A Date with Haku and Origins

After meeting with the Hogake, we were all dragged across the village to meet with the elders of the Uzumaki Clan. Although I had a negative experience with village elders because of the Hyuga and Uchiha in the anime, it turns out that not all elders a bad people.

They were thrilled with Honoka's return and with Karin and Hikari's addition to the village, they even offered to give them a house in the Uzumaki compound, but Karin said she wanted to live with me, which got all of them to nod with smiles on their faces.

'I swear! If they want to say something then do it! Don't nod with a smile on your face! This isn't an anime... oh wait.' I thought.

So now the deal is that Honoka will live with the Uzumaki, while Hikari and Karin will live in the guest house of the Senju Clan, and Guren, Haku, Jugo, Amaru, and I will all live with Tsunade, as she is now our legal guardian.

I tried calling her 'onee-san' once to tease her, but she fell face-first into the ground while Mito laughed her ass off. Apparently, she wasn't expecting such a childish thing from me, as she saw me more as a young adult than a child, but Mito refuted her saying that I was, in fact, still seven.

Tsunade also got us all registered in the academy for the next term, and I even convinced her to register another girl named Saya. My clones had finally made contact with Fuu and we were able to convince her to change her name to Saya and move to Konoha in a few weeks.

Fuu was a good girl who simply wanted to have friends, but due to her Jinchuriki status, no one interacted with her. Shibuki wasn't the leader of Takigakure yet, so she legitimately had no attachment or loyalty to Takigakure.

Finally, Mito pulled me to the side and told me that I should be careful of anyone from the organization known as ROOT or Danzo. She said that they have a bad reputation in the village, but didn't outright tell me that he was on the verge of starting a civil war.

I took her advice and told Haku, Jugo, Guren, and Amaru to always be in groups of at least two while outside of the compound and preferably with Tsunade, Shizune, or Honoka. I probably didn't need to say anything to Karin or Hikari, because Hikari and Karin were clearly Uzumaki, and Danzo shouldn't have any real interest in them.

I have noticed that Honoka seems to be very watchful of me and my group ever since our second day here. I knew she was a kunoichi from Konoha due to her familiarity with everything and everyone, though the fact that she never mentioned it to me made me suspicious. She has probably been asked by the Hokage to monitor us, which is fine, but I wish I hadn't given her the [Yin Strengthening Method] since there is a possibility of her passing it on to the Hokage.

...

Today was our third day in Konoha and I had wanted to explore a bit. I had woken up early and noticed that Jugo, Guren, and Amaru were still sleeping in, so I looked for Haku to roam around the city. I found her preparing breakfast with Shizune and came up to her.

"Good Morning Haku"

"Ah! Good morning Haruka-sama. Did you sleep well?" She said. Shizune simply smiled and nodded her head to acknowledge me.

"I did, thank you. These Senju beds are surprisingly soft. I sleep like a baby in them."

Haku chuckles for a bit before returning to our conversation. "Do you have anything planned for the day? I must prepare a few things if we are going to continue training."

"No. I think today I want to look around town. We won't have as much free time when the academy starts again in a week, so we should see the sights now. If you have nothing else to do, you can come with me."

"Hoh... Asking Haku-chan on a date are we?" Tsunade teased as she walked into the room. Haku went red from embarrassment, but I remained unphased.

"While that wasn't my initial goal, I don't mind making it a date."

"Boo. Your no fun!" Tsunade complains as she collapses onto the sofa.

"Sorry about that 'onee-san'".

"Geh!"

"Haku. How about we go an hour or so after breakfast? That way we have time to prepare."

"Y-yes. Thank you Haruka-sama..." Haku says meekly. I nod before turning my head and heading for the guest house.

I walk up to the door and wake up Karin, who is sleeping messily on her futon. Her legs are sticking out at weird angles, while her disheveled hair is all over the place. She is sleeping at an angle when compared to her futon, so now I know that she is the type of person to roll around a lot in her sleep.

Hikari seems to have left for her job at the Dango house that Anko frequents. Apparently, when I was hanging out with Mito and the Uzumaki, she was out job hunting. I guess she was always the dutiful lady.

"Karin! Wake up! Breakfast is almost ready." I say as I look at her.

"Five more minutes. I'm washing Haruka-san's back." Karin says as a perverted grin appears on her face in her sleep.

'GROSS!' I yell in my mind "Well I suppose that you'll just have to miss breakfast. I hear that Shizune and Haku were making pancakes for breakfast." I say. I know this is her favorite food ever since I taught Haku how to make them. As a matter of fact, Continental Breakfasts were well received by every member of our party, though we had to settle for traditional Japanese breakfasts whenever we stopped at inns.

"Pancakes!" Karin yells as she shoots up and rushes out of sight. I see clothes flying into view from around the corner comically as she rushes to change herself. I can only shake my head and sigh to myself as I walk back.

...

After breakfast, Haku and I set out for our 'date'. Karin was complaining that I was giving another woman preferential treatment rather than my future wife (her), so I had to promise to go out on a date with her tomorrow so that she would calm down. Tsunade, Shizune, Amaru, and Karin are all going to go out shopping, while Jugo and Guren are staying behind at the compound.

Jugo has become far more reserved since arriving in Konoha and isn't nearly as cheerful as he was earlier, while Guren was reading about wood release in the Senju Clan Library and wanted to see if she could get any ideas for her crystal release from it. I regret saying she should look into it, since now she spends hours a day studying.

Haku and I roamed around awkwardly at first. I had never been on a date before, even in my past life, while Haku was trying to not speak in her normal servile tone after I told her not to.

I was able to find a small Dango shop, different from the one Anko enjoys and Hikari works at, and we sat down to enjoy ourselves. The longer we chatted, the more open Haku became, but she never lost her polite tone, but instead became more energetic as time moved on.

I learned a lot about Haku that I never thought I would when she was in servant mode. I learned her favorite animal was the Panda. That her favorite kinds of clothes were pink Kimonos, and that she hated spicy foods.

We continued to walk around Konoha unto noon, indulging ourselves in snacks from the different shops. Surprisingly, there was an arcade in Konoha, though it only had cheap knock-offs of fighting games, where the characters are different S-Ranked ninja. Haku found out that the Hokage Class characters are, by far, the best choices, even if characters like Fugaku Uchiha and Raikage A had overall higher stats. I guess that's one subtle way to brainwash the next generation.

We ran into Tsunade's group on the main street and Tsunade pointed us to a kimono store. I bought Haku a pink kimono with a white snowflake pattern and a green obi. She looked cute. She chose a white kimono for me with black details, red stripes, and a solid grey obi. To be honest, I looked as badass as a seven-year-old could look.

We ended our date when I bought Haku a panda hairpin from a shop in town. She attached it immediately and said she wouldn't ever take it off.

...

As we were making our way back to the Senju compound, we noticed that we had some guests. There was a woman with a young girl, about my age, and another Chunin guarding her. She had purple hair, white eyes, and wore a deep purple kimono. She was truly a beauty, the definition of a Yamato Nadeshiko. For a moment, I didn't recognize who it was, but when I looked at her child, I immediately knew. This was Hitomi Hyuga and her daughter Hinata Hyuga! The chunin must have been their guard since the heiress and the wife of the clan leader can't be walking around alone in the evening, even if Hitomi was a jonin and can take care of herself.

"Good evening! How may I help you?" I say, feigning ignorance.

"Hello there. My name is Hitomi Hyuga, wife of Hiashi Hyuga, leader of the Hyuga Clan. I have come to speak to you today Haruka-kun." She says. I can tell that her guard is wary of me the moment he sees my eyes.

"This is my daughter Hinata Hyuga," She says as she gestures to the loli.

"H-hello," Hinata says shyly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I know you already know me, but I am Haruka Kaguya, and this is Haku Yuki, my trusted aid." I say, gesturing to Haku, who bows.

"How about you come inside for some tea," I say as I lead them inside. I give Haku the bags and drop a packet with senzu bean powder in them. Since it was a date before, I was carrying them all for her, even though she insisted she should be the one to hold them. I know she understands that I want her to put it into the tea, but the bodyguard doesn't seem to notice this. I suppose that's why he is a chunin, not a jonin. He should also probably have his Byakugan active, but he doesn't.

I make my way inside and notice that Tsunade and her group isn't home yet. Jugo was meditating in the courtyard and waves at us, while Guren is reading a book under a tree and is too engaged in it to notice us. At some point, Haku breaks away from us to prepare the tea, while Hitomi, Hinata, and her guard all follow me to the Senju meeting room.

As we arrive, I gesture for them to sit, while I also take my seat. Even if I am only a child, I am still the leader of an official clan in Konoha, so they must show proper respect towards me.

As I sit, I look Hitomi in the eye before asking the obvious question. "So, blunt as it may be, I must ask. What brings you to see me today?"

Hitomi looks at me with a serious, yet kind face, while her guard looks upset that I don't seem to be showing the utmost respect towards his mistress.

"It has come to the attention of our clan that you possess the Byakugan, though you are not a member of the Hyuga family." She states "Under normal circumstances, we would ask that you at least receive a curse-mark so that the risk of it being stolen is reduced, but since you are the head of the Kaguya Clan, we have opted for a more diplomatic approach."

I raised one of my eyebrows in surprise. I was initially expecting some push-back from the Hyuga, though I didn't expect her to say so to my face. At best, I thought I would have a hostile relationship with them during my time here. At worst, I was expecting to be assaulted in the night by Hyuga Clan assassins trying to steal my eyes, yet neither of those things is a viable option if she says so out loud.

"It was decided that, in order to bridge the gap, and ensure the Byakugan doesn't fall into the wrong hands, that the Hyuga and the Kaguya families should merge by having you marry my daughter." She says as she points to Hinata.

"As flattered as I am. I am a bit surprised that I would have this discussion without formally introducing myself to your husband. As clan leaders, before making such a deal, I believe etiquette demands at least this much." It is weird to show up, unannounced, and start a discussion about such an important matter. It is especially concerning that we are having this discussion before we were formally introduced or without a mediator.

"Yes, you are correct. There will be a meeting of the clans before the start of the academy year where my husband plans to officially introduce himself to you, but I am here for another reason.

Is it true that you are the son of Kosai-chan?" She says as she looks into my eyes desperately.

"Yes it is. My mother fell in love with my father, who was the heir to the Kaguya Clan. They ran away together after the war and had me."

"I see... I see... If that is the case, I would like to say that I am sorry for what you have gone through!" Hitomi says as she bows to me. Hinata and her guard look shocked at this, though Hinata, not knowing what to do, bows with her mother.

"Please raise your heads! I am so confused!" I say as I panic. I completely let slip my inner thoughts for a moment in shock. Hitomi and Hinata raise their heads and look at me once again.

"Kosai-chan was my half-sister by blood and my husband's cousin as well as my best friend. They didn't need any more women in the main family after I was born, so they marked her with the birdcage seal and sent her to live with the branch family. They had arranged for her to be married to my step-brother Hizashi, but Hizashi had another lover and Kosai wanted to find her own partner. The main family refused their wishes because the purity of blood between the two was so high. I had always wanted to apologize to her for being mistreated because I was born first, but since I thought she died, I have never been able to forgive myself." Hitomi said as she broke down crying. Hinata was also saddened by this and tears welled up in her eyes.

Her guard had a pained expression on his face since none of the branch family members wanted to be reminded of such a harsh reality. I had to think to myself for a moment about how to get out of this situation. I knew that Hinata had gotten most of her personality from her mother, since she wanted to be kind like her, but I didn't realize what kind of angel she truly was. It would be a hard thing to make her realize that it wasn't her fault.

"I understand. I didn't know my mother had such a difficult past, but I know one thing. If you truly were her best friend, she wouldn't like to see you crying over her situation. She would tell you that it wasn't your fault and that you shouldn't burden yourself with it."

Hitomi looks at me one more time, tears still running down her face. "That sounds like her. She was always quiet and kind. Nonetheless, I must repay my debts. If there is anything you need. Anything at all. I will do everything in my power to help you." She said, this time with determination in her eyes and voice.

I looked at her for a moment before deciding to take a leap of faith and trust her. "I only have one thing I would like from you. I used a space-time technique from the Kaguya Clan to preserve her body in stasis. I didn't want to bury her on the side of the road in a foreign land. Could you please help me put her to rest here. In her home?" I say as I bow to Hitomi.

"Of course!" She replies immediately. "I cannot bury her in the Hyuga Clan graveyard, but I can secure her a lot in a private graveyard nearby here so you can always visit her."

"Thank you"

...

After the depressing talk about my origins, Hitomi and I continued our small-talk throughout the night until Tsunade's group returned. Haku eventually brought us tea with senzu powder in it, and Hitomi drank quite a bit.

I know that she dies of disease when Hinata was very young, so I used the senzu bean powder to cure her. Perhaps I am becoming soft, but I don't want one of the best waifu's in Naruto to be sad.

After Tsunade's group arrived, Hitomi and I explained to her about the burial, and Tsunade offered to pay for it, but Hitomi refused. She gave up on it when I reminded her that she was broke and actually had no way to pay for it right now.

Before she left, Hinata personally invited me to her birthday party, which was the day after the academy class begins. Turns out she was having it almost a month early since a deligation from Kumo was coming, and the Hyuga decided to invite their head ninja as a sign of good faith.

They were probably asked this by Minato so that tensions between Kumo and Konoha could be lessened, but I knew the truth. It seems that Minato being alive has pushed this plot-point back a few years since Hinata is turning seven and in the original, this plot point happens when she was three. Hopefully, I can change the fate of this. Canon be damned!