Heyo, mates! This is something I got inspiration for after watching a rather interesting Naruto Shippuden filler, episode 271, Road to Sakura. No the story isn't about Sakura. It's Mostly about Hinata in Sakura's condition in the episode, being a little angsty for a change... Please do read on and leave reviews. Flamers(pun very much intended) and Dissers cordially invited to say their worst.
-x-
Knock knock.
"Enter", answered the Hokage in a gravelly tone.
"Shikamaru.", acknowledged Naruto, "To what do I owe this untimely pleasure?"
"It's hardly pleasure, lord Hokage.", said Shikamaru smiling wryly, "We have a report from ANBU unit 1097... My apologies, I meant the former ANBU unit 1097 about the latest whereabouts of Uchiha Sasuke. The matter is quite pressing, I assure you."
The Jounin commander ran his fingers nervously through his greying goatee. Years of worry and responsibility for his Jounins had prematurely aged his face.
Naruto silently skimmed through the report. His face puckered in worry. The wrinkles around his mouth became more pronounced.
"I see.", Naruto said finally.
"I have already sent a reconnaissance team to survey the situation. The containment and capture team is on standby, awaiting your orders..."
"I want an assassination-squad assembled and scrambled to that location. The team will comprise of Inuzuka Hige, Aburame Shion, and Hyuga Hinata. This is a Priority one S-class mission. They are to be debriefed at 1800 hours and dispatched at 2000 hours. You are dismissed."
"Naruto, we do not have to dispose of him right away..."
"Shikamaru, you know as well as I do that, Sasuke is a threat to Konoha. He has to be dealt with. We cannot risk him being at large when we are at war with Kumo and Iwa. I cannot let my misguided affection for a former friend dictate the defence policies of Konoha."
"I understand Lord Hokage.", said Shikamaru stiffly.
"And Shikamaru.", said Naruto before the Jounin captain left.
"Yes?"
"Tell Konohamaru to come to my office the first thing tomorrow morning. Let me the one to inform him that his protégés are KIA. Unit 1097 was quite close to its former sensei..."
Shikamaru nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Naruto sighed brokenly and slowly lifted his face to the large window in his office overlooking mount Hokage. He looked at his face carved on the mountainside. For the first time in years he felt a gut wrenching sense of failure as Hokage. He had the childish urge to blast his visage off the mountain.
-x-
Hinata entered into the Hyuga cemetery, dressed in black. She wasn't in mourning. She wore her black Chunin uniform after the end of the Fourth great Shinobi World war and by her twenty-fifth birthday, she had taken to wearing black as a feeble rebellion against 'certain' draconian practices of the Hyuga clan.
She silently reached the small tombstone in the far corner of the cemetery. She knelt in front of it and sighed.
Here lies the mortal remains of Hyuga Neji, Son, cousin, nephew. A peerless kinsman and brightest star of Konoha and the Hyuga.
"Good evening Neji.", muttered Hinata. Her words were casual but her tone was solemn.
"Sorry about not tidying up your grave. I know how you hated a mess. Sorry also for not visiting you more often. It must be really boring; then again, you must enjoy all this silence since you loved meditating." Hinata paused.
"Also, I am not calling you 'nii-san'. I sort of thought that since you are family, I should dispense with the honorific...", Hinata stopped, mentally chiding herself for small talk.
"Times are tough here in Konoha. The peace after the Great War, finally shattered with Iwa and Kumo jointly declaring war against Konoha. Of course, Gaara has pledged unconditional support. Suna has pledged to fight Kumo and Iwa at Konoha's side. As for the Hyuga... Well, the Hyuga haven't changed much. The elders are still adamantly refusing my proposal to ban the cursed seal. Even with the Hokage's pressurising and Father's repeated petitions, the Hyuga council is stubbornly refusing."
"Nee-san.", came Hanabi's voice, "It's been fifteen years... I think you should stop berating yourself about it."
Hinata stood up and brushed dust off her pants.
"I failed him, Hanabi...", Hinata said simply and walked past the newly appointed head of the Hyuga clan.
"Shikamaru-san has summoned you for a mission. He's waiting in the Hokage's office."
"I understand", said Hinata walking away.
-x-
"Alright, I want a loose point formation. Hige, you take point. Put your Inuzuka nose into good use, and scout out ahead of us. Shion, keep your eyes peeled to the right and your bugs at the ready. I'll guard our left and rear.", said Hinata authoritatively."
"Understood, Hinata senpai!", Hige and Shion said in unision.
-x-
"You've nowhere to run, Sasuke.", said Hinata with her Byakugan flared active. She sank into her familiar juuken stance.
"I see you aren't pulling your punches, Hinata.", said Sasuke conversationally, "So what is this? The Hokage sending me his love? I must say, I underestimated our Naruto."
I can't counter her moves. She's too quick. If this keeps up, I will have no choice but to resort to using the Mangekyou Sharingan. Sasuke thought to himself.
Two spiralling masses of stone crashed into him.
Sasuke's Susano materialised protecting him from the barrage of jagged stone.
"Hige! Aoimaru! Get away from him!", shouted Hinata dreading Sasuke's deadly Amaterasu. Hige and his canine companion quickly retreated away from Sasuke, crouching low next to Hinata, ready to pounce.
"Fang over fang, albeit with chakra nature manipulation... I haven't seen that in a while.", said Sasuke with a cocky smirk, "Let's see: a scruffy nin with pathetic jutsu and his flee-ridden mongrel... You must be an Inuzuka.", said Sasuke leisurely pulling out his Katana," I knew an Inuzuka once..."
Hige's feral expression didn't change but Hinata could feel him tensing. The young Inuzuka, unlike the rest of his clan, was stoic and taciturn... But at the slightest mention of Kiba, his temper flared up. And with Kiba's murderer standing in front of him, she knew that he would start to act rash.
"Hige, get a grip on yourself. You'll get your revenge. Alright? Just don't let him rile you up.", Shion said to him. Shion desperately tried to get her teammate to calm down.
"You were never one for trash talking, Sasuke.", said Hinata in her most derisive tone, "I think you're not at your hundred percent."
Sasuke scoffed and said, " I don't need to be at my hundred percent to squash bugs like you."
" Hinata... Let me make you a little offer.", Sasuke said smoothly.
It was Hinata's turn to scoff.
"What could you possibly offer me?"
"Nothing much, really.", drawled Sasuke, "I could bring your cousin back..."
Hinata froze.
"You know, it's a shame: A ninja of Neji's calibre dying such a pathetic death. I always thought that he'd find out the ultimate technique of the Byakugan even with you Hyuga's guarding the secret so well.", Sasuke said offhandedly.
"I'm sure you feel the same way too. Poor caged bird who wanted to fly so badly.", said Sasuke mockingly.
Hinata saw red and before she knew what she was doing she rushed at Sasuke with every intention of blasting his arse into oblivion with juuken.
"Gotcha.", said Sasuke with a satisfied grin.
Hinata felt her body go slack and vision blur as she was sucked into Sasuke's space-time Ninjutsu.
The last thing she remembered as she lost consciousness was that she felt as if she was falling from a great height.
-x-
"...Vital signs are normal... genjutsu..."
...
"...response... damn Hyuga pupils..."
...
"... report... team ten?"
...
"Wake up."
Hinata gasped sitting up. She was wide awake. Her eyes slid into focus.
"Sakura?", she croaked unintelligibly.
"Good, you're awake. You know who I am?", said the pink-haired kunoichi.
She hadn't spoken to Sakura in a long time. Their friendly relationship had gradually withered away after Sakura's marriage to Naruto, which happened a year ago.
"Yes, of course, I recognise...", began Hinata.
Suddenly she realised that something was off about Sakura. Her face seemed a lot younger, her frame impossibly slender for someone past her third decade.
Sakura looked at Hinata's confused expression.
"As I feared: concussion.", said Sakura evenly.
"...", Hinata didn't respond.
"I didn't find any identification papers or name tags on you but you're obviously not Hinata. However, since you're a Hyuga, I thought it prudent to inform the Hyuga clan that a clan member was rescued. Lord Hiashi will be with you shortly. I think he'd personally want to speak to a member of the rescue party that went looking for Hinata. Shikaku-san is currently unavailable, so you don't need to write a mission report just yet.", she said before getting up and leaving the hospital ward.
Hinata was still reeling from the shock at what Sakura just told her.
"Hello Hinata.", said her father solemnly.
"Chichi-ue? What's going on?", asked Hinata quietly.
"I could ask you the same question. What is going on, Hinata? What happened on your mission? Where were you for the past four days? And why does it seem that you have aged a decade in such a short span of time?", said Hiashi little agitated.
"...", Hinata silently let the situation sink in.
"I think that you should come to the Hyuga compound before we decide a course of action."
Wham! The door or the ward slammed open.
"Hiashi sama! I rushed in as soon as I heard the news! Is it true?! Has lady Hinata returned?!"
Hinata slowly turned her head to discern the source of the baritone. Her mouth gaped in stupefaction. Before her stood the huffing, panting and very much alive form of her deceased cousin. He looked exactly the same as all those years ago. Long brown hair, longish face, loose fitting Hyuga robes.
"Neji, this is a hospital. Please keep your voice down.", admonished Hiashi, "And give me a minute to speak alone with Hinata. You may speak with her after I depart."
"But Hiashi sama...", Neji began.
"I said leave, Neji and go stand outside."
"Nii-san...", muttered Hinata recovering from shock.
Neji turned to look at her. He knit his brows and brought his face close to hers.
"Excuse me, my lady but are you really Hin..."
Hinata slowly brought her arms around him and began to sob loudly on his shoulder.
Hiashi thought it wise to hold his tongue. He said nothing but observed Hinata as she wept herself to sleep.
-x-
Hinata woke up groggily. Her neck ached terribly from sleeping in an awkward posture. She woke up in a