Some time later, Akira called for a halt besides a high stone cliff. "Here it is." With Hinata still supporting him, he walked slowly along the cliff. "Here." Gently, he pricked his finger with a kunai and slid his finger into a depression in the rock. The shelf sprang to life and slid aside, revealing a long tunnel into the earth. Akira nodded. "This is a secret place sacred to the Kyoushin clan. Nobody can enter without our permission. But luckily, you have a Kyoushin member here who is willing to let you enter."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate. Any traps we should know about?"

Akira shook his head. "Why would we need them? Nobody can pass that door without our knowledge." He glanced at the moon's position in the sky. "Ah, perfect timing. Let's hurry along." He hobbled down the tunnel for a few feet, before Hinata caught up to him and took his arm again. He blushed. "Right… forgot about that. Come this way, and be careful. There aren't many tunnels, but they're hewn from the rock itself, so the floor is pretty uneven."

Several minutes passed in silence. Then Naruto piped up. "Hey, Akira? Wasn't that a genjutsu technique you used back there? I thought that honor code of yours says you can't use genjutsu." He blinked, suddenly comprehending. "Oh, is that why your father is so angry with you?"

Akira nodded solemnly. "There was an… incident, three years ago, on my first mission. It was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill C ranked mission, but a group of rogue tracker ninja appeared, and my father ran off to deal with them. But while he did that, the other half of their squad slipped around and attacked us. After their initial attack, most of my comrades were unconscious, leaving the enemy to kill them at their leisure. And I… I couldn't do a thing to help them. My father came in time to save me, but everyone else was already dead. That scene, that slaughter, haunted my dreams for a long time. I realized, after I thought back on it, if only I'd known this technique I have now, I could have saved them all. That was the only reason I learned the, so that if something like that ever happened again, I could do something to save my comrades."

He smiled weakly. "Like tonight, for example. Earlier, that wound Hinata took would have let the rest of the Cloud ninja finish her off easily. I'm only glad I had this move. Because of it, I was able to help her escape and treat her injuries. I decided, on that terrible night three years ago, that if bushido got in the way of my protecting my friends' lives, I would cast even that aside. That is why my father has disowned me as heir. But I don't mind that much. I live my life as I wish to, and if my father says that's not in line with our clan's ways, then so be it."

Taro gritted his teeth. "But that's what's so stupid about it! Would he seriously let people precious to him die if saving them meant breaking honor? How can anybody say they'll do something like that? And then to strip you of the honor and glory you deserve just because you say you can't? How is that fair?"

Akira shook his head. "Let it go, Taro. This is the path I've chosen, knowing it would make Father despise me. I don't care about that anymore. There are things far more precious than bushido that I'd rather be protecting." He glanced around at the five young ninja around him, and smiled. "Things like the friends gathered around me now." He looked ahead, and nodded. "Good, we're almost there. Trust me, this will be worth the walk."

About ten yards ahead, the path curved and then dead-ended in a natural window in the rock that looked out across the peaks. Sakura sat down and shrugged. "What are we looking at, Akira?"

Akira smiled, and sat heavily down. Hinata seated herself next to him. "You'll see, in due time, Sakura. Naruto, Sasuke, you should probably sit down too. It looks much nicer from down here." He drew out a small watch and glanced at it. "Just in time. Look up… now!"

The others looked up where he was pointing and gasped. The sky had turned a deep crimson behind the far peaks, and directly between the fork of two of them, a sliver of blood-red sun was dawning. "Dawn over the Land of Snow. There are few sights more beautiful," Akira mused.

Sakura blinked. "But that can't be all of it, right Akira?"

Akira chuckled softly. "Good intuition, Sakura. We spent months hollowing out this part of the cave for just this reason."

As the sun rose higher, clearing the shadow of the twin peaks, its light fell upon the many icicles hanging from the top of the window. Akira grinned as the light split into a dazzling, beautiful display. The six ninja sat in silence for a while. There simply was nothing to say. It was only when the sun, now yellow, had cleared the tops of the highest peaks, and the brilliant rainbows had gone, when Sakura sighed. "It's like the Great Lights tamed, and brought to this place to roam every morning. No, it's even more beautiful."

Akira smiled. "Not every morning. The sun has to be just in the right place in the sky for the light to split like that. Every day a different display comes to light this little cave. But I still think the Lights are more beautiful."

Hinata nodded. "I've seen both, and Akira's right. This is beautiful, but it can't compare to the colors across that starry expanse."

Taro chuckled. "Oh, that's what you two lovebirds were doing last night. I wondered why you would be outside at that hour."

Akira turned to Hinata with a weird look on his face. "Do you want to, or shall I?"

Hinata smiled. "No, you need to rest still. I'll handle this."

A few moments later, Taro lay on the ground with several lumps on his head and spirals whirling in his eyes, and Hinata seated herself primly back down. Naruto stared. "Whoa… she's scary when she's mad, huh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Serves him right for being that annoying. Besides, he knows it's not true." He glanced over at Akira and Hinata. "Hinata's got her eyes on a certain Leaf Village genin, isn't that right?"

Hinata blushed scarlet, and touched her lip with one finger. "Um… well…"

Akira stood up and sighed. "One minute, Hinata." Sasuke quickly joined Taro on the ground. He laughed. "Sorry that took so long. He's annoying. And besides, who any of us likes is our own business, right?"

Hinata giggled. "Right!"

Naruto laughed. "Man, is he really so conceited he thinks Hinata likes him? I mean, most of the girls in Konoha are chasing him, but… well…" He shrugged. "I don't know, but it always seemed like Hinata was different from them."

Akira sweatdropped. "Is he really that clueless?" he whispered to Hinata. "I mean, come on."

Sasuke twitched on the ground. "Do you have a problem with me being popular, loser? As I recall, during the preliminaries, you had maybe one fan in the audience, if that. Hey, remember how some of the most powerful ninja lords turned up for the Chunin Exam finals? Who was it they were coming to see, again? I'll give you a hint- it wasn't to see Neji pound you into the dust."

A tic appeared in Naruto's forehead. "Okay, Sasuke, now you're going to get it!"

Sasuke laughed. "Bring it, loser."

Naruto yelled something incoherent and charged Sasuke. Half the room was quickly enveloped in the dust cloud that Naruto and Sasuke kicked up. Akira sighed. "Man, did they have to wreck the moment like that?"

Sakura laughed. "Boys will be boys. Especially where girls are concerned."

Akira shook his head. "It's okay, Hinata. I know you like him, and only have seen me as a friend before," he said softly.

Sakura blinked. "Wait… no way, even Hinata's got someone who likes her now?"

Hinata blushed. "Um… well…"

Akira smiled. "You seriously hadn't noticed it before, Sakura? Hinata had already figured it out. What did you think Taro was teasing me about last night?" He laid a hand gently on Hinata's shoulder. "It's okay. He'll notice you one of these days. You care for him as much as I care for you. And that's fine with me. As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter much to me who you end up with."

Hinata grew even more crimson. "But…"

Akira smiled. "You don't have to get so flustered, Hinata. Just remember that I'll always care for you. And as long as I am near I will protect you from anything. Your happiness and your safety are the two most precious things to me."

Sakura, meanwhile, stared at the moving dust cloud as Taro somehow got swept into the madness. "I can't believe those three can't hear a word of this. How can boys be that loud?"

Akira laughed. A loud shout caught their attention. Naruto and Sasuke looked up from pulling on one another's faces to see Katsura standing in the tunnel mouth, with a smile on his face for once. "I see you've been showing them around our tunnels, my son. Did you get here in time to see the dawn?"

Akira stared, and then his eyes and mouth widened in happiness. "Yes, Father. We just made it. Then those two got into an argument about something silly…"

"IT WAS NOT SILLY!" shouted Naruto and Sasuke together.

Taro pulled himself out from under the two combatants. "Oh, hey Father. Did we win?"

Katsura nodded simply. "Actually, that group you were facing earlier was the last one. I just wanted to watch and see just how strong you all had become."

Sakura twitched. "Hey, wait! You mean you were watching when Akira got hurt, and you didn't lift a finger to help?"

Akira tapped her on the shoulder. "Enough, Sakura. Besides, he did, remember? When we had no options left, he stepped in to save us. He just wanted to give us a chance to prove ourselves first."

Katsura smiled, and then bowed low before Akira. "My son, I was wrong. Today I saw a devotion to your comrades that few could ever hope to match in their lives."

Akira shook his head, bowing in return. "All of those gathered here hold that same devotion. And they are not just comrades, but my close friends."

"And your girlfriend," piped up Taro. Sakura groaned, and got to her feet. An instant later, Taro was back on the ground, eyes whirling.

Katsura laughed loudly. "Regardless, I understand now what you said to me nearly a year ago, when I first discovered you had broken bushido. Your actions show a true devotion both to life and to honor that humbles me. I accept you once more as the worthy heir of the Kyoushin clan."

Akira grinned over at Taro. "Hear that, little brother? I outrank you again."

Taro laughed. "You never stopped outranking me, big brother. It was only in your head that I was your better."

Akira smiled. Katsura began making a chain of hand signs. "Now, it is time for you to truly rest, my son. The enemy is vanquished, and your friends safe. Sleep for a time, and recover your strength."

Akira nodded, and lay back as Katsura's hands shone with chakra. "And Mizuiro? The jounin I faced?"

Katsura smiled calmly. "Oh, I'm sure one jounin running free will pose no danger to you. Besides, honor dictates that it must be you that defeats him, is that not so?"

Akira nodded slowly as Katsura laid one hand on his chest and one on his brow. "Good night, then, though it seems strange to say that with this glorious sun shining on us." He grinned sheepishly. "See, Hinata? I'm not so weak that something like that could kill me. Don't worry. I was glad to do it, for all of you." His eyes slowly closed, as his body began to heal itself. As he drifted into sleep, a slow smile spread over his lips.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know it's a bit out of character for Hinata to do the head-smacking thing to Taro, but I couldn't make the scene work quite right any other way. And besides, I like the idea of her getting indignant, punching someone, and then "sitting primly back down" like that.