other arm was in a lot of pain. From the other side of the corridor he could hear Manfred crying out for help whilst the woman next door screams.