Chapter 48: Burning Fireworks.
Arc: Against Foreign Powers

Disclaimer:
I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto, please support the original work.

The moon hid behind the ancient trees, watching silently as the creatures below its grace danced along with the rhythm of life. In every corner of the world, there was joy and suffering, and the moon had watched as unspeakable acts happened, hidden away from the enthusiasm and pureness of the yellow sun.

Sometimes, the moon wondered, "Why do crimes happen more at night rather than during the day?"

Maybe it was because of the gloomy silver light of the moon, in contrast to the bright light of the sun. Whatever the answer was, the moon will always watch just like it always had, along with two blue eyes with flowery patterns that had always gazed at the green and blue planet with curiosity.

"I'm worried about Hanabi," Hinata said, looking at Naruto with watery eyes. The latter looked at her without saying a word, but Hinata kept talking, her eyes swimming in endless worry for her little sister.

"What if she gets overwhelmed? After I leave, she'll become the official Hyuga Heiress," as she got stronger and showed her true potential, Hinata was fully exposed to what becoming the heiress of the Hyuga clan meant.

Perhaps it was because her Father doubted her abilities at first, she wasn't truly conscious about what the title of Heiress meant until she vowed to stand side by side with Naruto in the future during that one faithful night. Hinata's eyes glowed as she recalled the past.

[FLASHBACK]

Baffled, Hiashi looked at his daughter with doubtful eyes and asked, "Are you serious?"

''Yes. I want to study at the clan's library," Hinata said, her eyes showing pure determination. With one look at those eyes, Hiashi knew that her daughter was burning with passion, so much so that he couldn't help but doubt his daughter.

"That's impossible… unless you show me that you are worthy," Hiashi coldly refused.

To prove her worth, Hinata must at least strike Hiashi once in battle, otherwise, she wouldn't be allowed inside the Hyuuga library. A ten-year-old girl who only had decent skill, not good but not bad either, and Hiashi even doubted whether she could become a Chunin, how could Hinata prove herself worthy?

Nevertheless, Hinata wished to defy her fate. She only had one reason why she wished to enter the Hyuga library, and that was to learn as Hyuga techniques as possible. Only by doing that can she hope to stand beside the person she longed for.

"I will show you that I'm worthy of being your daughter, father."

[A Year Later…]

"Hinata Hyuga, I declare that you…"

"Father," before Hiashi could finish his words, Hinata interrupted him. Hiashi frowned but remained silent. They were alone with only Hanabi as their audience, he could tolerate being interrupted… even if his Hinata openly refuted him, as long as they were alone, he could endure it.

Because Hinata was his daughter.

"Father, I don't want you to declare me as the Heiress until I…" Hinata paused, hesitating a little bit before glancing at her clueless sister. Likewise, Hiashi glanced toward Hanabi, who didn't even notice she had become the point of attention.

She would never notice as the two immediately averted their gaze.

"Father, I have another dream," Hinata said ambiguously, her voice not louder than a whisper.

"Are you sure?" Hiashi narrowed his eyes, his face forever stone cold though his mind was whirling like a tornado. As someone well-versed in politics, he understood what Hinata was implying.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then when that time comes, I hope you don't regret it. From this day onward, Hinata Hyuga, I declare that you are unfit to be part of the Hyuga clan!"

Hearing the sudden proclamation, Hanabi widened her eyes and looked at her Father incredulously, not noticing that Hinata had a smile on her face.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

To become the Heir or Heiress of the Hyuga clan, one must have two things. Unshakable character, and unshakable strength.

Because of the way the Hyuga clan functioned, the heir must be ready to kill all ties with others and devote his or her life to the clan's well-being. He can't even enjoy familial love as he or she also has to one day pick an heir and after a certain age, his or her children that weren't heirs will have to be sent to the Branch Family.

Others may think that it is cruel, a few members even despised the Main Family because of this, but most of the clan members understand and forgive the Main Family for their seemingly haughty position.

Because it is only through the Main Family's control and protection can the Hyuga clan keep on thriving.

Unlike the Uchiha who have the Sharingan with versatile abilities, the Hyuga's Byakugan were as rigid as their personalities. Apart from seeing chakra and seeing through objects, the Byakugan gave the user nothing else.

That's why, although many people thirst for a quick boost by snatching a Byakugan or two and putting them into their own eye-sockets, the Hyuga doesn't have much means to protect themselves, unlike the Uchiha with their Sharingan eyes. But with the help of the Cage Bird Seal and the Main Family's meticulous control, all Hyuga are able to escape the fate of becoming livestock of the ninja world.

It was the same as having a loose, anarchic nation facing off against a nation with a leader, and a strong and capable leader at that.

That was how the Hyuga clan survived the chaotic Warring States Era.

As you can imagine, the burden of the crown was heavy, as if trying to put a piece of land above your head just so your clansmen could live peacefully and at ease. No one knows, but behind the indifferent eyes of the Clan Head was a chaotic and torturous battlefield that none can truly understand.

If not for her unrelenting love, Hinata couldn't bear to shove her younger sister into that fate while she was enjoying life to the fullest.

While feeling endless guilt, Hinata lowered her head and asked Naruto, "What if she breaks down after I leave?" Though Naruto was staring at her blankly, she didn't see it. Right now, her eyes couldn't see anything as she reminisced about her time with her younger sister

Truth be told, Naruto didn't know much about Hanabi, Hinata's sister. The girl was basically a greenhouse flower, the only time he saw her was when he was running away from ROOT as Menma.

"Hinata," Naruto said, cupping Hinata's cheek with his hand, "Put more trust in your little sister, okay? She is your sister, she has the same blood flowing through her veins as you, I'm sure she'll be able to do what you can do," Naruto assured her, but his eyes were duller than a blunt knife.

'I feel a little sorry for Hanabi, but I want Hinata to be mine. In return, I'll give her my support and protect her when I can, that's all I can do for her. I'm sorry, Hinata,' Naruto internally thought as Hinata buried her face in Naruto's chest.

"Then… will you come with me to talk with her? And father too, I want to say goodbye to father," Hinata asked, lifting her head to look at the red-haired boy. Naruto smiled, his eyes regaining their luster as he spoke.

"No worries, let's go now," Naruto said.

As the two quietly approached Hiashi's room, Naruto sensed Hiashi sitting on the ground with closed eyes waiting for the two to enter and entered his mind to think. 'I guess Hinata already told her father about her departure,' he concluded.

As expected, when they opened the door, it was smooth sailing. Hiashi's only wish was for Hinata to be well taken care of and for Naruto to provide the clan with Fuinjutsu Scrolls. Naruto readily agreed but felt like Hiashi was trying to milk him dry so he got out of there as fast as he could.

When they walked toward Hanabi's room, Naruto sensed Hinata's heart rate speeding up, as well as the playing Hanabi inside the room. 'I guess she told her sister too, but…' Naruto squinted, sensing Hanabi's lack of energy.

'It seems she didn't take the news well,' Naruto sighed. There was nothing he could do, he had long known that his greed would hurt other people and he was fine with that. He was no hero, in fact, you could call him a villain if you scrutinized his actions.

One time, he blew up ROOT's base of operations after trying to loot the place.

Let's not forget about him technically becoming a Missing Ninja as the moment the Kyuubi was sealed inside him, he was already affiliated with Konoha and his destiny was to be a Konoha ninja.

Oh right, he also hired the Bandit Armies to send troops and harass Konoha and only stopped when he visited the village as Yukito.

Then, he technically infiltrated the village as Hiroko just to snatch a girl he fancied…

'Damn, I never knew I did so many things? Time sure flies,' Naruto chuckled inwardly as Hinata opened the door to Hanabi's room.

"Big sister! Are you leaving now?" Hinata smiled when she saw the energetic Hanabi. "Yes, Hanabi. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah! I'm very smart, you know! I'm strong too, so I'll become Clan Head in no time at all!"

As the two chattered away, they didn't notice Naruto who had his eyes squinted.

'She's faking her happiness,' he was sure of it.

LINE

While watching two departing backs with his chakra-infused eyes, Jiraiya sighed in melancholy. 'I wonder when I'll be able to meet him again,' Jiraiya mused. After today, he would officially be the busiest man on the planet… at least that's what he learned from watching Hiruzen and Minato work.

'I wonder why sensei never used Shadow Clones. Minato used them all the time to skip work,' Jiraiya pondered. 'Or maybe I just didn't see him using Shadow Clones…'

"Oi, Jiraiya, what the hell are you thinking about?" Snapping out of his thoughts with the help of his teammate, Jiraiya looked at the crowd below him, cheering and pumping their fists into the air.

"LORD JIRAIYA!"

"JIRAIYA-SAMA!"

Jiraiya smiled, hearing the applause below the Hokage Tower as he cleared his throat and raised his hands to stop the over-enthusiastic crowd. 'I can't believe they can remain lively and positive even after all that Danzo did,' Jiraiya was shocked and remembered the imprisoned ROOT shinobi in the Intelligence and Torture Department.

The ninjas were all willing to serve Danzo, and the orphans or children raised by ROOT were all brainwashed to work for Danzo. That was why although all the ninjas who joined Danzo on their own accord were either executed or imprisoned, the rest were put into rehabilitation.

Jiraiya remembered the shock he received when seeing all the children in Danzo's ROOT hideout. 'If given more time, maybe Danzo would've launched a rebellion against Konoha with those children. They all have at least Genin level skill, with a third of them having Chunin level skill and above.'

Though impressive, it was detrimental to the children's growth and health. 'Danzo most likely used some pretty inhumane training methods to make them that strong in such a short amount of time,' Jiraiya concluded when a ROOT ninja suddenly popped into his mind.

"Tsunade, have you heard anything about Benjiro Suzuki, that undercover kid?"

"Damn it, Jiraiya. Focus on the current occasion and think about other issues later on! Anyway, no, I haven't heard anything about him."

"I see," after clearing his mind, Jiraiya looked at the silent crowd and gathered a stream of chakra into his throat.

"All of you have experienced the terror of the tyrant. I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about," Jiraiya looked as everyone suddenly tilted their heads downward.

"I'm sure you all feel bitter because of him, but I'm here today to promise you that I will wash away that bitterness in your hearts. From today onward, I vow to make the village walk on a peaceful path, a path void of thorns with poison," Jiraiya paused and waited as the villagers raised their heads.

"…That is what I want to say, but let's not be unrealistic here. We are a ninja village, so we are destined to live in the shadows, surrounded by blades far sharper than thorns," Jiraiya said and the crowd below went deathly silent. "However," Jiraiya raised his voice, gathering everyone's spirit with the intention of lifting them high above the clouds.

"As long as I live, I'll search every corner of the world to find a path that exists only in our dreams. To fulfill the promise of the First Hokage, and to wash away the darkness that Danzo Shimura had cast upon our great village," Jiraiya raised his voice a little higher.

"Starting now, I declare that children are no longer required to attend the ninja academy if they do not wish to, and the retired ninjas can go back to retirement if they so want. This is my first act as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!"

"YEAH!"

"LORD HOKAGE!"

"LORD FIFTH!"

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

Seeing the satisfied and relieved crowd, Jiraiya let out a smile and stood in place for a long time as fireworks filled the dark sky, letting the villagers clutch on him for support while he washed away the remaining anxiety and nervousness hiding deep within his soul.

The Hokage has three jobs.

The first is to protect the village at all costs.

The second is to maintain peace.

And finally, the third job of a Hokage is to give hope. To give hope to the villagers who seek shelter and protection from the Hokage, and to give them hope that the next day will be better than the last.

As thunderous cheers enveloped the village, one girl sat alone on a swing, swaying her legs back and forth as she reminisced about her time with her sister.

"Sister, don't you know? I've always admired you."

"I admired you because you had the strength to keep working hard and to not give up, even though you weren't the sharpest tool out there. You worked hard and matched big brother Neji in terms of skill with your hard work," she sighed and looked at the cloudy sky.

"Every day I watch as you push through your limits, shedding blood and tears and spending countless sleepless nights just to pursue a single person. I admire you for being so optimistic about the future, for chasing after your desired man, and for trusting me—" SNIFF!

With watery and blurring eyes, Hanabi looked down at her opened hands, looking at the bandages wrapped around her palms.

"I'm sorry, sister. I don't have that strength. I am afraid. I am afraid that I will fail Father's expectations, I am afraid that the clan will scorn me for my weakness…"

While drowning in bitterness, sorrow, anxiety, and dread, she looked up, her gaze landing on the closed village gates.

For some reason, the village gates seemed to be a bit bigger tonight. For some reason, she felt as if she wasn't inside the village, but inside a prison.

"I am scared that you will become ashamed of me, big sister."

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