A/N: A little not before the story starts. I started this maybe two years ago but it was before I was even decent at this entire writing thing. I took down the story and placed it in the corner for a time but as I scrolled through the archive I thought on restarting it. It's a story from a different Naruto Fic I wrote. The precursor to Switched Fox if you will I all Assassin Among Shinobi. This is an side story about a "dark period" of one of my favorite characters when she went off the grid. This is during the Shippuden era three years after the Chunin Exams in case you'll get confused of the time period. While I could release the story AAS I'm debating whether or not to bother. Anyway hope you enjoy the story and please review your thoughts after reading the first chapter of a revised Hinata's Song.
I am strong.
Finally, I can say it and mean it.
I am strong because of the trials I have been through. I am strong because of the people around me. I am strong because I can take life as easily as I can give it. I am strong because the man that I love stands by me. The man I will marry no matter what believes in me. I am strong because no matter the foe I learned that they all have a weakness that can be exploited. I am strong because I left Konoha, my so call friends, my false mentors, and even my so called "family." They were my family for a time, that is until I found a new one. This family of rejects, murderers, killers, and criminals of the highest caliber. These people are exactly what my previous vows excited me to fight, and yet when I stand with them they're like regular people that laugh, sing, joke, and look after each other as if they are all blood. They're the forsaken, the misunderstood, and the forgotten.
They… We are the infamous mercenary group known as Reikura. The Darkest souls in the land. Every single one them, myself included, all wanted in so many countries for their deeds. I'm not sure how that happened since there're few survivors or witnesses to incriminate them, but I know for sure that most famous assassinations are their doing and so do most nobles and lords. This group does the missions that drive regular ninja to madness yet they love the life of death and danger. The challenge of infiltrating a compound without being caught and completing your mission, whether it is intelligence gathering something more exotic, gives you a rush of exhilaration.
Funny, in a past life this crazy talk would have seemed insane and an impossibility for someone of my alignment and personality. It would be if not for him. He helped saved me from my family. From a life as a toy to some lord in Kumo. He taught me so much and carried me through it all. My friends and comrades are all supportive and teach me many different forms of fighting and survival. This is possible mainly because we come from all corners of the land.
I'm part of a faction known as "Eyes Have You," or an Ehyon assassin. Created in the mist and function through distortion of reality and perception we move and act as phantoms. The fight is finished before you even know it. We are the last thing you never heard or the last sight you ever see. By far it was the worse training I've ever suffered to get to my level and earn the moniker I have. I didn't have to kill a cub despite popular belief. I still have him as a pet in fact and he helps me fight. Same goes for my bird of prey. She's my eyes when the distance is too far for me to see with mine. My life as a member of this group is challenging but the fact of the matter is that there's nowhere I'd rather be than here. At his side until the end.
He keeps it all together. If not for him god knows where we all would be right now, myself included. My choice to come here has been the best and only decision I've ever made for myself. My name is Hinata Hyuga, the Moon render of Reikura, able to hit a fly at 500 meters without killing it and can cut you a thousand times in seconds. I am strong and can only get stronger.
As of right now the time was late. It's night time but with my sleep schedule it feels like it's early in the morning. I had a 5-hour nap which is a surprise on its own seeing that I usually only have enough time to get maybe three hours a day. It must be an easy week if I had to get up on my own. Maybe there're no jobs for Leader and I start, or maybe I'm being sent on my own for once; but I doubt that.
I looked over from my bed to the form wrapped in a yellow blanket. My roommate Fū was snoring lightly dreaming of white primroses or maybe something else related to the color white. She's my supposed partner in crime. She's the frontal assault nut that charges in and distracts our foes so I could pick them off one at a time. It's a good strategy, but sometimes I am forced to get my hands dirty and fight up close and personal as well. Taking you down from a range is my role as a marksman and sniper, as my leader calls it. If I can't that's when our foes wish they took that arrow to the knee or elbow instead of fighting both of us at the same time. Fū is a very good friend and is always striving to beat leader in a fight and ends up taking me along with her.
Then there's my other roommate sleeping with her head literally in a book at the desk next to her bed instead of being in said bed. Karin, the red-haired demon. The demon that once got so angry at a guy for cutting her long hair that she slapped him into the dirt at least 20 feet away with a red mark on his face and an explosive tag as a makeshift bandage. There went that bounty, for its hard to turn in a bounty with sloppy body parts and organs. Moral of the story is: don't touch this girl's hair.
We live in a room the size of a house and are spoiled with all good food, clothes, and other possessions we could ever want and space to put it all. The reason our room isn't full of the typical little kunoichi "necessities" is because we are more practical in our wants now because of the atmosphere we live in. While, I'd like a nice beautiful kimono like my mother use to wear with tsubaki flower designs, a pair of yellow loose designer sandals, a beautiful midnight black and gold ornate comb for my hair, and maybe a ring made of lustrous silver and gold, but I don't really need those things. I have the most valuable jewel ever around my neck and the clothing I want I can get at any time I wish. I do love having the choice to be spoiled with all the money and massages I could want but still those things won't help me on mission. Well the money will if in coin form like used in the land of the moon would be useful. Or paperbacks for kindling.
What I truly want is him and it's the same for every girl in this room. We want him for all his strange yet behavior, the massages, his fierce will to protect all of us from the most dangerous of threats, the massages, the freedom we get whenever we go on mission, the massages, and the pure energy he gives off that Karin never shuts up about… Did I mention the massages? He gives the best massages ever. Because of the training and practice he had in the field of anatomy and neurological stimulation in one touch, with or without lightning chakra, he can send you over the edge. I can only imagine what happens if it goes farther.
Speaking of which, the man is also faithful in a way. He never passes the boundary into intimate relationships with anyone literal making this any man's or woman's game. I can win if that one woman from mist and the one from cloud stay away from him. The odds are against me but I'm confident in my abilities and my beauty. He attracts people to him like he is covered in honey but he is fair to everyone and treats every gender how they wish to be treated. He regards women as sacred beings sometimes, or that's just the feeling I get. Almost as if he wants to but can't get too close. Some think he's shy with his feelings but it's more than that. Much more. He knows all of us feel for him yet doesn't make any sort of action to get us. None of us even Kyoko who I have seen do her blood pleasure thing never got far. Sometimes I wonder if it's something we did or maybe I did.
I rubbed my head when I heard a knock at the door and was reluctant to answer it. The sound made my ears ring and as consequence made my head hurt. What to do?
1. I could ignore the knock and lay back down.
2. I could get up and answer it.
3. Use my byakugan to see who it is then ignore then lay back down.
So many choices. I wonder which I should go with.
The person knocked again at the door and Fū groaned, "Hinata, could you get that suu?"
I sighed since my choice was made for me and got up to answer the door. My feet pressed against the warm rug we had for our room, and I slowly made my way to the door. I opened it and saw eyes in a ripple-like pattern that spread over the eyeballs, with light purple sclera, and light dark purple irises that stared into my very soul for as long I gazed into them. The Rinnigan is what it was called. I believe it gave the user the power of a god. This man was like a god in my book and I even told him once. He responded by calling himself more of a demon and myself and all the people around him angels that keep him contained. I didn't understand what he meant at the time and still don't.
"Morning princess," he said in a warm tone as he cocked his head slightly to the right.
I checked the clock by the window and saw that it was nowhere near morning because it was currently ten at night on the dot. I couldn't find my voice because the minute I looked back to him I noticed that my night clothes are laid in a neat pile on the desk next to my journal. Which means I am naked in front of the man I love right now. This isn't the first time I have been naked in front of him because of the first thing we did was break my shyness. My uncomfortably in "showing my stuff" as Akemi says all the time. It was meant to harden my mental fortitude so I can perform in any environment I find myself in at any time.
He and I, like with everyone else here, did everything together. Literally everything from bathing, sleeping, getting dressed, going to the bath room, and much more. There was no such thing as privacy between us and seeing a boy naked, the boy I like I might add, was too much for me. Since he saw me naked all the time pushed it beyond the limit. We slept in each other's arms through it all and that was a new experience for me in many ways. I'd say two or three months before my conditioning took effect. By then I could touch him butt naked with only a slight blush but no other sort of change in my physical appearance; the blush is because of hormones mostly.
He had always been a real gentleman that never looked at us like a pervert and never seemed to show "that" sort of interest in us the same way we did him. I'm sure this wasn't the first time after all I am not the first "Eyes Have You" assassin he trained in such a way that exposes him to nude females. I wonder still how he does it without being affected.
What's funny is despite all the harsh training my cheeks burned and my arms came up to cover what modesty I could to preserve, which wasn't much. I'm so used to sleeping naked that I unconsciously strip down before I go to bed. He smiled at my action and my ears burned next. It was then I saw that his cheeks had a faint red blush as well making the situation awkward and a surprise to see. After the conditioning he began to make me believe that he's bi-polar or tri-polar with all the sides of him I've seem. It's like he has a face for everything. For training, while on mission, and even during relaxation his personality changes to borderline schizophrenia since his "faces" all act completely different. I pray never to see his dark predator side. The one that earned him the nickname The Bloody Murderer of Kiri. I've heard stories and prefer it stays that way.
"Would you like me to wait until your dressed," he offered politely.
"No no," I said quickly and abruptly. "Please come in after all, you and I have seen each other's... places so it doesn't matter." I stepped back to allow my guest entry into my room and he took it without hesitation.
"Ahh who is it Princess? Tell him to go away." Karin moaned trying to sleep in her uncomfortably awkward position.
"I'm happy to see I'm so loved," he deadpanned as he sat at my desk. He looked back to my gown and picked it up. "I am happy to see your still a commando as well Princess."
I smiled and took the gown, "You're only happy to see me naked again." I accused playfully and by the smile on his lips I hit the nail on the head and into the wooden block.
"Well if our positions were reversed you would be too."
"Not as much as you think and your training is to blame for that if anything." I covered my body in the gown made of silk and sat on my bed.
"That's true but you did beg me to make you stronger Princess and your boundaries and walls had to be broken for that to happen." That's true in many ways. I'm stronger now because of the wall called embarrassment was shattered into thousands of pieces and then stepped on repeatedly. My comfort zone has been stretched so thin it is almost nonexistent so the small things that make girls shy and flustered mean nothing to me.
I looked towards the man and marveled at the off coloring of his hair. I've seen the same color hair he has so much but not at the shade it is or lack of shade there is. He has the body that shows neither his strength nor weakness. He told me that the reason he cares nothing for a muscle-bound body is because too much muscle is unhealthy more than it is healthy. He's muscular to a point but not Gai level muscular. I think it's because of how he feeds himself and works on his body. It's lean to a point but not skinny like many ninja bodies I have seen. Some are walking sticks or show their ribs. I can't see his bones and at most he has a 4 pack not a six or eight which I saw once in my time with him.
I felt a flick on my forehead knock me out of my daydream instantly. "Hinata you're staring at me again."
I had the decently to smile sheepishly. "Sorry," I said and he shrugged.
"It's whatever princess. I stare sometimes as well but I hide it."
"Not very well if you ask me," I said while looked down to my chest where I felt his eyes not too long ago.
He chuckled, "Point taken."
"Ahg, who is it!" Karin looked up from her desk glaring at us with frustration. She leered at me then her eyes went to the guest in the corner at my desk.
"Don't worry Karin, I won't be in your hair for long," he said with a sly smile on his lips.
Karin's eyes bulged from behind her glasses for a moment before she got her usual snobby composure back. "Hmm," Karin grunted just before turned back to the desk and waved from behind. That was the signal to ignore her and carry on with what we were doing previously which I was grateful she did.
"You're here for a reason," I said with a sigh and continued, "I have a mission do I not?"
"Yes, you do."
I looked up to his now red inverted color eyes. The Mangekyō Sharingan and another of his special abilities. His is designed that the tomoe come together in the center, split down the middle in three directions making it symmetrical in a way, and has an appearance like a three-petal flower if I can give a small illustration of what I believe it looks like. It's unlike other Sharingan I have seen like Uchiha Sasuke's. His was full of foolish pride, ambition, and a level of cockiness that get most ninja killed. I was guilty of this once upon a time. This Sharingan was like Itachi's, sad and dark yet held a power that made it glow, and made me want to converse with the bearer.
I faintly use my dōjutsu except for my archery, and that's at extremely long distances where I have to see distance, wind strength and direction, the speed of the target as well as the size, and where on the target's position to complete my task. One shoot per kill is a waste of a perfectly good arrow but for some missions it is required; I am getting off track. I'm not even on mission yet and I'm already in mission mode. I see him with his dōjutsu activated sometimes but other times I get a flash of the eyes he had before the Oto Incident. A dark navy blue so unlike the ocean blue they were in the past.
"About this mission, is it solo?" He rose and eyebrow at my "question" because the answer lies within way we operate. Depending on the possible danger, risk level, and overall experience of the available members the number of us needed to complete it will change. Solo missions are rare but not impossible. I've never done one and unconsciously grateful for the sense of security that my comrades give me while on mission. I do want a solo mission though for more personal reasons than practical and rational ones. While here, because of our survival of the fittest lifestyle, the desire to prove yourself dominates your actions over anything else and solo missions are an excellent way to show the world what you are. It gives you a chance to show your comrade just what you're made off once you become infamous.
Itachi sensei has been on many solo missions and even leader has been on too many to count from what the records say in our library. Last one he had forced him to infiltrate the Jashin cult and killed the High Priest. The consequence of his sacrificial actions during this assassination forced him to take the mad bastard's place. The "Jashin Incarnate" he was called afterwards and there went another entry into the bingo hook. I want a solo mission to make my mark like Kyoko-nee, Itachi-sensei, Haku-kun, and leader.
"It could be if you don't mind a trip to "that place" Nightingale." The mission brief started the second my nickname came up. Every "Eye's Have You" have a nickname with some sort of bird that they represent through their actions after training.
"What is my mission and who is my senior?" I bet it's Haku or maybe Kanji. I don't mind either of them for they each have their own ups and downs and unique way of mission completion. Kanji is the sort of man that loves the direct approach and by the way he dresses it comes as a surprise to some. Haku is subtle and calm versus Kanji who is outgoing and erratic in his behavior yet both are good at what they do to adapt to their situation enough to make their flaws meaningless. Or maybe it's because they're assigned missions best suited for their way of approach.
"You're the senior." I looked to him in surprise. Out of everyone here he chose someone as inexperienced as me to lead a mission to "that place" of all things. As a mission senior the final say on who accompanies me on the task is all up to me. The same with the plan of action, means of obtaining the three basic necessities of life, means of travel, and the guise we or I will take while in the Area of Execution (AoE). "Here." Leader presented a scroll to me with the mission specs in it along with a payment ahead of time to help with my expenses during preparation.
"Who can I bring with me leader?"
SNAP! My head shot back. He flicked my forehead like so long before. If I did anything that he didn't like, like blush during baths, he'd poked me in the forehead the moment I tried to look away. "Free eye candy" Karin would say in a series of giggles, and she'd always looked. It was difficult for me since I was raised to be respectful of other's modesty, which does exist here. Sometimes Kyoko forgets to get dressed and walks around naked or half naked yet few of us bat an eyelash about it.
I rubbed my forehead and looked up to the dark blue eyes he had now. Those eyes seem to change periodically sometimes but I know he does it to mess with me and force me to focus on his eyes. I started to get a habit of spotting extreme changes in appearance and tend to stare at said changes. This something he took note of about me and used it against me so I'd look dead in his eyes. Even though my eyes can see through barriers and pierce through people's chakra I can't see through his and yet his eyes read mine easily. God time flies and yet something's never change apparently.
"That hurt," my face stayed blank the entire time but my head stung to death.
"What did I say about calling me leader Hinata?" His expression was one of amusement and playful. No longer was it cold and serious as it was during the "passing" and I should have known. Once the scroll is taken symbolizing the acceptance of the mission formalities usually drop. I forgot that even though we call him teacher, leader, master, or demon sometimes he doesn't like those names. All words that show him as any sort of leader or as a holder of a leadership role or higher power he hates to be called by or related too. He doesn't call himself or see himself as the leader of anything because he does nothing alone. Every mission is decided by Vanguard, the group of members that regulate mission tempo. There's no true leader because not one bows to the other, and yet there's this notifiable sense of reputation. Each mission completed gives those involved bragging rights and more respect. More respect means a better standing and more word over decisions in the group.
"You said to call you by your name not one of those titles," I recited for the hundredth time but with all the things he has done it's difficult He created Reikura from nothing but a forsaken regiment of missing ninja that fell in the bloodline war and a bandit that fell by his hand. Itachi is the leader as much as him mainly because he has been here the longest out of all of us and even before. The biography on his beginnings is in the library as well as the exploits of the bloody brothers as they were called. They found it all together so there was never a leader but still many of us see him as the leader not because he is the strongest but because of what he did for us to make us.
He chuckled and kissed the spot on my forehead he flicked making my eyes widen slightly. "And why is that?" he said with a grin at my faint reaction showing even with all my conditioning I can't resist his touch fully still.
"Because there're no leaders in our band. Mainly advisors that operate at a higher echelon." I stated for the thousandth time as well.
"Correct, so do not call me leader, master, or anything else like that because you're all free to come and go. In truth you have no anchor to the organization," So he says but couldn't be more wrong. "Well I passed the mission off to you so it's all on you now Hinata." Oh yeah, I am senior on this mission to "that place" so I can choose anyone able to go with me. That means I must visit her to get a checkup before I can go because this is the first mission in two months I've gotten.
Those eyes are still dark blue yet I couldn't help but focus on them. His eyes when they were ocean blue were beautiful to me but these darker eyes hold a strength the ocean blue set lack. They used to hold the conviction and dedication to a cause but that changed into this darker form of what was once bright. I'm not sure what to prefer now. He knows everything about us even though we know barely enough about him. The biography covers what he is but not who he is. He reads me like a book even though I say nothing most of the time. But I might have been talkative long ago so maybe he just remembers what he overheard.
"Are you able to accompany me?" I asked quickly before he stood up to walk away.
"No." I was disappointed but didn't show it. Instead I replied with a nod. "I received a personal request with Temari as my senior and your task appeared at the same time as her's."
"But she asked you first," I sighed and shook my head.
Temari: "The Desert rose" that is as sharp as she is beautiful, or so they say. Having an affinity for wind which is "sharp" making it all the more apparent. I got back to the base six hours ago with Temari so this had to happen while I was asleep. That plotting slatten! No wonder she wanted to give me those few extra hours to take my watch. She knew about the missions and took advantage.
I sighed again and said, "Very well. I guess that's okay and seeing since Ms. Thorny is leaving on mission without me I might as well go alone."
"Are you sure?" he asked me in a worried sort of tone.
"The truth is I would've preferred to have you with me. We both know 'that place' better than anyone here but if you can't then I'll do this alone. It looks like a simple task." 'Simple is too simple sometimes.' Echoed in my head from the lessons I had long ago. Nothing is simple because there's always a plot hidden beneath the simplicity of a task that makes it difficult. I was taught to never be a tool for someone else's will like most ninja do. Their will is not their own because they're like puppets with the string attached to their limbs until cut off. They think freely yet their arms and leg fulfill the purpose of others and not themselves.
"Do not be a tool," is what those eyes are saying to me and not being a tool is what I shall be. I am no longer shackled by the village and the family I once had. In my training I cut the strings from my body that made me someone else's. I have no leader or commander to take orders from. I am my own man... Woman.
I sometimes forget I am a girl with all the men around that treat us like men. No pulled punches or given hits here in a man's world and I was sucked into the life. I can hit harder than many men here and Fū is a woman shaped battering ram like Zabuza is though he isn't a woman; he's just crazy like everyone else here. We're all an insane rare bunch that can operate anywhere and as anyone one if we must.
I nodded to him and smiled lightly, "I understand and don't worry. I took those lessons to heart even if it is from that man."
"Good. I'd hate to see you become unlucky princess." Unlucky. That's a laugh because luck is what makes everything run smooth around here. Or maybe I'm mistaking luck for skill.
Who knows?
I smirked making him cringe for a split second. I love to see that in a man. A look or action that tells me that out of everything he is feeling uncertainty is one of them. I love to see fear too but uncertainly is gold compared to bronze. A man that is scared is dangerous and sometimes more dangerous than one with confident bursting at the seams. Uncertainty is the downfall of a man. Uncertainty brings way for a feeling of doubt in one's ability to defeat his opponent and that doubt is what will kill you in the end. To see it in him made me want to jump him like my other targets, but that won't lead me anywhere I want it to go.
"I'll go see doctor before I leave tomorrow," I declared.
"There's no rush," he said.
"There's one if I get a wish afterwards, and I'd like to see how strong I am compared to the rest." That thought of showing what I can do without revealing anything is what I live for hints the name Nightingale.
"Then I will leave it to you Hinata and good luck, not that you need it."
"The same to you as well," I took a deep breath with my blank stoic expression and said, "Naruto-kun."
His smile always made me happy even with my conditioning. The best way for me and the other girls to become immune to the wiles of men and to get over the male body is for it to be available at all times in every form of the word. Seeing my love's body and even cuddling to it all the time helped. His eyes are so beautiful to gaze at. It's like a galaxy is contained in his body. He's different from the Naruto I knew many years ago but this one is so such stronger in almost every day compared to the other. Instead of preaching about doing something and trying to do it he gets up and does just that. He wants to earn recognition but not from "that place" only. If he wants a village and there's no doubt he will obtain it or make one. He protects what he sees as precious and that extends to me and everyone here. Once when I was younger, more foolish, and less wise I approached a man that was a ninja in disguise as a homeless child that was there to capture me, but the second he sprung at me he didn't make an inch before Naruto had him by the throat.
"What are you doing to my hime?" Is what he said. That was when I knew I could trust this Naruto and when my training turned up instead of down. I love him more than I ever after that and still do now, but he loves nothing yet cares for everything. His sees me as someone special which can't be said about everyone here. I' m lucky I guess but only time will tell if he can belong to me.
I turned to my desk and sighed as Naruto left my room. Karin looked up from her book and looked back with a smile. "A solo mission to the leaf huh?" Karin stood up from her chair and looked over my mission scroll. "He came to you for this exclusively seeing as both of you stem from this village. This should be an easy mission for you Hinata."
"I don't know Karin. It just seems too easy if you ask me."
The red head adjusted her glasses so what light that shown through the window could glare off her eyes. "For a mission like this it would usually go to a genin team with a chunin leader but this came to us from godfather so it is probably a cover mission to bring you in for your real mission brief." I nodded. Karin's assessment made sense and it's a common trend. We get the missions that are insane and drive people insane afterward and nothing so simple. If it's simple in appearance that's because the "real" mission needs to be addressed at the AoE not at base.
"A simple escorting of a lord's son from "that place' to the land of tea is just too normal for us," I said as Karin rolled the scroll back from after a quick read.
"Boob and brain, didn't think that was possible." Karin let out a sigh.
"What?"
"Nothing Hinata, it's nothing." Karin handed me the scroll and went back to her desk. "I can't say this enough but watch out for yourself princess. I'd hate to see you die."
"Once I marry Naruto-kun, have his child, and live thirty plus years I can die without regret," I stated proudly.
Karin giggled at my admission. "Not if I get him first princess. Just remember that he and I are connected."
I reached into my gown and pulled the gem up. The gem was a night sky dark blue that glowed faintly in the dark and light. "So am I and Fū and everyone else," I retorted with a smile.
Karin snort and turned to her book looking down to her blood red Ruby. My diamond glowed a bit but hers has a shine in it. I'm never sure why but it might be because of the fact they're both Uzumaki. They're distant cousins maybe born in circumstances that made them lesser commoners than anyone else. They have bad childhoods which is probably what brought the two together. As kindred spirits they both make a great team, but it could also be because of how well round Naruto-kun is. He can be paired with anyone and be perfectly in sync with them. He does work more fluidly with a certain few. I'm an example because I was trained by him and godfather personally to be his other half.
Stealth wasn't my thing until I came here and was trained in a tracking team. I can do everything myself now. In just three years I'm proclaimed one of the best archers in the world as well as the creator of a new form of Gentle fist that allows me to strike more points with five times more precision or one point rendering it useless. I can't show my skill much and that is what I want. Makes me more unpredictable like Naruto. He can do things that amaze me yet the mechanics behind it is so simple and basic it's mind blowing. An open mind will bring you far in battle and life.
I blinked when I noticed a pair of hands waving in front of my eyes. "Day dreaming again." I heard a chuckle and looked over to the sly smiling face of Fū.
"You're awake early," I said to her.
"And you're staring into space like Naru Naru does sometimes suu." I forced the blush on my cheeks to stay down but by the grin on the lime green hair girl's face I've been caught. "You Really want to be like him eh Nightingale? or on him suu?" Fū got a kick at teasing me about my crush on Naruto. Her hands snaked around my neck from the back and I could feel her hot breath on my ear.
'Here we go.' I thought with a sigh to prepare myself.
"You want him to holster your kunai? Seal away your biju? Turn a shadow over your light? Be the Kage to command your village? Or maybe for him to close your tenkinisis with a well-aimed strike suu?" Each one of those seemingly harmless questions caused my core to warm up and my cheeks to flush. "Oh ho, you're blushing Hinata. That's pretty cute for you Ms. Stoniness."
"Shut up." I shrugged Fū off my body and walked to my wardrobe closet. "And you're one to talk. I see everything Fū even what you did three days ago." My blush was replaced with a Cheshire cat grin. Fū's eyes widened and even though the room was faintly lit and Fū had beautifully tanned skin I could still see the blush on her face.
Karin rose an eyebrow and inched towards me. "Give me the details."
Fū looked to me with almost pleading eyes and the bitch in me wasn't around right now so I lost my smile making Fū get her's back. "It was nothing special." I said nonchalantly and waved. "Oh, really you're not gonna let me in on anything?" I looked back to Fū and shrugged. The bitch in me isn't here doesn't mean her influence isn't. "Let's just said say she really want Naruto-kun to curl her toes, bring a cooling relief to her hot fever, showcase his movie in her land of snow, give praise to her maker, and see if the orange can really leave her eyes."
Karin licked her lips and glanced over to the paled Fū. "Hinata!" She screamed in shock and I laughed. After a couple seconds of pouting Fū followed. Karin giggled and sat on her desk but made sure to remove the book first.
"You two are tediously ridiculous to be talking about this so openly," she scoffed and drew attention I'm sure she'll regret.
"Hmm, whatever are you talking about Karin?" Fū and I said simultaneously with matching grins. Karin jumped back getting uncertain of her standing on the table now.
"I didn't mean..."
"We know what you want..." I said in a sexy voice like Akemi taught us while Fū moaned while grasping her chest. "And just how much you want it," Fū finished with a sly but sensual smirk.
Karin turned away with her arms crossed. "Oh, Yeah? And what do I want?"
I moved to the top of Karin's desk with my arms around her waist and her arms in my grip as well. Fū moved to the front and looped her arms around Karin's neck and grinned.
"Hey what the hell!" Karin roared with a popped vein. She struggled making a second mistake to combat predators like us. First, she showed us uncertainty and now she's panicking like a trapped animal. Karin realized what she just did and looked up but cringed at the glow in Fū's eyes that's not doubt in mine too. "Albatross." She yelled and instantly we were off her and lowering our arms. The safety word we made up to tell us if a situation was starting to spiral out of control. It works on us like a command to follow with instant obedience and for something like this it was cheating. She was in for a little tumble and some teasing and she called the safety word to save herself.
Fū frowned and looked over to me. "That wasn't fair Karin. You're such a girl."
"Well you were on me and I wanted you off so I did what was necessary to uhmm." I pulled the gag over her big mouth and Fū grinned. Karin brought an elbow back but Fū moved in and caught the elbow in hand.
"No no no Karin," Fū pressed down on a spot an inch and a couple centimeters above Karin's left nipple making her yelp and lose her strength. We know each other's sweet spots here in Reikura and exploit them in times of necessity like when Karin cheats her way out of our fun.
"You finish what you start and you stopped us prematurely." I finished and held down her hands.
"Ummhmm."
"Sorry, but you get what you give," "and seeing that is a special night for Hinata," "I need to celebrate with you in tow," "as a fellow Naruto lover and all like Hinata," "or Fū." We nodded and said in sync, "or you so admit it."
Karin looked glaze eyed for a moment then sighed. I removed the gag as Karin slumped in our arms. "It's true but it's not like it matters. He doesn't love. He only wants and a relationship without love is a waste."
"If that's true why are you still a maiden waiting for your prince suu?"
Without missing a beat Karin said, "Why are both of you?" and that ended the talk like an explosion from Mad Bomber Deidara.
I sighed and let Karin go. "We already know the answer."
I walked back to my wardrobe and opened it to an assortment of clothes and ninja gear that went inward 10 feet. Naruto is an amazing seal user to turn a wardrobe into a walk-in closet. With all the clothes I have that are personally tailored for me by Nanami I need the room. I looked around thinking on what I should wear and what would be most effective for a mission in the land of fire. I should also make sure I can use it in Ame and Suna just encase of a sudden mission change to said places. Maybe navy blue which is universal in water or the dark and personally I like the color as well. What should I start with first?
I looked over to a case of bandages and took one. First things first I have to take care of this head of hair I have. It was still in the hime style cut that implies my nickname and reaches down to my lower back as well. He told me he likes it long and Akemi told me that well-kept long hair is one of ten things that entices a man. I took two senbon in hand and thought on whether I should wrap it were my neck is to keep it all together or use the two senbon tie it all up into a bun. I decided the latter and pulled it all up the same way Haku showed me. I finished in a couple minutes when Karin came in and helped me. She often does her own hair so this is nothing new to her.
"Thank you." I said to the Red Demon and Karin nodded.
Fū came inside my wardrobe as well and crossed her arms. "Nice. You look good with that princess." I shrugged and discarded my gown and hung it up. "Here," Fū called tossing something to me. I caught it and saw that it was a pair of pure white panties. I saw through the dig on my purity and rolled my eyes. Fū smiled slyly as I pulled them on and turned away.
"Sandals or boots Hinata?" Karin asked which was a good question. Boots can be more comfortable and useful but it all depends on the climate and weather. Sandals are easier to take off and the thin layers on the bottom make chakra manipulation on the soles of my feet easier as well. Boots offer more protection and are warmer. Sandals are tighter on my feet and stick better to my soles allowing me to move faster than with boots. I thought on it and relented, "You choose Karin; I trust your judgement."
Karin took a pair of black boots from the rack and placed them on the floor outside for me. In times of indecision rely on the one next to you and that's what I did. Fū handed me a pair of slightly baggy dark purple pants woven with a special chakra thread to make it slash proof and piercing resistant. On a plus it hid my muscles and curves well from view so my opponent won't be able to tell what my physique is. Because I'm a female I'll either be underestimate or overestimate. Regardless of which both can prove fatal. They may be slightly baggy but also tight enough not to give my foe any leverage. I believe it's the practicality of these pants that made Fū choose them.
Karin handed me a pair of blue bands and said, "Make sure to blouse your pants so they are in the middle of you laces and centered on your boots."
"And as you know those trousers are resistant to physical damage not chakra related. It's insulated as well for lightning resistance and water resistant but not water proof princess suu."
"I know this guys. Stop fussing over me. This won't be my first mission out and about." Fū handed me a navy-blue riggers belt that had a woven slit on the back left and right for ninja pouches or to work in conjunction with the harness I wear for my bow and tantō. Fū choose another color I am tied to and this game wasn't as amusing as she thinks. I put the belt through all seven loops on my pants and fastened it until it was snug. Karin tossed me a pair of grey socks which I snatched out of the air. By the feel these are soak absorbing and massage the foot with soft fabric that grips my foot thus reducing irritation or friction. I sat down on the stool in the back in front of the mirror.
"I wonder sometimes how they make these clothes anyway. I mean, I've seen some impressive tailors but this stuff we have are of a quality on its own level suu," Fū looked over a coat with a hood and pulled the sleeve with her strength. It didn't even stretch.
I pulled the socks on and instantly felt the pleasurable sensation that these perfectly woven sock gave me. The climate control seals inside make it so the temperature inside my boots will be perfect and the second I laced my foot down I instantly wanted to start walking. These socks are more to make you like walking than to make you feel comfortable but who care. It feels good.
"Nanami, Naruto, and Takashi do good work. We've more clothes than most noble girls our age." Karin giggled at a thought that made Fū and I curious.
I pulled the last sock on and ask/moaned, "What's so funny?"
Karin giggled a little more. "We're treated better than princesses and spoiled rotten as well."
"All we have to do is live this life but there is nothing I'd rather do suu. This is a wet dream compared to "that place" and my treatment there."
I stood to my feet with a relief filled sigh. We all have "that place." A city, town, country, or person that we dare not name because the individual that lived there no long exists. We are not who we were before and thus "that place" has become nothing except a bad memory. Godfather is the only man in my version of "that place" that makes it worth going back to. I can't wait to see him and that almost makes this worth going.
"All I need now is a top." Fū and Karin left their respected daydreams back to me.
"Of course. You need a shirt, armor, and your symbol," Karin said before she got to work on that.
I started picking my symbol. In Reikura we all wore the same design on our coat, robe, jacket, tunic, kimono, or any other kind of top layer that suits your fancy. On the front, usually on the bottom left corner flap of your top, is a symbol that defines you and what you do. My symbol was on the bottom corner of the left front slit because putting your mark on your back just means your overconfident and begging for your life to end badly. Look at the Yondaime. That show off died in one of the worse possible ways and the coat is to blame. My symbol is a circle for a balance and the ying symbol is inside but the yang is not. It shows that a piece of me is out there and I am searching for it. Naruto has the other half. The corner of the ying symbol has a line coming out of it drawn to the empty side that turns into a spiral where the Yang would be. On top of the red spiral in the center is a star that brings light to the dark pool of chaos and confusion that temporarily replaced the missing yang.
The color scheme for your outfit that doesn't matter but it's recommended that it matches the area you'll be visiting. Myself, I always went with a mixer of blues and violet of different shades with grey mixed in here or there on a jacket coat. The tribal design is in a dark blue on top and black along the edges. The coat has a hood on it as well that is darkened blue, nearing black. The zipper was black and reached from waist up to the top of my neck. The coat reached down to my knees with a slit on the front and back at the tail.
I look the coat off its hanger and held it up. "Princess put this on suu." I caught a bluish-purple sleeveless shirt and rose an eyebrow. "Trust me." That made me not want to put it on even more, but I relented and threw it on then tucked it into my pants. Karin came to me with two things in hand. A pair of black gloves with the trigger and middle fingers cut out and a brown leather cross harness to connect to my belt and crisscrosses on my back over my shoulders and down to my hips. They're sort of like suspenders but the cross is for the quiver of arrows, sheath of my sword, and to hold my retractable long bow.
I reached for my bow from the wall and place her on my back and took a stance. I reached behind me swiftly and pulled out the bow. It came together from its broken-down form and extended out at least five feet. I pulled the string back and took aim through the sights on the side. I took a breath and left the string recede back slowly. Weeping Widow is her name and I love my long bow. I'm proud to say that now many can't use her for the strength needed to isn't something everyone can manage. My volcanic stone quiver of arrows is strapped to my lower back and top of my right shoulder which seconded as the sheath for my tantō. I was outfitted in it all. My bow fashioned from the dense and durable chakra trees of the land of iron, my tantō made from a rock that came from the skies, and my quiver of arrows felt right on my body.
I fixed the harness with Karin's help and grabbed my jacket coat. Fū has two forearm bands that will cover my wrists all the elbows for keep and each was a dark grey that helps create that haze at certain distances. She slipped them on my arms and nodded. "And done suu."
Karin adjusted her glasses and held them level so to have the most out of the image of me. "Indeed, now all you need is a visit to the doctor and get your supplies."
"And sleep." I added with a soft yawn.
Fū nodded with tired eyes. "Sleep sounds nice right now and doc won't be up for another 7 hours suu."
"So, sleep," I suggested and we all agreed.
"Sleep," the both said before leaving me alone in my wardrobe. I stripped off every article of clothing I had on and pulled the sendon from my hair to make it fall. I placed my bow back in their spot and walked out. I closed the door behind me and swayed back to my bed. My bed was warm and welcoming especially when you sleep naked and that is what I am used to.
A/N: For any updates for any story I might be making or will update within the week check out my profile. Thanks for reading and please review. Flames are welcome for I find them funny and helpful but just know it will get posted in the review section.