Author: I'm going to put notes at the end of the chapters from now on. I like to comment on things without spoiling them.

Handling the katana was getting easier with each passing minute. It really wasn't all that heavy, now that she was used to it. And Sasuke was remarkably patient. Every once in a while, Hinata thought she saw a trace of something almost kind in his eyes, whenever she managed to get something right. After having another attack safely deflected by a sharp movement from Sasuke's kunai, Hinata staggered back, dropping the katana onto the dirt. Sasuke grabbed her arm and whipped the kunai up to her throat.

The expected blush never came. Hinata had her arms held out in front of her, pressed against the Uchiha's chest and stomach. She could feel his breath on her face, and her own breathing hitched uncomfortably in her throat. A wide smile was spreading across Sasuke's face, and he tossed the kunai to the side, taking hold of her upper arms and pulling her even closer to him. Hinata stared up at him, the blackness of his eyes drawing her in as he tilted his face down towards hers...

"Wake up, Hinata." Her eyes snapped open, and it took her several seconds to make sense of the gray sky overhead. Gray meant sun, and sun meant morning. "Someone will be missing you."

The Hyuuga sat upright quickly, looking over at Sasuke. He was sitting a few feet away, katana sitting across his lap. He glanced up, meeting her gaze briefly with a flat expression. Her dream came rushing back all at once, and she stood up, trying not to think about it. She was aware that people would be missing her. Hanabi couldn't cover for her much longer, and if Naruto came looking for her at her house, there was nothing anyone could do. But they had gotten so little done last night! The katana certainly hadn't gotten any lighter. The muscles in her arms were throbbing painfully, and had actually started spasming during training. As for patience...apparently it was something Uchihas weren't good at. At least not this Uchiha.

He had never said anything to put her down or criticize her directly, but the frustration behind his expression was more than obvious. After a few hours of training, right around the time when her arms were twitching from the effort of swinging a sword around, Sasuke had appeared right beside her, and taken hold of her wrist. He took the katana away, and had her train on her own.

"I never paid any attention to you before. Neji's abilities always overshadowed yours. I need to see exactly what you can do, what limits you have." Sasuke had stepped away, face completely smooth.

The words has cut her slightly, and although she tried to keep it from showing, Hinata had the feeling Sasuke didn't miss a thing. She straightened up, and felt the small surge of chakra from her right. Curious, she glanced at Sasuke again. His eyes glowed red in the darkness, and she shuddered, pulling her gaze away quickly. She didn't comment on it, knowing it made more sense for him to be able to see her more clearly. And he was far enough away that she didn't feel quite as intimidated. Despite that, having him watch her so intently made her even more self conscious than she was already. If she messed up even a little, he would know half a second before she did.

Sasuke had remained completely silent until she had stopped moving, activating her Byakugan and channeling chakra into her hands. The moment she had begun the protection of the eight trigramas sixty four palms, Sasuke had straightened up, leaning in closer with his eyebrows drawing together in a deep frown. Hinata hadn't noticed the change in him at first, not until she had ended the jutsu and turned to look in his direction. He was standing frozen, frown still in place. "Do that again." He instructed quietly.

"I...I don't know that I can." The strain of the training was starting to take a toll on her, and she had never been able to use the technique twice in a row, one right after the other. Not as efficiently, anyway.

"I can't believe I didn't realize..." Sasuke wasn't looking at her anymore, he was staring at something she couldn't see. Hinata felt a spark of irritation. He could say some things out loud, couldn't he? She simply waited, knowing he'd have to speak eventually. "The Sharingan can't copy kekkei genkai abilities, but usually I can at least understand how they work." He moved forward, taking hold of her hands. "Channel the chakra again, but more slowly."

Having no idea where he was going with this, Hinata had obliged nonetheless, pushing the chakra into her palms and extending it in a sharp, bladelike form. It was shockingly more difficult to extend the chakra slowly as opposed to all at once, and her hands had started trembling all over again. "How far?" Sasuke's voice broke into her concentration, and the chakra snapped back into her hand almost painfully.

"Uhm...I'm n-not sure."

"I need you to tell me more about the Byakugan. How it works...exactly how you disable chakra and interact with tenkutsus." The expression in his eyes was impossible to argue with when she was looking at him, so Hinata yanked her hands away and dropped her gaze.

He should know what it was like trying to keep secrets of a kekkei genkai. They were the most guarded information a clan could possess. And he was just asking her to betray everything she knew. Just like that. Her uncle had died to protect the Hyuuga's secrets, and Neji had never entirely forgiven her for it. What would he think if she told someone with hardly any prodding? Not only that, but an Uchiha? A member of the Hyuuga's biggest rival clan. Or...what had once been their biggest rival. "I...I c-can't, Sasuke-kun. I'm s-sorry."

Sasuke snorted. "Why not?"

"I j-just c-can't betray my f-family like that."

His previous reaction was nothing compared to this one. Sasuke threw his head back, a loud laugh barking from between his lips. "You're willing to betray your village for Naruto, but you won't betray your family for him?"

Hinata couldn't understand precisely why this was so funny for him. "It's...it's not...I'm not..."

"Do you want to protect him or don't you? Your Byakugan could give us a huge change at killing Itachi, but if I don't know how it works, I can't come up with an adequate plan-"

Hinata's frustration and insecurity had bubbled over. "M-maybe you should just trust me! You have a g-general idea of wh-what I can d-do. And there's no way I'm going to be any help! I'm n-not a match for y-you, why should I be able to do a-anything against...against him? I'm j-just...I'm just supposed t-to distract him, aren't I? J-just long enough for you t-to get in there and finish it yourself! You d-don't c-care if I...if I..." As her anger waned away and she became more aware of the expression on the Uchiha's face, her voice faded. She ended up whispering the last word so quietly that she was almost certain he couldn't hear her. "...die."

She expected him to stomp away and leave her there, or yell at her, or something similar. Instead, a bizarre emotion sparked in his eyes. Almost like guilt. Was she right, then...? The suggestion that he was just using her had appeared before, but now it cemented into her mind. Any thought she might have had about him caring for her dissolved, leaving her feel somewhat empty.

"Get some sleep." He had instructed, deactivating his Sharingan and sitting in front of the tree.

Hinata had curled up on the other side of the training field, facing away from the Uchiha. Things changed so much around Sasuke, like he didn't even know how to regulate one emotion at a time. He was never consistently hostile, nor consistently kind. Randomly, her thoughts drifted to Sakura and Ino, and all the other girls who had been obsessed with Sasuke back when he lived in Konoha. She couldn't understand it. The boy was beyond help. Perhaps one of the worst things about him was how inconsistent he made her. She couldn't figure out if she enjoyed his company, or if she would rather he disappear forever. On top of all that, she had never really harbored ill will to anyone before. At least not anyone in her generation, who had once been an ally. The boy was beyond frustrating, Hinata decided. She was never this emotional, and she had no doubt that it was a direct influence of being around Sasuke so much.

Maybe that's why Sakura always seemed so upset. Sasuke's presence was poisonous.

The moment she thought the words, Hinata felt guilty. He had been through a lot, and wouldn't she be a much different person if someone like Neji decided to go on a rampage and killed her entire family? But that was different. Hinata wouldn't resist someone's help, if they offered it. If someone wanted to make her feel better, feel safe again. Despite the discontent roiling in her mind, her body was tired enough that she fell asleep against her better judgement.

"If you don't want to come back tonight, I'll understand." Sasuke's voice was so quiet she almost couldn't hear him. "I wouldn't want to force you into anything. I just thought your affection for Naruto would be stronger than your dislike for me." He didn't exactly pause, but his posture changed, and his eyes turned hard. "And my dislike for you seems to be too much for us to work together constructively. I should've asked Sakura instead."

At that moment, Hinata couldn't argue. The mix off irritation, frustration, and embarrassment she was feeling stunned her to the point where she couldn't even think about crying. Without looking back, she pulled her jacket more securely around her and hurried off towards the village.

Sasuke watched her leave, feeling strangely rejected. He couldn't help but compare the situation to what it would be like if Sakura were the one he was training. For one thing, he wouldn't have any problem getting her to do what he needed her to. She'd follow him without question. Slowly, Sasuke stood up. He had seen Sakura a few times since Naruto returned to the village, seen how she had matured. Even he couldn't deny it to himself that she had gotten stronger. The amount of sheer strength she could produce was undoubtedly impressive, and her skills as a medical ninja were progressing rapidly.

But sheer strength wasn't going to do a whole lot against Itachi. Every one of Sakura's attacks was transparent enough for the Sharingan to see through. To know exactly where and how it would hit. And Sakura's reflexes and movement were hardly good enough to escape Itachi's speed. Sasuke would likely end up having to save her time after time. And one of those times, he was sure he himself would get injured. Sakura would, of course, immediately rush to his side to help him. And in that moment, Itachi could kill her. Or in the very slim off chance that she didn't go to his aid, she might leap at Itachi without thinking.

And Sasuke could never put Naruto in danger.

Stretching, the Uchiha turned and walked away from the village. Hinata seemed to have finally discovered that he was using her, and he couldn't blame her for running away. Sasuke snorted, shaking his head. Hinata wasn't anything special. She was distracted by Naruto, distracted by her love for Konoha. Just another Chuunin with high expectations and righteous faith in the Will of Fire. A strange tightness constricted around his throat, and Sasuke stopped walking, surprised. There was no way he was going to cry over this girl.

He was usually pretty good at lying to himself. At making sure he didn't believe anything that could compromise his ultimate goal in life. And he never had a problem with it. But saying those things to Hinata had made him feel actually guilty. She was making him feel guilty a lot more than he was really comfortable with. Frustrated, the Uchiha broke into a dead sprint, heading towards the same compound he had brought Hinata to some time ago. Unfortunately, the running wasn't enough to cut out his internal monologue.

'She isn't doing this for you.'

'Her motivations don't matter. She might be able to help-'

'She's doing it for him. For Naruto. She loves him. She's IN love with him. Nothing's going to change that.'

'I couldn't care less about what she does on her own time.'

'She wouldn't betray her family.'

'That has nothing to do with me. I wouldn't betray the Uchiha either.'

'That didn't stop you from asking her.'

'I figured her discontent with Neji would-'

'Her and Neji get along fine now. She wouldn't betray her family for YOU. But she'd betray Konoha for HIM.'

Sasuke slammed the door of the compound behind him, grinding his teeth together as he tossed his katana onto his bed. It really was a shame that he was so tired and yet couldn't sleep. Insomnia could be a real bitch when you wanted to escape reality.

'If she were here, you could sleep just fine.'

'No, I'd be worried she was going to sneak off and tell someone where I was.'

'You slept when she stayed here.'

'I was exhausted.'

'You felt safe. You're deluding yourself if you think even for a second-'

'I don't care about her. I don't want her, I don't want her with me, I have no interest in spending time with her.'

'Good. Because at this point, your brother has a better shot of-'

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke slammed his hands into the wall palms first, subconsciously not wanting to damage a place with good memories of his family. "JUST SHUT UP!" His shout echoed in the empty building, and almost instantly he felt ridiculous. Have conversations with himself was one thing, but yelling at himself to shut up was an other thing entirely. Slowly, he let his hands slide from the wall, flopping to his sides. He didn't want to think about this right now. The darkness in his mind seemed willing to keep his thoughts to...himself.

He was not going to apologize to her. Not in a million years. It wasn't the sort of thing he did. If someone didn't like him or the way he operated, then oh well, they would just have to deal with it.

But that attack last night...Sasuke frowned, pressing his lips together. He had been able to see the chakra, he was able to tell exactly how she was manipulating it. But once her Byakugan was activated, he had no idea what the purpose of the chakra was. He couldn't tell what it was going to do. Itachi probably knew more about Hyuugas than he did. So he would assume, just like Sasuke, that this type of chakra was meant to disable tenkutsus. Especially if Hinata could manage to hit him with that attack at least once, and demonstrate his suspicions were correct. Then she could change the chakra, make it into something else, and the next time Itachi got close enough, she could take him by surprise.

Sasuke's mood increased dramatically. That actually had a shot of working. It made him feel better that he had a plan in mind. Of course...now there was a good possibility that Hinata would never speak to him again.

'You could apologize.' The voice was back again. Sasuke groaned.

'She'll probably come back on her own...'

'She'd be more likely to if you showed that you AREN'T trying to use her.'

'No. There has to be another way.'

'You'd think so, wouldn't you?'

It was ludicrous to imagine that a thought could sound smug.

Hinata was unprepared for the reception that awaited her at home. Her father, the current leader of the branch house, Neji, and Hanabi were all sitting in the main room. The leader of the branch house wore an impassive expression, as if he was really only here because Hiashi had told him to be. It was probably true. Hanabi looked bored, and Neji looked mostly apathetic, but there was a hint of sympathy for Hinata in his features.

Hiashi, on the other hand, looked downright livid. Hinata stopped the moment she had crossed the threshold. The tension in the room was palpable. "Uhm...H-hello T-tousan..."

"Where have you been?" The branch leader spoke first, which worried her. Her father must be too furious to speak.

"I-I was...t-training..."

"Don't lie!" Hiashi was on his feet in the time it took for Hinata to brace herself. "That Uzumaki kid came here looking for you!! He wanted to make sure you made it home okay, since you SPENT MOST OF LAST NIGHT AT HIS HOUSE."

Hinata didn't bother defending herself at that point. Even though, technically, Naruto's house was still destroyed and they had been staying at another apartment he had rented. The battle was lost before it had even begun.

Hiashi continued yelling, mentioning things like honor and family, and how boys like Naruto were only interested in one thing, and if she even so much as thought about thinking about sex, he'd find a chastity belt for her. He yelled about how if she was that desperate for a boyfriend, he would arrange a marriage inside the Hyuuga clan. Did she want her children to be born with fox tails? (Hinata didn't point out that if she wasn't allowed to think about sex, she probably wouldn't think about what her children would look like either.) Just when she thought she might melt into a puddle of humiliation, the conversation took a turn she hadn't been expecting. She decided to resume listening.

"-Neji has improved quite a lot, and I know that in the past branch families do not mix with the main house, but-"

"NO WAY!" Neji had leaped to his feet and shouted at the same time Hinata had. She glanced at her cousin and felt instantly sick, the blush on her face tripling in intensity. The only satisfaction was the way Neji's face lost all color. She never tired of seeing him in discomfort. Although right now, she had more pressing concerns.

"Hiashi, you know that's impractical. You can't just force them together..."

Hinata and Neji looked at the branch leader, appalled. That was the only argument he could come up with?!

Luckily, Hiashi didn't actually seem very sold on the idea. "Okay, okay, calm down."

Yeah, because clearly, Hinata and Neji were the ones who had lost their minds. Twitching, Neji sank back into his seat. Hanabi looked close to vomiting.

"This all comes down to one thing, Hinata. I don't want you seeing the Kyuubi boy anymore. I never imagined we'd have to have this conversation in the first place, I thought you were smart enough to stay away from dangerous people on your own, but apparently not. You will not leave the estate without an escort, unless it's for a mission. Consider yourself grounded. Do I make myself clear?"

Hinata's throat was completely closed off. She could only nod.

"Good." With that, Hiashi and the branch leader spun and left the room, going in opposite directions. Hanabi sat where she was, looking uncomfortable. Neji left a few seconds later, eye twitching almost constantly. Hinata remained frozen, looking at the ground while tears welled up in her eyes. Could this day get any worse?

"I'm sorry, Hinata...Hiashi caught me posing as you this morning...I-I tried..." Hanabi scampered off, as if afraid Hinata would be upset with her too.

"W-wait! H-Hanabi...c-could you...tell h-him for me?" Hinata's voice broke in three places, even in such a short sentence.

Hanabi paused, then frowned, looking just as sympathetic as Neji had earlier. "Yeah, sure."

"I-I...j-just wait for a m-minute." Hinata rushed into her room, grabbing a piece of paper from the table beside her bed. She emerged a few minutes later, handing the letter to her sister. Hanabi nodded and darted out the front door.

"Hanabi." Hiashi reached out, catching his younger daughter by the arm. He held out another envelope, nearly identical to the one Hinata had given her, and took the original letter, stowing it in his sleeve. "Go, then." And his expression was such that she didn't argue, merely darted off to find Naruto while her father tossed Hinata's letter in the fireplace.

Naruto gripped his forehead in his hands, barely hearing Sakura's words as she tried to comfort him. He really wasn't even listening to her. Had he really messed things up for Hinata? He didn't want to get her in trouble...

"Uhm...Naruto-san?" Her voice was similar enough to her sister's that for a moment Naruto brightened, despite the honorific that made it impossible for Hanabi to be Hinata. He whirled around.

"Oh. Hey. You're Hinata's sister, right? Is she okay?"

"She...wanted you to have this." The girl-Hinabi? Was that her name?-Held out an envelope. A letter? That was good! Maybe he'd still be able to see Hinata after all. He accepted the letter eagerly.

"Hey, thanks!" Naruto thought Hinari had a weird look on her face, guilt or something, but decided to ignore it, and ripped the letter open without thinking.

Naruto stared at the disappointingly short note, unblinking. Sakura leaned over his shoulder to read it. "...At least she said sorry." She whispered, frowning and watching Naruto's reaction.

What...? She said it didn't matter! Hinata didn't care that he had the Kyuubi sealed in him! She liked him anyway! ...Didn't she?

Naruto felt his shoulders slump, and he released the note, letting it drift to the ground.

Hanabi forced herself not to look at it, simply turned and rushed away as quickly as she could.

"Naruto? I'm so sorry, Naruto..." Sakura wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. He barely noticed. What had he done wrong?

Hinata waited on the inside of the Hyuuga estate, as per her father's orders. Her window faced the estate wall, and with her Byakugan activated, she could see right through it. And so she sat eagerly, glancing at the clock every few seconds as if she could somehow make time go faster that way. She remembered her note perfectly, each word blazing in her mind over and over.

Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry. My father doesn't want me to see you anymore. But I...I don't care what he thinks. I love you. (She had written that part very quickly, hoping it would ease the embarassment.) I still want to see you. I'm just not sure how, but we'll figure something out. Can you be at the wall outside my window at midnight? My father should be asleep by then. I really need to talk to you. Please be there.

Love, Hinata

Midnight was getting closer and closer. Five minutes away...now four...now three...Hinata looked left and right, searching for any sign of chakra. Some hint that Naruto was on his way. 12:00 blinked on her digital clock for an entire minute, then the little one scrolled up to take the zero's place. Despite him only being a minute late, Hinata's heart crashed into the pit of her stomach. He wasn't going to be there. She knew it. He didn't feel the same way. Maybe she had been fooling herself this whole time. Sakura had always been the one he liked, right?

The rejection intensified with each passing moment. Finally, when 1 in the morning rolled around, Hinata couldn't contain herself any longer. Why wasn't he there? The Hyuuga leaped out her window, pausing only to grab her kunai case on the way. She had no intention of returning to her home, one way or another.

The time it took to run to Naruto's place wasn't enough for her to get her thoughts in order. So when she finally did get there, she had no idea what she was going to say. Hesitating, she hid herself in the bushes on the opposite side of the street, then, after a moment of deliberation, she activated her Byakugan.

There were two people inside, one was clearly Naruto, and Hinata's throat tightened painfully when she realized the other was Sakura. She couldn't hear them, but she could see the envelope that had held her letter on the ground by the couch. Without sparing it another glance, she looked back at the blond and the kunoichi. Sakura leaned in, and she was stroking Naruto's hair. He was letting her. And he was turning her face towards her, and he was smiling slightly, and so was she. And then they were kissing, and Naruto was wrapping his arms around her...

It was like a bad accident. She didn't want to stare, but she couldn't look away. This wasn't a moment of weakness, or of longing for Sasuke. This wasn't confusion or loneliness...Naruto didn't want her anymore. Her father was just an excuse for him to dump her. Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand and they left the living room, moving down the small hallway. Hinata could have followed them by intensifying her Byakugan, but she decided against it. She really didn't want to see what they were going to do.

Releasing the chakra from her eyes, Hinata sat back on the ground, her hands curled into fists and resting on her knees. What now?

There really wasn't an option. She couldn't just...stop loving him. He had stopped loving her, obviously. But she couldn't return the favor. She would just have to carry on with her original plan. A rush of goosebumps swarmed up her arms, and she stood up, then bolted off in the direction of the Konoha gates.

Izumo was on gaurd duty. He barely had time to yell before Hinata had blazed past him, a blur in the darkness.

Hinata wasn't entirely sure where she could go to find him, but hoped he wouldn't be far. She didn't want to tire herself out running before-

THUD

She heard the sound before she felt the pain and even registered a change in motion. Someone's foot had connected with her back at an angle, sending her flying through the air. Hinata braced herself for the impact of a rock or a tree or the ground, but instead something smashed into her stomach, sending a wave of heat up into her throat. She half coughed and half vomited, the metallic taste of blood dribbling warmly down her lips and chin. As her eyes readjusted, but she couldn't make sense of the darkness in front of her. It was night (or morning) but it couldn't be that dark. She should be able to see shapes of trees...

Oh. Someone was standing there. Someone taller than her, blocking her vision. Someone who had grabbed her arms in a crushing crip. Slowly, Hinata looked up, senses still dulled. Part of her didn't want to realize what was happening. "Hyuuga." Ice swept over her entire body, and she felt his breath on her hair.

"I-I...I c-cou..I...." Words froze in her throat before she could find the air to use them.

"I have a new proposition for you, since you came so readily into my arms..."

"Itachi, come on. We're here for the Jinchuuriki brat. Leader says he doesn't want any more failures-"

"Be quiet, Kisame."

Kisame? Hinata's heart rate spiked while panic raced through her. They were both here. They were here, and they were after Naruto. Tonight. Now. Right now. And this was the real Itachi. Her body was frozen, except for the terrible tremors raking across her muscles. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Itachi's face. His Sharingan wasn't activated, but that was hardly a relief. He could kill her before she had time to scream, before she had time to realize her life was about to end.

"Come with us, Hyuuga."

"Are you insane, Itachi-?" Kisame really just sounded bored. But his voice rumbled in such unfamiliar ways that Hinata couldn't be sure.

"I said be quiet!" Hinata nearly passed out then and there. Her very blood was quivering. Itachi turned his eyes down onto her, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "How'd you like to come with us tonight, Hyuuga? The Akatsuki could use the Byakugan on it's side. And if you do, we can put off the Jinchuuriki's capture for say...another two weeks."

Kisame snorted, folding his arms.

Hinata couldn't speak. She couldn't think anymore, couldn't move. Itachi leaned down, his lips brushing against her forehead. "Just say yes, Hyuuga." He released her arms, lifting his hands to her neck, and frowned. "For the people you care about, you wouldn't betray your village? Not even to save their lives?"

In her mind, Sasuke's hands were grasping hers. His words echoed silently. 'Channel the chakra again, but more slowly.'

Her arms were free. That was all she needed. Hinata whipped her arms upward sharply, chakra whistling from her hands and forming a protective web around her. Itachi was thrown back several feet, and she could see his cloak was shredded in several places. Kisame moved in quickly, and Samehada was bearing down on her before she had time to think. The jutsu had no effect on the weapon. She could do nothing but watch as the blue sword swept at her and bit deep into her side. The blood spurted instantly, but curiously, it didn't hurt. She knew it should, and she was aware of vague pressure and a slight discomfort as several of her ribs snapped with an audible crack. The small part of her brain still functioning credited the lack of pain to adrenaline. The sword continued to move, and then there was no more pressure.

The lack of pain she was grateful for, but her body still reacted to the sudden and severe loss of blood. Hinata's knees buckled, and she watched the ground come flying up to meet her. The Hyuuga rolled onto her side, trying to make sense of the sideways world she was staring at. Kisame had lifted one foot, and he placed it on her leg. There was another sickening crack, and this time she felt the pain as it seared up her leg. 'Femur,' her brain supplied weakly.

Her throat was hurting. Was she screaming? That was a surprise. She didn't think she had any energy left to speak, let alone scream. Kisame's foot drifted down, and she felt rather than heard the snap this time. 'Tibia...' her brain shut down, beyond the almost forgotten lessons of anatomy back at the academy. Then Kisame was moving to the side, and Itachi was crouching in front of her, Sharingan activated.

'Yes,' Hinata was almost happy to see it. 'Please, just kill me.' She wanted to say it out loud, to beg him. He was reaching out, one hand touching her cheek. His cold fingers were petrifying as they slid down her shoulder and arm, then to her side...

'I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun, Sasuke...I...I...' Hinata let her eyes slide closed, grateful for the blackness.

Something was irritating what she knew should have been a calming experience. A loud, incessant chirping that made her want to cover her ears. But her arms were so unbearably heavy. The chirping was getting louder...

Author: Am I evil? I think so. But this chapter was longer than the others, I think. I had a hard time when I tried to stop writing. All of a sudden I was just extremely motivated. I got lazy at the end though, I felt like the battle should have been longer, but...honestly, Hinata didn't stand a chance against Kisame and Itachi all by her lonesome. I'm starting to get all this stuff planned out, which is nice. There will be a sequel that is up to date with the manga around chapter 403, but then there will be another time skip and things will take a slightly different route. I won't get into it now, I think I'd better finish up this story first.

But I think it's safe to say this story is probably about halfway done, give or take. And as of this chapter, the triangle will be shifting. But that's all I'm going to say.