A/N: Sorry it's been a while. Life.
Chapter 12: The Need For Strength
Hinata and Haku stared at each other from either side of the clearing, neither of them saying a word as her silvery white eyes clashed with his dark brown ones.
Well isn't this interesting? I didn't think I would encounter the enemy here. He thought as he took notice of the familiar looking veins protruding from Hinata's Byakugan-activated eyes. This girl…she's one of the genin traveling with the copy ninja. The Hyuga child. He tensed at the realization of being in the presence of an enemy ninja, though he quickly relaxed himself as he remembered that he was still in disguise and that the person in front of him likely had no idea who he was. It probably wouldn't do any good to start trouble here. Her allies could be close by, and I'm not equipped to handle four ninja at once.
Hinata deactivates her Byakugan after thoroughly examining the young man in front of her. Seeing that he appeared to be a civilian, she allowed some tension to leave her body. However she didn't completely lower her guard. Although the person in front of her seemed to be an ordinary villager, something wasn't quite right. Breaking eye contact with the boy, her eyes fell upon the white-haired thug's corpse. Particularly, she was staring at the three needles sticking out of his neck. To be able to kill a man with only three senbon…this person must have expert knowledge about the human body…not to mention perfect aim. Hinata glanced back up at the young boy. He's not armed. No bombs, no kunai…just a basket full of herbs, medicine and senbon. He looks so ordinary. I don't think he's a ninja, but what is he?
"W-Who are you?" She asked once again.
Putting on his civilian act, Haku smiled at her innocently, acting like he didn't just kill a man. "I'm Haku." He replied as he tucked the senbon back into his basket of herbs. "I hope I didn't frighten you." He walked closer, feigning concern. "Those thugs seemed awfully brutal…you're not hurt are you?"
She shook her head. "N-No. Thank you for your help."
"You're very welcome. But you should be more careful…" he warned. "You're a little too young to be walking around the forest alone. It's dangerous, you know."
Too young? Hinata re-examined the boy in front of her, guessing his age to be about 14-15. "Forgive me for saying this sir…but…you're barely any older than me, and yet you're also here by yourself."
Sir? He raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that she could tell his gender. My, my, those eyes CAN see everything. He mused, giggling a little inside. "I guess you got me there. I do suppose this forest is dangerous for anyone, so long as Gato's men are around."
"Y-yeah…" Her voice trailed off a bit as her eyes wandered back down towards the thugs' bodies. She wondered if she should ask about the needles. Although she was pretty sure that the boy in front of her wasn't particularly dangerous, her ninja instincts were telling her to make absolutely certain. She looked back up at him. "I-If you don't mind me asking…h-how did you…where did you learn to do THIS?"
"Oh, that?" He glanced over at the corpse then back at Hinata. "Anyone could do that with the proper training."
"Training?" She raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.
"Yes. You see, I may not look like it, but I'm actually a certified doctor." He lied. "Ever since I was little, I had devoted my life to studying medicine and learning how to heal people." He took a deep breath, allowing a solemn look to appear on his face. "Unfortunately, ever since Gato and his men arrived, I've had to learn to use my knowledge and medical tools to um…'defend' myself. I'm not really good with knives or any other real weapons, so I just use my surgical needles. They can be quite lethal if thrown at the right spot.
"Oh, I see…" I guess that explains everything. Her suspicions calmed. "You must have worked really hard to have become a doctor at such a young age."
Haku smiled politely as he accepted the complement. "I do try my best."
"S-So…you're collecting herbs for medicine, then?" She inquired, referring to his basket full of plants.
"Yes. I need to make some medication for my father." he replied. "He got jumped by Gato's thugs a little while ago and was injured badly."
"I'm sorry to hear that." She said in a pitiful tone with a sympathetic look on her face. She was feeling a bit guilty that the boy had stopped collecting herbs for his father just to try and save her, even though she wasn't in any real danger to begin with. "W-would you like help gathering the rest of your herbs?" She offered.
Haku tilted his head, wearing a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "You…want to help me?"
"I-It's the least I could do…since you saved me and everything."
He pondered the idea for a moment. What harm could possibly come from two enemy ninja hanging out for a little while? "Well…if you don't have anywhere else to be…then why not? It'll be nice to have someone to talk to while I work."
With Sasuke and Naruto somewhere else
"OOOWW!" Naruto whined as he rubbed the back of his head. Having fallen and hit his skull for what feels like the thousandth time, the Uzumaki found himself sporting a fairly large, peach lump which protruded like a hill from out of his spiky blonde hair. I really need to work on my landing. He groaned before looking up at his tree. Several hours of training and he had only managed to climb a mere 5 feet off of the ground. Man…why can't I get this?! He growled before turning his head to peek at his black-haired rival, who had just made a new mark on his tree. He watched as Sasuke flipped backwards ever-so-gracefully, landing softly on his feet. Show off.
The Uchiha prodigy had managed to climb about 15 feet. Though he was still far from completely scaling the tree's massive 75 foot height, Sasuke had still managed to make it a pretty fair distance off the ground.
Naruto glared at his rival with envy before returning to stare at his own tree. How come he's so good at this?! He's practically got this technique mastered already! What am I doing that's so wrong?! Why am I always the one who's so far behind everyone else? He took a deep sigh before his eyes trailed over towards a third, unmarked, tree standing in between his and Sasuke's, bringing thoughts of their third teammate to mind. Even Hinata's probably ahead of me. He remarked grimly as his mind flashed back to yesterday morning. Back when he had finally woken up after getting knocked out during the team's second survival exercise…
-Flashback: Yesterday Morning!(Read Chapter 7)-
"I see you're finally awake." Kakashi remarked.
"W-what?" Naruto stared blankly at the silver-haired jonin, waiting for his brain to reboot itself as he had just woken up. Starting from the place where his memory last left off, Naruto's eyes widened before he suddenly jumped out of his sleeping bag and onto his feet. "GAH!" He moved his head wildly from side to side, scanning the area around him. "That's right, Hinata and Sasuke! We were training and…!" Naruto's frantic movements calmed as he realized something was off. "Hey…when did we get back to the campsite? Why isn't anyone fighting each other?" He looked up at the clear blue sky. "And why is it daytime all of a sudden?! Wasn't it like, the middle of the night when we started fighting?"
Sasuke, standing a few feet away, shook his head in disappointment at the rambling idiot he called a teammate before turning around in the opposite direction. As if he couldn't even bother to comment on how stupid he was.
"What?" Naruto looked first at Sasuke then at Kakashi.
"Well…how do I put this?" The jonin began scratching the back of his head as he considered how he should deliver the next piece of information.
"What?"
"You hit your head on a rock after Sasuke sent you flying, and have been out all night." Kakashi began to explain. "After you got knocked out, Sasuke and Hinata sparred using taijutsu. They were pretty even at first, but Hinata came out on top in the end. Sasuke lost most of his chakra, and I had to step in to stop to the fight. The exercise ended and everyone returned to camp."
Naruto stared wide eyed at his sensei in complete shock. He couldn't believe his ears! The great prodigy, Sasuke Uchiha was beaten down by the ever-meek and gentle Hyuga Hinata, AND HE MISSED IT! Naruto lowered his head, facing the ground as his mind attempted to process everything. He wasn't entirely sure if he was supposed to be impressed, upset or whatever at this information. Though it didn't take him long to realize that something was definitely bugging him about the whole situation. He stood quietly, carefully considering how he should express his emotions.
"Naruto?" Kakashi called, not sure what to make of his sudden silence. Though the jonin should have enjoyed the quiet while it lasted as the blonde haired genin would suddenly erupt in a furious tantrum.
"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed in his jonin's face. "What do you mean I got knocked out?!"
-Flashback end-
That was pathetic…Naruto sighed pitifully. I only got a single hit on Sasuke in that fight. And he knocked me out! Yet Hinata was able to…gah! He never really paid much attention to his meeker, quieter teammate, but he was sure after yesterday that even she was probably above him by now. Naruto hated to admit this to himself, but he really was a terrible ninja. He had no natural skills, no chakra concentration and no real intelligence beyond your average idiot. He was a failure, no doubt about it. He always talked as if he was the best, but he knew deep down that he was far from it. Even though he constantly talked about and dreamed of becoming Hokage, Naruto often found himself wondering if such a thing could ever be possible for a brat like him.
No! No! I can't think like that! He mentally scolded himself. I may not be the best, YET…but that doesn't mean I won't ever get there! I'll just have to train harder! I'll surpass everybody! Someday they'll all look up to me…and I WILL become Hokage! He turned to look at the tree with his blue eyes set ablaze with determination. And I'm gonna start by mastering this jutsu! Without wasting a second, Naruto gathered his chakra to his feet once again and began charging the tree full force. However, he fell after taking his first step, falling back on his butt rather harshly.
Sasuke watched as his teammate made a fool of himself, looking completely unimpressed yet inwardly amused. It made him feel a little bit better about himself knowing that his rival was far behind him in mastering this technique. Naruto has no chakra control at all…how on earth did he ever become a ninja? A thought that would swim around in Sasuke's head for many years to come. Though he didn't have time to meditate on that now. He turned around to look up at his tree. He had climbed much higher than Naruto…but he still had a long way to go. This technique was trying his patience. They had been at this tree-climbing thing all day. By this point, Sasuke had hoped that he would be at least half way up the tree. He was a little disappointed. This really is much harder than I thought it would be. Geez…how can she do it so easily? He wondered as he suddenly remembered Hinata. If the Hyuga are considered to be on par with my clan…she was probably taught chakra control at a younger age. If there was one thing that Sasuke knew about all prestigious ninja clans, it was that they always pushed perfection onto its members. He remembered how strict his own father was when it came to his training. Fugaku Uchiha was an unforgiving man with hardly any mercy. Sasuke remembered the long hours he spent training with his father. Fugaku made his son work hard everyday of his life. He would come home from a long day at the academy and jump right into training. Learning to use the three basic ninja weapons, learning to perfect his aim, learning the clan's advanced fire jutsu and other techniques. All of those grueling hours he spent training…he can hardly ever remember a day when his father just allowed him to lay back and have fun.
I imagine the Hyuga must do the same kind of thing with their members. They just probably practice differently than we did. He concluded. I wonder…A rather pride-endangering thought wandered into his head as he continued to think about his teammate. …Hinata seems to know a lot about chakra control…His cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink. Maybe…I could a-ask…for a few tips? Sasuke shuddered a bit at his own thought, embarrassed at the very idea of him basically asking someone else for help. He glanced up at his tree, seeing that he still had a good 50 feet left to climb. Sigh. I guess I really don't have a choice. If I have to be stuck here with Naruto for the next couple of days trying to figure this thing out, I swear I'll kill myself.
"I'm leaving." He remarked before turning to walk away. Being so engrossed in his training, Naruto hardly noticed, not even bothering to respond.
Meanwhile with Haku and Hinata somewhere in a forest clearing…
The two ninja were on their knees, sifting through the tall forest grass in search of herbs, talking to each other as they worked. They had been together for a couple of hours. Not because the herbs were hard to find, but because they couldn't stop talking. Despite the two being relatively silent when in the presence of others, something about being together, alone in the forest with a stranger made the idea of conversation a lot more inviting. Perhaps it was to avoid sitting in awkward silence for an extended period of time. As the minutes dragged onto hours their conversations covered many bases, from medicine, to plants and somehow, into personal information...
"So you're a ninja from a far off land, are you?"
"Mm-hmm." The Hyuga nodded.
"That's amazing." Haku smiled. "To have become a ninja at such a young age."
Hinata blushed a light shade of pink at the complement. "I-It's really not…it's not all that impressive. I've only just become a ninja a few weeks ago. I still have to train more and become stronger before I can call myself a true kunoichi." She pulled an herb from the ground. "Here." She tossed it to Haku.
"You seem to be a pretty capable ninja already." He caught the herb. "Isn't that enough?"
Hinata shook her head. "No…I'm still just a beginner. There is still so much that I don't know…that I still need to learn."
"Really?" Haku's interest peeked a little.
"Yes. I have to get stronger." She reiterated.
"I see…" He stopped looking for herbs as his eyes fixated on the Hyuga girl. "Answer me this, then." He paused, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "Are you just training for yourself? Or for someone else?"
"Huh?"
"Do you have someone who is precious to you?"
"Precious?" She repeated. "I-I'm afraid I don't understand."
"When people have someone who is precious to them, then they can become genuinely strong." He clarified. "That person gives your life meaning…you do everything you can to prove your existence to them. To prove that you are strong enough, not only to protect yourself, but to protect them as well…Do you have a person like that in your life?" He asked more clearly.
Someone precious to me? Someone that I want to prove myself to? Someone that I want to protect? That description brought many people to mind. She loved a lot of people, and she held many people precious to her, even if they didn't exactly feel the same way. However... "I guess you can say it's both. I DO have people who are precious to me, a-and I want to prove myself to them. But…I also want to be strong for myself…because I…I want to change myself…to prove to MYSELF that I can be strong…"
There was a silence following those last few words, causing a lingering feeling of uneasiness to beset the Hyuga princess.
Haku was a little unsure of what to say in response as he pondered the girl's words for a while.
However, silence can be interpreted in many ways. Hinata became a little nervous. D-did I say something wrong? She wondered. Though she was tempted to lower her head and fidget with her fingers, an inner voice told her that it would be best to continue to look at him. So she did, and upon closer inspection of the mysterious boy's eyes, she noticed something there that she couldn't see before: a look of sadness and sorrow. He looks so upset all of a sudden…
"I-I'm sorry." She instinctively apologized, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Haku snapped out of his trance, being taken out of his thoughts. Realizing now that his true face was beginning to show, he quickly dawned a false smile before attempting to reassure the Hyuga girl that he was not upset. "Oh no, you don't have to apologize. I was just…thinking that's all. Forgive ME, I didn't mean to stare at you."
"R-really?" She lifted her head, returning to her upright seated position. "W-well…what about you then?"
Haku's eyes widen in genuine surprise. "Huh?"
"D-Do you have someone who is precious to you?" She asks curiously. Though his silence puts her on edge again. She quickly withdraws the question. "N-Nevermind. Y-You don't have to answer!" She turns her head away. "I'm sorry…I was just being nosy, I guess."
"My father…" Haku answers quietly, ignoring the girl's last statements.
"Huh?"
He smiles handsomely as he prepares to give a more complete answer. "My father is the person most precious to me."
"Your…father?" Hinata repeated thoughtfully. I guess that makes since…after all he's out here in the middle of a dangerous forest just to find medicine for him. She wondered if all people were normally so close with their fathers. Being that her relationship with Hiashi was rather…strained, she never really considered that there were others who actually had meaningful bonds with their dads. Even when dealing with Hanabi, Hiashi was still cold and rather uncaring. Now that she thinks even deeper about it, many fathers in her family was like that. Her grandfather…her late uncle…Maybe it's just a Hyuga clan thing…
"You know…" Haku continues, gaining Hinata's attention again. "…it may seem odd to be so attached to my father…to be honest, he's not a very nice man." He laughs bitterly.
Hinata tilts her head to the side, confused. "What do you mean?"
"He's always so strict…he hardly ever smiles, he rarely acknowledges me unless he needs something done…he always expects perfection out of me and doesn't tolerate failure…"
It was like hearing a perfect description of her own father. I guess I'm not the only one with these sorts of problems then. She found a bit of comfort in that idea.
"But…" Haku raises his head to the sky with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "He's all I have left in this world. And…getting to know him during all these years…his strictness seems to be his own way of encouraging me to do better." He smiles. "After all, he was never one for heartfelt words or bonding moments." He looks back down to the leaf genin in front of him. Noticing her staring fairly attentively at him. "My apologies, I didn't mean to dampen the mood."
"Oh no! Nothing's wrong...it's just..." Hinata's voice trails off a bit as her eyes fall to the ground. "Your father sounds a lot like mine."
Haku's eyebrows raise in interest. "Oh?"
"Although…I've never really thought of his strictness as encouragement…" She smiles bitterly.
"I see…" He took a moment to think before asking his next question. "So…I take it that your father is one of the people you want to prove yourself to?"
She nods her head in response.
It seems we have more in common than I thought…Haku concluded. That's probably why I'm running my mouth so much. Still, it's nice to have someone a little more like me to talk to once in a while. Seeing as Zabuza wasn't the chatty type, the two rarely engaged in any type of conversation that did not involve battle plans and strategies on how to avoid tracker ninja. He flashes a smile at the young girl in front of him. A handsome smile that gets rewarded with a slightly blushing Hyuga. "You will grow strong, very strong." He states confidently.
"..." Hinata smiles awkwardly, he eyes falling to the ground once more.
The two ninja sat in silence for a few seconds, allowing a cool gust of wind to blow by them, as neither of them knew what to say next. The wind shuffled around the leaves, the rays of sun began shining through the trees allowing light to shine on certain areas of grass. One beam of sunlight began to shine on Hinata's pale white skin, almost causing her to glow with a sort of golden aura.
Haku's eyes widened a little as he realized something. That lighting… He glanced up at the sky to confirm his suspicions. "Oh my…it's almost sunset." He state in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Huh? Sunset?!" Hinata gawked, just noticing the orange and red colored sky herself.
"We were talking for a very long time, I'm afraid." Haku chuckled a bit as he rose to his feet. He reached out his hand, for Hinata to take, giving her support as she lifted herself off the ground. "They say time flies when you're having fun…"
"I guess…" But I didn't get any training done today. She whimpered. What am I going to tell Kakashi-sensei? He's probably on his way back to the house with Mr Tazuna by now.
Noticing that the Hyuga girl seemed rather distressed, Haku began to feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry for taking up all your time." He apologized. "I didn't intend to keep you out here with me all day."
"N-No! N-Not at all! I-I mean…Y-You don't have to apologize!" She stuttered. "I-I chose to stay of my own free will, after all."
"I see…but still…I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something for your troubles." Haku walked a little closer towards Hinata, pulling something out of his basket. "Here." He handed her a small, brown, cylindrical container. "It's a very strong medication."
"Medication?" She opened the container, seeing that it contained a thick, dark green liquid.
"It temporarily increases the recovery speed of your body. Just take one small sip and it should heal the torn ligaments in your ankles. It's fast acting…so it ought to be able to heal that nasty sprain within a few seconds."
Hinata's eyes widened. "S-Sprain? H-How did you-?"
"I told you…I'm a doctor…" he reminded her. "…and that sprain isn't exactly hard to miss." He said, pointing towards her swollen ankle.
Hinata blushed a little in embarrassment. "o-oh…" She was trying not to show it while they were working. As a ninja, she figured that she should get used to dealing with pain. It wasn't very hard to work when they were crawling on the ground, looking for herbs. Though Haku probably noticed her injury back when they were walking towards the clearing. She hadn't asked for any help, but she didn't do a very good job in hiding her limp.
"You should be careful not to push your body too hard. Even if you are a ninja." He advised.
She lowered her head. "Y-Yes…t-thank you." She took a sip of the medicine and immediately wanted to spit it back out. "Oh my…!" The liquid was thick, bitter and overall, horrible in taste. She had to put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from throwing it back up. She swallowed loudly, attempting to hurry up and force the liquid down her throat before her body regurgitated the disgusting drink. She shuddered a little as the horrid taste lingered on her tongue.
Haku giggled at the Hyuga's sour face. "It tastes awful I know."
"I-I'm s-sorry!" Even though the medicine was awful, she didn't want to seem ungrateful since he was trying to help.
"It's alright." He assured her. "I've had to take that same medication myself. I know how terrible it is. Now then…" He took a step back to give her some space. "Let's see if it worked. Try walking around a little." He ordered.
"O-Okay…" With a little bit of hesitance, Hinata placed her injured foot in front of her, preparing to put her weight on her ankle. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she places all of her weight on her injured(?) ankle, taking a step forward. Though she braced herself for pain, she quickly opened her eyes when she felt nothing out of the ordinary. She looked down at her ankle, shocked that the medication worked so fast. She took a couple of steps walking in place to make sure that it wasn't a fluke. "Wow…that worked so fast." She marveled before looking up at the young boy in front of her. "You're really amazing! Thank you!" She bowed to express her gratitude.
"Don't mention it." He waved. "Just promise me you'll take better care of yourself."
"I will." She assured him, smiling radiantly with her eyes shining. "Thank you very much."
He smiled back at her. What a cute kid…. He thought innocently, allowing a light pink blush to grace his cheeks. Though it faded a few seconds later. "Well, I have to get going now." He sighed. "I really should get this medicine to my father." Before he throws a fit.
"Oh…" She pouted a little, not wanting him to go so soon. It's not like it was every day that she could find someone that she could talk to so easily. "It was nice meeting you." She tried to force a semblance of a smile on her face.
Haku smirked, the girl's dissatisfaction was easy to see. It brought him a strange feeling of elation that someone was actually sad to see him leave. "You don't have to be so sad…" he stated, causing her to blush in embarrassment once again. "…the world is smaller than you think. Who knows if we'll meet again sometime. Ninja have overseas missions all the time, right? So this isn't forever…it's more of a 'goodbye-for-now'."
"O-Oh…well…I guess…" Her face brightened a little.
Haku extends his hand for Hinata to take. The two smile at each other as they shake hands like old friends.
"We will meet again." He promises before disappearing into the thick of the forest.
Hinata smiles to herself. I think…I've made a new friend. She'll have to remember to ask her teammates for more missions to this land. Hopefully once the bridge is built, the economy will get better and allow such things to occur. However, at the current moment, she really shouldn't be so focused on the future. She looked up at the orange colored sky. Kakashi-sensei is going to be heading home with Mister Tazuna soon… Taking out the dark blue, scroll, Hinata glanced at the instructions written for the water-walking technique. Should I at least try to practice a little before I head back? I don't want to say I didn't do anything all day…Seeing the difficult looking instructions on the scroll she had to shake her head at the idea. No…I don't really have much time. Besides…I don't want to be stuck out here in the dark. She slips the scroll back into her pocket. I guess I could tell sensei that I spent the day helping someone. Kakashi was a very relaxed man. She doubted that he would be that upset over her not training. Especially since he had planned for her to spend the day resting to begin with. Confident that she wouldn't be yelled at for slacking, Hinata decided to test her newly recovered ankle as she leapt onto a tree branch, preparing to head home at ninja speed.
Though perhaps she should have been more hesitant to return to the bridgebuilder's home.
Back at Tazuna's House…
"Where on earth have you been?!"
"You were supposed to be home resting."
"Do you have any idea what time it is?!"
"You could have made your injury worse."
"What would you do if someone attacked you!?"
Unbelievable. Hinata had barely taken a step onto the wooden porch before she found herself confronted with what appeared to be TWO irate parents: Tsunami and Sasuke, stood in front of the doorway, side-by-side, arms folded, glaring fiercely as they scolded her for her little vanishing act earlier. Though Tsunami was more visibly angry while Sasuke seemed to be just plain annoyed.
"I-I'm sorry…" was all she could think to say in response as she humbly bowed her head, hoping to appease the furious duo. Though it seemed sweet words and a cute face were hardly going to help her get out of this one.
Fortunately for her, her get-out-of-jail free cards had arrived just before her.
"Aw, leave the rugrat alone." Tazuna yelled from inside the house. "She's a ninja like the rest of them, aint she? Can't she take care of herself?"
Tsunami snapped her head back to face her father standing in the door way. "She's still a child!" she argued. "And an injured one at that! Ninja or not, she's a growing girl, and she should have spent the day allowing her body to recover!"
While he didn't say anything, Sasuke nodded in agreement.
Tazuna cocks his head to the side, looking past his daughter and ninja-guard to examine the 'injured' Hyuga girl. "Her ankle doesn't look too bad to me." He remarks. "Seems she can stand just fine."
At that statement both Tsunami and Sasuke turn their heads to look back at Hinata, recognizing the change in her appearance that they were too furious to notice before. Her bandages had been removed, her ankle was no longer swollen, and she was standing comfortably with her weight equally distributed on both legs. But before anyone can begin questioning, a certain silver-haired ninja makes his presence known.
"My, my…I didn't think that when I sent her off, there'd be so much trouble."
The sound of the lax voice came from above. They all look up to see none other than the famous copy ninja, seated comfortably on the roof of the house while reading his favorite book.
"Kakashi-sensei." Hinata calls, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes. Perhaps she'll survive this encounter after all.
Kakashi jumps down from off the roof, landing on the porch between Sasuke and Tsunami. He closes his book as he looks faces his female student. "Though you certainly did take your time on the way back, didn't you?"
Hinata lowers her head a little in response. "S-sorry…"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute…" Tsunami interrupts. "You knew about this?" She asks the jonin accusingly.
He rubs the back of his neck searching for the words to calm the worrisome mother. "Yeah…I probably should have mentioned this earlier. Hinata was feeling bad about not being able to train with everyone else, so I sent her out on a little…expedition for the day." He explains.
"What expedition?" Sasuke questions, though he is quickly silenced when Kakashi smacks the back of his head silently telling him "shut up, until the civilians leave". Begrudgingly, Sasuke closes his mouth, rubbing the back of his head while silently swearing to get back at the jonin later.
Though she normally isn't so easily calmed, even the stubborn mother couldn't bring herself to blame the Hyuga for following her sensei's orders. I guess she is his student. Though children shouldn't be forced into such rough lives…becoming ninja at this age… She sighs. She had seen many orphans on the street in her land since Gato's arrival. Forced to fend for themselves, forced to fight for their lives on a daily basis just to avoid ending up on the wrong end of one of his thug's blades. Though I suppose ninja are a different story. I guess I should try to be less overbearing. She takes a deep breath, sighing heavily.
"Tsunami?" Kakashi becomes a little worried at the woman's sudden silence.
"I guess there's nothing wrong then." She finally speaks before turning around to enter the house. "Dinner is on the table." Walking past her father, she snatches his hidden bottle of sake, causing him to pout.
"H-hey!"
Sasuke looks at his sensei with an eyebrow raised, having waited for Tazuna and Tsunami to leave before saying what's on his mind. "Expedition?" He repeats the jonin's words. "What could you possibly have had her do for the whole day?" He asked, genuinely curious, and possibly a little envious. She DID have the whole day to herself while Naruto and Sasuke were forced to train from sunrise to sunset.
Unfortunately, Kakashi wasn't in the mood to answer any questions. Instead, he decided to have a little fun at his student's expense. "You know, Sasuke…I've noticed that you've become increasingly curious about Hinata recently. I'm starting to think you actually have a little crush on her." He states, loud enough for both of them to start blushing red at the implication.
"K-Kakashi-sensei! Hinata wasn't even sure how she should react to that.
"D-Don't be stupid!" The Uchiha huffs, his cheeks still red. "I was just wondering, that's all."
He raises an eyebrow. "Since when were you the curious type?"
"Shut up!" He turns his back to the two of them. "Forget I said anything! I'm taking a shower." He declares before he disappears into the house.
"Aww…leaving so soon?" The jonin teases.
Sasuke ignores him, slamming the screen door shut as he enters the house.
Kakashi closes his eye as he chuckles a little inside. Ah, that never gets old…
"S-Sensei…" Hinata mumbles. "T-Thank you." She bows her head quickly.
"Not a problem. It's actually quite fun messing with people." He chuckles.
Hinata giggles quietly, her cheeks still red from his earlier comment. Though she's a little embarrassed, she's thankful for her sensei's help once again.
"Well now…" he returns to his ordinary voice. "…you seem like you've had an interesting day. I won't say I'm not curious, especially about your ankle…but I'm not in the mood for interrogation, so I'll just let it slide."
Phew. She sighed inwardly. She didn't even know how to begin explaining what her day was like.
Kakashi turned to the front door, preparing to enter the house. "But I expect you to be up and ready for training tomorrow morning with Sasuke and Naruto, understand?"
"Y-Yessir!"
In the house…
Unlike the night before, the whole group did not band together for dinner. Tsunami and Sasuke had eaten right before everyone else arrived, so they were not at the table. Tazuna had decided to eat in his room that night while Kakashi preferred to eat outside on the porch as he watched the stars come out. Hinata was the only person to eat at the table, not feeling comfortable enough to dare ask if she could bring her food into her bedroom.
With everyone separated, no one thought anything was amiss until a little later on.
In the Guest Bedroom…
Having long showered before everyone else, Sasuke had found himself laying comfortably atop of his sleeping bags, staring at the wooden ceiling in thought. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a pair of black shorts to go with him. Next to him was Kakashi, who sat up with his back to the wall, reading his favorite book. He was wearing his ninja suit to bed again, only without his jacket or shoes on.
The slid open ever so quietly as the freshly-showered Hyuga began to make her way into the room. For her pajamas, she was wearing a long-sleeve shirt with a pair of baggy pants.
Sasuke sat up from his previous position as she entered the room. "You're actually still sleeping in here?" He asked with a clear look of surprise on his face.
"What do you mean? We have to…" she blushed a little. "…we all have to share this room t-together. I…I'll try to sleep as far away as possible i-if it bothers you."
"That's not what I meant."
"?"
"He meant…" Kakashi glanced up from his book. "…do you think you'll be able to sleep in here without passing out again?"
Remembering last night's 'incident' caused the Hyuga girl's cheeks to flush red. "Uh…I uh…" she focused her eyes on the oh-so-interesting wooden floor. "I'll be fine…m-miss Tsunami said she doesn't have any other rooms…and I'd hate to be a burden. B-Besides…I'm s-supposed to be a ninja…I'll…have to get used to these situations eventually…" As long as everyone's clothes stays on…I should be fine. She silently added.
"Just don't expect me to catch you if you pass out again." Sasuke laid back down on his back while Kakashi began reading his book again.
Thinking of last night's incident brought a certain matter to the Hyuga's attention. She perked up, tearing her eyes away from the floor, allowing them to roam around the confines of their small bedroom, searching for something that wasn't there. After a few moments, she couldn't help but ask. "Um…where's Naruto?"
"Probably passed out at the training grounds." Sasuke responded.
Even though he was still reading his book, Kakashi could sense the Hyuga's look of concern. "Don't worry…" he said without even bothering to look up. "…Naruto's a big boy, he can take care of himself." He assured her. "I'd suggest you worry more about yourselves. I was being nice by allowing you all to sleep in today, but tomorrow we're going to be up much earlier."
"Great…" Sasuke moaned, pulling back his covers to slip into his sleeping bag. "…let's all get up before the sun does. Cause that's always fun." He remarked sarcastically.
"Yes sensei…" despite her own desire to check on Naruto, Hinata didn't want to interrupt him if he decided to keep training. Hesitantly, she slipped into her own sleeping bag and allowed herself to drift off into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile at the training grounds…
Naruto lies in front of his tree, unconscious. After a long day of constantly exerting chakra, his body couldn't take the stress anymore. He had completely collapsed out in the open, far from the house, far from anyone he knew. He was defenseless, absolutely vunerable, and to the ordinary thug, he was another target.
"Hey! Would you look at that!"
"It's another kid!"
"Man we've hit the jackpot today! Do you think it's about time we ask Gato for a raise?"
"Yeah right, as if we'd get it. Just grab the kid and throw him into the wagon with the others."
"*sigh* Alright, alright…killjoy."
A/N: What happened to Naruto? Who kidnapped him and why?! You'll see next chapter!
Also Doctor Zabuza says: "Learn to eat right or die, fool."
An herb a day keeps the assassin away.