Densetsu no Yonnin (The Legendary Four) - Chapter VI (Rework in Progress)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Wish I did, though.
(Training Ground 3 – 1 Week Later)
Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stood across from each other in their personal training ground. Not once did their eyes stray from one another as they readied themselves for when the spar began. They were about to begin a sparring tournament, and the ones to land on the ground lost. Hinata got into her modified Gentle Fist stance, Naruto put his hands up in a guard position, Sasuke did the same but with his knees bent, and Sakura raised her fist and put one foot behind her. They all stayed silent as they observed their opponents for any sudden movements.
In the middle of them, a leaf floated down from the sky. When it landed on the ground, the quartet launched itself into action.
Naruto went for Hinata, and Sakura went for Sasuke.
Naruto threw a punch at Hinata, but she deflected it. This action threw Naruto's arm to the side leaving him wide open for a palm strike. Naruto saw the attack coming and was able to move his forearm to block the blow that would've hit his side. Hinata's hand hit his forearm and he let out a wince of pain. Naruto took the chance to perform a back-flip to get out of Hinata's range. When he landed, he cradled and flexed his forearm to get feeling back into it.
With Sakura and Sasuke, Sakura threw a punch at Sasuke, and he blocked it by crossing his forearms in front of his face. She kept throwing punches at his crossed arms to try to break through Sasuke's guard. Seeing an opportunity, Sasuke ducked under a punch and swept Sakura's legs out from under her. She fell to the ground on her back, and Sasuke attempted to deliver a punch to her face, but she rolled out of the way and got to her feet.
With Naruto and Hinata, the blonde rushed back at the bluenette. He spun on one hand and threw a kick at Hinata. She put up her arms to block the kick and she was pushed back by the force behind the kick. Naruto dashed at Hinata again and threw a series of punches at her, all of which she dodged with only a few grazing her. Deciding to end the bout with her friend, Hinata got inside Naruto's guard and used her arms to throw his arms to the side. This left Naruto wide open, and Hinata took the chance to thrust her palms forward and strike Naruto in the chest, sending him to the ground.
Hearing the loud thud, Sakura turned her attention to the other two and noticed Naruto lying on the ground, signifying his defeat. This, unfortunately, distracted her from her fight and left her open to Sasuke's attack. Sasuke jumped at the pinkette with an ax kick. Sakura blocked the ax kick with her forearms, but it still forced her to her knees. Sasuke used her arms as leverage to flip himself back on his feet before rushing at Sakura and delivering a kick to Sakura's chest. The air was knocked out of Sakura's lungs, and she was sent to the floor.
Realizing her defeat, Sakura picked herself up and walked over to a nearby log, the same place Naruto went to when he lost his match, to watch the last match. Sasuke and Hinata stood in front of each other with determined expressions as they got into their fighting stances. At a silent signal, they launched themselves at each other.
Sasuke threw a punch at Hinata, but she used her forearm to deflect his fist past her head. Hinata attempted a palm strike to Sasuke's side, but he deflected the blow. Sasuke prepared his fist to deliver a punch and Hinata prepared her palm to deliver a strike. The two attacks clashed, and the dueling duo winced at the collision before jumping back to nurse their aching hands.
After shaking off their injuries, the two resumed their bout. Sasuke performed a front flip into an ax kick which Hinata dodged by moving to the side. Right as he landed, Hinata extended her index and middle finger to jab into Sasuke's forearm. Sasuke saw the attack coming but was unable to dodge it due to Hinata's speed. Hinata's jab hit Sasuke in his arm causing him to wince in pain.
Sasuke backflipped out of Hinata's range to nurse his injury. He held his arm as he stared at Hinata who stood in her modified Gentle Fist stance. Once the numbness in his arm wore off, Sasuke dashed at Hinata. He noticed her getting ready for a palm thrust and adjusted his next move accordingly. When Hinata thrust her hand forward, Sasuke ducked under it, much to her surprise, and punched her in her stomach. Before she could try to regain her lost air, Sasuke performed a leg sweep that sent her to the ground. Before she could right herself, Hinata saw that Sasuke was over top her with his fist pulled back.
"I give up," Hinata spoke up, believing that she had no way out.
When he heard those words, Sasuke eased off Hinata and held his hand out. Hinata took the hand and got to her feet with Sasuke's help. "Don't feel bad, Hinata," Sasuke spoke when he saw that Hinata had a somber expression at her loss "You did great."
Hinata felt reassured by his words and nodded her head in gratitude, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." They both turned to the side when they heard loud shouting from their favorite blonde.
"That was amazing, Hime-chan!" Naruto shouted. "You almost had him, too! You were all like: Hiyah, and whatta!" he exclaimed as he exaggeratedly mimicked Hinata's movements.
"Hey, calm down, Baka-chan!" Sakura admonished him as she lightly smacked his head. "Besides, Duck-butt did good too. So don't just congratulate Hinata."
Naruto acknowledged Sakura's words with a nod before he turned to Sasuke, "Good job, jackass." Sakura's eye twitched, Sasuke let out a sigh, and Hinata smiled at Naruto's antics.
"Still mad about me winning again," Sasuke jabbed at Naruto who scowled at his words.
"You're damn right I'm mad! I mean come on how many times is that now?" Naruto questioned.
"52 wins," Sasuke stated easily.
"Though, Hinata managed to come close on most of them," Sakura added and Hinata blushed at the praise.
"That's what I'm saying! When are you finally gonna lose?" Naruto asked.
"As if I'm gonna lose," Sasuke scoffed. "Especially, not to an idiot like you."
"Why you-! That's it, fight me right now!" Naruto challenged as he shook his fist at Sasuke.
"Alright, bring it, loser!" Sasuke proclaimed and got into a fighting stance across from Naruto. The other two girls could only shake their heads at Naruto's and Sasuke's antics.
After the gauntlet was thrown, Sasuke's 52 victories quickly became 53 victories.
(Haruno Household)
After Naruto got his ass handed to him, Hinata and Sakura left to their respective homes. Naruto and Sasuke decided to stay to do some extra training.
Right as Sakura opened the door, she noticed that something was off.
For one thing, when she got home, her mother immediately called her to the living room. This wouldn't have been too off-putting if it hadn't been for the fact that her mother called her by her first name and her tone was stern.
Her mom was also just sitting on the couch. Usually, she would be in the kitchen cooking dinner. When Sakura entered the living room, Mebuki locked her eyes with her, and Sakura could feel the fury lying beneath her blank stare.
"Have a seat, Sakura," Mebuki suggested, though Sakura knew that this was actually an order.
Sakura hesitantly took a seat in the chair across from her mother. She fidgeted in her seat and struggled not to make eye contact, but even if she couldn't see it, she knew that her mother's eyes were boring holes in her.
The tense silence stretched on for several minutes with Mebuki just staring at Sakura and Sakura fidgeting under her gaze. She knew her mother was angry about something, and she had several theories as to why. If the most likely theory was true, she'd have to prepare herself to face her mother's wrath.
"I washed clothes today," Mebuki started, snapping Sakura out of her musings. "And when I walked into your room, I noticed something peculiar." Sakura's suspicions as to the reason for Mebuki's anger were confirmed when she heard this. "When I looked on your dresser, all your makeup kits were gone. And it wasn't just your makeup, your diet books and beauty magazines were gone too. Now I don't want to assume things when I don't know the whole story. So, Sakura, look me in the eyes-," she stopped her explanation when she noticed that Sakura still hadn't looked at her yet. "Look at me, Sakura!" Mebuki snapped, which caused Sakura to flinch, but she complied with her mother's order. "What happened to all your stuff?"
As Mebuki's eyes drilled into her, Sakura's fidgeting increased ten-fold. She debated whether to lie about how the stuff disappeared, but quickly squashed that idea. Her mother wasn't an idiot, and she knew whenever she was lying. Deceit wasn't an option.
There was no way Sakura could get out of this. Her mother would find out about her actions and would severely punish her. Maybe if she got on her knees and begged her for forgiveness, saying that she wasn't right in her mind. Sakura wouldn't get off unscathed, but the punishment would be significantly less. Yes, that could work.
Sakura was about to speak before a voice stopped her. "Don't you dare," snarled Inner Sakura.
'Why? Can't you see we're in deep trouble,' Sakura protested her inner self.
"I know that. But we made a choice and we're going to stick by it," Inner Sakura stated.
'Are you crazy? Don't you know what mom will do to us?' Sakura grew angry at her inner self dismissal of the possible repercussions.
"Aren't you sick of it?" Inner Sakura asked which got Sakura to pause. "Aren't you sick of being forced to be what your mother wants you to be? Aren't you sick of being hit every time you disagree with something she said? Aren't you sick of mom always telling us that we're not good enough? When we threw all that stuff away, we made a promise to ourselves that we would stop letting her control us. So, don't you quit on me!"
That struck a chord within Sakura. Everything her inner self said was true. She hated it all. But what could she do? She was her mother, and she would not let this slide.
She was about to dismiss Inner Sakura's words before she thought back to her friends. They never belittled her, they never forced her to be something she wasn't, and they encouraged her dream to become a respectable kunoichi. When comparing her friends to her mother, Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke cared more about Sakura than Mebuki did.
'You're right. I'm sorry I almost went back on our promise," Sakura apologized to which Inner Sakura accepted.
Steeling her resolve, Sakura stared her mother straight in the eye and uttered four words that sparked a shift in herself.
"I threw them away."
Mebuki was taken aback, not just by Sakura's answer but also by the look in her eyes. She expected her daughter to cower in fear, but Sakura looked her right in the eye and said those four simple words.
Mebuki narrowed her eyes and her voice lowered to a dangerous tone, "What did you say?"
Sakura faltered a little, but she regained her conviction. "I said, I threw them away."
Mebuki was now scowling at Sakura, "And why would you do that."
This time, Sakura didn't falter, "Because I don't want to be the wife of some stuck-up noble. I'm going to be the best kunoichi in the village," she declared with all the conviction she could muster.
There it was again. Mebuki had never seen that look in Sakura's eyes, and she never believed that look would be directed at her. In all her years of raising Sakura, she made sure to let her know who was in charge. But now she was daring to stand up to her. Shock quickly gave way to anger. This action would not go unpunished.
*Slap*
*Crash*
Before Sakura could react, her mother jumped over to her and delivered the hardest slap she had ever felt. The force from the blow caused Sakura to fall out of her chair and into the table, knocking over the lamp sitting on it and sending it crashing to the floor.
"How dare you?!" Mebuki demanded. "After everything I've done for you. I did everything I could to make you beautiful and not some barbaric excuse for a woman. You were going to live an easy life as a noble's wife. Everything you ever wanted would have been given to you. Why would you go against me?"
Sakura whimpered from the pain, but she still managed to stagger to her feet and look her mother in the eye again. "Because I don't want to be a noble's wife."
That statement caused Mebuki to grow more enraged. This time, she punched Sakura and she landed in the broken bits of the lamp. Sakura cried out in pain as the shards sliced her skin open. "It doesn't matter what you want! I am your mother, and you will do what I say!"
Sakura didn't know whether the pain was overriding her fear, or if she finally became fed up with her mother, but Inner Sakura's demeanor started to rise to the surface. "Why should I listen to you? You don't even care about me! My friends care more about me than you ever have!"
That statement caused Mebuki to pause. Was she doing this because her friends encouraged her to do so? That must be it. Her daughter didn't start to gain confidence in herself until she became friends with those three. Mebuki knew that Sakura was not a confident girl and couldn't fathom why. That started to change when she met those three. Mebuki allowed Sakura's friendship, even with the Uzumaki boy, to blossom because she saw the effect they were having on her. She wanted her daughter to be confident in herself, and she figured Sakura's friends would help her with that.
Although looking at it now, that plan backfired, and now Sakura was daring to defy her. There was only one solution to this problem.
"So, your friends made you do this..., Mebuki muttered which got a confused look from her daughter. "In that case, Sakura, you are forbidden from seeing those three ever again," she ordered.
"No."
Mebuki expected her daughter to protest, break down into tears, or even get down on her knees and beg. What she didn't expect was an immediate reply with no hesitation and in a tone that said she would not back down.
The shock on Mebuki's face was mirrored by Sakura. Her mouth had moved before her mind could think. Although she agreed with her words, she knew that now she was in deep shit.
"You brat!" Mebuki growled before she kicked Sakura in the face. Sakura cried out in pain as she held her bleeding, now broken, nose. "Those brats must have poisoned your mind," Mebuki scowled at her daughter before her face mellowed out into a neutral expression. "I guess I'll just have to reeducate you."
The way her mother said reeducate formed a pool of dread in Sakura's stomach. She looked up in time to see her mother disappear out of the living room, and the pool grew to the size of a lake. She was left wondering what her mother could be doing, but she was certain that it was nothing good. The lake of dread transformed into horror and was now the size of an ocean.
In her mother's hands were a long wooden club and a pillow.
Sakura knew exactly what her mother was about to do.
"No... no... no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO! Please don't!" Sakura's pleas started as a whisper but grew louder as her mother stalked closer.
Mebuki ignored her daughter's cries as she stalked over to her prone form. She placed the pillow on Sakura's head and raised the club over her head. She then muttered seven words that would haunt Sakura's nightmares.
"This is for your own good, Sakura."
*Smack*
"GYAAAAH!"
Mebuki brought down the club on Sakura's chest. Several of her ribs cracked from the force of the blow. Sakura screamed out in agony, but it was muffled by the pillow. She curled herself into a ball to cradle her aching chest.
*Smack*
"GYAAAAH!"
Unfortunately, Mebuki brought the club down onto Sakura's arm. She screamed out again and could feel the bones in her arms shattering. This time she couldn't cradle her arms since she had nothing to cradle them with.
*Smack*
"AAAAH!"
Mebuki's next target was Sakura's legs. Once again, the impact caused agonizing pain-causing Sakura to scream out again.
This continued for what felt like hours with Mebuki relentlessly beating Sakura with the club and Sakura crying out from the pain. Sakura's vocal cords have long since become sore from the constant screaming. Now she could only let out pitiful whimpers. Surprisingly, Sakura managed to stay conscious despite the pain.
Mebuki stopped her beating when she saw that Sakura wasn't moving, and she removed the pillow from her head. She gazed at her daughter impassively and took in the image of her brutalized state. Sakura had bruises all over her body, broken bones were poking through her skin, and she was barely breathing.
"Now, daughter," Mebuki started, gaining Sakura's attention though she couldn't turn her head to look at her mother. "Have you finally come to your senses. Are you going to do as I say and forget those three degenerates?"
All Sakura could feel was agony. Her mother had disciplined her with the club before, but she was never this merciless. It was usually two or three swings, and she was done. Never did she take discipline this far. Despite the pain, Sakura managed to give her an answer. "I... will never... abandon... my friends," she rasped out.
Mebuki's impassive gaze turned into a scowl, and she raised her club again. Sakura closed her eyes and prepared for more pain, but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw her mother dropping the club on the floor, scowl still residing on her face.
Instead, Mebuki walked over to Sakura and picked her up by her hair. Sakura whimpered from her injuries being jostled but the older Haruno ignored her. Mebuki dragged her daughter to the front door and opened it revealing the evening sky and barren Konoha streets. Mebuki pulled her daughter up the face her and delivered more shocking words.
"From now on, you are no longer my daughter."
With her piece said, Mebuki threw her daughter out onto the street and closed the front door without looking back.
Sakura groaned from the impact of hitting the ground aggravating her injuries. The final words of her mother echoed inside her head. She thought that she would feel devastated from being disowned, but strangely she felt relieved. As if a heavyweight had been lifted off her shoulders. With those final thoughts, Sakura started to lose consciousness from her injuries. However, before she passed out, she heard two familiar voices call out to her in distress.
"SAKURA/SAKURA-CHAN!"
(Hyūga Compound – Same Time)
When Hinata arrived at her home, she was immediately called to the compound's meeting hall. She didn't know why her presence was required, but the satisfied faces of the main house members were highly foreboding.
Hinata now stood in a large room with her father, the clan elders, the members of the main house, and surprisingly her sister who stood next to her.
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin this meeting." The person who spoke was a clan elder, the former clan head, and the father of Hiashi, Hyūga Hisoka. This statement garnered the attention of everyone present in the meeting hall. "Hinata," he started, gaining said girl's attention. "Your father and the rest of the elders have come to a decision. For years now, you have shown that your ability to be clan head is less than adequate. Your demeanor is completely meek. You don't stand tall, and your voice is too quiet. You also choose to treat commoners as if they are on the same level as you when you are the clan heiress. We are the Hyūga clan, the strongest clan in Konoha. You should not respect commoners the same way you do us." With every word the elder spoke, Hinata flinched as if struck by a physical blow. "You also can't perform the Jūken properly. Every time you spar, your performance is lackluster. Even your sister who is four years your junior performs better than you. Her nature also harbors no weakness, unlike you. Overall, you are nothing but a disappointment and a failure as a Hyūga."
Hinata was struggling to keep herself from crying. She was used to being berated by her family, but it was never this bad. They usually just said a few harsh words and move on.
Next to her, Hanabi had her eyes narrowed and was clenching her fist. Who was this guy to say that her sister was weak? Her sister was strong, stronger than her. She would've spoken out, but her training as a Hyūga reminded her that doing so was not a good idea.
"Due to that evidence, we have decided to strip you of your status as clan heiress and give it to your sister. We are also sending you to the branch house and putting the Caged Bird Seal on you."
That announcement shocked the two youngest Hyūga. This time, Hinata couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes. With her status as clan heiress gone, she couldn't unite the Hyūga clan. Her family would still be divided. She couldn't get rid of the horrible seal that would now be placed on her.
Hanabi was now outraged. Sure, being the clan head was a huge honor, but she didn't want it like this. Not at the expense of her elder sister. All her Hyūga teachings went out the window as she scowled at her family and started yelling. "What?!"
Hinata flinched in shock from Hinata's outburst, and her father didn't react except for the widened eyes. Meanwhile, the Hyūga elders narrowed their eyes at Hanabi, and she shrunk in on herself. "You have something you wish to say, Hanabi?"
Hanabi's eyes darted around as she spoke her next words, "You can't send her to the branch house."
"Hanabi, your sister is a pathetic excuse for a Hyūga. You would serve much better as the clan head," Hisoka explained which only further angered Hanabi and saddened Hinata. "She can't even perform basic Jūken katas properly. She is not only weak in mind but body as well."
"But that's not true. A week ago, she fought Father and did amazing. That was the best I've seen her fight," Hanabi protested.
"Hanabi!" Hiashi's call drew Hanabi's attention to him. Any further protest was silenced by his stern glare, and she settled for glaring at the floor.
Unfortunately, this information caught the attention of the elders. "Hinata performed well in a spar?" one of the elders questioned.
"Preposterous. There's no way that girl would be able to suddenly fight properly," another elder dismissed Hanabi's claim.
"Hiashi, is this true?" Hisoka questioned his son with narrowed eyes.
Hiashi turned to meet the gaze of his father unflinchingly, but inwardly he cursed. "... Yes," he answered after a moment of silence.
"Why would you hold this information from us?" an elder questioned.
"If we knew about this, we wouldn't have gone through with this meeting," another spoke, but Hiashi saw right through his lie. Even if Hinata could use the Gentle Fist correctly, the elders would have still seen her as unfit for the position of clan head.
Hisoka remained silent as he scrutinized Hinata, who fidgeted where she stood. He knew his son wasn't lying but something wasn't adding up. There's no way someone could be weak their whole life and suddenly become strong in one day. A piece of the puzzle was missing. "Hinata." Hinata struggled for a bit but managed to meet the eyes of her grandfather with her own. "How did you manage to fight well against your father?"
"Umm...," Hinata hesitated to answer. If she revealed her new Gentle Fist style, she would have to explain how she created it. However, she knew that the elders wouldn't settle for silence. "... I created my own Jūken style," she revealed which drew shocked gasps from everyone present except for Hiashi and Hanabi, who already knew.
"You bastardized the Jūken!" a main house member yelled. Many others were just as appalled.
"You couldn't perform the Jūken so you settle for an inferior version," an elder concluded with a disgusted tone.
"There's something else you're not telling us," Hisoka spoke which silenced the chattering. "There's no way you could have come up with a new style on your own. You must have had help. Who helped you?" Hisoka narrowed his eyes at Hinata.
"N-N-No one helped me. I did it my-" she was cut off by Hisoka intensifying his glare by activating his Byakugan.
"You would do best not to lie to me, girl." Hisoka's tone chilled Hinata to the core.
"... My friends helped me make it. I'd show them the katas for the Jūken and they would help me make changes to it," Hinata finally revealed which drew shocked gasps from everyone this time.
"You showed the Jūken to outsiders!"
"That's treason!"
"I thought we were just going to seal you when we arranged this meeting," Hisoka stated while rubbing his chin. "But seeing as how you've committed treason, something else must be done." Hinata felt a pool of dread form in her stomach. "For the crime of revealing clan secrets to outsiders, you shall have your-"
"Wait!" Hiashi cut off his father. "Reconsider, Hisoka-dono. She is but a child."
"I understand that Hiashi, but she has committed a heinous crime," Hisoka explained.
"I know that..., But...," Hiashi paused to think over his next words. "...There is a more fitting punishment for her," he managed to speak even though it disgusted him to say those words.
The elders became interested in this and the group plus Hiashi descended into indistinct muttering. Hinata was now shaking as the minutes went by with the elders deciding what to do with her. The derogatory comments from the main house members did not help her mood. Hanabi noticed her sister shaking and placed a hand on hers. Hinata was grateful for the reassuring gesture and nodded to her sister in thanks.
The elders broke from the huddle and the tense atmosphere resumed its existence. "Hinata, your father has a more fitting punishment for you than what we had in mind. So, for the crime of revealing clan secrets to outsiders, you shall have your Byakugan sealed and willed be banished from the Hyūga clan."
Hinata's entire world stilled when she heard those words. 'I'm being banished? My family is abandoning me? Even my father?' Hinata thought to herself as her plans came crashing down. Now the Hyūga would never unite, the Caged Bird Seal would stay in use, and her family was casting her aside. The emotional stress finally got to her, and she began to breathe rapidly.
"Nee-sama? Are you okay?" Hanabi asked her elder sister when she noticed her panicked state. Hinata didn't answer and instead collapsed to the floor, her breathing increasing in pace. "Nee-sama!" Hanabi cried and rushed to her sister's side.
Hiashi did the same and stood over Hinata to examine her. "She's hyperventilating! I need to get her to the medical wing!" Hiashi exclaimed before he picked up his daughter and rushed to said room, Hanabi hot on his tail. The lack of Carbon Dioxide finally took its toll, and Hinata passed out.
Hinata blearily opened her eyes an hour later. She was lying on a bed and was face to face with a white ceiling. She sat up, looked around, and noticed that she was in the medical wing of the compound. She briefly wondered why she was there before the earlier events came rushing back to her.
Hinata jumped out of her bed and rushed to the bathroom, praying to whatever deity that was out there that what happened was a dream. She arrived in the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Hesitantly, she raised her hands to her forehead and brushed her bangs back. Her heart almost stopped at the sight that greeted her.
Permanently resting on her forehead was a purple marking in the shape of a hooked cross. On both sides of the symbol, two hooked lines extended to the sides of her forehead. (A/N: It's the design of the Caged Bird Seal in the manga). 'No, no, no, no," Hinata repeated in her mind, desperate for confirmation that this was just a dream. Unfortunately, when she tried to activate her Byakugan, nothing happened. Her veins didn't bulge on the side of her head and a black and white 360-degree world didn't appear.
Her ability to use the Byakugan was locked away.
Hinata's form began to shake, and she gripped both sides of the sink. Tears spilled out of her eyes and sobs racked her entire body. She felt as if the symbol on her forehead was staring back at her, mocking her for all her failures. She started inwardly cursing herself for her weakness. 'If I wasn't so weak, none of this would've happened' similar thoughts echoed around in her head.
"I warned you." Hinata was brought out of her self-loathing by the voice of someone standing at the door to her room. It was her cousin Neji, and he was staring at her without a hint of remorse.
She wiped the tears away and greeted her cousin. "H-H-Hi, N-Neji-niisan."
"I warned you not to go against fate and looked at what happened. You tried to prove that you were strong even though your destiny is to be weak. And now look at you: a pitiful, sobbing mess." Neji shook his head. "It's kind of funny; you, a main house member, were given a worse destiny than me. I may be a slave, but at least I can still use my Byakugan." He emphasized his words by activating his Byakugan. Neji's words shattered the happy facade Hinata tried to put up. "You should've known you couldn't do it. Because as I said before: you are weak, and you will always be weak.
Weak
Pathetic
Disappointment
Those words continued to echo in Hinata's head until she couldn't take it anymore. Her tears returned full force and she bolted out of the room, not paying any mind to Neji's apathetic gaze nor the satisfied faces of the main family. She needed to leave. She didn't know where she could go, but she couldn't stay here. She dashed out of the compound not even taking her jacket with her as the chilling night air assaulted her skin.
(Hospital)
When Naruto and Sasuke were finished with their spar, they decided to get in some extra training before heading home. Naruto practiced his calligraphy for writing seals, and Sasuke practiced his shurikenjutsu. Sometime later they noticed that Sakura left a textbook in their training ground. They stopped their training to go return the book to her.
However, when they arrived at their home, what greeted them was the horrifying sight of a brutally beaten Sakura. They immediately rushed to her with simultaneous cries of "SAKURA" from Sasuke and "SAKURA-CHAN" from Naruto. They didn't even notice that they dropped Sakura's textbook. Both pairs of eyes scanned over her injuries, and they did not like what they saw.
Sasuke stated that they needed to get her to the hospital and Naruto nodded. Carefully, the pair picked up Sakura, though Sasuke had to tell Naruto to gently carry so they don't worsen her wounds, and carried her to the hospital.
When the duo arrived at the hospital, Sasuke immediately demanded a doctor to help his pink-haired friend. Seeing Sakura's horrible state, and not wanting to upset Sasuke, several medical professionals rushed Sakura to the emergency room.
Now, Naruto and Sasuke were anxiously waiting outside the room. Naruto was pacing back and forth, while Sasuke was sitting in a chair and staring at the floor.
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, I hope they can heal her," Naruto muttered.
Sasuke silently agreed, but continued to stare at the floor.
"Wait, what if they can't?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke did not want to think about that possibility.
"I mean you saw how bad she looked," Naruto elaborated.
Sasuke did not want to remember that sight.
"What if her injuries are too much to bear," Naruto wondered as his pacing increased.
Sasuke was beginning to get irritated with the blonde's muttering.
"Oh god, please don't die on us, Sakura-chan, dattebayo!" Naruto wailed as he gripped his head.
That was the last straw.
Sasuke stood up from his chair, walked over to Naruto, and smacked him across the face. The sound of the blow echoed through the corridor, and all was silent for several seconds.
"Can you please shut up!" Sasuke bit out through clenched teeth.
Naruto stood there frozen before the pain from the hit kicked in. "Ow!" he cried and held his cheek before scowling at his friend, "What was that for?!"
"You were getting on my nerves," Sasuke explained.
"Our friend is in the hospital. I'm scared for her, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted.
"So am I!" Sasuke shouted back causing Naruto to recoil in shock. Sasuke had never shouted before, and the whiskered boy didn't expect the noirette to shout at him. "I'm scared just as much as you. But panicking isn't going to help us. We need to stay calm and hope the doctors can heal her."
Naruto stared at Sasuke for a long while. He could tell from his shaking hands and gritted teeth that Sasuke was just as afraid as himself. After mulling over his friend's words, Naruto nodded his head and took in deep breaths to calm himself down.
The two sat in the corridor for several minutes not saying anything. The only sounds they heard were of the medical professionals performing their duties throughout the hospital.
The silence was broken when Naruto finally noticed that someone significant was absent. "Hey, we should probably let Hinata know about this," Naruto spoke as he rose from his seat.
"Yeah, you go do that. I'll sit here in case someone comes from inside there," Sasuke stated as he gestured to the door to Sakura's hospital room.
Naruto nodded his head and walked out the corridor leaving Sasuke alone. 'Come on Sakura, you can do it,' Sasuke mentally encouraged as he clenched his hand into a fist.
(With Naruto)
"What do you mean she's not here?!" Naruto demanded as he stood outside the gate to the Hyūga Compound.
"Exactly that, Uzumaki-san," one of the guards said. "Hinata is not here."
Naruto idly noticed that the guards didn't use the suffix –sama with her name but dismissed it. He had more important things to worry about. "Well, do you know where she is?" Naruto asked and grew increasingly worried when the guards shook their heads.
"We do not know of Hinata's whereabouts. She just ran outside the compound, and we haven't seen her since. She didn't even have her jacket on," the other guard stated, and Naruto got a sinking feeling in his gut. He also noticed that the guards seemed indifferent about Hinata's absence, which did not help his mood.
"Screw this. I'll find her myself," Naruto declared before he dashed off in a random direction to find his blue-haired friend.
Naruto spent the next hour searching for Hinata. However, his effort had not borne fruit. He couldn't find his blue friend no matter how hard he tried. She wasn't at the Hyūga Compound, the academy was closed, and he didn't find her at Training Ground 3. He even looked in the local cinnamon bun shop that she frequented, but she wasn't there.
"Dammit! Where are you, Hime-chan?" Naruto cursed to himself as he walked through a forest. He didn't even know how he ended up here, he was just walking around hoping to come across her. He stopped walking when he noticed a swing set hanging from a tree. "Wait... I swear I've seen this forest before," Naruto muttered as he racked his brain to find out why this forest seemed so familiar. Then it hit him.
(Flashback)
An 8-year-old Naruto was sitting on a swing in a snowy forest. He aimlessly swung himself back and forth with a depressed expression on his face. He had just registered himself for the academy with the help of the Third Hokage.
While Naruto was excited to start his ninja career, his mood was dimmed by the words of the parents present. They kept muttering things like "Why is he here?", "He shouldn't be allowed to be a shinobi", and "I hope my kid isn't in the same class as him". Their words were accompanied by looks of fear and disdain. He didn't let their words get to him though.
That was until Naruto tried to talk to the other kids. Every last one of them said that their parents told them to stay away from him. Naruto just put on a cheerful smile and told the kids that it was no problem before walking away. Though once he was alone in the forest, the smile dropped. Now he was sitting on the swing and staring at the snowy ground.
He was brought out of his depressed state when he heard a commotion. Behind him was a group of three kids obnoxiously yelling at someone. He found out who that someone was when he moved his head and saw that the person was a blue-haired girl with lavender, pupilless eyes. The girl was on the ground and in tears with her hands covering her face.
A foreign emotion surged through Naruto, and he got off the swing to go help her. Even if there was nothing he could do, he wanted to make the blue-haired girl stop crying.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Naruto shouted.
The three bullies and the blue-haired girl looked towards him. The bullies had sneers on their faces while the girl had confusion, curiosity, and hope on hers.
"Huh?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The future Hokage, -ttebayo!" he proclaimed while giving the three older kids as fierce a glare as he could muster.
(End Flashback)
This was the same forest where he met Hinata.
'Hey, maybe she'd be here,' Naruto thought. It might be a long shot, but it would be worth it if he found Hinata. "Hime-chan!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the forest. "Hime-chan! Where are you?". He continued to run for several minutes, desperately searching for his first friend. "Come on, Hime-chan! This isn't funny!" he shouted again before he stopped by a tree. He was about to punch it in frustration before he saw a figure in the distance. It was dark out, so he couldn't make out all the figure's features. However, he didn't need to. Once he saw blue hair that was in a princess-style cut, he knew who it was.
It was Hinata.
"Hime-chan!" Naruto shouted in glee and ran towards Hinata. "Yes, I finally found you." He was so excited that he didn't notice that Hinata didn't respond to him. Naruto caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, we need to go. Sakura-," he cut himself off when Hinata shrugged off his hand. He was startled by the action and tried to get her attention again, "Hey, Hime-chan, what's the matter?" She still didn't respond, and relief gave way to anxiousness. "What's going on? Why are you acting like this?"
"Please leave me alone," Hinata finally spoke.
Naruto became shocked by Hinata's words and could barely come up with a response. "What?"
"Please leave me alone. I don't want to be friends with you all anymore."
Those words struck Naruto like a boulder. 'Hinata doesn't want to be friends anymore?' A pain unlike anything Naruto felt before spread throughout his body, and he could almost feel his heart shatter.
Hinata turned her head to meet his eyes and Naruto flinched from the look in them. They were dead, as if she had no purpose in life and was just surviving. Hinata looked at Naruto's expression and quickly averted her eyes. Without another word, Hinata walked past Naruto as if he wasn't there.
Naruto stood there with heartbreak written on his face. He continued to stare after Hinata before he scowled and walked over to her. Something wasn't adding up, and he was going to find out what the problem was. "Hey, Hime-chan, what going on? We've been friends for 2 years and you're just gonna end it like that?" Naruto questioned as he grabbed her wrist.
"Please, stay away from me," Hinata pleaded but Naruto's grip held firm.
"What's wrong? This isn't like you!" Naruto turned Hinata around to face him.
"Stop it, please. I'm just a burden to everyone." Hinata pleaded again.
That stopped Naruto in his tracks, but he still held onto Hinata. She was a burden? Says who? Now he really needed to figure out the problem. "Whoever said that is an idiot. You're not a burden," Naruto declared.
Unfortunately, Hinata didn't believe him. "Yes, I am. I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I'm a disappointment." Hinata continued to berate herself and Naruto grew even more frustrated.
"Why are you saying that Hinata. You're not any of those things," Naruto proclaimed.
This only seemed to anger Hinata. "Yes, I am! Just leave me alone!" Hinata finally broke out of Naruto's grasp and bolted away from him.
Naruto, however, was quicker than her and managed to catch up. He grabbed her wrist and this time, he spun her around and enveloped her in a tight hug.
Hinata frantically tried to break out of Naruto's embrace, "No! Let me go! Let me go! Please!" Naruto did not let go. Hinata continued to struggle while proclaiming that she was useless, and Naruto just continued to hug her. Eventually, her struggling mellowed out and she rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. Tears began to spill out of Hinata's eyes, and she brought her arms up to return the embrace.
'Hinata... what happened to you?' Naruto thought to himself. They stayed like that a long time with Hinata sobbing into Naruto's shoulder and Naruto giving whatever comfort he could. Eventually, her sobbing quieted down, and Naruto looked down to see that she was asleep. Without a word, Naruto carefully shifted Hinata around and lifted her in a bridal carry. He carried Hinata like that to the hospital and paid no mind to the questioning glances of the villagers.
(Hospital)
Sasuke sat by himself in the corridor outside Sakura's hospital room. Naruto had been gone for 2 hours and he was getting irritated and concerned at the blonde's absence. "Dammit! Where is he?" Sasuke muttered. He was tempted to go look for him himself, but he didn't want to leave Sakura by herself. Even if she was being watched over by doctors.
Sasuke was drawn from his musings when the door opened. It was one of the nurses that were working to heal Sakura. He was about 17 years old, had silver hair in a ponytail, and glasses that glinted when he looked to Sasuke. He was also holding a clipboard. "Excuse me. Do you know the name of the patient?" the nurse asked.
"Haruno Sakura," Sasuke answered, and the nurse wrote the information on his clipboard.
"And does Sakura-san have a parent or guardian?" the nurse questioned again.
"Yes. She has a mother, but I don't know her name," Sasuke answered, and he nodded.
"That's okay. I can just look it up in the hospital records," he reassured while giving Sasuke a friendly smile. "Well, we're almost done with the operation. Your friend was in a horrible condition, so it took us a long time to work. But afterward, she'll be stable enough for visitors to be allowed to go in," the nurse explained before walking away to find out the name of Sakura's mom. Sasuke sighed in relief before he turned his gaze back to the floor. He didn't notice the grey-haired nurse giving him one last glance before walking past the corner.
10 minutes later, Naruto came from around the corner with Hinata. Sasuke stood up from his seat and greeted them, "Hey, where have you been? I've been waiting for two...," he trailed off when he noticed Hinata in Naruto's arms. More specifically, the tear stains running down her cheeks. A pit formed in Sasuke's stomach, "What happened to Hinata?"
Naruto strolled over to an open chair and gently sat Hinata down in it. "I don't know. I found her in the woods, and she looked dead inside. She kept going on about how she's just a burden and that she didn't want to be friends with us anymore." Sasuke's eyes widened at the statement. The same horrible feeling Naruto felt struck Sasuke in his heart. It was equal to, if not, greater than, the feeling he got when his clan died. "I don't know what happened to her, but I'm gonna find out. And beat the living crap out of whoever made her cry!" Naruto declared while glaring at the floor and clenching his fist.
"Yeah. Me, too," Sasuke echoed the sentiment while also clenching his fist. His eyes trailed to Hinata and noticed her disheveled form which only served to stoke his anger further. His furious gaze switched to a curious one when he looked at Hinata's forehead, "Hey what's that?"
Naruto looked to where Sasuke was gazing, and he saw the purple markings on Hinata's forehead. "Hey, that wasn't there when we were training," he muttered. He walked over to Hinata and lifted her bangs over her forehead to get a good look at the purple hooked cross. "Hmm...," Naruto analyzed the marking to get a better idea of what it was, "It's a seal of some kind. Do you think this is what's making Hinata sad?" Naruto looked at the noirette with a questioning gaze.
"I don't know. But I got a bad feeling about it. Something about it just seems... off," Sasuke replied, and Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Excuse me, Uchiha-san and Uzumaki-san." A voice cut through the two boys' conversation, and they turned to the grey-haired nurse from earlier. "I tried to get in touch with Sakura's mother, but it seems like she's outside of the village. I won't be able to tell her about her daughter's condition," he explained. Naruto became confused at this information, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes; he still didn't like that woman. "Well, since she has no family right now, I guess you three will be the only visitors," the man stated with a smile. With those words, the man left the three kids in the corridor. This time Sasuke caught the gaze the man sent his way before he quickly turned his head around.
'Weird,' Sasuke thought before he shrugged it off, 'Probably just another Uchiha worshipper.'
Minutes later, the doctors came out of the operating room and the three were allowed to enter. Sasuke clenched his fist, and Naruto, who was carrying a still sleeping Hinata, did the same when they saw Sakura's state. Her entire body below the neck was covered in bandages, all of her limbs were in casts, and she was hooked up to an IV. This state horrified and disgusted them to no end. Sasuke sat in a chair and Naruto did the same after setting Hinata down so she was lying on the bench. As they contemplated the day's events, they both unknowingly had the same thought.
'I promise you two, I won't let this happen again.'
A/N: I did some editing in the previous chapters, so please go check them out.
If anyone is confused about my usage of Japanese terms, I'll explain. I'm only using Japanese terms in dialogue. If no one is saying it, it's going to be in English.
Fanon v. Canon
F: The name of Hiashi's father is Hisoka.
C: His name is never mentioned. In fact on Narutopedia, he's referred to as "Hyūga Elder".
F: The name of Hinata's mother is Hitomi.
C: The name of Hinata's mother is never mentioned.
F: There is a seal that can prevent a Hyūga from using their Byakugan without killing them. It's mainly used as a punishment.
C: No seal that can do this is mentioned, but the Hyūga having that kind of seal wouldn't be a stretch.
F: Naruto and Sasuke met a grey-haired medic while waiting outside Sakura's hospital.
C: Naruto and Sasuke didn't meet this man until the Chūnin Exams.
Thanks for reading.
Date: Jan/25/2022