Author's Note: So I know it's practically Saturday but it's been a crazy so get off my case and be happy for another chapter! It is time to pick up the pace however so this will be the last chapter that will be building up to action so be ready! However, I regret to inform all my loyal readers that finals are coming up so you may have to wait an extra week before a new chapter is released. With that being said I decided to check my story stats and I am happy to say that I am well past the 7.5k mark meaning I am "supposedly" averaging over a thousand hits per chapter! So I would like to say thank you! As usual please review, hell even if it's to say hi!
A pen name no one has: I am so glad you are enjoying this story. I am trying my best to make this as realistic as possible!
God of all: Thanks and you bet I'll continue!
GunnerRyu: Glad you think so. Would it have anything to do with Hinata's outburst? ;)
Kingswriter: Not exactly…but you'll see!
Rose Tiger: I'm sure everyone wants her to win but where's the fun in writing something predictable? Mwhahahaha!
Well enough waiting around, here's the next chapter! Please, please, please REVIEW!
Chapter 8: Odd Feelings
Sakura landed on the street a few blocks away from the temporary apartment complex where she and her family were living. As she walked alone down the dark street the night air was filled with nothing but the scuff of ground underneath her sandals and the occasional dog barking somewhere. However none of this actually reached Sakura's ears as she found herself lost in the depths of her mind. "I hope Hinata can win, but can she really beat her father? He is the head of their clan for a reason. And what happens if she does lose, then what?" She had a million things running through her mind and yet one random thought managed to surface through all the confusion. "If she loses to her father, then that means I could get closer to Naruto without feeling guilty." Sakura found herself standing still in the middle of the road shocked at what she had just thought of. If it wasn't for the cool dark night air then one could have seen her face burning up with a fiery blush. "Where does this keep coming from?" she screamed in her head. "He's just a friend and a teammate yet I keep thinking these things about him. Am I really starting to fall for him?" Sakura wanted the answer to her questions but she had none, so with a defeated sigh she continued walking and soon found herself in front of her apartment.
Walking around the side of the building she found the staircase and climbed the two flights of stairs to the second floor. Continuing down the bare wooden hallway, she arrived at her door. Sticking her key into the lock she opened the door and walked into the small living room barely noticing the faint yellow sticky note on the door. Pausing for a moment she read it off the door, her eyes quickly scanned the message.
Girls sleep over at my place, be there billboard brow we have things to talk about.
-Ino
PS. If you don't come willingly we will come get you!
Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to the other girls what she was thinking when she didn't even know herself. "Forget it; they can wait until I sort it out myself." Dragging herself to her room she quickly got a change of clothes and showered off. However, just as she was about to plop into bed her bedroom door burst open and there stood Ino and Tenten looking down on her with evil smiles.
"H-How did you guys get in here?" Sakura stuttered in shock.
Tenten gave a little wink and held up a thin kuni. "It's not like it was that hard to jimmy the lock."
"So you thought you'd ditch us huh?" Ino asked putting her hands on her hips.
Sakura simply replied by lying down on her bed and pulling the covers up over her head. "Go away, I'm tired and I don't feel like getting drilled with your pointless questions."
"Look who's talking," Tenten said with an accusatory laugh. "If it was anyone else you'd be all for it."
All Sakura did was reply with a curt "hmph" before rolling over.
"Alright Sakura, if you're going to be like that, have it your way then." Ino said forming a square with her hands and pointing it at the pink haired kunoichi. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
There was a brief pause before Ino's body slumped to the ground and Sakura suddenly pulled the covers down and jumped out of bed.
"Okay Tenten, " Sakura/Ino said scooping up her unconscious body, "Let's head back down stairs."
And with an evil laugh the girls left the Haruno's apartment and went a floor down to the Yamanaka's.
Naruto once again found himself on top of the Hokage monument for the second time that night staring up at the stars. Lying on top of his father's head he let his mind drift, not thinking about anything in particular really and more or less just staring into nothingness. After being patched up at the hospital he and Sai had gone their separate ways, but Naruto was too awake so he let his feet carry him until he found himself up on the monument yet again. Taking a deep breath he sighed deeply. He had a lot going on but he just didn't want to think about it at the moment. Watching the stars twinkle and flicker in the sky Naruto randomly began to sense a presence from the bushes behind him. Not wanting to make an effort he said nothing and continued to stare up at the dark sky and waited for whoever it was to come out. After five minutes of waiting Naruto finally became impatient.
"You can come out whenever you feel like it." He said rather annoyed.
There was a moment of silence followed by the rustle of bushes and a soft chuckle as a small shadow emerged and walked towards him.
"My, my, aren't you good." Said a familiar voice.
Because of the darkness Naruto couldn't see who it was until the figure was just in front of him. As his eyes finally recognized who it was Naruto couldn't help it as a small smile graced his lips.
"Old man Jihibiki, what are you doing here?" he asked.
Jihibiki simply smiled toothily and walked over to sit down next to Naruto. "I came here to see you." he said after a moment.
"Me?" Naruto asked perplexed. "Why?"
Jihibiki chuckled again and gazed up at the stars. "Well for I came for two reasons. One was because you remind me of my grandson. He always used to get into trouble but had a way of just lightening the mood for everyone." He then slowly looked at Naruto and his face grew serious. "And two, it's about the Hyuuga girl."
"What's wrong with her? Is everything okay?" Naruto asked hurriedly. He could feel fear begin to swirl in his chest.
Jihibiki raised his hands in defense and tried to calm Naruto down. "Relax boy, she's fine for the moment."
"Then what's wrong?" Naruto asked.
"It's her seal. Let's just say it isn't working like it's supposed to." Jihibiki said seriously.
"What's wrong with it? Did it come undone?" Naruto asked quickly standing up in panic.
"My god boy, relax and sit down!" Jihibiki yelled in frustration. "He's just as bad as his mother!" Naruto sat down obediently and looked expectantly at him for an answer. So with a sigh he continued. "It turns out that the seal you used did not completely lock away the Kyuubi's chakra. In fact, the seal is practically an exact replica of the seal that is on you." he said as he motioned to Naruto's stomach.
"So…what are you saying old man?" Naruto asked.
"I'm saying that the seal didn't work like we thought it would. Yes it has sealed away the chakra, but it is still leaking out slowly and it's beginning to influence her."
"Influence her? How?" Naruto asked but he had a feeling what the old crow next to him meant.
"As in it is causing her to act impulsively. It is feeding off of her negative emotions, just like the Kyuubi's chakra in you and it's causing her to do things she normally would never do."
Naruto felt dread begin to turn in the pit of his stomach. "What have I done to her? She doesn't deserve this, I've ruined her life!" Jihibiki's cough brought him back from his thoughts but he still had a hurt expression on his face.
"I know that you think that this is your fault, but you did save the girls life…twice." Jihibiki said softly. "Don't blame yourself for this; let's just try to make it better."
Naruto was a quiet for a moment before he nodded. "He's right, what's done is done. I have to do whatever I can to make things right…Even if it means never reaching my dreams. I could never live with myself knowing that I screwed up her life." "What do I have to do?" he asked with determination in his voice.
Jihibiki smiled at his response, happy with what he had heard. "As of right now? Nothing." Then, suddenly he went ridged for a moment before his toothy smiled grew even bigger. He then leaned in closer and spoke to Naruto as if telling him a secret. "But if I were you, I would head home right now and get some sleep. You're going to need it for tomorrow." He said quietly with a small laugh and nudged him with an elbow.
"What the hell is he talking about?" Naruto thought in utter bewilderment. "What do you mean?" Naruto asked confused.
Jihibiki just laughed again and shook his head. "I mean if you want to fix what's wrong with the princess, you're going to need a full night's sleep."
Hinata lay in her bedroom in a deep sleep from the heavy sedative that Sakura and Neji had injected her with to calm her down. The soft pale moonlight streamed through her window lighting a section of her dark room with a pleasant glow. A soft breeze blew her lavender silk-like curtains and carried the sound of the crickets' lullaby in through her window. Breathing quietly, she lay there in her warm bed unaware of her surroundings, even when two shadowy figures arrived at her window and watched from the outside.
"You're certain this is her room?" A woman whispered quietly, her voice riddled with old age.
"Of course, when am I ever wrong?" A man answered cockily, his voice sounding no better.
"Would you the list chronologically or alphabetically?" The woman asked with a smirk.
The man cursed under his breath before hissing back. "Just get inside so we can get this over quickly!"
With a brief nod the two entered the room and quickly got their bearings. Crossing the room silently like a shadow through the night, the woman locked Hinata's door and placed a sound seal in the center of it. As she turned around she saw the man closing Hinata's window and doing the same thing.
"So," Jihibiki said as he crossed the room and walked over to look down at Hinata as she slept, "this is the girl? I can see why the boy has taken an interest in her."
Renge nodded as she joined him. "Yes, the boy certainly has good taste. Natural beauty like that is a rarity."
"Hm, you say something?" the old man asked as he shook his head but didn't break eye contact with the girl.
Renge looked at her husband who was now drooling and followed his line of sight down to the young Hyuuga's chest, which was more prominent now that she was lying on her back. In a flash Jihibiki found himself face down on the floor with a huge knot on the top of his head causing him to cry out in pain.
"Damn it Renge what was that for?" he yelled as he tried to nurse the throbbing lump.
"That was for staring at the poor defenseless girl while she is unconscious you pervert!"
Jihibiki started to stand up when he was sent crashing to the floor yet again and bright lights flashed before his eyes. "And THAT was for doing it front of your wife!" Renge said icily as her eyes bore holes into her helpless husband.
"I c-couldn't h-help it d-dear! They're just so…" he trailed off and coward as his wife was about to strike him again but stopped when she heard Hinata whisper something causing them both to freeze.
"I thought you said she would be out?" Jihibiki said quickly becoming serious as he stood up and looked at Hinata closely.
"I did, she was heavily sedated with a drug. She must be talking in her sleep." Renge said defensively with a huff.
As if on cue Hinata spoke again, softly and almost like a purr. "Oh, Naaaarutoooo…"
The amount of sheer embarrassment that donned the two old shinobi was priceless.
"I think we should hurry up and get this over with. It's starting to become uncomfortable in here." Renge said with a blush.
"And a little hot." Jihibiki added with a smirk and a wink earning him a third smack on the head.
Getting serious, the two pulled back Hinata's covers and lifted her jacket and shirt to inspect the seal. However, the only thing that met their eyes was the soft pale skin of Hinata's stomach.
"Just as I thought." Jihibiki said. "Honey, would you mind channeling a little chakra into her stomach?"
Renge nodded and placed a hand on Hinata's stomach. A calm blue aura appeared from her hand and then descended onto Hinata's stomach. A few seconds later the black swirling seal appeared and Jihibiki bent down and studied it. After a minute of staring at it intently he nodded to his wife and she stopped.
"So, what's the verdict?" she asked as she pulled Hinata's jacket down.
"Just as I suspected, the seal is just slightly off which is causing the demonic chakra to leak out slowly and influence the girl."
Renge thought for a moment before asking another question. "But I thought if the seal was done incorrectly then it would not work and both of them would die? Therefore the seal must have been done correctly."
Jihibiki nodded. "Right as always dear except for one thing. Naruto-kun didn't have enough chakra to complete the seal. He managed to do all two hundred hand signs correct, which I must say is extremely impressive, but he lacked the chakra that was required."
Renge rubbed her chin as she processed what she heard, her hair glowing like embers in the night. "Then how was the seal completed? Naruto-kun is an Uzumaki after all so I figured he would have the stamina to complete the seal."
Jihibiki nodded again. "Correct again dear, but don't forget that he fought two missing ninjas that were potential Akatsuki replacements and then had to create enough shadow clones to perfect the seal within a hour." he explained. "In all reality he should not have even been conscious, no one would be able to after that. I believe that Naruto-kun walked into that room expecting to die to save this girl."
Renge couldn't help but smile at Naruto's selflessness, but it soon faded as another question nagged at her. "Then how was the seal completed? Naruto-kun should have been drained down to nothing and the seal should have failed."
Jihibiki was silent for a moment as he thought about the question but then suddenly smiled when he came up with the answer. "Before I answer that honey let me ask you another question first. Do you think Naruto-kun new that shoving chakra inside of this girl would save her or do you think that he may have been influenced?"
"Well, we have no records of Naruto-kun learning any kind of medical jutsu." She said slowly. "So I guess he must have been influenced. But by who?"
Jihibiki simply smiled slyly and raised his two hands to the top of his head mimicking ears. Renge's eyes widened as the realization hit her.
"You don't think Kurama helped him do you?" she gasped.
Jihibiki nodded. "It's the only way it would have worked. Before Naruto-kun could use the last of his chakra Kurama must have forced some of his chakra into the seal, finishing it off and saving the boy. However, because it was demonic chakra it managed to weaken the seal slightly. Thus causing the demonic chakra to leak out when this girl is in certain emotional distress."
"But why would he help Naruto-kun?" Renge wondered.
"Well, didn't Kushina-chan say that she managed to befriend Kurama just before she died?" Jihibiki asked.
Renge nodded and then smiled. "I guess that Naruto-kun has managed to do the same, but they must not entirely agree with one another since Naruto-kun has yet to take control of Kurama's chakra." She thought for a moment longer before asking, "So what are we going to do about the girl and the seal?"
Jihibiki already knew the answer. "Even though this seal is the strongest one known to the ninja world, its weakened state due to Kurama's chakra leaves it as a liability. We either leave it be, or release the seal and allow the girl to go bat-shit crazy for a few hours."
Renge frowned at this. "I don't like the idea of that, and I'm sure neither would the villagers. They've already been through enough as it is." She sighed as she fiddled with the end of some of her hair. "What if we used a one pronged seal on top of it?" she suggested more than asked.
Jihibiki thought for a moment. "All that seal would do is suppress her more extreme emotions."
"Exactly, that's what the demonic chakra feeds off of right? So if she can't feel those emotions then the chakra can't escape."
"No." Jihibiki said shaking his head. "There are two problems with that. The first is that it is wrong to suppress someone's emotions, regardless of what they feel. The second is that it's a weak seal so it wouldn't be able to stand up to a strong chakra filled attack regardless of it being taijutsu or ninjutsu."
"Well it's not like we have a choice." Renge huffed. "How about we work on another option and in the mean time we use a one pronged seal?"
Jihibiki was quiet for awhile but unable to come up with a better option he finally agreed with a nod. "Fine, but this is by no means permanent. Just a quick fix."
"Of course dear." Renge said as she went through some seals before raising her pointer finger up and a pale blue flame appeared flickering in an invisible wind. "Sealing Technique: One Pronged Emotionless Seal."
As Renge said this she jabbed her finger into the center of Hinata's stomach and right in the center of the twelve pointed seal. There was a brief flash of light and then the kanji for 'seal' appeared in the center of the spiral before both seals faded away. Gently covering Hinata back up, Renge then turned to speak to her husband.
"There, that ought to take care of things for the time being. As long as she doesn't get into any fights she should be-" but she stopped short as she watched her husband's face pale in the dark room causing him to look like a ghostly specter. "What's wrong Jihibiki?"
"How could we forget?" he asked incredulously.
"Forget what?" she asked.
"This girl is supposed to fight her father tomorrow! They're trained in the Gentle Fist, if he lands a single blow to her stomach its over." Jihibiki said quietly.
"Then what will we do? Her father is the clan leader; he's a master in the art." Renge asked worriedly.
Jihibiki was stroked his chin for a moment before grinning sheepishly. "Well I guess our only option is to get Naruto-kun to watch the fight and keep an eye on it. We can't stop them from fighting since it isn't our business."
This upset Renge and she frowned before asking, "Why does Naruto-kun have to be there? Why drag him into this and potentially get him in trouble?"
"Because," Jihibiki answered honestly, "we are too old to intervene if something does happen. Plus, no one else in the village would be able to stop this girl from going on a blood lust rampage except for the boy."
Jihibiki's reasons were logical but that still didn't mean that Renge liked them.
"Fine." She muttered folding her arms. "Get a hold of the boy and tell him what we're gonna need him to do. Hopefully he'll understand and cooperate."
Jihibiki smiled and nodded. "Don't worry dear, I have a feeling he wouldn't miss it for the world."
With that, Jihibiki suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke and across the village the real Jihbiki stiffened up in the middle of his conversation with Naruto as he was relayed the information.
"I don't understand old man, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked confused.
A sly smile slid across the old man's face. "Let's just say you're going to need a full night's sleep." He then proceeded to tell Naruto what was going to happen the next day.
Sakura could think of a million better places than where she was at the moment, which was on a couch by herself while her two friends stood in front of her with smug looks on their faces.
"For the last time Ino-pig, I don't like him like that!" she shouted for the umpteenth time that night.
Ever since they had dragged her back to Ino's apartment they had been relentlessly drilling her with questions. All of them as uncomfortable as the one before and the blush that dusted her cheeks were not helping her case at all. The truth was she didn't know what she was feeling and the fact that her friends were jumping to conclusions not only annoyed her, but scared her because she was afraid they might be right.
"Face it billboard brow, you've fallen for your teammate." Ino said with an evil smile.
"I have not!" Sakura snapped back.
Ino and Tenten looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and finding a seat. They had been going back and forth with the pink haired kunoichi for over an hour and the only progress they had made was making her blush and stutter occasionally. Sighing both of them sat down, Ino next to Sakura and Tenten across from them in an arm chair, draping her legs over one arm and leaning back against the other.
"You know Sakura, I don't see what the big deal is if you do like him." Tenten said bluntly as she absent mindedly pulled out a kuni and began to twirl it on her finger.
"Yeah," Ino added, "I actually just had to patch Naruto up at the hospital before I came here. He was beat up pretty bad and had a bad gash on his chest so he had to take off his shirt for me to get a better look at it. All I can say is… wow." She blushed slightly as she emphasized the last part causing Tenten to giggle.
Sakura, however, became curious. "Why was he like that?"
"What's that Sakura? Are you worried about your Naruto-kun?" Ino mocked cupping a hand to her ear to help her hear better.
"Better watch it Sakura, you almost sound concerned." Tenten added with a smirk.
Instead of blushing however Sakura became annoyed.
"I'm serious Ino, what happened to him!" she shouted into Ino's ear causing her to wince at the temporary dearness.
"Okay, okay, calm damn. Damn you're loud." Ino said wiggling a finger in her ear.
"Well I wouldn't have to be if you would just tell me!" Sakura said folding her arms.
Ino rolled her eyes but continued. "He didn't say exactly what happened. Sai just dragged him into the hospital and told me that he had a training accident."
Sakura was quiet for a moment but then nodded in acceptance.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door causing all three girls to look at each other in confusion.
"I wonder who that could be this late at night?" Tenten asked.
"No clue, but let's find out." Ino said as she went to the door and glanced in the peephole before turning to the other two girls and saying, "Oh, speaking of tall, white, and handsome." before she opened the door with a seductive smile. "Hey Sai, what are you doing here? Couldn't stop thinking about me?"
Sakura and Tenten leaned over from their seats to see Sai standing in the doorway, face contorted, as he tried to find the words he was looking for.
"Actually Ino to be perfectly honest, no. But I was hoping I could talk to Sakura." Sai said with a fake smile.
Tenten actually fell to the floor in tears and holding her sides as she laughed at the dejected look on Ino's face.
As she held the door open for Sai to come in he paused before saying, "Actually, I was hoping I could speak to her in private."
This caused Tenten to stop laughing immediately and look at Sakura questioningly as Ino glared daggers at her. Sakura herself wasn't sure what Sai wanted, so she got up and walked out into the hall closing the door behind her and successfully blocking out the deep conversation Ino and Tenten were now in.
"What's up Sai?" Sakura asked confused as to what he could possibly want at this time of night.
He was still smiling but once he was sure that they were alone he dropped it and looked at her very seriously. "Sakura, I came here against Naruto's will to talk to you about Sasuke."
Sakura's eyes widened and she gasped quietly to herself. "W-What about him?"
Sai continued to stare her down, almost as if he was angry with her. "I came here to ask you what you did to him?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"You know what I mean Sakura, so don't play games. What did you do to Naruto? What did you make him promise you?"
Sakura remained quiet as her memories flashed back to that fateful day.
"I don't know what you said to him or what he said to you but you have to stop this madness. It's not healthy!" Sai said seriously with an undertone of concern.
"Not healthy? What are you talking about Sai?" Then it dawned on her. "Does this have to do with why Naruto had to go to the hospital tonight?"
Sai's face turned grim and he nodded. "Hai, it does. Tonight I watched as my friend was beaten and stabbed to within an inch of his life, and he did it all for a traitorous bastard." Sai's face was now hard as he glared at Sakura. "I don't know what happened between you two, but the burden you put on his shoulders is something nobody should ever have to carry. You need to fix it Sakura because if you don't it will end up killing Naruto, and to be honest I don't think I would be able to forgive you for it."
With that, Sai turned around and walked down the hallway leaving a speechless and stunned Sakura standing there. In fact, she remained there for so long that Ino eventually came out to see what was taking her so long. When she saw her friend standing there in shock, she couldn't help but become concerned for her.
"Ano, Sakura? Is everything okay?" she asked quietly as she put a hand on her shoulder.
The touch jolted Sakura back to life and she instantly began to shake as tears rolled down her face. Turning around she buried her face into Ino's chest. "I'm such an idiot…what have I done to you? Naruto…I'm so sorry."
The morning sunlight trickled through Hinata's window and across her sheets until finally resting on her face, rousing her from her sleep. Slowly opening her lavender eyes she groggily sat up in bed and tried to rub the sleep from them. Smiling as a soft warm breeze blew through her window, she tried to remember how she had even ended up in her bed. Raising her arms up over her head, she stretched and winced in pain when she felt a slight pain in the center of her back. Suddenly, the night before came rushing back to her, weighing down on her unbearably as she remembered her challenge to her father.
"Oh no! What have I done?" She suddenly found it hard to breathe and had to lie back down as she tried to keep herself from hyperventilating and passing out. "How could I possibly beat my father? What even made me want to do it?" Then she remembered what she had overheard at the BBQ restaurant and instantly she felt her emotions change from scared and nervous to upset, but, to her disbelief she wasn't angry. Sitting up again she put a hand to her head in shock. "What's wrong with me? I should be angry at my father for what he did to poor Naruto-kun and yet I only feel upset that it happened." Hinata was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the knock at her door or see it open until she saw a pair of big lavender colored orbs staring up at her from the side of her bed with tears wanting to be released.
"Hanabi?" Hinata said stunned as she was snapped out of her thoughts.
However, before she could say anything else her sister tackled her backwards in a brown blur and wrapped her arms around her neck while burying her face in Hinata's shoulder.
"Please don't fight father nee-chan!" She cried out in sobs.
"Hanabi, why are you so worried?" Hinata asked in surprise.
"Because father is so angry at what you said to him I think he might kill you! And even if he doesn't, he's going to send you away from me to marry someone else and then I'll be all alone!" she cried even harder as the realization hit her that she was about to lose her mother figure.
"And what makes you think that I'll lose?" Hinata asked gently, wrapping her arms around her sister and holding her head in a protective manner.
"Because," Hanabi said between sniffles, "you can't even beat me when we spar."
Hinata couldn't help but let a small smile escape her lips. She was about to speak when someone else spoke for her.
"Hanabi, you should have more faith in your sister." Said a stern voice.
Hanabi turned her head slightly away from Hinata's comforting shoulder to see Neji standing at the foot of the bed looking rather irritated.
"But-"
"-No buts." Neji said cutting her off. "Hinata is a kind and caring woman just like your mother was. Of course you beat her when you two sparred, how could she ever bring herself to hurt her baby sister?" Neji asked as his face softened.
Hanabi's eyes grew big and she looked up at her older sister to see her smiling sheepishly for finally being caught.
"I-Is that true nee-chan?" Hanabi asked in both shock and hopefulness.
Hinata simply nodded as she smiled lovingly down on her sister. Hanabi smiled back but tightened her grip on Hinata nonetheless.
"But what about you nii-san? Nee-chan has never beaten you or father." She practically whispered.
"Well if we're going to get technical, Hinata hasn't fought your father in years. Plus, I haven't beaten her in the last few months either. If anything I see Hinata as my equal." He had a small smile on his face as he watched the shocked expressions on both of his cousins' faces.
"D-Do you r-really mean that nii-san?" Hinata asked, choking on her emotions. She couldn't help but feel both happiness and pride build up inside her for what Neji had said.
"Of course I do Hinata. After watching you fight Pain, there's no doubt in my mind that you can defeat Hiashi-sama." Neji said with a determined smirk.
Instantly Hanabi felt better and jumped up bouncing on the bed. "That's right! Nee-chan is going to kick fathers butt and then she'll be able to marry Naruto-kun!" Hanabi declared happily still bouncing up and down.
Neji couldn't help but laugh a little as Hinata's face instantly turned the color of a strawberry and she began to stutter.
"D-Don't s-say that H-Hanabi! H-he d-d-doesn't like m-me l-like that." Hinata sputtered out as she bowed her head.
Hanabi stopped bouncing and looked at her sister while pointing. "You will marry Naruto-kun one day, and then you will have little Naruto-kuns and nee-chans running around." She declared in a matter-o-fact tone.
Neji didn't think it was possible but he watched, to his amusement, as Hinata's face turned an even darker shade of red as her eyes grew even wider.
"H-Hanabi s-s-stop!" Hinata pleaded. Her thoughts began to swim as her mind began to drift away thinking about how they would go about creating little Narutos and Hinatas. Luckily, before she could pass out, Neji came to her rescue.
"Naruto-kun, Hanabi?" He said with a small evil smile. "I don't remember you ever saying that before."
Instantly Hanabi began to blush just like her sister and ducked her head down. "I-I don't k-know what y-you're talking a-about nii-san." She said as she scuffed her shoes around.
She winced when Hinata realized what was happening and glared at her little sister, but luckily for Hanabi she was saved before anyone else could say anything when there was a knock at the door and another branch member entered the room.
"Hinata-sama," he said with a short bow, "I just wanted to let you know that Hiashi-sama requested that you arrived a few minutes early so the elders understand what this duel is about."
Hinata nodded and thanked the member and he left the three alone again. Looking at the clock by Hinata's bed Neji noticed the time.
"Hinata, I would recommend you shower and get something to eat. You're match is in two hours." He advised.
Hinata nodded and quickly shooed the other two out of the room so she could get a quick shower. Afterwards, she hurried to the main dining hall where she had a small breakfast so she would have plenty of time to digest the food. As she was finishing Neji found her again.
"Hinata, if you would like to come with me, we can warm you up before your fight?"
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you nii-san, I would appreciate that very much."
Following him through the door, they went outside to a small combat training area secluded at the back of the complex. After warming up and some light sparing another branch member arrived and requested that they follow him to the courtyard where her father and the elders were waiting. Quickly wiping down, they followed the escort and were joined by Hanabi as they crossed a small garden. Upon reaching the end of the small garden it opened up to the main courtyard. Once there Hinata quickly realized that the entire clan, both the main and the branch were there to witness the fight. As soon as they began to cross the courtyard everyone began to mutter and whisper to each other. Hinata also noticed several Anbu members on the rooftops of the buildings around the courtyard watching silently.
"W-Why are the A-Anbu here?" she asked to no one in particular.
"The Anbu are here to monitor the fight and make sure that there is no unnecessary loss of life." The branch member said as he continued to lead them across the open space.
Hanabi visibly relaxed at hearing this but Neji had become upset.
"They have no business being here, this doesn't concern them." He said angrily.
"I couldn't agree with you more Neji-san." The branch member said nodding. "They swore that they were here to merely watch the fight and only interfere if it came down to life or death. Also, Hiashi-sama requested their presence."
This shocked the group and they looked at each other curiously.
"Why has father requested them?" asked Hinata.
"To make sure that no one else witnesses this fight, or should I say more particularly, someone doesn't watch the fight." answered the branch member.
"You mean Naruto-kun." Hanabi said quietly.
The branch member nodded his head. "Hai, Hiashi-sama was worried that Naruto-sama would here about this and try to intervene."
The group had fallen silent as they heard this and finished crossing the courtyard to where the elders and Hiashi were waiting. Bowing to the group and then to Hiashi and the elders the branch member left to go take a seat. Neji then walked up to Hinata and put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"I look forward to witnessing your triumph." He said with a small smile.
Hinata smiled appreciatively back at him. "Thank you nii-san."
Then Hanabi came up on her other said and grabbed her hand. Squeezing it to get her attention Hanabi turned and cupped her hand over her mouth and leaned up to Hinata's ear.
"Remember nee-chan, this is for future Narutos." she whispered with a wink and causing Neji snorted.
"Hanabi!" Hinata said quietly as she started to blush. She knew that she only did it to take the edge off and she was grateful for what they both had done.
With a laugh Hanabi skipped over to Neji and took his hand as they walked over and took their respective seats. Once this was done Hiashi stood up and all talking ceased immediately. Clearing his throat he began to speak.
"As you all know, I have summoned you here this afternoon. I'm sure you all would like to know why I have done this. The reason for this summoning is because my eldest daughter has challenged me to a fight."
Immediately whispers erupted across the courtyard with everyone asking what would cause this to happen, including the elders who were leaning over and muttering to each other. Finally one of them spoke up.
"Hiashi, while it is nice to see young Hinata finally taking the initiative to act like a worthy clan member, couldn't you have had this match without the entire clan watching?" Several members murmured in agreement.
Hiashi smiled slightly. "Of course, Gourzi, but my reasons are justified. You see, my daughter and I have an ongoing bet."
"What?" another member shouted out. Gourzi nodded in agreement at this.
"I never have known you to take part in such disgraceful things such as betting. Perhaps you are slipping in your age?" he finished the last part with a smug smirk. It was clearly evident that in the past those two had never seen eye to eye.
Hiashi's face hardened. "I can assure you that I never do, but this opportunity was just too good to pass up."
Gourzi and the other elders perked up at hearing this. "What do you mean?" another elder asked somewhere from the side.
Now it was Hiashi's turn to smirk. "The deal is; if I win then my daughter must marry whoever I choose and accept it willingly."
Once again the courtyard erupted into talking that ranged from how cruel it was, mainly from the branch family who had taken a liking to Hinata's sweet and caring disposition, to the advantages that would be gain politically, mostly from the elders.
"And if you lose?" Gourzi asked.
"Then I will be reinstated as the heir to the clan and will be able to choose whoever I wish to marry, along with a few other more personal requests." Hinata's quiet yet confident voice answered.
Everyone looked at the young Hyuuga princess in shock as the entire courtyard fell deathly silent. This entire time Hinata had been quietly standing there, listening to the elders and her father speak. Everyone just assumed that she was afraid, but in reality she was waiting for the perfect moment to speak, building up her confidence and preparing herself.
"That was not part of the agreement daughter." Hiashi snapped.
"Well I just made it part of the agreement, father." Hinata snapped back but not nearly as intense. "After all, my gains are nothing compared to yours."
Hinata's outside was calm and collected but on the inside she was absolutely terrified. "Hang in there Hinata, you can do this. Just stay calm and tell him what you think. Oh god what am I thinking!"
"That was not what I agreed to. This clan needs a strong leader and so far you have failed to meet those requirements." Hiashi said firmly.
"Well after I defeat you then I will have fulfilled those requirements, wouldn't you agree father?" Hinata asked.
To say that the entire compound was stunned would be an understatement, even Neji, who was a master at reading people, couldn't find a flaw in her mask.
"You mind telling me why you are so confident in thinking that you'll win?" Hiashi asked with a smirk. However, it was quickly lost when Hinata did the unthinkable.
Relaxing and leaning on one leg, Hinata brought up her hand and brushed some hair behind her ear before tilting her head and looking away. "Tch, I don't think I'll win father, I know it."
Suddenly laughter rang out through the courtyard as Hanabi couldn't help but lose control from the look on her father's face and the attitude that Hinata was giving him. It was just simply unheard of and soon a few other branch members joined in. However they were all quickly silenced with a hard look from Hiashi.
Turning his attention back to Hinata he spoke. "Well regardless of whether or not you think you can beat me, being reinstated as the heir was not part of our deal so I will have to decline this fight. Besides, I can marry you off to whoever I choose as of right now so why should I waste my efforts?" He looked at her evenly but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as Hinata lost her nerve and quickly looked at him with wide eyes.
"Damn it Hinata calm down! You have him where you want him; you know his weakness, hell the entire clan's weakness so use it!"
Quickly regaining her cool she lazily waved his comment off. "Because," she said a-matter-o-factly, "if you do marry me off without my permission…" she turned to her father and leveled him hard with a gaze, "I'll kill him and tell anyone that asks why I did it that it was a mission given to me by my clan."
This quickly caused the elders to begin to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Hiashi gritted his teeth; he was astounded that for the second day in a row his daughter was showing this much disrespect to him let alone in front of the entire clan.
"You will do as you're told, do not threaten me." Hiashi said harshly.
Hinata rolled her eyes before sticking her hands in her pocket, a spitting image of a certain blonde headed shinobi. "Whatever." She said and then added as an afterthought, "Oh, and it's not a threat, it's a promise."
"Besides," she continued after a moment, "are you telling me that my father, the great Hiashi, head of the famous and noble Hyuuga clan, is afraid to fight his own daughter?" she mock laughed at him as she turned her attention to look up at one of the rooftops where four more Anbu had appeared. Another member quickly walked over to one and began speaking but was waved off by one that had just arrived and with a nod of his head he left them. Then one proceeded to sit down and watch intently. "Strange." Hinata thought but quickly dismissed it and turned her attention back to her enraged father.
There was nothing Hiashi could do and he knew it. His daughter had cunningly waited for the perfect to strike at his one weakness: his pride. He was furious now at his daughter's exploitations and it took everything he could not to show it. Staring at her with daggers he spoke, his voice like venom causing many of the clan members to shudder.
"I am not afraid of an insignificant child such as yourself; I simply refuse to waste my time on something unimportant. Especially when you cannot even keep the deal you originally made. If you were wise, y0- LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M SPEAKING TO YOU!" He snapped in rage, his mask finally cracking and showing emotion.
Hinata slowly turned her attention back to her father and raised an eyebrow in surprise at his reaction. On the inside she was cowering in fear from the amount of rage that her father was crashing down on her. She wanted more than anything to run away crying and seek the safety of her room. But Neji's words kept playing in the back of her mind, and the thought of Naruto's determination kept her planted in her spot.
"Oh my." Hinata said softly causing everyone to listen intently. "Is something wrong father?" she asked with a smirk.
Hiashi was about to explode on her when there was a loud cough and Gourzi interrupted them.
"Hiashi, seeing as how we are already here why not go ahead and have the fight? Hinata-san has already said that she would quietly accept a marriage proposal if she lost, so hurry up and defeat her. We are already here, so we might as well have some entertainment." There were murmurs of agreement everywhere so with an angry huff Hiashi walked to the center of the courtyard.
"Come daughter, let's make this quick." He spat out.
For the first time since her arrival Hinata obeyed and walked with him. After stopping a few feet away from each other, they faced one another and bowed. Well, Hiashi did. Hinata simply shrugged her shoulders at him causing him to snap again.
"Bow and show some respect damn it!"
Hinata stared at him evenly before slipping into her stance and speaking. "I lost my respect for you a long time ago father." She then looked over at Neji. "Nii-san, if you would be so kind as to start the much, I would deeply appreciate it."
Nodding, Neji stood up and walked between them. Looking at each one of them he asked, "Are you ready?" Receiving a quick nod from Hinata and daggers from Hiashi he continued, "Then begin!" he shouted as he jumped away.
Wasting no time both of them activated their Byakugan and closed the distance in a split second.
A/N: Okay so now that you're done reading, let me know what you think! I'm sure that I've managed to make a few mouths drop I hope!