The Hokage's Wife
Summary: A rise of political marriages follows the end of the last Great Shinobi War. When the daimyo seeks Hinata's hand, Hiashi goes to the only man who could intervene – the 6th Hokage. A drabble-esque collection of KakaHina.
Disclaimer: Characters and universe are not my own, but I hope you find the storyline original!
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Chapter 1: The Offer
Hiashi stared at the scroll with its intricate calligraphy and prolific stamp. The contents did not come as a surprise, and if it were under different circumstances, he may have even been delighted.
His relationship with his eldest daughter had always been rather strained. She greatly reminded him of his late wife in both appearance and mannerisms and while that made her a wondrously kind beauty, it did not offer her protection as a shinobi. The shinobi world was violent and cruel, and death was widely accepted as commonplace. Wanting to prepare her for this, he pushed her to her breaking point, a fact he often lamented. Kurenai had done more to mold her into a shinobi than his methods ever had – Neji, too, when he gave up on his hatred of the main branch. In the end, she had proven to be worthy of the Hyuuga name and her efforts during the war had not gone unnoticed.
With peace now upon them, there was a desire to build lasting ties between the Hidden Villages and even with the great lords of the land. Peace would not maintain itself after all. And historically, it has never lasted. Therefore, what better way to secure a tie than to marry the eldest daughter of a powerful shinobi family?
Proposals had come in before – a handful from the Sand Village, some affluent merchants, but none that Hiashi couldn't easily turn down. This, however, had come directly from the Fire Daimyo on behalf of his son and heir apparent, Ikkyu Madoka. To outright refuse the request of the daimyo was political suicide.
Hiashi sighed. Surely, in another world, he would be honored that his daughter was chosen as a bride for the next daimyo. Ikkyu was rumored to be a good man—smart and rather handsome, or so he had heard from some of the women who had met the future lord. He was just shy of 33, which may have made him 16 years Hinata's senior, but was still considered reasonably young and such an age gap was almost to be expected. The last proposal Hiashi received was from a man that was 5 years older than himself. That one had truly made him shudder.
No, Hiashi's concern was not with the gentleman himself or his age. It was the implication such an arrangement held for the byakugan and Hinata's role in creating a personal army of byakugan users for the daimyo.
They want her solely as a broodmare. The byakugan will be at their disposal for whatever purpose or conflict they see fit. I can't just let that happen, but how can he be turned down?
The more Hiashi thought about it, the more he realized that simply saying "No," would not be possible, not without a valid reason of turning him down. For that, Hinata would need to be married or already engaged, and not just to anyone, but to someone who could rival a daimyo.
Hiashi was not blind to his daughter's affections for the blonde hero of Konoha, but neither was he deaf to the boy's boisterously proclaimed affections for the student of the last Hokage. Hinata's heart would be broken one way or another and all he could do was ensure that there was a chance of happiness in marriage. There was only one person who might be able to shelter Hinata and safeguard the byakugan.
And so, there he sat in the hallway chair, gripping the scroll, patiently awaiting entry to the Hokage's office.
Shizune stepped out into the hall and greeted Hiashi with a humble bow, Tonton standing behind her. "Lord Hokage is ready for you," she calmly stated and gestured for the door.
'No, I doubt he is,' Hiashi mused as he rose and followed Shizune into the office.
As Shizune shut the door behind them, Kakashi lifted his lazy gaze from the files before him and met the eyes of his guest.
'It's unlike Hiashi to request an audience. Whatever this is, it's important.' Kakashi contemplated all the reasons Hiashi could be here, but none were going to hit the mark.
"So, what brings you here today, Lord Hyuuga?" Shizune inquired with a smile, her notepad out and pen in hand.
Hiashi inhaled deeply. "I come to offer my daughter's hand to Lord Hokage."
-End Chapter 1-