Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Set Fire to the Rain ❯ The Cruelty of Fate ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Author's Note: My apologies for taking a while to update my story. I tend to have a bit of a writer's block and I really wanted to make this chapter a bit longer than the previous chapters (which was successful, YAY! LOL!) So here it is (finally!). The ending is a bit rushed, and I apologize again for that, I just desperately wanted to get this chapter out of the way. So I hope you all enjoy it and PLEASE review me and let me know your thoughts :) Arigatou!
Chapter 3: The Cruelty of Fate
The Hyuuga prefecture was located on the eastern main street towards the west side of the Hokage Monument. This area of Konoha was serene and peaceful. The quiet and peaceful living of the Hyuuga clan were praised highly for their way of life and zen nature that reflected not only their passion for meditation, but who they were as a people. The entrance of the Hyuuga prefecture was surrounded by a 12-foot thick cobblestone wall that encased the home of the Hyuuga clan. At the very rear of the prefecture was the Hyuuga shinto shrine, the home to the Hyuuga head-family. The three-story shrine overlooked the clan community. The rear of the shrine was protected also by a 12-foot thick cobblestone wall. It was, of course, defended by two guards located on the outer side of the wall. Two other shrines, much like the main Hyuuga shrine, stood on both sides of the head-family home; however, they were of a smaller stature than the main shrine. Residential homes of the Hyuuga people surrounded the buildings. The main entrance of the shinto shrine was guarded by two guards as well that stood in front the red shinto gate that allowed entrance into the shrine. The guards that surrounded the entirety of the Hyuuga head-family shrine were members of the branch-family, all of whom bared the mark of the cursed seal on their foreheads which branded them as the protectors of the head-family.
Upon entering the main Hyuuga shrine, you are welcomed to the main hall which parts into two separate directions. To the right would lead you to various rooms that head-family members resided in. At the end of that hall is the entry way of the kitchen and dining area. To the left of the main entrance of the shrine would lead you to various corridors of big and small meeting areas that are held at the shrine as well as the rooms of the head of the clan, the daughters, and some distinct members that sought over the clan. At the end of this hall was the prayer room where various family members gather to pray in the mornings and afternoons, as well as to meditate. However, going forward from the main entrance of the shrine will lead you to a sacred hall that held many valuable and ancient treasures belonging to the Hyuuga clan. At the very end of this hall, the sliding doors led you to the outdoor courtyard that was at the center of the shrine. This particular area was rectangular in shape and was a very spacious area that was about a half an acre wide with a shallow pond in the middle of it all. This vast area was surrounded by the rooms and corridors of the main house. To the left was a lush garden with trees flourished with lilac and Lavender flowers aplenty. This particular space was under the adoring care of the elder daughter of the head of the Hyuuga family, Hyuuga Hinata.
The nineteen year old woman was dressed in her casual attire. Her lavender colored top was adorned with a zipper that went in a diagonal fashion across her bust-line. The top was short-sleeved with a "V" neck plunge that revealed the black mesh amour that hide her busty cleavage. The mesh amour was also extended out to the nip of her wrists like a long-sleeve top that fitted around her arms. The lower portion of the lavender top was fitted around her slim stomach with the black mesh amour revealing itself underneath her top. Her tight-fitting black shorts grew past her knees. A pale-lavender apron skirt was tied in a huge bow behind her waist. The length of the skirt had long splits on both sides and was the same length of her shorts. This was now her usual attire as a kunoichi with the exception of her same low-heeled sandals and her Konoha forehead protector she still wore around her neck. Her dark blue hime-styled hair was long and full. The ends of her hair were tied together with a thin purple ribbon; the length of her hair reaching down to the end of her back. Long strands of her hair framed her fair-skinned features and illuminating pupiless white eyes that held a soft hint of lavender.
Hinata Hyuuga sat in a seiza-style position in the field as she gingerly gathered the long-stemmed Lavender flowers, being very meticulous about the hue of the violet petals. She gathered them in a small brown basket that sat next to her. She used these flowers for her pressed flowers craft in which she would make various decoupage art as well as Oshibana art, the artistry of creating new images with the use of pressed flowers and leaves. Her talents were often praised by the clan as well as a few villagers of Konoha that knew of her talented craft. Many of her original works were displayed in the halls of the main shrine. However, her talents remained unappreciated by one man. A man she forever wished would notice her not only by her artistic talents, but by her true abilities as a Jonin kunoichi ... and as a respected daughter noble of being greater than what he saw her as ...
'Otou-sama ...'
Hinata looked upon her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, at the opposite end of the half-acre courtyard on the other side of the quiet pond. This particular area was used as a small training ground exclusively for the head-family and their assigned branch-family protectors only. Her father was currently training Hinata's thirteen year old sibling, Hyuuga Hanabi. She was training for her upcoming Chuunin exams that were to be held in about two months from now. Hiashi always took a very special interest into training Hanabi, often honing her skills in the art of the Gentle Fist and the kekkei genkai of the Byakugan. Hinata sighed silently to herself. It has always been this way ever since the two female siblings were young, sparring against each other in their father's small dojo. Hiashi always seemed to favor Hanabi over Hinata, often praising about Hanabi to the elder members of the clan about how much she has inherited his taijutsu and ninjutsu abilities, something Hinata was often criticized and scorned about. Nevertheless, Hinata was never the one to be jealous of her younger sister, nor was she envious. The feelings that Hinata held were much deeper and even more despairing. Aspects of her life were kept in secrecy within the Hyuuga clan that over time has changed Hinata and her view about the clan as well ...
As a young girl, she felt her place in the Hyuuga clan was miniscule compared to that of her younger sister and even towards her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, despite Hinata being the elder sister of the head family and thus next in line to inherit the throne of the Hyuuga clan. She grew up feeling worthless and weak, feeling small despite her position within the family. As time went on she grew up; she changed herself, not only emotionally but physically in regards to finding her own strengths and reaching a special power that only she was capable of doing. This special power she inherited from her mother before her life was claimed by illness. Hinata kept this strength to herself, hoping that one day her father would acknowledge her once again.
Hinata watched as her father and younger sister sparred with each other. She had laid out lunch and tea for them that still to this moment has sat on a table next to the main stairs, left untouched. Hinata frowned slightly to herself, despairing that their lunch had grown cold. She began to stand from her spot on the ground amongst the Lavender. As she reached down to pick up her small basket filled with flowers, she noticed a tall man in ANBU attire walk through the sliding doors of the main back entrance to the shrine coming to the stairs of the courtyard ...
'Neji-nii-san ...'
Hyuuga Neji had been away from the village on a mission with his other fellow ANBU members including Yamato and Sai. It has been about three weeks since she last saw him.
Hiashi took note of Neji's sudden arrival, "Hanabi, let us take a break from your training," he directed to his daughter as she nodded in response, walking over to the table to eat her lunch. Neji approached his uncle at the bottom of the stairs, bowing in respect, "So, you have finally returned, Neji."
"Yes, Hyuuga-sama," Neji responded in respect, "Not much was uncovered of his whereabouts, so Hokage-sama has ruled out any trace of his presence in near Iwagakure."
"I see. Well done then."
Neji stood upright to look upon his uncle. It was at that moment he noticed his cousin Hinata walking up some stairs that led to a small corridor within the shrine, softly sliding the doors behind her.
'Hinata-sama ...'
"Neji," he turned his attention towards Hiashi as he sat across from Hanabi at the table as he spoke, "Now that you have returned, you are to resume your place as Hinata's watcher." He spoke firmly as he looked at Neji.
Neji nodded firmly in response, "Yes, Hyuuga-sama."
"With that said, I want to escort Hinata to the woman's dojo for her etiquette training. I want her properly dressed and prepared for Kishimo's arrival."
Neji subconsciously shallowed his grit and dismal of that name and complied to Hiashi's request, "Yes, Hyuuga-sama." Neji walked up the short stairs to the shrine's main hall, disappearing behind the sliding doors. Hiashi turned his white gaze towards the sliding doors that led to the back entrance of Hinata's room. Hanabi looked up at her father with a worried expression that was present on her face. Hiashi sensed his daughter's gaze upon him and turned back to his meal.
"Do not concern yourself with your sister's affairs, Hanabi. You will not be put through this," Hanabi frowned slightly thinking about her sister, "It is for the good of this clan that Hinata fulfills what she must do, and I will have no objections to it. Understood?"
Hiashi spoke firmly to Hanabi as her eyes were now downcast, staring at her Jasmine tea as it became still in her cup. Her own worries were not just only of her older sister's well-being, but also of her father's. It was clear to not only the siblings but also to the rest of the head-family that there was a sudden change in Hiashi over the years, but she could never object to her father's orders ... no one could.
"Yes, otou-sama ..."
Neji stood in the main hall of the shrine on the other side on the sliding doors, overhearing Hiashi's conversation with Hanabi. For nearly three years, Neji has known about the ultimate plan for the Hyuuga clan through his uncle's meetings with the elders of the clan. It was to always be kept a dire secret from anyone outside of the clan. However, Neji did not want to willingly accept this plan if it was going to harm her. He balled his fists tight at his sides as his white eyes narrowed with disdain of his uncle's demanding control over Hinata's life. For many years, Neji fought internally with himself over the cruelty of how fate had once restrained him to be a protector of the head-family, and how as a member of the branch-family he could never be anything greater than what he was now. But Neji has long before disregarded those perceptions of himself. He now held concerns of his cousin, Hinata, and how her sacrifice for the clan would damage not only her gentle spirit, but her strength as a kunoichi as well. Neji's growing concerns were becoming more evident as the years passed, and with so little time left to do anything about it. But what could he do? Going against the commands of the head-family were forbidden and proved to be fatal for any branch-family member who became outspoken against them. The secret myths of the Hyuuga clan were becoming more and more of a reality to Neji ... and there was so little time left to do anything about it ...
Neji walked down the main hall turning into another hall that led to the rooms of the head-family. He approached Hinata's room, silently stopping in front of her door, softly knocking as he called out to her.
"Hinata-sama, we must leave soon. Are you decent?"
Neji stood in front of her door waiting momentarily for her reply, but she did not respond. He knocked once more calling out to her a bit firmly so that she may hear him, yet still she did not reply.
"Hinata-sama ..."
Neji slowly slid the door open slightly as he peeked into her room. His eyes immediately met the young woman seated on the floor as she arranged dried-pressed Lavender petals and leaves on a white canvas that laid in front of her on the floor. Her room was filled with the scents of rich Lavender and the aroma of freshly cut autumn leaves. The decor on the walls were filled with beautiful Oshibana art with picturesque scenes of nature, birds and skies.
Hinata was unaware of her cousin's presence as he excused himself and entered her room. Her white, pale-lavender gaze was fixated on her artwork as she hummed a sweet song to herself. Hinata's gaze was soft, yet held sorrow deep within them. Much of her manner and personality had grown, a lot of which had to do with the dramatic changes of her clan and her life as a whole. Deep down inside she felt trapped and insecure, like a caged bird wanting to ever so much fly far away from this place ... and from her state of mind. Her heart cringed at the thrill of freeing herself from the pain she could never share with anyone else ... not even to ...
'Naruto-kun ...'
Her body halted and grew still as her heart beated faster in her chest at the thought of Uzumaki Naruto's name. She smiled softly to herself as she closed her eyes bringing one hand over her chest as if clutching onto something. Hinata began to remember her resolve for her ever-growing love for the blonde-haired shinobi. Neji drew closer to the young woman calling out to her, but his voice was unheard ...
"Hinata-sama ... Hinata-sama ..."
-...





















































"Hinata-sama!"
Neji took hold of Hinata's shoulders and shook her gently as he knelt down beside her, trying to get her attention. Hinata's head snapped up with wide eyes as Neji brought her out of her thoughts.
"Hinata-sama, are you alright?" Neji asked a bit worried.
"H-Huh?" Hinata shook her head a bit, bringing her left hand to her head, softly rubbing her temples, "Y-yeah, I'm alright. Sorry, I must have daydreamed a little..." Hinata frowned slightly as she stared down at the Oshibana artwork that she was working on. Neji looked upon his cousin sternly as he released his hands from her shoulders.
"Hinata-sama, Hyuuga-sama has requested that I escort you to the woman's dojo for your training. Kishimo-sama will be returning to the village later on today-"
"Yes, I understand, Nii-san," Hinata interjected.
Neji took note of Hinata's eyes that suddenly held emptiness and grief. He could no longer sense her sweet spirit, and as time passed, her lively gaze seemed to fade away. However, none of these things that he saw in Hinata caught him by surprise anymore. As Hinata's watcher, for three years Neji has seen a once gentle spirit transform into a frail and sad soul. He had often wondered what had happened to that once fighting soul that ever-so desperately wanted to prove herself to anyone and everyone around her. Why and when did she allow herself to succumb to her own fate and not continue with her own destiny … the answer was clear. She simply couldn't …
Hinata slowly stood from her seat on the floor, turning towards her bedroom door, "Let's go, Nii-san.."
Neji nodded firmly as he as well stood and escorted Hinata out of her room to the shrine entrance.
Hinata trailed slightly behind Neji as he led her down the main street of the Hyuuga prefecture heading towards the woman's dojo. Hinata's gaze stayed fixated on the stone path in front of her, her eyes holding a blank expression as her many thoughts swirled around in her head. She shook her head softly, trying to bring herself out of her mind. Neji took note of this and pondered.
"Something troubling you, Hinata-sama?"
"N-no, not at all, Nii-san. I'm alright," she tried her best to smile up at him, for she did not want him to worry, "Oh, I'm sorry, Nii-san," Hinata stated genuinely, "I am happy to see that you have returned from your mission safely. Tell me, was there any success in discovering?"
They continued to walk together as Neji spoke with her, "As a member of ANBU, you should know that I cannot fully disclose that information to you, Hinata-sama."
She frowned slightly, "Yes, of course, my apologies."
"There is no need to apologize," Neji turned his eyes, noticing her worried expression, "Although … all I can say is that there seems to be no clear trace of Uchiha Madara's whereabouts."
Hinata looked up at him, "None at all? That can't be ..."
"Even so," Neji continued, "that still does not mean that he has completely vanished. I am sure that whatever Uchiha Madara is planning in the shadows, it will be much greater than the devastation of war."
Hinata placed a hand over her chest, gently clenching onto the Aoi no Kou necklace underneath her top that she still wore to this day. Neji knew that ever since the secrets of the Hyuuga clan began to reveal themselves three years ago, Hinata was no longer allowed to take part in missions with her fellow shinobi by order of her father, Hiashi. Much to his surprise, Neji had doubt that Hiashi would even allow Hinata to take part in the Jonin exams a year ago, though this was only so that the Hokage would not have any suspicion over Hinata nor towards the clan overall. Due to the fact that Hinata was no longer going on missions regularly, she was often left out of the loop about the situations concerning the on-going search for Uchiha Madara's location, and often Neji felt inclined to give her at least some insight …
"But you should not worry yourself about it, Hinata-sama," Hinata looked upon her cousin as he spoke, "things here now are calm and peaceful again."
"Yes, they are." Hinata smiled softly as she nodded in agreement.
"Hime-sama!"
Suddenly, a young girl was seen running up to Hinata with a big, toothless smile that graced her sweet face.
"Good afternoon, Hime-sama!"
Hinata knelt down to the girl so she could be eye level with her, "Good afternoon, Chizune-chan."
The little girl blushed sweetly as she held out her hand, revealing her gift to Hinata, "Hime-sama, I made this for you." It was a small array of flowers that were sowed together to create a necklace.
Hinata smiled sweetly at the little girl's gift as she lowered her head to allow the girl to place the flower necklace around her neck.
"It is beautiful! Arigatou, Chizune-chan."
The little girl blushed even more as she shyly ran away, giggling with glee, "Bye, Hime-sama!"
Hinata stood up and watched as the little girl skipped away happily. Neji turned to Hinata, urging her to continue on their path, "Let us hurry, Hinata-sama."
"Yes-"
A sudden breeze brushed against her cheeks as Hinata's white, pale-lavender eyes grew in slight shook. She could feel the light of the Aoi no Kou that she wore around her neck send a wave of trembles through her body. Her senses turned her gaze towards the main gate that led outside of the Hyuuga prefecture. She could sense the heart of the Sumire no Kou that was not too far from her. She instantly knew what it meant …
'Naruto-kun …'
As on instinct, Hinata pivoted to her left, running towards the main gate. Neji, a bit confused, ran after Hinata, not knowing what had her in a panic all of a sudden.
"Hinata-sama, wait. Where are you going?"
Hinata quickly reached the outside of the main gate, but then was suddenly stopped in her tracks as a flash of yellow suddenly jumped in front of her and then quickly ran passed her down the road. Hinata quickly noted that it was Naruto that just sprinted pass her as she watched him quickly fade from sight.
"N-Naruto-kun!"
"Hinata-sama," Neji then caught up with her at the entrance, "What is it?"
It was then that Hatake Kakashi appeared in front of the two the moment he noticed them outside the gate.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata was a bit taken seeing Kakashi suddenly appear.
"Hinata, Neji-"
"Kakashi-sensei, I saw Naruto-kun just now. Is something wrong? Where is he going?" Hinata exclaimed with growing worry.
"Naruto is on his way to the hospital, … it's Sasuke. He has awakened from his coma," both Hinata and Neji gasped in disbelief upon Kakashi's words.
"You can't be serious. He's regained consciousness already?" Neji questioned, trying to grasp the whole situation.
"It would seem that Sasuke has regained consciousness earlier than our previous expectations," Kakashi stated, "Upon hearing the news, I came to tell Naruto and he did not waste a moment longer to rush to go see him."
Hinata clasped her hands into fists at her sides, her eyes narrowed down the road ahead, "Then we must go as well."
Neji turned to Hinata in disagreement, "Hinata-sama, I cannot allow that. You have your own duties that you must attend-"
"I don't care!" Hinata's stern retort came as a bit of a shock to both Kakashi and Neji, "I'm going whether you follow me or not, Nii-san." Hinata then started sprinting down the road, following after Naruto.
'Shit!' Neji cursed under his breath as he followed Hinata and Kakashi to Konoha Hospital.
In the distance, Hinata could see Naruto's figure as he sprinted down the road ahead of her …
'Naruto-kun …'

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