Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Kage Bushins can be useful ❯ Serving Tea ( Chapter 3 )

Serving Tea

 

 

 

As Naruto watched the mass of Hyuuga faces he noticed that even though they looked similar each adult face had lines of distinction from age and years of experiences. Now the faces of the children were another story. With all the little chubby faces harboring no signs of worry, only happiness and hope, he had a hard time telling one child from another. Hinata, being born Hyuuga, did not have this problem nor did Mine who spotted her two friends among the crowd and ran straight to them. Akina, Neji and Tenten's girl, Chika, the daughter of Neji's aide, and Mine had practically grown up together. Akina and Chika were both six years old but they didn't mind playing with Mine because she was fun to be around. The three girls were as close as the famous ninja trio Shika-Ino-Cho and when Hinata brought Mine to the Hyuuga compound all three were always found together. If you didn't find them sitting close playing with stuff toys then you might find them sneaking around the Hyuuga compound hunting `missing nins' like the tough kunoichis they thought they were. And if the `target' was so inclined then the girls would battle the `missing nin' until victory was achieved. Some days you could find the girls sitting in Akina's or Chika's bedroom playing dress up or just as easily having a mud fight outside after a large storm had passed. Sometimes you would see them on the sidelines of the main training field imitating the basic Hyuuga taijutsu kata that the cadets were performing while on the field. However this time there seemed to be a new addition to the team as a fourth little girl joined them.

 

Chika did the introductions and said “Mine, this is Hana. We met her while picking flowers on a class outing. She wants to be our friend, okay?”

 

Mine said, “Sure!” Akina and Chika both cheered.

 

Just then Kiyoshi walked up to the girls and Mine said “Hana, this is my little brother Kiyoshi. He don't talk much but he's good and he won't bother us”.

 

Now Kiyoshi didn't have any friends yet since he had just grown out of the age where Hinata kept him with her and the other ladies would pinched his cheeks and cooed all over him, so he just stayed around Mine.

 

While Naruto was watching the children giggling and whispering about whatever children find interesting, Hyuuga Tenten walked up to them and bowed saying “Welcome Hokage-sama, welcome Hinata-sama to the humble House of the Hyuuga Clan”.

 

After Tenten rose Hinata bowed and said “Thank you for allowing us to partake in this celebration”.

 

Then Tenten sidled up to Hinata and whispered “How can you do this?” “I mean I took all the etiquette, protocol and grooming classes all kunoichis take in order to do undercover work but GAWD being the wife of a clan leader is on a totally different level” “I mean every time there is a function we have to attend I am always nervous and afraid I will do something wrong and embarrass Neji!” “And it doesn't help that while I am trying to be graceful I have this watermelon sticking out from my body.”

 

Hinata couldn't help but laugh softly as Tenten let a sigh of exasperation. All her life Tenten had been a fighter and as such she always tried to stay fit and trim but when she was pregnant she was always frustrated because her body would be out of shape and there was nothing she could do about it.

 

Hinata said “Don't worry about it.” “You could never embarrass Neji and besides you look lovely.” “So do you know if the baby is a boy or a girl yet?”

 

Tenten shook her head no and said “I thought about asking Sakura but we decided we would just wait and see, however I am sure Neji wants a son this time.” “As a matter of fact I know when Akina grows up she won't have any suitors because Neji will scare them all away.”

 

Hinata laughed at that because she knew Naruto would be the same way.

 

Since this `birthday party' was in effect a Tea Ceremony there was a certain way every thing had to flow. There were certain times when talking were allowed and certain times when silence was mandated. There were precise ways of the accepting the food, orienting the cups when drinking and answering questions from the Host. And it is because of this that just before the Host invites the guests to enter, an attendant would come out and usher the children, younger than seven years of age, to a different room where food, a light tea mixed with milk and sweets were served. And it was because of this separation of the children from their parents that Naruto decided he needed to go to the restroom. After telling Hinata where he was going Naruto headed towards one the Hyuuga facilities. Once inside he made a Kage Bushin and told it wait here until the coast was clear. Once the area was clear the clone was to make its way to the area the children would be staying and, using henge, hide to watch over them. Now to blatantly have his clone watching the children would have been a grievous insult to the Hyuugas but Naruto recalled that Hinata was almost kidnapped as a child and he did not want to take any chances.

 

After Naruto returned from the restroom and joined Hinata and Tenten, Hyuuga Hiashi walked over to greet them.

 

“Welcome Hokage-sama” he said and turning towards Hinata said “daughter” and finally turning toward Tenten said “hello niece”.

 

Naruto replied “Thank you, Hiashi-sama”.

 

Hinata walked up to her father, kissed him lightly on the cheek and said “Happy birthday, father”.

 

Tenten replied “Happy birthday, Hiashi-dono”.

 

Hyuuga Hiashi did not show his feelings outwardly. This trait was born from running a clan based on enslaving its own members. To outwardly display what one was thinking was considered a sign of weakness that the head of the clan could ill afford when dealing with the former Council of Elders. Even after the old Council was disbanded and a new one established Hiashi had a hard time breaking old habits. When Hiashi had decided to step down and let Neji lead the clan, he went back to doing what he loved, calligraphy and painting. Oh, Hiashi was still active in clan affairs but mostly as an adviser and member of the Council.

 

As Hiashi turned back to Naruto he said with his usual stoic voice “Interesting kimono, Naruto-dono”.

 

Naruto just grinned and said “Yeah, I like it too! You know, the original tabis were white but I was able to find some orange ones and now the outfit is perfect”.

 

Hiashi just raised his right eyebrow while Hinata and Tenten laughed softly.

 

Hiashi watched as Hinata interacted with her husband and Tenten and marveled at how far she had come, from a timid shy little girl to a strong independent woman. And though this was exactly how Hiashi wanted her to turn out he knew he has nothing to do with the transformation. Even before Hinata was born Hiashi knew the clan was in trouble internally. He knew that he had to be strong to keep the Branch Family under control and the Main Family from further abusing their control. He also knew that any heir he had needed to be as strong as well or the clan would disintegrate into civil war. When Hinata was born Hiashi was disappointed she wasn't a boy but he figured with the right training she could become a fine leader. However Hiashi grew frustrated as Hinata grew older. He could see a strong sense of justice in her character but her soft demeanor and shyness would always prevent her from acting upon it. At first he believed that if she improved her fighting skills then she would have the confident to voice her opinions. But her desire not to cause harm to anyone prevented that from happening. So then he thought that maybe if he treated her harshly she would become angry and fight back but that didn't work as she became less confident over time. By the time she was eight Hiashi had given up on Hinata and decided to concentrate on his youngest, Hanabi.

 

When Hinata had expressed an interest in attending Konoha's Ninja Academy Hiashi only agreed because then she would not be around as a constant reminder of his failure to make her strong. The fact that she graduated from the academy didn't surprised Hiashi as he always knew she was smart but he believed that once she was assigned to a team then she would be rejected as a failure. When Hinata was able to stay on her team Hiashi was faced with a problem; as long as Hinata stayed within Konoha's wall the Byakugan was safe, but if she left there would be no way to protect its secrets. Hiashi firmly believed that Hinata would not be able to protect herself in a fight so He arranged a meeting with her sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai. He made Kurenai vow that should Hinata ever be in a situation where she would be captured Kurenai would kill Hinata otherwise Hiashi would have Hinata removed from the team. This idea revolted Kurenai but she knew that being on her team was one of the few things keeping Hinata from withdrawing into her self so she agreed. When Hinata fought against Neji in the preliminary rounds of the Chuunin exams, Hiashi was surprised and proud that Hinata didn't back down. However this pride was tempered by the fact that she had lost to Neji who was a Branch Family member.

 

After that Hiashi had started to notice a change in Hinata. Oh, she still failed more often than she succeeded but she didn't give up as easily as she used to do. Soon her successes were greater than her failures and then she made Chuunin just two years after her first exam. Hiashi had heard rumors that someone had inspired that determination in her character but couldn't discover who had done it. Whoever had inspired her had done what Hiashi could not do and now it looked like he might have two possible heirs to the clan. The rumors surrounding her change seemed to center on Uzumaki Naruto and after Pein attacked Konoha they were rumors no more. Hiashi was out of the village with Hanabi when Pein attacked so when he got back and saw the destruction he immediately went searching for Hinata. He found her in a makeshift hospital made of wood set up on the grounds around the ruins of the old hospital. From the report made by her body guard Ko, Hiashi learned that Hinata had attacked Pein, the one who had devastated Konoha, while trying to protect Uzumaki Naruto. Hiashi also learned that though she was no match for Pein, Hinata had attacked him with Hyuuga technique, the Double Lion's Fist. This bit of news totally shocked Hiashi as the Double Lion's Fist attack had been thought to be far above her current level. As a matter of fact this technique had only been mastered by very few Hyuugas including himself. And to think, it was Uzumaki Naruto who had inspired Hinata to become the fighter Hiashi always knew was inside her, succeeding where Hiashi had failed. Now Hiashi knew that the Hyuuga clan had the heir it needed to lead it into the future.

 

When the Akatsuki situation had been resolved and Konoha started rebuilding in earnest, Hinata and Naruto were seen together more often and were rumored to be dating. When the Council of Elder had heard about this they immediately confronted Hiashi about Hinata's indiscretions. They voiced their concern that it was beneath her station to have social interactions with a non-Hyuuga and who is also a commoner. Hiashi knew that since Naruto had saved the village the Council would have been foolish to directly denounce Naruto because of the Kyuubi so they tried to couch their disapproval on social status. Hiashi informed them that he may be the head of the clan but he was also her father and that until her betrothal she may socialize with whomever she wanted. The thought of a betrothal that the Council might be able to control made them back down for now. In truth Hiashi didn't think that Hinata relationship with Uzumaki Naruto would go anywhere because she was going to be the Hyuuga Clan leader and Uzumaki-san was on track to become the Rokudaime Hokage.

 

A week before her Twentieth birthday Hiashi called Hinata into his office to tell her that he was going to inform the Council of Elders that she would be the official heir of the clan. Hiashi was shocked when Hinata declined the position saying that she thought Hanabi would make a better clan leader and then she quietly admitted that she was hoping to get a better offer. Hiashi was confused at first then realizing what she was talking about informed her that her wish might not come true and that with Hanabi named heir the Council will push to have Hinata placed into the Branch Family. Hinata said that she didn't care what the Council wanted and that she would take her chances. After a moment of thought, Hiashi informed her that since Hanabi was not of age yet he would hold off on making an official announcement until then. Six months later Naruto was made Rokudaime Hokage and a month later Naruto and Hinata were married. The Council was furious and wanted to have Hinata's Byakugan sealed but they couldn't move against the Hokage's wife without being charged with treason. Yes, Hinata had achieved her goals and had done so not with his help but with the help of an outsider who gave her the inspiration to reach beyond herself. And for this act alone Hiashi would always be indebted to Uzumaki Naruto.

 

Finally the Hostess came out to the garden to greet the guests. As this was Hyuuga Hiashi's birthday the role of Hostess was played by Hanabi. As the Hyuuga attendant appeared to escort the children to their dining room Hinata motioned for the attendant to approach her.

 

The bowed and asked “What do you desire, Hinata-sama?”

 

Hinata explained about the extra treat for Kiyoshi and also told the attendant to give an extra on to Mine.

 

The attendant bowed and said “As you wish, Hinata-sama” and then, gathering the rest of the children, escorted them out of the garden.

 

After the children left the garden, Hanabi spoke, “Welcome guests of the Hyuuga Household. On this day we are honoring Hyuuga Hiashi and we asked you to please enter and partake in this celebration.”

 

At that point the guests purified themselves by rinsing their mouths and hands with water from a small stone basin, and then continue through the garden to the house. As this was the Hyuugas, the guests did every thing according to rank. As the Guest of Honor, Hiashi entered first followed by Naruto and Hinata then Neji and Tenten. The Council of Elders followed according to an internal hierarchy and then the rest of the Hyuugas also according to an internal hierarchy. Although the Hyuugas were essentially equal now the members understood that a clan needed a hierarchy to function. The difference being that now one could freely move within the hierarchy based on merit alone and also a few words in the right ears as that is just human nature.

 

The room was sparse save for a scroll painting in the alcove depicting the year Hiashi was born. Removing their zori sandals they proceeded to enter the room and even though this was based on the Tea Ceremony the small thirty six inches high sliding door, that symbolized that all who entered were of equal stature, was not present.

 

The floor of the room was covered in tatami mats and the dining tables were arranged according to hierarchy. So sitting at the main table was Hiashi, Naruto, Hinata, Neji and Tenten. The Council of Elders and their families sat at the next group of tables according to their social position and the remaining tables were filled with clan members according to their social standing. Normally a formal Tea Ceremony would have the Host serving up to five guests so when Hanabi entered the room to start the celebration she was flanked by twenty servants. Hanabi moved to the main table to serve her father and the servants each went to different table. And then as Hanabi moved so did the servants in perfect synchronization as if there were only one server and all the other tables had mirrors. If a table was short a guest the servant still pretended to serve that spot so that she would stay in synch with the others.

 

The meal consisted of three courses. The side dishes were cooked white rice in a ceramic bowl, miso soup which was served in covered lacquer bowls and pickled vegetables in a ceramic dish. These were always present during the meal. The first course was beef and potatoes simmered in sweet soy sauce soup served in separate covered lacquer dishes. The next course was grilled beef and pork served in individual portions on ceramic plates. After this a simple clear broth was served in covered lacquer bowls to cleanse the palate. The third course consisted of a variety of sea foods and meats and vegetables from the local mountains. When the meal was finished Junmai Sake was served at room temperature with trays of sautéed vegetables such as daikon radish, burdock root, lotus root, carrots and baby potatoes and precooked bamboo shoots. Also served were baby clams steamed in sake, pickles, sashimi and yakitori. Although Hinata didn't normally drink, she usually made an exception during special occasions. However Tenten was peeved because since she was pregnant she hadn't been able to drink for eight months. That is not to say that she was an alcoholic but a girl has to have fun sometimes. Now Naruto had been known to knock back quite a few with the boys but it was not because he was an alcoholic. He just couldn't get drunk. That damn fox would burn up the alcohol in his system before he could get a buzz going.

 

After the sake was consumed the guests moved back to the garden for a sort of intermission while Hanabi prepared for the final part of the celebration. Even though talking was allowed the level was subdued as an act of respect to the Hostess. When 10 minutes had passed Hanabi came out to the garden and invited the guests to tea. Again the guests entered according to rank and were seated in their previous spots. Hanabi laid out all utensils to be used such as tea bowl, whisk and tea scoop before ritualistically cleaning them in the presence of the main table. Again the servants followed suit in perfect synchronization at the other tables. Then she arranged them in a precise manner and order before beginning the ceremony. When everything was ready Hanabi placed a carefully measured proportion of green tea powder in the bowl along with the appropriate amount of hot water for the thick tea and then whisked the tea carefully to ensure that there were no lumps and none of the powered tea clung to the side of the bowl. When the tea was ready Hanabi while bowing served the bowl to Hiashi and Hiashi, returning the bow, raised the bowl to Hanabi as a gesture of respect. Hiashi rotated the bowl to avoid drinking from its front, took a sip, wiped the bowl's rim and rotated it back to its original position and then passed it on to Naruto with a bow. Naruto, taking the bowl with a bow then repeated everything Hiashi did before passing it on to Hinata, who then passed it on to Neji and then Tenten. The scoop and tea container were then offered to the Hiashi for examination before he in turned offered it to Naruto and the cycle was repeated. The protocol was repeated until all guests had tasted the tea from the same bowl, and then it was returned to the Hanabi who rinsed it. When all the utensils had been properly cleaned Hanabi started the ceremony over again to serve the thin tea. This tea tended to be a little bitter and it helped to cleanse the palate after drinking the sweeter thick tea. It was at this point that Naruto started wondering what the kids were doing and wishing he was there doing the same thing.

 

 

Hyuuga Ryuichi wasn't really a bad child. When asked to do his chores he usually did them to the best of his abilities though he never volunteered. When doing his kata he performed them adequately for a seven year old (actually 6 years and 11 months) and though he would never be considered a prodigy he had the potential to be good fighter. As long as he was kept busy he was a well behaved child but when boredom struck, his usual outlet was bullying little children. Now his teasing never went too far (in his opinion) because it wasn't physical in nature or if touching was involved he never drew blood. As he saw it, a little crying never hurt anyone and it would probably help to toughen up the little brats. Well at this particular time he was bored; his best friend Senichi, who was also seven (seven years and one month) had been allowed (forced) to stay for the ceremony and he had been placed with the babies. At this time he was currently surveying the room using his Hyuuga `training' to assess the occupants and except for the attendant, who occasionally would leave the room for a few minutes, he was the biggest one there. While surveying the room he noticed a small boy sitting alone with small plate with cake and pocky sticks on it. Now Ryuichi had already eaten two pieces of cake and some dangos but felt there was always room for more. As he watched the small boy he put his Hyuuga training into action; if he took the little boy's cake and ate it the little boy would start crying. Then the attendant would enter the room to see what the noise was about. The crying little boy would tell what happened, Ryuichi would be asked to apologize and he would, the little boy would be given another piece of cake to quiet him and Ryuichi would still have a full stomach. Yes, a small price to pay for another piece of cake, so now he was just waiting for the attendant to leave.

 

Finally the moment arrived when the attendant left the room; the little boy had finished his first piece but had not started on the pocky. Swiftly Ryuichi moved across the room, grabbed the plate and started eating the pocky.

 

At first Kiyoshi was surprise and just stared and then he stood and said “Hey, that's mine. Give it back”.

 

Ryuichi just smiled and kept eating so Kiyoshi said louder “Give it back!”

 

Across the room Mine was sitting with Akina, Chika and Hana playing with a number of stuffed animals provided to the children to keep them busy. When Mine heard a familiar voice say `Give it back' she looked up and saw Kiyoshi with his arms folded standing in front of a bigger boy.

 

She gave her stuffed pony to Akina, stood up and said “I'll be right back”.

 

Mine walked over to Kiyoshi, carefully loosening her kimono around her legs just in case, and asked him what had happened. Kiyoshi told her that this big boy took his pocky and was eating it.

 

Mine looked at Ryuichi and said “Give that back to my brother”.

 

Ryuichi just smiled and ate another pocky stick.

 

Mine stepped closer and repeated “Give it back!” and then clenched her fists.

 

Now Ryuichi went into `training' mode; he assessed the girl to be no more than five, he weighed about 15 pound more than her, and she only came up to his chest; in other words no real threat. And if she could actually fight then his arms were longer than hers so he could easily keep her at bay.

 

Across the room Akina, Chika and Hana also went into Hyuuga training mode and Akina said quietly “Someone is about to get hurt” and Chika nodded.

 

Hana, being new to the group, looked at Akina and Chika and quietly said “Do you really think Ryuichi would actually hurt Mine?”

 

Akina and Chika kept staring at the two combatants while Chika answered, “We weren't talking about Mine”.

 

Hana's eyes widen and she also turned to stare.

 

Mine started to tense and Ryuichi thought `okay, she's about to attack'. What Ryuichi's `assessment' failed to take into account was the speed of his opponent and her style of attack. Mine didn't just start swing with her arms, she sprang with cat like speed ramming her head into Ryuichi's stomach knocking the wind out of him and sending him flat onto the floor with the pocky flying everywhere. After removing his height advantage Mine then landed on his chest trying to trap his arms against his body with her legs. She could only able lock his left leg against his body and then she started raining punches upon him. Now most kids, when fighting, clench their fists and use them as clubs in overhead strokes. But Mine wasn't like most kids; she instinctively knew how to jab as one would do with a sword. Now if that instinct was born from her Hyuuga genes, with their Gentle Fist fighting style, or from her Uzumaki genes, with Naruto's street fighting style, no one would ever know but she definitely knew how to jab. Her instincts also told her to go for the part of body that causes the most pain. In a five-year-old's world that was either the behind or the face and since Ryuichi was laying flat on his back she went for the face.

 

Indeed Mine was only five years old and weighed, at most, forty pounds so her hits didn't hurt any worse than a bee sting. Had she attacked Ryuichi's body, his larger size and clothing would have softened Mine's blows such that Ryuichi would have had time to figure out a proper defense. But Mine didn't go for the body; she went straight for the face and, boy, did she ever! Her little arms were moving in perfect synchronization, left, right, left, right, one right after the other punching any part of Ryuichi's face that was exposed. The constant pounding of fists to face made a sound like a small child's hands clapping together. At first Ryuichi tried to use his free hand to protect his face but there is only so much area one hand could cover and Mine would just aim at the exposed part. Then Ryuichi thought that he should be able to move his free arm fast enough to block her punches but Mine was faster and she would evade his blocks as she rained down her punches. Finally he thought that if he could just grab her hands he could stop her but when he finally caught one of her hands Mine's free hand kept hitting his now fully exposed face.

 

Now having forty pounds on his chest and unable to get the leverage necessary to throw her off, Ryuichi started yelling, “Help! Get her off! Somebody get her off me!”

 

Suddenly Mine felt two adult hands grab her under her shoulders, lift her off Ryuichi and set her down and then she saw the attendant help Ryuichi to stand up.

 

Now holding both combatants a few feet apart, her hand on each child's shoulder, she asked, “Now what is going on here?”

 

Mine, who breathing fast, just kept staring at Ryuichi who, in turn, was just staring at the floor, his face red and tender.

 

When the attendant asked the question again Kiyoshi stepped up and said, “This big boy took my pocky sticks and my sister was getting them back!”

 

When the attendant asked Ryuichi if this was true, Ryuichi, still not looking up, just nodded his head. At this point the attendant told Ryuichi to apologize to Kiyoshi for taking his candy.

 

At first Ryuichi just mumbled an apology but when the attendant told him to say it louder, Ryuichi, in his normal voice, said “I am sorry for taking your candy”.

 

Next the attendant said, “This fight is over and you two will shake hands”.

 

Mine never stopped staring at Ryuichi but stuck her hand out. At first Ryuichi didn't want to shake hands with the little girl who had just humiliated him in front of all the other kids but after the attendant repeated her command Ryuichi reached out and grabbed Mine's hand. While the two children were shaking hands Ryuichi looked up straight into Mine's eyes.

 

Mine's eyebrows narrowed and she said, “Don't you ever bother my brother again” and at that moment something inside Ryuichi told him that he had better listen to that little girl.

 

After that Mine's released Ryuichi's hand, she then grabbed Kiyoshi's hand and led him over to where Akina, Chika and Hana were sitting. Setting him on the floor she gave him a small stuffed frog to play with and returned to her friends. Having seen Mine in action a few times already, Akina handed the toy pony back to Mine and Akina, Chika and Mine resumed their playing as if nothing had happened.

 

Hana, however, was still in shock and asked Mine, “Are you always like that?”

 

Mine answered casually, “Only if someone bothers my family or my friends”.

 

It was at this moment that Hana knew she had better stay on Mine's good side. Though Ryuichi probably wouldn't care at this point in time his initial assessment had been true, Kiyoshi did receive another plate of pocky as compensation.

 

The clone which had been watching the entire incident, henged as a potted plant, just smiled and thought “That's my girl”. When the clone first noticed the boy moving towards Kiyoshi he knew there was going to be trouble. At first he just wanted to do something discrete to protect his son but then held back thinking that these interactions happen all the time and Kiyoshi needed to learn how to take care of himself. When Mine arrived on the scene the clone felt better but if that `punk' did any serious harm to them then all bets were off. After the take down and subsequent beat down Mine applied to the `punk', the clone just smiled and beamed with pride thinking “I didn't name you Mine for nothing”.