[Naruto] Things that could have happened had Hizashi been the older son - 3
Title: Things that could have happened had Hizashi been the older son (or: a cage is a cage is a curse, dammit.)
Author: runespoor7
Rating: PG-13
Summary: series of unrelated drabbles/ficlets. So far, drabbles include various flavours of implied Neji-Hina-Naru combinations , but it's really Hyuuga-centered gen with occasional cameos of other characters.
Notes: just so you know, this was born out of my getting infuriated whenever it starts being said that Hinata would be happier in the Branch House. Rather than risking incoherence before my screen every time I came across the idea, I thought I'd play with it. :p
I wrote a dvd commentary of this fic here.
previous bunks of drabbles: 1 2
6. chuunin exam - take 2
When the time for the chuunin exam came, Gai-sensei didn't nominate his team, though the three rookie teams all entered. Lee was distressed and swore he'd work harder, Tenten broke half a dozen training dummies in combined anger and resolve to prove she'd been totally ready; Neji accepted it with the thought that Gai-sensei, for all his Passionate Caps of Youth, knew better.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment, though, when he learnt that his one-year-younger cousin had made it to the finals; but he quickly stifled his envy as unbefitting of a clan heir, and he attended her fight with his father, inwardly wishing her the best luck.
She likely didn't need it; she was a strong fighter, and her opponent was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, but still. Naruto too had made it to the finals, Neji thought as he caught a glimpse of Hinata's teammate Kiba only a few seats away, with the other Konoha genins who hadn't made it past the prelims, and Kiba wasn't a washout. Then again, Hinata was probably a lot stronger than Kiba.
Hinata, as Neji was all too aware, was probably stronger than him too; it was one of the reasons Neji understood Gai-sensei had rather let them train one more year. He was okay with it, mostly; it wasn't like there was any urgency to the matter.
Down in the arena, the two opponents were facing one another. They looked a bit lost, as if they weren't entirely sure of why they were here.
Neji looked at the other genins, hoping that they'd comment so he'd understand what it was about. Luckily he didn't have to strain his hearing too much.
"That's harsh for a match," Kiba judged.
"Why that?" asked a blond girl when her pink-haired friend grimly nodded. "Sakura? I mean, it's not like they're teammates or anything. I mean, even it was like, say, Sasuke and I, I'd certainly try my best shot. Of course I'd never be able to beat him in a thousand years, but I'd still give him hell."
The other girl, Sakura, gestured to the arena, where the signal to start had just been given. "See them? They're not fighting the people they want to be fighting. At least, Naruto isn't."
"Hinata isn't either," Kiba commented. "Weird as it sounds, Hinata respects Naruto." He sounded like he couldn't for the life of him venture a guess why his teammate would arbour such outlandish feelings for the village clown.
"It sounds very weird," the blond deadpanned.
"But it makes sense," Sakura said decisively.
"Guys, they're starting," a chubby boy reminded.
Hinata's hands were half-raised in a defensive position. So far as Neji could analyse, her stance wasn't very self-assured. She was waiting for an attack. Neji wondered if it was because she was sure that Naruto's style would bring him at Jyuuken range, or for some other reason.
Naruto had crossed his hands behind his neck and was looking at her with his head tilted back, with a frowning, pouting expression. He was barely taller than she was, Neji noted with some amusement.
"Hey, Hinata," Naruto suddenly started. "Before I kick- before we fight. You know, your fight with Kabuto, what he said about spoiled children and all - well, I don't know if you were spoiled as a kid or something, but you don't fight that way, so… I don't think he really thought what he said. Kabuto's an okay guy. He helped us in the forest, he wanted to know where you were, with your team, 'cuz you were Konoha rookies too an' he said he thought you deserved to make it through the Forest." He paused. "Of course you were already out of the Forest, so it wasn't like you could've used his help anyway.
"So… yeah. Just thought I should, yanno, clear that up, cuz I don't think spoiled kids make good ninjas and you're good - even if I'd rather be fighting the bastard and everything, but never mind that."
As Naruto fumbled with his apology, Neji's father tensed. Three meters away, Sakura was elbowing her friend. "See, I told you it's not Hinata he wanted to fight."
Neji activated his Byakugan. If he wanted to see his cousin's expression, he'd need as much focus as possible.
She acquiesced. "Thank you for your confidence, Naruto-kun, I appreciate it. But Kabuto-san wasn't talking about me."
"HA!" Naruto gloated. "I knew he was a good guy!" Then he frowned. "Hey, if he didn't mean you, then why did you get mad?"
Hinata straightened, lowering her hands. "Mad, Naruto-kun?"
She had a very careful, soft voice. Neji barely needed to make an effort to register his father's reaction - a sudden blankness in his body language that had to mean he kept himself in tight check - and the loud snort coming from one of the genins. Apparently not everyone agreed with Naruto's interpretation of the Hinata/Kabuto fight.
Naruto made an impatient gesture. "Like the bastard. The times he gets real quiet and everything just becomes this straight path he's trying to blow up."
"He's got a point there," Sakura muttered - Neji could read her lips.
"She's sure done a number on Kabuto before he forfeited. He was still at the hospital when I left, and he's a medic-nin in training." The chubby boy looked grave. Neji recalled an Akimichi genin had been taken to the hospital after being left half-dead by one of the visiting nins - Sabaku no Gaara.
"Why'd you get like that if he didn't mean you - and who did he mean anyway? What d'you care about random lucky kids?"
Hinata was twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Then she let it go. "Do you remember the rest of what he said?"
The blond didn't hesitate. "Yeah, he was speaking about choices. Children spoiled with choices don't deserve them. And he also said that freedom doesn't need to be painful."
Neji looked at his father. He knew what that other genin, Kabuto, had spoken about, then. Him and the Main House. No wonder Hinata had got mad at that man. Still, surely his father wouldn't punish her for that.
She was a better ninja than Neji was, and so long as she didn't actually act above her position - but even allowing her to get angry at the mention of the heir and the Main House was letting her take liberties.
Neji knew that. It didn't mean he didn't have a nasty taste in his mouth at the thought of her punishment. What she lacked by birth, she earned by her strength - by her insane training - and she was still coming short.
He resolved to speak up for her to his father. As the heir, it was his duty.
Hinata was drumming her fingers together. "…It doesn't matter. I will tell you after the fight, if you want; the people it concerns are probably watching us now. It was about my clan's customs."
"The spoiled child thing, it was about an important person?"
Hinata slowly nodded. "It's someone I am sworn to protect - he didn't have any more of a choice about it than I did, but - it's - it's complicated."
Naruto's eyes crinkled. "Hey, you chose to take his defence then. T's a choice enough for me," he pointed out.
She smiled. "Yes." Then she shifted, bending forward, her palms turned upwards. It reminded Neji of something, but what - "Let us fight," she announced.
The blond grinned with a wild, jagged expression. "I'm gonna kick your ass."
"You will try," Hinata answered without looking up.
Kiba shook his head. "Unless he's got ten times better than he was a month ago, he's never even gonna touch her."
"I wouldn't put it past Naruto," Sakura retorted without taking her eyes away from the arena. "How I wish Sasuke was here…"
Down there, thirty Narutos were suddenly leaping forward. Neji started; mere bunshins, or?... (Kiba whistled.) Hinata stayed unmoving, and Neji watched with growing nervousness as Naruto came closer and Hinata made no move to dodge - maybe she intended to use his momentum against him.
He was only three meters away when Hinata tore into a blur - raw chakra spinning.
Neji's breath caught in his throat.
Next to him, a muffled protest escaped his father's lips.
Hizashi had never taught Kaiten to Neji; Neji thought his father knew best, and if he said that there was time - that no thirteen-year-old could correctly learn the divine whirlwind - then there had been no reason for Neji to insist.
But Hinata had done it, without anyone to guide her, she'd managed to learn the clan head's technique on her own.
("This is what she's capable of," Kiba commented. "Hinata's own impenetrable defence. In a fight, it's as effective as Gaara's Sand Shield.")
Naruto had been sent twenty meters away, but he was now back on his feet, and still grinning. "Neat jutsu," he called. "But I'm gonna break through it anyway!"
"I know," Hinata answered. She was still smiling too, a bit more widely than before; her long hair was falling haphazardly around her face. There was a certain glint in her eyes.
She's pretty.
Neji was surprised by the thought, but less than by the second.
I want to fight her.
But he wouldn't be able to; he wasn't as strong a ninja. He wasn't a genius, who could catch up with the training Hinata had imposed upon herself since she was - how old, anyway?
I want to fight her.
("Just you watch. Naruto'll surprise you," Sakura promised. Then, frowning: "Provided he doesn't lose his head and starts showing off.")
Justification for this: here, Neji-as-a-member-of-the-Main-House never had to push himself to insane lengths, whereas Branch House Hinata had of course every motivation to prove herself. As the heir, he's way too sensible to even think about learning Kaiten by himself at age thirteen, while Hinata… well, sanity never has been the defining trait of her personality - and I tried to hint that the results she got and how good she is didn't come half as easily to her as they did to Neji in canon. Here she's a genius of hard work, not a genius.
Also, re: Kabuto, because otherwise I know someone will ask; he took part in the tournament because Orochimaru-sama had ordered him to keep an eye on the most promising elements out of the youngsters, and Kabs had noted Hinata as being a)one of the strongest genins b)filled to the brim with issues that could be used to Orochimaru's advantage. He tried to watch her during the second test, but of course, as Naruto commented, Team Eight was already out of the Forest… So he stayed in hopes he'd be able to manipulate either her or her opponent in the prelims to see if she'd be a good recruit for Sound. When he had his answer, and so he wouldn't blow his cover/attract too much attention, he forfeited.
Usually I try to avoid explanatory notes like the plague, 'cause it's my belief the challenge in an AU is to make is self-contained and self-explanatory - stating the premise doesn't count - but here I thought it'd be pushing it not to make notes. Not the least because of Kabuto's presence.
Author: runespoor7
Rating: PG-13
Summary: series of unrelated drabbles/ficlets. So far, drabbles include various flavours of implied Neji-Hina-Naru combinations , but it's really Hyuuga-centered gen with occasional cameos of other characters.
Notes: just so you know, this was born out of my getting infuriated whenever it starts being said that Hinata would be happier in the Branch House. Rather than risking incoherence before my screen every time I came across the idea, I thought I'd play with it. :p
I wrote a dvd commentary of this fic here.
previous bunks of drabbles: 1 2
6. chuunin exam - take 2
When the time for the chuunin exam came, Gai-sensei didn't nominate his team, though the three rookie teams all entered. Lee was distressed and swore he'd work harder, Tenten broke half a dozen training dummies in combined anger and resolve to prove she'd been totally ready; Neji accepted it with the thought that Gai-sensei, for all his Passionate Caps of Youth, knew better.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment, though, when he learnt that his one-year-younger cousin had made it to the finals; but he quickly stifled his envy as unbefitting of a clan heir, and he attended her fight with his father, inwardly wishing her the best luck.
She likely didn't need it; she was a strong fighter, and her opponent was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, but still. Naruto too had made it to the finals, Neji thought as he caught a glimpse of Hinata's teammate Kiba only a few seats away, with the other Konoha genins who hadn't made it past the prelims, and Kiba wasn't a washout. Then again, Hinata was probably a lot stronger than Kiba.
Hinata, as Neji was all too aware, was probably stronger than him too; it was one of the reasons Neji understood Gai-sensei had rather let them train one more year. He was okay with it, mostly; it wasn't like there was any urgency to the matter.
Down in the arena, the two opponents were facing one another. They looked a bit lost, as if they weren't entirely sure of why they were here.
Neji looked at the other genins, hoping that they'd comment so he'd understand what it was about. Luckily he didn't have to strain his hearing too much.
"That's harsh for a match," Kiba judged.
"Why that?" asked a blond girl when her pink-haired friend grimly nodded. "Sakura? I mean, it's not like they're teammates or anything. I mean, even it was like, say, Sasuke and I, I'd certainly try my best shot. Of course I'd never be able to beat him in a thousand years, but I'd still give him hell."
The other girl, Sakura, gestured to the arena, where the signal to start had just been given. "See them? They're not fighting the people they want to be fighting. At least, Naruto isn't."
"Hinata isn't either," Kiba commented. "Weird as it sounds, Hinata respects Naruto." He sounded like he couldn't for the life of him venture a guess why his teammate would arbour such outlandish feelings for the village clown.
"It sounds very weird," the blond deadpanned.
"But it makes sense," Sakura said decisively.
"Guys, they're starting," a chubby boy reminded.
Hinata's hands were half-raised in a defensive position. So far as Neji could analyse, her stance wasn't very self-assured. She was waiting for an attack. Neji wondered if it was because she was sure that Naruto's style would bring him at Jyuuken range, or for some other reason.
Naruto had crossed his hands behind his neck and was looking at her with his head tilted back, with a frowning, pouting expression. He was barely taller than she was, Neji noted with some amusement.
"Hey, Hinata," Naruto suddenly started. "Before I kick- before we fight. You know, your fight with Kabuto, what he said about spoiled children and all - well, I don't know if you were spoiled as a kid or something, but you don't fight that way, so… I don't think he really thought what he said. Kabuto's an okay guy. He helped us in the forest, he wanted to know where you were, with your team, 'cuz you were Konoha rookies too an' he said he thought you deserved to make it through the Forest." He paused. "Of course you were already out of the Forest, so it wasn't like you could've used his help anyway.
"So… yeah. Just thought I should, yanno, clear that up, cuz I don't think spoiled kids make good ninjas and you're good - even if I'd rather be fighting the bastard and everything, but never mind that."
As Naruto fumbled with his apology, Neji's father tensed. Three meters away, Sakura was elbowing her friend. "See, I told you it's not Hinata he wanted to fight."
Neji activated his Byakugan. If he wanted to see his cousin's expression, he'd need as much focus as possible.
She acquiesced. "Thank you for your confidence, Naruto-kun, I appreciate it. But Kabuto-san wasn't talking about me."
"HA!" Naruto gloated. "I knew he was a good guy!" Then he frowned. "Hey, if he didn't mean you, then why did you get mad?"
Hinata straightened, lowering her hands. "Mad, Naruto-kun?"
She had a very careful, soft voice. Neji barely needed to make an effort to register his father's reaction - a sudden blankness in his body language that had to mean he kept himself in tight check - and the loud snort coming from one of the genins. Apparently not everyone agreed with Naruto's interpretation of the Hinata/Kabuto fight.
Naruto made an impatient gesture. "Like the bastard. The times he gets real quiet and everything just becomes this straight path he's trying to blow up."
"He's got a point there," Sakura muttered - Neji could read her lips.
"She's sure done a number on Kabuto before he forfeited. He was still at the hospital when I left, and he's a medic-nin in training." The chubby boy looked grave. Neji recalled an Akimichi genin had been taken to the hospital after being left half-dead by one of the visiting nins - Sabaku no Gaara.
"Why'd you get like that if he didn't mean you - and who did he mean anyway? What d'you care about random lucky kids?"
Hinata was twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Then she let it go. "Do you remember the rest of what he said?"
The blond didn't hesitate. "Yeah, he was speaking about choices. Children spoiled with choices don't deserve them. And he also said that freedom doesn't need to be painful."
Neji looked at his father. He knew what that other genin, Kabuto, had spoken about, then. Him and the Main House. No wonder Hinata had got mad at that man. Still, surely his father wouldn't punish her for that.
She was a better ninja than Neji was, and so long as she didn't actually act above her position - but even allowing her to get angry at the mention of the heir and the Main House was letting her take liberties.
Neji knew that. It didn't mean he didn't have a nasty taste in his mouth at the thought of her punishment. What she lacked by birth, she earned by her strength - by her insane training - and she was still coming short.
He resolved to speak up for her to his father. As the heir, it was his duty.
Hinata was drumming her fingers together. "…It doesn't matter. I will tell you after the fight, if you want; the people it concerns are probably watching us now. It was about my clan's customs."
"The spoiled child thing, it was about an important person?"
Hinata slowly nodded. "It's someone I am sworn to protect - he didn't have any more of a choice about it than I did, but - it's - it's complicated."
Naruto's eyes crinkled. "Hey, you chose to take his defence then. T's a choice enough for me," he pointed out.
She smiled. "Yes." Then she shifted, bending forward, her palms turned upwards. It reminded Neji of something, but what - "Let us fight," she announced.
The blond grinned with a wild, jagged expression. "I'm gonna kick your ass."
"You will try," Hinata answered without looking up.
Kiba shook his head. "Unless he's got ten times better than he was a month ago, he's never even gonna touch her."
"I wouldn't put it past Naruto," Sakura retorted without taking her eyes away from the arena. "How I wish Sasuke was here…"
Down there, thirty Narutos were suddenly leaping forward. Neji started; mere bunshins, or?... (Kiba whistled.) Hinata stayed unmoving, and Neji watched with growing nervousness as Naruto came closer and Hinata made no move to dodge - maybe she intended to use his momentum against him.
He was only three meters away when Hinata tore into a blur - raw chakra spinning.
Neji's breath caught in his throat.
Next to him, a muffled protest escaped his father's lips.
Hizashi had never taught Kaiten to Neji; Neji thought his father knew best, and if he said that there was time - that no thirteen-year-old could correctly learn the divine whirlwind - then there had been no reason for Neji to insist.
But Hinata had done it, without anyone to guide her, she'd managed to learn the clan head's technique on her own.
("This is what she's capable of," Kiba commented. "Hinata's own impenetrable defence. In a fight, it's as effective as Gaara's Sand Shield.")
Naruto had been sent twenty meters away, but he was now back on his feet, and still grinning. "Neat jutsu," he called. "But I'm gonna break through it anyway!"
"I know," Hinata answered. She was still smiling too, a bit more widely than before; her long hair was falling haphazardly around her face. There was a certain glint in her eyes.
She's pretty.
Neji was surprised by the thought, but less than by the second.
I want to fight her.
But he wouldn't be able to; he wasn't as strong a ninja. He wasn't a genius, who could catch up with the training Hinata had imposed upon herself since she was - how old, anyway?
I want to fight her.
("Just you watch. Naruto'll surprise you," Sakura promised. Then, frowning: "Provided he doesn't lose his head and starts showing off.")
Justification for this: here, Neji-as-a-member-of-the-Main-House never had to push himself to insane lengths, whereas Branch House Hinata had of course every motivation to prove herself. As the heir, he's way too sensible to even think about learning Kaiten by himself at age thirteen, while Hinata… well, sanity never has been the defining trait of her personality - and I tried to hint that the results she got and how good she is didn't come half as easily to her as they did to Neji in canon. Here she's a genius of hard work, not a genius.
Also, re: Kabuto, because otherwise I know someone will ask; he took part in the tournament because Orochimaru-sama had ordered him to keep an eye on the most promising elements out of the youngsters, and Kabs had noted Hinata as being a)one of the strongest genins b)filled to the brim with issues that could be used to Orochimaru's advantage. He tried to watch her during the second test, but of course, as Naruto commented, Team Eight was already out of the Forest… So he stayed in hopes he'd be able to manipulate either her or her opponent in the prelims to see if she'd be a good recruit for Sound. When he had his answer, and so he wouldn't blow his cover/attract too much attention, he forfeited.
Usually I try to avoid explanatory notes like the plague, 'cause it's my belief the challenge in an AU is to make is self-contained and self-explanatory - stating the premise doesn't count - but here I thought it'd be pushing it not to make notes. Not the least because of Kabuto's presence.