Caged

Prologue

If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? IfHinataleaves to find the purpose of her life and nobody cares, does she leave her mark in people's hearts? SasukexHinata SasuHina

AN: This is just a prologue, so no significant things happen yet.

"B-bye Naruto-kun" The last words Hinata will probably speak to Naruto in three years. Her hand is on her chest and over on her heart as she watches Naruto go off with Jiraiya, the legendary sannin.

"Bye Hinata-chan!" Naruto screams from further away and waves his arms at her. "See you in some years!" how many years would it actually be before she saw that whispered face of his? Three years was when he was due to come back. But, what if everything doesn't go as planned?

She knows that he is able to live free; by his own will. With no one telling him to walk a different path. Unlike her, Naruto can decide for himself and how his life can carry on. He will now, for at least the time being, live the life of a nomad. A traveler who has many journeys ahead an will come back a new person with long tales to tell.

The young girl wishes her life cam be different. However, she realizes that not everyone is as lucky as her. She is born into a successful clan which carries a kekkei genkai, and is the heir of it. This, however, is a very arguable subject that would go on with a lengthy debate. Hinata is not seen as a worthy heir to this imaginary throne. Her father looks down upon her and her younger sister is worthier than her.

Hinata also has many reasons to be envious of many people. For one, she is blocked out of the outside world by her father. Unlike Naruto, she cannot go and travel whenever she feels like it and is obliged to stay.

This is not the first time that the dark haired girl has thought of how her life would be different if she weren't herself, or if the situation was different. She may have been an extraordinary kunoichi and could actually let put what talent has been enveloped by these barriers.

Freedom. That is the only thing she wants. Not to be held back by her father's demands or the clan. But freedom, to breathe the air of different lands. Over the mountains and further than anyone has ever imagined.

But, she just can't do it. Guilt. That is what is holding her back. Guilt of disappointing her father further. Gulit for leaving her friends and breaking off the bonds like Uchiha Sasuke did not too long ago.

She never had any relationship with that boy. Neither or them spared a glance toward each other. Hinata felt a small connection between each of them. They both wanted to achieve their dreams, but hesitant of bonds holding them from deciding.

But, there is also guilt in her heart toward herself; for not listening to her instinct and her heart. And not finding the true meaning of her existence and achieving what she could not with these barriers.

Barriers. Her father, the village, bonds, friends.

But... Hinata takes off the delicate hand of her heart and squeezes it shut tightly by her side. She could also respect herself and her dreams and goals.

People may look at her as if she was foolish, leaving the good life where she is now. With no conflict or suffering. There are many children who have it worse than her, but she has realized this and would feel selfish if she did choose to follow her dreams.

There are many children dying of hunger, homeless, abandoned and left to die. Those poor souls would do anything to be in her place.

While she has all of this that some would dream of, it is still not the life for her. She wasn't meant to be an overprotected and kept away from the outside world heiress. She feels like she was meant to be something else. Something different.

Again, the girl turns away from the road she wants to walk down an heads back home. Again, abandoning her dreams and shoving those thought in the back of her head where light would never shine on them again.

Hinata walks down the roads of Konoha. In this village many people reside; ninjas and ordinary citizens as well, since it is a ninja village.

The heiress enters her compound and leads up along the road to her own home. As she enters, she takes off her shoes before continuing on.

"Hinata" a loud and stern voice brings her back into the world she has come to know and despise.

"Yes otou-sama?" She asks timidly as if afraid or incapable of speaking any louder.

"Where were you so late?" he asks standing in front of her and judging her as always. It is not too late, but later than the usual time she would be home at. As a Hyuga, she is expected to be punctual.

Hinata shrinks under Hizashi's judgmental watch. She hates this, but it's not like poor, little, weak Hinata can do anything about it. Her father judges her in everything that she does. She herself cannot make her own decisions or do something without her father or him being disappointed in her.

"I-I was with m-my team... training" Training is the only excuse Hinata would ever give, since it is the only thing that her father approves and encourages.

If she told Hiashi that she went to see Naruto leave, she would be scolded. It was a rule not to see the blonde haired boy and avoid him whenever possible. Hinata, yet, had no grasp as to why. It seemed like everyone seemed to look down on Naruto.

"Training?" Hiashi scoffed doubtfully. Hinata stood there and looked down at her fingers as she played with them from the nervousness that was creeping up on her.

"You seem to keep training, and yet you don't seem to be improving" Hinata just listened to the shame that her father kept reminding her of.

"Even Hanabi seems to learn at a faster rate than you" The young girl's throat tightened and she forced herself not to let the tears cascade down her cheeks. She was always being compared to Hanabi's progress as if she was nothing but insignificant.

Somehow Hinata seemed to be blamed for everything and put on the bottom of the ladder rather than her sister. Even though her mother died when Hinata was only six in childbirth with Hanabi. Her sister is never blamed no matter what she does. Hinata may still be the heir, but definitely not her father's favorite. That spot is reserved for her sibling.

"Hanabi may be even stronger than you. If we didn't have to keep the traditions of the Hyuga clan, she might as well be the heir in your place" Those words stung Hinata. Even though she heard them many times before, each time it seems to tug on the white-eyed girl's heart more.

But, what can she do? Nothing. "I-I apologize otou-sama" Hinata says unwillingly and not meaning the words that are coming out of her mouth.

Her father walks off without another word or sparing another glance at her. And there she is, abandoned in the middle of the room. Not valuable to her father or anyone for that matter.

Hinata started to walk off after a period of time just digesting in what her father said. She took her father's words very dearly and hoped to impress him in some way; any possible way.

Hinata hears something in the distance near the other side of the room. She activates the thing that proves that she is part of this calm and scans the room. Nothing unusual except the chakra signature of her sister. She must have been spying on the previous event.

"H-hanabi...?" she asks timidly after she turns her eyes back to their regular state.

Hanabi shamelessly walks out as if nothing ever happened. Her younger sister is only seven and yet more confident than her.

Hiashi chooses to train Hanabi roughly and unbalances the amount of attention between the two sisters. Maybe that is the reason why she isn't strong in the first place if her father won't give up some time to indulge in her own training. The academy's techniques can't get you as far as special Hyuga techniques and jutsus. Even though Hinata knows all the protected secret techniques of the Hyuga, she needs to give some effort to progress and eventually improve.

After the chunin exams, the Hyuga girl has trained long until there is blood on her hands and he can no longer walk. There are times when Kiba would be forced to carry her back because she wouldn't be able to stand up.

However, she hasn't had any chance to show off her new knowledge to her father. He never seems to be there for her...even though this girl is his own blood daughter. Hanabi is as well and no parent should ever decide between one child which they love more.

"Onee-san" Hanabi refers to her sister. "Father...he and you-"

Hinata cut her off, trying to make Hanabi forget what she heard. "N-no no, it's nothing. Don't worry" She say in a somber tone. Hiding things from her sister not to make her father seem bad to her younger sibling. Why should she care how Hanabi sees their father?

"I'm sorry onee-San" Hinata furrows her eyebrows. Her sister is still so innocent and untainted. Hanabi doesn't know what to expect from the outside world. Hinata doesn't either, but she is closer at tasting it than her.

"Imouto, it's fine. It d-doesn't m-matter" she reassures her. It doesn't matter she says, but in reality it does matter and she holds her father's words dear to her because that is encouragement for her that pushes her to her limits to do better.

Hanabi shrugs her shoulders in response. The child still doesn't understand all that goes on.

"Please, don't w-worry about m-me" Hinata continues. The older sibling looks at the younger. She scans over her face and her eyes stop at her forehead. It is clear of any mark.

Normally, in the Hyuga clan, a child not of the main branch gets their seal at age three. At age three when the risks of any of the Hyuga clan's jutsu, techniques, and kekkei genkai have a chance of getting out. Hinata's cousin, Neji, got his as well at that age. When Hinata was at the ripe age of three, she was almost kidnapped and the attackers may have extracted the byakugan and used it against the clan.

The seal is also used to keep the branch family in line. A Hyuga of the main branch would control the branch family with a hand sign that only they know.

Even though Hinata was taught how to do this, she never used it, an never plans to because she feels like it is just a chance of birth. You can't control what you are born as, so why should the people be treated any different?

Hanabi doesn't have it, even though she is more than double the age that she should have gotten it. Her father may want to give Hanabi another chance and since he favors Hanabi, help her overcome this barrier. Or maybe, her father is just skeptical of how Hinata will turn out and needs a back up if anything were to happen to her.

Even though Hinata does not have this seal on her forehead, she feels as if she was meant to be born into the branch family or been the second child. That way, there would be no question who should be the heir; it would go straight to Hanabi.

"Ok" Hanabi simply replied without much thought and left Hinata alone once again.

The remainder of the day, which was a very short time, Hinata spent on her thoughts. There was one thing on her mind. However, she far too afraid to address it. It didn't worry her that Hinata herself thought of this or even doing this. But the thing that scared her is how people would think of her and what further disappointment she would hear of one day.

If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If Hinata leaves to find the purpose of her life and nobody cares, does she leave her mark in people's hearts?

AN: Yes, this will be a SasuHina story. I just want to finish the development of the story first and then the romance. However, I promise that it will come.