A Father's Love

' … following the trail has proven difficult over the past few months. My recommendation is simple: a sting operation with multiple cells being played off one another. I'm sure the reason for this is obvious to you.'

"It is indeed, Shikaku-dono," Hiashi sighed as he crumpled the lazily scrawled note and tossed it into the burning hearth a few feet to his side. "Still… we could be tipping their hand with a move like this." Exhaling deeply, the Hyuga clan head sat forward, resting his arms on the aged redwood desk that had served all but two clan heads since the founding of Konoha. He sat like that for a few moments -fingers locked together with the indexes pointing upward and his chin resting in the crook of his thumbs- pondering the problem of the constant disappearance of shinobi tools from a number of depots along the border outposts. He was just penning a response to the Hokage under his station as the Head of Konoha's Shinobi Logistics Fund when his attention was drawn to door of his office sliding open.

"Musashi-dono, Nishima-dono, Kaede-dono," He rose respectfully to the representatives of his clan's elders as they walked into his sanctum, their footsteps muffled by the thick, beige carpet. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Hiashi-sama," The eldest bowed before taking a seat at Hiashi's gesture. "I hope we are not bothering you."

"Not at all," The clan head replied, taking his seat behind his table. "I was just drafting a note to the Hokage."

The implication of his words were not lost on the elders and the tallest of the trio, Nishima, spoke up, "We came regarding your nephew, Hiashi-sama. We spent the past couple of hours at the dojo."

"Ah, Neji-kun has been training again, yes?"

"He has indeed," Munashi nodded. "As I know you recall, I was against giving him such free reign as regards his training. Well, I am here to say that I was wrong. His skill with the Jyuken far exceeds anything I have seen from one so young."

Hiashi arched an eyebrow at the comment. Munashi, as he had just admitted, was a stickler for traditions and had fought him tooth and nail over Neji's training. As such, hearing the man give such high praise of his nephew was quite the surprise. "I'm glad he could earn such high praise from you."

"He will be graduating by the end of the year, yes?" Nishima asked thoughtfully.

"He will." And you know it, you piece of shit. You're even more critical of young Neji than the old goat beside you.

"Have you, perhaps, given any thought to whom he might be apprenticing with?"

"I haven't," Hiashi admitted freely, counting the little frowns on the two men's faces as little wins. "And I didn't bother thinking it over because Neji will not be apprenticed to any one."

Nishima and Munashi sat back and stared at their clan head, wondering if they had just heard him correctly. A few moments later, Munashi spoke up, "Then we should take it that you have a plan for him?"

"I do."

And he did: not even two days prior, Hiashi had been in a closed-doors meeting with the Hokage regarding Neji's future, a meeting that had seen him ensure that Neji was trained by Konoha's taijutsu master, Maito Gai, in exchange for an unnamed favor in the future. He couldn't be certain, however Hiashi had every reason to believe that the favor might have something to do with the Yondaime's son so he had no misgivings about offering up such a vague promise in exchange for the Hokage's help. His nephew was far more important to him than the Uzumaki boy, anyway, and securing Gai as Neji's tutor was worth the sacrifice.

"Well then," Hiashi's attention was drawn back to Munashi as he spoke. "if you have already handled it then I believe we have little to worry about."

"Yes, I have no doubt that Neji-kun will soon take up the abandoned pride of our clan and push it to greater heights."

The atmosphere of the room could not have been more icy if they were at the peaks of Kumogakure's infamous Kuroshira Peaks.

"If you have something to say, Nishima-dono, then speak freely," Hiashi said with a cordial smile -that perfectly masked the frozen rage in his heart. "We are, after all, in our home."

"By your leave, then," Nishima smiled thinly. "My point is simple, Hiashi-sama: your daughter should be the pride of our clan, not your orphaned nephew."

"What Nishima is trying to say-" Munashi stepped in, trying to prevent a full-blown problem only for Hiashi to cut him off.

"I think he was abundantly clear with his words, Munashi-dono. Nishima-san," Hiashi's change in honorifics had his target gritting his teeth, "is merely the latest in a line of elders who see my daughter Hinata as a failure and seek that I abandon her."

"Nothing quite so drastic, Hiashi-sama," Munashi said, silencing Nishima with a glare. "I do not believe any elder in the clan would seek to separate young Hinata-sama from you, her only parent. However, in light of her… unimpressive performances in both the clan dojo and the Academy, it has become clear that she lacks the raw talent that Neji-kun has. Her sister, Hanabi, may be young but she already displays a skill level that nearly matches the Heiress despite being half her age."

"Please. Get. To. The. Point."

"Hinata-sama's time has run out," Nishima cut in brusquely, pushing himself out of his seat. He was done speaking in soft tones and honeyed words. "Take Hanabi-sama on full time: dedicating your attention to Hanabi will rapidly improve her already impressive skill at our style. Perhaps if one from the main bloodline displays at least some degree of great skill and renown, it might offset the fact that the current heiress is too frightened to leave her own bedroom."

As the tall elder swept out of the room, a sympathetic Munashi sighed and rose as well. "I know you love her, Hiashi-sama, and I know you want to do right both by her and by your late wife. But the window for Hinata-sama to prove herself... It is closing. Just… just think it over, Hiashi-sama."

As soon as the shoji slid shut, Hiashi leveled his icy glare onto the other occupant of the room who had so far remained silent. "I take it that you agree with them and would have me abandon my daughter, then?"

Rather than respond, the final elder -the only woman of the three- matched his glare with an impassive stare of her own for a few moments before saying, "I didn't raise you to be an uncouth fool."

Her words cut right through the cloud of anger that had wrapped around his mind like a master-crafted blade through an enemy's neck and the proud leader of the Hyuga clan was left sputtering an apology to the frail-looking wisp of a woman.

"Enough sputtering; it makes you sound more like an idiot than usual," She stated as she picked the letter he had drafted before the elders had arrived and swiftly read through its contents. "Now, let's start this over with your manners turned on, shall we?"

Hiashi nodded and -after taking a moment to compose himself- said, "Good afternoon, Kaede-obasan."

"Good afternoon, Hiashi-kun, how has your day been?" She returned the letter to his desk and he breathed a little sigh of relief, knowing that her lack of comment meant that she approved of its content. Leveling an arched gaze at him, she asked, "Now that wasn't so difficult was it?"

"It wasn't, obasan, and I would like to apologize again for my… well, for talking like an idiot."

"Just be sure to learn from this, Hiashi-kun; that's all the apology I need."

As they fell into a comfortable silence, Hiashi's thoughts drifted over his relationship with the woman before him.

Hyuga Kaede was his maternal aunt and she had raised him and his late brother following the death of her older sister, the previous clan head. Taking care of her young nephews had cost her a career in Konoha's hunter-nin corps but the woman had taken to the task with single-minded focus and if Hiashi didn't love her as he still did his late mother, he respected her opinion and honored her for her sacrifice on his behalf.

It was, therefore, a splash of icy water on his thoughts when next she spoke.

"I agree with them."

Even though he grew tense at her words, he couldn't deny that a part of him had been expecting those words. Kaede had never been one for frivolous acts and while she had not weighed in on the matter of his daughter's future, he had long suspected that, barring any drastic changes, his aunt stood firmly against Hinata.

That didn't mean he had to like it, though, and he made that point glaring.

"Glare at me all you want, it won't change the fact that their assessment of Hinata-chan is accurate," Kaede state, as calm as if she was discussing the weather. "She has your father and your wife's nature yet she lacks the strength of will to stand up for herself and demand excellence from her own self."

"Just because she isn't a prodigy like Neji-"

"You're not listening, Hiashi," She picked a curio off his desk -one of the few he had left over from her sister's time as the Clan Head, and idly rolled it around in her hands. "I don't care about her lack of exceptional talent. None of the clan elders are truly bothered by it. Shinobi history is filled with movers and shakers, yes, but how many of them were true prodigies? For all that he is known now as The Professor, the Third attained his status through diligent effort and a desire to overcome all challenges no matter the difficulty. His student, Jiraiya, graduated two years before I did yet I can tell you that he was used as an example of what a talentless fool should be by more than one of our teachers. Yet here he is, one of the most powerful shinobi in the Village. Even Maito Gai, whom you've brokered a deal with the Hokage for, was seen as a child who would amount to nothing." She daintily placed the curio back on the table. "Tell me, what is the difference between your daughters?"

The question caught him off guard, leaving him grasping for what she meant, though his carefully neutral expression never wavered.

Kaede took his blank silence to be an unwillingness to respond so she prodded, "Come now, Hiashi; you might try to hide it behind a controlled facade but I know you know your daughters. You keep track of their daily activities, listen intently to their caretakers and guards and you make out just enough time to spend with them for them to know that they are always in your heart even if they cannot always be in your presence. So I know you can answer my question."

"I know that as well, Aunt. I am simply wondering why you are asking questions you already know the answer to."

"Humor an old woman."

Milky white eyes bore into their almost perfect mirror image, save for the more pronounced wrinkles at the corners of the more feminine face.

Hiashi sighed. "Hinata is kind, loving and highly empathetic. Like her m... Like her mother, she hates harming others and wears her emotions on her sleeves and is easily affected by the moods of others. She loves cinnamon buns and flower pressing and is learning the art of creating medical salves from some of our branch members. However, she is timid and folds easily under the slightest criticism. She hates confrontation and would rather meekly bow out of one than stand up for herself. As you already stated, she lacks any exceptional talent at combat and her pacifism further hinders her. Her performance at the Academy is... below Clan expectations. She is currently ranked fith in academic studies and in the lower half of her class in practical combat classes. She has no social interactions worth speaking of outside the clan aside from her unhealthy focus on Uzumaki Naruto whom she is often found stalking. And she loves her sister dearly but... But she fears that they will soon grow too distant."

"A concise assessment." Kaede nodded. "And Hanabi?"

"Hanabi is far more energetic than her sister. She is outgoing, inquisitive and often shamelessly tactless. She is, perhaps, not as empathetic as her sister but she does not like to see people suffer. Even at her young age, she knows how to control her emotions and she is learning to be cunning. She enjoys watching people and exploring her environment and is not picky about food. Unlike her sister, Hanabi enjoys confrontation and has a competitive streak that will often see her unwilling to stand down unless she is severely outclassed. In turn, this drives her to push harder to turn defeats into victories. While she lacks Neji's raw talent, her drive makes up for a good deal of that. Unfortunately, as her skill progresses, so too does her confidence which is beginning to approach arrogance. Combined with her bluntness, she requires a great deal of refinement in order to prevent her from putting her foot in her mouth. Her social interactions within the clan are not as developed as Hinata's but she has her own niche in the guards and the more combat oriented youths. Outside the clan, she has few interactions though this is because I have not given her permission to explore he wider Village. And she loves Hinata... almost like a mother, in fact... But she fears that her sister will hate her for her growing skill."

"Another fair assessment," Kaede nodded. "So tell me, not as their father but as the head of the Hyūga clan, which of your daughters-"

"I will not sit here and have you force me to choose one daughter over the other!"

"Yet you will," The elder stated, unflappable in the face of his clear rage. "And you will make that choice soon because the alternative is to have Nishima and Munashi and others like them begin to plot ways to take that choice out of your hands." She placed her hands on his table and rose to her feet with an elegant grace that belied her years. "I allowed you to hide behind the excuse of Kumo's foolishness but you should remember that she is not the first child to have been kidnapped. Uzumaki Kushina suffered the same ordeal and rather than lock herself up in fear, she pushed herself so she would never again be held captive like that."

"No two people react to the an ordeal the same way, obasan!"

"My point stands nonetheless. You will make that decision, Hiashi-kun, because to do otherwise is to force yourself to play catch-up with that which matters most to you." She turned and walked out of the room only to pause at the doorway. Without looking back, she said, "Make your choice swiftly, Hiashi-kun, and make your peace with it. Only then can you think of a way to save both your daughters."

--

Three Days Later...

Shirogane Relaxation Center

"Ahh, that's the fucking stuff...!" A rough yet feminine voice moaned as a masseuse ground the heel of her palm along the ridges of the woman's back, working away the kinks and knotted muscles there.

The room they were in was just one area of the chalet the woman had booked which was, itself, one of the Center's top-tier facilities containing everything one needed to really recover from the aches and pains of daily living.

"Harder kiddo," the woman instructed. "Really get your thumbs working down there..."

For minutes, the massage continued unabated, the masseuse skillfully taking in every instruction and working the woman over expertly.

Then, the hands changed: the supple soft skin of the masseuse giving way to larger, more callused hands that dialled the pleasure up to an eleven.

By the time this new masseur was done, the woman was left almost insensate.

"Good God, Hiashi!"

Almost.

"I'll take it you enjoyed that, Tsume?"

" Enjoyed it?" The woman languidly turned to him, a lazy smile peeking out from under her wild mane. "If I'd died here, I'd have been fucking happy about it."

"Well, you know what they say about us Hyūga and our magic fingers."

The two shared a good laugh at his little joke, neither even remotely bothered by her nudity. A few moments later, Tsume pushed herself up to a reclining pose and shot him a teasing smirk. "So, I know you own about half of Shirogane's but I hope the esteemed head of the Noble Hyūga clan of Konoha hasn't made a habit of sneaking in on poor, widowed womens' privacy."

"First time occurrence," he replied honestly. "Hana told me you would stop over here after the craziness of your mission so I made my way here."

"Hana's your informant, hmm?"

"According to her, she could smell how tense you and Kuromaru were." He shrugged. "Considering that I met her draping hot towels on your partner, I took her words at face value."

The Inuzuka clan matriarch grunted wordlessly, shoving the decision of what to do about her ever-perceptive daughter to a later time. "So, what's up?"

Hiashi's eyebrow shot up archly. "An old boyfriend can't give his ex a much needed backrub?"

"Mmm... No." Her smirk grew pointed. "I mean, I'd have bought that if this was a chance meeting but..."

Hiashi shook his head ruefully, knowing that she'd caught him. He had admitted that he went to her house to check up on her the very day she was expected to return from a mission. That was about as blatantly intentional as you could get.

Still... Even knowing that she had cottoned on the fact that this was no random visit, he still found it hard to speak his mind.

Tsume reached out to him and placed a hand on his cheek, directing him to look into her eyes. "Hiashi, we've already established that you did not come all the way out here just to give me a toe-curling massage. Now tell me what's eating you up inside before I grab my towel and beat it out of you."

The Hyūga clan head couldn't hold back a sharp burst of laughter. "There's the Tsume I know! Perceptive, caring and not above indulging in a healthy dose of violence."

"Comes with the Inuzuka territory," She started out with a smirk before her expression softened to a tenderness very few people had ever seen on the tough-as-nails woman. "Of course, those three years we were together also helps."

The two clan heads drew closer until their foreheads touched and stayed there, remembering their time together: starting out as a Academy acquaintances reunited at a chūnin patrol, growing closer as friends, fighting back-to-back during the skirmishes leading to the Third War and then being in the thick of things when the War fully kicked off... And then losing themselves to their passions every chance they had.

Young though they were, they knew they couldn't be each other's endgame: clan responsibilities played a role, yes, but more than that...

"I always hated your brashness."

Tsume smiled again. "Well, I hated those blank masks you learned to keep up."

"You couldn't take a hint to just shut up."

"If I didn't stuff my hand down your throat you'd never talk!"

"Your side of the room was always a mess."

"Says the poster-boy for obsessive cleanliness!"

This time, the laughter was mutual, Tsume yanking Hiashi down so he could lie beside her.

That was the real reason they had mutually broken off the romantic aspect of their relationship: they had realized that their personalities simply didn't mesh well enough for a potential marriage. It didn't change much, anyway: hell, their friendship had grown even stronger and their eventual spouses had become close friends with each other.

And when those spouses had died within two years of each other, they'd been each other's rock.

"It's Hinata." The statement had come quietly, almost inaudible to any other but one possessing an Inuzuka's powerful senses.

Again, silence reigned but Tsume chose not to speak: now that he had finally started, she knew that he would continue in his own time.

"I love Hinata so much partly because she is so much like her mother, yes, but also because of who she is. There is so much good in her -her loving nature, her quiet empathy, her ability to see the best in others and her willingness to forgive even the most egregious of offences. Neji hates her so much and causes her such pain yet she is always the first to remember his birthday. She has singlehandedly done more to mollify the clan's growing unrest in the past year than I have since Hanabi's birth simply by being willing to spend time with the branch members. In any other world, she would be an honored princess yet here..." The Hyūga clan head exhaled in frustrated tiredness. "Of what use is a paragon of peace in a world of war?"

"You sound like the old War Hawk."

Hiashi's laugh was tinged with bitterness. "Believe me, Tsume, some of the hardliners in the clan make Danzō look tame, at least when it comes to the 'venerable traditions that helped us rise to prominence.'"

"Of course," Tsume rolled her eyes. The only reason the Hyūga could claim to have risen to 'prominence' was the demise of the Uchiha and Senjū clans. It wasn't even like they were the only ones to have moved up in the pecking order anyway: the Nara and Aburame clans had stepped up to fill the voids that had been left in the wake of the Founding clans and even other clans had enjoyed boosts to their economic gains when they'd carved up the industries the Founders had long monopolized. "They're pushing you to kick Hinata to the curb and focus on Hanabi, then?"

"They are." He ground out, teeth clenched so tightly every muscle in his jaw stood out in stark relief. "They see Hanabi's skill and drive and consider those values more important than anything has!" Only one of his remarkably strong will could have stifled the urge to yell in frustration and even then, he knew his voice had risen from its barely audible tone to a clear whisper. "How did you do it?"

His feral-looking confidant started at the abrupt question. " Me ? How the hell did I-"

"Hana," His voice dropped to a whisper again but the urgency in his words was crystalline. "She isn't like you and the rest of your clan: she's far more controlled, more restrained. She relies on intellect as much as instinct and she isn't a frontline fighter like the rest of your clan tend to be. So how did such a calm girl come from an aggressive bitch like you?"

Tsume smirked at the last question -she was an aggressive bitch and damned proud of it, thank you very much!- before a proud smile supplanted the smirk.

As a mother of more than one child, she would never ever admit that she had a favorite: she loved them equally and that was the public statement she'd stick with to her dying day. That being said... She knew in her heart that Hana was undoubtedly her favorite.

"Every mother swears that they knew that their kids would be special from birth so I guess I'm no different there," she started quietly, proudly. "Of course, Hana did turn out to be special: she was like no Inuzuka child I knew. Everything you said about her was spot on so imagine our shock, my husband and I, when our daughter turned out to be nothing like we were expecting. She was active but didn't care for the rough-and-tumble games we expected her to love; she wasn't a pushover by any stretch of the word but she wasn't an alpha bitch like either of her parents. And when it was time to bond with her partners and she ended up with the Haimaru triplets -the runt of their litter and sickly on top of all that!- I thought she was going to drive me crazy."

"So how...?"

"I learned to stop looking at her as 'Inuzuka Hana' and start seeing her as 'just Hana.'" The reply came with a great deal of emotions that Hiashi couldn't fully understand: there was pride in there, yes, but also... Shame? Self-loathing? What? "Because she was my first and I was the head of the clan, I wanted her to be the image of a true alpha, much as my parents had been before me. As such, pushed her to be harder, harsher, more aggressive... And she started to resent me. In a way, we were the inverse of your situation: the elders were passive in my case while they're more active in yours. Whatever the case, I remember the day it all changed.

"A year after she started at the Academy, Suzume and Iruka called me in for a meeting. I won't go into the whole thing but the short version is that Hana tried to run away and I was forced to see that just because she was born into the Inuzuka clan didn't mean she was going to be like every one of my clansfolk. I had to unlearn everything I knew about parenting an start over."

"It seems to have worked."

"Pretty damned well, too." The proud smile was back. "I came to realize -as everyone else in the clan did- that her decision to leave the frontlines wasn't a decision made out of fear but one of deep concern for the clan. By taking care of our canine partners, pioneering new treatments for them and so much more, she showed that she understood and respected the strength of the clan. Her triplets might not be the most powerful ninken one on one but even Kuromaru knows to tread lightly when he goes up against all three and heavens forbid anyone insulting ger in their presence! As it stands, Kiba will need to pull off something truly special to make me even consider making him the heir."

"I... I didn't realize you were going through so much."

"You had your own shit to handle, what with Hanabi's birth and..." Though the years had piled up, neither of them felt comfortable remembering their dead spouses and rarely uttered their names in public, even to each other. "I had my shit to handle and you had yours."

"Well, I'm happy for you all the same." Hiashi congratulated honestly, though he couldn't help the sour note that crept into his next words. "For all that they share similarities in their caring nature, at least your daughter has the drive to better herself so she can lead her people. My daughter, on the other hand, has only served to drive a wedge between myself and the elders!"

Tsume leaned up so she could stare into his eyes. "You angry at Hinata or the elders?"

"Neither! Both! I don't know!" He threw both hands into the air in exasperation. "This whole thing is tearing me apart, Tsume."

"Why?"

Hiashi turned to glare at her like she'd grown a second head. "Were you not listening all this time?"

"I was." She replied calmly. "But I know you, Hiashi; you're one of the most decisive people I've ever come across. You don't get torn up about choices unless you know what to do but you can't admit to yourself that you have to take that particular step.

"So what step do you think you should take...?"

--

2 Weeks Later

" And what's stopping you from taking it?"

It had taken the larger part of the past fortnight for the Hyūga clan head to admit that Tsume was right.

He hadn't gone into Shirogane's seeking an answer because he already had one. No, he wanted -desperately- to hear his closest confidant say something that would make him turn away from his decision. He hadn't cared that his decision was the best choice for both his family and his clan, if Tsume had given him what he wanted, he would have made excuses and turned his back on that choice.

But, as the Inuzuka clan matriarch had reminded him before he'd stormed away, " You didn't come to me for comfort, Hiashi. You came to me for truth. "

As always, the woman was absolutely correct.

The sensory seals surrounding his home office alerted him to the non-Hyūga presence approaching his door and he swiftly schooled his features so that the instant their shadow darkened his door, he immediately called for his guest to come in.

Unlike his more formal clan office -which was situated in the clan administration building- his home office was a far more relaxed space that allowed him to handle more personal matters. Pioneered and designed by his wife, the six-by-six feet room was lightly furnished with a low table, cushions, a cabinet and a refrigerator, all resting on an incredibly plush carpet.

His guest was no stranger to the room and she immediately sat in seiza across the table from him as they exchanged pleasantries.

"I take it your mission went well?" He asked as he served her a cup of tea.

"It did, Hiashi-sama, thank you." After offering her thanks for the tea, she took a small sip and savored the flavor of the blend before asking, "How are your daughters doing?"

"They are well, Yūhi-san," He sat back an watched her for a moment. "In fact, I called you here because of them. Well, Hinata moreso than Hanabi."

The change was subtle but clear to one as perceptive as himself: the slight tension around her eyes, the subtle straightening of her back, the her lips firming into a thin line of annoyance. He saw it all.

And he was glad for it.

Yūhi Kurenai was his late wife's apprentice and she had remained close to her mentor even after the older woman had retired from active service to focus on motherhood. She had been a friend to Hinata before his wife's passing and had become more of an older-sister-cum-surrogate-mother to his daughter after. Kurenai cared for his first child more than just about anyone else and he knew she would fight anyone who sought to harm her.

There was no one else he could trust to take care of Hinata in light of his decision.

"In the coming weeks, I will be focusing my attention on Hanabi to foster her development in the Hyūga style of combat. Hinata has exhausted my patience and my willingness to support her weakness has ended." He noted the way her knuckles whitened around the base of the cup and said nothing of the intense ripples he could see dancing across the surface of the tea within. Good. He needed her to rage at him, to hate him for -to her- throwing his own daughter aside and spitting on the memory of his wife. Kurenai, he knew from his conversations with his wife, had a strong sense of justice and often produced her best results when channeling all her indignant rage at a given task.

' I will gladly be the target of that hate. After all, yours will not be the only burden I'll bear.'

"Hiashi-sama, if I may...?"

"Of course."

"Are you, perhaps, not being hasty with this decision?" The red-eyed woman was cautious with her words, knowing that the wrong inflection would get her thrown out and have her access to young Hinata revoked. Yet she was firm, unwilling to bow out meekly simply because one above her station had made a demand. "Hinata has a good heart and can develop a strong drive and work ethic-"

"Then it will be upon you to help her develop such." He was a tad harsher than he had intended, though it simply sold the image better. Deep inside, though, he understood why he had been so harsh: Hinata's timidity had been the major reason he had been forced into this decision. Had his daughter shown the drive and the work ethic the young chūnin before him had suggested, he had no doubt that he would not be having this conversation. "I have tried to be patient with her, tried to nurture her as my wife would have wanted yet Hinata shows no modicum of strength; no will to fight, to improve herself. She has a heart of gold, yes, but of what use is that heart if it can simply be plucked out of her chest without any fight from Hinata herself?" He didn't raise his voice because he knew the coldly dispassionate tone would further galvanize Kurenai's anger and desire to help Hinata prove him wrong. "We do not live in a world of fae princesses and pacifistic angels: we live in a world of war, something you should understand well being on the cusp of another promotion. She is already in the Academy and will be expected to graduate and fight as a kunoichi of the Leaf: should she carry this weakness outside the walls of Konoha, she will not only be a

disgrace to the Village and her clan, she will be a threat to herself." He took another sip of his tea, projecting an air of carefully cultivated unaffection as he sensed Hinata's presence at the doorway. He had scheduled this meeting at this time for more than one reason after all. "Better I have Hanabi prepared to take over for Hinata's inevitable failure than wait any longer."

"But- Hiashi-sama-!"

He cut her off with a gesture as he prepared to deal the final blow, one that would -he desperately hoped- force his daughter to find a reason to push herself. "If you care so much for my failure of a daughter, Yūhi-san, you will make something great out of her by the time she graduates rom the Academy. Otherwise, I will personally ensure that she is branded the very day she shows her first sign of womanhood."

The tortured gasp from outside the room shattered his heart in a way that he knew he would never recover from.

Kurenai was off her knees in a flash, already at the doorway a few seconds after realizing just who was on the other side of that sliding door. "I don't know what Sensei saw in you, Hiashi- sama but I can tell you that she's cursing your very existence right now."

With that parting shot, the young woman raced out of the room to comfort her charge.

In her haste, she didn't see the tortured look that ghosted across the Hyūga clan head's face.

--

I hope you enjoyed reading A Father's Love.

In this one-shot, I wanted to provide a somewhat sympathetic side to the cold, dispassionate Hiashi we see in the early parts of Naruto.

Hiashi is the man who instantly slaughtered his daughter's kidnapper without thought of the potential war he could have triggered yet, a few years down the line, he seems to have completely abandoned that very same girl in favor of her sister. Something had to have happened to get him to that point so this fic tries to provide a 'behind-the-scenes' look at what led to that. Ultimately, he chose to force Hinata into a situation where she would have to become stronger as fast as possible (which is why he chose that specific threat). Does he actually plan to bran Hinata? No.

The three elders from the first part of the fic represent 3 factions with regards to Hinata: Nishima is the hardassed traditionalist that wants a powerful, skilled warrior to lead the clan; Munashi is the more liberal elder who sees the good in Hinata but also recognizes that her timidity will ultimately hurt the clan should she become the clan head; and Kaede (Hiashi's aunt who raised him following the death of his parents) is the neutral party who is more concerned about ensuring that the clan has the best it can get. She really doesn't care if that's Hinata for as long as the girl can prove herself (which, unfortunately, Hinata can't at this point).

Anybody ever notice that none of the 'clan heirs' in Konoha ever practiced inter-clan marriages? I mean, Kishimoto went as far as importing wives from Suna and Kumo for Shino and Chōji respectively (Shikamaru doesn't count since we actually kinda saw that coming). The potential or divided loyalties sounds like a logical answer but shouldn't that make inter-village marriages even less likely? A subtle plot hole, I suppose, though I am open to answers.

Tsume and Hiashi's relationship came out of nowhere for me but I liked it. I also enjoyed writing Tsume as a proud mother who had been through rough patches with her daughter. In my opinion, both Tsume and Hana are criminally underutilized characters. (BTW: no, Kuromaru still kicks the Haimaru triplets' asses. He just won't have an easy time of it when it's 1v3).

If you're wondering, I chose to avoid mentioning Hiashi's wife's name because I don't know it and I didn't think it necessary to name her. I did like the idea of Kurenai being her apprentice, though, as it gave a plausible reason for Kurenai's closeness to Hinata.

Please let me know your thoughts on this fic via reviews or PMs.

Thank you for your time.

The Ethereal Lord.