Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

The Laughing Phoenix does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness. Language.

The Universal Question

Birthdays were not days of celebration among the Hyuuga. Thus, the morning of Hinata's fourteenth birthday was quiet. There were small things, however, little bits of recognition – one of the Branch members slipped a cinnamon bun into her breakfast dishes, and Hanabi slid an envelope to her under the table. Later perusal in her room showed the envelope to contain flower seeds. As she was leaving for the day, Neji stopped her and awkwardly offered to train with her.

"I-I'd love to, Neji-niisan, but I promised Shino I'd meet him for training today. Maybe tomorrow?"

"The day after would be better, Hinata-sama. Gai-sensei appears to have something planned for tomorrow."

"Alright niisan. The day after tomorrow."

The pair separated, both a little relieved that the conversation was over. Hinata shook her head as she trotted to the usual training ground, dismissing the exchange for the moment. Shino had beaten her there, and was apparently not alone, if the kunai coming for her head were any indication.

"Happy birthday Sunny!" Anko crowed, bouncing into view. "Here!" A bundle of grey cloth hit Hinata in the face before she had time to duck. Unraveling it revealed a heavy grey belted coat with a deep hood and pockets. "Well? Put it on, I wanna see if it fits!"

Shrugging out of her old coat, Hinata slipped into the new. The sleeves were perhaps a little longer than she might like, but she had no real complaints. Anko pronounced the fit "Perfect! You look more kick-ass." and threw her arm over Hinata's shoulder.

"Thank you, Anko-senpai," Hinata said softly, leaning slightly into the older woman.

"No problem, Sunny," Anko told her, ruffling her hair. "You two have fun now, kohai mine. I've got to report in to Ibiki this morning or I'd play with you some." Dropping her arm from around Hinata, Anko bounced into the trees with a cheery wave – and Hinata's old coat under her arm.

Hinata turned to Shino as Anko bounded away, smiling helplessly. "I probably should have seen that coming, shouldn't I?"

"You should have," Shino agreed, stepping forward and sinking into a taijutsu stance. "Shall we?"

Shino called a halt to their sparring with the advent of lunchtime, and the two of them walked back into the village. They were a few minutes into the residential section when a blur of movement swept by, and with an "Eep!" Hinata found herself thrown over a shoulder and carried off across the rooftops. She began to twist in an attempt to make her kidnapper let go when she recognized the smell of dogs.

"Happy birthday, Hina-chan!" The Inuzuka called.

"Ichirou-kun?"

"Nope! Close though, it's Hiroto."

"Oh. Um, can you set me down, Hiroto-kun?"

"No can do, Hina-chan. I've got my instructions, so just sit tight, 'k?"

Back where Hinata had been standing before she was snatched off the street, Shino was talking to Inuzuka Hana.

"Mom's set everything up at our house. There's plenty of food to go around, and I just stopped by your place to invite your dad," Hana told Shino.

The boy nodded. "I'll see you there then," He said, jumping to the roof and bouncing off at an angle.

Hiroto didn't put Hinata down until they got to Tsume's house. The woman was waiting at the door, arms folded. "Good job, Hiroto." She barked. "Did you have any trouble?"

"Nope. Hina-chan was right where you said she'd be." He said, putting the girl down.

"Good." The next thing Hinata knew, Tsume had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and was leading her inside. "Happy birthday, Hinata."

"A-ah, thank you, Tsume-obasama."

Hinata was told to take a seat in the kitchen and Tsume was loading a plate with food for her when Shino appeared in the doorway, followed by Kurenai.

"Happy birthday Hinata," her sensei said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you sensei," Hinata said, getting up to hug her sensei properly. She threw her teammate a look as he took the chair next to hers. "You set me up," she whispered.

"I admit to nothing."

Shibi arrived a few minutes later, and the motley group proceeded to eat lunch. It was a cheerful affair, as small gifts were placed next to Hinata's plate and the table took turns telling stories and sharing gossip. Shibi demonstrated the same dry sense of humor as his son, reducing the table to helpless laughter more than once.

When Hinata slipped quietly into the Hyuuga compound later that evening, the pockets of her new jacket loaded with presents, she decided it was probably the best birthday she could remember.

Two days later, after a short spar with Neji, Hinata quietly thanked her cousin as he awkwardly wished her a happy birthday, and tried to ignore the fact that her father had yet to say the same. She made a mental note to check how much money she had saved – she was almost positive that she had nearly enough to move out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As was custom, most of the shinobi in the village were given New Years off to spend with their families. For Shino and Hinata, this meant that they were excused from training with the hunter-nin and told to take the day off.

Hinata spent the morning with her family, getting up early to watch the sun rise from the gardens before joining her father and sister for a quiet breakfast. After the meal, she and Hanabi dressed up in formal kimono before visiting a small shrine set on the Hyuuga grounds. Returning to the main house, she peeled herself out of the outer layers and threw a simple yukata over the nagajuban. Quietly picking up some incense, a small brush, and two small packages of mochi from various storerooms and the kitchen, Hinata slipped out of the compound. She would have to return for dinner, as it was one of the few times a year that the entire clan ate together, but she had a couple of hours until then, more than enough time to run the errands she wanted.

Responding politely to the few greetings called out to her as she walked along the roads, Hinata made her way to Kurenai's apartment. Stopping in only long enough to leave one of the packages of mochi, she then crossed the village to the Inuzuka compound, leaving the other for Tsume and Hana.

Finally, Hinata entered the cemetery. Her first stop was at her mother's grave, where she lit one of the cones of incense and swiftly brushed off the stone, before crossing the cemetery to Kiba's grave. Kneeling before it, she noted the smoldering remains of another cone of incense, most likely left by Hana. Lighting her own incense, Hinata sat back on her knees and considered what to tell Kiba.

"It's New Years, Kiba-kun," she began, "though-though I think Hana-san must have told you already." Biting her lip, she considered her words for a moment before moving on. "I went by your house earlier, but she was out and Tsume-obasama was getting dressed so I left a package of mochi and my best wishes with Kuromaru. I-I slipped out of the Hyuuga compound," Hinata lowered her voice, as though one of her clansmen might be close enough to overhear, "but as long as I'm back in time for dinner I think I'll be fine. I've been getting along with N-Neji-niisan a lot better recently – I have! A-anyway, between Neji-niisan and Hanabi-chan I think they might cover for me…maybe."

Hinata paused, closing her eyes and letting the remembered sound of her friend's bark-like laughter ring in the air. Her eyes watered, but she dashed the moisture away before it could accumulate enough to form tears. "I-I'm sorry. It's New Years and here I am being-being silly. Anyway, Kiba-kun, I ran into Asuma-sensei the other day…" Hinata spent the next twenty minutes regaling Kiba's headstone with as many bits of gossip she thought would have interested the boy. Finally, she leaned back, tracking the sun's position in the sky. Sighing, she stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, I need to go now." Leaving the cemetery, Hinata walked back to the compound and slipped in via one of the side gates, hurrying back to her room to change into her holiday finery before dinner. The only indication that anyone had noticed her absence was the gentle pat on the arm Neji hesitantly gave her on the way to dinner.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Like Hinata, Shino had been up early, spending the morning with his father. After breakfast, the two left their house and went walking down the road, stopping in at the houses of aunts, uncles, and cousins to exchange wishes for a happy new year. Much of the Aburame was out in force, greeting each other softly as they passed in the street on the way to visit various relatives. Familial duty done, Shino changed out of the formal robes he'd been wearing and into the clothes he wore for training before quietly slipping away to the Memorial Stone.

Despite the fact that it was not yet noon, the Stone had obviously been a popular destination. Smudges of incense encircled the base, along with drifts of flowers and a few slips of paper. Kneeling in front of Kiba's name, Shino sat for a few minutes collecting his thoughts before looking up at his friend's name. I cannot believe it has been almost a year, he began suddenly. Remember last year, when we all had tea at Kurenai-sensei's the day after New Years and talked about what we wanted to do in the upcoming year? Our biggest concern was who the new Hokage would be and if we'd be allowed to test for chuunin at the next exam. He shook his head. It seems so hard to believe that it's been a year since then; so much has happened that it feels like far longer. Sighing slightly, Shino pushed his glasses up his nose. It's almost insane. A year ago I'd have been happy to make chuunin within a year or two. Now…now I am chuunin and looking to become hunter-nin in about a month, if they meant it when they said six months.

Shino spent a few minutes sitting silently, remembering, then rolled into a crouch, leaning in to glare at the characters of Kiba's name. Listen to me, you mutts – and yes, Akamaru, I am talking to both of you. All the stuff that's happened to Hinata and I in the past eleven months? Everything from getting to know Anko-senpai to our promotions to the hunter-nin? Know this: I would cheerfully trade every fucking moment of it if it meant we got you back. Pushing himself to his feet, Shino jumped off into the trees, looking for a quiet spot to compose himself before he returned to his clan's houses.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A few days after the New Year's celebrations, Hinata, Shino, and Anko found themselves sitting on the ground in their usual training spot. They'd spent an hour discussing poisons and antidotes, and were trying to work up the energy to go get lunch.

"Why do you want to do this?" Anko asked suddenly. "I mean, I know it's because of Kiba an' Uchiha Sasuke, but you could've chosen another path. You've got what it takes to make jounin in a year if y'wanted."

"It's…complicated, senpai." Hinata sighed, drawing her knees up to her chin.

"Uchiha was irritating," Shino said suddenly. "He had the admiration of the village, all that he could ask for, yet he was standoffish at best and downright rude at worst. He expected to be treated like royalty, but never seemed to show any signs that he was going to assume the responsibilities that came with his position."

"After the massacre, the Uchiha Clan existed on the sufferance of the village," Hinata continued, voice soft. "The clan was reduced to a single underage survivor – it wouldn't have taken much for the village to absorb the excess properties and strip clan privileges, leaving Sasuke as the equivalent of, say, Hatake Kakashi-sensei. The single survivor of a family that has produced loyal shinobi. I remember hearing Father talk about it."

Shino nodded, taking back the thread of conversation. "Not only are clans responsible to the village, but once we put on these," he lifted a hand to his hitae-ate, "we become the property of Konoha. Uchiha was then doubly responsible to the village, but he decided to shirk his responsibilities in favor of studying under another traitor in hopes of committing fratricide. That kind of behavior is inexcusable, and had the sharingan been any less valuable the first team would not have been under orders to bring him back alive."

Anko nodded slightly. "Alright. I get where you're coming from with Uchiha, but where exactly does Kiba factor in?"

A slightly awkward silence followed, which Hinata broke. "I – I didn't have many friends at the Academy. A-And there aren't many friends within Clan Hyuuga."

"Kiba and Hinata were my first friends who were not Aburame," Shino said bluntly.

"So not only did Uchiha misbehave, but because of that you lost someone real important to you." Anko said, nodding slowly. "That still doesn't explain the hunter-nin."

"It was…bad…what happened to us," Hinata whispered, hunching her shoulders. "It-it shouldn't happen to anybody else."

"Konoha has a shortage of hunter-nin. It's been fourteen years since the Kyuubi attacked, and ANBU still haven't regained the numbers they had before the attack, especially in the hunter-nin and medical support squads. I've seen the numbers, I know." Shino said. Both girls had the decency to ignore the brittle tone of his voice. "If there had been even one extra hunter-nin, then maybe there would have been someone with real experience chasing down traitors on that team. Maybe our classmates wouldn't have had to go at all."

Maybe Kiba would still be alive.

"Huh." Anko mulled that over a bit. "So that's your goal, then. You want to see Uchiha Sasuke punished for betraying th' village, and you want to help up the hunter-nin's numbers so that next time some idiot gets the smart idea of turning traitor their teammates an' friends don't have to go after them."

Shino and Hinata blinked slightly. That was the longest sentence they'd ever heard Anko say in a serious tone of voice.

"Well," Anko mused, leaning back to look up at the sky, "there are worse reasons to take the mask an' mark. Just…keep that in mind, 'k? It's not an easy road, and…people change." She dropped her head back down and stared at them, face completely serious. "I'd hate to see th' two of you damaged by it."

"Thank you, Anko-senpai." Hinata said softly.

Two hours later, Morino Ibiki sat in a bare interview room with Ryouken, Jakkaru, and Anko, listening to the recording Anko had made of the conversation. There was a moment of silence as the recording came to an end.

"Well," the gigantic interrogator sighed, "I've heard worse reasons for joining ANBU. I withdraw that part of my objections." He leveled a glare at the two masked nin across the table. "But I still want them back here before long. If you're going to deploy two fourteen-year-olds, then so help me they'll be capable of facing my opposite numbers."

The two men bowed their heads. "But of course, Morino-san," Ryouken said, a smile audible in his voice.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"You wanted to see me, Gaara?" Temari asked, pushing open the door to the Kazekage's office.

Gaara nodded, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Come in Temari." Once Temari had leaned her fan against the back of the chair and sat down, Gaara continued. "Given the nature of our treaty with Konoha, there are a large number of issues that need to be re-negotiated. I have selected Goza to handle the more economic negotiations, but I wish to send you along as well."

Temari tipped her head to one side as she thought about that. Goza was a former jounin who had been too badly injured to continue active service a few years before the attempted invasion. After he'd recovered enough to leave the hospital, he'd parlayed his experience in the field and instinctive understanding of mathematics into a position in the Supply office, ensuring that everything from the Hospital to the Academy to the specialty squads had sufficient supplies. His main fault was his pride in Suna, as he had a tendency to take it a little too far. "I assume you'd want me to handle the more military side of things?"

"Goza is talented enough in matters of commerce, but he has been out of the field too long." Gaara pushed a scroll across the desk. "Shinobi exchange, protocol for missions along the border, and so on would be more or less your responsibility as required."

Temari slowly picked up the scroll and unrolled it. It was a combination of a letter of introduction and her credentials, authorizing her to act in the Kazekage's name. "I assume you'd want us to bring any proposed changes back to you before they get signed off on?" When Gaara nodded, she rolled the scroll back up. "I do have a request to make. The Hokage's probably going to assign us guides while we're in the village – can we request specific shinobi?"

Gaara gave her a mildly quizzical look. "You had someone in mind?"

"Three, actually." Temari tapped the scroll against her palm. "Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata."

After a moment of thought, Gaara nodded. "Acceptable choices. I will include them in my message to the Hokage." He gestured slightly at the door, a dismissal.

Temari had gotten as far as the door before she turned around. "Oh, wait. When exactly are we going?"

"The arrangements should be finalized in two weeks, so you will be leaving then. Expect to be gone for about a week."

Temari nodded. "Alright. When is the next messenger leaving for Konoha?"

"Later this afternoon, why?"

"Just wanted to slip a note into the bag."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week and a half before Shino's birthday, Jakkaru and Ryouken sat down with the two trainees. "There is one thing we have to talk about." Ryouken told them calmly. "And it's attitude."

Shino and Hinata glanced at each other, worried and more than a little puzzled. Nobody had said anything about their attitude being a problem before…

"Most members of the force," Ryouken went on, "need a way to keep their ANBU life separate from their home life. They compartmentalize, leaving their codenames and their secret lives behind when the mask comes off. Needless to say," he added dryly, "they tend to be the more stable operatives."

"One way to do that," Jakkaru piped up, "is to create a separate identity, a pseudo-split personality. I knew this one ANBU medic who swapped between two personas – his masked self was calmer and quieter than his unmasked self, and he referred to them as two separate people. We're not saying you have to do that, of course," he said quickly, "but it's one of the more successful mechanisms."

"It also helps keep your ANBU identity from being connected with your regular identity." Ryouken said. "For example, a particularly aggressive ANBU's not likely to be associated with a calm, retiring personality."

"So you are suggesting that we find a way to differentiate between our two identities?" Shino asked.

"That's right. And we're not going to tell you how to do it. What we are going to tell you is that it would be a bad idea for your masked self to be obviously the same person as your unmasked. Your identity is safer if people can't make the connection." Ryouken pushed away from the tree he was leaning on and stood. "Take some time to think about it. When I see you next, I expect to see two members of Konoha's masked forces."

"If you need some help or ideas, you can ask me or Anko-san," Jakkaru added. "You know how to find us."

The hunter-nin bounded away into the trees, leaving the two chuunin to think it over.

"It seems simple enough," Shino said slowly after a moment of silence, "but at the same time, it could get horrendously complicated. Maintaining a civilian's identity in an infiltration mission is difficult enough, but maintaining two shinobi identities? And in the heart of a shinobi village?"

Hinata nodded slowly. "But – but we're not exactly maintaining two identities, are we? I mean," she continued hurriedly, "when I look at an ANBU, what I see is the mask. If-if we use that…in general, people don't look behind the mask, unless the ANBU does something strange. Stranger than usual, I mean." She amended at Shino's raised eyebrow.

"I see your point." Shino mused. "Keep people focused on the mask and they forget the minor details."

Hinata nodded, smiling a little. "But," the girl added, "Anko-senpai would smack us if we forgot her first rule of plots."

"The more explosive the better?" Shino asked, smirking. He ducked as Hinata swatted at him.

"Keep it simple." They recited in unison, fond amusement in their voices. The words had been repeated at them so many times that they'd become rote.

"So that means…we exaggerate familial traits?" Hinata asked, looking up at the sky. "The reserve, the reluctance to socialize and obsession with perfection, all of it?"

"It sounds like as good a plan as any." Shino leaned back into the tree. "Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino are already known to have withdrawn from their age group since the death of their teammate." His voice was clinically dry. Hinata reached over and squeezed his hand gently – it wasn't any easier for her either.

"So," the boy continued, straightening his glasses with his free hand, "we can use that. Hinata and Shino can remain cool and reserved. We tell people that we're taking long-term outside missions, and that our specialties are infiltration and espionage. In this way, if anyone presses for details, we can refuse to answer. As an added bonus, the cover story would be mostly true."

Tilting her head to one side, Hinata considered the issue. "We would then relax the traditional mannerisms when wearing the mask?"

Shino shrugged. "When behind the mask, the only name we must uphold is Konoha's."

Hinata nodded slowly. "That is true." She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them. "So…so I guess that's what we'll do. The more we act like the average Konoha-nin, the less likely we'll be recognized."

Shino snorted softly at the words 'average Konoha-nin', but said nothing. The point was a valid one.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Unlike Shino, Hinata did not think she could successfully orchestrate her teammate's kidnapping. Shino was better at escaping a captor than she was, in part because he was more likely to counterattack first and ask questions later, and she had no desire to start a fight. So instead of a kidnapping, she planned an ambush. One day, when Shino was busy with the hives, she went and found Tsume and Hana and presented her request. Two days later, when Anko was distracting Shino (thanks to a judiciously presented stick of dango) while she was working in her lab, she slipped away from her bench for a few minutes to speak with Shibi.

Shino's birthday dawned rainy, which meant that their usual training exercises were cut short. Hinata had been sure to pick a training field close to Shino's house, and when they reached the door she simply followed him inside. Anko grabbed him the minute he closed the door behind them.

"Shino-kohai! Happy birthday!"

Shino looked over Anko's shoulder at Tsume and Hana, both grinning, at Kurenai, who stood smiling softly next to a table loaded with food, and at his father, who was standing along the far wall, looking quietly amused.

"This is revenge for your birthday, isn't it," he murmured to Hinata as he was led to the table. Anko had been convinced to let go of him and was standing next to Hana, muttering something into the younger woman's ear that had her smiling in a way that made Shino faintly concerned.

Less than a year ago, Hinata would have flushed bright red and started stammering an excuse or apology. Instead, she favored her teammate with a sweet smile, and said nothing, simply patting him on the arm.

Shino's birthday passed much the same way as Hinata's had, with people taking turns to tell stories and jokes as they ate. Anko and Hana went out of their way to tease Shino, apparently trying to see who could get the biggest reaction out of him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, the pair were summoned into the Hokage's office. Tsunade, looking entirely too amused, handed them a letter. "This arrived from Suna."

Hinata opened the letter and began to read, Shino following along over her shoulder.

Hinata-san and Shino-san,

Gaara's sending me to Konoha at the end of the month to handle some business. I should be there for about a week. If you're in the village, we should get together – you owe me a tour, as I recall.

Temari

The two chuunin looked back up at their Kage. "Temari-san is one of a pair of shinobi being sent to Konoha for trade negotiations," she explained. "You two and Nara Shikamaru were requested to act as guides for them while they're here." She smiled. "Unless something comes up, I don't see why you shouldn't be given the assignment."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week after Shino's birthday, Ryouken was waiting for the two of them at their usual training spot. "This is your last chance to decide if you want to take the mask or not." The man told them, dispensing with the usual pleasantries. "The lives of Konoha's masked operatives tend to be short, violent, and messy, and I'm not just talking about the Black-Ops. Only about half of our hunter-nin are still active four years after taking the mask. The rest crack up, are discharged due to injury, or are killed in the line of duty. You will spend weeks, even months at a time away from the village, playing multiple roles. You will become more familiar with the dark sides of humanity than you ever wanted to be."

There was a moment of silence. Neither of the teens spoke, preferring to watch the hunter-nin steadily.

"If you feel like you cannot do this," Ryouken said softly, "then tell me now. I'll go to Hokage-sama, tell her you won't be joining the force and recommend she fast track you to tobuketsu jounin. At the rate you've been working, you could make it within six months. At least that way we'll have capable trackers and hunters in the field, even if they aren't ours."

The pair exchanged a glance, before turning back to Ryouken. "We chose this path, and we wish to continue on it." Shino said, pausing for a moment before he added "Taicho".

Ryouken bowed his head. "So be it. Report to the tower at 0800 tomorrow." Turning, he leapt away into the trees, and was gone.

When they reported in, Ibiki met them there. Jakkaru briefly explained that the interrogation specialist was 'going to teach them a few tricks' before handing them over to the other man with a cheerful "return them when you're done with them, Ibiki-san!"

The bearlike jounin favored the two chuunin with a grim smile. "Let's get going,' he said, shepherding them to a nearby door. "We've got a lot to do today."

Unlike their last visit to T&I's domain, this one was fairly peaceful. Ibiki spent about an hour walking the two of them through ways shinobi commonly forced other shinobi to talk, then, once they were suitably nauseated, spent another two hours describing the basics of resistance. Finally, he assigned them homework.

"I understand that Jakkaru's already walked you through persona work. Well, in some ways this is similar. I want you to regularly start working on ways to resist the most common methods of breaking a shinobi. Build up drug resistances. Meditate. If you're in the village for more than a week, start working on increasing your pain tolerance. You'll report to the department on a regular basis for evaluation." He eyed the chuunin sitting across the desk from him. "If your evaluation shows that you can't take the stress of being ANBU, then you'll be either removed from active duty until you can or flat-out decommissioned. Anko's already your senpai – from now on, she's also your contact in my department. She can help you with any minor problems you might have."

After the visit with Ibiki, Jakkaru led Shino and Hinata, not to the building's exit as anticipated, but to a conference room. There they were presented with the files they had begun months before, along with a new pile of forms to fill out. Contact and emergency contact information had to be updated, as did financial, so that stipends and mission payments could be deposited correctly. The basic living will had to be revised in favor of a more formal one. There were pages and pages of small text, covering every situation Hinata and Shino had ever heard of, and some they hadn't.

Finally, they were taken into the Hokage's office. Tsunade received their files with businesslike seriousness, and then walked them once more through the more politically important papers. "I want to make it perfectly clear that I intend to use your talents for everything the village can get," she told them. "You're good trackers, but thanks to your clans you know how to act with politicians. Add in the way you impressed Suna, and don't be surprised if I send you off to play Ambassador at some point."

The discussion went on for nearly an hour as the last details were hashed out. Ibiki's signature had been the last needed to approve the pair for initiation, and with that out of the way the hunter-nin's numbers could go up by two.

"One last thing." The Hokage pulled a final set of papers from the bottom of the stack. "You are both underage, and because of that it's policy to offer you the opportunity to emancipate yourselves upon taking the mask and mark." Shino stiffened slightly, while Hinata sucked in a breath. "In your case, Shino, I can't see your family causing a conflict in your duties. Now as for Hinata," The older woman looked at the girl across from her, amber-gold eyes locking with white. "It might not be a bad idea. It'd offer you protection from the Hyuuga Elders, and more specifically from the Seal."

Hinata's breath caught. Despite everything, despite the neglect she'd suffered at her father's hands and outright abuse at Neji's, she loved her family. She admired both her father and cousin and absolutely adored her little sister. Despite the open hostility and disdain the Clan Elders displayed for her, she respected them. But…while things had been improving slightly since that first Chuunin Exam, and again since she had made chuunin herself, she was still uncomfortable at home.

If she signed the papers, it got her away from the clan politics and out of an environment where she had more often than not felt unwelcome. It would also probably alienate her from her entire clan.

Something of her distress must have communicated itself in her face, because the Hokage's expression softened slightly. "How's this sound," Tsunade said gently. "We get the papers filled out, and I'll hold on to them in reserve. The minute anybody tries anything fishy, I can file them and get you out of there."

Hinata nodded slowly.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As he looked over the last of the paperwork that would render Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino full members of the Hunter-nin, Ryouken had to wonder if ANBU as a whole wasn't a little too fond of riddling implications. The protocol for assigning codenames was long-established, particularly in the Black-Ops and Hunter-nin, who almost invariably went masked. The name was chosen to reflect, not only their primary trainer, but an important facet of their life or techniques. An ANBU with sufficient experience could gain a little information about another from the name, which made briefings easier.

As Jakkaru had been the one who sponsored them, they would be canines. As they were to be deployed almost purely as a pair, they would share a name, a secondary characteristic used to differentiate between them. Kitsune and Ookami were names reserved for the Black-Ops, and the Hunters already had a Jakkaru, Ryouken, and Teria, but…Reaching for a list of personnel by code name, Ryouken scanned it quickly, trying to figure out what names were available.

Behind his mask, an eyebrow went up. A Black-Op had been decommissioned less than two weeks previously due to injury, leaving his name – the perfect name – available. That was a little…surreal. Ryouken spent a further fifteen minutes thinking it over before filling in the codenames.

Maybe with this, the ghost of their teammate might loosen its grip.

A/N: I'm half back!

Sorry, let me elaborate – my laptop's in the shop with a malfunctioning screen, so I'm coming into work after-hours and borrowing the extra computer to write. Ideally I'll get the thing back within a couple of weeks, but I've also gotten sucked into a fanfiction challenge and I have two stories (One from the Young Wizards fandom, another a Young Wizards/Doctor Who crossover) due by July 14th, so this story's going on a back-burner until I get those done.

Many, many thanks to those who patiently stuck by me during the months of writers block I had for this fic, and especially to those who reviewed. Finding the occasional review in my inbox kept me jotting down ideas for this tale and hammering away at the block.

Next Chapter: We Wear the Mask