Chapter 6: Before the Occasion - Enter the White Snake
"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth."
- Diogenes
"How many?" The Hokage demanded of Kakashi, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well, er, eight total." The man replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "My team, Hiashi, and then Gai and his team."
"The chefs we keep on retainer will be thrilled." The old man said dryly, leaning forward in his desk and reaching below, pulling out his familiar pipe. "Your team, I understand, and I am never opposed to seeing Naruto. I'm actually ashamed to admit this will be the first time he has come to my home. But Hiashi and Team Gai?"
"Well, I figured Hiashi would have some ideas for what Hinata can learn now that will best compliment what she will learn from her clan in the future. As for Gai, I'll be honest, I mostly invited them to make a point to Hinata's cousin Neji about her worth. But the more I've thought about it, the more sense it makes. There's nobody in the village that knows more about physical conditioning and taijutsu than Gai, so he'll definitely have some input for how to progress them there."
The elder ninja's expression had grown more and more contemplative as Kakashi spoke, listening to his reasons for setting up his impromptu guestlist as he had. After a moment, he spoke. "You actually make some valid points. In fact, I think there is something to be said for all the new genin teams benefiting from such treatment."
"Sir?" Kakashi asked inquisitively, not quite following the logic of his leader.
The old man lit his freshly packed pipe and began puffing on it. "I certainly agree with your points on including Hiashi, as well as Gai. However, if we are offering your team and his this opportunity, should we not offer it to the other recent graduates? After all, I am sure there are members of the other teams that could benefit from your overall expertise on ninjutsu and tactics. For that matter, if Naruto's strongest elemental alignment is wind, would he not benefit from the chance to learn from Asuma? He is easily the strongest wind user in our ranks at the moment."
The cyclops nodded along as he began to follow with the Hokage's train of thought. It was a common problem young ninja and their jonin teachers would often run into, where the expertise of the sensei did not mesh well with the areas their students would show potential in. This was even more true when it came to members of clans, leading to students often having to seek tertiary teachers once they became chunin. However, if notable sensei like himself, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai were to come together to collaborate on teaching their students…
"I'm seeing your point, sir. I've already been contemplating how teaching Naruto to harness his wind affinity will go, considering it is far and away my weakest element."
He scratched the side of his face contemplatively. "I was also thinking of asking Kurenai for input on teaching Sasuke genjutsu. Even techniques not designed with the Sharingan in mind can benefit from it if applied ocularly."
"Exactly." The old man agreed. "I will send for both of them as well as their teams and the parents of those who are clan heirs to weigh in this evening." He then chuckled lightly. "What was supposed to be dinner between you and I has now become one of the larger gatherings my family has hosted in recent memory, with quite the guestlist to boot."
"Yeah… Sorry again, Lord Hokage." Kakashi replied, a bead of sweat forming on the side of his face as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's fine Kakashi. Just don't make a habit of it when I invite you over in the future." Hiruzen replied good-naturedly.
"I didn't realize you were planning on making this a regular occurrence, sir." Kakashi said, a bit of surprise in his voice. Even for a ninja of his stature, it was rare for a village leader to take such personal interest.
The man smiled, though this time the expression was mirthless. "We will be seeing a lot of each other in the next few months, Kakashi. As I said, it is time you lived up to Minato's estimation of you, and after all, I've trained one or two fairly successful ninjas in my lifetime."
Naruto looked at himself in the mirror, now decked out in his new clothes. He had opted to have the orange side out on his jacket, and was really happy with how it looked. Even more so he was happy with how it fit. His sensei had been right in saying it was a bit big on him, but he definitely preferred that over how tight his jumpsuit had started to feel. Plus the pants and shirt fit him perfectly!
The boy reflected once more on earlier that day in the clothing shop. He had felt good about his teacher even before that happened - after all, the man had already treated him to ramen twice by that point, not to mention the two new books and the clothing too! But in the shop it was different.
Nobody, absolutely nobody in his life, had ever stood against any of the civilian population and their treatment of them before. When Kakashi had done so, Naruto had for the first time in his life felt as if someone was on his side.
Iruka was great of course, and had always been willing to be there for the boy. But even with how much he looked up to the man as an older brother, Iruka had never stopped the other teachers from treating him unfairly, especially Mizuki. And the Hokage was a great man and had been nice to him too, but even with how overall innocent Naruto was, he had to acknowledge that it had always let him down a bit that the Third didn't seem to be able to do anything about how he was treated by the majority of the populace.
But Kakashi had seen one instance of the boy being mistreated and had immediately spoken up, and forcefully at that. It made the boy feel like his chest was heavy, but in a good way. When he had hugged the man, he hadn't thought about it. It had been one of the most genuine displays of emotion Naruto had ever given and felt.
The boy straightened the headband on his head. The blue cloth it had been on had looked strange with all the black of his new outfit, so he had found a black band of fabric and attached the plate to it. With that and the rest of the new look, he thought he looked good. Older than he was, and he liked that.
Looking outside and seeing the sun begin to fall, he decided now would be a good time to head to the Hokage Tower to meet his team. Overall he was ecstatic about the opportunity - he had never been to the old man's home before, and was curious what it would be like.
Before he left, he grabbed his copy of Tale of a Gutsy Ninja off of his nightstand, which was sitting on top of the book on famous clans. He was curious about the potential of having a clan to call his own, but history was so boring, even when it related to him personally. But Gutsy Shinobi was awesome so far! He had just managed to finish the first chapter, which was all about book Naruto training under his wise old monkey sensei named Enma. Now book Naruto was on his first mission, and the real Naruto was more excited than he had ever been to keep reading something.
Tucking the novel in his jacket, the blonde began leaping rooftop to rooftop towards the tower, not wanting to risk being the last person to arrive. Most would have started to feel fatigue at this point between barely sleeping the night before, the events of the long day, and the rapidly approaching evening, but the young prankster was still bouncing with energy.
Soon he came across the Hokage tower and looked from a nearby rooftop for his team amongst the surprisingly large crowd of people. As his eyes scanned the crowd, the blonde realized he actually recognized many of the people in the group as his classmates from the ninja academy.
Not yet seeing his own team but also not wanting to delay, he quickly identified Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara as classmates he had gotten along with fairly well at the academy, milling around the edge of the group. He jumped down and hurried over to the two, adopting his signature smile.
"Hey Shikamaru, Choji! What're you guys doing here?" Naruto asked jovially.
The two boys both looked at him - Shikamaru with his standard dispassionate expression and Choji with his cheeks bulging with chips. "Oh, hey Naruto." The Nara boy greeted in his standard lackadaisical manner. Choji just nodded at him as he chewed his mouthful of spuds. "We're apparently going to dinner at the Hokage's place with our dads and sensei for some reason. Ino's coming too, but she's not here yet."
Naruto quirked his head to the side and began scratching his temple. "Wow, really? I'm meeting my team here to go to dinner at the old man's too!"
Shikamaru's eyes lit up for a moment, but like a bolt of lightning the spark disappeared and they once more dulled with boredom. "Huh. Weird guestlist. Come to think of it, Shino and his dad are over there talking with Kiba and his mom. I wonder if our whole graduating class that became genin are going to do this thing." The lazy boy threw back his head and sighed. "How troublesome. I hate big events… They're so exhausting."
"Better get used to them son. You'll go to plenty when you reach my age whether you like it or not." A gravelly voice came from behind the trio.
Naruto turned and saw a man who, for lack of a better way to describe him, looked like a grizzled Shikamaru. He stood around average height, his face scarred on one side, his hair in the same spiky upwards ponytail the younger boy next to him wore. He had plain shinobi pants and a mesh shirt on, over which he wore some kind of fur vest.
Next to him was a mountain of a man. He was rotund, but underneath his green and brown armor there was clearly a great deal of powerful muscle. His hair was incredibly long and a deep red, not unlike the outside of a tomato.
"Woah, you look just like Shikamaru, but old!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the man with all the subtlety of an explosive tag. "And you look like a bigger Choji!" He continued, pointing at the other newcomer.
The large man chortled good-naturedly. "Well they're our sons, so that's a pretty fair observation kid!"
"Oooohhh." Naruto said, realization dawning on his face. Then he smiled again and stuck out his hand. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet ya!"
The large man chucked again before taking the blonde's hand in a bone-crushing grip. "Choza Akimichi. The lazy guy is Shikaku Nara."
Said lazy guy pinched the bridge of his nose, looking down at the two despite the clear height difference between himself and Choza. "Quite the introduction Choza… So damn troublesome."
'That's the Kyubi jinchuriki. Kid seems friendly. I'm surprised to see that considering the rumors I hear about him. He's been pretty ostracized his whole life. Me, Choza, and Inoichi never encouraged our kids to feel any kind of way about him. Seems like Shika and Choji get along with him decently. I wonder how well they know each other?'
"Were you three friends in the academy?" He asked, his bored tone doing nothing to betray the speed and direction of his thoughts.
"Eh, kinda." Naruto replied plainly, scratching the back of his head this time. "We were in detention a lot together with Kiba. Plus Shikamaru would sometimes help me plan my pranks so I wouldn't get caught if I helped cover him napping in class!"
"Oh really? And how often were you covering for his napping?" An icey voice asked, thinly veiled with false kindness. Both Shikamaru and Shikaku's expressions morphed into abject horror as they turned their heads, seeing a severe-looking dark-haired woman with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Oh, ya know, whenever he could get me to!" The boy continued on, unaware that he was digging a grave he would not have to lay in. "You know Shikamaru! He was always sleeping in class and stuff."
"Is that so?" She replied, looking menacingly at the two men on either side of her. She then did an expressional one-eighty and smiled kindly at Naruto. "Well thank you for letting me know. I'm Yoshino Nara, Shikamaru's mother."
"Nice to meetcha! Naruto Uzumaki!" The blonde declared while smiling. Despite his normal lack of awareness, the boy did manage to catch the small shift in her eyes at his name, but she still kept smiling.
"Pleasure. Now," She continued, grabbing both her husband and son by the ears and beginning to drag them away. "Boys, I know how smart you are. How much pressure does it take to rip off the human ear? First one with the right answer gets to keep theirs."
"What did I even do?" Shikaku moaned pitifully.
"Seven pounds?" Shikamaru answered, although the way he said it was more of a question.
"You've been a bad example, and that sounds about right. Let's test it."
For the first time in his life, if only a little, Naruto was beginning to feel like there might have been some upside to being an orphan. As soon as the three were out of earshot, the boy leaned over and whispered to Choji, "Moms are kinda scary, huh?"
"You have no idea." The rotund boy replied, swallowing as he remembered when his father had forgotten the all-important wedding anniversary. He had been unfortunate enough to try a laxative-laden brownie off a tray meant for Choza. Judging by the expression on the face of the elder Akimichi, who had been wise enough to remain quiet while his friend was being dragged away by his better half, he was remembering the effects of eating the rest of the tray.
Hinata walked silently next to her father, eyes cast downward as they made their way to the center of the village. She wore a white kimono with lavender accents, the comb from her grandmother fixed in her hair. On the other side of the clan head walked her cousin Neji, dressed in simple white formal robes similar to her father. She had a host of mixed feelings when around the older man currently - it had in many ways been easier when she had felt certain he was disappointed in her entire existence, instead of the kindness he had been directing her way that she could not bring herself to trust.
"How are you getting along with your new teammates, Hinata?" He spoke softly. The girl chanced to look up at him and saw that kind smile on his face again, reaching his eyes and giving them a warmth that, to her, looked alien on his face.
"W-well enough." She replied, doing everything she could to clamp down on her stutter and keep emotion out of her tone. Now that he was done demanding it of her, it was easier to have the emotionless Hyuga mask so many of her clan wore.
He raised an eyebrow at her, his smile becoming slightly strained. This was not his first attempt to strike up conversation with her on their walk to the tower, nor was it her first answer with few enough words that they could be counted on one hand. "Surely there's more to say than fine? I remember that my team struggled to get along a great deal when we were first formed - well, at least I struggled."
This caught the girl's attention, and she noticed Neji seemed to perk up a bit as well. It was not a common thing to hear anyone in their clan, must less the normally stone-like head, admit to struggling. "My teammates, Mikoto and Kushina, they got along swimmingly. But I was rather… Obtuse to begin things." The man continued.
His eyes gained a far-away look as he reminisced. "My sensei wasn't one for formality and protocol, so of course she would normally side with those two when there would be conflicts. And it didn't help that Kushina was a prankster who was far too good at convincing Mikoto to take part when I annoyed them in one way or another."
Hiashi chuckled lightly, a sound that made Hinata's heart skip a beat. She realized in passing that she had not heard her father laugh in so long that the sound was more foreign than the voice of Kami himself.
"I remember when I had been a bit too 'bossy', as Kushina put it, during one of our earliest D-rank missions. In response, she put a sealing array on my kunai pouch that transformed my weapons into all manner of silly items. The next day the first thing I pulled out was a rubber chicken. The only thing louder than the squeak when it hit the target during training was their laughter."
The man shook his head ruefully, smiling down at his daughter once more. "Eventually, through the fire of war, we became a true team. It is peacetime now, but that does not mean teams are not often made close by dangerous situations. It would be easier to forge those bonds beforehand. So I ask again, how are things with your team?"
This time clearly expecting more of an answer, and her own walls lowered somewhat by her father's moment of vulnerability, Hinata decided to answer a bit more fully. "I-I enjoy my new t-team. Our s-sensei seems eager to t-teach us. Sasuke and Naruto are b-both strong and clever in their own w-ways, though they seem to c-come into c-conflict easily."
"Rivalry is a strong part of many teams." The clan head nodded knowingly. "My own rivalry with Kushina pushed us both to achieve new heights. Neji, you have a rivalry with your own teammate, do you not?"
The boy might have jumped a bit at the sudden attention if he were less disciplined. He scoffed haughtily. "My teammate has no ability to use chakra outside of his body. He can only train in taijutsu, and no matter how far he comes he will never surpass the power of the Jyuken. He is destined to be a failure."
Hiashi clicked his tongue against his teeth in disapproval. "Perhaps he has less natural talent than you do, Neji, but if he is being trained by Maito Gai exclusively in taijutsu, can you truly say he could never surpass you? I can assure you that I certainly would not treat victory as a given if I were in combat with your sensei, even if it is a battle of only fists."
Hinata jumped a bit before she regained control over her emotions. Hearing her father admit to struggling with anything, and then on top of that having him acknowledge that he could lose in a battle of taijutsu to someone not of the clan, was so strange that she was almost suspecting that her father had been replaced some days ago with an imposter.
Neji looked equally stupefied, his control now failing him, before scowling in deep contemplation. "... He requires more effort to defeat in spars than he did when the team was formed. My own training has kept the gap between us the same, but he is undoubtedly now… Competent."
"Certainly something to reflect on." The older man noted. His expression grew more serious with his next words. "Our clan has often thought themselves as above others, better than others. That mindset has failed us quite frequently in my lifetime, and even further back. Did you know that we were offered the chance to join Konoha before the Sarutobi?"
The sudden change of topic surprised Hinata, but she shook her head in response. "Most don't outside the clan. It is something that many of us would rather not remember. Fact is that the clan head at the time, Hisoka, believed that the Hyuga were so far beyond the Senju and Uchiha in strength that it was beneath our station to consider them equals. It is important to note that during the Warring States period, we were generally isolated compared to the village's founding clans, specializing in assassination missions that required small teams and very infrequently taking the battlefield as a clan. This caused us to only get reports of the power of those two second-hand, leading to a gross underestimation of their abilities by Hisoka, leading to his incorrect belief that we could match those two."
He sighed ruefully. "We were only offered the opportunity due to the widely held opinion that our strength and dojutsu allowed us to compare to the Senju and Uchiha as a whole, even if we lacked individuals comparable to Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage. They had closer ties to the Sarutobi, and made them the offer next, an offer Sasuke Sarutobi graciously accepted. One has to wonder if a Hyuga would have been made Hokage by now if we had joined early, instead of being the last major clan to join Konoha in the Land of Fire."
He stopped, as did his young wards. They both looked up at him, and he met each of their eyes before continuing. "Remember that the Hyuga are far from unbeatable. The Byakugan does not make us invincible. And there are those throughout history, and even in the world today, that could bring our clan to its knees with their own power alone."
Neji looked visibly perturbed at the candidness of his uncle, and Hinata could not deny that his words formed a pit in her stomach. "Uncle… Why say all of this?" He asked, and the heiress was grateful he had been able to formulate the question she desperately wanted to ask.
"... I have recently realized that I feel more a spectator to my life than an active participant. I have led the clan as I was told, instead of how I wanted to. Been the man others wished for me to be, instead of the man I want to be." Hiashi's words were measured, as if each was formulated with great care. "There is much I can still accomplish, but even more I could've if I had come to this epiphany sooner. You two are the future of our clan."
He placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Our heiress," he said, and then placed his hand on Neji's shoulder, "and our generational genius. I wish for you both to understand the future I hope for our clan to have, so when your opportunity comes to shape that future you make better use of it than I have."
It was only for a moment, but Hinata stared into her father's eyes and saw years of regret and unspoken feelings. In that moment, she believed him, before resentment she was only just becoming aware of brought her back down to earth. Shrugging off her father's hand, she felt that cold burning sensation wash over her again. More nuanced than anger, she realized.
"Where was this when training me, father?" She asked, her voice sounding as if it didn't originate from her. "Since when have you regarded me as the future of the clan? Is that not Hanabi? She is far more talented than I am, after all." Her stutter was gone again, and this time she noticed.
Hiashi recoiled a bit from the frosty bite in his daughter's tone before gathering himself. Before he could speak however, Neji cut in. "I'm curious about what you say as well, uncle. I have not had a chance to be the future of the clan since I was four years old." The boy replied, his tone less venomous but with a clear undercurrent of resentment.
"I-I…" The clan head tried to respond. Before he could, Hinata continued.
"You really are trying to change, aren't you father?" The girl asked, her voice cool and steady. The anger, the sheer resentment that fueled her in this moment overwhelmed all of her nervous tics.
"... I am, yes." The man replied, his tone defeated. "I don't think it's earning me much in your eyes."
"There was a time when I thought it would have." The girl's tone grew softer, a hint of vulnerability in it now. "I was wrong. Years of feeling like nothing in your eyes cannot be undone with kind words now." She turned away from him, her heart and tone hardening again. "I met mother's sensei today."
He blinked, surprised at the sudden change in conversation. "Teuchi?"
"Yes. He told me of how she was before she was my mother. Of her passion, the way she led her team and how strong she was. Tell me father, how do you think she would react if she were before us now, and made aware of how you have raised me in her absence?" The girl knew with this statement she was hitting below the proverbial belt, but she couldn't bring herself to offer any mercy. Years and years of abuse had come to a head within her, and she needed to finally lash out, as many in her shoes would've done long ago.
The man stumbled back as if he had been slapped, eyes widening in shock. He opened his mouth, but no words escaped.
The heiress turned her head and looked at Neji. "I wish to take the long way to the Hokage's tower and enjoy the scenery. Would you escort me, cousin?"
The boy's steadfast emotionless facade was as broken as his uncle's, staring at the girl like a gaping fish. After a moment, he collected himself and looked to the clan head questioningly.
Hiashi knew that the amount of disrespect he was being shown at the moment would have been granted swift punishment just a few days earlier, but he could not bring himself to act as he once would have. Instead he simply sighed and nodded in confirmation at the boy, who made to follow Hinata. He was thankful the road they were on was mostly empty, and the few milling about seemed to hold no interest in the events that were occurring… With the exception of one fairly well-concealed pair of ears he noticed on a nearby rooftop. Realizing who it was due to the similarities in chakra signature to one he had felt regularly long ago, the man's face twisted into the ghost of a smile.
As soon as they two were out of earshot, Neji looked at his cousin in wonder, as if he had never seen her before. He was quite confident he had certainly never seen this version of Hinata Hyuga before. The cousin he knew was a passive failure, not someone capable of talking down to his uncle.
Being the prodigy that he was, Neji was quite skilled at reading other's faces even without his Byakugan. He saw that she looked somewhat conflicted now that they were walking away, the moment passing. He felt a small sneer form on his face that he quickly smoothed away.
Of course. She still was unsure. For a moment, he felt as if his estimation of her had been inaccurate - after all, while everyone was fated to one outcome or another in his mind, that did not mean he thought himself above misreading what a person's fate would be. After all, not everyone had a mark on their heads that made their fates as obvious as the sky being blue.
But she was still his cousin. Even if finally feeling indignation at her treatment motivated her to express anger, that did not change the fact that she was weak and indecisive, unable to even fully commit to her own feelings. Fated to always be a disappointment.
Meanwhile Hinata's mind was running through the encounter ad nauseum. Why? Why couldn't she just enjoy and appreciate that her father was trying to change and be better? Every time he made these gestures, said words to her she had longed to hear for years, she was filled with so much anger. And the comments she had made about her mother… 'Kami, when did I become capable of cruelty?' She asked herself.
"Quite the display." A slightly petulant voice cut through her thoughts, and she nearly jumped out of her skin as Sasuke Uchiha pulled even with her and her cousin. He wore the all-black ensemble he had gotten earlier that day, his legs and arms wrapped tight with dark-gray bandages.
"S-sasuke!" She said, staring at him with wide eyes. "D-did y-you hear t-that?"
"Now you care that people could be listening." The boy replied with a roll of his eyes. "Stutter is back. Was hoping you were done with that annoying habit now."
The girl looked down in shame. In the moment, indignant rage flowing, she was able to forgo thinking of the possible consequences of her actions, but now she was able to contemplate how much disrespect she had just shown her father in public. Her comments regarding her mother would've been enough to warrant a duel if she were older, or at least some kind of major censure.
"Don't lose your courage now, wallflower." The Uchiha snorted, clearly finding something amusing about the situation. After a moment his dark features clouded. "What's your issue with your father?"
Hinata wasn't sure where his interest was coming from, but if she could be brazen enough to take her father to task as she just had, then surely there was no reason she could not be honest with her teammate. "M-my father… He is…"
"Careful, cousin." Neji cut in, eyes hard on her. Her words fell flat on her tongue. Even if he was a teammate, it was improper to discuss clan matters of any kind.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Sasuke asked, his tone bored.
"Much like the relationship between my clan's head and heiress, that is none of your business." The boy all but spat at the Uchiha.
"She's my teammate. Her business is my business if it could affect her performance." The raven-haired boy replied, his tone taking on an equal amount of venom. From either side of Hinata, the two shot each other sideways glares as the tension rose.
"I can assure you her performance will be lackluster regardless of her personal affairs." The Hyuga boy replied derisively, turning up his nose at the Uchiha. "I expect your entire team will be lacking, considering you are made up of the village idiot, the Hyuga's failure, and the last member of a dead clan."
Sasuke stopped and stood ramrod still, his face contorting into a vicious and terrifying snarl as his eyes became dark as the void. Hinata gasped and stepped back as her teammate turned and squared up with her cousin, his fists clenched tightly. "Say that again and see what happens. I dare you." He said, his tone trembling with barely restrained fury.
"What? I'm simply stating a fact. One somewhat talented genin does not make a mighty clan, after all." Neji carried on, his tone growing more and more mocking. "I wonder what the Uchiha of the past would think of their clan being brought so low?"
Sasuke reared back and was clearly about to strike out at Neji. Before he could commit to the course of action, Hinata surprised everyone there.
"Sasuke. Stop." Her stutter was nowhere to be found. She moved between the two, holding up her hand and facing her cousin. Neji's eyes bugged out of his head as he recognized the hand sign that haunted his nightmares.
"I'm disappointed in you, Neji." The girl said, her tone touched with genuine sadness but also firm and resolute. "I'll take as many of your verbal attacks as you wish. But you will not disrespect my teammates."
His fear warped into an expression of pure cold hatred towards his cousin. "Of course. Of course a member of the main family would resort to that."
"And when have I ever even threatened it before now, Neji?" The girl sighed wearily. "I've known how to use the seal since I was eight years old. But despite all your speeches about how I am fated to be a failure, have I ever even attempted to hurt you?"
The boy tried to meet her eyes, but his own hypocrisy being thrown back into his face was difficult to respond to. He simply clucked his tongue against his teeth in frustration. "Even now," she continued, lowering her hands, "it;s just an empty threat to get your attention."
"Return to my father, Neji, and pray I do not inform him of your actions here. Sasuke will be a sufficient escort from this point." The girl dismissed her cousin and began walking forward again, leaving the boy to glare at her with nothing but pure loathing. Sasuke, surprised at the turn of events, shot Neji one more baleful glare before catching up with his teammate.
"You didn't need to do that." Sasuke hissed once they were outside of the branch member's earshot.
"M-maybe I d-didn't. B-but Neji's words were shameful." The heiress replied coolly, her stutter returning but to a lesser degree, her voice more steady than normal.
"... So you know?" He asked, his tone tight. Nobody in the academy had ever both known about the fate of the Uchiha and been ignorant enough to bring it up to the boy.
"It w-would be h-hard not to, given my st-station." Hinata confirmed. After all, the idea of a clan like the Uchiha being taken out almost entirely by just one of their number was bound to be a talking point amongst a clan of similar prestige like the Hyuga, certainly something a child could overhear adults discussing.
The two walked in silence for a few moments. As they approached the Hokage tower, the Uchiha boy stopped, and Hinata did as well, turning to look at him.
"How have you changed so much?" He demanded, cutting off her question before he could ask it. "Two days ago you couldn't speak when spoken to, and now you're telling off your father and cousin. What are you?"
The girl considered the question for a moment. In truth, it was one she didn't have an answer for. Even Hinata herself was confused as to where her recent boldness had come from. But ever since her team had been formed, these moments had become more frequent. Injustices that would've once gone unchallenged now elicited from her stern responses, and things she had dreamed of having for years now enraged her when offered because of how long it had taken to be given what she felt she should've had long ago.
"... I t-think that I am f-finally tired of being a wallflower, Sasuke." She said simply. "And I am ready to c-change."
The boy blinked at her words before clicking his tongue against his teeth in dissatisfaction at her answer. After a few more paces, his curiosity got the better of him. "Would you have actually used the seal on him?"
The girl seemed to consider his question for only a moment before shaking her head. "N-no, I would never use that seal on s-someone, anyone, on p-principle. But given my cousin's t-thoughts of m-me, I k-knew he would believe that I m-might."
Sasuke stared at the girl for a moment longer before placing his hands in his pockets and focusing only on avoiding bumping into anyone as they walked. Part of him wished the girl was as easily-read as his blonde teammate, if only so he would stop being caught off guard by her over and over again.
Kakashi walked at a normal pace toward the tower, noting that it looked as if he would be right on time. He was rather proud of the streak of punctuality he was building up. Looking back, honoring Obito by picking up his literal worst habit had probably been rather obtuse; even the Uchiha himself would've probably stared at him as if he had a sack of rocks between his ears instead of a brain.
As he came upon the tower, he saw that most had already arrived, and as the Third had promised, it was quite the crowd. He quickly counted out multiple clan heads, including Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and Hiashi Hyuga. Deciding it would be most prudent to speak with the parent of one of his students - unfortunately the only parent his students had as a collective - the jonin made his way over to the man.
"Hey Hiashi." The cyclops said as he approached, raising two fingers in a signature lazy greeting. "Where's Hinata and Neji?"
The man looked at him and smiled ruefully. "Ah, Kakashi. They should be here shortly. Unfortunately my attempts at growing closer to my daughter are not going over well. She decided to walk separately from me with my nephew as an escort."
The man raised his lone uncovered eyebrow. "And what attempt went over poorly?"
The man sighed, a hint of frustration showing on his face. "I asked her about how things were going with her team, and told a story of my own genin team's early days. After the story I made it clear I regarded them as the future of the clan. Given my past treatment of her and the preference I have always shown for her sister, Hinata took exception to my words."
"Ah." Kakashi replied knowingly. "I'm guessing she withdrew into herself?"
"Quite the opposite." The clan head responded, shaking his head. "She actually told me off without stuttering once."
The Hatake raised his eyebrow even further. "Ah… Now that is out of character for what I've learned about her so far. Yesterday when I told her I wanted to speak with you, her anxiety seemed to go through the roof."
"So you haven't seen it, then?" Hiashi asked, his jaw setting as he seemed to slip deep into a contemplative mindset.
"Seen what?" The jonin questioned, growing somewhat confused.
"Lately when I attempt to turn over a new leaf with my daughter, it's as if she becomes a different person." Hiashi explained, still deep in thought. "It's funny actually - she's always reminded me of her mother when she and I were in the academy with her demure nature. But lately it seems like something has shifted in her - now she's reminding me of the woman who once earned the moniker 'Hitomi of the Hidden Blades', in those moments where her shyness seems to fade and she shows an assertiveness I have hope for from her for years."
"Wait, your wife, her mother, was Hitomi of the Hidden Blades? That Hitomi?" Kakashi supposed he should have connected the dots, but the file he had on Hinata had only mentioned that her mother was Hitomi Hyuga and had passed early in her daughter's life. At the time he hadn't drawn the connection, the detail seemed insignificant in the shorter time he had to study her record.
Kakashi was familiar with her name from the Third Great Shinobi War. She and her team had gained a reputation for the most effective assassination squad in Konoha during the time. It was actually their squad that was rumored to have forced Kumogakure to withdraw from the war by assassinating a heavily-guarded dignitary of theirs traveling to Kirigakure to attempt to convince their government to stay involved in the war right as the bloodline purges were beginning in earnest. Coupled with the death of the Third Raikage, this loss of easy access to key sea routes forced Kumo to cease active hostilities, allowing Konoha to shift their focus to the border with Iwagakure.
It had only been after the Kyubi attack that her record for the fastest completion of a S-Rank assassination was broken, by Kakashi himself, and only by a few hours.
"Yes, she was quite the name, wasn't she?" Hiashi replied to Kakashi's question, stirring him out of his thoughts. The man had a look on his face so tender that his love for his wife would've been apparent to anyone. "An even better person too. She may have been feared and dangerous on the battlefield, but a kinder human you would never be able to find… Until she felt she was wronged. Then she became more formidable than anyone I had ever met, her tongue as sharp as the blades hidden in her sleeves."
The cyclops shook his head in wonder. "Not surprising Hinata has so much potential then. Her mother's daughter through and through I suppose, in personality too." He had trouble believing that the shy girl he had only recently gotten to know could dress down her father, especially given that the man was a master of intimidation when he wanted to be.
"She apparently is, in more ways than I knew." The clan head agreed. "In truth, if she is like her mother in that regard, I worry that the damage I have done to our relationship over the years may actually be irreparable. Hitomi could hold a grudge unlike anyone I have ever known."
Kakashi clucked his tongue against his teeth. "I wouldn't give up if I were you. At the end of the day Hinata has struck me as a truly kind-hearted person. If you keep putting forth the effort, she'll surely come around. "
"I hope you're right." The clan head sighed, just in time for Neji to walk up to him. The boy looked visibly disturbed, rage apparent on his face despite his obvious attempts to contort his face into an expression of impassivity.
"Neji, glad you arrived safely. Where is Hinata?" Hiashi asked inquisitively, raising an eyebrow at the young man.
"She dismissed me to meet up with you after her teammate showed up. The Uchiha." The boy said, his tone obviously restrained actively to not allow too much emotion to bleed into it… Something he was having less success with than normal, the copy-nin correctly guessed.
"And why would she do that?" The clan head asked, his face growing sterner. At the very least, the man had likely hoped the two walking together after Hinata had told him off would give Neji a chance to see his cousin differently.
"The Uchiha was probing for information on what caused Hinata to grow angry with you. I informed him that it was none of his business, only our clan's, and our kind heiress threatened to use the Caged Bird seal on me for talking back to her teammate." Neji all but ranted, spitting the word kind as if it were poison on his tongue.
Hiashi raised his eyebrows slightly, while Kakashi tightened his fists at this. He had thought Hinata was not one to agree with her clan's structure. Hearing that she was willing to use the torture seal on her family over something so trivial was disappointing to say the least, as well as out of character. So out of character in fact…
"Sensei, father, Neji." A light and demure voice greeted from a few paces away from the group. Hinata walked upon to the group, Sasuke following behind and glaring daggers at Neji.
"Hinata. I am glad you arrived safely. However, Neji just informed me of some concerning behavior." Hiashi greeted, his expression grave. "Did you threaten to use the Caged Bird seal on him for objecting to Sasuke inquiring about our interactions?"
The normally nervous girl stared back at her father, her expression carved from ice, while Sasuke seemed as if every muscle on his body was tense and ready to pound Neji into the dirt. "An i-interesting recollection of e-events." The girl replied neutrally, her stutter as under control as Kakashi had ever heard.
She turned to her cousin, who was staring at her with an expression of pure loathing. "Neji, I w-would expect you to at least be honest if not c-courteous." She turned to her father and teacher. "Neji m-made c-comments on the lack of v-value my t-team offers, and then made m-multiple inexcusable remarks t-to Sasuke about the t-tragedy that b-befell his clan."
Kakashi felt his jaw clench at those words, spinning towards the young Hyuga boy and letting out a small and incredibly focused blast of killing intent. While Neji was a prodigy, he had never been targeted with the killing intent of anyone even close to Kakashi's level. The boy stumbled backwards, his face taking on a terrified expression.
"Kakashi!" Hiashi barked, his own face thunderous. "Control yourself!"
The jonin breathed deeply, regaining control over his chakra while still maintaining his glare at the Hyuga prodigy. Days ago he would've been shocked at his lack of control, but evidently he had forgotten how much easier it was to get worked up over things when you gave a damn about people.
"Neji," Hiashi continued, his voice maintaining a harsh tone, "I am disappointed in you. It is beneath members of our clan to pick petty fights."
The boy looked between the two men, his eyes defiant as he attempted to school his expression, his increased heartbeat still audible to Kakashi's trained ears over the din of the surrounding crowd, many of whom were now looking at the five with interest after the jonin's display. "I only stated what I have seen leads me to believe the truth. I doubt I would need my own team to take them down."
Instantly the rage went out of Kakashi's body at the bold declaration as a cheeky little idea entered his head. Before Hiashi could continue to reprimand his nephew, the cyclops cut in. "Challenge accepted."
Everyone present, from Hiashi to Neji to his two students, stared at him in surprise. "What?" Sasuke asked plainly, his surprise seeming to overpower his own anger.
"Challenge accepted." Kakashi said again, shrugging. "Clearly Neji needs to be proven wrong, he won't take anyone's word for it. So one week from today, he can spar my team. If he wins, we'll openly acknowledge that he has been right every step of the way. If they win, he'll give Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto too, a formal apology… As well as hold his tongue in the future."
Hiashi raised his eyebrow at Kakashi, his lips pressing into a thin smile. "While I agree that Neji has misjudged the potential of your team, I don't know if it is a fair matchup for my daughter and your teammates. He is, after all, a once-in-a-generation genius in our clan's arts."
"That's why I say a week from now." Kakashi knelt down, drawing to Neji's eye level and giving him the look a bored wolf might give a rabbit with no comprehension of the danger it was in. "One week of training and any two of them could take him down. I'm really not being fair letting all three of them in on this, but then again, he set the terms."
Neji smiled, the expression oozing a self-assured confidence. "I would be more than happy to accept this challenge, if only to show those three their immutable fate early so they know what to expect from life."
Kakashi could practically see Sasuke bristle at the Hyuga's words, but he simply shrugged it away. "Keep that energy in the fight. You'll need all the confidence you have. Now why don't you run along and find Gai? I'm sure he'll have some thoughts on how you can be more… Youthful, towards your allies moving forward after I inform him of your conduct."
The boy grew pale white at the prospect of another one of his sensei's youth-filled rants, before grimacing and turning on his heel.
"Was that wise, Kakashi? Your faith in your team is commendable, and I surely agree that they will one day certainly be a match for Neji, but you may be setting them up for failure." Hiashi warned again, though his lips still held the ghost of a smile.
"You worry too much, Hiashi." The jonin replied casually. "Sorry about my lapse of judgment there. I'm finding myself overly protective of my cute little genin."
"It can be understood - I cannot protest too much considering my daughter falls under that protection. Try to be a bit more subtle in the future though, agreed?" The clan head excused the jonin's behavior easily, but there was a very present suggestion there - it did not do of someone of Kakashi's notoriety to be blasting off killing intent at any slight, and though Hiashi was not aware, the cyclops acknowledged to himself that this made it twice in one day he had snapped.
The Hyuga leader turned to Sasuke now, more solemn, and to the surprise of most there gave the boy a small bow. "I apologize on behalf of my nephew. His comments on such a topic were inexcusable and not an example of the treatment you should hope to expect from my clan as the last scion of the Uchiha."
The boy was a bit taken aback by the apology, but quickly schooled his own expression and returned the bow with a deeper one. "Apology accepted, sir." He replied, his voice still tense with anger despite clearly having reeled in his emotions.
"Hey guys!" An exuberant young voice came from behind the group. All turned to be greeted by the sight of Naruto Uzumaki, wearing his new clothes and looking as many years older as his height would allow. "How're you guys doing? When did you get here? Hey Hinata, is that scary-looking guy your dad?"
The group simply stared back at the boy, whose smile was growing a bit more forced every second he spent under their gaze. Finally he asked, "H-hey… Did I miss something?"
Before anyone could begin to fill the boy in, a high-pitched voice rang out from the tower's balcony above them. "All those invited to the Sarutobi residence this evening, look this way!"
All eyes turned upwards and were greeted by a small brown monkey perched on the railing of the balcony, staring down at the many genin, jonin, and clan heads below. He had white fur framing the bottom of his face like a little beard, a navy blue vest over his torso and a Konoha protector sewn onto the bandanna worn over his head.
"My name is Enki. Mr. Hiruzen entrusted me to guide you all to the Sarutobi home nearby for a banquet. Is everyone ready? Let's go!" Before anyone in the crowd could give confirmation or denial, the little ape grabbed the railway of the balcony and swung bodily against the tower, sprinting down on all fours while using chakra to stick to the stone.
Landing with a flourish, Enki gave a little bow to the group. Several of the younger girls in the crowd gave their 'ooos' and 'awws', which the small simian seemed to relish. "Right this way everyone, it'll just be a short walk to the Sarutobi compound!" With that, he began walking towards the nearby residential district.
Kakashi looked around questioningly, but saw his team was also a bit confused, as were the rest of the assembled group, be they genin, jonin, or parent. With a shrug, the silver-haired man began following the small ape, and most followed his lead towards the compound of the illustrious Sarutobi clan.
As the sun set, deep in the fields of Rice Country, underground in the shadows, Orochimaru of the Sannin looked balefully at the sleeping form of his would-be next host, Kimimaro. The boy was currently at his physical peak at first glance, having trained and achieved a mastery over his bone pulse techniques even the best in his clan would have been hard-pressed to match.
However, the tubes running across his body and the IV drip he was hooked to, the machines beeping steadily, the shallowness of his breathing were all better indicators of the teen's condition. Chakra poisoning. A rare genetic mutation among those with bloodlines that literally turned one's own chakra against them, similar to how cancerous cells acted.
"Tch." The man grunted with disdain in a rare show of emotion. All of his tests had failed to even present a hint of a chance at a cure. All he had learned was that Kimimaro would undoubtedly be dead within a year. Despite his reputation, Orochimaru detested little more than needless waste, and that was the only way he could view the loss of Kimimaro's potential.
It was especially a shame due to the timing. Not only would the snake sannin need a new body in the next few months, but his grand plans to invade Konoha during the chunin exams in six months were now that much weaker. He had especially been counting on either possession of Kimimaro's body or the Kaguya's presence during the conflict - the boy was capable of fighting on the level of kage when tapping into his cursed seal.
Turning and walking away, he returned to the main chambers of the compound that served as the heart and soul of the Hidden Sound "Village", though really the village was just a collection of hideouts and research facilities across the elemental nations. Taking a seat upon the throne-like chair in the center of the room, the Snake Sannin sat as a bored king would, propping his head up with one hand.
After a moment, one of his men entered, bowing so low his head nearly touched his toes. The man was rather plain and Orochimaru could not be bothered to remember his name - outside of the Sound Four, Kimimaro, and Kabuto Yakushi, who was currently undercover in Konoha, none of his underlings were worth remembering the names of.
"Lord Orochimaru, I have an interesting update to share with you." The man said, his head still bowed low. Out of his pocket he pulled a scroll and held it out to his master with both hands. "Our guards stationed out front were throwing kunai at birds flying overhead to hone their skills. They happened to take down a white messenger bird from Konoha."
Orochimaru straightened out at this, his interest piquing. Lazily his tongue stretched inhumanly out of his mouth, wrapping around the scroll and taking it from his minion's hand. As soon as he retracted it within his arm's reach, he drew it open and began reading.
As he absorbed the contents of the message, a cruel smile began making its way onto his face. "Kukuku…" He chucked sinisterly. "I doubt I have benefitted from a more fortuitous dash of serendipity in my life." He looked back up at the minion before him. "Name and rank."
"Shinjiro Aragaki, sir. Chunin." The man answered, still bowed and not daring to make eye contact.
"Ah, Shinjiro… Due to your notable service ensuring this message was delivered to me, I have decided you will serve a special role in a plan made possible only by this new information." As the man chanced a questioning look up, Orochimaru thought to himself.
'I will simply need another sacrifice and some genetic material from Konoha… Surely Kabuto will be able to assist me with that.'
Alright, another chapter. Here we have Hinata continuing to buck - I'm not gonna spend long with her acting like her canon self. Just too exasperating and her stutter is annoying to type.
Gotta make this quick, about to drive six hours home from a family vacation. Just wanted to post this real quick so I can stick to once a week. Leave all questions in the reviews, let me know what you think, and thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter after my long absence. Take care!