Her hands gently pressed the flower she had chosen to add to the collage she was making. It was a nice wind down for her in the evenings.
She had gently collected the flower after the training session. The faded blue colour was exactly what she needed. She was thankful that Shino's bugs had confirmed its health for her as well.
She muttered a gently wish under her breath as she pressed the flower and watched for the colour change. If she was right about what the flower was, and she had researched it, then it should.
She smiled gently as the blue turned to a beautiful texture of banded blues and greens as the pressure was applied.
It was perfect. She mounted it onto the paper she had prepared which flapped gently in the breeze.
There shouldn't have been a breeze. She turned to see a body collapse through the window.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?"
"We break the seal now."
"Now?"
"Yes."
His eye was urgent and wide, the blue piercing her gaze and looking into her expectantly. It was late. She was not ready for this.
Then he cried out in pain and rolled sideways.
There was the sound of running feet outside her room. Neji pushed the door open and took in the scene.
"Hinata? What is going on?"
Hinata felt herself start to panic until he cried out in pain again. No time to get flustered. She needed privacy.
"Help me get him to one of the meditation rooms then go to the Hokage tower and fetch either Shizune-sama or the Hokage."
"What?"
Her voice was not wavering. She was not stuttering. In fact she was being louder than she'd ever been.
"Now."
Neji nodded mutely and hefted Naruto up who gave another discomforted noise.
She led the way to one of the meditation rooms. It was small, but it was soundproof. That was good.
Neji laid Naruto down and turned to ask Hinata a further question. A single look told him that it was not the time. He started running.
Hinata turned to Naruto, who had his hand on his side. She pulled back the shirt to see the marks where his fingers were pressing into the flesh, leaving marks.
"What's happening Naruto?"
The responses were said through grunts of exertion as Naruto held himself as best he could.
"The seal...is breaking. Lots of pain. Keep talking."
"Why?"
"It's distraction from the pain until it breaks. It is close but it needs more."
She thought.
"Talk about what?"
"The seal. Why I should break it."
She thought.
"You should break it because of what it holds and how it holds you back. You should break it because it is your orders and my mission to ensure that you break it."
He let out a cry and she paused. His hand gripped her arm tightly, she felt her arm becoming numb as he cut off the blood. His voice was little more now than a rasp.
"Keep...going..."
"You should break it because you want to break it."
He began a twitch and she used juuken strikes to quickly disable his limbs. She remembered the sound of thrashing from before, presumably when he had used the seal. She didn't want him doing so here and hurting himself.
He let out a cry that shook the room and hurt her ears.
She saw the seal begin to fade into his side. Slowly unravelling until just the centre remained. Then it was gone.
The scream ended and he slumped back unconscious. She used the sleeve of her jacked to mop his brow.
Now she could get help. She opened the door slightly and shouted for assistance.
It is hard to say what the experience of reliving the memory felt like for Naruto.
At one moment, he was in a lot of pain, and then he was in another, different lot of pain.
There hadn't been a transition as such, more of a shift into his body of old. It was like reliving the memory of Baka's death with Itachi, only without the change of scenery being controlled by an artist.
If anything, he was just there.
There was definitely a lot of blood here. He couldn't see at all. He'd remembered up to this point.
The instrument descended into his chest as he'd expected it to. There was fresh agony. He was definitely crying in pain.
Someone was talking somewhere, but he wasn't really paying attention. His chest was open in front of him and he was somehow conscious during the process.
The instrument twisted and he felt the pain blossom to a climatic high.
Then it all started to fade away and the pain lessened suddenly. The vision of reality became a blur of non-colour and shifting darkening lights.
How he could see this he had no idea.
Where exactly was he? Was this the effect of some drug? The pain had gone. Why had he blocked this memory?
Then there was something forming in the darkness. A shape, wide and dispersed seemingly in an endless room.
His head swan and he felt nauseous at the geometry of the place. It felt wrong. Angles that weren't angles existed and coexisted with each other in ways that made his eyes water
He realised he didn't have eyes to be watering. In fact, he felt weightless and nonexistent. He could see but he had no idea what he was seeing with.
The lights ahead were coalescing from directions he realised he couldn't have imagined. This was discomforting but why would be block this away?
The light was forming something like a veil in front of him, pale grey standing out like the sun on the swirling mass around him.
There were features now. Two hands emerged from the edges as it took on a vaguely humanoid form. The spikes of a long beard began to emerge, hairless spikes.
A nose and mouth formed a dark red on the grey.
Then the eyes formed and opened.
He felt a chill run through his non-body and felt fear like he had never felt it before. The eyes were looking through him a piercing him. The nostrils flared and the mouth opened, thin and full of sharp teeth.
The Shinigami loomed before him, seemingly miles away and bare inches from his face. He couldn't work out what geometry there was. It was cold, so cold. Not painfully just numbingly.
The creature before him drifted closer without any noticeable effort. Robes rippled despite the lack of wind or air. Naruto realised he hadn't been breathing in this place.
An arm rose slowly and a single finger rose to point at his heart. He knew it despite being effectively bodiless.
The creature got closer and world now a mass of grey and fangs. The hand got closer and he was suddenly moving towards the creature's mouth.
The deep, soul chilling laughter echoed as he got a glimpse into the mouth.
Then he started to scream.
Hinata saw him bolt straight upright, sweat pouring from his body. He had been out for only a few seconds but he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
His arms, juuken struck and disabled, started to move anyway. She realised he was trying to form hand seals and grabbed his hands.
"No. Naruto. No."
His arms struggled, but the juuken strikes had robbed him of his strength.
"I have to. I have to. Never again. Nevermore. Nevermore!"
She nearly slacked her grip. He was shouting, tears streaming from his visible eye as he fought her desperately.
"You want to break it Naruto."
"I don't want to anymore. I can't...the memory is...the pain is immense."
"Tell me."
His face strained and he let out a cry and anguish.
"No."
He struggled further. There was the sound of running feet outside and the door slammed open. Hinata didn't look round, she was holding Naruto down.
"Hinata, what is going on here?"
She barely heard her father's voice over Naruto's cry which was bleeding his voice raw. His struggles were weakening, his breathing shallow.
"It's part of my mission from Hokage-sama."
She couldn't see his expression and didn't want to imagine it. She was focused on the boy she was holding down so he wouldn't hurt himself.
The cry had turned into a series of ragged sobs. She couldn't see him but didn't honestly care, Naruto was her sole focus in this moment.
"I...I'll leave you in peace."
She heard the door shut behind and let out a sigh of relief. That had gone better than expected. He was shaking gently now, the tears still falling. She held him close and he clung to her like he would fall.
"Naruto...what did you see?"
He shook his head fervently and held her more tightly.
"Naruto, tell me. It'll feel better."
She heard the sound of his mouth opening and closing but nothing coming out other than sobbing sounds from tired vocal chords.
"When you're ready. It can wait."
She wondered where Neji was with Shizune. There was the muffled sound of voices from outside the door, but she decided she didn't want to know what they were saying.
Right now, her universe was her holding a friend who needed her.
When he did speak, his voice was little more than a hushed whisper.
"Paper."
"Paper? Do you want to write it down?"
"Yes...write. Don't leave me."
She stood, gently lifting him upwards. She had to support his weight as his legs were weak and didn't provide any support. She remembered why and undid the damage she had done to his legs; he steadied a little but was still leaning heavily on her.
She took a step and he took a tentative one next to. Whatever had happened to him when the seal had broken had left him robbed of some sort of vitality.
She slid the door back to reveal nearly a dozen Hyuuga staring at the door. A barrage of questions hit her at once.
"Hinata-sama, what is wrong?"
"Who is he?"
"What's going on?"
"Is he a suitor?"
Hiashi Hyuuga stepped between Hinata and the house members.
"All of you. Silence. Return to your quarters. This is a matter for Hinata and her mission. Anyone who harasses her further will suffer severe punishment. Am I clear?"
The various Hyuuga bowed and shuffled away to their rooms. Hiashi turned to Hinata. Naruto was resting on her, his face buried into her shoulder. She met his gaze.
Something was different. Gone was the cold indifference that he usually held to her, and it was replaced with genuine concern.
"Is there anything I can do for you daughter?"
"We need a place with writing materials where Naruto-kun can write without fear of interruption."
She gave him a squeeze and he softly tightened his grip.
"Of course daughter. I shall put Neji outside to give you peace when he returns with Shizune-san. He informed me that you sent him. I wish you success, although I shall wish to speak with you both further when you are ready."
He walked over to Naruto.
"Naruto, would you allow me to carry you there? It will speed the process up."
Naruto shook his head. Hiashi sighed. It was like he was a child unwilling to be separated from his mother.
"Naruto-kun, I'll still be here. You can trust my father."
Gently, she loosened his grip. Hiashi caught him as his legs buckled and hefted him upwards.
Hinata started running towards the library and Hiashi began following at a run a moment later. What had caused his daughter to change into this mindset? Her kindness in the situation was unprecedented, her strength great.
Just like her mother.
The thought crossed his mind and he had to accept it. Hitomi had always been kind and strong in that kindness. Hinata was just like that.
He nearly smiled.
Hinata pushed the door open and Hiashi let Naruto gently down into a chair. Hinata put a reassuring arm around him which he returned.
"Hinata...chan...thank you."
She smiled and his spirits seemed to lift a little more with that. Hiashi returned with paper and a pen for him.
He took up the pen and started to write feverishly. Hinata looked over his shoulder as the characters sprawled onto the page like poetry in motion.
Her father took a glimpse and turned away. He would greet Neji at the gates and direct him there.
He took a last look at his daughter and could have sworn, just for one brief moment, that he saw Hitomi standing there.
Tsunade looked up as the doors of her office burst open at speed.
She was about to admonish the idiot who thought they could make a dramatic entrance on her when she realised it was Shizune. That meant something bad was happening.
They definitely weren't under attack so what on earth could have caused this?
"Shizune?"
She held up a document. Tsunade sighed.
"More paperwork?"
Shizune was too out of breath to respond and merely shook her head, pressing the document onto the desk.
Tsunade took a look at the title and all other thoughts fled from her head. She looked at her protégé who was leaning on the desk as her face returned to a more normal colour.
"Have you read this yet?"
"No Tsunade-sama. It has only been read by Hinata and Naruto."
Tsunade brought out the rest of the report from a draw in her desk. She turned to the last page of the last book. The timings matched up.
She wanted to read the entire report immediately and learn what had happened. She could dive in immediately. There were bigger issues.
"What of Naruto?"
"He's currently sleeping in the Hyuuga compound under watch by Hinata and Neji. I think she's standing a vigil over him until she is sure he's safe."
Tsunade nodded.
"Her devotion is exemplary. Go to the compound and stay with him. We're going to read this with him and see if we can offer more guidance. I will see to it personally. This goes beyond the medical issues and into my status as a leader."
She brought out a bottle from under the desk and poured two saucers before passing one to Shizune who was too confused to resist as one was pressed into her hands.
"A little something to celebrate though. She succeeded."
Shizune nodded and drank the dish with her master. The older woman slapped a hand on her shoulder.
"That's the spirit! First drink on the job for you Shizune."
She spluttered a little. She had just taken her first drink on the job. It felt good. Far too good. She could see how her master had made this a habit.
"I...I think I need to sleep Tsunade-sama."
"Good idea. See you tomorrow when we straighten this all out."
Shizune staggered towards her home as Tsunade turned once more to view Konoha. The first rays of sunshine were beginning to rise above the city below. The sunrise was going to be a good one.
She took a second swig of the sake and smiled. Maybe a third would be in order too.
A/N A less celebrated milestone than reviews, but I think more important is that this story now has over 1000 followers. So hello to all 1000 of you!
