Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Italics are thoughts or flashbacks….
-o-o-o-
Chapter Twenty-One: The Raven (Part two)
The rain has stopped and Hinata found herself on her room. Removing her gray vest, she placed it on top of her desk near the window. The mask followed, then the forehead protector around her neck. She was getting cold wearing her rain soaked uniform. When she started sneezing a few minutes ago, Sasuke practically pushed her outside Naruto-kun's apartment and commanded her to get change, muttering something about colds and sickness that could cause her body harm.
Hinata's eyes landed on the Shino's coat that she has hung on a wall peg. She reminded herself mentally to return it to the Aburame once she cleaned and dried it. Sitting on the wooden floor, she began to untie the bandages that wrapped her feet.
The Hyuuga replaced her wet Anbu uniform into a more comfortable Kimono. She chose the white colored one with violet trimmings; it was well-worn for it was one of her favorites. Neji-Nii once told her that it brings out the color of her white eyes.
Tying the sash around her waist, Hinata sighed when the coldness that she was feeling was starting to be replaced by warmth. Deciding to close the window to prevent the cold winds from blowing in, she took a few steps to the only window inside her room.
She was about to close it when a black bird landed on the window ledge, startling her. Hinata yelp in surprise and took a step back.
The large bird squawked and flapped its wings, spraying her with rain water at the process.
"A raven…" Hinata said, mostly to herself. "What is it doing on my window?"
At first, the Hyuuga princess was bewildered, but when the black bird tilted its head, showing her the red glowing eyes, Hinata's puzzled expression was replaced with a more horror-stricken one. She gasped and took another step back, her hand shot to her chest as if to protect herself from the red orb.
The bird has Sharingan eyes.
-o-o-o-
Uzumaki Naruto looked at Sasuke as he closed the door behind him, his electric blue eyes observing his best friend in an impish kind of way. The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan acted like an over protective father a few minutes ago, glaring at the Hyuuga girl when she sneezed. Hell, he was worse than Hyuuga Neji.
But for Naruto, it was the cutest sneeze. How could Hina-chan do that? Even with the mask and all, she could always be so adorable. When he mentioned it out loud, Sasuke glared daggers at him. He has a suspicion that it was not just the rain soaked clothes that triggered Sasuke to let Hinata out of the apartment.
Sasuke was just being over-the-top.
Sasuke on the other hand pretended not to notice the Uzumaki's mischievous eyes.
"Telling your girlfriend to change her wet clothes was cute Sasuke." Naruto winked and his grin playful. "I have never seen you so protective before."
"She is not my girlfriend." Sasuke flopped into a chair. He made a face when he remembered that his own clothing was wet. Taking his shirt off, he threw it on the floor.
"Not your girlfriend? Sure…anything you say Teme." The Uzumaki crossed his arms. "But after seeing you almost rip Gaara's throat when you heard about that marriage proposal, I found it hard to believe. Tell me Sasuke, what are you going to say to the Hyuuga elders hmm? From what I heard from Kakashi-sensei, they demanded an explanation."
"Get off my case Naruto." Sasuke warned. "I came here to talk to you about that mountain town, not to listen to your stupid teasing."
Sasuke's defensive remarks only fueled the blonde to tease him more. Standing up from the couch, Naruto made an act of stretching sore limbs. "You know, I got to admit. I almost like Hina-chan in a romantic kind of way in the past…Good thing my mind was occupied with the war. For you will have no girlfriend then Teme."
Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. Stupid dumb ass… If he was not as dumb as he was, he would have notice that Hinata has been stalking him since day one, and if he just took his eyes off Sakura for a second, he might have noticed the blue one instead of pink.
Naruto doesn't know what he was missing.
"You have never taken your eyes off Sakura, dobe."
Naruto smiled. "Well I love Sakura-chan…but there are times in the past that she was crazy about you…I don't know why since I'm more handsome-"The blonde suddenly ducked when a flying Shinobi-standard sandal almost hit him on the face. "Anyway…I'm starting to get discourage, and Hinata-chan was there for me, always cheering me to move forward on her own gentle way."
"Then why didn't you gave her a chance?" Sasuke asked and his eyes narrowed. Somehow, this talk with Naruto was irritating him; he threw another sandal at the Jinchuriiki who dodged it with ease. "When you have an idea that she likes you." Everyone thought you're just some kind of oblivious idiot.
"Just like the way you did not give Sakura a chance." Naruto's answer made Sasuke blink. Straightening himself up, Naruto shrug. "You'll know if you found the one Teme. In my case, I already knew mine…and I think that you have found yours too."
-o-o-o-
Hinata opened her eyes just as she heard the flapping of strong wings starting to fade in the distance. Raising her head a bit, she winced as she realized how stiff her neck was. She pushed herself up and looked around, realizing then that she was sprawled on the floor.
So she fainted?
Standing up, she staggered as a sudden wave of nausea hit her. She bit her lip and tried to steady herself on the desk where she has placed all her Anbu gear earlier. Looking out at the sky through her still open window, she realized that it was already dark.
That means she has been out for hours.
She can't explain what happened to her. It was like a dream yet she knew that it was real. Everything that happened after she saw the raven's red eyes were so bizarre…
Closing her eyes, the Hyuuga princess let her mind travel back to the unexpected event that happened to her.
When Hinata looked into the bird's red eyes, she felt that time itself has stopped. She blinked, in an effort to cut the entrancing connection. But when she opened her eyes again, she was not standing inside her room at the Hyuuga compound anymore, but was brought into a more different place.
Everything around her was white. The only thing that caught her attention was the large tree at the center of all the nothingness she was in. She was like inside an empty white box with a giant plant in the middle.
Somewhere in her confused mind tells her that she was under the sharingan's power.
But who wields the sharingan aside from Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake? Surely they did not did this to her? Or was this some kind of joke?
While she was asking herself with those kinds of things, someone from behind the tree took a few steps forward and revealed himself. She was startled at first when she saw that she was not alone, but then realized that whoever this person was, must be the one to trap her inside a tsukuyumi.
That means this encounter was only inside her head.
The man was older than her by a few years. He was tall and lean. His face was unsmiling but somehow, his facial features made him look so kind. Under his eyes, were two slant lines which give him an intriguing face. His long, dark, shoulder length hair was tied into a lose ponytail.
He was undeniably breathtaking.
"Who are you?" She asked when the man failed to speak. Maybe it was because he was studying her behind those obsidian eyes that looked very uncannily like Sasuke? "I am under the sharingan's power am I right?"
"You are a Hyuuga." The voice was velvety.
"That does not answer my question. Who are you?"
The man studied her again, this time with a hint of recognition. "The Hyuuga heiress…" He said and his voice low.
"How did you know that?" Hinata tensed. She was quite uneasy with those staring eyes boring on her face. What does he want and why can't he feel any chakra on him?
"I have seen you a few times. Your father usually brings you with him in clan meetings. You are so small back then. You have grown into a stunning young woman." He hand raise to point at her blue hair. "I remember since you are the only one on the Hyuuga clan with hair in that coloring."
"Then who are you?" She asked for the third time, all the while her mind was looking for a way out in case things turned bad…but when a random person traps you in a dojutsu, Hinata doubt that it would turn out well.
"I am Uchiha Itachi."
A knock on the door broke Hinata's recollection.
"Hinata-sama." Hinata recognized the voice to be the elderly woman who usually cooks for them. "Are you there?"
Taking a deep breath, the heiress answered. "Hai Baa-chan."
"Dinner is ready. Hanabi-sama and Neji-sama are already downstairs. They are waiting for you."
"A few minutes Baa-chan. I'm just going to…refresh myself."
"Hai. Hinata-sama."
Hinata tucked a few stray strands of blue hair behind her ear as the footsteps of the Hyuuga elderly started to fade. She sign as chakra started to return to its normal flow on her body, returning it to its normal strength.
Being under a dojutsu spell sure was strenuous.
What would everyone's reaction be…If they found out that I just have a long talk with Itachi Uchiha? Hinata thought as she shook her head in bewilderment. Sasuke's dead older brother.
-o-o-o-
"The Raikage proposes a raid…while Mei Terumi wanted to spy on the said mountain town before making the final decision. Gaara-san has yet to send his message and I am expecting it any time today." Kakashi arranged two scrolls that have the symbol of the two villages where it came from. He looked at Maito Guy and Tsunade Senju who were sitting opposite from him. "I requested both of your presence to help me decide our own say about the matter."
Guy's hand touched the tip of his chin thoughtfully. "The Kiri queen's suggestion, for me, makes sense. Spy first before making the final decision." He looked at the lady sanin next to him. "What do you say lady Tsunade?"
"It does." The senju woman agreed. "The Raikage is always a hotshot, so I expected something like instant raids to come up from his ideas. Though I may not blame him, his and Bee's power combined is a force to be reckon with." Tsunade rested her chin on both of her hands like she usually does when she was thinking something important. "Why don't you summon Shikaku's son? That lazy genius might have better ideas."
"Shikamaru is no doubt a great tactician." Kakashi said. "And he will make a great adviser to whomever the position of Hokage lands on."
Tsunade smirked. The future position of Konoha's kage has been really a topic that never failed to be talked about be it on the local folks, clan heads, or Shinobi. Everyone knew that it would fall between Naruto and Sasuke. It would be a hell of a job for Kakashi to choose between the two. "If it falls on spying…what's next?"
Kakashi ran his fingers on the scroll's elegant markings. He has spent a few sleepless nights just to think about his decisions for the matter. He knew that these kinds of things might sound puny and irrelevant since the villages has been more powerful and united after the war, but the silver haired nin knew that no matter how powerful they were, lives could be at stake here.
And he really appreciated life more than anything else since Obito saved him.
"I suppose that's where the Raikage's suggestion takes place." Kakashi said. "But I think we are going to have two teams. One is for a search party and the other would be for spying."
"Search party?"
"We need to look for Jugo…As Karin Uzumaki requested. He was with them but he got separated." Kakashi pulled out a piece of parchment and began to scribble some notes. "As a Hokage, I could not disregard her request since she and her friend risked their necks to warn us about the danger."
"And I assume that you would not include the other villages for this… search party?" Tsunade asked, though inside her mind, she already knew the answer. Hatake Kakashi was a different Kage than her; she could just easily dismiss an idea or turn down something as long as it does not concern her.
He was far more honorable.
She was far more bad-ass.
The copy ninja shook his head no. "I think the mountain town concerns us all…but the search for Jugo does not. The search party to be assembled would be composed of our own Shinobi. I will have Yamato lead the search and it would be a four-man-team."
-o-o-o-
"U-Uchiha Itachi?" Hinata took a step back as her brows creased. How could this be? Though if she looked at the guy closely, she could see that Sasuke somehow resembles him…and now that she thought about it, they have the same gait. "You are supposed to be dead…"
A gentle smile found its way on the Uchiha's lips. "I am."
Hinata looked around the place she was in. Aside from the enormous tree, there was nothing. How could she get out of here? Reminding herself that this was some kind of mind jutsu, she let her chakra flow to her temples and build there.
They say the Byakugan could rival the Sharingan's power...
It sure looks like a good time to test that theory now.
The man who called himself Itachi Uchiha took a step forward, his hands slowly raising themselves in a gesture that shows her he meant no harm. "I know this might be confusing to you right now, Hyuuga-san."
A sarcastic laugh erupted from Hinata's lips. "It is."
"So would you mind easing down your chakra? It might drain your energy when you go back to your real world." He pointed at the veins that started to appear around her eyes. "And I would explain to you why we are having this encounter right now."
"No." Hinata answered firmly. "But you could start explaining."
An amused chuckle escaped from the older Uchiha. "You are as hardheaded as Sasuke."
Hinata snapped out of her thoughts when she heard soft lazy footsteps that were coming her way. She looked down on the large branch that she was perched upon and saw Nara Shikamaru, his hands on his pockets and a cigarette dangling at the side of his mouth.
The Nara genius looked up and raised one gloved hand. "Oi."
"Shikamaru-kun." Hinata managed a smile.
"Not on duty today?" He asked her, his eyes on the lavender jacket she was wearing. "I just came from Kurenai-sensei's house, but I was summoned by the Hokage."
Hinata straightened herself up and jumped down from the tree, landing in front of the much taller Shinobi. "So you're going to the Hokage's office, Shikamaru-kun?"
"Hai."
"Can I come with you? I need to get my Anbu schedule." Hinata asked.
"Come on then."
The two pair walked silently on the village streets. In the past, they never really talked but after Pein's attack on Konoha, the two has created some kind of camaraderie ever since both has vowed to help Kurenai Yuhi raised her child. Hinata was the godmother, while the Nara was the godfather.
Someday, they are going to be the second parents of Asuma Sarutobi's son.
Hinata could just imagine how the baby's life would be when he grows up. He would have Kiba as an uncle who would spoil him rotten; Shino would be the one to teach him how to be rational in everything. Ino would be the one to scold the boy every now and then if he was being naughty, since Hinata could not imagine anyone to have the heart to do the disciplinary actions.
That boy would surely be watched carefully by the whole Konoha eleven.
(Hokage's Office…)
Shikamaru nudge the silent heiress next to him as they made their way on the stairs that leads to the Hokage's office. "Something troublesome came up?" He can't help but notice that Hinata's eyes would flicker out of focus every now and then. It was rare, and he found it troublesome.
"What?" Hinata blinked at the contact, and then smiled when she realized that the Nara was raising his eyebrows at her. Shikamaru could be so caring sometimes; some could not just notice it because it was hidden under that lazy drone.
No wonder Temari-chan likes him.
"Your being so…dreamy."
"Oh…I am just thinking about Kurenai's baby." She admitted truthfully.
"I see."
When they reached the office, the Nara knocked twice then gestured for her to enter first. She did, and was greeted by Kakashi with his usual "Oi."
Hinata bowed in greeting. "Hokage-sama…I need my scheduled tasks."
The copy ninja smiled behind the mask and pulled out a messy file from one of his drawers. Searching for her name for a few minutes, he said a triumphant "Aa!" when he found the right papers. "Here it is Hina-chan. So you are going to be on guard duty tomorrow night."
The Anbu frowned. "Guard duty?"
"Sasuke's place." A hint of mischief passed on the uncovered eye, but neither she nor Shikamaru noticed it. "You're paired with your cousin. Here." Kakashi pulled out another file and passed it to her. "Take Neji's with you and give it to him."
"Hai."
-o-o-o-
"During the war, I was resurrected as an Edo tensei." Itachi explained. "It was an opportunity for me to make things clear with my brother…and I think I did, though I know that he would be haunted by it even if he chooses to come back to the leaf."
Hinata nodded, understanding Sasuke's pain. She was now leaning on the large trunk of the tree while the older Uchiha sat crossed legged opposite her. Her Kekkai genkei was still active, she would never let her guard down…not yet. "Everyone knows the story."
"So before I ended the edou tensei…I channeled what's left of my chakra into the raven that surely you have seen. I did that so even if I am dead, I could come back even just once to talk to whoever Sasuke holds dear to him."
Hinata eyes widened at the words.
"You could have just talked to Sasuke…Itachi-san." She pointed out. "Instead of talking to me."
Itachi nodded. "I could have…but I don't want my brother to be reminded of the past again. We have said our goodbyes and that's enough." He looked at her. "I thought I am going to talk to Naruto again…" Itachi admitted. "Since I have talked to him in this way a few times before."
"Then you made a mistake?" Hinata asked.
The handsome Uchiha shook his head. "No. The raven who holds the last of my chakra has been observing your interaction with my brother. It knew what it was commanded to do." He looked at her with those dark eyes and Hinata could feel her cheeks burn, she ducked her head, embarrassed. When she raised her head up again, it was just in time to see that Itachi was pointing at her wrist where the Uchiha insignia was. "I would also take that as evidence."
Hinata's hands started to tremble and she unconsciously rolled her forefingers together. She was fidgeting, and she could not stop herself. "Ano…"
"I just wanted to ask you something, Hyuuga-san, before the last of my chakra runs out." Itachi continued as unearthly wind started to blow and it played with his dark hair. "Then I would be able to rest in peace."
"W-what is that?"
A gentle smile hovered on his lips. "Please take care of Sasuke for me."
-o-
Pushing her hair off her face, Hinata began to brush it up with her fingers. She tied it into a messy ponytail and tied it with a beautiful hair band that Ino gave her a few months ago. Glancing at her cousin who was busy with adjusting the bandages around his arms, she covered her face with her mask.
Both of them are going to be watch guards for tonight.
Neji straightened up after tying the bandages in place. Removing the mask that was attached to his waist with a thin string; he placed it on his face. "Are you set?" He asked the other Anbu. "I already told Hanabi that we would not be home tonight."
"Hai."
Moments later, both Hyuugas found themselves standing on the porch of the Uchiha mansion, listening to the bickering from the people inside the house with amused looks hidden behind the masks. There was a loud crashing sound followed by a male voice yelling about murderous fan girls.
Another crash, then a female voice declaring something about being the mother of Sasuke's children.
Hinata's cheek twitched.
Seconds later, the large door opened, revealing a very disgruntled Sasuke. One hand was rubbing the back of his neck while the other was pressed on his temple. He eyed the two Anbu but his eyes lingered on the blue haired one. He gave them a nod and opened the door further.
It was an invitation to come in.
Neji accepted but Hinata hesitated. The sight of Sasuke and his black eyes reminded her of the little talk she have with his deceased brother. His voice still crystal clear inside her mind:
"Please take care of Sasuke for me."
Taking a deep breath, she followed her cousin and entered the huge ancestral house. When she passed by Sasuke, her eyes widened when his hand touched her arm and lingered there for a few seconds. It was a light contact, but the way his eyes looked at her made her cheeks burn.
Neji did not notice it, for his back was to them.
Unfortunately, it did not miss the eyes of Karin Uzumaki.
-o-o-o-
Here ends the chapter No classes so I found some spare time to write another installment. Okay…some might be confused with the Itachi scene?
It was like the same thing that happened with Naruto when he was able to talk to his dead mom and dad. Minato transferred some of his and Kushina's remaining chakra in order to talk to him even just for a short while. Remember when Naruto has some trouble with the nine tails and Kushina appeared to help him out? It was similar to what Itachi did here.
In Hinata's case, Itachi used a raven. (Ravens are his thing…lol.)I figured that a little talk with Sasuke's Nii-san would somehow help Hinata's feelings to develop more…
Reviews are appreciated and loved! So please take time to review.
-crazygurl12