Chapter 43: New Arrangements
The morning after his confrontation with the Hyuga, Kamikawa Hiraoka arrived early at the Yamanaka clan compound, nestled in the mountains.
He found Yamanaka Inoichi just as he was preparing to head out. Hiraoka approached without hesitation.
"Brother—ahem—Father-in-law," Hiraoka greeted, smoothly correcting himself. "I'm here to take Ino to live with me today."
At the word "brother," Inoichi's face darkened instantly. He had become acutely sensitive to the term ever since that night he'd nearly sworn a brotherhood pact with Hiraoka under the influence of good sake. The memory of his own drunken enthusiasm was a source of profound embarrassment. While he was relieved to learn from Ino that no such oath had been formally made, the mere reminder was enough to sour his mood. Now, hearing that Hiraoka had come for his daughter, a wave of reluctance washed over him, though he knew he couldn't—and wouldn't—truly stop it.
"Fine, take her," Inoichi said with a resigned sigh. His expression then sharpened. "But remember, boy. You had better not bully her. Otherwise..." He let the threat hang in the air, fixing Hiraoka with a stern glare.
"You have my word, Father-in-law," Hiraoka replied with a calm, faint smile.
His next stop was the Hyuga compound. He sought out Hiashi and Hinata directly, stating his purpose plainly. Hiashi initially voiced his disapproval, his posture rigid with tradition, but Hiraoka's unwavering and sharp reasoning eventually won the day. The clan head yielded with a curt, reluctant nod.
Walking back to his home with Ino on one side and a blushing Hinata on the other, Hiraoka felt a deep sense of satisfaction. The future was taking a very pleasing shape.
…
A month passed in a comfortable, peaceful rhythm.
Hiraoka spent his days taking on low-rank missions and his leisure time teasing and training with the two young women who now shared his home. The domestic tranquility was a welcome change.
"Are all Konoha ninja this weak?" a dismissive voice cut through the calm air one afternoon.
"That voice sounds familiar," Hiraoka mused, following the sound to its source.
He found the speaker: a boy in a black hooded coat with purple markings on his face. "Ah, Kankuro," Hiraoka identified. Standing beside him was a girl, tall and confident, holding a massive fan. "And Temari is here, too," he noted, a slow smile spreading across his lips.
Hearing their names, both Sand siblings turned sharply towards him.
"How do you know who we are?" Temari demanded, her guard immediately up.
"That's not important," Hiraoka said, his gaze briefly sweeping over her before he coughed lightly and adopted a more neutral stance. He then turned his attention to the scene. "Naruto, what's going on here?"
"It's this guy!" Naruto fumed, pointing an accusatory finger at Kankuro. "He just picked on my student, Konohamaru! As his big brother, I can't let that slide!"
"I see," Hiraoka said, his understanding feigned. He then shifted his focus back to Kankuro. "Hey, you. Picking on a child? Don't you have any shame?" He shook his head in mock disappointment.
"Hmph. Are you looking for a fight?" Kankuro shot back, not one to back down from a challenge.
"You should leave. Now," Hiraoka stated, his tone casual yet firm. "But the girl can stay." He gestured loosely towards Temari.
"You're dead!" Kankuro's face contorted with anger.
He moved to attack, but froze mid-motion. The cold, sharp point of a kunai was pressed against his neck, the metal biting into his skin with lethal promise.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," Hiraoka advised, his voice deceptively calm.
Temari stared, shocked. She knew Kankuro's skill level well, and for him to be subdued in an instant meant the Konoha ninja before them was dangerously capable.
As Kankuro tensed, preparing a countermove, the kunai pressed deeper. A thin line of bright red blood welled up and trickled down his neck.
"Tch. I told you not to move," Hiraoka sighed, as if scolding a stubborn child. "Look what you've gone and done."
Suddenly, a stream of golden sand shot towards Hiraoka from behind. Gaara. Kankuro thought with a surge of grim satisfaction. Now you'll get what's coming to you!
But Hiraoka had already sensed the third sibling's presence. He pushed off from Kankuro, leaping back in a fluid motion just as the sand slammed into the spot where he'd been standing.
Freed but humiliated, Kankuro scrambled away, no longer so bold.
"Hiraoka, what is this?" Uchiha Sasuke asked, arriving on the scene after hearing the commotion. The immediate fight seemed to be over.
Naruto quickly filled him in on the events.
Sasuke listened, his gaze cool as he assessed the three Sand ninja. "I see."
"I'll handle the one on the tree, Gaara. You take care of the girl," Hiraoka said, laying out the plan as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah," Sasuke agreed without argument. He trusted Hiraoka's judgment.
Hiraoka then turned his attention fully to Temari, his previous lethality replaced by an easy-going charm. "Miss, how about we continue this over a meal? We could discuss... life." He offered her a disarming, sunny smile, a stark contrast to the terrifying efficiency he'd shown moments before.
For a brief second, Temari was caught off guard, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Hiraoka was undeniably handsome, more so than even the Uchiha boy. The directness of the invitation was something she wasn't used to. But her sense of duty quickly reasserted itself. They were here on a mission.
"Stop with the glib talk," she retorted, forcing her voice to remain steady and cold, her wary eyes locked on him.
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Hinata has trash writing imo. As the Wife Of Naruto it should have been much better. Whwat do you think?