A/N: Again, expect monthly updates. This will get faster once the story breaks further from canon.
Prologue
Third part Chuunin selection exam - the tournament, Neji vs. Naruto
A puff of smoke. Dirt explodes. And a fist flies up from the ground into an unsuspecting prodigy, courtesy of a failure.
Hanabi watches on in complete awe as Naruto snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. She listens close as he tells Neji of his story of his main jutsu, the bunshin. And when he calls himself a loser, as per Neji's previous labeling, the younger Hyuuga glares determinately, thinking proudly, 'No, you are not a loser. You were not a genius like Neji, but you are powerful enough.'
The crowd cheers. To the victor the spoils, after all. It isn't until she sees her father's sad expression when Neji is put onto a stretcher and taken away that she begins to realize there may be more to the previous story-telling than was revealed. Though initially concerned, she becomes curious. As Hiashi makes way for the infirmary, Hanabi activates her byakugan and trails behind. While quite a risk of being discovered should her father also activate his eyes, she intuits from his previous expression that he only has one thing on his mind - to speak with Neji.
Hanabi quietly stalks to the door and waits outside casually.
"I came... to tell you the truth of that day," Hiashi speaks. And throughout the entire conversation Hanabi listens, silent as a mouse. But even mice are eventually caught. As her father exits the room, without even looking back, "Come, Hanabi, let us head home."
No further explanation. Or, that is to say there was not enough time to get around to asking for more before the attack on the leaf happens.
The night Sasuke leaves
Call it intuition, or dread, but Sakura had the most peculiar feeling about Sasuke. There was something about the timing and his attitude that just led her to believe he just might leave - and damned if Sakura didn't do what she could to stop that from happening. And if she was wrong, her little walk in the moonlight would be just that.
But she wasn't wrong, was she?
As she waits by the gate, the raven-haired boy makes his appearance and instantly her fears are confirmed. Though she didn't think her mere appearance would dissuade him, she is silently shocked by his question,
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
She can only stand still as stone, though she manages to explain her choice of location, being near the gate since it is the main exit from the village. Not an adequate reply.
"You should go back to bed."
His dismissive words cut deep. She questions his motive for saying such, and though she begins to lose her composure, tears streaming down her cheeks, she tries to understand. She explains that she knows he sees her as annoying, even ignorant at times, by relating their first time alone.
"I don't remember that."
Another knife, sharply cleaving into her. Perhaps there is hope in an appeal to emotion? She details how after what they've endured they could be considered close, and that that is happiness; and how revenge will not bring him closer to this state. And as this conversation continues, Sakura grows more desperate to stop him. Would guilting work? No, just as dismissive.
And so she plays her trump card. She confesses. Tears in her eyes, but sincerely expressed. She says that they would be happy. She will do anything for him. She would even kill. She even says she just wants to go with him. She lays it all out feeling emotionally raw, to which Sasuke turns to say,
"You really are..."
Her heart rises as she believes she may have gotten through to him.
"...Very annoying" coyly smirking.
And she sinks. Out of ideas, she threatens to scream. Bad move. Sasuke is behind her. He wouldn't kill her, would he?
"Thank you."
The last thing she remembers hearing before waking (and subsequently reporting Sasuke's departure).
A few hours later...
Sakura heads home for a bit to clear her mind. No doubt a team will be formed to track Sasuke. She's proven right when she hears rumor of Shikamaru recruiting other genin for the mission. She heads for the gate, not the least bit surprised at the team make-up when she arrives. The first thing she hears after catching up and halting the team briefly is Shikamaru's refusal to admit her to the task. She did not expect to tag along, but it still hit home just how everyone views her. A bit surprising, considering she fought his teammate Ino to a draw in the prelims. Then again, Ino isn't here either. It seems neither one of them was considered up to the task.
She stands forlorn as Shikarmaru continues on about her failure. However, when Naruto speaks up she begins to lose herself again. More tears. Yet, hope. Naruto is strong - he could stand with Sasuke on even ground in a straight fight. The chances are slim that he'll succeed, but she wants to convey her own desire to him. Maybe as a comrade, he will be stronger for it. And so she begs. She'd already tried everything else with Sasuke, her pride utterly demolished. She almosts forms a connection between words 'Sasuke' said to her and what Naruto means when he says he understands her pain, but it vanishes as she breaks down further. Gratefully, she accepts his promise. No price is too high for the one she loves.
The day of the pursuit
As the scene unfolds between the newly formed squadron and Sakura, a particularly shy Hyuuga watches on from a safe distance.
"Naruto..."
Hinata mumbles nervously as she fidgets from foot to foot. It seems he had been roped into a mission, though she is lacking the details. Well, he's only a genin, so it shouldn't be harder than a C-rank. Or so she tells herself. Far behind her another Hyuuga girl watches curiously, her byakugan activated unlike her older sister.
Hanabi looks on from afar. It was not surprising that Sakura stopped the group before departing, given the objective to recapture Sasuke. Unlike her older sister, she finds it convenient to make herself privy to any and all bits of information she can obtain. And this little bit concerning her sister's stalking habit is most intriguing. Just who is it exactly that she favors, she wonders. Even given her observational and information gathering skills, this had turned up little. The common factor seemed to be Naruto. And while it would make sense to seek strength from peers, especially one who has proven himself so powerful as to defeat Neji, she gets the hunch that there may be more to Hinata's odd behavior.
Less than an hour after the mission begins...
Hanabi stands alone in the center of her elder sister's room. While this violates the decorum set forth by the clan heads, she finds herself embracing a more literal interpretation of the ninja philosophy - finding the hidden meaning beneath. 'Byakugan!', her eyes activate. It takes only a moment to sort through the mundane objects. The clothes, the supplies... And beneath the end of the mattress she locates a notebook stuck with seals. No doubt, they quite literally sealed the contents within to prevent someone from prying. She walks over and gently slips it out from its hiding place with a smug grin. 'Child's play,' she thinks as she pinpoints a chakra strike with her index finger to destroy the paper seals one after another. And then she opens it.
"If you are reading this, then I am dead. If I am not, please return this immediately and forget you ever saw this. Herein lies the truth denied expression, the heart that beats, of the once-heiress Hinata Hyuuga."
'Quite a preface, big sis. Now let's see what makes you tick...', Hanabi thinks before delving fully into the contents of the diary. Page after page of monotonous and repetitive chronicling of everyday life. But that can't be all, and so Hanabi begins skimming. After over a year's worth of entries, something of note:
"Saw a blond boy alone in the forest today. Too nervous to approach."
Another reads:
"Saw the boy again. Alone again. I wonder if he's from around here."
And later:
"The boy cried. Wanted to ask why. Still too nervous."
A few more entries follow without mention until Hanabi finds one scrawled messily with several erase marks:
"Was ambushed by three older kids. They were so mean. The boy saved me from them. He was hurt."
The next day's entry:
"His name is Naruto."
- Is all it reads. With a small smile, Hanabi stops reading for a moment. 'Well, this is all starting to come together...'. And as she continues to browse through, she notices more and more instances of observation of Naruto. Some even paint the picture of a boy who, despite his mischievous nature, exhibits a strength of will unknown to anyone else at the time. Perhaps her older sister has a gift for recognizing potential where so many others could not see it. Among her clan, even this surpasses expectation. Though, she begins to understand the obsession; especially since Hanabi had defeated her previously. To gain power, to change one's fate... that certainly was alluring. 'If anyone could do it, it'd be Naruto,' Hanabi thinks, surprised at her own esteemed view of the outcast.
She continues on until the end. What she reads there causes her to blush deeply. Things that were not meant to be seen by one so young are described in full at the last page. It was clear her sister went beyond observing and admiration. With another light smile her demeanor cools. She replaces the seals and puts the notebook back in place. Her sister deserves to be happy; and she is more than willing to help her get it when the opportunity arises.
After the valley of the end
Naruto awakens to find himself bandaged up. The fact that he lost consciousness means he lost; but the fact that he woke at all either meant Sasuke chose to spare him, or was prevented from finishing him. Since they were so far out from the village, he doubts that Sasuke lacked opportunity. Why, then, is he alive when death was promised? Did he, in some way, get through to the Uchiha?
And then he remembers. He awoke once before, being carried by Kakashi. The medic ninja keeping pace with his sensei asked the question, which meant Sasuke was not with them.
So he had failed.
Within minutes, Shikamaru enters the room to inform him of everyone else's condition. And on Sasuke,
"He got away..."
He tells the chuunin. A moment of silence before Naruto hears Tsunade outside the door, speaking to someone. With her is Sakura. Naruto can't help but avert his eyes in shame at his failure. He doesn't pay any attention to the Fifth's words, only intent on apologizing. Which he does, only to be distracted by Sakura's attempt at changing the topic. Obvious to Naruto, she's taking the failure just as hard as himself. But does she blame him personally?
"Like I said... I won't go back on my word, because that's my ninja way!"
It was hope to reaffirm his promise. Cover his ineptitude with the prospect of future success. Afterall, it is the promise of a lifetime. He watches Sakura's face carefully, noticing how deep her gaze falls. Despair - he knows it well. A big smile as he tries to cheer her up, but her expression blanks out as she exits the room without another word. And the knife plunges in. The faithlessness that tells him he isn't good enough takes hold. He tries to mentally shake it off - him and the rest had given it their all. It sort of works. Bury it. Overcome it later when he succeeds. At any cost.
Later that day
After word of Naruto's departure reaches Sakura's ears, she decides to devote herself fully to her apprenticeship under Tsunade. What he had failed to do, she will accomplish. Sasuke may have done more than 'just leave' by fighting off Naruto, but he had done no such harm to her. Perhaps in his utilitarian view of others she can find a place by being useful. That would be better than simply be abandoned. Huh. Maybe Haku was right afterall.
It is going to be a few years, she knows. When the time comes she will be ready. For anything required of her to be with the one she loves.
New year's festival of the following year
"Big sis!," Hanabi shouts, "Hurry up!"
The two stand in the changing room of a local shop. Hanabi wears a simple bluish-grey kimono with white flower patterns that seem to explode over the fabric. On the other side of the changing room curtain Hinata tries on her fourth kimono. Time is running short, and so Hinata lets out a sigh of frustration as she walks out from behind the curtain wearing a deep purple, unpatterned. Her hair is lengthening, as evidenced by the simple ties holding back most of it in a short pony tail. A few bangs hang loose in front of her eyes before she brings up a hand to move them out of the way.
"I-I... guess this will do."
She responds with less nervousness than she had in the past, if only to not appear totally uncool in front of her little sister. The two head for the checkout with Hanabi grinning widely. Due to their clan's rules of decorum, it was unheard of to attend a civilian celebration. However after much prodding by the younger sister, Hinata had relented. She had a few days off between missions, and anything was better than being stuck at the compound. Still, she noted that Hanabi typically stuck to the rules set forth. Though, perhaps she is looking into it too deeply. Afterall, she herself wanted to attend festivities; which she planned to do anyway when she became the kind of woman that could directly ask a certain person to accompany her.
When they exit the store, Hanabi immediately takes lead with a hurried pace, grabbing her sister's hand in the process. Hinata stumbles slightly but regains herself to not fall flat out, hurrying along. The pace continues until they reach their first stall. A plaque to the side of the goldfishing game reads in stylized font: 'No Ninjutsu, Please'. Though it is civilian celebration, it is also within a ninja village. No doubt, they'd have tricks setup to detect "cheating", Hinata thinks. The old man running the stall notices the two girls eyeing the goldfish and leans forward with a smile,
"Would you like to play, young ladies? One try for five ryo, or three for twelve ryo?"
Hinata doesn't need to activate her byakugan to see that the paper catchers are made of chakra-sensitive paper. Seems fair. Her eyes lift up lightly as she, in her usual quiet way, nods and says yes, pulling out the twelve ryo. Meanwhile, her little sister merely watches this despite her own urgency. The old man hands her three paper catchers and stands back. Hinata deftly catches a goldfish each time. All the jyuken training came in handy. The old man grins again as he counts up the points for the fish based on their coloration.
"Third prize!"
He announces, returning the fish to the pool and handing Hinata a small plush cat. Hinata nods meekly, though inwardly disappointed at not paying attention to the scoring system. She is not left with time to dwell on this as Hanabi grabs her sister again and pulls her to a cotton-candy vendor. She turns to Hinata with big pleading eyes. Hinata sighs, not knowing she would be responsible for the night's expenditures. Though it is for her little sister, so she doesn't complain too much. The night carries on in much the same way until past dusk, the two standing amidst a crowd facing the hokage monument. Hanabi takes the chance to speak,
"Big sis, I'd give you a six out of ten. You have the whole 'cute, but shy' sort of domestic attitude that'd make guys think you would be a good housewife someday. That said, you don't make yourself clear enough. How many years has it been, and you're still so far from your goal?"
Hinata's eyes go wide with surprise. Such a candid remark from Hanabi was highly out of character for her. But when she thinks about it for a second, she realizes that she never really interacted with her little sister outside of clan functions, or under observation from their father. Given that realization, she moves on to thinking about the content of the question. Hanabi didn't say anything about her she didn't already know about herself. And yet, she said things that she should not be aware, especially concerning any of her personal goals. There are many things it could be: gaining confidence, getting stronger, making new friends, becoming reliable... and getting closer to Naruto. The fact that Hanabi mentioned what guys would think of her, means it can only be that. With a squinted gaze showing skepticism she asks feigning ignorance,
"Goal...? W-what goal is that?"
Hanabi isn't surprised that her sister tries to deflect the question. Years of knowing her sister however lead her to believe she hit the mark dead on. With a steadying breath she replies,
"That blond boy you were always stalking, the same boy who defeated the prodigy of our generation, Neji; none other than Naruto Uzumaki."
She smiles gently as she turns to look into Hinata's eyes.
"I'm in the academy learning the ways of the shinobi, remember?"
She says, answering the question in her sister's eyes. Hinata, dumbfounded to have been so completely found out, opens and closes her mouth a few times, speechless. Hanabi looks down and away, still smiling,
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Though if you ask me, it isn't much of a secret. I've seen the looks on Kiba's and Shino's faces when they've witnessed your reactions to Naruto."
Hinata's face goes red at the unnoticed embarrassment she should have been feeling all along. Her hands go up to cover her face as she looks down. A small whimper escapes her throat. Hanabi chuckles lightly. 'This will take a lot of work...' she thinks, referring to her sister's shyness. And the fireworks erupt over the heads of the hokage.
Two and a half years go by. Naruto returns, and with him the danger of the Akatsuki organization. In the land of wind they take on a pair of Akatsuki - Sasori and Deidara. Both of are defeated, though the information gained leads to a rendezvous mission with Sasori's spy. The new team forms with Naruto, Sakura, 'Yamato', and 'Sai'
"I like people like you, friendly crones!"
Sai speaks in a friendly manner using unfriendly words, instantly pissing off Sakura after she just held back Naruto for the same thing. After a brief round of introductions, Yamato explains the mission. Given half a day to prepare, Sakura and Naruto walk off together. Prodding for Naruto's opinion, she likens Sai to Sasuke. To Sakura's surprise, Naruto whole-heartedly defends Sasuke as being 'way cooler'. 'That's good,' she thinks, 'I can count on him to help me reunite with Sasuke, and not just out of any affection he had for me.'
On the way to Tsunade's office to inquire on the team selection, Sakura has more than enough time to play out any number of scenarios in her mind. Of course, all of them end with her and Sasuke being together. The thought of which takes a more perverted turn in her mind, causing her to blush and stifle a girlish giggle. Any hypothetical that could end poorly for Sasuke is a future she will not be a part of. In her mind she makes a checklist of the various tools she needs to pack before heading out.
Halfway through speaking with Tsunade, Danzo makes his entrance and tries more than once to fluster the fifth hokage. Sakura asks about it and is informed in a manner that gives her the impression that Danzo is just an old man, bitter at having been passed over for hokage. 'Though even old snakes have venom,' she concludes.
Once at her own apartment (because no self-respecting chunin would continue to live with her parents at her age), she sets right to loading up on every prepared scroll and herb within reach. She looks over at the picture of Team Seven from their graduation day and wonders how Sasuke has improved and grown. Of course he'd be taller. Would his hair be grown out? No doubt his attire would be influenced by that snake sannin, Orochimaru. And his jutsus; though she knows him to be prideful. Maybe his style will still prove him Uchiha. Sakura shakes her head to awaken herself from the day-dream, especially since she was about to again entertain impure thoughts. Hefting her bag onto her back and cinching the straps over her shoulders, she heads for the gate.
Once everyone is there, Yamato announces the commencement of the mission for the Tenchi bridge. The uneasy atmosphere sets the tone for the rest of the day's travel, both Naruto and Sakura eyeing Sai's fake smile with annoyance.