A clear sign that this couldn't be real is that people around her said absurd things. And if it was real, if they actually meant what they said, Hinata wished she hadn't made the effort of staying alive.
Neji came to visit that day and that was how she found out. She guessed she would have been told, eventually. Or maybe not... And the first question that came to her mind was if Neji was telling her about it for it was unfair for things to be done behind her back or to throw it in her face, how outrageous things could happen for the well of the Main Family. But she tended to think it was the first. She could not see him, but she knew him well enough - he could always hide the reasons for it, but not clear wrath in his face and voice. And his speech was clear.
"They cannot do that," she replied. Her voice was not made to sound firm, but this time it sounded much like it.
"I cannot comment on that," was all he said. And it sounded a lot like, '...but if I could...'.
"But I will," she said and, in her otherwise thin voice, he found something of sharpness, equal to the one with which she had refused being helped to walk - a proud stubbornness he had never seen in her before.
He had seen slight stubbornness in Hinata before, growing with every day of training, with every time she got up after collapsing, weakly, somehow shyly fearfully saying they had to continue. But those could rather be translated as 'Trust me, I'll try,' while, these other times, it was, clearly, 'Trust me, I'll do'.
She could not know that, but, at that moment, Neji was looking at her with a mild curiosity and wonder. After so many years in which he either did not care or did not find it appropriate, he now started to wonder what it was really like, in her mind, her vision of all these things around them and he wished - because there had been a lot of chances to do it - he wished he had tried to find out.
Because, right now, he looked at her and found it that he had and still missed a lot from beneath the surface.
You'd think that trying your hardest, giving it all and even more would mean something. You'd think that they'd realize what had been wrong and what should be right. What there was to be done and what should not ever be repeated. But the world does not mostly work like that. It rather crawls back, repeating the old mistakes, over and over. The saddest part, no one ever realizes it - until the old consequences of the old mistakes get back to them, too.
And so it happened that saving the world was not enough to gain its respect. Proving your power as greater than any other does not come with respect towards your work. It comes with fear. It comes with greater glares than before, instead of cheers. If they had been afraid when they knew you held that power you had no idea of and couldn't control, did things change in good once they know you have that power in your control and could dispose of it anytime. No.
There is something in humanity that's hard to understand. They can mask sadness. They can mask happiness. They can mask anything but distaste and dislike. They might say it's all fine, but their eyes' irises get little and their mouths show a grimace instead of a smile. And you can see it clearly.
After the Fourth Ninja War, Naruto's life did not suddenly raised to the greatest. Sure, right after the war, people cheered, of course, at the sight of this young man who had taken a great threat off their shoulders. But, on a second thought, was this young one as powerful as they said he was? And, if he was that powerful, can anyone be sure he'd always be on their side. Because, anytime a power like that arises, you need to be aware.
So that, as much as Naruto had always wanted for Konoha to properly be his home, for people to really accept him and for him to love people in there so much as to give his life for them, things were not that milk and honey. Of course, now he was paid respect, but people were not really respecting him, but that who he had been on the battlefield. He had yet to be wanted he was merely accepted - not as someone who they liked to know it was there, but just as someone they'd rather have there than not. No one was mean to him anymore, but their kindness was not from the heart, their words were not meant, and Naruto was not the one to not realize these things. He was still his usual self, still faking carelessness, but not so willing to continue it as he had once been.
So that, one day, leaning quietly over the balcony, watching people passing the streets, he was feeling tired. Not tired in body. Not even in mind. But tired in a sense he'd never known before. It was not the kind of tiredness that kept him wanting to keep on trying. This time, he yearned for a pause. He was sick. He yearned to find something more. Maybe...
He remembered about Jiraiya. And he felt that urge to do what the old man had once done - take a backpack and go travelling. Look for what he wanted to find, whatever that was supposed to be. Jiraiya had not managed to find that something during his journey. Maybe he would. Afterall, he had been left this job - find the answer, whatever the question was.
Later that day, leqaving just a sheet of paper, announcing his absense for an unlimited period of time, in Tsunade's mail pile (at the top, so that his absense become legal soon enough, but just after he'd be already left), he was out of Konoha, without having said goodbye to anyone.
Tsunade would have found the reasons to stop him, so that he had preferred to avoid that meeting. Sakura was so busy lately, in her work ambitions, that she had barely spoke to any friend of hers, lately - why bother? Kakashi was retired and had gone bad into alcohol - the Obito story really had taken away the best of him. Sasuke had not come back to Konoha, even after fighting by their side - not heard of him ever since. And everyone else... they did not matter even that much at the moment.
"I don't want this," Hinata told him, as soon as she aknowledged his presence. Of course, her father was not casually visiting her - it took for her to keep questioning everyone she could, for this to happen. Her voice was not strong in front of him. Not at all. Not seeing him still did not help with that. Her protest sounded like a silly child's one.
"I don't understand the problem, Hinata," he responded bluntly. Hinata could imagine him standing tall, with dignity. She did not hear him taking a seat - clearly not intending to stay long.
"I don't want the eyes," she said once more. Her voice was still weak, but at least managed to sound irritated.
"But you will have them," he replied rigidly.
"I don't want to! I'll take nobody's eyes!"
"No heiress can stay blind," Hiashi argued sharply, his tone remaining at the same levels.
"Then why? I was never a heiress - the clean truth," she rather whispered than spoke - so weak, her voice, this time.
"This is no one's choice - so better start behaving as one," he closed the subject. She heard him stepping away. The door closed - she was alone. Well, clearly, it would not be his choice for her to be the heiress...
What had 'stealing' someone else's eyes to do with being a leader? However they wanted to refer to this, she refused to accept that this kind of sacrifice should be a duty of any member of her clan. Having someone living with this disability just because she was the heiress... this was even more grotesque than giving one's life for the sake of hers. And she refused to let it happen. But what power did she have now, when, clearly, she had barely ever had any...
It happened too fast. And at night. And they still searched for what or who had started it all. And it spread immediately. But the material damages were left to be discussed later. There were damages far greater than that. Because fire spreading through dozens of rooms in which many disabled persons lived - paralyzed, coma... People who cannot defend themselves from anything. Now, that is damage. That is to be cried after.
Of course, Water users were immediately called upon. Water Release Jutsu were used continuously for several hours. Evacuations have been made. But the damages still existed. People were still missing.
Having checked the hospital for countless times, during the fire and after it had been gone, Hyuugas were now spread through the crowd of people standing outside the hospital, using their eyes to scan the surroundings. With no results in none, they then started asking around. If they couldn't, then someone must have seen something, heard something.
"Yes, yes, indeed, that blind pretty woman - I've seen her," an old man was saying gently, sustaining his severally wrinkled body's weight by a thick wooden walking stick.
"Yes, indeed," he continued in a characteristic long-winded way of any old man, "I remember, yes. This young lady... See... I am walking down the hall, walking from my therapy - going to sleep. And this pretty lady - dark haired, bandage over her eyes - walks out her room - nr. 300, just as you said. And she says, 'Did anyone else hear this?' And I and the medic just stare at her, wondering what it is all about. And she says, 'It was a strange sound, like a fuse, or maybe a lint'. But we have no idea. But ,still, we walk to the room. Check the place, in the room and out the window - the medic does. And she says, 'No, miss, nothing'. But the girl goes on, 'No, listen, I can hear it now'. But I cannot hear anything. Though, I am old - I may not hear much. But the medic hears nothing as well. And the young woman insists - says she refuses to remain in the room. 'Good,' the medic can't do nothing about it. And when we walk out - she walks with us, to be taken to the director to discuss the problem - it happens. It explodes, the place. And it explodes there. And it also explodes somewhere else, we hear. But not any kind of explosion - nothing blows up, no. Just fire spreads with the sound - strange fire, I'm telling you. Been ninja for seventy years - never seen such fire before...," the old man shook his head.
So, then, that was how the fire had started. Had it been on purpose, to kill the heiress, or anything else? And how came that Hinata heard that sound that alarmed her?
"And what happened with the blind girl afterwards?" the Hyuuga man asked the old man.
"Oh, well, we went out together, as far as I remember it," the old man raised his shoulders. "She was out the hospital somewhere. But I lost sight of her," he added sadly.
The man saluted the old person and thanked, going to report the news to the others.
But, other many hours later, there was still no trace of her. And the only explanation there could be thought of: it was a trick for the heiress to be kidnapped. But who? Why? (surely not for any eyes).
And so the search was directed to out the village.
