It is TIME for Part 3!! YEAH! So glad. Now I can deal out the good stuff. Things are gonna get spicy, people!

Btw, not that I wanna brag or anything, but, ahem: 205 reviews in less than 50 days!! (44 to be exact) YEAH!!! That's right, I am freakin' pro.

k. that was my single moment of shinning shame XD. Hehe. Please ignore it and read the story… it's a lot better than listening to me… lol

Read. Review.

-ink

"Do you have anything to report?" Sasuke sighed, shifting through another pile of papers, bored beyond reason and very nearly incapable of focusing on the words written there. Two weeks of reading all this crap had made it hard to focus on it… again.

It was all useless records of the past chuunin exams, locations of known terrorist organizations and possible threats, which didn't seem to be getting any more grave at all, and over all useless stuff he had no interest in.

Neji stood across from him in the small office that was inside the new Chuunin building, glancing around at the office and the fact that it looked so totally used. It looked genuinely lived in and inhabited. He had somehow figured, after leaving for the long term mission on the very day of the first meeting that the security team would linger and just pretend to work. The team was not one that was accustomed to long research missions and careful investigation and strategically analyzing.

Yet here was the proof that one of the captains was carefully looking through said research, frowning doubtfully at something or other written on the paper he was holding. Things had never been very easy between the Uchiha Avenger and the Hyuuga Defender, but Neji had to admit that Sasuke ran a tight ship, however…

Since the exile of the Hyuuga Heiress the uneasiness had been worse. Neji had not seen Hinata since she had moved in with Uchiha Sasuke and something about that made him feel vaguely ill with both anger and envy.

"Nothing." Neji replied. "The Rain don't seem to be hiding any Akatsuki at all, or any other sort of threat, as of late." He muttered, looking around again and catching sight of something that screamed Hinata.

It was a book, opened up to a random page, with a dry flower pressed between it's pages. He stared at it for a long moment, remembering her books slowly collecting dust in her old room.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, glancing up at him and catching him staring at the book.

Irritated he put the papers down, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Anything else?"

Neji turned to look at him impassively, irritated by the haughty way in which the younger of the two was speaking.

"How is my cousin?"

"Technically, she's not your cousin." Sasuke retorted smoothly, surprised with himself. It wasn't like him to bark back like that in an argument. Though, truth be told, lately his tongue had been quite a bit more loose than usual.

Neji looked back at him silently, attempting to show no irritation at the snappy comment. "Where is she?"

"Training." Sasuke replied, turning around and beginning to flick through another pile of reports, which he had already read. But he no longer wanted Neji to be there, his uses had been exploited for the moment, now he was just being annoying.

Neji, feeling fully the insult turned around without another word, slipping out the door and down the stairs towards the exit.

Around the building were the other team members going over other parts of the mission. Shikamaru was trying to calculate what number of ninja they would require to cover all of the important locations of the village, with Tenten who was explaining where possible sniper-style guards could be located.

Naruto and Sakura were of at the Sand trying to figure out how the forces of the Konoha and the Sand would be working together to stop and threat that Akatsuki or anyone else might be posing.

But the truth was that they had found little information to even hint at the idea that there was going to be any sort of issue. None of the Chuunin contestants were of particular importance therefore it seemed like a useless endeavor for Akatsuki to bother entering the village when security was so high.

However the Hokage continued to insist that there was no choice but to keep the security as tight as they could afford. When there were so many foreigners entering their city they had no other choice.

"Neji!" Tenten called, running out of the room she had been in, talking to Shikamaru. "Where are you going?"

"Home." He muttered, glancing up at her quickly from the foyer. She leaned on the balcony railing thoughtfully, looking a bit put out.

"But… you just got back.." she muttered, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Ne, I'll see you later." He added almost like an after thought though it certainly wasn't.

Tenten sighed, nodding. "Hai." She shrugged, watching him exit. "…sure." She mumbled, turning around to head back into the tactical room.

Ino grunted softly, shoving herself onto a higher branch, scanning the surrounding area with doubtful blue eyes.

It had been two hours now and she still couldn't find Hinata. The silence that the woodland was imposing on her ears made her think that perhaps the shy little kunoichi had pulled an unlikely joke on her and just left.

However, as if to prove her wrong the sound of kunai ripping through the air reached her ears at the last minute and she gasped, flipping backwards over the thick branch.

Sliding to a stop on the bark she scanned the area again, panting, eyes narrowing in concentration.

Where the hell are you…?

A shadow flickered in the corner, ruffling the bushes in and out, making less noise than the wind did while streaming through the branches.

Hinata sat crouched beneath said bush, her face covered by a mask much like Kakashi-sensei's. Her pale eyes narrowed in concentration, the veins marked around them as she focused her byakugan forcefully to maintain an extended watch on her surroundings.

Ino however was still there, in plain sight with enough openings to have had her killed already. Hinata sighed softly, shaking her head. This was useless.

Grumbling mentally she flickered out of sight, moving too fast for Ino realize she was behind her until it was too late and the kunai was held up to her throat, steady and cold, glittering in the sunlight pouring through the forest canopy.

"Damn!" Ino gasped, eyes widening in surprise at the bite of the knife against her pale flesh.

Slowly Hinata pulled back, removing her mask. "I-ino-chan, y-you must maintain c-calm and p-patient… standing in p-plain v-view-"

"I was trying to bait you out!" Ino retorted hotly, defending her lame strategy despite knowing it had been useless.

Hinata sighed again, stuffing her kunai back in her pouch. "I t-think we should s-top for today." She murmured, jumping off the branch and to the forest ground before Ino could complain.

It had only been a few weeks that she had been training her friend under orders of Sasuke who said Ino had to improve most of her basic skills before being sent out to the other villages on missions. Her hot head and loud mouth had not won over the captain's favor yet, and because Naruto was dealing with external affairs in the Sand Sasuke was the only one they could consult for advice.

At first the blonde had not minded being taught by Hinata, but the realization of just how much the girl had improved and how far behind she was put her off, making her rash and brutal.

"I don't get why I have to be taught. All the stuff we're going over I covered during 'my' Chuunin examination." Ino growled, looking forcefully at the ground as if it were the source of all her problems. Hinata walked a few paces ahead, looking back at her worriedly. She had foreseen this sort of conversation happening, but had tried not to think about it.

Sasuke was adamant about the training. When she had asked why he had just looked at her silently, a look which she had grown to understand. It meant she would know why later.

However it was two weeks since she had started to train her blonde friend and still she had no idea how that was any benefit to either of them.

Ino was so stubborn that nothing Hinata said ever got through her thick skull and Hinata was still too timid to yell at her loud enough for it to penetrate.

Yet everyday Sasuke enquired as to how training was going, recevigin the all too usual answer of a sad shake of Hinata;s head and a sigh as she described without too much detail the useless effort she had been making to get Ino to improve.

Sasuke always listened in silence, making his usual "hn" sounds once in a while to let her know he was still paying attention, but he never said anything to help her with her struggle, so Hinata never asked and the cycle continued.

"You j-just n-need to remember w-what y-you already know." Hinata finally replied to Ino's bad tempered rant.

Ino fumed both at herself and the whole situation.

"Are you saying I'm rusty?" she gasped.

Her friend turned to look at her, staring in confusion. "Nani-? No- I-"

"Don't you 'nani' me! You think I'm rusty!" Ino cried, stopping abruptly as they pass through the forest outskirts into the training fields dotted with posts.

"I-I d-don't-" Hinata began, staring at Ino with wide eyes.

"You do too! Goddamn! I knew it! Sasuke never thought much of me anyway- but you must think I'm slacking off just cuz you've gone and got some sort of new power- I don't bloody care if you can move as fast as the Uchiha clan- you hear! You're no better than me! Actually- how the hell is it that you're out here teaching me! I used to help 'you'! Don't you remember that? You sucked!" Ino gasped at herself, slamming her hands over her mouth as the last words left her lips.

Hinata stared at her dazedly for a moment, stunned, unsure of how to react. The usual feeling of that feline caged within her was there, she could feel it shifting against the chains that bound it, but she restrained it, focusing on those chains.

Swallowing slowly she lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling them water rapidly. Ino was one of her last friends… Sakura was so far gone she couldn't think of how she would ever get her back, not with Naruto standing oddly between them.

"Hinata… I didn't… I'm sorry.." Ino whispered, looking at her friend in horror. She couldn't believe herself. How the words had slipped from her grasp she did not know, all she knew was how badly she was feeling.

Hinata looked up after a moment, smiling weakly, blinking back tears. "N-ne, you're r-right though…"

Ino shrunk into herself, shaking her head sharply. "No! No, no, don't listen to me- I was just-"

"I will talk to Sasuke-kun." Hinata interrupted softly, starting down the hill pulling her mask back over her face, her long black braid whipping behind her as she started away.

"Wait- No! Hinata I didn't mean it!" Ino cried, wringing her hands, but she was rooted to the stop, there was no way she was going after her… something like shame was holding her back.

The disowned Hyuuga heiress did not reply but continued on through the training field, disappearing behind the bushes on the other side. Ino sat down on the rough forest outskirts, miserable beyond reason.

"…I really am sorry…"

Hinata stepped into the house, her hands shaking as she closed the door quietly. Everything about the house was still, the lights turned off, so under the impression that she was alone she leaned her forehead against the cool wood, breathing in deeply to control herself.

There was s straining pain across her chest, like someone was crushing her lungs. Clenching her jaw she put her hand against the it, rubbing gently.

What is wrong with me now?

Sasuke appeared behind her quietly, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching her struggling with something. For a moment he thought perhaps she had been hurt during training but her clenched fists and slow breathing stated otherwise. He knew those sounds and those motions.

She was furious at something.

"Hinata?' he enquired after a moment, watching her spin around rapidly, wide eyed. Her hand was still up to her chest, pressing there as if to take away the emotion.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried, surprised. "I-I didn't k-know you were-"

"What's the matter?" he cut in lazily, eyeing her hand pressing forcefully against her chest. Hinata's cheeks colored rapidly and she dropped her hand to her side. "N-nothing." She mumbled, frowning down at the ground, her hands unconsciously clenching at her sides.

"Hn." Sasuke hummed, pleased with her defiance though vaguely curious as to what the situation was.

"How was training?"

That seemed to be the right question to ask. Her shoulders dropped and her hands came up to her face, rubbing her eyes.

"I-I-c-can't train her a-anymore. P-please don't m-make me d-do it…" she murmured, her voice straining to be calm, he could hear the wavering of some sort of emotion behind it.

For a long moment he did not reply, watching her shivering. It was obvious that she was not only containing her anger, but that she didn't know what to do with it. Something Ino had done had obviously triggered exactly what he had hoped would be triggered. Hinata's pride…

"We should eat dinner, the team will gather again at the Chuunin building in less than two hours to go over the entrances and exits of the stadium. We've only got two more weeks before the exams." He replied after a moment, without actually saying anything to satisfy her.

Hinata looked up sharply, frustration twisting in her chest, right along with the pain, making her a little sick.

"N-nani? S-sasuke-kun… I- just…"

"You need to train her." He shrugged, looking vaguely bored at her complaints, but watching with utmost curiosity her expression.

"D-demo.." Hinata began, searching the room feverishly for something to help her explain how useless and frustrating it was. "S-she w-won't l-listen to a word I-I say…"

"Find a way." He retorted, starting towards the kitchen calmly. The light pouring in through the windows slid in down the hall, strips of white against black making a domino effect across the floor as he passed by.

Hinata stood there, shaking with what she now knew to be utter frustration and irritation. The desire to break something was gnawing at her hands and fingers, making them shake visibly. She was in no mood to eat- mainly with him, of all people. How 'could' he do something so horrible to her… she had been trying- didn't he understand?

The feline in her chest woke again, pulling harshly against the chains, straining to be free.

She didn't realize it when she started to walk after him, and didn't even understand why she was standing in the kitchen looking at him furiously until the words were on her lips… but that's when she hesitated.

Looking both angry and uncertain she gripped the door frame, staring in at him downing a whole cup of water at once.

Calmly Sasuke turned to look at her, leaning against the counter. "Nani?"

He 'knows' he knows its making me furious… why is he… does he think he can step on me too…?

"I won't." she stated suddenly, her same soft voice, her same soft face, only strained, as if she were fighting to keep a demonic force from escaping. "I won't do it anymore. You can't m-make me." Her knuckles were white as they gripped the doorframe, hands shaking.

She couldn't believe she had actually said that. Terror rose up. How could she have said that?! He had taken her in, taught her, put up with her… and yet here she was telling her 'captain' of all people that she wasn't going to-

"Hn." Sasuke smirked, the tone was different though, amused… pleased.

Hinata froze, dropping her hands to her sides, staring at him in confusion.

"Shouldn't you be speaking to Ino this way?" he enquired, just as calm as before as he poured himself another glass.

"I'm not the one you have to force to do something."

Realization flooded, filling her up with a mixture of dread, shame and relief.

"…oh…" she sighed, covering her face with her hands. And for the second time in one year she had the desire to swear, if only to release some of the ever pressing strain, but she didn't.

She wasn't angry anymore.

Still grumbling mentally she sighed, pushed her hair away from her face, rosy cheeked and uncertain, but the negative feelings towards him were starting to fade. Swallowing forcefully she shrugged. Sasuke didn't say anything but watched, waiting for her to say something other than "oh."

He still noted that the shrug of carelessness still looked odd on her shoulders. It wasn't often that she shrugged.

"Ne… I'll start dinner." She mumbled finally, ripping off her gloves and heading towards the washroom to wash her hands.

As soon as she was out the door Sasuke leaned his head back, closing his eyes in frustration.

Goddamnit! Why won't she snap?!

"Why is old lady Tsunade so paranoid right now anyway?" Shikamaru muttered lazily, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "We've not heard a single thing to make us believe there will be an attack, and that's even with Anbu scouts all over the Fire Country."

The security team was standing around in the foyer of the Chuunin building, much like the first time they had had a meeting, only this time Hinata was sitting behind Sasuke, holding in her lap a pile of papers that he referred to from time to time during the meeting.

Her eyes were on the papers and on his hands only, listening intently to the conversations that the others were having so that she wouldn't miss out on anything, but she couldn't look up.

Not with her cousin sitting straight across the room from her, arms crossed and looking as sulky and unemotional as ever…

Something about how calm he looked was making her uncomfortable, because even though he looked calm, he was still staring at her.

"It doesn't matter if there is a chance there will be an attack or not, we still have to be prepared for anything." Kiba replied coolly, getting an instant agreement from Akamaru. "This is our first time as the security team, it's not unlikely that we missed an obvious clue, despite our best efforts." Shino put in quietly, watching a bug crawl along his fingers. "We might have a full scale assault coming the moment the gates open."

The words hung oddly over the group, much like several scythes ready to chop off their heads.

Finally Tenten gave a nervous laugh. "That's not the best case scenario of course."

"But it is still a grave possibility!" Lee cried, looking wide eyed at the others. "Even Sakura-san and Naruto-kun might have not been able to get a hold of any solid evidence in the Sand village and the other villages they have been looking through…"

Sasuke listened silently to his team debating, taking in most of what they were saying though he had thought of each possibility himself. His eyes however were carefully watching Neji and Ino. Neji had either not noticed he was being watched, or had decided not to care, for he was blatantly staring at his cousin sitting with her head down, looking over the reports from each team scout.

Ino on the other hand looked like she was in a mixture of melodrama and a temper tantrum. Her eyes were red, which meant she had been crying, but her hands were clenched and her mouth pressed together so her lips were in a thin line. She was pissed off.

"Akatsuki is supposed to be our biggest threat, aside from the possibility of one we may not know about." Shino continued. "And they have all but vanished off the face of the earth, that I would take as a clue that they are moving very quietly-"

"To do what? We have nothing they may want." Tenten grumbled, then stopped.

All eyes slid carefully over to Sasuke, and all thoughts rushed to Naruto and Gaara of the Sand.

"Oh shit." Kiba grumbled.

Sasuke smirked slightly, giving a "Hn." Of amused irritation as he turned to Hinata, taking her hands off the reports gently and beginning to shift through them though they were on her lap. She didn't even register that it might look odd.

The others glanced at each other and at Neji who bristled in annoyance.

"There have been two reports with a possibility of Akatsuki movement. Both of them have been unable to name the members they might have seen." Sasuke replied, glancing at Hinata expectantly. She had said nothing, and as his vice captain he expected her to make an effort to be part of the team.

Blinking back at him in surprise she sat up slightly, attempting to relocate herself into the conversation.

"...therefore…" Sasuke began, frowning at her slightly dazed expression. "…therefore Akatsuki has not 'vanished'. Shino is right. They have been very careful as to their movement."

"I need Kiba, Tenten and Neji to take a trip to the locations of these reports to research for more information concerning their movement." He added, tossing the papers over to Kiba who was closest.

Ino sat up suddenly, furious. "Wait a second." She snapped. "I haven't been on 'any' missions. Those three have been on three already in the last two weeks! You're going to keep me here again!?"

Sasuke stared at her impassively for a moment, waiting to see if Hinata would say something.

When the silence stretched out for a moment longer he stated. "Only if your trainer agrees to send you can you replace Tenten."

Hinata looked up slowly, the tension across her shoulders beginning to tighten into a painful knot.

Ino looked at her squarely, jaw clenched. She didn't look very sorry at that moment.

The once small feline in Hinata's chest bit down at the chain irritably.

"No. She c-can't go." She stated, looking right back at Ino, hands clenching uncomfortably tight around the reports in her lap.

Ino gasped, looking shocked. "Wh-what? You can't-"

"That should be enough for today." Sasuke stated, standing. "Naruto and Sakura are returning in the morning. With them here to report as to the status of the Sand village we'll know what to do about more missions. For now keep building up the strength of the security traps and the emergency hide outs for the women and children."

The team nodded, all but Ino who was struggling not to start shouting at Hinata. Slowly the vice captain stood up, gathering the reports that Sasuke had used and put down on the steps around him.

"You need to talk to her." Sasuke murmured quietly, leaning against the railing by the steps they were sitting on. Hinata only nodded, swallowing the knot in her throat forcefully.

"Now." He added.

She looked up, frowning at him, a flicker of the annoyance of earlier that day flashing through her eyes. He had to concentrate on not smirking.

Sighing she dropped the papers, letting them scatter on the steps, a rebellious move on all it's on. Wordlessly she turned around and headed across the room to Ino who was talking in quiet rushed voices with Shikamaru.

He was obviously trying to calm her down.

"…goddamnit! Shut up, Shikamaru! I don't care! She can't talk to me like that!" Ino turned around, facing Hinata squarely.

"What is your problem?! What did I ever do to you? You're not letting me go now? I thought we were friends! I thought we were-"

"You are not r-ready." Hinata interrupted sharply. "You will put the rest of the team in d-danger-"

"I am a chuunin!" Ino snapped, furiously she reached out to shove her.

The hyuuga heiress flickered out of sight, appearing beside her, Ino's hand in her own.

"You will meet me at the training grounds tomorrow." She sighed softly, sounding defeated, but her grip was tight, making Ino flinch. "And you will l-listen to what I s-say."

The others froze, watching the struggle while halfway out the door, unsure of what to do.

Ino ripped her hand out of Hinata's grip, lips trembling as she contained her frustrated tears.

Silently Hinata started back to Sasuke, jaw clenched in an attempt to keep from trembling all over… or starting to cry too.

Without much conversation everyone left, leaving Sasuke and Hinata in silence, even Neji escaped into the night, not wanting to face the Hinata he no longer understood.

As soon as the door closed behind Tenten, who was the last to leave Hinata sat down on the steps, burying her face in her hands.

"I-I… didn't w-want to be l-like that." She whimpered, hugging her knees. "I-ino-chan m-must hate me."

Sasuke picked up the reports, scanning each one thoughtfully, though acutely aware of a vague guilt digging into his chest.

"She needs the training."

"D-demo, I-I was s-so m-mean…"

"She needs the discipline."

"I-I'm her friend."

"You need the respect." He stated suddenly, frustrated. Hinata looked up, her face tear stained despite her best attempts not to cry. Again Sasuke was shocked by her ability to cry in utter silence. Often times he wondered if she cried herself to sleep without his knowing, simply because she had the ability to weep without a noise to give her away.

She certainly had a good amount of reasons to cry.

Sighing as the shock faded he sat down at the step as well, next to her, looking out the window at the night sky and it's twinkling stars.

"You did nothing wrong."

"S-she was g-going t-to c-cry.." Hinata began, trying to get him to understand.

"Because she was frustrated with herself, she doesn't want to notice just how weak she truly is and that will put others in danger. You'll have more reason to cry if you send her on a mission and none of them return because she wasn't ready." He snapped, turning to look at her impatiently.

Hinata stared back at him silently, too upset to blush at his intense stare. Finally swallowing her frustration and sadness she turned away. His words made sense, but enforcing them seemed so difficult. They had all looked at her differently when she had gripped Ino's wrist so hard.

If they had known that she had had the desire to break it they would have been horrified. What a sick person they would think she was.

"I'm not strong enough for that." She mumbled, rubbing her tears away. "I-I c-can't beat her into r-respecting m-me. N-naruto-kun and y-you…You are strong e-enough to f-fight for r-respect, d-demo I-"

Startled by her sudden break down Sasuke crouched down in front of her, forcing her eyes to focus on him rapidly in surprise. He couldn't let just one breakdown ruin all the work of nearly four months.

"They are all just humans, Hinata." He stated, watching her try to look away, too afraid to look him in the eye yet.

Clenching his jaw he reached out and took her chin, forcing her to face him. At the touch her cheeks flamed, but she didn't move or try to look away, focusing sharply on his onyx eyes.

"They are all just humans, just like you. Their possibilities are just like yours." He was the one to look away then, remembering how he had refused to acknowledge Naruto as an equal long ago.

The lesson he was teaching now he had had to learn on his own. Only Hinata was facing it from a different perspective. She saw herself as inferior. He had seen himself as superior.

"I'm your equal." He stated suddenly, turning to look at her again.

The words were odd, Hinata didn't really understand them. They were equal when it came to birth, perhaps… however he wasn't… he was so much stronger than she had ever been-

"D-demo…" she began, starting to contradict. "Quiet." He stated suddenly, pushing himself to his feet and letting go of her in the process. "Until you understand that I don't want to hear another word of how you're inferior. Is that understood?"

Hinata nodded, wide eyed and confused, but somehow the desire to cry had faded. She looked down at her hands and how rough they were from contact training, no longer using the gentle fist as a crutch, the only power she had.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." She murmured, pushing herself to her feet as well. Sasuke nodded and turned around to head out the door.

"Let's go."

"Hai." She called, starting after him, skipping down the steps to the street after locking the door.

They walked in genuinely comfortable silence for a few minutes before Hinata stepped up beside him. Often she walked a step behind, trailing because that was what she had been taught since she was younger.

"Ano… Sasuke-kun…" she began, fidgeting visibly but otherwise her voice was steady.

Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye, puzzled. "Hn?"

"…arigato…"

They continued on in silence then, and it was his turn to feel vaguely inferior.

Its getting cloooooser ((evil grin)) when the Chuunin exam comes around the heat is ON people

please read and review.

-inky