15 Hinata Hyuga Pt. 2

"… No."

Shizune's face falls, even as Hinata's becomes shocked, and then hopeful. Naruto shakes his head, hands clenched into fists at his side, the Kyuubi's chakra rippling just under his skin, and repeats himself.

"No. In fact… hell no. I won't let those old geezers in the Hyuga Clan dictate Hinata's life for her. I won't let anyone tell Hinata what she can and cannot do."

Shizune grimaces, looking visibly pained.

"Naruto… there are expectations to those who come from established Shinobi Clans. Neither of us might understand them, but just because we're both orphans doesn't mean we can spit in the face of their traditions."

With a snarl, Naruto rakes a hand through the hair.

"I'll spit in the face of their traditions because they're stupid traditions, and nothing more! I'm not going to just throw Hinata away, not after she bared her soul to me. And I'm not going to go and beg at the feet of her old coot of a father just to have any hope of us marrying tossed away. I saw what they did to Neji! I'm not letting that happen to Hinata as well!"

It's only after Naruto finally registers the very real fear in Shizune's eyes that he realizes he's going too far. A tail hasn't manifested yet, but the aura of the Kyuubi is tinting his vision red as Hinata quietly calls his name, sounding faint and amazed at his depth of love for her.

"Naruto…"

Visibly pulling himself back in, reeling in his rage and anger at the injustice of the world, Naruto lets out a bone-deep sigh.

"I'm sorry Shizune. I shouldn't… my anger isn't at you. It's at them. But I won't change my mind on this. I won't abandon Hinata now. So I guess the only question is… what are you and Tsunade going to do next?"

Shizune jolts at that, and Naruto looks her in the eye. Is it wrong to choose one woman over the other, when he'd only had sex with both of them for the first time tonight? Part of Naruto reflects on just how FAST everything is moving. A day ago, he didn't even know either of these kunoichi were interested in him in this way! Shizune was like a big sister to him, and Hinata… Hinata was the quiet kid from his genin days that had nearly killed herself trying to follow his ninja way to an extreme.

Sure, Naruto had beat Neji up for Hinata, to avenge her, but only because they were friendly. They weren't even friends, not truly. Now though… now she was someone in need, and while their intimacy was brand new, Naruto didn't intend to just let Hinata get hurt because of him. And after all they'd done together, he couldn't just… send her back to that clan of hers, not even for her own safety.

"What… what are you saying, Naruto?"

Swallowing thickly, Naruto straightens up his back and crosses his arms over his chest. It wasn't something he'd even been considering before now, but… well, tonight was definitely a wild night. Still, for all that he never thought he'd be saying these words, he finds himself speaking them all the same.

"I'm saying… if you think it's necessary, if you think the Hokage will side with the Hyuga Clan over me and Hinata… then I'll take Hinata and leave the village tonight. I won't let them hurt her, Shizune. And as much as it might pain me to do it, I'll do what I have to, in order to keep Hinata safe. It's what I would do for anyone else I loved if they were in a similar position."

That last bit is a peace offering of sorts, and Naruto tries to convey with his crystal blue gaze that he means it, even as his other words hit Shizune like boulder. It's true though. If Shizune, or Anko, or Ino found themselves in this situation, Naruto would fight for them as well. And if it meant having to fight the whole village for them, he'd probably just leave with them instead, to keep them safe… to keep them free.

As Shizune tries to work up a response, Naruto continues on.

"No one deserves to be a slave, Shizune. It's not a matter of us being orphans or not understanding. In fact, I'd say you and I understand things all too well. The Hyuga Clan is wrong. What they do to their members, it's WRONG. When I'm Hokage, I'll put a stop to it permanently. But until then, I'll do everything in my power to protect Hinata from them."

When Shizune's shoulders slump in defeat a moment later, Naruto knows he's at least gotten through to her. He can see, past the storm in her eyes, that she agrees with him personally, at least a little. Now it's just a matter of hearing whether he needs to take Hinata and run or not. Glancing over at the pupil-less girl, he finds Hinata staring at him with her perfectly kissable lips parted, looking awed and amazed… and honestly, incredibly sexy.

Unfortunately, the situation beyond Hinata herself isn't very arousing, so he doesn't make any sort of move in that regard. After all, they might be on the run within the hour.

"Let's… let's just sleep on this. I… y-you don't need to run, Naruto. We'll… all three of us will go to Lady Tsunade in the morning. She'll agree with you, I'm sure of it… and we'll plan from there on how best to keep Hinata safe… together. You don't have to do this alone, alright? You can count on the village… you can count on me."

Naruto swallows thickly, reminded that he and Shizune had christened this bedroom before he and Hinata had. Jerkily, he nods… and slowly, the three of them go to bed, all of them awkward and uneasy, but all the same… exhausted. It's been a long day, even for someone of Naruto's stamina and endurance. Shit, this was the same day that he'd ended up fucking both Ino and Anko half the day as well! He's tired, so damn tired, and not just physically, but emotionally too.

Finding himself in the middle of Shizune and Hinata as they both press their soft chests into his sides and curl up against him, Naruto wraps his arms around their bodies… and closes his eyes, almost instantly falling into a deep, much-needed sleep.

-x-X-x-

When he awakens the next morning, sun rushing in through a window and across his face, Naruto groans, blinking rapidly. It takes him a long moment to realize where he is. The old Senju Compound… though, he supposes it'll be the Uzumaki Compound now, won't it? And then the rest of what happened the night before hits him, and Naruto has to amend that thought. It'll be the Uzumaki Compound if all goes well this morning.

With that casting a cloud over his mind, Naruto sits up, looking to one side to see Shizune still laid out beside him, and the other to see Hinata… except, Hinata is not there. Naruto freezes at the disappearance, and then stresses out his senses. He's hoping she's just using the bathroom or something, or maybe taking a shower, or even perhaps making food.

But no, he can't feel her chakra, not in any part of the compound.

"Shizune… Shizune, wake up. Where's Hinata?"

After jostling the Medic-Nin awake, Naruto hops out of bed. Just as he's starting to panic, a chakra signature besides his and Shizune's does pop up on his senses… it's still not Hinata, however. The identity of the signature is both answered a moment later and remains a mystery when an ANBU suddenly appears in the doorway of the bedroom.

It's a woman, Naruto knows that immediately, and her ANBU mask is that of a cat. She straightens up upon seeing him staring at her and speaks in a clipped, urgent tone.

"Naruto Uzumaki. The Hokage commands your presence in her office, immediately."

Before Naruto can even answer, Shizune is up and rubbing her head with her hand.

"Wha-… what is this?"

Cocking her head to the side, Cat looks to Shizune for half a moment before adding onto her initial statement.

"You as well, Lady Shizune."

"A-Ah… r-right, of course."

Seeing no other choice in the matter, with no idea where Hinata had gone and no idea what was going on, Naruto bows his head. At the very least, it was only one ANBU. If they were here to capture him, it would have been a whole squad. And that wasn't just arrogance or over-confidence talking. Naruto WAS the Jinchuriki of the most powerful tailed beast.

"Very well. Lead the way, Cat."

-x-X-x-

They move through Konoha as only ninja can, roof-hopping. Naruto tries to look for anything amiss, but everything seems completely normal. People are still waking up, getting their shops open, going about their days.

When they reach the Hokage's Tower, they skip the bottom and go straight to the top, entering through an open window. Cat leads Naruto and Shizune directly into the Hokage's Office, and there Tsunade stands, clad in her full regalia in a way that the Third Hokage had always done, but Tsunade herself had seemed to ultimately shun outside of important events.

But there she is, clad in white with the hat atop her head. Naruto's breath hitches at the sight, and his concern ratchets up another notch as Tsunade turns to face him with the most serious expression he's ever seen on her face.

Her eyes flicker to Shizune for a moment, even as Cat fades into the background. But ultimately, Tsunade only has eyes for Naruto. The Fifth Hokage has her arms crossed over her chest, and he can see the way she's gripping tightly at her biceps. Tightly enough that her knuckles are white.

"Did you know, Naruto?"

Furrowing his brow, Naruto can't help but be a little baffled.

"What? What's going on?"

"I asked you a question, as your Hokage! Did you know what that girl was planning?!"

That girl had to be Hinata. Naruto stiffens up, unsure how to answer for a moment. In the end, he settles for a clipped, biting answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Tsunade doesn't look convinced, until Shizune steps up and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Lady Tsunade, Naruto and I woke up less than fifteen minutes ago. Please… could you explain what's going on?"

Shizune's diplomacy seems to have an effect on Tsunade, because the Fifth Hokage's shoulders sag and she lets out an explosive sigh.

"… In the early hours of this morning, there was a meeting held of all of the Hyuga Elders, including the Hyuga Clan Head, Hiashi. By the end of the meeting, every last one of them was dead. Poisoned by one of their own, someone who knew how to bypass their security measures, someone who had access to the sort of poison that a Hyuga wouldn't be able to detect. That someone… is Hinata Hyuga."

Shizune's grip on Naruto's shoulder tightens, and if he's being honest, it very well might be the only thing that keeps him on his feet. His legs buckle and he chokes on his own spit as Tsunade's grim words, spoken with a tone of finality, hit like a ton of bricks.

"Hinata… Hinata wouldn't do something like that. You must be mistaken."

"She might… if she thought she had no other choice."

Naruto's head whips around as Shizune speaks, his eyes widening as he reaches the same conclusion that the unassuming Medic-Nin already had. Grim-faced Shizune guides Naruto over to a nearby chair… and then, in clipped tones, explains everything that had happened the night before. Everything.

In his state of shock, Naruto doesn't notice the ANBU Cat shifting from foot to foot. Nor does he notice Tsunade's moment of satisfaction over her first apprentice managing to find happiness. In the end, Shizune finishes her story by explaining that they'd all decided to sleep on it, that their plan, Naruto's plan, had always been to approach Tsunade about the issue this morning.

With a heavy sigh, the Fifth Hokage discards her hat and sits down behind her desk, leaning back as she shakes her head.

"Well, obviously the Hyuga brat had another plan, didn't she?"

Naruto flinches at that, only to look up at Tsunade incredulously after what she says next.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Naruto."

Waving off his incredulous look, Tsunade shrugs.

"Really, you shouldn't. This wasn't because of you… or at least, not solely because of you. According to the girl herself, she's been planning this for quite a while. In fact, she didn't even mention you… not either of you. Her reasoning for the poisoning was simple. She didn't want her little sister to live as a caged bird while she lived free."

Tsunade's tone is a soul-deep sort of weary as she explains. But Naruto latches onto something else in her words, something that goes unsaid but is still heard by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki loud and clear.

"Hinata… where is Hinata now?"

"T&I."

Naruto very nearly surges out of his seat, but Shizune's hand is still on his shoulder and she keeps him down until Tsunade can explain further.

"You don't need to be worried, Naruto. The girl turned herself in. She's not been tortured, there's no reason to when she's been entirely cooperative so far. She's explained everything, from how she did it to the poisons she used. There's no one left to want her dead… not after she killed them all this morning."

As Naruto reels from that particular point of news, Shizune asks her own question.

"What… what is the state of the Hyuga Clan, after this?"

Cocking her head to the side, Tsunade considers the question for a moment.

"… The Main House is reduced to a bunch of old and young wives, as well as children. The Hyuga Clan was distinctly Patriarchal, and the Hyuga Clan Elders were all male. Their women, whether they were their first wives or their third, don't know enough to take their places. Hinata and Hanabi actually represented a unique situation for the clan, one in which there might be a female leader for the first time in living history. Now though… well, as it stands, the Main House is gutted, and the Branch House are unsure what to do. If there's no one left who can use their seals, are they free?"

Latching onto that last bit, still reeling but quickly recovering, Naruto leans forward.

"So then, you admit they weren't free before."

Tsunade remains silent, and Naruto takes the opportunity to go on a bit of a tirade.

"See, I never thought Konoha condoned slavery. And that's what the Hyuga Clan practiced, right? They put slave seals on all of their branch family members. They tortured them if one so much as stepped out of line. They could even kill with that seal. So, in a way, Hinata did us all a favor. She wiped away the stain of hypocrisy from this village."

Tsunade waits a moment to see if he's done, before letting out a disgruntled sigh.

"Naruto, your girlfriend pulled an Itachi. Setting aside her reasons for it, offing the entire leadership of one of Konoha's largest living clans has to have repercussions, or otherwise it's going to keep happening. So tell me… what do YOU think I should do with Hinata Hyuga?"

It takes Naruto a moment to realize that Tsunade is actually asking for his opinion. That she's serious about it, rather than showing him why she's already condemned Hinata. No, she hasn't condemned her yet… she wants him to give her an actual idea, a way out of this mess. Does… does Naruto have one? What are their options?

Complete exoneration would be his preference. But the Hyuga Clan was indeed one of Konoha's pillars. For all that they were a clan that was rotten on the inside, for all that their traditions were morally repugnant and utterly reprehensible to Naruto's sensibilities… they were established. It's not like Hinata caught them doing something illegal, like planning a coup or anything like that. What she'd killed them for was something Konoha was well aware they were doing. It was something the village had allowed them to do.

… But what if they said otherwise? What if they lied, and said that the Hyuga Clan Elders HAD been plotting a coup, to try and overthrow Tsunade and take over the village? What if?

It might seem like a hard pill to swallow, but they wouldn't know unless they tried. Of course, if they tried and failed, that could be catastrophic. Alternatively… alternatively, Naruto could suggest house arrest. At his house, of course. Hinata could be released into his custody, and join his clan, and to everyone on the outside looking in, she would be his prisoner or something… shackles, but not truly given he knew how much she loved him now.

Although, Naruto loved her just as much. More so given what she'd done for him, for all that it was a bit of extreme. And was it really right to be making decisions for someone he loved when they should have an equal voice? He could push for it… he could push Tsunade to include Hinata in this discussion, so they could find out what she thought about all of this, and what she wanted…

Lips pressed tightly together, Naruto weighs his options carefully, unsure of what's the best one. But one way or another, Tsunade is waiting for an answer… and he's the one who has to give it to her.