LOL. I feel like people review Hinata-pov chapters more than Itachi pov chapters. Which is fine, since the contentment from the last chapter's review is bound to last me a while. Kudos to Darth-Taisha, my lovely Beta. Oh! And updates will be slow~ Im starting to work on Comeuppance, and also, my own original work, which will be named after Comeuppance. xD
Four Tails
The sun had sunk down low in the sky by the time they had returned to Iwa late in the evening on the eight day. The dying rays created an almost sadistic beauty - making the bare stones of Iwa glitter like diamonds. Hinata was almost sorrowful at the fact that she'd have to disrupt the picturesque scene.
Itachi, she dully noted, showed no such reserves or sentiments; his feet were quietly crushing the gravel as his bored gaze was set on the distant horizon. She slightly shook her head, and they carried on their hurried travel, entering the village with ease. The ninja here - they were drunk. Drunk on their own false sense of security, Hinata thought bitterly. Especially as she observed the unguarded gazes of the shadowed ninja, unaware of the threat inhabiting their homes.
Again, they orientated themselves in the direction of the library. This time, there would be no dawdling; only steady, concentrated research on the goal that was the Four Tails. Hinata really was not looking forward to the headache she would presumably acquire afterwards.
But there was one thing that kept bothering her... the initials she had discovered prior their last visit. H.H... the initials of herself, her sister, her father, her mother, and all of her ancestors of the Main Branch. Of course, it was a tradition to name all of the main members of the Hyuuga family with an 'H'. As far as she knew, this had been going on since the founder of the Hyuuga Clan, Honzu Hyuuga, the possessor of the first Byakugan (supposedly, the Hyuuga were also relatives of the Sage of Sixths Paths, but one could never be quite sure). Maybe she was over thinking it this. Maybe it was a non-Hyuuga with the initials of H.H. It wasn't like that was impossible.
With the bad, intuitive feeling in her gut, it was doubtful. "Penny for your thoughts?" Itachi interrupted her inner ramblings.
Should she tell him? Well... she had nothing to lose, and he was pretty much the closest person to her... "While I was researching your... er-" she lightly stumbled, awkwardly phrasing it, "…medicine, in the Iwa library, I found initials. The plant is sacred and known only to my family. Why was it in the Iwa library?" Hinata made sure that her words were not suspicious to eavesdroppers, relieved that Itachi caught the hint (of course he would, he's Itachi).
"And what were these initials?" Itachi asked, but Hinata was certain that he could come up with the answer himself.
"H.H., initials that most of my family use." Itachi's eyebrows furrowed at her petulant answer. Well, he usually caught on quicker than this! And besides, the whole matter was upsetting her...
"Hmm... it certainly does not seem like a complete coincidence. And did anyone in your family have any connections in Iwa?" He asked, stressing 'connections.' Well, her family had never spawned here, but still.
"Not that I know of," Hinata replied, completely honest. She was actually glad that she had shared this with Itachi; now, her chest felt a load lighter. Besides, it was utterly cliché how most people kept their thoughts to themselves until it was too late, creating mistrust and suspicion all around, Sometimes, she felt like that was the way most people (namely criminals) went down.
The conversation trailed off into a semi-comfortable silence. Because of their positioning inside enemy territory, they were on edge; causing relaxation to non-permissible. Hinata discreetly used her Byakugan, the genjutsu in place. This time, their characters were slightly different, to avoid suspicion; they were, however, essentially the same ordinary and inconspicuous characters.
Upon their arrival to the library, Hinata (and Itachi. Again, they separated) and immediately took to searching for information regarding the Four Tails. Now being somewhat familiar with her surroundings, it only took her a couple of minutes to find the sections she was looking for.
Checking around, she deemed it safe to activate her Byakugan - and alas - the headache that she developed was instant. Nevertheless, her searing gaze trifled along the archaic parchment, searching for any hints, clues that may provide the necessary information to track down their target.
After an hour of fruitless probing, she stumbled along something that was relevant: his name. In a book entitled Iwa History, there was a section regarding the past Jinchuuriki, reading the following: Son Gokuu, powerful weapon of Iwa, possessing the Four Tails. Hinata couldn't believe her luck. Except there were no further details. Irritably, she moved onto another book, trying to find further facts.
There were none. Hinata could only admit it after three hours of futile searching, and the painful migraine as a result. She digressed that it was time to find Itachi's whereabouts, no matter how much she was dreading telling him of her lack of discovery. Lugging around the Iwa History book, she dragged her feet towards the east end of the library, where she knew Itachi was (having seen him with her 360 degrees vision). They had agreed that they would find each other if there were any significant disclosures, or if Hinata felt that they needed to proceed with plan B.
Plan B it was. Hinata was not looking forward to seeing Itachi's triumphant upturn of lips. He had suggested Plan B in the beginning, but she had been stubborn enough to deviate from his plan. Now, she would go along with what she avoided in the first place. But it couldn't be helped.
Itachi turned away from skimming books to flash her a curious glance; Hinata ignored him, her eyes darting around the bookshelves in an effort to hide the strange bout of nerves that overcame her. Sucking in a breath, she chastised herself into speaking. "I am willing to proceed with plan B," she said grudgingly.
While Itachi's face remained the same – impassive - and yet, she could see a strange twinkle in his eyes. Her upper lip curled, before her face straightened out. "But I also found a piece of information that might be... of some worth." Itachi raised an eyebrow, silently gesturing her to carry on. "The name of the person we are searching for... is Son Gokuu."
He briefly nodded before putting the book back onto its shelf. Hinata shot him a curious look, slightly raising an eyebrow. "We have no more business here. We might as well proceed with the plan, and stop wasting time."
"I concur." Her answer was short and snappy, and she was somehow able to convey her slight reluctance towards the whole situation. Oh well. At least she had found one piece of useful information...
They exited the library, and Itachi headed towards the outskirts via the shady alleys of Iwa. His confident stride suggested that he knew what he was doing... as if he had done it before. Putting blind trust in Itachi, she followed him through the narrow pathways, before they found themselves at the edges of Iwa's gates. It was then that she managed to detect the various high chakra presences that guarded the gates leading to the outside world. Hinata resisted a sigh; they should have been guarding against them... the Akatsuki... not a piece of unmovable rocky land.
"Iwa ANBU are usually stationed around the Iwa borders as guards," Itachi murmured, explaining something that Hinata had already understood. She watched as he momentarily closed his eyes, as if absorbing the presences of the different ninja around them. Onyx eyes snapped open and focused on a point in the distance.
Activating her Byakugan, she detected their two victims. Simultaneously, they melted into the shadows, each going after their own sacrificial ANBU. Hinata headed towards the nearest presence that seemed relaxed. She vaguely wondered how such an inadequate person managed to become such a high ranking individual. Ignoring her lingering doubts, she found the ANBU sitting on a branch of a tall, lonesome tree that protruded from behind the large barrier.
Her steps were silent, and she hid her chakra until she was right behind the unsuspecting ANBU who suddenly tensed as he felt her presence. As quick as lighting, the genjutsu dissipated and her hands snaked around the ANBU's neck, clenching it tightly.
A wave of abnormal anger washed over her, and her grip on the male's neck tightened. "The people are depending on you!" She hissed in his ear, taking off his troublesome mask. She wanted to see the look of realization that would come... soon. "And here you are; relaxing, like thousands of people don't depend on you. Like thousands of people won't die because of you if you slack off."
His eyes widened, but Hinata didn't give him a chance to retort, continuing on with her maddened tirade. "Do you feel guilty now? Do you feel guilty for all the times you didn't take your job seriously? Do you feel guilty now for sitting on a tree, not being alert while your people could have been in danger?"
She wished she had been given the chance in Konoha, the chance to prove her worth: the chance to unabashedly work her hardest, trying to protect its citizens for harm, as an ANBU. As someone they could trust, as someone who had a worth in the world. This guard; he had the chance. It had been given to him on a silver platter, that much was obvious from the moment she had caught sight of him relaxing on the tree.
"Well... it's too late." The ANBU, too surprised and startled by her sudden appearance, had no possibility to react before she ruthlessly cut off his airways, ending his life. His body fell limp in her hold, and she placed him against the tree, wiping her hands on her cloak. Hinata took of his mask (it was in the appearance of a lizard) and then sat down and waited patiently for Itachi.
She didn't have to wait long. He arrived five minutes later, dragging his own corpse behind him. After quickly putting up a sound barrier (she had long since come to the conclusion that he was paranoid) Itachi jumped to her place on the branch. His face was somber, as it always was after killing. Hinata then felt the irrational urge to cheer him up; to take his mind off the murdered ANBU at their feet. "It seems like I have found the only tree in Iwa."
"It seems so," Itachi responded, sitting down next to her. He then reached for the body besides her, but she pushed his hand away. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, "I have to destroy all lingering evidence." His offhanded tone made her shake her head.
"The human body is mostly made out of water. I've been wanting to try this for quite some time." Yes: on the search for Itachi's medicine, she had managed to convert gas into liquid. Would it be possible to convert solid into liquid, and then maybe into gas? She was well aware of the fact that she wasn't advanced enough to convert solid into gas, but...
"No." Itachi's stern eyes found hers, full of disapproval. "You can attempt this another time. Since we are carrying out Plan B today, it would be highly suspicious of an ANBU to be exhausted while guarding. Circumstances are against your decision, Hinata. Allow me." Grimacing, Hinata turned away in disappointment as Itachi quickly burned the bodies into nothing.
"Now, we will stand guard at our ANBU's post. Soon enough, another ANBU will come and inform us of when our shift is over. Then head towards the entrance of the Tsuchikage tower, and wait for me. After that, prepare your Byakugan, because you will be looking through his private files and documents." His explanation was fluid, his competent voice washing over her.
"How will you manage to fool the Tsuchikage?" Hinata asked, puzzled. Itachi's eyes pulled upwards, as his hand leisurely gestured at his eyes.
"The wonders of the Sharingan, it is feared for a reason, Hinata." Feeling rather daft, Hinata nodded in agreement, looking away from Itachi. "Now, let me do the genjutsu for you... we are not trying to fool civilians, but high ranked ninja," he said, as if that explanation was sufficient enough. It was, but Hinata's right eyebrow still twitched in annoyance.
With a disgruntled nod of agreement, Hinata found herself promptly staring at the face of one of the ANBU's they had killed. She turned to stare at herself, and instead of seeing small, dainty hands they were large and rough; the hands of a man. Hinata then put on her mask, and jumped to the tree branch, trying to look like she was keeping guard.
Itachi left, and so their mission unceremoniously started. Hinata managed to look alert, scanning the skyline for any enemies, but not particularly caring if there were any. Her mind was stuck back in the library a couple of miles away, on the initials she had found last week. She was sure that she'd be able to find them again, but she had restrained herself from looking.
They were on a mission. Two measly letters shouldn't be enough to distract her from her objective. As she felt an unfamiliar presence approaching, her eyes snapped wide open. Her face was blank, even though the mask covered her seemingly male face. An ANBU advanced, his stance neutral. "Lizard, your shift is over. Report?"
"Nothing unusual has occurred in my sector, the area remains secure," Hinata effortlessly replied, trying not to arouse suspicion. As the ANBU nodded in approval, Hinata guessed that she had passed the unseen test. She hopped gracefully off the tree, and let the other ANBU start their own shift.
She instantly headed towards the visible Tsuchikage that towered over all the other buildings, staying in the shadows as she passed through the unseeing crowd. Itachi had said for her to wait there; and that was what she would do. Because of her outfit, no one noticed her, dismissing her as the normal ANBU.
Lingering by the entrance, Hinata kept guard over the door. People passed through the entrance, some giving her curious glances, but none daring to comment. Hinata was stoic as she patiently waited for Itachi. It took him around an hour before he joined her.
"My shift differs from yours," came his sensible explanation, before they both entered the building. The walls were a light brown colour, littered with various paintings of famous Iwa shinobi. It was somehow scruffy, very much unlike the graceful Kage Tower in Konoha. Still, it held a likeable quality. Hinata activated her Byakugan, easily finding Tsuchikage's office. There was no need, however. It was Itachi who led her through the various corners and rooms of the Tower, until they arrived at the needed destination.
Without a pause, Itachi smoothly opened the door. Inside it held an elderly man (who Hinata identified as the Tsuchikage, especially with the robes he donned) who lay asleep on his desk. It must have been a pretty powerful genjutsu, Hinata mused, as she felt the enormity of the Kage's chakra reserves. They were almost as large as Itachi's.
Shaking her head, she took off her mask and genjutsu (Itachi had already done so) as she activated the Byakugan. Like always, she could see anything and everything. Her eyesight made its way to a cabinet on the right side of the room; it held many seemingly important documents and histories. Surely it would be there-
"Do not worry; all of the traps have been disabled. As of now we have approximately an hour left to search," he assured her. With a grateful nod, Hinata strode towards that lonesome looking cabinet.
Wrenching it open, a couple of scrolls fell out in an untidy pile. It was blindingly obvious that traps had been set on it previously; it looked almost as if no one had ever opened it. Heavily concentrating, she searched through the various titles, focusing especially hard on the 'history' section. That was, after all, where she had found out about the Four Tail's name.
It was then that a title of a document caught Hinata's eye: The Alliance Between Iwa and Hyuuga. She froze, her eyes widening to a comical extent. Itachi, who noticed the difference in her pallor, was by her side immediately. Slightly puzzled but concerned, he took her into his embrace as she starting shaking.
"Shh. What's wrong?" Hinata dazedly thought that she was becoming a little bit too used to this scenario, too used to being held by his steady arms. Her shaking fingers reached for the single scroll that was nearly hidden by all the other ones; one that, if not for her superior eyesight, would have remained unnoticed in the corner. Itachi, with his healed eyesight, saw exactly what she was looking at. He reached for the document, pulling it out instead of her and let her hold onto the hand that was gripping the thin scroll.
With a firm intent, Hinata reactivated her Byakugan (she hadn't realized when she had deactivated it), and returned to searching for her original purpose, still comfortable in Itachi's arms. She then easily found a scroll with information on all the Jinchuuriki of Iwa, past and present. As her eyes briefly skimmed the pages, she spotted the name Son Gokuu, and swiftly took the scroll into her clutch.
Wobbling, she stood, escaping Itachi's grasp. Her hands still held the scroll they needed, while his held the one she needed. A groan escaped from behind him, and both Itachi's and Hinata's back's straightened in alarm. Itachi quickly redid the traps that had been set before, to avoid any suspicion. In a hurry, they both escaped through the window.
Just in the nick of time, right before the Tsuchikage's eyes opened warily. Hinata could distantly perceive him calling out for the ANBU, and hear the clatter and panic they had left behind them. They quietly fell to the side of the building, before Itachi quickly set a genjutsu over them, one that let them blend in with the background. One that made them seem like ordinary children.
And they ran. They ran as fast as normal children could, zipping through the disapproving villagers and civilians. To them, it looked like they were a pair of unruly children playing tag, instead of two well-known criminals who had just robbed two very important documents from underneath the Tsuchikage's nose. When they were in the very heart of a large crowd, Itachi stopped, his childish eyes turning to look at her.
Even though the timing was very, very off, Hinata couldn't help the giggle that seeped out of her lips. Since Itachi hadn't really had the time to mentally conjure an image for the genjutsu, they had ended up looking like younger versions of themselves. And Itachi... as a child... was unexpectedly... adorable. He kind of looked like Sasuke, except without the hair sticking out at the back. His eyes were larger that his, too, and took up a large portion of his face. Even then, he had light tear troughs that slid down the sides of his face.
He looked at her incredulously, before his own eyes softened at seeing her childish image. Hinata self-consciously covered her face, wanting to hide her large cheeks and wide eyes away from him. "Hinata." His childish voice made her pull away. "We need to leave as soon as possible. The Tsuchikage will be sending guards after us, to retrieve the scrolls. Can you repeat what you did to the guard again?" At her confident nod, he muttered, "Good. Follow me."
No one noticed the two small children jumping through the crowd, each carrying a stolen scroll. They were too tiny, too unnoticeable (why did no one notice her large, white, pupil-less eyes?) and... Itachi was a genius. But Hinata wouldn't tell him that, as he already knew it.
In a speed that should be impossible for normal children, they reached the guard, just as they saw an ANBU leaving. Intent on using her disguise to the fullest, Hinata ran directly into the guard, bawling. Too panicked by her tears, the guard didn't move away, fooling himself into thinking that she was a small, helpless child.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes starting to pat Hinata's head. Hinata started to feel bad for doing this to a guard, but she needed to. So, taking advantage of the opportunity, she grasped his hand, and extracted a hefty ten percent of bodily fluids. The guard started to sway, his eyes starting to cloud. "W-what was I saying again?"
As he started to fumble for the water bottle strapped by his waist, Hinata and Itachi had already slipped away from him, through the gate, and into the rocky wilderness.
Itachi dispersed the genjutsu, and they were back to their normal images, but they were still running. After running for about an hour, Itachi deemed them to be far enough away from the dangers of Iwa to be safe, and he stopped. Hinata followed in suit.
They both stood silent, adrenaline still pumping through their veins. That was, until Hinata decided to speak up. "Itachi... let's exchange scrolls." Itachi complied with her request, tossing her the scroll he had been carrying, before Hinata handed him his own scroll. She sat down on the ground, her hands starting to tremble as her eyes tried to see through the deceptive title: The Alliance Between Iwa and Hyuuga.
Unconsciously, she activated the Byakugan, trying to absorb the information on the scroll while Itachi checked for any traps on his. As she started to grasp the information neatly written there, she began to see red. A deep, and murderously bloody red.
God that chapter was just a bit longer that usual, and full of action! Yay, ItaHina! Sorry for the long wait... have any of you guys checked out the tumblr on my profile? If not, I go by auroraa0914 there. :D :D Please check it out!
Oooh, and that cliffy!
Please review!