Hey there! Uh, I'm sorry for such a late update! =_=" School's started and have a math test and a french test coming up, that and I'm lazy~ Well, I hope this answers some you guys' questions about Sakura's behavior! Though I hate Sakura I'm not trying to bash her. And you know I just love reviews! They encourage my lazy ass to write! I hope this chapter is better than the first but I need reviews to tell me whether or not my writing is getting better or worse! Uh...Please enjoy!
Sai leaned against the back wall of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Sakura and Ino were getting into a viscous fight and all he could do was watch. Naruto and Sakura had been acting strange and he could no longer attribute it being because of a bad day. He folded his arms and watched Sakura shove Ino roughly, still yelling about something. Naruto just stood off to the side rooting for Sakura.
We came back from the mission this morning.. And then got chewed out by Lady Tsunade. They were fine then. Then we went into the forest to train, and saw that little girl...
Sai thought about when they had seen the little girl.
~Sakura had suggested they practice their chakra control. They went into the forest and headed toward some of the trees that looked taller than the rest to practice tree climbing. When they had reached the place, they spotted a small child curled up at roots of the tallest tree. She looked like she was coughing up blood and in pain. They could hear her crying. Sakura rushed over to her.
Before she was half way there the girl looked up and yelled at her to stop. Sakura had kept going but before she could reach the girl she suddenly froze mid-step. Naruto was about to run over to her but the girl started screaming.
"No! Stay back! Or she'll hurt you too!"
Naruto just stared, "What!?"
"She'll hurt you! Please don't come any closer!" The girl shook her head with tears running down her face.
Naruto took out a kunai, "Heh! Don't worry! I'll take on who ever it is! Just stay there and we'll take care of the rest!" he gave her a determined smile.
Sai looked around, scrutinizing the area, "Naruto, I don't see anything. And Sakura hasn't moved or said anything. Something's wrong."
Naruto's eyes darted to the left and then up to the right, "It doesn't matter! We have to help that girl! Let's go Sai!"
Naruto rushed forward with Sai behind him. He was about to pass the still frozen Sakura when he suddenly stopped too. Sai ran into him and looked everywhere, he saw no traps, no people, nothing. Then a sudden paralyzing pain shot through his body. He felt his pulse slow. After a few seconds, he felt the pain dissipate and he was again free to move.
The little girl's crying got louder, "Why!? Why do you have to do this? They weren't going to hurt me! Let them go! Please just release them!"
Sai stared at the girl then at Naruto and Sakura who barely moved. He heard a shriek and looked back to the girl. She was gone, the only thing left was a little wooden sandal. That's when Naruto and Sakura came out of their trance.
Sakura blinked, her chest heaving, "What—? The girl..."
Naruto was breathing heavily, "S-Sai? What happened?"
"I don't know....Whoever the girl was talking about seemed to be protecting her so...I don't think it's necessary we go after her. At least not right away. Are you alright?"
Sakura looked over at Naruto, "I- guess... I just felt my body lock up.. I was starting to feel my heart slow down and I couldn't breath! The girl.... we should check around to see what trap we got caught in. Did you see anything Sai?"
"No, I didn't even see who took the girl away."
"Damn it! She might be hurt! Well they had to have been using some kind of jutsu or we would have seen them. There aren't many places they could have hidden with how spaced out the trees are here."Sakura said through clenched teeth. Naruto nodded, his knuckles turning white with the increasing grip on his kunai.~
A loud crash brought Sai out of his thoughts. Ino had smashed a rather large flowerpot over Sakura's head. Sakura stumbled back, shaking terracotta pieces out of her hair, "I-Ino!? I-I...that wasn't... I can't believe I said tha-"
"Get out! I don't want to see you at my shop again! How dare you say that! You promised me you would never bring that up again!" Ino screamed, she looked on the verge of tears.
Sakura just stood still, "Ino....I didn't mean...I.."
Naruto stormed over to Sakura and grabbed her arm, "Come on! I wanna get ramen! Can't your stupid fight wait? Let's go Sai! I'm starving!"
Sai's eyes widened a little. He thought the changes might have been because of the justu that was used on them, but it was only over little things and they always regained their senses. Sai also didn't notice anything wrong with himself. They must have just been frustrated they let the little girl get taken away.
-Back at Hinata's house-
Hinata leaned against the wall and stared across the room at the bathroom door. The room was dark even though it was only the afternoon and she couldn't bring herself to light any of the paper lanterns. She still couldn't believe what happened this morning. She closed her eyes tight remembering those thoughts: If I controlled Konoha, no one would ever be able to call me weak again.
How could she think that? That was her only thought. She just felt such shame, how could she be so selfish. Her stomach growled quietly and she started to get up. Pressing her hand against part of the paper wall and pushing herself up for support she immediately got the feeling she'd regret it. When the unmistakable sound of paper tearing reached her ears it was too late.
Hinata fell through the wall. With a confused and unhappy squeak she tumbled down a small flight of of wooden stairs, painful, splintery, wooden stairs. She smacked into stone wall at the bottom and was laid out flat on her back, she could feel random spots on her body start ache where there would be bruises tomorrow.
Sitting up and gingerly feeling the back of her head she looked around in amazement. It was very dark but she could see that she was in a small room. She blinked in surprise, still rubbing the back of her head. She got up and walked into the center of the room. It looked like the one upstairs minus the kitchen and bathroom. In front of her were a large pair of sliding doors with a dragon winding around a cherry tree painted in vivid colors across the panels. She blinked again, thankful for having good eyesight even in the dark.
Taking a deep breath she took cautious steps toward the door. The dragon reminded her of the one on the front door. Sliding the door open with one hand she gasped at what lay inside. Inside the second room scattered everywhere in messy piles were beautiful silk kimonos! Hinata stepped inside and bent down to pick up a sky blue obi, she couldn't imagine anyone would leave these down here. She set the obi down and looked around the room again. It looked like many of the kimonos were unfinished, that and some things seemed to be bolts of cloth. In the far corner of the room was something that looked like an alter.
As she maneuvered around the piles toward it, she realized it was sword-stand. It cradled a katana in a black sheath with a golden handle. She hesitated before lifting it up in both hands. Carefully pulling the blade out a few inches she noticed a small engraving. It said: Tsubaki.
She took her right hand off the handle and touched the engraving. A shiver went through her body. What a strange thing to find down here. She placed her hand back on the handle, her fingers winding around it in a tight grip. She slid the blade out of the sheath completely. She dropped the sheath carelessly on the ground, completely mesmerized by the strange shining edge. She took hold of the sword handle with both hands. Another shiver swept through her body, she'd never picked up a blade before and yet it felt so natural to hold this one.
The katana blade was long, it wasn't something one could carry at their side easily, if at all. She swung the blade in a downward arc, almost grazing the wall nearby. After a few more swings Hinata found herself in staring at the beautiful silver blade again. She looked down at the sword-stand next to the discarded sheath. Tucked underneath it was small scroll. She bent down and picked it up with one hand, holding the katana tightly in the other. The scroll seemed to be some kind of receipt. Squinting in dark she read it: the sword was bought from a collector by Hiro Nagami, a man who was quite interested with the myths surrounding a certain unnamed castle.
Hinata raised an eyebrow, there was a lot on here for a receipt. She decided to skim over it and read the important sounding bits. It said the castle had vanished in the forest and no one could ever find it. The princess of the castle had the katana made by an old woman who many thought was witch. Nagami thought to search for the castle, having heard an old legend about returning the sword but soon gave up. He sought to write about the castle's myths but went missing. His head was found in an alley over in Tanzaku Town. According to the the scroll that left the sword to his daughters Tsuki and Tsukiko. After his funeral....
Hinata stared uncertainly at the writing, it was smudged and no longer readable. Most of the page after that was smudged from what looked like a coffee stain of some sort. Except the last few lines about how long it took to make, how much Nagami bought it for, and the sword's name; Dance of Insanity. Frowning, she looked at the blade in her hand, "It's odd enough finding it down here with the kimonos...but Dance of Insanity? I guess it fits the vanishing castle and being made by a witch story.."
She set down the scroll and again took hold of the blade in both hands. Even in the dark of the room she could see the blade shine. She stared at it fondly, a smile spread across her face. After a minute she snapped back to reality.
Shaking her head she muttered to herself, "Who could have left it here? And why did they hide the door? Hnnn.... It so beautiful..." Hinata felt herself drift off in an almost dreamlike state. In her mind's eye she saw herself wielding the blade, twirling in graceful arcs and slashing through enemy after enemy. Her steps were light and her movements fluid. It was almost like she was dancing.
She gasped and almost dropped the katana but her right hand held firmly onto the handle. She covered her mouth with the other hand, "T-the Dance of Insanity?!" Her eyes opened wide and she felt her stomach do flips.
I- I can't keep this sword! What do I do with it? Leave it here?
She picked up the sheath and slid the blade back in place. Her mind reeling. She went to set it down on the stand but stopped.
I-I'm overreacting! There's no need to panic, right?
She took a deep breath.
It's just a sword. No reason to have a heart attack.... None at all...Right?
Hinata closed her eyes and searched for that inner voice that she heard earlier at the Hokage's. She found nothing but her own timid thoughts. She opened her eyes. It had to be there... She gritted her teeth and searched her mind again. Still nothing. What had it said to her? Why not? It convinced her with those words, and even brought out her darker desires. It was powerful, something like that shouldn't just disappear.
She felt strangely empty knowing that the voice wasn't there. Her lower lip trembled, her own voice a pained whisper, "W-wasn't that m-my voice? Didn't I come to those decisions myself? I h-had t-to.... I'm not that weak...a-am I?" She swallowed the lump forming her throat, "How e-else could I have? But, then.. W-where is that voice n-now?"
Her eyes began to sting and she hugged the sword to her chest. She bit down her tongue, she was not going to cry over this. She looked at the unfinished kimonos and bolts of silk. She turned to the nearest pile and scooped it up in her arms, still holding onto the sword. She needed to sew. She didn't think when she sewed. And ever since Neji showed her how to when she was little it was what she did when she wanted to be away from her thoughts. It was defiantly time to be away from her thoughts.
She ran out of the room, almost slipping on the wooden floor and bits of silk. She trudged up the stairs, staring at the large tear in the wall panel. She guessed putting a screen in front of it would be enough for now. She went through the hole with a sigh. She tossed the pile of kimonos and fabric and the sword into a heap on the floor. She went to the back of the room into the small kitchen and fished through the drawers until she found some matches. Lighting the many colorful paper lanterns that hung from the ceiling, Hinata felt a little better from the warm festival-like atmosphere the room now had.
She went back to the kitchen drawer and pulled out a tiny basket full of colorful threads, a porcupine shaped pincushion stuck with needles and pins, a few clothes' patterns, and some scissors. She went and sat down next her pile and looked up at blue and red orb-shaped lantern above her. She smiled but it soon faded as she realized her home might be a fire hazard. She shook her head and pulled out a half-done kimono and a bit of silk. The kimono needed to have trim put on it, the rest of the left sleeve sewn up, and an obi. She pulled a needle out her porcupine-cushion and began trying to get thin piece of blue thread through the needle's eye.
-Early the next morning-
Hinata had fallen asleep next her night's work. She pushed aside a small pile of finished obi and kimonos and tried to stretch out her stiff limbs. She took a deep breath and was about to let out a sigh of relief, but it died in her throat as all her abandoned thoughts came rushing back dragging along a large migraine. Not only that but she had a mission this morning! Hinata groaned.
She got up and went to look for her hairbrush. After a brief time getting ready was ready to walk out the door but something stopped her. She turned to look at the katana, tossed carelessly on a pile of fabric. She felt an odd pang in her chest, and quickly went to pick it up and hurried out the door.
Mission objective: take "important" scroll from point A to point B. In other words; deliver a scroll that could've easily been handled by postman to an out of the way teahouse in the forest. Hinata felt like she was being mocked, a genin could do this. That and this teahouse was nothing more than brothel. She wondered how many times she could be sent on the same kind of demeaning mission, it was always "take this secret scroll to this secret special location" and the person who handed to her always had this about-to-burst-out-laughing smirk on their face.
She was just sick of it. But what could she do? With a depressed sigh she looked up and could see the teahouse just ahead. She quickened her pace with the mindset to get this over with as soon as she possibly could. As she neared the old two-story building she began to think of reasons they would suddenly call such a place a "teahouse" as she was sure that wasn't the title in earlier years. She held on tightly to her sword and the scroll and took a deep breath.
Hinata walked through the half-open door and was immediately bombarded by the smell of stale smoke, strong drinks, rancid body odor, strong, tacky perfume, and just a hint of vomit. A stench that seemed to suit the men seated around the small tables. She winced and tried to walk through them with as much of her high-bred Hyuuga dignity as possible. But she could just feel their eyes on her, she knew what they were thinking too, their perverted smiles and leering eyes were not lost to her at all. Neither were the background sounds. She resisted the urge to bash their ugly faces in with the sword hilt.
Ignore them, this will be over soon.
Finally making it to the counter behind which a young girl with too much make-up and not enough clothes was standing, Hinata waited somewhat impatiently behind a man with greasy disheveled hair. The man seemed to be giddy, he was holding a coin of some kind. Hinata frowned, realizing it was some sort of token.
The girl behind the counter smiled at him and took the token out of his hands, sliding it into her pocket. She grabbed a large folder and offered it to him, "Would you like to see our menu?"
Hinata felt her stomach turn. With a scornful glare she watched the disgusting man slink away while drooling over the pictures.
"Come back when you've decided!" The girl sang happily.
Hinata's glare turned to the girl, with her head held high she comforted herself with the knowledge that she may be weak and selfish but she would never be low as the woman before her. The girl looked her up and down with an approving albeit jealous smirk. She reached down a picked up a different folder almost bursting with papers and hugged to her flat chest, "Hello. Are you looking for a job?"
Hinata's eyes went wide with anger and shock. She would never! She had dignity! Hyuuga or not, she would never sell herself and be some man's plaything! With a sharp, irritated motion, she shoved the scroll rudely into the girls face and dropped it on the counter, she didn't want to touch anything that girl's hands had been on.
The girl frowned and set folder on counter. She opened the scroll and read over it quickly, occasionally looking up at Hinata who had her sword in a death-grip. After a minute the girl set it down and giggled, "Hnn~ Are all ninja as irritable as you? Go down the hall and then go right. The Sunset room is the first door before you go upstairs." Then the girl looked over the folder, "You know, it's never to late to start a new career...It can be fun too."
Hinata practically snarled the girl, "I was raised better than that." She said with unintentional emphasis on 'better'.
She stormed off in search the Sunset room with absolutely no idea of what she needed to do once she got there. After a minute of looking around and attempting to block out her sense of hearing she found she forgot the simple directions. She turned down a hall and almost collided with a young man wearing nothing but an open kimono. Hinata turned around with a slight squeak and apologized quietly, intent on purposefully failing the mission and leaving. She hugged the sword to her chest like it would allow her to disappear.
The man chuckled, he had sweet, deep voice, a handsome face, and long black spikey hair. He closed the robe and tapped her on the shoulder. Hinata glanced back at him with frown. He smiled, "Sorry about that. I just took a shower.."
What!?
She nodded and mumbled something about leaving but he grabbed her hand. She felt her body tense up and her stomach began it's acrobatic routine. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Hey now, don't run off. Did you need something? What's with that look? I work here."
Hinata shook her head and asked were the Sunset room was. The man pointed to his left at a door next to a staircase. She nodded and avoided his green-eyed gaze as she slipped inside.
"My name's Toujirou, by the way." He called after her.
Inside the Sunset room a woman with long, black hair lounged against the wall. She was covered with paint of various oranges, yellows, and reds and was blanketed by large sheet. She opened an eye and suddenly flung a small black box her. Hinata caught it easily. It seemed far to heavy for its size.
"Get out." The woman growled harshly.
Hinata was bit taken back but thankful, she could leave now. With her sword in one hand and the strange box in the other she began heading back out into the hall. The man, Toujirou, was outside peeking into the room across from the Sunset. He looked over his shoulder with a smile, "Tsuki-san's a bit grouchy isn't she?"
Hinata nodded nervously and quickly got out of the teahouse. As she began making her way through the forest, the name Tsuki seemed stuck in her head. She remembered it from somewhere but couldn't quite place it. She was barely paying attention to where she was going, absorbed in her thoughts. That is until the angry shouting of man snapped her out of them.
"Hey! Girl! Give me that box there! And while you're at it, hand over the sword and any money you got!"
The man looked strong, he was bigger than Hinata and had some armor on, though he clearly wasn't a ninja. He was holding knife and was poised to lunge at her at any moment. Hinata shoved the box into her pocket and then felt the headband around her neck. This man was either very stupid or very sure of himself. He huffed, "Time's up stupid girl!"
Hinata's right hand flew to sword handle and without a single thought she quickly and gracefully slid Dance of Insanity's blade out of the sheath and sliced through the robber's neck, decapitating him. Blood spurted from the corpse as it fell to the ground. It took only seconds for her realize what she did.
She jerked her head to look at blade, its edge dripped with dark, almost black blood. She looked down at her feet where the headless corpse lay. She knelt down and wordlessly cleaned the blood of the blade with the man's shirt. Her thoughts seemed be frozen, she could barely comprehend them. She looked the sword in her hands, the once shining silver now stained with a strange blackness.
The words left her lips before she even knew them, "You tainted my Insanity.."
She suddenly gasped in surprise. Did she really say that? She bit her lip, sheathing the blade she ran the rest of the way to Konoha, dropping off the box at the Mission Center.
-Later that Night-
Hinata was laying on the floor next to the Dance of Insanity sword. She killed someone. She didn't understand how she could of done that. Not her, she was too weak, Father had always reminded her of that. She was too weak to kill someone, too weak to be a ninja and thus he had disowned her. But she had killed someone, she took his life and left his body there in the forest. But how? How could someone so weak kill purposefully?
Hinata reached out and touched the sheath with one finger. She didn't just kill, she felt no remorse for doing it. And that sickened her more than anything. She couldn't get the image of the headless body laying at her feet out of her head.
With this sword....I ended a life. And I still don't care that that man is dead. He might have had family, friends, and attacked me out of desperation but I still don't care.
Hinata retracted her hand. She felt disgusted at herself, not only was she selfish she was heartless too!
But I did kill. I am not so weak as everyone thinks. I could take over Konoha....
She sat up. Then her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly.
"Hitomi, Tsukiko, and Sayuri escaped. They are thought to be somewhere in the forest.." Shizune's voice repeated over and over in her head.
"Hitomi, Tsukiko, and Sayuri.." Hinata whispered to herself, "Hitomi, Tsukiko.. Tsukiko..?"
Hinata was quiet, she thought of the woman at the teahouse. Tsuki-san was what that Toujirou man had called her. Her mind struggled to fit it together. She knew this, but what was it? Tsukiko and Tsuki. Were they the same person? No, that wasn't it. Tsuki and Tsukiko...
Hinata looked at the sword next her. Tsuki and Tsukiko.. Then it hit her.
Tsuki and Tsukiko are sisters! Tsukiko was part of Project Nine and her and Tsuki were supposed to own this sword!
Hinata held Dance of Insanity close to her chest. Her thoughts racing about in her mind like a flood. If she went back to see Tsuki.. She might be able to learn about Project Nine...And... She took a deep breath. It might be a different Tsuki and Tsukiko. It was just too much of a coincidence, finding their sword in her house, learning about Project Nine, and seeing that Tsuki woman in the teahouse. But then again..
No. She wouldn't go back to see Tsuki. At least, not right away. Hinata bit her lip, she wasn't weak. She killed someone. So she should be able to have the guts to find out about Project Nine, regardless of she intended to use that knowledge for. She did kill.
She bit harder on lip, she did kill. Didn't she? Sliding Insanity's blade out she stared at the black stain upon it. Yes, the blade was stained, but did she kill that man? Hinata remembered the corpse. She remembered the blood. But she still wasn't sure.
"I-I'll g-go and look for the body..." She said to herself, her voice shaking.
-In the Forest-
She'd been to the teahouse and back and the body just wasn't there. It wasn't anywhere. Not even a drop of blood. Hinata was starting to get a headache, did someone move it? She had her Byakugan activated but still she found nothing. As she neared a clearing she noticed three dim chakra signatures.
She hid behind a tree and watched as three little girls argued and pushed each other about.
"I said we'll go get her! We can't leave her there!" A little girl with long brown hair and a pink kimono hissed, shoving a smaller one down to the ground.
"B-but she's just using us! Can't you see that!?" the girl on the ground coughed, she got on her knees grabbed the brown haired girl's shirt, "Please! We can be free now! We don't have to do what she says!" This girl had short hair the same color as Hinata's, she wore a torn blue kimono and an oversized pair of men's white hakama.
The brown haired girl smacked her on the head, "Why are you always so much trouble!? Like before in the forest!? What's wrong with you?"
The third girl stayed quiet, she had long black hair and wore a white kimono. Her eyes were a strange yellow color with flecks of red. This girl turned to look over at Hinata's direction and pointed to her. Hinata bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed and stepped out from behind the tree toward the little girls.
The oldest one couldn't be more than nine!
The brown haired girl turned to look at her and wicked smile spread across her face, "See!? See!? Her power is so great it even affects those who come in to contact with the others!"
W-what?
"And now I'll show you both my power! Watch closely Sayuri! This is the power she gave to me!" The girl laughed madly, like she was possessed.
The littlest girl grabbed the her kimono, "No! Hitomi please! Don-" she gave into a violent coughing fit, spattering Hitomi's pink kimono with specks of blood. "Please don't! You already hurt the people in the forest!" she wheezed.
"Shut up Sayuri! I won't do the same thing as I did to them. This girl is so weak, I can tell she's been affected by the mere presence of the others! Perhaps she met the ones from the forest?" Hitomi laughed again.
The black haired girl just stared at Hinata, "Know your own thoughts, woman, or you'll be lost to her power like Hitomi."
Hinata was speechless. These were the girls from Project Nine? They were children! What was Lady Hokage doing!?
Hitomi suddenly looked confused, "What? You're here too?"
Hinata almost forgot where she was, she almost didn't notice the presence behind her. But she turned to face the danger too late. All she saw was fist aimed for her temple and then a dull pain that consumed every sense she had and thrust her into unconsciousness.
Hey, how was it? Was it better, worse, the same, or meh? Please tell me!! And uh, I meant for Madara to be in this chapter but, well, that didn't work. He SHOULD be in the next one though. Also, how did I do on keeping Hinata in character? Anywho, I hope enjoyed. Please Review!!!
