It took a few moments to explain the technique, but once I had the entire group and even a few of the jounin that had been assigned our protection were for it.

"It's a bit like the Byakugan but with touch instead of sight," I explained "using my earth chakra I can push it out and pull it in again like ripples on water. These ripples give me an idea of what's going on around me."

"So you're seeing with your chakra…and your feet?" Gai asked to clarify and Kurenai clapped him over the head.

"Just give her some chakra already, we need to know what's going on out there." One of the jounin grunted, we were all eager to see what was going on right now.

I walked over to the boulder/door and went to slip my shoes off, but when I looked down I realised that I hadn't even bothered to put them on. I tsked, that was going to make the image a bit blurry, but I'd just have to work around it.

I planted my feet and turned them slightly inwards, holding out my arms for Anko and Hiro-kun to take hold of. Then the others connected and after a moment I felt their chakra flowing steadily into my arms and down towards the floor.

I pushed out the chakra in small waves, feeling them rush back and then pushed them further out in larger ways until I could feel the waves of chakra cascading down the monument and further into the village.

My eyes were pressed shut and I gripped Anko and Hiro-kun tighter as the carnage got worse. I ignored the state of my own home, and bodies all around as I pushed out towards the edge of the village where I knew the battle would be.

Just a little further…

Maybe I had spoken out loud because the chakra flow got thicker and the waves were pushed ever further out. This was going to take the life out of all of us once it was finished, but until then I pushed forwards.

I could see it now, the kyuubi. It sucked up the waves of chakra and I worried about making it stronger, yet I knew the measly chakra we were sending out would be nothing compared to what it already had.

I could see Obito, stood watching nearby.

I could see Kushina-sensei and Minato, impaled, protecting their son.

The image was burning into my mind, I knew they would die but knowing something and accepting it were completely different feelings. My head hurt, the pain was sharp and stabbing into the back of my eyes but I daren't pull away yet.

For gods sake Shoko enough!

The image shattered and I wheezed out a harsh breath as I was pulled off of my own feet, the voice had been Kakashi, not my own internal monologue as I had thought it was. I could feel blood dripping from my nose, and when I coughed blood sprayed the air.

"You just don't know when to stop do you?" Gai asked as I was placed on the ground, I didn't even try and sit up I was so exhausted.

Kakashi lowered my head down gently but refused to let me curl up. Everyone slumped to the floor, sweating and pale as they waited for something, anything from me. I sucked in breath after breath, wishing to be able to explain.

"Minato…" I coughed again but muddled through the strange wheezy feeling all over my body.

"Minato…and Kushina…" Another quick inhalation "dead."

For several hours there was silence, nobody had dared to make a sound and if I could have I'd have stopped my desperate gasping. I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes I could still see the images I had volunteered to search for earlier, and after four hours we were collected and escorted back down to the village.

I lead the Hyuuga's, standing tall in front of them despite my exhaustion and marching towards our village. Our worn, destroyed and broken village.

Soon children were running towards their parents, and those that couldn't spot theirs broke into sobs. I kept my head up, even though I wanted so desperately to call for my brothers and look around like the rest of my family was.

"Lady Hyuuga."

I turned, a weary looking council member was approaching me, he wasn't a Hyuuga so he must be one of the Hokage's personal council advisors.

"Can I help?" I asked, limping over to him so he didn't have to come and clamber over the rubble to join me.

"I was just coming over to ask the Hyuuga's to assist with the rebuild," I nodded for him to continue "now I understand that of course, you will want to start with your own home but the village is in dire need-"

"I understand."

He nodded, and turned to go find someone else to pester. Even moments after the battle, they were starting again. The way he had addressed me made my stomach churn, did he know if my brothers were alive or not? He made it sound like I was already head and…no that couldn't be right surely.

"Shoko, are you alright?" Hiro-kun asked gently and after a stiff nod he turned back to his mother and father and I found my way to Maya.

She was holding Neji tentatively, and he was sniffling and preparing for a wailing fit I could just tell. I walked over to her and reached forwards, Neji squealed in delight and reached back for me and Maya was more than happy to hand him over.

"There are medics in the remains of the Hokage tower."

She mumbled her thanks and darted off, hand on her stomach, to go and make sure that she was alright. I wondered if this stress was why Hinata had always seemed so small in the original timeline, could stress do that to a child?

"Ji-chan, I haven't see either of my nisan yet and that doesn't bode well." I muttered to him, whenever I held Neji I tended to speak to him about things I'd never tell my brothers.

In fact I told Neji everything, he was a year old now but it was hard to forget when I got started on one of my one-sided heart-to-hearts.

Neji was starting to grasp the concepts of words now, if only just because his tongue still hadn't worked out how to manoeuvre with his lips but bless him he was trying.

"Da!"

I nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be here soon. I reckon they were on the front line so that's why it's taking so long."

"Hinaaaaaash! Da!"

I nodded and huffed out a sigh, but I span when I realised what those words meant.

"NISAN!" I yelled running over to my brothers and wishing I could throw my arms around them.

Fortunately for me, Hizashi and Hiashi seemed to understand and dutifully wrapped themselves around me, after a moment Hizashi took Neji and gripped him tight to his chest and Hiashi thankfully did the same for me.

I squeezed him tightly and he returned the favour, he smelt like blood and destruction but still he smelt so remarkably like himself that I wanted to inhale deep into my nose and shut my eyes forever.

"It's alright imouto, I promise it'll get better I swear." He soothed and I realised I was sobbing into his chest.

I pulled away after a few more hesitant moments, Hizashi reached forwards around Neji and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and I believed him, I believed Hiashi that it would get better.

Once you've hit the bottom, it can only get better from there, things had to go up.

"We need to check the house, find the dead." Hiashi grumbled his hand still resting on the back of my head even though I had pulled away, I flinched at the idea of searching out the dead.

"The house is in ruins," I told them "most of the east wing has collapsed and there is no longer a south wing."

Hizashi looked crestfallen and Hiashi kept his lips pressed together in a thin line, but he was staring at me carefully and his eyes were scanning me for injuries.

"How do you know that?" Hizashi asked, clicking on to Hiashi's train of thoughts.

Damn twin senses.

"I uh…"I coughed to clear my throat "may, have been in there when it collapsed?"

I had never seen my brothers look more alike, they both went deathly white and swayed on their feet dangerously. I patted them both reassuringly on the shoulders and waited for them to snap out of it which took a couple of minutes.

"You were in the house?!" Ah there it is.

I tried to placate them but it was useless, that was until my defender from earlier approached with his wife and child and bowed deeply to all of us.

"Thank you Shoko-sama, if not for you I would be a father no longer."

I bowed in return and patted his daughter on the head as she beamed up at me, she was covered in soot but otherwise unharmed and that was all that mattered. My brothers dropped the subject, and I informed them of what the council elder had told me.

"Then, imouto," Hizashi smiled sadly "we had better get started."