The section that was originally missing but should have been there is at the end.

Mayu went hobbling about her house in search of her son. He should have been home by now, but she couldn't hear the tell-tale sounds of his attempts to chakra-walk up the trees around their home.

She found him balancing on a post out back. To increase the challenge, he had set down into a squat with only one foot. The other was crossed over his knee. He didn't seem affected by the exercise at all, but rather frustrated by what he was doing with his hands. He would run through anumber of hand seals as quickly as possible. He stopped often, cursing when he realized he'd messed one up.

"Hotaka?" she called up to him, "Finally decide to put some stock in your Sensei's training regimen?"

He stopped what he was doing, but remained in his squat, "At first I thought it was silly for a taijutsu specialist to focus on learning ninjutsu, but I should be listening to him."

"Alright," Mayu said in a knowing tone, "What'd you do?"

Hotaka sighed and hopped down from his perch, "I broke three of Osamu's ribs."

"How in the hell did you manage to break his ribs?" his mother asked in surprise, "And why has that spawned a sudden desire to listen to your Sensei? Just yesterday you were going off on how stupid your individual training was."

"Hiroto-sensei thought it would be best if Osamu improved his taijutsu," he began to explain, "He had us spar to challenge him."

"That's when you broke his ribs?"

"I did what Sensei said and held back," Hotaka leaned against the post and lightly banged his head against it, "It wasn't, though. I exploited an opening in his guard and hit him in the side. Next thing I know, he's on the ground moaning in pain."

Mayu gave a snort somewhere between amusement and disgust, "There's a reason I kept him against low tier fighters in the academy. He just isn't up to fighting strong opponents in pure taijutsu."

"Now he's at the hospital, and Sensei thinks I'm an idiot," Hotaka said dejectedly as he slid down the post to a sitting position, "Why couldn't I hold back more? I feel so stupid."

Mayu reached out and bopped him on the head with the end of her crutch, "None of that, boy. You aren't stupid."

"So why did I break my friends ribs?" he asked belligerently.

"Cause you're still learning your art," Mayu explained easily, "It's easy to strike at full force. It's very hard to hit with just the right amount you want."

"But I'm the best from my class," there was only a mild bit of boasting in the declaration since it was true, "Shouldn't I be able to do that?"

"Please, Hotaka," his mother laughed, "Your class is a bunch of babes flailing in the wind compared to true masters. You're just the strongest and fastest of them."

The lighthearted insult earned a weak chuckle out of him, "I guess you're right."

"I know I am," she replied confidently, "Don't think you should blow off your Sensei's training, though."

He sighed in frustration"Even if I didn't, I can't get these hand seals right. I just can't seem to get any of the combinations Sensei gave me down. Maybe I am an idiot."

"I said stop that," Mayu commanded, "Show me what you're doing."

He stood and did just that, naming off the seals as he went, "Ram, snake, Boar, Hare, Tiger."

Despite the speed at which he attempted to move his hands, Mayu spotted several mistakes. Judging by the disgusted look on his face, so had Hotaka.

"You're trying to go too fast," she told him as soon as he was done, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

"What?" she wondered if she had looked that confused when her Sensei had first said that to her, "What's the point of slow hand sealing?"

"Slow is smooth," she paused to ensure he had taken that in, "Smooth is fast."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked curiously.

"It's something my Sensei told me when I was trying to learn ninjutsu," she began to explain, "I didn't understand at first either."

"You're a taijutsu expert, though," Hotaka commented.

"That's true," she agreed, "but my secondary specialty is ninjutsu. After a few battles, people started calling me..."

"Three Storms," he interrupted.

"Has Natsumi been telling stories about me again?" she asked in exasperation.

"Not this time," Hotaka defended the gruff woman, "I heard it on my first mission a month ago. Tsume-san called you 'Three Storms.'"

"I was never proud of the name, or the fear it inspired in our enemies," she said sadly, "All I ever wanted was to practice and hone my art... but duty demanded I use my talents to defend our village."

"I'm attuned to lightning, water, and wind chakra in that order," she continued, "It wasn't until Sensei recognized my large chakra supply that he tried to get me to learn ninjutsu, though."

"So he had you practicing hand seals," Hotaka supplied, and she nodded her affirmation.

"Just like you, I never attempted to drill in anything but what I needed to graduate the academy," Mayu continued the story, "When Sensei got me started on it I tried to do things quickly, too. What's the point of slow hand seals?"

"You had the same trouble I'm having now?" he asked.

"Sure did," she answered, "Sensei saw and told me, 'Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.'"

"That doesn't make much sense," he said with a look of frustration.

She poked him in the chest with a crutch, "You'll figure it out."

"Wha..." he gaped at her, "Oh come on, Kaa-san!"

"Well, come on," she turned and walked away, "Ren-chan got some fresh salmon from the market today. Girl has trouble cooking sometimes, but she has a damn good nose for meat and fish."

Hotaka stood there in disbelief that his mother would go through such a long story and then leave him hanging.

When he realized that she was heading down the road to the Sakibou residence, he chased after her, "That's not fair, Kaa-san!"

XxXxXxX

"O-osa-kun?" Hinata's soft voice caused him to jump in surprise, "Are you a-alright?"

He had been winding his way slowly home after splitting up with his Sensei. It had taken some serious persuading to get the man to not take him all the way home, but Osamu had finally convinced him he would be alright. He had been lost in thought so deeply and surrounded by so many auras that Hinata had managed to essentially sneak up on him.

"I'm fine, Hinata-chan," he turned and gave her a reassuring smile, "What are you doing out this late?"

It wasn't all that late really, but it was close to the time most families sat down for dinner.

"My t-team trained late t-today," she answered. She did seem a bit dirty, but Osamu was in the same boat, "W-what are you d-doing out th-this late?"

"Broke some ribs during a spar," he explained nonchalantly, "Just came from the hospital."

"Y-you should b-be more c-careful," she chided him with worry in her voice.

"Oh trust me," he assured her with a smirk, "I will. That hurt."

She smiled, but the worry didn't leave her eyes, "Are y-you sure you're f-fine?"

Osamu saw the intersection where Hinata would part ways with him, "If you're so worried, perhaps you should walk me home to be sure."

"I-I... umm..." she began to fiddle with her fingers.

"Come on," he turned and began to walk backwards in front of her, "You can eat with us. Chances are Mayu-obaa-san will be there to cook."

"M-mayu-sensei?" she seemed pensive and torn, but remembered the conversation she had with her father. He had basically told her it was fine of Osamu visited her at the compound. Surely the reverse held true as well... right?

"O-okay," she agreed timidly.

"Awesome!" he celebrated with a small hop that landed him facing forward again.

She laughed quietly at his antics, but stopped when she suddenly remembered a task Hiashi had given her.

"Osa-k-kun," he turned a curious eye on her, "Otou-sama w-wished for me to p-pass along his thanks f-for the scroll. He also w-wanted me t-to tell you to use t-the front g-gate from now on.""

"That's a relief. I was worried he would take it the wrong way," Osamu got a mischievous look in his eye, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of c-course," the last thing she wanted to do was alienate the only real friend she had.

"I didn't actually sneak in," his smile was so big his eyes closed and his fangs peeked out from his upper lip.

"W-what?" she asked confused, "B-but... How?"

"Ko-san let me in," he told her in a conspiratorial whisper, "He gave me the notes on your defenses, too. I copied them in my own handwriting, though."

"W-why would Ko-s-san do that?" her bodyguard on occasions where Kurenai could not escort her to and from the academy and whenever she left the compound otherwise never seemed to like Osamu all that much.

Osamu shrugged, "He didn't say. All he told me was that I had to make sure the information got to Hiashi-sama."

Hinata realized then that the branch family, or possibly just Ko acting alone, had pulled a fast one on the entire elder council. She was surprised at the small satisfaction that gave her.

"S-so you're n-not so good at infiltration a-after all," she tried to make it sound joking like Osamu and his friends always did, but he gave her a hurt look.

I'm s-sorry!" she nearly cried, and he began to laugh.

"Calm down, Hinata-chan," he managed after a moment, "I was just teasing you, like you were me."

"You're n-not m-mad?" she asked for assurance.

"Of course not," he laughed again, "Besides... you're right. I have a lot to learn still."

As they came closer to Osamu's home, and closer to the infamous fox district, she began to notice that he was losing a lot of tension from all over his body. She hadn't ever noticed how tight he kept his muscles because they were always like that. Now that she saw him truly relaxed, she had to wonder just what had him coiled so tight.

She couldn't puzzle it out by the time they reached his house, and she became distracted by the size of it. She also took in the high fence that extended from the sides in either direction for quite some distance. Many signs warned of danger beyond the wooden barrier.

Osamu noted her curiosity and began to explain, "We care for cats of all sizes that somehow make their way to Konoha and have nowhere else to go."

"L-like what?" she asked curiously.

"There was a puma that somehow made it inside the wall who had cubs," he began to list off while staring into space, "A pair of cougars that were seized from some rich guy who refused to pay the village. We even have a tiger that a traveling circus purchased and found 'untrainable.' There are more; ten in all."

"A c-cat that size c-could easily j-jump that fence," she commented as they approached the front door.

"The fence isn't to keep them in," Osamu explained, "It's there to keep people out. The cats know not to leave our land."

It was like seeing the Inuzuka clan compound all over again, but with cats. She began to hear and see smaller felines around them just laying around or cleaning themselves. It was a whole colony of stray cats.

"They're attracted to us," Osamu shrugged when she gave him a questioning look, "A couple of years ago, a man tried to rob us and got attacked by close to fifty stray cats. He hopped the fence to get away from them and nearly got killed by the big ones."

They entered the house, and a delicious aroma wafted over them. He led her into the kitchen where three sets of eyes turned curiously to Hinata, much to her discomfort.

"Boy certainly knows how to take advantage of an injury," Natsumi commented idly after downing a small bowl of saki.

Mayu glanced up from where she was rolling up sushi, some dish steaming behind her on the stove, "She kiss it and make it better, Osa-kun?"

"Natsumi-san! Mayu-san!" Ren chided as she approached Hinata, "Don't mind the old women. They tease everyone like that. I'm Ren."

Hinata fought hard to cover her embarrassment. Her only consolation was that Osamu seemed to be blushing as much as her, "H-hinata. I h-hope I'm n-not intruding."

"Of course not," Ren graced her with a smile similar to Osamu's, "We have enough to feed an army."

Natsumi snorted in amusement before downing another bowl, "Too bad the boys and Anko can eat enough for an entire army."

On cue they heard the laughter of the kunoichi from out back, "Gonna have to be faster than that boys!"

She came strutting back in, proudly dragging Hotaka and Masaru wrapped in seal tags, "Fools threw them from either side of me and ended up hitting each other when I got out of the way."

She held them up like a couple of freshly caught fish, "I do like the binding bombs, though."

"That's nice, Anko-nee-san," Masaru said sweetly, "Can you let us go now?"

Anko made a show of pondering the idea, then finally spoke as if she were their mothers, "I really shouldn't. The two of you need to learn respect for your elders."

"Elder is right," Hotaka quipped.

"Hey!" Anko shook him.

"Elder brings to mind wisdom," Masaru added, "Anko-nee-san is just old."

"You little turds can stay like that," Anko threw them to the ground where they remained, laughing.

"Ah let 'em out, Anko," Mayu told her, "Dinner's ready."

There was little ceremony to the beginning of the meal. Everyone just thanked Mayu for the cooking and began to grab up whatever they wanted.

"Don't be afraid to push their grubby hands out of the way," Mayu told Hinata from across the table, when she noticed how hesitant she was, "Just take what you want, dear."

"So wha's the Hooga pincess doin' her?" Anko asked through a mass of food in her mouth.

"Ah damnit, Anko," Natsumi covered her eyes, "At least swallow before you talk. I got a full view."

"Osa-kun invited her for dinner," Ren explained to the tactless woman.

"Hyuuga are good for influence," Anko said to Osamu after swallowing her food, "But if you're after money go for an Akimichi. They got their hands in every food joint in this village."

"Anko!" Ren cried, "Don't tell him that!"

"See, Masaru," Natsumi leaned over to her son and pointed her chopsticks at Anko, "That's a gold digger."

Anko stuck her tongue out at the smirking woman.

"Is i-it always like t-this?" Hinata whispered to Osamu who was just sitting back and enjoying the show.

"Oh yea," he replied instantly," They're actually being kinda tame tonight."

"So Masa-kun?" Ren said after a short lapse in the verbal circus, "How did you come up with those binding bombs?"

"Oh that's a good story," Osamu finally joined the conversation.

"I don't know..." Masaru looked around the table suspiciously, "That was only about a year ago. Kaa-san might still punish me for it if she knew."

"I'll give you amnesty on this one," his mother allowed.

"Alright," Masaru leaned in as if sharing the plans for a top secret operation, "So there we were, walking back from the academy..."

"We take this roundabout path so Masaru can check out this weird secondhand shop on the way," Hotaka picks up without missing a beat, "We take a peak inside, and immediately Masaru homes in on this weird metal tube..."

"It was about this wide," Masaru held his hands about a a foot apart, "I start looking at it closer, and notice this canister attached to it. I get to thinking it's some sorta air powered cannon..."

"Masaru's on full scheming mode by now," Hotaka takes over again, "The shop owner, some weird little guy from Wind, offers to sell it to him. I know Masaru is going bonkers over this thing when he pays the weasel's asking price..."

"We get it back to my place, and I get to tinkering with it," Masaru continues the story, "That's when I find out... It's a confetti cannon!"

"I'm thinking it's a bust," Hotaka takes a sip of tea to clear his throat, "That's when Masaru shows me his latest project..."

"Chakra sealing tags," Masaru proclaims proudly, "Just perfected my technique with them. I get Hotaka to help me rig the thing to go off from a basic contact-interruption switch, and I put my new toy in a scroll for easy smuggling..."

"The next morning," Osamu finally picks up the story, apparently reaching a part where he was present, "These clowns tell me all about the plan, and Masaru gives me the scroll. Iruka-sensei had gotten in the habit of giving both of them a once over at the beginning of the day..."

"And checking our dead drops," Masaru laughed, "I think we about drove that man batty. Osamu gets the goods inside and passes the scroll back to me..."

"So while Iruka-sensei is turned to the board," Hotaka picks the story back up, "Osamu does his thing and produces an image of a bored looking Masaru..."

"The trick doesn't hold up for long," Osamu told them, "But it did give Masaru time to set up his prank..."

"So I find myself an empty classroom and set up the seal tag cannon," Masaru begins to giggle to himself between words, "I set it up with the switch on the door and frame. Someone opens it and BOOM! Plastered in seal tags."

"That's all well and good," Natsumi tells her son with a smile, obviously enjoying the anecdote, "But how did you bait your trap."

"That was my stroke of genius," he claimed proudly, "I set up a battery powered motor with a sharp tack connected to the axle. Every time it rotated around, it made a scratching noise on the blackboard."

"You have raised a devil child," Anko muttered, "The lot of you aren't kids. You're monsters."

"Don't mind her," Mayu waved her hand dismissively, "She's been claiming that for years."

"So w-what h-happened?" Hinata's quiet voice cut in, much to everyone's surprise. She blushed when she realized the attention she garnered for herself.

"Not a minute after I prime the trap and hop out the window," Masaru was now having trouble controlling his laughter, "I hear the door open and the cannon go pop. I peeked back through the window to see Mizuki-sensei plastered to the wall in the hallway. Oh man, some of the words he said are not appropriate in any setting..."

"He's not a Sensei anymore," Anko cut in, unusually somber, "Don't call him that anymore."

"Okay..." Masaru agrees, confused. It wore off quickly as he went on with the tale, "So I get back to class before Iruka-sensei notices I'm gone..."

"We don't see Mizuki-sensei... I mean Mizuki-san all morning," Osamu laughs, "We go see him at lunch, and he's still there."

"No one found him!?" Ren manages to ask through her laughter.

"I guess not," Hotaka answers through his own.

"The best part is," Masaru manages to get in when the laughter starts to die, "He never saw me, and the academy still has no idea who did it!"

The laughter kicked back up for a few minutes. Even Hinata found herself laughing aloud.

When it began to die again Natsumi pointed her chopsticks at Masaru and said with deadly calm, "Fifty kata when we get home."

"Gah!" the large boy cried, "You said I had amnesty!"

"And you do," she confirmed, "For the prank. I recall asking if it had been you that evening and you said no. You lied."

"Ugh..." Masru's head fell, "Caught on a technicality."

This just earned him more laughter.

Hinata watched in fascination as the group continued to banter. This was nothing like the dinners she had with her family. Cold and austere were the hallmarks of a Hyuuga meal. Here she sat with four older women and three boys her age bandying words on relatively equal ground.

The meal was surreal for her to say the least. She remained quiet for most of it, speaking only to answer questions directed at her. Everyone seemed to pick up that she was more comfortable sitting back and watching fairly quickly and allowed her to do so. Far from feeling excluded, though, she was regaled with many embarrassing and funny stories about her peers. Soon the dinner ended and she followed the boys outside where she met the various great cats that Osamu had told her about.

"You d-don't name them?" she asked him curiously when he couldn't provide any monikers for them.

"They don't need it," he shrugged, "They always seem to know when we are talking to one of them."

They settled down in the soft grass of Ren's garden, warmed against the chill autumn twilight by the warmth of the gathered felines. Yancha had forsaken her partner and climbed into Hinata's lap where she lay purring contentedly. Hinata was stroking the cat absentmindedly as she let her mind drift. This night had only served as a reminder of what she didn't have, and she couldn't help but fall into melancholic longing.

She didn't notice either Masaru or Hotaka leave, but she did become aware of amber eyes boring into her, as if looking into her very soul. She turned and met those eyes. The pupils had taken up most of his irises in the fading light.

"Are you alright Hinata?" Osamu asked worriedly, "You seem like you're a million miles away."

"J-just thinking," she gave him a weak smile.

"Why are you always so sad?" he asked suddenly.

The blunt inquiry left her slightly off balance, "I... I'm n-not..."

"Yes you are," he pressed, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I've just been wondering for a long time now, and I felt like you might trust me enough to say."

There was no accusation in his tone, but she still sensed he was slightly hurt. She wasn't sure what to say.

"What makes you happy, then?" he asked before she could find some way to apologize.

"M-my team," she answered immediately, "Being in K-kaa-san's garden. F-finding I had f-friends I didn't know w-were there."

She shot him a smile on the last one, and he smiled back, "Anything else."

She began to press her fingers together nervously, "There is, but..."

"It's alright if you don't want to say," he told her again.

She already knew so much about Osamu. She knew where he was from and that his clan had been massacred. She knew that while Ren mourned the loss of their parents, he mourned never knowing them. She knew he loved Masaru and Hotaka like brothers. She knew all of that and other little details, but she had never given anything back.

"T-there's s-someone I l-like," her embarrassment at admitting that had her stuttering terribly, and she could feel her cheeks heating considerably.

Osamu raised his eyebrows, "Really. Do they know?"

She shook her head, "I've n-never even t-talked to him. It m-makes me f-feel bad, b-because I c-could have b-been a friend to him w-when he f-felt lonely."

"Naruto-san?" Osamu stated and asked at the same time. She gaped at his spot on guess, "Yea... Naruto-san."

"H-how?"

He smiled slyly at her, "He's an orphan. Never knew his parents... like me. My Sensei adopted him a few years back, but a jonin is out of the village a lot. A lot of people seem to avoid him. He's probably the loneliest guy I know. Add in the way you looked at him at the academy, and it's pretty easy to see who you're talking about."

"P-please don't s-say anything," she pleaded with him.

"Of course not," he agreed immediately, "I worked way to hard to earn some trust from you to blow it on rumor-mongering."

"T-thank you," she sighed in relief. When she looked up she noticed that the stars were out, "What t-time is it?"

Osamu shrugged, "I dunno... seven maybe."

She hadn't realized she had been here for so long. Meals in her household were very short, and she hadn't expected to stay for more than an hour. It had been over two.

"I n-need to g-go!" she jumped up and rushed through the house and out the front door, she only just remembered to snatch up her sandals, and could be seen hopping on one foot as she put them on while moving.

Osamu watched with a smirk then looked down at his cat, "Make sure she gets home safely, please."

XxXxXxX

Begin missing section

XxXxXxX

"Over an hour late," the old man spat out in disgust, "And counting."

"She is most likely with her team," Hiashi tried to placate his father.

"Can she not just leave?" Hanabi asked.

"Hinata's responsibilities to the village supersede those to the clan," Hiashi explained to his younger daughter. He suppressed a smirk at the annoyed look he received from his patron.

"I for one refuse to wait any longer," the old man stood and began to walk out, "I see no reason to wait for a disrespectful child."

Hiashi stood as well. His hunger was sated, and despite his obtuse way of looking at things, his father had a point.

He looked over at Neji who had apparently drawn the short straw that night for serving the main family dinner, "Neji, have Ko-san come see me at his earliest chance."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," there was no hint of disrespect in his voice, but the boy was not nearly as good at disguising his body language as he thought. Hiashi could plainly see his distaste. Yet another problem for him to deal with.

He bid his daughter good night and went to his office. It wasn't long after his arrival that a knock sounded.

"Enter," he bade, setting down a list of expenses the clan had incurred over the past month.

Ko did so, and knelt on the provided cushion. He bowed his head low in subservience, but rose without permission. He had apparently sensed his leader's annoyance at the gesture.

"How may I serve, Hiashi-sama?" he asked in the neutral tone the Hyuuga cultivated so carefully.

"I wish to discuss this scroll," Hiashi pulled the scroll that his daughter had left for him the previous day.

"What is it, Hiashi-sama?" Ko asked, the barest hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Do you think me senile or stupid?" Hiashi asked harshly, "You know very well what this is."

Ko remained silent; though, his lack of denial spoke volumes.

"I don't care how talented the boy is at infiltration," Hiashi went on, "There is no way he could have gotten to my late wife's garden without assistance. His analysis of our defenses also suggests he is an expert in security."

"Are you accusing me of aiding Sakibou Osamu?" Ko's face betrayed the slightest bit of apprehension.

"I am," the Hyuuga leader confirmed, "You have brought every issue in here to my attention at one time or another. I had thought them taken care of, but I was apparently mistaken."

"If the result is better protection for this clan," Ko responded, his eyes meeting Hiashi's, "Then I will accept my punishment with pride."

It was good for Hiashi to hear that, "Good. I expect every issue listed in this scroll to be resolved within a week. I will personally inspect all measures at that time."

"Hiashi-sama?" Ko looked honestly confused.

"Can you not do that?" the leader raised a brow questioningly, "Surely the branch will listen to one of their own."

"You are placing me in charge of security?" Ko's composure finally cracked. His face was full of surprise.

"Would you rather I activate your seal?" Hiashi asked him dryly.

"N-no, Hiashi-sama," Ko struggled to regain his cool, "I will do as you say."

"Excellent," Hiashi tossed the scroll to his new chief of security, "Should any member of this clan give you problems in the execution of their duties, inform me. I will see that they comply."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," Ko allowed himself to smile ever so slightly, "Is there anything else?"

Hiashi was about to dismiss him, but thought better of it at the last moment, "There is, actually. The boy you used, this Sakibou Osamu. What do you know about him?"

"A great deal more than he thinks," Ko replied confidently, "I did not take my duties protecting your daughter lightly."

"Tell me about him," Hiashi ordered.

"He is a troublemaker, much like his friends," Ko began, "Though, he is much better at covering his tracks."

Hiashi didn't like the sound of that, but chose to allow him to continue.

"His feline companion lives up to her name, Yancha, and is often causing all sorts of mischief," he went on, "He is secretive and manipulative, able to steer conversations to what information he desires, even with those older than him."

"You do not paint a bright picture of Hinata's friend," Hiashi finally interupted.

"It would seem that way," Ko hedged, "But despite these traits, he is loyal and trustworthy. Many times he has accepted punishment instead of outing a friend after one of their pranks. Also, despite an unusually deep knowledge of Hinata-sama's... issues, he has never discussed such things with anyone and never pushed her to reveal their source."

"Is that so?" Hiashi found that interesting.

Ko nodded, "He is talented, as well. Kurenai-san has expressed many times that she believes him to be her successor as Konoha's foremost genjutsu artist. If the rumors about the elder Sakibou are true, he may also have other unknown abilities."

"Rumors?" Haishi prompted.

"It is said amongst the more superstitious that she is able to see and drive off demons," Ko explained, "I have also heard rumors amongst the hospital staff that she can bind them as well."

"You give credence to such outlandish claims?" Hiashi asked incredulously.

"Rumors can often have their basis in fact," Ko countered, "The creatures are real enough at least. We found that out the hard way twelve years ago."

Hiashi didn't have much of a counter for that. Rumor's could be exploited just like any other information, anyway.

"Thank you, Ko-san," he finally said, "You may go."

Ko stood, bowed, and left.

It wasn't long after Ko had gone that another knock sounded on his door.

"Enter," he couldn't help the slight note of annoyance that seeped into his voice.

Hinata slipped into the room and bowed, "My apologies for missing dinner Otou-sama."

"It is of no consequence," he waved his hand dismissively without looking up from his paperwork.

"Oh," his daughter's voice grew sad, "I w-will leave y-you to your w-work."

He glanced up and realized she had taken his words in entirely the wrong way.

"Where were you?" he asked before she could scurry out the door.

"Osa-k-kun invited m-me to h-his home for d-dinner," she explained more timidly than normal.

He tried to look her in the eye, but she kept dropping her gaze, "Hinata, a Hyuuga does not drop their gaze for anyone. Look at me."

She did so, fidgeting the whole time.

"So long as you maintain your responsibilities to this clan and our village, your free time is your own," he explained to her, "You may think to send word next time."

She nodded her understanding.

"Go," he commanded, and she did.

His thoughts on the matter did not leave with her, however.

Again this friend of hers was causing ripples in his clan. He didn't doubt his father would be especially harsh in their early morning training. Perhaps he would forgo his own exercises and observe. In any case he needed to know exactly what Sakibou Osamu's intentions were. He needed to meet the child directly to gauge his character.

He smirked as an idea formed in his mind. One that would allow him to meet Osamu in setting of his choosing, irk his father, and show his daughter that he took an interest in her life.

He reached for his pen, but then decided against it. He opened his nearby calligraphy set and opened a moderately ornate blank scroll. If he was going to get a good read on the boy's character, Osamu needed to be a bit shaken coming into this. Hiashi knew for a fact that a formal invitation to dinner at the Hyuuga compound was a sure fire way to intimidate anyone.