I was not sure how popular I would be but here is the next chapter. I kinda don't have anything to rant about so yeah, enjoy reading. Feel free to message me alternative names and maybe story arc that you would like to see. I have thought of quite a few but I wanna also know about what people want.
I originally had Kurenai as the sensei of team eight, but it did not sit right with me. I hope you can see why and agree with me on this one. She would have been too nice for the plot.
Second edition notes:
Corrected names.
Chiho, Kanna and Hinata carfully approached their house. It was down a tight alleyway as bunching buildings together made them more secure and less likely to fall apart. As soon as they entered the one-person-wide avenue to a small courtyard with a well in. The place was largely tidy with rubble stacked off to one corner in case it was useful for something in the future. They opened a door make of nailed planks which seemingly worked well to keep the outside out and they entered their home. The house was divided into two rooms. The first being the largest of the two had curtains partitioning off corners for each girl in the team. The middle of the room had an old wooden table which was kept as clean as they could. Directly opposite was a fireplace that was now cold as none of them had been in all day to maintain it. It was made out of a simple brick design and the flue and had storage for wood to be used as fuel. To the right was a large cupboard that contained various utensils and equipment for all the girls on the team. Last of all, to the left was the doorway to the bathroom. Albeit very basic bucket of water for a shower and a deep pit for a toilet. The building was cool despite a whole day in the sun. The one forgiving factor inside the building was the poor insolation. Granted it was horrific in the winter but during the summer it was possible to avoid the heat by staying indoors. Not that it was very productive to the community. Hinata was curious to where their teacher was as she was clearly not inside. Mizuki often claimed that she had nothing to do with them and so usually never accompanied the trio. Despite it was what she was meant to do.
Mizuki had finally entered after everyone got themselves comfortable and ready to prepare dinner. Usually she wore the face of mild annoyance if she had to be here. Typically finding somewhere else to stay on most nights. She still wore the standard Kimono uniform customary of anyone who held rank. The woman had long silver hair that was almost as clear and clean as Hinata's eyes but was largely covered in a dark green beanie hat. However, it was clear she mattered to herself as Hinata doubted she had ever saw her do anything productive aside from talk to other women her age. And 'forget' she had a team. Mizuki was also one of the few to carry a rifle on her back. As curtesy of the capital city as she somehow managed to persuade the elders that she was suitable to police the village as well as teach.
"Is everyone here? good." Mizuki leaned against the door frame, she had no intension to remain here. "I am going to be frank here. Hinata, you've been accused of distracting teams from their duties." She spoke plainly as if the news was to no surprise.
"What!?" Kanna was the first to call out. She was by far the most vocal of the group after all. Hinata immediately slumped in her chair. Dread now sunk in her heard like a heavy anchor.
"Someone apparently saw two teams waiting on her at the main entrance to old Konoha or something. Either way they weren't doing anything and Hinata was not there.
"That's not possible, she was with us the whole time." Chiho lied on Hinata behalf but her voice made it sound convincing. "Yes, we were at the main gates but only for a minute." Her voice level and calm.
"That's just not fair! Don't we get a chance to explain ourselves?" Kanna asked.
"Honestly, I don't care. Hinata it has been decided that you're to leave my team and remain solo. This isn't the first time I had to sit through a council meeting for you."
"What! That's fucked up! She didn't do anything!" Kanna slammed her fist down on the table. "Why do people do this! It's disgusting."
"I believe people are using Hinata as an escape goat to pass on their blame and bad luck." Chiho explained.
"Not helping Chiho."
"It's the only remotely logic-"
"-It's fine! I-I understand…" Hinata interrupted. Tears in her eyes but she looked up and gave everyone a short smile. She swallowed down the sadness. It took several attempts but eventually she broke down and covered her face in her hands. "W-w-why m-me?" She muttered. The room was silent apart from her quiet sobs and the occasional creak of the timber. Mizuki just muttered a 'tch' before turning to leave the girls. She paused and looked like she was trying to remember something.
"We will always be here to support you." Chiho comforted.
"Yeah! Just because you're not gonna' be with us all the time doesn't mean we can't see you. Right Chiho?"
"Right."
"T-thank you everyone. W-when am I supposed to m-move out?"
"Ah, tomorrow." She now seemed satisfied by doing everything that was asked of her and not a thing more.
The four ate their meal in silence. It was nothing extravagant seeing as Hinata lost her found food to her sister. She did not want to talk. In fact, she was feeling numb, surprisingly enough she decided that numb was a better alternative to other emotions. She was first to retire into her corner of the room and lay on her bed just staring up at the roof. The light from the crackling fire was creating dancing shadows that she allowed herself to be distracted by.
"S-Chiho?" She softly called out. Not moving from her position.
"Hmn, yeah?"
"You said I was an escape goat? What made you say that?"
"I read somewhere that in close knit communities, people find it easier to cope if they can blame their problems on someone else."
"Why is it me?"
"Remember when you first came here?"
"M.. mhm?"
"You used to be really determined and acted as if nothing could get in your way."
"Did I?"
"Well, certainly more than myself. But people picked up on that and set you out as an outsider, someone different."
"They expected too much from you. You didn't do anything Hinata." Kanna added.
"Kanna is right, for once-"
"-Hey!"
"Do not blame yourself. We will be there for you."
"Thank you, m-means a lot."
The next day seemed to blur to Hinata. Mizuki got the location of her new home and lead her so she knew where it was. Although, it took longer than it should to find their sensei, even with all three searching the village. The white-eyed girl was cuddling into a basket containing a couple books, blankets and tools that she owned. Some objects to make her life somewhat more liveable. As she passed she could hear many women whispering about things she did not do. As a result, Hinata was not paying attention to where she was going. Next thing she knew she was outside the village itself. Albeit not far from the fence but still not even within their community. She never spoke just quietly nodded while one of the elders, Biwako was trying in vain to comfort the depressed girl. She missed everything she said. Biwako was supposedly the leader of the elders but judging by the situation and the amount of regret in her voice it was doubtful she had full control over the elders. If Hinata was listening she would have known that Biwako tried everything they could but in the end, it was down to the vote. Although they managed to dissuade total banishment as it was extreme even if Hinata's supposed delinquency was true. The whole situation was unfair but Chiho managed to describe it so well. Hinata's role in the community was to be the escape goat of all its problems. It was easier to say it was Hinata's fault less and less food was found, that some important task was left undone, that something goes wrong or someone does a mistake. Hinata was blamed, she was the shy girl and now she was alone. Kanna gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as she asked to be left alone for now. Her two friends understood.
Her new home was cold, damp and creaking. The wind had picked up and rattled the glass in the small window that allowed natural light to escape. This house was not cosy. To her left was a cast iron oven with enough space to fuel with wood and cook on a hotplate above the cavity. Her bed was to the right and that was it. Life in the ruins of old Konoha was far from idealistic but this was poverty by their own standards. Another groan from the timber and a cool breath of air seeped into the building and sent a chill down Hinata's spine. Stuck, in a situation she knew she couldn't pull herself from. Doubt filled her thoughts as he forced herself to sit on the bed. It was comfortable enough but the mattress was an old one and she could feel lumps where she sat. The lonely girl took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and cleared her mind as best as she could. Her sister wouldn't be helpful she thought that Hinata was stuck in her situation and it was fruitless to even attempt to change it. Kurama and Sasuki were willing to stamp her out of the way. While many others such as Sakura and Ino were just following the crowed. Cho and Shigeko both just ignored her, like she never existed in their radar. That left her teammates and teacher, or, as she knew now, her ex-teammates. She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry. Punch something or run as fast and as far as she could but right now her better judgement forced her into silence. She bit her lip in thought, her attempts to clear her mind only resulted in a new wave of thoughts and it gave her a headache.
"What if… I… Stayed out…" She thought out loud. What initially felt like a choppy sea with waves of thoughts crashing this was and that eventually collated into one coherent flow. The shy girl knew she was not welcome anymore but that was because she was doing something she was not fond of. What Hinata enjoyed doing was exploring the wilds. Free from people who separated her out. The bluenette regretted her next thought but nevertheless it was just as valid. She did not have a team who had to wait on her to return, no way to track her down this time.
Next time she opened her eyes; the snow-like pupils finally shone and were clear of tears. She still felt like the world was crashing around her but at least it was not hopeless. In a way, she was able to escape because so few cared about her. Hinata carefully pulled out a folded piece of paper and unravelled the sheet to reveal her map. She glanced over and over it and made a scheme. She was going back to the mill and then see how much further she dared to go. Jumping off her bed, she quickly pulled out various blankets from her basket and then chose her largest one to re-stuff into the wicker container. In addition, she stored two pots good enough for cooking and one packet containing dried porridge she only needed enough for one night. She made sure her knife was secure on her flank and she finally strapped the basket to her back. With the remains of her things she stuffed under her mattress so it had appeared there was nothing of value inside.
Exiting the small building she stood in the street and looked around. The sun kept hiding behind clouds at regular intervals as a brisk breeze blew past her hair. Making it briefly billow in the wind and relax in a neat hold down to her shoulders. Hinata turned away from Konoha and set down the road. The street was lined by old buildings made of wood and stone but all were a far cry from their former glory. She could just hear whispers over the wind asking if 'that's the one who got kicked out of her team.' Quickly hushed as she passed one particular window, it was obvious where they were hiding and Hinata could feel her stares. Her shoulders slumped as she felt the pressure build and her nerves spiked. It gave her the appearance of defeat but only Hinata knew that she was taking advantage of a new opportunity. She agreed with herself that this was what she wanted to do since she could remember. Walking a familiar path towards the ancient gates of old Konoha. She could feel her nerves build up as the white-eyed girl approached the threshold. Knowing that she what she was doing but still had to swallow anxiety. She reached the gate and stopped under the archway. Sighing heavily, she looked over her shoulder and a revelation that surprised her. She looked back in anger, something she was not used to. For years she blamed herself but instead in the briefest moment she chose to hate the people who whispered. Always whispering and never telling it to her face. It was cowardly. It had no honour. It was not civilised and it was not what she was led to believe during her childhood inside the capital city. She turned to leave, Hinata knew she would have to return to this place but not before she had her fill of the wilderness.
Hinata traced her steps from the day before. It only took her half an hour to reach the old water mill. This time she was able to have a better search around it. Everything was just as it she had left it, as if the place was frozen in time and slowly becoming forgotten. There was a door that curiously enough Hinata had not opened to explore yet. The door presumably lead to a small storage space as the building could not have been that much bigger. A good eye would have noticed that the damage done to the wood was not natural, suggesting a blade or weapon had caused it. However, Hinata only saw where the wood appeared to have degraded faster than the rest, she did not know any different. She tried the door handle but the door did not budge, with nothing better to do the girl threw herself at the door. The wood being weaker than she expected she burst through the door and landed on now a pile of damp splinters. Her hands and knees stung as she picked herself up she was breathing heavily to recover with the shock of jumping straight through the door. Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the murky darkness of the small room.
A gasp escaped her lips as she saw two skeletons on opposite sides of the room. While their flesh had long since decomposed to nothing but bone, some parts of their attire remained. To the body on the right, it had a sword pinning the green flak jacket by where the heart would be to the wall behind. While most of the bones had collapsed into a heap some of the ribs and the skull was balancing on the jacket. The rest of that person's clothes were heavily moth bitten but what was left undisturbed appeared to be a kimono although the colour had long since fades to an earth-like brown. The other body which was to Hinata's left was also wearing a green flak jacket but he looked more like he sat himself by the wall to wait out his last moments. His jacket had three clear holes and spread around him were three kunai blades, each with a ring for a pummel and the metal had begun to rust one the blades' edge. The scene looked like both of the dead people here managed to strike a fatal blow to each other. Hinata slowly picked herself and still in front of the slouching body on the left. She pictured whoever that Woman was must have died somewhat peacefully as the bones looked like person had fallen asleep but never awoke. Her curiosity took over and she stood over the skeleton. She was thinking what brought these two to kill each other but just ask she leaned in for a closer look the left arm, or the bones of the left arm slide off the flak jacket and fell into a heap on the floor. In the hand was a small scroll with some rough writing. With a shaking hand, she picked up the small scroll and tried to see the writing in a better light. The message simply said, 'mission failed, sorry.' Where these the last words of this person? Looking around to see what else was in the room, she could see what was left of a camp site. Food long gone but some of the more durable material was left. Ashes of a small camp fire looked like they were kicked in a hurry, probably by one of the people here. One of their boots, in same one Hinata stood over had the same ash still on the leather. The boots were still good but Hinata surmised her feet were not big enough to wear them.
She felt odd wanting to use things that obviously belonged to one or the other people here. If the jackets were repaired she could make some decent protective clothing from them. The boots were still good as well. Few pots and pans and several sharp blades. Her self-taught survival instincts were obviously kicking in an overwhelming her respect for the dead. The room was intact, provided good shelter and as long as she did not mind spending a night with two skeletons then here would be a good first night away. She could travel further this way and Hinata was not a million miles away from safety if she needed it. Setting down her basket she began to search everything in more detail, spending the better half of the day organising what she had just found. Aside from the campsite and what the two people had on them Hinata couldn't find much else of use. Just as the dusk settled she had begun to dig two shallow graves for the skeletons so they could rest finally. She was using the flat of her blade which would blunt the edge but Hinata knew she could always re-sharpen it if she had nothing else to do. By the time she had dug large enough graves, she was straining too hard to see and so thought it was a good idea to retire for the night.
The girl had been working so hard she had not noticed the setting sun. She had been planning on debating whether or not to go back. Her more erratic emotions had subsided and she was thinking more rationally. She thought about her friends and how they'd react to her missing. Would they assume she'd abandon the village? Or something had happened to her? Regardless it was much too dark to go anywhere in the forest. Not only because of the rough and unknown ground but now she was at a disadvantage with her sight, despite her ability to see the life force of creatures around her. In addition, the wind had still picked up and made listening to all the noises in the night nigh on impossible. Her safest bet would be to camp in the water-mill. She could block up the entrance and have a reasonable level of safety. Wiping her brow with soiled hands, she knew her body was long overdue a wash in some nearby hot springs. The hot springs were very popular because it was the only place to get hot water. The alternatives would be cold water from a bucket or lightly heated over a fire. Those options had the advantage to be done alone and in the private of their own home. Hinata slowly stood and stretched up, in her hast to finish the graves before darkness came she had been crouched down in the same position for the better part of two hours, or so it felt like two hours, she honestly had no way of knowing. Taking each step slowly and carefully now as she could hardly see what she was standing on it all looked the same murky black in the diminishing light. The room in which she decided to sleep in was even darker. Hinata relied solely on memory and feeling around, it took a while but she had found her old lighter and flicked it open. Her face was suddenly illuminated in the dancing flame. Her eyes reflected the light almost perfectly. Her pale colour acting like a mirror but her face remined stoic as she cupped the light in her hands and lowered the flame into a small ball of kindling, a piece of dry cloth from one of the bodies. It caught fire and Hinata was able to quickly pile on some sticks she had collected earlier. Already adopting the new pots, she had found she filled it with a pouch of oatmeal and burnt the wrapper. The new cooking utensils were much lighter and more rust resistant than Hinata had expected, in addition they also stacked better and allowed Hinata some more free space which she was grateful for as her old pots were very cumbersome to carry for long periods of time.
Now that the room was flickering with the small fire. Hinata wrapped herself up in her blanket and leaned against the wall. Listening carefully to the wind outside, very few breaths touched the room she was in but occasionally the fire would lash out in a random direction as if it was striking its pray. The doorway was blocked off by her second blanket meaning she doubted anyone would see her from the outside. Total isolation, she gulped, glad she had moved the bodies. If they were still here she would probably start believing they were staring at her with their lifeless gaze. As she curled up to her hot meal and slowly started to eat by herself. Softly whispering her grace as her spoon dipped into the porridge. Her memories were left to their own devices and as she finished her meal and settled down to sleep. As she closed her eyes, one memory in particular came to mind.
Remembering back to her years spent in the capital city. Vastly different to her experience outside the epic walls which protected said city. Inside she could remember sitting by the window of their school tower. A building reaching ten stories high and surrounded the many houses down below. Here were many comforts that outside the city never offered, electricity, hot water on demand, abundant food and new clothes were but a few luxuries she had in her early life. Hinata was overlooking the formal gardens and flower arrangements that had bordered the plaza by her school. The timid girl, as well as all her classmates all wore the standard uniform of a white and red blouse coupled with. There was a lecture on that Hinata was listening intently to despite staring out of the window. Since she had joined various teachers would try and catch her out but over time they realised she was still aware of the class going on around her. The room itself was very typical of a classroom, nothing out of the ordinary. Blackboard to the front behind the teachers' desk, chairs out in front organised into a grid and filled by her peers. Behind Hinata was where the books and anything else needed to teach young students everything they needed to be highly educated. The girls did move around according to subject; mathematics would be in one room, English in another room and so on. In this particular room, they learned about history. Once a week they congregated in this room to learn about life in the old world. Concentrating heavily from the woman's perspective naturally while making males appear as a separate species.
It intrigued Hinata why she was remembering this particular lesson. It was about the war that ended life as it was and transformed it to life as they know now. There was a group of women who leaded the charge against all male kind. Tired of the oppression and aggression towards women they decided to try and separate into a woman only society. Naturally such a movement did not end peacefully, the men were portrayed as greedy and would not allow the formation of a new centre of power. The teacher describing them as afraid that the women in the new society would perform a better job of building the perfect society that knows only peace. One night a band of men thought they could overpower the new village and proceeded to pillage and rape all women inside. One girl escaped, watched as many sacrificed themselves to protect her. That girl grew to be Orchimaru who took it personally to seek revenge. Revenge that fuelled a frenzy of research into new and powerful jutsu and even joined the Akatsuki, known for their hatred in men. Hinata knew about jutsu and chakra but it is now considered very rare and she did not know anyone who could perform it to the ability told in the history lessons.
One impactful discovery that Orochimaru had made was a gender specific disease. A disease that originated from a jutsu designed to kill specifically men. In short, it had worked. The disease grew to be so effective and infectious that in no time at all eighty percent of men were infected with a near perfect lethality rating. Panic ensued and although the fault could solely be blamed on one vengeful action, the female gender was blamed and attacked for it. All-out war within the five nations followed. Not with each other but with themselves as fear spread like wildfire. Small factions emerged and almost immediately fell, people were dying in the streets and many people were orphaned. The world that Hinata inhabited was the eventuality of Orochimaru's revenge. She had never seen a man before and from what she was told they were the monsters that destroyed the world. The instigator of the fires that burnt city after city and their power, strength, wealth and greed meant nothing now.
The hour was up and Hinata would not find out how the capital city was formed until next week. But for now she was wondering what kind of people would they have been to push this woman called Orochimaru to such extremes? She could only guess. Her thoughts were now back onto the two skeletons that she had found. Were they people from the old world who had to live through wars and terror? The shy girl hoped not, it was a something that only the cruellest could wish on others and Hinata was anything but cruel. Ironic that the kindest would have been shunned just as much as the cruellest. No one heard from Orochimaru since she unleashed the disease into the world, rumours were all that was truly known about the mysterious woman. As Hinata remembered, the last line of that lecture was at least that was what the legend was about, the actual events were never documented at the time but the results are certainly observable'. It only took around one-hundred years before no one could recall exactly what brought the world down.
