Hey! So this idea has been floating in my head for a while but I never knew what to do with it. It's kinda AU, kinda not. It's non-massacre. Let me know what you think so far! I'm not going to be posting any more chapters until I get a couple written. I just what to know what you thing so far of the idea.
Summary: AU Someone is after ocular kekkei-genkai and have taken it upon themselves to eliminate the Hyuuga clan. All but the one they need. Hinata finds shelter at the Uchiha compound, becoming an excellent ninja under the tutelage of their prodigy. Now, the phantom thief has returned, and it's a race against the clock to save her new family and love. Her eyes may just be exactly what she needs.
Enjoy!
XXXXXXXXXX
Prologue
XXXXXXXXXX
"Hinata-sama! Take this and run!"
A bag was shoved into the bleary-eyed seventeen year old's hands.
"Neji-niisan, what's going on?"
Neji stuffed some soldier pills in her pockets. "Hiashi-sama has been assassinated. The compound has been infiltrated. You need to leave. Now!"
Before the door had even opened, the Hyuuga prodigy was already prepared. A soon as a body was visible through the crack in the doorway, kunai were flying.
"Hinata-sama! Get out of here!"
She quickly performed the seal for the teleportation jutsu. She watched in horror as a kunai buried itself in her cousin's shoulder, sending him down on one knee in pain. Three men converged on him, but it was too late for her to do anything. The seal was complete and she disappeared in a flurry of leaves.
XXXXXXXXXX
The young woman reappeared in the woods about a mile from the Hyuuga compound that lit up the sky with its flames. Her eyes blurred at the sight but she knew she had to respect the wish of her cousin.
So she did as she was told and ran. She didn't know where she was going but it didn't matter. She just had to get away.
She didn't know how long she had been running or how far she had gotten. The sun was starting to become visible on the horizon, but that didn't tell her much since she had no idea when it was she had first woken.
She made her way to a clearing and collapsed. She could just barely make out three figures moving toward her. Despite the imminent danger these three could pose, her body was out of adrenaline to trigger her fight or flight. Her fear had her fighting the creeping darkness until her exhaustion got the best of her and her eyelids slid shut.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Ugh. Why does Kakashi-sensei do this all the time?" a pink haired girl complained. "It's always, 'Meet at dawn', and then he's never here."
"Neh, Sakura-chan. You should be used to it by now," a blonde haired boy with whiskers on his face said.
"It's just annoying," Sakura replied, brushing her hair off of her forehead and into a ponytail.
"Hn. As an instructor he should be more attentive," a third voice joined in.
The blonde pointed his finger at the speaker with an accusatory frown, "Sasuke-teme, it's not like you've ever cared about Kaka-sensei's tardiness."
The broody Uchiha was unaffected. "Hn. Let's just go spar until he gets here, Naru-dobe."
The blonde seemed to agree and both started off towards the offsite training grounds, leaving Sakura to trail behind. But as they reached the clearing, Sasuke held up a hand and slipped into a fighting stance. His Sharingan was activated with a blink of his eyes and he stared intently across the clearing. His team mates sensed his tension, and quickly slipped into fighting stances beside him, confusion written in their features.
The foliage rustled and all three were on the alert. Kunai were drawn and at the ready. The rustling increased until the intruder was almost visible.
And then a girl, still dressed in her night clothes, stumbled out and collapsed.
Sakura was the first to recover from the surprise. She reached the unknown girl quickly and immediately started assessing her body for damage. Finding none, she sighed in relief and looked at her team mates for clues as to what to do next.
"We should take her back to the village. Tsunade-baachan will know what to do with her," Naruto said, serious for one of the first times in his life.
Sasuke knelt down and examined the girl, brushing away her bangs so he could see her face. His brow's furrowed as he tried to remember. He had seen her before. When they were younger, he had met her. He continued looking her over, noticing the pack she had clutched in her grasp. He maneuvered it so he could see the insignia and his eyes widened.
Hyuuga Hinata. Heiress to the Hyuuga clan.
And she had the Head Scrolls.
"We need to get her out of here. Now."
"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, put on edge by the urgency in his voice.
"Sakura, go tell Godaime that we have the Hyuuga heiress and we'll be taking her to the Uchiha compound. Something very bad has happened to the Hyuuga clan. Tell her that Hinata has the scrolls. She'll understand. Naruto, you'll be with me. If we want to make good time to the Uchiha compound we'll need to alternate carrying her. I can almost guarantee that someone is following her."
Naruto bent over the girl and picked her up bridal style. "Sakura, if you see Kakashi-sensei, tell him to catch up."
Sakura looked skeptical. "Are you sure that taking her to the Uchiha compound is a good idea? It's almost a five hour sprint away from Konoha. What if something happens?"
"As wife to the head of the Uchiha clan, my mother is an expert on ocular bloodline traits. She's the one who guides Godaime through critical procedures involving ocular jutsu. Godaime is going to request that my mother examine her first, so either we take her straight to my mother, or we take her to Godaime. If Hinata-sama has overused her Byakugan, there are several types of damage that can be done to the eye. Some of them can deteriorate the eye in under ten hours. If that ends up being the case, we won't have time to send for my mother and bring her back to the village. And with Itachi-niisan and Father home, it'll be one of the safest places for her."
Sakura nodded. She understood the complications that could arise from taking Hinata back to the village. Time wise, it was best to get her seen by Mikoto as soon as possible. If that meant taking her strait to the woman, then that was what they were going to do. She just hoped the bitter rivalry between the Hyuugas and the Uchihas wouldn't hinder any of their efforts to help this girl.
The pinkette was off in a flash, and the two boys took that as their cue to begin the long trek to the Uchiha compound. A few seconds later found them flying through the trees in an orange and black blur.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Three or four at seven o'clock."
Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated on the area around them. "I got 'em. Here, take her and go. My shadow clones will be better for this anyways."
Sasuke nodded and took the still sleeping girl from his team mate. Just as he jumped, a kunai struck the branch he had been standing on.
"Get her out of here, Sasuke. I've got this," Naurto said as he turned to face the thrower of the kunai.
Quickly, he formed the hand seals and three more Narutos materialized out of thin air. Each Naruto went after a target. His only intention was to buy Sasuke enough time to get away.
"Kabuto-sama, look at our luck! Not only do we get the Hyuuga but an Uchiha too!"
The shinobi promptly got a lethal Rasengan to his chest. His body went flying back into a tree as Naruto nonchalantly wiped the man's blood off of his face.
"You will not touch Sasuke or Hinata."
"And a mere boy of what? Fourteen? Is supposed to keep us from them? Go home now and we'll let you live."
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the three men standing before him. Mocking him. He would show them who would be doing the mocking in the end.
"I was told once that those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. I will not abandon my friends. I will not run from you."
"Well that's cute," a guy with a white ponytail and glasses said. He turned slightly to address the men at his side. "Kill him. I'm going after the other two brats."
"The men nodded and immediately went into close combat with Naruto, preventing him from making more shadow clones. With a poof, one of the clones was gone, leaving him with only two clones left. A punch to the gut, and another poof later, Naruto was down to only one clone who was not faring too well against his opponent. A kunai struck his last clone's shoulder and then he too was gone in a poof of smoke. The ninja turned an evil smile on the real Naruto who was still locked in a fight with his partner.
A flash of pink caught Naruto's eye before a chakra filled fist connected with his opponent's jaw, sending him flying into the other ninja. Bother were sent hard into the ground where a small crater formed on impact.
A Raikiri finished the job, ensuring that neither would move on their own ever again.
Naruto nodded at his team mate and leader before taking off in the direction Sasuke had left in.
It was only a minute or so before the three arrived to witness Sasuke engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle, each ninja keeping the other from forming hand signs. The young Uchiha had his Sharingan activated and was doing a good job of pushing the opposing ninja back.
Kakashi threw a kunai in the direction of the white haired man, Kabuto, and it was all the distraction Sasuke needed to perform the seals for the trademark Uchiha ninjutsu.
"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
And a ball of fire was sent straight at his enemy.
Kabuto jumped out of the way just in time and landed on a tree branch with only his sleeve smoldering.
"The little Hyuuga heiress has this many supporters? Hope you protect her well. She'll need it."
Without another second wasted, he disappeared.
Sasuke growled and moved to pick the girl up again. They needed to get to the Uchiha compound so they could figure out what was going on without the threat of an attack by enemy nin looming over their heads.
"Let's get going."
XXXXXXXXXX
Hinata woke in a strange bed. Her hands automatically reached for the kunai hidden in the recesses of her shirt.
Only to find them gone.
With panic rising, she tried to activate her Byakugan. Her vision wavered for a moment, before she could blurrily identify a female approaching her door. Hinata sucked in a sharp breath and deactivated her bloodline trait, quickly feigning sleep.
"Hinata-sama. I know you're awake. You're breathing patterns have changed."
Hinata slowly opened her eyes to observe the girl who sat at her bedside. She was around her own age. Her hair was pastel pink and held back by a red hitai-ate indicating her status as a medic. She was obviously from Konoha since her headband had their insignia on it. Hinata released a breath and with it some of her tension.
She was with an ally.
"My name is Haruno Sakura," the pink haired girl said. She tapped her headband and smiled. "I'm a medic in training at Konoha. I've already given you a once over and you seem to be fairly healthy. The only thing I can really diagnose is chakra exhaustion, so I brought you something to eat. Make sure to eat the rice. Carbohydrates are the quickest way to replenish energy."
A tray full of food was placed in front of the slightly startled Hyuuga.
"W-where am I?"
"Oh! You're at the main Uchiha compound. We brought you here so Mikoto-san can examine your Byakugan. Otherwise Tsunade-shishou won't know exactly how to approach trying to heal your eyes. Did you use your Byakugan a lot when fleeing the compound?"
Hinata chewed thoughtfully and her eyebrows came together in a frown. "I-I don't remember much. It's a bl-blur. I-I remember bits and pieces but, but not everything. In e-everything I re-remember I had my Byakugan activated."
"Don't worry. An adrenaline rush like that can induce temporary amnesia. Your memories will come back to you with a little time. By the way, Tsunade-shishou has been notified of this and three teams of Anbu have been sent to the Hyuuga compound."
Hinata's eyes widened as a flashback flickered in her mind and her head snapped in the direction of her current room mate.
"Where's Neji-niisan? Is he okay?"
Sakura averted her gaze in favor of staring at the wall.
"You are the last of your clan, Hinata-sama." Her voice was so soft Hinata could almost pretend that she misheard her statement. Almost. "Neji-kun and Hanabi-sama are missing. The medics on scene have identified all of the deceased. The only Hyuugas not accounted for are Neji-kun and Hanabi-sama."
The tears that Hinata was trying so hard to hold back came spilling forth, cascading down her cheeks in rivulets.
A gentle hand settled on her shoulder and she glanced up at the girl who was now standing at her side trying to offer some semblance of comfort. Her eyes conveyed her empathy for her loss.
But she had no idea.
She hadn't just lost her entire family. Her entire life. Her best friend.
Being an heiress meant she was sheltered from things such as loss. She never realized how unprepared for the real world she was until now. Though she doubted she would be able to cope with this no matter how prepared she could have been. No one could deal with this and come out unscathed.
And so she cried, clutching her chest, until she had no tears left.
Sakura stayed with her the entire time, sitting beside her on her bed, stroking her back and letting her lean on her shoulder for support. She didn't say anything, knew that she couldn't say anything that would make this okay. She gave her the only thing she could offer, a shoulder and a warm embrace. Just to know that one isn't alone is sometimes enough to help them cope.
"Tsunade-shishou just got here, so I'm going to go grab Mikoto-san. We need to get your eyes checked out. Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?"
Hinata took a deep breath and nodded her head lightly.
"Okay good. Make sure to finish your food. Your chakra levels are still very low. I'll be back in a minute."
Sakura was up and gone, though she hesitated by the door as if she didn't want to leave. Hinata could understand why. She probably looked like a right mess. No one with a sane conscience would want to leave someone as pitiful as she herself looked at this moment.
She took her first look around the room, noticing her bag and weapon pouch had been placed on a table across the room. Her thoughts immediately turned to her cousin, remembering him shoving the pack into her arms and telling her to run. Right before he was hit with a kunai. Before she even had time to wallow in her pain again, two women entered the room followed closely by Sakura.
One of the women had a friendly smile on her face. She had black hair and eyes. An obvious Uchiha. She was very pretty and had a welcoming, motherly air about her. Hinata liked her instantly.
The other women made her cringe a little. She had blonde hair in two loose pigtails down her back. Her arms were folded under her ample breasts and a scowl marred her otherwise beautiful features. She was, in short, intimidating. Her posture demanded respect for her authority. Hinata had no doubt that this was the Godaime who Neji-niisan had told her about. She was the first to speak.
"Hinata Hyuuga?"
The pale eyed girl nodded her head in response.
"Sakura said that you remember having your Byakugan activated for a long period of time. I'm not going to ask you for any details right now, as I'm sure you are experiencing some side effects of shock. We are, however, going to perform a thorough examination of your eyes to make sure that there will be no lasting damage from overuse. Can you activate the Byakugan for us?"
"It-it's blurry. I can't g-get it to f-fully activate."
Tsunade and Mikoto looked at each other pointedly. Mikoto sighed and reached forward touch Hinata's temples. The girl visible flinched which earned another pointed look.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to see if I can find what's wrong with your eyes. For me to do that, I need to touch you. Can you let me do this?"
Hinata hesitantly nodded and kept still as she felt the cool press of Mikoto's fingers against her skin. A tingle started at the point of contact and tickled its way through her eyes. She knew that the woman's chakra was the source of the tingles and she slowly relaxed. The sensation was slightly soothing. It was like running a cool cloth over heated flesh. It made her eyes slightly less sore, but before she could get used to it the tingles dispersed and she realized that Mikoto was done with her examination.
Mikoto addressed Tsunade first. "It's not going to be too bad. She has damaged one of the chakra entry points into the eye. Both sides are the same. While it's not going to affect her regular vision, it keeps her from being able to fully activate the Byakugan. It needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The longer we wait the less chance she has of making a full recovery."
Tsunade nodded and motioned Sakura around to the other side of the bed.
"Have you worked on a Byakugan user before, Sakura?"
"Hai, Shishou. I've helped with Neji-kun." She whispered the last part.
"This is going to be a little harder and more precise since Hinata is from the main family. Neji is about as close to main house as you can get, though. Hopefully he has given you enough practice." Tsunade leaned over the young Hyuuga and gazed thoughtfully at her. "I'm going to take the right eye. You'll take the left. Our entry point will be from the temple as Mikoto showed. Let's get started."
Sakura nodded and placed the tips of both her index fingers gently on Hinata's left temple. Tsunade did the same and simultaneously, healing chakra entered her head, washing over her eyes and making the pain wither away.
After what felt like an hour later, the two medics pulled their hands away.
"Can you try to activate your Byakugan now?"
Hinata nodded slowly. She concentrated and activated her bloodline trait. Everything was crystal clear. She tried to zoom in on certain areas of the compound and realized quickly that she did indeed have that ability as well. And that she accidentally got a close up view of someone's room, while they were in it, with a visitor.
With a brilliant blush, she deactivated her Byakugan.
"It s-seems to b-be perfect," she whispered.
"Excellent. Well, I need to be heading back to the village. Mikoto would you mind housing her for maybe about a week until Shizune gets the Hyuuga affairs in order? We need to keep her safe in the event that whoever did this intends to strike again. These bastards knew what they were doing. Striking when the whole clan is home for the heiress' birthday. They had to have been watching for a while. We need to get ahead of them."
Mikoto nodded her head to the Hokage, giving her consent. "I have no problem with that. Just don't send Itachi on any missions, please. We'll need him at home. Hinata-chan will be welcome here so long as she wishes to call it home."
Hinata couldn't help but blush at her kindness.
"T-thank you v-very much, Uchiha-san."
"You can just call me Mikoto, dear. If you go around calling everyone 'Uchiha-san' no one will know which one you're addressing," she said with a light laugh. "I tell Sakura-chan that it's just Mikoto too, but she still adds the suffix. You can choose either way. Whatever makes you comfortable."
"H-hai, Mikoto-san."
Tsunade nodded at both dark haired females and made her way towards the door. Sakura got up and followed after her shishou, turning to smile encouragingly at Hinata.
"If you don't need anything else, I am going to see Hokage-sama and Sakura-chan out."
"Umm, could y-you maybe g-get me a s-summoning sc-scroll? O-only if you h-have one."
Mikoto gave her a warm smile. "Of course. I'll be back in a bit."
And with that, Hinata was left to once again revisit her memories. They were slowly coming back, just as Sakura-san said they would. She could remember the orange glow and the smoke that blackened out the moon as she stood from afar and watched her compound burn. She could remember the tone of voice that Neji-niisan had used with her as he told her to flee.
And most of all, she could remember the fear.
It was the cold, mind-gripping idea that no matter how fast she ran, she still could end up dead. Like her family. Like her mother and father. Like her aunts and uncles. Like her cousins.
She put up no fight to the tears that started flowing again.
XXXXXXXXXX
Hinata was able to get her tears under control before Mikoto entered her room a half hour later.
"Here you go. It just a basic summoning scroll. Did you need a special one or anything?"
Hinata took the scroll from Mikoto and stood. "T-this is p-perfect. T-thank you."
She made her way across the room and gathered her bag. She sat on the hard wood floor and opened the scroll. She took a kunai and dug the point into the tip of her index finger. Using the blood, she wrote out a series of symbols and complex patterns. Every time her blood would coagulate, she would be forced to nick her finger again to start a fresh flow. After a few minutes, there was a pattern that would have artists jealous.
There were four spots left blank, where she placed the four scrolls she pulled from her pack. The head scrolls.
For every clan, there were scrolls kept by the head family that held the clan's secrets, from jutsu to weaknesses. For the Hyuugas, when an heir was inaugurated, they would gather all the scrolls and place them all within a summoning scroll. They would then place their own unique seal on the scroll. Throughout that heir's reign, new scrolls would be added as jutsu were discovered or healing techniques for special family traits. The next heir would then gather them all into another summoning scroll. With every generation placing their own protection on the scrolls, it was near impossible to get the Hyuuga secrets.
And now it was Hinata's turn.
With a poof, the four scrolls disappeared, leaving a blank canvas. Hinata rolled up the scroll and placed it aside. Then she started drawing straight on the hard wood floor. Again, she had to make a few more cuts to her finger, but she finished quicker this time. She placed the scroll in the middle of her design and stood.
She performed a series of hand seals, almost twenty different signs, and then slammed her palm down on the scroll. The blood pattern on the floor crept forward towards Hinata's palm, each symbol getting smaller only to disappear under Hinata's hand. She picked up the scroll when she was done and straightened. Her own personal seal was complete.
She swayed slightly and Mikoto had to catch her as she collapsed. The Uchiha put her back in bed and set the now sealed scroll on the nightstand. She fluffed the pillows a bit and then backed away from the now sleeping girl with a sigh.
Happy fucking birthday.
XXXXXXXXXX