SHIBARI: Bound

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 5

Hyuga

Present (Late Summer 5 AN) – Konoha Falls

He was annoyed.

This game had gone on long enough.

After having the green team's kunai taken back from him once already, upon retrieving it Sasuke kept a secure grip this time in his now working left hand. He held the blade safely angled towards his elbow.

From there, locating the Hyuga was a simple feat.

The chase led up the rocky cliffside. The spray of the nearby waterfall cooled their sweating bodies under the lowering sun. The mist dampened their clothes as it cast a shimmering rainbow of colors in the air.

He caught up to the spritely 'Daimyo' in a quick blur. The fingers of his right hand outstretched, reaching for the red ribbon tied around Hinata's left wrist.

She spun around when she felt his approach. Her long ponytailed hair whipped wildly around her face like the whirling silk of an elaborate ribbon dance, releasing a faint floral scent in its wake.

"Stop running, Hinata," he seethed through gritted teeth.

"You first, Uchiha," she shot back readily. She was not only referring to the game, whether he knew it or not. Defecting was criminal. Disappearing was dishonorable. Konoha demanded obedience. Hyuga demanded honor.

Her arm swung down to knock his hand away and immediately followed up with a strike to his inner elbow, missing the targeted pressure point by a centimeter. The dark-haired female pouted in disappointment. She almost never missed at this close range.

In the knick of time, he had been able to read her movements with his sharingan and react before she could inflict any real damage.

Sasuke bit back a hiss as her ineffective, but still painful, contact reverberated sharply throughout his arm. He glared at the offending kunoichi. Shaking his arm out, he pushed forward. Successfully securing one end of the red satin length between his fingers, he yanked. It rapidly began to unfurl from its knot on her arm.

Before it fell away, Hinata grabbed the other end, and wrapped it around her wrist once with a twirl of her hand. She tugged with a snap of her wrist. The Uchiha pulled harder in return.

They were connected and separated by a yard's length of red thread, working like a string between a marionette and a master, forcing their bodies to move in sync. They summitted and danced along the grassy shoreline of the rushing river.

Wrenching on the ribbon roughly, Sasuke pulled Hinata into his arms, her back now flush against his hard chest.

Her body tensed and a breath caught in her throat at his boldness. Instinctively, she wanted to recoil from the fiery sensations she felt where her skin brushed against his. It was unnerving how he was able to elicit these foreign reactions from her- she didn't like it.

Focus Hinata.

Being entrapped, she tripped him.

Together they toppled forward in a mess of tangled limbs.

Landing in the soft grass, Sasuke recovered instantly and swiftly straddled the dazed kunoichi. He pinned Hinata's legs down with his own and secured both wrists to her heaving chest in one hand.

Realizing the suggestive position they were in, he reminded himself to focus and ignore the growing warmth in his body causing the tips of his ears to redden. Ignore the sweat beginning to form on his palms caused by fingers that lightly grazed across feminine curves.

Drawing up the kunai, he locked his dark gaze to her pale eyes that widened fractionally in alarm.

Hinata felt the tug of the ribbon being cut.

With self-assured finality, and a slight raise to his chin, he simply stated, "I win."

Hinata stared coolly as a victorious grin split across handsome features hovering inches away. Sasuke released her from his grip and dangled the red ribbon in front of her eyes.

"You put up a good fight, Hinata, but I will always get what I want in the end." His declaration was confident, arrogant, and held no room for argument.

He stood carefully, as if waiting for her to retaliate. When she stayed down, lips pursed and eyes looking up at the clouds instead of at him, he extended a hand to her.

She swished her mouth to the side in annoyance and propped herself up on her elbows. Looking at his offered hand, she kept silent but decided to acquiesce. Once on her feet, she dusted off and smoothed down her outfit watching him leap over the edge of the cliff. She sighed and followed him down.

"The Daimyo is dead," Sasuke calmly informed their referee, Shikamaru, with a hand held high to present the red ribbon. Shikamaru accepted the ribbon and began to inspect the evidence.

During the exchange, Hinata said nothing and made no eye contact. Instead, she hurried off to Shino and unblocked his tenketsu, giving him back full mobility before moving to Jin and then Lee and Koji to do the same.

Sakura squealed her excitement while jumping in place. "Cha! You did it, Sasu- Ouch! What the hell was that for?" Her fist angrily raised towards Kiba who smiled broadly and raised both hands in the air, fingers splayed out in partial surrender.

In the crevice of his thumb and forefinger of one hand, he held the red handled kunai. In the same position of the other hand, he pinched a strip of red ribbon.

Sakura's wrist trickled with a small drop of blood from her now bare wrist. "The game's over you idiot!" Her right hand, infused with medical ninjutsu, drifted over the shallow wound.

Kiba shrugged carelessly and shouted, "Hinata! The Daimyo's dead."

Everyone's eyes shifted between Kiba and Hinata in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

Sasuke's lips tugged down, wracking his brain for meaning. He won already, didn't he?

Hinata's lips quirked up shyly.

Hinata approached Sasuke, who stood next to Shikamaru, and spoke softly with a guilty smile, "We knew we couldn't match you physically." Revealing the contents of her hand to the Uchiha first, she then turned to Shikamaru and held out a kunai.

The handle was twined with a green ribbon.

Her smile widened as the red team's face fell in understanding.

Sasuke's eyes lowered to the kunai he used. The handle of the kunai he held was wrapped in black ribbon.

… when the Shinobi is successful in capturing the other team's Kunai, they are tasked with assassinating the Daimyo by cutting the Daimyo's 'life string' with the other team's Kunai.

Shikamaru's words pushed its way into his memory and his eyes snapped up to meet Hinata's. He put two and two together and was surprised when he felt a small swell of pride in the loss.

He didn't lose but when he did, he was not a good sport. So, he made sure it almost never happened. His response to Hinata's victory was unanticipated but not entirely unwelcomed.

Hinata explained in a dulcet tone, "A ninja must see through deception." Her head dipped slightly in apology and her words, though soft, cut with precision. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-san. Everyone loses every once in a while."

The Uchiha inclined his head down a respectful degree, his obsidian orbs never leaving hers. "I may not have won, but I wouldn't call it a loss either."

She stared at him with a questioning look in her expressive eyes.

He answered with a knowing smirk that melted the hearts of many a good kunoichi before.

Shikamaru watched the interaction warily with dark assessing eyes. Then with a chuckle he steadily announced, "It appears the green team wins!" The clearing erupted in the contrasting cacophony of cheers and lament.

Present (Late Summer 5 AN) – Hyuga Compound

The glow of the setting sun cast an orange hue through the sliding shoji doors that led out to the engawa surrounding the main branch house of the Hyuga. The opposite side of the room was lined with more shoji doors, leading to the inner hallway where an attendant stood next to a pair of guards. The timeless architecture a stark reminder of their heritage and resistance to change. While the world around them forged a path into a modern era, the clan held steadfast to tradition. In hundreds of years of clan law, there had only been one significant change and it was still in gestation.

Neji sat in stoic silence with his legs tucked beneath him upon the zabuton. His hands rested on his knees. He wore his standard Hyuga brown hair loosely, the smooth waist length locks a symbol of pride and honor. He glanced at Hanabi who, as heiress, sat on the right side of his uncle, while he sat to his left. He recalled when Hinata used to hold that place. Ever since Hiashi handed the responsibility of Hinata's welfare to Kurenai years ago, she was rarely required to attend meetings with the elders.

Either side of the room was lined with five members of the Hyuga elder council. A low, small table in front of each. Directly across from Hiashi sat the most tenured elder, Hoheto, the former clan head.

Though Hanabi's face gave nothing away, Neji could detect her unsettled chakra as it flitted sporadically below her stolid surface. Her fists clenched tightly hidden in the long sleeves of her kimono. She swallowed thickly, awaiting her father's decision.

The Hyuga head, sitting at the center upon a raised platform, lifted a hand to silence the murmuring of concerned elders. Hiashi regarded the scroll responsible for the current commotion as the uproar died down to a tense quiet. "The Hokage has made his wishes clear. While I agree that Hanabi's position as heiress gives him no authority to dictate her daily activities as required by the clan, I also believe it would be unwise to decline this proposal. It would do well for the future leaders of the Hyuga to establish relationships with powerful shinobi of the next generation. It was unfortunate for Neji to suffer civilian teammates. This opportunity could help to rectify that mistake.

"The Senju are small in number but influential, as you are aware, as one the village's founding clans. Also, relations with the Kamizuru clan will extend our political ties in Iwagakure, and specifically with the current Tsuchikage. We have yet to make progress in our negotiations with the Land of Earth. This may give us a much-needed opening." At this, he paused, letting his words sink in.

Once again, discontent started to mount.

"This is too dangerous," one elder muttered.

"Outrageous," whispered another. "This is not how things are done."

A third concernedly remarked, "Hanabi has too much to prepare for."

Tojiro, at twenty-eight years, was appointed the youngest elder when his father retired. He had already proven himself to be a natural politician and gathered a number of supporters in the main and branch families.

His classical Hyuga features, affluence and charismatic nature made him popular with women throughout the Land of Fire. His long hair was tightly wound in a high bun on his head and enclosed with a carefully crafted gold adornment, resembling a crown. The status symbol was proudly emblazoned with the Hyuga crest in the center. Born of the main branch, he was raised to conform to traditions of old and often found himself in direct confrontation with Neji.

With an arrogant raise of his chin, Tojiro smoothly contended, "Sarutobi Konohamaru is barely older than Hanabi-sama. How can he be expected to be an effective sensei to a team of genin when he is practically a child?"

Hanabi, having heard enough opinions about her future from everyone else, snapped, "Konohamaru is a jonin and deserves the respect of one who has earned such a rank. With his lineage and aptitude, he may very well be the next Hokage!"

Tojiro narrowed his eyes at the bold spoken young girl. She jutted her chin at him with an equal stare. "This obstinate outburst is proof that you are not ready to lead. At least your sister knew how to hold her tongue," he goaded, counting on the impulsive female to prove him right.

"Tojiro!" Hiashi spoke in a peremptory tone.

"My apologies Hiashi-sama," the younger Hyuga capitulated with his head placatingly lowered. "I only desire what's best for the Hyuga." He raised his ghastly orbs to Hanabi and added, "I do hope Konohamaru is as talented as our dear heiress believes- for her sake, and the sake of the clan. If this should be allowed, I propose we routinely assess the results of this endeavor with each full moon."

Several advisors nodded and voiced their agreements to which the clan head concurred. "Indeed. That would be best."

With tensions lowered, Hiashi gestured to the eldest member to speak.

Hoheto sat cross legged upon his cushion, bones too weary and fragile to sit seiza, with thinning white hair tied low on his back. His clean shaven and wizened face bespoke of years of hard-fought battles and politics. He bowed politely to his son, the current Hyuga head, and confidently spoke with a twinkle in his eye. "The timing of this news is quite remarkable… and fortunate," he added with a nod of his head as he pinched his chin thoughtfully. "There is wisdom in your words, Hiashi-sama. However, Hanabi cannot afford to take a year off from her responsibilities to the clan. How will she be prepared to lead in the next five years? We have already wasted a decade preparing Hinata-sama for the role before passing the title to young Hanabi. There is much to learn still."

Low voices of assent and bobbing heads resonated throughout the council.

Neji continued to say nothing and made no indication of his thoughts as he surveyed the chamber. Though a future co-regent, maintaining his branch member status until Hiashi's retirement left him a lame duck.

The now twenty-three-old man had spent many a night playing shogi with his paternal grandfather. He knew the old man was up to something. He didn't know exactly what, but he didn't miss the 'sama' honorific applied to Hinata and not to Hanabi. He filed away his musing for further assessment later.

Hiashi's stern barotone snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Neji, what do you think?"

A dozen sets of white eyes now rested on the only Branch House member in attendance. Neji took a calming breath and turned his attention to the group as he slowly and clearly addressed the elders, ensuring not to mix his words. "Hanabi is a prodigy. She can continue her training in between missions. Regarding the danger, the Hokage is limiting her actions to C-rank missions within the Land of Fire, she is unlikely to find herself in risky predicaments.

"Further, other clans will see a genin heir to a ninja clan with no combat experience and may seek to exploit this weakness. Hanabi should be granted the opportunity to prove herself as a kunoichi. With her abilities, she is already at chunin level. I believe, with my help and the aid of this new team, she can pass the jonin exams at the end of the year term.

"The four key pillars to Hyuga success and prosperity are duty to clan, duty to the village, duty to your allies and duty to Kami. We are bred to be shinobi. We live and die by the Will of Fire. This is as much her duty as it is ours."

Hiashi gave a single nod as the elders mumbled amongst themselves of Hyuga honor. His words were irrefutable and cut to the core.

Hoheto leaned forward slightly, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Hai Neji. You speak with knowledge beyond your years. You should be reminded that the fate of the Hyuga does not rest solely on Hanabi's shoulders. With you as our future co-regent, no clan would be foolish enough to challenge us."

He paused, allowing the room to settle and digest his words. Noises and nods of support rippled across the room. Very few, including Tojiro, were unmoved. The young elder clenched and unclenched his jaw in response. The gesture was subtle and gone in a second but noticed by Neji.

Sitting back up, Hoheto's hands slapped onto his knees dramatically and he rolled his shoulders back with a sigh. He smiled broadly and spoke to the group with certain levity, "With that said, I agree with Neji. Let Hanabi represent her clan with pride and forge the bonds of our future."

Finally, looking at his youngest daughter, Hiashi asked, "Hanabi, are you willing to take on these missions while also attending to your clan duties? If so, you are also committing yourself to taking both the chunin and jonin exams in the next year under the tutelage of Neji."

With a determined set to her brows, Hanabi met her father's eyes and confidently declared, "I swear, if you allow me this privilege, I will proudly represent the Hyuga and bring honor to our clan."

With a small approving nod, Hiashi looked at the elders and questioned, "Is there anyone here who opposes?" He scanned the room with a hard look in his pale eyes daring anyone to challenge.

As trained as Hyuga were in wearing masks of indifference, Neji learned long ago how to read the tells in minor movements, in changes in breathing, in the shifting of eyes. Although no one was openly oppositional, he knew exactly who was skeptical, who was supportive and who outright disagreed.

Without a figure willing to challenge Hiashi, the clan leader signed the scroll with blood and ink and called for the room attendant who entered with a low bow. "Deliver this scroll back to the Hokage." The attendant held out both hands to accept the scroll and with another bow and verbal affirmation headed out swiftly, ensuring to never turn her back to the main branch members.

Hiashi promptly dismissed the meeting. Relieved chatter picked up as the elders rose from seated positions and began to exit. The Hyuga head requested that Neji and Hanabi stay.

Hoheto, being the oldest, was also the slowest and last to leave. Upon passing Neji, he caught the younger Hyuga's eyes and winked. He left grinning, Neji's confused stare following the old man who walked out towards the courtyard where Japanese irises dotted the gardens with variants of purple to white.

With the three of them left in the room, Hiashi cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the younger Hyugas. "Your jiji is right. The timing and content of this message is rather curious. Would this have anything to do with a visit you made this morning Hanabi?"

The teen's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "W-what? I just wanted to see onee-chan!" She exclaimed defensively. "She's been gone for the past month, and I wanted to say 'hi!'"

Neji felt his heart skip a beat as he turned to Hiashi and inquired, "Hinata-sama is back?"

Hiashi's lids lowered shut and he let out a deep breath. "Hai Neji. The guards informed me of her arrival early this morning, though she has not come to see me yet. I believe she may have had a hand in the Hokage's sudden interest in Hanabi." His brow raised accusingly at his youngest who had enough decency to cringe and shrug apologetically. "I believe Hinata is at the lake with your team Neji. You are free to attend now if you wish. I did not intend to keep you this late, but it was unavoidable. Would you please see to it that she visits with me once the engagement has ended?"

"Of course, uncle. I will leave immediately."

Neji began to make his exit, Hanabi trailing silently behind.

"Hanabi," Hiashi sternly reproached. "You have not been dismissed yet."

"Shit," his daughter muttered.

Neji shook his head and inhaled deeply. He quickly departed before his window to freedom was gone. He had one goal right now.

Hinata…

Present (Late Summer 5 AN) – Konoha Falls

S.H. x S.U.

Tenten was here

Sasuke & Ino

Sasuke loves Sakura Billboard Brow

Sitting in the bathroom stall, the decade old graffiti chipping the mint green paint of the interior panels were stark reminders of their academy days. Hinata almost regretted not defiling the dividers as proof of her existence. She knew exactly what she would have etched into the surface…

NU + HH Forever

She shoved the thought down and buried it under the layers that regret, guilt and self-loathing called home.

No. She was a Hyuga of the main branch. Such behavior would never be tolerated.

The entrance to the women's restroom swung open loudly accompanied by the quick clacking of heels against the tiled floor.

"Oh hi!" A feminine voice greeted.

For a moment Hinata wondered if she should respond. Did the newcomer know it was her inside the stall? No one else was in the-

"Hey," another enthusiastic voice replied.

It appeared she wasn't as alone as she thought.

The second voice continued, "Funny running into you here!"

The faucet was running. Splashing water hit the metal basin noisily with a constant thrum.

"I know right? Did you see Sasuke? I was just with him!"

Hinata recognized the voice belonging to Sakura but couldn't identify the second owner. The unidentified occupant laughed and inquired, "I did! He's causing quite the stir in the village already. How do you feel about him being back?"

Sakura sighed wistfully and answered while turning off the sink. "I couldn't believe it when I saw him. He's even more dreamy than when I last saw him if you can believe that."

Flushing the toilet, Hinata heard the second voice abruptly state, "Hey I've gotta run, but let's catch up over lunch?"

Sakura happily agreed, "Sure, that sounds nice. See ya!"

Hinata exited the stall, eyes scanning the lavatory and landing on Sakura. The other occupant had already gone. She walked over to the adjacent sink to wash her hands. "Hey, who were you talking to?" She curiously asked.

Sakura smiled brightly at Hinata as she began to apply gloss to her lips. "That was Sukui. Do you remember her from the war? We worked together in the Medical Division."

It took a moment, but when her memory clicked, Hinata exclaimed with soft-spoken surprise, "Oh right! It's been a while. I didn't recognize her voice."

Understanding her confusion, the pink-haired kunoichi explained, "I hadn't seen her in a couple years either and I just happened to run into her after lunch today. She works in the pharmacy at Konoha General now. It was such a funny coincidence seeing her here too! We're planning to meet over lunch next week."

Hinata offered a small smile and nodded, wiping off the excess moisture on a towel as she watched Sakura dig through her makeup bag. She started towards the door and turned towards her friend. "I'm heading back out. Do you want to walk together?"

"That's okay. You go on ahead. I'll be right out." Sakura waved her off.

"Okay. See you outside in a bit."

Heading out from the small building in the woods, she silently treaded along the well-worn dirt path leading back to the firepits along the shore. With the men's bathhouse to her right, blocking of her basic vision from the view of their site, she wondered if Koji was still appealing to Shikamaru on accusations of cheating or if Neji was able to join.

As she began to turn the corner, her head snapped towards the dense forest.

Someone called to her.

Narrowing her eyes to search for the owner, she did not notice the massive object that was bodily shoved into her. She was momentarily blinded and felt the wind get knocked out of her lungs as she began to fall to the ground.

"I can no longer contain my excitement!" Lee hollered at the group with sparkles in his dark eyes. "After such a youthful display of sportsmanship and power on this beautiful summer day, I am certain our bachelor and bachelorette party next week will be even more youthful. It will be a true test of our strength of camaraderie! We will start at sunrise with 100 laps around the village, followed by 500-"

"Lee!" Tenten yelled a bit exasperatedly.

"Yes, my beautiful Camelia?" Lee's grin faltered and was replaced by a curious, wide-eyed stare.

"We talked about this, remember? The whole group is meeting at six in the evening for dinner at the barbecue restaurant."

The dark-haired shinobi smiled sheepishly. "Oh. R-right. How could I forget?"

The beautiful brunette tenderly smiled back and said, "I'm having a spa day on Saturday though. If you really want to train you can, just don't count on any of us girls to be there."

Kiba secured an arm around Lee's neck in a playful chokehold and ruffled his hair with a free hand. "Can't let this Little Gai train alone on the day of his bachelor party! I'll keep you company. Just don't expect me to get through your whole training regimen. I'd prefer not to pass out before we even get to the club."

Now freed of Kiba's hold, the taijutsu specialist placed a hand on the brawny man's shoulders and stated, "You are a good friend Kiba." He then turned to face the other men in the group and announced, "You are all welcome to join me at training ground ten at the crack of dawn. That includes you, my newest friends, the Uchiha! Training, dinner and everything else we have planned for the evening. Please join us!"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably with the focus suddenly directed at him. His eyes lifted to observe the openly hopeful look on Lee's face. He couldn't help but wonder why. It had been so long since he'd been in the village, and he was never particularly close to Lee. He respected the exuberant young man and acknowledged his skill, but they were never friends. Not like Naruto.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea Lee." Sasuke cut his cold gaze over to a nearby tree where an ANBU operative had taken cover.

Picking up on the subtle implication, Shikamaru jumped into the conversation. "Sasuke just got back in town Lee. Give him some time to get settled."

"Of course! How inconsiderate of me. Please forgive my rudeness," Lee bent at the waist apologetically before springing back up to his board straight position.

Lee made no sense to the ex-avenger. Aside from Naruto, Bushy Brows had to be the most honorable idiot he'd ever met. Why did he suddenly feel guilty? Sasuke interjected with deliberate words, "Stop apologizing. If we can make, we will."

"Thank you, friend Sasuke!"

As the conversation picked up between the group on who was going to be where at what time, Sasuke took the opportunity to excuse himself. Thinking about his dead best friend always had the effect of a raging fire being doused with water. He needed space to clear his head and get rid of these unwanted emotions.

Walking along the worn dirt path made by heavy footfall over the years, he wandered towards the edge of the encampment.

His senses pricked into high alert.

Dark eyes swirled in crimson.

With barely a tilt of his head, every bit of his focus shifted to the nearly undetectable flaring of killer intent coming from behind him. A light whistling flew on the wind.

He deftly stepped to the side in the blink of an eye, narrowly escaping a projectile that was aimed at the base of his neck.

Another was immediately dispatched to replace the failed attempt.

Just when he was about to spin away to locate and retaliate against the brave (stupid) soul attempting his assassination, something unexpected happened.

His path was suddenly taken up by an unassuming body, and he tripped into the offending thing. Given his ability to move at incomprehensible speeds, it all seemed to happen in horrifying slow motion.

First, to his relief, the poisonous needle grazed above his head as he began to fall forward.

Second, his arms reflexively shifted forward to catch himself.

Third, his eyes drifted towards the placement of his hands as he realized the 'object' of his demise was a 'she' and his hands were dangerously close to using her ample chest as fingerholds.

Fourth, his eyes found hers as she sputtered in surprise and embarrassment. A pretty blush painted her cheeks and ears. Even the tip of her nose seemed to have taken on the hue. With one arm moving to encircle her torso, he held out the other to save them both from the uncomfortably awkward landing.

Last, he found his reflexes were not as good as he'd hoped. When his hand slammed against the dirt floor, suspending both of their bodies in a close embrace, he discovered the fates were once again toying with him.

Time resumed its normal speed while the beating of his heart readily sped up. His lips had been compulsorily shoved against hers from the impact.

A/N: That wraps up SasuHina month 2021! Don't fret, I will post Chapter 6 next week. I also decided to add Chapter 7 (which is currently being finalized) to this season to wrap things up nicely and set up for next season.

Behind the Curtains: It was nice to hear in the reviews that my readers wanted the Green Team to win, especially since I had already planned it out that way. ^.^ Hinata is a very underrated character in my opinion. Everyone talks about how smart Sakura is, Shikamaru and Sasuke are geniuses, and Neji is a prodigy but according to the second data book Hinata ranks higher than Sasuke in intelligence. Also, during the chunin exams Shikamaru and Sasuke both had to cheat on the written portion while Hinata did not. Although it's filler, she's shown her ability to think strategically in a fight during the battle against the magnet man and also when using her own technique against the bee clan in Shonen Jump.

Furthermore, in the Forest of Death Team 8 finished second overall, just behind the Sand ninja (Gaara's team). This not only demonstrates their shinobi skills, but it also means they have excellent teamwork. The fact that Sasuke tends to be more of a lone wolf who doesn't work well with others would make him a singular powerhouse. A group of ants working together can take down a scorpion. This is how I decided on (and am comfortable defending) Team 8's win over Team Uchiha.

That final scene was silly but a small nod to Naruto and Sasuke's kiss (but more serious). Apparently crap like that happens in anime! Haha!

Thank you! Quick shout out to JennaPark04 on Deviant Art for my amazing cover art! Check out her amazing artwork if you get a chance. :)

Thank youCiri Lovegood, Gold-hatted-lover, IdaSHN, jeyelsee, KTL2011, MoRaine25, omuricegirl, pinkydoodledoo, stefu0817, tillythepug, tljy, unknownwriter09, vipend, zsyree for your new Favorites and Follows!Also, thanks to rei, zsyree, Bexbluedragon76, bogusbabe, and LB Cat for last Chapter's reviews. I do read each and every one and I also check out every new Favorite and Follow. It gives me the warm and fuzzies. I really hope the chapters I write can live up to your expectations. I am not really a good writer. Many of you have also written fanfics and all of you have read some amazing SasuHina/NejiHina fanfics out there. So, the fact that you're here reading new chapters as they come out, commenting and following, really means a lot to me.

bogusbabe: You picked up on a lot of hints I've sprinkled. This story will have 3 arcs broken into 2-3 books. Endgame is SasuHina so there will be SasuHina moments in all, but this book also has NejiHina while the next arcs will feature Gaara and a little Madara, respectively. Also, yes! Neji and Hinata have history which you'll uncover in Chapter 6! As far as insight into Sasuke's perspective, you'll get a meaty helping at the beginning of season 2. ^ ^

Next Chapter: I am both terrified and really excited about posting the next chapter. I wrote it to be read like a One Shot and it's completely NejiHina, from Neji's perspective. This chapter delves into their background.

For anyone who is anti-Hyugacest, you may want to pass on the second half of next chapter. I'll give a chapter warning at the beginning as well for anyone who didn't read this. Thanks again and if you're still reading this, here's a bonus scene (that fills in some gaps) that I just had to write! 😊

BONUS SCENE:

Earlier that afternoon - Hokage Tower

Hinata reached out both hands and accepted the scroll from Kakashi with a grateful bow. Hanabi would be pleased.

The sixth Hokage leaned back in his seat. The wide brimmed hat he generally wore was tossed carelessly on one of the guest seats. Novels conspicuously out of sight. "I will have the original scroll sent via messenger today."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. Is Shikamaru around? I wanted to talk to him about Mirai." Her eyes wandered absently towards the entrance and back to the old Team Seven sensei.

"You just missed him. He's in a meeting for the next half hour and then he's leaving to pick up the little prodigy from school," Kakashi informed with a veiled smile.

"Oh, I see." Tucking the scroll into her obi, she paused with lowered eyes before straightening her posture and continuing. "If you have no need for me, I will take my leave."

"Actually, Hinata," Kakashi started, "I was wondering if you were in the marketplace when Sasuke arrived?" His visible dark eye questioned with a raised brow. He leaned on his elbows, propped on his desk and hands folded together.

"I was," she answered briefly, not knowing where this was going.

"How did he seem?"

She wondered if Kakashi was playing a game with her with his cryptic line of questioning. Why did everyone feel the need to talk to her about the ex-criminal? Until this point, the infamous Uchiha had been far from her mind. At least, since Ino dropped the subject. "As confident and determined as always, Lord Sixth"

"Kakashi, please," he interrupts. "Anything else?"

"Well, I don't believe he is an immediate threat if that's what you're asking." Her brows dip in confusion.

Kakashi nods his head and looks down, one hand now resting at his hip while the other is held up to thumb at his chin. "Were you two friends at the Academy?"

"We ran in the same circles, but I wouldn't say we were ever close. Why do you ask, Kakashi-sensei?" She braves the question.

"I'm just surprised you didn't ask me about what we talked about," Kakashi redirected smoothly. "The arrival of the Uchihas has been quite the talk of the town and I haven't been able to get through a meeting without inquiring minds, or giggling kunoichis." His eyes crinkled in amusement at her blank faced expression.

"It's really none of my business. If you wanted to discuss it with me, you would. So, are we discussing it?" She inquired.

Kakashi smirked at her response from behind his mask. He shook his head in reply and added, "I've always said you were clever."

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