The Hyuuga Clan Estate
A series of houses stood in rows, surrounding a beautiful, lush green courtyard. They were built mimicking the traditional Japanese aesthetic. With wooden walls, rustic furnishings, and a complete lack of ostentatious decor, the average villager might think the Hyuuga poor. This was not the case. In reality, everything was made from the rarest of materials, had the highest of qualities, and undeniably represented the peak of luxury.
Take the floors as an example. The boards that simply had the appearance of lamination were actually made of Alayna wood! Imported all the way from The Land of Snow, magical chakra wood from this tree would be warm during the winter and keep cool during the summer. Its insulation was top tier - living in a house with it was just as good if not better than modern homes with AC!
They did not lack more modern conveniences either. Every home had access to plumbing, electricity, and the like. True luxury to the Hyuuga emphasized function, expressed humility, yet all together appeared very stylistic.
A stern-faced man stood within the courtyard, quietly enjoying the sound of trickling water. It was what appeared to be a natural creek, yet every stone was hand polished, perfectly round. The Hyuuga were vain creatures at their core - even if they tried to give off the impression of humility. For a clan that could see all, appearances had to be absolutely perfect!
"Clan Head!" A panicked, younger shinobi, ran up to the man standing at the creek. The shinobi quickly bowed down and then took one knee.
The man did not react, did not move a single muscle. He stood there, in traditional white robes, stoic and stalwart like a statue. The Byakugan granted 360 degree vision. He did not need to turn his head when addressed, nor should he. Deferring was what the lowly did in the presence of the strong. He, as the clan head of the Hyuuga, had to display the unyielding strength of old no matter the circumstance!
"You may speak."
"The clan heiress, Hinata! She was seen crying in public!"
Hiashi was shocked! "What!?"
"We've heard it now on multiple accounts! The nine-tails jinchurikii, Naruto, shouted at her after the exams! Hinata immediately started crying! In public!!!"
Oh no... Hinata, no... How could you shame the clan like this...? Hiashi felt like he was stuck between a Kunai and The Gates of Hell!
Multiple elders came running now, waving their canes as they quickly prostrated themselves before Hiashi. Shinobi, hidden Anbu as well. Just as the branch members were slaves to the main clan, so were the main clan members to the head! The branch members instead gathered at the outskirts of the courtyard, prostrating, giving the main clan members a respectful distance.
"Clan Head!"
"Clan Head!"
"Clan Head!"
Hiashi waved one hand, silencing all of them. To Hinata, he was sorry. His responsibility as the leader of the Hyuuga would not allow him to be merciful this time!
His voice boomed, reaching every corner of the estate, "I know why you all have gathered here today. Hyuuga Hinata, the clan heiress, has brought shame to all of us as a clan! We cannot allow her to tarnish our reputation any longer!"
They all shouted as a group.
"Yes!"
"Hinata will no longer be allowed to have the honor of joining the ranks of our ninja after promotion! Instead, she will be forced to join a Genin squad! She shall not receive the protection of the clan like all other main clan members! She shall repent through this trial of fire - facing the risk of death and destruction at any moment!"
Hiashi looked around, noting the subtle dissatisfaction still present on the faces of many. This treatment, they had already known this was going to happen. For this, it was no longer about not meeting expectations. She had actively vandalized the honor of the entire clan! Oh Hinata... Your father was so, so sorry...
He cleared his throat and continued, "And! Hinata will be clan heiress no more! For this shame and her history of constant disappointment, she shall be exiled! She shall bear her dishonor alone!"
"Yaaaaaahhhh!!!!" Roars of righteous vindication and approval sounded out from every corner of the Hyuuga clan grounds!
Hinata, listening quietly from the edge of the compound, quickly turned and ran away. She needed to find Saul, now!
Ichiraku Ramen
Saul sat at the front booth, sipping down a bowl of Naruto Ramen. Yes, Naruto Ramen. Naruto Uzumaki was actually originally named after a Japanese fish cake with a pink spiral pattern called Narutomaki! Once Saul heard about this, he had to at least try it!
A plain faced woman with brown hair approached him from the counter. Saul couldn't remember her name.
"Hello, my name's Ayame. I haven't seen you around here before, is this your first time?"
An old man wearing a short chef's hat peeks his head around the corner to listen in on the conversation.
"The name's Saul." He nods in greeting, "Yes, this is my first time here. Do you guys get many customers?"
Ayame laughs. "What? No, not a small restaurant like this!" She brushes a lock of hair aside from her face, "We're trying our best though! Me and my old man, Teuchi, we make every bowl with heart! Are you enjoying the ramen?"
As if he could reasonably say no after she said all that! Saul chuckled internally. The food was quite good, for ramen that is. He couldn't see himself eating here very often however. Saul wasn't Naruto.
"Yeah, I believe it. The ramen is quite good!" He said encouragingly, "I can see you guys becoming quite popular with ramen enthusiasts!"
Ayame beamed, "Well then, I hope to see you stop by sometime again!"
Teuchi also smiled from the back. Then he pulled his head back from around the corner. Saul was about to go back to finishing his bowl of ramen, but just then a flutter of long silky black hair flew past. Suddenly, a woman was sitting by his side. She greeted him casually.
"Hey, Saul-kun!"
"Hinata!? Aren't you supposed to be at your clan? I thought you'd get in trouble if you hung out late!"
Hinata shook her head no slowly, keeping a soft smile. The bulging veins connected to her Byakugan receded.
"That doesn't matter any more, Saul-kun. Didn't you want me here, with you? Aren't you happy to see me?"
Saul could sense the darkness present behind her seemingly gentle question. She was ready to do something drastic if he told her no!
"Of course I am! It's always wonderful to be around you, Hinata! I was just wondering, what's the occasion? When we last talked you told me we'd be seeing each other tomorrow!"
Oh! Her sweet, sweet, Saul-kun. He was worried about her! Hinata blushed and held her face in her hands. No. It was fine. Everything was fine as long as he was by her side! Saul-kun would never abandon her!
"I-I just felt like I wanted to see you..."
Ok, something was seriously wrong! What in the world happened with Hinata?
Author's Note: I honestly didn't expect the current Hyuuga clan reaction. But while reading through the Wiki, browsing various interactions with the Hyuuga clan, I realized just how cold the clan was to Hinata.
When Kurenai visited Hiashi, she implored him to give Hinata another chance to train with the main clan as was tradition for the Hyuuga. She argued that a genin squad where members had a chance of dying was not the right place for someone lacking confidence like Hinata.
Do you guys know what Hiashi replied? He basically told Kurenai to fuck off, he didn't care if Hinata died! That was a Hinata that was not seen crying during graduation! To traditional Japanese clans like this, Honor was everything! Those who brought dishonor to the house were forced to commit Seppuku (suicide by stabbing one's own stomach with a blade)! Hinata's current ruling is already a very merciful decision from her father!