Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Author's Notes: OMG, I got 57 followers! Does that mean I might be able to reach a 100 by Jan 2018? I hope so! Thank you so much! Beware, tons of fluff and angst. And for the next chapters (about 3-5ch.s I think), it will be all about Hinata's ancient past. ;)


"Sa-Sasuke, I-I'm warning you! Go to the shower. This instant!"

Looking like a determined rabbit with her round dewy eyes, she looked up at Sasuke and ordered him to go erase the trace of her perfume.

For ten minutes, she has been blushing and stammering over his "insolence" that "only got worse during his two year long missions."

Her tiny pouty lips quivered as she saw him casually cross his arms and cock his head to the other side, asking her if that was all she got.

While she continued telling him how "inappropriate" it was for him to smell like her, he maintained his silence and began to wonder about her strange behavior.

Did Kidnapper seriously think that it will work? Verbally scolding a man who just came back from the Five Shinobi Nations' daimyos' missions that were designed to kill him before he turns eighteen? And those fat cats really wanted him dead for stamping on the old order of the most prestigious clan in the Land of Fire-the Hyuugas. They were worried that they'll be next, because they had plenty of their own dirty laundry.

His case of extreme self-confidence didn't get better either when he played a major part in Shikamaru's master plan in overthrowing the anarchic power system of those corrupt daimyos in Suna.

He might be cocky and full of himself, but perhaps he shouldn't be judged too harshly for it.

Thinking of Hinata's effort to persuade him with words, he scoffed.

He thought, 'Please...But it's cute.'

His eyebrow raised in question as he looked down at her, and Hinata was getting exasperated and confused by her diminished authority as the elder sister figure. What went wrong? Where did her stubborn, rude, but (in the end) obedient little brother go?

"If someone smells you and-and notices..!"

"I don't mind," he then blinked his eyes in mock innocence, a naughty habit he picked up from Kakashi, "Should I?"

He tried to keep his mouth from breaking into a teeth-baring smile at his seething legal guardian. He was not eighteen yet, so technically she still had her beloved guardianship over him.

He looked at her face that looked like it was going to combust any soon with amused interest. He knew that she was far too shy and reserved to even explain why it would arouse uncomfortable suspicion toward an unrelated man and woman who share the same body odor.

Of course he knew why him walking around, reeking of Hinata's homemade perfume would raise a scandal in this tiny Hidden Leaf village. He didn't really enjoy smelling like jasmines and girly caffeinated tea either, but seeing her struggle to keep her shred of authority over him was far far too entertaining.

"If you explain to me why it bothers you much, I might consider it," his eyes gleamed in quiet mischief like the way she used to do to him three years ago. He didn't forget to add "Might" at the end, just to emphasize just how powerless she is.

If she tries harder to please him, he might consider putting her poor mind into ease by taking another shower for the day.

The teenager who is not far from being 5ft 9 at the tender age of seventeen, made a devious smirk that stirred strange feelings in women across the Five Shinobi Nations.

Getting revenge is a sadistic habit that is uniquely his own.

When she thought things cannot get any worse, she heard voices of two men beyond the kitchen wall and activated her byakugan.

Beyond the main courtyard and the wooden gates, she can see Hyuuga Neji and Inuzaka Kiba.

"Oh no..." her lips quivered.

"Hinata-sama, are you in there?"

Neji and Kiba were truly relieved to hear that Hinata has come back to Konoha safe and sound and decided to ask her if she would like dinner at the Hyuuga's place.

"Hey, Neji, I don't know why but there are two people who smell exactly like Hinata chan."

Kiba's nose sniffed in the air, and he made a puzzled frown.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean, I grew up with dogs right? You can't fool my nose."

"Maybe Hinata sama is with a guest," Neji suggested.

"But Hinata chan said she always uses stuff that she makes at home. Market perfume gives her allergies and makes her sneeze like crazy."

Now Neji began thinking it was odd. "Huh?" If Kiba's nose was right, then it was indeed a little strange.

"Hi guys, what are you doing in front of Sasuke kun's house?" a feminine voice that Hinata can never mistake for anyone else. Sasuke groaned.

"Oh, Sakura chan! You know, Sasuke is supposed to be back too? Wanna see-"

And at that instant Sasuke's kidnapper bolted out from the kitchen and escaped the Uchiha mansion through the upper floor window.


In her favorite spot in the Konoha's forest, Hinata sat in front of the mountain stream and tried to cool her heated cheeks. She wetted her fingers with the cool stream water and pressing both sides of her face with her hands.

The Konoha's Forest of Death might be the most well known for being a stage for chunin exams and survival tests, but it was also very beautiful in all seasons.

The green acorns hanging on the forest canopy would gleam in the summer sunshine, and she would often come to pick wild shitaki mushrooms or mugwort to brew tea. She loved walking on the green grass and occasionally discover gems, like a prematurely ripe acorn, pinkish white clovers, or dandelion leafs that she would pluck to make salad for Hanabi or digestive medicinal pearls for Chouji.

Sometimes she would see a poor baby bird that has fallen from its nest and pick it up and take it home to its mama and siblings who were crying anxiously in their oak tree. Enjoying the sunshine in the lush green forest is one of her favorite outdoor pastimes. But Hinata wasn't there to gather herbs or interact with the animals.

What just happened between her and Sasuke was just so mortifying that she decided that some distance would really help her clear her head and her thundering chest.

She stared into her reflection in the clear waters. She can see stones of various brown and grey shades on the bottom of the river bank and a few teeming fishes.

After checking if there was anywhere with her byakugan, she decided to pull up her skirt and dip her feet and calves into the stream. The water was knee deep.

If she hesitated even a moment, before the three opened the main gates and barged into the house...

She shivered at her imagination of what would have happened. Thank God it never happened, but it was close.

Kiba screamed, "Fuck! Sasuke smells exactly, EXACTLY like Hinata? Did you guys...? But that's incest! Wait, she adopted him...Hell no, that's still incest!"

Neji's pale white eyes shook in disbelief, "Hinata...sama..." and fall backwards and lost consciousness at spot.

Sakura crying and throwing punches into the kitchen in distress...

Hinata thanked her quick judgment and the heavens above for letting her escape before such calamity falls upon their heads.

As she sighed, she gently swayed her light beige calves in the clear water and watched the tiny fish swim away from her feet.

Like that, she closed her eyes as she felt immersed in the silky wetness of the stream water and listened to the babbling brooks.

"Relax..." she told herself.


After training for three hours in a remote area of the Forest of Death, Naruto was sweating and panting profusely and needed a drink and a cold splash of water.

So he went to the stream where he can drink water made of snow that melted and flowed from the highest point of the mountains.

The Konohan sign near the river told passerbys to try not to drink from the stream because of the possibility of the water carrying germs of dead wild animals, but nobody really cared anyways. A lot of ninjas carried water filtering gadgets and bottles, but Naruto has always believed that nature acts as a self-sufficient filter and for ninjas, it is quicker to die during missions than to die of water poisoning in the Forest of Death anyways.

So he hurriedly knelt down on the bank, not caring to survey the area around him because of his burning thirst. He hastily took off his ninja headband and placed it next to him. The wet mud and water seeped into the fabric of his knees as he splashed the cool water into his burning face several times.

He dipped his tan hands onto the silky water and washed his face until he felt his face cool down to its normal temperature.

But then finally he felt a sense of someone nearby, in the opposite side of the stream. He still had his hands covering his face, so he slowly lifted his large blue eyes to see who was right in front of him, just a few feet away.

His eye sight was blurry because of the heavy water drops hanging from his long eyelashes, but he can figure out that the figure was a dark haired woman sitting on the bank.

He blinked and shook off the water drops from his eyelids and looked harder again.

It was Hinata. But what was she doing here?

"Uh..." Naruto wondered if he should wake her up. Even though it was the middle of summer, she might catch a cold by dozing near the icy cool stream.

He looked at her face for signs of a cold or worst, a flu. So far, she looked okay. She wasn't shivering. Her lips were a healthy pink, a bit on the pale side, but nothing abnormal.

As he stared at her, he thought, 'Wow...she looks really different when she sleeps."

She looked...a lot younger. He always thought that she was a grown-up with ages of wisdom because she acted so mature. But seeing her look so defenseless in her peaceful nap made him wonder if she was closer to being a girl like Sakura than an actual adult.

He jumped a little when he saw her shoulders move slightly as she softly breathed in and out.

'Uhh...this is getting awkward,' he thought. He pulled up the cuff of his sleeves and pants and placed both of his feet on the stream.

He slowly trudged through the water to get to her side. She was so deeply absorbed or either asleep that she didn't hear the sound of splashing approaching her.

He lowered his upper body, leveling his eyes with Hinata's. His nose wrinkled as he scrunched his entire face in contemplation over what to do.

Now that he was a lot closer to her, he get to have a detailed look at her features.

He thought, 'She got some of the longest eyelashes I ever saw on anyone...Is her hair natural blue?'

"Umm..."

Before Naruto can back off, her eyes snapped open, and all he can see were pure white orbs that radiated various beams of purple light.

And in blink of an eye, he was roughly pushed down on the muddy bank where Hinata was originally sitting on.

As he shut his eyes and raised both of his hands in sign of submission, he yelled, "Hey hey Hina-chan, it's me, me, Naruto!"

He tentatively opened an eye and peeked. Flanked by cascading black hair was a blushing face with frightened pearl white eyes.

"Oh, oh, Naruto kun! I'm so sorry! So so sorry!" She quickly jumped off, and Naruto got up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wow, Hina chan, I must've really spooked you, right there haha" he made a laugh that made his whisker marked face look like a good natured cat.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I was just surprised because I didn't feel any chakra and suddenly..."

"Oh yeah! You told me you can't feel my chakra right?"

"Ye-yes," she averted her eyes from his bright blue ones. "Oh no, your jumper!"

Naruto went "uh?" and lifted his elbow and looked at his jumper sweater, the orange and black one he always wears.

"DOn't worry about it. It's just a little mud, Hinata," he laughed.

And with a quick, chipper "Excuse me," he turned and took off his sweater, casually exposing his tan, muscled upper body. He stood up and shook the mud off his sweater with a few shakes, saying "So what got you sleeping here in the first place? You looked pretty tired." And then he hung it over one of the nearby tree branches and turned.

She had completely turned her back to him. She pushed her black hair behind her ears that turned bright red as if all the blood of her face decided to rush to her ears.

"Are you...okay?"

"Yes!" Her voice was loud as her spine straightened up like a metal rod.

"Haha, you're talking like a soldier, Hinata" he laughed as he sat down crosslegged behind her.

"uh...uh...Na-Naruto kun..."

"Yeah?"

"Can I a-a-ask a que-question?"

His eyebrow rose. It was the first time he heard Hinata stammer, even though he heard from the teme that it was her habit. And what did Hinata had to ask him about? Even though he knew he was going to be the future hokage someday, he knew that he wasn't always the smartest tool in the box.

"It-it's about a-a-a friend."

His face widened into a huge grin. "Sure! I might not look like it, but I actually am pretty good at listening!"

"Oh-oh, thank you..."

"So, what about your friend? Is it a guy or a girl?"

"A-a girl...Umm...she..." Hinata took a pause. She breathed in. Then she breathed out. After that deep breathing like that several times, she looked a lot calmer.

"So...my friend...she's a young shinobi like you, and she decided to take this job...But her...younger brother didn't like that she was going to work."

"What's the job?"

"A..a body guard."

"Is it someone I know?"

She hiccuped. His eyes narrowed. "N-no. I-I d-don't think so!"

He drawled on as he said "Oookaay...keep going..."

"Sh-she was going to be a body guard...to the ex-daimyo of...the Water Nation."

"Sheessh!" Naruto raised his voice and Hinata jumped, "No wonder her brother didn't like it! That guy's the worst!"

"Ca-can I ask why, Naruto?" She finally turned towards him, looking at him with inquisitive white eyes.

"So, you know that Shikamaru had to stay behind in Suna to investigate the ex daimyos, right?"

She nodded.

He blurted out, "He is a huge sex maniac!"

Seeing her freeze into a ice statue didn't stop Naruto from spilling the juicy details, "He said that every woman, no matter if she's married or underage or what not, is his. And it turned out he got his bodyguard five months pregnant. That's why he was interested in you!"

"Oh, Naruto..." She covered her eyes with her left hand, mortified.

"Hinata chan! This is serious!"

Hinata's eyes flung open in surprise as Naruto grabbed both of her shoulders and forced her to look right at him.

"It...it was really," he had to calm down and catch his breath first before continuing, "really noble of you to give yourself like that for the civilians and their family!"

Hinata stared wide eyed at Naruto whose piercing blue eyes seemed to bore right into her soul. 'So he knew...Of course...'

"But that doesn't mean you should serve yourself on the platter for that pervert!"

"Uh, um, Naruto!" For some reason, Naruto wasn't seeing that Hinata was close to fainting in his arms. He was too passionately absorbed by his objective to drill in precautions into the girl's head. It was widely known that Naruto has a tunnel vision when it comes to achieving goals.

"That old guy humps on everything that looks remotely female! Promise me! Never never never sign yourself up like that ever again!"

"I-I will, I-I mean I won't! So-so wou-would you pl-please let me..."

"We could've done it in other ways!I'll tell Shikamaru off for that stupid plan! I'll give him the beating of his life!"

"Na-Naruto!"

When Hinata finally yelled his name out loud, Naruto came to his senses. As soon as he came to his senses, he realized two things. One, he is half naked in front of Hinata. Two, he can feel a very very dark force.

He slowly turned his head toward the forest where he felt the palpable aura of danger and menace.

"Naruto, you pervert!"

His pink haired crush punched his face with her fist, sending him flying mid air before he slammed into the tree where he hung his wet, dirty jumper sweater.

"You come back after two years, and the first thing you do is hit on Sasuke kun's sister? What are you thinking?"

"Sa...Sakura...it's not what you think.." Naruto shivered as he tried to stand up from that fatal blow.

"Shut up!"

Sasuke quietly looked at Sakura and Naruto, getting along as usual, and then shifted his gaze to Hinata who was still kneeling on the muddy bank.

"Ah...ah...Sasuke," her voice was barely louder than a whisper as his dark eyes continued to stare down at her coldly.

She bit her lips. 'Now...now I really got him mad. He mu-must've thought me so wanton...Gaping and blushing at Naruto kun like that...'

If there was a rabbit hole or a fox den somewhere, she wanted to hide into it.

She winced when she saw him reach toward her with his right hand. But soon she opened her eyes in surprise as he pulled her up gently as if she was a child.

"Sa..Sasuke," she murmured as she stared into his eyes that surveyed her entire body, from her face down to her wet muddy knees and bare feet. When he kept staring down at her feet, she blushed and her toes wiggled in embarrassment under his intense stare.

"Where did you leave your shoes?" He asked in a calm voice.

"It-it's over there...by the bank."

She turned and scurried to the big, flat rock where she placed her sandals. She slipped on her sandals and returned to Sasuke's side like a bashful child.

He seemed to be thinking of something as he stared down at her without words. Then he turned and his dark, expressive eyes looked piercingly into the forest.

He didn't even look at her, but she felt the weight of authority to his voice as he called her. "Hinata...it's late."

Her eyes widened. She seemed to be at loss for words for a second. He called her 'Hinata.' Not Kidnapper. He called her 'Hinata.'

'Did Sasuke finally decide to accept his place as the master of the Waker's Pearl?'

Then it means that she doesn't need to pretend to be his adopting sister and he doesn't need to be coddled like some spoiled boy.

He was her master. And she was his.

She can protect him. And protect him, she will.

'I will protect you,' Hinata said quietly in her heart.

He took a moment, before saying gruffly, "Let's go home," and he continued walking without turning back.

Hinata's eyes seemed to gleam for a moment, as she smiled and nodded.

The way she said "Yes" made him stop momentarily when he heard it for the first time.

The way she said it made him just want to turn and seize her in his arms the same way he did back in Suna, letting the freedom of his disguise abandon his rein on his self control when it comes to her.

It was so sweet, so gentle, but with a sad note of finality to it. It almost made his heart ache.

And it was only first of the many sweet, indulgent Yes's that he'll hear.

Like that, Sasuke and Hinata turned. While Sasuke didn't even bother, Hinata smiled apologetically and waved bye toward Sakura and Naruto who blinked in surprise towards their short but impressionable interaction.

"Sasuke kun..." Sakura looked like her world has just turned upside down. 'It can't be...No, can it? No...'

Meanwhile, Naruto forgot about rebutting Sakura's accusations and just stared at the disappearing form of the man and woman.


There was one thing that Hinata didn't know about Sasuke.

What many people misunderstood as his act of shoving things off his shoulder was his way of concealing the gears that turned in his head with murderous intent.

That was exactly how he reacted when he saw Kidnapper blushing in front of a half naked blond ape.

What people misunderstood as his mature reaction to seeing her with Naruto was simply the external guise he takes on as he devises a plan to make his kill.

No, he won't kill Naruto. It will only serve to push Hinata away, and what he wanted was the exact opposite.

The truth is Sasuke's devious, bold, and possessive nature really shines through when he perceives something as a genuine threat.

For example, when he sees something like a bear that mauled an entire shinobi infantry of the Land of Wind, he becomes really, really quiet.

So quiet that you can hear a maple leaf drop to the forest floor when he swiftly shoved his bare hand into the wild animal's throat and blasted a paralyzing chidori before the monster can chomp on his wrist for breakfast.

To this day it was a mystery to the Land of Wind detectives and investigators as how the seventeen year old achieved the task of bringing the giant bear's hide that was devoid of even a single wear or tear or a scar that would mar the fur's market value.

That was how he accomplished his last daimyo mission before he sacked them all in their fancy arena.

Even when he saw the ex-daimyos salivate over the sight of his Kidnapper like she was some juicy piece of steak, he didn't see them as any threat.

It would be below him to even consider them as being a remote threat to what was his from the beginning.

That was why he took the liberty of kissing her passionately in front of them. By kissing her, he wanted to relish in their pathetic delusions that they had a chance to take away Hinata from his life.

Even when she fought with all her might to get away, she was still his and as long as he's alive he won't let anything change that.

But when he saw her with Naruto...He felt that familiar rush of adrenaline in the beginning of a fight that made enemies believe that he has ice water running in his veins.

Out of some warped logic, his instincts told him that his childhood friend, a fellow orphan, the ramen addict dobe who preaches about camaraderie and dreams, was one day going to take away Hinata, his Hinata.

So instead of acting on his first impulse, which was to rip his skin off and whisk her away while leaving him to bleed, he decided to slowly approach the matters as if he was executing a mission.

First, he'll see if there were any signs of Naruto forcing himself upon her. Improbable, but still it was worth checking. Secondly, he'll agree to being her quote on quote "Master," since that means he can keep her by his side forever because she is the Waker's Pearl. Third, he'll make sure that his stupendously optimistic friend will never get in the way between them. And lastly, but arguably most important, he will make his relationship with Hinata be much more than a simple master-subordinate kind of relationship which seems to be her expectation.

If anyone had a death wish and asked him why he was being so possessive over Hinata, he wouldn't know how to explain it even if he wanted to.

And for him, the reason didn't matter as much as the fact that he wanted Hinata in his life and needed to be her everything.


Happily unaware of the aforementioned details, Hinata bade good night to Sasuke and thanked him for being so mature and understanding during that misleading situation with Naruto.

He smirked, "My pleasure" before dismissing her, and she didn't even have an inkling of suspicion toward the change in his character, attributing it to his personal growth during the time of the Seven Daimyos' missions.

She blissfully went to her bedroom and opened her diary with a lavender colored leather case that she kept since Day 1 of living with Sasuke.

She started writing with her ball point ink pen on the lined paper,

"Sasuke finally acknowledged me as his Waker's Pearl, and I am so happy. I wonder if I should call him with the affix "sama" like the old times in the Realm."

'The Realm,' she thought pensively.

She placed her pen down, as she stared at the word 'Realm.'

"Uchiha sama..." she whispered. Her eyes closed as in pain, "Uzumaki sama..."

Her eyes opened again as she uttered the last name, "Haruno...Sakura."


5010 years ago,

Never before had the little Hyuuga girl saw such magnificence unfolding before her. The spacious ornate room was flanked by towering pillars carved of pure black volcanic glass. The room despite its opulence looked rather solemn because of lack of decorations, not even a single landscape painting.

In front of the room was a podium where two empty thrones were placed. One was blindingly white and had elegant carvings of flying falcons, and another was made of dark cast iron and had a minimalistic design. The ivory throne had a orange satin cushion, and the black iron one had a red one with fringes. Behind the two thrones, there wasn't a wall. Instead there were dark blue navy curtains embroidered with elegant gold drawings that blocked the view of what was happening behind the scenes.

"That must be where the Waker samas sit!" She heard one of the girls in the room whisper in excitement.

"I can't wait," another girl giggled in anticipation. She seemed to be around ten as well.

The little Hyuuga girl looked down on the floor.

The teal green marble floor was so clear that she could see a reflexion of a nervous girl staring back at her. It was like floating on top of a mystical lake. The hundred girls who were lined in rows and dressed in pastel yellow dresses looked like fairies floating on top of teal green crystal waters. Even though she was also wearing the same dress, she felt strangely out of place. Their bright eyes were filled with merriment and anticipation as if they all wanted to come here. They all looked at least a year or two older than her too, but it might be just her below-average height.

The sunshine spilling through the milky sea shell window blinds turned into a soft light that cast an ethereal magic over the room and the girls. Their hair of various length and colors were either tied or decorated with green silk ribbons.

The room smelt of fresh cypress and frankincense, the oils that would only be burnt once a year during her tribes' celebration of the Sun and Moon. If anyone tried to steal the oils or burn them in any other occasion, they were to be executed for sacrilege.

"Hi, I don't remember seeing you before!" A young chirpy voice caught her attention.

She turned to see a girl who looked about her age, ten. But what surprised her was...

She cannot help but blurt out, "Gre-green eyes!"

The girl with astonishingly brilliant emerald eyes smiled, "And pink hair, I know. I get that a lot."

"Oh..." and the Hyuuga girl merely bowed her head low, not knowing how to start the conversation with this girl who looked like the personification of Spring.

Her short light pink hair was decorated with a light green bow on the top, and the soft yellow pastel dress looked very flattering on her long, athletic looking arms and legs. Her beauty stood out even among the hundred girls.

The high spirited girl didn't seem to mind her reticence, so she started introducing herself. "My last name's Haruno. So call me Haruno."

"Oh,o-okay...Haruno san..."

"What's yours?"

"Oh, my first name is-"

But before she can complete her words, the Haruno girl quickly covered her mouth.

"Oh geez, once you become a Waker's Pearl candidate, you're supposed to forget your first name, remember?! Did you forget?"

In fact, she didn't know at all. She doesn't even know what a Waker's Pearl even is. But she nodded her head fervently, as she stared into Haruno's stern emerald eyes.

"Now, what's your name?"

"Hyu-hyu-hyuuga..." She stammered as soon as Haruno freed her mouth.

"Oh, nice to meet you Hyuuga! We're technically competitors, but we can still be friends!"

"Com...petitors?" The girl's foggy white eyes widened. "What...ki-kind of c-competition, Haruno san?" What could all these beautiful, spirited girls possibly be competing for?

The girl called Haruno looked at her as if she came from outer space. "Wow, you don't know anything?"

Hyuuga bit her lips and cringed. That was an insult she was used to hearing back in home. She didn't expect to hear it in this beautiful place.

"No-no, sorry if I sounded mean!" Haruno shook her shoulder, "It's just that all of the girls here came here to be the Waker's Pearl, so it's weird that you don't know anything!"

She hated the tears of insecurity that were already spilling down her eyes, but she had to ask, "Wh..what's a...Wa-Waker's Pe-pearl-?"

Then a cold gust of incense-scented wind blew across the wide hall from the front of the room. The bronze lamp stands that lined by the walls suddenly ignited with fire that brought the whispering girls' attention to the front of the room.

Hyuuga didn't know how they suddenly appeared but suddenly before her appeared seven figures clad in black cloaks with embroidered images of a single red floating cloud.

"Shissh, it's the Akatsuki!" another girl quickly whispered.

"I heard you, student-chans! I told you to call us sensei samas, you fucki-" A tall man wearing a straw hat shaped like a cone with white paper fringes barked at the direction of the voices.

"Hidan, please. And go easy on that scythe." a woman with a large light blue paper flower on her hair sighed.

"I didn't sign up for this," a blond man who only revealed a single eye crossed his arms and gave a cross look at some girls who shot him heart eyes.

A grey haired man wearing round rimmed glasses merely smiled in the background. He looked the kindest and studious among the eight people, Hyuuga thought.

The creepiest of the seven were the remaining-a short bald ugliest man she ever saw with a hunched over body, mostly bald head, a sallow complexion, and a mask over his mouth. Others called him "Sasori."

But what really got the girls' skins crawling were the two beings who respectively talked in synchronization. Their bodies were at times elastic like a rubber gum or tough and sharp as a bull's horn, making Hyuuga feel both afraid and fascinated.

She heard one of the girls whisper behind her, "I remember when I first saw the White and Black Zetsu. I thought I was going to Hell, not the Realm!"

"Well, imagine how I felt when that creepy Sasori came to let bring me here!"

"I thought it'll be one of the Wakers who takes me to the Realm!"

"Forget it. The only girl who was escorted by a Waker is that stuck up Haruno girl." A girl glared sideways at the pretty pink haired girl who simply ignored her sneering.

"Hey, at least nobody ever got to personally see the Second Waker, Uchiha sama."

"Yeah, it was the First Waker, Uzumaki sama who brought Haruno here."

"Uzumaki sama is so cute. But the Second Waker sama..." the ten year old girl looked like she was going to swoon any minute.

"Ohh, he's so handsome! I'll do anything to be his Pearl!"

"In your dreams, frizzy hair!"

"Silence!" The man called Hidan yelled so loud that the girls finally stopped their chattering and stood in attention.

The woman Konan cleared her throat and unfurled a roll of paper, "Welcome to the heart of the Realm. We're the Akatsuki, the seven subordinates to the First Waker, Uzumaki, and the Second Waker, Uchiha."

The ugly hunchback named Sasori took two rolls of paper from his black cloak and placed each of them on the throne.

"Awww..." the girls whined in disappointment to see that instead of the actual Wakers, there were only posters each written "Uzumaki" and "Uchiha" to occupy the empty thrones.

"Due to the Waker samas' busy schedule, they cannot attend the Waker's Pearl candidates' orientation," Konan explained.

Hyuuga looked slightly to her right, and she was surprised to see even Haruno a little saddened by the Wakers' absence. She wondered which Waker she was expecting to see. Uzumaki in the ivory throne? Or Uchiha in the dark iron chair?

Hidan yelled, "Shut the fuck up before I sever your tongues!"

But the girls actually didn't seem even at least intimidated by the man's violent threat.

Konan continued, "First, congratulations for making it to being the candidates for the Waker's Pearl. It takes courage and passion to leave behind the world you've known all your of the candidates' age is around 10 to 11.

The world you inhabited before cannot exist without the "Realm," also known in your world as "heaven," "paradise," and sometimes "hell," and "the underworld.""

A girl rose her hand, "Konan sensei, I have a question."

"You may ask."

"How can the Realm be both paradise and hell?"

"It's because of the opposing natures of the two Wakers. The First Waker, Uzumaki sama is the Sun-he brings light and warmth to the Realm. But when there is light, there is also darkness. That is why Uchiha sama is called the Shadow Waker."

Konan asked, "As you know, the Waker samas control this alternative universe, the "Realm." And the Waker's Pearl is the Waker's closest, most loyal guardian who accompanies him during all his quests and lives for his best interests."

"Previously, the Waker's Pearl have been men, but since both of them attempted a coup to become the Wakers themselves, they decided that..."

"No, the blond dumbie wanted a hot, cute body guard. That's it." Deidara drawled on as he examined his finger nails.

"I'll be the First Waker's cute body guard!"

"No, I will!"

Hyuuga started feeling bad for the woman called Konan and even Hidan who looked like he wanted to just harvest the girls' necks with his scythe.

Konan sighed, "After six years, we shall have the Waker's Pearl exam to choose two girls who will respectively serve the First and Second Wakers. That means during those ten years, we will eliminate any candidates who violate the rules of conduct or show mediocre performance. The failed candidates will go back to where they came from and have their memories of the Realm erased."

Then soon silence fell. Konan was rather relieved to finally get the girls serious.

"The two girls who remain will each serve the First and Second Wakers. They will stay in the Realm and live a life of loyalty to their masters. And after their service...they'll be granted one wish. Since the Realm has close connections to both the spiritual and physical world, any wish can be granted. You can have a life of unparalleled wealth and status or you can even revive someone from the dead."

At this, Hyūga's eyes suddenly sparked in animation.

'Father...Mother...'

Now she really was interested in being the Waker's Pearl.

"But remember, if the Waker's Pearl disobeys the Wakers' orders, there will be no wish come true and she'll face due punishment."

Then Konan finally folded the paper back and faced the hundred girls who looked at her with sparkling eyes of anticipation. All except, Hinata. She was scared. Unlike these girls, she had nowhere to go back to. No parents to greet her with open arms. No one to tell her it's okay, that she did her best even if she didn't make it to being the Waker's Pearl.

And she really wanted her wish to come true.

'I want to see father...and mother.'

"Now, you shall soon have dinner in thirty minutes. I and the other Akatsukis will each divide you into teams and take you to your dorms. You're all dismissed."


Hyuga really wanted to be in Konan or Kabuto sensei's group, but sadly things have never turned out the way she would have. Instead she was placed in the Black/White Zetsu's Team.

She thought, 'At least I am not in the cell of the man named Hidan. He looked really scary.'

"Ugh, why do I have to be taught by someone so ugly?"

After Black/White Zetsu guided them to their dorms, the girls all walked in the direction to the palace cafeteria. They were definitely far from happy about their designated teacher.

Each group led by the six (seven?) Akatsuki members had about 16 to 17 girls. A good enough size for them to learn how to thrive on competition and teamwork.

"Ugly? He's a monster! A complete eyesore!"

Suuuwoop

"Kyaaahhh!"

"I might not be the looker, girls, but I can sure go through walls, fufufu..."

And both heads of the "monster" who appeared out of nowhere from the wall of the hallway disappeared with an ominous laughter.

"Ewww!"

"Forget it. Let's just run to the cafeteria!"

And the sixteen girls all ran toward the cafeteria, leaving Hinata behind.

Hinata was definitely creeped out like the rest of the girls, but she can't help but stand in awe over the wall where the White Zetsu just went through like transparent air.

Then she saw an eyeball blinking on the wall that nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Hey, Hyuga girl!"

"Eeep!"

The White Zetsu fully materialized next to her. He looked down at the ridiculous sized runt of a human girl.

"Why aren't you running off with others?"

"Ye-ye-yes, sir?"

"Do you need to poop?"

"No-no!"

She cannot help but stare in fascination over the grotesque ugliness of her new teacher and legal guardian.

Not knowing what to say next, "D-do-do you need to?"

"Hmm, me? No, I don't poop. You see, i was created by some life giving sculpture. I never need to eat or sleep. So of course, I don't need to poop."

"Oh-oh..."

Next thing she knew, her strange amorphous teacher was walking with her in the hallway that was lit with thousands of bejeweled candles, signaling that they were close to the palace cafeteria.

"So who brought you here? Deidara? Or Konan? Hopefully, not Kabuto."

She shook her head.

"Huh? Well, someone must've brought you here? Who would, other than the Akatsukis?"

"No..nobody, sir. None of the senseis brought me he-here."

Suddenly the tall Zetsu blocked the little girl's way.

"Wait...none of the Akatsukis brought you here?"

"N-no-no, sir..."

"Huh? But it can't be..."

His eyes rolled around in confusion, and much to Hinata's shock, he plucked his head and tossed it around like it was some leather ball.

"Hey, little poo, describe the person who let you in here. You can't come in here by yourself even if you die and resurrect twice. So tell me every detail."

"Umm...tall...I-it was dark when I first met him, sir."

"Okay, both of them are tall so whatever. Anyone would look tall to you, little poo. Tell me more."

Zetsu's head that was rolling around in his hands kept staring at her in concentration, and Hyuga felt a slight shiver running down her spine.

"What was the guy's hair color, little poo? Can you at least remember that?"

"Umm," Hinata placed a tiny pink finger underneath her chin and looked upwards as in deep in thought. And then she finally answered with as much confidence as she can. "Black, sir. The messenger sama's hair was black."

Thumppp!

"Owwww, fuuu...nnn!"

"Se-se-sensei, are you okay?!"

Forgetting her fears over the abhorrent sight, Hyuuga ran to where Zetsu's head started rolling on the ground. Then much to her amazement, the arm of the headless body stretched like a huge anaconda snake and tossed the head back to its original place.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. No big deal," he said as if it was the most casual thing, amputate his head and roll it back in place.

"Little poo, listen."

He bent over and kept his eyes leveled with Hyuuga's frightened doe-like white eyes.

'How strange,' Hyuuga thought, 'Zetsu sensei still looks like...well, a monster or a yokai, but I'm not that scared anymore.'

"You see those little maggots over there?"

He pointed his long clawed index finger at the long lines of girls who chattered in front of the cafeteria door.

Even though they were beautiful girls, not maggots, Hyuuga decided to just nod in agreement. She didn't really have the guts to contradict him.

"They might look like pretty butterflies. They can even trick themselves, but they are maggots, little poo. Maggots...that spew mouth diarrhea."

Zetsu glared at them with his strange eye and hissed in malice.

Hyuuga cocked her head to the other side in confusion.

"Little poo, if they ever found out who brought you here, they'll eat you alive. I swear on my counterpart, the Black Zetsu on that."

"Wh-wh-why, Sensei? Wh-what di-did I do?"

"If you had guts and spunk like that pink hair Haruno, I would've worry a lot less. But you look like...well you look like...no defense, but you look like a little poo. You're easy meat to those frilly maggots."

"Wh-what sh-should I do?" Her eyelids no longer had the ability to withhold the tears of fear.

"No matter what, don't ever let them know who brought you here. Lie! Just say that I brought you here, okay?"

"Ye-ye-yes!"

"Okay, go have dinner, little poo. I need to go!"

And then White Zetsu disappeared right into the cracks of the cafeteria wall before any of the girls can spot them together.