When Hinata awoke, the bad feelings she'd had hit an all-time high, causing her stomach to twist with nerves. Slower than usual, she got ready for school because she knew seeing the Uchiha brothers would calm her nerves.
She was putting on her jacket when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Yes?" She answered. The door opened and her father walked in with a steeled face, forcing Hinata to stand up straighter.
"Hinata," her father said with a soft sigh. "Take a seat for a moment."
On the verge of losing her composure, on shaky legs, she sat down on her bed. "Wh-what is it, father?"
"Unfortunately, some things happened last night involving Itachi Uchiha."
Hinata's eyes went wide and she clutched onto the hem of the jacket so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Is he okay?" She managed to get out, her voice higher and on the edge of failing and giving in to crying.
"He's left the village and joined a group of infamous rogue ninja. He attempted to attack a Konoha official and, in the process, slaughtered many of his own comrades. Two of his own clansmen were pronounced dead just a few moments ago," he explained. He watched as his daughter's face crumbled in a mixture of horror, sadness, and confusion.
She profusely shook her head. "No, that's not possible! Father, Itachi-san would never do something like that!" She argued, hoping her father was playing the World's Cruelest Joke on her.
"He did, Hinata. And you have to accept that you might not have known him as well as you thought," he said sternly. He felt for her, truly. She'd recently lost a good friend and was now losing her fiancé. She was losing the person she'd been expecting to rule two powerful clans with.
Hinata shook her head again, standing up with barely hidden anger. "If he did that… then he must've had a reason!" She exclaimed.
Hiashi's hand went out before he could stop himself and he grabbed her arm tightly, causing her to wince in pain. "Hinata! You must never say those words to anyone else, do you understand? They could mistake you for a traitor or as sympathetic to his cause. Do you understand?!" He'd rarely raised his voice at her or grabbed her with such intensity outside of training that she immediately shrunk back, casting her eyes to the floor.
"I understand, father. I-I'm very sorry."
Hiashi sighed again and let her go. "I understand you're hurting, my daughter, but you mustn't forget that you represent the entire clan in everything you do, and letting your emotions get the better of you is unbecoming. Remember that well."
Hinata nodded. "Yes, father." Then her mind shot to her best friend. "How…How is Sasuke?"
"...Itachi put him in a small genjutsu because he tried to stop him. Sasuke may seem different after today as he looked up to his brother, so try to be patient with him." Hinata nodded again. "Fugaku and I will meet tomorrow to discuss the marriage contract."
"What does…this mean for that?" She asked.
"It was stated that should anything happen to Itachi to prevent him from carrying out the contract, it was to be passed over to Sasuke," he explained. "As planned, it'll be announced when you both graduate from the academy."
Hinata bowed her head. "Yes, father." Her father gave her another apologetic look—as apologetic as a Huyga could express—before taking his leave. Hinata let herself drop down onto her bed after a few beats of silence.
"There's…no way Itachi-san would do that, but," she paused, "I know father isn't lying to me. He hurt comrades and family members. Sasuke, too." Sasuke was the most important person to Itachi, she knew this. It didn't make any lick of sense to her, but it happened. It happened all in the dead of the night, while she was sleeping. Itachi left while she was sleeping peacefully. Sasuke was hurt while she was sleeping peacefully. These were facts.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to rush to her best friend and cling to him. She wanted to make sure he was okay, but she was unable to. No doubt the news had spread to all shinobi and their families. The only people who wouldn't know yet would be civilians and civilian-born ninja. All shinobi would be on high alert and possibly on patrol around the Uchiha District; she wouldn't be able to stealthily see her friend. She'd have to wait until he went to school.
As she turned away from her bed to pick up her school bag, she noticed a flower sitting on the windowsill. She slept with that window open to let in fresh air when it was too hot during the night. It was a yellow rose. The kind Itachi always brought her as it symbolized friendship, and the bright color made Hinata happy. Something she knew Itachi picked up on as he was extremely perceptive.
She held the rose by the stem tightly and held it to her chest as she made up her mind. "It doesn't matter that he did it. It matters why. It'd be for nothing less than a just reason," she mumbled to herself.
Surely those investigating would figure it out soon enough and her friend's name would be somewhat cleared. He'd have to pay for the crimes he did, in fact, commit but maybe they wouldn't be so harsh. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a book from her shelf and carefully tucked the flower between its pages before returning it. She picked up her bag and left her room, her feet moving slower than she meant for them to. Her shoulders and head felt so heavy that her feet felt as though they were creaking under pressure.
"Hinata-sama," Neji greeted as she came out. She did her best to smile at him, but she knew she failed by the concern in his eyes. "I heard of the news. I'm very sorry."
Hinata adjusted her bag and nodded. "Thank you. We should…get going now."
"Sasuke-san isn't coming today?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, I don't believe so. Itachi-san was his…He loved him dearly, Neji-kun."
Neji accepted this and they began their walk to school filled with sad silence.
Hinata expected to be holding a conversation with Sasuke and occasionally looking up at Itachi and sharing a smile with him. After losing Shisui, she was thankful to still have Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto by her side but with Itachi's defection, she knew Sasuke was going to be a different person. Her father was right. The only thing she could do was be patient and be there by his side. As she was to marry Sasuke, she would make sure he was never going to be alone ever again.
"Hinata!" Both she and Neji turned to see Naruto running towards her.
Hinata couldn't help herself, she broke from Neji's side and met Naruto halfway where they collided into a tight hug. "What happened?" Naruto whispered as they held onto each other. "He…He wouldn't." Hinata shook her head in agreement. "Have you seen Sasuke?"
"N-No. There's no way we'd be able to see him today. My father didn't even mention it."
They stayed embracing for so long that they were starting to get weird looks, but neither cared until Neji had to come and physically remove them from one another.
"I know it is a sensitive time, but, Hinata-sama, you must not forget that you represent the Hyuuga Clan. I apologize, but I need to remind you as your protector."
Hinata bowed her head. "Thank you, Neji-san. I was just overwhelmed for a moment. It will not happen again." Naruto frowned at hearing this but knew to stay silent in these kinds of matters. His parents had taught him the proper etiquette. "Let's go to class."
Neji went ahead of them after saying goodbye and she and Naruto remained quiet as they walked to class. They noticed some students giving them pitying looks while others were confused by the others. When they got to their class, their friends were waiting for them patiently
"Sasuke's not coming, huh?" Kiba sighed. "I probably wouldn't either. Either of you know when he'll be back?" Both shook their heads, glancing at one another briefly before moving their gaze to the floor. "Did…you see this coming?"
"No, but it happened," Hinata said. She didn't want to advertise to other clan heirs that she still had faith in Itachi as they could tell their parents. Hiashi had already warned her and she wasn't going to like what his reminder consisted of, so she kept shut about it.
"Hinata," Shikamaru said as he moved next to her. She looked up at him and gave him such a sad smile that he wanted to turn away and forget he ever saw it. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that he hoped conveyed what he wanted to express.
Hinata nodded and moved a little closer to him. Shikamaru seemed to understand her in a way that she didn't get from her friends or family. It was how their friendship worked. He was perceptive and smart enough to understand without asking many questions as well as make her feel better with his blunt words. Shikamaru didn't beat around the bush and she appreciated that, even if it did sometimes hurt. In turn, she understood his want for silence and was more than happy to sit quietly with him. In fact, more often than not, he was the one who started the conversations with her.
When he was having a bad day, sometimes he would just sit next to her and not say a word. She understood that he just needed to think without being talked to, so she remained silent and would listen if he spoke about what was troubling him. That's not to say that they didn't have disagreements, but they always worked through them without much fuss.
"It's going to be okay. Sasuke will be, too," Shino said suddenly.
"We'll all be here for him," Naruto added. "We're gonna stick to him like super glue so he won't get lonely!" Hinata broke out into a genuine smile at that. Naruto noticed this and brightened up. Hinata gripped his hand firmly when he reached out and held hers.
All their friends noticed this, but Choji was the only one to speak up. "The rumors are true? You guys are goin' out now?!" He asked, surprised.
Naruto jumped back a step, dropping her hand like it was made of lava. "Of course not! Where'd you hear that?!" Hinata averted her gaze and focused on the birds flying in the sky from the window.
Kiba chimed in. "It's been going all around since yesterday. Because you guys were wearing matching flowers or whatever."
Naruto sighed. "Hinata was sad so I went to get her flowers and she shared, you know! Besides, we got one for Sasuke, my parents, and Itachi, too."
"We…We all wanted to match," Hinata explained, clasping her hands behind her back. She now wondered where Itachi put the flower. Did he throw it away? Tuck it away safely? Or did it get lost as he was fleeing the village? Saddened by the thought of it being lost forever, Hinata sighed softly. "I'm going to sit down."
Just as she sat, Iruka came into the classroom and greeted everyone before getting started on class lessons. With the way he kept glancing worriedly at both her and Naruto, she knew he was keeping an eye on them. She was grateful but it also made her anxious that he was going to call on her when it was hard enough for her to focus today. After a couple of hours, she asked to use the restroom to just get away from everyone.
She had unknowingly moved from shock and sadness to anger. It was just boiling in the pit of her stomach and she wanted nothing more than for the teacher to announce outside training on practice dummies. As soon as she made it to the restroom, she immediately began washing her hands under cool water—she hoped the water would cool her down.
"Hyuuga."
Hinata closed her eyes in exasperation as Ame and a few of her friends appeared behind her. She made eye contact through the mirror as she continued washing her hands. "Yes?" She asked, her soft voice masking her annoyance.
"What happened with Sasuke-kun?" She demanded. She stood with her head held up high, looking down on Hinata, with her hands on her hips and taking up much space. It was a tactic to make Hinata feel small and instill fear, but Hinata was too angry to feel any of that—and even if she did, the fear she felt when listening to the Hyuuga Elders point out all her flaws were greater.
Hinata shut off the water and grabbed a few paper towels. "I'm afraid I cannot discuss Clan Matters. You understand," Hinata said as she dried her hands. When she turned after throwing the damp paper towels away, she gave Ame a polite smile. "He'll be returning to classes in time."
"We know all the clans in the village know, but it's not fair that us civilian-born are left in the dark! We care about him, too!" She said, crossing her arms when Hinata didn't show an ounce of fear.
"I understand, but I am not in control of these rules. I only follow them," she explained.
"You can just tell us," she hmphed.
"I will warn you once more that it is Clan Matters."
"Warn?" Ame laughed. "Or what, you gonna get your father to write a strongly worded letter?"
Hinata's stare hardened and she did her best to keep the anger from rising and taking her over. "You are civilian-born as you said. There is plenty a noble clan can do to make your life even harder. So, please, do not ask me anymore and I will not have to report your family name to my Elders." Hinata moved to walk past her but was pushed back. "Please refrain from putting your hands on me."
"You're gonna threaten my family and think you can just walk away?!" Ame yelled. Hinata used nothing but her willpower now to keep her emotions at bay. "I hate snobby nobles like you, thinking you're better just because of your last name. You're annoying!"
"Sasuke-san is also from a noble family. Do you hate him as well?" She prodded. "Or do you just hate me because I'm a girl who is close to him?" Her hold on the anger finally gave out when Ame grabbed her by the hair and smacked her across the face. Hinata began physically shaking with emotion and, without having control over her body, activated her dojutsu.
Ame pushed her back by the head and stepped away. "Ugh! Your eyes are disgusting! What a freak," she mock-gagged.
Hinata pulled her hand back as she channeled much of her chakra into her palm before thrusting it toward Ame. The girl flew back into a stall door, sliding down to the floor unconscious. Now that she had her eyes activated, she could see the way that move affected her chakra system—it wasn't smooth since she'd only used it one other time accidentally and without her doujutsu activated, but she managed to shut off her many chakra points all at once that will leave her paralyzed for a while even after waking up.
When the three other girls noticed their friend was knocked out, they all rushed for her, putting Hinata on the defensive by deflecting their punches and kicks. She saw an opening and dropped down in a crouch to thrust her palms against one girl's legs, paralyzing them and causing her to drop to the floor before elbowing her in the temple. Then, she focused charka to her feet and jumped high off the ground before spinning and kicking another girl in the face, causing her to smash into the other stall. Finally, she moved in on the last girl who was already screaming in fear.
"I warned you to stop," Hinata said, voice shaking with anger. She body flickered and delivered a chakra-charged kick to the girl's chest, causing her to fly out of the restroom door.
Back in the classroom, Iruka could hear screaming from the hallway and quickly rushed out of the classroom toward the sound. It was coming near the girls' restroom and he immediately thought of Hinata who'd been gone for a little too long. He was shocked when he saw Hinata standing over four girls with her byakugan activated and visibly shaking with a hard look on her face.
"Hinata! What happened?!" He asked. Three girls were unconscious while one was clutching her head and sobbing loudly. Behind him, he heard his class and the one closest to the restroom come out.
As if snapping out of a trance, Hinata immediately deactivated her dojutsu and walked past the girls on the floor. She bowed to Iruka. "I apologize for taking too long in the restroom, Iruka-sensei."
Iruka stood there for a moment before shouting to one of his students to get the medic. He turned back to Hinata. "Stay here," he ordered. He went over to the girls and checked to make sure they were still breathing. He let out a sigh of relief. When he made it to the crying girl, he asked her what happened.
"That freak just attacked us!" She cried. "Sh-she did something weird to my legs and I can't move or feel them!" Iruka held the girl until the medics came and took them away. Hinata watched them go without an ounce of remorse and it actually scared him that the sweetest student he'd ever had had caused this much damage.
All the students were staring at Hinata with shock and disbelief at the scene she'd caused. Even her friends seemed to hesitate with getting close to her, everyone but Naruto. He expected that as he trained with Hinata every day and knew what she was capable of. The boy seemed more shocked that she looked angry. Subtle anger, but angry nonetheless.
"Hinata," he said gently. "I'm going to have to take you to Lord Third."
Hinata bowed her head. "I understand."
Iruka turned to his students. "Everyone, go back to the classroom and wait for me there. I'll be back soon. Don't cause any trouble." Slowly, the kids dispersed, aside from Naruto who was lingering with concern written on his face. "You, too, Naruto. She'll be fine."
"I'll be here, Hinata," Naruto told her. Hinata gave him a smile, which seemed genuine so he felt comfortable returning to the classroom.
Iruka put a hand on her shoulder and led her to the other side of the building and up the stairs to the Hokage's office. He knocked.
"Come in."
Iruka opened the door and found the village leader writing furiously with Minato off to the side doing his own reports. "Hokage-sama, I have Hinata here who was found standing over four girls, three of whom were unconscious and the other's legs left temporarily paralyzed but she is awake," he explained. "One of the girls said she just attacked them, but…" he trailed off. He didn't believe Hinata would just attack for no reason.
Minato stared at his pupil in shock. Hinata was the level-headed one of the group. He expected Naruto to be the one getting in a fight today, not his calm and gentle student. Hinata made brief eye contact with him before glancing away. Minato often had to remind himself that she could kill with a single palm strike if she truly wanted to. "Hokage-sama, I'll get Hiashi Hyuuga." Then he was gone in a flash.
The Hokage paused and set his pen down before looking up. "Hinata-chan, please come forward." Hinata hesitantly walked to the front of his desk and bowed deeply. He could see she was taking the news of Itachi's desertion particularly hard, but it had to have been something serious in order for her to actually get physical. Hinata was a gentle girl. "Iruka, I'll take it from here."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Thank you." Iruka bowed and left the room with one last worried glance at his student.
"I'll wait until your father gets here to ask any more questions." Hinata bowed her head again in acknowledgment. "Been a long week, hasn't it?" He sighed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," she said, her eyes turning sad for a brief moment before returning to the Hyuuga's stoic expression.
There was a knock on the door a few moments later before it opened to reveal Minato with Hiashi in tow. Minato returned to his spot by the Hokage but focused solely on the situation. Hiashi stood next to his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder briefly.
"Okay, Hinata-chan. Please explain to us what happened," the Hokage said.
"Yes. I…I was washing my hands in the restroom when they surrounded me. They demanded that I tell them about…what happened and would not back down when I explained that I could not discuss any Clan Matters with them," she explained, her eyes cast down. When Hiashi nudged her, she looked up at the Hokage.
"I see. So you retaliated because of this?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. One of them, Ame, grabbed my hair and…smacked me."
"You were defending yourself?" Hinata nodded. At this, Minato silently exhaled in relief. He knew Hinata wouldn't just attack, but part of him was doubting many things lately after the situations with Shisui and Itachi. He was starting to question if he truly knew people.
Another knock at the door. "Come in," the Hokage spoke. A medic came in with a written report.
"Hokage-sama, this is the report of the injuries the academy girls sustained." The Hokage took the file and opened it up.
"Thank you." The man bowed and left.
"Let's see," the Hokage said. "It seems you used the Vacuum Palm on one of the girls, I'm assuming the one who struck you first."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Most of her chakra points are blocked, but she'll be fine. Just unconscious for the remainder of the day. Another girl's legs are, in fact, temporarily paralyzed as Iruka said. Another girl is suffering from a concussion caused by a kick to the head. Finally, another girl has a few bruised ribs caused by a kick to the chest."
Hiashi looked sternly at his daughter at hearing of her using the Vacuum Palm without proper training. It was a testament to how angry his daughter had been as she hadn't known how she'd done it the first time against Naruto. He was proud of her for defending herself, but it seemed she went overboard and he couldn't excuse that.
The hokage set the report aside before turning to Minato. "She is your pupil, Minato-kun, as well as one of your villagers. How will you handle this?" He asked.
Minato thought for a moment. "Hinata-chan was defending herself against attacks as well as following the customary of punishing civilians who inquire about Clan Matters despite the warning. However, she did seem to use more force than required and injured these girls more than their crime called for. As such, I find it fair to suspend her for two days and the other girls for one week," he decided.
The Hokage nodded along. "Yes, that seems fair."
"I will write letters to the girls' parents, explaining the situation. Hiashi-san, do you know how the Elders will want to handle this matter?" Minato asked.
Hiashi took a moment. "They will not be happy about these girls pushing for information. It is up in the air until I can hold a meeting with them, but I suspect they will call for harsh punishment of the parents as well." The Elders were brutal when it came to civilians stepping over the line that's been set for years.
Minato nodded. "I understand. For now, due to all the attention this has garnered from her classmates, I suggest she leave early today. And, if you don't mind, I'd like to stop by later before classes end to have a teacher-student discussion with Hinata-chan," he added.
"Yes, of course. We will be expecting you, then," Hiashi said with a bow. "Let's go, Hinata."
Hinata bowed deeply to the Hokage and her sensei. "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama and Minato-sensei. I also apologize for the trouble this has caused."
The two addressed couldn't help but smile at her politeness and sincere apology. "Of course, Hinata-chan. Use this time to reflect." They watched her leave with her father and Hiruzen turned to his successor with an inquiring look.
"When did she learn the Vacuum Palm? That's a highly skilled technique."
Minato grinned just a bit. "She actually unlocked it on her own by accident. She was extremely angry when it happened, so I suspect it was the same this time. These girls must have really gotten her angry, but I also sense part of it has to do with Itachi leaving," he admitted.
"Yes. They were engaged, after all. It goes to Sasuke now, correct?" Minato nodded. "Hopefully they'll be okay and their friendship can only grow stronger through these trials."
"They'll prevail. I've been training them for a while now, and the one thing I am absolutely sure of is their teamwork and loyalty," Minato said proudly.
"I was surprised to hear that you took up more students," Hiruzen said. "After what happened to your first and only official team, I didn't think you'd go back to it."
Minato winced slightly at the memory of his two deceased students and his remaining one that was so emotionally closed off that his only true friend was a man who literally hunted him down to challenge him to crazy competitions.
"These kids are going to go the distance. They're going to be okay," he said. "They're strong and they communicate well." Hirusen just smiled and returned to his paperwork. Minato thought about his and Kushina's students for a moment longer before starting on the letters to the girls' parents.
When Iruka walked into the class, the students went momentarily silent before bombarding him with questions.
"What happened, sensei?!"
"Why did Hyuuga attack them?!"
"Is it true she killed one of them?!"
Iruka held his hand up and the class went quiet. "No one is dead, guys. Don't feed rumors like that." He looked around at the students. "Do any of you know what would possess Hinata to do something like this?"
It was quiet.
"If any of you know anything, it could really help Hinata out," he added.
Sakura slowly raised her hand. "Um… that time you sent me to check on her in the restroom, I saw those same girls leaving. It seemed like they'd given her a hard time then, too."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru suddenly said. "Those same girls have been harassing her for the past two years."
Iruka saw Naruto stiffen at the news and shot him a sympathetic look before returning his attention to the Nara. "Did you say two years?" Shikamaru nodded. "Why didn't she report it?"
Shikamaru sighed. "She's a Hyuuga. People seem to use that against her. Had she reported it, and those girls were disciplined, everyone would assume she did it because of her family," he explained. "I swear, some people just see a name and judge you based on that, it's annoying." He pointedly referred to their classmates as well as those girls, causing some of them to look away with something like shame.
Iruka was surprised at how angry the Nara seemed to be as he talked about it. "Do you know why they were bothering her?" He asked.
"They weren't bothering her. They were straight up abusing her," Shikamaru corrected.
"You're right. It's much more serious than that, I apologize," he replied. "Do you know why they were abusing her?" He asked.
Shikamaru looked away at this. "I'd rather not discuss this in front of everyone," he said. "Hinata wanted to keep it private."
"See me during the lunch break," Iruka replied before going back to what he'd been teaching before the commotion.
In the back, Naruto was practically seething. He'd known nothing about what'd been happening for the past two years. Did Sasuke know, and, if so, why did he let it go on for so long? Why did Shikamaru, of all people, know? He had so many questions and the only person who could answer them was currently seeing the Hokage. Shikamaru would have to do for now.
When lunchtime came, he waited until Shikamaru was done reporting to Iruka-sensei before pulling him to the side.
"Spill it, Shikamaru," he said. "I'm one of her best friends and I deserve to know, especially now that it's gotten this bad."
"Yeah, yeah, I was gonna tell you now anyways," Shikamaru sighed. He looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention. "Look, she didn't say anything because she didn't want to worry anyone and she said it was her problem to deal with. But they were harassing her because she's close to Sasuke."
Naruto clenched his fists. "And why did she tell you?"
"She didn't tell me anything. I happened to see when they tripped her. I tried to get her to tell someone, but eventually, just let her talk about it when she needed to. I wasn't gonna force her to do anything, so I was just a shoulder to lean on," he explained.
"I can't believe this started with Sasuke," Naruto all but growled.
Shikamaru blinked. "Naruto, you understand that this isn't Sasuke's fault either, right? It's those girls for deciding that a boy was worth abusing someone for."
"He should've known!" Naruto said. "Sasuke picks up on everything, but he happened to not catch this? Of all things? I don't believe it!"
"Think about who was keeping it away from you two. Hinata's been trained in leadership since she could talk. If she doesn't want you to know, then you won't. It's as simple as that," Shikamaru clarified. Naruto just turned away and went outside to practice his taijutsu on the training dummies out on the grounds. Shikamaru sighed as he watched him go.
He understood that Naruto was just looking for someone to blame, but he couldn't see this ending well when Sasuke came back to the academy. He then turned his mind to Hinata and wondered how she was doing. Judging by the damage done, he could only assume that she'd been sent home early and possibly suspended.
It was going to be a boring day, he concluded as he sat at his desk and slowly ate the lunch his mother packed for him.
Hinata sat on her knees before her father as she waited for her punishment. She knew he was upset at her for using the Vacuum Palm when she hadn't been adequately trained to use it, but she'd been so angry at the time that she hadn't thought about the consequences. And she's positive that that is what her father was going to punish her about, that she relinquished control of her anger and let things get out of hand. As a Hyuuga, she was to have perfect control over her emotions, especially in stressful situations and she failed.
"Hinata, you did well to abide by the rules set by the Clans long ago, but I'm afraid your use of the Vacuum Palm was unnecessary as you've not had proper training and will not begin the proper training for years to come due to its difficulty. Yet, somehow, this is your second time using it," Hiashi said. "The first time it happened was due to your anger. Was that the case this time as well?"
Hinata nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Yes, father."
"I see. Those girls inquiring about what happened with the Uchiha Clan last night angered you to that degree?" Hinata nodded again. "You should have had better control, my daughter. Your leadership training has been vastly improving these past two years, but this event has shown me that you have not improved as much as I'd thought."
Hinata bowed. "I apologize for letting you down, father," she said quietly. She didn't regret her actions in the least, but she was sorry for disappointing her father.
"Your punishment will be that you are not allowed to train outside of the compound for a month. After your suspension is up, you will not be allowed to walk to and from school with Sasuke Uchiha. You are to come straight home from school and make no detours," he said.
Hinata's eyes glazed over a bit as she listened to her father's orders, mind already thinking of the ways she was going to fall behind Naruto and Sasuke in their training. She couldn't afford to ease up on any training if she wanted to continue being a contributing member of the team, so she would find a way. She thought to ask Minato to give her some training here at the compound when he had a chance, but he was already busy enough with getting ready to become the Hokage.
"...Yes, father," she said, clenching her fists at her earlier actions. She was starting to regret how harsh she'd been now.
"You may return to your room now," Hiashi dismissed. Hinata stood and bowed to her father before leaving the room. He let out a soft sigh as he thought about the field day the Elders were going to have with the civilian parents of those girls. He could only imagine the compensation they were going to demand, not that the Hyuuga Clan needed any more wealth but simply that they could do it to make their lives harder.
Hiashi wasn't a big fan of those tactics, so he decided he'd try to lessen the blow as much as he could. After all, the beating Hinata had given those girls seemed to be enough.
As Hinata walked to her room, she decided to spend the rest of the day looking after her sister. With school and all of her training, it was difficult to see Hanabi for longer than a couple of hours a day. Turning back in the opposite direction, she was stopped by Mitsuki.
"Hinata-sama, Namikaze-sama is here to see you before his meeting with Hiashi-sama," she said. Minato smiled from behind Mitsuki. He was nearly two heads taller than her but he politely let the servant lead him.
Hinata bowed. "Thank you, Mitsuki-san. Thank you for coming to see me, Minato-sensei," she greeted.
"I'll bring tea along shortly," Mitsuki said.
"Thank you," Minato replied.
Hinata nervously led him to the tea room she used. "I apologize for taking any more time out of your day, sensei," she said as she opened the door for him.
Minato waved his hand dismissively. "Not at all!" He walked inside and sat down at the table in the middle of the room. He noticed an empty mug sitting on the far side of the table and cocked his head at it slightly.
Hinata took a seat across from him. "I…left it there for Shi-kun," Hinata explained when he noticed his inquisitive gaze toward the mug. "That way, he can always have tea with me."
Minato smiled sadly at his gentle student. "I'm sure he's happy to be included. He cared about you a great deal," he said.
Hinata's eyes flashed with grief before returning his smile. "Thank you, sensei."
Minato nodded and then took a deep breath. "What happened today… You were probably the last person from Team MinaKushi I expected to snap like that," he chuckled softly. "I know that everything that happened with Shisui and now Itachi has probably affected you negatively. Shisui was your close friend and Itachi was your fiancé. It's difficult, isn't it?"
Hinata cast her eyes down, remaining silent as she gave a curt nod.
"Taking all of that into consideration, I want to assure you that I'm not angry with you and neither is Kushina." At this, Hinata's head snapped up causing him to smile at her warmly.
"But I was…too harsh today," Hinata replied. "I shouldn't have been so rough or used a technique I wasn't properly trained with."
"Well, I do agree with that, but it seems a couple of your classmates have come to your defense." He paused. "Why didn't you tell anyone they were harassing you?"
Hinata shook her head. "It wasn't really anything bad. Some tripping, pushing, and snide remarks, but it didn't get worse until recently. They eased up a bit when they thought I was romantically involved with Naruto," she explained. "And if I told a teacher or my father, and they were punished, it would just get worse for me. I was handling it fine until… I wasn't."
Minato sighed softly. "Despite this situation, you handled everything well for so long. You truly are a gentle person." He reached over and put his hand on her head.
This action caused Hinata's eyes to water as she thought about Itachi. He touched her head a lot in the two years they'd been friends as it was his way of showing affection. She thought about his gentleness and how nothing made sense at this moment. She thought about him possibly being alone now and how sad it was making her. If she didn't shut those emotions away, she was going to fail in her leadership training even more, and she didn't want to disappoint her father anymore. More than that, she didn't want to disappoint herself.
Minato watched as she struggled to hold her tears back. "It's okay to cry, Hinata-chan," Minato assured her. "You lost two friends. No one would fault you."
Hinata shook her head vehemently. "I must never cry in front of others. I must be strong at all times," she said, reciting the words that had been instilled in her since she was able to understand them.
Minato pitied his student. Up until now, she was the only clan heir in the team and she held much more responsibility than the others did. Naruto was still able to act his age and Sasuke, though from the main family of a noble clan, was not the eldest and he was able to get away with more than Hinata and Itachi were able to. That was going to change now though, with the desertion of Itachi.
Maybe that was also part of the reason Hinata was taking this so hard. Itachi understood her in a way that Naruto and Sasuke could not. They shared almost the same difficulties and hardships that came with being the elder child of a main house. Hinata had someone who understood what she was talking about as she understood what he was talking about. Not only that, but they'd shared the same sense of loyalty, and Itachi's betrayal must have caused her to doubt everything else he ever told her and the kindness he'd shown her.
His student's heart was breaking more and more.
Turning his thoughts to Sasuke, he wondered how the boy was and how he was going to handle the responsibilities that Itachi had shouldered up until this point. The silver lining was that Hinata could help him and he could as well should she ever turn to him, but he worried that his other student would lose his way. His mind flashed to his first team and he quickly shoved them back and focused on Hinata.
"I understand. It's okay," he said softly.
Just then, there was a knock and Mitsuki came in carrying a tray. "I apologize for the delay," she said.
Minato stood and reached out for the tray. "I'll help you with that," he said.
"Thank you very much, Namikaze-sama." Mitsuki bowed and left the room quietly.
Minato set the tray down and sat closer to his student. "Everything's going to be fine, Hinata-chan. I happen to believe that everything happens for a reason."
Hinata set their cups in front of them before gracefully pouring the tea. She reached over and filled Shisui's cup as well before setting the pot down. "Thank you," she said. "That's a more optimistic way of thinking and I could use that right now." She gave him a shaky smile.
"You're a strong person, you know," Minato blurted out.
Hinata, though briefly shocked, smiled brightly at this. "That means a lot coming from you, sensei."
Minato took a drink from his tea. "Hinata," he said seriously. "Next time there is a problem like this, please come to me or Kushina. Or whoever you feel comfortable with. You're not alone here and you don't have to shoulder everything on your own."
Hinata bowed her head. "I understand."
Minato finished his cup and patted her head one more time before standing. "I had a lovely time, but I'm afraid I have to leave now to go see your father. I'll see you soon, Hinata-chan."
Hinata stood and bowed politely. "I will see you in when I return to training one month from now," she said.
Minato paused at this but then smiled as left the room. Maybe Hiashi would change his mind and shorten her punishment after hearing the information Iruka had told him.
"Come in," Hiashi said at the knock on his office door. It slid open to reveal Mitsuki with Minato behind her.
"Hiashi-sama, Namikaze-sama is here for a meeting with you," Mitsuki announced.
"Thank you," he replied. She stepped aside to let Minato in before closing the door behind him and leaving. "Minato-san, thank you for coming to see me and Hinata."
Minato took a seat across from him. "Of course. I just saw Hinata-chan. She is a very bright and gentle girl, but also strong. I'm very happy to have her as a student."
At this, Hiashi raised a brow. "I see she told you about her missing training for a month."
"She did."
"I will not be changing my mind on that. She was unnecessarily brutal with those girls," he explained.
Minato nodded. "Yes, I agree, but I recently learned some new information that I wanted to pass along to you." Hiashi gestured to him to continue. "It seems those girls have been harassing Hinata for the last two years, recently getting physical with her."
"Two years, you say? Why didn't she say anything about it?" Hiashi asked. His earlier thoughts of getting the Elders to go easy on those girls and their families were instantly tossed into the trash.
"She told me she had been handling it fine up until now. She didn't want to use her name or clan to possibly exacerbate the situation, so she opted to ignore it until recent events made it difficult to do so," Minato explained. "Hinata is a gentle and forgiving person, but she is also very strong and loyal."
Hiashi took a moment to think. "I see. Then I believe she made the right choice, but I still have to punish her for using the Vacuum Palm as she is not properly trained in that technique yet. So, I will shorten her punishment to a week."
Minato brightened up. "Thank you, Hiashi-sama. During the week, would you mind if I sent someone over to help her with training? I wouldn't want her to fall behind Sasuke and Naruto."
"She will not be allowed to leave the Hyuuga Compound," he added.
"I understand. I would still like to send someone over if that is okay."
"Who will it be?"
"Kakashi Hatake," Minato replied. His last remaining student from his first team would be a perfect match for Hinata at this time. As someone who has experienced a lost love and friend and is also gentle, Kakashi could possibly help her through this. Secretly, Minato hoped Hinata could help Kakashi as well. He is gentle but hardened as well. He hoped they could find a balance with one another.
"Kakashi? I thought he was still in the Anbu," Hiashi said.
"Yes, but with the plans I have for the Anbu and Uchiha Police Force, Anbu members are taking fewer missions. Kakashi is one of them for the time being," he explained.
"Kakashi Hatake is very strong, so I will allow him to train my daughter for the duration of her punishment. I appreciate you caring so much for Hinata's growth as a person and a shinobi. I am grateful to you and your wife." Hiashi uncharacteristically bowed his head to Minato, causing the other man's eyes to widen in surprise.
"A-ah, please, Hiashi-sama, there's no need to thank us!" He chuckled. "You have a very talented daughter and I'm glad we get to contribute to her skillset."
Hiashi felt pride for his daughter. "Thank you."
"Of course. I should be taking my leave now. It's almost time to pick up Naruto from the academy," Minato said as he stood and bowed.
"Please give Kushina-san my regards."
"I will."
After Minato left, Hiashi took a moment to himself to sort out the anger he was feeling. Although he continued to believe his daughter should not have used that technique, he was proud of her for holding her ground as long as she did. As proven, she can handle herself in an actual fight and he did not want to be the reason she was falling behind her friends.
Rising to his feet and adjusting his robe, he walked toward his daughter's room. When he slid the door open, he was surprised to find the room empty.
"Hiashi-sama?" He looked to Hinata's personal maid, Mitsuki. Hinata adored the young woman. "Hinata-sama is with her sister."
"Ah, I see. Thank you," Hiashi said as he moved past the woman.
He knocked on the door before sliding it open. "Hinata," he said. Hinata sat in the rocking chair in the far corner of the room with Hanabi sleeping quietly in her arms. Since the passing of his wife, he's hardly spent time with his second child, finding it painful to look at her face for the time being. Now, though, as he looked closer, the child resembled him. Her chocolate hair and slightly darker skin were reminiscent of himself. Hinata, however, was the spitting image of his late wife. Despite that, he enjoyed just looking at her for a moment and ignoring the pain that came with it.
Even though he and his wife were part of an arranged marriage, they were happy together and grew to love one another deeply as the years went by. Hiashi wasn't a very affectionate man, but his wife understood him in ways that others could not and she knew just how much he loved her without him having to say the words. As she became sicker and sicker, he felt regretful for having not been more forward with his love. He regretted not kissing her more. He regretted not holding her in his arms more. He regretted all those times spent in silence when they could've been filled with wonderful conversations. He held a lot of regrets.
When he spoke of those regrets to his wife when she was nearing her death, she merely smiled gently at him and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand as she held the little bundle in her arms. She told him that doing all of that wouldn't have been his true self. That everything he gave her was from the bottom of his heart and not forced, rather it came naturally. She replied that she cherished every moment they had together. Though his face had remained stoic, his eyes gathered water before he blinked them away. His wife was always correct.
"Yes, father?" Hinata asked softly, in a manner that reminded him so much of their mother.
"Minato-san just left," he said, closing the door behind him and walking closer before taking a knee in front of her sitting form. "He informed me of everything that happened. It must have been difficult to deal with that alone."
Hinata stiffened for a second before averting her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry that I let them have such an effect on me. I promise to be better," she assured him.
Hiashi felt a slight pain in his chest at her words. Getting older was truly making him softer. "No, you did well. I've decided to lessen your punishment to a week rather than a month. I would have refrained from punishing you altogether but I stand by my original opinion. You should not have used that technique."
At hearing all of this, Hinata's eyes brightened up. "Really, father?" The corner of his mouth ticked up at the excitement in her voice.
"Yes. And because your sensei and I don't want you to fall behind your friends with training, he'll be sending someone over to look over your training for the next week until you return," he explained.
Hinata tilted her head. "Who will it be?" She asked. Would Minato be sending Kushina?
"His name is Kakashi Hatake. He was one of Minato-san's first students and very strong. He specializes in many things."
"I understand. Thank you for lessening my punishment. I do not deserve it," she said humbly as she bowed her head.
"You do, my daughter. I'll let you return to your sister now. I will see you for training," Hiashi said as he stood.
"Yes. Thank you."
Hinata couldn't keep the smile off her face. She hated missing any kind of training. It's where she had the most fun. She frowned slightly as she thought of the man who was going to take over her training for the time being. If he was an older student of Minato's, then she had no doubts about his strength and talent but Minato had never mentioned another team before. Though they spent all of their time together training and rarely had deeper conversations.
Nodding to herself, she promised to do her best to show her student-sibling that she was worthy of being taught by their teacher.
When Minato picked Naruto up from the academy, he noticed his son was quiet and seemed angry. He put his hand on his son's shoulder.
"I know you're upset about what happened earlier, but…"
Naruto huffed, interrupting. "I don't even get why she was suspended, dad! She was just defending herself!" He yelled, shrugging his hand off.
Minato sighed. "I know, but she used a move she shouldn't have. The same one she accidentally used on you that time, remember? She isn't trained in that and it could've dangerously hurt that girl. Because of the circumstances, she was only given two days rather than a full week like those other girls," he explained. "You're aware of how deadly her fighting style is, even if she was defending herself. Trust me, Naruto, I'm angry that this is happening, too. But I have to be fair."
Naruto truly understood why his father made that decision and how important it was for him to remain neutral, but he was just so angry. "Did you know that it's all because of Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Those girls were bothering her because of him!"
"Naruto, that's not Sasuke's fault either. He has no control over what his admirers do. It's unfair to blame him."
"It's unfair that Hinata has to take all that abuse just because she is his friend! But Sasuke gets to get fawned over while she's left to deal with their jealousy," he said. "It's so stupid!" He said, kicking a rock that came into his path. It hit a fence, denting the wood. Minato winced slightly.
"It is unfair," he agreed. "But, as I said, Sasuke has no control over other people. If he told them to stop, I'm sure that could've made it worse for Hinata-chan. I know you're aware of this, so why are you so angry at Sasuke?" Minato inquired. It wasn't like Naruto to blame someone needlessly.
Naruto was silent for a moment. "Why would Itachi just leave us like that?" Naruto finally said, looking up at his dad with angry and hurt eyes. "It doesn't make sense. He loves Konoha! He wouldn't just…betray us like this. I'm mad because Sasuke's stupid brother just abandoned us and I'm mad because stupid Sasuke's fangirls were hurting Hinata and I didn't even know!"
Minato came to a stop and pulled his son into a hug. "I know nothing makes sense right now—I'm even trying to wrap my head around it, but I also know that everything happens for a reason. Even if it's horrible, I'm sure there can be some good that comes out of it. One day, everything will make sense and just click. For now, we have to do our best to pick up the pieces and continue moving forward." He looked down at his son. "You understand?"
Naruto nodded against his stomach and clung to him. "Okay," he sniffled. "But I'm still mad."
Minato chuckled. "That's okay. Just don't take it out on people that don't deserve it, especially Sasuke. You lost two friends, but he lost his cousin and the brother he loved more than anything. Try to keep that in mind when you see him next."
"I'm not sure I even wanna see him…" Naruto mumbled. Minato smiled sadly down at him.
He prayed another fight wouldn't break out tomorrow when Sasuke returned to the Academy.
We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Chapter 18 will be the final prologue chapter before we go into another time skip and head into what we call Team Kakashi Arc. We hope y'all are enjoying where this story is going! Your reviews/favorites/follows motivate us to keep going 3 We hope you look forward to the next chapters!
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 05/27/23
