Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, except for the plot and any I introduce.
ORANGE:
Halfway between red and yellow, this colour has both the vitality of the red and the happiness of yellow. Thiscolour relieves feelings of self-pity, lack of self-worth and unwillingness to forgive. It also represents instinct, warmth and optimistic side of an individual. Overall it is an extrovert colour.
Chapter 2: The Grand Central.
He shifted his feet uncomfortably. And wished from his heart that his hooded team mate wouldn't notice his rising hesitancy as they neared the Hyuga compound.
Unknown to him, Shino knew exactly what Kiba was thinking. During the past few months his team mate had given various visual clues about his interest in their female team mate. Of course, the peaked pheromone level of his team mate which his bugs had been noticing was itself a tell-tale clue. He wished his friend luck from his heart. It wouldn't work though. The female of their team showed no such signs around Kiba. As a good friend he should probably warn him...but...
The gate keepers were different today. He looked through his dark glasses at the white eyes before him. His bugs felt hostility from them. He was sure Akamaru had felt the same thing. When they were two yards from the gate, one guard asked:
"State the intentions for your visit."
Strange...how could they not remember their heiress' birthday?
"We are here to talk to Hyuga Hinata."
The guards looked at each other. Shino felt them pass wordless communication. One of them pulled out an envelope from his yukata.
"Hinata-sama told us to deliver this to you."
"What?! She isn't home?!"
"We are not answerable to that..."
Tuning out the useless banter the Aburame ripped out the envelope.
.
.
.
Aburames are not so into emotions. Their clan is a hive and the members are expected to follow the head. Emotions are useless in that kind of scenario. There were orders from every head to every clan: to disrupt the peace of another clan is a crime because it may lead to a civil war.
Aburame clan is a hive. But that didn't mean that they were any less human.
Shino felt the buzzing of his pets rise with his anger. His killing intent may've been rising but he didn't care. Nor did he care for a civil war at the moment. He wanted to kill the Hyuga head.
"Uhh...Shino?"
He looked up from the letter to face his team mate and realized what had just happened.
He had almost lost logic.
He sighed.
"Kiba-kun, lets get out of here."
Kiba seeing the grave face of his team mate readily agreed.
The letter said:
Dear Team Kurenai
I'm leaving for central. They've disowned me. I'm removing myself from the team as soon as I reach the central.
Ja ne.
From Hinata
Black Pupils.
The most unusual thing I had seen on a Hyuga. And now two of them were in my eyes. The Hyuga have white pupils. The seal gave me the unusual: - black. Or….was it normal, in the sense of a normal shinobi? Hell. Even the Uchihas have black pupils. I was not complaining about my new eyes. I looked non-Hyuga.
Maybe this was for the best. I turned around the corner and set my eyes on the building before me.
I have come to the central many a times. The sights are amazing and people are different. But nothing is like the Hokage monument. Five huge faces looked over the whole of town. They were huge enough to be seen from our part of the town. But seeing them this close is amazing. Or not. The expressions in their faces look sterner from near. Why do all of them have a constipated look?
And before the huge faces was the headquarters.
Konoha is huge. And each district is like a town in itself. Each district has a shinobi operation office. These offices are responsible for handing out missions to ninjas, taking care of crime, trade and other official things. That makes the district self sufficient. But in the end the hokage controls them all from his seat from this very building that was looming before me:- the Hokage Tower, simply known as the Headquarters.
Hokage...I had met the previous one a number of times. But this one was my favorites.
She'd taken the position due to a crisis.
Some three years ago the Sandaime had a dangerous power play with his traitor of a student called Orochimaru. The game had cost him his life.
I remembered the day when he was assassinated right on top of the stadium.
With millions to watch his death.
It was the chunnin exams after all.
I may have been a child back then but whispers still reached my ears….
They said that the Sandaime had decided to find out if Orochimaru had skeletons in his closet. He had them obviously.
After killing the Sandaime, for better or for worse, Orochimaru disappeared.
That left the hokage seat vacant. Orochimaru had been named the heir by Sandaime some months ago.
Obviously a bad choice.
That's when Senju Tsunade stepped in.
She had miraculously reappeared after an absence of nearly thirty years. Now that was quite suspicious….
All I knew was that she was a strong woman. That made me like her the instant she became the hokage. And today I was to meet the wondrous woman.
.
But all that didn't warm me. Here I was waiting for more than an hour in the reception coz my appointment was being held off again and again due to some 'highly important matters'. There I was, thinking that this appointment would waste my whole day when this happened.
She suddenly exploded from one of the seats behind me. Her loud voice blared and I was forced to acknowledge her presence. So I turned back to see her.
She was shinobi. The standard weapon pouch was a tell-tale. But the unlikeliest one. Stealth was truly a part of our job. Then how in the fuck's name could one go unnoticed with orange shorts and jersey. That and the blonde hair. Such long blonde hair. And damn! I was jealous of their length.
She was badmouthing the hokage. Do you know what that means? Death sentence. And the woman seemed to have no fear for her life. And as if inviting Shinegami-sama himself, she stormed towards the Hokage's office. The receptionist seemed fine with the idea. But the same couldn't be said about her pink haired team mate.
Was this a manga? Then where in the fucks name would you find pink hair. Moreover it seemed genuine.
On with the story.
So, this slightly tanned girl with ridiculously long blonde hair was heading towards the Hokage's door. The pink haired one was trying to stop her and getting dragged towards the office in the process. And then… into the office they disappeared.
I waited. Nervous. I may not be involved in this but an angry Hokage was everybody's concern. Nobody wanted death at a Sennin's hand. So I along with twelve others waited nervously with beads of sweat rolling down our faces. There were some shouts and screams from the other side of the door.
So. The time was coming soon. The bomb could set off any time.
And surely it did.
*BOOOOOOOOOOM*
It really did sound like a bomb setting off.
The blonde came flying through the door, destroying it completely in the process.
Ah! Here the start of an action movie.
I ducked just in time to save myself from colliding with the blonde. Not altogether saved though.
Our legs tangled.
*Hah*
what a start! Somehow I was in the movie now.
Inside was the flustered pink-head. The Hokage's assistant was equally flustered.
I painfully detangled my legs. Heh! The blonde bitch! How naïve…
"I've said it before Naruto!" the wondrous woman known as hokage was coming towards the blonde like a typhoon, "No. means a NO!"
My anger on the blonde was replaced by pity. Poor blonde.
The hokage came to us. She seemed to acknowledge my presence. Did she know me? I had attended numerous events as the heiress….her face quirked in a strange way. She whispered my (former) clan name.
Yup. She knew me.
Now since all her attention was on me, that coward blonde scooted away. I gave 'the glare' to the girl. I think it had its effect coz she winced. Good. I'll have my revenge if I meet her again. Which I will definitely coz I'll go searching for her. Hmmm…..
What an interesting start to my life in the Central.
The hokage had my full attention now as she loomed over me. I stood up rendering myself to her height. Er…I mean almost her height (she was more than a foot taller than me).
"Is the head here to escort you?"
"Negative, Hokage-sama."
"Any branch members?"
"Negative, Hokage-sama"
She stared at me with critical eye. I swear I am a confident woman, but at the moment I felt as nervous as an academy girl. How could I not? The woman before me was radiating with confidence, power and authority. And also, her breasts loomed over me. Threatening the size of mine. I'd never felt so intimidated by another woman before!
"Sleeping bird seal, huh? I always doubted Hiashi to be a fool. And now he proved it." She said, looking into my iris.
Her eyes were soft as she said this.
"Come in. we'll discuss this in privacy."
I did have something against that. I wasn't here to discuss my (former) clan. But I followed her anyway. Nobody says no to the Hokage. Except the blonde idiot.
She closed the door (how the fuck did it come back!) behind us.
"What was your crime?" she asked immediately.
"I had a defective byakugan, hokage-sama."
"How so?"
"A hazy vision. I cannot pinpoint the chakra nodes."
"Is it a birth defect? Or…"
"Birth defect, Hokage-sama."
"What is your name?"
"Hinata."
"As in the heiress?!"
"Ex-heiress, Hokage-sama. My little sister is now the heiress."
She turned that critical eye over me again.
"You seem rather happy to be disowned."
I had no answer for that. I was happy. But I also missed the Hyuga compound. But I'd rather die than to admit that to her.
"There was nothing left for me there." Except for the garden. The lily of the valley needed watering. I hope Hanabi has the decency to water them.
"That's good then. I hope you have no grudges," my face distorted in distaste at her words, "…so you hate them."
"They took my byakugan."
She looked at me for sometime. Gave me some darting glances. She sucked up air.
"You are to go solo from now onwards. I'll make arrangements for your living."
I gave the most humble look I could give.
"Arigatou, hokage-sama."
.
I came out of the office with, what I believe was the widest grin that had ever adorned my face. Well…..so much for Hanabi's concern. I didn't need that pathetic Sarutobi's help. I had the address of my new dwelling in my hand. And armed with it I set to my journey.
.
The red light district? Seriously? I felt rather uncomfortable thinking about living in the place.
But I was Kunoichi.
Suck it up!
I scolded myself. And walked towards the four storied shabby building which was to be my home from now onwards.
Yup. Definitely heading to an uncertain future.
A/N: So here's the next chapter. Read and review.