Summoner-nin

Part Two: The Search

Chapter Three

Hinata was at the bow of the ship, looking out to the horizon of the choppy waves. She looked back to see Aburame-san up in the crow's nest, Inuzuka-san at the stern with Kuromaru, and Shikaku-sensei at one of the shrouds contemplating to himself, which left Anko-sensei to steer the ship.

She smiled to herself. It certainly didn't take her long to learn the names of the parts of the ship. Although she was still iffy about driving this huge vehicle, she was certainly getting comfortable enough to sprint up and down the ropes. Although, when she did it, Inuzuka-san made quite a lot of noise about kids shouldn't be at such dangerous heights, so eventually Shikaku-sensei told her to stop.

But it was fun, nevertheless.

"Hinata," Shikaku-sensei commanded.

"Byakugan," she whispered before looking afar.

Narrowing her eyes against the harsh reflection of sunlight coming off of the erratic waves, she saw a slit of green. Blinking hard, she opened her eyes again and forced herself to concentrate, streaming chakra to her pupils. Immediately, the picture became crystal clear, showing the green mass in much detail.

"Land," she told him.

Shikaku-sensei nodded, and then went to Anko-sensei with specific instructions. With him gone, she turned back out to the horizon, but was stopped shortly when he returned with a scroll in hand that was tinged with dry blood.

"Shikaku-sensei…" she trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed together.

"I took it off of that Cloud-nin," he said, nonchalantly. "Here, sign it."

Her eyes widened, and she blinked. "B-But…"

"There's no need to second think it, Hinata," he said wisely. "Sometimes it is necessary to take from the enemy."

Breathing deep to calm herself, she watched him unroll the scroll to show the many names in blood. Taking out a kunai, she moved her bloody thumb to the parchment, but hesitated. She had never taken anything from the dead before…

She retracted her hand squeamishly and said, "I-I c-can't-t."

He sighed, but did not blame her. Instead, he nodded and put the scroll securely in his bag. "When you're ready, come for it."

She nodded. The scroll had just reminded her of what she had done… she had killed…

"ARRIVING!" Anko-sensei exclaimed, crashing the ship against a beach, sending the masts and the occupants swaying.

Sand, debris and dust burst forth, clouding her vision. Coughing softly, Hinata deactivated her byakugan and tried to get fresh air to her lungs. Soon, everything settled, and when she looked up, she saw that they were in the middle of nowhere save for trees, bugs and seagulls.

"The nearest town?" Shikaku-sensei asked.

Kuromaru sniffed the air as kikaichu bugs zipped by.

"An hour," Aburame-san answered.

"Southeast, through the forest," Inuzuka-san added, shouldering her pack.

Hinata quickly put on her bunny bag on cue, a bit awkwardly after retaining her equilibrium. Not to mention… the bloody scroll was still in her mind. Shaking her head as Inuzuka-san took her hand, all five of them jumped off the ship and made for the forest, something Hinata was quite familiar with, be it training or traveling.

But unlike all the other forests she had been exposed to, there were some weeds and herbs that she wasn't familiar with, some that she could never find anywhere near Konoha or the whole of Fire Country altogether. Shikaku-sensei, to her relief, knew of some of them and quickly filled her in, testing her as they went.

They lugged on until noon where they stopped for some food. They munched on the soon-to-be-stale bread and drank from a stream nearby. Hinata quickly noted that no matter how far away the ocean was, the air still smelled of fresh salt, and although her nose was soon becoming accustomed to it, she told herself to memorize the smell and feeling.

"We're almost there," Inuzuka-san said as Kuromaru sniffed the air.

"Hinata," Shikaku-sensei said. "Once we arrive, follow me. I have something to teach you. Shibi, you get us a room at the nearest inn. Tsume, Anko, speak with the civilians and find out what you can from them. Hokage-sama said that the Tortoise should be within or near the Land of Water. We'll meet at the inn at exactly 18:00."

They nodded in agreement, Hinata's nod a bit mute, and it didn't take long for them to arrive in a small fishing village. There were small rafts docked near an uneven harbour. Fishermen were rolling in nets full of fish, and their wives could be seen in the market buying vegetables. Carefree children ran about, laughing and playing tag.

"This way," Shikaku-sensei instructed for her to follow.

Hinata followed him up onto a rooftop, feet landing as silently as a feather, fast enough to make it seem like they weren't there at all. She pushed off rooftop after rooftop, doing all she could to match his speed. She decided then to remind herself to run more often – more laps.

She saw Shikaku-sensei launch into the air and into the treetops, and she quickly followed suit, landing perfectly beside him, no leaves were disturbed. She looked up to him, and he looked out from over the treetops, watching all the happy lives of the people who lived in the small village.

"It's time we furthered your education," he said, leaning back lazily against the tree trunk. "I'm going to teach you how to read lips."

Her eyes widened and her interest immediately perked.

"The trick is knowing how the tongue works, how the mouth is shaped, and sometimes you may need to read into body gestures to know exactly what they are saying," he said as he put a toothpick into his mouth. "It's going to be tough and it's going to take some time, but I'm sure you'll get it… eventually."

She winced at that, but smiled. She knew he was joking.

"Alright," he said. "I'm going to mouth words at you without making a sound. You have to guess what I'm saying. I'll exaggerate the words for now, but I won't later. Ready? Go."

She saw his mouth move and deciphered them in her mind. "We are at… the w-west side… of the… Land of… Water."

"Good," he said. "Let's keep going."

And so, hours later, with her eyes squinted, she tried to think of what he was mumbling. No noise came from his mouth, but he was "speaking" so casually with his mouth hardly moving at all that she had difficulty trying to understand it. The way his mouth formed a word was exactly how he formed it for the next word and the next. Soon, she tried to memorize how his tongue moved to form a word.

"I think… it's time for… dinner?" Hinata translated feebly.

"Good," Shikaku-sensei said. "Let's go. I think it's time for dinner too."

They jumped down from the tree to behind it so that when they appeared, it didn't seem as suspicious. Carefully, as they made towards the inn, Hinata read the lips of the villagers. By the time they were at the inn, she found that the fish-market was getting better, Kenji's grades weren't up to par, and the bookstore didn't have enough business.

"Ne, Hinata-chan," Inuzuka-san said as Kuromaru went up to her and sniffed the palm of her hand. "Did you have fun today?"

She nodded as she sat beside Anko-sensei.

"I think we should go to a town next time," Anko-sensei said as the food arrived. "Then we can go shopping for some clothes for you."

"For all of us, I think," Inuzuka-san said.

It was true. Most of their clothes were dirty with dirt and dried with salt on them. Not the most inconspicuous clothing ever.

"I believe we should find a way to hide her eyes as well," Aburame-san noted.

Hinata wanted to be invisible under the shaded eyes of the bug ninja.

"Hmm…" Shikaku-sensei, eyes closed. "Yes. I think I know of a way."

xxx

"What are they saying?" Shikaku-sensei asked, pointing at two women near a market stand with his toothpick.

Her hand moved up to her eyes, but he quickly slapped them down.

"No, Hinata, no," he scolded softly.

"B-But I can't s-see," she said, wanting to cry. Why was he being so hard? So much harder than they were in Konoha?

"Can't you?" he asked with deep emphasis.

Her face frowned in thought. When she had woken up that morning, Shikaku-sensei made her tie a length of bandage over her eyes several times and told her that now she was to act as if she were blind for most of her life. So she had stumbled downstairs, into chairs and tables. Shikaku-sensei had stopped both Anko-sensei and Inuzuka-san from helping her with her food, with resulted in her hand being burnt by tea.

"Can't you, Hinata?" he repeated, breaking her thoughts.

It was another test.

She breathed in deeply and activated her byakugan. Immediately, the dark world around her became clear. She saw through the bandage as if it weren't there. Excited and proud, she immediately translated what they said with such excitement that she laughed.

Even with Shikaku-sensei being behind her, she could see that he was smiling at her accomplishment.

"Alright, what are they saying?"

By mid-afternoon, Hinata had exhausted her chakra reserves, leaving her on her knees on the ground, panting with sweat. She wiped her forehead and took off her bunny bag, which had added weight onto her. The lunch that Inuzuka-san had packed for her was already eaten, and the water bottle was already empty. Hinata was so thirsty…

"Back to the inn," Shikaku-sensei announced.

"B-But Sh-Shikaku-sensei," Hinata whimpered. "I-I c-can't see."

"Right," he said. "So?"

She sniffed, feeling tears.

He sighed. He never could be cruel to her. His own son? That was easy. He was, after all, his. But Hinata wasn't. Hinata wasn't his daughter. She was his student.

"Hianta," he said. "This is the other part of your training. By mastering your new hindrance, you will be stronger. Now, follow me."

She stumbled to her feet, sniffing, and tried to activate her blood limit, but to no avail. Her head moved every which way in hopes of maybe, somehow, she could see him in the dark. But it didn't work of course.

She could hear his lazy steps getting fainter, and a shot of panic shot up her spine. What if he left her here? In the middle of a fishing village full of these strangers?

She followed her ears, towards him, running frantically towards her sensei. Quickly, she shot forward –

"Oof!" she huffed, hitting someone, bringing her down to her butt. "I-I'm s-sorry, Shi-Shik-"

"Oh dear," it was a woman's voice. A voice that did not belong to her Shikaku-sensei! "Are you alright?"

She nodded, her body shaking with the fear of abandonment.

"Do you need help?"

She shook her head, almost frantically.

"Alright then," the woman said before leaving her.

Heart fast enough for a marathon, she frowned. Where was Shikaku-sensei? There were so many footsteps around her that she didn't know which one to follow. It was scaring her, immensely so. But this was her just desserts for killing a man-

She bit back a sob, curling to a ball. She was so alone. So alone…

What would Fugaku-sensei say?

"Get up, girl," he would snap. "My youngest could do better than you."

Breathing in slowly, she stood up. She forced her heart to calm down before beginning to listen again. Shikaku-sensei was much nicer than Fugaku-sensei. Shikaku-sensei would never abandon her, nor would he test her without watching how she'd fare. He would be close… watching.

She listened intently. If she had enough chakra, she would have tried to seek out his chakra signature, but seeing as she had used it all up, she could only listen…

…

She bit her lower lip in deeper concentration.

…

"Crunch, crunch."

There! That was Shikaku-sensei biting on his toothpick.

Her teeth clenched as she listened as to where it was coming from.

"Crunch, crun-"

To her right!

Her hand impulsively moved to her right, taking his hand.

"Very good," he said, still biting on his toothpick.

She smiled, a rush of relief filling her. His hand, around her small one, felt so warm and inviting… She couldn't remember the last time her own father had held her hand…

She felt tears soaking the bandages, and Shikaku-sensei sighed. Slowly, he took her into his arms and lifted her up close to his chest, letting her cry. Carefully, with the little girl in his arms, they made for the inn.

"The villagers said that there's a legend of a giant turtle god who lives near the next town," Inuzuka-san said.

They were in the women's bedroom for an incognito meeting. Anko-sensei was drying her tears with toilet paper as Inuzuka-san washed the bandages in the adjoining bathroom. Aburame-san was standing by the door, and Shikaku-sensei was lying on a bed, beginning to doze off.

"They say he's in a cave," Aburame-san said. "A cave that is inaccessible due to its rocky outcrops and the erratic wave behaviour."

…

"Shikaku?" Anko inquired. "Are you sleeping?"

"No," Shikaku-sensei muttered. "I'm thinking."

"I think we should go to the next town and get some better supplies," Inuzuka-san said. "All you can get here is fish… and books from that second-rate bookstore."

Hinata patted Kuromaru's head as the adults held conversation.

"Agreed," Shikaku-sensei said. "Tomorrow we'll move out. We'll plan the next step once we get to the next town. For now, let's sleep."

xxx

Hinata held onto the string as she slowly, and very carefully, followed them along the road. Anko-sensei was holding onto the other end of the string so that she'd know that she was going in the right direction. She was walking without the Byakugan, but with the bandages wrapped across her eyes.

It was training – something she, herself, had come up with, something Shikaku-sensei approved off.

In a darkened world, Hinata memorized the feel of the dirt road underneath her sandals, the salt air against her skin, the smell of salt and grass, the heat of the sun with a few clouds overhead, the sound of the morning air, footsteps of humans, of a dog, of the slight reverberation of Aburame-san's kikaichu bugs.

She suddenly paused when she felt the string move strangely. When Anko-sensei moved, so did the string she held onto, but it moved in an even pace, only speeding up gradually. But now, the sting was acting erratically, as if Anko-sensei were bouncing with each step. None of the footsteps around her sounded like that at all.

Quickly, her left hand instinctively caught the sleeve of the nearest to her and followed said person instead of the string.

"Good," Anko-sensei said.

Hinata activated her blood limit to see that the other end of the string was attached to a small twig of a tree, swaying in the wind. She smiled as Anko-sensei untied the string and led her along the road again.

When Hinata looked to her left to see whom it was that she used as a temporary beacon, her pulled her hand back as if it were burnt. It had been Aburame-san, and although her sudden leeching of him didn't bother him, she was afraid of what his sunglasses had hidden. Perhaps his distaste of her?

She deactivated her Byakugan and continued to follow Anko-sensei. In two days time, they had reached the next town. By then, Hinata was getting used to being "blind." She could duck under branches simply by feeling how the wind moved around them, or steady her footing near rocky grounds by feeling how the ground was beginning to harden underneath her feet.

Shikaku-sensei even trained her to gather herbs "blindly" by just feeling the texture of the leaves and the smell.

"Alright!" Anko-sensei exclaimed. "Now that we're here. Let's go shopping!"

"C'mon, Hinata-chan!" Inuzuka-san said just as enthusiastically.

Before Hinata could get out as much as a "peep," they were leading her towards the market.

"Whatever," she heard Shikaku-sensei dismiss them.

And she smiled.

the point