It's hard to give me courage.
But you guided me to find it.
I'm here, stepping to the next stone.
My goal is way too far
But I'll make sure that I'll get there someday.
Chapter 7: Next step to my goal.
TuhTweeet…the bird flap it's wings.
A meeting…
"Master Tsunade" Asuma looked at Tsunade
"Everyone is here? Very well, we have something to discuss."
"What is it?"
"The next Chunin exam."
"Is it time already? But we still have some problems---"
"Yes I know it, Kurenai. But we have to start the exam as soon as possible."
"Then…when is it?" Kakashi closed his book.
"First week of December, I know it's too soon…Inform your students about this."
"Hai!" the other ninjas left.
"Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai" the three looked at the Hokage.
"I want you to put Hinata Hyuga, Yamanaka Ino and Akamichi Choji as a team."
"Hai!" Asuma and Kurenai said while Kakashi just nod. They left.
----Minutes later…Uchiha Compound-----------------------------------------------------------
knockknock Hinata open the door and saw Kakashi standing there. He looked at the young lady and to Sasuke who is entering the living room. Sasuke looked at his sensei.
"Yo! It's been a long time, Sasuke!"
"M-master…please come in…" she said softly enough to get his attention. He smiled at her.
"Why did you come?" Sasuke sat down sipping the tea that Hinata prepares.
"Is that how you greet your Master?" Sasuke stared at him. "Oh well! I came here to give you the good news! The Hokage announced the start of the 4th Chunin Exam. That would be on December 1." He turned to Hinata. "You're teamed up with Choji and Ino. I want to meet you this afternoon at the bridge." He left.
-Same time…Choji and Ino------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ino stretched her arms forward. "Yawn what a strange dream I had last night!"
"What is it?" munchmunch
"Don't ask me it will just annoy me more." she stopped stretching. "Hey! That's Master Asuma and…Lady Kurenai?" she point at them looking at Choji.
"Master! What are you doing here!" she shouted waving her hands.
"sigh She's shouting again as usual..."
"Hunh?" Kurenai looked at Ino and Choji.
Ino greeted the two and asked Asuma again. "Masters what are doing here?"
"I want to inform you two that the Chunin exam would be on December 1st. Kakashi would like to see you at the bridge this afternoon."
"Who would be our teammates?" Choji pulled another potato chip in his pocket.
"The two of you would be teamed up with Yuki." Kurenai said.
"Huh? Who is she?" the two asked curiously.
"You'll find out when you meet Kakashi." The two disappear with the puff of smoke.
------- At the Hokage's office…--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sakura knocked at the wooden door. She entered and walked in front of Tsunade's desk.
"Master, I've heard that the exam will start next month."
Tsunade closed his book. "Yes, I already announced it. Even the lords of the nearby villages were informed."
"hmm…Is Yuki…already know about it? Is she going to take the exam?"
"Maybe Kakashi already informed it to her and to her teammates. If the issue that Yuki is taking the exams worrying you, then forget it. She already knows what to do there and how hard the exam would be." She stated.
Her worries about Yuki disappear. "What…what do you mean by that? She haven't take the exam right? She's new here and she told me that she's an orphan who traveled in many countries and she hasn't…" she was cut by Tsunade.
"Listen, yes, she is traveling and she hasn't been here before. But she knew everything including the exams."
"She did not say a thing on me." she was surprised about the new information she got about Yuki. She did not know that she knows everything about Konoha.
----Meanwhile…at the bridge----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's already noon and Kakashi haven't arrived. Ino is getting impatient. Choji just looked at Ino and picked the last potato chip. Ino took it.
"Ino! That's mine! That is the last one…" but before he could continue, Ino ate it. Choji glared at Ino angrily.
"What? Will you stop looking at me like that it's just a potato chip! You have many of it." They start to quarrel.
Kakashi jumped down from a tree. "Hello guys!" Kakashi said happily.
"Grrr!" the two glared at him. "You're late! We're fed up of waiting here!"
"Hehehe…I got lost on my way and then…" Hinata appeared with a puff of smoke.
"Master, no need to explain. My apologize; Master had to wait for me that's why we are late. Sorry…" she bowed her head.
"hehehe…" he scratch his head. "I want to introduce to you Yuki. She is in your team." She stepped forward.
"Oh…so that's the girl…" Ino thought.
"I hope she is not like Ino." Choji thought.
The two looked at Hinata and there came a thought on their head. 'She looks like someone...like that shy brunette on (the noisy dog owner) that Kiba's team. Hmmm…I wonder what clan she belongs?' the two stared at her.
"Master Tsunade has recommended the three of you the journeyman ninja selection exam. She chooses the three of you to be in my team, and…I'm your sensei."
"Huh...?" she paused for a second until she realized what the silver haired man said. "What! You're our sensei!" Ino point Kakashi.
"Yes, I am and be thankful about that. Now…let's talk about the exam."
"Are we really lucky to have a teacher who is always late!" Ino whispered to Yuki and Choji.
"Here, fill out these applications." He shoved the papers. The three read the paper.
"I want to know your answer do you wished to take the exam or not?"
Hinata simply smile and said to herself. "I will never let this pass. I've waited for this." "I'll take it." Kakashi grinned.
"What about the two of you?" he asked.
Ino and Choji looked at each other and smiled. They nodded as a sign of agreement. "We would like to take the exam."
"Good. You have to report at the academy on the next 3 weeks I'll see you there." He disappears with the puff of smokes.
"I'll make sure that I will pass that exam and maybe I'll get a chance to see my Sasuke-kun again! ˜♥" She stole another potato chip from Choji.
Hinata from behind looked at the two. She let the wind blew her long hair. "Sasuke…You're the first one I'll thank if I pass the exam. I hope…" she looked at the endless sky.
Interrupted by Ino. "Yuki-chan! Let's go! We have many things to talk about."
"Uhmm…Yes, I'm coming."
Somewhere…
"She is a cheerful lady. Isn't she?"
"Yes…she is. I can say that her skills and strength is in the same level as yours or maybe stronger than we expect. But I want to test her more." he grinned.
"Test?"
"Yes, I want to know if she fits for my dear Sasuke. For my next experiment…hehehe…"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Ino, Choji and Hinata. at the park, Ino pull Hinata everywhere while Choji keep following them. Hinata got tired of walking the same with Choji who looks like he hasn't drink water for months.
"Ino, I'm tired and hungry. Let's eat first." Choji said, panting.
"Oh! What about a lunch? What do you think Yuki-chan?"
Before she could answer there was a loud-mouthed yellow haired boy came running and shouting for help to their direction. Behind him was the pink haired girl who is chasing him. Naruto run behind the three and asked for defense. "Please, please help me!" he pleaded. There came Shikamaru in the scene, wearing his Chunin suit. Putting his hands on his waist he said. "How troublesome...woman always this loud. I bet you did something to Sakura that makes her came running after you and looks like she wants to burn you to death."
"Oh! Here she comes…" Choji said pointing Sakura. Looks like, everybody was shoved by the gust of wind made by Sakura.
"Naruto! you STUPID!" Sakura caught Naruto's collar. "You…you…" she gave Naruto three punches.
Ino came between the two. "Sakura, you billboard brow, what are you doing screaming and shouting like that, your voice is almost heard all over the village."
Shikamaru sighed heavily. "If you two want to fight, then do it without the shouting. You two annoy me."
"Sakura-chan…"squeaks Hinata. Everybody looked at her. "Why are you two chasing and shouting?"
"Ah…Yuki-chan! I did not even see you." Then she looked at Naruto, who has lumps upon lumps and spiral eyes.
"oh! Naruto-kun!" Yuki said with concern on her long time crush. (Ooppss…she forgot about having crush on Naruto since she did not consider herself as a Hyuga.) Everybody looked at her. Now she looks more suspicious on how she acted when Naruto suddenly got dizzy. She noticed that everybody looking at her. "Oh…I-I'm just…concern about…Naruto…p-please don't look at me like that." She stutters that makes it double.
Somewhere…
The Uchiha sole survivor saw the scene and got dismay on what he just saw. 'Hinata has failed to mask herself. Now everybody suspect her. Now she's turning to her old self again in front of them. I must act before everybody noticed.'
A whisper, that Hinata could only hear. "Hinata…" she looks serious after she heard it and looked at where Sasuke is. Everybody looked at the same direction. From the shadows of the leaves, Sasuke jumped down and went to Hinata.
"Ah…excuse me, I have something to do. Sorry." She bowed at them. The two walked a few steps then disappeared.
Naruto was back to his consciousness and saw that too. Ino whispered to Sakura beside her. "Hey, Sakura…did you see what just happened?" Sakura is still staring at the place they were standing just a few seconds past. "Hey Sakura" Ino shake her. "Wake up!"
Sakura was back to herself again. "Yuki…and Sasuke…is…"
"Is what Sakura!" Asked Ino.
Shikamaru interrupted. "Let's talked about it later, let's get inside first. I bet that it's a long story." They enter the restaurant where Shino and Kiba with akamaru already seated in the corner. The two saw the group.
"Hey! What a coincidence, you're here too!" Kiba laughed and asked them to sit next to them.
"So…What's about that Yuki?" Ino started the conversation. The two boys near them got interested in the topic and joined in. "Are you talking about the new girl in the village?" Asked Kiba.
"Yeah…that long haired girl with a mysterious personality and past." Naruto said.
------ Meanwhile…------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sasuke drag Hinata to somewhere. Sasuke looked at her straight to her eye. "Hinata, what are you doing stuttering like that and having concern to that moron?"
"Sasuke…I'm…I'm sorry…I don't know why…I thought I…the stuttering is gone but…I really don't know why I'm stuttering in that moment and, and Naruto, I thought that it was normal to act having a concern to him."
"Hinata! But you are still stuttering until now and have you forgotten what I told you about Naruto!" she lowers her head. "Hinata, I told you before don't make contact to any old friends of yours, if it is not necessary, especially to Naruto." Hinata could not say anything to her teacher because he is right that she should not do such things.
Sasuke started again. "Don't be sad, I'm just telling you this because I…care…about you." She looked up to see him. "You care about me?" Sasuke defend himself. "It's…What I mean is…If you let them see your old self, they will recognize you and you know what that means, right? And about Naruto, Keep away from him because I don't want to see you with him." She was surprised at the last line he said. 'He's blushing? Is he…jealous?' she thought, blinking.
"Sa-sasuke…I'm sorry." With that he nod and left.
Somewhere…
The silver haired man adjusts his eyeglass and said. "What do you think Master?"
"I see…He have feelings for her...Heh! He did find a good prey."
------Back to the group-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They continue to talk about Hinata. They never left the topic since they start to talk about her. they share their information they know about the girl. Hinata entered the restaurant seeing them busy talking about on something. They did not notice that she arrived.
"Hey, what are you talking about?" she said innocently.
"Uhm…Uhmm…It's…" Ino nudge Sakura. "What!" Ino whispered to her. "You explain it. You're the one who is good at that." The two looked at Hinata with their nervous smile. "Hehehe…"
"Can I sit?" Yuki asked. Everybody answered. "S-sure…" she sat next to Sakura. "So…" she looked at them confuse on how they act.
"Uhmm…Yuki-chan…can I…can we ask you something?" everybody wait for her answer.
"Sure…what is it." Everyone asked a question to her and all of the questions are answered clearly, except the one. Shikamaru, the lazy but the smartest one, asked the question. "If you know every villages and countries, then why did you choose Konoha instead of the other countries?"
Her first answer "It's…because…Konoha is…peaceful."
"So what? All of the villages are at peace, then why?" he asked again.
'Are they trying me to catch me by slipping on my own tongue?' Another question came from Shino. "Is it because…you have someone or something who or that is important to you? That's why you choose this village?"
she flinched. But why? It's not true but then why did she flinched? 'I don't have anyone in here that is important to me. Neither my clan nor my family is important because since I left…little by little…I realized that they don't belong to my list of important person and I just found out that the only thing I'm trying to became strong is to show them up and to prove to my self that I can live on my own without the clan.' She thought.
"Yuki...Is it because of Sasuke?" Sakura said in sad tone.
She comes back to reality after what Sakura asked. "No…No…it's not him…and I don't know anything about him before he found me hopeless in that night." She looked down. Closing her fist in her lap, she bit her lower lip.
"Huh!" everybody looked at her. "W-what happen to you then?" Naruto asked.
Hinata told a story that is not true but very similar in her real life story. She starts her story…
I'm with my family and my clan living happily. We lived under the clan's tradition. I'm with my father, my sister and with my cousin whose father died a long time ago because he sacrifice himself just to protect our clan's name. I was once a weak, pathetic and useless heir. I can protect no one even myself. Our clan does not belong to any country or village. We just live deep in the forest and our clan is rarely seen in any village, that's why we are unknown to others. There is one clan that also hides in that forest, it's our clan's rival, the one that is responsible for the death of my uncle. That clan, one day, attacks us. My father, my sister and my cousin told me to escape. Everybody died and I'm the only one left. From that day, I travel to one village to another with the belongings of our clan. I sell it to have enough money to eat. then the day that I feared came, that I don't have anything left. That is the time when I reach Konoha.
I was all alone in the rain, starving and hopeless, I faint. Someone grabbed me and brought me to somewhere warm. When I open my eyes I saw Sasuke. He felt pity for me that is the reason why he helped me and let me stay in his house.
Naruto cry with exaggerated tears, Ino and Sakura hold hands both felt sorry, Choji sniffs and take a bite on his food and the others head down.
"That is why…Sakura and Naruto…found me wearing Sasuke's clothes. He let me borrow it because I do not have anything with me." she smiled.
"Then, Yuki-chan…why did you ask me about Hinata? Why did you say that you hate her? I you mean…she's like nowhere to be found until now. We haven't seen any signs of the shy brunette. How did you know her?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Oh! Is that it? It's simple…I know everything…" 'Because I'm her' she thought. 'And you'll know everything soon about me after the chunin exam'
"So that does explain everything…" Naruto put his hands on the back of his head. "Yeah…" Kiba crossed his arms.
"Well…Maybe…We should welcome Yuki-chan to the group now!" Ino said. Everyone agreed.
It's been a long day for Hinata, seeing her old friends and teammates but the only difference is that they don't see her as Hinata but as Yuki, their new friend. Everyone decide to go back home. Hinata in her way back to the compound met Kakashi.
"You survived in their questions…And nice story too!"
"Yes, I thought I wouldn't. Lucky for me Sasuke gave me ideas."
Sakura was there. She heard them. "Sasuke gave her ideas? But how? He's not there and if I think of what they are talking about it's like she lied to us!" she thought.
"Hinata---" he was cut by Hinata. "Master, you should know that we should watch our tongue when we're outside and now that someone's listening."
"Did she already know that I am here? And why did Master Kakashi mentioned Hinata and why did Yuki cut him off?" Sakura thought carefully hiding in her place.
"Kakashi-sensei, I decide to reveal everything soon…maybe…after the Chunin exam." Kakashi nodded and said. "But looks who is talking you already say something important, outside." She gigled. "Master, thanks…I need to go. Sasuke might sleep again without anything in his stomach." She waved goodbye.
"What did Yuki will reveal soon? She's hiding something from us!" she was about to left when Kakashi spoke.
"Sakura, whatever you hear don't tell anyone and if you want to know the whole information wait until the exam ends just like what she said. Okay?"
"O—Okay…" she answered nervously.
-----A day before the exam…At the academy---------------------------------------------------
Many people is in the academy, everyone is determined to submit their application for the year's chunin exam.
"Yuki! We're here!" Ino shouted from the crowd, waving her hand.
"Well, looks like none of you change mind. The last thing you have to do is to pass that application." The three nod.
-------Author's note-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next chapter…chapter 8: Remember and revealing… How would they escape from the mirrors of Illusions? Hinata's team went back to past. They will saw everything even the answer to their questions. Hinata would find out what are the real intentions of the Hyugas to her.
In the eighth chapter…I planned to show or tell you about their past. I just make it part of the exam because I do not know what should I write for the first part of the chunin exam.
(Happy Birthday Kakashi-sensei! September 15)
Nika-chan