Hey all, I'm so glad to get this chapter out of the way too. The rest of the chapters in my opinion are way better then the two chapters from today. Over the weekend I will probably just finish everything up and post the last remaining four chapters on Saturday and Sunday. I have surgery Tuesday and I will be out of it for about two weeks and don't want to be worried about my stories lol. This chapter was something I felt like needed to get out of the way too, so bare with the process.
Also I guess I haven't put major in depth of Naruto's abilities in the story because I kind of focused a lot on Hinata and Ino. That's my fault, I'm not the best at getting in depth with fight scenes and explaining abilities. I'm good with getting the emotions right, but I still have to work on other things in my writing style.
Well on with the story! Again bear with the process, things should be better after this chapter.
Well, things weren't going exactly as she wished it went.
"Hinata-sama, the gesture of bringing extra hands, by historical powerful people was nice enough."
Hinata looked over at Neji and said nothing, the frown on her face strictly for the annoyance of everything going on. Every damn time they thought they were getting the upper hand in this battle with these, might she add, ridiculously overpowered shinobi something comes up. It was like a dark comedy rubbed in their faces. It just all wasn't making sense to her, there had to be something, freaking SOMETHING. What was the source of all this ridiculousness.
Watching Naruto and Sasuke fight so hard for everyone's life and Sakura on the field catering to as many people as possible. The kages were struggling, Tsunade was still pushing herself even though she was severely wounded. Hinata just paused, she felt it was almost impossible to think at this moment, everyone just acting on brash emotions. While she thought of Neji and herself as smart people, Neji more so than her, she felt she needed the mind of someone else.
"We should…talk to Shikamaru. Maybe he could be of some insistence, this is just all so much."
Neji looked over at Hinata with a raised eyebrow, "You don't sound very confident about this. We were ordered to fight in the frontlines, alongside Naruto in case he needs our aid."
"Yes, but this will aid Naruto. I am sure. Please Neji, come with me."
As if he could refuse her they quickly set out to Shikamaru's side, quick to avoid rods from the ten tails. Once they found them Hinata quietly creeped up besides team ten, "Shikamaru."
The young Nara almost jumped out his skin upon Hinata sneaking up on them, "Hinata…what in the hell is wrong with you. Now is not the time to be trying to sneak up on people already going through paranoia."
Hinata had to refrain from rolling her eyes at him, "I need your mind. I do not understand how they keep having an upper hand on us. There has to be some kind of weakness, something has to be the thin line that connects them all. We can't all keep relying on team seven."
Ino looked on as Shikamaru and Hinata seemed to be in deep thought, that was an odd and funny sight to see. "Oi Hinata, you reincarnated the Hokage's with those ugly looking white things. What was those things? I've been seeing them pop up a lot. Who are they made from?"
Hinata sat for a moment and thought, really all she knew was what was needed for the reincarnation. Those bodies were just what was around for her. She believed when she was taken by Pain she recalled seeing that thing, it had a darker side to it though, she could have sworn she heard them call it Zetsu. He was quiet and very sneaky, usually those were the ones that knew everything and were the ones to look out for.
She should know.
Maybe, if everything could hold off a little more and she looked for this Zetsu thing and found him, she could get some answers to fix everything. Neji and Shikamaru were needed here on the battlefield though.
Activating her Byakugan she pushed herself to her limits. While deciphering someone's chakra from one person to the next was complicated, she willed herself to decipher friend from foe. Really, to just observe who wasn't fighting on their side, this Zetsu guy shouldn't be too far hidden from the fight, just in case he had to get there for something. She scanned and searched.
And there he was.
He was a sneaky little guy, well-hidden and away from danger. He couldn't hide from her though.
She would have to maneuver behind the ten-tailed beast and those two Uchiha's though. While the man Obito seemed easy to preoccupy, Madara seemed to see everything. She'd had to be stealthy and on her toes. Hinata looked over at Ino, who looked back at her, "Whatever it is I'm going with you. Can't leave you alone during all this shit Hinata."
"Ino, while you two are a dynamic duo. Let's keep in mind that you and Shikamaru are the sole reason everyone on the battlefield right now are able to communicate and hear important information. Basically, why people are alive." Ino frowned at Asuma's reasoning, knowing he was, the sensation of telling him she didn't care was on the edge of her tongue.
"He's right Ino. You, Neji and Shikamaru are needed here on the front lines."
"Yes, but you aren't going anywhere else alone." She looked over at Neji and saw his look of disapproval, she understood entirely. However, they were in a war, now was not the time to be selfish of a loved one. Everyone was disposable at this point. "Neji…we don't have time. Naruto and the others need us. We have to figure something out."
"Yes, we, not just you."
"Yes, but you are leading the Hyuga clan. You are the face of our people right now. Father needs you. Not me, he needs you. Shikamaru needs Ino. I am the shadows; I can move in silence and in the dark. I can find the information we need. I will be back. Now is not the time to put emotions on the line, now is the time to make sacrifices." She looked at Neji and Ino, both having a look on their face that screamed they were not happy with the logic and decisions.
"You are aware you are doing an awful lot for a village you said you have no affection for." Hinata gave a small smile to Asuma, "Just for my precious people inside the village dear Asuma-sensei. Just for my precious people. I'll go now, please be safe." With that Hinata swiftly made her way into the woods and into the tree lines.
Neji had an annoyed look on, "Did she really just tell us to be safe while she goes on another suicidal mission. Naruto is going to have my head when he realizes I let her run off again."
Hinata moved quietly, she knew little to nothing about this man. He wasn't even in the files in the Hokage office when it came to the Akatsuki members, she didn't learn about him until she was captured by Pain. Her Byakugan on the whole time she traveled she kept her eyes on her target. Making sure he didn't make any extra moves indicating that he sensed her, she felt that she was in the clear to attack and restrain in the closer up she got to him.
"I am a sensor Ms. Hyuga, please don't insult me."
With that Hinata froze, well shit. She was going to have to engage him now, this wasn't her style at all. To engage an enemy, she knew nothing about. Zetsu was on the ground not too far from the ten-tails and the Uchiha's, hidden snug in the wooded area. No one sane would try to go anywhere near the ten tails or Madara, especially Madara.
Good thing she wasn't exactly sane.
Hinata jumped down from on top of the trees and looked at this thing she suppose was a man. What the hell was it? "I must applaud you though, you made it around Madara without him even noticing you. He's an Uchiha though, they can be easy to trick, no matter how strong they are."
"I don't even care to ask what you are. I just want this all to end. There is no reason for all of this to be going on. Do you really believe that the world needs to end? Especially because a man lost out to a girl."
The two walked around one another slowly in circles. Both waiting each other out and waiting for one another to do something. This is what they did, they observed. Hinata supposed she met her match when it came to someone that was patient and silent.
"I just want mother back."
Hinata stopped and just stared back at the man. What? This wasn't making any fucking sense.
"Young Hyuga, you cannot beat me. I know every possible move a shinobi could think of doing, you cannot stop me from getting mother back. Things are going according to plan, and you will not stop that."
Hinata continued to rack her brain, she didn't know any damn thing about this guy. She didn't know any other female in Akatsuki other than one. What was this thing talking about? Where the fuck was his mother. Where did this thing come from?
"You know, you catching Sasuke and in return getting caught by Orochimaru really almost ruined a lot of plans for me. Sasuke was supposed to be a lot more tainted than he is now. He was supposed to gain his abilities a different way. I was able to adjust, you just made things a lot more…complicated. Either way, Sasuke was able to gain the abilities I wanted him to have, and I even sent my other half to test his abilities. Yes, he has shown me that he has progressed just nicely, even with your meddling. You did all you did for what exactly? For a father that hates you? A cousin that secretly envy's you, or that Uzumaki child? He doesn't even love you."
Hinata continued to stare at the man, obviously he was indeed an excellent spy, he knew quite a bit about everything and everyone. How Sasuke gained Itachi's eyes without going joining Obito, her family and the struggles between them and of course Naruto.
"So, I was right into seeking you out. You seem like a bigger influence on this war than I thought. No matter."
Hinata dropped into her families traditional fighting stance, "We can end this here and now. I don't care who you are, what you know or how knowledgeable you are."
"Hyuga's fighting styles are nothing new to me, your family isn't as secretive as you believe. That curse mark isn't a secret to me either. You can't even control yourself with it."
The two faced one another in silence, neither again making the first move. Hinata knowing that too much attention drawn to the area would get Obito and Madara's attention. She also believed that if she be the first to attack than that would be what this thing wanted.
"You…almost remind me of mother. Your eyes are beautiful like hers. You are misunderstood, just like mother is. People fear you, so they want to punish you for what they fear. They'll never understand you; they'll shun you, your friend and soon that Uzumaki boy. They'll find out your dark secret. That you loved the enemy, they'll find out and they'll hate you. Maybe even hate Naruto again too."
"Is this how you get your way, you manipulate people and feed off their insecurities? All I want to know is if I kill you will that put a mark on their plans."
"I wouldn't let that happen. You'd ruin mother's plans."
WHAT MOTHER?!
She screamed this in her head and had just about enough of this thing. Was it a he? Had to be, it was so foreign though, like not a real being. She didn't understand what to see this thing as, she could see his chakra pathways and see how it functioned. It was just so unhuman like, the inside of his body was so old, ancient like, but the outside, just looking at him, he seemed like a regular man in his 30s.
She knew nothing about this man, and against her style of fighting she charged head on to her unknown opponent. Maybe it was battle fatigue kicking in, maybe it was the frustrating circles this man was talking or maybe it was because she was tired of seeing her comrades being tossed around like a rag doll due to these evil people.
She could faintly hear more commotion coming from the battlefield and ignored it while focusing on her target that seemed to be purposely dodging her. "It would seem that foolish Obito has decided to raise a fuss, I'm sorry Ms. Hyuga, but I have to go. I have to make sure these two self-absorbed simpletons do not mess up all the hard work I've done to set all of this up. Surely you know I cannot just let you leave now."
It was brilliant really, if he would have made a move on her she would have easily dodged him. So, he let her open palm him, right where his heart should be. He should be on the ground, on the brink of collapsing, but everything that should go easy, never does. It all happened pretty slow, like in slow motion. It was like he was molding into her and taking over her body.
From than it was like her mind and Zetsu was connected, his thoughts and memories quickly molded together with hers.
Hinata and Zetsu's mindframe
If it was one thing she hated, Hinata thought to herself, was when someone had a change of heart from their vile ways. No, if you were a crazed murderer that wants to end the world, then be just that. Don't go seeking redemption and having a change of heart just because someone persuaded you and beat you in a fight. No, stay the asshole you were.
Uchiha Obito was…well he was a hot head. He was unstable, he was hurt, damaged and just overall a pawn piece. Really, it should have been no surprise to anyone that he would have a change of heart from his fight with Naruto. The boy had a way of talking to people.
Obito was untrustworthy if you had a 'end of the world plan' and wanted to follow through with it. He was too, dare she say, emotional. He wanted to end the world from the cold-bitter world of the shinobi, that wasn't going to change the world. People were bad, whether a shinobi or not, people were bad, and people were always going to do bad things. So, force them into not being assholes? Sure, but it wasn't a reality, and what fun was life if it was all a lie.
So, now Obito had a change of heart. Now he felt he had to fix the huge shit show he started, now he wants to be the good guy at the last fucking minute. People were dead, a lot of people and himself, now that he has gained and lost the ten tails possession and is now on the brink of death is probably going to die labeled a hero.
Yeah, life was so funny like that.
Aww, and here comes our other misunderstood villain, Madara, the man supposedly behind it all. The man that pretty much created the Obito that you see here today, the man that stayed alive in the darkness and created chaos. Honestly, the man was unstoppable. He crossed his T's and dotted his I's in making sure that he never had a weakness again. He was so damn strong.
And so fucking stupid all in the same breath.
Is that even possible? She guessed so; she was witnessing it right in front of her. He couldn't tell that he was being played by an evil black-mass looking man. She supposed she should give Zetsu his credit as well, he played so many people so easily. She didn't know if it was because he was a really good spy or if it was because people in this world really were selfish. So selfish and into dominating they couldn't realize this evil looking thing was roaming around causing havoc.
Being connected to Zetsu, she learned everything, what he was talking about and what he had done over time. My goodness, how much of history could have changed if he was never ever even created. How Sasuke and Itachi could have had a normal life, how her beloved Naruto parents could have been there for him in life and he could have been the labeled the Fourth Hokage's son rightfully. Team seven would have never been broken, all would have been right in the world.
Not really.
What made Orochimaru turn into what he ended up? His sickness for wanting to obtain everything and live forever. What made ninja's go rouge, what made people bad people? Because they fucking wanted to be that way. Someone from cloud would have still stolen her, her uncle would still have been killed as a replacement. Her family would still have been cold, and she still would have grown up without a mother in a shitty-judging home. She would have still purposely lost to her sister, and her father would have still called her useless and casted her away. The curse mark would still be around, Neji would have still hated her and somehow she still had a feeling Orochimaru would have still gotten his hands on her.
So yes, Zetsu ruined the bright future the Uchiha clan could have had and ruined the future her Naruto should have had. Still, it was funny, her life would have still been as depressing as ever and maybe in another life Naruto would have been so happy with his life he wouldn't have noticed her in the darkness. He wouldn't have noticed her, and Sakura would have probably given the Hokage's son more attention.
Man, this shit was depressing, and this is why she never liked to be idle to herself in her thoughts.
She felt like she was in her own mind, watching through a mirror everything unfold. She felt bad that she went against her better judgement and attacked Zetsu first, now her precious people were being attacked and she couldn't get out of this mind box he put her in. She watched Obito falls, Madara become the new host for the ten tails and again she watched her precious people struggle. Shikamaru almost died, Ino was doing her best to keep everyone linked all the while she could see the worry and stress she had for not knowing where her Hime was.
"Ms. Hyuga your mind gets very dark you know." She could hear Zetsu's voice echoing in her mind.
"What are you planning on doing. I am of no use to you."
"Oh, but you are Ms. Hyuga. You are going to be of the utmost use to me, you are my Trump card."
Before her mind submitted to complete darkness she couldn't help but think of how she was always being used.
Whew! I'm glad that's done. The ending was Hinata pretty much sitting on the sidelines while chaos was going on in the war and she was looking from Zetsu's viewpoint. I think the last chapter and the epilogue is awesome and I can't wait for you guys to get to that part. Again, thank you guys for your support and staying faithful to my story! Love you guys!