[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 41.
...
...
"Because, if you don't help me understand what's going on..." His voice grew even colder. "I will attack the Hyuuga clan myself."
Hanabi's eyes widened, shocked by those words.
"I won't accept this. Whether you like it or not." She was left speechless upon hearing that.
Hanabi remained silent while the only sound on that beach was the waves crashing against the shore from time to time, perhaps one or two seagulls in the sky, completing the scene.
Then she broke the silence, seeing Minato staring at her for seconds without saying anything else.
"Why... why are you doing this?" she murmured, looking into his eyes.
"I'm here to help you, and I will do whatever is necessary for that. Even if you're against it," he said firmly.
"But you know you can't cause more trouble, Minato. You're already facing the Uchiha Clan because of Mikoto, your fiancée. I don't think it's fair for you to just pick a fight with another clan. You'll have huge problems making multiple enemies at the same time... and I don't want that to happen because of me. I'm just someone born into the secondary family, I have no right to ask for anything..." she murmured, beginning to lower her head again, her tone pleading, tears forming in her eyes, but without looking at Minato.
Minato listened and nodded. "Certainly, I will bring more trouble upon myself with this. Hanabi... a lot of trouble. But even so, I still intend to act this way, whether you want it or not. I will be the enemy of the Hyuuga if that's what it takes to protect you," he declared.
"But do you really think you can change the future? My fate?" she murmured, looking at Minato again, tears shimmering in her eyes. She didn't believe in it. Maybe once, when she first met him, she truly had, but now...
And perhaps with that kind of thought, she didn't even see Minato moving against her. Her eyes widened as she suddenly saw him right above her, and in the next moment, he delivered a direct punch just above her head, making her lower her head from the impact. It wasn't strong, but it was enough to leave her dazed before she looked back at him, eyes wide with shock.
"How can you talk about fate?! Stop clinging to these concepts where people are destined to become whatever was predetermined for them when they were children!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration. Minato no longer seemed like the calm person she once knew.
"This really irritates me. You've had these ideas before, and I believed that one day you had let them go. But it seems I was mistaken—you still think people are destined to act according to their birth. That's ridiculous, Hanabi, even for you to think that," he said.
"We are all different, but we make most of the decisions about how we will act in our lives. We shape them. I know a lot of things in this world are unfair, but we still have control over our lives, and we can act or even ask for help..." he said, looking at her.
"I know the Hyuuga clan is very strict, and even you, and I admit it, all the Hyuugas with the mark have suffered retaliation from the main clan, unable to change that. And I am sorry for that. I can't do anything for them. But you, Hanabi... you are my companion, and you are far too important for me to simply stand by and watch you be consumed by your fears," he murmured.
"Then tell me, Minato!" Hanabi exploded, pressing her hands into the sand upon contact with the beach. She raised a hand and reached for her headband, removing it. The mark of the Hyuuga clan became visible to Minato.
"Tell me, then, how will you remove something like this from my forehead? I am doomed to carry this for the rest of my life. I once had hope that you could truly fulfill your words many years ago, and I was happy to stay by your side, alongside Mikoto as our sensei... I became stronger thanks to you, more than anything. But now my clan no longer wants me to act this way. They want me to abandon the strength I built and the bonds I had, to dedicate myself entirely to training as a bodyguard for the main family..."
The more she spoke, the more tears streamed from her eyes as she raised her voice at Minato, a mixture of fear, despair, and anger. Anger at Minato, because every time he spoke, her heart felt more willing to believe him—to believe in this madness that wouldn't be good for either of them.
"And you're just going to give up like that?!" Minato spoke again, his tone firm.
"As if I could do anything?! Haven't you understood that?" she shouted at him.
"I'm telling you that you can trust me, you fool. Do you think I can't try to help you?! I've already said that I will fight to help you, whether you want it or not. But this isn't the Hanabi I know! You're just lowering your head. After all these damn years surviving war, fighting on the battlefield, now you suddenly let your clan's orders make you act like this? I wanted you to want this too because it feels like I'm dealing with just another puppet of the Hyuuga clan and its elders—not my teammate, the one I've been with since our academy days," he said.
She listened, her eyes widening even more before they filled with fresh tears once again. But she no longer shouted back at him. Instead, she lowered her head and began to sob, trembling as she looked down.
"..."
Minato remained silent, watching the girl cry. She no longer seemed to have the strength or the courage to look at him again.
"I'm going for a walk. Don't move from here," he said, turning away as he left, frustration evident in his steps.
Hanabi had no other reaction but to continue crying, her eyes fixed on the sand beneath her, unsure of what else to do.
Minato kept walking along the beach in silence, moving farther and farther away from Hanabi. He was frustrated, deep in thought, and a little angry about the situation. She had simply given up on everything... It shouldn't be like this. She should be with them. She should be asking for his help. But that wasn't the case.
He kept walking until he was at a considerable distance from Hanabi, then stood still for hours, staring at the sea, trapped within his own thoughts. He gazed at the waves, trying to distract himself from thinking about her for a moment.
His eyes fixed on the rolling ocean, and he began to reflect on his old friend, Guren, the blue talking fish. 'He must be swimming somewhere...' he thought. Without dwelling on it further, Minato suddenly decided to leave the shore, leaping over the water and swiftly gliding across the ocean surface, using his ability to move over the air.
As he ventured farther into the open sea, he attempted to locate Guren using his Observation Haki or sensing his chakra as a sensor, scanning the vast waters along the coastline. However, he found no sign of Guren.
"What are you doing, huh, Guren?" he murmured to himself, receiving no answer, his gaze scanning the seemingly endless expanse of water.
Finding no trace of his friend and realizing he had drifted over four kilometers away from the shore, he noticed that the entire day had passed. The sun had begun to set on the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange.
Minato decided then to return. After all, they couldn't stay away from the village for too long.
Upon returning to the beach, Minato saw Hanabi in the same spot. She remained seated, hugging her knees, her head lowered. He sighed at the sight of her like that and approached, landing calmly in front of her, completely silent.
"It's time to go back. I'll take you home," he said in a slightly dry tone.
Hanabi broke her silence. "You know..." she began, murmuring, her throat dry—something the blond immediately noticed.
Minato stopped approaching when he heard her, watching her without saying anything, while she still kept her head resting on her knees.
"There were only two times in my life when I felt free from my clan's rules. Just two times in my entire life." She paused before continuing, her voice heavy with emotion.
"The first was when we met. When you said those words to me... I truly believed them. I thought I could finally change my life, instead of simply obeying and being a puppet of my clan."
She murmured before pausing again, taking a deep breath. Then, finally, she lifted her gaze. Her eyes were swollen from hours of crying. Her stare found the setting sun, lost in thought.
"The second time was when you suggested that I change my fighting style. That I refine my wind element and use a bow and arrow. I knew the consequences of that, but still, you gave me hope that I could carve out a different path. And I accepted it. I don't regret it."
Hanabi finally turned her eyes back to him. "But tell me, Minato..." She looked at him with determination. "What will happen to me if I rebel against the clan? If I still want to be your companion and continue practicing my long-range fighting style? I am alone in that clan. My grandfather follows the rules to the letter... surely you know that." She stared at him, waiting for an answer.
"Yes, it would be dangerous," Minato admitted. "But still..." His expression grew serious again. "I want to take you away from there. I want you to come live with me."
His words made Hanabi's eyes widen in surprise. "What do you mean by that?" she murmured hesitantly.
"I will take you as mine. I want you to be my woman. And I doubt any bastard would dare to harm you if you carried the Namikaze name," he declared firmly.
Hanabi was left speechless. It wasn't a secret between them that she had feelings for Minato.
"But... what about the other girls?" she murmured, uncertain.
"Everyone knows what would happen to you one way or another. So, it's better to take you out of there. If you're willing to accept me along with the other three girls..." he said. "I also... want to live with you for the rest of my life."
With emotions in turmoil, Hanabi lowered her head again as more tears began to flow.
She stayed like that for a few minutes, silently crying. Minato remained there the entire time, just watching her.
Until, finally, Hanabi lifted her eyes to him.
"Please, Minato... then help me. I want to be with you. I love you..." she finally said, able to express what had truly been in her heart all along.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 217 - The Future of the Uzumaki Clan May Be in Danger.
Chapter 222 - Land of Iron.
Chapter 232 - The Dark Side of Konoha
Chapter 241 - We need to get stronger... 03.
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