And maybe that one trick Anko had described could be useful… one day.
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Hiashi / Neji's POV (Hyuga Councilroom - Hidden Leaf Village)
Morning
Hiashi sat at the head of the table in the Council room. As the long-running Head of the Hyuga Clan, this room was something of a second home to him. The room was lit with ornate burning candles bolted on the side of the walls. A long, beautifully decorated wooden table sat in the center of the room, lined with beautiful lavender tablecloths ordained with the Hyuga Clan symbol. A litany of incredibly plush pads was on the floor, and the Hyuga Elders and the notable Main House members sat there. The table was covered in the finest wines, tiny morsels for them to eat, and the files they kept regarding one Hinata Hyuga.
His daughter was the reason Hiashi was sitting in this room today. The reason they all had assembled, yet again the reason his authority was questioned…
Hiashi held love for his daughter as he did all his blood. But all the same, his daughter was often a problem for the Hyuga. And Hiashi was more of a leader than a father. It was what the clan demanded, and he was compelled to listen. Besides, by ensuring the best for the Hyuga, Hiashi did the best for his entire family. This was why even as his men spoke not only ill of her and even her potential demise, he did not flinch. After all, Hanabi was young but had proven much more worthy than Hinata. He was sure his foolish elder daughter would thank him for this one day.
Sat to his left was Neji, the son of his passed brother. Hiashi was a man who often had to make hard choices, choices that he had made a point of never regretting. A Hyuga could not afford to be anything less than confident, alone indecisive. Yet whenever he looked at the young Neji, he felt guilt and regret. Hizashi had been among the few people whom Hiashi had ever been close to. His brother had been assigned to the Side Branch, and despite his love for him, Hiashi always treated him as such. For it was the way of the Hyuga and as such the correct way. Fortunately his brother had accepted his role with ease. The man had always assumed his role and served him faithfully. Even giving his life when the time had come. Yet Neji was nothing like his father and openly resented him. As if he did not recognize why Hizashi had sacrificed himself. Hiashi had hoped Neji could forgive him in time, yet it had become increasingly clear he could not. Something that Hiashi could admit brought him tremendous guilt. But he could not afford to fix things. Neji had no choice but to accept his fate as a Side Branch member. Regardless of how Hiashi felt, his heart pangs at such a decision…
To his right was the daughter that brought him relief. While Hinata, his eldest, had always been meek, slow to grow, and sympathetic to the Side Branch to a fault. Hinata had shown great potential; it was wasted on her hesitation to let go of weakness. Something Hanabi did with ease. She had closed the gap between her sister with shocking ease in the past, her prodigy rivaling Neji's. And though Hinata had recently dominated her spars, Hanabi always held her own and was much younger. It was often Hanabi that made Hiashi regret Hinata had been born first. If it had been Hanabi, Hinata would be free to live in relative peace, for Hanabi was the far better choice for an heir.
It was a rarity for the entirety of the Hyuga Clan's elite to meet like this. One or two were normally missing, some were out on missions or Hyuga Clan business outside of their home. But when the news broke that Hinata had gone missing, Hiashi demanded all to be present. The seven Elders of the Hyuga Clan had shown. The men held significant sway within the Clan and were likely the reason Hiashi had ruled without any pushback. Hirat and several other notable active shinobi from the main house were also there. While they held no power, their showing showed that Hiahsi's grasp over the Clan was secure. And it would be good to use them to gauge clan opinion.
"This meeting has been called regarding my daughter's missing status. The current heir to the great Hyuga Clan is missing and could possibly not return. She and three others had gone out on an unsanctioned mission of sorts." Hiashi informed the men silently. There was silence as the rumor was confirmed among them.
"So that weakling has gone missing, has she?" Hirat asked with a giant smirk. "Such a shame, but perhaps expected from such a shameless heir."
"Weakling or not, she is the heir of the Hyuga; if she were to perish or be captured, it would be shameful and risk our birthright finally falling into the hands of our enemies. We barely managed to contain the fallout from the last time. It would be in our best interest to fetch her." Hamasi, the oldest of the elders at the age of one hundred and twelve, was one of the few in the Hyuga Clan whose word carried more sway than Hiashi's own.
"Such is not possible," Hiashi said with a deep scowl. The fact that his daughter was the cause of this filled him with shame and anger. "While the specifics of their location are unknown, the Hokage has made it clear she is somehow outside of our reach. Whether Hinata returns or survives, we are helpless to affect the outcome."
"Once again, the shameful girl has us performing damage control," a minor member of the Main House complained.
"But why call this meeting then? Surely, we cannot aim to remove her as heir before she even returns. While Hanabi is a fine replacement, Hinata has recently gained popularity and rank. It would make us seem indecisive and cold if we were to "abandon" her now." Another member pointed out.
"True, I saw her perform myself." Hiritachi agreed. He was the father of Hirat and the most recent addition of the elders at the age of eighty-five. Hiashi respected the man, but he had always been sweet on Hinata. He seemed to believe his son would be wed to her one day. "She is not nearly as pathetic as we once had thought."
"Well said, father." Hirat agreed; the coward always followed his father's advice. Though no one was foolish enough not to recognize the blatant switching of sides.
"Hiashi has led us well and faithfully for years now." Himuishi said. He is the second oldest elder, at ninety-two. He has always been Hiashi's most prominent supporter over the years. "If he called us here today it must be for an important response for this problem."
"Thank you," Hiashi offered, graciously. "As her father, make no mistake, I care about Hinata's safety, for the heir holds the Clan's future in their own. However, it has become clear to me that Hinata Hyuga does not respect nor represent the fine traditions and customs of the Hyuga. With this in mind and her apparent proclivity for danger I feel it would irresponsible to leave our clans in her hands.
Hanabi furthers his point as Hiashi had coached her earlier. "It has been confirmed that Hinata left the village by her own choice. She treats the Branch as our equals and not as what they are, our lessers. She holds herself not as a Hyuga should, demeaning herself and the Hyuga by proxy due to her meek nature. She has grown, but only after seeking the help of others, and supposedly fights in a manner unbecoming of a Hyuga. All of which I can personally vouch for seeing with my very own eyes."
"With this in mind, we intend to use this situation to our advantage. Shifting the heir would normally require a ceremony or the current heir's banishing. However, with her missing status and the approval of myself, we can bypass this entirely." Hiashi explained. "With the faults of my eldest daughter in mind, we have no choice but to act, and if we do so now, we can cut ourselves free from a potential problem in the future."
"Hmm, most of us were not keen on Hinata from the start," Hizumo, the sole female Elder Hyuga, admitted. The woman had been raised to her station after the death of her husband. "If you, our leader, and her sister think she is unfit, it is hard to disagree."
"If we intend to shame her as such, would it not make sense to demote her to the Side House?" Another elder pointed out. "Seems like a good way to ensure this is a clean break and safeguard her Byakugan from our foes."
"Such can be decided at a later date. However, the most recent developments make it a turbulent place we call home. If I remember, Hinata's growth started when Neji trained her. With that in mind, we should have Neji handle Hanabi's training for now. In fact, if we pulled him off the active shinobi list, he could serve as mentor and bodyguard all the time." Hirumi is a recently promoted elder, ninety-year-old man with a cruel mind.
Hiashi hummed as he considered this. However, he had no chance, as the silence of the hall and the wooden desk they sat on were shattered.
Looking up, he noticed it had been Neji who had caused it. The young man had slammed his fist down with such force that it had broken through the table below them.
"I will not stand idly by and listen to this foolishness any longer!" Neji roared as the meeting was stunned by his gall. "Hinata Hyuga is kind, intelligent, wise, and powerful, all adjectives used to describe an ideal leader. I have trained with both her and Hanabi and guarantee Hinata is the better candidate through body and mind! For you to demote her without her even being he-" Neji was stopped, however, as Hiritachi had activated his seal. Neji writhed on his feet while screaming before collapsing.
Hirat chuckled while marching over to Neji and kicking him while down. "Have your friends assault me will you?" He cried out. "Yes, this is genius father! I will aid in humbling this haughty Side Houser!" Hirat called with glee as he attempted to kick in Neji's ribs. Hiashi flinched inwardly at each blow but would not interfere unless they tried to kill him.
However, such an action was unnecessary as the soft wall bursts inward, sending two shapes flying into the room and a cloud of smoke. Without flinching, Hiashi activated his Byakugan and dashed forward. The smoke did nothing to obscure his vision as he focused on the closest intruder and moved forward with a palm thrust aimed at the interloper's heart.