Foreword:

Between my cat and windows updates, this chapter may never get written... You'd think I would have learned my lesson regarding auto-restore features by now; they don't.

Again, I thank you all for the reviews and feedback. Don't worry – answers are coming to some of your all's questions.


Chapter 7: Converge

Hiashi let his eyes wander across the features of the Taijitu embroidered upon the tapestry. There was a meaning behind the circle composed of cycling Yin and Yang that was so simple, so fundamental, that it was almost impossible to grasp in its entirety. While seated at the core of what the Hyuuga philosophy taught, perhaps nothing was as poorly understood.

Or, perhaps, Hiashi mused, that was the lesson. Those who truly understood came to the realization that certainty was merely a product of arrogance; that there would always be mystery to the universe beyond one's mastery. He took and held a deep breath, savoring the smell of his tea. In circumstances like this, one had to find something to be content with.

"Lord Hiashi," the infamous Elder Hoshi began, "As one who can also see the streams of destiny, you must surely understand the predicament we face."

Hiashi let his eyes wander across the elderly faces in the room. His fellow clan head of the Nara had a particular word for such occasions. "Honestly," He let his tea-soaked breath escape through his nostrils, "I do not." He waited for one of the elder's lips to signify an intent to respond before continuing. "I, too, see the streams of destiny merging at an increasing rate. However, would it still be destiny if it could be changed by something as simple as a Clan meeting?"

A few brows knit together in the opposed company. "The Hyuuga have long interpreted the flow of Destiny, itself, in order to align the Clan with success and prosperity." Hoshi studied his cup of tea as he spoke. "You and I both know that Destiny is not a simple thing to change, yet the wisdom to see it is not without purpose or merit."

"That may be true." Hiashi let his eyes scan the younger faces in the room, the aides of the respective clan elders. "However, there are some facets of Destiny that are best to simply accept."

"Even in that," Hoshi's eyes grew stern before picking up his tea cup, "you have been negligent to the Hyuuga. The world is destined for chaos and destruction, yet you leave the line of succession ambiguous?"

"There are three strong candidates." Hiashi countered. "I am sure that if anything should happen to me, it is within the capacity of the Elders to figure something out."

"All of whom," Hoshi set his tea cup back down, "Are currently deployed to the field as part of the same operation." Hoshi's eyes stared impassively above Hiashi's head. "This is not a game, Hiashi. The Akatsuki attack on the village was a preview of things to come. To say we were lucky was an understatement." He locked eyes with Hiashi. "Your eldest daughter is alive, but I saw the ambiguity of her fate not days prior."

Hiashi forced his tongue into the back of his teeth. Neji was not mistaken during the Chunin exams. He saw it then, and it held true to this day. Naruto and Hinata, for better or for worse, shared the same destiny. The fact that Naruto almost died, as well, was by no coincidence – nor was her survival. That said, the course of that destiny was out of his hands.

"Speaking of Hinata," Sorano's voice cut from the side, "is it wise to leave her in the line of succession?"

Elder Sorano, the old woman of the sky, was always critical of Hinata. She and Hiashi had clashed multiple times over the issue of his eldest daughter, and it would seem that now would be no different. "Lady Hinata is much adored by many within our clan and has very strong connections with those poised to become leaders of other clans within the Leaf."

"It is precisely her fraternization with the Branch family that jeopardizes the delicate balance of power within the Hyuuga." Sorano shifted forward. "It is the duty of the Branch to protect the Head. Hinata bears your unwillingness to accept this to an even greater extent. Hanabi has a penchant for headstrong rebellion and Neji was born into the destiny of the Branch Family."

Hiashi studied the curve of his tea's meniscus before looking back at her for a response. "Did it ever occur to you that, perhaps, the Hyuuga's destiny is to change?"

"Hiashi," Hoshi spoke, his tone firm with an unusual softness, "You acted upon your interpretation of Destiny once, before. The price you paid... that we all paid... was Tukiko."

It was true enough, Hiashi had to admit. His wife was the cost paid for pursuing ambition. It wasn't an easy realization to come to, but one many years of reflection had arrived at. Was he repeating the same mistake? An uncomfortable silence had fallen across the room before Hiashi resolved to break it. "Aside from fears that Hinata will bring change to the Hyuuga, are there any other concerns?"

"It is not just change, Hiyashi." Sorano cocked a shoulder back. "It is quite clear who the girl holds affections for and there have been reports that the Kyuubi's container has miraculously begun reciprocating that interest. It is not reasonable to expect Hinata to accept anything less than a courtship of the Kyuubi's container."

Hoshi appeared to wince. "The Uzumaki boy is, indeed, a spirited and accomplished individual. Hinata would be quite well at his side. However, if the two do enter into a marriage and Hinata is the designated head of the Hyuuga, who would really be seen as the head of the Hyuuga? Further, should their children be gifted with the Byakugan, by what right would the Hyuuga have to require any of them be branded as Branch members?"

"To add," Sorano cut, again, "would any of these children be rightful heirs to the Hyuuga Head? The Kyuubi's container bears the Uzumaki name and is not likely to forfeit into our clan."

Hiashi couldn't help but wonder if Sorano would have dared to call Mito a 'container.' "If I may utter such blaspheme," Hiashi began, "perhaps the future of the Hyuuga is within the Uzumaki. It would certainly take care of 'power balance' problems."

The room collectively frowned. "Such a destiny would not be so easily influenced by a plan for succession." Hoshi stroked his chin. "Leaving such a simple thing undone is an invitation to unnecessary conflict. It would be negligent for the Head to effectively abandon his position to ambiguity."

"I appreciate the concern, Elder Hoshi," Hiashi closed his eyes, "I do see the ambition in the eyes of others in this room. Writing an official line of succession will precipitate their attempts to act upon their ambitions. I am not blind to the consequences that would come from this."

Hoshi sighed. "Change," he addressed the room, "does not often come without conflict. Neither, however, does security. How ironic that those who can see Destiny would still quarrel over its course."


Yamato forced blinking. Closing his eyes wasn't a problem. It was getting them to open back up that posed a problem. The camp below was beginning to stir awake amid the morning fog. It would still be another hour or so before the veil fully receded.

The branch shifted beneath him and he looked to see Shizune joining him. "Looks like it was a long night." She flopped on the branch beside him, leaves shaking noisily.

"Everyone was so well behaved that I almost felt I could fall asleep." He felt a smile tug at his mouth.

"All part of their devious little plan." She smirked back at him.

"I can only imagine what the rest of it entails." He looked back at the ground. "For some reason, my imagination doesn't work as well as theirs does."

Shizune shifted next to him. "Seriously, though; they do seem to be progressing fairly well. I'm actually kind of impressed to see how seriously they all seem to be taking this."

"Pain... was a wake-up call for all of us, I think." Yamato let out a sigh. "I remember seeing the markings on my hand as Naruto progressed through the stages of releasing the Kyuubi." Without realizing, he'd begun staring at his palm. "In my brain, I knew what was required of me... but my mind simply froze and refused to accept that such a time had actually come. Not that it really mattered. We were much too far away when it happened."

He set his palm back on the branch, glancing at Shizune when her head shifted to the pastel sunrise blotched by shadowy trees. "I don't remember much of it." Her eyes remained distant. "I'm not even sure if I remember my soul being ripped from my body, or what it truly was that I remember. The end effect was that I … died."

They weren't playing a game of one-up, but Shizune just won. "I'm sorry..." He started.

"Don't be." She looked back at him. "In a way, it is kind of liberating. What's left for me to do in the world? I can already check dying off the list, so it makes being afraid of the other things on the list a little more difficult, you know? How many people can say 'been there, done that' to what is usually the last stop in life?"

Yamato simply couldn't help himself; "Nearly a whole village full of people." He winced at his own words.

A mild shove connected with his shoulder. His eyes flashed to Shizune's smirk. "You really are out of it." Her gaze fell back to the camp veiled beneath the fog. A moment passed before she was giving him a gentle shake; "Look at that!" She gestured excitedly.

Yamato followed her gesture to see Naruto returning from watch to a spot in the fog. He stooped, and a moment later, the dark indigo hair of a certain Hyuuga peaked through the mist. The blonde tenderly picked a few leaves from the girl's hair as she took a deep yawn before helping to pull her to her feet.

"You're not turning into a voyeur, are you?" Yamato felt his brow quirk as he cast a sidelong look at her.

"Oh, come on," She chided; "they are adorable and in plain sight."

"Kakashi always warned me that the quiet ones are most into public displays." Just what the hell was coming out of his mouth?

Shizune quirked her brow for a moment. "And with that, I believe it's your bed time. You can still get a few hours in before we're slotted to move. We should be arriving in that port town this evening, so we can all get some down time before too much longer."

"Yeah..." He let his eyes fall back to the ground. "It isn't a bad outlook, though." He caught her look of confusion. "Sometimes we fuss so much over death that we forget to live, it would seem."


Hinata ran her fingers through her frizzled hair in an attempt to get it to straighten and be cooperative. A few more attempts later, she knit her brow together before letting out a sigh. "I suppose this will just have to do until we get to that port."

"Ho-e-ly," Naruto attempted to speak from around the biscuit wedged in his mouth before chomping down on it, "I think it looks cute." He withdrew the mass of bread from the side of his cheek to finish chewing.

It was a bit too early for Hinata to do much more than blush at the complement. She should remind him of his manners. She could comment that his crudeness could be cute, too. Blushing, however, would suffice.

"You really should think about tying it back, or something, though." Tenten was stuffing some of her gear into a bag. "I harp on Neji all the time that his hair is a natural leash if someone were to grab a hold of it."

"She really is insistent upon it." Neji's voice came from beneath the fog, nearby. "But if such is my destiny..."

"Oh, come off it!" Tenten kicked at the ground beside her. "There are all manner of prestigious men who kept their hair tied back. It is a liability in combat."

"Pervy Sage could use his as a weapon, though." Naruto stroked his chin. "Do you have a secret art like that, too, Neji?"

It was at times like this, Hinata wasn't sure if Naruto was serious, or if he was just trying to see how long he could run with this. The boy had a penchant for playing the most convincing idiot right up until the moment you were in his trap. Then, there were other times... he was just clueless. Still, she had to giggle at the idea of Neji somehow forming his hair into a weapon.

"Naruto, if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a secret art, now would it?" Hinata could practically see Neji's eyes remaining closed while he said this.

"But, surely there is some reason for you to disregard standard combat doctrine and place yourself at risk." Tenten looked down at her comrade.

Hinata sucked on her lips and bit her cheek to try and keep from cracking into a laugh. It was rare to see the two in action, but Tenten and Naruto could play off of each other like siblings. What was said next, though, took her by surprise.

"It's got to be some kind of secret Hyuuga technique." Naruto observed. "Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi all wear their hair long."

"Yeah, I haven't worn mine long since our first Chunin Exams." Sakura popped up from the fog.

"But... what about Miss Ino?" Hinata defended.

"Who uses her hair to project her mind into others." Sakura finished.

"What are you saying about me, Forehead?" A voice could be heard in the distance.

"That you peep on Gai Sensei in the locker room!" The pink haired girl shot back.

"He actually looks better without that horrid suit on!" The platinum blonde bellowed.

Sakura's brow knit together. "I... Honestly don't know if she is joking, or not."

"Is... this really the best conversation to be having in front of all the kids?" Hinata found her voice.

"Probably not." Sakura sighed. "It was fun, though."

"Do not forget to add 'disturbing.'" Neji's voice crawled from beneath the fog.

"Are you ever going to get up?" Tenten eyed the fog suspiciously. "Or are you just going to pretend that you're too good to get up with everyone else?"

"I was simply attempting to meditate before beginning the day's activities." Neji's head breached the fog as he rose. "It would appear as though that would be a futile endeavor to pursue any further."

"One of these days," Tenten began, "We are going to teach you how to speak human."

The group continued packing their gear in relative silence. Before enclosing everything, however, Hinata ran her tongue over her teeth. Dissatisfied with the result, she grabbed her toothbrush and made for the water can. She was about halfway through brushing her teeth when she felt a patting on her hair. Halting her brushing between pursed lips, she turned and saw the object of her affections patting inquisitively at her hair. A bit of heat rose in her cheeks as she did her best to give him her 'what-the-hell' face.

"So, what kind of weapon can you make it into?" He simply fanned some strands in his palm.

She spent the next several minutes cleaning toothpaste off the two of them. She still had no idea if he was serious or just using it as an excuse to act in odd ways, but it made her laugh just the same.


Ayeka let the sunlight pour through the window of her apartment. Sometimes, as she woke later into the morning, scenes like this made her feel like there was a dream out there for her to live. The sun seemed to be able to burn away the stains upon her skin – upon her very soul. But as the sun would set, work would begin.

At first, it was out of desperation – necessity. Fear will drive a person to irrationality so far beyond their principles as to destroy their being. Right becomes wrong; normal becomes perverse; lies become reality. Before that, though, is just a numbing feeling. It was like eating out of boredom or taking a sip of a drink always within unconscious reach.

Then the grooming sets in. After such a life – after such things... what worth did she have left? Just as the nose can adapt to the most noxious of odors and tastes can be acquired... pleasure can be found in the most twisted and degrading of situations if for no other reason than simply to cling to survival. But were the insistent voices right? Was that what she really enjoyed – who she really was? Even if there was a decent man out there who would want her, would she be able to enjoy anything except the perversion she'd been subjected to? Could she ever truly be the complement to the other half of a decent whole?

The idea, for the longest time, was completely ridiculous. The best she could hope for was to become someone's trophy – a wall-flower, or sexual conquest... maybe both. Maybe he wouldn't truly care about her, but who else could overlook the life she had been living?

No... that wasn't it. Who else could she really feel as though she belonged with? Anything decent, it would seem, would be sullied by her association.

She wasn't naive. Not every girl in this line of work was like her. Some were opportunists. Others were simply monetizing their normal behavior. The mills, as a song once said, grind slow in a riverbed ghost town. There was a time where she was allowing herself to slip beneath the surface toward the cold embrace of apathy.

A knock on the door drew her attention. She stalked warily toward the door and paused to peer through the hole. Some … clients … could develop an unwelcome attachment. The Ramen delivery man, however, always had clearance. She opened the door.

"Good day, Miss." The man smiled. "Got your scheduled delivery, here."

"Ah, thank you very much." She took the package from the man before grabbing a small envelope from the nearby counter. "Here, for your trouble."

The man gingerly accepted the letter and nodded. "Thank you. Have a nice day, now!" He called as he strolled away.

Ayeka's heart pounded in her ears as she fumbled to open the package of Ramen. There was only one other time she received scheduled Ramen when it was not, in fact, scheduled.

[break]

"Well," Shikaku mused at the approaching Hyuuga, "that's a troublesome expression if I've ever seen one." His voice sounded flat against the waterfall in the background.

"I wish 'troublesome' was all it really was." Hiashi closed his eyes and released a sigh.

"A game of Shogi to work out the old kinks?" Shikaku offered. Beyond-troublesome subjects were... troublesome, but beyond.

"I've already done that in a briefing with the Hokage." Hiashi pinched his brow. "A simple round of venting will probably do."

"Now that is impressive. Something so bad you had to brief the Hokage about." Shikaku almost had to suppress an amused whistle.

"To put it simply," Hiashi started, "The elders are pushing me to officially name a successor. They see the way things are shaping out in the world and are terrified of what will happen if the seat of the Head is left vacant."

Shikaku, true to the Nara name, ran the scenarios in his head almost before Hiashi finished speaking. "Ah, so the ones who want you out of the equation want you to hurry up and pick which poison to feed you."

"That pretty much sums it up." Hiashi sighed. "Neji, Hinata, Hanabi – no matter which one I name, they already have a battery of arguments lined up against them. While I believe most are sincere in their desire to have a process in place, those with ambitions will easily polarize the council and the Hyuuga at large."

"I have to admit," Shikaku stroked his mustache, "Hinata is appearing to be your strongest candidate at the moment. She's made enormous strides in the past couple of years, has ties to many other prospective clan leaders in the future, and not to mention Naruto."

"It's actually Naruto who most complicates her standing." Hiashi sighed. "Would the Hyuuga be able to survive as they are with Hinata at the Head and him as her husband?"

Shikaku's brow knit together. "Not if anything else Naruto has done is a valid indication..." That ultimately implied a merger of the Hyuuga within the Uzumaki... which sounded ridiculous as Naruto was essentially a clan of himself. For those who bore witness to Naruto, however... "Okay, so let's assume that is an outcome to be avoided for the sake of argument. Hanabi was considered superior to Hinata at one time."

Hiashi shook his head. "She is still young and has that rebellious streak in her. From their standpoint, she's unpredictable and has shown signs that her performance was a competition for affection as opposed to a genuine sense of duty to the clan."

Shikaku's brow shot up a bit. "Well, you've got a picky bunch. Far be it from a child to seek approval. Neji seems to be quite devoted to the Hyuuga, though." Shikaku could pretty much guess why the elders wouldn't go for Neji, but this was mostly for Hiashi to vocalize his concerns.

"He is, perhaps, the most certain of the choices." Hiashi pinched his brow, again. "Unfortunately, that certainty involves a long-standing hatred for the tradition of the seal. Not to mention he did make an attempt on Hinata's life."

"So, he would basically still be a Branch Family member, just with the authority of the Head Branch." Shikaku confirmed. "Neji would have no clothes."

"Essentially." Hiashi nodded. "I suppose I could draw names out of a hat." The Hyuuga paused, before cracking a smile. "The look on their faces would be amusing."

"It sounds to me," Shikaku started, "like you really have two options."

Hiashi locked eyes with the Nara. After youve known a Hyuuga long enough, figuring out what they are looking at becomes second nature. "And those would be?"

"Hinata is the strongest candidate, and likely will remain so. She will be able to have the most influence on the Hyuuga as a whole no matter how fierce the rivalry becomes. Assuming this thing with Naruto stays steady and true, he can more or less treat the whole Hyuuga clan like he did Neji and beat sense into them." He paused. "He may do that, anyway." The Nara admitted with a chuckle.

"You can either name her as the successor, relatively soon, and trigger whatever fallout that will generate. Or, you can simply continue stalling their efforts to have a successor named until you pass into history and let the proverbial cookie crumble how it will." Shikaku finished.

"I worry that I may, perhaps, have too much of a personal interest in shaping the future of the Hyuuga." Hiashi sighed.

"Then don't." Shikaku yielded to a smile. "You'll have done nothing, and your daughters will ensure nothing is left undone."

"And yet, somehow, I feel like that would be irresponsible as a father." Hiashi pursed his lips.

"Only if you don't prepare her for it." Nara's brows raised at his friend.


Kakashi Hatake sipped lazily at his drink. He knew these places gorged themselves upon one form of empty heart or another, but there was something about having an empty heart that made one not care one way or the other. Various girls dressed in different attire wandered about the room, seating themselves next to those with anxious requests willing to pay for company or additional services.

Strangely, he wasn't really interested in the act of sex. Perhaps the different books he read painted a much more fantastic picture than the real act. Or... He shrugged the thought away. He just felt like he belonged here more so than at a typical bar, even if that was all he treated it as. Perhaps if it weren't for the arrogant fools with more money than charm, he could actually see himself trading money for feminine company. He hated thinking about such things, but seeing the clientele, he simply couldn't bring himself to fully join their ranks.

He shrugged, again. Between real life not living up to smut and his revulsion at those who regularly utilized such services, he really didn't understand why he felt drawn to these places. The silver haired Jonin was content to simply close his eyes for a few moments when he heard the air shift as someone approached to sit next to him.

"Uh, pardon my interruption," Kakashi opened his eyes to find a young woman seated next to him. Her voice had a depth of maturity, even culture to it. Her hair was a deep shade of violet that fell in two locks before her ears and two thin, tightly bound pony tails that arced around her body. "But would you happen to be the teacher of Naruto Uzumaki?" Her red eyes locked onto his.

"I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't catch your name." He performed his famous eye-smile.

"My deepest apologies." She almost bowed. "My name is Ayeka."

"Well, Miss Ayeka, I think I've about hit my drink limit for the night and was just about to head home." Kakashi forced a bit of a practiced slur into his speech. "I don't want to keep you from your business." He stood to leave.

There was a tug at his sleeve. "Please?" He turned and looked down into her eyes. There was something hidden within them; something that he'd learned to sense while in the Anbu.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, if you insist!"

"This way, please." She led the way up the staircase at the corner of the room. Somewhat to Kakashi's surprise, the upstairs looked more like a middle class Hotel. The carpet in the hallway was clean, the walls pristine and decorated with a matching theme. While Kakashi knew that few places would have time to look worn within the Leaf, this place still seemed to be a rather classy establishment. He could just as easily be checking in near a hot spring, somewhere.

"So, I never really did answer your question." Kakashi started, trying to break the silence.

"Only the legendary Kakashi Hatake can make his eyes smile in such a fashion." Ayeka countered.

"I... suppose my reputation precedes me." He chuckled as they stopped in front of a door.

"Well, yes." She admitted, sliding a key in the door. "However, from that reputation, I would have never guessed you as being the eyes-only type."

Kakashi felt a bit of heat rise in his cheeks as the two entered the room. "I, uh, suppose some things get exaggerated."

"Enough of that, though." Ayeka lifted the lid from the reservoir on the toilet, withdrawing a small envelope. "I like to think of this as my real job, these days."

Kakashi eyed the envelope. "That's..."

"It is designated Flash priority. I am technically delinquent with it." Ayeka heaved a sigh.


Naruto waited long enough to avoid suspicion, he figured, and let the door close on the sounds of a shower behind him. It had been a few hours since they reached the precariously named port town of Tsunami. All ports had institutions such as this. Actually... after Naruto thought about it... just about anywhere there were people, there were these types of places.

All of the evidence had been secured away in a toad summon, and so the blond left almost out of habit more so than any preordained strategy. Checking the clock on the wall as he left, he surmised that he still had two hours before they were all due back at their hotel. Things were flowing along smoothly.

As he exited the double doors of the establishment, however, he felt a hand close down on his shoulder. He nearly dropped into a defensive pose before the familiar feminine voice cut through his nerves. "We know what has been going on." Tenten glared at the shriveling blonde.

Neji simply stared straight ahead. "I will be informing Lady Hinata of this when we make landfall in your Clan's homeland." He began walking away. "It had better not come as a surprise to her." With that, the two older teens disappeared into the bustle of the port town.

Thinking too late, the clone dispersed itself.


Kakashi sought out the only person he knew to contact regarding this matter. Naruto was well out of reach, and it really wouldn't be the best news to be dropping on him in the middle of a mission. Thus, he was standing at the entry of the Nara head's tent, clanging at the unfortunate man's bell.

There was some shuffling inside the tent before Shikaku's head protruded. "Oh." He sighed. "Par for the course, I suppose. Come in."

"I apologize for the disturbance, Lord Shikaku." Kakashi sat where the Nara gestured.

"I am sure it was not without reason. There is a certain haunt in your eyes that is rare to see." Shikaku stroked his mustache.

"I just received this." Kakashi produced the envelope Ayeka had given him. "It's designated to be for Naruto, or the highest reachable authority."

Shikaku examined the envelope before pulling out the piece of paper from within. Kakashi already knew what was on it.

START

Priority: FLASH

To: Fallow Dragon

Nation of Lightning Jinchuriki "Killer B" abducted by Akatsuki operative confirmed to be former Taka Cell under command of Sasuke Uchiha. Orders given by one claimed Madara Uchiha.

END

Addendum: Source node compromised.

Addendum: Relay node compromised.

Addendum: Received at blind drop; suspect nearby corpse as drop source – compromised.

"Oh, hell." Shikaku murmured. "Please tell me you're not the one who picked this up at that blind drop."

Kakashi blanched. He hadn't quite expected Shikaku to get that interpretation out of it. Someone had been quite persistent in deconstructing what they could find of … whatever network he'd been inducted into. "No, there is at least one other, though I do not know where they received it from. I just was just, uh, drafted, you could say." He forced an eye-smile.

"If you can spare it, keep an inconspicuous eye on them." Shikaku sighed. "Hopefully, that blind drop served its purpose and contained the damage." The Nara paused. "Who would have thought that Jiraiya's network extended into the Akatsuki, itself?"

"Ah, so that's what this is all about..." Kakashi let his tone become serious. "So, Naruto inherited it, then?"

"It would seem so." Shikaku pinched his brow. "I'm becoming a bit too old for this game, Kakashi. It's been one thing, simply getting updates from his network as a sort of dead end. It's another to take up the mantle of being a handler of the network."

Human Intelligence networks were delicate things. Lives... like Ayeka's... hung in the balance at all times. Shikaku hadn't asked where he got this from, he knew better. Ayeka probably knew far more than either Kakashi or Shikaku, but even then, that should be structured in a limited manner. Every so often, exchanges of information should occur in a double-blind nature – neither party making the exchange knows exactly who is sending or leaving information.

There were two reasons, Kakashi thought as he exited Shikaku's tent following promises to continue the discussion at another time, why one did not wish to know who was involved in these networks.

The first was obvious. Even if the enemy lacked mystical brain-stealing capabilities, interrogations could be especially effective at making the release of tiny bits of information seem harmless and tempting. It was best to be able to honestly answer that you didn't know. At least useless people were typically spared hours of various forms of torture.

The second was a continuation of the first. You didn't want to be able to see faces when the term "compromised" appeared next to their post. The Jonin took some comfort in the observation that the last bit of handwriting on the paper did not appear to come from someone such as Ayeka. Far too many faces had become a painful memory for the young man. Ayeka, he reasoned, had been though more than enough to warrant being spared such a fate.


Water sloshed against the pier, slapping at the chain-hung rounds of wood slung from the stone. Nearby, a ship's mooring lines creaked and sighed with the breath of the ocean. It was Hinata's first time around such a place. "It's a bit more quiet than I imagined." She turned to her blonde companion.

"Ports get really busy when ships are coming or going." Naruto looked up at one of the masts of a nearby ship. "It seems most of these guys have been here for a few days."

"You did travel a lot with Lord Jiraiya, didn't you." It was more of an observation than a question.

"Well, yeah!" Naruto almost skipped. "Everywhere we went, he seemed to know half of the people in town. It was like he had family spread out all over the continent, and even more."

The two paused to watch a sailor aboard the nearby ship make a round across the deck, inspecting the lines. He called to some place deeper in the ship when he checked the lines she and Naruto had just passed. On closer inspection, Hinata noticed the cloth wrappings on the sections where the two lines crossed had come apart. "I kind of wish I could have been a part of it." The Hyuuga felt a bit of heat rise in her cheeks.

The blonde locked eyes with her. "Well, it was kind of fun – but Pervy Sage often left me alone to go chase after girls, or something. He could be kind of disappointing at times."

Hinata giggled. At first, she'd been somewhat worried about Jiraiya's reputation and how it would affect her Naruto. "Still, though, you have been able to see many things that some of the most traveled among our class have not." She paused for a moment. "And I can tell that you miss him."

Naruto sighed, letting himself almost shuffle to a stop. "He taught me a lot more than I realized." His blue eyes studied the crevices of the masonry work of the pier. "I'd have a lot more questions for him, though, if I ever had the chance to ask him."

Hinata felt herself reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. If her mother was still around, she would have a great many questions for her, as well.

"But," Naruto looked up. "It feels kind of strange. When I'm using Sage Mode, where I used to be able to sense him, feels, somehow, complete."

Hinata sighed, "Nothing left undone."

The blonde lurched forward "The hell he didn't! I still have the manuscripts for his unpublished book! That thing is massive!"

The Hyuuga couldn't stop herself from releasing an explosion of laughter. "Calm down." She nudged him. Then a few gears began turning in her head. "Wait... Th-there's an unpublished Icha-Icha?" Heat rose in her cheeks.

"Yeah, the old perv used to have me proofread his books, so I have … actually, I don't know how much more he planned to write on it." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Hinata's cheeks tingled with what she knew was a raging blush. "A-Are you going to... finish it?" Her heart throbbed in her ears.

"What? No way!" Uzumaki laughed. "I have no idea how to be an author, much less could I write about... well.. what he wrote about." His brow quirked a bit when he returned her gaze. "Is everything okay? You're kind of red."

Hinata recoiled, feeling her eyes bulge wide. "I-uh, it's just... I'm kind of warm, is all." One of these days, she would learn to be smooth under pressure, she promised herself.

"Well, here," The blonde set his arms on her shoulder, "I'll take your jacket-"

"N-No! It's fine, really!" She squeaked and leaped a few steps away.

"Oh!" The blonde snapped his hands back to his chest. "I... I'm sorry. I just thought-"

"N-No, I'm sorry." The Hyuuga caught her breath. "I'm the one acting weird, you're fine."

"Oh... O-kay..." The blonde paused before his blue eyes went wide in what Hinata could only assume was a shock-frozen pose. "Uh..."

The Hyuuga tilted her head. "Naruto?" Was he about to ask her what her hair turned into, again?

"Hey..." He started. "I... uh... kind of have something to confess."

Hinata felt a lump rise in her throat. "W-What is it?" Her mind simply produced far too many things from some form of prank to some torturous truth.

"It's... Well, it's better if I show you." The blonde scratched the side of his head.

Once again, Hinata's heart was pounding. Now the previous talk of Jiraiya's books had all manner of insanity running through the girl's mind. This was just like … "Uh, W-what is it?"

"It's not bad, just, promise not to freak out, okay?" The blonde began leading her through an alley between two buildings.

Somewhere within Hinata's mind, a shriek of sanity broke through the fog of her mind. "N-Naruto, let's wait!" Someplace symbolic, like where his home village used to be, maybe. Not in an alley way. Not in a port town like some gunwale harlot. He paused to look back at her. "U-Until... later? M-maybe after we get to Uzu...?"

His blue eyes tilted with his head. "It will be too late, then!" He started moving again, and it dawned on Hinata that he had no intention of stopping there to begin with.

Perhaps, The young Hyuuga thought, Lord Jiraiya affected me far more so than his pupil.... That still didn't answer what was so hell-fire important to confess in the middle of town.

End Chapter 7


Thank you, again, you all for reading.

Notes:

Not going to lie, this was a bit of a rushed production. My note books are full of stuff that happens after this, but for some reason I had some severe writers' block for the intermediary time. I've been having to plop ideas for events during what will become my version of the war arc down on paper just to clear space in my head to get down to business on this stuff.

I'm sure you've heard it all before from just about every other person who writes these types of things.

I'd also like to take a moment to say that I've been on a Fairy Tail binge, as of late. If you're looking for another manga/anime to binge and you haven't yet done so with Fairy Tail – I encourage you to. I admit, at first I thought it was kind of a "for the lulz" type of production. There's a lot of campy humor and innuendo in the series that, honestly, I feel distracts from the true depth of the character drama that becomes apparent later on.

Plot lines run in Fairy Tail for hundreds of chapters/episodes. Almost literally, nothing mentioned is forgotten or not put to use at a later date. Things you forgot about -way- back in the second or third arc of the series come back to punch you in the gut a hundred and twenty episodes later. The Grand Magic Games turned out to be one of the best arcs in the series (I'm sure there are others of the opposite opinion out there, and they would be wrong :P ) - at first, I thought it was the obligatory "Tournament" story line that was mostly there as an excuse to pit allies against each other, or something.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Sure – it has a degree of predictability to it... but, even in that, it maintains an element of ingenuity and suspense. It's also one of the few animes where I actually see people fighting in teams. Sure, there is a lot of one-on-one stuff, as well, but there is a lot of teaming up in Fairy Tail that you just don't seem to get in other Shonen manga/animes, it seems.

It's worth checking out.

Anyway – I'll update as I can. You all take care and have yourselves a wonderful day/evening/morning/existence.