Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter Ten
Sunrise109
One week later, Itachi finally came for Hinata. She had begun to wonder whether he had forgotten about her, or suddenly decided to change his mind about having her join the Akatsuki. Perhaps he was abandoning her completely, never to be seen again?
That is, until…
"Hyuuga," Greeted a familiar voice, followed by a well-accustomed form emerging, a cacophony of crows that merged together to form a single figure, a person, an Itachi Uchiha…
"Uchiha-san," Hinata said, carefully returning the greeting and eyeing him with a measure of apprehension.
It was just before noon.
The Hyuuga heiress had been in the middle of peeling some potatoes in preparation for Kikyo's potato pie in the small cottage's kitchen area. The elderly woman had gone out an hour ago to go and gather supplies for their midday meal. Hinata had kindly offered to fetch them in her stead, but the Rain civilian had objected, reasoning that Hinata wouldn't know where the best places to buy high-quality vegetables were.
All the while, Hinata had been wondering when Itachi would finally appear. As the days turned into a week, she had begun to have frightening thoughts.
It seemed, somehow, that Itachi knew when she would be there, alone.
The Uchiha had not come with Kisame, this time.
They both took each other in for a moment, the small contours of the kitchen space seeming to close in on them. Hinata hadn't forgotten about the way their last encounter had unfolded. However, the shinobi standing in front of her bore no semblance to the compassionate man she had experienced just one week ago.
Itachi's gaze was impassive, unreadable… a closed book.
"I have good news." He merely stated monotonously. "Pain is pleased to allow you to join the Akatsuki, subject to your performance in our upcoming mission."
…Our upcoming mission?
Hinata didn't know how she was supposed to feel after hearing this news. Relieved? Uneasy? Happy? Apprehensive?
She was not sure which emotion was the most appropriate one to feel right now. Yes, her future was unravelling right before her, which now depended on whether she was successful on this mission or not and was admitted into the Akatsuki organisation.
But for now, Hinata supposed that she was kind of in a state of surprise, that she of all people was truly being offered their membership.
The Hyuuga heiress also realised that her loyalty to Danzo, in reality, had not been very deep.
For her to be considering joining the Akatsuki without much resistance in her heart... Had she truly already severed most of her ties to her village?
Or did this have to do with Itachi, and the inexplicable effect that he had on her, somehow?
Hinata hoped to find out soon.
What would Danzo's next move be, once news of her admission into the Akatsuki finally reached his inner circle?
Hinata supressed a shudder at the thought.
Lately, she had also been troubled by an ever persistent, gaping hole, an itch in her conscience, lingering in the depths of her heart. Images of the numerous victims of her Koryoku jutsu continued to plague her mind…
Sooner or later, Hinata would face the consequences of Koryoku. She just knew it, and could almost feel it in her bones.
How long will it be until they came after her? Her victims, who are as numerous as the sand?
She had no doubt in her heart that one day, perhaps sooner than she realised, they would come after her and seek revenge for taking away their charka permanently.
Unless she found a way… a way to somehow return their charka back to them? But surely that wasn't possible?
Itachi mistook her deep frown for anxiety about their upcoming mission.
"Don't worry." Itachi said. He seemed abnormally optimistic. Unconcerned.
"I'm going to start our real training today,"
Whether he had purposely mistaken her frown for uneasiness about their looming mission, or he knew what was truly on her mind and wanted to divert her thoughts, Hinata would never know.
Itachi turned away, his dark Akatsuki cloak with the crimson clouds patterned on it, slightly out of place in the peaceful kitchen setting.
"Follow me."
Hinata quickly thought about how it would be like, being a member of the Akatsuki alongside Itachi… undoubtedly, he would be instructing her, giving her orders and taking the lead…
But she didn't follow him.
Instead, a thought was bothering her, and she spoke up tentatively.
"If you don't mind me asking… were you able to mention to your Leader about my… my reservations?"
Itachi looked at her over his shoulder, his arms crossed and a brow raised in question. His silky ebony hair, tied in a low ponytail at the back, resting over his shoulder blades.
Her inquisitive expression was easily readable, and he sighed. Hinata thought that she even heard him chuckle, but if he did, it was too low for her to say for certain.
"I remembered your request and the promise I made to you. I won't allow your hands to become bloodied in our business. Pain also does not know about Koryoku. I didn't reveal it to him."
Hinata's insides immediately flooded with an intense sense of gratitude. Her face lit up, her opalescent eyes threatening tears of joy.
"Itachi, I truly don't know what to say… thank you."
"Hn." He responded, and this time, she could say for sure that he was chucking at her. How beautiful it sounded—and looked. "I wouldn't be so quick to thank me. After all, I'm about to push you in training today, and by the end of it, you may end up hating me."
Oddly enough, she doubted that… But, at least he had warned her.
~.~
They were back at the training grounds that they, along with an absent Kisame, had spent three hours in one week ago, for Hinata's initial capability assessment.
Now, the real training began.
Hinata eyed Itachi challengingly, who simply stood at a distance watching her. Shortish ebony hair brushed against her neck and shoulder blades. Her purple cloak now long gone, Hinata wore the black and red, flower-patterned shirt and navy blue trousers she had borrowed from Kikyo's granddaughter.
One moment the Uchiha prodigy was standing there.
And the next he was gone.
"Itachi?" Hinata gasped.
A slight movement in the air behind her indicated his reappearance, but it was too late for her to move.
She felt the butt of a shuriken gently press against the back of her neck.
"React too slowly, and that will be the end of you." He merely stated, withdrawing the weapon.
He reappeared in front of her.
"We need to train your reflexes. We will first do this by getting you to practice a combination of reflex movements at a distance. Then gradually, we will work on your closer range reactions. This should not be a problem for now, since as our medic, I primarily want you to stay in the background and out of the main fray of battle."
Hinata didn't question him, and merely nodded, tightening her fists in determination.
"Now allow me to demonstrate for you: Shuriken jutsu."
At that moment, Hinata's breath caught in her throat as she watched Itachi. He eyed her for a second, their gazes silently locking and something unspoken transpiring between the two of them, as Itachi turned away and carefully detached his Akatsuki cloak and allowed it to slide off of his broad shoulders, slipping down into a pool of red and black on the ground.
In a blur of movement, faster than the speed of sound, Itachi now stood on top of a cleaved tree stump, about a meter in height, and its diameter roughly the length of her outstretched arm.
It was only then that Hinata decided to activate Byakugan, and noticed that there were several targets dotted around the forest clearing, which in fact was more of a camouflaged training ground. Most of the targets were extremely difficult to spot and placed in awkward locations.
Was Itachi truly going to attempt to hit all of them in one go?
Even the one hidden in the middle of a tree, fifteen meters to his right, that she only knew was there because she had Byakugan activated?
Itachi's confident, stoic gaze told her otherwise.
Hinata watched him shut his eyes. There was something oddly graceful about that simple action. At least, only when Itachi Uchiha did it. No one else could achieve that level of concentration with their eyes closed, which was clear from the way his whole body completely stilled the moment his eyes had shut, as if internally regulating his breathing, and as though he was tuning into his surroundings, hearing everything, seeing everything. And his stillness… it was unnerving.
Then, without warning, he began to move.
Itachi jumped twenty meters into the air, and flipped upside down mid-air, several kunai materialising in-between his knuckles. His arms were a blur of movement but Hinata managed to follow his arm motions carefully with her Byakugan.
First, his left arm shot the three kunai in-between his left knuckles at the targets to his left.
Then his right knuckles discharged three more kunai to the targets to his right.
Seemingly at the same time, in a rapid flicker of motion, Itachi reached into his weapons pouch attached to his rear, and several more kunais materialised in-between his knuckles. He shot them out at the kunai he had previously thrown in the first round, which were still sailing through the air, heading in opposite directions, in order to alter their course, and with phenomenal accuracy, Itachi caused them to deflect off of each other, so that a fraction of the kunai would reach the targets hidden in his blind spot.
His throwing speed was surreal. Nearly untraceable.
Every single target was hit perfectly.
And he did all that, with his eyes closed, upside down in mid-air. As though he had done this a thousand times before.
Perhaps he really had.
The senior Akatsuki member didn't even need to have Sharingan activated.
Itachi landed gracefully in a crouch, back on top of the same tree stump he had jumped from.
"…"
It was at that moment that Hinata realised how grateful she was that they were not enemies.
~.~
On their second day of training, Hinata was still kind of recovering from witnessing the reason why Itachi had always been hailed as a prodigy and genius, after he'd impromptu performed his Shuriken jutsu the previous day.
He didn't demonstrate it to her again this time, but rather, explained the following:
"I showed you my Shuriken jutsu yesterday in order to demonstrate to you the potential you could reach under my instruction."
And she was now his… protégé.
Hinata's legs almost wobbled, but then she forced herself to remain still, unwilling to show any form of weakness in front of him like this. Hinata put on a brave face.
"Yes…"
Itachi Uchiha was on another level entirely. A category of his own.
In an unintentional way, perhaps he was even more frightening than Danzo. How could she hope to live up to what came like second nature to Itachi?
"Do you remember the sequence of movements I taught you a week ago?" Itachi questioned, eyes on her in a careful gaze, causing goosebumps to surface on the Hyuuga heiress' arms, but she tried not to show any outward hints of fragility.
"Yes, I do, Itachi… why?"
"Take these." He replied, handing her several kunai. "I want you to practise a modified form of my Shuriken jutsu. As you thrust out your right hand to strike, hit the target on your right with your kunai. When you jump into the air and spin around 360 degrees, aim for the targets on your left-hand side. When you raise your right leg to strike a spinning roundhouse kick at the end, dispatch your remaining kunai to hit the targets in your blind spot before you land on the ground. This will be easier for you to do with your Byakugan activated. In theory, you should have no blind spots. Understood?"
"Of course," Hinata replied, and after accepting his kunai, she began determinedly.
All the while, she wondered about how considerate it was of him to have her in mind when choosing this sequence for her.
Any prior nervousness that she had shown before now simmered away into a fierce competitiveness and a desire to please her new instructor.
Itachi shook his head at her, a smirk tinging his lips. Something about her eagerness reminded him of a certain foolish little brother of his… except that Hinata was nothing like Sasuke.
Not even in the slightest.
It was just their shared unbending determination that they had in common, he supposed.
That was truly a thought for another time.
After fifteen minutes, not a single target had been hit by the Hyuuga heiress yet, even though Hinata had repeated the technique several times. Itachi quickly noticed that her morale seemed to drop ever so slightly.
"It's a lot harder than it looks, huh?" Hinata said quietly, turning to look at him sheepishly, her Byakugan now deactivated.
Itachi was silent for a heartbeat, before he answered, "I learnt this at a young age, and refined it over the years. Whereas you are only just learning this now. It may feel strange to begin with, but after some time, you'll hopefully get the hang of it."
"Well, I'm glad you have such faith in me," Hinata responded, another sheepish smile appearing on her face which made her look very different… very beautiful, in fact.
"Here," Itachi said, handing her his canister of water which he'd brought with him. "Hydration is important."
Hinata was stunned for a second at Itachi's hospitality. "Your concern is very touching," She responded, gratefully accepting his water canister and taking a drink.
The Uchiha heir moved away, and now stood at a distance, as though in preparation to observe her repeat the sequence of movements he'd invented specifically for her, once she had rehydrated herself.
"… Um, Itachi, if you don't mind me asking you, why are you helping me?"
There was a moment of silence as the question hung in the air.
And they both knew she wasn't simply referring to the drink she'd accepted from him.
"You tried to seal away my chakra, and take me back to Danzo, completely powerless. Why haven't I killed you already? Why didn't I do so at the first opportunity, effortlessly? And why am I now giving you the opportunity of asylum from the elder and your uncaring village, by helping you become a member of the Akatsuki?"
Hinata couldn't have worded it better herself.
"The reason is simple." He merely answered, his onyx gaze not leaving hers. "I believe our paths have crossed for a reason. While I don't believe it's fate, it's not a coincidence either."
Itachi walked forwards, slowly covering the distance between them, until he was standing scarcely a meter away from her. The grass underneath his heels flattened as he moved, and the paling ocean-blue afternoon sky seemed to enclose them. The sounds of birds freely chirping in the trees, before they launched into the air, filled their ears.
But time had stopped for Hinata.
A hand, too smooth and delicate to truly be the hand of a shinobi, much less an Akatsuki member and mass murderer, reached out to brush aside the stray strands of her hair that were slipping into her face, before resting the palm of his hand against the nape of her neck.
The warmth emanating from his hand filled her senses.
"Maybe I will tell you everything one day, but for now, consider all that you know about me. Has anything Danzo told you about me turned out to be true?"
Hinata couldn't move, but for a second, as her brain tried to process what he'd just said, she quickly shook her head.
"I am helping you because you remind me of someone I once knew… Danzo bringing us together—it hasn't been so terrible, has it?"
"I guess not…" Hinata uttered finally, but truly, she was confused. What exactly was going on?
Itachi chuckled, the humming sound rumbling softly through her ears at this close distance.
His hand dropped away, and Hinata noticed something different.
"My Curse Seal…" She whispered, and activated her Byakugan to confirm her suspicions, only to see that it was truly gone.
When she looked up, Itachi was no longer there.
How had he removed it?
~.~
The following day, Itachi did not turn up outside Kikyo's cottage to take her to the training grounds. Even though he was not there, that still did not deter Hinata.
She found her way back there by means of her bloodline limit.
And simply practised the technique he had shown her. Diligently.
~.~
"Show me."
Hinata did not hesitate this time.
It was their fourth day of training, and after Itachi's absence yesterday, he was now back as usual.
She carefully went through the sequence of movements, kunai shooting out in all directions.
This time, half of her targets had landed perfectly in the centre.
Finally. Hinata thought. Some progress.
But when she looked up at Itachi, oddly, he was frowning.
"Perfection will not come immediately, but it can be the line between life and death," Itachi reminded her, "Deidara, the one we will be retrieving, nearly put Kisame out of action. He uses explosive clay to form objects of his liking. He is weak against Lightening Release as his explosives are earth-based." Itachi explained, having committed to memory Deidara's scrolls detailing his abilities when he had scoured his hideout five months ago. Itachi could recall the details with ease.
"However, just striking them with kunai and lodging them as far away as possible to lessen the impact of the explosion is a reasonable defence. Me and Kisame will deal with him, but in case he turns his attention onto you, remember what I've just taught you." Itachi said.
"Now continue refining your technique."
"Alright," Hinata replied obediently.
A few hours later, and completely exhausted, Hinata gave Itachi a pleasant smile.
"Thank you for your patience, and for watching me and correcting my mistakes," Hinata said shyly. Then, indicating her tongue, the underside of which no longer had a seal, she spoke. "And for removing my Curse Seal two days ago. I can now speak of Danzo's name without fear."
Itachi didn't respond to her thanks, but merely turned away.
"I will make you reach your potential and spread your wings, far away from the eyes of the puppet master. Now that you are soon to become one of us, you no longer need to fear his name."
And with that said, Itachi disappeared. In a poof.
He was a clone.
That had been a clone all along? Hinata wondered, amazed that she had never even noticed.
For the past three training sessions, he had somehow been able to maintain a shadow clone, for hours on end, teaching her and demonstrating to her that Shuriken jutsu on the very first day?
Maybe he's out on a mission. Hinata thought. He never fails to surprise me.
With the orangey-red late afternoon sky in the background, and the warm summer air gracing her skin, Hinata pensively made her way back to the cottage, her stomach growling.
It was almost time for dinner.
She felt slightly embarrassed about her recent discovery, but then again, this was Itachi she was dealing with.
Why had she been so naïve as to think that he would be there in person, training her? He was a busy person, and a senior member of the Akatsuki after all.
He had business to deal with. His presence was clearly required elsewhere.
Hinata couldn't seem to shrug away just how real, and intimate, his shadow clone was.
When will I understand you, Uchiha…?
~.~
On their last day of training, Kisame accompanied Itachi. And this time, it was not a clone of Itachi, or Kisame, for that matter.
They were both real.
Because today was the day of their mission.
Itachi quickly went through with them various formations that they were to assume for this mission.
Kisame interjected, "Okay, I got it: Formation A, Itachi distracts, and I take the lead. Hinata supports. Formation B, Itachi infiltrates, I cover. Hinata supports. And Formation C, we improvise until we can reconvene with a better plan."
"A lot hinges on the success of our mission today, including your admission into the Akatsuki." Itachi said, without glancing at her.
"Aw, way to state the obvious, Uchiha! C'mon, it'll be a piece of cake. Princess, you just sit back and watch us. The only thing you need to worry about is healing, got it? You can heal us, right?" Kisame piped up, loud and playful as usual.
Hinata nodded. "Yes."
Danzo, in his brutal training regimes and high-ranking missions, had given her plenty of opportunities to master the art of healing both herself and her comrades from the brink of death.
If this was to be her only job during this mission, and her entire purpose for joining the Akatsuki, then let it be. She would give it her all.
Itachi had no doubt that Hinata could heal, although he was curious to see her put her abilities into practice.
Only time will tell.
~.~
That same day, back in Konoha…
Hinata had learnt a forbidden technique that she wasn't supposed to learn.
And their father was trying to deter other Hyuugas from trying it out.
That's all there was to it.
…Surely?
Hanabi sat with a look of distress on her noble features inside her eloquent bedroom, ignoring the absence of her elder sister in the room adjacent to hers for the last two years.
Maybe I should ask father about Hinata… and why he took such harsh action against her…
Hanabi's hands tightened into fists as the thirteen-year-old failed to supress tears.
She never truly understood why he had taken such inexplicable actions against her older sister.
For now, Hanabi would put off the idea of prying her father about it… maybe she could ask him in a few weeks' time?
Where are you now, sister? Hanabi wondered quietly, remembering the encounter she'd had over two weeks ago, with a woman who vaguely reminded her of Hinata, outside her Clan compound.
"Take care of yourself, little sister." Hanabi remembered her saying. Before leaving without any further explanation.
With a punch into her bedroom wall, as if to convey her frustration, Hanabi wished that she had been strong enough to chase after her.
Not a single member of her Clan was allowed to utter Hinata's name anymore, or discuss her astounding involvement with Danzo Shimura, one of the Leaf elders and a widely feared man.
Why… Why does father pretend that you are already dead?
"Maybe another time, I'll try and ask him..." Hanabi weakly reassured herself, ignoring the uneasy feeling that just didn't bode well with her, settling deep in her stomach…
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A/N: My loooongest chapter! Woof! O.O Oh dear, I'm tired…
On a serious note, thank you for all your kind follows, favs and reviews…I really hope you all enjoyed, my sweeties. :D
I had intended to have more happen in this chapter i.e. retrieval of Deidara, but the chapter became quite long so I had to end it here…. That being said, I do update this story quite regularly so I hope you guys don't mind the wait.
Some Technical Notes:
The Narutopedia specifically states, "Shurikenjutsu (手裏剣術, literally meaning: concealed hand blade techniques) pertains to techniques that entail the throwing of shuriken, kunai, senbon, or any other number of bladed, hand-held weapons." So in case anyone is wondering, that's why I called Itachi's epic technique, "Shuriken jutsu", rather than kunai jutsu. :D
I was just reading about Itachi on Narutopedia as well as recently watching Itachi's arc: Light and Darkness, as well as the episodes featuring him in Kakashi's arc, and I have to say, he is in my opinion, the strongest Naruto character…! :)
Is it not me, or do you not just loooove Deidara too?! I do I do I do! And can't wait to meet him, yeah? O.o
Anyway, don't mind my craziness… goodnight!
See ya!
Sunrise109