440A/N: Thank you for your reviews! I try to respond to all the signed comments. It's really encouraged me to work on this story. I visited the Samurai exhibit at a local museum earlier today and it put me in the spirit of Naruto. Enjoy! BDN
Chapter Three: Breakfast of Champions
While Naruto had advocated for his wayward friend, the Hokage hadn't quite forgiven Sasuke of his crimes. There were too many to give him a clean slate. However, due to his participation in the final battle that decisively ended the war he was able to remain outside of prison. He was under house arrest with ANBU guards stationed outside of his former residence in the Uchiha compound. Kakashi Hatake had been named his legal guardian.
Late the night before, Naruto had received Granny Tsunade's mission for him to report to the Hyuga household. He and Sakura had been requested for an extended visit of unknown duration. Naruto knew that if he wanted to help Sasuke ease back into life at Konoha he needed to see his old teammates before they were relocated to a place where he was unable to visit.
Knowing that he was risking bodily harm, he went to Sakura's home a few hours earlier than the arranged time. It was four in the morning when he knocked on the door to her parents' house. She was fully dressed, so he wasn't concerned about having awoken her, but maybe her parents wouldn't be too happy about his visit before the sun rose. He wouldn't know as he'd only seen her parents briefly and the extent of their conversation were introductions. Sakura had been about to clobber him— he could tell by the angry glint in her jade colored eyes. Then he'd sheepishly suggested that they pick up breakfast for Sasuke since they'd be sent off to the Hyugas' for a while. Who knew when they'd be allowed to visit with him again. Her anger melted into uncertainty.
"Come on, Sakura-chan, we're his only friends. He needs to see us," Naruto pleaded.
"Okay, Naruto," Sakura agreed. "However, we're not giving him Ramen for breakfast. There's a twenty-four hour market on the way to his house. We'll stop there and pick up some supplies. I doubt if he has any groceries. Give me a minute. I need to grab my things for our stay." She gave him a wry look. "I didn't expect you for another three hours."
Naruto grinned. He shifted the weight of the backpack he had slung over his shoulders. As soon as they finished visiting with Sasuke they'd need to head over to the Hyuga clan's district. The streets of Konoha were mostly empty, most residents still were snuggled in their beds sleeping. Naruto had been too excited to sleep. It was over! Madara was defeated, Konoha was relatively safe, Sasuke was back, and he and Sakura had been recognized for their strength.
"What do you think about this request by the Hyugas?" Sakura asked once they reached the market. She and Naruto had their backpacks strapped across their shoulders and both had a shopping basket on their arm. She picked up and inspected the fresh fruit before selecting a few tomatoes, apples, and oranges and putting them into Naruto's basket.
Sakura led the way toward the dairy and selected almond milk. "It lasts longer," she explained. Naruto cringed as he remembered an incident with spoiled milk from his youth and the resulting intestinal distress. Apparently, Sakura remembered it as well and gave him a pat on his shoulder as she reached past him to pick up a carton of a dozen eggs.
"I don't know. I'm glad that we're both being invited. It should be fun! I've always wanted to know what it was like inside Hinata and Neji's family home," Naruto said. Tsunade had already explained that he wouldn't be going outside of Konoha on any missions until he passed the Chunin Promotion Exam in the fall. Exploring the drama of the most secretive clan in Konoha would help him pass the time. "I just regret that I can't spend more time with Sasuke."
"I don't trust the Hyugas' motives," Sakura said. She picked up some green leafy mix, cucumbers, and then a bag of frozen shrimp and eel into her basket. "This should be enough to start. I'll write a shopping list when we see how bad that situation is at his house. I'll have mom pick him up a few more things," she decided. She added a roll of paper towels, a package of plates, and soap to the basket.
"You worry too much," Naruto argued. After seeing all the items Sakura had placed in their respective baskets he started to suspect that the mysterious groceries that appeared in his apartment after he returned from long missions might have come from the pink-haired kunoichi. They purchased their items and continued on the way to Sasuke's ancestral home. Naruto offered to carry the groceries, but Sakura threatened to hit him so he let her carry half of the bags.
There were four ANBU guards waiting outside of Sasuke's home. He recognized one of them as their temporary team leader, Yamato.
"We've brought groceries," Sakura said. "We'll leave our bags and weapons out here if you want."
"That would be fine," the masked Yamato agreed. "He's not allowed to have any weapons."
Sakura laid down her tanto blade at the foot of an ANBU soldier. She began to unstrap the kunai from her leg and Naruto followed suit with his various kunais.
Yamato knocked on the door frame. "Uchiha, you have guests."
"I could sense them," Sasuke's quiet voice answered. He opened the front door, his onyx colored eyes looked his two former teammates up and down inspecting them warily. "What are you two doing here?"
"Feeding you," Sakura said. She stepped past him into the living room and he did nothing to stop her. Naruto followed after her with a big grin.
"I am capable of feeding myself," Sasuke said shutting the door behind them.
"True, but we're about to be stuck with the Hyugas for a while and since you're stuck here under house arrest we wanted a chance to visit with you, jerk," Naruto said. He shoved his grocery bag at Sasuke.
Sasuke took the bag and followed Sakura into the kitchen. "This was unnecessary," Sasuke said. Sakura had opened his refrigerator and tisked over the lack of sustenance. "I haven't had a chance to purchase groceries."
"Which is why we're here," Naruto said. He watched as Sakura opened the cupboards and took out iron skillets and other utensils. She started preparing a breakfast and his mouth watered remembering her cooking skills on their last few missions. Her fighting prowess wasn't the only thing that improved during her training with Tsunade.
"Why will you be stuck with the Hyugas?" Sasuke asked. He took the eggs and started cracking them open into a bowl at Sakura's direction.
"I suspect the Head of the clan wants to arrange a courtship between Naruto and Hinata," Sakura said. She smiled at Naruto over her shoulder.
"I think he's just wants to express his gratitude for our part in the war," Naruto said frowning. He didn't trust that smile of Sakura's. "What do you mean by courtship?"
"He wants you to marry his daughter, idiot," Sasuke said. His expression darkened. "I remember my father planning out unions when he was the Head of our clan. Why did he request you?" he asked turning to Sakura. "I had hoped to spend more time with the two of you upon my return."
Sakura shrugged. "He claims he wants me to be personal medic to the Head Hyuga family and to spend a few weeks ensuring the proper training of the medics within their clan."
"Hn," Sasuke said, his eyes darkened. "Sakura, I was impressed with your obvious improvement in the battle."
"Thank you, I worked hard when the two of you left. I had to find a way to be more useful," Sakura admitted. "I petitioned Master Tsunade to take me as her apprentice."
"When did you pass the chunin exams?" Sasuke asked.
"The year after you two left," Sakura said. "Every one of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai passed that time."
"Who's team did you join?" Naruto asked having never thought to ask before. With him and Sasuke gone she would have needed a team to participate with. It had made him sad when he returned from his training with Jiraiya to learn that their old friends had all surpassed him in rank. At least he wasn't dead last anymore. Sasuke was also still only a genin.
"Team Gai," Sakura answered.
"Neji's team?" Sasuke asked, his voice suddenly hostile.
Naruto had been surprised at that considering he'd have thought it would have been with Ino's team she would have participated with.
"Neji, Lee, and Tenten," Sakura answered. She began to mix the eggs from Sasuke with various vegetables she'd diced up. "Gai felt responsible for me because I was his rival's student. Kakashi was sent off on S-ranked missions while you two were gone."
Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. He wanted to argue that he had no choice but to leave her behind when he trained with Jiraiya. It was a sore point, but it all seemed to work out in the end. All three of them had been trained by Sannin and had their strengths expanded. And together, Team Seven was reunited and better than ever and directly responsible for the victory in the Fourth Great Ninja War!
"Master Tsunade will want the two of you to take the exam this fall," Sakura said. "You are both obviously as talented as jounin, but it's a right of passage."
"Okay, so you suspect the Hyugas are trying to arrange a courtship between Hinata and Naruto," Sasuke said. His attention was completely on Sakura and Naruto felt decidedly uncomfortable. "Hiashi Hyuga is interested in the future Hokage." He glanced toward Naruto. "Because you will be Hokage one day."
"You're damn right, I'm going to be Hokage one day. Believe it!" Naruto said pumping his fist in the air.
"Well," Sakura said looking at Naruto with a smile. "I can't help but notice Hinata's obvious feelings for you, Naruto," she said. "She's certainly always believed in you."
He knew that Sakura didn't hold the same feelings for him that he had held for her, but it still hurt for her to mention so casually another girl's feelings for him. Wait. Feelings? "What are you talking about?" Naruto asked rubbing his neck, it had suddenly grown uncomfortably warm.
"Hinata has been in love with you for years," Sakura said. "I meant what I said in the Land of Iron, but she's the one, Naruto."
Naruto frowned. She was referring to her love confession for him. What did he expect? Of course now that Sasuke was back and redeemable she'd revert to her feelings for the Uchiha. Sasuke needed her and he wanted his friends to be happy. He tried to think about the way Hinata acted around him over the years. Maybe she did like him. She was rather nervous around him, especially when they were younger. She also trained hard to fight at his side. She was pretty and all, but he'd never really thought about her like that. Maybe he should now.
"Are you two both dense?" Sasuke asked. He set the spatula he was using down on the counter forcefully. "Have neither of you figured out why the Hyugas want you to move into their compound?"
"I just told you why," Sakura said. She reached out to touch her fingers to the back of Sasuke's hand. He glared down at where she touched him, but didn't snatch his hand away. "Calm down, Sasuke. We're visiting with you to make sure you're okay. We'll only be on this stupid good will mission for a short while then we'll be able to help you acclimate to the village again."
Sasuke laughed bitterly. "You two are so naive. You know nothing of clan politics. There is a reason Hiashi wants both you and Naruto there, Sakura. It has nothing to do with your skills as a medic."
"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly.
"The Hyugas and Uchihas have been rival clans for as long back as the clans have existed. He's trying to keep the two of you away from me," Sasuke said quietly.
"Well, good luck to him!" Naruto said on a laugh. "As if he could keep Team Seven apart after all the work we went through to reunite!"
"Sakura," Sasuke said quietly. "You do remember what my second goal was, right?"
"To rebuild the Uchiha clan," Sakura said drawing her hand away from his. "Sasuke, I care about you, but the promises I made when I was twelve, you can't expect me to…" she trailed off.
"I know you're not the same twelve year old annoying girl," Sasuke said. He turned to Naruto. "And I know you're not the dead last from our days of the academy. You've both grown and I know I need to regain your loyalty. The two of you followed after me even when I made it clear that I had severed our bonds. But, Sakura," he said turning back to her. "I intend to make you the matriarch of the Uchiha clan. Hyuga must know this."
Sakura's eyes were wide as saucers and her cheeks burned crimson.
Naruto would have laughed at her speechlessness, except he too was speechless. Did his best friend just proposition his other best friend to be his baby mama? "Seriously?" Naruto slammed his open palm on the kitchen counter, rattling a jar of utensils. Sasuke and Sakura directed their attention towards him.
He was livid now. The words were just bubbling out of his mouth as he directed his frustration at the last Uchiha. "You're not going to try and win Sakura over? You're not going to buy her flowers, ask her out to dinner, and try to woo her like a normal guy might try to win the heart of the girl of his dreams?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice through clenched teeth. "You think that just because you ask that she'll agree to be with you?" The worse part was, Naruto was confident that all Sasuke had to do was ask and Sakura would fall all over herself to try and make the Uchiha happy, just like when they were kids. While the kunoichi was brave and smart, whenever it came to Sasuke Uchiha she became that shy little girl that only wanted the attention of the class genius.
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed and the muscle in his jaw spasmed in tension. "Just, be careful," Sasuke warned. "Both of you," he added. He turned back to the breakfast preparations. "And thank you for the groceries."
OoO
It was still early in the morning when Sakura and Naruto left Sasuke's house. The sun had just risen over the horizon. They still have a half hour to cross the distance between the Uchiha compound and that of the Hyugas. A leisurely walk would allow them to reach their destination with time to spare.
Breakfast with Sasuke had been awkward, which Sakura knew it would be. However, she let Naruto talk her into it because regardless of how awkward it would be Sasuke needed both of them. Also if Naruto had spent much time trying to convince her outside her home he'd have awoken her parents and her mother was most certainly not a morning person. If Naruto thought that Sakura had a temper she didn't even compare to Mebuki Haruno. Of course, Naruto would know that if she had ever asked him over to join her family for dinner. Her parents constantly suggested that she invite her teammate, but she never had. She didn't want to make Naruto uncomfortable to see her with her parents and not having his own. She wanted to spare his feelings. After they returned from Obito's alternate world where Naruto's parents lived and her family had died that only re-affirmed her earlier stance.
The whole Uchiha matriarch conversation and Naruto's angry outburst had unsettled her nerves. Her experience in medicine and under Master Tsunade's tutelage taught her to push aside the uncertainty to deal with at a later time. That's what confidence was all about.
She was still upset that Master Tsunade had agreed to Hiashi Hyuga's requests. It was blatantly obvious what the clan head was trying to do. It was well known that since the loss of the Uchiha clan, the daimyo held a personal interest in the Hyuga clan. Which mean that what Hiashi Hyuga wanted, Hiashi Hyuga achieved. Truth be told, Sakura was rooting for Naruto and Hinata. The two balanced out each other's personalities and perhaps while they were stuck at the Hyuga compound she could do her part to encourage a relationship between them. Hinata's feelings were obvious and there were times that she suspected Naruto felt the same.
Besides, Sakura knew that she didn't deserve Naruto. There were too many times when she ignored him when they were genin. They were friends now. He was her best friend in fact. But she wanted him to know the love of someone that was absolute. Sakura had been too selfish to deserve someone as good as Naruto. She would be at his side until the day she died, but as a most devoted friend. She would see to it that he gained the title of Hokage and that he married and had many children. If Naruto was happy then Sakura would be happy. It was as simple as that.
As far as Sakura herself was concerned, Sasuke had made his intentions clear that his future plans involved her. She would have to guard her heart carefully. She wasn't that same foolish twelve year old that dreamed of nothing more than who she might marry. She was a strong kunoichi of Konoha, a brilliant strategist, and a highly skilled surgeon. If Naruto hadn't wanted it so bad, she'd have made it her mission in life to become Hokage one day. It was harder for her to forgive the last Uchiha than it was for Naruto. Sasuke had tried to kill both of them since his defection. Naruto was overjoyed to have his best friend back; he'd converted many enemies into friends over the years. Sakura still had nightmares about the look in Sasuke's eyes when he intended to kill her. He would have killed her had it not been for Kakashi and Naruto's interference.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Naruto asked worriedly. His blonde eyebrows were drawn together in concern. He was still angry about Sasuke's declaration, but he was doing an excellent job of masking his feelings.
"I think it's good that we visited him today," Sakura said. She didn't quite know what to make out of the blatant proposal Sasuke had dropped on her. Why didn't he ask his Sound teammate Karin? She was certainly devoted enough to agree to be his baby-making machine. Did he intend to have multiple wives? The elder council members would probably allow that given the circumstances. Did they put the stipulation that he had to have Sakura as the matriarch because she could be trusted to put the interests of Konoha first? Or had that been Sasuke's plan all along? "We'll have to hope he can stay out of trouble while we're away."
"Do you think we should ask Sai to check up on him?" Naruto asked.
Sai and Sasuke weren't exactly on the best of terms with one another. Sai couldn't forgive Sasuke for the pain that he'd caused his teammates and Sasuke felt that Sai was a poor imitation sent to Team Seven to replace him. More than likely, Sai would be one of the ANBU guards stationed outside of Sasuke's residence. "Kakashi is planning to keep a close eye on him, especially since he's his legal guardian. If we want someone from our class I'd rather we ask Shikamaru," Sakura said. Shikamaru was neutral when it came to Sasuke being accepted back to Konoha society. He was neutral about most things. However, he was rather vocal in his belief that Naruto was the best choice for future Hokage. "They could play that shogi board game."
The sound of running feet quickly approaching drew their attention. "Hey! Sakura! Naruto! Wait up!" A familiar and enthusiastic voice called from behind.
Sakura and Naruto paused in their journey to find Rock Lee in all his green and orange track suit glory running toward them with a cloud of dust rising up behind him. He caught up to them and continued to jog in place. "Lee, why are you up so early?" Sakura asked.
"I am training!" Lee answered enthusiastically. "I cannot waste the power of my youth!"
"All right! Maybe you can visit Sasuke later. He's not allowed to use his chakra, but you two could practice some taijutsu!" Naruto suggested. "Someone needs to knock him around during my absence," he added with a smirk.
"Okay!" Lee agreed. "I had intended to meet with my rival this morning for an early session, but his family has forbidden a practice session." His one-hundred watt smile dimmed a few shades.
"Neji?" Sakura asked. Lee referred to Neji as his eternal rival, such as Gai referred to their teacher Kakashi. "We are on our way to the Hyuga compound now. Do you want us to give Neji a message from you?"
Lee's smile returned full radiance. "You two are the honored guests? That's wonderful!" Lee reached out and took hold of Sakura's hands. "Please, Sakura, make sure that my rival is practicing his taijutsu. Do not let him skip out on his morning runs. I will in return make sure that your teammate, the sour-faced Sasuke, learns the power of youth!"
Naruto snickered.
Sakura pulled her hands out of Lee's grasp gently. "Thank you, Lee. We appreciate you taking the time to visit with Sasuke. We'll make sure that Neji continues his training."
"I want you to ensure that he does his morning run, Sakura. Will you promise me?" Lee asked.
"I'll see what I can do," Sakura murmured vaguely.
"That seems odd," Naruto said after they parted company with Lee. "Why would that stick in the mud Neji be forbidden to train with his teammates?"
"Good question," Sakura agreed. "We'll know soon enough." She reached for Naruto's elbow and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "This is going to be fun. It will be a good experience."
Naruto patted Sakura's hand. "Maybe if you say that enough times it will be true."
They drew near the Hyuga compound. The area was surrounded by a ten-foot tall wooden fence with spiked tops. At the front gates a pair of Hyuga guards stood at attention. They had the customary physical attributes of most Hyugas: dark brown hair, opaque pale eyes, taller than average builds, and stony expressions.
"Welcome Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno," the guard on the left said in a gravely voice.
"We have been expecting you," the guard on the right said in a rumbling baritone. Their voices were oddly similar. "I will escort you to Lord Hiashi. If you'll come with me," he said opening the gate and gesturing for them to follow him inside.
Sakura exchanged a quick look with Naruto. How were they going to be able to tell all these clan members apart? Inside the Hyuga compound was bustling with activity. The richest of the noble clans could be described as many things, but idle was not one of them.
They were escorted to the western most section of the compound. There was an elegant garden with cool shades of pink, blue, and purple flowers amidst complicated rock formations and various sprawling green foliage. In the center section stood a trio of sakura trees in full bloom. Inside a gazebo amongst the middle of the garden sitting around a low table on individual pillows were Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata, Neji, Hinata's little sister Hanabi, and a woman whom Sakura assumed was Hinata's mother.
"The Head Family," Naruto whispered.
Sakura took a deep, steeling breath through her nostrils and did her best to look calm and collected.
"Let me take your bags. I will have them delivered to your lodgings," the guide said holding out his hands. Sakura and Naruto removed their bags and handed them to the man. "May I present Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno," the guide said before he bowed and then abandoned them to the mercy of the Head Family of the Hyuga clan.
"Come, join us," Hiashi invited. He gestured toward the two empty places at the table. He sat at the head of the table, his wife and youngest daughter on one side, and Hinata on his other side. Neji was at the other end of the table and there were two empty pillows between Neji and Hinata.
Sakura sat between Neji and Naruto, with Naruto sitting next to Hinata. She cast a furtive glance toward Neji, but he stared stonily ahead and didn't acknowledge her or Naruto's presence. She thought he might offer some gratitude towards her and Naruto. They were responsible for saving his life.
"Thank you for having us," Sakura said politely when it became apparent Naruto wasn't going to say anything. He was nervously tapping the fingers of his right hand across his knee under the table. Sakura reached over and laid her palm over his hand to stop the fidget, then she brought her hands together on her lap lacing her fingers together.
"Yes, thank you for having us," Naruto echoed.
"This is my wife, Tomoe," Hiashi said nodding his head towards the silent woman at his side. "You know Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi," he said in turn looking pointedly at the individuals. "The Hokage briefed you about your requests," Hiashi stated. No one else spoke at the table. It felt very oppressive. How were they going to survive two weeks?
"I'm a little confused about it, actually," Naruto said with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his neck. "You wanted to invite me to stay here because I have no family?"
"It was disgraceful that the hero of Konoha, the son of the Yondaime Hokage was living in a hovel of an apartment," Hiashi stated. "I sought to rectify the situation. Perhaps one day you might even join our family."
"You ignored me pretty well for my first sixteen years," Naruto said.
Sakura glanced to her right and saw Neji's eyes were on her. As soon as she noticed him he averted his gaze. At least he was listening to the conversation. "When do you want me to begin training your medics?" Sakura asked, trying to keep Naruto from losing his temper. Hiashi was less likely to listen to one of Naruto's lectures on the importance of friendships than Nagato or Obito.
"You may start this afternoon. However, your primary responsibility will be to ensure the health of the Head Family," Hiashi said.
Sakura and Naruto both looked at Neji. The last they knew he was part of the Branch Family. However, his forehead was still bare of the cursed tattoo marking. He met their gazes. "I've been adopted," he answered their unspoken query quietly. That would explain why he was sitting opposite of Hiashi at the table. Did that make him the heir?
"I don't understand the necessity of my presence here. Evaluation for physical examinations at the hospital would be more efficient and I would have all the possible medical tools at my convenience," Sakura stated. She was glad that she and Naruto had eaten earlier. The table meeting didn't seem to involve food or drinks. The least the Hyugas could have done was to have served tea.
"Yes, that is strange," Neji deadpanned. He stared directly at his uncle opposite the table from him.
Hiashi clapped his hands twice and a flurry of servants arrived and began to place cups of tea in front of them all. They moved with such efficiency and grace that Sakura could hardly follow their movements. Soon, they were gone and there were now cups of tea and biscuits laying before them on the table. Neji reached for a biscuit and began to shred it it over his plate, but he didn't eat it.
The medical part of Sakura's brain wondered if he had a change in appetite since his resurrection.
"It is inconvenient for my family to leave our home when we need to be evaluated," Hiashi answered. "However, I will admit my master plan to you both Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and Sakura Haruno. It is my intention that Naruto court my daughter Hinata. As Naruto has no immediate family, it was suggested that you, Sakura, should serve as his chaperone as you have his best interests at heart."
Sakura set her cup down carefully, afraid that her hands might shake in anger and spill the hot contents. She tucked her hands under the table. She was technically older than Naruto and they were almost like family. However, it was a blatant lie on Hiashi's part. If what he said was true he'd have asked Iruka who had been like family to Naruto to attend, or Kakashi their teacher and team leader. Maybe Sasuke had been right. She felt a calloused hand close over hers and squeeze it briefly before the hand vanished. Naruto gave no visible indication that he'd just grabbed her hand under the table. Sakura almost thought she might have imagined it. At least she thought it was Naruto. She glanced at Neji, but he was like a statue. Surely, it wasn't him. Imagination or not, she felt more calm and was able to reign in her temper.
"I would enjoy getting to know Hinata better," Naruto said carefully. Hinata tucked her chin towards her chest, her dark purple hair spilled across her face and hid it from view.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm feeling ill," Neji said pushing away from the table. He gave a stiff nod and then hurried away from the gazebo with long strides and a purposeful gait.
Sakura watched him retreat and then glanced back toward Hiashi. The clan leader sighed and was rubbing his forehead in obvious frustration. Hanabi, across from Sakura was smiling at Neji's retreat. Sakura cleared her throat. "I will see to his medical needs. There are side effects to having been so close to death. Try not to take his behavior personally, Lord Hyuga," Sakura said politely. She rose from the table and walked briskly in the direction Neji had left.
As Sakura walked away she could still hear the conversation at the table. "Hinata, if you'll give Naruto a tour and then show him to his quarters," Hiashi asked.
"Yes, father," Hinata agreed.
"Neji, wait," Sakura called as she saw Neji making his way towards the gates of the compound. He continued to stalk away. Sakura narrowed her eyes and took off at a run infusing her legs with extra chakra to increase her speed. "I said, wait," Sakura said catching up and grasping Neji's shoulder.
He spun around to face her. His hands were at his sides in angry fists and the muscles in his arms were quivering in restraint. "What?" he barked, his pale lavender eyes flashed with barely contained rage. The look scared Sakura, it was too similar to the look in Sasuke's eyes when he had tried to kill her. Her hand fell away from his shoulder and she took a step back on instinct. That action alone seemed to soften Neji's hostility and his hands relaxed.
"Apparently, it's my job to ensure your well-being, so here I am."
"He can ask you here and you follow orders. That's what he likes best," Neji answered.
Two sets of running feet approached. Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see Naruto and Hinata make their way towards them.
"Why are you ignoring Lee?" Naruto demanded when he reached Sakura's side and faced Neji. "We ran into him on our way here. He made Sakura promise to make you practice taijutsu and do your daily running."
"Did he?" Neji asked with a raised dark eyebrow. He sighed and his posture seemed to slouch slightly. "As the heir I now have even less freedom than I did before. I am no longer allowed to leave on missions unless either the Hokage or the Hokage's apprentice are on my team," Neji said with a pointed look of accusation at Sakura. "Congratulations on your promotion."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me, I didn't sign up to be the babysitter of the Hyuga clan."
"Actually, you did," Neji said. He moved so that he was facing Sakura directly and they stood nose to nose, or more nose to forehead given his height advantage. "You saved my life. It was a life I had willingly sacrificed. There are consequences. Now you are responsible for my life."
Sakura blinked at him in bewilderment. Did he read the book about responsibility for a life saved too? She was hoping it was just some stupid saying. "Why that's the stupidest thing I ever heard."
"If you don't like it, you should have left me dead," Neji said coldly. His eyes looked past Sakura toward Hinata. "Little sister, if you would be so kind as to show these two to their quarters." His pale eyes flickered back to Sakura's. "I apparently need to take my morning run."
"Don't disobey father, Neji. It will go easier on all of us if you play along," Hinata said.
"Fine," Neji agreed cooly.
Hinata and Naruto stood next to Sakura and they watched as Neji turned heel and took off at a brisk run. "I'm sorry about all this," Hinata apologized.
"It's not your fault that Neji is still an unsociable stick in the mud," Naruto huffed. He turned to Sakura. "What was he talking about? Promotion?"
"After you all left last night Master Tsunade and Shizune announced my promotion to jounin after they gave me the order to come here," Sakura admitted. "I had intended to tell you, but you caught me off guard this morning and so much has happened. I kind of forgot."
Naruto shook his head and grinned broadly. "This calls for Ramen! We should go celebrate!"
"I'm not sure we're allowed to leave the compound during our time here," Sakura said frowning.
"I can ask father," Hinata suggested. "Maybe we could visit Ichiraku Ramen Shop for dinner."
"To be honest, Hinata, you're the reason we agreed to come here. We thought we might save you from the oppression of this place," Sakura said looping her arm through Hinata's. "Well, and the Hokage ordered us to come, but we chose to come willingly for you."
"Th-thank you," Hinata said with a blush dusting across her pale cheeks. "It's all so strange. Father adopted Neji last night. He's the heir so now father is intent on having me secured in a strong marriage. Poor Hanabi, she has lost father's favor as well."
"You're only sixteen. Isn't it a bit premature?" Sakura asked.
"Not for clan politics, Sakura," Hinata answered. "Unfortunately, Neji is not used to the limitations of being the clan heir. His life is more valuable than everyone else's in the family. That's the reason father won't allow him to do missions. He can't risk his life now that he's made him the future of the Hyuga clan."
"You mean he cannot go on missions unless I or the Hokage herself accompany him," Sakura clarified.
Hinata's eyes were sad as she wrung her hands together in a nervous habit. "Even then, I doubt if father will allow it. Neji is more trapped now than he ever was as a Branch Family member," she said.
Sakura looked in the direction that Neji had run off and her heart felt heavy. Neji had trained hard to become the first jounin of their group of friends. He wanted to prove himself and he had done so countless times in battle and on missions. "And it's my fault. I took away his heroic ending," she said.
"We all did it, Sakura," Naruto said. "We all agreed to give a part of ourselves so that Neji might live."
"That's right," Hinata chimed in. "The future of my clan needs Neji. I had hoped that he would help change things for the better and now he has a chance to do so." She took a deep breath and then a large, friendly smile spread across her face. "Follow me. I will give you both a tour of the area and then show you to your lodgings."