Konnichiwa konnichiwa, Planeshunter desu!
Not much to say today, made a small fix last chapter, since for some reason my brain farted while writing it and then farted again while checking it and completely forgot Tenko's existence is supposed to be a secret. The part where Haku tells her story has been slightly altered so Naruto clumsily covers up that detail instead.
Now, without further ado, Mystic Eyes of Reincarnation 始まります!
Chapter 52: Konoha lives (4 of 4)
Hinata and Haku leave the Dining Hall soon after while Sakura jumps at the chance to stay around the compound for obvious reasons. From the Konoha 12, Naruto-kun is the only one she hasn't visited today. But since they're 'neighbours' until he has a new place to live in, she hopes to catch him on her way back, and... maybe they can have dinner together? There are no social calls to get in the way tonight, so everything hangs on whether she'll have the courage to ask him or not.
...
That probably means she'll have dinner with Father and Hanabi. She lets out a defeated sigh.
-"Hinata-sama-"
-"Haku-chan!" -She mockingly chides here, actually grateful for being pulled from her depressing thoughts- "Nothing of that '-sama' business when we're amongst friends."
Haku's only reaction is a somewhat shocked expression that takes her by surprise. Of course, it shouldn't have. Haku feels more comfortable putting herself in a subordinate position and has done so from the start, that stubborn refusal to accept equal standing within the Hyakki Yagyou being only the most recent proof. In the end, it might be best for everyone involved to allow her that odd fixation.
But if she thought Hinata was about to give up, she has another coming. Friendship has nothing to do with social standing.
-"I wasn't kidding back then, you know? I plan on keeping you around for a long time so you better get used to this treatment." -She gives her best smile- "Now what was it?"
-"Thank you, Hinata-sa… -san. I'll treasure your kind words." -Haku barely catches herself, seems like this will be a long-time project- "What did Inuzuka-sama want with you? I could feel some murderous intent all the way from the room she took you to."
-"I think… it was a test?" -Hinata answers tentatively, not very sure herself- "And that I probably passed somehow?"
She's still a bit puzzled about Tsume's actions. That everything was a test of some kind was the only explanation, even if she can't make heads or tails of it, or why did she pass it. Come to think of it, maybe that was some kind of tradition she was unaware of? She'd better ask Father when she gets back home.
-"In any case I don't think we need to concern with it now" -Haku is almost as much a worrywart as she herself, so it's better to take the matter lightly in her presence- "We're almost there and Yakumo-chan is really eager to meet you face to face."
Haku makes a complicated expression, obviously understanding what she meant by face to face. She must be worrying about unnecessary things like the potential security breach meeting Nue's real identity means. No matter, she promised Zabuza she'll take care of her, so she'll make sure the three of them become proper friends even if she has to drag Haku all the way screaming and kicking.
As usual, Yakumo is at the gates of the manor, waiting for them. Haku sends a questioning glance at her, but she simply shrugs. How Yakumo manages to know they're coming every single time will probably remain a mystery forever and ever.
-"Hinata-chan! Welcome to my humble abode" -She delivers a quick hug before she can ask what she's talking about, focusing then her attention on Haku- "And you must be Haku-chan, I have been dying to meet you!"
-"It's my pleasure, Kurama-sa..."
-"Haku-chan!" -Yakumo chides her amusedly- "Nothing of that '-sama' business amongst friends."
Haku turns to question Hinata, but she shrugs again with an apologetic smile and does her best to stand back and let Yakumo work her magic. Before they know it, they're already inside the Villa and relaxing in a comfortable set of wooden deck chair at the beach, with some kind of overly ornate drink on their hands and dipping their feet on the sea, chatting about the day.
…
Well, Yakumo and Hinata are, Haku was too busy getting astonished at the hidden illusory passageways and the sealing array for their time-dilated villa to notice the change in attire they've all gone through until recently and now all her attention goes into blushing and trying to cover herself up.
-"My word, Haku-chan, will you stop fussing about? It only us here, and it isn't like your swimsuit is that daring either" -Honestly, Haku's sky blue one-piece is more cute than sexy, not like the very sexy black swimsuit she's been forced into since the first time here- "And you'll stretch your sarong if you keep trying to hide your legs with it."
….
Now that she thinks about it, wasn't this piece supposedly worn only by her Tenko persona? There's been foul play here and she'll make sure Yakumo pays as soon as she can pin down when exactly she was given the slip.
-"But Hinata-sama!" -Her mortified tone takes her out from her musings. She even forgot to mind the honorific! Now Hinata is feeling a bit guilty- "This thing is indecent! As a shinobi..."
-"As a kunoichi, dear Haku-chan" -Yakumo takes advantage of Haku's hands being busy to boop her nose- "Wouldn't you say this getup would beideal for..."
The rest is whispered to her ear and Hinata misses it. What she doesn't miss is how her blush grows even fiercer and stops struggling, getting her arms away from her body and doing her best to relax on her seat.
-"I guess I should be getting used to look… feminine" -She finally concedes, looking away- "It's not like I would be able to pass off as a boy much longer anyway..."
Hinata eyes Yakumo suspiciously, but she changes topics before there's a chance to interrogate her.
-"Back to your day, Hinata-chan… do you think it's a good idea to match Sasuke-kun with his new sister?"
Hinata shrugs, taking another sip at whatever it is they're drinking.
-"Not specially, I'm not that keen on setting them up either" -She smiles guiltily at the astonished look that comment earns- "I mean, sure, it would be nice if Sasuke-kun widens his view a bit, and I'm sure there's an amusing conversation I can have with Hana-san as Sasuke-kun's worried teammate. If they hit it off, it would be nice, but there's nothing lost if they don't."
-"It would be good experience in any case and should help him growing up. Good idea, Hinata-chan!"
-"Ehehe…"
-"Now if the idea didn't come from a girl who nursed her first crush since she was seven and never ever looked at another guy that way…"
That deflates her, but has the pleasant side-effect of making Haku snort. Of course she hurries to hide it by taking a sip of her own drink, but looks like they'll be able to get her to relax here after all.
-"Oh! Congratulations for your promotion! I was so excited about showing all this to Haku-chan that it kinda slipped my mind."
-"What promotion?"
-"Didn't your dad tell you? Oops!"
-"Yakumo-chan?"
-"Guess he wanted to surprise you... " -She scratches her head with a regretful smile- "You have to promise you'll act the part when he tells you, it was all him after all."
-"Are you going to stop beating around the bush and spill already?"
-"Your team, and all other Konoha-nin who managed to fight during the Finals are to be promoted to Chuunin. The official announcement might take a while with all that's happening, but the decision is already set in stone."
-"That's great" -And so different from the original timeline too! Back then, only Shikamaru graduated. Not that he didn't deserve it but… waitaminute- "Wait, did you say 'my team'?"
-"Yup!" -Does that mean…?- "That means our favourite ramen devourer will officially become Chuunin!"
-"But… how did that happen? In the original timeline not even defeating Neji-niisan and Gaara-kun was enough to have him promoted…"
-"But in the original timeline he didn't have any friends in the Council, did he? You should've seen your dad playing the idiots there like fiddles. Now I know where Hinata got her shrewdness from!"
She then proceeds to excitedly tell them about the last Council meeting with, Hinata has learnt to expect, a generous dose of inventiveness and exaggeration. Yakumo hadn't assisted to this meetings before the Invasion, so she still sees them as novelty and has the right mindset to feel the pettiness of some shocking and appreciate the shrewdness of others.
Hinata kinda misses that mindset herself, Council sessions get dull once you grow used to them.
In any case, Yakumo is good at telling stories, probably something that comes with being a talented illusion mistress, and they listen to her story from start to end without daring to interrupt. Still, Hinata makes note to ask Father about his usage of the [Byakugan]. Danzo's body is heavily modified by forbidden practices and there's no way of hiding that from his eyes, so she wants to know why things didn't escalate right there and then.
In any case, the story managed to portrait a majorly boring session with a couple points of note into an epic scheming plot with many great surprises and twists. Maybe Yakumo should record her tales and publish them after altering the names and places? She could make a killer.
They only have around an hour and a half to spend with Yakumo, but that means two whole days of seaside vacation where they can relax, train, chat and more or less forget the state the outside world is in. No doubt Haku will remember painful things when they leave, but nobody can take this break away from them. Also, Hanabi is out there and will make sure Haku doesn't mop too much anyway.
A whole hour and a half later, Yakumo is seeing off the two of them at the gates of her manor.
-"Oh, before I forget, Shikamaru-kun had an interesting plan that could use your talents."
-"Oh, you mean that thingie with the eyes?"
-"Yes" -Hinata sweatdrops at the choice of words, but they do the work and are obscure enough to leave guessing anyone who's not in the secret- "There's no hurry, but when you're better, if you could..."
She stops, noticing the guilty smile in Yakumo's lips.
-"You already began."
-"Well…"
-"I don't know why I ever bother..." -Hinata can't bring to get mad anymore, she can kind of understand why Yakumo doesn't want to stay still after all she's been through anyway- "Just… promise me you won't overdo, alright?"
They bid their farewells and are already leaving when Yakumo calls their attention a last time.
-"Remind Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun to come visit from time to time too! It gets boring here with only old people around!"
A hey! Coming from a window somewhere in the higher floors of the mansion is the last thing they hear before leaving the manor behind.
When they return to the compound, there's a worried-looking Hanabi waiting for them at the gates that sprints towards them as soon as they enter her field of view. Hinata can understand her waiting right at the gates but why the worry? Has something happened here? From her perspective, it's only been some hours since they left and… Oh, yeah, they had a rather intense spar right before leaving, that must be still fresh on Hanabi's mind.
Well, it's been two days for her, so she's not mad in the slightest anymore, and only smiles fondly when her baby sister glomps at Haku and buries her face in the girl's stomach. With a nod, she leaves the two of them alone. There are some things she needs to talk with Father about, sooner rather than later.
She finds him on his study, where he seems pleased to be interrupted from whatever it was had him frowning over some scrolls. There's a faint smell of sake in the air. That's actually good news. Father drinks sparsely and only when he's in a good mood. If she had any say in the matter, Hinata would like him to indulge a bit more often. When one wears a stern mask for as long as Father has done, it becomes hard to take it off without some help.
-"Oh, Hinata!" -That's… an excellent mood he seems to be in- "I have some excellent news for you and your team. I tried to have them come for dinner but doesn't look like the Uchiha will make it..."
That's probably about their Chuunin promotion. A shame they couldn't make it, it would've been nice to have them over for dinner.
-"That means only the Uzumaki will come" -He finishes, making her choke with… just choke, somehow- "Better get ready for tonight dinner, my daughter."
Naruto-kun will be dining with them? It can't be, she's not prepared! Yes, she fantasized with inviting him at some point, but that didn't mean she would actually go through it! She needs to find a pretty yukata, but not something overly flashy that would embarrass him, and she has to send something for him too, he will be the laughing stock of the whole clan if he comes with his orange jumper, no matter how well he pulls it off.
Oh, and wouldn't Father take the chance to make uncomfortable questions and try to scare him off being all overprotective? She doesn't want that! How can she…
No! Hinata, focus! You have things to worry about before dinner!
-"Those are excellent news, Father" -She answers with a calm expression and a smile, acting as if the storm of emotion raging all over her face a second ago did never happen- "Still, there's a couple of matters I would like to discuss with you before that."
Father regains a bit of his usual sober expression and encourages her to continue with a nod.
-"I have heard about today's council session, did you really see nothing suspicious?"
-"Nothing at all" -He says, sounding frustrated and a bit worried. How is that possible? Does Damzo know some genjutsu that works on the [Byakugan]? She know very well her bloodline isn't absolutely flawless, but still… Her musings end when Father keeps talking- "But at the end Danzo hinted at knowing my intentions and having taken… measures. I never told anyone, Hinata, I didn't even hint at what I was intending to do."
He had time to prepare? At least that solves the how. Deceiving the his eyes would've been relatively easy with a [Moku Bunshin], the Wood Release was almost as insanely broken as the [Sharingan], and she knows very well how absurdly varied and unpredictable the powers that dojutsu can be.
But still… Wow. How had he known? It would be really bad if he can read minds or see the future with some of those cheat-like things he has implanted all around his right arm. Fortunately, thinking about seeing the future leads her to a more believable answer.
-"Toneri-kun? Did you warn Danzo about Father's intentions?"
-"It was necessary, hime."
She sighs internally, making sure nothing shows in her face.
-"I trust you, Toneri-kun, I really do. But is all this necessary? When will I stop worrying about something only to discover you've been maneuvering behind my back again?"
-"My apologies hime, I'm doing as much as I can" -Hinata winces, implying Toneri isn't trying hard enough wasn't her intention- "It'll be over soon, one way or another."
Right, because that wasn't ominous at all… Now, how to appease Father's worries? Can she ever manage to do that? Probably not, but she'll try her best.
-"It could have been a one-time situation for all we know" -She says, hoping her silence hasn't lasted long enough to be awkward- "If he really can read minds or see the future there's little we can do against him anyway. Let's just wait and see if he keeps showing impossible knowledge, but it's not wise to condition our actions by that possibility. Excessive paranoia will only cripple us."
Father nods slowly, his features softening slightly. Maybe he just needed some words of reassurance. Then again, maybe he had already reached the same conclusions and was only testing her. What's with everyone testing her today?
-"Still, I wouldn't try to unmask him again, he'll be on guard against that particular move. On another note, today the Inuzuka were kind enough to host for me and my bodyguard, and I had an… interesting conversation with their Clan Head."
That also kept her from messing arou- having some harmless fun with her daughter, but that's another matter. She eyes Father, wondering is he knows what she's talking about or she'll need to formulate a question. Judging by his expression, he knows very well what that was about.
-"She tried to intimidate and interrogate you? Caught all your lies and excuses and pushed for answers?" -She nods- "How did you handle it?"
-"She got my real status as Clan Head, and I convinced her the Elders had to do with the Invasion and were dealt with accordingly. I somehow managed to wiggle around the rest of the questions and convince her we bear no animosity towards her clan."
-"That's a bit disappointing" -Even after all this years, even uttered with more regret than iron, that word sends the ghost of a flinch through her- "But I'd say you did well, considering who you were up against. Tsume can be terrifying when she wishes to be."
-"It was… an intense experience."
-"I see the Inuzuka clan traditions are still going strong" -He says, sounding vaguely amused again. Yes, if not even the subject of Danzo has put a damper to his mood, Father is clearly having a good day- "Well, what was her verdict?"
-"The Inuzuka will ignore past antagonisms and listen to the new Hyuuga Head with an open mind." -His eyes widen hearing that- "Those were her exact words."
-"The Inuzuka alphas always confront in that fashion people that catch their attention and want to know better to determine if they're reliable or not. I suppose you did that through Sasuke-kun's stories. But this might very well be the first time anyone has fared so well in the test..."
-"The first time?"
-"Tsume's father gave me one of the worst scares of my life, he utterly destroyed my confidence. Suffice to say, he wasn't too impressed with me back then. And for what I've heard since I wasn't the worst off…" -There's a moment of silence as he lets the information sink in for her - "Good job, Hinata. That conversation with Tsume very well might have done more for the Inuzuka-Hyuuga ties that all the diplomatic efforts in the last three generations."
-"Father could've warned me about this…"
Father bursts in laughter at her maybe kinda slightly pouting tone. If he's going to be a jerk about it, Hinata would very much prefer him to keep his usual stoic demeanor, thank you very much.
-"No can do, Hinata. She would've known you were forewarned and everything would've been for naught. Your grandfather couldn't warn me either. The Inuzuka take it poorly if you ruin their fun."
Stupid Yakumo and her stupidly amusing antics. Three points. There were three simple and short points I intended to mention during that scene. It took most of the chapter and the points it was written for are barely covered. I swear my characters have their own will sometimes...
