Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The blonde jinchuriki, Naruto, just left the Hokage building, looking pretty sunken in thought and miserable. He had just gotten out of a lengthy conversation with his mother figure, and fifth Hokage of the Leaf village, Tsunade Senju...

...and Neji Hyuga. Who dropped by, as he and Naruto, just by mere coincidence, had shared the same brain cells that day, remembered a promise that was made: Change the Hyuga clan. And in-synch, both the Hyuga and the jinchuriki had expressed their genuine concerns over the Hyuga clan.

As Naruto made his way through the streets of Konoha, without any clear end goal in mind, slowly sliding his hands behind the back of his head, while looking at the early afternoon skies above, that convo between him, Neji and Tsunade still remained freshly stuck in his mind. This topic didn't only concern the underdog genius of the Hyuga, but especially his cousin, Hinata. Whom Naruto had grown to truly respect the most out of most shinobi in the village. He thought to himself, as he continued to walk on ahead.

"Sheesh... Why does everything have to be so complicated? It downright STINKS what Neji and Hinata had to go through, because of their own clan... I wish there was something I could do... but... what CAN I do?"

ONE HOUR EARLIER...

Naruto arrived at Tsunade's office door, with Neji crossing his path, just by mere, almost comical coincidence. As he pointed at the Hyuga, asking in an exasperated tone of voice, typical for the tailed beast wielder:

"H-Hey, Neji! What are you doing here?! Don't tell me, you were planning on talking to Grandma Tsunade first!"

With the older Hyuga having grown mildly accustomed to Naruto's ridiculous tendencies, he bashfully looked away with his arms folded, not wanting to admit that, just this once, apparently, the two really did share the same brain cells, in that very moment.

"O-Oh, uh... I could ask the same thing, you know. W-What were you planning on doing?"

The blonde shinobi comically began pouting, folding his arms and imitating Neji's pose, not even looking at him, before commenting:

"Hmph. Why so interested? Unless..."

In comical unison, they verbalize the exact same thoughts, at the same time:

Both: "...It's about Hinata."

Then, they stared at one another, being genuinely shocked at how perfect that timing was. Before getting earnest with one another, as Naruto firmly told Neji the reason, what made him stumble all the way to the Hokage's office.

"But in all seriousness, Neji... remember that promise I made to you, back at the Chunin exams? When you had your whole "fate-is-predetermined-for-everyone-and-you-can't-change-its-course" phase? Welp, that's exactly why I am here today."

This caused the Hyuga prodigy to fold his arms, as, by some almost freakish coincidence, he was thinking about that exact same promise, expressed by his former enemy, from months ago. He replied in kind, growing just as serious as the blonde kitsune.

"Ah, yes. Believe it or not, I bore the exact same thought as you, before getting here. So you remembered?"

But then, his eyes began reflecting a deep-rooted sense of failure and shame, as he had some bad news to break to Naruto.

"However... I hate being the deliverer of bad news, but unfortunately, changing the Hyuga clan from the inside out, has just recently gotten even more difficult. Bordering on the impossible, at this point in time."

Naruto's blood ran cold, with his eyes widening, as he was already getting a vague idea on why that could be.

"...Lemme guess. Is it because you lost to me at the Chunin exams? And due to that, your dear ol' uncle lost a lot of face?"

"That was a contributing factor, but... it's a bit more in-depth than this. Let's take this to the office of Lady Tsunade. I'll explain everything to you there."

"Fair enough."

And in unison, they opened the door to Tsunade Senju's office, with her greeting the Genin, with a cup of coffee in her hands, as she just got away from the desk for a moment to grab herself a cup.

"Good afternoon, Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. What is it that the two of you wanted to talk to me about?"

Naruto and Neji opened their mouths, once again, in unintentionally comical unison, as they shared the exact same thought, in that moment. But Naruto gestured to the Hyuga, wanting to be more considerate this time, to start first. To which he nodded and met the Hokage's gaze with somewhat sorrow-filled eyes.

"Lady Hokage... I am sure you might have noticed by now that, currently, my clan is undergoing a phase of considerable unrest. Ever since my loss to Naruto, it would seem that the Hyuga elders have grown very undignified over my failure, so now, they have begun to threaten the Side branch even harder. With the Bird Cage seal."

Tsunade's look darkened, as she did indeed take notice of that. And she knew immediately where this interaction was headed. And she knew as well, this was a pretty delicate situation. Taking note of Naruto's shift in demeanor, sensing his increasing unrest over the hold that Neji's uncle had over his side of family and clan. Instinctively, the healing master puts the coffee mug on the side, next to a stash of paper, while leaning her face against her conjoined hands, looking pretty grim.

"Indeed. It's terrible. These elders were already a serious handful when Sarutobi sensei was trying to issue a compromise between the interests of the Main branch and the Side branch, regarding your father, but now... It would seem, they are growing more and more unreasonable by the day."

And it would be bad enough, but then Neji had to bring up something else, and there, he truly hesitated, as this was both his, but also Naruto's biggest sore spot... Hinata.

"The reason for my visit also concerns, well... Hinata."

Naruto was able to sense the genuine unease and hesitation in Neji's tone of voice, as though he knew how he might react, once he learned this news. But the blonde troublemaker will not allow himself to get bullshitted like that. He has to know.

In an almost shaky tone of voice, feeling his blood pressure rising to dangerous levels, with his knuckles clenched tightly, as though he was truly fighting with himself to not burst out in anger, sensing the imminent bombshell to be dropped on him, he asked Neji:

"What about Hinata, Neji...? Tell me. Now."

But needing to stand his ground, not allowing Naruto's bad attitude to spread, Neji firmly tells his former rival:

"...Only, if you are willing to calm down and listen. I know exactly how impulsive you can be, Naruto, so swear to me, that you will preserve this anger of yours, for when the time is right. But now, you need to listen."

Wanting to stay tactful, the jinchuriki did his best to remain calm, bracing himself for what awaits him. He folded his arms, communicating to him that, when it comes to Hinata, he is not up for compromises when it comes to her well-being. And though he remained calm, the vein on his forehead betrayed his true emotion in that moment.

"...Alright. Go on. I am listening."

"Lady Tsunade... I ask of you, to legally relieve Lady Hinata of her title as part of the Main branch."

That request caused Tsunade's eyes to widen, same as Naruto's, as that request bore a deep and dark implication. The medical veteran began wondering in a serious tone of voice, knowing that that measure sounded very drastic. Too drastic for comfort.

"...Are you fully aware of what just left your mouth, Neji? I am fully informed on the state of the Hyuga clan and all of its familial political dynamics, but what you're suggesting... What made you come to it? Did... something happen to your cousin?"

And sure enough, that suspicion proved prophetic, when Neji explained himself:

"The truth is, yes. Ever since my loss to Naruto, and the failure of the Sasuke Retrieval mission, my uncle and the Hyuga elders were pretty insisting on making Lady Hanabi's and especially, Lady Hinata's training regimen even more unforgiving than before. Unsurprising, if you ask me, I am still a member of the Side branch, after all. My existence bears less value, as opposed to the Main branch family. But the point is, I have witnessed firsthand how cold-blooded and inhumane their training methods can get, and I genuinely fear for Lady Hinata's well-being. This is why I want you to get her out of there. Any way you know that isn't breaking any laws. There has to be a way."

Tsunade began scowling, as she could genuinely sympathize with Neji's sentiment, but things aren't as simple as everyone wished them to be. And she had to let him know.

"My sincerest apologies, Neji, but... That would require extensive and lengthy meetings with the Hyuga elders, and with everything going on right now, I am afraid my hands are mildly tied here. After all, Hinata is of royal descent, and someone like her leaving the clan is not small potatoes. Don't get me wrong: It isn't impossible by any means, however, unless we catch Hiashi Hyuga, red-handed, proving your point about him being a danger to Hinata's life, it doesn't leave me with that many options to act. Remember, the Uchiha clan was torn apart over similar levels of internal unrest. One wrong move, and this could turn into a repeat of what type of fate they suffered."

"I understand, Lady Tsunade--"

This was exactly the moment when Naruto reached a breaking point. He has heard enough. He could already tell, this situation is becoming downright messy. But one thing crystalized very clearly to him: Hinata's future was at risk here. He has already seen, during the Chunin exams, how deep-rooted the problems of their clan are, but this level of pettiness, in regards to Neji's failures, and Hinata having to suffer the consequences for it, is what truly rubbed the blonde rebel the wrong way, on many levels. He threw his hands up, feeling genuinely pissed off now, as he really couldn't bear to hear anymore of this indecisiveness.

"Of course! Neji fails, and Hinata has to bear the consequences for it! I cannot believe this, and here you two are, indecisive? In case either of you didn't notice, this is Hinata we are talking about here! Hasn't she seen enough hell as is?! Can she ever catch a break, for pete's sake?! Why does everything have to be so complicated?!?! Grrrr! This STINKS, man!"

Tsunade had to cut in, as she wanted to remind her foster son to behave himself, as some matters aren't complicated in that sense, moreover, this is all in part due to how the system has been established. But she reassures him:

"Naruto, I would really recommend you to behave yourself and calm down. You're not alone with this thought, we all worry about Hinata. You think, I wouldn't have acted immediately, if it were as easy as you wished it to be? The elders are very stubborn. Even more than either of us combined. And naturally, at their age, they are pretty hard-wired into their own way of thinking and training philosophies, since, the method goes "Never stop a running system". It has always been this way."

She lays back in her seat, throwing a bit of a wry smirk at the Uzumaki, telling him:

"You told me, time and time again, you plan on becoming Hokage. Welp, that would be a good time to remind you: Some folks can't have their minds changed. Through words alone, no less. Their stubborness may match, or hell, even exceed your own. So, unless you are ready to bear the consequences of your own inactions, change won't be handed to you as a "parting gift"."

Tsunade didn't make it a secret that she also bore a huge disdain for the Konoha elders. She never liked them. Hence, once she made her point clear, she threw a subtle wink, as though, deep down, she had planned something big, with her foster son playing the anchor.

But Naruto was far too angry to pay attention to her, as he threw an almost icy glare at the Hyuga, wanting to know something from him:

"Neji. Care to indulge me more on Hinata's family situation? I only know through bits and pieces as to how bad it is, seeing as how bitter you used to be... But please. Tell me everything you know. I promised to you that I am going to help, and I will."

There was another glint of unease and hesitation in his pale lavender eyes, as his gaze softened, knowing he won't be able to keep any secrets from Naruto, as he promised to help, any which way he knows how. He took a deep breath, before throwing a knowing smirk in his direction:

"...Heh. Alright then. Seems like, with someone like you, Naruto, secrets will never be safe, won't they?"

He retorted with a smirk of his own, as he fixed his headband, pointing his fist at him, imitating the same pose he drew, when they fought during the Chunin exams, having sworn to become Hokage.

"'Course not, who do you take me for? I am a fool, not an idiot. And I am going to become Hokage, whether your demented uncle will agree or not."

Neji nodded, maintaining that smirk, as he had to admit: Punishing his uncle, just this once for growing overconfident, feels so cathartic. Almost, in silent agreement, the two leave the office, waving Tsunade goodbye, and once the door closes behind them, their conversation is pressed on...

...but as we return back to the present, as Naruto planned on sinking his teeth further into this topic with the Hyuga clan, a very unpleasant noise disrupted his thoughts...

...Someone was crying. It wasn't loud, but definitely loud enough for Naruto to pick up on.

And when he glanced ahead, he saw a very familiar figure, curled into a ball, in a fetal position, bailing her eyes out in silence. Naruto's blood ran cold, once he realized who it was...

...Hinata.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Text

Naruto felt his own heart sinking, the moment he was met with the sight of Hinata, having curled into a fetal position, crying her eyes out, on a bench directly ahead. He knew that Hinata was strong, stronger than most people ever gave her credit for. But after what Neji had told him about the Hyuga family, and how cruel and heartless the elders can be towards its own flesh and blood, with the Main branch making no exceptions with Hinata, being confronted with this was way too much for his poor heart to handle. So, no matter what the trigger was for this behavior...

...it caused Naruto's stomach to churn. Out of pure, unfiltered fury, and the desire to punch through something, as he already had a mild hunch, on who caused Hinata to act this way. He immediately rushed over to the bench, and gently put a hand on her shoulder to make her notice his presence...

"Hinata...? Hey... What's wrong...?"

The moment she opened her now puffy, reddened eyes, making it more than clear that she had been crying for a good few hours or so, she grew very defensive. She swiftly got up, and turned away from Naruto, as if she didn't want him to see her tears. Was it out of shame? Was she scared about something?

In that moment, the blonde couldn't pinpoint the reasoning for her demeanor, but the moment he listened to her forcing herself to sound "confident" and dismissive over the fact that she had just spent hours bailing her eyes out, he grew even angrier deep down. There was only one person who could consistently break Hinata's spirits, this hard. And he knew this wasn't Neji's doing. After all, they were talking to one another earlier, and he had expressed the clear desire to have his cousin removed from the title as potential heir of the Hyuga clan, even wanting Hiashi to lose parental custody over his daughter. Leading to only one conclusion, and Naruto waited for confirmation from her...

He began glaring, as he witnessed Hinata crawling backwards, with her back facing him, refusing to let him see her face, while thinking to himself:

"I know Hinata is strong, but whoever it was that left her in this miserable state, there can be only one answer..."

FLASHBACK

After Neji and Naruto had left the Hokage's office, they began having an anticipated conversation about Hinata's family situation, and essentially, the Hyuga had some pretty morbid details to share.

Neji: "Ever wondered, WHY I was so bitter towards Hinata, Naruto? The truth is, I never even wanted to let it escalate so much between us, but my own clan forced me into that position. Think of it like this: Your clan gets involved in a very problematic scandal, in which one scapegoat needed to be found, to cover up the fact that the Main branch family failed to uphold morale and order. This Bird Cage seal on my forehead is a constant. A reminder of everything that is wrong with the clan, as a whole."

Naruto: "I mean, knowing that you got that "curse mark" on your forehead from a very young age, when we are talking sketchy, that is definitely it. Even now, I have insane trouble wrapping my head around this: Plastering a mark like this on a very young child, not even giving them the option to say No... dude... this is so messed up."

Neji: "That's only the spark, though. For a certain amount of time, I found myself wanting to hate Hinata, with every fiber of my being, as she was "born, into the wrong side of the tree", while my father had to be sacrificed for a political cover-up... letting Hinata's father, his brother, roam freely. Even though he was the one to kill the kidnapper. But thanks to you delivering to me the mother of all reality-checks, I returned to my senses, and began growing above myself. Hinata wanted to forgive me... and all I did was push her away for something, that wasn't even her fault..."

His tone grew quite somber, as he spoke of how much his own wrongdoings may have inevitably negatively affected Hinata's self-worth even further.

Neji: "I still hate myself for having nearly killed her... You did everything to protect her honor, and all I did was call you two, failures..."

But the blonde jinchuriki firmly told the Hyuga, putting a strong hand on his shoulder, smirking at him while stating:

Naruto: "Hey, don't you start a pity party for yourself, now. In my eyes, you more than made up for it by having helped me in trying to bring Sasuke back. Regardless of what Hiashi thinks, you're still a winner in my eyes."

He nodded, as he grinned mildly at the Uzumaki, while playfully telling him:

Neji: "Pray tell, finally SOMEONE is acknowledging my hard work over here. I would have nearly gotten shelved over the mission, don't you make me regret helping you."

Naruto: "Hey, don't start selling yourself short like this. You did what you could. There is only so much one guy like me can ask for, right?"

Neji: "It's OK, I am not mad or anything, I still appreciate it, don't worry."

He chuckled out loud...

...before clearing his voice, as he needed to continue, knowing this might be vital information for him to consider holding on to from here on out:

Neji: "But, back to the topic at hand... When I said that Hinata's side of the family is... well... if I were to put it in a more modest way, which is not even the type of courtesy they deserve... difficult. On the one hand, I can see where my uncle is coming from, as being declared the heir to the entire Hyuga clan is a big deal, indeed. And a responsibility worth carrying, even with my animosity towards the elders. Unfortunately, everything else served to just ruin my mood with them on a daily basis. If only you were present to witness how conceited and self-absorbed these old control freaks are, and how Hiashi is essentially their lapdog... I think you can already start connecting the dots on how unpleasant Hinata's domestic life is. Always bogged down by high expectations, and never even being given the privilege to "breathe", when she is busy training with her father, or her younger sister, Hanabi. Always drawing comparisons, and pushing it to the extreme, by not even giving her an ounce of leniency, for her hard work. It's always the same old song: She has to play to her father's tune, or get heartlessly reprimanded, as if she isn't even worth looking at for him..."

As he spoke, the Hyuga didn't even realize how much he had stiffened up, and how much he had begun shivering in the purest form of anger he had sealed deep inside his heart, having played Hinata's personal part-time training guide for years, when they were kids. He cannot even feel relieved to know that Hanabi is "meant to be the true heir", because to him, Hinata means the world to him. At one point, he used to be just as helpless as her, so now, being forced to helplessly watch the elders apply more pressure on her, despite them clearly not even doing the bare minimum of acknowledging her by name...

...he felt genuinely sick to his stomach. And he was sure to remind the Uzumaki of that.

Neji: "So, if you ever wondered why Hinata is so reclusive, that's the reason. Her own family sees her as a pile of nothing, yet still expects her to always lay out a top performance under their lead... It's truly stomach-churning. And that is why, I want her removed from the Main branch. This farce has dragged on, long enough. And if it means receiving the punishment, by being marked with the Bird Cage seal, so be it. I'd prefer suffering in silence, than having to helplessly witness Hinata destroying herself even further, than she already does... And her father...!"

He balled his fists so tightly, they turned downright pale, with all his pent-up frustrations and grievances with his uncle resurfacing.

Neji: "If only you knew, Naruto... If only you knew... The amount of times that I was forced to sit on the substitution bank, and watch that human equivalent to dirty dish water mistreat his own flesh and blood, in the name of preserving the "honor" of the Hyuga clan, had reached a quantity, where I had just stopped counting... He trained Hinata, but to me, this felt more akin to domestic abuse, disguised as training, just so no one would even suspect him of being a piece of human waste that needs to be thrown in jail... But no, the clan's honor and purity is more important than the humans living inside said clan...! Of course...! And yet, they dare presenting themselves as the "strongest" clan... They are only strong, because they thrive off of the fear and oppression of the Side branch, which is exactly where I come from, and these Main branch elders waste no time in repeatedly rubbing it in...!"

Naruto: "Neji..."

The Uzumaki's heart began sinking into a deep hole. He already knew that Neji's and Hinata's life was tough, but now knowing that what he told him months ago, wasn't even the full extent of it, truly left a deep pit in his stomach.

And now, he began partaking in Neji's grievances, gritting his teeth and squeezing his knuckles tightly together, as they turned pale from lack of blood flow...

...as most that blood was now flowing into his head, as he felt it reaching a boiling point. These two Hyuga have so much untapped potential, but instead of being steered in the right direction, their superiors waste all of their precious time, belittling, downplaying and mistreating their own successors, who are meant to be on the forefront of representing their heritage and birthright.

Naruto: "Thanks, Neji... For telling me... You only motivated me even further to start helping you, any way I can..."

And with that, Naruto left, with Neji calling after him, almost as if he could sense that something was up with him:

Neji: "Naruto, wait--"

???: "Neji? There you are, I have been looking all over for you!"

But in that moment, Naruto saw Tenten approaching, with her rushing right past him, with the Uzumaki's gaze obscured by his headband...

...but she didn't even notice, as she was more focused on approaching Neji, telling him, which Naruto mildly eavesdropped on, as he left the building:

Tenten: "C'mon, Neji, you gotta come and see this! My visor is nearing it's completion state!"

But the blonde shinobi was too sunken in thought to care, in that moment, about what Tenten had to say. He needed to let this information dump about Neji's family life sink in. As it was still gnawing away at him...

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

...and now seeing Hinata being reduced to an emotional wreck, he had to get confirmation on who the perpetrator was...

He carefully approached her, kneeling down to get to her height, asking her firmly, not planning on leaving anytime soon:

"Hinata... Tell me, what happened to you? Who made you cry? Whoever it was, I will--"

But what he didn't see coming was Hinata raising her voice at him, refusing to even turn around to look at him, looking deathly afraid for her life, or, so it seemed at first. But the fact, that the tears just won't stop leaking out of her eyelids, which wasn't hard to miss, even with her back facing him, and her voice sounding hoarse and huskier from all the crying she had done, it didn't serve to calm the Uzumaki down one bit, and made him even more worried and suspicious.

"Naruto! I really mean it, I-I'm fine! Listen to me, I-I have suffered through worse, t-this is nothing, it really isn't..."

He wouldn't let up. His stubborn nature starts kicking in again, as it came most naturally to him, whenever he witnessed someone being ridiculous from his point-of-view. But since this is Hinata, he didn't dare raise his voice at her, since Neji had already warned: She doesn't like that.

"Hinata, please, don't be like that... I only want to help, y'know. No need giving me so much attitude, I am doing this for--"

He was reaching out to grab her shoulder, very carefully, not wanting to be too rough on her, but she swiftly shook him off. Almost getting downright heated on him, trying to shoo him away, telling him in a confused mess of emotions, ranging from anger, to grief, to sadness, all at once:

"N-No, I am serious, Naruto...! Don't... Don't make me hurt you...! M-My performance just wasn't adequate, that's all...! I wasn't crying, I swear... I was only trying to cope with my failure... We, the Hyuga, have to endure...! And even if it hurts a little, I-I am fine, I really am...! Leave me alone, you hear me...?! You wouldn't even understand, Naruto... I never expected you to, anyhow, so please... Leave me be, I can handle it...! I can--"

She fought so hard to keep her act together, but she wasn't fooling the Uzumaki, especially for how forced her excuses sounded. As if, she was being held at knife point, being blackmailed into saying all this, as in to not anger any external influences...

...and for one brief moment, she lets her guard down, as her true feeling seeped out of her, as her shoulders began sacking, and the sobbing continued, but still refusing to turn around, being terrified to hell of something...

"P-Please, Naruto... J-Just... leave...! I mean it... If you stay... S-Something terrible is about to happen... Just go... I beg of you..."

...but this only motivated him further to get all in, and uncover the source of her anguish, as he knew Hinata was strong, but this wasn't like her to just get outright mad at him, or forcefully denying him the chance to look at her. Which is ironic, given, she avoided direct eye contact with him all her life, but this time, this was not a laughing matter. She was deeply hurt about something. This time, she NEEDED to look at him.

Wordlessly, he grabbed her hand, and with careful enough force, not wanting to hurt her any further, he made her turn around...

...and what made his pupils dilate and shrink, with pure fury consuming his mind, body and soul, was the sight of a gnarly-looking, red, swollen bruise on her left cheek. The mere sight of this, made his blood boil. Since, this wasn't the first time he had seen such a wound on her face. Even when they were kids, he would instinctively always protect Hinata from the bullies at the academy, who wouldn't ever leave her alone. He got injured a lot in the process, trying to keep her safe from harm, but it just hit differently for him, when he saw the young Hyuga all bruised and distraught.

And since he bore the knowledge of Hiashi treating Hinata poorly, his mind was made up. All he needs now, is personal confirmation from her, and he will be all set.

As gently as his hands would possibly allow, in that moment, he cupped Hinata's tear-soaked face, wanting her to look at him, asking her directly, his voice dangerously low:

"Hinata. Who. Did this. To you? Please, tell me."

Her face tightened, her lower lip quivering, as though she feared the worst that was yet to come, with whatever intent was lying behind Naruto's blue eyes. Taking on a way softer, albeit, mildly pleading tone of voice:

"N-Naruto, please... Don't go there... If I tell you, then... You may never see the end of it...!"

But, he firmly grasped her right hand, around the wrist, earnestly persuading her with a few words of his own.

"I don't care... I never did, Hinata, and you know it...! Nothing ever stopped me from helping you, or anyone else that was clearly hurting... Tell me, whoever it was... I am going to kick their ass, until the very first words to ever leave their mouths is a heartfelt apology towards you...!"

"B-But what about you...?"

The grip around her wrist is only growing ever tighter, but softer at the same time...

"Don't make me repeat myself. Tell me... Who. Was it. Who gave you this bruise?"

Another lump formed in the young Hyuga's throat, she wanted to tell him, so badly, as the entire situation at her clan has grown way over her head, and there is no telling what would happen if she did tell him...

But bearing a rebellious spirit, she gathered all the courage she had left, knowing that Naruto was truly starting to rub off on her, she shakingly let word slip...

"It... It... It was my father... Hiashi...! B-But Naruto, listen, I--"

But before she could even say anything, the blonde jinchuriki had let go of her hand, standing now tall, giving her a reassuring nod, firmly telling her:

"I failed with Sasuke... But I am not going to fail with you...!"

He turns around, and speeds off in a sprint, one very clear destination in mind...

...and for one brief second, his eyes had a red, fiery glint to them...

...meanwhile, Tsunade, who just so happened to be on her well-deserved sake break, bore witness to this from afar, as she began looking both worried, but at the same time, a little excited, as she and Naruto had always shared braincells about what true justice means, for the sake of everyone involved. With her arms folded, she scoffed, before commenting:

"You are so going to be the end of me, Naruto... But hey, you know how to keep things rolling, the right way... I better follow him, though."

And so she did, keeping a close eye on him, all the way to the Hyuga compound.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter Text

The current head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi Hyuga, was preoccupied with training the Main branch members of his own kin. He did the movements, and everyone else imitated them. Letting out passionate battlecries to accompany the fluid movement. The moves consisted mostly of graceful, but precise air chopping, before committing to an aerial twirl to kick in a corkscrew motion, before landing back on the ground to do a sweeping kick, with the entire setup appearing like both martial arts training, but also a consistent fluent dance choreography.

Hiashi might have always been a morally questionable leader, but his strife for perfection and excellence is second-to-none, he always sought to bring out the best in everyone, training under his wing. Even if it meant relying on methods, that would truly rub people the wrong way...

...which it certainly did for one individual in particular. Naruto Uzumaki...

...with the latter busting through the closed gates with pure force of will, and the fox chakra boosting him, shrieking at the top of his lungs, his rage barely contained, with a strong gust of wind following him, causing the hair from all the Hyuga to dance wildly in the wind:

"HIASHI HYUGA!"

This caused the Hyuga to step up and stand right in front of their leader, with Hiashi making a hand gesture to tell them: Leave him to me. Get out of my way.

And once the current leader comes face to face with the blond shinobi, a knowing smirk forms on his lips. His tone being quite smug and "eloquent", being ready to deal with the infamous Konoha troublemaker.

"My, my, who do we have here? Naruto Uzumaki. The shinobi to beat my strongest asset, during the Chunin exams. What are the honors, to grace us with your... very candid entrance?"

His hands were hidden inside his big sleeves, as he gazed upon the young shinobi with a smirk that persisted throughout. Deep down, he knew what came next, seeing that fox chakra radiating off of the inexperienced jinchuriki.

With the latter coldly asking the middle-aged Hyuga, his stare becoming downright psychotic and empty:

"...Answer me one question, Hiashi. And I want you to tell me the truth here... ...Was it you, to give Hinata that bruise on her cheek?"

He could sense that things are truly getting tense here, as his blue eyes reflected a fury so deep, even the fox himself, living inside him, might get scared of him. He remained calm, however, as he knew, he was way out of his league. He is sure to prove that to him, but for now, he decides to remain on the defense. He was appointed as leader, but even he wasn't exactly that big of a fan to bear this much leverage over an entire portion of his clan. But because he wants everyone to be at their best, he will not even fight the allegation.

"...This is what you came here for? Just to ask me that?"

"Just answer the question, jerk! I didn't come here to chitchat with you, I am here to set things straight! And either way, I have nothing to say to you otherwise, so tell me... Was it you, or not?!"

The leader began chuckling, as he told him bluntly, not wanting to play into his hands with his taunts, taking on a more stern and composed tone of voice:

"Hmph. Even if it were to be me, what is it even to you?"

"What are you--"

He cuts in, throwing one icy glare at the blonde shinobi in return, letting him know who he was, and he wasn't just anyone. He wasn't picked as leader of the Hyuga clan for nothing, as his own terrifying chakra aura starts seeping out of him...

...almost as if time was freezing around him.

"Oh, put a sock in it. Hinata simply wasn't resilient enough to withstand my strikes. Go on, cry about it, but weakness has always been a choice. And to give credit where it's due, maybe, there was truth in what you and Neji said. I AM cruel. And maybe, I really do not deserve a daughter like Hinata. But then, what else am I supposed to do? Just stand by and watch her waste her life away in someone else's shadow? She might be well off, but if there is anything this world taught me, and the rest of the Hyuga: Life itself, isn't fair. And that is exactly what I am teaching her. You can judge me, but at the end of the day, she will come to thank me--"

Just being forced to listen to him justifying his own abuse towards his own flesh and blood as "just", and "necessary", truly caused Naruto's blood to reach a boiling point. And he began matching Hiashi's terrifying presence with his own, allowing the fox chakra to slowly seep into his bloodstream, feeling his power rising.

"Shut up! "Thanking you"?! For what?! Making her life miserable, and making her hate even being alive?!?! And you call that "parental affection"?! In case you never noticed, Hinata hates herself! She never dares to openly get in your way, because you're family to her! Despite everything, she is willing to forgive it all, because for years, you made her believe, this is how it has to be! And all you do, is trampling all over her love and devotion, like it means absolutely nothing to you! I can accept strictness, but what you're doing is bordering on systematic, generational abuse! I may have not had parents myself, but if it meant having someone like you in the family... I'D PREFER BEING DEAD! RAAAAAAAAGH!"

The crimson chakra began consuming the blond shinobi, as his eyes went from blue to red, his irises becoming that of that Nine Tailed Fox, with his finger- and toenails growing claws, and his hair becoming ragged. The aura was just as intense as ever, like when he was facing off against Sasuke at the Valley of the End.

The Hyuga clan members stepped back in fear of this overwhelming power, as they clearly didn't sign up for this. But Hiashi stomps the ground, preparing himself for the fox boy, knowing deep down, he had it coming. But he will use this opportunity as a demonstration of power, why he was appointed the leader. His own chakra radiating, an uncomfortably blue light engulfing him, with his Byakugan getting activated, immediately.

"Very well, then. It would seem that words would no longer be of necessity. So, go on. Show me the power that you used to defeat my strongest combatant. But I will guarantee you one thing... ...It may only get you this far."

He spreads his arms apart to let out a sharp gust of wind, which cuts right past Hiashi, with all the other clansmen retreating back into the compound, wanting to observe this battle from afar. With red eyes and his temper a blazing inferno, he steps forth, gritting his teeth to show his fangs, warning the older Hyuga, by saying:

"No amount of apologizing is going to cut it now, jerkface! I'll gladly deliver to you the butt-whoopin' of the century!"

Hiashi smirked, his eyes radiating an intensity that even made the fox shiver inside Naruto:

"...If I were to go all out, you'd be going to the great beyond before you even know what hit you..."

"Zip it, you asswipe...!"

He bursts forward, wanting to punch the Hyuga, right in the face, targeting his nose...

...but his smirk grew wider, as he simply sidesteps him, and elegantly twists on his heel to kick Naruto right in the stomach, while he is still airborne. Which sends him flying back, before speeding right at him again, throwing a barrage of lightning quick punches, which Hiashi all dodged without any issue. Making it more than clear, this Hyuga was truly a cut above the rest.

And the point was being made even louder, as he, with lightning quick reflexes, nails the Genin, with one Gentle Fist strike, right in the throat, which robbed him of his breath for a moment, before elegantly twirling on a heel to roundhouse kick the jinchuriki out of the way, making him land right onto the concrete below. Feeling his breath hitching, as his windpipe was being compromised from that one hit to his throat.

He had to think to himself, his fox chakra still burning hot:

"Damn it...! What the... hell...?! How quick was that...? I didn't even see it coming...! Is he messing with me...?! No matter, you jerk, I'll catch you by surprise, soon enough! If the same rules of the Byakugan still apply, I'll hit your blindspot eventually!"

Roaring in rage, he gets back up, speeding right back at the middle-aged Hyuga, trying his best to land a hit on him, but like before, it proved fruitless. His Byakugan was just far more refined and precise than that of either Neji or Hinata. He even allowed himself some snark, saying with a smirk:

"Oh my. Did the "knight in shining armor" fall off his horse? You weren't seriously expecting me to be easy pickings, were you? Well, allow me to leave you an everlasting reminder, why you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew...!"

He counters Naruto's incoming punch with such finesse, it almost felt like he wasn't even taking this fight seriously. Just wanting to toy the young shinobi's psyche, he elbows him below the chin, before performing a heel-turning back turned kick...

...and slamming his open palm against Naruto's chest with such force, it sends him flying right into the compound's walls. The impact caused the Uzumaki to hack up blood, as that one flat palm may have seriously beaten the wind out of his sails...

"D-Damn you...! I-I... I won't give up...! Until you say sorry to your daughter...! You... YOU HAVEN'T WON YET!"

Before shakily getting back on his feet, growling in pure fury, roaring like the Nine Tailed Fox at the Hyuga, pronouncing to him: His patience was running thin with this man.

But all that Hiashi did, was scoff in a posh manner, smirking at the boy, telling very bluntly:

"To be honest, your performance so far, and pardon me for being this frank with you... was nothing short of embarrassing. You want me to apologize to my daughter? For what? For wanting her to be at her best? The "abuse" you accuse me of, is just part of the routine. But then again, why do I even bother wasting my breath on a brat, who always runs his mouth without thinking? Tell you what... If you manage to land a single hit on me, I will be considering your offer on going easier on her from now on."

"Grrr... Laugh it up, you jerk! I'll make you sorry for being so smug with me!"

Meanwhile, close to the compound...

Hinata is busy sprinting back to the compound, needing to stop Naruto from hurting her father. Her Byakugan may not have been active during their undesired meeting, but even she could tell, something had drastically changed within Naruto, when she told him, who gave her this bruise. And now, she regretted every second of her having let word slip of who did this to her.

She knew, this is ridiculous to many, that she would even go this far of defending her father like this, after years of neglect and mismanagement, but deep down, something told her, this was all wrong. Especially consulting Naruto's change in demeanor, after she told him. There was dark intent in his eyes, the kind of which she had never realized, he would ever venture towards. Now, she felt this to be her responsibility to stop him, because, she knew, right off the bat, the consequences will be severe, either way. And losing her father to an assault like this, in her mind...

...was far too kind for him. And yet, despite it all, she just lacked the heart to bear any grudges, period. She accepted it all, no matter how low it felt towards her. In her heart, she knew, everything had a purpose for happening. And she wants this mindset to be her guide going forward, all thanks to Naruto inspiring her.

But what truly moved her into running back home was the thought that: If something goes horribly wrong, Naruto may not survive fighting her father. And she cannot allow that to happen. His life, to her, is far too precious to be lost to a man, like Hiashi.

She muttered to herself:

"Naruto... I am so sorry...! Whatever you do, don't do anything reckless... My father is not one to show mercy, if you push him too far... I hope I can be on time...! This is all my fault, I should have never told him! If he gets killed, it will be all on me!"

She felt her eyes becoming wet with tears again, as she ran as fast as her legs would let her be, not even beginning to bear the thought of losing the most inspirational person in her life. Much less to her own negligence.

Back at the Hyuga compound...

The fight between Naruto and Hiashi raged on, as he did his signature hand sign, yelling:

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Summoning about 20 clones of himself on the fly, needing to create a diversion for him to get in and hit his blind spot...

...but Hiashi, having carefully observed the battle between him and Neji, could only laugh out loud, immediately recognizing the strategy he was trying to go for. And as the clones were sent to attack, once again, without even breaking a sweat, he hits all the clones, not even making it a challenge for himself, continuing to mock Naruto by saying:

"Oh, please! That party trick again? You really are as feeble, as you are lacking in imagination! And here I was, expecting more from you."

"Were you also expecting this?! EARTH STYLE: HEAD HUNTER JUTSU!"

But Hiashi's laugh quickly subsided, once he realized, Naruto was gone, and out of nowhere, his ankles were being grabbed from below the ground, as Naruto and his clones bust out of the soil, to violently twirl the Hyuga, like a lasso, catching wildstock...

...before smashing him back to the ground, which ended up proving quite effective in landing a single, proper hit on him. The young shinobi allowed him to grow smug, and comment, as he was mildly airborne:

"How is this?! Taking me seriously now--"

"Silence, wench."

Before he had any time to relish in his displeasure, Naruto found himself getting nailed mid-flight, right in the stomach with a flat palm so quick, he couldn't possibly see it coming.

...For one brief moment, he swore on his life, Hiashi's eyes suddenly began having a mild blue hue, as he charged right in, practically... teleporting into his field of vision, becoming so fast, the human eye couldn't follow.

And before long, Hiashi, through the dust cloud, speeds ahead, using the Gentle Fist to perform a signature move of his:

"8 TRIGRAMS... 2 PALMS - ROARING THUNDER!"

Clapping both hands together, infusing the lightning element in his move, with the tips of his now clasped-together hands piercing the Uzumaki right in the stomach, sending an insanely painful electric jolt through his body, being sent flying from the impact, landing right back in front of the open gates, barely managed to land on all fours, returning back onto his feet. His breathing became heavy now, as that one move practically hit most of his chakra points in one fell swoop. Not even needing to hit all of them separately.

But thanks to the fox inside him still providing him with rations worth of chakra, he could still bring himself to stand tall, in spite of his injuries. The sight of this level of defiance is truly astonishing to the Hyuga matriarch, pointing out, maintaining that smirk on his face:

"Look at you, we haven't even been fighting for that long, and you already look like you're ready to fold, and yet... Despite me having practically paralyzed most of your chakra points into oblivion, here you are, still standing. I can't even tell anymore, if that is you just being insane, or just THAT brave..."

But Naruto was just as surprised as him: Despite that stunt just now with the clones, the Hyuga looked practically unharmed. Not a single scratch on him. He was sure, that was a direct hit, and yet...

"Hey...! What the heck was that...?! Neither Sasuke or Kakashi-sensei would have been able to detect this level of speed, with their Sharingan…! And moreover, my Shadow Clones should have turned your landing into a rollercoaster ride through hell....! So tell me, what did you do? Substitute your way out of my grip...?! It can't be, my hands were firmly placed on your ankles... Are you messing with me or something?!"

The Hyuga could only heartily laugh out loud, as he quite enjoyed the flabbergasted look on the young shinobi's face, realizing his attack just now didn't even faze him. But why should he tell him? He saw no reason to. Why should he let the word slip on what his secret trick was, when he is practically an intruder?

"Looking a little pale, aren't we, Uzumaki? But you don't seriously expect me to tell you, how I managed to pull that off, where would the fun be in that? You break onto my property, and now you are expecting me to tell you, what tricks I got up my sleeve? You cannot be serious..."

This only caused Naruto to grow even angrier than before, his forehead veins pumping like crazy, feeling his blood boiling, watching that middle-aged "leader" being so pompous. His right hand began twitching, as he got ready to pull his trump card next.

"Darn it, whatever already! You still want me to bring it on?! Consider it brought! We can do this all day, you know! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

One clone popped out, as Naruto prepared to gather chakra for another signature move of his...

...immediately, Hiashi gets into his stance, ready to prepare a Rotation, knowing full well what comes next.

"Oh, resorting to THAT technique now? You got guts, I will give you that... But I dare to break past my Rotation... It will not work, you are only wasting your time! Nothing gets past me!"

A downright psychotic smile formed on Naruto's lips, as he prepared his Rasengan...

...which didn't turn into a blue ball of chakra, as it got tainted with a crimson red hue, making the intent more than clear: He is ready to go berserk now and push his luck.

"Oh yeah, wanna find out?! I am just itching! For all the crap you pulled on Hinata and Neji, honestly, seeing your face squirm in agony is bringing me a level of glee I couldn't possibly put into words! GO ON, TRY ME! LET'S SEE IF YOU'RE FLAWLESS ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THIS!"

"You're seriously pushing your luck right now, you little brat!"

"RASEN--"

But before Naruto could even think about launching himself forward to meet the Hyuga clan leader...

...a blood-curdling scream broke the air, as Hinata made it, just in time, yelling...

"NARUTO, STOP!"

...to tearfully throw her arms around Naruto, pressing her face against his neck, begging to stop, and just hearing her meek, voice crack, pleading for him to cut it out, truly managed to move something within him:

"Please, stop... Don't do this, Naruto... I beg of you... Killing him won't solve anything... Listen to me... please...!"

His body began easing up, as his irises returned back to the clear blue color, and his cheek whiskers, along with his claws, retreated back to their normal size...

Feeling the tears coming too, as he, almost by instinct, grabbed both her petite hands with his right, he felt so deeply apologetic for having allowed his already unstable emotions to get the best of him, he whispered to her...

"I-I am sorry... I-I lost my composure... I didn't mean to... scare you like this... Hinata..."

There they stood, with Hiashi turning off his Byakugan, looking pretty puzzled over what he was seeing: Did Hinata really have that close of a connection and attachment to this blond kid? He wondered. His gaze became bemused and critical in thought.

"Hmmm... So that's how it is... Hinata seems to have quite the soft spot for the jinchuriki. So it wasn't just all talk, if she has this much of an influence on him... I may have to start pushing my luck from now on... It's cruel, but it will be necessary."

At that moment, Tsunade just came around the corner, meeting Hiashi's strict, cold eyes with her strong, leader-esque presence, arms folded, looking a little annoyed with him.

"Well, well, well... Starting beef with a little kid now, aren't we, Hiashi? And here I thought, you couldn't possibly sink any lower."

Returning to his more composed self, he returns his hands back to hide them inside his long sleeves, stating calmly:

"Lady Hokage... What brings you here?"

"A little bird chirped to me, that things have gone a little off-the-rails inside your clan, as of late. Pardon me, but, I cannot properly lead a village, when one of the clan leaders is not exactly in the right state of mind, to be starting internal conflicts from within. If it's not a problem, let's talk about this over some sake. I have all the time in the world right now."

Knowing he needs to agree to these terms, before things turn south again, he bows respectfully, pretty much showing, he is ready to talk... Surprisingly quickly, considering the bad reputation his clan is suffering from.

"...Lead the way, Lady Hokage."

And as Tsunade excuses herself to join up with Hiashi, she throws one serious glance at Naruto, taking on a more motherly, scolding-heavy tone of voice:

"And you... We're going to have a serious conversation about this later. And don't you DARE, run off on me."

He gulped, realizing he was in serious trouble now. But he relaxed a little, when she also, out of nowhere, winked at him, as she will get him, and Hinata, out of this tight pickle, no problem.

But then, Hinata swiftly lets go of him, as she turns away, not wanting him to look at her, for how hot her face had become...

...but Naruto wasn't in the mood for this. He needed to talk to her, as he wanted to understand why she stopped him. He can accept stopping him from using the fox chakra to boost himself, but way before the fight, she was so hesitant to mention her father's name. He wanted to understand, so he asked in a serious tone of voice:

"C'mon, Hinata. Don't give me the "shy girl" treatment now. Tell me. Why did it take so long for you to tell me the truth? This man was actively hurting you, and you just accepted it? ...I really don't mean to get personal, but... Are you out of your mind? How can you even handle this jerk without losing your cool?"

"...Naruto, it's... It's not as simple as you make it out to be, try to understand--"

"And how exactly am I supposed to? I get that he is family and all, but why are you just allowing yourself to get treated like this? Were these tears of yours just now fake, or what? Enlighten me, I am more than ready to--"

"Please, just... just shut up, OK, I..."

He was immediately silenced, when, uncharacteristically for her, Hinata, of all people, one of the sweetest souls she ever knew, told him to shut up. It just hit differently when she said it. But at the same time, he could, her voice was extremely shaky, almost as if she was forcing herself to sound composed, when in reality, she was just ready to emotionally fall apart at the seams. With all sorts of conflicting emotions plaguing her mind.

"I... I just want to be left alone right now, to be perfectly honest... I-If you want... We can talk later, but right now... I-I am so through with it all... I am so sorry... I... I didn't mean to--"

Knowing she really needs some space right now, he nodded, and gently tells her:

"No-no-no, don't apologize. You had a rough day. Go and get some rest. We can talk when you're good and ready. See ya later..."

Before he could leave, Hinata stopped him by hesitantly telling him:

"Naruto, wait..."

"What's the matter?"

But despite it all, somehow, she was smiling at him, in a way that could make anyone's heart flutter, wanting to make sure to remind him: This wasn't for nothing. Gently telling him, with tears forming in her eyes:

"Y-You really didn't need to, but... Thank you... Naruto..."

Beaming at her with his trademark fox-like grin, he told her:

"Hehe... Anything for you, Hinata.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Text

Two hours later, having gotten some time to rest from today's events, Hinata decided to meet up with Naruto at the cherry blossom training grounds, who was currently busy receiving a serious talking-to, by Tsunade. And she could tell immediately, just from the things that left her mouth, that things might have entered a direction, she is definitely not going to like hearing.

"Naruto. Listen to me. I know that you meant well, but attacking the clan leader in such a crude and tactless fashion, no less while relying on a power that you cannot even properly control yet... I am well informed on how the term "spineless" is second nature to you, but this was SERIOUSLY pushing it."

But of course, Naruto had to defend himself, as he only had the best of intentions and just hearing him speak so highly of her, really caused her heart to flutter. Even if the circumstances were not calling for it.

"Granny, c'mon! Haven't you seen this douche? He attacked his own daughter in such a cowardly fashion, that wasn't even a fight. This cannot be acceptable to you, can it?! Someone had to remind him where he stood, and a scumbag like him doesn't deserve a daughter as amazing as Hinata...! I could not stand for it, grandma!"

"OK, this is getting ridiculous--"

Her own temper slowly threatening to boil over, her patience running quite thin with her foster son, without Naruto even noticing it, at first, as he was stuck in his own anger, continuing with:

"Especially since Neji indulged me of what is going on in there! Are you just going to look away and pretend, this bruise on her cheek doesn't exist--"

Before exploding in his face, by grabbing the blond by the collar, telling him:

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! AND LISTEN TO ME!"

That even made Hinata flinch, as the Hokage had some serious words to share with her foster son, telling him outright:

"I seriously have no use or patience for a stubborn hothead, whose only true talent is to just rush in, without a plan, and then acting all shocked when he realizes too late, he should have used his head first, before throwing hands with someone, way above his own rank and status! What you did back there, was not only against law, but most of all, dangerous! Hiashi could have turned you into mincemeat, had he gone a little less easy on you, and the fact that you had to rely on the fox chakra to fight him, the very reason why you are even still alive, says a lot about how you only managed to survive, purely by a lucky fluke! Regardless of your intentions, this was a level of spinelessness I had deemed impossible, even for you! Be glad that you're the jinchuriki, otherwise, you would have immediately gone to jail, without fail! So, stop giving me lip, and start behaving yourself from now on, or I'll make sure to relieve you of both your shinobi headband and status! Did you understand me?"

Naruto, under normal circumstances, would have been deafly afraid of Tsunade's words here, but his stubborn defiance was truly shining through here, as he just sighed at her in a frustrated way, averting his gaze, feeling his own patience running thin with her, likewise.

But she screamed at him, and this time, he could sense, the devil himself entering this woman, as she asked him again:

"I SAID, DID. YOU. UNDERSTAND. ME?!?!?!"

Not wanting to anger her any further, he yells back at her, being just as mad as her right now.

"YES, I DID!"

She lets go of his collar, before sighing out loud, rubbing her temple with both hands, suffering from a serious headache because of this entire situation. But wanting to be a little placatory with him, she couldn't help but smirk a little, as she had never deemed Naruto, of all people, to be such a ladies' man. She couldn't have possibly seen this coming, to witness his foster son defending a girl from the wrath of her own family, telling him:

"But I have to say... You defending Hinata's honor, down to your very nail, is oddly... endearing. I never would have guessed you to be having a soft spot for "helpless girls". Playing the "knight in shining armor" for them, no less."

Loosening up somewhat, the blond began chuckling to himself, bashfully looking away, a slight shade of pink forming on his cheeks, stating, all the while rubbing the back of his head like a dork:

"Aww, c'mon, you're making me blush, grandma! I only did what came naturally to me, it was nothing, really!"

But he had no idea how grateful Hinata was deep down to hear this. Her blush grows a little bit more intense, but unlike usual, she doesn't turn away, she looks him in the eye, as he says that. Proving, she has grown significantly bolder, as the months passed by, all thanks to her team and Naruto inspiring her to get better, every single day.

But Naruto knew, despite the best of intentions, Tsunade had every reason to be genuinely mad here. He really should have thought this through more thoroughly, as his gaze softens, looking quite earnest right about now. Even throwing an apologetic glance at Hinata, his blue eyes looking genuinely guilt-ridden, with his shoulders slumping too.

"But... Just this once, I gotta say, you ain't wrong, grandma Tsunade. I had better plans before, this wasn't exactly my most "refined" performance... Sorry about that. And sorry to you too, Hinata. I only wanted to help. I know that a shinobi is supposed to fight all composed, without any personal feelings getting involved, but... Just this once, I couldn't stick to it. I just couldn't. How would anyone expect me to sleep at night, knowing that someone as amazing as Hinata is being treated the way she is? I am more than aware, I screwed up. Big time. But you know... Back then, when Kabuto attacked you, I had to abandon all reason, just to save your life. It's one thing staying professional, but when someone starts aiming this low, targeting your ideals, and your reasons for fighting... That is where certain lines get crossed for me. And Hiashi was truly pushing his luck, I tell you..."

The Hokage had to smile in a wry fashion, knowing that this is just how Naruto is, and no matter how many times she scolds him, deep down, she doesn't want him to change in that regard.

"I know, I know, you goody-two-shoes, I got it. You don't need to justify yourself on that. I will be eternally grateful for what you did for me."

But she had to get serious with him, and this time, she involved Hinata in the conversation, smiling at her in a friendly, welcoming way, knowing that this poor girl has been thrown for a loop in these past few weeks, and especially today.

"But this wasn't the only reason why I dropped by... But first of all, Hinata, how are you holding up?"

She meekly told her village leader, still being mildly traumatized over today's happenings, being able to grasp, where this conversation is to be heading from here on:

"I-I am doing fine... I guess... Depends on your definition though..."

She wasn't expecting that mild sass at the end, but she giggled, knowing that she had every reason to be nervous now. And she really couldn't blame her, as she had good news to share, but mostly very bad ones, too.

"Good to know. First of all, the good news is, Hiashi is willing to drop all charges against you, Naruto, for having attacked him in the middle of training. He is willing to show leniency..."

And Naruto asked, knowing what came next:

"...And the bad news?"

"...Under ONE condition. That being: Hinata and Neji are to have a rematch, at the Chunin exams arena. With all of the village observing the spectacle. He shall give both Neji, and you, Hinata, one whole month of preparation for this match, wanting you to be at your absolute best, when you face your cousin again in the ring. And only if you manage to win, will he spare Naruto from confinement, or any further repercussions."

That caused Hinata's heart rate to dramatically go up, both out of sheer pressure to perform well, but... A strange feeling of excitement, mixed in with pure, unfiltered anxiety over her own performance in the frey. She nodded, albeit hesitantly, as, despite her having grown far more resilient and brave, she couldn't deny: This is quite the ultimatum, as, so far, she never once managed to beat Neji. So, just by default, this is making her nervous.

"So he wants me to fight Neji? Fine by me. I will... I will do my best!"

But Naruto had his doubts about the whole thing. Just to be safe, he wants to make sure that this "contract" doesn't possess an un-mentioned fine print that they need to be made aware of.

"Hold on... Are we absolutely sure that that is all he wants? Just the condition being Hinata's victory over Neji? No fine prints? Sorry, but, considering that he got away with tormenting these two for so long, I am not expecting someone like this to play clean. Is this really all there is to it?"

The Senju thought about it, but she was absolutely certain, there was no underlying intent in his "contract". She always pays close attention to such dealings, if it involves the Genin's safety. So she reassured him:

"...No, that's it. That is all he is asking of her. Just winning the match. Nothing else. And before you wonder, he made that decision, under the pretense that Hinata has made significant progress in the last few months. He only needs to see it in practice. And if she succeeds, then he may consider going easier on her and Neji, from this point on. All hinging on how well she performed in their encounter."

The Uzumaki still felt mildly skeptical about the whole thing, but for now, this is not what they should be dwelling over. Hinata's training enjoys bigger priority above all else.

"Well, OK then... Then I say, let us not waste anymore time, and let's get right down to business. One month. That should be more than enough to get you armed and ready."

His serious, but also, genuinely caring look caused the Hyuga's heart to flutter again. So much tenacity...

...but then she realized, he mentioned the word "us". She immediately wanted to know what he meant by that.

"Uh, Naruto...? W-What do you mean, "us"...? My fighting style isn't exactly compatible with yours... How do you propose to assist me?"

"I dunno... I haven't thought about it... But that ain't important right now, Hinata. I will help, and that's final."

She made it immediately clear, she wasn't stumbling over her own words anymore. These days, she has grown confident enough to not grow too embarrassed in Naruto's presence, or anyone's presence for that matter. All thanks to her own team helping her open up.

"But, why? I mean, not that I mind, but... Is this really necessary? I can train perfectly fine on my own, or with Neji's assistance. My Gentle Fist technique needs a lot more refinement, anyway. And it's not exactly ideal to train with someone, who can't even use it..."

Naruto had to awkwardly smile, knowing she was right, commenting:

"Yup, compared to my bull charging, you fight with grace and finesse. Me? I am just a loose cannon, aren't I?"

Tsunade lets them know, she needs to return to the office to close up, as she forgot to take her jacket along. She excused herself, wishing the two good luck.

"Welp, I'm outta here. I need to get my jacket, and lock up. Good luck, Hinata. We'll stay in contact. Let me know if you need something. Same goes for you, Naruto. See ya."

"Later, grandma..."

Hinata nodded, throwing a gentle, grateful smile in her direction, letting her know, she is sure to let her know, should something happen.

Now, she and Naruto were all alone. And the Uzumaki had to get real with his Hyuga partner. Growing very sincere and earnest about this.

"Listen, Hinata... I am not offering myself, because I want to, because I HAVE to. It's all because of me, that you ended up in this mess. So it's my responsibility to set this right, by training with you. Simple as that. I am officially indebted to you, and will stay, until we get this entire match over with."

The young Hyuga's lavender eyes began glistening, as she really wasn't expecting Naruto, of all people, to be so mature and considerate about this. She gently spoke his name, so softly, it could take flight, her cheeks growing even pinker than before.

"Naruto..."

He then adds, with his toothy fox grin:

"Besides... Imagine that. You emerging victorious against Neji. That isn't small potatoes, Hinata, and you know it. Actually, I should feel honored to be training with you, because now, I shall get to see you at your absolute best. I say, let us give your father a performance, he shall never forget. How about it?"

His optimism having always been mildly contagious, she smiled along, cutely imitating his pose of pointing with her index finger at him, saying:

"Y-Yes... How did you do that again? "I am definitely going to win, believe it!"... Right?"

"Hehe! Almost, but--"

???: "NARUTOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The blonde shinobi flinched mildly, but because he was already so used to this treatment from this one person in particular, he comically look unamused, asking in a monotone voice, hearing the comically demonic steps getting closer and closer to his position:

"Oh, gee. I wonder who THAT could be.."

*insert comical, metallic clanking sound*

He felt a very familiar punch connecting with the top of his skull, with a bump slowly inflating on his head, as we now see, who just punched him: Sakura Haruno.

And needless to say, she looked astronomically enraged over Naruto's blatant disregard for his own safety, and nearly risking his hide, like always.

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO HEAR?! YOU ASSAULTED A HIGH-RANKING CLAN LEADER?! HAVE YOU NOW TOTALLY LOST IT, YOU BLOND DOOFUS?!"

Only, this time, Naruto didn't feel scared of her, as something far greater was at stake, and he frankly wasn't in the mood for her scolding right now. Trying to play it cool, he calmly told her, looking genuinely apologetic.

"Listen, Sakura. I am not in the mood for that. This time, I am not even blaming you for getting mad at me. But forget about me, we--"

She cuts in, her anger mildly diminishing, realizing he wasn't fighting her word like usual, but she had to tell him, with her arms folded, looking pretty disappointed in him:

"Don't you start getting smart on me now, Naruto! Lady Tsunade has already informed me about this fiasco, and all I have to say is: Don't blame me, when you wind up landing in jail, because of your Robin Hood act. Listen, I already know, Hinata needs to prepare for a rematch with Neji. But seriously, Naruto... Even for someone like you, that was far too reckless, what the hell were you thinking?"

He points at Hinata's cheek, bluntly telling her:

"Take a good look at her face, and then try to guess why."

She did as she was told, and when she saw the gnarly, swollen bruise on Hinata's cheek, she mildly began cringing for how painful it looked. She gently approached Hinata, carefully wanting to inspect the wound, putting both hands over Hinata's cheeks, taking a clear look at it. Whatever it was, that was no accident. It looked too deliberate. And Sakura was quick to point this out. Sounding genuinely worried, all the while, now putting the puzzle pieces together in her mind.

"Oh... Now I see it... OK, I have to admit, now it's starting to make sense... But, Naruto. For real now, we chewed on this, so many times by now. When will you ever listen to me? I know you have the best of intentions in mind, but you should have known, right off the bat, this was a bad idea. You don't even need to be a genius to figure this out. I am not getting this mad for nothing, you know. We already lost one teammate, I don't want to lose you next."

He gazed at his teammate, looking quite sincere about his intentions to nip this problem in the bud.

"Sakura. Believe me. When I go out-of-line, THIS hard, rest assured that I will always have my reasons for it. You know how I tick. Only this time, I am afraid that my usual approach only backfired on us. And now, because of me, Hinata has to fight Neji again. And who knows what kind of sleazy tricks Hiashi may be having up his sleeve. This is all my fault. We only have one month to train, meaning, we have to get started as soon as possible. And any help is highly appreciated."

Wanting to follow Tsunade's instructions, and put her healing ninjutsu into practice, Sakura gently puts one hand over the swollen spot, allowing the now green-glowing chakra to mend the wound...

...and it worked. It healed fairly quickly. But while it is gone, the emotional wound will never go away. Sakura expressed genuine concern for Hinata, wanting to offer her assistance, too.

"If you want, I could help Hinata train, by putting her in Genjutsu to simulate how a fight between her and Neji would run down. It's not much, but it's a start. And I could also make use of my Inner Sakura technique to mentally toughen her up."

The Hyuga gently expressed her gratitude, telling the medical-ninja-in-training.

"Thank you, Sakura. That would be wonderful. It may help, indeed. So that I can mentally condition myself on how it would look like, from my point-of-view, to face my cousin in a tournament-esque scenario."

"Anything for you, Hinata... And what will you do, Naruto?"

A wry grin formed on his lips, already knowing what he shall bring to the table.

"Considering that she will very likely want to let off some steam on me for having shoved her into this mess in the first place, I shall offer myself as a personal training dummy for her Gentle Fist. Improving her precision, y'know. Will probably hurt like crazy, but even you have to admit, I kinda deserve it."

But hearing this morbid suggestion, the Hyuga wasn't exactly approving of it, for good reason. She knows how deadly the Gentle Fist can be, one wrong move, and she may hospitalize him. She warns him, wanting him to take this seriously, getting surprisingly firm over this:

"Naruto, please. Don't be ridiculous. If I use you as a "training dummy", I may wind up hurting you. The Gentle Fist is no joke, if I strike one of your vitals by complete accident, you will be out cold for a while. Time that we don't have. And yes, I will admit, I am feeling annoyed with you, but just using you as an outlet for my frustrations is not amusing to me in the slightest. Have some self-respect, and just use your Shadow Clones. Don't make me regret asking for your help. I beg of you."

Her scolding makes Naruto actually feel something. Surprisingly, it hurt way worse than Sakura's punches ever could. He had played with fire for too long this time, and this is the end result. He rubs his neck, smiling awkwardly, commenting with:

"Wow, Hinata... When you scold me, it just hits differently... Getting right to the point... Alright, but, I can't make any empty promises this time. Remember, we are both in this, all because of me, and if I have to hurt myself to help you, so be it. I'll think of something. You have to trust me. I am not asking for your permission, Hinata. This is an obligation, not a suggestion."

Hinata sighed, looking neutral, before replying in a dry, blunt way:

"...Fine. But don't tell me, I haven't warned you."

Sakura added, smirking knowingly at her blond teammate:

"Gosh, Naruto, since when have you become so mature? You are beginning to freak me out. You almost make me want to test if you are not just an imposter posing as him."

Naruto began pouting, folding his arms before looking away bashfully, going:

"Oh, can it, Sakura. I am doing what I can here. I started this, and now it's my responsibility to put an end to it. Simple as that. But, even us two can only do so much. If only there was someone who could help Hinata in a more practical sense, honing her Taijutsu skills and possibly even increasing her stamina..."

Out of nowhere, a very youthful voice spoke, from right above him, revealing his head. And it turns out to be Rock Lee, who stood up on a tree branch nearby, looking down on them in an interested way.

"Did someone call me?"

And when all three looked up, they felt mildly relieved to see him. Just the guy they were looking for.

"Hey, Bushy Brow! Always on time, aren't we?"

"We were actually just talking about you, Lee. Think you can help us?"

"Heh, of course!"

Lee smiled, striking a dorky superhero pose, before immediately leaping off the tree branch to eloquently land right in front of Hinata. To a comically exaggerated hero fanfare. And like a gentleman, taking both of her petite hands into his, asking:

"So, Hinata... You wish to get stronger? Then look no further, I am right here. Whatever it is you need, I will be glad to assist you in whatever goal you're aspiring to reach. The Flame of Youth shall guide you!"

The young Hyuga could only giggle at Lee's dorky, but very loving demeanor, saying with a smile on her lips, unable to deny that she may truly have a weakness for guys with lots of eccentricities:

"If it is of no bother to you, it would be amazing... Anything to help me improve so that I can fight Neji again. My father has given me one month to prepare for that, is that enough?"

That name caused Lee to lose a bit of his eccentric demeanor, as he needs to get real with her. Coming from the same guy, who was never able to beat Neji, even with the Gates technique, he knew, in order to make this work, they needed to work EXTRA hard. But as always, even with his clear mind and intent, he remained optimistic, knowing how Hinata had always struggled with self-esteem, wanting to make sure her fighting spirit doesn't relinquish.

"...One month should be more than enough! And if Neji will be your opponent, then there is only one thing left to do."

Sakura will warn Hinata. She knows all too well, having experienced training under Lee's guidance herself, that his methods may seem outlandish and ridiculous to many, but she could tell: It was very methodical. Hence, she will remind her, as Lee puts down his backpack to search for something specific:

"Believe me on this, Hinata. Lee is the best possible candidate for this task. He might be a dork, but his training regimen is surprisingly effective. I trained with him, and in no time at all, I felt my Taijutsu being far more refined than ever before. My stamina increased, my resilience to pain improved as well, and I felt as light as a feather, whenever I took a run for it. So, whatever he plans, listen to him."

"What she said. Bushy Brow might be comic relief material, but really, he isn't, because he helped us out a lot. Take it from us, if we can grow stronger, thanks to his training, then it will work with you too."

"I will keep it in mind..."

And then, Lee found it. He showed Hinata the exact same weights that he had used to increase his agility on the ground, which he also let go off during his match with Gaara at the Chunin exams. And once he dropped them, all three could remember how blindingly fast he had become. The Hyuga knew immediately where this was going. And Lee tells her firmly:

"To start things off, if we are going to do this properly, then we will need to start, right away. And going slow and steady, at the same time. I want you, Hinata, to attach these weights under your clothing, so that you can turn every mundane task into training too. Every step of the way, your body will remain on fire, and even when you are taking a break, the weights will help you improve, little by little. And once you remove them, the results will be instantaneous. Think you are up for it?"

When Hinata tried to hold one of the weights, she nearly slumped down onto the concrete, needing every piece of willpower to not fall down, as she held the weight in her grip. Before Lee immediately relieves her by holding it for her...

...and yet, she looked very resolute and determined to make this happen. Adding a bit of sass to her wording too.

"I just so happen to be an expert at sewing. Give those to me, and I will be sewing them to my hood jacket on the inside. I am more than ready."

This made the Uzumaki grin very wide. Being downright inspired by her tenacity, despite the humbling force of the weights.

"Alrighty. I guess that's settled. So I say, let us all band together, and make Hinata stronger than she ever was. Hiashi wants a match, we will give him one! One that will blow his socks off!"

Sakura began smirking, nodding affirmatively, being armed and ready herself.

Lee did the same thing.

And by instinct, all three put their dominant hands on top of one another, with Hinata taking a moment...

...before following their example, with all four lifting their hands into the air, to say in unison:

"LET'S GO!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Text

Having taken Rock Lee's advice to heart, Hinata had managed, in just one night, to sew the ankle weights to the inside of her hoodie, and needless to say...

...it proved cumbersome. Especially since, by default, Hinata is nothing like Rock Lee, just having these weights attached to her clothing, every subtle motion of her body caused it to protest from the immense pain and pressure the weights put on her upper half.

And even with her best efforts, at first, trying to grow accustomed to these weights was truly hell. Even when performing mundane tasks around the compound. Just climbing down the stairs alone, or keeping herself upright to clean the dishes, was enough to make her sweat as though she was running a marathon. And after just one day, she felt the soreness, even in the most unbelievable spots.

...And yet, despite all the odds stacked completely against her, she refused to let the weights win. She kept going, and going, and going. Even with her body repeatedly telling her to just stop, and give it a rest, she just couldn't. She just refused to ever give her father the satisfaction of knowing, this match will become a one-sided circus performance, because it won't end this way.

Six days in, she grew surprisingly accustomed to the weights. So much so, she even began attempting to keep honing her Gentle Fist, all the while remaining compromised by Rock Lee's weights...

...an honorable attempt...

...but no matter what she did, she always ended up comically falling flat on her face, realizing she isn't quite there yet. Whenever she performed a kick, or repeated the process of doing frontal flat palm strikes, the pains in her muscles from the sheer monotony, made it nearly impossible to stay consistent. And once again, just doing this alone made her sweat so much, you could fill a bucket with the amount of water she lost, trying to stay constant.

Hiashi, was silently observing this process, and whilst he did find it impressive how stubborn she truly ended up being about this, he could not help himself. He approached her, his hands hidden, throwing one smug look in her direction, adding:

"My, my, aren't we the stubborn ones today?"

Hinata froze in-place, as she took her hood jacket off, needing to concentrate, while talking to her father...

...or rather, trying to, as, after this incident with Naruto, threatening to take him away from her, and locking her up within the compound, should she lose the fight, she had nothing kind left to say to him anymore.

In an unintentionally cold and distant tone of voice, she asked her father, trying her hardest to stay polite and modest, even when it's understandably difficult to do so, after how so very close he gotten to kill the one individual, that inspired her to grow above herself:

"Is something the matter, father?"

But Hiashi pretended to not know why his daughter was in such a foul mood. Nonchalantly, he shrugs it off, and throws one wry smile at her, going:

"No, nothing. I just wanted to let you know: Keep working hard. I may wind up considering you for the position of clan heiress, after all, should you win. I just wanted to give you a good sales pitch for the deal we made."

But Hinata turned around to face him, looking pretty bemused. With a subtle fury lingering in her gaze, making it clear: She was not pleased. Now he plays suck-up to her, knowing full well that, once she wins the match, she might be fully accepted into the family. But Hinata knew better. No longer caring about what he thinks, after that stunt he pulled with Naruto, she calmly told him, with a hint of sass in her voice:

"Oh, really? Do I finally get my own proper bedroom then, once I win? What else, a weapon of my own? A fireplace? A house pet? ...Father, who are you trying to fool? You obviously don't want me to win, because this is not what you envisioned. The only reason why you agreed to organize this match, was because people are starting to look our way. If Naruto hadn't broken in, you would have continued on with your day, like nothing ever happened. And I really don't like giving you this much attitude. You are not making any sense to me, right now. Since when have you started making it your business as to what I do with my life?"

His expression shifted into something more serious and stern, and the same thing happened to his voice, responding to his daughter's sass with obvious displeasure.

"...Since when have you started talking so big, Hinata? I don't recall raising you like that. And either way, I ALWAYS cared about your progress as a shinobi. I may have picked Hanabi as heiress, but that was simply because, at the time, she was the one to beat you, fair and square. And yes, I am not going to fight the allegations, you are correct. I did agree to this, because the public image of a clan does bear a semblance of relevance in the grand scheme of things. Put yourself in my shoes, it's my responsibility to set things straight again, it's not even your fault. I only want to use this as an opportunity to watch you grow above yourself, what exactly speaks against? Am I not allowed to give my own flesh and blood the right push, in the right direction?"

But Hinata wasn't planning on being made a fool here. She saw what happened to the Side Branch over the years, she knew exactly how deep-rooted her father's blatant ignorance and knowing negligence truly was, especially towards the other, "lesser half" of the clan. Side Branch or not, they are all still family to her, and seeing how the elders were always prepared to make her, and Neji's life, hell on earth, whenever one half failed, she bluntly responded, while still maintaining her calm, wanting to remain above petty scuffles like this:

"Father... ...Do you seriously think of me as THIS inept? If what you're doing can be understood as "pushing me or Neji, in the right direction", then don't expect me to fall for this farce. This is not genuine motivation, you are just looking for any excuse to now make sure, I stay wrapped around yours, and the Hyuga elders' fingers, because now, your reputation is at stake. You think I am not seeing this? The way you, and my grandfather, hold an uncomfortably large amount of leverage over the Side Branch family? Always being quick to shift the blame to whoever suits your convenience, just to keep the vicious cycle of mistrust running? If this is your understanding of "parental motivation", then I can tell you one thing: You are way off-course."

He could not believe it. His own daughter has truly grown too rebellious for her own good, while still maintaining her soft-spoken and polite mannerisms. He wanted to give her a piece of his mind, as this attitude of hers, really did not sit right with him. However...

...he realized he could still use this to his advantage. He is far too deeply attached to the traditions of their clan, to just let it go, and read the writing on the wall. He knew that now, the seed of doubt must have festered in her mind. Far too much for comfort. But no matter what, so he though: She will become heiress, whether she likes it or not.

He played pretend, laughing out loud, feeling mock hurt over his own daughter's ice queen demeanor, "playfully" telling her:

"Oh, you wounded me, princess. I seem to have lost this one, haven't I? Very well. You want to enter your rebellious phase prematurely, by all means. Show to me, how far it can take you. Go on, if you truly believe you can manage without me, then... just pretend, I am not even here. You won this one."

And now with his back turned, he went back to the compound, forming one wicked smirk on his lips, thinking to himself, the intent all too clear now:

"Keep talking big, Hinata. Don't expect me to put a stop to it anymore. It will be all the more satisfying to witness you throwing in the towel, and become a full resident of this clan. One way or another, you are MY daughter. And the Hyuga thrive off of your existence. Never forget that. Whatever the blond, little doofus planted in your mind... ...it will only get you so far from here on out."

Hinata eyed him suspiciously, not trusting her father for even a second. Deep down she knew, this was all a psychological tactic of his. To give her the illusion, without him, she was "screwed". But regardless, her mind was made up. She is going to win, and put a stop to their madness, one way or another. Her eyes fixated on Hiashi's back, as he walked back inside the compound. Muttering to herself, not even feigning his true stance on the matter:

"Just you watch. For the longest time, I have been doing your bidding, just hoping to be gaining your acknowledgement. But all this stops, as of today. Whatever dirty tricks you might end up resorting to, it will all be worth it, in the end. And you know why? These blunders won't be telling of MY character, but purely yours. You want to drive the Hyuga clan even further into the ground, be my guest. ...Because..."

Her Byakugan gradually becomes active, her forehead veins pumping, as she allowed the fury to slowly consume her:

"...before this is over, as I see it, by the time disaster strikes, I will have long since abandoned the ship."

Meanwhile...

Sakura was currently busy breaking a serious sweat with Rock Lee, as he has become her personal Taijutsu trainer in recent times. Naruto was with them, trying his best to follow Lee's instructions. This ended up becoming a regular pass-time activity for them, to keep honing their CQC skills as a team. And Lee was more than happy to be teaching them, especially Sakura, where he began seeing significant progress from the last time she fought properly.

While she was busy punching and kicking at a training dummy, in the form of a long wooden pole, with a painted face on it...

...comically representing Naruto, by some freakish coincidence...

...Lee folded his arms, shouting encouraging things at both her and Naruto, going all:

"This is it! This is what I am here for! Keep going! Repetition can be such a wonderful thing! Anything to keep our flames of youth from burning out!"

But soon, Naruto and Sakura, drenched in sweat, decided to take a breather, as they needed to drink some water. As they both settled down, with Rock Lee deciding to use their break as an excuse to continue working out himself, through means of a thousand sit-ups, Sakura began eyeing her comrade with a quite concerned look. And once she began explaining what was on her mind, it was more than justified.

"Naruto... Are you really sure this is going to work?"

Despite trying to look optimistic, it was pretty clear, the situation was pretty serious, considering that innocent lives are at stake. Especially going off of what Neji warned him about. And this wasn't just about Hinata.

"Well... It's not like we have much of a choice, do we? Best suggestion I can come up with is just making the best of it. Simple as that. We help Hinata get stronger, and then keep our fingers crossed, that all this torture pays off, in the end. What do you even want to hear from me?"

The medical ninja in-training had to get serious with Naruto. She knew him really well. She knew how he ticked, and could only sympathize with his line of thinking, especially in regards to the innocent. But if there is one harsh lesson she learned through Tsunade, pure-hearted intentions can only get one so far. She had to challenge him on this, because she cared.

"Listen, Naruto, don't misunderstand this as me trying to misjudge your intentions or anything, I am more than aware that your heart is way bigger than that of many. However, good intentions or not, it will only get you so far. Are you even aware of what you have done? You rebelled against an entire clan, by attacking the leader. Not just any leader. One of the more cunning and ruthless ones, too. You can count yourself lucky that Hiashi felt pretty gracious on that day, enough to let you keep on living. And if it weren't that, this still remains a criminal offense."

Naruto folded his arms, leaning back against the tree, as he is willing to listen to her, just this once. And she continued by adding:

"I know you were trying to maintain Hinata's dignity, but spineless actions like this just invokes unrest in the higher leading positions. Nothing but pure headaches. Lady Tsunade is more than aware of the amount of dirt that the other clans got on one another, but have you ever asked yourself, why she never went for your tactic of just butting heads? Despite... frankly, being the expert at that herself? Because, that's just not befitting of a leader. You should set an example, and first try to tackle diplomacy. That's step one, not step two. You want to become Hokage, do you not? What, you think anyone would listen to a guy, who just decides one day to headbutt another clan leader, because they felt like it? Whatever the reason was? Think about it, this is why Hiashi and Lady Tsunade settled on a rematch between Neji and Hinata, that is far less of a migraine than the tactic you went for."

Naruto understood where she was coming from. However, he had his own two cents to share on this topic, scoffing with:

"Hmph. From the way you are wording it, it almost sounds like you're willingly playing the bootlicker, because you're too scared to challenge those in-power. And here I thought, you wanted to rise above everyone else..."

She sighed, having known that he would start deflecting her point, in a way. Even if she could sense, he actually listened to her for once.

"What are you talking about?"

Throwing one wry smile at her, he just decides to dish out some truth bombs himself. And this time, Sakura had a tough time countering... ...which she seriously wasn't expecting from someone like Naruto, of all people.

"See? This right here, is your problem, Sakura. You are just accepting everything at face value, without ever asking questions. You are observant, you absorb knowledge like a sponge, you are the brains, as opposed to my brawns, and yet you can't smell the bullshit, when it's staring you right in the face. Wouldn't you think that this is kind of messed up from the get-go? Only one slip-up from a third party, and everyone else gets nervous? Ever thought about why Hiashi would suddenly decide to play diplomat with us, or Hinata? Because I put him on the spot. I called him out, and now, the elders, who are the main reason as to why Neji and Hinata suffered so much in the first place, are getting itchy fingers. They fear for their reputation. Regardless of what I did, it doesn't change the fact that these guys got some serious skeletons in the closet, and yet expect all of us to be obedient little playthings. And you want to tell me, "playing diplomat" is going to change anything? I am not even denying your suggestion, Sakura. I am just saying... When Hiashi already doesn't like me, right off the bat, and possibly even wants my head on a spit, you don't need diplomacy for that."

That made the healer of the group fall silent, as she had to think about this for a moment, but more importantly: She was gobsmacked. She never realized how mature and collected Naruto can be, when put under the right circumstances. He might be a slacker, when it comes to his studies, but he was insanely street-wise, she could tell.

And just this once, she admitted defeat, as what he said, could be seen as a homerun.

She had to giggle, throwing one playful wink at her teammate, being genuinely at a loss for words with this.

"...OK, that's an argument right there, I'll admit. Sheesh, making me look bad over here, what comes next? You become Jonin next week? Since when have you become so smart, Naruto? Were you hiding something from me, all these years?"

He sheepishly began scrubbing the back of his head, grinning like a fox, appreciating the compliments, openly.

"Naaah, it's just that... I think more with heart and gut, than my brains. You should give that a try, every once and a while. Maybe it might help you loosen up a little."

But he returned to being firm with her, as he had this to say, about the entire situation.

"But, listen... You had every right to be mad with me here, Sakura. Just this once, I lack any witty retaliations to fire back at you. Not like I ever do that regularly in your presence, but you get the point. Besides, you always tell me that I am never taking anything seriously, and I just take it, the way it comes my way. But just this once, I can't do that. I am the reason Hinata got into this mess in the first place, so now, it's my responsibility to set things straight with her. And I plan on doing this, by helping her win. Simple as that."

But he cannot lie, he began looking quite melancholic about this topic, knowing it is quite the sore spot for both her and himself.

"I guess you can say, I am proudly being selfish for once... But the truth is, I am quite frustrated with myself. I just want to be of good use to someone without being haunted by the realization: I failed to bring Sasuke back. I am definitely not going to fail with Hinata. Nuh-uh. She WILL win this, and I am going to help her accomplish this goal. And I don't care what her demented family has to say about that, she is going to prove all of them wrong."

Sakura nodded...

...before the two, comically in-synch, start sulking together, side-by-side, hugging their knees, with waterfalls of tears falling from their eyes, as mentioning Sasuke's name, in this context, stang a little too much for them. With Sakura meekly going:

"Damn it, Naruto... Why did you have to bring him up...? I am sorry I couldn't come along, OK...?"

"No, Sakura, it's OK... We're supposed to stick together, I didn't mean to rub more salt into the wound... I miss that moron, too..."

Sighing out loud in pure, unfiltered, unified sadness...

With Lee comically asking out loud:

"Why are you two crying?! Was it something that I said?!"

But they were tugged right out of their depressive phase, as they heard a familiar voice from afar, paired with barks from a dog. And when they looked up, they witnessed Kiba and Shino approaching, looking pretty bemused. And the Inuzuka was the first to openly voice his displeasure with the entire situation:

"Well, well, well... Look who we have here. Three knuckleheads, with the blonde one being the biggest numbskull of all. I hope you have a very good explanation for all this, Naruto. Hinata told us everything, and let's just say, right now... I am feeling more motivated than ever to scratch out your eyeballs, you wannabe-superhero."

Akamaru barked, looking pretty displeased himself, growling somewhat, too. And Shino added:

"We always knew that you were a special kind of reckless, but even for us two, this is going one or two steps too far, Naruto. I hope you are prepared for the consequences, because things aren't looking pretty for you right now, going off of what Hinata informed us about."

Fixating his sunglasses, all the while. But the blonde jinchuriki gets up, staring at the other members of Team 8, looking pretty earnest, with a hint of pleading in his blue eyes.

"Listen, you two. I am more than aware of how braindead my decision has been, but this isn't what's important right now. The fact of the matter is, regardless of what kind of opinion you two now share about me, screw all of that. Hinata's success should be of way bigger priority on our bucket lists, right about now. So, instead of wasting your precious time reprimanding me for my awful life choices, why not just invest said time in helping me get Hinata up to snuff, just so she won't get beaten again? Don't you two want to see her succeed as well? I can live with going to jail over this, but Hinata doesn't deserve to stay locked up, should she lose this. So, please. Help us."

Kiba and Shino looked at each other, looking mildly surprised over how empathic and understanding Naruto was sounding right about now. They never expected him, of all people, to get so genuinely earnest about someone, so naturally, both nodded. With Shino firmly approving:

"We'll help."

And Kiba throws one cocky smirk at his fox rival, with Akamaru sharing his enthusiasm, telling him with a thumbs up:

"...Hell yeah, we want to see Hinata being on top of the world, even without that stupid contest from her demented father. Of course, we will help. Were you seriously expecting us to say No, man? How can we pass this up, if it means witnessing our teammate going for the top?"

Akamaru barks twice, looking pretty excited about this.

Naruto nods, a small smile forming on his lips, with Sakura and Lee joining up with him, as he announces:

"...Then it's settled. As of tomorrow, we all shall become Hinata's personal training coaches. If we work in tandem with her, what can possibly go wrong?"

Everyone present nodded in unison...

...but that reminded Naruto of something. His eyes lighting up, he takes off in a sprint, as he had one last errand to run for today.

"Oh, don't mind me, I gotta go! There is still something I need to do, before calling it a day! See ya tomorrow!"

Later...

As the sun began to set, with Hinata having finally relieved herself of the weighted hood jacket, there she was, lying in bed, her body being sore all over. Being left in her indigo t-shirt and pants. Every muscle in her body protested, but when she heard a knocking on the window, with a very familiar voice calling out to her:

"Hey, Hinata! It's me, Naruto. Got a few seconds to spare for me? Please, open the window."

"N-Naruto! Hold on, I'm coming, give me a second...!"

With every step feeling as though, the rules of gravity no longer apply to her, for how heavy and sluggish she felt, she reached the window, opening it to reveal the blonde shinobi, with his trademark fox-like grin, causing Hinata to shyly look away, as that look never failed in making her smile as well.

"Yo, sorry for the disturbance, I have been to give something to you... See it as a bit of a compensation gift for all the trouble I have put you through thus far. It's not much, but I think it may... help out a lot during training."

"W-What is it?"

She asked gently. And when he stretched out his hand to open it, he revealed a cute, orange-colored, little MP3 player with headphones. She gasped a little when she saw that. She really wasn't used to receiving gifts from anyone, much less from Naruto. But the gesture alone, despite the serious circumstances they find themselves in, genuinely caused her heart to beat faster, her cheeks becoming flushed too.

"Is this... for me?"

"Yeah, I... I actually managed to garner that small baby from a magazine giveaway... Colored orange, because... I dunno, maybe to remind you... of me? Sounds weird, I know, but hey... I even installed my own, personal playlist there. Who knows, you may end up liking it, and if it... let me know, OK?"

But he froze a little when he realized that Hinata's eyes began prickling tears on the very edges, being so deeply touched by this gift. Once again, considering her upbringing, she never even got to celebrate her birthday properly, and only Team 8 would regularly gift her with something, and even Neji. So, receiving a gift from Naruto, of all the people she cherished the most, made her feel so full in her chest.

"T-Thank you, Naruto... Seriously, I am going to cherish this, as long as I live... I know, I know, it may sound overdramatic to you, but--"

"No-no-no, there is no need in justifying yourself, Hinata. You also deserve gifts from time to time, regardless of what day it is. I just felt this to be the most appropriate, given where we are currently at."

"Naruto..."

The smile she gave him truly made his heart melt, and usually, he is very hesitant about his true feelings, but that smile right there...

...it makes this entire venture worthwhile to him. He is going to protect this smile.

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter Text

It was a sunny morning...

Everyone from the Konoha 11 has come to a unified agreement: They have to help Hinata in preparing her for the rematch with Neji. So much is at stake here, and Naruto, Rock Lee, Sakura, Team 8 and even Neji himself, have agreed to help in making Hinata rise above her own limits.

And right now, the young Hyuga princess slowly gets out of bed, and in spite of her soreness everywhere, she looked pretty determined, and all kinds of motivated, to get this party started. She grabs a hold of the MP3 player that Naruto ever so kindly provided her with, along with headphones, and the moment she puts on *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye", with the song slowly starting...

...she muttered to herself, beginning to scowl, beaming with energy:

"...Let's go. Maximum effort."

And immediately gets to work, leaving the weights off, until her warm-up is complete. The warm-up involved her doing a number of push-ups, just to prepare herself for both the weighted hoodie, and the training sessions with each and one of her self-imposed coaches.

After this, she takes an early morning jog through the village, while bearing the weights inside her hood jacket. She was sweating like crazy, but surprisingly, she has already somewhat grown accustomed to the weights, even if it still hurts like crazy to carry them, every hour, every minute of the day.

And as the song hits its first major verse, her training truly begins, as she finds herself, with closed eyes, in the middle of the training fields. Nothing but darkness around her...

Bye bye bye!

...until it was all broken through by Hinata's Byakugan getting activated. As we witness her being surrounded by Naruto's Shadow Clones. Who all look ready to get wild.

Day 1

Her first major training lesson began.

It involved her going up against multiple of Naruto's clones, in a never-ending waterfall of them all. No words needed to be spoken, they just went at it. And despite them being mutuals, Naruto knew what was at stake here, so he refrained himself from making any snarky smartass comments. He just attacks Hinata to his heart's content, as she played at the top of her game, mowing down each clone with grace, precision and speed.

I'm doing this tonight
You're probably gonna start a fight

And as she nails the real Naruto in the face, we get a freeze frame of him getting brutally in the stomach by her flat palm strike, as the lyrics continue...

I know this can't be right
Hey baby come on

Day 2

But we get a quick jumpcut to Kiba, who, along with trusted hound, Akamaru, decide to go all out and attack their teammate from both sides with the "Fang over Fang" technique. To which Hinata responds with a counter, allowing her full concentration to settle in, focusing all her chakra on her palms...

I loved you endlessly
When you weren't there for me
So now it's time to leave and make it alone

And just in the nick of time, performing her signature:

"8 TRIGRAMS: 64 PALMS GUARD!"

And that caused both Kiba and Akamaru to clash with her light barrier, unable to break through, as her defense was immaculate, and upon impact sparks fly everywhere, as their chakra collided into one another...

...before Hinata grits her teeth, and cancels the technique, just to have them craze right past her, by a hair, but not without cutting her along the way.

Day 3

And now, she had to put all focus on Shino, who summons a whole swarm of explosive insect pillars, wanting her to drop her guard and let the explosive bugs get it...

I know that I can't take no more
It ain't no lie

But Hinata stood tall, letting her Byakugan resonate, knowing she can swipe them all down from the air, if she stays 100% at her game with her Kekkei Genkai, which is exactly what Shino wants her to do. And we witness her getting close in on the swarm of beetles...

...as she starts twisting and turning with her open palms, generating thin, but very sharp chakra vacuum blades from her palm, which cuts down all the beetles with insane precision.

I want to see you out that door
Baby bye bye bye

And at the end of the second verse, Shino appears right in front of her, ready to ram an Insect Spear right through her, but before he could even have a chance to do so...

...Hinata sends him flying, by ramming both of her open palms against his chest.

Day 4

Before shifting her focus to Sakura, who traps her in a Genjutsu, as she summons Inner Sakura, who appears right behind her like a ghost, or astral projection of herself...

...before bombarding the Hyuga with seemingly lightning quick punches that came as rapidly as machine gun fire, with the intensity of cannon blasts...

...and Hinata tries to match it with her open palm strikes, matching the speed of her hits...

Don't want to be a fool for you
Just another player in your game for two
You may hate me but it ain't no lie
Baby bye bye bye

...before switching strategies entirely, by letting her inner projection spirit catch both of Hinata's palm strikes, only to increase in size, and starting to beat down on her, with her now really large knuckles, which might be slower in speed, but it forced Hinata to change her approach, too.

She closed her eyes, and tried her best to gather chakra into her palms, wanting to replicate Neji's most recent technique: The Air Palms.

And it worked. For a few hits, until...

...Sakura knocks her down, with a sweeping punch from below the ground. Causing her headphones to also fall out of her ears, in the process.

Bye bye
Don't really want to make it tough
I just want to tell you that I've had enough
It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie
Baby bye bye bye

With Rock Lee intervening, as he yells out:

"Time out! Time out!"

And immediately, Sakura cancels out the Genjutsu, with everyone looking a little worried. They weren't allowed to injure Hinata too badly, as she needed to remain in top condition, before the match with Neji could even take place.

Being the gentleman that he truly was, Lee helps Hinata get back up, who was sweating profusely, but still looking pretty fired up. So, it was good news, at least, her mood hasn't become any worse.

"Hinata, you OK?"

"I am fine, Lee. Don't worry."

But Sakura did feel a little guilty, making her feel as though she just overdid it back there.

"Hey, Hinata? Sorry, if I was too rough, no hard feelings, OK?"

But she had to giggle, smiling through the pain, reassuring her:

"Nothing to worry about, Sakura, you did what you had to. No hard feelings, indeed. It was fun, actually."

"Phew, thank goodness. I really would hate to be the reason to get you hospitalized, the longer this goes on."

But Lee looked pretty earnest and serious about this, putting both of his hands on the young Hyuga's shoulders, asking:

"Do you feel ready to continue, Hinata?"

"Absolutely. In all actuality, I... I have never felt better. So... alive. I feel like we can do this all day, and I wouldn't get tired. If you are up for it, I am ready to continue training."

Having his older-brother instincts kicking, he comically began crying in pride over her resilience, he began patting Hinata on the top of her head, speaking his sincerest of praises:

"Oh my god, Hinata! With that attitude, you are to win against Neji, just for your fighting spirit alone! If that is your will, I shall follow through with it, for your victory! For our youth!"

Hinata had to stifle a giggle, with her cheeks growing mild shades of pink in color, feeling so touched by Rock Lee's sweetheart tendencies.

But knowing the show must go on, she puts her headphones back on, turning the heat up again, speaking to her coach with a serious stare, returning to her fighting stance to signal: She was ready.

"What are we waiting for? I am itching to go again."

"At your service, Lady Hyuga."

Said the Taijutsu master, as he leaps into action, throwing punches with the younger Hyuga, treating this fight as though, he was fighting Neji, simulating the intensity of what may await her, entering the fray with him. Rock Lee knew Neji, inside and out, having fought by his side for many months. He had to get a little rougher on Hinata, because he knew, his teammate won't be going easy on her, even if, all the bad blood between the dissipated.

But Hinata didn't mind. She hasn't had this much fun training with someone in years, and she didn't mind Lee being rough on her. She wants him to go all out, in fact. And her performance in this training match was nothing to scoff at. For how gracefully she countered the Green Beast's punches and kicks, like it was second nature to her.

You just hit me with the truth
Now girl you're more than welcome to
So give me one good reason
Baby come on

But then, Rock Lee had to kick it up a notch, unlocking at least one of the 8 Gates, dramatically increasing his speed and power, in no time, whatsoever. And this time around, Hinata found herself struggling. Her Byakugan may give her the visual advantage, but she could tell: She was nowhere near Neji's level yet, if she is fighting his teammate, and she cannot even keep up at just one gate unlocked.

I've lived for you and me
And now I really come to see
That life would be much better once you're gone

And soon, she gets brutally knocked back, with a kick below the chin by Lee. Followed by a twirling roundhouse kick to the stomach, which her opponent calls "Leaf's Burning Sky". The impact causes her to hack up blood, and crashland into a nearby tree...

Everyone gasped, as that looked pretty gnarly, even with Lee not making use of the Primary Lotus here, as that would have seriously pushed things too far.

Shockingly, however, despite that not so graceful landing, Hinata gets back on her feet, now kneeling right in Lee's field of sight...

...asking with a, uncharacteristic for her, confident smirk on her lips:

"...Was that all? I had hoped for more."

And the sight of this causes Naruto and Kiba to smirk in return, knowing that they are truly starting to rub off on her. With the hound owner putting one arm around his fox rival, and the two laughing out loud like dorks, as Kiba exclaims:

"My god, Hinata, what are ya doin'? Giving me and Naruto a run for their money! I don't dislike it, though, keep goin'!"

"Yeah! What he said, Hinata! Go, and show Lee, why you shouldn't be selling yourself short like this! Show him that you are playing in a different league now!"

Akamaru could only jump excitedly, and bark in agreement with them.

That, by itself, made Hinata smile through the pains, as she shakily returned to her stance, ready to go toe-to-toe again with her personal coach.

"I am still standing! Let's continue, right now!"

"That's the spirit... As you wish, Hinata."

As such, the training session is to continue, right on schedule. With Hinata putting her headphones back on, roaring to go.

And with that, both returned to their sparring routine, with the Byakugan becoming active, once again. The power struggle commences all over, with Hinata trying her best to keep up with Lee.

I know that I can't take no more
It ain't no lie
I want to see you out that door
Baby bye bye bye

But like before, it was very apparent that Hinata was still a little behind, which is why she was struggling against Rock Lee. But the most important thing to consider: Her fighting spirit has truly come to light now. And there is no stopping it. It was time to capitalize on that, as everyone present, subconsciously agreed amongst one another. So much so, that they all literally began cheering for both Hinata and Rock Lee, in spite of this just being a mere sparring match between comrades.

Don't want to be a fool for you
Just another player in your game for two
You may hate me but it ain't no lie
Baby bye bye bye

And they had every reason, as now, the young Hyuga, and the Green Beast of Konoha in the making, fully tap into the heart of their respective martial arts, with Hinata entering her Piguaquan stance, with Rock Lee making it clear, his Jeet Kune Do was ready to show off, making the vibe change from a training session, to an old school martial arts movie.

And there they went, the Hyuga countering the Green Beast’s punches and kicks with her elegant, precise movement, even lowering her entire body with her arms spread far apart, awaiting him to get closer, and evade most of his speedy moves, before nailing him in the gut with both of her open palms, kicking with her back turned, which he managed to block in time, and it continued from here. Both just were so deep into the zone, showing their best possible performance. Each counter lets sweat drops fly everywhere, and each blow causes small shockwaves to go off upon impact.

Bye bye
Don't really want to make it tough
I just want to tell you that I've had enough
It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie

Bye bye

And by the end, being on her knee from pure exhaustion, realizing she just isn’t ready yet to face him, Lee offers her a hand, telling her:

“I think that’s enough for today. But I can tell, giving you those weights was definitely no misjudgement on my part. You did so well, it can only go up from here.”

She gladly accepted the hand, heaving herself back onto her feet, meeting Lee’s contagious smile with her own, and while she was satisfied, it still left a lingering shadow of doubt within her heart, knowing that he was an obstacle she has yet to overcome, before facing her cousin in the ring…

Day 5

Hinata, despite putting up a tough front, gradually felt the exhaustion and strain all over her body, settling in. Her muscles ache like crazy, she felt as though any unlucky movement from now on, may result in her getting the worst bodily cramps of her entire life. And she already woke up this morning, feeling her calves tensing up severely, the moment she did some stretching.

And yet, against all odds, she refused to give up. Telling herself, she has no time to rest. One month may not seem that short, but this rematch with her cousin, may wind up being the most important fight in her entire career as shinobi. Not just as a Hyuga. And losing there, would mean, not just losing the remainder of her honor and dignity within the clan, whatever is left of it, but just about... everything else. Her freedom. Her free will. And most of all, Naruto, who may, in the absolute worst case scenario, be prosecuted to land behind bars. All for helping her get some form of payback for all the years of abuse she endured at the hands of her Main Branch family. And something told her, this isn't a bluff on her father's end. The Hyuga elders are cunning scumbags, they wouldn't bat an eye at the opportunity to let someone get wrongfully prosecuted for crimes they didn't commit. And considering that Naruto is a jinchuriki...

All those factors play into her lack of forgiveness for herself. She HAS to keep going. She cannot afford to slack off. The future of the village may hang in the balance, should Naruto not get clearance to leave at his own leisure. She HAS to win.

All these thoughts just added to her mental and physical exhaustion, as she keeps on hitting a wooden training dummy to hone her Gentle Fist, while wearing the weights under her hoodie. She may have grown accustomed to them, but her body was protesting all over. And she was sweating like hell, too, practically leaving a puddle where she stood, right in front of the dummy.

For one moment she had to catch her breath, bending forward, with both hands on her knees, breathing heavily, the sweat just dripping from her chin and forehead, as though it was water. She truly was on the verge of collapsing altogether. But the mere thought of losing terrified her so much, she couldn't take a break now. It was a vicious cycle of absolutely needing rest, but her body telling her to keep going, because one fourth of the month is almost over.

She kept thinking to herself, her strikes becoming more and more sloppy and imprecise:

"No, no, no...! Body, don't leave me hanging here...! I cannot rest, until this nightmare is over and done with...! I can't lose...! I WON'T lose...! If I fail now, everything I had worked so hard for, will ultimately amount to nothing, and Naruto will be imprisoned... I can't let this happen...! I CAN'T... LET THIS... HAPPEN--"

???: "Enough. You won't get far with that kind of performance."

Out of the blue, she felt her right shoulder gently getting squeezed by none other than Neji, who had a concerned, rueful smile on his lips, being openly worried about her mental, and physical well-being. But just seeing him, wasn't enough to calm her down, as tears began subtly forming in her eyes from sheer desperation and guilt, looking at her cousin pleadingly, telling him:

"N-Neji, I... I am so sorry... I am really trying, I am pushing myself to the utmost of human limitations that I have, but... It just seems as if I am always BARELY scraping by, every time... At this rate, this rematch will be an absolute disaster, and you shouldn't--"

He then gently grasped both of her shoulders, wanting her to look at him, and only him. He can see how hard she is working, way more than she ever had, and he is genuinely proud of her. But to him, this is not the type of behavior from someone that shall face someone like him in the ring. In a serious, firm tone of voice, he tells her:

"Hinata. Pull yourself together. A true shinobi should also be made aware of when they have reached their maximum capacity. To me, you are currently overshooting way past that. It's about time, you give it a rest, just for today. Allow your body to rest. Otherwise, you may suffer a complete collapse, before we even get to the match."

But it did little to truly calm Hinata. In fact, just for one moment, she decided to throw some sass his way, and tell him, earnestly, showing how much this fight truly means to her, barely holding it together, emotionally:

"I hate to be that person, but... in case you didn't notice, I am fighting for BOTH of our lives here, Neji. If I lose, who knows what may happen to you, once I am out of the picture. You know how two-faced these elders are, they won't stop at nothing to make sure that I fail. If that happens, you and Naruto will be suffering the consequences... And it will be on me, if all this ends in my failure...! I know you are trying to comfort me, Neji, but in my position, it's a little counterproductive, to say the least--"

However, Neji wasn't having any of this attitude, as he raised his voice, scowling at her, while grabbing her shoulders tighter, wanting her to listen to him:

"You honestly think, I am not aware, Hinata?! I KNOW what's at stake here, but it won't do either you, or any of us a favor, if you end up falling apart at the seams, way before we can even hold our match! Look at yourself, you are an ongoing trainwreck, held together by bolts and wires! Anymore of this, and you might be spending the remainder of your time at the hospital, instead of training! So I'd rather advise you to shut up, and do as I say!"

And though he was fully in the right to scold her, he immediately regretted it over how he executed it. Raising his voice, getting mad at her, and giving her a glare that could scare an enemy shinobi into submission...

...The effect was immediate, for better, or for worse. Hinata was now gazing at him, with tears trickling down her face, the lower half of her face scrunching up in the purest form of sadness one girl can express, especially in her position.

His eyes comically widening, a sweat drop appearing right on the back of his head, Neji knew then and there, he really overdid it.

"...Oh, great job, Neji, what have you done?", he thought to himself.

Like always. His emotional aloofness may have helped him in battle, but when it came to social interactions, let alone with the only family he had left, he was a Rank S bonehead. Something Tenten always teased him about, he was always so serious. So, immediately, he vehemently apologized to his cousin, cupping her face to wipe her tears away with his thumbs, gently telling her:

"I am sorry about raising my voice like that, Hinata, I know how sensitive you are to that sort of thing... I didn't mean to reawaken any unpleasant memories. But my point still stands. Don't you think it's about time to just take a breather, and give your body a rest for once? You look like you could really use it..."

To cheer her up, he smiled at her, letting go of her cheeks, bringing up a suggestion that may end up putting her soul at ease. A technique he kept making use of to not lose focus, and himself.

"Tell you what... Want to come along and meditate with me? It always helped me out, when I was under way too much pressure to perform well. Your mind seems pretty cluttered and overfilled. Want to let go of all that?"

That made Hinata's ears perk up, as she looked at him with a mildly astonished look:

"...Meditation?"

"Yes, feel like joining me?"

She couldn't lie, even with his best efforts to be supportive, she still felt hesitant, because, once she sets her mind on something, she ignores all reason, and wants to get it all done, barely taking any breaks. However, every muscle in her body was telling her to give it a rest, and take a breather, and meditation might truly help her out, in the current state that she was in. So, in the end, she nods, her lips going into a thin line, hesitantly agreeing to the plan.

"A-Alright... I will trust your judgment... Let's do it, Neji."

That truly made her cousin's day, as he threw a knowing smirk in her direction, being genuinely relieved to know she remains cooperative to his pleas.

"Well, there you go. What are we waiting for? Let's go. And throw off the weighted hoodie, you don't need that extra weight."

"O-OK...!"

She unzips the hood jacket, letting it slump down onto the wooden carpet with a resounding thud, leaving her in just her faded, black t-shirt. Feeling way lighter now, she followed Neji to the botanic garden of the Hyuga compound.

Guiding her right to a circular "arena", where mostly the Main Branch trains together. The Side Branch wasn't allowed to roam this part of the compound, but because Neji is the son of Hiashi's brother, he granted himself special permission...

...unbeknownst to the elders. And that realization gradually dawned upon Hinata, causing her to look a little concerned for her cousin:

"Are you sure, this is a good idea? Won't you get in trouble?"

However, Neji began smirking, as he told her outright, kicking off his Tabi shoes, before sitting down, cross-legged, more than ready to get started with her:

"Nope. Just forget about them, let's just focus on you. You are of way bigger priority than any of them, Hinata. Shame on them for not recognizing hard work when they see it. Let's get started."

She nodded, kicking off her shoes too, and imitating her cousin's cross-legged position, closing her eyes, trying her best to clear her mind, and following Neji's lead.

"Take it after me. Breathe in for 8 seconds through your nose..."

Both did it together, in-synch...

"...hold your breath, once again, for 8 seconds..."

...before breathing out, through the mouth.

"...and breathe out, until there is no air left in your lungs."

And the effect, surprisingly to her, was immediate. She felt a lot calmer, already. But Neji firmly tells her:

"Let's repeat this process. Nine more times."

"OK."

Hinata did, as he told her. Nine more times...

...and by the end of it, she truly felt mentally rejuvenated. Her sorrows and deep-rooted concerns were still there, but they aren't as overbearing anymore. All thanks to her beloved cousin, who nodded with a small grin, feeling pretty good about himself, knowing he managed to push the demons inside her head, back into containment.

"Thank you, Neji. Seriously, that worked like a charm. I feel a lot more focused now, too. I cannot thank you enough for this."

He gently puts a hand on her shoulder, appreciating the kind words, but his eyes

"No need to. Remember, you and I will be meeting in the ring, and even if I am vehemently against the conditions being given, it remains my responsibility to keep you in the best possible condition, before we hit the "playing" field."

As they returned to their meditating exercise, clear mind and body from all negative thoughts...

...in that moment, Hinata realized something. After this sparring match with Lee, she had come to realize the hard way: If she can't at least go even with him, then her chances of winning are not as high as she desires them to be. And since Neji is already at it, trying to coach her, as well...

...she firmly spoke up, breaking the peaceful silence with one singular question, all the while looking at her cousin with a look, that Neji would best describe as "fiery" in temper:

"...Neji. Will you train with me?"

The moment he heard that, his eyes widened...

...before throwing one knowing, yet oddly determined smirk at her:

"...I am starting to like where this is going."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Text

As such, the first three weeks of never-ending training sessions passed by, almost in a flash. But in that span of time, Hinata has grown exponentially. The weighted hoodie, the training sessions, with Rock Lee as her personal coach, along with the others, Naruto included, and on top of everything else...

...Neji actually assisted her this time, in perfecting the Hyuga techniques that he managed to nail at a younger age than her. The Rotation technique, being the bigger goal to reach for her, and surprisingly, like Neji, she was a quick learner. Of course, it was pretty difficult at first, especially since, unlike him, Hinata had a hard time twirling on one heel, without getting dizzy too quickly. This was nothing like her 64 Palms Guard technique. Here, she has to actively twirl on one foot, to generate the Rotation barrier.

It took about two weeks of continuous training, until she eventually got it right, without collapsing to the ground, her head spinning like a record player. But the biggest reason why she managed to make this much progress, in a shorter span of time than initially anticipated by Neji, was mostly contributed by how patient and understanding he was with her.

Whenever she trained with her father, one of two things would happen: Continuous training, with no breaks. Or failure, and then leaving her to it, like she wasn't even worth his attention span for a day. That was also the reason why Hinata has such a low opinion of herself to begin with, because her father had done anything he could, to make her moldable, and dependant on his praise. She went years on end, without ever hearing a single word of genuine praise from him, no matter how hard she worked on her own time.

Thankfully, Neji managed to get Hinata's heritage-based techniques up to snuff, and in the final week before their match...

...for one final time, she and Rock Lee were to have a long-awaited sparring rematch, as he wanted to see for himself how far she had come from the last time they did this together, four weeks ago. And this time, Hinata had put on a different song for this...

...since everything comes down to this, she decided to leave out the headphones this time, as she was witnessing Rock Lee throwing away his ankle weights, communicating to her: This is her moment. And she should embrace it. He tells her, with a proud, beaming smile:

"Well, Hinata... This time, the training weights came off. You have been carrying them yourself for four weeks straight. Show me how fast you have become. With your Byakugan, you should now have the definitive edge over me this time. Don't leave me hanging here, Guy-sensei's methods never failed me, why should they fail you? IGNITE THE FLAME OF YOUTH!"

That made Hinata smile in the purest way that she could muster. Truth be told, she had never felt this confident and on-top-of-the-world before. His training, along with Naruto's and Neji's encouragement, she had never felt THIS alive before. And to make this even more special, those two, along with Sakura, Tenten, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Kurenai, Might Guy, Asuma, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi, all came by to witness this match, along with Hinata's overall progress. Their presence made certain that she felt both light in the chest, but also a little embarrassed, because she isn't exactly used to crowds like this. Let alone, an entire cheerleader squad, calling for her success.

Then, she slowly unzips her weighted hood jacket, having become strong enough to hold it in her right hand, before throwing it all to the side, leaving her in her indigo t-shirt, roaring to go. Putting on her headphones too, with the drums and guitar riffs blessing her ears with a holy, motivational kick, telling her coach, as she entered her Gentle Fist stance:

"...I am ready when you are, Lee. I will not disappoint you. You have done so much for me, I do not plan on disrespecting your undying support by losing to you. Bring it on."

The moment she said that last part out loud, her Byakugan immediately became active, her facial veins pumping, knowing she is going to need this, if she wants to track down his movements.

Rock Lee smiled confidently in return, hopping up and down a little, doing a few warm-up kicks, all the while making battle grunts of a certain martial arts legend, telling his disciple:

"That's what I like to hear. Now... LET'S GO!"

Immediately, with the same level of speed he attacked Gaara with during the Chunin Exams, he sped up at Hinata...

...and with her trusty dōjutsu, she counters his incoming punch, by chopping away at his wrist, to redirect the punch, but the impact causes a small pressure wave to go off. But like with Gaara, the barrage of punches and kicks from Hinata was truly relentless. Any shinobi would feel truly intimidated to make any thoughtless movements from that point onward, but Hinata wasn't wavering in her focus, for not even a second. She remains as cool as a cucumber, and just lets Rock Lee do as he pleases, until her Byakugan finds an opening for her to exploit.

FLASHBACK

Another reason why she was so calm was what Neji and Rock Lee told her: Don't ever despair. Think of all available options, and just go for them. And she kept it all in mind, as she began refining her style of Taijutsu. Since her fighting style is all about flexible palm strikes, diversions, and catching the opponent by surprise, something that clearly differentiated her from Neji's fighting style, which was far more straight-forward, and more about unrelented pressure and pinpoint accuracy. And while her cousin helped her redefine her movements, Rock Lee had given her one hell of a crazy idea...

...back turned hits. Not moving an inch, just allowing her body to move by instinct, without ever turning around. Her fighting style made sure that that route wasn't passable. And the inspiration for it came, when...

...Rock Lee had consumed yet another bottle of sake. Which she had found questionable at first, but the moment they began trading blows, with the Green Beast no longer using his brains, but merely his booze-infused instincts, just letting his body do the defending, automatically...

...that is what gave her the idea to perfect the technique of "never turn your back, defend your blind spot, and let the bodily instincts do the talking for you". She followed Neji's and Rock Lee's steps, and soon enough, she was now fighting, without the need to turn around and shield her blind spot.

END OF FLASHBACK

So now, she is planning on putting this knowledge to the test. She thinks to herself, not wanting to give herself away, just defending to the best of her ability:

"Not yet... Not yet...! Wait, until he approaches from behind...! Then I catch him by surprise... Come on... Don't keep me waiting...!"

Neji, from the crowd, nods knowingly. This is it. She can't fail. Outside of gaining more confidence, she now had new tools at her disposal, that she didn't have previously. Tenten could sense the pure satisfaction in his eyes, as she smiled, and playfully went:

"...Well, well, never thought I'd see the day, when you are finally done brooding 24/7, and actually being genuinely excited for something. I presume, you taught her well, huh?"

He awkwardly smiled in return, scratching bashfully, the back of his head, stating:

"Well, I would hope that I did a good job, at least. I did what I could. It was the least I could do, after years of treating her, as though she was beneath me. Now, let us see..."

His gaze returning to the match at hand, furrowing his eyebrows all at the same time, going:

"...how far she had come."

And as predicted by her, Lee sped right at her, targeting her blind spot...

...eyes closed, she waited for him to get near, and catch him by surprise...

...which she seriously did. Re-opening her eyes, with her back still turned, elbowing the Green Beast, right in the stomach. Immaculate timing, and sure enough, he felt paralyzed for a brief moment from how much that one elbow hit had just robbed the wind out of his sails.

Everyone stared in astonishment...

The precision, the sheer, focused brutality, all coming down to that one hit, could send shivers down the spines of her enemies. And sure enough, Hinata wasn't done. While still paralyzed in place, she performed two back turned hand chops, targeting his chest, before then doing one clean, back-turned roundhouse kick, which knocked him right into the air...

...before she speeds forward, leaving her back turned stance, just to slam both of her palms into Lee's stomach, sending him hurdling backwards, crashing into a nearby tree trunk. With Hinata returning to her own "kata", to stay focused and in-control of herself. Everyone present, felt truly entranced at the sight of this, especially Naruto. Who felt his heart leaping into the skies above, his blue eyes twinkling, going all:

"Amazing...!"

Neji could only nod, a knowing smile forming on his lips.

"Now THAT's what I am talking about. I think we can use this as definitive proof that..."

His eyes focused purely on her, looking so calm and full of concentration, not wavering in her confidence for even a second.

"...Hinata finally caught up to me."

Tsunade playfully began ruffling Naruto's hair, telling him:

"You little bastard. It seems your dedication, once again, paid off. If you keep such strong faith in someone, you might be giving a run for my money as Hokage. And don't take that last part TOO seriously. Wouldn't want you growing too cocky, brat."

"H-Hey! Grandma, c'mon! I just did what I could, don't you start putting me on a pedestal over here!"

That sight causes Sakura to giggle, as seeing her master's maternal instincts with her teammate, who was like a little brother to her, never failed to warm her soul.

But she was the first to notice that Guy-sensei looked awfully tense about something. She had been observing him the longest this whole time, and for good reason. Normally, whenever Lee fought in a match, or he witnessed someone else growing beyond their limits, he would cheer, talk about the "Fires of Youth", and jump around like a dork, being the biggest cheerleader and motivator you can possibly ask for. But just this once, something told her that, whatever made him act this way, it HAS to be serious. She thought to herself, her eyebrows furrowing:

"Guy-sensei has been awfully silent this whole time... Normally, whenever Lee is involved in some way, he would be the most motivated in cheering on his own, personal disciple, but just witnessing him being this quiet and nervous... Whatever it is, I have to find out. And I pray that it isn't something uber serious..."

As this went down, the fight between Hinata and Lee continued, as she helped Rock Lee get back on his feet, paying nothing but pure, unfiltered respect to her personal coach, gently stating:

"I only got this strong, all thanks to everyone, especially you, Lee. For as long as I live, I will NEVER forget what you have done for me... Thank you..."

But the Green Beast chuckled, responding with:

"Hinata. I really appreciate your kind words, I really do. But save them for later, once you and Neji settle it in the ring. Only then, will I truly be able to accept your gratitude."

She returned back to her stance, nodding:

"...Right. Let's continue."

"On your mark."

And with that, their match continued, becoming downright ambiguous in its potential outcome, as both warriors were truly determined to win.

But while this was taking place, it turns out, Sakura wasn't the only one who noticed Guy's off-brand silence. Kurenai carefully began observing Guy's body language, and she knew, whatever it was that he had to bear witness to, before coming here, had to involve Hinata's family in some way. It was merely a hunch, but she wasn't unfamiliar with Hinata's family situation. Far from it. After all, she was the one to suggest to Lady Tsunade that she shall be the one to take parental custody over her own disciple, knowing exactly how horrid her living conditions must be. She thought to herself:

"Guy... What is it that you have seen, to make you this nervous? ...Did Hiashi do something that we should know about? If it was him, then you need to inform us. Hinata deserves to know, if he might be pulling some dirty tricks on us."

But that lingering fear in her mind, truly made her chest ache, as she witnessed Hinata working so hard to earn her victory, fair and square. Her red eyes shimmering in pure sorrow, finding it so deeply unjust, that such a pure angel HAD to be born into a family as messed up as hers. And she knows how much Hinata really keeps to herself, sometimes, outright refusing to ever show how much she was hurting deep down. No matter how much time passed, she never truly got over that sore spot of hers. Still sunken in thought, she went:

"Oh, Hinata... What have you done to end up in a family like yours? You have the makings of greatness within you, and every time you manage to grow above yourself, your own father still feels the need to downplay every part of your efforts, making it all seem so insignificant. I swear to you, once this is all over, even if I may end up making the entire Hyuga clan my enemy, I don't care... You are coming with me. I will not allow these cretins to further soil your presence with their own. Let them force me to sign the autograph of the devil, I really couldn't care less, you should have been top priority to them, since day 1. You deserve warm meals, a comfy bed, along with your own four walls, you have suffered enough punishment, my dear..."

Soon, well into the later afternoon hours, the fighting ended, as it resulted in a draw. And to Lee, and everyone else involved, this was a clear sign:

Hinata was ready. In three days, she shall face Neji in the ring, armed, loaded... and ready. Everyone cheered for Hinata, and Rock Lee, for having helped her get this far to begin with.

And after everyone left, safe for Rock Lee, Naruto and Hinata, the young Hyuga wiped her face dry, with a towel that Naruto so gratefully provided for her. And she gladly accepted it with a cute smile.

"Oh, thank you, Naruto."

"Hey-hey, anything for the future champ, right? You were awesome back there, Hinata! Seriously, you made Bushy Brow sweat, that by itself is worthy of praise."

Both of them, drained from sheer exhaustion, then slumped down onto the grass, leaning against a big tree trunk, not even realizing that their shoulders were touching. And because of how warm it has become, Naruto had discarded his orange jacket earlier, meaning, the contact with their shoulders felt way more intimate than intended. But the Uzumaki was just too happy for Hinata to even notice, he puts one arm around her shoulder, and laughs out loud, being so genuinely glad that the worst of the torture is all over and done with, and she can finally get some payback for all the disrespect she had to eat up.

But as always, whenever Naruto made physical contact with her in such a personal capacity, the heat began rising to her cheeks.

"C'mon, Hina! Smile for me a little more, you are ready! You will finally get the chance to pay your father back. He asked for this match, thinking he had set you up for failure, and yet, your progress is clearly showing! You winning tomorrow, will be the worst kind of humiliation you can possibly dish out!"

But having grown pretty used to his nonchalant way of communicating with her, she gently tells him, knowing he needs to hear this, the pink on her cheek mildly subsiding:

"Naruto... I know you mean well, but... D-Don't get me wrong, I don't mind you touching me like this, but, for some... the term "personal space" exists for good reason. All I am asking of you, is to be a little bit more mindful when you socially engage with others. I don't even mind you giving me any pet names like "Hina"... however, once again, not everyone is the same. Something like this might be misunderstood as crude and way too blunt. Not everyone appreciates this kind of attitude, please understand, I really don't mean to "insult" you or anything, I just want you to know that I... I..."

The pink returned to her cheeks, as she realized she really didn't mind Naruto's antics, but she also really cared about him, and just wants him to be better. She defensively held up her hands, shielding herself from the mild embarrassment she was feeling, being way too outspoken around him. It just came naturally to her.

"...I-I worry about you. Once again, with me, you can act however you want, but I also don't like you getting into trouble so often, all because of your eccentricities... Please don't take this personally."

She expected any reason, but this, what came next, truly surprised her. Naruto's eyes widened, as he began staring at her, his blue pupils shimmering, the heat rising to his cheeks as well, before awkwardly scratching the back of his head, stating:

"...Sheesh, Hinata. I said it once, and I will say it again. When it's YOU scolding me, you really manage to make me second-guess myself."

And to his surprise, Hinata was enjoying every second of his reaction. Just this once, it's her to be in charge of someone, and for a full month straight, ordering Naruto around, felt oddly... refreshing to her. She had to cover her mouth and stifle the onslaught of unrestrained, but also very cute-sounding giggles, escaping from her mouth.

Being confused out of his mind, the blond asked, one eyebrow raised:

"...What's so funny?"

She wiped her eyes dry, having unintentionally shed tears during her small laughing fit. This just felt just too priceless. It felt pretty good to be the one in-control here, so she thought. And seeing Naruto, her idol, usually the guy to be so comically inept at reading the room, and being too outspoken for his own good, so flustered over her putting him in his place, how could she not find this amusing?

"I-It's nothing, really, sorry, but...! I-It's just, normally, I am the one to be too embarrassed to start a conversation, and being in charge of it, but... cat got your tongue this time, huh?"

That made Naruto smile in a wry way, chuckling weakly, commenting with:

"...I am being a bad influence on you, aren't I?"

"From where I come from... I wouldn't think so."

Then, a comfortable silence settled between the two. Just enjoying the peaceful, early autumn vibes all around them...

...until Naruto gazed at Hinata from the side. Her peaceful, determined, yet awfully serene expression, with her hair, which had grown subtly longer in the time she trained with them all, obviously wanting to rebel against her clan even further, to make a statement, gently began dancing in the mild breeze. And paired with her pale lavender pearls for eyes, truly caused him to stop dead in his tracks, and stare at her, completely hypnotized by her downright royal appearance...

He didn't even realize that his heart had begun pumping way quicker than it did before. He never paid much mind to the "silly" details, but Hinata was one rare instance where this rule stopped applying. The longer hair caused her to look...

...like a beautiful, warrior princess.

It felt strange to him. The only girl who managed to steal his heart first, obviously, was Sakura. But after this entire situation with Sasuke, he had gradually begun to realize: She was far out of his reach now. Especially after Sasuke had deserted, which left him feeling... empty, in his chest. A hole that may never be filled up again...

...and yet...

...Hinata, once again, made him second-guess himself. He gulped, as he realized, this past month of training with her, was the most alive he had felt in years. And he isn't saying that lightly. The fact that he had the privilege of witnessing Hinata grow far above her limitations, and being so very close to achieving this goal of defeating Neji, he felt so proud of her. But mostly because he didn't even realize it until now...

...he felt so deeply comfortable around Hinata. She never patronized, belittled, or insulted him for screwing up. Not even for getting this entire situation kickstarted to begin with. In spite of the odds not ever being in their favor, she never resorted to any form of harsh treatment, especially towards him. Which, frankly, is something he had grown awfully used to, as he grew up. Making this one moment hit way harder for him than it has any right to.

Without even realizing it, his cheeks turning just as pink as Hinata's, his right hand subconsciously began moving towards her left hand, which she had put near her left knee, while seated, allowing their hands to gently come into contact.

But the moment she began feeling something warm press down onto her left hand, she was ripped out of her trance, with her pulse quickening immediately, her cheeks becoming pink again, as she realized: Naruto had put his hand over hers. She felt the heat rising to even her ears, as she squeaked out:

"N-N-Naruto...! Y-Your hand...!"

"Wha--"

And the moment he realized, his hand was on top of hers, made his head become as red as a tomato as well, causing the two to comically turn away from each other, being too embarrassed to look, with the troublemaker exclaiming:

"O-Oh! I-I am so sorry, Hinata! D-Did I make you uncomfortable...?! I swear, I didn't do that on purpose, I--"

"No-no-no-no-no, please, don't apologize, I... I... Really don't mind, actually..."

Her blush subsided somewhat, as she gently touched the spot, where Naruto's firm grip had just been on her hand. As she turns around, seeing Naruto staring at her with shimmering, blue eyes, almost as if he was on the verge of crying...

...and what truly broke her deep down, was witnessing him defensively holding up his hands, almost as if he was half-expecting a hit from her, or any harsh words she may have to share with him, knowing full well that he isn’t exactly used to receiving kind gestures on the regular.

"H-Hinata... I swear, it was an honest mistake... This situation is serious enough as is, I really don't want to come off as if I... I am taking advantage of you, or anything... I am sorry..."

But she had to get serious with him, knowing that, from what Kakashi told her, and what she had to bear witness to, whenever she saw Naruto in her childhood, he might still feel shaken up over this entire situation with her father. She had to set the record straight for him, sighing softly.

"Naruto... Listen to me. You have nothing to apologize for. I am not blaming you for this entire situation to begin with. I really don't. I did get annoyed a few times, but rest assured, it was never in malice. The situation was just as overwhelming for me, as it may have been for you, maybe even worse for yourself, because you made the decision to assist in the training process. So, please, don't beat yourself up over it, you had only wanted to help, and... Honestly, I am still feeling genuinely touched by what you did for me. No one would have ever had the courage to go up against my father, I just don't have it in me to spite you for it. Plus, if it hadn't been for your undying support in helping me get stronger to finally catch up to Neji... I wouldn't feel so unshakeable, right now. You more than made up for your mistake by helping and emotionally supporting me... That was truly wonderful of you. Seriously."

His eyes began stinging with two huge tears, escaping his lower eyelids, but before long, those two tears soon evolved into many, as this level of gentleness is not something he was used to. That is also when it dawned on him: He had never felt this much at ease around anyone. He felt like, in her presence, he felt... so free. Like, he could actually open up to someone in his age group. Which was never the case with Sakura. He felt so light in his step, and yet, he felt his lower lip quivering, realizing she isn't blaming him for being human. Her confidence far outmatched his own at that moment...

...and before he even realized what he was doing, the yearning became overbearing for the jinchuriki, as he lunged forward, tightly embracing Hinata, softly sobbing into her shoulder, truly feeling like he was on Cloud 9. Outside of his parental figures, this is the first time he ever had the courage and motivation to open up this way around someone. Someone his age, no less.

"T-Thank you, Hinata... S-Seriously... I-I am sorry, for... for crying... It makes me look so pathetic... doesn't it...? N-Not exactly the kind of imagery you needed with me... right...?"

At that moment, she could only feel so sad for her blond training partner. All this time, he had put up a front, just to appear tough and "cool", always playing happy-go-lucky, just to swallow all the years of consistent neglect he had to endure...

...she should know it best, after all. And as such, she tenderly cradles Naruto's head, allowing him to cry into her shoulder, knowing he really needs this. Feeling her own eyes stinging a little, partaking in his regular, emotional displacement.

"Oh, Naruto... Don't apologize... If it means making your soul lighter, just do it... I don't mind."

They remained this way for a while...

...and from a distance, Sakura arrived to witness the two embracing in such a heartfelt way, and she could not lie, this sight truly moved her. She had grown far more aware of what Naruto had to endure growing up, and she felt so sorry for never having taken him seriously. A gentle smile forming on her lips, as she muttered, full of wist:

"Heh... Seems like he won't be needing me for a while..."

But her expression quickly shifted, as she shouldn't allow herself to get distracted. She had some terrible news to share, and right on cue, Kurenai- and Guy-sensei arrived, with the three approaching the two in unison. Sharing the exact same coherent thought:

Hiashi Hyuga.

In that moment, Hinata quickly lets go of Naruto, and he swiftly turned around, asking with a nervous chuckle, before quickly realizing, the vibe has now completely, judging by the expressions of both two senseis and his remaining teammate:

“O-Oh, uhhh… what’s up? …Did something happen?”

Guy was the first to speak up, as Kurenai gestured him to tell them what he learned, that they need to be made aware of.

“Hinata, umm…”

The young Hyuga immediately tensed up, as her gut was telling her, whatever they were about to unveil, she is not going to like it. As if, her worst fears may end up becoming reality.

“Guy-sensei…?”

He proceeds, getting unusually serious, very off-brand for someone like him, but it just sets the mood for what he was about to warn her about. And he cannot lie, it deeply angered him too, over what he had to witness, back at Tenten’s workshop the other day.

“I am afraid we have a problem. As it turns out, Hiashi never truly planned on playing fair here. Just the other day, he, and a bunch of Anbu members just dropped by Tenten’s workshop, and… Your father ended up threatening both of my students. But this isn’t even the worst part. One of the Anbu members dropped one hell of a bombshell, and apparently, he had never planned for this entire match between both you and Neji to end in either one’s favor. Either you win, and run the risk of both Neji, and the rest of the Side Branch to suffer the effects of the Caged Bird Seal, or Neji wins. In that case, you can wave not only Naruto’s freedom goodbye, but your own as well, as he plans on locking you up in the compound, for the rest of your life, unless you have to take your leave for a mission.”

Just hearing this, causes Naruto’s blood to start boiling, and Hinata’s heart to sink into a steep pit. The Uzumaki felt his fox chakra becoming as hot as magma, just like before, as he balled his hands into fists, his fingernails digging into his skin…

“That bastard…! He really can’t help himself, can he?! I KNEW we couldn’t trust him, I called it, damn it…!”

The young Hyuga’s deep-rooted anxiety gradually began taking over again, as now she had clear confirmation that all her worst-case scenarios just ended up materializing in the real world. She began clutching her t-shirt, right on the spot where her heart was, with it beating completely out of control from a whirlwind of negative emotions, as she also began hyperventilating from the sheer pressure put on her shoulders. Regardless of how well she performs now, her father had essentially ripped away the carpet, from right underneath her. She had already had somewhat of a hunch that her father would end up going this route, but having it confirmed to be more than just a hunch, actively made her feel both sick to her stomach, and frustrated beyond all reason.

Kurenai, however, swiftly approached the Hyuga, kneeling down in front of her to cup her face, and make her look at her, wanting to remain a beacon of light in Hinata’s life, wanting to calm her down:

“Hinata, please, look at me. Don’t be discouraged. It all may seem pretty bleak right now, but you made it so far, sweetheart. Look at you, you are ready. You cannot lose this, you cannot let these elders, and your father win, if you just give up. You can do this, we all believe in you. And don’t worry about Naruto and Neji, we will find a way to get through this… together.”

The young Hyuga began looking all around herself, through her now misty eyes, with Naruto, Guy and Sakura giving her sincere, encouraging gazes. With Sakura adding:

“She is right, Hinata. Don’t you dare give your demented father, and the Hyuga elders that level of satisfaction by throwing in the towel. That is exactly what they’d want from you, you’d play right into their hands again. Don’t give in, fight Neji with everything you have, we will take care of the rest.”

Guy even swears to her, while kneeling in front of her, maintaining that intense stare on his face:

“I already made your father a “promise” that, should he act out-of-line, he will have to answer to me. No way in hell, will I allow him to touch either you, or either one of my students, before the match even begins. Concentrate on your match, fight with everything you have. Neji would have told you the same thing.”

Naruto knows that, right now, Hinata will need all the emotional backing that she can get her hands on. And he himself was feeling so strong and confident again, after that tearful embrace they had shared. With a determined glare, he shows her his balled fist, saying:

“Never forget how hard you have worked to get to this point, Hinata. Never go back on your word…”

A meaningful silence came upon them…

…as the Hyuga completed his phrase, through her tears, and her aching heart, raising her fist to the sky, proclaiming out loud:

“...because that’s my Nindo! My ninja way…!”

With a satisfied smirk, he grandstands with his hands on his hips, stating firmly:

“Hell yeah! Remember what Lee said, “Every bad situation bears an opportunity”, and this is one of those moments for you! Your father wants to play dirty? Then be the one that gets to hold up a mirror for him! That’s one victory that he won’t be able to rob from you!”

“Everyone…!”

Feeling so full in her heart, her courage gradually returning to her, she fell right into Kurenai’s arms, who was gently holding her close, allowing her to cry into her shoulder, knowing that, at the end of the day, Hinata is still a pure soul at heart, that was now in desperate need of comfort. No matter what, she will not lose.

TO BE CONTINUED