Disclaimer: Don't own nothing.
AN: Here's the deal. Microsoft Word died on me, I'm using notepad to write this whole thing, and I just realized how much I miss spell check. Oh my gosh… What I sacrifice to get this out. I love you guys. I really do.
OMG. What a huge coincidence. I updated just as this story turned 2 years old. Egh, that reminds me that I'm not done with it after 2 years...
Hiashi lounged in his chair, frowning as Hanabi knelt in front of him, panting from her exertions. His frown deepened his thoughts drifted to his eldest daughter. Maybe I have been too hard on her… Hiashi thought, wincing as he recollected his rash words. The words came out of his mouth out of anger, but he was too headstrong to admit that.
No… She must know the meaning of discipline.
"Father? Can I go now?" Hanabi asked shakily, bringing the Hyuuga leader back to the present.
"No, you'll become as weak as your sister if you don't keep on practicing!" Hiashi snapped, bringing a cold glint into Hanabi's eyes. Instantly, Hiashi regretted his words.
"Yes father." Hanabi replied, colder than usual as she proceeded to go though the Hyuuga stances. Hiashi looked on, betraying no emotion even though he saw the cold fury in Hanabi's eyes.
The whole council knew, and accepted, his decision to demote Hinata to the branch family. In fact, they actually approved. Neji was practically crying in joy (Or was it anguish?) that Hinata was going to be on the same level as him, and as hard as he tried to keep the information from his youngest daughter, somehow it reached her sensitive ears.
Now Hiashi had no doubt in his mind, that Hanabi's anger was directed towards him. Although the two sisters never appeared to be close, apparently Hanabi still regarded Hinata her older sister and treasured her.
But although Hanabi's newfound anger troubled him, the council's reaction to his decision troubled him more. He did not actually mean to take action on his threats, but somehow the council had gotten word of his decision, and now Hiashi must make do on his promise lest he lose face.
A sudden chill came across him as he realized that he would not only be losing Hinata, but also Hanabi if this action were carried though.
"H-Hinata! Leave at once!" Hiashi stammered out as the cold truth sunk in.
"Hinata? Father, are you ok?" Hanabi asked in mock concern, her eyebrows arching derisively as her father looked up in confusion.
"J-just leave me. Your training is done for today"
"Father, if you're not feeling ok I can-"
"Leave me!" Hiashi thundered, causing Hanabi to stare uncomprehendingly back. The Hyuuga Leader glared coldly at her youngest daughter until she finally backed down.
"As you wish." Hanabi murmured submissively as she slipped though the screen door and slid it shut, leaving Hiashi to ponder the strife he brought upon the clan.
"This is where the camp is. If we follow the plan there should no casualties." Kurenai said confidently as she tapped her 'map' on the ground. The so-called map happened to be a hastily drawn chart on the dirt with surprisingly detailed figures. Kurenai drew herself as the beautiful heroine leading the charge, Kakashi as the lackey following behind, and, much to the teen's chagrin, the Genin as the dog's running after Kakashi.
The dog summoner, however, looked down at the map with hesitation. He wasn't the only one. Sasuke and Kiba were also doubtful of the plan, though the lateral was a lot more vocal in his opinions.
"Hey! This mission depends mostly on Hinata and Shino!" Kiba protested as he looked haughtily at Shino, in which Shino responded by raising an eyebrow. The bugs in his gourd spontaneously started to buzz voraciously.
"I-I mean, I'm not worried about Shino," Kiba amended as he sensed Shino's displeasure, but despite this, the idiot still continued arrogantly. "But what about Hinata! I don't think she's suited for this job! I'm a much better choice than that lose-"
Without warning Kiba found himself slammed against a tree with enough force to bring stars dancing across his vision. Surprisingly it was Shino that held him pinned to the rough bark, his shades flashing dangerously, and his bugs buzzing louder than ever.
Kurenai's mouth pinched up in annoyance but she did not interfere. Sakura made a move to help Kiba, but she was held back by Kakashi's restraining hand. Kiba looked around for help, and slowly his eyes met Sasuke.
"Che," Was Sasuke's answer to Kiba's pleading expression, and Kiba had no choice but to look back into Shino's unforgiving shades.
"Never… insult… Hinata." Shino said dangerously, expressing each word with emphasis. Almost as an afterthought Shino added, "Just because Naruto's not here does not mean she is not cared for. Do you understand?" Kurenai's strained expression suddenly broke into a small smile as Shino said this.
Kiba whimpered and slowly nodded his head. The bug user smiled, satisfied with the boy's answer and released him. The dog boy fell on his butt as he hit the ground, his knees too weak to support him.
Shino's was still smiling smugly when his bugs suddenly informed him of a certain blond boy rapidly approaching them. "Of course, I don't have to defend Hinata now that Naruto's here." Shino said suddenly, surprising everyone in the camp with his proclamation.
Kiba yelped as he bolted to his feet and leapt up the tree like a scared cat. In his jacket Akamaru barked reproachfully. "I know this is a disgrace but if Shino's so protective of Hinata can you imagine how Naruto is?" Kiba retorted, and his thoughts were soon answered.
Rather than seeing a bubbly blond burst into camp, Naruto shocked everyone as he stumbled though the undergrowth. His orange jacket was torn in multiple places, he had bloody scratches running along his arms, and his face was haggard with worry and regret.
Kurenai was the first to overcome her shock from seeing Naruto in such a state. "N-Naruto?" Kurenai stammered, concern written all along her face, though not only reserved for Naruto. "W-where's Hinata?"
At the mention of Hinata's name, Naruto broke down completely and grabbed Kurenai by the sleeves. The Jonin winced as Naruto's claws pierced though her thin cloth, but endured the pain because Naruto was on the verge of completely losing his mind.
"H-Hinata-chan! WE NEED TO SAVE HER!" Naruto shouted, causing birds to fly out of the tree with the strength of his plea. Kurenai felt her heart tear at the desperation in Naruto's gaze, but she steeled herself and acted accordingly.
"Naruto. Calm down." Kurenai said as she placed two comforting hands on Naruto's shoulder, but rather than calming down Naruto shook Kurenai off of him and backed away.
"H-HOW CAN I STAY CALM?!" Naruto bellowed as he stared incredulously from Kurenai to everyone around the camp.
"DOESN'T ANYONE CARE ABOUT HINATA?!" Naruto roared accusingly, but a stinging slap across the blonde's face brought his tirade to a screeching halt. The boy slowly looked up into the tearful eyes of his Sensei. Although her eyes were watering, her cheeks were blotchy with anger.
"D-don't you ever accuse me of not caring. I will risk my life for her and everyone on my team." Kurenai whispered shakily before staring horrified at her hand. Behind her, Kakashi smiled approvingly.
Gradually Naruto became aware of the incessant buzzing to his side. Turning his head, Naruto found Shino staring disapprovingly at him.
"I care for Hinata more than you know." Shino said dangerously, his mouth pulled down in a frown. "Though you have certain 'feelings' for Hinata, I cannot let you undermine me." While the bug user's words were threatening, Naruto knew he meant no harm.
"Guys…" Naruto said at a loss for words as he felt own tears welling up in his eyes. But just as fast as the tears came, Naruto suddenly understood what Shino said, "What?! What do you mean by, 'feelings?'" He asked, though this time he blushed slightly.
Kurenai grinned, realizing that Naruto was finally starting to recognize his feelings for Hinata. However, this wasn't the time for such thoughts and Kurenai coughed lightly to remind Naruto of the situation.
Still blushing Naruto cleared his throat before looking at Kakashi and his team. "What about you guys?" He asked, impatiently.
"What Kurenai said. Though she stole that saying from me." Kakashi said easily as he smiled jokingly towards Kurenai. Satisfied, Naruto turned towards Sasuke.
"It's not like I have a choice." Sasuke said grudgingly, though Naruto spotted a slight hint of worry within his eyes.
"I'll go wherever Sasuke-kun goes!" Sakura said immediately, causing Sasuke to groan in annoyance.
Finally Naruto turned to stare at Kiba, who was still hiding out in the leaves. "Well?" The blond asked his eyes narrowing slightly as Kiba nearly fell out of his hiding place in surprise.
"W-whatever." Kiba said as arrogantly as he could as he regained his balance on the tree.
"Then we will go now." Naruto said resolutely, but as he headed out of camp he was suddenly jerked sharply back.
"Not yet Naruto." Kurenai said as she whirled Naruto around.
"Why not?" Naruto challenged belligerently.
"Because you don't know the plan yet." Kurenai sighed causing the blond to look away, abashed. "Honestly Naruto, do you even know where the camp is?"
"Well…" Naruto flushed red with embarrassment.
"I thought so." Kurenai muttered knowingly as she dragged the blond to her hand drawn map. "So, here's the plan…"
Hiroko was startled, to say the least, when Haku suddenly burst though an ice mirror with a young girl tucked under her arms.
"What are you doing to that girl? Put her down immediately!" Hiroko scolded as Haku approached her. Even though this person was the only one in the camp that was reasonably nice to her and the only one that remembered to give her food, Hiroko felt it was her duty to protect the fragile looking girl.
"Sometimes I wonder if Zabuza-sama did the right thing when allowed you to keep your speaking privileges…" Haku muttered heatedly, even as she sat Hinata down next to Hiroko.
Hiroko puffed up with anger, and her cheeks flushed red but she didn't back down. "Well at least I'm not the one kidnapping little girls!" She snapped back.
Haku froze in the motion of tying Hinata to a post next to Hiroko. "She is not harmed and it's not my choice. I am but a tool of Zabuza-sama." She muttered jerkily as she secured the ropes more roughly that she usually would've done.
"What?" Hiroko asked, bemused as Haku backed away.
"You are both prisoners for the time being. Hopefully you will be set free when all this is over." Haku said, regaining her composure. Hiroko, though, lost her composure and stared back, stunned.
There were a few minutes of awkward silence before Hiroko finally replied with a shaky, "Thanks…"
"Well… Goodbye then." Haku said, an embarrassed flush creeping across her cheeks as she bounded away, thankful that her mask concealed any expression.
"She's quite strange…" Hiroko muttered, still bewildered as she leaned her head against the post and stared at the newcomer. The girl didn't look older than twelve years old yet Hiroko could tell that the girl was already progressing though puberty. Though she had never seen the girl before, Hiroko had the irking feeling that she knew her from somewhere.
Naruto's mother frowned as she noticed the content smile that graced the girl's features.
That was interesting…
Jeanne? Hiroko exclaimed, slightly surprised with the girl's sudden comment. Usually they took swapped positions so one of them could sleep while the other took watch, but for some reason she was speaking out of turn this time.
This girl… I feel a connection to her. Jeanne stated sounding slightly confused herself. Hiroko blanched, realizing that Jeanne had stated exactly what she was feeling.
There's no way she can feel my feelings… There no- Hiroko thoughts stopped short as a sudden revelation struck her. We're connected! She can feel my emotions. Hiroko grinned as she realized she found another loophole in the Shinigami's law.
Of course I can. Though I'm not sure I understand half of what I perceive. Jeanne said unexpectedly, causing Hiroko to bang her head on the post in surprise.
Damn post… I forgot to keep my thoughts private. Hiroko muttered crossly as she felt a large bump forming on her scalp.
Now that's anger. Jeanne declared, causing Hiroko to roll her eyes.
You know, I'm going to go to sleep. Tell me when that girl wakes up. Hiroko said wearily, casting one last questing glance at the girl before surrendering her control to Jeanne.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon and everyone in the camp was asleep. All was quiet and no one was awake to notice the slight shuffling in the trees. Well, almost no one but Jeanne that is.
The said girl grinned, for once taking some sort of pleasure in the fact that the camp was about to be razed to the ground. Though the feeling was slightly strange to her, Jeanne was learning from Hiroko's presence within her, and now she was slowly starting to understand.
The Death God was not pleased as it materialized in the darkness. Apparently, Jeanne wasn't the only one listening into Hiroko's thoughts. Silently, the Shinigami, floated in the abyss until he came across the woman it was looking for.
Hiroko. You are treading a thin line here. The Death God growled, its eyes glowing in the darkness.
"Ah! H-how did you know?" Hiroko stuttered, as the Shinigami appeared right before her eyes.
I am omniscient although not omnipresent.The Death God stated as it flowed towards Hiroko. I warn you, do not let Jeanne approach Naruto.
"What!?" Hiroko shouted, her mouth dropping down in disbelief. "But that's the only reason I'm here! You're going against your promise, Death God!"
Do not accuse me of such dishonor!The said Death God roared. The darkness seemed to advance threatening, quieting Hiroko immediately. Jeanne may not approach Naruto, but you may. Make sure you keep that girl away from that boy.
"And why did you suddenly come up with this new… restraint?" Hiroko asked though gritted teeth.
The Shinigami surveyed Naruto's mother for a while before shaking its massive head. It is better you not know. The Death God said flatly as it slowly faded from Hiroko's view.
So Jeanne. It seems like there is no loophole this time… I'm so sorry… Hiroko thought regretfully, tears swimming in her eyes as she dropped back to be accepted by the darkness that surrounded her.
AN: Did the chapter feel disjointed? If so, it's because I had to redo most of this chapter because of my recent computer crash.
Next Chapter: Not coming out until I get my Microsoft Word working again. That and the attack on the camp. Oh sweet sweet revenge for Naruto. Kind of... Not really. Nope, not at all actually.