I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Haishi locked eyes with his new son-in-law. He saw the deadly intent in Kakashi and the coldness of his aura. He saw his own death reflected in the Copy Ninja's eyes, and despite his belief in his own superiority, a cold shiver traced down his spine. He watched a grim smile form on Kakashi's face under the mask, and knew the man was aware of his body's betrayal of fear. He wrenched his fist away from Kakashi's grip, and put some distance between them as he made a show of straightening out his robes disdainfully.
"I certainly hope that you will not encourage such insolent behavior in all the 'new members' of your clan, Hatake." He said as calmly as he could.
"I will definitely instruct them in the finer points of how to deal with their former clan members, you can be assured of that." Kakashi promised with a smirk. Haishi gritted his teeth together, as he deliberately turned his back to the younger man. Facing the Hokage once more, he bowed shallowly.
"If that is all that needs to be discussed, we will be leaving." He said ungraciously.
"Actually, the point that you brought up about the Byakugan not being secured is a valid one, though I think that you may have it a little backwards." Tsunade said to him with a tiny smirk.
"How so?" Haishi said shortly.
"As you know, the original purpose of the seal mark was not to make family members into little better than slaves, but to protect the Byakugan from being stolen during missions. The seal activates when death occurs and destroys the Byakugan. The seal modification that I have placed on the new Hatake clan members does not effect that part of the seal. What is does is negate the ability of anyone using the seal activation to torture the bearer of the Caged Bird Seal.
It has been suggested by my advisors on the village security panel that all Hyuuga should be required to bear the same modified seal to guarantee the safety of the village." Tsunade told him seriously. If anyone bothered to look closely into her eyes, they would have noticed the enjoyment dancing there. Fortunately for the sake of the Nara's plan, all attention was now focused on the Hyuuga clan members.
"Lady Tsunade, surely you do not expect us to seriously consider the possibility of branding the Main Branch Hyuuga?" Haishi scoffed, and the Hyuuga elders behind nodded in agreement with his statement. Unable to restrain his mischievous side, Kakashi could not resist the urge to tweak his father-in-law's temper.
"I think that the Hokage has brought up an excellent point. Obviously there is no danger of the Byakugan falling into enemy hands from my clan members, the others however…." He trailed off thoughtfully, putting his hand to his chin in a manner of contemplation.
"Yes, I agree with the Hokage and Lord Hatake. Any members of the Hyuuga clan that are left unmarked represent a potential threat to the village." Stated a council member. Several others let out sounds of agreement, and Haishi felt his a tick forming in his left eye as he realized that he was being skillfully driven into a trap. If he shot down the idea without coming up with a counter idea then he appeared to be arrogant and unconcerned about the village's safety. However, if he agreed to the seal, he would be breaking hundreds of years of tradition, not to mention he would have to deal with some very upset clan members. In the Hyuuga clan, being branded ensured that you were seen as inferior, and he knew that the other main branch members were not going to see reason on this issue.
Looking into the faces of the Hokage, Kakashi, and Neji, he was enraged to see that each carried the appearance of being the cat that ate the canary. With great difficulty, he managed to restrain himself from attacking them. Only the thought that he would be playing right into their hands allowed him to harness his anger and focus on a diplomatic answer.
"I am sure that the council can appreciate the fact that my clan members will need time to discuss this issue. May I respectfully request that we be allowed a few days to assimilate all the changes that have occurred lately?" Haishi bowed lowly, hiding his face as he ground his teeth together so hard it was a wonder that they didn't shatter.
"I find your request to be a reasonable one, Lord Hyuuga. I urge you, however, to not wait to long in making a decision." The council man responded sternly. Haishi raised up and nodded to the council, turning to leave the room with the elders right behind him. Just as he was going through the door, Kakashi called out to him.
"Due to the nature of your past relationship with your daughter, I am sure that you will understand if we forgo the traditional in-law visit, right otousan?" He said sarcastically, wiggling his fingers at the irate older man in a mocking farewell gesture. Haishi's body froze in place for a few seconds before he slammed out of the room, followed closely by the indignant elder Hyuuga.