Chapter 47: A different path
"If you're going to stew in hatred, the least you could do would be to direct it towards the right target."
Once more, those words seemed to haunt his day.
Ever since the match against Higurashi Kagome, parts of their conversation kept swirling inside his mind. The words twisting themselves into his thoughts to the point where even someone as proud as Neji had no choice but to accept the truth in them. Throughout the years, the young Hyuuga had allowed bitterness to consume him and instead had redirected his hatred towards the whole Hyuuga clan into someone who was not only weaker than him but was too kind to even think about fighting back.
"...Hinata-chan had no choice in the matter, and she suffers as well, but it's her you direct your hatred towards."
He knew that.
In a way, Neji supposed he'd always known.
To soothe his wounded pride, the boy simply pretended not to notice the unfairness of his actions...because that's just how destiny was...honestly, a pretty and convenient excuse. He would give it to the young heiress; she knew where to hit with her verbal attacks. The Hyuuga prodigy had long since learned that the best way to harm someone, to destabilize them, was to force them to confront a truth they didn't want to see. Using the Byakugan to dig up the tiniest reactions, he'd made an art of interpreting every slight movement in his opponent's anatomy, and it was always the truth that pained them the most. Somehow, the boy never thought one day, he may be the one facing an enemy capable of doing the same.
"You speak of destiny while doing nothing, sitting motionless within your chains."
Pale lavender eyes narrowed as they caught sight of the small form currently training within the clan's grounds. Activating his blood limit took almost no chakra at all, as habit took over and analyzed the Hyuuga heiress' stance. There was only the slightest hesitation to her movements, and that alone couldn't be more telling.
Injuries gotten from the Jyuuken did not heal easily. Even a small genuine accident during training could put someone out of commission for weeks. And as shameful as it was to admit, even before he'd lost his composure, Neji had been aiming for more than just slight bruising. The young teen knew exactly how much damage he'd done to his cousin. Former 'training accidents' with Hiashi-sama had let him know just how much the girl usually took to properly heal whenever her injuries were thanks to their own clan's kekkei genkai. This was far too much progress, far too fast. And while he'd been surprised to find the head of the Hyuuga clan all but begged for forgiveness after his match with the Higurashi girl, somehow, Neji severely doubted the mam did the same thing with his first daughter. Earlier this week, he'd seen Hiashi-sama training with Hanabi-sama with the same pressure as before. Hinata-sama would never go to the Konoha hospital to get her injuries treated, and no one from the clan healed her...
During his fight, his head had been far too heated with his opponent's baiting. From outside, he supposed, would also be a bit difficult to notice. Having the invasion happen almost immediately after almost made him forget the question that had slithered in his thoughts right after. But once he stopped to think about it...Higurashi's fight plan was too detailed; even if there were moments he did manage to take her by surprise, they were few and far in between.
There had been no hesitation when it came to letting herself get hit.
Higurashi Kagome knew she could heal herself.
And there was only one way for the girl to have that confidence.
If Hiashi-sama were to remember and join the dots the same way Neji had done, the clan heiress was in for a world of hurt. And anyone involved in it wouldn't escape punishment either. It would only take a word to alert the man...it would be too easy to ignore the matter and let his cousin to her luck. If she'd been foolish enough to do what he thought she did, then it was her problem to deal with. The cursed seal in his forehead forced him not to betray the main house, but nothing pushed him to suffer for one girl's silly idea.
"You're putting too much tension on your wrist." At his words, the short girl jumped.
"Ne-Neji-niisan..."
"Where was it that Kurenai-sensei took you to?" The words were out on their own.
"Eh?! Wh-what do you..." the girl stammered, eyes avoiding his.
"Higurashi knew exactly how to counter the Jyuuken, and your movements are too fluid." Maybe his tone was a bit too stern; the girl was almost shaking. "I need to know where it was you met with her to be able to say I only saw you and Kurenai-sensei there."
If word of this came out, things could become problematic; there was no reason for him to lie just to cover an heiress that was likely to be replaced sooner rather than later due to her lack of temperament. He was speaking before he could stop himself, however, and it was only now that Neji realized he meant every single word. It was shameful enough to be forced to face the truth by someone he'd greatly underestimated with a literal audience watching him lose his composure. Now that the teen had admitted it, though, he would not allow himself to turn a blind eye once more to ignore how foolish he'd been. There was still anger inside him; the apology given to him had not fully taken all of it away. True or not, the fact that his father died didn't change, nor did it take this death sentence carved in his skin...but at the very least, this time, his hatred wouldn't be directed to someone who had no real power in the matter.
"I-in...in the training grounds ne-near the memorial stone." It took her several seconds, but at the end, Hinata-sama spoke.
"It's not that far away from our own..." Though, as far as the young prodigy could remember, the girl's training grounds were in the opposite direction. "It wouldn't be too weird for me to have seen you while I walked to and from mine."
A brightness he'd never seen entered Hinata-sama's eyes as she looked at him in surprise. The heiress had spent the last few days trying to offer small kind gestures here and there whenever he was back from one of the seemingly endless reconstruction missions. Clearly, however, she didn't expect him to do anything more than offer silent nods of acknowledgment. A small, hesitant smile brightened her features. She trusted him; despite what he'd done, the girl still trusted him.
"Th-thank you..." There was still some stammering, but her voice was louder now. "W-what was it you said about my wrist?"
"You're putting too much strain on your wrist and not enough power on your shoulder." There really was no benefit to doing this...but still, he continued. "You shouldn't train too close to the inner training grounds; your healing is going too well."
"Ha...I-I..." Once more, Hinata-sama jumped, her hand completely missing her mark.
"She was right...about me." He'd already started, might as well go all the way. "You were too...I was too harsh."
"I-it's okay." Another smile made its way to her face. "Y-you seem m-more relaxed, so t-that's enough."
"...do you still want to change yourself?"
This time blood rushed to the young heiress' face. Absentmindedly, Neji couldn't help but wonder if the girl would pass out from shock. He may have finally accepted the truth of his complacency, but having good intentions to change would not result in anything if that was all there was. Honestly, the Hyuuga prodigy wasn't sure why he even thought about this, let alone go through with this offer. It could turn problematic for him. All odds pointed to Hinata-sama being displaced as the next head...but the shy girl was not the one responsible for his problems...
"Your basic form is not bad, but you have a lot of issues with the details." Plus, she jumped far too much for someone with the Byakugan. "I will not go easy."
The girl's pupilless eyes widened, jaw dropping for a second before nodding in fast succession. All his life, he'd lived tied to the idea of destiny, bowing to it, bitterly using his talent as an excuse to hurt others to hide his own pain without trying to change a thing.
"...a destiny could be imposed on us from the very beginning...but I would break the chains with my own hands...or die trying..."
A destiny imposed not by fate but by the people around them...chains that could be broken if they fought hard enough. He supposed, this too, was a possibility, one where this could become his own fight against the chains around him. In a way, he figured this could be his way towards change...and yet, as he thought back to those words and the way they'd been spoken as the Higurashi girl moved away from him, Neji couldn't help but feel somewhat unsettled. The dissonance between the reputation she'd gained and the raw anger that laced those words, so similar to his own hatred towards the Hyuuga clan history, it was too extreme.
Even if it made sense for her to nurse hatred towards the rogue Uchiha that massacred her adopted family, things still didn't feel quite right. What he'd accepted, though, hadn't changed. It might amount to nothing, but perhaps, there was some value in struggling all the same if the chains around them were imposed by human hands. And this...this, he supposed, was one way to go about it.
"I'm one of the legendary Sannin..." Oh, that smug smirk was just the same as it had been decades ago. "I don't even have to be serious to fight this little boy ninja."
He couldn't quite say he expected things to go all that different from what was going on right now. Though, Jiraiya figured learning that Orochimaru had been bold enough to not only show up in front of their old teammate but also personally tell her about his killing of their former teacher was surprising. What exactly was the man's plan, the white-haired Sannin wasn't sure, but he'd believe Tsunade's words of 'Orochimaru just wanted to say hi' when Ame became a desert.
Naruto getting all fired up at the mention of the word Hokage, on the other hand; well, that was well within his prediction.
"Shut up!" Naruto's yells would end up attracting a crowd if they didn't hurry.
"One finger should be enough." With a grimace, Jiraiya had to concede Tsunade was right.
"Cut the crap!"
Perhaps it had been too much to hope for his old teammate to have matured a bit and not take the blond prankster's words so seriously. Honestly, to actually put that much strength in a simple flick of her finger against someone who was still a genin...and sure, the woman was clearly drunk, but if she had half the endurance she used to in their youth, then she was still very much in complete control of her actions.
"Hey kid...I'll ask you one thing before you pass out..." Tsunade scoffed. "Why...do you get so excited just by hearing the word 'Hokage'?
"Unlike you..." the boy gasped. "...I really want to succeed the 'Hokage' name, and I will...because...it's my dream to become Hokage."
Ah, there it was, a slight hesitation as those words surely echoed past memories. Truthfully, Jiraiya knew he was playing dirty. Bringing Naruto with him was to keep him safe from Akatsuki, yes, but he also knew the boy's passion and dreams would overlap with those of Tsunade's beloved people. With a bit of luck, it would be enough to move her into taking the position.
And would you look at that, the prankster was smart enough to try and take advantage of Tsunade's small moment of vulnerability, pushing chakra into his hand, rushing towards the woman in what was admittedly a really-easy-to-see straight line.
The ground shook beneath his feet as the young-looking blonde hit the street with a single finger, cracks parting the ground with a deafening sound. That Tsunade...her freakish strength clearly hadn't changed one bit in all these years. Hell, he could almost feel phantom pain in his head from being punched and ending up 100 meters away. Naruto got lucky simply falling into the cracks and having the incomplete Rasengan break his fall as the energy dissipated at contact with the stone.
"Jiraiya! Was it you?" Disbelief dripped from her words. "You're teaching him the Rasengan?"
"I'm his master...in principle." There was a wry smile on his face as he nodded.
"The only people that can use that jutsu are the Yondaime and you. Teaching him something he cannot do and believing you're his master..." Blonde locks covered her face slightly as the woman shook her head. "It's better if he doesn't think that way...so silly kids won't joke about foolish dreams like becoming Hokage."
"It's not a joke! You idiot!" Well, no one could say Uzumaki Naruto was a quitter. "All I need is three days, and I can master that technique, just you watch!"
"Some words, brat..." He could still hear the anger in Tsunade's voice; it was starting to simmer, though. "A man's word should never be taken back."
"I won't take my words back...that is my ninja way."
Hmph, if nothing else, Jiraiya supposed this turned out to be a good chance to watch the brat and test his resolution. Especially now that he didn't have those two clan heirs playing buffer for him when it came to confronting others.
"Well then, is that so..." and...the toad Sannin was not liking her tone. "I'll give you one week...if you can master that jutsu, I will acknowledge that you could become the Hokage...and give you this necklace."
"Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade's assistant's (Shizune, if he remembered correctly) shocked reaction was entirely justified. "That is your precious..."
"I don't want that kind of ugly necklace."
"Don't say that, Naruto..." Geez, this kid never stopped to think before acting. "That is a very unique and precious ore that belonged to the Shodaime Hokage...if you sold it, you could buy three mountains."
"Well...alright then."
Honestly...Kakashi confirmed his teammates were all too happy to both prepare food for the boy and pay his share, plus helping him buy and maintain his equipment. But it would seem the boy still placed money first...it was probably for the better. Less of a chance he'd go and waste his earnings in something silly like gambling.
"But if you can't master that jutsu in a week, then you lose." With a smirk, the busty woman took out the newly refilled Froggy. "And all your money will belong to me."
"What are you doing? That necklace is..." Shizune tried to intervene again.
"Heh, it's not like he can accomplish it anyway," Tsunade scoffed. "Let's go, Shizune."
"Tsunade, can we have a drink together?" he smiled; he couldn't just nod and leave right now. "Shizune, you and Naruto go find a hotel for the night, okay?"
Sometimes, he hated the accuracy with which he could read people.
It may make his job as Konoha's spymaster easier, but it also made it impossible to ignore the things Jiraiya would rather not see. From the very start, it had been evident Tsunade was hiding something and that she didn't even bother to try and hide her meeting with Orochimaru...
Well, there weren't too many possibilities on the conversation's main topic left once the obvious lie left her lips.
"You've become more beautiful..." It wasn't a lie; the woman beside him looked radiant.
"You haven't changed a bit..."The woman shook her head, amused smile on her lips. "It's only you that I won't date."
"It's not like I'm interested." Lowering his voice, the toad Sannin mumbled. "After all, you're still a 50-year-old lady."
"What?!"
"Nothing!" Damn, her hearing was sharp.
Companionable silence stretched; it would be so easy to sit here, keep drinking sake, exchanging mindless comments, perhaps sharing a story or two. Try to go back to the way things had been and pretend he believed the answers given back in the bar. Just two old friends, catching up.
But he still loved Konoha.
Just like the people he'd cared for and lost had done, he would keep on protecting the place where all of those dreams and ideals were resting. The future of those wishes, they were worth more than his own life...worth more than an enjoyable reunion with someone dear to him. In a way, he supposed, it was only fair that this would become his task. A kind of atonement for broken promises and the weight of the lives he'd failed to protect.
"Are you worried?" At the woman's confused look, he continued. "About Naruto."
"No..."
"To a kid back there...you really acted childishly." Shaking his head, Jiraiya kept with the charade. "Even if he trains extensively, there's no way he can master it in a week...that's not even a fair bet."
"Hell..."
"Why are you so reckless?" Jiraiya didn't let her finish.
"I'm not reckless..."
"Going to meet with Orochimaru, aren't you?" he scoffed. "I could tell from Shizune's countenance...I don't know what sort of deal he offered you, but don't make such a hasty decision."
Honestly, that no one in the Council thought about keeping an eye on her to make sure this exact thing wouldn't happen was beyond him. Orochimaru was not one to accept defeat easily. Sarutobi-sensei's technique ended up incomplete; that man would look everywhere to try and reverse it. And there was only one person with enough skill to possibly achieve something like that. A person the snake Sannin knew personally and could try to manipulate into acting as he wished. Using one's fears and desires was something their former teammate delighted into.
"There is one thing I want to make clear..." Setting his cup down, Jiraiya leaned on his elbows. "The past Hokages protected those who lived in Konoha; they reigned in troubled times, yet still allowed the village to have prosperity. That ideal...they bet their lives on that dream. You, too, should understand their feelings...if you ever do anything that betrays Konoha..." Narrowed eyes turned to watch his childhood friend. There couldn't be any uncertainty. "I will kill you myself."
"It has nothing to do with me..." Tsunade's gaze lowered.
"Only a murderer would show no feelings knowing people close to them are dead..." She had changed...there was no denying that. "You're not like that, right?" Could he have helped her, somehow, had he not run away in his own way? "You do care for the safety of those that live in the village because, that time..."
"Stop lecturing me already!" The plates trembled as her fist hit the table. "Why did you bring that brat along?"
Jiraiya wouldn't deny he was being cruel. Tearing open wounds that likely never stopped bleeding in the first place like this...but, even if he were to momentarily forgo the safety of the village, Orochimaru was unlikely to honor whatever deal was made. Or if, by chance, the snake Sannin did complete his part of the deal, the end result would probably hurt her more. That man was a danger to everyone and would feel no shame in using their time as teammate to his advantage. Heartless and uncaring, and somehow, none of them ever noticed...maybe they hadn't wanted to notice, but that willing blindness was gone now. No matter how bitter the truth, Jiraiya had more than enough regrets hanging off his back for him to pretend not to notice just how hesitant Tsunade was. How much she was wavering...or the consequences her choice could carry to everyone in Konoha.
Saying he would kill her himself wasn't a lie...if pushed that far then, he would rather hate himself for spilling her blood than live with the weight of the lives of those in the village...but this way, he could try and protect them both.
Cruel as this might be, this would be his bet.
"...aren't they alike?"
It was almost identical, the way Kakashi-sensei's chest slowly rose as he breathed, the only thing that clued the fact that the man was still alive. So similar to what he'd seen in Kagome after opening that hospital door years ago. Sasuke didn't even have to ask to know exactly what jutsu Itachi used on their teacher, nor the kind of hellish nightmares it could create.
"Do you think you could heal it?" He was pretty sure he knew the answer already.
The girl hummed as she kept lightly rearranging the fresh flowers she kept insisting they bought, despite it meaning they were forced to endure Ino's annoying attempts at conversation. It wasn't like all of the flowers the girl cared for in their garden were poisonous for their scent to be dangerous. The man wasn't even conscious to notice the meaning of the flowers themselves. Kagome persisted on it; this time they had left before leaving was crucial. No hint of revulsion towards the village or its people could be seen, or they'd had a team of hunters on their tail the instant their absence was noticed. Apparently, that meant they needed to be seen showing they cared for the people inside, making sure their bonds were thought as strong enough, and that it was only his desperation along with Orochimaru's cursed seal that drove them out of Konoha.
Unsurprisingly, right after the chaos calmed down and the funerals were over, Kagome felt eyes on them, once again. It was a feeling that had long since stopped making her anxious since there was always at least one set of eyes on them after the massacre. Most of the time, they kept a good distance away, only staying around for a couple of minutes at a time. Probably making sure the only two remaining carriers of unique bloodlines were still breathing.
The return of those eyes shouldn't have unsettled her.
And yet, it did.
Their vigilance was also increased. While they had no clue whether it was just one person or a full rotation, now there was almost always someone watching them. The distance kept diminished after they returned to the village, followed by that overly loud excuse for a jounin. Yet, something else to add to the list of reasons why they no longer felt safe anywhere within Konoha. Once they combined all the information; the clan heirs had about how the Council worked they could feel the time they had left in this place ticking by a bit more each day.
"I'm unsure..." the girl trailed off. "There's technically no more foreign chakra interfering with Kakashi-sensei's mind; it is mostly psychological trauma...there might be a jutsu that would allow me to heal that as well, but..."
But they had no way to be sure.
And that could become a problem.
"What about regular medical ninjutsu?"
"Hmm, perhaps, though I wouldn't say the techniques that worked are regular." There was a reason why Kakashi was still like this, after all. "In theory, there might be, but the level of control required for it would be incredibly high."
Sasuke hummed in response.
This line of questioning was as much for the possible ears out there as it was for them. Itachi already had shown a fondness for abusing this genjutsu to deal with people. It made sense, the Uchiha figured. It was a good and easy way to keep up the cruel facade without risking actually killing them. It would hurt them, but his brother had proved what he was willing to do to keep them alive. Trying to confront him would be difficult as it was; adding a devastating genjutsu to the mix would make it almost impossible for them to even try and get a word in.
"What about..."
A shake of her head had him swallowing his words. A couple of seconds later, their sensei's door opened to let in the other two rookie team's teachers.
"Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei, good afternoon."
The two jounins faltered as they entered, clearly not expecting to see them inside. After their panicked actions chasing after Naruto apparently made it difficult to believe they could regain their calm and make constant visits to Kakashi-sensei's apartment. The drying flowers on Kagome's hands as she finally stepped away from the newly re-arranged flower vase couldn't be dismissed.
"Kagome-chan..." Vermillion eyes flickered to the plants. "Those are..."
"Oh, these," the girl smiled, lifting the small bouquet. "Since there isn't much I can do, I figured this might at least help soothe his dreams a little."
A pointless gesture, they both knew it from first-hand experience. Until their teacher's psyche managed to calm down enough to remain conscious, nothing anyone did here would make a difference.
"Come on, Kagome." Pushing himself out of the windowsill, Sasuke made his way towards the girl. "We should go back to training.
It was more than just him not wanting to see the faces of the jounins who were all too ready to kill his brother if the opportunity presented itself. The ones that readily dismissed their childhood friend only because of the burden the boy was forced to endure for all of their sakes. This would also be remembered once they left, painting him as the one obsessed with hunting Itachi. Kagome's reputation would remain impeccable while his own became more and more domineering. Even if both Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were to try and convince others that their relationship dynamic wasn't like that it would make no difference.
"Wait!" Kurenai-sensei snapped.
The two clan heirs stopped as they reached the door, mirrored confusion on their faces before turning. The only real interaction any of them had had was when Kurenai agreed to teach Kagome. A way to repay them since the Higurashi heiress healed her student. Not like those sessions offered the girl any time to really work into getting the older kunoichi's respect. The pressure of the looming exams forced them to work with a tight schedule. The woman shouldn't have any reason to doubt them either, though.
"It's just..." Kurenai faltered, her eyes flickering towards Asuma for a second before looking at them again. "I know this isn't usually done, especially considering I'm...no, we aren't even assigned to you, but... if you ever feel like you need to ask for anything, or even just to talk to someone, well, we'll always be available, Kagome-chan, Sasuke-kun. Right, Asuma?"
"Eh, I mean, right. That's what us adults are supposed to be here for." The man clearly didn't expect this.
The pain in his tongue as he bit it was all that kept the shocked laughter to come out, ruining all of their planning. But it was downright laughable to hear those words out of them now because it was just ridiculous. Sasuke would love to see their reactions if they were to tell them the truth of just what it was that really bothered them. To be told that their precious village hadn't hesitated in eradicating probably two entire clans. Would they offer their help then? Would they even believe them?
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei." Slender fingers wrapped around his, a soothing gesture. "I won't lie and say this hasn't been rough, but...we'll get through it.
"Oh, right. I've been meaning to check on her, though with all that happened, it just slipped my mind. But, how has Hinata-chan's recovery been going?" she added just when her hand touched the door.
"She seems to be doing much better, should be back to perfect condition in a week or two. If you ever want to meet up, just tell me, and I'll get Hiashi to shut up," the older woman smiled.
"I'll remember that." A soft laugh, a fake laugh, escaped her. "Ah, yes, Asuma-sensei, please give Shikamaru-kun our thanks for helping Naruto-kun during the invasion. He is good at improvising, but I always feel safer when I know there's someone with a good strategy behind him."
"That I'll do, though he'll probably think it's too much of a drag to send a reply." With a shake of his head, the man agreed.
Letting out a loud sigh, Sasuke pulled on her hand. Truthfully, being able to openly show his annoyance at others was definitely something he wouldn't complain about, especially after having to spend so long biting his tongue while Kagome played her games. Kurenai's badly concealed glare was even somewhat satisfying as the girl smiled sheepishly and proceeded to make a light excuse. Turning around, the Higurashi heiress allowed him to lead her out of the apartment.
He scoffed out loud, Higurashi Kagome was the most stubborn person he had ever met.
Once the girl decided she wanted to do something, there was no force on this planet capable of stopping her the fact that they counted Naruto as their childhood friend was a testament to that. Itachi had taught her to never let herself get dragged around by Sasuke back when they were children, and his brother had been very clear when explaining hum just why he should stop trying to push the small girl around. A lesson that had more than stuck throughout the years.
There was the slightest change in her stance, getting just a little closer to him as they walked outside. Again, she could feel those eyes that left her anxious and unsettled.
His fingers tightened around hers.
He hated this place.
"Should we go and buy some replacements?"
"Yeah, we can also stop at the market before going home."
Lately, the two of them had begun to systematically pack their belongings in sealed scrolls. It was a slow process; they couldn't just buy a large number of supplies without making their new set of stalkers aware that something was going on with them. Instead, little by little, they broke their equipment and looked for replacements; their clothing would get torn up during training, forcing them to get more sets. Right now, it was his place to make sure to keep a proper inventory and organize the slow packing while Kagome focused more on re-evaluating the decoded copies Sasuke made for her, as well as analyzing what they knew about all of the important members from both councils and important clan heads. Apart from that, the notebooks Kagome asked for were packed for the most part. The most essential classified documents had already been sealed, leaving out only those they still wanted to review.
They weren't a lot.
Mostly what they could find related to Shisui or his reported suicide in general as that was the one thing they could go to the public archives and request without making anyone suspicious. After all, there had been rumors of Itachi being the one behind his once best friend's death had managed to escape the compound despite all of his father's best efforts.
After their little encounter, no one was surprised to see them become more focused on researching information about his brother. Hopefully, finding out more about it would help put things into perspective, as that was definitely one of the big turning points of the tragedy that would ensue. From what they'd been able to scour, his cousin had been a genius on his own merits, merely overshadowed by Itachi's overwhelming natural talent. Shisui had also made it to ANBU and would often leave on the same missions as his brother. If they could find who exactly was in charge of the other Uchiha, they may be able to find a link to whoever ordered the extermination of the Uchiha clan.
They would not let themselves be blinded again by the lies told by those around them.
And every single one of those liars would burn by his hand.
A/N: And we're inching closer to the moment, I didn't want to completely cut out Tsunade's first appearance tho, since I do genuinely like her character and one of the only female characters that have an actual significant character arc (even if it still revolves around the men around her). Also I wanted to take some time to show how some of their actions are already starting to show some repercussions, in this caseNeji's actions are going to change and that will affect Hinata's later on. The aftermath of those two leaving is definitely going to be deeper for some characters.As always thank you guys so much for reading and any review/criticism/comment is greatly, greatly appreciated.