For Tiff. Happy birthday! Hope you enjoy this.
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Hiashi Hyūga sits at the dining room table of the Uchiha household. Both Fugaku and his wife sit quietly across from him. The tea is cooling, disregarded as they discuss the possible marriage potential of their children.
"Are we at an agreement?" Hiashi asks.
Fugaku shares a look with Mikoto. "We are. But are you sure that it should be Itachi and not Sasuke, since he is just as old as your daughter?"
Hiashi fixes Fugaku with a questioning stare before nodding. "It would be better for the first-borns to get married, don't you agree?"
It takes a few moments, but Fugaku agrees. "Very well. Once your daughter reaches sixteen, the two will be wedded."
"Excellent," Hiashi says, pleased. He leans across and shakes Fugaku's hand and then Mikoto's. He stands and heads for the door.
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"Come on," Hiashi growls. "Focus, Hinata."
Six year old Hinata draws in a deep breath. She forces herself to move, to focus the chakra into not only her eyes but her hands like her father keeps telling her. When she feels like her chakra is in her palms, she attacks the dummy in front of her. But nothing happens.
She attacks it again and again, and gets no result. She attacks it until she's struggling to breathe.
"Enough," he finally calls.
She pants, thankful for the end of training. When she looks at her father, she sees disappointment written on his face.
Hinata waits until her father is out of the room before she makes her way to her own. If only she could master gathering of her chakra in her palms too, then maybe her father wouldn't be so disappointed in her.
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"Again," her father calls.
Hinata pants. She looks at her sister, who is so similar to herself, and focused her chakra. As expected, Hanabi attacks first; she always does. The veins near her eyes bulge and she moves swiftly across the room. She keeps her eyes trained on her sister, anticipating Hanabi's move.
Hinata manages to block Hanabi's first attack. But her sister moves again, striking her chakra points in her right elbow. Hinata tries to block the succeeding blows, but comes up short.
Hanabi blocks off most of Hinata's chakra points before their father calls out, "Enough."
A smile crosses Hanabi's face as Hinata doubles over and pants. Hinata only wishes that she could be happy for her sister.
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"As of right now, Hanabi will be the successor of this house," Hiashi announces at dinner. "While I am training her, I have arranged for Yūhi Kurenai to work with Hinata during that time."
Hinata looks up from her dinner. The expression on her father face makes her realize that he is serious. She glances at her mother, wishing that her mother would say something against it, but she stay silent. "Yes father," she says reluctantly.
"Excellent. I shall have a discussion with the Uchihas to see if we can change our arrangements since Hinata will not be the successor of the house."
Hinata drops her gaze back to her food, a lump forming in her throat.
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Her father glances at Hinata. "The Uchihas refuse to change our arrangement," he informs his daughter bitterly.
While Hinata isn't thrilled with the idea of marrying Itachi, she's excited because it means that someone believes that she isn't a failure. But she doesn't let the happiness show on her face.
He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, I cannot go back on agreement. When you reach sixteen, you will be marrying Itachi. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes sir," she whispers softly.
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"Lady Hinata," someone says from her right. When twelve year old Hinata turns, Itachi is leaning against the wall of the Academy, his onyx eyes focused on her. "May I walk you home?"
She nods before turning to her companions – Kiba, Akamaru and Shino. "I'll see you tomorrow," she says softly. Before either of them could say anything, Itachi pushes himself off the wall to fall into step with her as she heads home.
"How was your day?" he asks conversationally.
Hinata flushes, dipping her head down. He is always curious as to her well-being. "It was alright," she replies after a moment. "And yours?"
He shrugs. "The usual," he says off-handedly. "I have a mission tomorrow that I must get ready for."
Unable to find anything to say, Hinata falls quiet. Itachi respects that, allowing the rest of the walk to her house be made in silence. When they reach her clan's sector, Itachi kisses the back of her hand.
"Good night, Lady Hinata," he murmurs against the skin of her hand.
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The Leaf's forehead protector rests in her hands. It's heavier than she expected. She ties it to hang around her neck with shaky hands. She's finally done it. She's a Genin.
She looks at Shino and Kiba, the other two people that makes up Team Eight. It's not really surprising for them to end up together, she reasons, since all three of their Ninjutsus involving tracking.
Kiba grins broadly at her, while Shino seems unaffected by their new status. Akamaru leaves his place on top of Kiba's head, bouncing over to lick Hinata's face happily.
She laughs.
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Itachi is waiting outside of the Academy when she leaves. "Congratulations," he says.
She flushes slightly, hanging her head at the compliment. "Thank you," she replies softly.
He falls into step beside her, and as usual, the walk to her clan's sector is silent. When they reach it, Itachi asks, "Any plans for celebration?"
She shakes her head, causing him to give her a questioning look. "You're more than welcome to come to the celebration for Sasuke. I'm sure he won't mind."
Her eyes grow wide. "Oh, no! I can't do that. The celebration is for him," she says quickly. "Don't worry about me."
"You should be commended on becoming a Genin, Lady Hinata," he tells her. "It's an important step in a Ninja's life."
"It's quite alright, Itachi," she whispers. "Go celebrate with your brother." When Itachi doesn't move, her voice raises slightly. "It's alright. I'll be fine. Go. I'm sure your brother is waiting for you to get home and congratulate him anyways."
There's something unidentifiable in Itachi's onyx eyes, but he brings her hand up to his lips. "If you insist, Lady Hinata. Good night." He lets go of her hands and disappears into the street.
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Hinata stands next to Shino and Kiba, who has Akamaru sleeping peacefully atop his head. Kurenai stands behind her.
The Third Hokage, who is an old, worn man, is in front of them, looking down at the scroll. "Since it is not wise to assign you the mission to find the missing cat," he starts out. He looks at Akamaru and then Kiba. "Your mission is to report to Genzo."
Kurenai nods. "At once, Hokage. Come on, Team Eight."
Hinata follows Shino and Kiba out of the room. It's their first mission and she can feel the excitement rushing through her body. This is finally the chance to prove herself.
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As she gets back from her successful first mission, she sees Itachi sitting in the arch above her clan's sector.
When he notices her, he jumps down beside her. "Lady Hinata," he greets, bowing his head slightly. "I heard that you had your first mission today."
She flushes and dips her head. "A D-ranked mission," she confirms. "We ended up helping Genzo with a set for his photographs."
He smiles. "Genin missions are usually dull. They get more interesting after you become a Chūnin."
"I have training to complete," she informs him, unable to think of anything else to say. "So I must be going. But thank you for stopping by."
"Anytime, Lady Hinata," he whispers. He kisses the back of her hand and departs towards the Uchihas sector.
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"There's Naruto!" Kiba says, a teasing tone in his voice.
Hinata looks up from her lunch and spots the unmistakable blonde hair of Naruto. She looks around quickly and ducks behind the wall behind her before Naruto can approach her.
After a few silent moments, she peaks her head over the wall to check. Naruto is staring right at her. "What are you doing behind the wall?" he asks.
Hinata blushes deeply. "I-I….Uh, I," she stutters.
Thankfully, Kiba takes pity on her. "She was looking for the flower I gave her. The wind blew it away."
Naruto rubs the back of his head thoughtfully. "I hope you find it, Hinata!" he exclaimed brightly. Then suddenly he frowns. "I have to go! Saruka-chan might just kill me for being late!"
When he rushes off with a wave, Hinata climbs out from behind the wall. She pulls her lunch back into her lap.
"Seriously, Hinata, you need to calm down around him," Kiba remarks, "because hiding is going to get you nowhere."
Hinata bows her head. "I know," she murmurs. And she eats the rest of her lunch in silence.
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Bending over, Hinata pants. Her body is exhausted, but she straightens back up and forces herself to gather more chakra.
Kurenai notices what she is doing and calls, "That's enough for right now, Hinata. You will deplete your chakra if you continue on right now. We'll start back up in a few minutes, after you've rested."
As much as Hinata wants to protest that she is capable of continuing, she doesn't. She takes a seat and swallows some tea.
Kurenai sits down beside her. "You know, Hinata. You are making a lot of progress. It may be hard to see right now, but you are."
Hinata is reminded of her sister, who is far more advanced than she is in the art of the Hyūga battle form, and of her cousin who shouldn't be as good as he is since he's from the side branch, but he is. And she sets down her cup of tea.
"Again," she states defiantly.
Kurenai appears to want to protest, but she doesn't. She stands and faces Hinata. Hinata stand in battle-ready form and Kurenai starts to attack. While Hinata can't block every move that Kurenai does, she blocks a significant amount of them.
It's a lot of progress, since when Kurenai first started teaching her, Hinata could only manage to block the first blow, and occasionally the second.
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When Team Eight enters the briefing room, the Third Hokage is glancing outside, his back towards them.
"This is a C-ranked mission," the Third Hokage reports. He turns around, and offers the scroll to Kurenai. "This is your first hunting assignment. There is a wild boar just outside the city, near the road. It is making travelling difficult. I want Team Eight to find it and eliminate it."
Kurenai reads through the scroll as the Third is talking. Once he is done, she nods to him. "As you wish, Third." She turns and leads Team Eight out the door.
As Hinata follows Kurenai, she feels excitement drum through her body. This is their very first C-ranked mission, but it is what their team was formed to do. There is no way for them to fail this mission.
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As they stand at the gate, Kurenai turns toward her team. "Hinata, use your Byakugan to find this boar. We will then circle around the boar and take it down. Understood?"
The three students nod their heads. Hinata whispers, "Byakugan." The veins near her eyes bulge out as her jutsu is activated. She scans the trees, looking for signs of the boar.
Slowly, the team moves out; Hinata methodically scans the area as Shino, Kiba and Kurenai cover her.
It takes a while but eventually, Hinata confirms the boar. "It's just behind those trees, at the water."
Kurenai pauses. "There will be no easy way to take this boar down, since it will see us coming. Shino, are you able to paralyze it?" she asks, turning toward him.
He looks thoughtful. "Did you see chakra, Hinata?" When Hinata shakes her head, Shino continues on. "My bugs use chakra to paralyze, Sensei, therefore I can't."
"Kiba, are you and Akamaru ready?"
Kiba punches the air happily. "Yes, Sensei."
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When Hinata and her team leave the briefing room, Itachi is leaning against the wall. She turns toward her teammates. "I'll catch up with you later."
Itachi waits until they are out of sight before he pushes himself off the wall. She doesn't hesitate to fall into step with him. "Your first hunting mission. I take it went well."
She nods mutely. "Kiba and Sensei did the actual takedown. I just found the boar."
He stops in his tracks. It takes her several more steps to realize this, but when she does, she turns back to him. His face is expressionless. "You think you are useless," he remarks matter-of-factly.
Her face turns red and she lowers her head, but she does nothing to dispute his statement.
She feels a hand under her chin, lifting her head up. It forces her to meet Itachi's onyx eyes. "Just because your father believes you are worthless, doesn't mean you are. You are so much more than what your father sees," he insists.
With his hand under her chin, she is unable to do anything but stare into his eyes. After a few moments, she nods.
Itachi studies her for a few more moments before he finally drops his hands. "I have a mission. I'll be gone for a few days," he says, changing the subject as they continue to walk.
She knows better than to ask about his missions, knowing that he can't disclose them to her. It's a matter of Village security. "Okay," she whispers.
And the rest of the trip to her sector is silent.
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Itachi's words float around in Hinata's mind. She is unable to get them to go away.
"What is going on with you, Hinata?" Kiba asks, pulling Hinata out of her thoughts. "Ever since our boar mission, you haven't been able to focus."
Blushing, Hinata shakes her head. "I'm sorry!" she exclaims. "Just something Itachi said is making me think." Kiba frowns at her, and Hinata quickly adds, "It was nothing bad, I promise!"
Kiba still gives her a questioning stare, but lets the conversation go. "Alright. Again, then."
Hinata forces Itachi's words out of her head as she focuses on sparing with Kiba.
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The sun has already set, causing the sky to turn dark blue before they finish sparing. She lets her feet carry her home as her mind tries to find some sense in Itachi's praise.
She's so caught up in her own thoughts that she doesn't hear the footsteps behind her. She feels a needle plunge into her neck. And the last thing she remembers before she passes out is thinking that she should've had Kiba walk her home.
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When Hinata comes to, her hands are tied behind her back and her legs are bound as well. She glances around the cave, trying to place her surroundings. But it is unfamiliar.
"Oh she's awake!" a deep voice exclaims.
Before Hinata can locate the voice, she feels a needle dig into her skin again. She quickly loses consciousness.
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When she awakes a second time, she feels an explosion of pain extremely close to her eye. She screams and thrashes the best she can. It causes more pain, but she doesn't stop.
"Shh," she hears. A hand brushes through her hair. "It's alright, Hinata."
She recognizes the voice. She opens her eyes, which had fallen closed during her fit. When she does, she sees Itachi standing over her, still wearing his ANBU uniform, his weasel mask in his hand.
Her eyes fall closed, relief flooding her body.
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When she awakes a third time, Itachi is sitting in the chair closest to her, Kiba – with Akamaru on his head – is across the room with Shino, talking quietly. She inspects the room, realizing that she's in the hospital.
"You're awake," Itachi states.
Kiba and Shino turn their attention toward her. "Hinata!" Kiba exclaims, relief evident in his tone.
"What do you remember?" Shino asks.
She shakes her head. "Not much. They kept putting me to sleep using some medicine." She turns her attention to Itachi. "You came and found me."
Itachi nods. "We had just gotten back when I heard that you were missing. The members of my team volunteered to help me look. Thankfully, we got to you when we did."
"They were trying to take my Byakugan, weren't they?" she inquires.
Again, Itachi nods. "They were trying to cut your left eye out when we invaded their safe house. You had thankfully woken up to give us a few moments." He glances away. "If not," he says, trailing off.
She doesn't need to hear what she already knows. "Thank you," she whispers.
Itachi gives her a small smile. "You don't have to thank me. But, from now on, I'd like it if you would have someone walk home with you if I'm on a mission."
She agrees, closing her eyes. She can't help but think that maybe marrying Itachi wouldn't be so bad after all.
Standing, Itachi commands. "Let's let her sleep. We can visit tomorrow."
The last thing Hinata hears is Kiba protesting before she is fast asleep.
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A/n – so many thanks to Milly for helping me with this. She's awesome!