A.N. I dont own Naruto, Kenshin, or any other anime or manga used herein – Seijuro Himura is an OC of my creation, The Kitsune Kon-kon is from the doujinshi "Naruto-Tenshi" by Nekoni.

Now on to chapter 7

-)::(- A house that hides secrets from its own watchful eyes -)::(-

Hinata Hyuuga shook her head as she walked home for the first time in three years, noting the subtle changes in the affluent neighborhood that the Hyuuga Compound was located in with mild interest. Several branch members were out patrolling the area, and many of them waved or nodded to her, one even called out a hello before returning to his rounds. She had never garnered that much attention from the older branch members, as she had not shown much skill in combat before her training trip. The branch members for all their restrictions were still the military arm of the clan, and were often an even harsher judge of skill than the Main branch elders, if more polite, and matter of fact in their criticism. They had never belittled her, save for her cousin Neji before the chunin exams, but they had also not given her much thought, essentially ignoring her. Neji had once told her during training after the events of the chunin exam that the Branch members' more military mindset and training lent itself to an inherent skill in reading the confidence in people, so she mused the change in attitude towards her was due to Seijuro's help in training her spirit to be firm and strong. She nodded and waved back as needed; asking one if the Clan council was in session that day, a question that was answered with a, "no, not today, Hinata-sama". Arriving at the Torii marking the entrance to her clan's lands she saw the familiar faces of Neji and Hanabi waiting for her. Hanabi smiled and motioned the elder girl over with a greeting,

"Nee-sama! You're back!" Hanabi hugged Hinata with some energy and pulled away to continue her speech, "Kono-kun and I saw you at the tower earlier, and I didn't get a chance to say hello before you went into Tsunade-sama's office."

Hinata smiled down at her imouto as they entered the compound with Neji in tow and decided to poke some fun at her younger sister, "Kono-kun? Does Imouto have a crush on the Sarutobi brat?"

Neji raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing, after all Tenten had told him never to interrupt girl talk. Hanabi sputtered and began poking her fingers together nervously, "Ano… Kono-kun isn't a brat. He's kind… and strong… and doesn't give up…"

Hanabi stared down at the ground as Hinata smiled, going for the next jab, "so you DO like him. Has he asked you out yet?"

Hanabi's head snapped up and her face turned bright red, "asked… asked me out?" Hanabi tottered for a moment before slumping back unconscious. Hinata turned to her cousin with a look of interest, "Did I look that ridiculous when I did that?"

Neji frowned and nodded his head lightly, "essentially Hinata-sama."

Hinata laughed gently as she picked up her sister and continued towards the main house, "If that's the case, Neji-nii-san, I'm beginning to see why the clan elders got so frustrated with me."

Neji nodded, "they've begun to tighten down on Hanabi as well, and on Hiashi-sama, there are some interesting accusations going around in the council meetings. It's gotten so bad that Tsunade-sama has had to step in and suspend the Hyuuga's commercial wavers to give the elders incentive to remain civil."

Hinata frowned, "what are they attacking father for?"

Neji sighed, and leaned against the door post of the entrance to the main house, "The fact that he married yours and Hanabi's mother, she wasn't a Hyuuga as you recall, but a refugee from Kiri during the blood purges. It came to the attention of the council that she might have been a member of the Kiri clan famous for their use of hyouton techniques. Some of the elders are claiming Hiashi-sama was deliberately trying to weaken the strength of the main house so the branch house could more easily rebel."

Hinata stared at Neji like he'd grown a third arm, "Hyouton users? That's ridiculous; Okaa-san wasn't even a ninja."

Neji nodded, "I know, and Tsunade-sama did blood tests to prove that Tsuki-sama wasn't from that clan, but the Elders in question just argue that they can't trust the Matriarch of the Namikaze and Senju clans if she couldn't even protect her own husband, brother, and son from death." Neji growled out a curse, "worthless fools, bringing up old wounds like that, and of our Hokage at that. That was when she revoked the Clan's Trade licenses, claiming the elders were bordering on seditious. Things are getting out of hand here Hinata-sama, you couldn't have made it back fast enough."

Hinata frowned and stared at the wall, she shouldn't make waves just yet, she thought, her return was still news and it would give credence to the claims of the elders. She needed time to gather information, and determine who was on whose side.

Setting her sister down in the entry on a couch, she turned to her cousin with a calculating gleam in her eye, "Neji-nii-san, I have never been unfair to you have I?"

Neji seemed confused by the question but answered anyway, "No you have not, Hinata-sama… but why ask me this."

Hinata smiled at him, "Its simple, you are by clan laws supposed to be my second, but I have never treated you as such or used you to deliver messages and such things to the elders. If you were to start delivering messages from me to the elders, it might well give them an exaggerated picture of the change my training has caused, and buy us some time to figure out a more permanent solution to the problem they present our dream of a unified clan."

Neji's eyes widened in amazement, "That's quite cunning of you Hinata-sama, but you'll need to tell Tenten of this plan, or allow me to tell her. Otherwise she may attack you if she thinks you have become like the elders and have begun abusing your power over me with the caged bird seal."

Hinata nodded, "Agreed, you can tell her at your leisure, in fact I may need her help as well, can the two of you come by team 7's training ground tomorrow?" Hinata questioned.

"team 7? Isn't that Naruto's team?"

Hinata nodded, "yes, and mine now as well."

Neji nodded and gave a mock bow, "As you command, Hinata-sama" Hinata giggled and shooed him away, the next task she had to perform he need not be a part of … greeting her father. She entered the room her father spent his leisure hours in with a quick but respectful bow and waited for her father to finish his current grooming of the Bonsai collection he was so proud of. After several minutes he looked up from his work and a genuine look of surprise crossed his face, "Hinata… you have returned then?"

Hinata nodded, seating herself in the proper place in the room as a petitioner, "Hai, just this morning, I was just released from debriefing an hour ago, Otou-sama."

Hiashi nodded seating himself at his low desk, "And how would you describe your progress daughter?"

Hinata thought for a moment and smiled, "Kenshin, Otou-sama"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow and took a sip of the drink sitting on his desk, "Kenshin, that means 'heart of the sword' does in not?"

his daughter nodded as she poured herself a glass of the strange liquid, "Hai, more or less, it's a reference to being in harmony with my Sakabatou." She sipped the reddish liquid and coughed in surprise, "What is this drink?"

Hiashi smiled at his eldest and sipped slowly from his own glass, "I bought a supply of it a year ago from traders carrying goods of lands from beyond the shinobi nations; They called it whiskey"

His daughter frowned at him, "Otou-sama, I heard about the Elders attacking your marrying Okaa-san, why have they done this? It makes no sense."

Hiashi sighed and rubbed his temples, "It is because Hanabi began to behave like you after you left. I am certain they believed your sister to be a perfect puppet, but thanks to the Sarutobi boy she's become much kinder. When the elders began to pick up on the change in her demeanor they started looking for common traits between you and Hanabi to explain the 'weakness,'" Hiashi pored himself another glass of the whiskey before continuing, "Hagetaka-san was the one to put forth the hyouton rumor, and many of the hard line traditionalists panicked at the idea of blending the Byakugan with another blood limit."

Hinata nodded and continued her questioning, "But why have they refused Tsunade-sama's reports that exonerate you?"

Her father bemusedly smiled at her, "Daughter, Godaime-sama once had a family here in Konoha, years ago, her son Minato was my genin teammate. Hagetaka is claiming that she is thus not a valid source of proof, due to her past irrationality concerning her family. In short he is claiming she is cooking the results as a favor since I was her son's friend." Hiashi frowned and stared at his glass for sometime. "I wouldn't care about that old vulture's claims if it weren't for the fact he's partially right."

Hinata started and stared at her father "Otou-sama?"

Hiashi pulled out a book and set it in front of Hinata, "Your mother's journal, it talks about the Hyouton bloodline quite extensively, it apparently only carried down through the eldest child of a family, and Tsuki was the second-born. The danger of bloodline contamination is minimal as far as Tsunade-sama can tell, although she'll have to test you to be sure. Never the less, Hagetaka is right about her being from that clan."

Hinata leafed through the book and spoke to her father in a tone of hushed surprise, "Why were Hanabi and I never told?"

Her father leaned back and gazed at the ceiling of the room, "Kiri's blood hunters were known to chase down refugees even in other shinobi nations, your mother was afraid you'd be attacked if the truth was known. She begged me not to let anyone know, in case an over-zealous blood hunter went after you or Hanabi." He paused gather his thoughts, "and then, there is Konoha's Clan Restoration Acts," he said after a few moments had passed, "If the Hyouton blood line has carried to you, Konoha law would allow for you to declare yourself a separate clan from the Hyuuga and take steps to reclaim lost hyouton clan numbers via marriage and other means." Hiashi gave a wry smile, "and any techniques you had learned would go with you."

Hinata nodded in understanding, and stood to leave, but paused and said, "It's good to be home Tou-san."

Hiashi raised his glass to her, "It is good to have you back musume."

Padding stiffly to her own quarters she opened the door to find it had been left untouched for three years. Notes and sketches littered her desk, and her bed sat in its corner with its Naruto plush doll she had made when she was still in the academy.

"I ought to bring it up to date I guess" she said smiling at the doll.

She had just started to clear away the old papers at her desk when she heard a soft rapping from her balcony door. Turning to peer out the glass she spotted a small animal pawing at the door staring at her quite intently a scroll set in front of it on the decking of the balcony. "kon!" the furry visitor called out as it scratched at glass.

"a Kitsune?" Hinata stared at the small fox with interest; how had a Kitsune gotten to her fifth floor room in the tower-like main house of the Hyuuga clan?

"kon! kon!" the fox cried in obvious agitation and Hinata couldn't help but smile at the small animal. Standing up from her work, she slid the door open and watched as the fox skittered into the room and jumped onto her bed before curling up in a ball next to her Naruto-plushie. She smiled as she picked up the letter, blinking in confusion at the small spiral seal pressed onto it.

"did you bring me this, little fox?" she asked as she closed the door and sat back down at the desk to examine the scroll. As far as she could tell the scroll wasn't warded, nor was it sealed with jutsu locks, just the small wax seal with a spiral etched on it. A very agitated "KON!" from her furry visitor seemed to get the message across that she ought to open the scroll. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw it was filled with Naruto's handwriting.

Hinata-chan, I hope kon-kon didn't cause too much trouble at the Hyuuga clan to find you, but I needed to get this to you right away, and she's faster than the toads I can summon – don't let her fool you by the way, she can talk just like any other summon animal. I can't give details as to why I need your help in this letter, but I need to go to the Inari temple in the Hi-no-Kuni capitol for a family matter. I want both you and Sakura-chan to come with me, for moral support, and because, well, you'll see when we get there. Please meet us tonight at training ground 7 so we can head out as soon as possible. I am going to talk to Tsunade-baachan and Ero-Sennin about this as well, so we shouldn't get in trouble. I promise to explain everything to you and Sakura to night. - Naruto.

Hinata looked over at the small fox on her bed to find it staring at her with large blue eyes that spoke of a large amount of curiosity. The Hyuuga Heiress walked back to her balcony door and opened it, turning towards the Kitsune with a kind smile, "Tell Naruto-kun that I will meet him tonight as he asks, but that there is something I need his help with as well."

Kon-Kon bounded of the bed and out onto the balcony without making a sound. The tiny fox gave its species equivalent to a bow and leaped off the balcony, vanishing from sight like a dissipating cloud of steam. Hinata stared at the letter a second time and frowned 'A family matter... what would the Inari Taisha have that would concern his family?' She left her room and headed to the clan library to gather information on just what this strange turn of events could mean. The records concerning the shrine were surprisingly out of the way in the archives, as if it had been sequestered away. Hinata shook off such thoughts and began to read the archives records with interest. Most of it was unimportant, old records of offerings by Konoha, but then she saw a passage written in her uncle's hand that shook her to the core.

By the order of the Most Exalted Inari Daimyojin, the Hi Inari Taisha is now the seat of the clan of Kitsune, the Uzumaki-no-youko. Truly Hi-no-Kuni has gained a blessing far beyond our expectations, for the Kyuubi-no-Youko has offered her Houshi-no-tama to the Honden as a token of protection and alliance. Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze is to oversee the ceremony and is to escort Lady Uzumaki to Konoha once the Houshi-no-tama is enshrined.

Hinata straitened herself and slipped back to her room taking the scroll with her. How did this fit together with what she had learned earlier today? The Uzumaki Kitsune, Naruto's Uzumaki clan. His Father the Yondaime, the death of the Kyuubi, that the scroll claims was once an ally. She sat on her bed and sighed, the pieces seemed to fit vaguely in her mind, but she would let Naruto-kun tell the tale to her himself when she arrived at the training grounds that night. For now, she decided the best thing to do was rest from the three year journey she had only recently completed