Hinata told the truth of what happened. How she witnessed the encounter between Naruto and Sasuke and how, feeling bad for the whiskered boy, decided to give him her bento before Sasuke's. Hinata wasn't good at lying, and while at first she wanted to make it seem like she had given her own bento to Naruto, her father soon realized the truth.
She was ashamed, not because of the act itself, but because she had been caught lying. Lying to the clan head was just something that wasn't done. She should know that better than anyone else.
"So, the Uzumaki boy…" Hiashi pondered with a hand on his chin. Hinata nodded, her eyes fixed on the low table between her and her father, knowing that if her eyes fell any lower, she would be in trouble. Hiashi looked at his daughter for another second, before finally making up his mind.
"Raise your head, Hinata. You have nothing to be ashamed of" hearing these words, Hinata looked up full of surprise. She was sure her father would reprimand her again, like that one time he overheard her asking Ko about Naruto and why everybody seemed to avoid him. The Uzumaki was a taboo subject, not only in the Hyuuga household but in the whole of Konoha, and it always made her heart ache whenever he would go around with a smile only to be rejected, sometimes violently, by children and adults alike. Despite that, thanks to that conversation she had a small idea why, and once when she had free time from training she had gone to the library of her compound and found a book about the nine tails.
Hinata could not be completely sure though, and speculation would not bring about the truth when she couldn't confirm it with anybody, but in the meantime, that was enough. It saddened her immensely whenever she thought people hated Naruto for something that wasn't his fault. Something that most likely made him as much of a victim, if not more, than everyone else.
"I admit" her father's voice brought her back to reality. She snapped to attention and chastised herself for getting lost in her thoughts. "I admit that the thought of helping out the Uzumaki boy has crossed my mind once or twice, mostly due to your mother" when Hinata heard that, her eyes grew wide. Hiashi continued, paying little mind to his daughter's expression. "She was very fond of the boy's mother, and after… his parents passed away, she asked me and the council repeatedly to bring him under our wing, to protect him because that's what her friend would have wanted, and she knew that being alone wasn't an ideal situation for the child. But the council rejected the idea, and so did the Hokage. She kept insisting, even till the day of her death, but her plea was never heard."
Hinata's eyes were wide. This was the first time she had ever heard of this. If her beloved mother had succeeded, then Naruto would have lived with her. Her face got warm thinking about it. But most of all, he wouldn't have had to be so lonely all these years. Her eyes promptly lost the radiance it had come to them, and instead, she looked down, forgetting all about never lowering her gaze.
"Why would they not want Naruto-kun to s-stay with us? W-Why does everybody h-hate him so much?"
Her father didn't answer, not even chastising her for her stutter. Instead, he got a melancholic expression, something she had seen on him very few times throughout her life. He sighed.
"There are some things that are better left to when you become older. I, for one, was not opposed to the idea, but even the voice of a clan leader fades in between all the others. His life would not have been easy in such a secretive clan like ours. Believe it or not, he's actually faring better outside than inside these walls."
Her father's explanation did not satisfy her, but she knew better than to voice her thoughts. She simply nodded, her spirit becoming heavy with guilt for her family's rules and what could have been.
Seeing his daughter in such a state, Hiashi placed his hand on the table, catching her attention with the small sound he made. "If you wish, Hinata, you can ask the cooks for another bento to give the Uzumaki boy next time. I do not mind, but this one is completely dependent on what you choose. I would rather you don't go hungry again if it can be helped."
Hinata blinked. Slowly, she caught the meaning of the words leaving her father's mouth, and she beamed, bowing her head and running to the kitchens as soon as her father gave her permission to leave.