PROLOGUE

A KNIFE IN THE DARK

The Hyuuga compound stretched before the intruder in the darkness. He eyed its stern white walls, standing forbiddingly tall, with growing wariness. Inside them, rows of houses lined up in neat patterns. He pressed on, slithering stealthily near the ground, his hands locked so tightly into a handseal they trembled. A precarious camouflage genjutsu was his only lifeline, and the reason he'd been chosen for this mission.

It was a clever thing: a technique of suggestion. Slowly, he weaved his chakra into subtle signals that crept gently into the guards' minds. And though they scoured the compound, all-seeing, they overlooked him as though part of the scenery, a meaningless object blending into the background so neatly, they'd glance around and over and behind him, their brains not even registering the threat. Without hiding him, it made reality around him more pronounced, more eye-catching, infinitely more vivid and interesting to look at. It diverted the attention of drowsy, bored sentinels who had not dealt with a serious threat in months, mainly because no one dared.

The jutsu had one clear, fatal limitation: focus. If a single eye looked at him, truly, directly at him, he was dead. And worse, disgraced - a failure.

Silently, he sent a prayer up to the thunder god. Then he scuttled between two little houses, past a deserted courtyard, towards the heart of the compound. His destination. Walls within walls, he thought, steeling himself for the climb.

The outer level had been all branch member houses, dozens of them, all modest and neat, singularly nondescript. It had been easy enough to navigate. All roads led to the center, where the mansions of the Main House stood stately behind their proud white walls. From thereon, security more than doubled. Within lay the living treasures of the Hyuuga Clan. The unsealed. The enslavers of their own kin, he thought, his lip curling in distaste.

His task was to abduct an unsealed Hyuuga child, securing the famed bloodline for the glory of his village. Being that the Main House consisted of less than twenty individuals - the Head, his council, and their heirs - there only existed a single unsealed Hyuuga younger than five, and she was zealously guarded at all times.

Hyuuga Hinata. His mission objective.

He jumped off the wall softly, crouching low on the ground. For a moment, he held still and searched. Chakra signatures of small children were such soft things.

In the gardens? He thought with some surprise. Though it saved him the trouble of having to penetrate the mansion, he wondered warily if it wasn't some kind of trap. What could such a small child be doing out of bed in the middle of night? Had his plan been found out? Narrowing his eyes, he sharpened his chakra sense, stepping without a sound between rows of flowering plants.

The little girl sat gingerly by a rose bush. She cradled its petals gently, thoughtfully, as she spoke in a hushed tone. ''I think Father is angry with me again. I still can't—my eyes haven't—'' She gave a small unhappy sigh. ''Mama says I might have a little brother soon. Or a little sister. I—''

His hand closed around her mouth, smothering a scream. Slowly, carefully, he spun an illusion that fell over her mind like a blanket. The child swayed, sagging limply into his arms. Heaving her small weight over his shoulder, the shinobi fled into the night.

Hizashi knelt perfectly still, awaiting command from his leader. Covertly, he watched his brother. He glimpsed the fatigue in the angle of his neck, in the line of his shoulders, in the slowness of his movements. In all their years, he had never before looked so defeated. Hizashi felt the truth sink down his spine with a sudden horrible weight.

In a voice firm and devoid of feeling, Hiashi declared simply, ''The heiress cannot be recovered.''

My child is lost, Hizashi heard, in the way the lines around his mouth tightened, in the naked edge of grief in his eyes, in the barely suppressed spike of killing intent that hung in the air.

''My lord, if the trackers—''

''They have already fled Fire Country's borders,'' Hiashi said. His face looked as though it had been carved out from stone. ''A false trail was laid. The captor handed off the child to a carrier squad and doubled back, distracting the patrols in his pursuit, as he afforded his allies the opportunity to flee.''

For a moment, the silence was so absolute it was almost oppressive.

Then suddenly everyone in the room was talking at once, with alacrity and aplomb, as if they alone knew the solution -

''A squad of Inuzuka—''

''Send our farthest range Byakugans—''

''Intercept them at River Country—''

The old man's voice rose above it all. ''This cannot be allowed to stand! This is an offense of the worst kind on our clan's honor - the Hyuuga must answer in kind! Our retribution shall be swift and lethal! Call for the Hokage - let it be known that the Hyuuga Clan calls for blood.''

Hizashi frowned. This was a fool's declaration - the Leaf was weakened by the Ninetails attack and the loss of its famed Fourth, while the Cloud had only risen in military strength since the end of the Third War. If it came to open conflict, much would be lost, and the odds were not in their favor. Which was why efforts had been made by the Third to sign the accursed peace treaty between the two villages in the first place - trust Kumo to throw it all back in their faces with such open hostility.

He exchanged a quiet, grave glance with his brother. I will follow you, Hizashi told him silently, in whatever path you take. Not as your sworn servant, but as your brother. And, he thought sadly, the little girl's face rising soft in his memories, as her Uncle. For the first time, he was passingly, briefly glad for the seal on his son's forehead. He'd never be stolen from them to serve as the spoils of war.

He hugged Neji tightly when he got home.

''What happened to Hinata-sama? Everyone is talking about her,'' the boy said, staring at him with sharp innocent eyes.

''She is—away,'' he said.

Four days later, Konoha was once again at war.

A/N: wooo. so i have big plans for this fic, and let me tell you, the butterfly effect is gonna be very, very real. this will probably be posted in snippet format, with a few scenes of hinata growing up in kumo, culminating on the chunin exam arc (which will be wildly, wildly AU in pretty much every way, since, you know, butterfly effect!) where she meets the konoha genin. it will be (eventually) naruhina, or at least lean strongly that way, but probably slow-burn since they meet on opposing sides and all.

please don't forget to review with any questions, suggestions and opinions! thank you.