So, I was inspired and I decided to go ahead and write/post this chapter. Maybe I'll make up for the relative shortness of the chapters with frequent updates. n.n Anyway, now I'm thinking I'll get at least three chapters done this week. I'm close to the end of Miru Hoshi and it would be nice to get this story done over spring break. I have SO many more story ideas, but right now Miru Hoshi is taking up most of my spare time. Well, we'll see what I can get done. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: Naruto is not and...and...never will be mine. -sniff-
Chapter Nineteen
Hinata had made a mistake. When she had agreed to Sasuke's proposal, she had completely forgotten about her cousin's situation. Tomorrow would be the last day of the two weeks Naruto had granted Neji after Asayake's birth. She had to move now if she was going to save him.
She would hurt Sasuke if this mission of hers ended badly, but she was certain he would get over it. There were plenty of other young women willing to help revive the Uchiha clan. She had seen the way eyes followed Sasuke's lean form whenever they went out, even if he had eyes only for her. He had already lost so many of the people he loved…but he could handle the pain. Hinode and Asayake needed their father, or so she told herself.
Discarding her oversized nightshirt, she pulled on the tight, black pants and sleeveless shirt of her ANBU uniform. This was followed by the white vest and arm guards. The last item she strapped on was the sheath across her back which contained her ninjaken. She surveyed herself in the mirror, then pulled her mask down to conceal her features.
Hinata closed her eyes, taking in a few calming breaths. She then walked soundlessly from her room, stopping only after she had left the Hyuuga mansion. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Goodbye, Sasuke," she whispered.
The young woman lifted a hand, forming it into a seal, and vanished with a puff of smoke.
.oOo.oOo.
Less then ten minutes later, Hinata walked through the gate and into the Uchiha compound. If she had thought the place was eerie during the day, she was forced to reconsider her opinion. In the slight light of the moon, every shadow seemed to shift with a life of its own. She had the feeling that, if she listened close enough, she would be able to hear the cries of the Uchiha clan as they were slaughtered all those years ago. Hinata quickly put the thought aside, knowing better than to let her imagination roam free. She was an elite ANBU captain and she had to stay focused on the mission at hand.
The young woman entered Sasuke's childhood home without a moment of hesitation. With her Byakugan activated, she could tell that there were no signs of life within. At least, no signs of life outside Itachi's room. The seal still kept her from seeing within, but that would change soon enough. She came to a halt outside the unassuming door, eyes tracing the intricate design of the seal. It was one of the best she had encountered, no surprise considering the person who had created it. However, undoing it was simply a matter of finding the end of the tangle and pulling out the knot. The rest of the seal would quickly unravel once that was done.
She paced down the hall a short distance, eyes searching the lines of chakra for the elusive strand which would release the entire design.
'There!' she thought, forming a seal of her own, then reaching out and touching the wall.
"Kai," she whispered.
The walls and door shimmered slightly, then the seal dispersed, allowing her to see into the room.
It was empty.
She let out a sigh of relief, making her way back to the door and cautiously opening it, scanning the room for any sign of hidden traps. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she stepped into Itachi's room—the first person since the Uchiha massacre to do so. Only…it did not appear as though it had been uninhabited for so many years. No dust coated the floor or furniture, nor did the place smell musty. However, it could be one of the effects of the seal. Ignoring the instincts which screamed for her to run away, she went further into the room.
It did not look like a place which had been inhabited by a mass murderer. A banner bearing the Uchiha symbol hung on the wall behind the futon, unfaded by time. A row of scrolls were neatly organized upon the desk and Hinata stopped there to look at them. They contained clan jutsus, medical techniques, and a history of the Uchiha clan, nothing unusual. An underlined portion of the last scroll caught her attention.
"'According to most sources, the Sharingan evolved from the Byakugan,'" she read aloud. A question was written neatly next to this sentence, "'What caused this evolution?'"
Hinata set the scroll back down, frowning slightly. Why had Itachi been so interested in the evolution of the Sharingan? She had always thought he was more the type to simply use his bloodline limit for what it could offer. However, he was a genius, so it would make sense that he would want to know more about his clan's famous skill.
Hinata moved on to the dresser, surprised to find three photos lined up across the top. The first was a picture of Itachi's genin team. She didn't recognize the other three members of the team, but Itachi was impossible to mistake. He looked almost exactly like Sasuke had at that age. The only difference Hinata could immediately see was that, where his younger brother seethed with brooding rage, Itachi was merely blank. Looking closer, she could see that the lines stress had later carved so deeply into his face were already beginning to appear. He looked so young compared to the other two genin on his team, impressing again upon her the fact that this boy was a genius. She wondered for a moment at the pressure he must have been under, but she refused to allow herself to feel pity for the elder Uchiha.
Instead, she moved onto the next picture. Her eyes widened in surprise when she made out the two people caught on film. The first was, not surprisingly, Itachi. However, he appeared more relaxed and open than he had in the first picture. He even had a tiny smile on his face. Next to him, sticking her tongue out at the camera with her arm around the Uchiha's shoulders, was a dark-haired girl who appeared to be about Itachi's age. The red slash marks on her cheeks identified her as an Inuzuka and, after a quick session of mental math, Hinata realized that this was none other than Inuzuka Hana. She had never known that the reserved woman had been Itachi's friend. Then again, after the massacre, it probably had not been something Hana cared to recall.
The last picture was one of Sasuke's family. Fugaku stood stoically behind Itachi, one hand resting on his son's shoulder. Mikoto stood beside her husband, one arm around his waist and a gentle smile on her face. Itachi's eyes were on his younger brother, who was making an outrageous face at the camera. Again, one corner of the elder boy's mouth was tipped up in a smile and some of the stress had faded from his face. But what was completely shocking to Hinata was the expression in his eyes as he looked down at Sasuke. It was not amusement or condescension; instead, it looked like love. Itachi did not look like someone who would murder his clan and cause his younger brother years of inner torment and hatred. Though, it was likely an act. Of course he would not look like a murderer, or his clan would have been prepared for him to turn on them.
Danger sense still tingling, Hinata turned to the last piece of furniture in the room—the futon. The dark blankets were pulled neatly up to the top of the bed, but, as she came closer, she noticed something that the darkness had concealed before. It looked like there was someone sleeping in the bed. Her breath caught in her throat as she slid the ninjaken from its sheath as quietly as she could. The lump beneath the sheets did not stir and she hoped that it was just something Itachi had left behind. After all, her Byakugan was not detecting any chakra signatures from the futon.
Hinata stopped a few feet away, stretching out a hand and attaching a chakra string to the blankets. With a jerk of her arm, she pulled the sheets down. Her eyes locked with blood-red Sharingan, the black tomoe whirling and drawing her in before she could think to fight.
"Hyuuga, I never expected you to come to me so easily. However, I cannot say that this is not a pleasant surprise," Itachi rose from the bed gracefully, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He added quietly, "My foolish little brother is certain to come after you as soon as he finds that you are missing."
Hinata opened her mouth to say something, anything, but it was as though he had frozen her vocal chords. The tomoe spun faster, their darkness consuming her vision. Itachi caught her as she fell forward, unconscious.
Congrats to those who guessed last chapter that Itachi was still alive. More details on that coming up in the next few chapters. And, for those who threatened him, please don't kill Itachi. Then Sasuke will never get Hinata back. n.n
Hopeof theForgotten: Yes, Sasuke killed Itachi, or so he thought. Does the title 'genjutsu master' mean anything? Never believe your eyes when it comes to Itachi. n.n And please, no yaoi with Gai. The very thought is FAR too disturbing. Itachi is simply being used by the authoress as a convenient plot device. It's nothing personal, no need to torment him.
Dark Aura132: Yes, Miru Hoshi is sadly drawing to a close. I have three more chapters planned, but that might expand a little bit depending on whether or not my muse behaves. However, as I mentioned at the start of the chapter, there are many more stories planned after this one is finished!
Akai-sora: The reference in my last disclaimer was from The Princess Bride. It was, to the best of my remembrance, a quote from Miracle Max. If you have never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It has everything, epic battles, humor, romance...masked pirates who remind me of Zorro. n.n Wonderful movie.
Read (Actually, if you're reading this, I would hope you've already read the chapter. Then again, maybe my author notes are so fascinating you have to read them before you dare turn your attention to the chapter...no? Well, I can always dream...) and leave a review!