Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliates, I only own this plot and my own original characters.

Chapter 5: Hyuuga Affairs

Sakura tried to hold back her tears as she looked at the picture of what once was Team 7. Naruto was on the left, with Sakura in the middle, and Sasuke on the right. Their sensei, Kakashi, was in the middle behind Sakura with his hands on the heads of Naruto and Sasuke. "Sasuke, what have you become?"

Sakura clutched the picture to her chest, remembering all of the memories they had together. Some were enjoyable, while others were painful. The memory that always came to her head first was when she confessed her love to Sasuke in a vain attempt to convince him to stay in the village.

What would she say to Sasuke when she saw him again? He could have killed them all in their last encounter. What if she was forced to kill Sasuke to protect her teammates? "Do I even have the courage to fight him?"

Sakura checked her supplies. She figured her medical ninjutsu would play a huge role in whatever would happen, so she wanted to make sure she was prepared. "It seems like I have everything." Sakura sighed to herself, knowing that everything she has worked for these past few years was on the line. She couldn't fail. Not after all the hard work and tears she had put into this. Failure was not an option.

Neji just finished his training with Hiashi for the night. The training was tougher than usual, and Neji figured it was because his mind was focused on the mission Naruto was going on tomorrow. He wished he could go. He knew they needed his Byakugan.

"What's the matter Neji? You were completely off on everything tonight," informed Hiashi.

Neji bowed his head upon hearing the remark. Apparently, Hiashi was not aware of Naruto being in the estate earlier, and he thought it would be better if he did not know. "I just have my mind on something else. That is all."

Hiashi was not going to buy that as an answer. "That may be true. However, I feel it is something more than that. What is it?"

Neji glanced around the room. "Good, Hinata-sama is not in the room. I guess it's okay if I tell him." Neji prepared for Hiashi's remark to what he was about to say. "A group of Konoha ninja is going on a mission to try to rescue Sasuke Uchia. I heard it earlier today, and was just concerned. That is all."

"And who did you hear it from? I thought I told you to remain in the estate all day," Hiashi said. He folded his arms and glared at Neji, obviously knowing he was holding something back.

"Dammit this guy is persistent. Well, I guess now I'll have to give him the entire story." Neji looked Hiashi in his pale eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki came to the estate today to inquire that I join his team. That is how I knew. I declined because of your wishes."

Hiashi's face quickly turned angry. "Why did you let that demon child enter the estate? He only breeds trouble, and is not someone you should be associating with."

"Demon child? What does Hiashi mean?" Neji thought to himself. He quickly noticed a shuffle in the passageway to his left. "This is great. I should have kept my mouth shut."

Hiashi turned around and sunk his head. "In a way, it's good the runt is going on a mission of that caliber. Maybe that Sasuke kid will do us all a favor and kill him."

"What are you saying?" Neji retorted. "I will not allow you to talk about Naruto that way!" Neji's glare quickly met Hiashi's, and for a moment, Neji thought he would activate the curse mark on his head. Neji was prepared to face the worst though.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. "It is better if you didn't know his secret." Hiashi's stare left Neji. "There will be no more talk on this topic. I do not want to hear his name mentioned again. Is that understood?"

Neji's glare never left Hiashi's face. He wanted to fight back, but was too afraid of having Hiashi think less of him. "Hai," he responded.

"Good. Now why don't you retire for the night? I know I am." Hiashi left the room, leaving only Neji.

There was a loud clanking sound down the hallway where Neji noticed someone's presence, as if that person was running away. Neji knew from the beginning who that person was. "Well, I guess I should speak to her," Neji thought to himself.

Hinata slammed the door shut behind her and buried her face in her pillow. She just wanted everything to end right now. "How could father say something like that about Naruto? What did he ever do to him?" Her father seemed to despise everything Hinata did, and she did not know why. Although she was the heir to the clan, she was really beginning to despise her father, as well as her entire clan. She jumped when she heard knocking on her door. "Oh no, is father going to yell at me again?"

"Hinata-sama, may I come in?" asked Neji.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when she found out Neji was the one at her door. "Ano, come in," she managed to reply. Her face was still bright red from her tears, and she was not sure how Neji would react to her current state.

"You were listening to the conversation between your father and I, am I correct?" Neji did not wait for her to answer, nor did he expect her to get the answer out. "Don't take what your father says seriously. I know I don't."

Hinata was surprised at Neji's comments. "Ano, w-why do you…speak of Naruto-kun that way?" She was curious as to what Neji's response would be.

Neji moved his head to look at the ceiling, and then returned his gaze to Hinata's curious face. "He changed my outlook on life. He made me who I am today, and I could never repay him for that." He gripped his hand hard, recalling Naruto's visit earlier. "Earlier today he visited the estate. He wanted me to pass on his greetings to you."

Hinata's face was in shock. "N-N-Naruto-kun visited today?" Her blush became extremely evident at this moment. "It must have been while I was out. Why does everything seem to go wrong for me?"

Neji smiled to himself at Hinata's reaction. "Hai. He asked me if I wanted to join his team for the mission they're embarking on tomorrow."

Hinata overheard her father mention Sasuke while he was berating Naruto. Was that the mission? "Ano, d-d-does it have to do with…ano, Sasuke?"

"Hai. They are going to attempt to rescue him from Orochimaru. He thought my Byakugan would be a valuable asset for their team." Neji closed his eyes for a second, halfway wishing he could go on the mission. "But I had to turn him down due to your father's wishes."

"I thought so. He thinks I'm weak," Hinata thought to herself. "He went to Neji because he's strong. Again I go overlooked." Hinata lowered her head, trying to prevent her tears from being shown. Neji's eyes were far too good for Hinata to hide her distress however.

"Hinata-sama, you should go and say goodbye to him tomorrow."

Hinata's eyes opened widely at this statement. "Say goodbye? But I don't think I can do it. I'm still not ready. I really haven't talked to him much in three years."

Neji could tell that Hinata was a little nervous about what he just said, so he decided to give her some persuasion to do so. "They're embarking on a dangerous mission. There is a high possibility he will not come back alive. That is why you should tell him how you feel." With that, Neji walked out of Hinata's room. "Goodnight Hinata-sama," he said as he closed her door.

Hinata sat on her bed for what seemed like an eternity. Neji's last words constantly ran through her head. "You should tell him how you feel." She could not do it. She knew she could not do it. She was just too damn afraid to do so. Again, tears started to roll down her face. "Why can't I confront him? Why do I have to be so damn scared?"

Suddenly, her visit with Kurenai earlier in the day crossed her mind. "And once someone is dead, they will never know how you really felt." She remembered Neji told her there was a high possibility that Naruto could die in the upcoming mission. If he did die, he never would know how she actually felt about him. How could she live on with him not having the possibility of knowing?

She then stood up from her bed with her eyes full of resolve. "Hai. I'll find him tomorrow morning and…tell him…before he leaves." Hinata wished she could do it now before her newfound determination left her.