Original: s/3768346/1/Hinata-Goes-Rogue
I wrote this originally back when I was a teenager, I decided to rewrite + finish it, as it was one of my favorites. I plan on keeping truer to her character and natural development.
An uncomfortable silence seemed to settle over the village. Kohana was known for its liveliness... it was unsettling. Tsunade had been informed that Hinata Hyuga had gone missing. The first day she missed training, Kiba had gone to her home to see if she was there, but he wasn't allowed on the estate... and was simply told she was not taking visitors at this time... however... with three days under her belt... Hinata was long gone.
"What do you MEAN she's been gone for three days?! No one found this odd?!" Tsunade was furious. Not only was Hinata a rising Kunoichi, she was also a user of the Byakugan. How had her own clan not noticed her missing? This was an outrage.
"I tried to go visit her! They wouldn't let me in!" Kiba barked. He was extremely insulted that Tsunade would suggest such a thing. He noticed... but he also noticed that her scent was fading rapidly from the village... "Maybe she just went off to find Naruto or something..." Kiba scratched at the back of his head. He was extremely worried for his young friend. She was strong... but gentle soul.
Tsunade groaned... "Kiba, take Akamaru and see if you can track her scent. Hopefully if she was taken they're slow moving..." No one possibly would have thought that Hinata would abandon the village of her own volition... but... that was part of what made her perfect for it. She... wanted to be something else... Kohana wasn't where she was going to get stronger... she needed a fresh start.
Hinata was far from the village by now. The water moved her hair in strange ways... her eyes gazing up towards the surface. She had been submerged for what felt like hours... but the truth was it had only been about two minutes. Her lungs felt like they were going to burst... but she kept herself under. Mere inches from life saving oxygen, the oxygen her lungs were begging her for, yet she willed herself to stay submerged. Another minute past before she finally gave in and burst through the water's surface, gasping for air. Her thin arms pulled her body onto a nearby rock. The young woman laid there, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
Her body was cold, her clothes now drenched. She felt... a strange sense of relief. Her eyes started up at the bright blue sky... and for once in her life... she felt free. She no longer had boundaries, or anyone to listen to. It was just her and the wilderness... she was on her own.
Three days out and she had already made it the Land of the Wind. There was no going back now... She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. She did miss her home a bit... she'd be lying if she denied that... and her teammates... she just... it was time for her to move on.
The young woman got to her feet and made her way to the bank - walking on top of the water. Her feet made light squishing sounds as she stepped... she made a mental note to remove her sandals before stress jumping next time. The waterfall had just been so... tempting.
She continued her trek through the land, her clothes starting to dry from the heat of the sun. She was moving at a leisurely pace, both to conserve energy and... simply because the woman wasn't in a hurry. She... didn't care if anyone caught up with her. She simply... didn't care. Hinata continued walking, the desert sands whipping through her hair.
She hadn't brought enough water for her journey. Dehydration came quickly - even though she'd filled her small canteen at the waterfall. As the cool night hit, she activated her Byakugan so she could see better... but with the current state of her physical body...
She felt sluggish, her steps were heavy, and her eyelids drooped. The poor girl didn't look to be in the best shape. She took step after step... wishing she was back in the waterfall. There was no safe place to camp out here... it was open and exposed...
Mirages... she knew better than to fall for those natural genjutsus. She blinked tiredly as she watched two forms slowly appear in the distance. They were coming towards her. Her mouth was dry and dotted with sand particles, the cold air nipping at her exposed face... she was too exhausted to care anymore... the young woman collapsed. Finally giving into the darkness that was always there.
The impact of her body hitting the grassy ground woke her from her exhausted slumber. Dumped like useless garbage in the soft grass. "Oi, you up yet, girl?" A deep voice barked at her. She groaned as she rolled over in the grass. Her entire body was screaming at her. Her thoughts spinning... had all of this just been a dream? Surely she'd just passed out during training... surely Kiba would be shaking her away any moment...
But Kiba's voice never came... "Oi! I asked you a question, girl." Her eyes fluttered open slowly... she was startled to see... a shark man staring back at her. "Eiii!" She squealed a bit, scampering backwards on the grass until her back. The shark-like man laughed at her. Those pointed teeth stretching into a grin. "Think we can use her to lure him out?" He looked over at the other cloaked figure. A large straw hat was pulled down, covering his face from view.
He slowly lifted his gazed, those piercing red eyes settling on hers. If he had wanted to snag her in a genjutsu... that was all he'd need. Eye contact. She knew who he was immediately. That was Itachi Uchiha... the man who was after Naruto... "Possibly..." He muttered coldly, looking down at the Hyuga. "What's your name, girl?" He asked curtly. He knew she had to be a descendant of the Hyuga clan...
The young girl felt her hands trembling, she gripped them tight into fists as she answered his question. "H... Hin... Hinata Hyuga..." She spoke softly. Her pale eyes quivered. This was not something she had been prepared for. She knew he might encounter enemies along her journey... but... Akatsuki right out of the gate? Itachi was one of the strongest ninja Kohana had ever had... "W... what... what are... what are you going to do with me?" Her pale eyes turned down towards her lap, her fingers fidgeting with the bottom of her coat.
She felt those cold eyes staring into her soul. "That's none of your concern at the moment..." Hinata couldn't help but... feel something bubble inside her. How was her kidnapping none of her concern? That slight feeling of anger barely reached her face before it was replaced with that same worrisome stare... but it was just long enough for Itachi to see it. A dark brow raised slightly. Was she going to be problematic?
Itachi decided it was best to nip behavior like that in the bud. She barely had time to fully recognize what was going on before he had her by the neck, lifting her body up the tree she was resting against. His fingertips dug into the sensitive skin on her neck, restricting her airflow. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. It was the same familiar feeling from when she was under the water. The sharp burning of her lungs. It came quickly this time... a delicate twinge of a smile touched her lips... and she suddenly hit the ground with a thud. Her long raven hair splayed around her.
Her eyes fluttered open and drifted up Itachi's form to his face. "W... why did you stop?" She asked meekly. The young woman rubbed her throat gently as she moved to pull herself shakily to her feet. The shark man gave her an odd look before looking at his partner.
The elder Uchiha stared down at the younger woman. "You were... enjoying it." He paused in the middle, searching for the correct word to use. Hinata blushed, quickly looking down towards the forest floor. Surely she hadn't been enjoying... that... surely she was just enjoying thinking about the waterfall... or maybe she was just enjoying the feeling of everything slipping away...
Hinata glanced back up at Itachi before taking in her surroundings for the first time since coming to. They were back in the Land of Fire... had they really carried her all the way back here? How long had she been out for!?
A canteen collided with her chest. "Drink." Itachi ordered, before turning to move across the clearing. "Kisame has food for you. When you're done. We'll move out." He went to sit down against a tree, pulling his hat down a bit. The man needed a short rest. Hinata fumbled with the canteen and drank greedily. Water spilling from the corners of her mouth as she gulped. The shark-like man was grinning. "What if that was poison?" He asked her, once she'd finished drinking.
The Kunoichi wiped her mouth with her jacket sleeve, glancing down at the empty canteen in her hand... She hadn't considered that... she was just... so thirsty... She licked the moisture from her lips. "Well... t-then... I supposed I'd be... dead..." She whispered softly, her hand gripping the soft leather canteen harder.
Kisame watched her for a moment before speaking. "Do you not fear death, young ninja?" He sounded amused. Such a shy looking young girl... but she seemed to be... handling the situation well.
Hinata looked down at her feet, contemplating his question. She'd come close to death before, but she was not quite ready to die yet. She had plenty to do. Strength to gain... everyone in the village was so strong... and she felt like... she was just... stagnating. "I... I may have chosen... chosen the path of the Shinobi... but... but to not fear death... would be s...suicide..." She stammered out to the large Mist ninja.
Kisame just... nodded a bit. She was right in a sense, without the fear of death most people charge into situations blindly... which is a fast way to die. "Here." He said as he pulled a small cloth tied bag from his cloak and handed it to her.
It was nothing special, just a small rice ball with a fish filling. She moved to sit across the clearing from Itachi as she ate her small meal. She caught herself wondering if Kisame ate this... would it be cannibalism? Also... she was wondering why on earth he looked like a shark...
She was very hesitant, but she quietly activated her Byakugun. Her eyes never left her lap as she looked around. Both men had incredible amounts of chakra, but there was nothing out of the ordinary from the pair... they were nothing like when she watched Naruto fight...
"If you have time for all of that, then you're done eating." Itachi's voice came from across the clearing. She quickly deactivated it before looking up. "I-... I..." The Uchiha stood up, ignoring her stammering. "We've rested enough, let's get going. I'd like to reach Kohana by nightfall..."
Hinata moved to get to her feet. Her eyes scanned over the two men. "He... he's not..." She trailed off slowly... looking away. "If you got something to say, spit it out, girl." Kisame chuckled a bit as he snapped at her. Her meekness was... amusing. It might get annoying after a while, but for now he was enjoying how flustered their presence seemed to make her.
"N... Naruto... he's not... He's not in the village..." Kisame cocked an eyebrow at her words. Was she willing to sell out her friend? Maybe she wasn't... maybe she hadn't been lost. "He's... he's still training..." she spoke softly, her eyes locking on the ground in front of her. The pair were silent for a moment. If she was correct, this meant their intel was wrong...
"Why were you out in the desert?" Itachi asked softly, his feet coming into her view as he stopped in front of her, looking down at her slight form. One of her arms moved to grab the other... her body language putting up a barrier between the two of them. "I... I left Kohana... I doubt... I doubt anyone is even looking for me."
There was a long silence. "Tch." Kisame sounded first. "So you ran away? You don't really seem the type..." He scoffed. Hinata shook gently in her shoes. She wasn't... she wasn't sure what to do. Itachi was just... staring at her... she was afraid to look up and meet those crimson eyes...
"Will you help us locate him?" The question was blunt and a bit cold. "If not, I have no use for you..." Hinata's pale eyes flicked up suddenly. Locking onto his cold gaze. Maybe... maybe she'd learn something from them. Maybe they could help her get stronger... and... and at least she'd get to see Naruto one last time... she nodded slowly. "Y...yes, sir..." She whispered softly.
His eyes seemed to soften at the edges, though no smile touched his face. "Good, girl." She felt a blush that started in her toes. The warmth crept up her whole body as her face turned a brilliant shade of red. She felt... faint... and then the world promptly went black.