Chapter 17: Behind closed doors

Jiro Hyuga was not a happy man. He has sat on the Hyuga Council since he was thirty-five years old. He was now fifty, he had plenty of understanding and wisdom, and he could see the weaknesses of their leader. Just because Itachi Uchiha was now the Hokage didn't mean that he could be trusted, and to make things worse, he offended the Hyuga in the highest regard. Taking one of their women, marrying her against clan rules, and not having the audacity to ask for her hand. Where was the dowry? Where were the offerings and meetings a groom was supposed to have before he saw his bride? And to make it worse, he chose Hyuga Hinata at that. She was the weakest one amongst them. She had proven herself weak ever since her birth and yet Hiashi kept giving her chance after chance! Even allowing an outsider to train her! Jiro pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about the weak girl. The choosing of a branch member to lead them in the war was more than enough proof to show that Hinata hadn't grown at all.

"She needs to be disposed of." He murmured. But how? There was no way, Hiashi would allow her to be branded, or sent away. Not with her in the Uchiha's clutches. And to make it worse, there were now talks of disbanding the curse seal altogether and instead coming up with a different painless kind of seal, that all hyuga members would receive.

"Bastard! Trying to destroy the ways of our clan!" Jiro seethed as he clenched his fist. His seething, however, was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Enter," he commanded.

Four people entered the room and sat in a lotus position across from him. Miho, Kenji,Kenzo and hayato. They were the few council members that agreed with him, on Hinata's fate and Hisashi's faulty leadership.

"Lord Jiro, we need to do something. Word of Lady Hinata's marriage to the Uchiha traitor has gotten around the village. It won't be long before word spreads outside the village. The other clans are already wondering why there was no official wedding! They are questioning the hyuga's integrity!" Kenji whispered harshly.

"We need to take out Hinata!" Kenzo argued.

"No, we can't do that! That will make the clan look suspicious, Hiashi needs to be taken out first then Hinata." Miho stated.

Jiro held a hand for silence as he thought about his options.

"What about this? We hire someone to kill Hiashi. With his death, the clan will be focused on finding a stand-in leader. With that distraction, someone can go after Hinata. "

"What about her children?" Hayato asked.

Jiro paused to think. With Hinata carrying twins, it was possible the children would have two kekki Genkai or one or none at all. Nonetheless, they could trained to be powerful and if they didn't produce the power they should have, they could always kill them.

"We can take the children once Hinata gets to term. We will train them in our ways and if they manifest the sharigan, we can use it for our power. If not, we simply kill them. Hayato, you are in charge of watching Hinata and the progression of her pregnancy. Kenzo you will find an assassin to kill hiashi." Jiro commanded.

With that said, the five of them left the room to go about thier own business. However, what they don't see is Miho and Hayato leave the compound and disappear down the dirt road.

…

"Gah! Lee! Stop it!" Neji complained as kohona's gates came into view. He and Shino had just finished their first s rank mission as Anbu and had run into Lee along the way.

"But Neji! I have missed you dearly! Team Gai is one man short!" Lee cried

"You know I'm still on the team Lee! I just run different missions from time to time! "

Neji grouched from behind his mask. It wasn't that he didn't care about his friend, but at the moment, he was tired, hungry, and ready for a nap.

"I understand! I just…. miss training with you I guess.." Lee said somberly.

Neji sighed.

"How about after I check in with lord sixth and take a shower, you and I go for some curry pilaf.."

"Yes! I am also getting back from a mission! Let us go see lord Six together! Come, my friends."

Neji shook his head.

….

Miho and Hayato stopped at the entrance to the Uchiha district. It was quiet, and there was only one guard at the gates.

"Halt! What business do you require at the Uchiha district?"

"MIho and Hayato Hyuga! We are here to see lord Hiashi."

For the past two weeks, Lord Hiashi had been visiting the Uchiha district after hours to meet with the Hokage. The strange thing was, no one had seen Lady Hinata yet. It was like she was in hiding. Miho couldn't blame the girl if she was. Her niece was carrying a target on her back at the moment, and anyone could be an enemy.

The guard nodded and allowed them through.

They found Hiashi waiting in the Uchiha courtyard, a rose garden, and a koi pond decorated beautifully. Miho dared say it was better looking than the Hyuga Gardens.

"Lord Hiashi." Hayato bowed. " we have come back from the meeting with Jiro."

"And?"

"You were right. He is planning a coup against you and Lady Hinata. He's making Kenzo look for an outsider to kill you and he assigned me to watch Lady Hinata until it's time for her to give birth. Once that happens, he plans to take the children from her and see if they possess a kekki genkai."

Lord Hiashi's face was still as stone as he showed no reaction to the news.

"He has two other elders on his side, who agree with his thinking dear brother," Miho added in.

Up until the war, She had once held a deep hatred for her eldest niece. Especially when she saw that she was pregnant. Miho being from the branch family knew true hatred when she looked at her main branch clansmen, and Hinata had been the perfect target. She was the reason her dear husband Hizashi was dead, but as time went on, Miho watched Neji's own heart soften towards his uncle and cousins. It made her want to change her ways. Hinata had no control over the past and had been a child herself. And it had been her husband willing to sacrifice his life for his family. To be honest, Miho was in her niece's debt as word spread around the clan that it was Hinata who had saved Neji and Hiashi. What a tragedy it would have been to lose them both.

"It seems you were right lord sixth," he said to no one.

Miho and Hayato gasped as a nearby shadow turned into a person. The two were quick to bow as lord sixth revealed himself. Instead of his normal hokage get-up, he wore a dark blue high-collared shirt with tan pants. As expected, the Uchiha symbol was proudly stitched on.

" Now none of that lord's sixth business Gifu, we are in the presence of family after all."

To their surprise, Hiashi's eyes softened and his body relaxed, as he turned to look at his new son-in-law.

"Why don't you all join us in the sitting room, we have a few more people who will be arriving soon."

Hiashi was the last to follow as he thought back to what started this whole plan in the first place.

Flashback:

"You think my clan would turn against me?" Hiashi asked Itachi as they sat down on the mats.

" not would … will." Itachi corrected. " think about it gifu. Kohona is changing. You are changing. You may have named Hanabi heir but you hold Hinata close to your heart. Despite the way you have treated her in the past, you allowed her to train with Lady Koharu, you allowed her to be active in the war. She may not have become what you wanted but she has grown into her own yes? And while you would never verbally admit it out loud you are proud of her."

Hiashi wouldn't allow his pride to say it but internally he agreed. He was proud of his eldest. She may not be what the hyuga needed but the Uchiha could be a good start.

"Hanabi will need guidance. I am expecting Lady Uchiha to fulfill those duties. And regards to my clan I can sense the tension. We are slowly bridging the gap between main and branch families. Possibly abolishing it altogether. During the war we worked together with no differences between us, I think… I think it's time. But I want to wait until Neji returns before I make anything official."

"Would you like to visit Hinata?" Itachi asked.

Hiashi shook his head.

"Not yet, if the tension in the clan is as high as we think, it wouldn't be good for me to see her quiet yet. Now, lets talk about what we can do about my angry clansmen.

End Flashback

…..

Neji froze in shock, as he looked at the person sitting at the Hokage's desk. Instead of the dark eyes of his Hokage, he was looking into the light lavender eyes of his cousin. By her side was shikamaru and Naruto smiling like an idiot.

Hinata smiled tiredly at him as she looked at him with watery eyes.

"Welcome back big brother Neji!"

"L-lady Hinata."

"Shino, Lee you two are dismissed Lord Sixth will call on you for a mission report tomorrow morning," Naruto said seriously as stood a little taller.

The two ninjas nodded and left the room but before Shino took a glance at Hinata. The women smiling at him and waving.

"Shino-kun! We will get together soon, I promise!"

With that said, the door shut behind them.

"H-hinata sama! Y-your awake!" Neji exclaimed. His face then constricted into one of pain as he suddenly bowed low before you.

"You saved my life! I will forever be in your debt."

"No. Neji! get up. Get up big brother!" she urged.

As soon as he did, Hinata stood as well, Naruto and Shikamaru helping her up. Neji's eyebrows rose at the concern they showed her but he then understood why as her building stomach made an appearance.

"H-Hinata Sama! What-how! Who! NARUTO!?" he quickly accused as he stood ready to hit the blonde with a gentle fist.

"Wait ! wait! NEJI it wasn't- "

"GENTLE FIST!"

"Argh!" Naruto screamed as he was knocked out the window.

Shikamaru rubbed his temples.

Of course, trust Neji to overreact about anything when it comes to Hinata. Troublesome.