It was obvious to her what was going on. ‘Genma’ was one of Naruto’s special techniques, that Naruto was using to ensure that he and his best friend, Sasuke, got advanced training without anyone knowing and now he was using it to get engaged to HER!
It was so sneaky and… perfect!
Her father would never have engaged Hinata to Naruto under normal circumstances. If there had even been a hint that Naruto was attracted to her, her father would have engaged her to someone in the clan already, so Naruto had hidden his attraction and in proper ninja fashion was tricking her father into engaging them so he couldn’t complain or he would lose face.
Of course, that meant Naruto couldn’t show he knew what was going on, he’d have to act shy and reserved, like it was a complete surprise. He’d even have to act that way in private, just in case one of the clan was watching them. She’d have to take the lead and… encourage things along, while Naruto played dumb, but then he was good at that. The number of pranks she’d seen him pull, hiding in the shadows and watching him act innocent…
Naruto must have been watching her, like she’d watched him. All those long nights, in the sterile Hyuuga compound, wishing she were anywhere else, wishing she were living a life like Naruto’s, free from rules and restrictions, able to laugh and smile. She’d watched the way his smile had seemed to brighten up any room he was in and she’d wanted him to smile at her that way and it now it seemed he’d wanted that too.
‘Naruto-kun wants me,’ a bright red Hinata thought to herself, before slowly falling over.
*clunk*
The love struck girl quickly shrugged off her near faint, as her head struck the flue.
Unnoticed by anyone, a thin strand of energy peeled loose from the thread she had followed and attached itself to her.
She had no time for this, she had things to arrange. If she was going to be free of her clan and burden her little sister with running it, then she was going to have to make sure Hanabi was ready. Of course it was silly to think of her little sister running the clan at her age. She’d need someone to help her. Someone like… Neji!
Neji was the rookie of last year and he was always whining about fate and being in the branch family, almost as much as Sasuke whined about being an avenger! Thought to be perfectly fair, Sasuke’s whining had really taken a nose dive around about the time ‘Genma’ had started showing up. It was perfect. She’d engage Neji to Hanabi and he’d have to quit whining and help her run the clan.
“Are you ok, my youthful student,” Gai, the mighty green beast of the leaf, asked his student.
Neji shook off the sudden chill he’d felt. “It was nothing, just a minor moment of irritation. At least it’s nothing for a Hyuuga to mention, even a Hyuuga chained to the ground, unable to show his full strength, with the shackles of cruelty that have been placed upon him since he was but a child…”
As Neji started in on speech #26: The cruelty of fate, Tenten quickly slapped away the questing hand of her other teammate, Lee, who, if not watched, had a tendency to attempt to slit his own throat with the nearest sharp object, of which she carried enough for the entire team with plenty to spare.
It didn’t even seem to be a conscious effort on his part, just his brain attempting to escape the situation by any means possible.
“I bet you aren’t youthful enough to do two hundred sit-ups with your fingers in your ears,” Tenten challenged him.
Lee’s grateful smile at her quick thinking was almost as blinding as Gai’s were, as he dropped to the ground and quickly blocked out any trace of Neji’s voice with his hands.
Lee had gotten up to eighty-three and Neji to about a third of the way through his speech, when Hinata and Hanabi arrived.
Their sudden arrival startled Tenten, who unleashed a barrage of kunai and shuriken on reflex.
Hinata’s hands blurred as she caught and returned the weapons in a blur of speed, far beyond what anyone who knew her thought she was capable of.
“Why did you do that,” a multi-tailed engine of destruction growled, a bit annoyed that he wouldn’t get to see any blood splatter, through the microscopic thread of energy connecting them to the girl.
“Because this has the potential for a great deal of amusement,” grinned the other.
The fox remained silent as he thought about it. Despite being quite attached to death and destruction, he was a kitsume and playing tricks on mortals was their bread and butter. ‘This is still better than being trapped alone in a sewer.’
Tenten flinched, as her weapons were returned to her point first, sinking heavily into the tree trunk above her head and forming a little heart, before she could move.
“Neji, I have need of you,” Hinata commanded, giving the appearance of being every inch the heir-apparent of the Hyuuga clan.
Hanabi watched her older sister with a touch of fear in her eyes. If Hinata was capable of that, then she’d been holding back a lot in all their spars. The young girl could practically feel the caged bird seal being applied to her forehead.
Neji sneered, but kept his tone just this side of civil, “What do you need, Hime?”
“I need someone to look out for Hanabi. As clan head with her as your wife, you will make sure she is taken care of,” Hinata ordered, not giving either of the two a chance to complain about their sudden engagement.
“Our fathers were twin brothers, we’re practically half brother and sisters.” Neji stammered out, wondering what was going on. Hinata was stronger than she had ever shown anyone and she wanted him to be clan head?
Hanabi had brightened up at Hinata’s words. Apparently Hinata intended for Hanabi to be safe from the seal and was doing everything in her power to make sure she was looked after. She’d thrown fights and was arranging a strong male to be her husband. Hanabi felt a strange warmth she hadn’t felt before. Her sister was looking out for her. Unable to deal with these new emotions she tried out a scene from a manga she’d scene, hidden in a one-eyed jonin’s pack.
“So I should call you, Oni-chan in the bedroom,” the much younger girl asked her older cousin activating her Byakugan and examining him in close detail.
Neji turned bright red, at her words and as the ten year old girl poked and prodded at him, just stood there, shivering.
“He’ll do,” Hanabi decided, “but he could be in better shape.”
“I’ll see to it,” Gai muttered, wondering if this could be considered youthful or not.
Tenten and Lee just stared.
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(Posted Tue, 13 May 2008 22:21)
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