Author: G.A.M.M.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Karin had lived in Konohagakure for nigh on four years now.
Sasuke's group of shinobi had received an amnesty from the Rokudaime, though she was the only one to take advantage of it besides Sasuke himself. Jugo had gone off to live alone somewhere in the mountains, where he wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone anymore. Suigetsu decided to go back to Kirigakure, and struck a deal with the Mizukage. As far as she knew, they were both happy. Well, perhaps not happy, people like Suigetsu and Jugo probably couldn't be truly happy, but she hoped they had found something as close to happiness as they could. Even if they were intolerable most of the time, at the very least they had been two people who had had her back. Yes, she hoped they were happy.
As for herself, Karin was discontent. She had only settled in Konoha for Sasuke, and he had made it clear from the start he had no interest in her. It had taken over a year of his abuse to finally disillusion her, and even to this day it left a bitter taste in her mouth. With no reason left to stay, Karin had almost walked out on Konoha. She hadn't tried to become a shinobi of the Leaf. There was nothing to hold her there any longer. It was only after she'd thought about it that she realized she had no place else to go. Konoha was as good as anywhere else, so she might as well stay and try to do something meaningful with her life.
She had no real talent other than being a shinobi, with her sensory techniques and unique healing powers. Only, she felt as if her days of being a shinobi were over. She had been there and done that, all for the wrong reasons, and going back to that dead-end life was the last thing she wanted. There were other options, though. She was the only other surviving member of the Uzumaki clan besides Naruto, as far as she knew, so if she wanted to get married and have kids, she supposed it wouldn't be too hard to find a suitable husband. Still, she was young yet, and after her experience with Sasuke, Karin wanted nothing to do with romance. She could always do that later if the right guy came along, even if he wasn't Sasuke. When the Last Uchiha had gotten married to the Haruno woman, Karin knew that that chapter of her life was over. She would have to find something else to fill her days with.
It was the acme of irony that Sakura, of all people, the woman who had (in Karin's opinion) stolen her man, was the one who helped her find the meaning she had sought. Karin's healing abilities were completely unique, and there were some things she could do that not even the successor of Tsunade was capable of doing. Her ability was capable of transferring a fraction of her tremendous life force into anyone who bit her. So, as fate would have it, Karin ended up working in Konoha's hospital as a civilian doctor. Unfortunately, it was dangerous to use her power more than once a day, and so her ability was reserved for those who could not be saved even with Sakura's skill. Karin had also picked up a respectable repertoire of medical ninjutsu and was considered second only to Sakura and Shizune. Through healing, Karin had found new meaning in her life. She had never suspected that using her powers for good would result in such a wholesome and satisfied existence. There were still many things she wanted out of life, but for the time being, she was content to continue on as she was. Maybe it was time to enter the dating pool. She was almost over Sasuke now. Almost.
She was just finishing up her rounds, and was about to punch out, when a middle-aged man carrying two people over his back sprinted into the hospital.
"Get these two into surgery, now!" He shouted.
The entire staff of the first floor reception area just stared at him.
"That's an order!" He yelled.
"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" Karin asked.
"Fool! Do you not recognize me? No matter, now isn't the time. These two can't last much longer. I will not lose any more tools this day."
Four strong men appeared with stretchers, and took the two off his back. They moved quickly and with care, taking the two injured people towards the OR.
Now that he mentioned it, the man did seem familiar. He was in his late thirties or early forties by the look of him. His face was still smooth except for an 'X' shaped scar on his chin and a patch over his right eye. His hair was black and fell down in short little spikes. He was wearing black robes with the insignia of Konoha on them. His right arm was swathed in bandages that looked as if they weren't changed very often. He might have been considered handsome by some, if it weren't for the look on his face. It was as if his face was made of stone.
It was that, of all his features, that sparked Karin's memory.
"D-Danzo-sama?" She squeaked. "But... wh-what happened to you? Who were those people? What's going on?!"
"As for what happened to me, I'm not exactly sure." His left hand stroked the center of his chest through his robes. It looked as if he had been burned there. "Those two are Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata. They were both badly injured when something went wrong with the extraction process. We're lucky it was only the room that collapsed and not the whole Hokage Tower."
Karin stared at him in disbelief. She had heard that something was going on with her fellow Uzumaki, but this was beyond the pale. The Kyuubi had been extracted? Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata had been there and both of them, from the look of it, were near death? Then how was Danzo standing before her looking nigh on forty years younger, standing without the aid of his cane, without his arm in a sling and looking hale and hearty without a scratch?
Something was very wrong here.
"Wh-what... why? And what about Naruto-san?"
"Last I saw him, Uzumaki-san was on his way to the next world. I don't have time to explain the rest. Now, this conversation never happened. Am I clear?" He had been talking in a low voice ever since the men with the stretchers appeared. The rest of the staff had gone about their business after that. No one else had been privy to the rest of their conversation.
"Y-yes, sir." Karin wasn't about to argue with de facto ruler of Konoha. Especially with all of this craziness going on. Naruto was dead? It seemed impossible.
"Attention: Will Karin please report to the OR immediately. Karin to the OR immediately." A voice called over the PA.
"I have to go." Karin said quickly, perhaps too quickly. "I swear I won't say a word about our conversation."
Danzo only glared at her. "What conversation?"
"R-right."
Danzo turned and walked out of the hospital, looking more intimidating than ever.
Karin ran to the OR. Sasuke was in danger! Even if she knew she couldn't have him, if it was within her power to save him, she would.
The Hyuuga woman had looked to be in even worse shape, and Sasuke had looked as bad as anyone she had ever seen come through the doors of the hospital.
She might just have to break her rule and use her ability twice in one day.
She arrived at the OR to find both Sakura and Shizune along with a gaggle of other doctors, civilian and shinobi, working frantically to save the two critically injured ANBU.
"The Uchiha has broken or cracked most of his ribs and is suffering from major internal bleeding and organ bruising. It's a miracle he survived long enough to make it here. Someone seems to have cast a stasis jutsu on him and done a hackjob of cauterizing the worst of the bleeding. He's only alive because of whoever helped him, but he's still in very bad shape. His arms and legs have multiple fractures and it looks like he's cracked several vertebrae. He has a severe concussion and is probably suffering from brain trauma. It's a miracle he's alive at all, even with the aid he received. He'll be lucky to stay that way. As it stands, he'll probably never be able to serve on active duty as a shinobi again. Whoever or whatever did this to him really put him through the wringer."
That was Shizune speaking. She was particularly good at diagnostic jutsu. Sakura nodded and seemed to be taking it in stride. Only someone who knew her very well could see that she was fighting to keep from falling apart as she watched the other doctors hook Sasuke up to all sorts of machines and begin to do some of the medical grunt-work.
"As for the Hyuuga, I don't understand how she's alive at all. It looks like her body was crushed by something heavy. Most of her ribs are broken or cracked and several have stove in and are causing major hemorrhaging. She is suffering from a bad concussion and her left arm is broken. The left rotator cuff in her shoulder has been torn. From the looks of it, someone reset her shoulder. It must have been dislocated. One of the ligaments in her left leg has been severed. It appears as if it was torn and she kept fighting somehow, she likely snapped it herself unintentionally. Her left kneecap is cracked. Worst of all she's suffering from third degree burns to over ninety percent of her body: everything except for her head and the soles of her feet have been blackened to char. Honestly, there is nothing we can do for her unless Karin get's here soon. The Uchiha will probably need her help as well... but that would be extremely dangerous for her- OH!"
Shizune turned from her patients to address Sakura directly and saw Karin standing there.
"Oh good, Karin-san you're here. We have need of your ability." Shizune said, as if she were requesting a glass of water. It was amazing she could say so detached, but after delivering her diagnostic, perhaps it wasn't so extraordinary. Doctors tended to get detached from the ails of their patients very early on in their careers.
Unless they held some sort of personal attachment.
"Karin-san," Sakura said roughly, "Take care of the Hyuuga first. Shizune-san, you will assist me. We'll see what we can do for my hus- the Uchiha."
The pink haired kunoichi-cum-doctor walked stiffly over to the side of her husband's operating table and immediately the green glow of her healing jutsu filled the room. She was using more chakra in her technique than Karin had ever seen before. She needed to pace herself if she hoped to save her patients. At that rate she wouldn't last long. Still, she had made the right call. In this situation Karin's ability outstripped both Sakura and Shizune combined.
Karin walked over to the Hyuuga woman. She wasn't sure if her healing power would be enough to save her. The damage was so extensive, it might kill her just to try and save the woman. Still, she did have to try. It was her job, and regardless of her reservations, she had a duty to do her utmost to save any patient. This was no different.
She carefully but firmly opened the Hyuuga's jaws and forced her to bite down on her arm. Karin felt her healing chakra, her life energy, begin to flow into the Hyuuga woman at an alarming rate. It was as if the Hyuuga was aware of what was happening, and was sucking down as much life energy as she possibly could. In Karin's experience, anyone who bit her took what they needed to survive and no more, and typically speaking, she was able to control how much energy that person received and the rate at which they received it. The Hyuuga woman was doing something she had never before experienced. She was taking much more than she needed to survive, and much too quickly. It was as if she was trying to repair every last cell in her body all at the same time. Karin was being drained so quickly that she already felt as if she had used her ability three times over.
"S-someone... help... it's... it's too much! Too much! Stop, you'll kill me!" She gasped, trying to pry the Hyuuga's teeth from her arm.
One of the staff quickly move to assist her. He placed his hands on the Hyuuga's jaw and tried to pull them apart. His muscles bulged with the strain, but he was unable to do it.
"Shit, she's clamped down like a vice! We need some help over here!" He yelled.
Three more people came over to help, and together they managed to pry the Hyuuga from Karin's arm.
"Are you alright, Karin-dono?" The man who first came to help her asked.
"I... think I'm going to be sick." She said faintly. She had almost blacked out. She fell onto her knees, away from the operating table, and emptied her stomach on the floor.
"Karin-san," Sakura said, grinding her teeth with the effort, "I'm going to need you're help over here. Shizune-san, shift your focus to healing the damage to his organs, I'm going to try and reattached the severed arteries. Cauterizing them isn't going to cut it." Beads of perspiration were forming on her prominent forehead. It had only been a few minutes and she was already feeling the strain.
"Sakura-san," Karin croaked, "I'm sorry but I'm all used up. It feels like I just used my ability five times in a row... I've got nothing left."
Sakura only nodded and redoubled her efforts.
"Sakura-san," Shizune said, sounding worried, "You've got to let up. Let some of the others take over soon. You can't keep this up."
The former Haruno shook her head. "You and I are the best in Konoha, Shizune-san. I'm going to heal my husband even if it kills me."
Nobody dared correct Sakura on her breach of protocol. Even Shizune didn't comment. Instead, she worked in tandem with the pink haired kunoichi for ten more minutes in near silence. Only the occasional grunt of effort and heavy breathing were heard in the OR during that time. Finally, when it became clear Sakura was a dozen shades paler then she should have been, Shizune spoke up again.
"Sakura-san please... you'll kill yourself."
"If that's what it takes." She replied.
In direct contradiction to what she just said, Sakura stopped working for a moment. Her hands formed a few seals and she touched her fingers to her forehead.
"Sakura-san... is that-" For the first time Shizune sounded truly shocked.
"I've been saving this for a rainy day," Sakura answered evenly, sounding tired, "and when it rains, it pours. Now: Ikusingo Shi-ru!" (Strength of a Thousand Seal!)
On her forehead appeared a large black rhombus. It began to glow with an odd purple light. The rhombus transformed, extending into a dozen curving purple lines.
"Ikusingo..." Shizune whispered in awe. "You really are Tsunade-sama's student. They say the true apprentice will one day surpass the master... a thousand..."
Chakra flared around Sakura, far beyond anything anybody in Konoha had ever seen, even when Tsunade had been in her prime.
"HE WILL SURVIVE!" She shouted defiantly and the green glow moved to encompass Sasuke's entire body.
When she had finished with Sasuke, Sakura stumbled over to the Hyuuga woman. Karin had managed to turn the tide with her ability, but it wasn't over yet.
Hinata awoke slowly, without any idea of where she was. She remembered everything going white, but after that, nothing.
Despite her ordeal, she felt remarkably well rested. Unbeknownst to her, Karin's and Sakura's efforts had left her almost completely restored. Her hair had to be shaved off to a stubble, it was too badly damaged, but other than that, she looked to be in good health. Her first thoughts, of course, were of Naruto. What exactly had happened?
"Daughter."
Hinata recognized the voice of her father. It sounded close. She opened her eyes. She couldn't see him. Why was it so dark?
"Father." She replied, and her voice was very unsure. "Where am I? What happened? Where is Naruto? Why is it so dark?"
"If you will allow me, I will explain everything." Hiashi said, sitting in a chair next to her bed.
Hinata did not like the sound of his voice. He sounded... troubled. Hiashi never sounded like that. Somehow, she was sure whatever he told her would not be good.
She braced herself for the worst.
"I have spoken to Danzo, the Council of Konoha, and the Council of the Hyuuga Elders. I will explain all I can, but I must be brief. Our time is short."
"What-"
"Please Daughter, do not interrupt. We haven't the time." He said sternly. "Now, I will try and relate things in order, but a great deal has happened in the two weeks you've been unconscious." Hinata stifled a gasp. Two weeks? "When you interrupted the extraction process the power of the Kyuubi became unstable. The Shodai's Crystal was unable to contain it. Because of your interference, any chance Uzumaki Naruto had of surviving was destroyed. He is dead, Daughter, gone. There wasn't a trace of him left." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. So he was dead, then. "The crystal sought out a host to help it contain the power, and it chose Danzo-sama. The soul of the Kyuubi went into the next world with the Uzumaki, but the power went to the host of the crystal. Danzo-sama was able to contain the power, and it has given him more strength than he ever had and has restored some of his youth. He doesn't look a day over forty, now."
Hiashi broke off for a moment, speculating.
"He will most likely become the next Hokage. His act of heroism has, unfortunately, gained him a great deal of popularity. Forgive me, I skipped a little. You see Daughter, it was Danzo-sama who pulled you out of the rubble and carried both you and Uchiha Sasuke to Konoha's hospital. Thank's to the efforts of Konoha's finest doctors, you have been healed almost entire, and the Uchiha has recovered at least enough to serve as a Jonin instructor to Genin, though it is doubtful he will ever serve in the ANBU again, or be half the shinobi he once was."
With the loss of Naruto, Hinata didn't have it in her to feel sad about Sasuke's fate.
"You, on the other hand, were charged with some very serious crimes. Not just by the clan, but by the village. You killed thirteen of Danzo-sama's ROOT ANBU, nearly killed Uchiha Sasuke, and are responsible for the death of Uzumaki Naruto. There was no disputing the charges. You were charged with high treason and the Council of Konoha had no choice, but to call for an execution."
Hinata nodded. She had resigned herself to this the moment she had first attacked the ANBU in the tunnel. She knew the price of failure. She was too numb to care.
"However, there was the issue of your crimes against the clan. One member of the Branch House and four of the Main House were killed in your attack. Another dozen were wounded, some worse than others, but that counts for little compared to the death of five clan members. One of the four Main House members was an Elder."
Hinata knew Hyuuga clan law, of course. She knew what the punishment for killing a Main House member was, let alone an Elder. What was another execution sentence? Either by the village or the clan she would be killed. It didn't matter in the slightest to her. Who had the honor of executing her was really the last of her worries.
"Killing a Branch House member is a serious abuse of power, however, it is not unheard of for it to happen. Given your status, you might have been pardoned for that. A Branch House member disobeying an order from a Main House member, let alone an heir, is almost as serious a crime as an heir killing a Branch House member. However, your other crimes were inexcusable. I did what I could, but I was dealing with both the Council of Konoha and the Hyuuga Elders, there wasn't much I could do."
Hiashi laughed softly. Hinata hadn't heard him laugh since before her mother died.
"You owe Danzo-sama your life, Daughter. He has a great deal of influence, and after I spoke with him, he managed to convince the Council of Konoha that the clan's punishment would be far worse than execution. Oh, they put you in the Bingo Book as an S class kill-on-sight criminal, but you'll have a month of amnesty before it is distributed to the other hidden villages, or anyone from Konoha comes after you. I doubt you'll get very far though. I imagine that by the time they find you, it will be a release."
To this, Hinata said nothing. Being expelled from the village was not something she had prepared herself for. Now she would be hunted down like the traitor she was.
"It saddens me greatly, but the Elder's decided banishing you wasn't enough, even with your name in the Bingo Book. They still would have had you executed. I was forced to take drastic action. Tell me something, Daughter. Does this room seem a little dark to you?"
Now that was something that frightened her. It was as black as pitch... what had her father done to her?
"The lights," She said, doing the best to keep her voice from shaking, "they are on, aren't they?"
"Very good, Daughter." Hiashi did indeed sound full of regret. "You are the second Hyuuga in history to have been bound with the Shi-ru no Ketsueki, the Blood Seal. The power of your Hyuuga blood has been stripped from you completely. You will be unable to use the Byakugan and unable to see, for the rest of your life. You are, for all intents and purposes, blind. Though your eyes may see, your mind cannot. You have been exiled, never to return upon pain of death. Once the doctors deem you fit enough for travel, you will be given two hours to collect your things. You will not be permitted to speak to anyone. I was only allowed here because I personally carried out your punishment, you needed to be apprised of your situation, and lastly and least importantly, because I am your father. I believe Sakura-san will be here any moment and ask for your release, if she doesn't kill you first. If you have any questions, you had better ask them quickly."
Hinata didn't know what to say, or think, or feel. She had been prepared for death, if it came. Now all the power she had strived for had been taken away. Naruto was dead and she was exiled with a kill-on-sight status; in other words she would be killed without the courtesy of calling it an execution. What chance did she have if she was blind?
"Well," she said slowly, uncertainly, "You're sure Naruto's dead? You said yourself they found no trace... and there was... this man there..."
Had she not been blind, she would have seen the thoughtful look on Hiashi's face.
"No, Danzo-sama confirmed it. Uzumaki Naruto is most certainly dead."
Hinata felt something break in her, deep down. Still, she had two more questions to ask.
"Neji-san... what has been done to him?"
"Nothing that he has not wanted for some time. He has been formally expelled from the clan. I spoke with him myself. He was well aware of what the consequences of his actions would be after he heard what you had done. He seemed relieved that expulsion was all that was to befall him. He's already gone and married himself to that Tenten woman. Not that it concerns you, but I believe he will be happy."
Hinata was surprised to hear her Father speak of her cousin so freely. Perhaps they finally had made amends.
"And Konohamaru-kun?"
"What of him?" Hiashi didn't seem to know what she was talking about.
'So that Ebisu guy was right. Not even Danzo would dare accuse the Sarutobi's heir.'
"It was nothing." She said. "I don't have anymore questions."
"Very well." Hiashi nodded, and in his most secret heart, he felt great pain. He would never admit it to anyone, but he did love his daughter. "I..." No, he couldn't admit it, even to her. "I hope they don't find you." He said at last. "The Hyuuga cannot afford another disgrace. The clan stands on the brink as it is."
"Thank you, Father." Hinata said. "For it's worth, I don't hate you, even though I probably should."
"Well I hate you."
Sakura had come into the room without either of them noticing. She nodded curtly to Hiashi.
"Times up, Hiashi-san."
The Hyuuga Lord didn't deign to reply to her. His last words were for his daughter.
"Farewell, Daughter. I don't think we will ever meet again, and for that, I truly am sorry."
With that he left the room. He needed to look at the prophecies again. He needed to see if Hiama mentioned anything about what the scroll was for. He had left it in Hinata's room, but what could a blind woman possibly do with a scroll if she couldn't read it? He would stay up late into the night, and find no answers.
Hinata tried to think of something, anything she could say to the former Haruno. They had been friends of some sort over the years. She had to say something.
"Sakura-san I-"
"Don't. You. Speak. To. Me. Again. Ever." Sakura hissed, every word spoken like a dagger.
She silently and slowly checked all Hinata's vitals, then did a physical inspection. She didn't want to have to do this twice.
"Well, it seems you're in nearly perfect health, other than being blind. That's good, because I don't think I could have kept coming in here once a day to check on your vitals without killing you. I knew about my husband's little plan, Hinata-san. I knew, and at the time, I hated him for it. He had betrayed one of my oldest friends. Still, I didn't try and kill him for it. He'll never be the same again. Your little stunt killed his best friend, and has crippled him for life. Oh, he can still walk alright, but he'll never be what he was. Without the Sharingan, I doubt he'd still be worthy of Jonin status. I've encouraged him to take on a Genin team, to fill the time... but..."
Tears of rage flowed down her face. The woman who had nearly killed her husband and had caused the death of one of her dearest friends was right in front of her, helpless. The only thing that kept Sakura from killing her was the thought that it would make her no better than Hinata. She held on to that thought as hard as she could. She wasn't about to ruin her life just to get revenge, but oh how she longed to strangle the life out of Hinata. Slowly.
"There," she said angrily, completing the exam, "I deem you fit for release. You'll be pretty weak, but you can walk. That's enough for me. I'll send for your escort."
She took the exam papers with her, and began to walk out the door. At the threshold she paused.
"And Hinata-san... if I ever see you again, I will kill you."
Hinata couldn't watch her go, but she did whisper: "I almost wish you would."
It was hard to tell time, Hinata was completely disoriented with blindness. She judged maybe twenty minutes had passed before she heard footsteps outside the door.
"We're here to help you gather your things and escort you out of Konoha. You will not speak with us, unless it is to help you find something. You will be provided with rations for a month's travel. You can take anything you can carry, even your weapons if you wish. However, you will not be allowed your hitai-ate. You are now officially missing-nin, however, it was decided there is no need for you to advertise this. Your face is known well enough in the hidden villages."
Hinata recognized the voice of Hatake Kakashi. The other pair of footsteps probably belonged to Yamato, Kakashi's ANBU partner.
The Council wasn't taking any chances. Not like she had one in the first place.
"Hiashi-sama left this scroll in your room. Would you like to take it with you?"
She didn't recognize the voice, but it was certainly masculine.
"Only I'm permitted to speak with her, Yamato." Ah, so it was him. "Would you like the scroll?"
"Yes." Hinata said simply.
She didn't know where she would go or what she would do, but one thing was certain. One way or another she would be dead in a month.
Slowly, she got out of bed and searched for the clothing she had been provided.
Suddenly she laughed.
She had sworn her Father had thrown that old baggy jacket away.
Nothing.
Absolutely. Nothing.
That was the only word to describe it.
It wasn't that he felt it, saw it, heard it, tasted it, or smelled it... those things didn't even exist here. He wasn't even sure he existed here. Or if he was even a 'he' and not an 'it.'
If he was indeed a 'he', then he had died. He didn't remember how he died, or who he was for that matter, but he was fairly certain that he had to be dead. That was the only thing he could be. Nothing else could be so...
Empty.
There was nothing.
Absolutely.
Nothing.
"Hey kid. Didn't think I'd be seeing you around here for a long time."
He heard the voice and reached for it, if it was indeed reaching. He didn't have a body, but he sensed that he had somehow... moved.
"Ah, that's better. What were you doing in that place anyway?"
Suddenly he was himself again. He was standing on an endless field of white nothing. His body was back. He still couldn't feel, smell, or taste anything, but he could see and he could hear. Maybe that meant he could speak.
"Where am I?"
"Well, I don't rightly know myself. This place is pretty strange." The voice had a sort of grandfatherly tone to it.
"Um... do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do." The voice said, and suddenly a white-haired man was standing next to him. "Why, you're my idiot-student."
His memories came rushing back... that voice... that hair... that ridiculous get-up. That stance... no... it couldn't be...
"Are you-"
"YES! IT IS I! THE GREAT TOAD SAGE! THE WISEST AND MOST FEARED OF THE LEGENDARY SANNIN! SAY NO MORE! YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GREATEST PERVERT IN THE WORLD. FOR I AM JIRAIYA!"
Yeah, there was no doubt about it. His name was Uzumaki Naruto, and that idiot, doing that dance, was none other than his old sensei.
"Jiraiya-sensei..." Naruto said calmly. "So I am dead then. Funny, I thought it would be more... I dunno... colorful?"
Jiraiya settled down for a moment, then grabbed Naruto in a fierce embrace, manly tears of manliness streaming down his face.
"It's good to see you boy. Things have been kind of dull around here. Not that I was expecting you so soon. There's no real concept of time here as far as I can tell, but you don't look much older than you were the last time I saw you. Tell me, how old are you exactly, now? And more importantly, how did you go out? Like a man I hope? Please tell your old sensei that you died in a bath house full of beautiful busty women!"
Despite everything, Naruto couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm almost twenty, and sorry, Ero-senin, no such luck. That damn fox finally got me killed."
Suddenly Jiraiya was deadly serious. "Is that so? Tell me what happened, boy."
"It was Shimura Danzo right?" Naruto felt something squish into the back of his head. He spun around and came face to face... with the most enormous pair of breasts he had ever known.
"B-B-BA-CHAN?!" Naruto exclaimed. "WHY ARE YOU SO OLD?!"
Tsunade's face was nearly as old and dried out as Jiraiya's. Still, she had retained some of her beauty, though her face was wrinkled and her hair had turned to silver.
Moreover, if he wasn't already dead, Naruto was sure she would have killed him.
"NA-RU-TOOOO..."
Tsunade's fist clobbered him and sent him flying, though whether he went far, or nowhere at all, Naruto couldn't tell. When he got to his feet the two Sannin were standing directly before him.
"That's because her little illusion doesn't work here. Can't really use genjutsu when youR dead, eh Tsunade-hime? Kind of a pity though, she's gotten all saggy."
"JIRAAAAIIIYAAAA!"
To Naruto's surprise Tsunade's fist went through the old pervert. Jiraiya just stood there with the biggest shit-eating-grin on his face.
"She can't hit me here anymore. Not that it's improved her temper. She complains all the time that the one thing she wanted in the afterlife was sake. She thinks it's unfair I get my wish to hang out with beautiful women."
"It's NOT fair." Tsunade said, a vein pulsing in her forehead. "I'll deal with you later, Jiraiya... anyways... it was Shimura Danzo, right?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Er, well yeah, sort of. I had the Kyuubi taken from me and I died. It was Danzo's idea, but I killed Shikamaru-san so..."
"Eh, that lazy-bones?" Jiraiya questioned. "Haven't seen him around here, have we Tsunade-hime?"
"No, but that's not surprising. Unlike you, I've spent time figuring out how this place works. You can't really find anyone unless you had some sort of strong personal connection in life... unless it's by chance."
"Hmm..." Jiraiya scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Makes sense. This place is pretty big. Probably infinite. Good thing I knew so many babes, eh?"
Tsunade sighed. "I can't believe that even in death, you refuse to grow up."
"Yeah, yeah." The aged pervert waved his hand dismissively. "Now, you have to tell us all about this business with Danzo."
"He had me killed... or at least pulled the plug. I vaguely remember feeling needles. I think he might have poisoned me... to make me stay in a coma." The Godaime said.
"How can you be sure?" Naruto asked.
"Ask him." Tsunade said, pointing to her right.
"Eh, I don't see-"
"Good to see you Naruto. It's a shame really, this wasn't supposed to happen."
For the first time since dying Naruto felt sad. Standing in front of him was his first sensei, Iruka.
"It really was before his time." A woman's voice said.
A gentle hand rested on Naruto's shoulder, and a lock of crimson hair brushed against his face. He knew that voice. He had only met her once, but he could never forget it.
"Mom." He said, looking over his shoulder. "And Dad."
"We're here for you son." Minato said, taking Naruto in a tight embrace.
"As are we." The Sandaime was there too, and a Hyuuga who looked just like Hiashi.
"Old-man! And... Hiashi-sama?" Naruto asked. "When did you die?"
The Hyuuga laughed. "I'm not Hiashi, I'm Hizashi, his brother. You may not believe it, but my brother and I were good friends with your father and mother back in the day."
"We're all here for you Naruto." Kushina said lovingly. "I'm sorry you were so alone in life, but you'll never have to be alone again."
"This is all very touching." Iruka said, not unkindly. "But we have a lot to discuss."
For the first time Naruto noticed that his sensei looked... well different then he thought he would. He was garbed all in black, and held a strange mask in his hands.
'And is it my imagination, or are his eyes kinda funny looking?'
"Iruka-san is right." Hizashi said. "We do have a lot to discuss."
"Give him a break, the boy just got here." Jiraiya whined. "I wanted to take him to see all the sights."
"By 'sights' he means women." Tsunade snorted. "Really, after all this time, the first thing you want to do with him is go spy on women? I say we have a sake-drinking contest."
"We can't really do that in this place, Tsunade-san, you know that." Minato said, only half-joking. "Besides, if anyone is going to spend time with him, it'll be us. Right Kushina-chan?"
"My husband is right, we get first dibs." She looked at Naruto and winked.
"Um, sorry, but don't I get a say in this?" Naruto asked sheepishly.
"NO!" They all replied in frightening unison.
"Fine, go ahead. Take him, see the sights." Iruka addressed them all, speaking with quiet authority. "But then," he gave Naruto that old smile of his, "we have a lot of catching up to do."
Naruto smiled. Maybe being dead wasn't so bad after all.
He just hoped Hinata was ok. She must have been. She would have been here with him if she was dead.
She had said she loved him.
And that was a comforting thought.
"Alright, this is it, end of the line." Kakashi said.
Hinata had taken everything with her that she could think of. She felt like she wanted to die, but had decided that if she changed her mind for some reason, it would be good to have all the necessities.
She had taken all her gear, including her survival kit and tent, as well as that scroll her Father had left her. Kakashi and Yamato had given her everything she we need for a month. At least there was that. She didn't think she could forage very well without being able to see. That was sure to be its own challenge, and she had to keep thinking of it that way or she would surely give in to despair. Maybe she would die, she might even take her own life, but not quite yet.
"Arigato, Kakashi-san, Yamato-san. I know I'm not supposed to speak to you, but thank you for everything. I'll be dead in a month anyway. I'm sure the ANBU will be tracking me the whole way. You've given me a last kindness. Arigato."
Kakashi and Yamato exchanged an uneasy look. They reached a silent agreement, and Kakashi spoke.
"Not all of us think this is right, Hinata-san. I know they blame you for Naruto's death, but I'm pretty sure extracting the Kyuubi was a death sentence anyway. Some of us believe you were the only one who did the right thing. Whether he lost control of the Kyuubi or not, Naruto was a loyal shinobi of the Leaf. He was my student... and he was my friend." Kakashi coughed. This was starting to sound entirely too much like a eulogy. Perhaps, in an odd way, it was. Hinata had been the closest to Naruto. Who needed to hear these words more than her? "Personally, I think you did the right thing. I'm not acquitting you of killing your comrades, but at least you took a stand. You were always a shy girl... at least that's what I remember before this whole world started going to hell. I always thought you would stay that way... quiet and weak. That you, of all people, were the one to say 'no more,' well, I guess that's at least something."
Yamato closed his eyes and nodded at his friend's words. He only had a few to say himself and this would be his only chance to say them.
"I don't know you well at all." He said. "But I think Konoha is losing a great shinobi."
Kakashi tensed for a moment, as if he had heard something. Then he let his guard relax, it was probably just a bird, or something. They were in the middle of the forest, and no one could have followed them.
"We have to be going now." The Hatake looked at his comrade and nodded. It was time to go.
"Thank you for your words." Hinata said softly.
Kakashi and Yamato leaped up into the trees. The son of the White Fang stopped there, while Yamato continued on.
"Hinata-san," he called down from the tree, "There's something I told Naruto once, that I think you should hear."
"Kakashi-san?" Hinata prompted.
The man had been staring off into the distance, unseeing.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash... that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash... for what it's worth, Hinata-san, I don't think your worse than trash."
"Arigato." Hinata whispered, and felt tears come to her eyes. At least there was one person who thought she had done the right thing. Maybe now when they caught her, she could die with some dignity.
Kakashi sat there awhile longer, watching the woman his old student had cared for so much, maybe even loved, even if he hadn't known it. She wasn't much of a sight now, nearly bald and very blind. Still, she had that irrevocable air of Hyuuga nobility about her. What had happened to her was as much a shame as what had happened to Naruto. Kakashi had hoped for the longest time his old student would find happiness with this woman. The world had been set against them, and given their circumstances, Kakashi had to admit that they had had a pretty good run. Sometimes you had to roll the hard six, but sometimes even that didn't work. Fate it appeared, had plans all its own.
And so did he.
He leaped to the next tree and headed back towards Konoha. He needed to talk to Kurenai again. Obviously the plan had to change now that Naruto was gone, and with him, perhaps so was whatever hope they had had.
As soon as she sensed Kakashi was gone, Hinata fell to her knees.
She couldn't hold it in anymore. Everything she had cared about was gone. Her power, her Naruto (at least he had been at the end), her sight, and with it, the world.
So she laid down on the ground and cried.
And cried. And cried. And cried.
"You really are pathetic, you know that, right Oneesan?"
Hinata stopped sobbing. "O-Oneechan?"
"It's me."
Hanabi stepped out from behind a tree where she had been watching with her Byakugan. She had stayed as far behind as she possibly could to follow Kakashi and Yamato escort her big sister. Now she could finally keep her promise to herself.
"Wh-what are y-you doing her, H-Hanabi-chan?" Hinata stuttered.
"Ah, now that's more like the old Oneesan." Hanabi sneered. "So tell me, Oneesan, you did at least fuck him right? Please tell me you at least did that."
"Wh-what?!" The former heiress sputtered.
"Naruto. You did fuck him right?" Hanabi asked, much too sweetly.
"N-no, Oneechan, why are you here? If anyone finds out, I'm not sure what will happen to you."
"How sweet of you to think of me, Oneesan, but I can take care of myself." She laughed icily. "At least, better than you can, right now. Tell me, what's it like to betray everything you ever cared about? How does it feel?"
"I...I... Hanabi-chan... I think you should go."
"Oh, I'll do what I please now, Oneesan. You're not even a part of the clan anymore. I don't have to listen to you."
"Is that why you're here, to rub it in? Go ahead, you can't do anything to me. It's as you said, I've thrown everything away. There's nothing left you can take from me."
"Oh, but I can. Tell me, was it worth it? Betraying everyone and everything that mattered? I mean, you told me you didn't even fuck him, so why go that far?"
Hinata turned towards her sister's voice. In her eyes was... pity.
"I'm sorry, Hanabi-chan. I'm sorry that even though I've lost everything, I still have the one thing you never did."
Hanabi slapped her with such force that she slammed to the ground.
"How dare you! How dare you say that to me! You had everything, Oneesan, everything! You had it all, you were the heiress, you had become strong, you could have had anyone you wanted... and instead you chose him. How, how could you do that?! How could you throw it all away for a... a demon. I heard that he killed the Rokudaime, I know it was because of that... thing inside him. He got what he deserved. I hope he suffered, Oneesan. I hope he suffered terribly, for your sake. He made you do it! I know he did! He used his powers to seduce you! He had to! And then when the game was finally up, he tricked you into trying to save him! That- that's what happened right Oneesan? He made you sleep with him right? He took you by force and made you his unwilling slave, right? You wouldn't have done it if you didn't have a choice... if you come back with me, I can convince them, I'm sure of it. It wasn't your fault Oneesan! Oneesan?!"
Hinata just sat there.
"It's ok, you can tell me the truth oneesan! I know he used you!"
SLAP
"Don't you dare say those things about him!" Hinata's anger awoke. "Naruto was a hero to Konoha. I did what I did because I loved him, Oneechan. I loved him, and tried to save him. Maybe if I had realized how I felt earlier, things would have turned out differently... but don't say for a moment that he manipulated me. Naruto had more problems than anyone I'd ever met, and more honor and loyalty for his village too. I loved him with every fiber of my being, oneechan, and now he's gone. If I'd known how I felt about him, yes, I would have slept with him. I wanted to, oh, how I wanted to, but I didn't. I struggled against my feelings, and this is the price I have paid. I already told you. There is nothing you can take away from me. Everything I ever cared about is gone, and soon, I'll be gone too. Say what you must, beat me if you must, kill me if you must, but there is nothing, nothing that you can take from me the world hasn't already taken."
Hanabi stared at her sister in a rage. She had thrown it all away because of her feelings? She had thought that perhaps her Sister had been seduced, that he used his evil power to take her by force.
Naruto could have given Hinata the children Hanabi could never have. Hinata hadn't even done that much. At the very least she could have provided an heir for the clan. The Hyuuga nobility were doomed to die out. Now, her sister was telling her she had done it... for love? Hanabi's rage became a cold and focused thing. She would have her revenge.
"I was going to kill him, you know. At least, I was going to try. I guess you're all I have left."
Hinata didn't even cry out when she felt the kunai pierce her breast.
"Goodbye, Oneesan. I've just taken away the one thing you had left. You can go to heaven now... while Naruto stays in hell."
Hinata laughed softly to herself as she heard Hanabi leave. She knew with every beat of her weakening heart that she would see Naruto again.
She was going to hell too.
She dragged herself to her pack and pulled out one of Naruto's old undershirts she had managed to smuggle into it. It smelled like him. She rolled over and held it to her face, pretending that he was lying there with her.
The scroll her father had packed had come undone during her blind fumbling for the shirt. It rolled open beside her, and when she finally lost all strength, she slumped over onto it, her lifeblood spilling from her chest onto the scroll.
As she took her final breaths, Hinata used them to breathe in Naurto one last time.
'I'm coming, my Naruto-kun. I'll see you soon.'
At the end, he had been 'her Naruto-kun' again.
A light flashed before her eyes, and she knew no more.
Danzo, for once, had kept his word, and Hinata had not been followed. Several days later a patrol found where she had passed on. At least, that's what they assumed had happened. There wasn't any trace of her body, or where she might have gone, but a large pool of dried blood was evident on the grass. There was a bloodied scroll, blank, and almost completely destroyed from being soaked by the blood. Her pack and all her gear was there, as well as a plain orange t-shirt.
They arrived later that day with the news. For the first time since his wife had died, Hyuuga Hiashi let himself cry.
Some of Konoha's citizens rejoiced at her death, but more of them grieved.
Even if she had betrayed the village, everyone knew she had done it to save Naruto. Some passing comments from his friends had led some of the populace to believe that the two had been deeply in love with each other. This quickly turned from rumor to fact, and most of those who had rejoiced in Hinata's death changed their opinion of her entirely. In her own way, she became a hero in the village, even if she would never have a place on the Monument of Fallen Heroes, like Naruto did. Instead, Hinata would have a special place in the hearts of many of the shinobi and citizens of Konoha. In some ways, she was admired even more than Naruto was. She had been the closest thing to royalty that Konohagakure had, and she had thrown everything away for the love of a man who contained a terrible power. Despite the horrible nature of the Kyuubi, she had loved him and stood by his side, and when the Kyuubi betrayed him, she had stood alone against the entire village to save him. When other's resigned themselves to letting a good man die, she had taken a stand.
She had been the only one in the whole village who had said, as some people had started saying, "No more."
Eventually even those who had originally hated her, started coming around.
Over the following months Sasuke adapted to his loss of mobility and started training children at the academy to become Genin. Sakura had tried to convince him to take a team, but Sasuke insisted that he wouldn't risk taking student's into the field unless he was completely confident he could protect them. In turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Sasuke quickly became the single greatest teacher in the history of the academy and it wasn't because of his prowess as a shinobi, or his ability to copy and teach any move with the Sharingan. Sasuke became renowned for his ability to find the hidden talent in every child who wanted to become a shinobi. He would never give up on any kid, especially those who struggled the hardest to make the grade. When other instructors gave up and said the child couldn't be taught, Sasuke took it as a challenge, and worked tirelessly until he found a way to help them succeed. He was known for his ability to inspire the academy students. He had a speech that after a year all the teachers knew by heart, and though they made fun of him about it to his back, none of Sasuke's students took those words for granted when they were the ones receiving them.
"Look, I know the other kids make fun of you," the speech would go, "they tell you your trash, that you can't succeed, that you'll never be a shinobi, that your dead last. Well I've got news for you kid: it doesn't mean a thing. In my academy days I was at the top of my class. There was this one dobe I always made fun of. He was a complete idiot and could never do anything right, and he never took anything seriously. He was the bottom of the class, 'dead last', I would call him. He was always going on 'I'm going to be the next Hokage!' and everyone made fun of him for it. Especially me. No one took him seriously. Now, take one guess who that dead last kid turned out to be."
"Uh... I don't know sensei." The kid would always say, often sniffling as they did.
"His name was Uzumaki Naruto, and he was the best shinobi this village ever knew. Maybe the best the world ever knew. Now what do you have to say to that?"
And so the kid would inevitably take heart and swear to become a great shinobi just like Naruto, for in death the Uzumaki had gained the one thing he had never had in life: the love of the people of Konohagakure.
The S class secret of the Kyuubi was declassified. Now that he was gone, Naruto was finally a hero.
It was one day, yet another year later, that Sakura took her husband aside.
"Aren't you ever going to take a team?" She asked.
"Why? It's not like we need the money." Sasuke said.
"I thought that's what you wanted. The treatments I've been giving you have helped you regain most of your old strength. You've told me as much."
"Then who else is gonna take the kids nobody else believes in and help their dreams come true?" Sasuke said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Sakura beamed. "When I married you I swear this was the last thing I ever expected you to do. Why the change of heart?"
"Isn't it obvious? Naruto-dobe never gave up on me. When everyone else had written me off, he brought me back. To you, to this. Don't you think those kids deserve the same?"
"Sasuke," Sakura had never felt such overwhelming love for him before. He had turned into a man she could love and be proud of. "I... I want children. Our own children."
"Yeah, okay." He had said, to her great surprise. "But we have to settle something first."
"Anything." Sakura had said.
"All of this... with the students. I mean, you like the way I've changed right? I wouldn't have said it a year ago, but I like it too. You agree, right?"
"Well, of course."
"Then you have to forgive Hinata-san, like I have."
"What?!"
"Listen... if it weren't for her I wouldn't be like this today. For the first time I actually feel good about myself and my life. If she hadn't nearly killed me, I'd never have taught at the academy, and I'd never have realized how much of my life I was missing by just going out on missions. Being ANBU was important for me, for us, at least for a time, but now those days are over. And you know what Sakura? If I could go back, I wouldn't. And it's all thanks to Hinata-san."
"That may be true," Sakura had grudgingly admitted, "But Naruto-"
"I think she may have been right Sakura. I mean it's been what, two years? I never saw that guy again. She may have been the only one the village to do the right thing."
"But-"
"She loved him, Sakura. She had to. There's no other reason she'd have done it. You know what she said to me that day? She said 'I will not let them take him from me!' She shattered my Tsukuyomi, Sakura. You know I don't believe in miracles or anything like that, but that power she had... I don't know how to explain it. She did it for him. So why not forgive her? You've been carrying that hate with you for a long time now. I know what hate does to a person. Let it go."
"I..." Sakura had cried hard, sobbing into her husband's shoulder. At length she had said: "I forgive her... I forgive you Hinata-san. I hope you're with him wherever you are."
"Ah... one more thing." Sasuke had said, and Sakura had nearly pummeled him while he frantically waved his arms. "No, nothing like that... it's just, I never told you and figured you kind of deserved to know." Sakura had looked dubiously at him. She had hoped he wasn't about to tell her about an affair. "I love you."
She had ripped his clothes off right then and there, and nine months later their first child was born.
In the end, there were only a few people who never forgave Hinata.
Except the Hyuuga clan. Every single one of them hated Hinata for two simple reasons. She had brought greater shame to the clan than anyone in their history, and she had single-handedly destroyed their future. It soon became known that Hanabi could not produce an heir, and even Sakura admitted that it was beyond her skill to mend. She couldn't heal what had already been healed... or rather, it was a defect from birth. It could not be corrected. The Hyuuga clan had lost its last heir. Hiashi's wife had been the last of the female nobility of the Main House. Hanabi was still the heir, but when she died, the Hyuuga would die with her.
Only two Hyuuga did not hate her. One was her father, who publically denounced her, but grieved for her in secret. The other was Neji, who had married Tenten and had been expelled from the clan. He was very vocal about his support of her, and for a while it nearly destroyed both his reputation and Tenten's weapon business. Then when public opinion changed, his reputation swelled right along with his wife's customer base. Many who had known him found it ironic that the boy who had nearly killed Hinata during the Chuunin Exams ended up being one of her most adamant supporters.
Others viewed her death opportunistically. For Danzo she was just one more tool that how outlived its usefulness. Danzo used his initial boost in fame to work towards securing the position of the next Hokage. Unfortunately (forunately for everyone else), the law made the process impossible to expedite, and it was over five years before another Hokage was finally selected. Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Shikaku Nara, among others, worked to delay the process every step of the way. Every obscure ritual that had ever been written about selecting a Hokage was put into use. For example, every candidate had to successfully demonstrate one-thousand-and-one techniques. The criteria was pointless, as there were hundreds of techniques even academy students learned, involving basic taijutsu and trap setting. In other words: anyone could pass the criteria, but everyone had to demonstrate those thousand and one techniques. With thirty-one candidates, this took a very long time, and that was not the most time consuming ritual. Not by a long shot.
Eventually even Danzo gave into the process, and instead, began focusing on rebuilding Konoha's forces. He increased the quota for academy teachers, made it mandatory that every inactive Jonin take on a Genin squad, and demanded they be allowed to participate in the Chuunin Exams as early as possible. He was the head of ANBU and Konoha's security, no one saw any reason to disobey a matter of security (as Danzo called it.) The now not-so-old war-hawk had Konoha open its gates to civilian refugees. They flooded the city. War was brewing to the far north, and Danzo took advantage, recruiting the children and young adults of the refugees to become shinobi. Suddenly the academy was training people in their twenties to become Genin, and Konoha quickly became stronger in numbers than ever before, though the quality of its newest generation of shinobi suffered greatly.
Danzo himself became rather famous as the wielder of the Kyuubi's power. He used the power freely: there was no demon to contend with, and so no one feared him. Well, not anymore than they already did anyway. Using the power the Kyuubi, Danzo made Konoha the strongest hidden village once again, and for a time they possessed great power and prosperity.
However, there were some, who did not take the death of Uzumaki Naruto well.
Iwagakure had feared the son of the Yellow Flash. When the old Tsuchikage finally died, a younger and more ambitious man took over. Without Naruto, Konoha's reputation had waned for several years before it regained its honor. During this time Iwagakure left the Great Shinobi Alliance. Soon after, Kumogakure was attacked by Iwa shinobi. It had been nothing more than a small skirmish, but the Great Shinobi Alliance called for the other nations to provide a show of force. Danzo reneged on the agreement, saying Konoha's shinobi were needed elsewhere and on missions. Kumogakure took offense, and forswore its alliance with Konoha, thought it remained true to the other nations still in the Alliance. This sowed dissension, and Kirigakure, the weakest of the five great hidden villages, entered into its own private alliance with Iwagakure. Danzo declared that Konohagakure would not stand for any double-dealing, and renounced Kirigakure. Kumogakure and Sunagakure followed suit, reluctant to forfeit Konoha's power for a weaker village.
It was not long after that, that a mysterious stranger from the north, leading a small army of shinobi from the Land of Spring, formerly the Land of Snow (which rumor had it, had turned into the Land of Snow once again), appeared in the northern reaches of Iwagakure. Iwa, for some reason, swore allegiance to this man as the new Tsuchikage (the other man had uncharacteristically stepped down). Within a year the new Tsuchikage attacked Kumogakure with his Kirigakure allies, and even with Suna's help, Kumogakure was unable to withstand the onslaught. Sabaku no Gaara had personally begged Konohagakure to help, in honor of Naruto's friendship with the legendary "Killer Bee." Again, Danzo refused, not wanting to weaken Konoha. Kumo's shinobi were forced to retreated to Sunagakure. It was not long after that Suna itself came under siege, and Danzo's obstinacy finally destroyed the last vestige of the Great Shinobi Alliance.
War was tearing across the land. Foreign shinobi, of no particular allegiance, with no previous affiliations, and some of completely unknown origin began terrorizing the country. There were only a few hundred of them belonging to perhaps half a dozen organizations that had hidden bases scattered throughout the land. One particular organization was under the leadership of a truly terrifying individual, known only as Kima. In any case, all of the organizations had hosts of incredibly high leven and dangerous shinobi, many whom were former missing-nin and had now been given a pardon. The organizations were official entities, recognized by all the hidden village, even Konoha. They became notorious for taking missions that not even the saltiest ANBU would touch. Some started calling them the only 'true ANBU.'
Out of the three hundred or so of these mysterious shinobi, there were around two dozen or so that became incredibly famous. Of those two dozen, there were only two who became infamous. These two worked for opposing factions, but just one of them was (according to the rumors) enough to turn the tide of a battle in favor of whoever hired them. Eventually every time one was contracted, the other was inevitably contracted to counter. They never clashed with each other, but instead seemed to make it a contest of who could kill the most of the other's shinobi. This escalated so far that both were given 'retreat on sight' orders in all the villages and the asking price of these two became so astronomical that eventually they both stopped being hired at all. Why hire both, when you could just hire neither?
A new classification of shinobi was added to the Bingo Book, specifically for these two: 'X' rank they called it. The designation meant an automatic 'retreat on sight' order.
Meanwhile, Temari sat safely behind the walls of Sunagakure (for the time being) with her son, who she had name Shikaru. Her recovery had been slow and painful, but at some point her brothers noticed her perk up rather suddenly. Perhaps her son had been enough to bring back her happiness.
Sarutobi Konohamaru left Konoha. He had declared he: "Finally understood what the old-man meant." He hadn't explained anymore than that, and nobody, not even his old teammates, knew where he had gone.
Anko miscarried her first child halfway into her second trimester. She had been devastated, but three months later Kakashi had convinced her to try again. The couple enlisted Sakura to help them every step of the way, and after a month of trying, Anko was once again pregnant. Eight months later she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. They had been sorely tempted to name their children in honor of Naruto and Hinata, but the sentiment would have been wrong. Instead, Anko gave Kakashi the single greatest gift of his life (other than the children of course) and named them Obito and Rin. Kakashi cried for first time in his life.
It was shortly after that, that the Sharingan-wielder turned over a new leaf. He suddenly became extremely serious about his duties and gave up drinking almost entirely (though he was still frequently seen with ero-novels... some things never changed.) He still disappeared in the middle of the night from time to time, but Anko knew he needed his private time, to think. Kakashi was never seen on his mysterious outings, though some believed he was having an affair with Yuhi Kurenai, though it was completely untrue.
Most of the remaining Konoha Twelve... now the Konoha Nine, retired from the ANBU after what had happened to their friends. Only Ino and Kiba remained active, and they formed a new duo.
Hiashi became increasingly desperate to find a way to save his clan. He had contemplated sepukku, but decided against it. He was all that was holding the Hyuuga together. He spent his nights wearing the words off the pages of Hiama's prophecies, but was unable to glean any more from them. He was seen less and less outside of the Hyuuga complex. Two years later people realized they never saw him anymore. Hiashi still commanded his clan with an iron fist, and consulted with the Elders, but he had almost become a shut-in.
The rest of the shinobi and citizens of Konoha continued on as they had, but perhaps they were a little sadder and wiser.
And so it was that a total five years passed since the deaths of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata.
These were known as 'The Years of the Empty Tower,' for it was generally accepted that Konoha's hubris had led to this new age of war.
Without a Hokage to guide them, the shinobi of Konoha lost focus and purpose. All hope was failing and the world was getting darker every day.
War would come to them soon. Some had begun to call it 'The Last War,' because they assumed Konohagakure would finally be wiped out. After all they had been through, it was cruel.
Perhaps if Naruto was still alive things would have turned out differently. The Alliance wouldn't have fractured and his power could have protected Konoha.
How could they have let him die? Why had Hyuuga Hinata been the only one to take a stand?
It was only as the end of days closed in on them they realized their mistake. Hyuuga Hinata hadn't just tried to save Naruto, she had tried to save Konohagakure from itself.
So they believed.
Some clung to hope, others just despaired.
But even the most despairing of the lot couldn't help but hope when they visited the unofficial grave of Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto.
A shrine had been dedicated to them, putting the village's greatest hero next to one of its greatest traitors.
"They found love in a world that had tortured and burned them." Some would say.
"Ah, but nothing could hurt them," others would say, "not when they were Dark Fox and Night Orchid."
Their old code names and their partnership in ANBU had somehow leaked and become public knowledge. The common folk thought the secrecy was very romantic, and 'Dark Fox' and 'Night Orchid' had become synonymous with 'Romeo' and 'Juliet' in Konoha. "Don't love each other too much," people would say, "Or you'll end up another Dark Fox and Night Orchid."
To which others would say: "But their love transcended even their loyalty to the village. Their love made them impervious."
There were many arguments that were made. Ultimately there were only three things that anybody could agree upon.
Their names would live on as long as the village existed, both their 'real names' as people called them (Dark Fox and Night Orchid), and their regular names.
Yet, even in this, some people debated which of their names would last longer.
On the last two things no one disagreed at all. Not even in the slightest, for they had died as they had lived:
They had been in love.
And they had been ANBU.
End of Part II
A/N: This is a Naru/Hina fic. Please keep this in mind a read a few more chapters.