AN: Hello all, we hope you're still enjoying the story thus far. As you will see we've finally moved to a new arc. Yay. Strangely enough there's only one more arc after this one despite the numerous number of chapters still left in book one. Anyway, as always, for the full experience visit our tumblr page (HyuugaTheEldestSon at tumblr), a link can be found on my author's page. Anyway, on with the show.
PS - We own nothing, not Naruto, not any of the small Bleach references or anything else that kind of looks like it came from the original anime or manga. Sigh, sad day.
PPS - Also below is the dictionary for this chapter. As you can see, it's mostly the words from the actual anime. Also, as a note, there is an extended author's note after KJ's culture corner so be aware.
Dictionary
Shougi – Japanese Chess
Imouto – little sister
Doujutsu – eye techniques (literal translation)
Tenketsu – chakra/pressure points
Hitai-ate – forehead protector
Kikaichuu – parasitic destruction insects
Kidaichuu – parasitic giant insects
Arc – C Ranks
Chapter Seven – The Blind Hyuuga
The cool fall air blew against the long tendrils of the hair framing her face as she walked across the village, one steady step at a time. It hadn't taken her long to realize that traveling in hast often lead to missteps and the occasional fall, though she'd been lucky enough to have only experienced those types of incidents in the presence of her teammates. As such she needed to take in every minute detail that she could. As it was, moving hastily typically resulted in her missing the light pattern of the wind. Patterns that when not missed signaled the presence of some inanimate object in her path.
The sun, just peaking over the horizon, warmed her face as she traversed the now familiar route to her team training grounds. Its growing heat periodically disappearing, a clear indication that she'd left the open village air to enter the numerous forests surrounding it. That too she'd had to learn to account for as it provided a depth of information that could be missed by the feel and sound of the wind tracing paths through the thick forest.
Birds fluttered in the wind, whistling their bright, cheery songs as they welcomed the morning, the soft volume to their songs indicating their position high amongst the trees. By now she could give a detailed list of their number and location based solely on the volume of both their original song and the numerous echoes that accompanied them as the sound bounced among the trees. It was a skill that had come in handy more than once during D ranked missions and team training exercises.
By all accounts, the day was bright and alive, a colorful sight that was wasted on her as she walked forward, sightless. The weight of the thick black cloth wrapped tightly across her eyes additionally covered by the white silk fabric of her hitai-ate had originally been somewhat startling for Hinata, however, after seven weeks of living in total darkness, she'd easily grown accustomed to it.
And the darkness was complete in every way. Even her Byakugan, the once powerful doujutsu rendered almost useless by the specially designed black cloth, could not alleviate the darkness. It could not bring back her once perfect sight. Not with the thick material so effectively limiting her field of vision. However, this too, she'd grown accustom too.
The light footsteps of Mizuiro-san following in the traditional position one step to the right and one step behind her reminded her of everything else she'd had to grow accustom to over the weeks. After the first week of personal and team assessments, Itachi-sensei had assigned her a rather unorthodox training regimen. She was to train while blindfolded.
While not a completely foreign concept, no Hyuuga had willingly blindfolded themselves since the warring states era. Nevertheless, Itachi-sensei had made such an appealing argument that Hinata had been willing to risk Otou-sama's disapproval. After all, she had been fully aware of her clan's history, including the man credited with being the clan's greatest leader, the honorable Hanza-dono. His strength had been legendary, leading him to a close friendship with the first Hokage as well as the founding of Konoha. And as tradition had dictated back then, he had spent the majority of his early life blindfolded.
Of course that had not been out of choice but necessity. It had been a time where the possession of the Byakugan made you a target. The blindfold had been used to protect him from the possible theft of his doujutsu. However, that tradition had been immediately tossed aside with the creation of the seal that all but a few members of the clan wear proudly atop their foreheads.
To many in her clan, the very act of wearing a blindfold sent a message to the outside world that the Hyuuga were reverting back. Back to a time when their fear for their children's safety forced them to hide their children's eyes away. A time where children were blinded before they even learned to walk. It was not a time the clan wanted to remember, a time of war, of blood and of fear. However, Hinata could not fault Itachi-sensei's logic as no one since the time of the warring states era had even begun to reach the skill level of the honorable Hanza-dono.
It was this fact alone that had convinced her. She would train as the Hyuuga once had, a feat that was perhaps made more difficult because, unlike her kin of the past, she would have to relearn every skill she knew. Despite that particular hurdle, she moved forward with her new training plan because there were no lengths that she would not travel to improve her skills. In the end, it would be a chance to make Otou-sama proud even though he greatly disapproved of the method. However, for the first time, she was more than willing to face his displeasure in order to reach a greater level in skill. After all, she took her training seriously.
In fact, she took her training so seriously that she'd taken Itachi-sensei's suggestion to wear her blindfold as often as possible as a directive to never take it off. She'd even gone so far as to have a special black cloth designed to hamper her own Byakugan. To force herself to not use her Byakugan as crutch. To not rely on it so heavily that she negated the very reasons for the training method. It was a rather drastic measure, however, she felt it was entirely necessary. And of course it did not hurt that this added restraint allowed her to hone her control over her doujutsu.
She'd gone even farther in the pursuit of living in total darkness by ordering her immediate area as well as the surrounding area to be shrouded in complete darkness while she took care of her personal hygiene. Thus, allowing her the ability to navigate her nightly routine in the dark when she could not circumvent taking off her blindfold.
That order, a long standing command to keep the area in darkness, had been the only order she'd ever felt the need to give. Which was strange considering her position as Yotsugi. She was entitled to give orders, however, until now, she hadn't found a need to give one. She still wasn't sure if she should be bothered by that revelation or not. Regardless, she tried to not let it bother her.
It wasn't as if she hadn't had to give up some of her own personal freedom at least for a short time. And it was that surrender of some of her freedoms that found Mizuiro-san following close behind her. Temporarily sightless, her retainers had regained their original purpose for existing. In fact, they were perhaps the most excited for her new training regimen in the entirety of the Hyuuga Compound.
She had spent a week with the soft, subtle presence of one of her retainers as they walked directly to her left, a light hand guiding her to and from her team training area. That light hand had eventually graduated to simply his or her presence walking next to her as she'd gotten used to listening to her other senses. In turn, as she attained greater and greater skill at recognizing her surroundings, her retainers dropped back, eventually returning to their traditional position.
In truth, she no longer needed her retainer escort at all. However, there was little to no way she would be able to convince Tatsuki-san of that fact. She was already upset that she couldn't be the one to personally escort Hinata every single day. Her desire to protect and secure Hinata's safety would not allow her to let Hinata leave the Hyuuga Compound without an escort. After all, she had barely consented to allowing her escort to leave while she was in the presence of her team. At this point, Hinata wasn't entirely sure that Tatsuki-san would let her go without an escort even if she became a Chuunin, at least not as long as she was sightless.
With an internal sigh at Tatsuki-san's over protectiveness, Hinata finally made it to her team training grounds. Hinata took in a deep breath as she gaged the time. While slightly more difficult blindfolded, she had no trouble discerning it. 0558. She was two minutes earlier than her own personal schedule required her to be.
Taking a step forward, Hinata reached the center of the clearing and immediately began her morning routine with stretching. She had learned early on in her new training that it was far easier to leave the Compound earlier and do her morning exercises at her team training grounds then to train at the Compound and have to face the path through the village during peak morning activity. After all, it was far easier to navigate through the sparse crowd of the pre-dawn markets then the hustle and bustle of the early morning masses.
So, she would spend nearly half an hour stretching her body, improving her flexibility to enhance her agility, here at her team training grounds. She paid no mind to Mizuiro-san's continued presence. He would not leave her side until one of her teammates made it to the clearing. He was no more willing to face Tatsuki-san's wraith than any other sane Hyuuga.
Since their official meet-up time was scheduled for 0900, Hinata typically had anywhere between an hour to two hours of undisturbed morning training. While she wasn't completely sure if it was intentional, Itachi-sensei usually made it a point to arrive around 0730 to spend time discussing various topics several times a week. Often he would quiz her on different scenarios while she continued to work on her own personal training.
At least once a week he arrived at 0700 to assess her growing skills as well as to suggest that week's goals. Originally, it had been just simple tests. Like her ability to traverse the tree tops or some other such skill. However, within the last few weeks, it had been a variation of a spar, each variation testing some different skill set. Based on the content of their regular team training, she assumed that he took that early morning time to address her directly so that he could focus more on her other two teammates during the regularly scheduled training time.
By now they'd fallen into a pattern where most days Shino-san arrived at about 0830 at which point Itachi-sensei would direct his intellectual queries to the both of them. It allowed them to test their differing thinking patterns against each other to compare how they would handle each situation. Typically, these queries resulted in Hinata questioning Shino-san's train of thought in order to enhance his own logical progression while improving their trust in one another, altogether improving their already excellent teamwork.
Kiba-san, ever the late riser, typically made it to the training grounds just in time at which point Itachi-sensei would give them a brief overview of the day's goals. This was probably a good set-up considering she was fairly certain Kiba-san would find Itachi-sensei's intellectual queries to be rather boring. Over the weeks, she had realized that Kiba-san was very much a man of action. While he always went into a situation with a plan, he liked to keep it as simple as possible. Strangely enough, his differing strategic approach only enhanced their team coherence by forcing both Shino-san and herself to think more quickly to accommodate his shorter attention span.
Overall, their morning routine worked. She was able to complete her own morning personal training. Itachi-sensei was able to address their individual needs and team needs directly while utilizing his time appropriately. And their overall teamwork and understanding improved. Today would likely be no different.
Like clockwork, at 0730 exactly a familiar presence drew her attention by entering the very edge of the range for her senses. A quick second of analysis revealed it to be Itachi-sensei. However, due to Mizuiro-san's continued silence, she deduced that Itachi-sensei had yet to enter visual range. Unbothered, she continued to practice her series of modified katas, a series she'd developed to account for her inability to aim for individual tenketsu points. This was a problem that could not easily be rectified because even with the activation of her doujutsu, the limitation she'd placed on her Byakugan would not allow for precision sight.
However, unlike the majority of her clan, she'd taken the extra step in studying the 361 tenketsu points by learning their approximate location on the human body. Due to her Otou-sama's relentless training and her own personal drive, she could effectively render opponents incapable of fighting with a few key strikes without the need to activate her doujutsu. However, now that she was training sightless, she had needed to develop a way to find new reference points for her strikes. She'd quickly found she'd needed a slightly different technique for releasing chakra.
The result had been a series of katas that she was still perfecting that released far more chakra by using palm strikes then the simple act of just activating her doujutsu and using the traditional gentle fist style ever could. Although it increased her overall chakra stores, the technique was exhausting. At the start of her training, she could barely use it continuously for more than ten minutes. However, with Itachi-sensei's help, she was slowly lowering the amount of chakra needed while maintaining the katas current effectiveness. While she couldn't use the technique indefinitely, she could certainly last an hour or so in the battlefield.
Continuing her practice, Hinata was momentarily brought from her thoughts by the sound of Itachi-sensei's voice. "Your mission parameters are as follows: obtain confidential A-class secrets from the Land of Snow and return the information to Konoha. Due to the close relationship between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire as well as the secrecy of the mission, if you are caught you will be labeled a missing-nin and killed on sight," Itachi-sensei began without preamble, startling Mizuiro-san who had not sensed his quiet presence high among the trees.
"Solo or team, Itachi-sensei?" Hinata asked as she nodded briefly in Mizuiro-san's direction, a clear sign of dismissal.
"Team, consisting of your current teammates, however, I have been called away on special assignment also in the Land of Snow. While I could travel with you, I will be unable to assist in your mission. How will you proceed?" Itachi-sensei questioned as Hinata continued to run through her katas.
Thinking quickly over the situation, Hinata settled on a course of action. "Firstly, we shall not…" she began as she lost herself in the challenging task of the scenario. She greatly enjoyed, the challenge of coming up with quick solutions to missions especially when there was an added factor of keeping her teammates safe.
Mission scenarios were like an elaborate shougi match to her. The more pieces on the board, the more interesting the game became. Additionally, Itachi-sensei liked to base his scenarios on what he wanted to cover that day. For fun, Hinata liked to test herself by attempting to guess what they would be focusing on each day. And based on the scenario Itachi-sensei had given her, today would be an interesting day.
Itachi watched as his team finished their last cool down stretch for the morning. After eight weeks of being an official team, he was fairly happy with how far they had progressed. Their teamwork was nearly flawless, far better than he'd ever thought possible. They worked seamlessly together in all aspects of their training. From the way they handled missions, both scenarios as well as the basic D ranks, to the way that they sparred together, constantly adapting to each other's fighting styles.
He actually thought it was quite impressive. As the weeks flew by, they managed to learn both the positive and the negative aspects of each of their fighting styles in order to modify their own styles. Of course, he'd seen and heard about this occurring on other teams, but he liked to think his students were above the rest. Not only did they modify their fighting styles, but they never stopped.
Early on when Hinata-sama had finally figured out how to track her teammates in a spar, both Shino-kun and Kiba-kun had adjusted for the flaw in their style that had allowed her to track them. Learning to move more quietly then most Chuunin were capable of and making it that much harder for Hinata-sama to detect them. Then not to be out done, Hinata-sama had just improved her own tracking ability, finding other ways and different flaws to exploit only for them to further account for these new flaws. And the most amazing thing about it was that the process never stopped.
By pushing each other to do better, and be better, his team had reached a point he'd originally thought would take months to reach. Far exceeding his expectations, he thought that they were more than ready to take on something harder. So, while he'd originally planned to take this next step a month from now, he knew his team didn't need the extra time. It was finally time, time for Team Eight to take their first C rank mission.
Taking note that his team had completed their cool down, Itachi turned on his heels, confident that like every other day his team would follow.
"So, I was thinking Ramen Ichiraku for lunch," Kiba-kun announced as Itachi's students fell in behind him. "We haven't been there in a while and I'm not really in the mood for our regular place."
Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched the regular interaction between his team. Shino-kun walking to the right of Hinata-sama, his hands firmly in the pockets of his pants, nodding gently as Kiba-kun spoke. "Yeah, I know. It's not very upscale, but the food is good and the old man behind the bar is really nice. It really is no wonder Naruto likes it there so much," Kiba-kun continued animatedly, his hands waving in the air while Akamaru-kun barked in agreement.
Again, the only reaction to Kiba-kun's statement was a slight nod from his tallest student, but after eight weeks of being a team, this was no surprise. To Itachi's satisfaction, Kiba-kun could keep up their one-sided conversations for as long as he needed to and this would be no exception. "You know, we should really branch out more. I feel like we always eat the same thing for lunch," Kiba-kun complained as he turned to the right to address his teammates directly, Akamaru's colorful barking accompanying his statement as the puppy wiggled in his shirt. "Maybe tomorrow we can hit up that new place in the Akimichi district. With the way they eat food, it's bound to be pretty good," he continued as he turned back to face the front.
Listening to their conversation, Itachi couldn't be prouder. He'd only suggested that they spend some time together outside of practice and that had developed into their almost daily team lunch dates. Considering how much Kakashi-senpai complained about his own team, Itachi could only hum with pride. Not only did they willingly spend time together on team practice days, but also on the only day they had free. They were really trying to get to know each other, and considering how well they worked together, Itachi had to admit that their efforts were fruitful.
"That reminds me, Hana finally apologized for not having any food in the house the other day," Kiba-kun continued, unknowingly causing Itachi's face to redden with the mention of his sister's name. He really couldn't help it. He wasn't a prude, but the occasions that she managed to lure him to her bed were the most intense encounters he'd ever had.
Though he really should stop. Not only was it highly inappropriate for him to be sleeping with his student's sister, but if his father found out he would probably implode with anger. After all, as the Uchiha heir, he was only supposed to be seeing marriageable women. That classification most certainly did not include Inuzukas of any kind, especially not the heir of the clan. However, that fact didn't seem to dilute the power she seemed to have over him. All things considering, he wasn't too proud to admit that the frequency of their interactions was actually increasing.
"Kaa-san's been out on another mission for a while now, so it's just the two of us and you know how Hana is about remembering to feed me. One of these days, Hana's going to forget to feed me and I'll have to turn to a life of crime. Or mooch off of Naruto. He's pretty good about keeping his apartment stocked," Kiba-kun finished with a dismissive shrug. Itachi just hoped that he wasn't the reason Hana-chan managed to forget to buy more groceries. That would not only make him an irresponsible heir, but also an irresponsible Sensei.
"So I'm hoping for another dog walking mission or maybe that devil cat is out on the loose again. Man, I still don't know how you manage to catch that thing so fast, Hinata-sama," Kiba-kun continued, easily changing subject as they turned the corner. Itachi watched as Shino-kun and Kiba-kun subconsciously moved closer to Hinata-sama as they entered the busier part of the village. It was a habit formed in the earlier days when Hinata-sama was just getting use to her new training. While she no longer needed their active protection, it was refreshing to see how close they'd become. Not only did they want to protect each other, but Hinata-sama seemed to allow it.
"Perhaps the more impressive feat is that Hinata-sama manages to accomplish the task without receiving a scratch. Why you ask? Because Tora is a very veracious animal. As such she does not like to be held. Because she doesn't like to be held, she typically attacks anyone that tries. As she is a cat, her normal mode of attack is her claws and her teeth. Thus, it is astonishing that Hinata-sama can capture Tora without claw or bite marks."
"Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself. What's your secret, Hinata-sama?" Kiba-kun asked as they continued on their path to the Hokage Tower. Itachi was actually rather curious as well. While he had a theory, he wasn't quite sure if he was correct.
"I simply render her immobile by closing a few key tenketsu." Itachi almost smiled at Hinata-sama's response. So he had been correct on that point.
"I knew it! You used that gentle fist crap on that blasted cat. Way to go Hinata-sama!" Kiba-kun was joined by his ninken as he cheered. While Uchihas weren't really dog people, he was slowly growing to like the creatures. He guessed prolonged exposure had that effect on people.
"I must concur. Why? Because you managed to find a way to immobilize the target without causing it any lasting or noticeable damage. Thus, you make the job easier without violating any of our mission parameters. Very impressive Hinata-sama."
"You think that's impressive. Shino watch this. Hinata-sama, how many fingers am I holding up?" Kiba-kun teased as he held two fingers up. Itachi shook his head at his team's antics. They were clearly comfortable with each other if Kiba-kun was asking Hinata-sama, the Koushi, such childish questions.
"Kiba-san, this is perhaps mildly inappropriate," Hinata-sama chastised in her normal tone. Given the circumstances, she was actually more amused than offended.
"Oh, come on. Shino's never seen you do this one," Kiba-kun begged, and Itachi could hear Akamaru-kun whimper right alongside him.
"I am loathed to remind you that I am not a trick pony."
"Of course you're not. I'm not an idiot, but it is important that all our teammates know the extent to each of our abilities. It's only logical," Kiba-kun reasoned. Clearly, he knew just how to persuade his teammates.
"I do believe Kiba-kun makes a valid point. Why you ask? Because it is imperative that we know the limits of each other's abilities. Why is that? Because if we are ever in such a situation we will be better able to account for all possible variables and outcomes. Thus, you should answer Kiba-kun's rather childish question."
"Yeah, so, how many fingers?" Kiba-kun asked again. He hadn't bothered to lower his hand obviously confident that he'd wrangle the answer out of his teammate.
"Two."
"Which two exactly?" Kiba-kun prompted as they entered the Hokage Tower, immediately taking the stairs to the left of the entrance.
"Your index as well as your pinky finger. I do believe you once described it as the 'fist of rock'."
"Yatta! That's fucking awesome. You never cease to amaze me, Hinata-sama," Kiba-kun exclaimed as he jumped up in excitement, nearly falling down the stairs in the process.
"Again I must concur. That was indeed an impressive feat. Why? Because your vision is currently obstructed. As such you could not have possibly seen how many fingers Kiba-kun was holding up and thus you deduced the answer from factors other than your visual senses. A feat that once again displays your rather impressive skill set, Hinata-sama."
"Yeah, that was awesome too, but I was talking about the fact that Hinata-sama remembered the name for this hand sign. I think I mentioned it like once offhandedly and you remembered. Clearly, you deemed it important enough to remember which can only mean that my stellar personality is rubbing off on you guys," he stated as they rounded the corner, almost to their final destination. "Oi, Sensei, what do you think? Am I a stellar influence on these guys or what?"
"Kiba-kun, you all positively influence each other in many ways," Itachi answered vaguely. He really didn't want any of his students getting over confident. They were good, but there was always room to grow.
"Okay, I'm going to take that as a yes."
"Indeed," Itachi responded before opening the Hokage's office door. "Good morning Hokage-sama, Genkuryu-san," Itachi greeted the men sitting behind the desk, giving the Hokage a short bow in the process.
"Ah, Team Eight you've arrived. I have the perfect mission for you. Tora has gone missing again and your team has the fastest track record for catching her," the Hokage began, but before Kiba-kun could accept the mission, Itachi interrupted him. Another D rank mission was not what they were here for.
"Thank you Hokage-sama, however, Team Eight is ready for our first C rank mission," Itachi stated calmly, not at all worried about his team bursting out in inappropriate responses, at least not in front of the Hokage. They had more discipline than that.
"Is that so?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," Itachi replied with a nod, taking note of the excitement about to burst from Kiba-kun.
"Okay then, I've got the perfect mission for you," Hokage-sama replied before rummaging through another pile of mission statements. "You are to deliver a missive to the Fire Daimyo. The scroll will be given to you tomorrow 0900 at the west gates," he continued before handing the mission details to Itachi.
"Thank you Hokage-sama," Itachi replied with another short bow before turning on his heels and leaving.
"Yatta!" Kiba-kun exclaimed the moment his feet landed on the first step of the stairway heading out of the building. "Now this is fucking awesome. Sensei, you're the best."
The sound of the Compound gates sliding closed behind her barely registered as Hinata took the familiar path to the main house building. The floral scents of the tastefully decorated gardens lining the path went completely ignored, the pungent odors a background aroma as Hinata focused on the task ahead. Her team had just received a C rank mission, their first. She would need to prepare.
The first task on her list was to take care of Tatsuki-san. By now word would have reached her head retainer that Hinata had returned to the Compound early, but more importantly without an escort. Knowing her retainer, Tatsuki-san would be beside herself with worry, though unnecessary as Hinata was more than capable of making the trip unaided. A fact strengthened by Itachi-sensei's belief that they were ready for a C rank.
Normally, Hinata would not have knowingly caused anyone's distress, especially not her already frazzled head retainer, but Hinata could not pass up an opportunity to ease Tatsuki-san into the idea of her going away on a C rank. So, after receiving their mission along with several other short instructions, and after indulging in an early lunch with her teammates, Hinata had declined both Shino-san and Kiba-san's offer of an escort back to the Compound.
Crossing the threshold of the main house, the doors already open and waiting for her to enter, Hinata traced the familiar path to her room. She would need to start packing now. If she waited too long, then her retainers would insist on doing it for her. She could only imagine the unnecessary items they'd include. Internally shaking her head at the idea, Hinata quickened her pace. On second thought, Tatsuki-san was more than capable of finding her.
Moving quickly within the familiar confines of her room, Hinata was nearly done packing when Tatsuki-san found her. The light knock on her door was followed quickly by the sound of it sliding open. Tatsuki-san was the only one in the Compound that was allowed to do such an action, even Otou-sama had stopped entering her quarters without permission.
"Yotsugi-dono, a pleasure to see you returned so early," Tatsuki-san greeted with a slight bow. Though Hinata was sure she'd moved with the utmost hast within the Compound to get here so quickly, ever composed, her retainer did not allow the strain of the journey to show. "Had I been made aware of your altered schedule, Mizuiro-san would have been made available for your services," she added.
Even without the use of her eyes, Hinata knew what look accompanied that tone. Sharp, narrowed eyes were likely trained on her small form, clearly intending to chastise Hinata for her behavior. Hinata took solstice in the fact that she could ignore the meaning behind those words. Truthfully, Hinata did not feel sorry. It was definitely time for Tatsuki-san to ease up on her over protectiveness.
"Unfortunately, this deviation from the regular schedule could not have been foreseen," Hinata replied evenly as she packed her last item, closing the bag tightly before turning to face her head retainer. "We just received our first C rank mission," she continued, cutting off any further chastisement from her retainer.
"I see," Tatsuki-san replied coolly. Hinata suppressed the frown threatening to cover her face as she processed the short reply. She could not be sure if Tatsuki-san was proud or upset. "This is of course to be expected, Yotsugi-dono. You are the pride of the clan and as such it is only natural that you would bring such honor to the clan by receiving a C ranked mission so early in your ninja career," her retainer continued stiffly. Now Hinata was sure she was hearing the pre-prepared speech that Tatsuki-san had likely practiced for hours just encase this ever happened.
Hinata resisted the urge to approach her retainer in order to offer a comforting hand. There were limits to the type of comfort she could offer and that would be crossing a line. So, instead she simply allowed Tatsuki-san to talk.
"Now, I know this opportunity you've been awarded may seem to be occurring too quickly, but I can assure you Yotsugi-dono, you are ready. You have nearly mastered this unique training that Itachi-san has assigned to you. A feat that only highlights your innate skills and like always, greatly honors the clan. This C rank mission is simply a stepping stone in the path that you are on to greatness. Very soon you will bring even greater honors to the clan when you participate in the Chuunin Exams." Here Tatsuki-san paused, very likely looking about the room as she composed herself.
"Ah, I see you have begun packing," she continued as she moved over to the neatly packed bag. "As your head retainer, it is my duty to ensure that you are adequately prepared for your mission. This shall only take a moment," Tatsuki-san finished as Hinata listened to her re-open her already packed bag. Internally sighing, Hinata could already hear her retainer placing completely unnecessary items in her pack. Despite the effort she'd put into making it to her quarters quickly enough to pack her own bag in an attempt to avoid this very occurrence, Hinata didn't have the heart to stop her.
Tatsuki-san was taking this a lot harder than Hinata had anticipated.
Hiashi pushed the newest stack of General Council notes to the side as he lightly rolled his shoulders. Kami-sama how he hated paperwork. Thankfully, he had less than six years before Hinata-chan could take over. He could wait another six years.
A light knock on his office door pulled his eyes from the rather boring domestic export report from the General Council, however, at the sight of the door sliding open almost immediately after, Hiashi almost sighed. That could only be Genshirou-san.
"Hiashi-dono, your afternoon tea," his head retainer announced before pouring the steaming beverage. Hiashi sat back and waited. Though he was grateful for the reprieve, he was more than aware of the fact that Genshirou-san would be here serving him tea whether he wanted it or not. It was just his way, his stringent belief that six cups of green tea a day would maintain his health and energy. Hiashi would simply have to endure it to allow his head retainer peace of mind. It really was a small price to pay to the man that had taken care of him, and his younger brother to a lesser extent, since birth.
"Genshirou-san, join me," Hiashi ordered lightly with a quick gesture to the cushion across from him. While he'd given it in the form of a command, Hiashi was more than aware that if Genshirou-san truly had some more pressing business, he would not be afraid to make that known. They had known each other for too long for a misunderstanding of that magnitude to occur.
"As you wish, Hiashi-dono," his retainer replied before pouring a second cup. Genshirou-san always came prepared on the off chance that Hiashi had guests or if he made a request similar to this one.
"How is Tatsuki-san's training progressing?" Hiashi inquired as he took a sip of his tea. It would do no good for him to turn over the household to Hinata-chan if her head retainer was not up to the task of maintaining it.
"Exceptionally well, she will be more than ready to take over when the time comes," Genshirou-san stated, clearly understanding the underlying concern behind the question without it being explicitly stated.
"I see. Then as usual, you chose well," he complimented as he allowed one of his pressing concerns to be resolved.
"Indeed. Her progress is only surpassed by Yotsugi-dono. You have instructed her well." At the sound of Genshirou-san's own compliment, Hiashi stiffened. Here, was another worry.
"Hai, however, perhaps I have done too well a job," he stated after a short pause, taking the time to calm himself with the warmth of his afternoon tea.
"I see. So there is nothing more for you to teach Yotsugi-dono. Shall I search for another instructor?" It was a testament to how long they had known each other, that Genshirou-san knew his next request without it even being voiced.
"Hai, search the entire clan. Use your excellent instincts to find an appropriate clansmen," Hiashi acknowledged as he took the final sips of his tea. There was still time. Hinata-chan wouldn't need another instructor until she reached the rank of Chuunin. And although there was an upcoming Exam within the next few months, he very much doubted she would be prompted then.
After all, the Exam would be here in Konoha. Unfortunately, Konoha's Chuunin Exam was notorious for being extremely difficult to pass. Rookies weren't expected to participate, let alone pass the first section. No, he expected Hinata-chan to honor the clan by participating as a rookie, anything else would be beyond the scope of his imagination.
"As you wish, Hiashi-dono," Genshirou-san replied as he rose from his spot, quickly cleaning up the remnants of Hiashi's afternoon tea with practiced ease. Hiashi nodded his head as he left. He expected Hinata-chan to join him any minute now.
Hinata waited patiently as Tatsuki-san knocked on Otou-sama's office door. It had taken longer for her retainer to repack her travel bag than she had anticipated. By now Otou-sama would be more than aware of her first C rank mission as well as to the time of her arrival home. He would not be pleased with her delay in discussing it with him.
His door slid open without prompting and the familiar cadence of Genshirou-san's stride slipped past her, pausing only long enough to greet her, the tilt of his head leaving ripples in the stale air of the corridor. Stepping back and out of the way, Tatsuki-san allowed Hinata to enter first before following.
"Honorable Hiashi-dono, Yotsugi-dono is here to take a moment of your time," she announced before bowing lightly and backing out of the room. The door slid shut before Otou-sama motioned to the cushion opposite him, the sound of the fabric of his haori shifting the only indication she needed to recognize the gesture.
"I have received word of your latest achievement. Your first C rank mission, please elaborate on the details," Otou-sama requested as he set his brush down, training his attention on her.
"Hai, Otou-sama. We shall leave tomorrow at 0900 from the west village gates, however, we are to arrive early to discuss any last minute details with our Sensei. The mission parameters are simple: deliver a missive to the Fire Daimyo. If all goes to plan, we shall not be gone for more than a week," Hinata responded succinctly.
"Very well," Otou-sama stated before shifting in his spot, the sound of rustling papers accompanying the movement. "As you are aware, we conduct large scale business transactions within the Fire Nation capital. One of our venders is anticipating the renegotiation of his contract. You shall assist in the process," he instructed, the hollow sound of a scroll being placed on the hard surface of his low sitting desk following his words.
"Hai, Otou-sama, however, what of the current Hyuuga clan representatives within the capital? Are they not in a better position to renegotiate this contract?" Hinata inquired, unable to fathom why he would ask this of her on top of her very first C ranked mission.
"They have the background and the basic information needed to advise you, however, you are Reishi. You are always in the best position to renegotiate any contract." At the cool sound of Otou-sama's voice as he replied, Hinata finally understood what was occurring. This was another step in her journey. In order to effectively manage the Hyuuga clan, she would need to be able to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously. Although she was a ninja of Konoha, she would always be responsible for the Hyuuga clan. Otou-sama was giving her this task because he thought she was ready. There could be no greater honor.
"I see, Otou-sama. What would you have me do?" she asked, her back stiffening and her cloth covered gaze staring unwavering ahead of her. If Otou-sama had faith in her abilities despite his disdain for her current training method, then she could have faith in herself.
"You will contact our current Hyuuga clan representatives and take point on this renegotiation. You shall not fail to honor the clan in this endeavor," he stated calmly as he pushed the scroll closer to her, the sound of the scroll scrapping softly against the wood of his desk an audible reminder of the task at hand.
"Hai, Otou-sama. I shall inform Sensei tomorrow of this additional task," she replied confidently. She was more than ready for this new challenge.
"Reishi, once you succeed in both of these missions, you will bring great honor to the clan," Otou-sama added, clear dismissal in the sound of his voice. Nodding shortly, Hinata rose from her spot, scroll wrapped firmly in her grasp. She would not fail Otou-sama here.
"…and a pair of wool lined restraints," Shino noted quietly to himself as he placed the last item on his packing list next to the rest. He took a moment to peruse his neatly arranged items, each spread carefully across the surface of his desk and his bed and unfortunately, to his utter distaste, his floor. While it had taken him several hours longer than he'd originally anticipated, he'd finally felt satisfied that he had everything he would require. He'd meticulously recounted every possible scenario, no matter how implausible, and analyzed the necessary equipment needed in order for their mission to meet a successful conclusion. No matter what happened tomorrow and the ensuing days, thanks to his assiduous preparations he was confident Team Eight would triumph.
Now, all that was left was to actually pack his travel satchel. Shino's eyes swept the expanse of his waiting equipment and prudently compared it to the size of his bag. 'I appear to have fabricated quiet the challenge,' he thought as he bent down to retrieve his satchel. 'No matter, there is an adequate amount of space for all of my essential articles,' he continued as he turned back to gaze upon his equipment, analyzing the best way to approach packing his bag.
Finally settling on an angle of attack, Shino moved deftly and efficiently as he packed his bag. Thirty minutes later, Shino took a step back. As he had anticipated, there had indeed been sufficient room for everything. 'As to be expected,' he thought as he moved the unsurprisingly heavy satchel to the floor, resting it against the cool metal of his desk. 'When one approaches any problem with calm, order and diligence, very little is impossible to achieve,' he finished as he turned away from his desk.
Glancing at his wrist, Shino noted the time. 1648. Dinner wasn't for another one hundred and two minutes. While he wasn't accustomed to having extra free time due to the rather packed training schedule that Team Eight maintained, he was pleased to realize that he had more than enough time to check on his current cultivations.
Swiftly exiting his room, Shino took the short route to the attached greenhouse. Like every Aburame, the space the greenhouse took up was roughly twice the size as the domicile he shared with his father. While originally only a small section had been dedicated to his own activities, over time, his own portion of the area had increased to nearly half the space. Soon, he would need to build his own greenhouse which was actually an unusual occurrence for an Aburame.
Typically, Aburame children didn't outgrow their parent's greenhouse until they were official ready to move out and begin preparations for the soon growth of their own family. However, Shino had never fallen into the typical category for anything. His love for insects surpassed even the most ardent members of his clan. It had consumed him his entire life, isolating him from actually socializing with other Aburame children, which went against the grain. While Aburame were typically ostracized from regular Konoha society, they were normally very social with each other. However, Shino had always felt more comfortable studying the exhilarating life of insects alone, rather than discussing them in a communal setting.
As such, he'd spent hours upon hours cultivating and growing his own habitation of useful and exotic insects. Soon, he'd even be ready to start experimenting with breeding patterns. A prospect that he was rather keen to begin.
Briefly, Shino wondered what his teammates would think of the first breeding synthesis he planned to attempt in the very near future. A combination of one of the more toxic and one of the more benign varieties for the kikaichuu so as to generate a poisonous variant that could more easily cohabitate with the host body than the venomous nano-sized insects. While he doubted the poison would be as effective as the rarely used venomous nano-sized kikaichuu, he hoped the poison would provide an additional combative edge on the battlefield to the members of his clan.
Knowing his teammates, Kiba-kun would adjudge the aim as cool while still finding the idea mildly repellent. Unlike the majority of the village, the Inuzuka Clan had a distaste for the Aburame practice of housing insects in their bodies simply because of their unfortunate experience with fleas. According to Kiba-kun, fleas were a recurrent, vexatious epidemic that plagued the clan. Apparently, biweekly flea baths have permanently traumatized his rather boisterous teammate.
Of course, Shino could see the logic in their aversion. While fleas are fascinating creatures, they are frequently considered somewhat of a nuisance. After learning this little tidbit about his teammate, he'd assumed that there would be a natural limit to their relationship. Which surprisingly hadn't been the case. Apparently, Inuzukas are also quite tactile people in nature. While Kiba-kun can restrain himself from being overly tactile with Hinata-sama for obvious reasons, he apparently seems to compensate for it by accosting Shino's person at every opportunity.
And Akamaru-kun was no different. While he'd kept his distance during the beginning stages of their team formation, he too seemed incapable of staying away from Shino's person. Apparently, Inuzuka ninken were just as tactile in nature as their human partners. Fortunately, the small dog was able to practice restrain where Hinata-sama was concerned. Somehow, he very much doubted that licking her face with the force Akamaru seemed to enjoy licking Shino's would not likely be well received.
Thinking about the pair reminded Shino of the most surprising aspect of his team. Touch. He didn't think he'd ever been touched that frequently or that casually in his entire life. Not even when his mother had been alive. Of course he needn't be preoccupied over such things where Hinata-sama was concerned. Ever the paradigm of poise and grace, there was no fear that she would accost his person in any foreseeable scenario. Hinata-sama would presumably deem his proposed endeavors admiral and nod approvingly in his direction. The strategic advantages of such a new species of kikaichuu would not be overlooked by the sharp intellect of his female teammate.
Shino further pondered the enigma that was Hinata-sama. Despite her position in the village that put her well above him in every way possible, Hinata-sama was a deceptively kind soul at heart. She never immediately dismissed any suggestion made by either of her two teammates despite how vacuous Kiba-kun could be occasionally.
When time allowed, she made a conscious effort to hear their thoughts on any given scenario although she wasn't too placating to allow such frivolous allowances to occur when the situation called for immediate action. Hinata-sama led so naturally, that Shino found himself easily conceding to her directives. She was a born leader. Where Shino had originally thought it impossible, now he realized that it was merely a rare occurrence.
Additionally, the bond they had constructed in such a short amount of time astounded him. In all his life, he could never have conceived of the notion. Typically, when the bullheadedness that was common among Inuzukas was integrated with the quiet reserve that permeated his clan's depiction and tied together with the quintessential Hyuuga apathy, the byproduct rarely meshed. But somehow that wasn't the case with them. Logic, drive and a willingness to work jointly in order to succeed had pushed them together and was only aided by what they procured from each other.
While Shino could not say with certainty what his teammates reaped from their partnership, he knew without a doubt that they all gained. For him, he'd acquired an acceptance that he'd never thought he'd receive. In Team Eight, he was not the outcast, the antisocial pariah. He was just Shino and he greatly appreciated that.
Turning to the colony of kidaichuu that he'd yet to master fighting with, Shino was interrupted from his informative conversation with said insects by the quiet presence of his father.
"Your cultivations have become more than adequate," his father noted as he lifted a finger to make a physical connection with Shino's kidaichuu colony. "Once you have mastered their additional chakra concerns, you shall be a formidable adversary on the battlefield."
Nodding at his father's complement, Shino addressed his father's unvoiced question. "Logically, you have noticed the early time at which I have arrived home. Why? Because I arrived shortly after 1230 which is several hours earlier than my usual arrival time. Thus, you must be wondering why."
"Indeed, the thought had crossed my mind," his father responded stoically, nodding slightly in agreement.
"My team was released early so that we could adequately prepare for our upcoming mission. Why you ask? Because we have received our first C rank mission. As such, we will be leaving the village. Thus, we require additional time to prepare," Shino answered as he turned briefly to gage his father's reaction.
Ever the proud Aburame, his father showed no outward sign of emotion, neither approval nor disdain, as he replied. "I am unsurprised. From the regular reports that your Sensei has graciously provided me, this was the most logical conclusion."
"I must concur. Why? Because I have reached the same logical conclusion. Why is this? Because my team has progressed exceptionally far in our training. As such, we have nearly exhausted the challenges that can be presented by a D rank mission. Thus, the next logical step would be the acquisition of a C rank mission," Shino responded as he returned his focus to the kidaichuu colony in front of him. He could feel the buzz of their frantic energy calling out to him. Out of all of the insect varieties that they currently used, the kidaichuu were the most destructive.
Shino caught the minute motion of his father's nod of agreement as he moved on to more probing inquiries. "Have you used your additional time allotted efficiently?"
"Undoubtedly. Why is this? Because I have completed all of my preparation for our mission. As such, I have accounted for all conceivable occurrences and packed accordingly. Thus, I am adequately prepared and my time efficiently spent," Shino replied succinctly.
"Indeed. Have you considered taking additional kikaichuu?" his father questioned, the motion of his hands slipping back into his pant pockets distracting him momentarily from his kidaichuu colony.
"Hai, however, I have deemed it an unnecessary measure. Why you ask? Because given every foreseeable scenario, the additional chakra spent in maintaining an extra colony is not equalized by the overall gains of possessing such a colony. Why is this? Because at most we may encounter ten separate altercations each of which would last no more than thirty minutes on a worst case scenario however we may be gone for upwards to seven days. As such the three hundred minutes of actionable use does not outweigh the overall ten thousand and eighty minutes of additional chakra support an additional colony will require. Thus, I shall not be taking additional kikaichuu with me," Shino replied, once again shifting his focus away from his kidaichuu colony.
"Your logic is sound, however, I will suggest that you shift more of your focus to expanding your chakra reserves," his father added with a nod.
"Duly noted. I shall take your advice under consideration. Why? Because it is sound advice as the increase in my chakra reserves will allow me to maintain a greater number of kikaichuu. As kikaichuu are my primary weapon, increasing the number of colonies I can maintain will increase my usefulness on the battlefield. Thus, I will be a more effective shinobi."
At the conclusion of Shino's statement, his father turned presumably to start preparations for the evening meal. However, before he left visual range, he stopped. "Your mother would have greatly approved of your progress," his father announced before returning to his trek back to their dwelling.
Shino paused as his mind swam with thoughts of the warm woman who had been a part of his life for such a short time. 'Strange,' he thought as he turned back to the task at hand. His father rarely brought up the subject of his mother. Perhaps the man was more proud of his achievements than he had openly acknowledged.
"Nee-chan, Nee-chan," Hanabi-chan's excited call reached her ears long before her little body collided with Hinata's small frame.
"Hai, imouto?" Hinata asked calmly as she allowed Hanabi-chan to cling to her a little longer before gently pushing her away. At six years old, she really was too old to be clinging on to anyone, but Hinata had a hard time denying her little sister anything, including those few extra seconds where she got to truly act her age.
"Is it true, Nee-chan?" Hanabi-chan asked energetically. Hinata's brow rose in chastisement though she knew her little sister would be unable to see the gesture behind the heavy black cloth covering her eyes. Hinata had spent a large amount of time in the last few weeks discussing proper conversation etiquette with Hanabi-chan. She should really know better than to be so vague. "Ah, is it true that you're going away?" she corrected her sentence, also managing to calm down in the process.
Nodding once in approval of Hanabi-chan's self-correction, Hinata answered succinctly. "Hai, tomorrow my team will be leaving the village on a mission. We will be traveling to the Fire Nation capital."
"Oh wow," Hanabi-chan exclaimed in excitement before tugging on the nearest hand she could reach, pulling Hinata in the direction of the family Zen garden. "Will you bring me back a present?" she asked at a more even volume. Hinata noted that it wouldn't be long now before she gained complete control of her speech pattern and tone.
"Of course, imouto. I shall bring you back a gift touched by the Fire Daimyo himself," Hinata announced, knowing it would produce a happy squeal of laughter from her little sister.
For a while they travelled silently though the garden, the gentle sound of falling water an audio reminder of the beautiful Koi ponds artfully lining the area. Stopping at the center of the garden, Hanabi-chan pulled lightly on the hand firmly in her grasp, bringing her to sit beside her on the stone bench residing at the gardens heart.
"Will you wear this while you're away?" Hanabi-chan asked softly as her small hands traced the edge of the black cloth covering her eyes.
"Hai, imouto," Hinata replied calmly, attempting to assuage her little sister's worry with the gentle sound of her voice.
"But it covers your eyes. How will you fight without your eyes?" Hanabi-chan continued worriedly, her small fingers moving to the soft white silk of her hitai-ate.
"Well, that's a part of my training. I no longer need my eyes to fight," Hinata answered, keeping her voice light and steady to reassure Hanabi-chan.
"Very well," she replied simply, the sound of the statement a near perfect imitation of Otou-sama. "Will you promise to be careful?" she asked after a long pause. Even at six, she knew better than to ask Hinata to promise to come home. That was a promise that no ninja could guarantee.
"Always, imouto," Hinata responded immediately. That was a promise that she would always keep. Quietly they enjoyed the serenity of the garden, allowing the calm of nature to work its way into their bones. Hinata sat back and enjoyed this time with her little sister, a rarity that would only grow sparser as time pressed forward. Hinata allowed all her problems of the moment to fade away as she enjoyed the moment. She could fix the mess that Tatsuki-san had made of her travel pack later.
KJ's Culture Corner
(1) Senpai and kouhai. You might have noticed us use senpai earlier and were confused why it didn't make its way into that culture corner (Genin Exams)? The easy answer, that corner was getting super long… Yeah, so we put it off until now. As mentioned before senpai is used to address one's senior (in education or business). Kouhai is the reverse, used to address juniors. Both of these can often be found used in school and the work place. So, you might be wondering why we've only used senpai thus far? That answer is a little less simple, but is mostly because Kakashi (the only real senior we have) forms a connection with most of the people who he would call kouhai. Which means, you can probably look forward to kouhai being used later on.
(2) Tea and the Hyuuga. As you may have noticed, we have depicted the Hyuuga clan as very traditional. This includes the importance of tea ceremonies (see culture posts on tumblr) and tea in general within the clan. Still, the importance of tea is at a new extreme within certain parts of the Hyuuga clan. The retainers like Tatsuki and Genshirou are part of the Hyuuga clan that takes tea to a new extreme because of the importance the tea ceremony has within the retainer subculture. (More about the retainers at a later date.) In fact, Genshirou whole heartedly believes that there is a tea to heal every ailment.
AN: We've mentioned Hanza before. But just in case some of you can't remember what happened way back in chapter one, I'll refresh your memory. Hyuuga Hanza was the founder of the Hyuuga clan as they are in Konoha. Thus, he was the leader of the Hyuuga clan during the creation of Konoha, and with Senju Hashirama created the many ideals of what Konoha is today. So, yes. Hanza takes the place of Madara for founders of Konoha. There will be more about him much later (second story really).
However, what this long winded authors note was intended for is to explain the use of the blind Hyuuga within our story. Since the Byakugan is so recognizable, it would have been imperative for Hyuuga's to hide it at least before the Hyuuga seal's creation. Therefore, Hyuuga's used blindfolds and pretended to be blind when out in public so as not to attract unwanted attention. We had no intention of making Hinata blind, when we first started. However, the blindfold was a natural progression when Hanza's story was unfolded to us. Thus, Hinata uses this method for training.
AN2: Sorry there are so many author's notes in this chapter, but it couldn't be helped. Okay, so some have you may have noticed us mention the 'west gates'. Well, if you're a Naruto purist then you'll already know that in the original Naruto Universe there are only one set of gates. However, this is not the original universe so some changes have been made. As you will soon notice, our Konoha is much bigger than the original, hence the added gates. Hope this divergence doesn't bother you too much. As always thanks for reading.