CHAPTER ELEVEN – Present day, Human world, Village of Konohagakure

(the page is remarkably free of markings)

Naruto knew of his fate. He would be punished for his actions. Despite taking a stand to protect a helpless victim, he would be penalized for nearly killing someone. That someone happened to be Neji of the branch house of the Hyuuga clan. He didn't even fully understand what had triggered the outburst. One minute he was watching a fight—Neji versus Hinata—and the next he found himself delivering blows that might have proven fatal. In fact, the male Hyuuga barely survived the evening. Yondaime stepped into the office, a look of disappointment and concern on his face. He sat down and acknowledged his son with a powerful stare. "Naruto," he uttered.

"Before you even say anything," Naruto self-defended, "I want to say this: Neji had superior technique and power over Hinata, and he struck to kill. Did I not do the right thing?"

Yondaime opened his eyes fully wide an instant and blinked, to take in the full effect of the situation. "It isn't that. It's that you damn near killed a Hyuuga. You're incredibly ballsy for doing that. They're like the royal family of Konoha."

Naruto stared down his father. "Why is it so bad? It took a lot of effort for me not to kill him the way he was acting! I wanted to hurt the bastard for how he abused his cousin! The match was a farce! She shouldn't have had to suffer!"

"Goddammit, Naruto! It isn't that fucking simple!" After slamming an open palm down on the desk, he shook his head and lowered his voice. "Sorry." He coughed and cleared his mind. "If it were up to me, you'd get your wrists slapped and you'd move on. But...there's politics involved."

Naruto seemed confused. "Politics? You gotta fucking be kidding me."

Yondaime bowed his head. "Hiashi went over my head, the fucker! Protested to the Committee of Elders, who decide the fate of the Hokage. Using the Hyuuga clan prestige, and citing claims of personal bias on my part, he got them to issue a committee mandate I can't effect."

"How is that possible? The Hokage is entrusted to run the village because the committee isn't a congress. They don't have the resources to make decisions as frequently as the Hokage, or the ability to act fast enough in times of crises. I thought they only issued mandates once a blue moon."

"He's a Hyuuga," answered Yondaime. "Furthermore, he's the effective leader of the Hyuuga. His clan's elders authorize him to make all the decisions for the clan. The committee can't afford the risk of the clan defecting."

Naruto was open-mouthed. "DEFECTING? Even joking about defecting to another village's military is a crime! If he so much as said defecting and Hyuuga in the same paragraph, he'd be jailed for treason!"

Yondaime solemnly shook his head. "I know. He knows. The committee knows. But the risk is there. And they can't afford it."

Naruto could scarcely believe what he was hearing. "So, lemme get this straight; if you're a Hyuuga, and you're a sore loser, you can marginalize and render meaningless the ENTIRE GODDAMN government of the Village Hidden in the Leaf over something as fucking trivial as a chuunin exam match interference! How goddamn corrupt this is!"

Yondaime sighed. "I'm terribly sorry. There's nothing I can do. Now give me your vest, headband, and your ninja gear. You're suspended until further notice from the committee."

"This is bullshit," Naruto scoffed, surrendering his equipment.

"That isn't all," Yondaime continued. "You'll only be reinstated after an undefined period of time of Hiashi's choosing. You'll have to work off the debt in the Hyuuga household."

Naruto stamped his foot. "Don't you see how bullshit this is, father? He's just rubbing his authority as mister bigshot Hyuuga in your face to get back at me! Suspension isn't bad enough? Now I, one of our village's elite jounin—a military unit which, if I recall correctly, is already unusually low-staffed this term—am off-duty for necessary disobedience? Now I have to be an indentured fucking servant?"

Yondaime shook his head. "Naruto, I'm sorry."

Naruto scoffed. "YOU'RE sorry. Ha. Fuck." He wiped his forehead and strolled defiantly out of his father's office. Never in his life had he been so pathetically disgraced. A vengeful Hiashi manipulating the government of Konohagakure merely to get his way, forced the committee into an action they otherwise would not have even considered, merely because one man was pissed. Just the thought made his blood boil. His father would have laid down a fair punishment to Naruto, but no, that wasn't good enough. It wasn't for the adult head of the main branch of the biggest bunch of overgrown ego, selfish fuckheads the village had ever seen.

The anger on his mind boiled down to a slight simmer as he stepped into the hospital. The receptionist snorted silently and filed away paperwork as Naruto approached her. "Before you even ask, Honorable Son, I've been ordered not to allow you access to Neji." Satisfied she had dealt with the business which served as his reason for being there, she turned away. A few seconds later, she sensed he had not left, and turned around. "What do you want?"

"Can you at least tell me how Hinata and him are doing?" She looked upward, thinking. A second later she concluded that his request didn't violate orders, so she answered. "I'd like to know."

"Neji had severe injuries and minor internal bleeding. Had he not fought like a mother to live, he'd be dead, and Hiashi would have your head on a stick in his bedroom. It's way too early to tell his permanent condition. Hinata had some extremely minor tissue damage to the heart which posed an initial threat but she'll turn out fine. I believe with Tsunade-sama's special treatment she'll be home tonight." Nodding, he accepted her answer, and left. His next stop meant into the lion's den: the Hyuuga Manor. Naruto absolutely despised when personal affairs got brought into major politics. It disgusted him.

Naturally, Hiashi met him halfway there. The powerful-looking Hyuuga stood with folded arms, waiting. Several times for effect he checked his watch. "You know you're late," he reminded Naruto. The Honorable Son made sure to shoot him lots of nasty looks. "My son could've died because of your reckless inability to control your barbaric behaviour." Naruto would've laughed if he wasn't severely pissed. Yeah, it's awfully fucking convenient, now that he's in danger of dying that he's your SON, the blonde shinobi thought to himself. Before he was practically meaningless to you. Some relationship you and your nephew share. The Hyuuga continued his rant. "By the time I'm through with you, you're going to regret ever laying a hand on Neji. You're going to wish he'd kicked your ass, because at least that'd be temporary. Every day for you is going to be a waking nightmare until I'm satisfied. You're going to be so exhausted every night you'll be begging me to release you from your servitude."

"You could've taught Neji how to be grateful to his opponents in victory, and how to be humble, the way Hinata is," Naruto beckoned. "Then I wouldn't have had to put foot to ass. I'm glad I'm suffering instead of Hinata."

Hiashi scoffed. "Hinata's a miserable, pathetic excuse for a human being. She's the biggest failure ever to come out of our clan, quite possibly the biggest failure in this village's noble history. I find it difficult to imagine my sperm producing an offspring of such low quality."

Naruto clenched his fist. "I've had just about enough of your bullshit!"

Hiashi would not be impressed. "If you dare raise that fist to me, I'll tear that whole arm off!"

"Hinata's nice and decent, not to mention mellow and selfless! She's not a selfish, ignorant, deluded, egotistical, self-centered, uncaring, heartless son of a bitch like YOU!"

"NOW YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Hiashi barked. "You're in for six months of torture, not the three I was planning!"

"What makes you think I care?"

"You're going to do as I say or I'll have the committee banish you!"

"YOU'RE not the Hokage!"

Hiashi laughed. "That's irrelevant. You're going to be made an example of. No one messes with a Hyuuga and gets away with it."

Naruto rolled his eyes; damn his inability to be tactful and not abruptly say whatever crossed his mind. Now despite his speakings being truthful, they had forced him into hotter water than he was in before. He expected to be tormented as he set foot into the sprawling—although not without grandeur and very noble feeling—manor.

What he got instead was nothing short of indentured servitude. Forced, under threat of a formal complaint to the committee, to wear a hundred pound weighted jacket with spell parchment woven in to suppress demonic power, Naruto found himself frequently and unwaveringly required to do mundane tasks. Tasks that any would possibly be doing on occasion, he did. However, there would be bizarre stipulations on how the task was to be done, and even unnecessary frequency of execution. The first day, the Honorable Son's schedule for each day got laid out. At sun up, he would be given a bucket and a toothbrush, and would be given the next five hours to clean every floor. He then got served bland gruel and water for breakfast. Upon finishing, he would have to wash all the clothing of every member of the clan, and had to categorize the laundered attire by age and by person. He would follow that up with cooking lunch and dinner for each member, and had to wait until everyone else had finished their meal before he could have any for himself. Then he had maybe an hour of free time, which was to be followed up with "body guard duty," which meant, in essence, he had the less than enviable task of following around Hanabi and other Hyuuga members and had to cater to them as well as take verbal abuse. If by some act of God he managed to stay sane, he had to clean hair and faces of the elders before retiring to bed to get maybe five hours sleep. In all of this, he had to stop whatever it was he was doing if anyone asked him to do anything, and serve that person's whim first. The first day his massively heavy and spell-lined jacket (which got extremely hot in the sun) was the only thing keeping him from murdering someone.

It came sometime around seven P.M. on the third day that it hit him how pitiful his punishment really was. Hanabi had finished a long and stress-filled training session with her father. Naturally, she had a hell of a time trying to measure up to the clan's requirement and as such she vented on the only willing soul around: Naruto. "Naruto-san, are you carrying my things with pride?"

"I am very proud to carry your things, Hanabi-sama," he said in a mockingly happy tone. Her pencil neck, thought the fox demon, One squeeze'd put her to sleep forever. Just one FUCKING squeeze. The child continued to berate her superior ninja.

"I think you're too stressed physically to proudly bear my burden, Naruto san!"

"You try carrying fifty pounds of material for making your outfits, Hanabi-sama, while wearing a hundred pound jacket." From the degree of manual labor he'd done that day, he could barely stand. The gigantic pile of clothing material she'd picked out taxed his limits.

"Be proud, Naruto-san! You're doing proud work!" He grew tired of the "Naruto-san," crap. He obviously outmatched her, it'd be akin to comparing a spitwad to a tsunami. With all four limbs broken he could still knock her out merely by emitting a sudden burst of chakra. In a state where she could best him he'd be too close to death to even battle. So her blatant defiance of his position in Konoha and lack of respect surpassed irritating and bordered on excruciatingly hateful. She grinned as she watched him struggle. Their finally approaching the manor came much to his relief. Setting the material down in the assigned spot, Naruto saw Hiashi awaiting his return.

"Naruto-san," the elder Hyuuga uttered, grand-like. "I am pleased to see you proudly accepting your tasks." Naruto glared at him, malice buried deep in his gaze. "You may go to bed early, but remain alert in case you are needed." The blonde ninja gave him a sarcastic, "that's-very-kind-of-you" look. "Good night, Naruto-san."

"Happy to serve, Hiashi-sama," Naruto uttered, falsely happy. He struggled to his bedroom, a modified boiler room converted into a bedroom. He eased his tired, worn frame down on the uncomfortable mattress. He certainly did not appreciate the spell on the front of the jacket which prevented him from taking it off, as it impaired his ability to sleep even further. He leaned his head back against the stiff pillow, he fell asleep remarkably easy all things considered, due to his exhausted state. It would be, however, not something which lasted an enjoyably long period of time. Distinct footsteps awoke him. His eyes snapped open. His eyeballs shifted to his left. "Hinata-sama? Is there something you need?"

"N...no..Na...Na...rut...o-sama..."

"C'mon, c'mon," he pressed, growing impatient. "If you need something, just tell me so I can do it and get back to sleep." His unusually sharp tone cut her spiritually, despite knowing of the inhuman work and abuse he'd endured that day. A tear slid down her cheek.

"F...Forgive...my interruption, Na...Naru...Naruto-sa...ma..." More tears came as she left the doorway.

"Oh dammit," he uttered, softening his tone. "Come back in here, Hinata-sama, it was wrong of me to get upset. You're not to blame." Hearing his kinder words, she crept back in. Still slightly nervous, she shook slightly. "Come on, Hinata. I'm not mad at you. Come on." She peered in, and seeing his gesture, entered. "I'll be glad to help you. What do you need?"

"I...I just...never got to thank you," she explained. "You saved me. Ne...Neji nii-san would surely have killed me."

"Your cousin is an asshole," Naruto made clear. "He deserved the ass kicking I gave him." He craned his head towards her to establish eye contact. Her beautiful eyes conveyed a kind of gentleness he found refreshing. She seemed content sitting in his presence. Her face seemed so pure, like the fresh fallen snow—free of imperfection. Neji's face always held a look of burning hatred. Such polar opposites these cousins.

"You...you're so strong, so powerful," she revealed, trying insanely to put to words her feelings. "You are never intimidated. The most powerful beings in the universe don't faze you. I'd give my right arm for a tenth the courage in you."

He cut her off. "Thank you, but that is confidence, not courage. Courage is not backing down against a much more powerful foe. True bravery is when you can be crushed, and you tremble in terror but refuse to give in to them without making a stand. True courage is you versus Neji. What I did was vent anger." His kind words emboldened her.

"When I think of you, I...I...I imagine myself standing above everyone. I imagine all the naysayers respecting me."

"That will never happen, Hinata, if you don't believe. Everyone laughs when I pump my fist and say 'Believe it!' but do you ever stop to think what that actually means? It's my way of saying you'd best believe in me, or you'll get crushed beneath me. I always say the first step to superiority is the catch phrase. You need a line that establishes the fact that they won't get an easy victory with you opposite them."

She smiled. "I...I will, Naruto!"

He smiled too. "Good! Because after all, you're the best Hinata that will ever live." As she began to step towards the door, he fell back asleep. Instead of leaving, however, she crept back towards the bed. She looked at his rhythmic breathing. He'd been worked practically to death with side tasks off his schedule, and yet, he slumbered peacefully. She sat on the bed and leaned over.

"You're amazing, Naruto. I wish my feelings were more easily expressed." she kissed his lips.

"P...retty...Hinata..." he mumbled. "Shapely...face...beau...tiful...eyes...Hin...ata..."

She leaned further. Resting her head against his chest, she began to cry happy tears. "Oh...Naruto, I wish I could just scream it. I've loved you from afar."

"Brave...ne...never...surrender...love...Hinata...remem...ber...you..." the dreamer mumbled. His hand drifted upward and rubbed her hair. A smile formed on his semiconscious face. "Pre...tty...pretty Hinata..." She wiped her eyes on his jacket. "You...Hinata...stay..." After that he remained silent until morning.

"Alright," she whispered. "I'll stay with you." She cuddled up to him. "I just wish I could speak clearer and louder." His body warmth lulled her to sleep.