Taming Your Demon (Sealing Series Part I)

Welcome Home Naruto!!

A/N: many events in the actual Naruto Shippuden Manga/Anime have been altered or rearranged for this story.  Thanks for reading.

Within the hidden village nestled among the leafy forests of the west, Hinata Hyuga quietly knelt next to her younger sister, Hanabi, near the back of the large family shrine. She took the young girl's hand in an attempt to comfort her. But it was her own sweaty palms that trembled slightly. Hanabi's hand was as steady as her bright white eyes. And it was Hanabi who squeezed Hinata's hand comfortingly, smiling up at her older sister reassuringly.

She whispered, "Don't worry, Hinata."

The Hyuga elders stood like great looming pillars in the front of the shrine with a boy named Shinji Hyuga. He was about ten or eleven. The same age as Hanabi, maybe a couple of months older. He was from one of the branch families, so Hinata saw him often but did not know him well. He seemed nice. He always smiled at her and waved whenever they crossed paths, despite his parent's and grandparent's warnings that he needed to address the main family more formally. He reminded her of Naruto, so she was happy that Shinji was the one who the elders chose to seal to her younger sister.

When her father passed her over as heir to the Hyuga clan, Hinata made an extra effort to help Hanabi through all of the rituals and formalities that came with the title. However, Hinata had never gone through the very formal sealing ceremony, so she could not help her much today.

After several failed attempts by enemy villages to kidnap a hyuga heir in order to gain the power of the byakugan, the elders dropped the age of the sealing to ten, so Hanabi could be sealed right away to Shinji.

She was nervous for Hanabi. More so than Hanabi was for herself. Hinata was not sure if her sister fully grasped what it meant to be sealed to another person. But she returned Hanabi's smile as best she could and then turned back to the ceremony.

"Hanabi Hyuga, come forward."

Hanabi released Hinata's hand, and then the young girl stood and moved to the front to take her place next to Shinji at the altar. Hinata felt nauseous as she watched the elders place the marks on both children that would bind their chakra forever.

From then on, each child would have free access to the other's chakra. Able to sense it anywhere, manipulate it, or draw upon it at will. And if either child was ever stolen from the clan, their byakugan could be blocked to prevent outsiders from gaining the power. The binding could only be broken by death.

After the ceremony ended, Hinata snuck away from the crowd gathered outside of the shrine and through the gates of the Hyuga compound. She headed towards the park, wanting to get away from the shame and guilt that arose while she watched her little sister being sealed to Shinji.

She felt it was her fault that Hanabi was going through the ceremony at such a young age. Traditionally, Hyuga shinobi were not bound to their intended spouse until they turned sixteen. If she remained the heiress, she would have likely been sealed to her future husband this year. But Hinata managed to get herself kidnapped as a young child, not once but twice, inciting even more fear among the clan. And then she failed to live up to the title of heir, setting the burden squarely on Hanabi's young shoulders.

As Hinata entered the park, she looked up at the sky, imagining that the clouds were shaped like the faces of her friends. Kiba, Akumaru, Shino, Sakura, Lee, Ino and...

She ran smack into something hard. Hard enough that she fell back.  Right onto her butt.

A familiar voice said, "Uh... sorry."