"This is amazing," said Sakura, circling around the block of pink crystal lying flat on an engineer's workbench. "How did they even manage to get the pieces to stick together without glue?"
The craftsmen had done a remarkable job of putting Hinata back together in so little time. When she'd first stepped into the workshop, she could have sworn Hinata was still whole. From head-on, Sakura could scarcely see the fissures between the individual crystal fragments.
"Now's not the time to be admiring the craftsmanship," said Tsunade sternly. "Help me summon a medium-sized aspect of Katsuyu. We'll have to work fast the instant the crystallisation comes undone, or Hinata will come sliding apart in a bloody mess."
Sakura scraped a bit of dried blood from the wounds on her arms and handed the blood flakes to Tsunade, who ground them into powder between her fingers and dusted it over her palms, shuddering slightly. With a nod, they began weaving the hand signs in tandem for a synchronised summoning.
"Summoning Jutsu: Katsuyu!"
A carriage-sized Katsuyu appeared in the middle of the workshop in a puff of white smoke.
"I'm at your orders, Milady," said Katsuyu with her lilting voice, bowing respectfully.
"Please cover that crystal with your slime," Tsunade instructed. "As delicately as possible."
Katsuyu shuddered, contracting and undulating as she willed herself to separate into a writhing mass of finger-sized slugs. Slowly but surely, the tiny slugs inched towards the block of crystal, completely covering it with their bodies.
"I've linked myself to my main body using Katsuyu," said Tsunade, turning to Sakura. "I'll take care of the Immense Network Healing, so you focus on unsealing Hinata. Whenever you're ready."
"But I need some time to practise!" said Sakura, her heart hammering in her chest. "This is a Kekkei Tōta, you know!"
Sakura had naturally recorded and memorised the hand signs Guren had used for her Crystal Style Jutsu with her Sharingan, but she hadn't absorbed the bloodline at the time, so the automatic copying process had failed. She knew the seals, which was undeniably useful, but there was more to Ninjutsu than simply making funny shapes with one's fingers.
…
"Let's see, I think it went something like this," Sakura muttered to herself, as she slowly and methodically weaved the seals one after the other. "Crystal Style: Growing Crystal Thorns!"
With the final hand seal, Sakura released the technique… but nothing happened.
"Take your time," said Tsunade's Shadow Clone, drumming her fingers on her forearms impatiently.
Sakura closed her emerald-coloured eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Her Sharingan had seen all of Guren's Jutsu and inscribed them into her very being, entirely on their own. Even if her body hadn't been able to replicate her techniques then, it could do so now— so all she had to do was remember.
A slight shudder of apprehension travelled down Tsunade's spine as Sakura reopened her eyes.
Those sinister red eyes, those pitch-black tomoe, deeper than the darkest night… even though she had never harboured any ill will towards the Uchiha, unlike her granduncle Tobirama, she couldn't help but feel uneasy whenever she saw her disciple using those eyes of misfortune.
"Crystal Style: Jade Crystal Prison Jutsu… Release!"
With a sharp crack, the pink crystal containing Hinata shattered into twinkling dust.
"Now!"
Sitting cross-legged in her office in Konohagakure, Tsunade's chakra surged, travelling hundreds of kilometres in an instant to reach the slugs swarming over Hinata's body, bathing her in a soft, green glow. Sakura watched anxiously as the light slowly faded and the slugs slipped free, peeling off one by one and merging back into the original Katsuyu they had summoned.
To Sakura's relief, Hinata's fat boobs were slowly rising and falling with her steady breaths. She was alive.
"The procedure is a success," said Tsunade with a tired smile. "I've paperwork to get to, so I'll congratulate you in person later. Oh, and don't you dare take the opportunity to steal Hinata's breasts while she's sleeping— return to the village as soon as possible once you're done with your business."
Tsunade's Shadow Clone dispelled herself with a hand sign, leaving Sakura clicking her tongue in annoyance, alone with Hinata's unconscious, curvy form.
…
"Saaaakura-chaaaaan!"
The instant Sakura came out of the workshop with Hinata in her arms, Naruto came running up to them, followed by Kakashi- and Yamato-sensei. Upon hearing Naruto's voice, Hinata's eyes flew open.
Her obsession with Naruto was pathological!
"Naruto…kun?" she croaked out.
Sakura let out another sigh of relief.
After being turned into a statue, shattered into tiny pieces, then painstakingly reassembled and returned to human form, Sakura had fully expected Hinata to suffer some kind of complication, like some brain damage, or at the very least, a bit of amnesia. But apparently, she'd been worrying for nothing. If anything, Hinata had bounced back absurdly well.
"Granny Tsunade said you guys ran into some trouble, so we dropped everything and came running with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei," Naruto said, grinning. "But it looks like everything turned out fine even without us, ya know?"
"It was a bit scary, but nothing I couldn't handle," said Sakura proudly. "I think I've grown pretty strong, ya know?"
Hinata craned her neck from beneath the shadow of Sakura's ample bust and let out a melancholic sigh. Naruto and Sakura looked so happy chatting together, like two peas in a pod. Sakura was strong, brave, clever, and beautiful… and she had massive breasts, too. By contrast, she was gloomy, dull, and boring…
If she truly loved him, Hinata thought to herself, then maybe the best, and perhaps the only thing she could do was let him go. Her dreams of a happy marriage with Naruto, having two and a half children, buying their first home in a prime location in central Konoha, adopting a family pet for the kids…
"Are you feeling okay, Hinata?" asked Sakura in concern, gently letting her down so she could stand. "You were sighing and making strange faces."
Hinata's face turned pink.
Had Naruto heard her muttering to herself, like some sort of creepy woman? No, he was far too busy ogling Sakura… not that that made her feel any better. If this was how things were going to be moving forwards, she'd rather have just stayed in the crystal.
"Hinata!"
Naruto, Sakura and Hinata looked towards the source of the voice. It was Hyūga Hiashi, the Hyūga clan's patriarch, accompanied by a squad of Hyūga Chūnin. As soon as he saw his daughter's face, he ran to her and hugged her tightly.
"F-father!?" Hinata squeaked out.
"When I heard what had happened to you, I couldn't help but curse myself," Hiashi said quietly, his voice trembling slightly. "When you were kidnapped three years ago and lost your Byakugan, I thought it was a miracle of fate when you found your way back to me ("hem, hem," Sakura coughed loudly). You're a gentle girl, not suited for the cruel life of a shinobi. I believed that if I disowned you, you would come to your senses and choose a better path for yourself."
Hinata's bottom lip quivered.
She knew she was not suited for battle; her genius cousin and little sister had beaten that lesson countless times into her soft body. But she had persisted nonetheless, and for one, single reason… because the path of the ninja was the path Naruto had chosen.
"But I know better, now," said Hiashi, choking back a sob. "I underestimated your willpower, and my refusal to train you to move past your disability almost caused your death. I've already failed Neji, so I refuse to fail my own flesh and blood— will you forgive me, Hinata?"
These past two years had been incredibly lonely for Hinata. She had weathered hardship as a poor civilian, living from mission to mission and barely scraping together a living— until she finally bloomed as a kunoichi once more, awakening the long-dormant power of her atavistic Ōtsutsuki bloodline. No one would blame her if she refused to return to the Hyūga, for she had become a truly splendid kunoichi in her own right.
"I've never blamed you, Father," Hinata blubbered. "I've always known that, deep down, you've never truly cared for the clan's rigid rules…"
Hiashi wiped away a manly tear from his eye and turned to Sakura, bowing deeply.
"This is the second time you've disobeyed the village's rules and gone out of your way to save my daughter," he said. "I never properly thanked you the first time you brought her back, as the elders were convinced you'd stolen our clan's ultimate defensive technique."
"Rotation's not that complicated, really," Sakura said brightly. "I figured it out on my own after seeing Neji do it once— anyone can do it, really, as long as they've developed all three hundred and sixty-one of their Tenketsu."
An awkward silence fell upon the two.
"Yes, well— ahem," coughed Hiashi. "I suppose I could excuse that irrepressible urge to copy on your Uchiha blood, even before your Dōjutsu awakened— but I still wanted to thank you for saving Hinata. I believe these belong to you—" he signalled to one of the other Hyūga, who stepped forwards carrying two swords, "—and if it's within my power, I'll do my best to accommodate any request you may have… within reason."
"Then, I want you to abolish the tradition of placing the Caged Bird Cursed Seal on your branch family," Sakura said firmly. "It's cruel and outdated, and it only causes pain. If Neji had never been branded with it, he wouldn't have left the village. That's the only thing I want from you."
Hiashi had long wanted to rid the clan of the Caged Bird… but he had always been too cowardly to do so, despite being clan leader. Tradition is a boon that brings families together through shared values, but it can also be a heavy burden that anchors one down in the past.
"So be it," Hiashi said solemnly. "The Caged Bird Seal is no more… and I won't prevent the branch family from seeking out Miss Tenten to have it removed."