The next day Kakashi came early to collect Naruto, and the two set off towards the village. Sasuke and Sakura went to school as usual, and after that headed over to the Sohma's house with Uo and Hana. The group had been having a snack and starting homework when Naruto burst in, dressed in regular clothing.
"Hey guys!" He yelled, and everyone greeted him warmly. He then turned to his two best friends. "I have so much to tell you! You'll never guess what happened!"
"Enlighten us." Sakura laughed and Naruto plopped down to tell his story.
---
Naruto and Kakashi made their way back home, and went straight to the Hyuuga household. The entire family was gathered in the courtyard, chairs and a stage having been set up. In the front row sat Neji and Hanabi, along with an empty seat that Naruto assumed was for Hiashi.
The blonde also noticed that all of Hinata's friends (excluding Neji) were sitting in the last few rows. Kiba, Shino and Kurenai were there, along with Tenten, Ino, Lee, Shikamaru, and Gai. Naruto quickly sat down in an empty seat next to Tenten, Kakashi choosing to stand a few feet behind the group with Gai and Kurenai.
"Naruto!" Tenten squealed when she saw him, and gave him a hug. This alerted the rest of the group, who gave their happy greetings.
"Hey guys. Did I miss anything?" Naruto asked, and Ino shook her head.
"Nope, they're going to start in a minute." She leaned in closer. "You done anything to push Ice Cube and Forehead together?" It was a little known fact that the two blondes of Konoha were in on the scheme to get their best friends together.
"He walked in on her changing!" He snickered and both of them laughed quietly until Tenten shushed them. The ceremony was beginning.
Hiashi walked up on stage to where a podium was set up.
"Welcome Hyuuga family, and friends, to this glorious occasion. Today we honor my eldest daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, by giving her the rightful position of head of the clan. Recently, Hinata has shown rather remarkable improvement and confidence in herself, and I believe she is now ready for this responsibility. As I will be stepping down from my current position as clan head, Hinata will be making all the decisions. Her word is law, and if anyone dares to defy her, they will be given the same kind of punishment that I would have given." Naruto snorted at this. That was highly unlikely. Hiashi continued.
"I now give you the rose of the Hyuuga family, Lady Hyuuga Hinata, new clan head!" Everyone clapped ecstatically, for Hinata was well known and loved by the rest of the family, especially in the cadet branch. Her friends all stood up and cheered, Naruto being the loudest of all. Big surprise there.
Hinata came out from behind a curtain. She was dressed in a deep purple kimono that matched her eyes perfectly. Her hair was done up in several complicated braids that looked like a pain in the ass to walk around with. She gracefully took her father's place at the podium as he sat down.
"Thank you for your kindness." She began. "As most of you know, when I was younger, I was quite shy. I stuttered when I spoke and blushed when given any sort of attention." Some of the family laughed lightly remembering the modest little girl they grew up with. "But with help from my wonderful sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, my teammates, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba, my various friends, and my cousin, Neji-niisan, I have overcome most of that." She paused, then smiled. "Another wonderful person I would like to thank is my boyfriend, Uzumaki Naruto, for always being there for me. Even though he is supposed to be away right now, he made time to be here on this memorable day." Everyone (except Hiashi) 'awwed' at this. Most of them happened to like the blonde's spirit and boundless energy.
Naruto smiled lovingly at Hinata, and she winked at him. Then her face became serious.
"Now I have been studying the law of the clan for many months now, and have found some things that I dislike greatly. The Caged Bird Seal." The crowd began to whisper. Neji shushed them, wanting to hear what his cousin had to say. "This tradition has been going on for many generations, as a way to protect the Byakugan from enemies who want to abuse it. The seal is a shameless trick to fall back upon, and needs to be stopped." Hiashi looked stunned. "As my first act as Head of the Hyuuga Clan, I hereby banish the caged bird seal for further use on anyone, in any branch!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, except for Hiashi and a few of the advisors. Hell, even Hanabi and Neji were cheering.
"But that's not all." Hinata said with a smile. Naruto smiled as well, knowing what was coming. "I have spoken with the Rokudaime, and he knows of a great seal master in Wave Country that has agreed to remove all the caged bird seals from the family." The crowd screamed in joy. Tenten laughed to see her boyfriend, Neji, jumping up and down with Hanabi happily.
"Ahem." Hinata shushed the crowd one last time, and gave a coy smile. "Now I know that some of you are angry at me for breaking an age old tradition, but I really don't care. I have hopefully improved the lives of many in our family, and that is all I wish for." She took a deep breath. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, so I'll just say it right out. I honestly don't want this job. I'm not nearly experienced enough to appreciate it, and don't know enough to do it properly. But I know someone who does." She smiled so brightly that it practically lit up the entire area. "So as my final act as head of the Hyuuga clan, I hereby name Hyuuga Neji as my successor, and step down from my position."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. In the history of the Hyuuga clan, this was the first time something like this had ever happened. Poor Neji was staring at his cousin, jaw touching the floor. Hiashi stormed up the podium angrily.
"You can't do that! Only a member of the Main Branch can become clan head!" he hissed as his eldest daughter. Hinata didn't flinch. Instead, she stared her father right in the eyes.
"Actually, Father, the Clan head does not have to be a member of the Main Branch to be clan head. I have been reading some scrolls I found in the basement-ones that date back all the way to the beginning of the Hyuuga clan and the discovery of the Byakugan- that have some of the original rules of our clan. It says, and I quote, "A clan head must be a leader to all, respected and authoritative. But they must also be understanding and helpful to those around them. The only reason that someone may not be Clan head is if they have shamed the family in any way." As time went on, we made up that rule about branches because we didn't want those we thought inferior to surpass us. We even sunk as low as to brand them with a reminder for why we thought they were inferior!"
Hiashi, unable to retaliate, simply stormed away angrily. Hinata's face relaxed and she motioned for Neji to join her on stage. The brunette slowly joined his female cousin and stood at the podium.
"Thank you for this opportunity." He began, eyes threatening to spill tears. "I would like to thank Hinata-sa- I mean Hinata-chan for everything she's done for me, and my father, for always watching over me from above." He paused, then smiled. "I would also like to thank Naruto for teaching me that fate can be changed, no matter how set-in-stone it may seem." Everyone liked Neji; he was the prodigy of the clan. So you can imagine how thrilled they all were. One woman in the middle of the crowd kept screaming, "THAT'S MY BABY! THAT'S MY BABY!" Over and over again.
"For my own first act as Clan Head, I would like to name Hinata-chan as my head advisor." Neji announced, as if daring anyone to protest. No one did, and Hinata nodded at her cousin, a small smile playing on both their faces.
Naruto looked over at Tenten to find that she was beaming at her boyfriend, tears running freely down her cheeks.
"This is everything he's ever wanted." She whispered. "Something he thought he could never have." The blonde took her hand and squeezed it.
"Anything is possible Ten-chan." He smiled. Tenten laughed through her tears.
"Thank you Naruto-kun."
---
"And that's what happened." Naruto finished, leaving out parts about the seals and the village that could've given away their cover. Sakura and Tohru were crying, and Sasuke was smirking. Yuki just smiled, and Kyo scowled at the ceiling.
"That's so beautiful!" Tohru cried, blowing her nose into a handkerchief. Sakura nodded, wiping away her own tears.
"So why is it so important?" Kyo asked, annoyed that everyone was being all 'sob-sob' about everything. Naruto just looked at him.
"The head of the Hyuuga clan makes all the decisions in the family. Their word is law. Past clan heads have abused this power and used it to make the clan more powerful, not necessarily to the benefit of the people. With Neji in command, the family could make a change for the better." The blonde smiled. "And because now Hinata has a higher position than Hiashi, he can't bug us anymore!"
Everyone laughed at this. Just then, Shigure popped his head through the door.
"Hello Naruto-kun! When did you get here?"
"Just a little while ago." the boy responded.
"Do you need something, Shigure-kun?" Tohru asked politely. The dog shook his head, but smiled deviously.
"No, I'm fine Tohru-kun. But my guests might want something."
"What guests?" Kyo demanded. Suddenly, the front door flew open and a man (or was it a woman?) with long silver hair rushed into the room.
"YUUUUUUUUKKKKKKIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"
---
I'm BAAAAAACK!
Please go to my profile for more info about my ridiculous absence. Sorry about that, by the way. :D
I got a new name, but I'm still the old cooliocows215 that you all know and love!
... or don't love. I can understand why, though... D:
YAY NEJI 3
