Hello there!
Just want to clarify, English is not my first language, so please disregard my errors (or let me know over a DM so I can update this :) )
This story is original developed in Spanish, but I notice a lot of visitors coming from US, so I believe they will enjoy this version.
Hoping you like it.
XXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxx
He jumped over the rooftops, racing through the village at a speed that could have rivaled his father's speed. Without a second thought, he activated sage mode to increase his chakra sense range and identify every possible signature. He will find it, he HAD to find the worm.
At this point in his life, Naruto did not consider himself a saint. He had made several mistakes that lived on his conscience. He could understand a man's fears of commitment and the temptations that could appear, many times without even looking for them. He cursed under his breath as he recalled his own history, how many girls had passed through his own hands! How many failed relationships he had been unfaithful to could he already rack up on his record!
Despite that, the rage he felt against this miserable man surpassed any feeling of understanding and no -brocode- was going to take him away from the pleasure of smashing his face. An anger that he was very familiar with from those days when he fought against Pain overwhelmed him, his vision was red, he wanted revenge.
Keep your emotions in check brat, I don't want to be responsible for your disasters whispered the voice inside his head. Naruto didn't even bother to answer him, he was still lost in his own thoughts and in the hunt he was carrying out.
He found Hiroki Hyuga's chakra very close to the gates of the village. He increased, if possible, the march even more. He wasn't going to let him get away.
From the moment he met Hiroki he knew he wasn't someone to be trusted. He had no particular reason to think so, but he just didn't like the guy as much as when Mr. Teuchi brought up the idea of changing Ichiraku's menu to something more "fusion".
He had the pleasure of meeting him at one of the Hyuga family's protocol events. Attending this type of activity had become a daily duty for the hero of the ninja world, who also took advantage of every moment to now train his political skills.
He was, after all, officially recognized as the next in the line of succession to the title of Hokage, and the Hyuga House was one of those particular places where he find the perfect audience to discuss the issues that were of most interest to him, politics important to the village, military tactics (despite the time of peace they lived in) and perfection of jutsu.
He had to create bonds of cordiality and mutual respect with the Hyuga, the most powerful clan in the village and his influence in Konoha's affairs was present during important conversations.
He had even had the opportunity to receive some personal tutoring from Mr. Hyashi. At first he seemed to him (as it happened to everyone) a rather cold and calculating man, but as he spent time with him, Naruto found a person with a clear set of values, who did not hesitate for a second to defend his clan. Of course he carried the weight of wanting to be an agent of change within the clan, while very old traditions still existed, which were defended tooth and nail by the elders, and that Hyashi, even as head of the family, could not simply eliminate.
The time spent with Hiashi gave Naruto a new perspective on the world. Making a decision, no matter how small, could no longer be justified by a simple hunch. Hiashi let him learn the commitment that a leader must have towards his people, and how sometimes those decisions could even go against personal interests.
The most powerful man of the Hyuga clan had grown fond of Naruto and trusted him, to the point of revealing to him some of the most important traditions of his people. Some seemed outdated to the blond, others extremely interesting, and although Naruto as a student was careful to take notes of everything the old man shared with him, it was not necessary to write anything about the tradition that most caught his attention:
That day they studied the successor line of the family, the most important legacies of the previous leaders and the aspirations the clan have for the new generations. Naruto knew that this topic for Hyashi was controversial: for decades, the Hyuga family had been able to be clear about the successor when the heirs of the leader were about 13 years old, and immediately marked those who were considered secondary branches with the bird seal. But, at this point, with Hinata in her 20s and Hanabi 17, no clear decision had yet been made on the heir to the Hyuga title.
Even though Hinata had played an important role during the war, and his strength was recognized by his father, the elders of the family were still not convinced. Both sisters were subjected to harsh physical and intellectual training, to prepare them as well as possible for the position, and many times they were forced, to the sorrow of both girls and her father, to compete to show which of the two excelled in each area.
Naruto's mind was wondering what would the two girls think if Hyashi let himself to show them how concern he actually was every time he thought about their future, when the old man's voice catch his attention:
-No woman of the Hyuga clan can lead without a husband Naruto, the safety of a next heir is an issue that the family takes very seriously and will also be a key point in the decision of the future heiress of the clan. Although we don't have anything officially documented, my daughters' suitors will be evaluated according to their potential to increase the byakugan's abilities, and they will help their wives to define this dispute.- Said the eldest while looking at rolls of paper with various names of their ancestors.
-Did you go through the same thing? I mean sir, did you and your brother have to compete to get the most suitable woman to improve the family's kekei genkai? -
Hiashi's lips curved in a slight smile - That's right boy. Although in our case, apart from the wife, it was already known which of the two had the skills to lead the Hyuga, so the choice of my wife was not so influenced by the elders, otherwise, it is likely that I would not have had the freedom to choose my wife.
Naruto felt foolish, very similar to when he was trying to finish the written exams that Iruka sensei gave him in his academy days. Hiashi's explanation was plain and simple, but it only raised more questions.
-But those marriages are nothing more than convenient contracts, leaving feelings aside? And everyone has to submit to such rules? And then why can't they just produce an heir whom the elders approve of to take the pressure off of themselves and marry whomever they please?
Hiashi couldn't help but think that a man as powerful as Naruto, was so…innocent for certain matters.
-Young Naruto, as he has had the opportunity to learn during our history lessons, for the members of the clan it is an honor and a duty to put the greater good above their own. All members of the family, especially those of the main branch, are aware of our responsibility, and we have been educated to fulfill it faithfully. My daughters, for example, understand their position very well, especially Hinata. Regarding your question about heirs, although a man could father an heir with any woman who comes to him, even a concubine, the women of the clan are absolutely forbidden to have sex with any man other than the one she is to marry. Breaking this rule has a severe punishment, which includes being banished from the clan, with the imposition of the bird seal of course. The clan takes this matter so seriously that women carry a seal on their virginity, which allows their parents to know if it has been broken. For both Hinata and Hanabi, the punishment would undoubtedly include losing the possibility of becoming the head of the family - Hiashi sighed for a moment before continuing- -These are rules may sound outdated and absurd, and I actually hope in the future, working together with one of my daughters, you as Hokage, help us eliminate them. It is for this reason that I have allowed myself to tell you all these details-
Naruto was brought back to reality when he came face to face with Hiroki, and he felt his anger rise even further as he noted that he was indeed accompanied by a small caravan indicating that he was leaving, if not for a long time, probably forever. The damned man who in that protocol event had been presented as Hinata's fiancé and who now vilely tried to escape, after having stolen the girl's virginity and with it, a treasure that Naruto had sworn to protect: Hinata's chances to become the leader of the Hyuga.