Chapter 6-
Kanaye stood face to face with one of the most prominent men in Konoha. A man he both respected and revered. This man was a true ninja of Konoha, and the first on his list of potential allies. Hyuga Hiashi stood in a place where you would never expect him to be. In a dark alleyway.
"I apologize for the meeting place, Hiashi-sama. Unfortunately discretion is of the utmost importance here."
"I will overlook it, but you must be brief." Hiashi stood still in as formal a stance as possible.
"Thank you, and I shall. I am concerned for the safety of Konoha. We do not know what the future will hold, with both the demon and the traitor running free."
"The Uchiha is hardly running free. He is under heavy surveillance and has a CFI on each wrist."
"That is true, but he is quite intelligent. He has already shown a lack of morals necessary to be a shinobi of Konoha. What will we do when he tricks his way to freedom, and turns on us again?"
"Naruto will deal with him."
"Naruto is a fine ninja. But the demon inside him has a power over him. We have all seen it. He is as much a threat as the traitor. We cannot depend on him."
Hiashi sighed. "I believe in the Hokage, and she believes in these boys."
Kanaye bowed his head. "Yes. I believe in her, too. But she is only human. She is as fallible as the rest of us. I simply wish to prepare."
"I will only promise you vigilance, Kanaye. I will not act against the wishes of the Hokage."
"Nor will I. Vigilance is all I ask. I just want to make sure, Konoha is ready should the worst happen."
"Konoha is always ready." Hiashi retorted. He then turned and walked away.
Kanaye turned down the other end of the alley, and made his way to his next possible contact. Hiashi would have to be left out of the loop. He was not as reliable as Kanaye originally hoped.
Hiashi made his way through the village. He was slightly put off by the attitude Kanaye had put before him. It was eerily familiar. What's more, he wasn't sure what the young man's intentions were.
Hiashi also considered what it was that Kanaye might be doing. He wasn't sure, but he didn't like the way it looked. Actions under the radar were one thing; but alleyway deals were something else entirely. Hiashi felt dirty just for being there. Still, he would have to continue this if he wanted to find Kanaye's true purpose. If he was right, Hiashi might lend aid. If he was doing something wrong… Hiashi would ensure his downfall.
For the time being however, he would push these thoughts aside. Hinata needed him to be focused. He had a duty to help her. Over the years he had made many mistakes in finding out how to do that; but eventually he had started to make at least a few right decisions. He was learning how to be as good a father as he could.
He couldn't go back and fix his mistakes. He could only learn not to repeat them with Hanabi. He couldn't buy more time with Hinata, but he could still use the time he had. That's exactly what he intended to do. That's exactly what he was doing.
He entered the hidden training field, and there she was; waiting for him patiently. She had her head buried in the scrolls. For a moment he lost his breath. She was the spitting image of her mother on the day he met her. He fought back the tears.
He was going to be strong for her. He owed it to her. He stepped forward and did the very thing he did not want to do. He broke her concentration. She looked up from her scrolls and smiled at him. It nearly broke his heart.
"I'm pleased to see you study so hard. It fills me with confidence." He smiled back at her.
She beamed at these words of encouragement. She rolled up her scrolls and stood ready to begin another training session. First they moved through a series of stretches. Then they performed a quick series of calisthenics awakening the mind and the body. Finally they cooled down with a meditation, to pique the flow of chakra.
"Alright, Hinata. You've done well over the past few days. Little by little you've made important steps. I think today you will clear a rather impressive milestone. Are you ready?"
Hinata stood firm. Strong, even. She held a resolve that was not there before. "Hai. I am ready."
Using her own chakra, Hinata sliced her thumb. She let the small wound bleed out slightly and then wiped it across her palm. She went through the seals. She concentrated her mind and her chakra. She prepared the summoning technique.
"Kuchi—"
Something went wrong. Before Hinata had time to finish the technique, she could feel the chakra being pulled from her system involuntarily. She fought to hold on. She didn't know what was happening. She was frightened. And she wasn't the only one.
Hiashi stood there and watched as the strength from his daughter was sucked from her body. His byakugan activated, he could actually see the chakra drain out of her body and into the jutsu. Something was wrong. This shouldn't be happening. He could only assume the worst. He was going to lose his daughter.
"HINATA!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.
Hinata's chakra continued to swell around her palm. She had to fight to stay conscious. The drain on her body was painful, but she couldn't give in. She had to face this. She knew this was somehow connected to her rendezvous with Naruto two nights ago, but she had made her decision and she would face the consequences.
The power was incredible. She never realized her own chakra was that powerful. The wind around her picked up and blew away plants and small trees. Branches were torn from larger ones. She saw her father try to reach her, but he had to fight just to keep from being blown away himself.
The air pressure increased, and she was practically crushed by the very oxygen she was trying to breath in. Her hair whipped around her head and face. Her clothes were beginning to tear at the stitches. Her jacket eventually tore away and flew into the sky. Her body was beginning to burst in small places. Hemorrhages burst her skin and she bled in her shoulder, her legs, her arms, and her forehead.
The ground around her was literally dug out and tossed into the sky as well. The great cyclone of chakra and wind pulsated. Debris was flying everywhere, and it was inflicting as much damage on Hiashi as the drain and the pressure was causing to Hinata. But the father would not give up. He fought with all his strength to reach her until at finally, the wind died down, and Hinata had only enough chakra to breathe and remain conscious.
At last the lines of kanji and symbols burst forth from her palm. They spread farther than she thought possible. Her body was forced upward into the air. She was spinning and revolving out of her control. Then there came the crack of a dimensional rift, and the burst of white smoke.
Hiashi tumbled head over heals, and landed in a pit that was formed in the storm. Hinata dropped from her place in mid-air. She landed with a hard thud, and winced at the pain. She looked up at the looming shadow overhead. The being which formed this shadow was as large as Gamabunta, whom Hinata had only seen once. She could well be mistaken- it might be larger. She really couldn't tell right now.
All she knew was that it was looking down at her with most serious of eyes; and it wasn't alone. Much smaller summons had arrived with it, and they were holding her father back. He was restrained by them. He could not help her. But that was okay with Hinata, She never expected him to be able to.
The figure which blocked out the sun looked down upon her and began to speak.
"Hyuga Hinata. You have violated the terms of our contract. We are here to render judgment."
Hiashi's face went pale.
Naruto burst forth from behind a collection of bushes. He rushed straight in, and dived down onto Yosei. A tree grew upward from the ground. It entangled Naruto in its branches and vines. Yosei looked up and smiled.
"You're pretty fast Naruto. That was supposed to impale you."
Yosei spun around and flung his arm forward. Vines flew from under his sleeve, and entangled the Naruto behind him. With this Naruto's arms and legs firmly tied together, Yosei pulled on his vines, and launched Naruto into the air. He swung straight forward and down. This Naruto was brought down onto a nearby boulder, head first.
There was a loud crack upon the impact, and then Yosei felt the rope, tighten-and then slacken. As expected, the Naruto clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. Yosei then felt a large object collide with the back of his head. He allowed his body to flow with the force it had received and he tumbled forward. He tucked and rolled, and sprang upwards into the air with a corkscrew rotation, landing on the boulder he had previously used to take out the clone.
He brought up his hand and caught the punch of a Naruto, now free from the tree he had been caged in. Eye to eye with the pupil that easily cleared six feet, he looked into that grinning face. And grinned back as a tuft of green hair fell over his left eye. They stayed like that for a moment, pushing against each other with all their strength. He was starting to slide off of the boulder.
"Not bad Naruto. Not bad at all."
Yosei released Naruto's fist, and used it as leverage to push himself up into the air. Within moments countless fruits from the surrounding trees fell in the area Naruto was standing. They hit ground with a solid impact, and then exploded- literally. Not a thing on the surface was left un-scorched. That included Naruto, or rather Naruto's Kagebunshin.
'All that from a mere clone.' Thought Yosei. 'Quite the student I've got here. Still…'
"Naruto. You don't seriously expect to win with such cheap tricks, do you? This is child's play for both us and you know it."
"Child's play, huh?" Came a voice from the trees. "I don't know about that…"
Yosei looked all directions. In every possible corner of the area, a Naruto stepped out from behind a hiding place. Each one was grinning mischievously. Yosei lost count somewhere around three hundred. He couldn't really keep them straight once they started to shift and weave, keeping their exact number concealed.
'Very good Naruto…' "Well… that's a little better." Yosei teased Naruto in his melodious voice. There was a smirk on his face as he raised his arms, but the clones instantly scattered.
"You won't catch us the same way, twice!" They all screamed. A hurricane of shuriken flew from all directions.
'Apparently not.' Yosei thought to himself.
Gaara and company returned to Suna after two days. He walked straight to his home, and shed his armor of sand. Gaara was in need of shower, and he was going to get it out of the way now. Leaving it behind on the floor of his room, he stepped into the bathroom and into his stall.
Using the small amount of sand he retained in his hand, he scrubbed his body clean, and exfoliated his skin. He then re gathered the sand and let it dry in the cup he always kept nearby for this purpose. He then ran the soap over his body as quickly as possible; it was expensive in Suna. He let the water run for an extra minute after the suds cleared away, and then he walked out.
For Gaara there was a moment always a rare moment of exhilaration after his showers. He would simply stand in his room and allow the wind to cool him off. The loss of Shukaku had its ups and downs. Gaara wasn't quite as strong as he had been, nor was he as well protected, but he had far more human freedoms than before The luxury of a shower was one of them. Sleep was the other.
And then there was this. The crisp clean feel of the air on his skin as water literally evaporated from it. When he had Shukaku, Gaara had no choice about when he had the sand armor. Unless he faced a truly tough opponent, it was always there. Now he was free to feel the world around him.
And then there was the greatest part of this freedom. The freedom of his mind. His body and his soul were his again. And they belonged to him alone. No constant inner struggles. No war within between himself and a demon. Just Gaara, with the closest thing to inner peace that he would know.
Unfortunately he could not always indulge himself in these moments as much as he would like. A knock came at his door. Gaara sighed and put on his robe before answering. Behind the door came his personal aid; the one that filled the role for him that Shizune did for Tsunade. He stood to the side and let Yoshi in his room.
"Good morning Gaara-sama. Welcome back."
"Hai. Anything of importance occur in my absence?"
"Not at all. The usual reports. Anything involving your talks with Konoha was sent directly to you. The nations you agreed to mediate with on their behalf have not yet responded. We are expecting them within a day or so, though."
"I see."
"I understand you will be marrying the Hyuga Heiress?"
Gaara's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his assistant. His displeasure was apparent. "Where did you hear that?"
"Hyuga-sama has sent letters asking for your reply. The elders wish to discu—"
"There will be no discussions. I consider this a personal matter that does not involve the village. My decision is my own and it is Iron clad; no arguments."
"Y-yes Kazekage-sama." Yoshi stood there quaking. Such anger had not been seen in Gaara since the days of Akatsuki.
"Draft a letter to Hiashi, stating that I require more time to think about it. In the meantime she is free to court whomever she chooses, and that any restrictions of her freedoms will serve only to have me turn the offer down. I despise such actions. If she chooses someone before I make my decision, that is acceptable, and I will be in the front row for the wedding."
"Is… Is all that really necessary?"
Gaara sighed. He let his emotions take control again. A rarity, but it did happen when he got angry. "No. Just the first part. More time, and the freedom of Hinata-sama. That's all that matters."
"Hai."
"Now, Yoshi."
"Hai." Yoshi left the room.
Gaara sat on his bed. His skin and hair were now dry. So he had the sand armor his body once more. It would stay there without further thought. He closed his eyes, and thought about the marriage.
One person came to his mind over and over again each time he thought about it. He couldn't understand it. She really had nothing to do with it. He'd already decided back in Konoha that he wouldn't go through with it anyway. But as he thought of the mere possibility, she was there.
'Matsuri. Somehow… and I don't know why… I don't think you'd like the idea.'
His last thought before drifting off into a sleep was a mental note, to visit her the moment he was awake. He didn't want her to hear any crazy rumors.
Before the Hyuga summon could speak another word, there came a second loud "crack" from out of nowhere. Within seconds the field was once again covered in white smoke, and both Hiashi and Hinata could not see. Their chakra all but gone, they had to simply wait. Hinata began to relax as she felt a familiar substance lift her from the ground and protectively place her high atop a red hill.
"Hold your Judgment!"
The smoke cleared, and now the field was filled with several frogs, equal in number to the lesser Hyuga summons. And standing face to face with the grand summon, was the very boss of all the frogs- Gamabunta! Hiashi sighed as he saw Hinata lying comfortably and protected atop Gamabunta's head. Something that was a great honor. Aside from Naruto, only Jiraiya and the Fourth had ever been allowed to sit at such a place. What's more he was there without being summoned. This was incredible by any standards.
Gamabunta looked right into the eyes of his potential opponent. "I know the laws of your contract. I am here to testify on her behalf."
"You may not speak."
"I have every right—"
"You have no right, Gamabunta! This does not involve the frogs in any way, no matter what you may think. You appearance in such a manner is rare, and has been taken into account as enough of a testimony. Leave it at this. It has been placed with all the other factors. All these issues have been deliberated upon, and are now is the time. All will hear my verdict! And death to the one who next interrupts me."
Two great appendages rose from the summon's side, and blotted out the sun. Hinata was in awe. She was still nervous, but with Gamabunta here, she felt safe. She had faith in Naruto's friends. She, and everyone else was silent as the great summon cleared its throat.
"Hyuga, Hinata. You violated your contract, and revealed your secret purpose to a Konoha shinobi. We know the when's, the where's, and most importantly the why's. We take into account all aspects of your character and your actions. As well as the actions of those who seek to protect you."
A nod was given to both Hiashi and Gamabunta.
"And now, comes the hour of judgment. We summons who are responsible for the first laws of Konoha since our days of service with the Ichidaime and the Hyuga Clan to whom he respectively willed the contract to, now bring you before us under the laws to which you signed your very life to. After great scrutiny, you Hyuga Hinata…"
No one breathed. Hiashi prepared for the fight of his life. Hinata did not look away. She faced her coming judgment with head held high. Gamabunta's hand was firmly clasped around the handle of his sword. The lesser frogs and their respective opponents were tensing for a moment as well.
"…are pardoned of your violation. You need not respond to any further question on this incident."
Everyone began to breathe again. The frogs all had strange bemused smiles on their faces.
"We find that you willingly betrayed your secret, to a man in need. A man whom you love. You were willing to risk everything, to keep him safe, and steady. You would have sacrificed yourself for what you thought to be the greater good. Having watched this man, and known his associates…" a wry smile towards Gamabunta. "We approve of him as your choice. Your actions show the quality of an excellent woman, a great kunoichi, and a true leader. We approve of you, Hinata-sama. Welcome to the ranks of Hyuga leadership. You may call us when you need us."
Gamabunta had one of his sons, carry Hinata down from his head, and over to her father.
"Hey, Hinata."
"Ohayo, Gamakishi." She scratched behind his eyes. "Would you stop by Naruto's and say hello for me?"
"Sure thing." Croaked the gentle frog.
Well, that was Chapter 6. Hope it was to your liking. I'm sure you know what to do at this point. Thanks for sticking with my story. Chapter 7 isn't too far behind.
-bakagaijin
