Naruto was notified of Anko's disappearance a short time after breakfast. This prompted a security check of the HQ's perimeter and surrounding areas. An emergency meeting was quickly set up within the hour. Sakura and Ino headed the forensics team and Hinata, along with Asuma and Kurenai were charged with the task of finding out how the kidnapper breached their defenses and what were the exact circumstance of Anko's disappearance. Did she leave on her own, was she extracted by an accomplice, or was she really abducted? The mission team leaders, Neji Hyuga and Shikamaru Nara were asked to come up with a plan on how to attack this problem.
Not an hour after the command was issued; the resistance team was assembled in one of the chalet's in-home office around an elongated table for a preliminary update. Two oval dishes mounted with an assortment of sandwiches were placed on the table along with glasses and pitchers of water. Ino chewed mindlessly on a cucumber sandwich as she discussed her notes with Sakura on their forensic findings in Anko's room. Shikamaru and Neji were in deep conversation pointing at different areas of a schematic map on the table between them. And, Hinata coloured slightly when Naruto sat beside her at the head of the table. Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai were late coming in but took the last remaining seats.
"So, who wants to go first?" Naruto asked once last night's events were relayed to him.
"Is it even worth it to get her back?" Neji interjected, wanting to get the question on everyone's mind out of the way. "I mean, if the two most powerful gangs want to fight over her, that's their problem, not ours. If we're lucky, the Snakes and the Akatsuki might kill each other over her."
"But, Anko must have something that makes her so valuable to these people. It's not something we can turn a blind eye on. What if the rival gangs are fighting over some sort of weapon? We have to be in on this too." Kurenai voiced. "From what I've learned through her therapy sessions, Anko Mitarashi is worth something to these people so much so that someone erased key information in her mind, and as the only known defence against these gangs, she should be worth just as much to us too."
"Yeah, too bad that she doesn't remember much about working for the White Snakes that can help us out." Neji retorted. "What if she doesn't remember what the information that she's repressed? She won't be any use to us."
Naruto stood up from his seat in his office and turned to look at the panoramic mountainous from the office window.
"What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked calmly. "Should we try to get her back?"
There was a pause in the room as every member turned to face the silent spy seated the furthest from Naruto.
"She's already pointed us in the direction of someone called the 'Target'. I think that finding out who sent her to find me in the first place is the key to learning more about who we're up against." Kakashi started. "On the other hand, I don't want to risk what little man power we have to try to save a dead woman."
"But…" Naruto left the statement hanging as he returned to his seat.
"But," Kakashi continued. "I want her back."
"Shikamaru, you must side with me, she isn't worth it. She's no threat to us and there's a strong possibility that she's already dead." Neji continued. "I don't want to put anyone here in any unnecessary danger. And trying to break into the Akatsuki or Snakes' fortresses is definitely high on the danger scale. We're trying to prevent a war, not start one."
Naruto stood from his seat and raised a hand to halt Neji's argument. The other man stopped his tirade out of respect for the president.
"Where are we with the surveillance video?" he asked. "Did we find anything?"
Hinata stood up from her seat at Naruto's side.
"There is one known character on the video." She said as she handed out surveillance stills of a suspect. "This is Sasuke Uchiha. He is a hired assassin known to work for the White Snakes. This shot was taken at section A grid 26 at around 1:30 hours today. He doesn't seem to be carrying any weapons, but he is known for using switchblades to kill most of his victims which as we all know is easier to conceal."
"And what was his point of entry?" Shikamaru asked.
"A servant for section D grid 13 let him in from through the side entrance at section A grid 4, she, the servant, has recently been terminated from her post after receiving a re-training warning before." Hinata answered. "But, knowing who our suspect is, we can deduce that he didn't find Anko."
"How do you know?" Naruto interjected.
"Well, kidnapping isn't in Uchiha's MO. He usually leaves the body at the scene. I believe that Anko had escaped or was already taken by the time he entered the room. But, by what means, I don't know. We can determine for sure that the Snakes don't have her. If Uchiha doesn't have her, then the Akatsuki may have her or she is on her own. Although, we don't really know how many groups are after Anko."
"Thank you, Hinata," Naruto nodded in her direction as the dark-haired woman sat back down in her seat with a sigh of relief.
"What are our options, then?" Ino, who had tried to stay silent the entire time, finally burst out. "I mean, we can't just sit here and do nothing, she's a human being too. There's got to be some sort of clue where we can find her."
"Shut up, Ino," Shikamaru hushed his wife. They couldn't afford to be sentimental and identifying with a person of interest. "We need to get through the reports first before we make any decisions."
"If no one else minds, I would like to inform you about my findings." Sakura stood up from her seat and handed out a photocopy of the slip of paper found in Anko's mirror. "What you're looking at is a formula for a type of steroid used in dentistry. This steroid prevents the swelling of the gums if taken before surgical procedures. It's not a miracle drug at all. But, if you look at the edge of the paper where the formula ends, it looks like the paper was torn, not cut."
"So, what does that mean?" Neji scoffed. "If the formula is useless, we don't have to risk our heads for nothing."
"The paper is torn and could signify that there is more to this formula. There might be a second half to it." Sakura replied pointing out the frayed edge on the copied paper. "If there is a second half to this page, I can only assume that one or both of the rival gangs know about it. That could be the reason why they're fighting over Anko Mitarashi. But, I think the key to this is Orochimaru himself. He was a celebrated geneticist and maybe this formula has something to do what he was working on."
"Anko was Orochimaru's adoptive father." Kakashi said harshly, determined to reign in his anger. "So, technically, he didn't have any ties to her. He raised her to bait businessmen to have the upper hand in his dealings. He made her—"
"There must be more to this story." Ino chimed in once again. "Psychologically speaking, it doesn't make sense for a powerful and unsympathetic man like Orochimaru to adopt a teenaged girl just so he can groom her into becoming a spy: that would take years of effort. It would have been easier for a man in his position to just hire a mercenary spy to do the job then kill the hired hitman afterwards."
"Ino's right," Kurenai agreed. "Besides, what would a formula be doing in Anko's possession without her knowing? I think that we need to know more about the man behind the operation if we want to make sense of all this information."
There was a pregnant pause as every single person in the room tried to come up with a plan of action.
"We need to find out who were Orochimaru's connections before he became the leader of the White Snakes. This would be about the same time as the uprising in Amegakure and Pein fought his way into power." Asuma noted. "I remember that Konohagakure was in alliance with Sunagakure and Kumogakure against the new factions, but the treaty fell apart when—"
"W-when the leader of Kumogakure tried to kidnap me and Neji's father was killed." Hinata interrupted. Neji quickly turned away at the mention of his father, hiding the pained expression on his face. Hinata clammed up after seeing her cousin's hurt. Both knew the cost his father, Hizashi, had to pay for her safety, as well as for her own father's life.
"Yes, that's right, now I remember that Orochimaru was still with Konoha then, and worked with the matriarch of the Inuzuka family, Tsume, who is a geneticist specializing in splicing canine DNA with human DNA. Inuzuka Corp. is currently a company that is made up of super soldiers with acute dog-like senses and ferocity." Kurenai stood from her chair. "Maybe Tsume has the answer to what Orochimaru was working on before he went underground and found himself in Otogakure."
"How do you suggest we get into Inuzuka Corp.?" Shikamaru enquired. "Everyone knows that the Inuzukas are powerful people in Konoha. We can't just walk up to the door and ask to see the leader without the rest of the public becoming suspicious. And nowadays, with all hell about to break loose, we can't make one move without being scrutinized. We were barely able to get Temari's incident out of the papers."
Naruto looked around the room at the delicate situation, hoping for a sign that would indicate that everything was going to be alright. If they went up to the Inuzukas and accused them of working with a syndicate leader like Orochimaru, there would be a disunity that could break up Konoha's allied defenses thus opening up the country for attack. The 7th president sighed when he received no reassuring sign.
"We need to be sure about this. If it gets out that I accused a respected family of keeping information from our defenses, we could lose everything." Naruto explained. "We need a way in to talk to Tsume Inuzuka so that no one would suspect that anything is going on. How do we get in?"
"Hinata," Neji announced staring grimly at his younger cousin. He wished that he could have protected her from this, but knew that he couldn't have done a thing.
Hinata knew what her cousin wanted her to do, nevertheless a part of her still wanted to keep the information away from her peers, especially from Naruto. But, knowing that she was the key to finding out more about the Resistance' enemy, she had no choice but to divulge her connection to the Inuzuka family.
"We can talk to Tsume Inuzuka." Hinata stated slowly, as she watched the confused looks pass over her colleagues' faces. "I am…I am supposed to…I mean that…I…" she couldn't finish her sentence and looked to Neji for assistance.
Her cousin understood her silent plea for help and proceeded to decode the meaningful looks he and Hinata had been exchanging.
"During the war in Kirigakure, the Inuzukas became prisoners of war by the original Kirigakure leader, Hanzou. You see, the Inuzukas had planned on expanding their business into Kirigakure before the war started, but, it seemed that their plans were turned against them and they were captured. After the war when the family returned to Konoha, there were rumours that the Inuzukas were spies for the enemy and that was how they had survived the war unscathed. To stop these rumours, and to keep the family of genetically enhanced super soldiers as Konoha's allies, there had to be a binding treaty between the Inuzukas and Konoha." Neji paced the length of the room as he told his story.
"So, what happened?" Naruto urged the Hyuga male to continue.
"As one of the most prominent families in Konoha, your father, Naruto, approached the Hyuga family." Neji enunciated his words deliberately. "He asked that the Hyugas and Inuzukas become joined as family."
"What?" Naruto's brows furrowed and his blue eyes filled with confusion. "How is that possible?"
"The eldest son of the Inuzuka family and the eldest daughter of the Hyuga family were married in an arranged marriage to pacify any rumours and to unify Konoha." Neji announced as he looked to his cousin. "Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga were married at the age of 17 in a clandestine, but binding marriage. But, less than four years after the marriage, the Inuzukas proved their loyalty to Konoha by exposing the corruption in the police department ran by the Uchihas, so the wedding announcement didn't have to be made public after all. Only a few of Konoha's older families know that the two were married at all and since neither family has publicly confirmed that the marriage existed, it has remained as common gossip between old families. From then on, the marriage was kept secret to keep both of Konoha's strongest families on even status and to prevent another discord like the one with the Uchiha debacle."
Hinata's stomach dropped as she witnessed everyone's shocked expressions. The one that hurt her the most was Naruto's. She'd always known that she and Naruto could never be together because of her marriage to Kiba, but she still had to go on and fall in love with him anyway.
Silence filled the room at the revelation. Hinata decided to take this moment to speak.
"I will meet with my mother-in-law tomorrow and get the answers that we need to find Anko and learn more about Orochimaru." Hinata commented while she started to pick up her things from the table. It only served to make her more nervous, rather than empower her. It meant that she and Kiba would have to finally go public with their marital status. It was a day that they both dreaded.
"Wait, can't we just call Tsume?" Sakura asked. "We don't have to subject Hinata to this news-storm."
"Tsume Inuzuka is a fearsome woman to behold." Hinata explained. "She takes pride in her status, and is easily offended. A phone call for such a personal question would certainly offend her, especially from her daughter-in-law. I think it's about time that I faced this."
Hinata tried her best not to look into Naruto's eyes. He'd always known that she didn't stand a chance with the president, especially when he was so irrevocably in love with the charming doctor, Sakura Haruno. Yet, she knew that one look of pity or sorrow from him on her behalf would kill her.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave and contact my mother-in-law." Hinata stood and bowed before exiting the meeting room, determined not to meet anyone's gaze. She could feel the multiple pairs of eyes on her back even after she had shut the conference room door behind her.
XXXX
A blindfolded Anko sat on a chair, her back pressed against her bound hands. Her feet were bound together in a tight knot to prevent her escape. A gun was pointed to her head. The gun-wielder's hand was steadily holding the .45 semi-automatic to the back of her head. She could feel the muzzle of the gun pressing against her skin. Anko knew that if she moved so much as an inch, there'd be brain matter, her brain matter, splattered all over the floor.
"Greetings, Miss Mitarashi, I am sure that you know who we are and what we want from you. If you would only cooperate with us, we can—"
"Kill me a lot quicker!" Anko finished the sentence for him. If she was going to die anyway, she wanted to make her captors work for it. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're wasting your time trying to get anything out of me."
"We're not like the Snakes that you work for," the male voice explained to her, his tone neutral like plain yogurt. "You wouldn't disappear so easily and quietly. You will die in the most painful and public way, Miss Mitarashi."
"I don't care," Anko stated bravely. "I don't have anything that you want. Everything that I know, Kabuto already knows. Meaning that, somehow, you already know everything too. If you're looking for more information, I don't have it."
"Then why is he trying to kill you? What could he be after?"
"I don't know—I don't know anything." She shook her head only causing her captor to dig the gun deeper into her skull. "Get this stupid blindfold off of me and we can calmly discuss this like civilized people. Mr. Trigger-happy here has the barrel halfway through my head already, and it's not going to get me to talk, that's for sure." She then directed the conversation to the guy holding the gun to her head. "Ease off, will you? It's really annoying."
"Konan," plain-yogurt-voice called.
"I am here," a familiar voice answered; the woman from the limo.
"Please get Miss Mitarashi ready for the civilized discussion she wanted."
"Yes, Master Pein," Konan replied to her superior's request.
Instantly, the pressure of the gun at Anko's head disappeared. She released a sigh of relief but was forcefully hauled up, probably by the same trigger-happy guard, and was carried to another destination like a sack of potatoes. Anko was glad. She didn't know that she had been speaking so plainly to Pein, leader of the Akatsuki, and lived…for now at least.
Anko tried to focus on the turns in the corridors that they were making, she might have to use it if she had a chance to escape. But, as she had expected, her trigger-happy guard and the female assassin from the limo had taken the longer, round-about route to their destination to confuse her.
Once she was placed on a soft surface like a bed or couch, the female named Konan ordered the guard to leave.
Once alone, the woman pulled off Anko's blindfold.
"What do you want from me?" the captured woman asked.
The assassin only kept silent.
"Why do you work for such a man?"
Finally, Anko's captor replied.
"He's all I got." Konan stated, a sliver of emotion entering her eyes. "He's all I have left in the world."
And Anko understood. She understood what the other woman meant. In the underworld of gangs and money, a woman like Konan would only have her employer. In turn, an employer would only have his money and money changed hands faster than it took to reload a pistol. And, as much as a woman would want to be free of her employer, she knows it would be better to have someone powerful to protect you than not. For a slave without a master is like money. It changes hands faster than it takes to reload a pistol where most of the time the pistol is pointed at you.
"Mitarashi, I don't want to kill you before you can ask for your favour, but if you don't answer me honestly, I will have to resort to that possibility." Konan tone warned that she was no longer sympathetic to Anko's plight.
Anko simply nodded her understanding. She wasn't going to get out of here alive. The former spy smiled lightly, mirroring the one on Konan's face.
XXXX
Hinata arrived by limousine to the main office of Inuzuka Corp. The tall building dwarfed the many others surrounding it although the high walls and fences surrounding it prohibited any outsiders from seeing this view. She was escorted by guards much taller than her. And almost every guard was escorted by a dog. Once reaching the reception desk which was just past the entrance doors, Hinata was greeted by a beautiful woman with a dazzling smile and shiny hair. The only thing differentiating her from any other woman outside of the Inuzuka family were her two protruding canine-like incisors.
"Inuzuka-dono," the woman spoke excitedly when Hinata only stared. "I am happy to finally meet you. "I've heard such great things about you from the boss."
"Ah, yes, I um—" Hinata stuttered, not used to being addressed as 'Mrs. Inuzuka'. "I'm here to see my mother-in-law."
"Oh, yes, Inuzuka-sama has been waiting for you, I've contacted her to notify of your arrival as soon as you drove up." The kind receptionist explained. "I was told to personally escort you to her office."
The woman stood from her chair, and was at least a full head taller than the petite woman. Hinata followed the receptionist to the elevators and waited for her to swipe an ID card through a card-reader where an elevator button would usually be located. Once the doors opened, she was met with the last person she wanted to see.
Her husband smirked playfully as he explained that he would be escorting her to see his mother. The friendly receptionist politely bowed to excuse herself and dutifully returned to her post.
"Wife," Kiba's voice grated against her raw nerves. "It's really great to see you."
"Dear husband, it is also a pleasure to see you," Hinata bowed to him and answered meekly. She stepped into the elevator not knowing what else to do.
Kiba leaned forward momentarily trapping her in a corner, his breath brushing against her cheek as he leant down to press the buttons behind her. The doors closed, she was trapped. Hinata was frightened of the man she called her husband. She had not seen him since they were both twenty-one years old and she had decided to live apart from him a few months after they were forced to consummate their marriage by their families. Their belated wedding night was a night of pleasurable passion without love. It was a moment where Hinata learned the painful lesson that love mattered in a relationship and was therefore, unwilling to share her life with a man she did not love. Kiba had let her go without a fight, thus allowing her to believe that he felt the same about their union. He did not want her, or so she thought.
He saw her discomfort and backed away to an appropriate distance as the elevator travelled up. He merely wanted to remind his senses of her smell, to see if he remembered her fragrance rightly. Not one day passes that he did not think of her. Not even after these miserable five years without her. He'd always known that he could have demanded that she stay at his side, and that she was his to have as his wife, but the insecure man within wanted her to come to him, to choose him as her husband. Now that she had come to him willingly, he was not going to let her go.
"I've really missed you, Hinata." Kiba grinned at her, Hinata's heart raced; she was not used to such an endearing tone when hearing her name. "I'm glad that you've come back to me."
At his words, her world collapsed. Her husband thought that she was finally returning to him. He thought that she wanted them to finally be together.
"Inuzuka-san," Hinata stated timidly.
Kiba laughed at her. "Kiba, call me Kiba, Hinata! Only the city officials call me Inuzuka-san."
"Ki-Kiba," Hinata tried calling him by his name for the first time in five years. "I'm sorry to say this but, I am not here for you."
A sense of disappointment reached her husband's eyes as the doors slid open to reveal a familiar hallway to Tsume Inuzuka's office. It had not changed at all in the last five years. It was still the same red-cedar panelling with elaborate gilt designs.
Kiba felt a punch to his heart. It was stupid of him to believe for a second that Hinata would ever love him as he had loved her. But, he wasn't called a stubborn dog for nothing.
"Then I'll just wait for the day that you choose to return to me, my wife Hinata." He grinned widely, showing her his fang-like incisors. "I'm sure that once our marriage has gone public, we'll be required to spend more time together. I will get you to change your mind. I can't wait to see you smiling at me the same way you do at Naruto Uzumaki's presence."
Hinata gasped and exited the elevator, Kiba followed closely behind her. If Kiba knew about Naruto, then who else knew?
"How did you…" Hinata couldn't form the words to end her sentence.
"How did I know about you and Naruto?" Kiba's expression was mostly neutral with the exception of fury in his eyes. "Just because I don't work for him like you do, you don't think I know what's going on? As part of one of the elite families in Konoha, I am obligated to go to the same social functions as you. And in those gatherings, I keep an eye out on what is mine. I've seen the way that you moon over him. But, I don't see the same from him. That's why I won't give up on you, Hinata. In my arms, you will be loved, you will be cherished, and you will have my adoring attention. I can't help but remember how you used to regard me in the same way that you do Naruto now. I've asked myself a million time what is it that I did to make you leave me? What did I do to make you forget that I still loved you? Damn it to hell if I let Naruto hurt you with his ignorance. He may be president, but he will not make a fool of my wife!"
Hinata's eyes filled with tears, just as the doors opened into Tsume Inuzuka's private office.
"If the two of you don't mind, I'm trying to run a billion dollar business here, and I don't need to hear my son and daughter-in-law's dirty laundry through my office doors." The older, yet, still sassy woman chastised the two occupants of the hall. "Hinata, come in, and Kiba, I don't want to see your mug until I tell you to come. Get out of here."
Kiba looked as if he was going to say something, but the contemplative, furrowed expression on his mother's face made the argument die on his tongue. He simply bowed to his mother, then to his wife, before returning to the elevator. He swiped his card, and disappeared through the elevator doors a beat later.
"Hinata, my daughter, I must apologize for Kiba's insensitivity, or is it his oversensitivity? But, as you can see, he still very much loves you. He wouldn't be my son if he wasn't tenacious." Tsume draped a lanky arm around the Hyuga heiress to lead her to a more fitting place for their conference: her corner office with the million dollar view of the trees and mountains and the distant greens of the only unharnessed vegetation left in Konoha. Hinata didn't even notice the magnifying view because of her worry.
"You didn't tell him what happened, did you?" Hinata asked the Inuzuka matriarch once both were seated across from each other. "I'd rather he never finds out."
"I keep my promises, Hinata, even when it will hurt the ones I love most." Tsume stared steadily into the dark-haired woman's eyes. "I have done as you've asked, daughter, even if my son has suffered because of it."
"I'm sorry, Inuzuka-sama, I don't want to hurt him, but I know what he wants and I can't give it to him." The Hyuga woman shook her head as tears streamed down her pale face.
The elder Inuzuka held out a dark-red kerchief to her daughter-in-law in offering. "I know that you're not here to talk about yours and Kiba's history. So, how can I help you, dear Hinata?"
Again, Hinata was taken aback at hearing such kindness and love at her spoken name. It took her a moment to compose her emotions and to be able to speak to the head of Inuzuka Corp. without a falter in her voice.
"I understand that Orochimaru helped with your research in splicing canine DNA with human DNA." Hinata stated.
"That is correct," Tsume replied truthfully with her brows raised. "What of it?"
"I want to know if you knew what he was working on. What was Orochimaru doing that caused many nations to mark him for death? Why did he adopt a teenager to be his spy? These questions have to be answered if we're ever going to stop this war."
"Orochimaru is dead. He can't do anything anymore." The Inuzuka leader reasoned.
"That is not what his adoptive daughter will tell you." Hinata raised her eyes to meet the murky black of her mother-in-law. "A woman's life is being torn and unravelled because Orochimaru still haunts her. We're trying to save her in hopes that she holds the key to prevent the war."
"Why should I care about Orochimaru's mongrel child?" Tsume snickered at the notion that Naruto was trying to save a low-life's daughter. "Why risk a thousand lives for one life cursed a birth?"
Hinata didn't take offense to Tsume's cruel remark.
"Konoha isn't as powerful as it used to be. If we go to war, you will lose your sons and daughters, and even if one survives, a multitude of lives will still be lost." The fair-skinned diplomat answered regally. "I don't want to lose a husband, but if we don't understand what the motivation behind the White Snakes' operation is, he won't stand a chance."
Tsume laughed once more, this time garnering respect for Kiba's wife.
"I've always known that you would be the perfect bride for my son." She announced filled with pride. Hinata's strength faltered. "My wish is that you will find a way back to each other once more."
Hinata couldn't say anything more and therefore stayed silent. Tsume pulled out one of the drawers out from her desk. She pulled out a plain, sealed manila envelope. She took an ornamental letter-opener to unseal the envelope.
"Orochimaru came to see me before his death. I showed him no mercy when he came here, in fact, I didn't offer to hide him or try to save his life." Tsume said earnestly. "But, he did beg for the sake of his daughter to keep this for him. He said that if he should die, this journal would explain his sins."
"His daughter…" Hinata repeated the words slowly. "You mean Orochimaru's adoptive daughter, Anko, am I right?"
"No," Tsume answered grimly. "Anko Mitarashi is his biological daughter. I've met Orochimaru's late wife Shizuka when they were first married. I did not know that they had had a child until I heard her name from ANBU—ROOT.
"Shizuka Mitarashi was born in nobility from a distant land but her family was exiled. She was also cursed with frail health. The only thing her father can do was to sell her off in an arranged marriage. Orochimaru's family at the time were wealthy doctors but Orochimaru himself was born with a deformity on his face. Shizuka was forced to marry Orochimaru."
Tsume upturned the envelope and a solitary leather-bound book dropped onto her desk. The black leather was worn out and contained no more than a couple hundred pages. The scrawls and scripts were methodically written and looked almost computer printed. Hinata reached for the book for closer inspection when Tsume halted her action.
"What do I get for giving you this?" she asked the younger woman.
"What?" Hinata was taken aback. "This is now considered as government property, we're in the middle of a war, Inuzuka-sama, how can you think of your own interest? Konoha's forces needs to work together, not apart."
"I agree with you completely, Hinata, that is why I am giving you full cooperation in your endeavour. My son will aid in your research in this matter."
"B-but, you don't have…" Hinata stuttered. "…to."
"Nonsense, Kiba is more than adequate to help you in your research, and I am sure that sending him with you will be seen as an act of good faith and total compliance with the government's wishes. I don't want the president to think that I purposefully kept information from him about his enemy." The Inuzuka matriarch smiled beguilingly at her daughter-in-law. "And, maybe by spending more time with your husband, you can find the courage to tell him what occurred years ago. Maybe after so many years, he'll finally get the answers he's been waiting so patiently for."
"I can't…" Hinata flushed, her eyes tearing up once again at the memory. "He can't know."
"I don't want to cause you pain, Hinata, but my son deserves to know why you don't love him anymore." Tsume placed the book back into the manila folder and handed the folder to Hinata. "I will make sure that he leaves with you and that this information is kept safe, as are you. He will keep you safe with his life."
Tsume pressed a button on her desk. "Call my son to my office immediately."
She released the button without listening for an answer. The two women waited in silence until a knock at the door, and the sound of the door opening moments later, interrupted the silence.
"Mother, you asked for me," Kiba stood ramrod straight and stared ahead, using all of his control not to sneak a glance at his beautiful wife.
"Kiba, you will be escorting Hinata to the president's estate and help in her research. Your mission will be to protect her and the contents of that envelope." Tsume eyed her son stoically. "This will be your number one priority. Your other missions will be delegated accordingly to other operatives. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Inuzuka-sama," Kiba replied, careful not to break into a full-out smile.
"Good," Tsume walked to a stainless steel door leading to an adjoining room. "I am needed in the laboratory; I'll leave the two of you to see yourselves out."
"Yes ma'am," both Kiba and Hinata replied simultaneously, leaving the couple alone in the matriarch's office.
Once Kiba's eyes met his wife's, a handsome grin broke across his face. Hinata was momentarily taken back in time to when she first laid eyes on her husband on their wedding day. At the time she did not know that he was the man that she was to marry, neither did he, but he still smiled at her in the way that caused her to feel lighter than air. As if all her problems were simply wisps of smoke meant to disappear at the presence of his boyish smile.
"Let's go," he said and covered her hand in his, just like that day nine years ago.
For the first time in a long time, Hinata forgot what had happened five years ago, and simply took her husband's hand and followed him.
XXXX
The moment Orochimaru's journal arrived at the Resistance HQ a team to analyze it was quickly assembled. Sakura was the first to open the pages to scan each sheet to create a digital file as well as take fingerprint samples for later analysis. Kurenai, Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, along with Kiba were the first to read the pristine block print of an international killer. They had assembled in the office where the meeting the day before had taken place. This time, though, there weren't trays piled with sandwiches, only tall glasses of water, one for each person in the room.
It wasn't noticed before, but the journal was entirely in code. It took a few minutes for Shikamaru and Sakura to come up with the correct cipher, but it was an effective one. The group decided to take turns reading from the de-coded text.
"I"ll go first then," Ino volunteered. "I'm told that I have a great speaking voice."
"Yeah, it comes with all the years of practice you've had, Ino-pig," Sakura teased.
Ino chose to ignore the taunt although she did glare icily at the pink-haired doctor. She started reading the first page:
I still don't know why she allowed herself to be married to a monster like me, but she did. I gave her a chance to back out of our arranged marriage because I knew she deserved better, but she refused my offer. She said that I was the kindest man she'd ever known and therefore would stay by my side. Her health had always been weak because of her sickle-cell anemia, but now that she carries my child, she seems to be getting weaker. After some tests, it became known that the mutated antigens in her blood had become infected by a virus. The virus is of an unknown strain, and might be the cause of her fatigue and lack of appetite. Shizuka, I hated her sentimentality. I told her to get rid of the child since it could be the cause of the virus. I didn't care about my lineage or anyone else but her, but she refused any notion other than one where she's keeping the baby. She says that the child was the extension of our lives into the future and would be a way for us to be together for another lifetime. Damn her! I knew that I didn't have much time left to save her. I've stolen the formula Tsume Inuzuka created to splice human DNA with canine DNA to create super humans only to find out that the process is only compatible with Inuzuka DNA.
"The entry stops here, but there's a short entry dated a few days after." Ino explains before reading on.
Today, I was approached by Kabuto Yakushi, a young doctor, to help me find a cure for Shizuka's virus. There have been rumours that he's in the losing end of many malpractice suits that somehow never make it to trial. I don't know who or what this man is dealing with, but I know that I need his help. If the rumours are true, then he's a man who doesn't care what lengths he has to go through to get what he needs; the kind of assistant who would forego moral ethics to help save Shizuka. He's the perfect man for the job I have for him.
Ino paused.
"Do you think that this sounds a like a trap?" Sakura asked the others. "It doesn't seem like the cruel words of an uncompassionate man. In fact, if I didn't have personal experience trying to solve the cases of Orochimaru's murder victims, I would empathize with his struggle to save his dying wife."
"Maybe Orochimaru wasn't a born psychopath like we previously thought," Kurenai surmised. "But, it's definitely clear in his writing that he was starting to become unhinged trying to find a cure. His line of thinking is manifesting itself into an addiction to find a cure. And, one of the symptoms of addiction is lack of empathy. When a subject becomes too engrossed in their addiction, they lose sense for everything else."
"And, the fact that he had met up with Kabuto at an earlier time than from what we knew before, it should be a clue to what's going to happen next." Ino supplied. "Hinata, why don't you read on?"
The reconnaissance officer agreed and started off timidly, but her voice grew louder as she continued.
Shizuka gave birth to our daughter and lived. The child is fortunate that she has the looks of her mother, but, at the same time, I despise the reminder that she could one day fall to the same illness despite the fact that she doesn't seem to have the same symptoms. Shizuka named the girl, Anko, and thinks that it is a clever name for an heiress to the Mitarashi empire, although, I didn't see the humour in it. I could see that my wife was dying, and in even worse shape than before. The virus is spreading quickly like a cancer, and no amount of transfusions and bone marrow transplants are stopping its progression. Even as Shizuka smiles lovingly at our daughter, I can tell that she doesn't have much time left, and I am certain that she knows this too.
"A couple of months pass until the next entry," Hinata supplies, before continuing.
I work desperately to find a cure, anything to prolong my wife's life. Every morning that I wake and see her breathing beside me, I tell myself that it could end today. I've travelled to many places and tried many experimental procedures and techniques that I believe might work. Yet, all fail once I've tested it against Shizuka's DNA. It seems that even her cells at the molecular level are too weak to sustain itself. Maybe the key is the girl, after many tests, I know for sure that Anko won't succumb to the same virus like her mother despite the fact that it lives inside her too. I know that I'm close to a breakthrough. I've extracted Anko's DNA, and found that the virus had somehow mutated within her and changed characteristics. Instead of using the cells as a host, like in Shizuka's case, the virus is existing separately from the normal cells without affecting Anko in any way. Maybe little Anko is one of the first natural super human. I will be monitoring her closely. She may be worth more alive than dead after all.
Hinata broke off and looked up when Shikamaru stopped her. All eyes turned to Shikamaru, waiting for his command.
"I say we notify Naruto and the others that Anko is Orochimaru's biological daughter, since it's a strong motive as to why people are after her. Sakura, can look into the virus that killed Shizuka Mitarashi, the journal says that Anko has the virus too. If the virus is still in Anko, we have to find out why she didn't contract an illness like her mother." Shikamaru instructed. "Kiba and Hinata, I need you to find out more information on the rest of the journal's content. We need to know if it really came from Orochimaru, and if there is a known cure for this virus. I'm starting to think that there's more to this fight than a simple turf war between gangs."
The group disassembled solemnly, thinking that maybe it would be worth it in the longrun to listen to this dead man's story.
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A/N:
Hello everyone, I hope you liked this chapter. I know that it's a long chapter, but I didn't want to break it half. So, I worked extra hard to get it done for your reading pleasure. Some of you might have more questions than answers after reading this chapter, but I would like to point out, that the answers in this chapter do hint at what's going to happen next.
There are also many differences that some may not like because it differs too much from the original Naruto series. For example:
1. Anko is Orochimaru's biological daughter.
2. Kabuto is older than he looks.
3. Orochimaru had a wife.
4. Kiba and Hinata were secretly married to unite Konoha.
5. Orochimaru cared for someone other than himself.
To address these differences:
1. In the original series, Anko was Orochimaru's first apprentice, kind of like his first daughter, I thought.
2. Kabuto had to be made older than Anko, because I made Anko Orochimaru's daughter. There will be more information on this point at later chapter.
3. I wanted to show another point of view of why Orochimaru was the way that he is instead of explaining it away by writing him to be some sick psychopath, or as evil incarnate.
4. I snuck in the Kiba and Hinata pairing, because I wanted some intrigue and romance in this chapter. Plus, with Anko kidnapped, it wasn't possible to have a Kakashi X Anko tete-a-tete in the chapter. More of Kiba X Hinata story will also be added-on at a later chapter.
5. See point #3.
Please, please, please read and review as I do like to hear from my readers. I also understand rudimentary Tagalog, French, German, and Spanish, if you would like to review in those languages feel free to do so. Although I will reply to your review in English. Again, if you do have a negative review, please sign-in so that I can learn more from my mistakes, or we can come to an understanding.
Anyway, have a great rest of the day, and stay tuned.
