Painless (A Naruto Fanfiction) [Completed]

Chapter Thirteen: Behavior Explained

Her first thought was that they were upset about the Chuunin exams.

Kazue’d failed. Her- the girl who was supposed to be the next heir. She’d doubted that the news had been easy to take.

As Noriaki lead the way to the main house, Kazue chewed on her lip, ignoring the coppery taste that appeared in her mouth. Her mind was too focused on what was to come.

Unlike some clans,  theirs was structured a bit strangely due to Kazue’s mother and father’s wishes. Her father had decided at a young age that he wasn’t suitable to take the position as the clan head. His medical ninjutsu had been rather horrible and his social abilities about the same level. He could handle talking to one or two people, even handle talking about serious matters to them, but when it came to a group of people he’d come close to a panic attack.

His father had seen the sense in his son’s words and had made a decision. He wasn’t that old when Kazue’s father met her mother and they wed. Her father could do as he wished and the head would continue in his position until Hisoka was old enough to take over. Thankful for the choice, her father had moved out of the main house into one of the simpler houses in the neighborhood with the excuse that he didn’t want to be in the way. When her brother had been injured on the mission, the head had been surprisingly calm about the matter, assuring Kauze’s father that he would be fine continuing in his position even though he now had to wait for her to be of the right age.

As such, the current head wasn’t actually Kazue’s father or her mother, but her grandfather. Her grandmother had died before she was born, having been injured on a mission and hadn’t realized it as a result of  the same condition Kazue herself had suffered from.

The moment she stepped inside the room where her grandfather was waiting, Kazue realized there was something off about the situation. It didn’t match what she’d been expecting.

Part of it was how it should have been. Her grandfather was seated at the front of the room, his white hair hanging loosely around his face, body dressed in a formal kimono. That wasn’t the surprising part, she’d rarely seen her grandfather in anything but formal clothing. No, the problem was the person seated only a bit ahead and to his right. A person she instantly recognized from her father’s visits with the man on a regular occasion.

The head of the Hyuuga house.

Confusion flooded through her and it only got worse as she realized Neji was seated beside the man, his face settled into an unreadable expression. If the stiffness in his form or the cold expression in his eyes were any indication, however, she was rather certain that he’d have rather been anywhere than in the position he was in at the moment.

“Kazue,” her grandfather greeted. “Please, take a seat.”

His voice was cheerful.

Wasn’t he supposed to be scolding her for failing the exam?

She glanced over her shoulder at Noriaki who simply nodded, indicating she should do as she was told. Rather uneasy, she took a few steps away from the doorway, then stopped moving, her confusion getting the better of her.

“Aren’t I in trouble?” she questioned.

Her grandfather looked equally confused for a moment, then realization crossed his face. Instead of looking irritated like she expected, he waved a dismissive hand, as if this major detail was nothing.

“That doesn’t matter, I never expected for you to get far very far in the exam. We all hoped you would, of course, but we didn’t get our expectations up. Come, sit.”

She stiffened, a painful feeling spreading through her chest. Of course he hadn’t. She wasn’t her brother, after all. Almost mechanically, Kazue nodded, moving to take a seat across from where Neji and his uncle were. Without a word, Noriaki took up a position at her side.