A/N – Hnn, I'm trying to write smut but my brain is dummy thicc and the clap of my hippocampus and amygdala keeps alerting the lore.

Remember when I said this was an excuse for smut? Have 6k more of lore, lmao.

Kurenai was furious as she left the Hyūga compound, her new student in tow with only a backpack containing all the belongings that she was allowed to bring with her.

The nerve of Hyūga Hiashi, to say such cruel words, knowing full well his daughter could hear him. Kurenai had half a mind to –

She heard a sniffle, and stopped as she realised that she had walked too far ahead. Hinata, her head bowed down in misery, quickly wiped her eyes, but the shakes going through her body didn't fool Kurenai.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan." Kurenai apologised as Hinata caught up to her. "I was lost in thought. You can tell me if I go too fast."

Hinata just nodded in a way that conveyed she would absolutely not be doing that.

Kurenai suppressed a sigh. The poor girl's already having a bad time. If she thinks Kurenai's irritated with her, she will just clam up even harder.

Although Kurenai couldn't blame her. Being disowned in favour of your younger sister and being left in the care of your sensei that you only met yesterday was a hell of a shock to a young child.

As they went to Kurenai's apartment building, she put a hold on most of her thoughts. First, she needed to get Hinata settled in. She wouldn't get used to her new living situation immediately, but the more comfortable she was, the better.

Kurenai unlocked the door, holding it open for Hinata to go in first. The poor girl looked like she was expecting a monster to materialize and eat her.

"Would you prefer if I went first, Hinata-chan?" Kurenai kept her voice soft and non-judgmental, although the full body flinch that went through Hinata spoke to its futility. She just mutely nodded, and walked in, removing her sandals and standing there awkwardly.

'This is going to take a while'

"Would you like something to eat or drink, Hinata-chan?"

Kurenai didn't really expect an answer, and was surprised to hear an almost impossibly quiet voice stutter, "J-just, just w-water p-please, sensei."

"Of course. Take a seat, Hinata-chan." Kurenai smiled, and got a glass of water for her, putting it on the table in front of her.

Hinata quietly drank, tears still silently leaving her eyes, chest heaving in quiet sobs.

Kurenai decided to give the girl some time alone instead of sitting there staring at her. "Why don't you wait here for a few minutes? I'll get the guest bedroom ready for you."

"T-that w-will not be n-n-necessary, S-Sensei." Hinata seemed more and more miserable as the stutter stubbornly refused to leave. "I-I don't want t-to, to i-impose on you."

Kurenai should've kicked Hiashi in the head as she left.

"Hinata-chan, it's no imposition." Kurenai knew as she said it that it was not the best thing to say. Hinata didn't believe her, and she didn't know how to make her believe the words, because the truth was, it was an imposition. Kurenai signed up for a Genin team. Those generally go back to their own homes at the end of the day. And now here she was, having to take care of a child full-time as opposed to as a Jōnin teacher. Still, Kurenai persevered. "You are my student, and I don't mind having you live with me."

Another thing Kurenai absolutely refused to bring up was that she was sure Hinata didn't have anywhere to go. As of half-an-hour ago, Hinata was a ward of the Village. Kurenai was distantly aware that Hinata was somewhat friendly with the two Uchiha boys, but it would be unforgivably naive to expect Uchiha Fugaku to take her in simply based on that. He might just to spite the Hyūga, but he might also not to avoid rocking the boat.

Hinata was concerningly silent for a while, then simply nodded, and Kurenai decided that maybe it would be best to leave words for the morning. She got up with another kind smile to get the guest bedroom ready.

_

It had been two months since Hinata's disownment, and Kurenai was still working on convincing the girl that she was not going to be thrown out at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, it was a work in progress. Fortunately, her teammates were keeping her mind off of that little issue.

The news had gone through the village fast enough, everyone knowing by the next morning that the Hyūga heiress had been disowned since she 'did not exhibit qualities desirable in the future Head of the clan'.

Fancy words which just meant that they thought she was too weak to bother with.

On one hand, Kurenai was sure she had never been this angry before. On the other hand, she had never been so productive when it came to creating new Genjutsu. Painful ones.

Currently Team 8 was on a mission to paint the fences around one of the recreational parks in Konoha. Kurenai and Kiba (and Akamaru) were resting, while Hinata and Shino went to get more paint from the hardware store. Once they got back, Kurenai and Kiba would take over again.

Kurenai felt the kikaichū Shino had left on her person click rapidly, and expanded her chakra to find Hinata and Shino. They were not far, but they were walking back quickly. Hinata's chakra seemed unstable. Most likely anxiety, knowing her. But she was fine when she had left, what could have changed?

"Kiba, Akamaru." Kurenai gestured towards where they were coming from. "Do you smell anyone other than Hinata and Shino?"

Akamaru sat up, sniffed, and barked twice. Kiba's hackles raised. "Akamaru doesn't smell anyone else, but Hinata-chan smells of fear."

Hinata and Shino were within eyesight now. When they reached them, Kurenai took them inside, citing a 10-minute break. She gestured at Kiba to keep quiet, which seemed like it would be a big ask at the moment, given that he looked about ready to vibrate out of his skin. Kurenai was thankful that her team were fond of each other (it certainly made teamwork easier, and it was also very amusing to see Kakashi and Asuma try to wrangle their disorderly Genin), but at the moment, they couldn't smother Hinata.

"What happened?" She asked in her best Jōnin voice.

When Hinata only looked back at where she came from, fiddling with her fingers, Shino took it upon himself to answer. "Hinata was accosted by a Hyūga clan elder. He seemed to be threatening her. Hinata has been keeping an eye out. Why? Because she has been worried that we would be followed and has used the Byakugan multiple times to ensure it does not happen."

Whatever a clan elder wanted from her, it couldn't be good.

"What did he want?" Kiba asked, ready for a fight that he would absolutely lose.

'This boy...'

Hinata just shook her head vehemently, trembling lightly, although Kurenai was unsure she was aware of it herself. It didn't seem like she would tell them, and Kurenai didn't think it would be a good idea to do that in public either.

She handed Hinata and Shino the water bottles. "Drink up, we'll finish the mission first. Then we'll talk about this, okay?" Kurenai was aware she hadn't voiced it as a question, but she was worried about Hinata.

Thankfully, Hinata nodded, and took a drink of water.

They continued painting the fence, switching after a while for Shino and Hinata to take over, and Hinata seemed to get better with something to do.

By the time evening rolled around, they were done and on their way back. Kurenai had sent Kiba, Akamaru and Shino home, much to their silent (and loud) protests, but claiming that their parents would be waiting and that they would definitely be informed tomorrow helped.

After they were back home, they both took a seat at the dining table, and Kurenai waited for Hinata to explain what had happened.

"I-I," Hinata began, then stopped, fiddling with her fingers anxiously. She shot a quick look up at Kurenai, who smiled at her encouragingly. Bolstered, Hinata continued. "I-I was leaving the s-store after getting the paint, and Shino-kun was inside paying for it, when E-Elder H-H-Hideki came up to me." She looked about ready to burst into tears, and Kurenai would have loved more than anything to tell her that she didn't need to recount what happened, but she did, and so she stayed silent. "H-H-He said that I was a b-burden on my teammates, and t-t-that I was bringing s-shame onto the main family by being," She sniffled and wiped her nose, tears coming down faster and faster. Kurenai knelt beside her and hugged her, trying to comfort her. "p-p-pathetic enough to be d-disowned. And that it would be b-better for the good of Konoha if I was s-sealed and f-f-forbidden from being a n-ninja."

'Oh Hyūga Hideki the very special Genjutsu I have for you...'

"Hinata-chan, look at me, sweetheart." Kurenai rubbed her shoulder, trying to calm her hitching breaths. "That won't happen, okay? I won't let you get sealed."

Inexplicably, Hinata only cried harder. Kurenai was genuinely confused now. She didn't think that what she said warranted such a reaction.

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata wiped her red eyes again. "I-It's j-just so s-s-selfish o-of me, S-Sensei, to n-not w-want to b-be s-sealed, w-when better p-people than m-me have the s-seal." She spoke between hitched breaths, and Kurenai had to pinch herself to not fall into a haze of rage.

Honestly, how fucked up was this clan that a 12 year old was worried about being selfish for not wanting a seal that could be used anytime to hurt her?

"Hinata-chan, look at me." Kurenai said sternly, and only continued when Hinata obeyed. "You are not selfish for not wanting that, okay? No, let me finish." Hinata closed her mouth and nodded miserably. Kurenai was blowing this, wasn't she? "The Caged Bird Seal is an abomination and should never have existed. It may have been useful as protection at some point in time, but now it's just an inhumane way to torture the Branch when they do something the Main Family doesn't agree with."

Kurenai didn't know much about the Caged Bird Seal, but what little she had heard ensured she didn't feel all that bad about the words she was saying.

It was a long while before Hinata was consoled enough to stop crying, and Kurenai had just sent her to go wash her face when there was a knock at her door.

_

"Aniki, are we there yet?"

Itachi sighed. As beloved as his little brother was, he was also incredibly annoying sometimes. Mostly on purpose.

"Not yet, Otōto. You know that. We have visited Yūhi-san before." Before Sasuke could complain again just because he was bored, Itachi continued. "The more you complain, the more time it will take for us to get there."

Sasuke huffed. "That's not true!"

Itachi doubled down, engaging in the favourite pastime of big brothers everywhere. Lying. "Yes it is! The roads can hear when little boys complain a lot, and because they are mischievous beings, they stretch out so you have to walk longer. The more you walk, the more you complain, and the more you complain, the more you walk."

Sasuke looked appropriately suspicious. "What happens then?"

"You keep walking until you get so tired you can't anymore, and then the road eats you."

"You're just lying! Why are you even coming with me!" Sasuke punched him in the leg. "I can get there by myself! I'm a grown shinobi!"

"We've been over this Sasuke." Itachi said as they reached Kurenai's apartment building, holding back an amused smile. 'Fully grown at 13, what a riot'. "Okaa-san would prefer that I bring you home with me."

There were a few moments of quiet as they climbed up the stairs.

"Aniki?"

"Yes, Otōto?"

"Do you think Hinata will come to train with us?"

Itachi hummed in consideration. Unfortunately, all of Sasuke's friendships contained some manner of suffocation, either suffered by him (Naruto and Sakura) or inflicted by him (Hinata). Still, he had to give an answer. "It depends, Otōto, if she's not tired from a mission, then yes, she might come to train with us."

Itachi knocked on Kurenai's door, and was surprised at the strength with which it opened. Kurenai's glare immediately left on seeing them. Perhaps she was expecting someone else.

"Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun, how can I help?"

Itachi was about to explain, but apparently it was the day for Sasuke to put on his big boy pants. "We wanted to ask if Hinata would train with us, Yūhi-san."

Itachi's eyebrows almost flew off of his face. Sasuke knew the basics of politeness (Mikoto has drilled them into both of them), but seldom chose to use them, because 'people get annoying very quickly when you're nice to them'. In Sasuke's defence, he is not wrong. Their respective fangirls are evidence of that.

Kurenai quickly turned a grimace into a smile. 'Interesting'. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun, but Hinata can't come to train at the moment."

Sasuke immediately lost all politeness. "Is she okay? Did she get hurt? I told her to just let Inuzuka take the hit, maybe he'll get some sense knocked into him." He ranted as he pushed his way in past a surprised Kurenai. Good. A few more moments and he would have wondered if Sasuke had been body-snatched. Mikoto would have been furious.

"I apologise on behalf of my Otōto, Kurenai-san." It wouldn't do to barge into her house unapologetically. Itachi had no interest in getting stuck in a Genjutsu.

Kurenai gave a long suffering sigh, suddenly looking stressed. "It's alright, Itachi-san. Maybe having friends around will be good for her at the moment. Please, come in." She opened the door wider.

Sasuke was glaring at Hinata, waiting for a response. "Well?"

"A-Ano..."

Hinata looked at Kurenai and Itachi pleadingly. They both looked back with no idea of what Sasuke might have asked her. Then the lightbulb went off.

"Hinata-chan had a bad day, Sasuke-kun. She's not quite up to training." Kurenai said, leaning against the kitchen doorway. "And we were out all day on a mission, so we are tired as well."

"What do you mean bad day?" Sasuke frowned, then sighed long-sufferingly, in the manner of an old, old man who had suffered so, so much in life. It was the funniest thing to see him do. "Was it Dobe again? I'm telling you, he's an idiot. Find someone else to get a crush on."

Both Itachi and Kurenai winced.

'Too straightforward, Sasuke'

"I-It's not that." Hinata pushed her fingers together, then looked towards Kurenai again. Kurenai took the hint.

"I'll make some tea." Kurenai said, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Hinata-chan, would you mind helping me?"

Hinata immediately agreed and followed Kurenai.

Sasuke sat down in a huff, crossing his arms and looking like an angry squirrel. Unfortunately, there was something else Itachi needed to focus on.

"Sasuke," He looked up at Itachi. "Tact, Otōto."

"I was tactful." Sasuke replied, stubbornly.

Itachi suppressed a laugh. "That was tact? You telling her that she should let her teammate take blows for her and transfer her crush onto someone else?"

"Yes."

There was only a low murmur of voices from the kitchen which Itachi was trying not to listen to. He was there as a friend's brother. It would be rude.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. Sasuke did not elaborate.

It was one of the many reasons Itachi enjoyed being a brother.

Soon enough, Kurenai and Hinata came back, with a tray of teacups and a plate of wagashi. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Before he could offend their hosts even further by complaining about the sweets, Hinata cleared her throat.

_

"That's bullshit!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Otōto! Language."

"Aniki! You heard what she said!"

Itachi sighed. He did indeed, hear what Hinata had to say. And, although he wouldn't bring it up, it seemed quite... juvenile, for an Elder to behave this way, frightening as it was for Hinata.

"But Aniki!" Sasuke was incredibly worked up, and Hinata was sitting there completely wilted, sullenly shoving wagashi into her mouth. "That old bastard can't do that!"

"I know, Otōto." Itachi gestured discreetly at Hinata and, thankfully, Sasuke realised that his outburst wasn't helping. He sat back down, frowning harder than ever.

"We won't let it happen, Sasuke-kun." Kurenai tried to comfort them both, but it was clear it was not working. That's fine. There was a very obvious fact they hadn't realised yet.

"Hinata-chan," Itachi addressed her, continuing when she looked at him. "Hyūga Hideki will not be able to seal you, because doing so will be against the law."

Everyone blinked as they digested that.

"B-but Itachi-san, the Hyūga clan – "

"Is autonomous to a high degree as far as clan matters are concerned." Itachi finished gently for her. "I am aware, so are the Uchiha. But the fact here that you seem to be missing, is that the Caged Bird Seal can only be applied to members of the Hyūga clan."

Kurenai seemed to understand what he was getting at, evidenced by the widening of her eyes. Sasuke and Hinata, however, did not.

"You are not longer a part of the Hyūga clan." Itachi breezed over the fact. "If the Hyūga tried to seal you, they would be sealing a kunoichi of Konoha, who is a ward of the Village, which is incredibly illegal."

Hinata looked immensely relieved, and Sasuke seemed to immediately dismiss the whole situation, considering it solved. Kurenai, however, did seem thoughtful.

He waited to see if she would bring up what was troubling her, but she did not, and a couple hours later, their visit ended, and it was time to go home.

_

As Hinata went to bed, emotionally and physically exhausted from the day she had had, Kurenai was grateful that she was not worried about Hyūga Hideki, but she couldn't bring herself to share that same carefree demeanor.

Hyūga Hideki was a clan elder and, possibly senile or not, he must truly believe they could get away with sealing Hinata.

Kurenai, too worked up to sleep, decided to think of ways they could accomplish that.

Itachi was right, they couldn't seal a ward of the Village. But if they sealed her and then brought her back into the fold, or vice versa, would the Hokage be able to intervene?

No. Even if he wanted to, the Village Council would consider the matter closed. The Hyūga had enough political capital to make it happen.

On top of that, a ward being taken into a clan meant less strain on the Village Treasury.

No, Hinata couldn't risk not doing anything. The Hyūga were too confident, and their reputation had taken a hit with the population. The shinobi populace kept quiet about it, but the civilians were quite open about their disapproval.

The Hyūga cared more about the shinobi populace than the civilians, but if they believed Hinata was actively damaging their reputation, they might follow up on the threat.

This was not even considering Hanabi. Hinata doted on her little sister, and if the Hyūga used her, then Hinata would submit to anything, including the seal.

'What to do?'

_

Kurenai was more worried than ever. If she had thought that the situation with Hyūga Hideki was going to be a one time thing, she was very wrong.

Over the next few weeks, there had been many more instances of Hyūga Hideki accosting Hinata, each of those times when Hinata was somehow alone, even though Team 8 was doing their best to keep her in their sights.

It was affecting Hinata as well. The fear of being sealed was returning and the poor girl felt as if she was a burden on everyone and that they wouldn't have to deal with this if it wasn't for her.

It was on one such evening, that things came to a head. Kurenai was keeping a discreet eye on Hinata to gauge her mood. She seemed thoughtful, and Kurenai, for the life of her, could not figure out whether it was a good or bad thing.

She didn't ask what Hinata was thinking about. She had figured out by now that Hinata did not do well with being pressured into speaking, a product of being unheard and dismissed by her former family.

"S-Sensei?"

Kurenai paused her contemplation. "Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"I-I would like," she stopped, and Kurenai thought she would give up, but she took a deep breath, fingers curling into a fist, and continued. "I would like to m-make an appointment with H-Hokage-sama."

Kurenai was shocked into silence. There were many things she had expected. There were even more that she had hoped for, but this was...

Kurenai realised that Hinata would need an answer to carry this show of bravery through. "May I ask why, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata pushed her fingers together, not entirely back to nervous mousiness but also not as sure as she was when she had asked. "I w-want to make a r-request."

Kurenai considered it. She was very proud that Hinata was taking initiative, but she was not sure if the Hokage could do much about this. He could reprimand Hyūga Hideki, maybe even give a restraining order. But any true punishment would have to be enforced by the Clan Head, which was not going to happen. 'Still,' Kurenai thought, 'just disagreeing outright will smash the surprising confidence she has shown'.

"Sure," Kurenai smiled at her encouragingly. "We'll talk to him when we go to get our mission tomorrow?"

Hinata looked unsure, but nodded.

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata closed her eyes in defeat, as if expecting a refusal, and said, her volume decreasing with every word, "I was hoping we could... could go... today..."

Kurenai sighed.

Well...

There was something she wanted to talk to him about as well.

_

Minato was stuck in paperwork Hell, which was compounded by the fact that for the past couple of weeks, Naruto had been upset that he had been home late. Minato had vowed he would find free time to spend with his family, but even the Hiraishin was not going to help him here.

'This is going to be another late night. I hope Naruto and Kushi-chan go to bed on time'

"Hokage-sama."

Minato massaged his temples. "Yes, Genma?"

"Yūhi Kurenai and Hinata here to see you."

Minato looked out of the window in surprise. The sun had long since set given it was winter. It was not quite late enough to be unreasonable, but certainly enough to be strange.

"Send them in." He allowed with a frown.

They were fine when they came with the rest of Team 8 to give their report. He settled his face into a smile as they entered and bowed.

"Good evening Kurenai, Hinata-chan. How can I help you?"

Kurenai rested her hand on Hinata's shoulder and the girl stepped forward, looking nervous, but resolutely facing forward.

"H-Hokage-sama," Hinata began, and steeled herself when Minato gave an encouraging nod, clenching her hands tightly behind her back. "I would like to r-request that a new seal be made for m-my Byakugan."

Minato sat back in surprise. One look at Kurenai told him that the request was a surprise to her as well.

"Why do you want that, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata looked astonished for a split second, as if she had expected him to refuse and send her on her way immediately, but then gathered her courage and explained. "Hokage-sama, I-I agree that the Byakugan must not get into enemy hands, b-but the Caged Bird Seal has not been the way to do it for a very long time. It is simply used to s-suppress the Branch Family. I c-cannot accept the Caged Bird Seal. I am not a H-Hyūga and I-I do not want it either. If a new seal is made, then maybe the Main Family will be encouraged to find a way to remove the old seal and a-adopt the new one."

Minato considered Hinata for a moment, who was now staring at her feet, the well of courage seemingly running low after that speech. It was a noble thought. Naive, but noble. Minato knew that it would take a lot more than just a new seal to abolish the monstrosity that was the Caged Bird Seal, but it would be a start. Still, with the way Kurenai was attempting to hide a frown and looking at Hinata in veiled concern, Minato was sure he was missing some information.

He was thinking about how to answer, when the door opened with a bang.

"Tou-san!" His son yelled, stepping up to the desk, knocking into Kurenai on the way there, seemingly not noticing the meeting he had interrupted. Minato sighed internally. They tried, but Naruto was a headstrong kid. "Kaa-san wants to know when you'll be home for dinner."

The words were said with a stubborn lift to his head that said that Kushina had no idea he was here to ask this. Minato noticed Hinata blushing furiously, sneaking quick peeks at Naruto and turning away. Well, for once Naruto's timing was good.

"Naruto, I just needed to talk with Kurenai about something, why don't you and Hinata-chan wait outside? You can tell her about the new seals you've been learning." He suggested, hoping Naruto would help his old man out without too much complaint. "This will be my last order of business, then I'll go with you, okay?"

Naruto looked at him hopefully, trying to disguise it as suspicion. "Really?"

"Promise."

"Okay! Come on, Hinata-chan!" Naruto grabbed her hand and ran out, the door banging shut behind him. What a loud kid. Minato loved him. Now, back to business.

"Kurenai. Have a seat."

She turned from where she was staring after the children and sat down. "Hokage-sama."

Minato steepled his fingers. "I'm missing something. What is it?"

Kurenai sighed, slouching in a way that made her seem older than she was.

"Over the past two months, Hyūga Hideki has been accosting Hinata and threatening to seal her and forbid her from being a ninja if she brings shame upon the Hyūga clan." She spat out every word in fury, as if she wished to create a Genjutsu out of them to trap Hyūga Hideki in. "We tried to keep at least one person with her, but that just lowers her confidence. She thinks that she's being a burden and insists that she can do things alone but then Hyūga shows up and – " Kurenai sighed, pushing her hair back as she rubbed her face tiredly. "For a moment, I thought she was going to ask to be removed from Team 8. I'm glad she didn't."

Minato considered this, suppressing anger at what he was hearing. Disowning was not enough, the Hyūga had stooped to emotionally tormenting a child.

"That won't happen, Kurenai." Minato said matter-of-factly. "She is no longer a part of the clan. The Hyūga can't go around sealing Konoha shinobi. If they wanted to seal her, they should've done it before they disowned her."

Kurenai cringed. Minato was aware that he sounded harsh, but it was true. She was safe from the seal as long as she was outside the clan. Although, it seemed that Kurenai thought otherwise. "You don't agree?"

"I – " Kurenai began, then, deciding how to best word it, continued. "I worry that if it comes down to it, the Hyūga will find a loophole around it." She grew more and more agitated as she spoke, her foot quietly tapping on the floor. "They could bring her back into the fold and then seal her, or they could threaten her using Hanabi or – "

Minato held up a hand, prompting her to stop. "I see." Minato considered her for a moment. "Is that all you were here for?"

Kurenai steeled herself. "No, Hokage-sama, I have a request as well."

Minato smiled when he heard that. "I thought so, you looked about as nervous as Hinata did." He grinned at her, and the joke did lighten the mood somewhat.

"I would like to adopt Hinata into the Yūhi family."

Well, today was a day for surprises it seemed. Kurenai continued before he could prompt a further explanation.

"I have thought about it for a while." She said, wetting her lips. This was so hard, even though Minato was being so encouraging. She took a fortifying breath. "Hinata needs family, Hokage-sama. Currently, she only has a sister who is forbidden from seeing her, a father who could not be bothered and a cousin who hates her. Legally, she has no family at all. The team helps, so do her friends among the Rookie 12, but it's not enough. I know that I would like to have a little sister, and I think she won't mind having an older one."

Kurenai thought about ending it there, but decided to add a little to bolster her case. "I also think it is easier for the Hyūga to approach her as a ward of the Village, since they can always give the excuse that they are testing to see if she can be brought back in. If she already belongs to a family, then they will have no choice but to stay away or answer some very uncomfortable questions."

'Also, I will be able to trap them in Genjutsu without anyone questioning me'

Minato grinned wider as if he could hear her thoughts, and finally, said with a laugh, "You don't have to sell me on this Kurenai, I was on board when you said she needed family."

At her look of astonishment, Minato added, more seriously. "The Hyūga have been taking liberties in other matters as well. They seem to think they will ride out Hizashi's sacrifice forever. I would like to disabuse them of that notion."

Kurenai thought about what to say to that. Then simply nodded as Minato grabbed a scroll from a drawer and started writing. The Hyūga's political capital and reputation were not her problem.

Minato called for Genma. "Send Hinata-chan in."

Genma bowed and left, Hinata entering a couple minutes later with Naruto.

"Tou-san, why do you need to see Hinata-chan? Did something happen?" Naruto stopped for a moment, then thought about something. Suddenly, he pointed at Minato and yelled. "Are you promoting her to Chūnin!? Before me!?" He turned towards Hinata, who yelped as she quickly stepped back. "Hinata-chan, are you being promoted before me!?"

Minato sighed, ignoring Kurenai's suppressed laughter. "No, Naruto, I am not promoting her." He reassured him, gesturing for Hinata to come closer and holding the scroll out to her.

"Report to the Namikaze-Uzumaki house tomorrow at 10 am, and we will start work on your request, Hinata-chan." Minato said, returning Hinata's bright smile as she took the scroll. He looked at Kurenai and gestured at Hinata, who was reading the scroll, Naruto trying to peek over her shoulder and failing. "Kurenai, let me know if you'll need the forms."

Kurenai understood what he was implying. She couldn't simply adopt a child into her family without telling said child.

_

As they walked back to her apartment, Kurenai thought about how best to bring up Hinata's potential adoption. The girl was holding onto the scroll with a death grip, a spring in her step as she walked, unconcerned with the way her breath fogged in the cold air.

"Hinata-chan, how do you feel about some hot chocolate when we get back, hmm?" Kurenai asked, trying not to give away her anxiousness. Hinata was very perceptive when it came to people's feelings, and the moment she realised Kurenai was anything other than calm, she would immediately spiral as well.

"I-I would like that very much, Sensei." Thankfully, Hinata was solidly riding the high of a successful request to the Hokage to worry about anything else.

Once they had returned, Kurenai sent Hinata to get changed into more comfortable pajamas, and went to the kitchen to make the aforementioned hot chocolate.

She was just pouring it into mugs when Hinata returned and sat down at the table, kicking her feet lightly.

'Someone's going to have trouble sleeping tonight', Kurenai thought, amused. She placed the mugs on the table, taking a seat as Hinata grabbed her mug and took a sip, a chocolate mustache materialising on her face.

Kurenai placed a napkin in front of her, gesturing at her own mouth and smiling encouragingly as Hinata immediately blushed red in embarrassment and wiped her mouth.

Kurenai cleared her throat to get Hinata's attention, trying to look serious, but not overly concerning. "Hinata-chan, I have a question for you, and I hope that you will give it appropriate thought before answering."

Hinata was starting to look concerned. "It's nothing to be worried about." Kurenai tried to convince her (she was not sure she was successful). "Nothing bad will happen if you say no, okay?"

Hinata nodded hesitantly, and Kurenai decided to just rip off the bandaid. Sometimes the best way out was through, and the more Kurenai dallied, the more Hinata would cook up scenarios to be anxious about.

"You are aware that, currently, you are a ward of the Village." Hinata flinched and nodded. Kurenai continued without giving her time to get caught up in the fact. "I have thought about this Hyūga Hideki situation, and I believe that the best way of getting him off of your back would be to adopt you into my family."

Hinata's eyes widened to a truly alarming degree. Kurenai was sure she was absolutely butchering this.

"S-S-Sensei..."

"Hinata-chan," Kurenai placed her hand on Hinata's small one. "You are a very sweet girl, and you don't deserve this nuisance the Hyūga are creating. I will be more than happy to have you be my little sister, if you wouldn't mind it."

"B-but S-Sensei, I-I," Hinata sniffled, crying uncontrollably, and Kurenai was trying to stamp down on the panic she was feeling. "I don't w-want to be a b-burden – "

"You won't be," Kurenai interjected, not wanting to let that thought take hold. "You are not a burden now, Hinata-chan, and you will not be a burden in the future." She got up from her chair and knelt next to Hinata, hugging her tightly. "You deserve so much better than you have been given, sweetheart."

Kurenai shushed her and rubbed her back to help her get her breath back. She was starting to second guess her decision to bring this up today. Hinata was already emotionally unstable with the seal business. Bringing up the Hyūga and a possible adoption now was so, so stupid –

Kurenai tuned back into reality when she heard a low sound.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan, what was that?" She strained her ears as Hinata spoke again, her voice muffled by Kurenai's shoulder.

"I said I-I," Hinata stopped, and pressed her face deeper into Kurenai's shoulder for a moment, then, gathering her strength, she continued. "I-I w-would, I w-would l-l-like to be your s-sister, Sensei."

Hinata's breaths were even more irregular now, and from what Kurenai had gleaned of her from the past few weeks of being her sensei, she was sure that Hinata was trying to hold back the idea that Kurenai would retract her offer.

"We'll go to Hokage-sama tomorrow, okay?" Kurenai rubbed her back with a smile. "I'll get the forms we'll need and he'll walk us through the whole process."

Hinata nodded slowly, tiredly rubbing her (now a little red) eyes.

'Yeah, she's had enough today'

Kurenai put Hinata to bed after the long and tiring day she had had, and went to bed herself, before a thought hit her and jerked her wide awake.

'I have to tell Tou-san!'

A/N – Canonically, Hinata was disinherited and put in Kurenai's care. Here it is a bit different, because of a couple of reasons.

Because of her evolved Byakugan. At this point, the Hyūga are aware of the Seishin-me, and see it as completely useless. Because of that, they just disowned her because they didn't expect she would amount to anything. Also, they're still riding the (dubious) political capital gained by sacrificing Hizashi to avoid war with Kumo. So they didn't really expect anyone to go against them about their clan matters.

Because the Uchiha clan is still in the village. In canon, Sasuke was the only Uchiha left and he was... like that... which made it easier for the Hyūga to disregard him and believe themselves superior, even with a less-than-optimal heiress. Here, in their eyes, Hinata's direct competition is with Itachi, prodigy who made ANBU at 8. She was just not going to measure up and they decided to cut their losses and focus on the daughter showing promise instead.

Hyūga Hideki and a couple other elders were working without Hiashi's knowledge, making a nuisance of themselves to keep Hinata in line. He didn't know they were threatening Hinata, and they didn't tell him. In their minds, they did believe that they were doing what was best to ensure the superiority of the Hyūga clan. Hiashi definitely would've punished them for this.

As you can imagine, the seal also created another reason for Neji to hate her. In his mind, Hinata benefitted from the seal when she was in the Main Family, and when the time came for her to get the Caged Bird Seal, first she was disowned (which meant she legally couldn't get it), then she mocked (allegedly) the Branch Family by getting a new seal. The elders also did their best to keep the specifics of the seal under wraps, and didn't let the Branch family know that Kushina and Minato were looking for ways to remove the old seal, to make it seem like this was a one-off.

This would culminate in the fight during the Chūnin Exams (we only know they are held biannually, so I'm going with May and November as the exam months) during which Hinata and Neji tied.

Fun fact #1: after the new Byakugan seal was finally adopted by the Hyūga clan, Kō volunteered to be the first to get it. Hinata applied it to him herself (also, genuinely surprised me to find out Kō was from the Main Family).

Fun Fact #2: Kushina's first draft of the Byakugan seal was essentially 'fuck around and find out'. Thankfully, it didn't stick. That would be too much for Hinata's forehead.