Chapter 4
Hinata blinked her eyes open as she started to awaken, seeing the concerned looks of a young man with short platinum blond hair and caramel colored eyes. He was dressed in a yellow jacket with black trim over a black outfit that looked of fine material.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"W-Who are y-you?" Hinata asked.
"I am Prince Cronos Orma, of the kingdom of Zoanthropes."
Hinata was shocked. There was a Kingdom of Zoanthropes, just like her mother had said. Before she could ask the prince anything, the one person she wanted to see suddenly rushed into the room. Hinata stared at Naruto, who looked different now. He was taller after eating well and training properly. He was dressed in a black chunin's vest with gold trim, black cargo pants, sandal boots and fingerless gloves. His blond hair was held back by a headband with no plate on it. His Konoha headband was tied to one of his belt loops. She almost fainted at how handsome he looked, tears slowly fell from her eyes as she rushed from the couch and glomped him in a tight hug.
"I thought you were dead!" She cried into his chest.
Naruto was a little stunned by this reaction, but then hugged her tightly.
"Sh, it's okay, Hina-chan." He said, "I missed you too."
Just then Tsunade and the others started to awake.
"NARUTO!" Tsunade shouted, rushing past the doctors and grabbed the boy in a huge 'hug of blissful death'.
"Uh hi bba-chan." He said, turning blue from the hug.
Tsunade pulled off of him as Tsume pulled him into a tight hug.
"I tell you pup," she said while pulling off. "You sure do know how to scare someone."
"I'm sorry baa-chan (means aunt), but I'm a..."
"I already know." Tsume said.
"You do?" Naruto asked.
"We all know gaki (means brat)." Said Anko, "You are a golden nine tails. A pretty rare breed."
"You can say that again." Kushina said, entering the throne room.
"K-K-Kushina?" Tsunade gasped as she saw the woman.
"Hello, auntie. It's been a while." Kushina said with a smile.
Tsunade rushed forward and hugged the red-haired woman tightly.
"W-who is that woman?" Hinata asked.
"She's my mother." Naruto said.
(Konoha)
It was not even two days after Tsunade had left the village, which was an outrageous action to say the least, but after leaving Juraiya in charge was another matter. The Konoha Council was worried only because Juraiya was more stubborn and less respectful to them than Tsunade had been. And given that Tsunade had threatened to kill anyone who spoke poorly of Naruto, well... they could only hope that Juraiya wouldn't kill them for sheer convenience.
The council was meeting now on a new subject matter.
The Takeuchis, the Yamanakas and the Kinzous Clans.
The six heads and heirs of the clans were standing in the middle of the council room, being stared down as if they had committed some terrible crime. Though the six knew better than to shrink under their disapproving gazes.
"You have been brought here because we know about..." started a councilman.
"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT!" Inoichi Yamanaka shouted/interrupted him. "5 of the most powerful clans in Konoha, one of them legendary, none of them are Uchiha!"
His voice was calmed as the Takeuchi head placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It is alright Inoichi." She said, "These plebeians do not know greatness."
The woman herself was a goddess. She had long brown hair that flowed down her back, curling up around her face. Her skin was a delicate peach color, completely natural. No make-up or genjutsu. Her right eye was steel colored, her left eye gone as that side of her face had been destroyed by a fireball some years ago. She was dressed in a white kimono, hakama pants, socks and an over-robe with her clan's name in kanji and a peregrine falcon on the back.
Her son was dressed in a white robe with a normal falcon on the back, black hakama pants, socks and sandals, a sheathed katana and kodachi on his hip. He had long light brown hair, grey eyes and skin slightly more tan than Sasuke's.
Behind the two elder clan heads stood the Kinzou clan head. He was a huge man, around 7 feet tall and about 350 lbs of solid muscle. He was bald, with a brown goatee, a pair of welders goggles on his head, red tank top, tan cargo pants, black sandal boots, rust-colored welders gloves and a iron workers apron. His massive arms were crossed and he glared at the council.
He pulled on his beard like he always does when irritated.
"So allow us to introduce ye ta three of them!" He said, "We of the Kinzou Clan are the strongest in this or any other village! We are the weapon smiths, the ones who make yer weapons and will always be better than a clan of jutsu thieves!
"We of the Takeuchi Clan strike fear in the hearts of evil like falcons. We are the sword masters who have no rival in this or any other village!" Said Taicho.
"And lastly, we of the Yamanaka Clan can get secrets from anyone." Said Inochi, "But to top it all off, we are, in your own words, 'demons'."
With that Ino, who had been standing behind her father, moved before him and suddenly changed into a 6 foot 11 golden tigress, her outfit was tight but loose enough in the back for her tail to come forth. Both of the Takeuchis transformed into falcons, Taicho in to a peregrine falcon and Musaka in to a normal falcon. And finally the Kinzou head turned into a huge griffin while TenTen turned into a hawk.
The council, who were now effectively crapping in their pants, looked to Juraiya for help.
"What?" the toad sannin asked the council. "These so-called 'demons' have made some very good points. There isn't any better blacksmiths than the Kinzou Clan, the Takeuchi Clan are the finest sword masters in this or any other village, and the Yamanaka Clan are the best information gatherers around. So if there is no other business to be had, Meeting Adjourned!" he sighed and then vanished in a puff of smoke.
The three clan heads and their heirs deformed back into human and walked out, leaving a very upset and worried council in their wake.
(Village of Zoanthropes)
"You left Ero-Sannin in charge of the village?" Naruto gasped. "I don't know if that's good or bad."
"I swear if he makes all the kunoichi wear bikini's around Konoha, I'm gonna gut him!" Tsume growled.
Just then, a trio of black-suited Zoa-Knights burst into the room and approached the group.
"Pardon the intrusion, my lord." the lead female knight said, approaching the Konoha nin. "But we heard that the Pack brought in a group of zoanthropes, and one of them was a panther?"
Cronos looked at the trio, realizing they were all from the Panther Clan.
"Yes. The young girl with the pale eyes." Cronos said.
The trio approached Hinata, who backed up a little in apprehension. Naruto right behind her.
"Princess, you must come with us at once." the woman said.
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"It is... family business, young fox." she said.
"What family business?" Tsunade asked as Anko looked ready for a fight.
"Perhaps I can settle this better." a young man said, moving up from behind the lead Panther woman. "Can I ask what your mothers name was?" he asked Hinata.
"H-Hikaru Hyuga." Hinata said.
The other two Panther Clan knights looked at each other, both of them smiling.
"Then please come with us. Your mother has been anxious to see you again."
"My What?!" Hinata gasped as the others looked totally shocked.
The trio of Panther knights lead Hinata and her friends to the Panther Clan's lair, which was located to the west of the castle. Situated inside a stone fortress that was carved into the mountain side, the Panther Clan was little more than 50 strong and considered one of the fiercest clans in the kingdom. When they arrived, Hinata, who was gripping Naruto's hand tightly, was lead through the large fort until she came to the private chambers of their clan head.
"In here. Lady Hikaru has been anxiously waiting for you for the last seven years." the lead knight, a woman named Azure, said as she pushed open the large doors. "My lady?"
"What do you want, Azure?" a weak voice called from the shadows.
"Your daughter is here to see you."
At hearing those words, a rustling of blankets and covers was heard as a female figure stumbled out of the darkness.
"Hinata? My Hinata is here?"
Hinata gasped as she recognized the voice of her mother, quickly breaking from Naruto and dashing over to the fallen woman as she stumbled into the light.
"Momma?" the girl cried as she knelt beside the dark-haired woman, who was almost a skeleton of the woman she had known so long ago. "Momma!"
"Hina-chan! My baby!" Hikaru cried out as she hugged the girl with what strength she had.
Tears fell from Hinata's eyes as she embraced her mother, sobbing fiercely as they were reunited.
Outside the door leading into the private chambers, Tsunade and the others just gasped at what they say.
"She looks..... terrible!" Tsunade said. "Not at all like the woman I remember."
"Lady Hikaru has not seen her daughter in nearly seven years. Ever since she was run out by your council!" Azure said with venom in her voice.
"Yeah. We're going to have to do something about that." Tsunade said with clenched fist.
"We've done everything in our power to keep her going. Tried to get her healthy again, but this is perhaps the best medicine for a mother." Kushina said, hugging Naruto around his neck from behind.
"And to think, if you guys weren't so worried about me, we might never have seen this." Naruto said.
The three women just nodded as they watched the tearful mother/daughter reunion.