Chapter 4: Hinata's Melody

The world moved in slow motion the second her body disconnected itself from the railing. Her eyes stayed shut, her eyelashes blanketing her cheeks. Her hair was being pushed back by the wind as she fell forward. If she had been awake and not about to fall into what could be her death, she would have felt like she was flying. The world around her was mute and she liked it that way. It felt perfect, quiet, a beautiful world to just sleep and never wake up—

"Hinata!"

Her eyes opened lazily from her slumber at the piercing scream of her name. She blinked against the wind, her mouth opened to scream but nothing came out. Her slow motion and quiet world was now high speed and violent. There were shouts of panic above her and violent waves threatening to engulf her bellow. She brought her arms up to cover her face and shut her eyes. Something warm shielded her head and put an arm around her.

And then she fell.

The ocean engulfed her with a loud, ear shattering splash. Whatever was holding her must have taken the majority of the impact because she didn't feel a thing. The water crept up her spine and escaped out of her jacket, sending cold waves through her body. She snuggled her head into whatever was so warm against her head, it was the only warmth in this dark damp place. She could feel them going deeper and deeper into the ocean and getting lost into the abyss. For a moment she thought there was no end their falling.

The air in her lungs was disappearing and although she was trying to hold on, she didn't think she could any longer. Bubbles escaped her mouth as she tried to hold all of the air she had in her body. Is this where I'm going to die? Disappear into the ocean, into the dark? She struggled to get away from the grip that was holding her. No, I will not die here. She screamed, water filled her mouth and swam down her throat. She kicked to get away from whatever was keeping her restrained. She regretted it the second she lost all the air she was saving.

Her lungs were being smothered by the water. She forced herself to fight, to hold on to life but the burning in her chest was too much to bear.

The hold around her body got tighter but she didn't give in. She jerked and tried to swim away but before she could continue to fight, she was being zoomed up. Her body was being pulled upwards and then she was out of the water gasping for air and trying to cough up all the water that inhabited her.

She was flying through the sky, she looked to see what was holding her so tightly, it was Naruto. All she could do was stare in awe as he tried to speak to her. But she couldn't hear anything. He stared at her with such determination, she blinked and she could finally hear his words.

"Hinata, wake up! Breathe!" She looked down, they were so high up. How'd they get so high? A scream escaped her lips as the ship came closer and closer into view. They were going to crash. Without warning Naruto let the girl go and did a quick hand sign. Thousands of clones exploded around them and headed towards the ship to pile on top of each other and provide a softer landing.

He grabbed her again by the waist, "Close your eyes," he shouted. But she couldn't, she wanted to see this. She wasn't afraid anymore. The wind pushed her hair out of her eyes and cooled her cheeks. It felt exhilarating, you were falling but it felt like flying. She wanted to pull away from the boy and fall by herself, to move around the air freely and really act like she could fly. But then again, how many times was Naruto going to hold her like this?

Her daze soon came to an abrupt halt once they landed face first into the mountain of shadow clones. They all disappeared the second their bodies touched them, leaving behind a huge cloud of white smoke. Naruto kept his tight hold on her waist until they hit the solid wooden floor and were pulled away from each other from the impact. Hinata rolled into a crate, her head banging against it, and Naruto rolled to the other side of the ship, quickly stopping his body from hitting anything.

Hinata, whose eyes had closed when she realized the shadow clones wouldn't resist their heavy wet bodies, finally opened her eyes and blinked into the crate that had stopped her from hitting the wall full force. Her head was throbbing and her throat was dry. She tried to lift herself up but ended up just falling back down. Her strength had disappeared and left her muscles feeling like ramen noodles. Her lungs were burning and dying to get more oxygen into her body but something was clogging her air way.

Footsteps came running to her side frantically and someone turned her over. Her eyes were hazed and everything around her was blurry and unfocused. "Hinata… Hinata, stay with us!" The voices were in her ears but were slowly fading into her surroundings. Her eyes closed and her head fell limply to the side.


In Konoha, the moon hung low by a thread of stars. Inoichi moved through the streets without anywhere in mind to go. His legs had a mind of their own now and moved freely around the village without his consent. He was simply a puppet that went along with it. Children ran past him on their way to their homes before it became too late and their mothers began to worry, citizens of his village greeted him and made small talk, he wasn't really paying attention though. His mind was elsewhere along with his sense of direction.

He sat in a nearby bench and stared in front of him at the trees. The nurse had said that he was fine earlier that day. She said nothing was out of the norm but she said it in a way that made him think she was keeping something from him. Regardless, he couldn't help but disagree with her, something was different about him but not even he knew what it was. He couldn't shake this feeling of something being in him. Even to himself he sounded mad but it was a feeling that would not go away.

His head pumped. The image of a worn down house came to him. Vines and moss grew on the roof and on its face like if it was a green mask. The vegetation around the house was gone, only little patches here and there were scattered around. The windows were broken, some missing the glass completely. The image got clearer, inside the left window stood a person cloaked in the darkness.

He grabbed at his head from the pain. Just what the hell is this? He asked squeezing his head. The pain was becoming unbearable, he fell to the ground clutching his head and soon enough he was unconscious.

He awoke in a dark room. Something inside him told his brain he knew this place all too well. He didn't panic, he knew what he was doing here. The moonlight showing through one of the windows blinded his eyes and he squinted through it until his eyes became adjusted. He looked around until he saw the figure in one of the corners. He rose.

"I'm glad you've come. Part one has been a success. You have done a good job," the figure stepped forward, "Kiyoshi."


Hinata woke up lying under a cherry blossom tree. Its petals were scattered around her like a blanket on the vibrant green grass. She sat up and yawned as she stretched her rested muscles. She didn't know where she was and why, but she was well rested.

She twiddled with the grass for a while, not knowing what else to do. She tried to dig deep into her subconscious to try and find something that could tell her why she was there and for what purpose but she couldn't remember anything. She felt like she needed to know more. Needed to know a lot more than she knew now but all she remembered was her name. At least that's all she could think of now. She reached for her head quickly but it felt fine. So how did I end up here? She asked herself.

She fiddled with the petals that were sprinkled all around her as she tried to search her mind for an inkling of how she ended up at the place she was at now but she came up empty handed. She decided to lie back down and take another nap. If it was important it would come to her. She awoke again at the feeling of someone stroking her hair. Her head was on something warm and soft, nothing like the cool grass that she had thought she had fallen asleep on before. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly.

Next to her was a women with fair skin and long, dark, eggplant hair that fell slightly past her waist. She had side bangs that framed her face and fell down to her shoulders. She wore a piercing white kimono with gold vines stitched at the bottom. Hinata's eyes stared at her up and down and let it all sink in. A small smile began to grow on her face, her eyes began to water, she opened her mouth to say something but then the women pulled her into a tight embrace. ( /O67bH25sO4A )

"Kaa-chan," she said into the women's shoulder. The tears began to fall down her cheeks but they weren't from sadness, or anger, or even frustration from the lack of memory. They were tears of joy.

The women stroked Hinata's hair and held her closer. "Oh, Hinata. Don't cry my child."

The blue haired girl sniffled and pulled away to see her mother closely, it really is her. "I've missed you so much. It's been so hard with just Oto-san," she began to cry again and was pulled into another embrace.

Hinata's mother shushed her daughter, "It's alright. I'm here now. We're here together." She stroked her daughter's hair to calm her tears and began to hum a melody. Hinata smiled at the soothing notes that were filling the air around her. It took her back to a day in the garden. She was running around with her younger sister, the smell of cinnamon rolls escaped the kitchen and drifted to where the girls played. Her mother stood watching them, humming this very song.

The melody escaped her mother's lips and disappeared with the wind. The cherry blossom began to sway with the music as she continued with her notes. Hinata looked at her mother, trying to take in every detail of her and keep it forever. It all felt like a dream. She continued to hum and wiped the trail of tears off her daughter's cheeks and smiled. Hinata joined in to the melody that she knew so well. They harmonized together and the cherry blossom swayed even more, almost as if agreeing to the gift they were giving to the air.

The wind waltzed in gracefully, lifting Hinata's blue strands and dancing with it. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool air as it splashed her face. She could still smell the cinnamon rolls. She could still hear the laughter in the garden as she ran around. She could still see the smile painted on her mother's face. For just a moment she wanted to escape to that once again, to a time that was much simpler. Her eyes opened and she stared down at her lap, "Everything was so simple then, wasn't it, kaa-chan?"

Her mother nodded, "But it's the luxury of living that you have to face problems that only make you stronger."

"I know… I just don't understand sometimes."

"Do you know why you are here my child?"

Hinata picked up a cherry blossom and stroked it, "No, I don't remember anything really," she rubbed her head. "I remember a few things but when I try to think of how I got here… It's just blank."

"I see."

Hinata looked up at her mother, "Kaa-chan, do you know why I am here?"

The women smiled, "I don't believe it's my place to tell you child."

The Hyūga stared anxiously at her mother, "I try to remember something but then my head just starts to ache. I can't remember anything besides my name… And you, kaa-chan!"

It was silent for a moment before her mother said anything, "It's too soon for you to be here, Hinata."

The girl pulled her eyes from the petal and stared at her mother confused, "What do you mean?"

The fair skinned women looked back at Hinata and tried to smile, "Don't worry dear. It's alright," she stood and offered her daughter a hand. "You're time isn't now."

Hinata was still confused. She still had no idea why she was there and how she had gotten there in the first place. She knew something was bothering her mother too but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She didn't know what was going on or what her mother was even talking about. She didn't want to leave though. She wanted to stay with her mother and lay there under the cherry blossom tree and just continue to take in the motherly love she was getting. She missed it so much, it had been too long since she saw her mother smile, heard her mother's melody.

"I- I don't want to leave, kaa-chan. I want to stay here, stay here with you!" She pleaded. "Please, I don't even remember anything! How am I supposed to go back to something I don't remember? I remember you, I want to be here with you." Her mother shook her head no and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Hinata stared at her in surprise, finally calming down and letting herself just listen.

"It would be too selfish of me to keep you here with me," she bent down and picked up a petal off the ground and stuck it behind her daughter's ear. "I owe you more than this for leaving you and Hanabi at such a young age."

Hinata's eyes began to water again but she pushed the tears back, "No, kaa-chan. You've done a lot for Hanabi and me especially. Your presence never leaves my heart." She grabbed her mother's hand and clasped it in her own, "You've given me a goal to strive for."

Her mother looked down at the girl before her, smiling. "I'm sorry, Hinata. We'll meet again, just not now my dear."

Hinata looked down at their entwined hands as hers were beginning to fade away. Her fingers and legs were disappearing slowly as well. She looked at her mother panicked who only gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright, do not fear." Her mother stepped closer and kissed her on the forehead, "You'll know when the time is right my child," she said with a small smile. Hinata stared at her bewildered and tried to pull her mother closer to her just to have her arms go right through her body. She kept trying to grab her mother but it was no use. "You've truly bloomed into a beautiful flower, Hinata," she whispered as the wind carried away the cherry blossom petals and her daughter on its shoulder.


It was dark, cold, and rocking. Hinata blinked her eyes opened, finally coming back to reality. Her head was throbbing, her throat felt like sand paper had rubbed up against it, and her lungs burned. She began to cough and water escaped her lips. Her breathing was ragged and she held her sides as she continued to cough up more and more water. All of it escaping her body and splashing the ground. When it was finally over she lay her head back down on the pillow and continued to stare up at the ceiling, chest heaving up and down. Someone rushed in, "Hinata?" they asked panicked.

She turned her head weakly to see who was standing in the door way, her eyes were still hazed but she could recognize the pink haired girl regardless. She gave her a weak smile, "Sakura-san."

The girl stood there for a moment, trying to take it all in and then she was running to the weak girl, pulling her in for an embrace. Hinata was confused by what was going on so she sat there and let the girl hold her tightly. Her tears seeped through her clothes and wet her shoulder slightly. When she pulled away, Sakura wiped her tears away and gave her a smile. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I—we were all so worried. Do you feel better now?"

Hinata clutched at her side, "I-I'm fine," she said weakly.

The pink haired kunoichi smiled at the stuttering, "Can you stand? I'm sure everyone else wants to see you."

She moved the sheets off the girl and helped her sit up and get on her feet. Hinata's feet touched the cool wooden floor beneath her and her toes curled at the coldness. Sakura put an arm around her waist and helped her up. At first the girl felt like she couldn't stand but she forced her body to cooperate. They walked towards the door and out into the gray world.

Hinata had to squint at the sudden brightness. Though it was gray outside and the sky seemed sad, it was still bright. Everyone was huddled around her door sitting, standing, or pacing back and forth. Kiba lifted his head from pacing and stopped quickly at the sight of the two girls that had just emerged out of the room. He stared in awe at the girl Sakura was holding up. He ran towards her, a big smile plastered on his face. "Hinata," he said, "You're awake! You're alright!" He took her off Sakura's hands and helped her sit down on a nearby crate, Akamaru nudged her hand and she began to stroke his warm white fur. "I'm so glad you're awake. We thought you we—"

"How are you feeling, Hinata?" Kakashi asked standing up from where he was sitting.

Hinata looked up from Akamaru and at the masked ninja, "I feel fine now, just a bit light headed."

"That prince sure knows how to work miracles!" Kiba said after being interrupted by the Jōnin. Hinata looked around to find the prince and then looked at Kiba, "Where is the prince?"

"He's resting in the servant's quarters. When you fell unconscious he took you into his room and performed a secret jutsu that the Kingdom of Camellias is known for. It exerted a lot of his chakra so he went to rest," Kakashi answered.

"Yeah! We didn't think it worked though. Sakura said your chakra flow had stopped. We thought you were dead, I was so sca—"

"Shut up, Kiba."

Everyone turned to look at Naruto who was leaning against a railing starring out at the wide ocean. Hinata studied him. His eyes were tired, his clothes were wet, and his hair was all over the place. She blushed and looked down. Sakura smiled at the girl, she was fine.

Kiba clenched his teeth at him, "What's your problem, huh?" Naruto ignored him.

Kakashi stared at the girl, "Hinata."

She looked up, "Yes?"

"Do you remember what happened to you?"


Tsunade stood in her office starring out her window, hands on hips. She was worried for the team she had deployed days before on a mission. If Madara has more to do with the prince then we know… It will turn out to be more than an A-Rank mission. She bit her thumb and stared intently outside.

It was still foggy and gray outside. A storm was on its way surely but that wasn't what she was worried about. She turned back to her desk and stared at the map that was rolled out. In less than a day they would be arriving at the last port. She wanted to tell herself everything was going to be fine, they were almost at the Island of Camellias but something was still clawing at the back of her head.

"Tsunade-sama, are you still worried about Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked from the side. She held Tonton tight in her arms.

Tsunade stared at the map more closely, "No, it isn't Naruto I'm worried about."

"But don't you think it was a little too dangerous to send him on this mission? Especially since Madara is involved."

"No, Naruto can hold his own," she said as she rolled up the map. She couldn't stand around and worry about them right then. She had other matters to attend to. That team was grouped with specialized and trained ninjas, they would be fine.

"Shizune," the women holding the pink pig stood up straight at the Hokage's commanding voice. "How's the autopsy on the man we interrogated going?"

Shizune placed Tonton down and handed the Hokage a folder. "We haven't uncovered anything serious yet," she took the folder and sat down to begin going through it. "But there is something strange."

Tsunade looked up from the folder, "Strange?"

Shizune walked in front of the Hokage's desk and took the folder from her to open to a picture. It was the picture of the prisoner stripped down and laid down on a metal table. His skin was pale and his naked body bared dark symbols going across his chest.

"What is this?"

Shizune pulled out several other pictures that were close ups of the symbols on the man's body. "I'm not sure but they were all over his body. I scratched off a sample of it to see what it was made of but it was his skin. It's like he was born with it, a strange birth mark."

Tsunade studied the pictures more closely, "Do you know what the symbols can mean?"

"No, Tsunade-sama, I don't. That's why I wanted to ask you if you could send these pictures to the Cryptanalysis Team to see if they can uncover something."

The Hokage nodded, "Very well. Have you done any tests on the purple foam?"

Shizune nodded, "We're still in the process of studying it, Tsunade-sama." She handed the folder back to the Hokage. "There is one thing I was curious about though. How did the tests results come out for Inoichi-san?"

The Hokage reached out to get a manila folder off the corner of her desk and looked through the papers, "The tests came out pretty good. There is one thing that has been bothering me lately." She pulled out a black picture with white lines, "During the tests the nurse said he was conscious, he was fully there. But look at this," Shizune looked more closely at the picture and her eyes widened. "They're theta brain waves."

"Is that possible?"

"Not unless he's about to be asleep. It's strange, so I asked her to take the tests every day since the day of the interrogation," she lined up the three pictures from the first day to that day. "The first two are theta waves but look at this," she tapped at the third picture, "Delta brain waves."

Shizune stared down at the pictures confused, "Was he asleep?"

"No, in fact, I had sent him on a mission before that scan, he shouldn't have been asleep. The nurse took notes on his actions, according to her he was fully there and awake."

Shizune looked at the Hokage with worry, "Could he be in a genjutsu?"

"I don't know. If he is then this is a very strange genjutsu, one I've never seen before. But the fact that he's conscious to our eyes and this scan shows delta waves… It's strange."

"What are you planning on doing then, Tsunade-sama?"

She stared intently at the pictures on her desk, "Shizune, get Gai and his team here, quickly!"

Shizune jumped up, "R-right, Tsunade-sama, but why?"

Tsunade gave her a look that meant no questions asked and the assistant ran out the room. Tonton stared at the Hokage and she bent down to pick up the pink animal. She stood and continued to look out her window.

"Just what the hell are you planning Madara?" she asked out loud to the empty room.


Hinata blinked at Kakashi. Her eyes were blank and her throat formed a huge knot. Her head started throbbing and she clutched at it. Sakura went to her side, "Are you alright? You should go and lie down." Hinata shook her head, "I'm fine, Sakura-san."

Sakura pulled back and stared at the girl with worry, "You shouldn't push yourself. It's alright if you can't remember."

After the pain started fading she opened her eyes and looked back at the masked ninja, "I-I don't remember."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask at the girl, "That's fine. It'll come to you. Do you remember anything that happened before?"

Hinata mulled it over and then a string of images went through her mind. A grotesque face, a pool of blood, her father, dead bodies sprawled before her, Naruto starring at her with lifeless eyes and then they were gone just as fast as they had come. She opened her mouth to say something but then shook her head no slowly.

She didn't want to relive those images.

Kakashi sighed, "That's alright. You should go and rest. We'll be docking soon." Hinata nodded and Sakura helped her up to walk back to the room. After she helped Hinata into her bed she walked back to the group and sat down on the crate the blue haired girl was sitting on before. She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad she's alright," she whispered.

Kiba nodded, "Me too. I thought she was a goner for sure."

"I told you to shut up, Kiba," Naruto said clenching his fists. Kiba glared at him but before he could say anything the blonde ninja pulled off the railing and made his way below deck where their rooms were. The ninken specialist turned to the girl next to him, "What's his problem?"

Sakura stared at the place where Naruto was standing just a few moments ago. "He thinks it's his fault," she said. "He thinks Hinata's close death was his entire fault." Typical Naruto, she thought. Always putting all the blame on his shoulders.

Kiba shook his head, "I'll go put some sense into him. Come on, Akamaru!" Sakura lifted her hand to stop him but then Kakashi just shook his head at her.

"Let him go."

She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. Kakashi took out his book and began to walk away before stopping again. He turned his head slightly to her, "Don't worry about Naruto, Sakura. He'll come around again."

She just looked back down at her hands. Then it hit her. She could use this to her advantage. It was perfect. She could use this to get Naruto and Hinata closer together. She smiled at her brilliantness. Now she just had to think of how she would go about this. She'd need help, she looked around the ship. Only Kakashi was above deck, Naruto and Kiba were below. Hinata was in the prince's room and the prince and his attendants were in the servant quarters. She wanted to ask Kiba but he was talking with Naruto.

Kakashi probably wouldn't approve and the prince would only get in the way. She stared straight ahead at the door that led to where the prince was. She was sure everyone was thankful for him. If it wasn't for him Hinata probably wouldn't have made it. She stared down at her hands, her medical ninjutsu didn't work on Hinata, her pulse had stopped completely. She was gone no matter how hard she tried.

But the prince's jutsu did work. It saved her life, she thought. But it took a giant toll on his body. After he performed his jutsu on the blue haired Hyūga he had almost passed out from fatigue. His attendants quickly ushered him into their quarters where he was resting right now. Sakura had never seen such a jutsu like that before. She had never even heard of it.

During her training with the Fifth Hokage she had read so many medical books and studied so many medical jutsus but she had never even heard of one that could bring back a person right after their pulse and chakra circulation stopped. It was a miracle jutsu.

A loud thump made her look up from her thoughts. They were approaching tall gray rocks that were pointed at the very top. A thick fog was beginning to grow around the boat. On instinct she pulled out a kunai knife and ran towards where the prince was resting. She pushed her legs to go as fast as they could only to trip on something, a body.

She lifted herself up to look at the body that had fallen before her, it was Kakashi's. She didn't have time to focus on her fallen comrade, she had to protect the prince at all cost. It meant the world. She looked around, senses heightened, to sense the enemies presence. Her back was against the door and her kunai was pointed in ready position. Something began to move in the thick fog she squinted and the figure moved closer slowly. Her kunai shook in her hand before falling to the ground, making a loud cling that echoed in the air. Her eyes widened and her heart was pumping faster as the figure became more and more clear.

It was Sasuke Uchiha.