Hinata was looking at the flowers of her garden. Both of the vegetal and of the animal kind. Since she left the hospital, and since Sasuke had taken such an earnest role in finding who had committed the horrible crime of raping Karin, Tsunade said she could live on Sasuke's house. Since Sasuke had decided to hunt down the criminal, Karin was being taken care of by Hinata. Hinata didn't dislike the girl, but even inside her good heart resided a horrible, envious side of her who wondered why her boyfriend had taken such an interest for such an incidental crime involving a young girl. Not that Hinata wasn't young himself, it's just the girl part who really annoyed her.

She remembered noticing Sasuke looking at her while doing a mission together. Naruto and Sakura were too busy looking at each other to notice and capture a deadly assassin coming right for the Hokage. Hinata saw it and Sasuke quickly captured the man, alive even. Though Sasuke didn't saw anything on Hinata immediately, she did, and tried to get close to him. Sasuke thought he was the most uninteresting person on the world. Nothing fluctuated on his mind but a desire for vengeance towards his brother. Yet Hinata persisted in seeking him and asking of him something he was interested, something non-violent. Almost like vomiting, Sasuke talked about "flowers".

Something that grew, something that transmitted something to a new generation. Hinata understood why Sasuke valued such things so much, though if she was truly right she had understood Sasuke on an unconscious level, because in a conscious level Sasuke had mentioned flowers at random, only to finally got her off his face, only to see her with seeds on his backyard the next morning, and other gardening instruments to take out the weed. Sasuke facepalmed himself but helped her, and noticing the sweat running over her beautiful face, felt for the first time the passions of the lower regions of her body. Kisses and hugs after, Sasuke had a girlfriend he felt no true passion for.

However, Hinata remained blind to the true nature of her boyfriend until too late. Until he saw her trying to cheat on her right in front of him.. Now, having fallen on the depths of despair, she looks at the beautiful face that had seduced her boyfriend in almost killing himself and feels no rage. No, no rage at all. It is not of her nature to get angry, it is not of her nature to feel resentful, it is not of her nature to seek misplaced retribution even. She only feels pity, for the girl and herself. She wished for ignorance, ignorance of the lust of her own boyfriend. Ignorance of such terrible things. She walked towards her, her eyes trying to hold back tears. "Are you feeling ok Karin?"

"Ah yes, I'm feeling very okay. These blue flowers, they are violets, aren't they? They look like you, a little". Hinata smiled. At least someone was giving admiration to something she had created. "Yes, I admit I was a bit centered on myself when choosing to grow these". "Oh, you should be, don't judge yourself that harshly. I was just, you know, noticing. Does your boyfriend loves you a lot". Hinata's expression changed at hearing those words, she could feel doubt coming from Karin's words. "That is a weird question. What you mean?" "Nothing, it's just...Look Hinata, bad things happen to people. A lot. Most of the times, they just want to heal themselves and avoid more bad things".

"But your boyfriend, I dunno. It feels really weird, to show so much concern, for someone he knows little to nothing about." "I think Sasuke is a kind person. He would do something for your good. Specially when he found your unconscious body. He feels responsibility". "Well, maybe that is good. Maybe it's good. Where he is now?" "He, he injured himself". "Really? It was serious?" "Well, he is already better. I just...I just didn't want to talk to him." "Really? Hinata, he needs you". Hinata dilated her eyes, not expecting the sudden worrying of Karin. "Hmmm?" "You don't get it? Guys are most likely to cheat on you after being injured. They begin to have doubts, and soon they're spraying everywhere!"

Hinata blinked. Was it in any form true? Have her missed her judgement? Was she harsh with someone who just recently had escaped a situation of life or death? The doubt began to eat her away, and Karin could read her. "Oh, you saw him doing it, didn't you? Well, I guess it's shocking, but people commit errors, lots of errors, you know. I must admit, sometimes I'm quite forgiving of them". Suddenly, Karin pushed the sleeves of her shirt, showing scars who even further surprised Hinata. "You see those? All product of people abusing my healing power, over and over again. My kekkei genkai. Orochimaru never revealed to me what was my clan about, but my research told me it was Uzumaki"

Hinata opened her eyes in shock at hearing Naruto's family name coming from the mouth of a complete stranger. Naruto never mentioned any relatives, he had no relatives, and her research on the clan showed the last member died during the attack of the Nine Tails, and she was likely Naruto's mom. She didn't thought there could be more Uzumaki members outside the leaf, and the books mentioned no kekkei genkais. Was this perhaps a secret hidden from the village, a weapon too precious to be shown even to actual shinobi? If she asked her father, would him know anything more than the library? Questions like these completely obscured Sasuke for a moment.

"Naruto, my friend, he is..." "Oh yeah, Orochimaru mentioned him a lot. He's a host of an tailed beast, huh? He saved Sasuke of joining Orochimaru, I sure you know. Orochimaru doesn't care about tailed beasts, but he cares a lot about the Sharingan, since it is able to copy jutsus. That is what he truly cares about". Hinata blinked "What jutsu he wants to learn by obtaining a Sharingan?" Karin blinked back. "Duh. All of them, every single one. Of course it looks stupid, since new jutsus are invented all the time, but who is gonna stop him? No Hokage can compare him in strength, that's what I heard. Even if that isn't true, no one alive can compare to him. The Third Hokage had to throw away his life for a chance of victory".

Hinata didn't said anything in response. She wasn't sure what to say. When the Third Hokage died, she thought it was a casualty of war, that was all. She didn't think Orochimaru could be someone so powerful that the leader of the village couldn't possibly defeat no matter how many times they fought, she thought of him as a casual incident, a bump on the road. Now she felt uncertain about the village's future, for the first time on her life. And specially for Sasuke. Maybe Orochimaru was just planning his next move, waiting until the circumstances were right.

But even if Orochimaru was powerful, fighting against too many ninjas would eventually lead to her defeat. Yes, Orochimaru could be invincible alone, but not against a group.

She thought about Karin now, still looking at her, which seemingly was awaiting for an answer. Did she had any idea of how Orochimaru would plan to attack the village? Was she maybe an spy? Maybe all the sperm on her body was part of the plan, an elaborate plan. If she got close to Sasuke, that is something Hinata could never allow to happen, she was certain. No risks should be accepted. Not only because she still loved him, but for the good of the village. But send her away displeased another part of Hinata's brain, the one who told her she couldn't judge someone based on something that far-fetched. Her kindness told her she would keep her. Caught between those two feelings, Hinata took a decision.

"Stay here as long as you please." Karin smiled back. "Hinata, I'm afraid people like you don't would survive in a war. You're so trusting of strangers." Hinata felt cold cynism spilling from those words, but that didn't bother her. She heard enough of these from Neji from what seemed an infinite time ago. She walked towards Karin and hugged her. "I believe you're a good person Karin. I trust in you". Karin hugger her back and grabbed Hinata's ass with her left hand, surprising the Hyuuga. "Oh, I can be pretty bad Hinata".

Sasuke was beside himself, screaming at the door of the Hyuuga state to apologize to Hiashi for something he didn't even knew he had knowledge of. The guards were annoyed, but Hanabi was smiling with glee. And putting her hands between his legs from behind a tree. She was sure Sasuke had committed something like cheating on Hinata, and that was her opportunity, to steal her sister's man. Hiashi came and quietly told Sasuke he hadn't seen his daughter and, if there were any apologies to be made, Sasuke had to do it to Hinata in person. Sasuke significantly calmed down. He turned and walked around, and found Hanabi looking at him with seductive eyes, but whose seduction felt invisible to him.

"Sasuke, can I go home with you?"

"Sure, why not".