Ninja Way

Yuki did not understand how family members could treat their own kin as garbage to be tossed away. Her elder sister was so kind and cared deeply for both her and Fubuki. So seeing Hinata being treated in such a way made her want to kill the man in front of her.

Jiraiya sighed. He reached out and placed his big hand on top of her head. "I promise he will not harm Hinata in any way. I will make sure of that. So let him go for now. I am sure one day he will regret throwing away his own daughter."

Yuki turned and looked at Jiraiya. Seeing his sincere eyes that showed no hint of lying, Yuki drew back her power and slowly landed on the ground. Hiashi fell to the ground gasping for breath. He had never been treated in such a way before, nor did he ever think that he would be at the mercy of some little girl. He raised his head and looked at Jiraiya and Yuki with complex emotions. He then turned and looked at Hinata, who was peeking out from behind the wall with a worried look in her eyes. Seeing that she was looking at him, he felt a pinch in his heart. After all, was said and done, she was still his daughter. After much compilation, Hiashi turned and looked not at Jiraiya but at Yuki and said: "I will remove the slave portion of the seal. But…. Please leave the rest of the seal. This way, if she is to die or someone tries to steal her eyes, they will be destroyed."

Yuki was not sure if she should let this man near Hinata or not. But when she felt Jiraiya's hand on her head again, she looked up at him to see him nod to her. Only then did she take a deep breath to calm her emotions. "If you harm her in any way, I will make sure you suffer the same fate."

"That is only natural." Hiashi quickly agreed before getting up and dusting himself off. He adjusted the collar of his robes and walked over to Hinata. "Hinata, After I remove your slave seal, you will no longer be a Hyuga. You will go down your own path from here on out. But luckily. You found a friend. Someone willing to fight for you. As my last lesson to you as your father. Never betray your friends, especially those who are willing to stand on your side. Even when life is at its hardest, never betray their trust in you."

Hinata looked at her father, tears welling up in her eyes. It had been a while since she heard her father talking to her so gently. All she ever wanted was the love and care of those she looked up to. But now, as she was being thrown away, he finally showed the love and care she had longed for. While Hinata was lost in thought, Hiashi made a few hand seals before injecting his chakra into the seal on Hinata's head. The seal began to change shape until it vanished without a trace.

Hiashi looked at Hinata one last time before turning around and walking away. But as he passed by Yuki, he left her with a few final words. "The same words I said to Hinata just now were also for you. I leave my daughter in your hands. Please be good friends with her."

Yuki only snorted in response. She did not care about the man's sudden change of heart. She turned and walked toward Hinata to make sure she was okay. Jiraiya, on the other hand, let out a relieved sigh as he watched Hiashi's back. For some reason, he could see a hint of loneliness in it. "One never truly understands what loss is until they experience it for themselves. Now imagine if he did what he set out to do."

On the other side of things, Yuki was hugging Hinata, who was now crying in her arms. The girl was not much older than herself yet was being put through so much more. "Don't worry. From this point on, you will be with me, and we will train together. We will prove to the world that you are not useless and that you can stand against anyone."

Inside Yuki's mind, Rukia had tears running down her face. While a certain fox girl seemed oblivious to all that was happening as she lazed around. But the interest she showed earlier when Yuki began flinging around Hiashi like a ragdoll could not have been hidden if anyone had looked at her at that moment.

The rest of the day, Yuki did her best to help Hinata calm down. It took a few hours before she did, but her mood showed just how sad she still was. Since there were only two rooms, Hinata would be staying in Yuki's room. Hinata seemed to have found security in Yuki's warmth, or maybe it was just her mind that could no longer take all the stress because she quickly passed out once her head hit the pillow.

No one knew what the future held for the two, but Yuki hoped that Hinata could now have a fulfilling life. Not one filled with being beaten and degraded for no reason. She planned to help Hinata as much as she could. While she may be young physically, she still had her original mentality of her sixteen year old self. But Yuki understood one thing from all of this. She would never stand down and never betray those she holds dear and would protect them with everything she has. Whether she knew it or not, this was the start of Yuki's ninja way….