He jumped between the rooftops, ignoring the gusty winds and rain threatening to pour from the cloudy grey sky. The tiles were hard and slippery beneath his feet, but that didn't stop him from going even faster adding a somersault over a long gap.

Finally, he exclaimed mentally, letting out a loud yell as well. He could move!

All that sitting and studying and listening to Tsunade lecture him, all those boring essays he had to read. It wasn't like he didn't want to do it, all of that would get him ready. And he was learning a lot too, but sometimes he just needed to get up and move!

It had been a particularly tiring day filled with etiquette and history, and he had bolted out of the chair once the clock chimed. It kinda felt like he was back at the academy, he smiled a bit sadly at those memories before vaulting over a cistern. He shook his head, the bittersweet was more sweet now than the bitter had been so long ago.

His heart lighter and his body trembling with unleashed energy, Naruto continued over the roofs of Konoha to a training ground.

A knock woke him. Naruto rubbed his eyes groggily, wondering why he was sleeping on his couch. He groaned, his muscles protesting while he sat up and wiped his mouth of drool.

He had been out training for hours, and while that by itself normally wouldn't faze him he had tried to find out how many clones he could make. The answer was too many and when he had cancelled the jutsu after training, the sheer amount of information had exhausted him. He barely made it back to his apartment before collapsing on his couch in a heap.

Knock, knock.

Oh yeah, he got up off the couch, smoothing out his rumpled shirt on the way to the door. His intercom was broken, "Eh? Hinata-chan? Neji? Um...?" he scrunched his face up in confusion.

The petite Hyuuga answered bored, "Hanabi."

Wasn't that Hinata-chan's sister? A sheepish grin plastered itself on his face, "What's up?"

A quick glance between the three of them, then a sigh. Hinata's face turned towards him, her pale eyes intense, "We need your help."

He blinked, then again, then, "What's wrong?" he asked confused, looking between them and over their shoulders, "Did something happen?"

Was something wrong in the village? His heart pounded anxiously. But Neji quickly discounted that idea, "Nothing has happened that demands immediate attention," he said, "However, there is something..." he trailed off, his stern eye's gaze sliding to his side.

Naruto's followed, "What?" he asked Hinata, whose brow creased.

She took a breath and let it out in a bit of a helpless sigh, "Father has named me the heir."

Oh, "Well, that's good right?" he asked, still confused, "I mean you can get rid of that Main Family Branch Family stuff."

Neji seemed surprised at his answer, but Hanabi tapped her foot impatiently, "Can we discuss this inside?" she asked, then donned her stern face, "The hallway is hardly appropriate."

"Oh, right!" he opened the door for them, letting them in, "Sorry it's kinda a mess."

Hinata shook her head, "It's alright."

But if Neji's face was anything to go by, he didn't agree with his cousin, "We're not here to discuss your housekeeping skills," he said, "It's more serious than that."

Paling, Hinata nodded, "I don't want to be the heir."

"Why not?" he asked, "You'd be great at it- knock some sense into them!" he smiled, "Besides, it's not like they can force you...?" they weren't telling him something.

Hinata frowned and shared a look with Neji. He nodded, "Hanabi-sama?"

"What?"

He motioned towards the door, "Let's step out for a moment."

"Do I have to?" a glare, "Fine," she muttered as they walked out the door.

Naruto turned towards Hinata, "What's going on?" he asked when the door shut, "I don't get it."

"Can we sit down?" she asked.

"Sure!" he said, hurrying over to the couch to sit before her. That drool spot was still there, so he made sure to cover it up, "Make yourself cozy."

She smiled and sat down, placing her folded hands on her lap, "Thank you," she said, then paused for a moment, "Naruto-kun?"

"Huh?"

"I know," softly, then stronger, "I know that I haven't told you everything. I've been so worried, I haven't wanted to say anything."

"Don't-"

"No," she shook her head, her pale eyes looking at him, "I want to tell you."

Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blond hair, "Go ahead," a bit unnerved at her earnestness.

A smile, "You know about the differences between the Main and Branch families?"

"Yeah," he answered, thinking back to the first time he took the chuunin exams, "I don't really understand why though. It seems like the Main family is a bunch of jerks- um, I mean... not you..."

She giggled, bringing a hand to her mouth and he grinned back at her. Even his foot-in-mouth episodes never really seemed to bother her. "The elders are very strict and many have the best interests of the family at heart, but..." she finally frowned, "I don't agree with them."

"You'd be the head, though," he said, not liking how her face fell, "They'd have to listen to you."

"Listen, yes," she agreed, "But change?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, his mind clicking. A clan head would speak for a ninja family, sort of like how the Hokage spoke for the village, but their opinion wasn't law. If enough elders protested a decision then the head, or Hokage, would have to concede the point. Hell, that was the reason he spent so many hours working with and for Tsunade. However, "But you can still make changes, I'll help you out!" he promised warmly, "It'll take a while, though."

"Time I don't have."

At his hard look she continued, "My father plans to install me as heir at my birthday. At which point I will have to stop my classes at the Academy to concentrate on clan matters."

"But why?" he asked plaintively, "You're great at the Academy. All Iruka-sensei tells me now is how hard you work and how all the kids like you," she was blushing, "He even brought it up in front of Tsunade-baa-chan!"

"It's unseemly for the heir-" but she didn't get to finish.

"That's bullshit!" he crossed his arms, "You can do what you want, especially if I'll hear an earful about it," he paused, then continued a bit more softly, "Besides, what about your students? If Iruka-sensei suddenly disappeared back then I probably wouldn't have graduated. And if he could get through to me, then I bet all your students would be unhappy."

"I..." she gaped at him.

A warm flush rose through him at her expression, "So you can't let them push you around or they'll have to answer to me!"

She ducked her head down, he could see her ears were red, "Thank you," the words were heartfelt, "You're right," she nodded, then straightened, "But they will still give Hanabi-chan the caged bird seal."

"Like the one Neji has?" he asked but already knew she would nod, "Well that's... what does that mean exactly?" he didn't want to pry, but, "I know it's a seal to protect your eyes."

"It does, in a sense," she explained, perhaps unconsciously going into teacher mode, "The seal is more than that though. When someone is sorted into the Branch family, they receive it to protect our blood line limit from others."

The story of her own kidnaping briefly flashed through his mind, he nodded sagely.

"But it also puts them at the mercy of the Main family. There's a sign we can make..."

"Neji told me," he shrugged, some of the details coming back from the haze of memory.

Hinata sighed, "But they are also required to serve the Main family. From distinguishing themselves as shinobi to simple housekeeping, it is all for the family. There are few options available."

"So they can't decide for themselves?"

She shook her head in shame, "For Hanabi-chan herself it isn't really an issue, she wants to be a kunoichi above all else, but the others..."

"That's not fair," he muttered, his fist clenched. If anything, Naruto knew how unfair life was. But he'd be damned if he just sat by, "They shouldn't take that. I'd tell them to do something, but they can't object, can they?"

"No, not really," sad, "But I don't want it to be like that," she assured him, "Even if I don't want to be the heir, I don't want the division anymore."

That bugged him, "Why don't you want to be the heir? You can still work at the Academy, I'll get a statement from Tsunade-baa-chan herself! And you'll be able to figure out the Main Branch family. It'll take awhile, but I'm sure they'll work it out with you."

She smiled and looked at him, "I think you're right, and it'll be hard," determination shone in her eyes, and he thought she was all the better for it, "But I'm ready for that," a pause, "However..."

He turned towards her, watching the radiant determination dwindle down to a slight uneasiness, "Hinata-chan?"

Gesturing helplessly, "I want to change the clan, but not as the heir."

"Why?" he asked, clearly not understanding and getting frustrated. He wanted to know what brought such a gloom to her and fix it. Make her smile again.

Make her smile at him.

She glanced over, "The heir becomes the head, leads the family, is the face of the family," she said distantly, almost from rote, "The one who must be strong and composed above all else, must gain honor and prosperity, learning new techniques for the Byakugan. The head must be concerned with the future of the family first and foremost, nothing else is as important as that goal."

Naruto frowned, leaning towards her, "But you can do that," he said so easily, like his words could be made true just by saying them, "I know you can."

And she turned towards him, a sad smile on her face- but it wasn't the one he wanted, "I can't do it only for the sake of the family," Hinata whispered, "It's not..." she breathed out, "It's not what I want."

He glanced over, his blue eyes softening. She wasn't really paying attention to him, instead sitting quietly and sadly. Her pale skin somehow even whiter against the contrast of her dark hair, both muted in the dim light. Her eyes shadowed.

Her clean profile was marred by her drawn brow and bitten lip, and he turned away realizing with a start he was staring at her.

This wasn't like her.

Shaking his head and waving his hand, "Then don't!" he exclaimed, finally able to grasp the problem, really seeing how upset she was, "If it'll make you unhappy then we'll find some other way, alright?" he assured her with his best grin.

"Yes," she smiled right at him, her pale eyes bright and intense, her hand rose up against her chest.

"That's right!" he nodded.

They sat there smiling at each other for a long moment, just sitting on his old ratty couch. Close but not too close, quiet but not uncomfortable silence. It was strange how she kinda just fit there, like something that had been missing but he didn't know it. Strange and familiar, somehow. A very domestic scene that never really happened to him before.

He wondered if this is what it felt like to have someone waiting at home for him.

"That weapons shop looked promising," Hanabi said as she came in unannounced, "We should've stopped."

Neji followed her a moment later, "You don't need a mace," he replied simply before scanning the room with his piercing gaze, "Did we come back too early?" he raised a brow.

"Eh?" Naruto asked with a start, realizing he was staring again, "Nah, Hinata-chan explained everything."

"Yes," she said, turning slightly and putting her hands in her lap, "I explained the situation to Naruto-kun, he's going to help."

Naruto nodded vigorously while Neji just gave one curt one, "As expected," he replied, then set his face into an even more stoic expression than normal, "Perhaps we should start now, then?"

Disclaimer: Hahahahahahahahahahaha... no.

A/N: Alright this has been sitting on my computer for a while... But with recent developments in the manga I just had to update. :) No notes this time, just enjoy the NaruHina-ness.