"Haku? You are back?"
"No, I'm not. You are seeing a ghost and I am definitely not Haku." Haku replied sarcastically as he walked through the main gates of the Hyuga compound.
Hanabi rolled her eyes at his response as she fell in step with Haku and looked at him discreetly. There's a noticeable change about the way he carries himself.
"You look more relaxed."
"I guess I am. The training trip felt more like a vacation than a training trip."
"There's still a few days before the third stage commences. I'm surprised that you came back so early, I was expecting you to only arrive about a day before the exams."
"Minato-shishou said that he wants me to take a break from training from now till the end of the exams. I can do some light sparring, but no more training until the exams. He said my body needs the rest."
"What did you do for your training trip?"
"Inventing new jutsus to make sure I can survive in my match against Gaara, and also learning how to break seals."
"That's it?"
"That's it. What about you?"
Hanabi spun around and put a hand on her hip as she leaned forward towards Haku. She held out a finger and waved it in front of his face in a secretive manner.
"Secret~"
"Fine, keep your secrets." Haku replied with a roll of his eyes. "You do know that if the both of us beat our respective opponents we will be facing each other, right?"
"Usually, I would have just forfeit if I have to fight you for real, but Obito-sensei and I came up with a way to make the Gentle Fist even deadlier. Even Otou-sama is impressed. Maybe I can even beat you now."
"Just don't cry if I freeze you into a popsicle in the exams."
They both entered Haku's room as Haku began to unpack the stuffs from his backpack. Haku took out a familiar looking scroll and unrolled it before hanging it carefully on the wall.
"Thank you for the drawing, by the way. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"It was Sai's idea." Hanabi admitted. "You should thank him when you see him."
"I will."
It wasn't long before Haku finished unpacking his things.
"Do you have anything to do now?" Hanabi asked Haku from where she is sitting on his table and swinging her legs lazily.
"No. You have something in mind?"
"The marketplace is buzzing with activity now due to the Chunin Exams, what with the number of visitors coming to Konoha to spectate us and all that. I heard from sensei and Rin yesterday that there are a lot of exotic merchandise on sale now and I really want to go and take a look. They said that most of the items there have a huge discount too. Want to come?"
"Sure. What about Neji and Hinata?"
"Nee-san is helping Shino prepare for his exam. Neji nii-san is probably training with Otou-sama right now since I chose to train with sensei instead."
Haku gave a nod of his head in acknowledgment. Seeing that, Hanabi grabbed onto his arm and began to drag him excitedly out of the compound.
"Come on, Haku, look alive! We are going shopping!"
"That's exactly why I look otherwise."
"How about this? Does it look nice on me?"
I gave a look at the hairclip Hanabi is wearing and then at the rest of the hairclips on display before returning my gaze back at her.
I still can't believe she tried all thirty-six hairclips on display.
"I think they all look good on you."
Hanabi pouted as she put both her hands on her hips crossly.
"You say the same for everything."
"Because all of them really look good on you."
Hanabi sighed before taking out the hairclip and return it back to the display shelf.
"You are hopeless." She said as she grabbed me by my arm once more and drag me to the next stall. I swear that the speed she use to move from stall to stall is on par with a shunshin.
I had lost count on how many stalls we had visited since we arrived at the marketplace about two hours ago. Hanabi has an obsession with collecting hair accessories and that is her main focus for today as we went window shopping at the marketplace. She even has an entire chest drawer in her bedroom that is dedicated to storing all the different types of hair accessories that she had collected over the years. She can sometimes spend hours at the front of her mirror in her bedroom trying out the accessories she had collected in her spare time. Hinata will sometimes join in as well.
Neji and I will usually make ourselves scarce during times like these. We don't want them to try doing our hair as well with all the hair accessories Hanabi collected. They tried it on us once, it was a torturous experience.
If finding the 'perfect' hair accessory makes Hanabi happy, well, I am definitely okay with indulging her. It's not like I have anything better to do now anyway. Hanabi and Minato-shishou had all said that I need to learn how to take a break from training.
We stopped by another stand that sells textile and apparels. Hanabi's focus is now on the small shelf where various hair sticks are displayed. Hair sticks are her favourites with hairclips as a close second, although she usually sticks to hair tie whenever she is on missions.
"How about this one?" I suggested as I picked up a wooden hair stick and showed it to her.
Hanabi gave a disinterested look at the hair stick before directing that same look at me.
"Your fashion sense sucks."
I frowned a little as I look at the hair stick in my hand. It looks okay to me. It is not as intricate as the others on display, but its design is simple and nice. Not too showy, but not too plain either.
"This, is a lot better than the ugly looking chopstick you are holding." Hanabi said as she picked out a hair stick whose colour is as white as ivory. The engravings on it are a lot more intricate but at the same time, not to the extent where it seems overly gaudy or showy.
Ok, I have to admit that Hanabi's fashion sense when it comes to these things is miles ahead of mine.
Hanabi used the hair stick to tie part of her hair into a bun and let the rest flow down her back. She had let her hair grow out and its length is now somewhere past her shoulder blades. It seems that she had taken my suggestion to grow out her hair.
"How about this? Do I look good in it?" Hanabi asked the same question for the umpteenth time that day as she look into the mirror at the side of the stall to see if the hair stick suits her.
"You wouldn't believe me if I say you look good in it anyway."
Hanabi turned her head to give me a flat look.
"You, Yuki Haku, are an idiot."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What did I do?"
"Figure it out yourself." She said as she pulled out the hair stick and let her hair unravel itself before looking at the price tag on the object in question. "Now, how much- oh. Never mind."
Hanabi gave a reluctant look as she put the hair stick back to where it was before she walked off to see the yukatas on display a few meters away from where we are. I discreetly checked the price tag of the white hair stick that caught Hanabi's attention earlier.
It is a little on the pricey side even for shinobis. Hanabi may be a heiress and Hiashi definitely will not have any qualms giving her spending money if she asks for it, but like me, she likes to buy her stuffs with her own money. It might have been my own spending habit influencing her, but ever since she had become a genin, every single thing that she had bought is purchased with the money she had earned herself.
I don't spend as much as the Hyuga siblings since all I do is training. Even Neji has a better social life than me. I hardly touch my money at all because I don't really have the chance to spend it. The only time I do is usually if I eat out with my team after our training sessions and even then, we don't usually spend much on our meals.
I might as well spend my money on this hair stick if it can make Hanabi happy. There's no point hoarding money if you don't get to spend it. It is also a way to show my appreciation for Hanabi and also to thank her for sticking by my side for all these years. Money can never quantify the amount of gratitude I have for her, but it is the thought that counts.
I glanced in her direction. Hanabi is still preoccupied at looking through the yukatas on display. I have to make it quick.
I hope she likes it.
"Ah, that felt good."
"Why am I the one carrying your spoils of war?"
"Why do you think I drag you out here for? Make yourself useful."
Haku grumbled inaudibly under his breath as he carried the bags of stuffs that Hanabi had bought. Hanabi is proud of herself, every single item that she had bought today is definitely a lot cheaper than what it will usually be. Konoha should host the Chunin Exams more often, the discounts given during this period in the bustling marketplace had made her very happy.
A happy shopping experience makes a happy Hanabi.
It's still too bad that the ivory hair stick that had caught her eye is still too expensive for her taste. She could have bought it, but she would be exceeding the budget that she had set for herself.
Ah well, she will just have to work harder and find a cheaper yet better-looking hair stick. She is sure that there have to be nicer hair sticks somewhere in Konoha that is also cheaper in price. She just needs to search for it.
The both of them returned to the compound and they made their way to her bedroom. Haku put down the bags in a corner of her room as Hanabi jumped onto her bed and landed on her back, spreading her limbs out like a starfish.
"Today is a good day."
"For you, that is. This is even more tiring than training."
Hanabi gave a dismissive wave in Haku's direction from where she is lying on her bed.
"Thank you, my loyal servant, but you may now be dismissed. The Queen needs to take her shower."
"You are insufferable." Haku said as he rolled his eyes at her words. "See you during dinner."
Haku gently closed the shoji door after him as he exited her room and Hanabi moved towards her bathroom to take a shower. However, a foreign item caught her eye as she walked past the bags of items that she had bought earlier today.
Hanabi knelt down and dug out the foreign looking box in one of the bags. She is sure that she had not bought this item. What is it and why is it here?
Hanabi slowly opened the small cardboard box and she felt her mouth opening in surprise.
"Idiot. What an idiot."
Despite how much she wanted to go over to Haku's room right now to scold him for spending so much money on such an unimportant item, she cannot help but walk to the front of the mirror in her room with a small smile on her face. Hanabi did an elegant hairdo with the ivory hair stick and turned her head from side to side to inspect the result.
It looks beautiful on her. What will Haku say if he sees this?
Hanabi sighed. Knowing him, he will probably just say that the hair stick looks good on her like how he had said for all the different other hair accessories that she had tried out earlier today.
"What an idiot."
Hanabi muttered to herself once more as she carefully took out the hair stick and placed it on her dressing table with a small smile on her face. She will wear it when she goes for dinner later. There isn't a real need to verbally thank Haku, not everything needs to be said out loud. They can understand each other perfectly even without saying anything.
What hairdo should she style her hair into later? Maybe she should just ask Haku next time if there is a hairdo that he prefers to see her in, it will be way easier than trying to guess his thoughts. It might get him to change his comment about her from 'look good' to 'look beautiful'. Even 'look pretty' works.
If there's anyone who she wants to let see her at her most beautiful, it is him.
"I was wondering when you would visit, gaki." Kushina-shishou said the moment she opened the door to her house and ruffled my hair with a hand. "Feel ready for the exams?"
"As ready as I can be. Minato-shishou was a great help."
"Well, he's not at home right now and I will be a little busy in the study room. I need to help the Barrier Corps with some stuffs regarding seals. Naruto's in her room. Thanks for coming, the whole lot of you. It means a lot to me and Minato."
Minato-shishou had said during the training trip that he and Kushina-shishou will like it if I can visit them more often. Even if they are not at home, they will appreciate if someone can keep Naruto company. Naruto had always been a little lonely as an only child and both of her parents can be really busy sometimes since they are the only two certified Seal Masters in Konoha. Despite their best efforts to spend time with Naruto, they can't always be there for her due to their jobs.
The Hyuga siblings are with me today as well since we all had nothing better to do. All of us are taking a break since the third stage of the exams is only two days away. At this stage, it is better to let our bodies rest instead of doing last minute training.
"Haku! Hanabi-chan! Hinata-chan! Neji!"
Naruto bounced to us the moment she spotted us entering her room. Sometimes, I really wonder how she can remain so cheerful all the time.
"Hey Haku, Tou-chan said he taught you the Rasengan. Come on, show it to me!"
"We are in your room, Naruto. I don't want to accidentally destroy anything."
"Haku-niiiiiiiiii!"
"Haku-nii?" Hanabi parroted with her voice almost an octave higher.
"Tou-chan taught him the family technique, so that makes Haku my nii-san!" Naruto said proudly as she latched onto my right arm in a death grip, not allowing me to get away.
Me as Naruto's brother simply because I learnt the Rasengan? What kind of logic is this?
"I don't think it works that way, Naruto." Neji added his opinion into the mix with his arms crossed.
"It does! I asked Tou-chan and Kaa-chan and they are both fine with it!" Naruto whined as she threw a tantrum by flailing about, shaking me in all sorts of direction in the process. "Kaa-chan told me to address Haku as my niisan! I finally have an older brother too! Now that Teme isn't the only one with an older brother!"
So this is what the issue is really about? A competition to see who has the better older brother? Really?
"Come to think about it, we never addressed Haku-kun as our niisan even if he is legally our brother." Hinata finally spoke up as she looked over to me, a rare mischievous glint in her eyes.
Oh no, don't she dare.
"Hinata, don't call me by-"
"Haku-nii." Hinata purred out in an exaggerated manner that got Naruto rolling on the floor in peals of laughter. "As the older brother, you need to address me as imouto."
"Since when are you capable of making jokes?" I replied with a shudder. Them addressing me as their brother is enough to make me shiver. Considering that I am someone who has the power to control ice, that is something to be worried about.
"I am a quiet person, but that does not mean I don't make jokes, Haku-nii." Hinata said with a sly smile.
"I hate you guys."
"Haku-nii." Neji interrupted with the same sly smile as he looked at me. This is definitely a Hyuga thing. "I will be looking forward to addressing you as such."
"Not you too, Neji. And we are the same age."
"Your birthday is earlier than mine."
Hanabi is sporting a full-blown grin by now and is also about to call me by that thrice damned honorific when Naruto slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Nuh-uh, Hanabi-chan. You are the only one that cannot address Haku-nii as your niisan."
"Why not?" Hanabi argued the moment she got Naruto's hand off her mouth. "We are-"
"You are a special case. You can only address him as Anata."
"NARUTO!"
Hanabi blushed up a storm and went to grab at Naruto, who simply ducked and hide herself behind Hinata before sticking out her tongue.
"Haku and Hanabi, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-"
"STOP IT!"
Hanabi went to wrestle with the newly self-proclaimed blonde-haired younger sister of mine on the floor as I watched on by the side. Me? The older brother to the protagonist of the story? This is wrong on so many levels that it is not even remotely funny. I am fine with being good friends with her but having her as a sibling? Will this somehow change the storyline-
Oh wait, the storyline is screwed to begin with. Now I really don't have a legitimate reason to rebuke Naruto's logic and convince myself that this is a really bad idea.
Damn it. Where is canon when you really need it?
"Haku-nii, are you not stopping them?"
"You are enjoying yourself a little too much by calling me with that honorific, Hinata."
"There's nothing wrong with me addressing you as my brother. You are our brother, Haku-nii."
"What Hinata-sama said." Neji quipped in from the side.
"I am not the best person to have as your older brother." I admitted to Hinata and Neji. "I have so many flaws. I don't think I can-"
"You are the best older brother we can ask for, Haku-nii. Don't ever doubt yourself." Hinata chided as she walked up to me and forced me to look at her in the eyes. "You are our niisan."
"Haku-nii! Help! Hanabi-chan is going to murder me! Help save your imouto from your wife!"
"NARUTO! Another word out of that mouth of yours and I will sew it shut for you!"
Just at that moment, the door opened.
"Naruto, what time do you want to-" Kushina-shishou paused in her words when she saw how Hanabi and Naruto are tussling about on the floor and looked at the three of us instead.
"Do I want to know what is going on?"
"Kaa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as she finally wriggled herself free from Hanabi's grasp. "Can't you be Haku-nii's godmother or something? Then he will have to accept the fact that he is my niisan!"
I facepalmed at Naruto's words. No words can describe how stupid this whole thing is. There's no way Kushina-shishou will-
"That's…" Kushina breathed out with widened eyes as she slammed a fist into her opened palm. "A GREAT idea!"
"Kushina-shishou!" I shouted out even before I can think through it. "This is a bad idea!"
"And why?" Kushina-shishou asked with a questioning look. "You did learn our family technique from Minato, that makes you one of us as well."
I opened my mouth only to close it shut again. It is a foreign concept that I still have trouble getting used to, but shinobis' idea of familial ties can be very complicated and yet also very casual, depending on which family you are looking at. In the Uzumakis' case, learning some of their family techniques is enough to qualify me as one of them. I had learnt numerous Uzumaki-style sealing techniques and the Rasengan from them. In their eyes, this is enough for them to consider me as part of their little family even if I am not related to them by blood.
Their clan, their family, their rules. In the shinobi society, no one but the family in question has any say when it comes to familial matters, even if it is the Hokage. This is the societal norm here.
They got me into a corner. There's no way this isn't planned out beforehand. Minato-shishou, Kushina-shishou, and Naruto had definitely planned a trap for me and I just walked straight into it.
Well played. Well played indeed.
"I don't think Otou-sama will mind, Haku-nii." Hanabi gave me a slap on my shoulder from behind with that cheeky grin of hers. She is enjoying herself way too much. "He will probably just nod his head and go along with it."
"There's no way you guys didn't plan this out." I replied with an involuntary twitch of my left eye. "This timing is too perfect for it to be anything else."
"Hanabi-chan! You are supposed to call Haku-nii your anata!"
"Shut up, Naruto!" Hanabi hissed as her face turned beet red once again. "We are nothing like that! Right, Nee-san?"
"You two will definitely get married to each other with how close you two are. It's just a matter of when." Hinata betrayed her twin with a calm tone.
Should I just teleport myself out of here with an ice mirror? It sounds like a really tempting idea right about now.
"Ah, ah." Kushina-shishou grabbed me by my shoulder as she somehow sensed my thoughts. "You are not leaving today until I officially made you my godson. I already sent a Shadow Clone to Hiashi to get his approval. It won't take long."
And HOW did she do that without us seeing her making a clone? Did she make one even before she appeared?
"I don't even know why you want to do this. I am a failure as a son." I muttered to myself quietly under my breath. I know refusing Kushina-shishou in any way or form is a lost cause when she has set her mind on something, but making me her godson is a totally different matter.
Even if it is one that is not related to me by blood, I don't want to have another mother only to lose her again. Once is enough.
"You are not a failure. I had never met your mother but I know she is definitely proud of you, wherever she may be." Kushina-shishou spun me around to face her and knelt down to face me at eye level. "I don't want to replace your mother, but what I can do is to care for you in her place, to help her help you where she couldn't. Minato and I had told you time and time again that we view you as our own son. Can you give me this chance to be your godmother, Haku?"
"You are giving me too much, Kushina-shishou. Don't give me hope. It will make me despair even more if I lose it again."
"I won't die, if that is what you are worried about. Both Minato and I will stay alive long enough to see you and Hanabi produce grandkids for us, so rid your mind of any negative thoughts."
"Hanabi and I aren't-"
"If you two say you don't at least have feelings for each other, then I might as well claim that I hate eating ramen." Kushina cut off my words as she shoved me and Hanabi together and enveloped us in a hug from behind. "You two are still young, so abstain from sex until you guys are older, ok? I don't want to be a grandmother until at least a few years later."
"KUSHINA-SHISHOU!"
"KUSHINA-SAN!"
"It's Kushina-kaachan for you, Haku. No more of the 'shishou' that you like to call us by, we have long since passed this formality crap. And- oh! I just got Hiashi's permission with my Shadow Clone." Kushina waved a finger at me with a smug smile on her face. "He even said that I might as well go all the way and make Minato your godfather too. So, there. Welcome to the Uzumakis, Haku."
"You are all insane."
"Haku-niiiii." Naruto whined as she somehow glomped me from the side. "Don't worry! You will get used to it soon enough!"
"That is exactly what I am worried about."
"Does that make us Naruto's siblings too?" Hinata asked in curiosity with a tilt of her head.
"Yup!" Kushina nodded her head happily. "Might as well! The more the merrier!"
I continue to let them do the talking as Kushina-shishou, or Kushina-kaachan now (Damn it Hiashi, why did you agree to this madness?), continue to hold me in a hug as she chatters on with the Hyuga siblings and Naruto. Despite the initial unwillingness on my part, I cannot stop the small smile forming on my face.
I have another family now. I have one in the form of the Hyugas and another in the form of the Uzumakis. This time, I will make sure that my families will live.
I won't let the same tragedy happen to any of them again.
"Haku-nii! Don't go!"
Naruto purposely put on a cute pout on her face as she physically dragged her new brother back to Hanabi's room.
She is having a sleepover with new friends/siblings! At their house too! In Hanabi's room no less! She has some of the best hair accessories to try out! It is going to be fun!
Okay, they aren't new friends per say, but this is the first time that she is spending time to bond with the Hyuga siblings that isn't time spent studying in the academy or in their study group! It is something to be happy about dattebayo!
Before this, the only times she had a sleepover will be at the teme's house since their families are so close to each other. Her mother and the teme's mother are the best of friends, so naturally, she knew teme and Itachi-nii extremely well due to the number of times they visited each other's house. She is good friends with her other fellow genins, but they are not that close to the extent that they will have a sleepover at each other's house.
If there is one thing that the teme has that she never got, it is having a sibling.
The teme has an obvious brother complex. He practically idolises Itachi and worships the ground he walked on. Itachi is also a very good older brother to Sasuke, so Naruto can see why Sasuke adored his older brother so much. The teme and Itachi have a very close sibling relationship. A relationship so close that it often left Naruto wondering if she has a sibling, will she be as close to him or her like how the teme and Itachi are to each other?
Naruto never said it out loud for fear of hurting her mother's heart. She knew that the physical damage her mother experienced from the forceful extraction of the furry fox had left her incapable of producing more children. Naruto had also never blamed her mother for putting a furry legendary beast in her own gut but living the life of a jinchuriki still isn't pleasant. It is a lot better now, but Naruto still can't help but think how different life will be for her if it wasn't her parents protecting her from the harsh glares and hurtful remarks for all these years.
She doesn't want to imagine what kind of life that will be.
Despite her status as a jinchuriki, Naruto knows that she leads a comfortable and relatively sheltered life even by shinobi standards. She is grateful for it. However, even with all the good things she experienced in life, Naruto still can't push away the small lingering jealousy in her heart.
She wants a sibling as well. A younger one sounds good; she can be the overprotective older sister. Having an older sibling will be even better. She likes the feeling of having someone slightly older than her looking after her even more.
If only she has a brother like Sasuke's Itachi. Life will be perfect.
Maybe her longing for a sibling was a little too obvious, but her father had somehow decided to teach Haku the Rasengan, their family technique. The rest fell into place right after she and her mother knew about it. Her mother had always wanted a boy if she ever has the lucky chance to be with child once more and Naruto herself had always wanted another sibling.
They practically jumped at the opportunity to pull Haku into their little family. Now, she has an older brother to call her own, even if it is a very reluctant one that got tricked into being one.
Naruto had spotted it immediately on the very first day she had met Haku at the academy. It is all written in his eyes as plain as day even with that unreadable passive look on his face.
He is a very lonely person. It is the same look in her eyes that she had when she was younger. If she didn't have her parents, if she didn't have Mikoto oba-san and Fugaku oji-san, if she didn't have the teme and Itachi by her side when she was younger, that same look would probably still be there.
Haku is someone who knows what loneliness is.
Thankfully, he has an undying supporter in the form of Hanabi and she is someone that Haku will trust without question. If it wasn't for her, there's no telling what Haku will become with his self-destructive behaviour. Naruto doesn't want someone else to go through what she did before her loved ones pulled her out of the bottomless pit of loneliness. So, she tried. She had tried to be Haku's friend but Haku was extremely reserved and very antisocial. It takes a lot for him to open up. They were close acquaintances at best even after her best efforts in befriending him throughout their academy years.
Not anymore.
Haku is now her older brother. She finally got herself a sibling!
"Haku-nii! It is a sleepover. We should all sleep together!"
"I want my peace and quiet, Naruto. Hanabi is noisy enough, I don't need another equivalent of her."
Naruto didn't let go of the death grip she has over her new brother as she dragged him back to Hanabi's room where they will all be sleeping for the night. Hanabi and Hinata had pulled a very unwilling Neji over as well.
"Yay! Now that we are all together! Let's have a PILLOW FIGHT! A sleepover is not a sleepover without a pillow fight!"
Hanabi is already raring to go with the number of pillows she had stocked up from somewhere and bouncing up and down on her bed. Hinata just gave the demure giggle of hers but she took a few pillows for herself as well.
"Haku-nii and I will destroy the two of you, believe it!"
"Who says I am participating?"
"I did! Haku-nii, quick! Grab the good pillows before the twins take them all!"
"Why don't you just multiply your pillows with your Shadow Clone? I am pretty sure there is an application of the Shadow Clone technique that allows you to multiply shurikens, you should be able to do the same thing to pillows as well."
"That's-" Naruto felt her face lighting up in joy and realisation just as she can see Hanabi's and Hinata's jaws dropping in fear at Haku's words. "- a brilliant idea!"
"Right, so leave me out of this pillow fight. If there's nothing else, I am going back to my room to-"
Haku's words were cut off as a pillow came soaring to where his head once was. Haku had ducked his head to avoid getting hit by the pillow, but more of them quickly came.
"Oi, cut it out!" Haku said in an annoyed tone as he dodged the pillows by reflex. "It's late and I want to go back to my room to sleep!"
"It's every man for himself!" Hanabi gave an excited cheer before she skilfully threw her pillows at Hinata and Naruto, who wasted no time dodging it and then returning fire. "The Fourth Shinobi World War, pillow version, starts now!"
"I am not participating in this nonsensical-"
Neji's words were also interrupted prematurely as a pillow came soaring from his back, courtesy of a Shadow Clone of Naruto. He would have been hit if it wasn't for the range of vision his byakugan provides and alerted him to the danger of the projectile of doom.
"Get Neji-nii!"
"No, get Haku-nii! He is making his escape!"
"Get them all!"
"Pillow Style: Pillow Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"God damn it Naruto! I gave you this idea to use it against them, not me!"
A huge barrage of pillows came flying at Haku as he blocked it with a pane of ice as large as his person. He made to get out of the room with a shunshin, but Hinata was faster and cut off his exit with a well-aimed pillow, forcing him to change his direction.
"Don't make me use my mirrors. None of you will survive the pillow war the moment I get serious."
The only reply to Haku's statement was a combined attack from the three girls as they fired the pillows at Haku while laughing and giggling away.
This is so fun!
Haku dashed to hide behind Neji, who was taken aback by this unexpected move of betrayal and nearly got hit in the face by a stray pillow (where did all these pillows even came from?). Seeing that the only way to defend himself from the pillow barrage short of using the Kaiten is to fight pillows with pillows (Because Hiashi will be really angry if the room gets destroyed because of a pillow fight), Neji swiftly picked one up from the floor and used it to deflect every incoming pillow at them.
Thank kami for Guy-sensei's insistence on making him learn the basics of various weaponry. Neji is never going to argue with his idiotic and crazy sensei in this matter anymore, not after this. Neji isn't sure how he would have survived the combined assault from Hinata, Hanabi, and Naruto otherwise.
This is absolutely crazy. How can a pillow fight get so intense?!
"Guys vs girls! Let's go!"
"Stop it! We didn't agree to this madness!"
"Too late, Neji-nii!"
Hanabi shot a pillow at Haku with a powerful throw that he was forced to block with another pillow. Hinata jumped up to the ceiling and stuck herself there with an application of chakra before throwing her pillows at the guys from above. Naruto spammed clones of pillows at the two boys, who are forced to dodge the pillows instead of defending with their jutsus if they don't want to blow up the entire room with it.
Hiashi will be really angry if that happens.
"Alright, that's it. I'm ending this."
Haku sped forward in a burst of speed and a single pillow in hand. Naruto could swear that her adoptive brother's eyes are glinting with an eerie light as he did that.
BONK! BONK! BONK!
The three girls clutched their heads as Haku used the pillow in his hand and smacked them at the top of their head. How did he get so fast?! They didn't even have the time to react!
"Haku! Lighter! Do you even have any sense of chivalry?!"
"Hanabi, you threw your pillows with the same force as you throw your shurikens."
"But I am a girl! You are supposed to go easier on us!"
BONK!
"Like I care."
"Ha-"
BONK!
"HAKU!"
BONK!
"I think I can now see why you girls enjoy this so much. It is therapeutic." Haku said with a wry grin on his face as he interrupted Hanabi's every attempt to retort with a bonk on her head using the pillow in his hand.
"Haku-nii! Don't go!" Naruto latched onto Haku's leg the moment he starts to leave and purposely wailed like a spoiled brat. She finally has an older brother and she will get him to spend time with her dattebayo!
"I will be next door. There's no need for me to be here. You girls are crazy." Haku said with an annoyed twitch of his eye and resumed his attempt to leave the room. Neji gave him a pat on the back as a show of agreement and support.
However, Haku suddenly found himself unable to take another step.
"Neji, what did you just place on my back?"
"A sealing tag that immobilises the target for a few hours. Naruto passed it to me earlier." Neji replied coolly as he opened the door and made his exit. "There, my job here is done. Have fun bonding with your new sister, Haku-nii."
"Neji, you traitor. Just you wait. I will make your hair sparkle with glitters, I swear it."
"I will be waiting for that day. Haku-nii."
"I hate all of you."
Naruto allowed a genuine laugh to escape her mouth. This is not really what she had in mind when it comes to spending time with her new older brother, but this works too!
Haku's antisocial mask won't fool her. He will definitely try to be the best older brother to her even if he was saddled with this unexpected status from nowhere. She will be the best little sister to him too.
Even if they aren't related by blood, she has an older brother now. They are family now.
Life is perfect.