Inside the Hokage's office, Naruto was discussing with Tsunade about the matter with Hinata and the Hyuga clan.
"So those kids will need a spare apartment for the time being" Naruto said
"Normally I don't like interfering with these types of things, but I think I can let it slide if I were to have a nice drink while I make that decision" Tsunade licked the side of her lips as she leaned on her hand.
"...the things we do for friends, hah, they owe me one" Naruto sighed as he placed a jar of wine on the table.
*Shing*
As soon as he placed it, a scroll appeared in front of him and opened up.
[Hey, sorry, I know we just asked for you to help with finding a place for Hinata and Neji to stay at, but they worked through a bit of it, and now they said they will return to the Hyuga estate to resolve it] Sakura's voice came through
The moment she stopped talking, Naruto and Tsunade both acted. They grabbed onto the jar of wine on the table, refusing to let the other take it.
"Come on, you gave it already, why take it back" Tsunade growled
"As if I wanted to give away my wine, you have so much stocked up already!" Naruto exclaimed
"But they're not as fragrant as yours!" Tsunade yelled
"Damn, what about the wine from 'that' place" Naruto replied as his grip tightened
"They taste better, but it feels better drinking yours, knowing you suffer from it" Tsunade snapped back as she tried to wrap her arms around the jar.
The two butted heads
"They cancelled the request, so I'll cancel mine as well" He said
"Fat chance, since you placed it in front of me, you can forget about getting it back" Tsunade shot back.
"You maniac woman, my stock is limited as is! And you have yet to treat me to 'that' place yet!" Naruto shouted
*Bang*
A fist came down on his head, slamming his head onto the table. Tsunade huffed as she pulled the jar away from his motionless body.
"Don't go calling your big sister a maniac, you maniac" She spat
"Hypocritical female gorilla" Naruto rubbed the top of his head as he muttered
"...you have five seconds" Tsunade said in a low voice
"Five? I'll be gone in one" Naruto replied as he immediately teleported away
With his departure, Tsunade's smile widened as he hugged the jar of wine tightly.
"This brat has amazing talent, if we didn't discover that other place, I'd say he makes the best wine" She licked her lips as she opened the jar.
*Bang*o
The door slammed open
"Lady Tsunade, the shinobi we sent had reported back-...care to explain yourself?" Shizune's eyes narrowed onto the jar in Tsunade's hands as she asked
"...would you believe me if I said this was water" Tsunade asked
"What fragrant water you have, smells just like the one Naruto brews" Shizune replied with a dead pan gaze
"...care for a drink?" Tsunade asked with a wry smile
"What do you think?" Shizune replied
"..."
The wine was confiscated, and Tsunade was forced to return to her duty as Hokage...doing paperwork.
Naruto, after leaving, pulled out the scroll once more, this time, it connected through to someone else.
"Yo Haku-nii"
[Yes?] Haku replied back
"When are you going to go visit the Hyuga clan estate and meet your future in-laws" Naruto asked
[...I'm hanging up]
"Don't be so quick to go, Haku, let me tell you, with girls like Hinata, you need to be upfront with your feelings, how else do you think I got Ino to drop Sasuke so quickly?" Naruto said with a chuckle
[...]
With Haku not responding, Naruto continued
"Hinata got into an argument with her father today, she will go back later to talk it out with him, go meet her before she gets to the estate" He said
[Um...Naruto...I'm also here] Another voice came through
[Mrf] He then heard Haku's muffled voice, his mouth was covered by someone or something...
It dawned on him, and sweat rolled down his face.
"Tell Zabuza I won't be going back for dinner, good talk nii-san, take good care of him, Hinata" Naruto said flatly as he tore the scroll apart so it could no longer be used for contact.
He looked up into the sky
"I haven't done a mission in a while, perhaps I should go hunt down an A rank missing nin" Naruto said with a noble smile
[You're messed up] Kurama said
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?" Naruto smiled
[You're not going to sleep well in your own house after this] Kurama added
"No, I will, I have dozens of seals set up in my room, even if Haku freezes the whole house, I will be fine inside" Naruto replied
Kurama was speechless, it's one thing when Naruto does something messed up, but it's another thing when he can get away with it so easily...
"I'll apologise to him later" Naruto added
[You better]
-At home-
Haku's mouth was covered by Hinata, while Neji stared at Haku who was turning red. After talking about finding people to walk her journey with, Hinata came to find Haku right away, just in time to see him receive a call from Naruto.
The moment he asked about going to the Hyuga clan and meeting his 'in-laws', Hinata saw Haku trying to hang up in a hurry, but was stopped by her.
With that, she listened to what Naruto said, and her face revealed a trace of pinkness.
After Naruto tore the scroll, Hinata slowly shifted her eyes down to Haku, who now wore a frosty expression. Perhaps he was trying to hide his emotions right now, or he was that angry towards Naruto.
"Um...s-sorry" Hinata apologised as she removed her hand
Haku stared back at her eyes, and when their eyes met, his frosty expression slowly began to melt as a hint of shyness appeared in his eyes.
Hinata was a little surprised to see that shy expression, and inside her heart, she felt something...
Her heart raced, not because of shyness, her heart raced when she saw that expression that looked as if it was asking for her to bully him. Without her notice, a smile appeared on her face, which made Haku tremble a little.
She leaned closer
"H-Hinata, listen, what Naruto said earlier was a mis-..." He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding, but he stopped himself.
He clenched his fists
'No, if I deny it here, it will only make things more difficult'
"I...I like you, Hinata" He said outright
His sudden confession caused Hinata's smile to quickly change into a gasp as she pulled herself back.
"Ah, w-wait, give me a second" Hinata fumbled as her sadistic tendencies died down quickly
She stared at Haku's earnest and determined face
"I..." She was at a loss for words
Haku's heart was beating fast, almost suffocating as he awaited her response. His face was burning, yet he had no intention of backing off.
"I'm sorry" Hinata said, immediately putting a halt on Haku's fast beating heart.
It wasn't a surprising outcome to him, but he was affected nonetheless.
"Haku, look...my mind is all over the place right now, a lot has happened today, and as I am right now, I can't answer your feelings" She rubbed her arm and said
Haku stared at her, his racing heart had long returned to normal, and his expression eased up as he let out a faint breathe.
A smile then appeared on his face, a gentle and calm smile
"Well, I had expected as such, Naruto really screwed me over, huh?" He said as he let out a faint chuckle.
Hinata and Neji gulped, the more he smiled, the more they felt he was impacted.
However, Haku saw through their thoughts and shook his head
"To be honest, I was completely ready to be rejected" He said calmly
"H-Haku, it's fine to be sad" Hinata stuttered
Haku saw the concern on their faces, and he burst into laughter, with a hand over his mouth. He maintained an elegant bearing as he laughed, his eyes curved upwards.
"As annoying as Naruto is, he's right on one thing, I need to be more proactive, and though I don't know the full story, I'd say his past situation with Ino was worse than mine" His smile was genuine, and his eyes carried no sadness.
He reached out one hand
"Hinata, just like you said to Naruto, just because you like someone else, it doesn't mean I'll give up"
Hinata froze up, while Neji was in awe. Haku's mentality was definitely not weak, in fact, it was beyond their imagination.
Seeing Hinata's stunned expression, Haku laughed again, and a thought came to his mind.
"It seems me and Naruto really are siblings, we both took a liking to girls who already has a crush on someone else" He said with a dazzling smile, one so bright and charming that even Hinata felt overshadowed.
It's ridiculous to think that Haku is a man who is prettier than most girls.
"I-I-this-um-..." Hinata kept tripping over her own words, unable to express her thoughts.
Haku leaned on one hand, waiting patiently for Hinata to recover from her shock.
"While she's left stunned, mind telling me what happened, Neji-san?" Haku asked
"Of course" Neji smiled in response, it's rare to see Hinata on the losing end of things nowadays, so it was quite refreshing to see this.
He explained the situation that happened in the clan to Haku, and after hearing this, he understood why Naruto asked him to accompany Hinata back.
He only knew she had an argument, but he didn't think it was this bad. His eyes turned to the still flustered Hinata, and his gaze softened even more.
"Well, why don't we go to the Hyuga clan estate?" He asked with a warm smile
"N-Now?" Hinata snapped out of her daze and asked
"When else? I should get to know your family, you already know all of mine" Haku responded
"Th-That...fine, but my relationship with my dad isn't great, knowing and not knowing makes little difference" She muttered
Haku shrugged and stood up
"Neji-san, I know your relationship with the main branch isn't great either, but...can I start calling you brother?" He asked
Neji paused as he glanced at Hinata, who had her eyes widened drastically! Haku being on the offence is so upfront!
"Hm..." Neji replied
"Saw that coming" Haku sighed
"Did you really?" Neji asked
"No" Haku twirled his hair and said
"...not going to ask why I said no?" Neji asked
"I kinda know" Haku replied as he glanced at Hinata, who was shooting a terrifying glare at Neji.
Just because she got flustered, it didn't mean she was easy. Calling Neji brother is basically declaring his approach on her, so she needed to stand her ground as well, thus, Neji ended up being caught in between them with a wry smile.
Her gaze was so scary even Haku couldn't help but tremble
'As expected...she's hardcore' He thought cheerily
The three left the house, and headed for the Hyuga estate. But before they arrived, they stopped, with Neji looking backwards.
"You've been following us for some time now, since we're heading back, you can stop hiding" Neji said in a low voice
His words made Hinata and Haku pause, they didn't know someone had been following them until Neji pointed it out.
*Thud*
A figure jumped down and landed behind them
"As expected, you're as talented as they say you are" Ko smiled at Neji
"Hmph" Neji scoffed, hearing a complement from Ko didn't make him feel happier at all
Ko shook his head helplessly
"I'm under orders to make sure Hinata is safe, so don't mind me" He said
"Did a terrible job years ago if that's your job" Neji chuckled coldly
"Mind I remind you that you were one of the offenders" Ko responded with a casual smile
"...touche" Neji muttered
Ko chuckled as he leapt up onto a building
"I'll just follow along quietly, I'll be gone when you arrive back at the estate" He winked before vanishing from sight once more.
"How did you notice him" Haku asked
"I have a habit of activating my Byakugan every now and then to make sure I'm not being followed" Neji replied
"How convenient" Haku said
Neji nodded, and the three continued back, soon arriving at the Hyuga estate. Ko seems to have sent a message ahead of time, as Hiashi was waiting for them in front of the main gate.
"Hinata" He said, his expression remained stern, but his eyes carried gentleness that felt foreign to Hinata.
"Don't act like you care about me" Hinata spat
Haku's eyes lingered between Hinata and Hiashi, the mood was already getting tense.
"Hinata, how about talking inside first? We can't be talking about personal matters out on the streets" Haku suggested, which placed a halt between the father and daughter's staring contest.
"Uh...good point" Hinata muttered as her gaze returned to normal
Neji quickly gave Haku a thumbs up, he shot the mood down in an instant.
When they went inside and sat down, the tense mood began rising, but with Haku sitting between them with a bubbly smile, it began to feel awkward.
"I'm sorry, but you are?" Hiashi asked with a cough
"I'm after your daughter" Haku replied, causing Hinata to cover her face from shock
"...you have five seconds to rephrase yourself" Hiashi said, his Byakugan already activated and his body tense, ready to strike at any moment
Haku coughed
"Alright, hello, I'm Haku, I want your daughter's hand in marriage" He said
"...how is that rephrased?" Hiashi asked, feeling speechless
"Ignore him" Hinata sighed
"No, this is now a matter between me and this girl, and lass, I'll have you know that my daughter is straight" Hiashi said in a low voice
Haku raised a hand
"I'm a guy" He replied
"Also, how would you know she is completely straight? For these matters, you need to ask her, Hinata, are you completely straight?" Haku asked
"..." Who asks like this!
Hinata's hands trembled
"Of course I am!" She exclaimed
Haku lifted a brow, he then laid down on the side in a way that revealed his slim waist and slender body.
"How do you feel if I do this?" He asked
"...n-nothing?" Hinata replied, wondering if she should be feeling anything
"Yep, definitely straight, if my feminine charms don't work, she's likely straight" Haku said with a serious expression as he got up
"..." Hinata covered her face while Hiashi was frozen from shock, too much has happened over the course of the last minute.
This is a guy? He tried to seduce Hinata with his feminine charms? Hinata is straight? Ptui, no, the last one is a fact!
"J-Just, what is this, and who are you to ask for her hand in marriage" He growled
"Her sparring partner I guess" Haku replied
"Dream on" Hiashi snapped
Haku sat up straight and coughed
"We're not here to talk about these matters (yet), we're here to talk about Hinata's matters" He said calmly
"Are you seriously saying that with a straight face? You started this conversation" Hiashi questioned
"I'm completely serious, and you should listen to what Hinata has to say" Haku said
Hiashi's fists clenched, he really wanted to thrash Haku, but he held it back and turned to face Hinata.
"Hinata...I'm...I'm sorry" He said
Hinata's expression flinched, but she maintained her cold expression.
'It's actually quite cute seeing her act cold' Haku thought
Hinata's face has always been a little on the rounder side, making her look extremely soft, so seeing her act all cold was more adorable than anything.
"I know you've been through a lot, and I don't expect you to forgive me either, I wasn't a good father to you all those years back..." He rubbed his arm and said
"And you're not a good one now either" Hinata responded
She lowered her head slowly
"How I trained, how I spent my time outside the clan, I wonder how much of it do you know if not for the reports your subordinates send you" Her shoulders shook
Hiashi's heart trembled
"I..."
"Why is it that you only came to find me after I passed the Chunin exam, yet Hanabi received so much attention from you ever since she became the heir"
Hinata looked up with tear filled eyes
"Was it me? Was I just not worth the time?"
Haku leaned over to Neji
"I know this is a bad time to ask...but I swear we were also meant to talk about your problem with the main branch" He asked quietly
"Yeah, that kinda got pushed around by her daddy issues and all" Neji whispered back
The two then continued to listen quietly
"Of course not!" Hiashi exclaimed loudly
'Ooh, drama~'
"How can I, as your father, possibly think that! You are my daughter then, and you are now"
"Then why!" Hinata yelled
"Because someone wants our clan gone!" He shouted
!!!!
Hiashi's bitter eyes slowly turned to Neji
"Because...my brother died for me, I cannot let you die as well" He muttered
"Wh-What?" Neji froze up
'Drama started here as well' Haku thought
"I thought that if I showed less interest in you, those people will not target you, and with Hanabi's talent, she could blossom quickly, and avoid the disaster that befell Hizashi..." He muttered
His words caused immense shock to Neji, as well as Hinata.
"You probably don't remember...you were almost kidnapped as a child by those very people, simply because you were my daughter" He muttered
"In the end, Hizashi took the fall for me, and sacrificed himself to ensure my survival"
"Shut up!" Neji stood up and yelled
"Stop acting all sentimental when you pushed my father to his death!" Neji roared as veins bulged around his eyes.
"Neji..."
Haku stared at the three in silence, the drama was quite intense
"Want some?" At this moment, a buttery fragrance entered his nose, he looked down and saw a bucket of popcorn.
He turned and saw Naruto, but when he grabbed the bucket, Naruto was gone...
"..."
'Truly, he is always prepared' He thought
Though, he didn't eat it, and threw it outside as it is incredibly inappropriate to eat in this situation. Naruto is simply out of his mind if he thought he would eat it.
"What a waste" Naruto's voice entered his ears, but when he turned, Naruto wasn't there
'Damn him and his flying raijin'
Meanwhile, Hiashi was faced with the cold stares of both children.
"Even so, why did it take you until now to meet me" Hinata asked
"I didn't think you were strong enough" He replied with a sigh
Hinata revealed a pained expression as she turned away. She felt that he was simply escaping from his duties by doing that to her, and in no way was it justifiable.
"Ever since Hizashi-"
"Don't mention his name with your dirty mouth" Neji spat coldly
Haku's brows furrowed
'They are getting nowhere with this'
"Can I ask what happened between Hizashi and you?" Haku raised a hand and asked
His question caused everyone's attention to shift to him, and with all eyes on him, Haku gave them a sweet smile.
"..."
Hiashi didn't know why Haku asked this, but with Neji and Hinata getting so worked up, perhaps it was time to tell them...
"Neji...back then, I was ready to die" He said
"N-Nonsense, then why did-"
"He did so willingly...when the assassins came, he asked to become my body double, I disagreed, but the elders were frantic, and the situation grew beyond my control" He clenched his fists
"Then you should have just died instead" Neji said in a low voice
At this moment, he didn't care if Hinata was here or not, all he had on his mind was his father, and his father's 'killer'.
Hiashi couldn't meet his eyes
"You're right, and it was indeed my hesitation in that moment that he grabbed onto, and so easily persuaded me" He said weakly
"In the end, I was unwilling to die, and leave behind Hinata"
"So it was okay to leave me alone?" Neji responded coldly
"It was my greed" Hiashi said
"This is complete bullsh*t!" Neji yelled as his eyes moistened
He thrashed his hand across the air
"Why couldn't you have just died quicker! And why was my father so damn eager to give his life for you! He has a child as well...so why does it sound as if he didn't have that greed that you had?" He asked, his voice becoming more quiet as uncertainty crept in
"Was I the one who thought...we cared for each other?" He muttered
"No! Your father loved you, his final request was...was to ensure you grew up safely" Hiashi said
Neji bit the bottom of his lips
"Neji, I know I was too late, but please accept my apology, I should have done more, I could have at least made it so you are free from the wretched traditions" Hiashi said
He stood up and walked in front of Neji
"I'm sorry..." He said
*Thud*
In front of Neji, Hiashi dropped to his knees
!!!!!
Neji's eyes widened, the man he resented is now kneeling in front of him.
'Why...' He thought
'Why does this feel so...'
His hands clenched as he stared down at Hiashi, a hand slowly covered his mouth
'Good' He thought, as a smile rose behind his hand
Haku was closest, and saw that smile, while Hinata was at an angle where she couldn't see his expression well...
'Is it genetic? No, they're not even from the same parents, though their parents are brothers, that doesn't explain why both are closet sadists' Haku wondered if there was something in the Hyuga clan that made them this way.
At this moment, Neji felt rather...satisfied.
He was certainly still angry, but seeing Hiashi kneel in front of him, he felt as if it was a sort of redemption for his father.
"I..."
As he was gloating a little, a hand came from behind him and grabbed his shoulder
"Done talking? Then it's my turn" Hinata's cold voice entered his ears, he then felt a strong force from that hand.
*Bang*
*Thud*
Hinata threw him aside, and walked in front of Hiashi
?????
Neji looked up in shock at Hinata who shoved him aside so casually. Haku patted his back whilst he was still in shock.
"Don't be too upset, your situation seems to have resolved quite nicely" Haku said
"N-Nicely?" Neji's lips twitched, is this guy here to help or watch??? And is his situation even considered resolved?
Hiashi looked up at Hinata
"Dad" Hinata said
"Fight me" She said as she placed a fist in front of him
Hiashi froze up when he heard what she said
"F-Fight you?" He asked
Hinata nodded, her expression was extremely firm and unyielding as she spoke. She had thought about what he said before, and came to one conclusion. She needs to fight him.
"Wh-Why?" Hiashi asked in confusion
"You said I was too weak back then, now, I am much stronger" She replied
"Yes, that is why I-I came to find you..."
Hinata's eyes were defiant and stubborn
"I am not after your recognition, I am doing this as a last form of trust" She said
"Tr-Trust?" Hiashi was even more confused now, how can a fight with him prove her trust in him?
But the thought that she will give him one final chance made him incredibly happy, so he slowly got up, and gave her a nod.
"Fine, but I need to know why"
"If you deem that I am now strong enough, then I need to see whether or not I am truly strong, and to do that, I will battle against you" Hinata replied
Hiashi's eyes widened a little, Hinata was trusting his judgement.
"How will you know if you are strong enough" He couldn't help but ask
"I will know as long as you do not hold back" Hinata replied
"...that won't be easy" He said in a low voice
As a father, he cannot bring himself to strike hard against his own daughter, especially when their relationship is so delicate right now.
Hinata stared at him with piercing eyes
"If you don't go all out...you will get hurt" She warned
Staring at Hinata right now, Hiashi slowly remembered the feeling he felt when he watched Hinata's battle during the Chunin exam. She was fierce and unyielding, very different from her past, meek and quiet.
Her growth made his heat beat with hoy, and to answer he resolve, he stepped out of the room, and into the backyard.
"Then, I will not hold back"