Disclaimer: NEITHER I NOR ANYONE ELSE ON THIS WEBSITE OWNS NARUTO!Before reading, please understand that I do not have anyone except for the grammarly keyboard fixing my typos, so there may be a few every so often.
I have written the first chapter fast paced to get the ball rolling, but do not fear, I will slow the story down after everything gets going. Some characters may or may not seem out of character in this. Let me know what you think.
There will be violent and sexual themes explored within this story, hence the M rating. If these real life relationships and scenarios upset you, read the fluffy oneshots Naruhina fans write. There's a lot to go around if thats the case.
Each chapter will have a minimum of 6k words, which is about 16 pages long. This ensures that the story will be well over 100k before I start the second part. This also means I will update less frequently as well. Also, i thought I should add that the mobile uploading doesn't have the line breakers availible in the docs, so bare with me.
This is an Obito/Hinata fanfic, so beware of angst and other sad things from the Narutoverse, along with heavy spoilers.
Please, please, please, leave a review!
Chapter One: Angel
"Lady Tsunade! The ANBU squad has returned! There were no survivors!" Shizune rushed in, sweat pouring down her brow.
Tsunade quickly stood. "What?! Have the bodies been retrieved?" she asks, a nervous twitch taking over her right eye.
Shizune nodded with a solid gulp. "Six members were sent out on this mission. Only five bodies were found."
"Someone's out there still? Do you suspect they're still alive?" her blue painted nail tapped the mahogany wood of her desk. "Are the bodies identifiable?"
The pixie-haired brunette mumbled, "Perhaps someone is out there still, or they escaped. But it's almost impossible to identify the bodies found. Their hatai-ates are melted into the skin, and their teeth have been removed, Lady Tsunade."
Neji paced back and forth, not looking at anything particular. His mind was too foggy to focus on training.
Lady Hinata…. She was most likely dead. After all of their training. After all of the hard work that went into her progress. It's wasted. Along with her precious life.
With a quick surge of chakra, the dummy behind him was reduced to splinters. How was this possible?!
How could she leave him?!
His opal eyes narrowed with anger and malice. He trudged back to town, and down into the Konoha morgue under the Hokage tower. He needed to see the bodies for himself. He couldn't sit back and wait!
The ANBU who attempted to stop him was quietly and efficiently knocked out. He had to know. He couldn't wait another two weeks for autopsy results.
Three rooms down, and he found the batch of unidentifiable incinerated ninja. One of the bodies mouths were wide open in a panicked scream.
He grimaced, feeling a tear slide down his cheek.
"Neji-nii! Wait up!"
Neji turned his head slightly, slowing down for his younger cousin. "What is it?"
"Can I come to the hospital with you?" She asks, a small smile gracing her pouty lips.
Neji nodded, placing a hand on her lower back. "What for?" His stern voice would throw off any person watching him, but you could see it in his eyes that he was everything but stern while he was with her.
"I found a mending leech in the pond at home..." Neji grimaced when she pulled a jar from her knapsack. A fat, black, slug-looking creature was moving and stretching around on the glass. He shivered, looking away from the hideous worm. She stared at it fondly from the outside of the jar.
Hinata giggled, noticing his reaction. She was a peculiar young woman most of the time. She found that each creature and animal had a personality and a name. Never would there be a day where she disrespected a living beings life force.
That was one of the best qualities about her.
Humming, she looked forward at the road they were walking down.
His eyes found the spot on her arm where the leech had decided to attach and suck. It was a large blue patch of bruising and busted blood vessels.
With a friendly shove, Neji smirked down at her. "I don't know how you do it." He affectionately rubbed her back as they walked. "How can you be so kind and polite to something that was created to suck your blood? I don't understand that one." his lips tipped in a curvy smile. She was so adorable and selfless.
Any onlookers would think they were lovers with how close and friendly they were, but this simply wasn't the truth. They were siblings. They were soulmates.
"I will not abuse the leech because he desires my blood. It's his instincts, he doesn't understand he will hurt me by taking it." Her matter-of-factly tone made the older man think on her words, even after she was presumed dead. "I feel… as if I'm giving him life when he feeds off of me."
The memories of her often silly antics washed through his mind. How he hoped and hoped she would be found eventually. But sadly, the chances of that happening were slim to none. If she was out there, Kabuto and his junky, immoral experiments would've killed her by now.
He wouldn't get his hopes up until there was a lead on where she was if she was still in fact out there.
Shikamaru caught his eye at the cafe across the way as Neji walked to the compound. He would definitely get his ass handed to him by the Hokage for knocking the ANBU out, but he had to see the bodies and they would've refused.
Shikamaru waved him over, a grim expression on his face. "How are you?" Shikamaru's words were filled with concern, as he knew his comrade was close with Hinata. They all were close to her. She was the precious china doll in the group of shinobi, after all. But Neji, Kiba, and Shino were closest to her.
"As good as I'll be for awhile." He confessed, sitting down across from the brunette with a scowl.
Shikamaru nodded stiffly. "Hinata knew what she signed up for, Neji, when she became a kunoichi."
The long-haired Jounin heaved a hefty sigh, leaning back in the chair and staring out at the villagers. It was shameful to walk around like nothing happened to their Hyuuga heiress like they all were.
Three days earlier.
"Hinata! He's behind you!" Without warning, she felt a prick behind her earlobe. Something was wrong! A firm grip tugged at her elbow and shoved her forward. Everything was a blur. A nauseating feeling washed over her consciousness.
Her footing was off as she got too close to the edge of the cliff. With the drop of her stomach came the stark whiteness of unconsciousness. It felt as if someone breached the inside of her skull. With the immense pain came a thud, but she was already out by the time she reached the bottom of the cliff.
"But. Deidara-senpai! I'm so very hungry!" The masked nin urged. "Come onnnnn! We can stop at that cute Dango shop on our way home!" The taller man squealed with excitement, thinking of the sweet, flavorful bean paste treat.
Deidara growled under his breath. "Whatever. But you're paying for mine for the inconvenience."
Behind his orange mask, the man was grinning ear to ear. "That works for me." The man quit walking, hearing a whistle in the wind above them. "Uh.. Deidara-senpai!" His olive-colored gloved hand pointed at the sky above them. The blonde bomber stopped walking and turned around with a scowl.
"Shut up Tobi! We're not even cl-" his words were cut off by the loud thud of a body falling onto his shoulder. The blonde fell to the ground, the body on top of him.
The blonde was knocked out now. What a troublesome situation.
This was no mere coincidence, the Uchiha knew.
Crouching down, the man flipped the body on top of his partner over and onto the ground to look at her face.
"Konoha…" he mumbled. Her face was pale and cold, so he quickly checked her temperature. "A leaf has fallen from the sky... And onto Deidara-senpai!"
He giggled, placing his head on her covered chest. Her heartbeat was there and was strangely steady for someone who just fell from around 200 feet. It was impossible to survive a fall like that.
The man looked down at his annoying and unconscious partner with a smirk. He got what he deserved. But he was alive still… Somehow. The sickening crack when she landed on the blonde was probably his shoulder coming out of place. Even better.
Quietly and efficiently, the man picked the girls body up and carried her off into the forest, leaving his partner on the ground. He'd use the hideout hut in grass country to take shelter for a few days. It was doomed to rain, as the grey clouds were already rolling in.
When he arrived at the small cabin, it had already begun to rain. His cloak was soaked, along with his under clothes. The girl was soaked as well, her ripped coat and pants sticking to her skin like a wetsuit.
He moved silently through the small house, laying her soaked body on the couch. With careful hands, he removed her clothing, piece by piece. He couldn't let the helpless dame catch pneumonia, could he?
Hours went by, and the girl had finally quit shivering. Her teeth chattering was getting on his nerves.
He sat down beside the bed she was tucked into, scanning her face and neck. He'd sensed Kabuto's chakra just moments before she'd fallen. She shouldn't have been unconscious still, but knowing Kabuto and his strange methods, he'd probably attacked her insides. He slipped the glove from his hand and brushed her hair from her face and neck. Her pulse was strangely active. Her heartbeat was faster than it should've been. Standing up, he scanned the other side of her neck.
"Well.. whaddya know." He mused. A large purplish-yellow bruise covered the entire layer of skin behind her ear.
He silently wondered what kind of poison the strange man used on the poor thing. What would he do when she woke up if she chose to fight him?
He'd have to kill her.
The girl let out a slow groan, lifting her torso off the uncomfortable mattress. Where was she?
She whipped her head around. "Wh-what is this?! Who…" her muscles cried out when she stood up. Her eyes were wide with panic. "What!?" Who was she? Where was she?! Why was her body so pained?
Her eyes fell on the change of clothes laying on the shelf beside the musty mattress. Silently, she stepped off the bed and pulled the shirt and pants over her currently naked body. "Is-is anyone there?!" She screamed out into the house.
Rain poured down the window of the room. Whoever was there was most likely in the house due to the storming.
Her pale eyes widened when a stepped into the room. He wore a mask over his face and was completely covered head to toe. A bad feeling rose in her chest. "Wh-who are you?" She backed up, hitting the mattress and falling on her back. "I don't know who I am!!!" her voice raised in a panicked cry. "Do you know who I am?" she pleaded with him. "Why can't I remember anything?!"
The mysterious man crouched down to her level. "Hime fell from a cliff! Deidara-senpai got the brunt of your fall, though!"
She looked at her lap, her eyes lowering in sadness. "Is he okay?" She asks, understanding that he didn't know who she was.
The tall man tilted his masked face in amusement. Before he could respond, a man walked into the house, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Deidara-senpai!" The orange mask screeched. "You're alive!!"
"Tobi! I'm going to blow you to oblivion!!!!" Deidara marched into the room where his idiot partner was, glaring him down with steely blue eyes. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't!"
Tobi giggled, stepping away and revealing the Hyuuga girl behind him. "Well, you don't want to kill our guest as a casualty, do you?"
Deidara eyed the horrified young woman. His gaze scrutinizing and analytical, she blushed and looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Who is she, Tobi?! Are you going to kill her?"
Tobi shook his head profusely. "No, senpai! You wouldn't kill a kitten, would you? The young maiden has lost all of her memory!"
Deidara eyed him with a look that said: "The fuck you think?". "It's not my problem." The blonde growled lowly.
The meek voice behind them spoke up, cutting into their heated discussion. "I-I… I'm leaving now.." She looked away from them. "I don't want to stay beyond my welcome. Thank you, Tobi-san." She smiled at him, slipping by and out the door.
"We can't let her just waltz out of here! She saw two men in Akatsuki cloaks!"
It was as if a light switch flicked on in the masked ninjas mind. He darted out of the house to catch up to her. It was easy, seeing as she was running without the usage of her chakra.
With a quick burst of chakra, he jumped and landed in front of her. All without any restraint.
The girl flinched. Her eyes grew wide like they seemed to do often. "I-I.. I don't want to be a nuisance." She said as if it was a confession.
A slippery smile encased his lips under the thick mask. That was her insecurity. This girl was… interesting. A lost Hyuuga with no memory of anything at all. Like a child, only knowing how to breathe and speak and walk. She had something familiar about her. Maybe he'd seen her before?
He reached a gloved hand out and tilted her chin up to face him. "Does Hime not know her own name?"
The girl's wide eyes strayed from his mask, seemingly embarrassed. "No." She said quietly. She pulled her face from his hand. "I must go. I need to find out who I am."
The man stood in front her before she got too far. "I know who did this to you. If you come with me, I can take you to him in a few days to find out what he did."
The girl looked baffled at his suggestion. "How do you know who he is? Why.. would anyone do such a thing to a stranger? I don't think I could have done anything to him.." her frustration seemed amusing to him. It made her frown deeper.
She was a feisty little thing, he mused. With one quick movement, the man leaned forward and poked the needle wound behind her ear. "I think you're in luck, dear hime! It was fate that Tobi caught you so bravely as you tumbled down the mountainside!" he threw his arms up in an animated fashion.
The little Hyuuga jumped back in surprise at his shouting.
"T-Tobi-san.." she averted her eyes from him to stare at the more interesting bits of sand in the crevices in her sandals. "I understand… but you are a stranger." She poked her fingers together in old habit. "I cannot simply trust you because you tell me so."
He shook his head. "If you wish to be killed off by petty bandits and thieves, go ahead. Those eyes in your head are dojutsu, and go for a pretty penny."
He pulled a mirror from his pocket to the young woman's bewilderment and shoved it in her face.
The young woman stared at her reflection for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"
The man lifted her bangs. "You aren't sealed. Your eyes are very, very vulnerable and valuable." the tone in his voice changed so much the girl stepped back in awe. She stared heavily into the hole in the mask, trying to make out anything about his face. This man was a complete stranger. He must've wanted something from her since she was so vulnerable not knowing anything about her own life. Did he want her eyes?
The more she took the time to think on it, the more she was leaning towards going with the strange man that spoke in third person. Maybe there would be a cure for her problem. There was so much her brain was lacking, and it was killing her.
He had saved her, after all. She owed him any favors he needed. If it weren't for him and his comrade, she would've fallen to her death, and here she was with little to no serious injury. But it dawned on her that even if she were to have broken the fall, something should've been broken or pulled in her body. Of course she had bruises everywhere, but some looked to be days old.
"Can you help me find my name if I come with you?'
She asked with so much sincerity that the man smiled ever so slightly.
"Hai."
Why was he doing so much for this girl? Why did he want to help her at all to begin with?! He had seen something in her face, the way she moved. Her hair and eyes. He was entranced with her. She was like an angel compared to him.
The way she spoke told him that she was anything but evil.
"Only if you come with me, though."
What did he want? Why did he want her?
A thought suddenly entered her mind. "Wh-when I was knocked out, I had a dream. I can't remember most of it, but there were a lot of sunflowers. Perhaps it means something..?"
The taller man placed a finger on his "chin". "Maybe! Now let's go before Deidara finds us!"
Tobi swept his arms around her, much to her displeasure, and tossed her over his shoulder. Grunting, she gripped his shoulders. "T-Tobi-san!"
Without a response, he took off into the forest.
Two weeks later
"The Hokage has decided to quit sending ninja out in search of the missing ninja from the massacre. This means, should Hinata be alive, she will die soon enough."
Neji clenched his fists. "What good will that do, Lord Hiashi? We give up trying to find her, and the Byakugan may be exposed to the hidden leafs enemies! And she is the rightful heir of the Hyuuga clan! We cannot just stop!"
Hiashi nodded, his lips stretched into a thin line. He never thought he'd have to say the words he was about to. Not about his own child, at least. "We cannot waste time and precious energy with the war brewing and whatnot. I'm sorry I have to tell you this, Neji, but Hinata is dead. There has been no proof that she still lives. The tracker ninja found no trace of her, and her scent couldn't be detected on any of the bodies because they've been burned so badly. It's a lost cause until we have reason to believe she is alive."
The brunette teen narrowed his eyes at his uncle. "Hn."
Quickly, he turned to leave.
As soon as he got to the training fields, Kiba and Shino approached him. Their chakra sneaking up on his distracted byakugan.
"Neji! We need to talk." Kiba hollered, jumping from the tree.
The Hyuuga nodded his head in a stiff motion, walking over to the pair.
Shino landed beside the gruff dog trainer, nodding in Neji's direction. "Neji."
"Shino." He acknowledged.
"Here's the deal. Shino and I have reason to believe Hinata is alive." He stated. His brown eyes scanned the Hyuuga male. Neji held his composure quite well for a broken-hearted teen, he mused.
Neji squinted. "What do you know?!"
Kiba raised his bands in surrender. "Calm down, fluffy." He joked. "I could detect Hinata's scent from miles away. There is no possible way that any of those bodies was hers. Plus, they're all taller than she is. I'm not sure how they possibly missed that in the first place."
Neji felt a sense of joy overrun his stricken heart. How he himself missed that, was beyond him. "What do you propose we do about it?" he crossed his pale arms.
Kiba looked to Shino to explain. The mysterious young man spoke up, his voice firm and almost reassuring. "Everyone aside from Naruto knows of our plan, as he's training away from the village to prepare for the war." he informed him. "Team seven, Sakura and Sai, are going to leave in two days independently to sweep over a large portion of grass country. Sai has the ability to fly above ground to get a larger perspective, which will be necessary for spotting possible Akatsuki members, which would become larger threats than anything else." He steadily says. "Lee, team 8, and Shikamaru and Ino will head out, depending on what team seven finds. With your help and dojutsu, this operation will be much smoother as well."
Neji nods slowly. "That sounds well thought out. I'm in. If anyone will find Hinata, it is going to be us."
Relief washed over him as he walked back to the compound where he was again greeted by his uncle. "Neji, I apologize for how I spoke earlier."
"Arigatou."
Arriving at his room, he slid the door shut and reached under his bed. "I didn't need to hide this, after all." He muttered, grabbing the frame. It was a pressed string of lavender, surrounded by daffodils. Their color was preserved extremely well, he noted for the first time.
After word got out that she was dead, he shoved the frame under his bed. The best way to mourn a death was to rid your physical dwelling of any sign that they were once alive. That was how most people did it in the world of shinobi.
He scanned it for what seemed like an eternity, counting the wrinkles and creases in the yellow petals. Hopefully, she was still alive. Her pristine, alabaster skin didn't deserve the fate of the other incinerated ninja that were laid out in the investigation morgue under the Hokages tower.
Neji looked up when his door was slid open. His younger cousin stepped in, looking down at the floor. She slowly walked in and sat beside him. Hanabi had been greatly affected by her sisters apparent death. More than anyone else was. He rubbed her shoulder in quiet comfort, smiling a little. "Hinata is out there. I know she is, now." He says lowly.
Hanabi lifted her head and stared him down in shock. "W-what do you mean?!"
Neji placed his index finger on his lips to shush her shouts. She immediately calmed down and pushed him off her shoulder. "Explain right now, Neji-nii!"
"W-would you like me to cook for you, Tobi-san?" Her timid voice arose from the couch near the back of the room.
The base was filled with screaming and fighting over Tobi's childish actions against the blonde who was threatening to blow the entire place up, sacrificing himself and everyone else to squash the pest of a grown man that was his new partner. The manic look in his blue eyes scared the young woman shitless.
"My cooking is fine, yeah!" He hollered, whipping his head around at the scared kitten of a young woman.
The bluette gulped hard and loud, glancing around the room at the other members for help. Of which, she received none. When the blonde man came marching toward her, she quickly lifted her forearms to cover her face and neck from whatever blows she'd receive.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!"
Before the blonde could reach out and grab her hair, he was stopped by a taller, more mysterious figure. "If you touch her, I'll kill you." The masked man muttered in his dark tone, two of his fingers pressing firmly on the back of his partner's neck in warning.
Over the two weeks and with research, he'd learned that her name was Hinata, and she was the current heiress to the Hyuuga clan. The information was only confirming his already blooming theories on her. He'd probed a lab Kabuto had been working on over the last month, collecting information on the amnesiatic fluid he'd poisoned his Hime with.
Deidara repressed the urge to shiver. "Fuck you, retard!" He turned around and stomped off.
The innocent looking shark nin at the entrance of the room awkwardly stepped back to give the blonde room to leave.
"I vote the kit makes the food around here. Women are always better at it, anyway." He said, smiling at the girl with a sharp grin. "Just because the kid looks like a girl, doesn't make him one." Deidara screamed some sort of profanity from down the hall.
She smiled back shyly, avoiding prolonged eye contact.
"T-thank you, Tobi-san. I can cook for everyone if you'd like."
The masked nin nodded, switching personalities. "Yes, yes, yes! Hime will cook and not make my stomach hurt!" He giggled sweeping her off the sofa, dragging her in circles. He waved his arms around in a strange dance, causing the girl to giggle more. Just what he wanted.
Hidan, who was strangely quiet, spoke up. "Hurry up with it! Me and everyone else in this joint is starving!" He urged.
Hinata nodded, rushing out of the room to the small kitchen down the hall. In her two weeks of living here, she'd grown accustomed to the lack of sunlight, and though she missed being outside, it was always raining in this country and she'd preferred the artificial lighting from the sconces.
She quickly began working in her space in the kitchen, finding a recipe book to guide her. It was owned by an unknown member named Kakuzu who was out on a solo mission. She wondered what he looked like.
There was also another member who wasn't here. Itachi was his name if she recalled correctly. She wondered if he was nice like Tobi-san.
Quietly and expertly, she fumbled around the drawers and through the shelves in the fridge. "Vegetable broth…" she quietly mumbled to herself, pulling the jug out. "Eggs…."
"Do you need any help, Hime?" Tobi sounded from the entrance of the room, his back leaning casually against the wall.
The girl squeaked, being pulled from her concentration. "N-no!" She reassured herself more than him. She had to be able to at least cook for them, as they were letting her stay here for free. So far, Tobi hadn't asked anything of her. She silently hoped he wouldn't any time soon while she was getting accustomed to living here. He'd brought back files from the blown bunker the man who erased her memories was using. Her memories were gone temporarily, from what she understood. That meant that maybe in a few months she'd gain back pieces and bits of her old thoughts and feelings and maybe even images of the people she cared about.
She'd already begun to gain back her astounding coordination, which was unexpected by how strong and potent the drug had been.
She slipped through the halls soundlessly, sneaking up on everyone on accident. She could only guess that was a part of her talents when she was an active duty ninja.
"I see." He says, stepping further into the kitchen and placing a seat at the beaten table.
She continued to work in comfortable silence. The older man sat quietly, watching her delicate fingers move through the items splayed on the counter.
Hidan, Tobi, Kisame, herself and hopefully Deidara-senpai would all be eating. To be safe, she went ahead and placed five eggs in the boiling water shed already placed over the stove.
"What have you decided to make, Hime?" he asks as the minutes went by.
"Uhm… Miso ramen." She states, reading the page after forgetting.
"Sounds palatable!" He exclaims loudly, "unlike Deidara-senpai's food. It's usually charred and overcooked.." he trailed off.
His Hime giggled in response, letting their conversation close.
She moved her hands in an expert fashion once more. She pulled a second pot out and filled it with water for the noodles.
"Pein wants you to join us as an Akatsuki member." Tobi said, his voice low once more.
The first two weeks had been routine. She swept each room, vacuumed when necessary, washed the dishes from dinner and lunch, and washed clothes in the stream that ran in the hideouts connected cave near the entrance. Her polite nature had bidded her to do so without even being asked. Everyone except for Deidara and Hidan had been nice. So really, just Kisame and Tobi. She'd yet run into the leader of their mysterious cult, and she was slightly nervous to.
"And if I refuse..?" She asks quietly.
Tobi paused for a few moments before answering. "I will have to kill you if you refuse."
This was it. This was what she was here for. To work for them.
"What does working for you entail?"
Her voice was so muted, the man leaned forward slightly to hear her better.
"Hmm? What did Hime say?"
She'd grown used to his nickname, as her given it to her before she even came here. It still sounded.. Off.. each time he said it. Sweat began to pool on her brow. "I said.. What does working in the Akatsuki entail?" The undertones in her voice told him she was beginning to grow extremely agitated. A slow smirk grew under his mask and he folded his arms.
"It entails that you follow any order given, and that you finish each mission without complaint or failure." He informed, his voice thin and neutral. "You may have to assassinate the occasional princess or feudal lord for the sake of the ultimate goal in our family."
Hinata swallowed the saliva that collected in her mouth. It had been in her gut that something was very off about them. Deidara had come back with blood all over him, but she didn't think much of it. They disturbed her as well. The murder wasn't in her blood. How could she kill anyone?!
Unknown to her, she'd killed three people the day she fell from the cliff and lost her memories.
"I don't have any memory of training or ninjutsu. I don't understand how this is.. Possible for me to do." She trailed off, mindlessly stirring the noodles.
As quiet as a mouse, the masked nin got up and looked over the page in the recipe book. "The broth requires vegetables, and the noodles are now almost done. I think Hime is off in wonderland!" He finished with a childish giggle.
Something told Hinata that she needed to be careful with him, especially since she was just threatened by him moments ago. But his aura was very off. She could sense the fire within him.. It was blazing and bloody. Her own was like a quiet river, filled with life and angry. They were literally opposites in this way.
"Go-gomenasai!" She shrieked, pulling back from the stove to pull the celery and carrots out.
To her surprise, had already retrieved the necessary ingredients and laid a knife out for her to use to chop. "Are you sure you don't need any help, Hime?" he teased.
She blushed in response. "I'd like to do this by myself… arigatou, Tobi-san.."
Something gnawed at his chest when he had to tell her the truth. She'd seemed happy and content to quietly work on their food, but he had to rip the band-aid off.
So, he offered consolation. "Would Hime like to go outside after dinner? We can go somewhere that's not raining." he suggested.
Her eyes lit up at his words. "H-hai!" She replied, nodding. "That would be very kind of you." She smiled at him.
Hinata slowly filled each bowl, placing them on the table, a split boiled egg in each helping after all of them were made.
She pushed the masked nin out of the kitchen as she prepared everything, hoping to impress her new comrades with her cooking and dressing of the worn wooden table.
"Dinner is ready!" She shouted into the hall.
As if he was a magician, Tobi appeared and immediately sat down in his respected chair.
Slowly the other men filtered into the room with grumbling tummies. "Thanks, bitch." Hidan said, his eyebrows raised.
He didn't think anyone could make anything even remotely digestible with the food in the fridge.
"Where is Deidara-senpai?" She asked the blue ninja with gills.
Kisame looked up from his bowl, his face full of noodles. "I dunno." He managed.
Hinata sighed, sitting down dejectedly. "Fucking delicious.." Hidan mumbled.
The masked nin agreed, though he was using a jutsu to black out his face when he took the mask off. "I didn't know Hime could cook so well!"
Kisame grinned a toothy, shark-like grin. "This is the first and last time I'll agree with that fool." he winked at the blue haired girl, causing her skin to turn a lovely shade of scarlet. "From what I heard, leader-same is going to make you into a full-fledged member of the Akatsuki."
The Hyuuga lowered her eyes to the bowl in front of her. She suddenly remembered the events from half an hour ago. "Hai.."
Kisame tilted a brow. "What's got you down, kit?" his slightly concerned tone wasn't used on everyone. The girl was kind and peaceful, never causing issues or drama like most of the female population on the planet. He quite enjoyed her presence when she was around.
Kisame enjoyed people like her. Though, he now knew they existed to begin with because of her.
"I don't know how that is going to work. I know I was a kunoichi now, but I don't know what to do to train.."
Kisame dropped his chopsticks into his bowl, finishing his broth. "Don't stress, kit. Were all going to rotate training to help you begin your life as a kunoichi again. With our help, you could easily become stronger than you could back where you came from." His reassuring smile made the young woman feel only a tiny bit better. She was also worried about training with the ninja here. They were powerhouses from their energy she could sense.
Tobi spoke up instead of Kisame. She looked over at him. He also just finished his bowl. They must've been hungry!
"You should just listen to Tobi. Your abilities will come back as you start training. There is no need for worrying and whining." The last sentence was filled with irritation. "Finish your food so we can walk!" He snapped, standing up and taking his bowl to the sink.
Kisame rolled his eyes comically, following behind the slightly shorter male.
"Stop screaming, captain retard!" Hidan hissed. "Little miss bitch face has no confidence, it seems. Just leave it at that and let the enemies kill her off." He narrowed his beautiful eyes at her. "The Akatsuki has no use for weak little bitches, like miss barbie here."
The venom in his voice could almost make her flinch. But she quickly took his words to heart. It was as if she'd felt this same, desperate feeling before. She wanted confidence but couldn't quite grasp it.
Tobi seemed to not be paying attention to anything the vulgar immortal was saying. In reality, he was waiting for her to respond to his insults, but it never came.
Maybe someday soon she could grow a thick spine for herself. You can't survive the Akatsuki without one.
"Good morning, hag." Sai greeted the pinkette. The fake smile plastered across his lips did little to help diminish his terrible reputation for being a closet pervert and an asshole.
Sakura sighed. "Good morning, Sai." She seemed annoyed with even having to be up at this hour, but they had to leave while the guards were exchanging posts from shifts. This was going to be her only week off for quite a while, and she didn't want to be on a secret mission. But her friend's life was on the line, and Kiba and Shino swore up and down she was still out there, so shed trust them. After all, they were some of Hinata closest friends.
Sai couldn't figure out why she was in such a terrible mood. He, himself would never hesitate to save a comrade, so her facial expressions were quite bogus to him.
He stared plainly ahead, recalling her appearance. He'd stolen files on the girl for the sake of their mission, just to figure out what their mission may entail.
She was the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, making her first and last name prominent within the village.
Her disappearance was treated urgently at first, but with there being no trace of her, there were only conclusions to be made. She had long, navy hair, and trademark Hyuuga irises and pupils. Her appearance was somewhat exotic, who finding her from the skies wouldn't actually be too difficult.
She was also rather pale, which would help her stand out more as well.
He pulled the map from his bag, and looked over it as they passed the gates and were deep in the forest. "Were stopping in Nanigashi for the night." He stated. "Approximately 8 hours from here."
Sakura sighed in response, leaning back and staring at the clouds. "When can we use your jutsu?" She asked. Sakura normally wasn't nearly this impatient, but this whole mission seemed like there was no point. If the Hokage doesn't think she's really alive, why were they going out of their way to find someone that wasn't there.
The more the thought on it, it seemed strange that they were avoiding searching for her until there was at least some evidence to prove she was or wasn't alive.
"We have to wait until we're at least 4 miles outside of the village, or we risk being caught."
Sakura frowned at the idea of being caught leaving the village without permission.
"Alright. I hope we find some proof that she's alive, or else there's no point to this."
Sai glanced at her from the side. "I must ask… what if this was Sasuke we were looking for? Or maybe Naruto-kun? Would you still be complaining, then?"
Sakura seemed stunned at his words. It was as if he'd struck a strong, baritone chord within her. "Y-you're right, Sai."
Kiba and Shino were closer with Hinata and one another than team seven ever was or would be. With their sameness in prowess, none of them were ever needed specifically outside of their squad but on rare occasions. She couldn't imagine what they must have been feeling hearing about her supposed death.
"I've never seen them fight or bicker with one another, come to think of it. Though they lack the strength of team 7 and the intelligence of team 10, they seem to play the role of the trackers and assassins in Konoha 11. It's very necessary to have ninja like them readily available for the village."
His words stood out to her. She'd never really paid much attention to the trio of ninja that always seemed to be together. Kiba was the loudest one, like Naruto, brash and unthinking, Shino was the quietest, only gracing the others with his thoughts when necessary, and little Hinata was the generous, forgiving angel that glued them together, and didn't often need protecting, but her boys did so anyway.
Sakura smiled to herself at the thought. She'd help them find their angel, no matter what it took.