Chapter 241: Meeting The Hyugas

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 241: Meeting The Hyugas

Naruto stood at the door of the massive Hyuga compound. The two guards were staring at him with their intense white eyes, as if they were trying to look intimidating.

"I believe your Lord is waiting for me, so… do you mind opening the door already?" Naruto told the grumpy guards, wondering what he had done to offend those two.

"If Lord Hiashi has truly invited you…" one of them said.

"We will first have to check inside. So you'll have to wait there in the meantime, while one of us goes to do that," the other one added.

By their tone and words, it was implied that they didn't believe he had any business here, or… they just wanted to make things difficult for him.

Naruto was starting to consider if Hinata's dad would get too mad if he threw those two over the wall, but just then, the door opened, and a young woman with short dark hair came out.

He recognized her quickly as Hinata's personal attendant, Asami Hyuga.

"Lord Naruto, we were waiting for you. Thank you for coming… please, this way," she gestured for him to come inside.

The guards were about to complain but stopped when they saw her expression. "Do you want me to tell Lady Hinata what you were doing?"

Their faces went a few shades paler.

"No, please no!"

"We were just messing around a bit. We were about to let this esteemed guest inside!"

Naruto ignored their plight and walked into the premises, closely followed by Asami.

"I hope you can forgive their behavior, Lord Naruto. They haven't received proper education about etiquette when it comes to treating guests properly," Asami bowed.

"You seem a lot more formal than the last time… and you don't need to call me Lord or anything like that."

Asami shook her head slightly. "Given the nature of Lord Naruto's relationship with Lady Hinata, my way of referring to Lord Naruto is definitely the correct one," she insisted.

Naruto shrugged, not really minding enough to argue. "And what's with those two guards? Have I offended the Hyuga clan in some way?" he asked as they walked.

He already knew the way to the main hall where the Lord was waiting for him, so he could walk ahead while Asami remained a few steps behind him as a sign of respect.

"Not at all, Lord Naruto. Those two guards, as well as many other young men of the clan, are… well, to put it simply, they are jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Indeed! Lady Hinata has become extremely popular over the past few years. With her unparalleled talent, beauty, and lineage, she is without a doubt one of the most desired women in the entire continent. But everyone in the clan knows that Lady Hinata only has eyes for… you."

"I see…" He wasn't going to argue about Hinata being beautiful and talented because she was definitely those things. If this was his old world, she would likely be one of those fairies who were born into a powerful clan and were treated as goddesses, receiving countless marriage proposals. Not just for herself, but also for the connections that one would gain.

Naruto didn't put that much weight on the last part anymore. Her connection to the Hyuga clan was no longer of importance for his current situation. But he still wanted to give Hinata the proper attention she deserved.

And that was the motive for tonight's visit. A while ago, he had promised her to come and have a proper conversation with her father about the nature of their relationship to clear things up, since he was a very formal man who liked to obey traditions.

"Hmm… what happened there?" Naruto noticed that the building next to the main hall was partially destroyed, and there were stains of blood on some of the broken walls. It gave the appearance that some serious fight had occurred there very recently.

"Oh, that…" Asami looked somewhat troubled. "A week ago, the son of one of our elders decided to propose marriage to Lady Hinata. He wasn't exactly… how should I say it? He wasn't very tactful in his approach and ended up offending Lady Hinata in the process."

Naruto stopped and glanced at Asami. "What did he do?"

Asami felt her blood run cold. She did not feel any anger coming from Naruto, but she knew that if she gave the wrong answer, that young man would be dead before dawn. "Lord Naruto, it's not what you are thinking… what angered Lady Hinata so much was… that he insulted you."

"Me?" Naruto asked. Asami was correct then, and this wasn't what he was thinking.

She nodded. "He said that Lord Naruto was not worthy of her and… well, he used some very rude words to describe Lord Naruto. Let's just leave it a that." Asami glanced at the bloody, broken wall.

"So she threw him against that wall?" Naruto asked.

Asami shook her head. "If only that had been all… she went further than that. Lady Hinata crippled his chakra veins… permanently. This made his father and uncle extremely furious. They are both Elders of the clan and have been looking for ways to cause trouble for Lady Hinata since then."

"I see…" Naruto seemed to lose interest and continued walking to the grand hall.

Asami had thought for a moment that Naruto was going to ask for the names of these people, at least.

As if he could guess her thoughts, Naruto looked at her. "I trust that Hinata can handle these clan matters for herself, and if she can't, then she can ask for my help." Although he was sure that would never happen.

Hinata knew that asking for his direct intervention would disappoint his expectations of her, so she would never do it.

Hinata was born with immense talent. On top of that, she received an incredibly powerful cultivation technique from Ino, and just yesterday, she got two more boons from Naruto. Not to mention that she has full access to all the resources of the Hyuga clan.

If, with all of those resources, she is unable to handle a few old coots, then Naruto would truly be disappointed in her.

He saw the gates of the Grand Hall and got closer.

"Open the door for my guest."

Naruto heard Hiashi call before he even set foot on the wooden steps.

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