Ch. 16
Return to the Village
2 Years later, Year 8 in the Elemental Nations
"Moriko-neeeeee!" Naisho screeched as he went hurtling out of the village gates and into his older sister's arms. She giggled as she bounced him easily in her arms though he was much larger now, having been growing like a weed recently.
Behind him ran a few Uchiha children his age and a pink-haired girl as they came to join Moriko and Jiraiya, all of them chattering excitedly and asking them about their journeys. Moriko chuckled as Jiraiya flailed, trying to get the excited children off of him before giving up. The gate guard looked highly amused as a disgruntled Jiraiya showed them their passes and signed into the front gate, all the while the excited children chattered happily though Sakura and Sasuke were starting to get competitive again, trying to one-up the other with their stories. Spotting a potential fight, Moriko set Naisho down for a moment so she could pat both children on the head.
"It sounds like the two of you have been doing an excellent job in the academy, I'm very proud of you," she said softly, causing Sakura to beam while Sasuke's face smoothed though his eyes showed happiness. She grinned before pulling the two into a tight hug and releasing them. She turned to Naisho to find his face saddened but determined. She shot him an unimpressed look.
"And you, young man," she began, his face falling as the other children went quiet. Her disapproving look suddenly turned mischievous, "Should have more faith in me. I know you want to be in a team with these two and it's traditional for the dead last to be placed with the top two of the class. Sarutobi-sama sent me a message, concerned as to why you went from having excellent marks to the worst. After he remembered letting that tidbit slip to you at dinner one night, he and I were able to work out why." Naisho looked up with wide eyes.
"That was very ninja-like of you Naruto, good job. As long as you are actually learning the material, I'm not going to complain. Just rub it in the faces of people who sneer at you that you outfoxed the Hokage into getting the team you wanted," she said with a sly grin that he returned before he was scooped up in a tight hug.
"Thank you Moriko-nee," he breathed as the other kids began chattering excitedly. She was sure with how the rumor mill worked that Naruto wouldn't be getting the level of scorn that the dead last usually received from the village.
"What the hell Naisho, why didn't you tell us? We were really worried," Sakura scolded as she whacked the other boy in the arm. He laughed as he slung an arm over both Sakura and Sasuke's shoulder, slightly taller than the other two.
"Ninjas don't tell their secrets Sakura-chan," he said teasingly as Sasuke elbowed him lightly in the side but didn't pull away. Moriko grinned fondly as she followed them into the village. She could feel someone's chakra approaching at speed.
"So, are you in the village to stay this time?" came a voice as the chakra appeared by her side in a shunshin. Moriko was facing them when they appeared, already grinning.
"Well, now that the basics are mostly out of the way, I've got to help Naisho here get started on his other training," she said as the other children began to whisper excitedly to one another and congratulate Naisho. Itachi's mouth gave a slight curl as his eyes lit with happiness.
"So, you're finally trained up to Jiraiya's exacting standards?" Itachi asked smoothly though his eyes sparkled with mirth. Moriko giggled as Jiraiya shot the young man an annoyed look before turning his nose up in the air.
"She better be up to my standard after having trained her the last eight years," he sniffed haughtily sending the kids into peals of giggles.
"What are you going to do without me sensei? Who is going to cook for you and take care of you after a hangover and edit your books?" she asked. Itachi did a double take, face turning red causing Moriko to look at him, not seeing the conflicting emotions that had crossed Jiraiya's face. Naisho, having seen it took the Toad Sannin's hand to squeeze comfortingly. Jiraiya squeezed back.
"You edit those things?" Itachi asked incredulously. A sly grin worked its way onto her beautiful face, eyes twinkling with a slight challenge.
"A bit more than edit," she teased causing the young man's eyes to go wide as the blush went down his neck.
"Why? Have you been reading my work, Itachi?" she teased. His expression smoothed into a blank mask.
"I had wondered at the different writing styles that started appearing more frequently. It was very good, very… descriptive. And very helpful for… certain missions," he said straight-faced though his ears were still rosy. Her eyebrows rose, impressed. Most men fled when she teased in this world. It must have been a cultural thing she had mused at some point.
"My my, how all the little bees must come buzzing to the honeypot," she teased. The red started creeping back into his face and she giggled.
"You've written books Moriko-nee?" Sakura asked, highly interested. For once Moriko's face turned pink as the girl gazed at her with adoring eyes. Itachi's lips twitched with amusement wondering how Moriko was going to explain this one. She cleared her throat uncomfortably before speaking.
"Well, there are books written about when a man and woman are drawn together by an undeniable force. Sometimes it's hate, sometimes it's love, but either way, it's a passion that pulls them together. When adults experience this, it often creates a tension that grows between them until they can take it no longer.
"When this happens, the passion brings them together for an act of love. Sometimes it's sweet, sometimes it's cruel, and sometimes it doesn't make any sense, which is fine. The passion doesn't always have to make sense because something was pulling you two together. Sometimes people find themselves drawn to the same gender.
"Where I grew up, this was fine since real love is to be cherished in all its forms. What's not ok is for adults to feel passion for children until they have grown into adults themselves and have enough life experience to make informed adult decisions. You should not act upon this passion until you are sixteen and older and only with someone your own age. This act should only be done when given permission between both parties and permission for this act can be retracted at any time. Retracting permission should not be shamed or treated with anger, and it doesn't matter if you are a boy or girl, permission is important. When you reach eighteen, you should be old enough to be considered an adult and be able to make these decisions for yourself."
"So, you write about this passion?" Mizuha asked her eyes curious as Moriko pinked again.
"Sometimes. Sometimes I write about the growing tension or um, the act of love," she mumbled embarrassedly.
"Why did you say that it can be sweet or cruel?" asked Akira as his brow furrowed, looking confused. Moriko coughed turning brighter red as Jiraiya and Itachi grinned at her discomfort.
"Well, sometimes a person gets mad at themselves and the other person for feeling the pull towards the other person. Maybe they were your sworn enemy, maybe they were from a rival clan that has been killing each other for years, maybe they betrayed the village. How would you feel if you saw someone like that that you couldn't help but love, even if you didn't want to love them?" she asked as all the young faces turned contemplative, even the adults.
"I'd be upset," Sasuke muttered. Sakura nodded emphatically before the two scowled at each other.
"And sweet?" asked Akane as her head tilted to the side.
"Well, if you both love each other and aren't afraid of these feelings and you both care very much for the other person, it can be very sweet. It can also be very passionate." She said as the kids gazed at her with wide eyes.
"What is an act of love?" Naisho asked as Moriko's face turned red and she sighed. Jiraiya was hiding his guffaws behind his hand as his shoulder shook. Moriko shot them all unimpressed looks.
"There are many acts of love, but this is specifically an adult act of love between two people. When you turn fourteen, Naisho, I will tell you what it means. For the rest of you, you are too young to know, so go ask your parents when you are fourteen. If they don't feel comfortable telling you ask them permission to ask me and I will talk with them in person. This act isn't always safe to do, so you need to be properly educated and old enough before trying it," she warned the wide-eyed kids. They nodded obediently as they reached the doors of the new Uchiha district before rushing in. Sighing, she followed as Jiraiya shot her a questioning look.
"It's best to explain to Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san so this doesn't blindside them," she muttered as the other two men chuckled at her plight. She shot them a withering look.
"I'm home," Itachi called as they began to remove their shoes before entering the house.
"Welcome home. Oh! Moriko-san, Jiraiya-sama, welcome. We weren't sure when you two were getting in this week," Mikoto greeted as she went to peck her son on the cheek. The quiet warmth in his eyes made Mikoto smile warmly prompting the raising of his lips before he went to go get cleaned up.
"Are you two staying for dinner?" Mikoto asked warmly. Moriko's face turned red as the matriarch came closer.
"Ah, I believe I must discuss something with you and your husband and would hate to intrude afterward after possibly causing an inconvenience," she said, before giving a bow of apology. Mikoto frowned in confusion as Jiraiya started shaking with suppressed laughter. Eyeing the laughing Sannin, Mikoto shot the young woman a bemused look.
"You probably haven't been in the village for an hour, what could you have possibly done Moriko-san," Fugaku called as he entered the room. When her face turned as red as her hair, Jiraiya's stifled laughter became more audible as Itachi reentered the room.
"She was asking her sensei what he would do without her now that she would no longer be there to take care of him and edit his books. Some of the girls were impressed that she had published work," Itachi said easily as he grinned at the glaring red-faced woman.
"This is all your fault Itachi, if you hadn't kept bringing it up, they might have let the matter drop," she grumbled as his parent's eyebrows went up and they looked to one another in surprise. He smirked.
"It's your fault for thinking you can tease me like you do Kakashi and Jiraiya-sama. We all know you do it because it's funny," he said still looking a bit smug. She raised a lofty eyebrow.
"It is funny. And yet I seem to recall your face turning red. Did you know that your ears still turn pink when you are trying not to show it?" she pointed out smirking. As if to highlight the fact, Itachi's ears turned bright pink, leading the group to chuckle as the young man shot them an unamused look.
"So should we tell the clan to better hide their porn?" Fugaku asked dryly as Jiraiya began to cackle and Moriko flushed red but still met the clan leader's eyes.
"Probably. I did some damage control, so they didn't pick one up and get the wrong impressions," she said as Fugaku nodded.
"I… also told them to go ask for the talk when they turned fourteen," she mumbled as Fugaku and Mikoto traded amused glances.
"Good. That is usually when young Uchiha are informed." He said as his wife nodded.
"She also told them that if their parents were uncomfortable giving them the facts, the parents should come to talk to her to give their permission to educate them," Itachi pointed out highly amused as Moriko shot him an annoyed look. His parents traded another glance, Fugaku's lips twitching as Mikoto's eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I will inform the clan. Are you alright if I give you written permission from the parents that would prefer that?" Fugaku asked. Moriko's face flushed slightly before she nodded.
"If you want, I can give you a curriculum later so it can be gone over by yourselves and approved," she said as heads of the clan traded amused looks.
"We noticed the writing style and scenarios changed to be far more diverse. I'm sure whatever you decide on will be informed and… descriptive," Mikoto said lightly as the young woman's face glowed bright red, Jiraiya laughing uproariously.
"We will also hide our books better. Thanks for that Itachi," said Fugaku as the young man turned red and shot his father a withering look as the rest of the group laughed.
"I will hide mine better as well," Itachi said easily causing Moriko to groan as she covered her face with her hands, the group laughing at her plight. After a moment the young woman shot him a curious look.
"When did you start reading them Itachi?" she asked. His face went as smooth as a mask though his ears burned bright red, and they could see the flush creeping up his neck. Itachi coughed loudly before speaking.
"Is dinner ready Ka-chan?" Itachi asked. Mikoto grinned, intent on teasing her eldest later.
"Yes, can you please go get Sasuke? Come you two, the road must have been long, and little Naisho and Sakura are already expected," she said with a warm grin as her eldest nodded before vanishing in a shunshin. A moment later he returned with the three children, Naisho on his back while Sakura and Sasuke squabbled under each arm.
"You're so infuriating! Why can't you just admit that I'm just as good as you are?" Sakura demanded, arms crossed from where she dangled in Itachi's grip clearly used to being recalled for dinner in such a fashion.
"Because you would be impossible if I ever did. You're already impossible enough as it is without giving you a big head." Sasuke snipped back. Sakura's face turned red with mounting fury.
"Did you just say that I have a big head," she demanded angry but looking hurt.
"What?! No! It's an expression! It means that you would get all full of yourself and lord it over my head. Don't tell me you wouldn't I know you Sakura!" Sasuke argued back as Moriko's eyebrows rose.
"I can already tell that I'm going to have my work cut out for me whipping your team into shape," Moriko said a little sternly as both kids' eyes snapped to where she stood, their eyes wide. A moment later they both looked down looking contrite.
"We're sorry Moriko-san," they mumbled as she continued to regard them, expression unamused as Itachi set both kids on their feet where they remained shuffling their feet. After a moment she knelt before them to place a hand on each of their shoulders.
"This looks like it's been festering between you two for a long time, so I don't expect us to fix this rift between friends in a night. But I expect you both to try, and I expect to see eventual results, understand?" she said clearly. They both looked up and nodded before she pulled them both into a hug. They hugged back before hugging each other, going to the dinner table looking a lot better. Mikoto shared a glance with her husband, and he nodded. Itachi seemed relieved and sent Moriko a grateful look and she smiled. Jiraiya shook his head, thinking that Moriko would make a fine leader and a wonderful mother someday. Itachi slung a giggling Naisho into a seat beside his friends before sitting beside Moriko as the family sat down for their evening meal.
…
"Moriko-nee! I passed!" cried Naisho excitedly as he dashed out of the academy. He bumped into a girl his age, causing their eyes to lock and Naisho's eyes widened to see that she was crying. This only seemed to upset her further and she ran off, taking to the rooftops as she choked back sobs. Naisho shot Moriko and Jiraiya a hesitant look and Moriko gestured for Naisho to follow the girl. He shot her a grateful look before taking off after her. Moriko made a clone invisibly that she sent after the two kids to listen in.
Naisho followed the girl to the top of a building where she was sobbing and starting to hyperventilate, hands shaking in her hair.
"Hey, you ok?" he asked softly causing the girl to look up in surprise, her large light gray eyes wide. Shame flashed over her face and she looked away, trying to hide her face. Not knowing what to do, Naisho took a seat beside her and hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders, just letting her cry. The clone took a silent watch over the two children from the top of a water tower that they were sitting under so she could hear them well enough.
"They are going to kill me for the shame that I've brought on my family," she sobbed as the boy tightened his grip on her, eyes going hard.
"Who?" he demanded.
"My father and the clan elders! They aren't even going to bother sealing me, they are going to kill me!" she gasped before she began to fully hyperventilate.
"Whoah! Hey, look at me! Just focus on my eyes! Slow down!" Naisho cried as he crouched before the girl, gripping her shoulders tight. The girl winced when Naisho gripped her left shoulder and Moriko's eyes narrowed invisibly. It seemed to work as the two children stared into each other's eyes Naisho breathing purposefully to try to get the girl to follow his, holding their breath on the inhale and breathing deep. Soon, her breathing stopped slipping into hyperventilation and Naisho went to sit before her as he took her hands, his eyes firm.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said firmly and her tears began to well once more.
"But they are my clan, they have the power to do whatever they want," she whimpered as Naisho's eyes went hard.
"I don't give a damn who the hell they are! They aren't going to get their grubby hands on you, dattebayo!" he declared, eyes now burning with anger.
"But you're just a genin! There's nothing you can do!" she cried.
"My big sister can. She's really strong and so is her master, and she loves kids. If your family tried to kill you, she would destroy them all," the boy said with resolution as the girl's eyes went wide in shock.
"But my clan is really powerful and really old. There is no way she could destroy them," she argued as Naisho shot her a slight smirk.
"My Nee-chan has a favorite quote when things get hard. The difficult, we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer," he said with a grin though the girl still didn't look too comforted.
"But why would she? She doesn't even know me," she whispered and Naisho thought back on the days when he had been called Naruto, so long ago; how the woman had smiled kindly and taken him in ever since.
"Because that's the way my Moriko-nee-chan is. She's going to love you and she's very protective of children, just you wait and see," Naisho declared as the girl stared at him with wide eyes. Her stomach growled and Naisho chuckled as she blushed.
"I'll be right back, let me go get us some food. Wait here!" he called as the girl stared after him clearly bewildered. Moriko's clone created another couple of invisible clones, one to release itself to tell the original Moriko what was going on, and one to go watch over her kid as she remained silent and waiting. He hadn't been gone for even a minute before a man appeared beside the girl. The clone stiffened when it felt something invisible bump it before the clone relaxed and released itself silently without smoke. The real Moriko was now here and watching the man like a hawk.
"Hinata-chan! There you are! Where did you run off to? I didn't get the chance to tell you," he said as he panted lightly before taking a seat by the girl. Moriko's eyes had narrowed to slits as she watched on invisible and silent.
"Mizuki-sensei? What did you have to tell me?" asked the girl, eyes wide and sorrowful. He shot the girl a rueful smile before giving her a side hug.
"I wish I had been able to tell you before you ran off so you wouldn't have gotten so upset. There is a test reserved for promising students we teachers agree should be given a second shot at passing. It's far more difficult, but if you achieve the objective, you more than deserve to be a ninja of the leaf," he said before giving the girl's hair a light ruffle. Her face fell as she looked down.
"My family is going to be furious that I didn't pass the first time though. I don't know why I wasn't able to do any jutsu," she whispered fearfully as the teacher pat her shoulder comfortingly.
"Stress gets to the best of us sometimes Hinata-chan," he said soothingly as the young woman glared down at him. There were only a few things that kept a ninja from being able to access their chakra and stress wasn't one of them.
"But you need to try, for yourself and for your clan. This opportunity could have gone to another student, but if you don't use it, then the chance doesn't get used by anyone. Is that what you want Hinata-chan?" he asked kindly as Moriko began envisioning all the ways she was going to enjoy killing him for the flawless manipulation of a traumatized child and fearful child.
"Yes. I should at least try," she murmured looking fearful but determined.
"Good. There is a scroll in the Hokage tower that you need to get for your test," he said before explaining to the girl where to find it and where to meet him when she had it. She nodded in determination before the man disappeared. Moriko kept a close watch on his chakra to determine if he was still watching as the girl stood. When the girl leaped from the rooftop, the man's chakra left. A few seconds later Naisho arrived, bearing takeout and Moriko dropped down revealing herself.
"Seal the food in your stasis seal, we need to go after her," she said, tone hard and the boy's eyes widened before he did as asked, Moriko keeping a watch on the girl's and man's different chakras. With that, she scooped the boy up, slinging him on her back, and disappeared in a shunshin only to reappear behind the startled girl before scooping her up and flashing across the village in a shunshin. The girl tried to use the gentle fist but her arms were expertly pinned to her body. Before she could panic she registered the face of the boy that had been talking to her, Naisho, as it grinned from her kidnapper's back.
"No! I need to complete the test! It's the only way!" the girl cried as Moriko appeared in the Sarutobi compound.
"That man, your teacher, sabotaged your genin exam because he knows you have a bad home life. He knew failure could be deadly for you, so you would be desperate enough by the situation to not look underneath the underneath in the hopes of passing. I'm going to skin him alive, and we are going to make sure that no matter what happens, you're ok, do you understand?" she asked the girl whose eyes went wide as she started at the firm but kind face of the woman, the evening sun making her and Naisho's hair glow in the warm light.
The girl slowly nodded and the woman set her gently on her feet before offering the kids a hand to hold. Naisho took it without hesitation and the girl hesitantly followed his lead before they went into the house together. Asuma looked up from where he was reading at the dining table, his brow furrowing as he picked up on the anger in his friend's form.
"What's going on?" he asked concerned as the young woman had the kids sit at the dining room table, Naisho sitting beside the girl so he could put a comforting arm around her shoulders as she seemed to wilt into her seat.
"I need you to go get your father. There is a traitor in the village and he just sabotaged and failed this girl's genin exam then tried to use her to get the Forbidden Scroll saying that it was the makeup exam. Be subtle Asuma," she said sharply.
Asuma's eyes went wide and he disappeared in a whirl of leaves. Jiraiya entered a few seconds later, his expression grim as he fingered the seal on his wrist that allowed them to communicate in pulses of chakra and morse code. Soon there was a flash of leaves and the two Sarutobi appeared before joining them around the table, Hiruzen puffing on his pipe.
"Plan?" Jiraiya asked as the old man frowned.
"Hinata-chan, what caused you to fail your exam?" asked the old man and she shrank into herself.
"I-I couldn't u-use my chakra during the exam," she whispered and the old man nodded.
"Can you use it now?" he asked. The girl hesitantly put her hands in a ram seal and a clone popped into existence beside her. He nodded sharply.
"Good," he said before pulling a forehead protector out of his pocket and sliding it over to the stunned girl.
"As a genin of Konoha, I have an A-rank mission for you. I want to give you a false Forbidden scroll and I want you to meet the traitor where he specified. There will be ninjas close by to keep you safe and protected. The alarms will be sounded to make sure that the traitor knows when to meet you. Do you accept?" he asked as the girl's eyes went wide before determination lit in them.
"Y-yes Hokage-sama!" she said resolutely and the old man nodded.
"Excellent."
"Can I go with her Hokage-sama? Hidden as the scroll?" Moriko asked. The old man puffed on his pipe as he thought it over before nodding.
"I'm sure your particular talents will help her get where she needs to go without being stopped by the village ninja," he said as Moriko nodded once before using hand signs to communicate with the adults.
She told Naisho that she would be killed by the clan for failing to pass and her left shoulder seemed to be injured. I think this situation might make her home life worse, despite it not being her fault.
The Hokage's eyes darkened considerably and he nodded as the table digested the news.
"Hinata-chan, before we let you complete your mission, we need to see your left shoulder." At his words, the girl seemed to freeze, panic in her eyes. Hesitantly she removed her jacket. Her tank top did nothing to hide the enormous bruising to her left shoulder and the many splotchy bruises dotting her arms. The adults in the room all stilled and the girl seemed to draw into herself.
"I-I trained very hard to pass the exam," she said quietly and the Hokage breathed out a curl of thick smoke that seemed to voice his displeasure. He knew what Juken strikes looked like when they bruised, and a good portion of her bruises weren't from that. If anything they looked like defensive bruising. It seemed Moriko's concerns were well justified, but this was a tricky situation.
"You know... I had to stop her from stealing the scroll, and she was planning on doing it," Moriko spoke out while Naisho and Hinata shot her betrayed looks. She merely sent them a wink and an encouraging grin as the Hokage nodded catching onto her line of thinking.
The clan heiress making claims upon her father and clan would be run roughshod over. If the girl had been caught doing something treasonous to the village, Hiruzen would be in his authority to have her mind read. What was read in her mind would be irrefutable proof that could not be brushed aside, but a clan head would never allow it to happen. This move would allow them to go over the clan head's authority on the matter since it was a matter of village security.
"Before your mission, you will be subjected to a mind walk to ensure that you are not a 'risk' to the village. The official story is that you were caught in the attempt Hinata-chan, do you understand? Everything hinges on you stating that you were caught stealing the scroll," he said as she shot them confused looks.
Moriko came over to whisper in the girl's ear.
"Just trust us, we are going to protect you. This will clear you of suspicion and give us proof, allowing us to protect you, even from your family," she whispered as the girl's eyes went wide, blood draining from her face as tears began to form.
"B-but I don't want anyone to see," she whispered back, tears starting to fall. The hug Moriko gave the girl was very gentle.
"It will only be one person, then the Hokage will have irrefutable proof and you will never have to tell anyone again," she whispered as she gently took the girl's shaking hand. The girl squeezed back tightly.
...
Moriko went with the girl to T and I, holding Hinata's hand as they walked through the halls to make sure she knew she wasn't alone. The Hokage and Jiraiya walked ahead of them, talking quietly over the best course of action to get the girl away from her family, running through scenarios and ways into trapping Hiashi into releasing her.
She already had a measure of protection being made a genin, since that would make her a ninja of the village first and foremost. It would not be in the Hyuga family's authority to kill one of the Hokage's ninjas without express permission or due justification no matter how they might threaten their clan members. Branch members had been blinded, or left brain dead in the past but not killed, it was just not done.
The girl was shaking as she sat in a seat in the center of the room, Moriko moving to the side to hold her hand as Inoichi came in dressed in his T and I uniform. He knelt down before the shaking girl to gently grip her hand and give her a reassuring smile.
"It's going to be alright," he murmured quietly as she gripped the hand back, eyes wide with fear shoulders hunched in shame.
"Is it going to hurt?" she whispered and he shook his head gently placing his hand to the side of her head.
"Just keep looking into my eyes," he murmured before muttering Saiko Denshin under his breath. The child's grip tightened a few times as long minutes stretched. After twenty minutes, Inoichi seemed to blink into awareness as did Hinata. He gave the girl a sad smile.
"You're such a brave young lady," he praised. Her face crumpled and she lunged forward to wrap small arms around his shoulders.
"How can you call me brave after seeing all that?" she sobbed and he held her carefully.
"It's because I have seen that I know you are brave," he said quietly as she began to cry harder and he stood as he held the crying girl. Behind her back, he began to sign.
The Hyuga clan is on the brink of a civil war due to rising tensions between the main and branch family. As suspected, there have been several cases of abuse for the girl and others. An elder killed an active-duty branch member a week ago with the seal. The person they sent to impersonate them was listed as KIA from a mission yesterday while the imposter made their way back to the village.
The Hokage nodded stonily before turning to speak quietly with Jiraiya as Moriko hovered beside Inoichi. When Hinata finally looked up Moriko gave her a gentle grin.
"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" she asked softly and the child shook her head as her grip on Inoichi tightened. He patted her back reassuringly. When she began to pull back he gently set her on her feet and Moriko offered a hand. This time Hinata didn't hesitate and slipped her fingers into the woman's larger warm hand. The group ahead continued conversing quietly and Moriko turned to look to Inoichi.
"Do you offer therapy or counseling Inoichi-sama?" she asked quietly. Inoichi seemed to think for a moment, catching the line of her thoughts easily enough. Hinata would most likely be more open with him compared to others considering he had seen firsthand her experiences and hadn't condemned her for it. He gave a kind smile down to the girl.
"No but for you I will make an exception," he said with a wink causing Hinata to smile tremulously up at him.
"Hinata-chan, do you still think you will be able to do the mission?" the Hokage asked as he drew closer. The girl seemed to draw herself up to her full height, her shoulders straightening with determination.
"H-hai, Hokage-sama," she said resolutely. The Hokage nodded, before patting her head.
"You have done well Hinata-chan. Moriko, use your abilities to get her to the meeting spot undetected and stay with her. If my anbu are not able to act in time or if you feel Hinata-chan is in danger, protect her and apprehend the traitor for interrogation," he said. Moriko bowed before gently lifting the girl into her arms.
"Ready for your first mission Hinata-chan?" the girl's nod was firm, eyes burning with determination.
"Hai," she whispered. With that, the two disappeared from the bowls of T and I.
AN: The Kumo Incident never happened due to the butterfly effect, but it also means that Hizashi was alive and able to grow more resentful of the main branch as the years passed, causing growing strain between him and his brother Hiashi.
A part of me also believes that Hiashi being killed by his own clan to cover for his brother might have made the branch house fearful that the elders wouldn't have an issue killing them as well, causing them to be less vocal in their protests in cannon.
This also lead to growing strain between the branch and main family causing even more pressure to be put on Hiashi and Hinata which only caused the girl to make more mistakes and feel even more pressure to improve.
Without Naruto there to act as a beacon of hope for Hinata, and such a repressive strict household that was worse than cannon I can see the situation realistically escalating to domestic abuse, most likely during training if she wasn't doing as well as expected and Hiashi's or the trainer's frustration got the better of them.
From my own childhood to adulthood, I understand that people lash out at the people they feel safe doing so.
It could be someone lower in position than yourself, at children, or someone you feel safe and secure with, hence why children lashing out is a good sign in abused children. It means that they feel safe enough to do so.