"You want me to take over your godsdamned village, don't you? Tell me one good thing these little war camps have ever done, apart from stroking the ego of fools atop their ivory towers?"

Tsunade of the Sannin


Pupilless eyes focused and wide-open, she stopped her cousin's blow before it could connect with her ribs, turning his hand over easily and striking a blow of her own, hitting him in the chest and shutting off another tenketsu point. She saw him start the motions to fend her off and reacted on instinct, leg sweeping wide to get him off-balance, but he jumped out of the way before she could connect with his legs. She huffed in annoyance at his sudden defensive approach but was afforded little more in the way of a non-combat reaction. Almost casually, she discarded kunai of her own to throw off the ones hastily sent by her cousin while jumping back, and made the tiger sign with her hands.

"Kage-bunshin no jutsu," She called, voice soft and almost whispering, and a sudden puff of smoke resounded by her side, quickly dissipating to reveal one single clone.

One was all she needed. Hinata suddenly rushed forward, taking her cousin head-on while behind her the clone started hand-motions of her own. Neji parried her blows easily, his expression frantic. Once, a long time ago, her cousin had been faster than her. Deadlier, too. But these days were long past. Now, Hinata found herself seeing through his moves, anticipating each and every blow long before they could hit her. She suddenly stepped out of his punch, grabbed his arm and used his own momentum against him, propelling him towards the water dragon her clone had just conjured in a silent whisper. Neji tried to dodge out of the way but once again her timing was right, and the jutsu hit him square in the chest with the force of a real beast, sending him flying away.

He landed on his back with a dull thud, groaning almost inaudibly in the middle of the Hyuga sparring grounds. She quickly made her way towards him and offered a hand to prop him up and back on his feet. "Are you alright, Neji-san?"

"Yes." He gave her a warm if somewhat tight smile. "Only my pride has been wounded, Hinata-hime."

A blush crept over her face before she could think to fight it away and she stumbled profusely in attempting to answer, reverting to her old self in the blink of an eye. "Y-you don't need to be s-so formal, Neji-kun."

As one, they turned towards the place where Hiashi Hyuga sat in the main training grounds of the Hyuga clan, making their way to him in slow, deliberate steps. All the while the man eyed them both, steeled expression set on his face same as she'd always seen.

"Well done, Hinata." her father told her in his usual cold tone. "Although I would prefer it if you limited yourself to our clan's techniques."

Hinata smiled tightly at her father's words. Ever since she'd started beating the other members of the clan, he'd simply moved his expectations for her. She'd taken it in stride, of course. She'd already seen how he treated Hanabi back when her younger sister had been the favoured sibling. At her side, she spotted Neji's posture straightening slightly at the words. She tried to signal him to let it slide, but for once her cousin moved before she could react.

"Hiashi-sama," Her cousin started. "Hinata-san fought me as honorably as any member of our clan. Shinobi must rely on all their abilities."

"Neji-kun..." she started softly, but her father cut her off.

"Hinata's style is not in accordance with the Hyuga," Hiashi replied. "Although she has become one of the better fighters of our clan, the style she has adopted does not reflect the Hyuga way."

She stepped in front of Neji before he could retort, resting her hand upon his forearm with a quick glance towards him. "Hai, Tou-san," she merely replied, head down in a respectful bow. "I will try to incorporate the ways of our clan in my style. If you'll excuse us."

She barely waited for a response before turning away and heading for the main building, hand still gripped tightly around Neji's arm, leading him with her. Once they were inside, she let go of his arm. He had been rigid all the way, and she turned to face him before he could start.

"Neji-kun, it's alright, you don't have to..."

"He didn't show even an ounce of pride," her cousin seethed, eyes focused and angry and more frightening than they were when bordered with visible veins. "He's only ever disappointed."

"He wants me to be the best I can–"

"–He didn't even smile!" Neji erupted, cutting her off. "His face was like one of the Kages up in the cliff."

She smiled a little ruefully at her cousin. Hinata still found it somewhat strange to have Neji overreact so brazenly, even after all those years. It was so unlike the cold young boy of their youth she sometimes wondered if these recent times had not been an absurd dream. These days Neji stood up for her. It seemed her cousin had taken it upon himself to see to her well-being. Hinata wished she knew how to tell him to stop.

"It's okay, Neji-kun," she told him softly, imploring him to calm down with her eyes. "I'm fine."

Her cousin softened immediately, and he peered down at her in concern. "He should be better with you. You've become the pride of our clan. No one in their right mind would dream of a better heiress."

She felt hot in the cheeks at his praise, already bemoaning the intense blush she must be sporting right before her cousin. It made her feel like little Hinata, and she hated herself for it. She had ceased to be little Hinata for years now and every relapse into her old character felt like a cruel past threatening to take her over once more.

Instead, she pushed for a change of conversation, applying standard disperse and divert tactics. "Do you know where Hanabi has been off to? She didn't spend last night home."

Neji frowned again, and Hinata felt genuine relief for not being the subject of his worry any longer. "All she said is that she was going out," Neji answered. "She apparently screamed it to Hakuji-san when he asked her at the eastern door," he added with a small grimace.

When his frown was not directed at her it looked definitely cute, she mused. "Ever the boisterous one, little Hanabi" She remarked slowly, and then smiled at his frowning shake. "I'll go check on her, the little minx," she reassured him with an easy smile. "I think I know where to look."

She excused herself from Neji then, after assuring him one last time that her father's attitude had not disturbed her, and paced hastily through the corridors in direction of the grounds' entrance, barely slowing to nod politely at whoever crossed her path with a faint smile, hoping that her attempt at an escape wasn't as obvious as she feared.

Once out, Hinata took a gulp of fresh air, inhaling relief and quiet and exhaling all the distress she'd accumulated over the weekend spent at home. She didn't usually spent almost two entire days holed up in the Hyuga compound as she had this past weekend. There was always somewhere to go to in a village as big as Konoha, or friends to visit or, in the most desperate cases, Hinata volunteered herself for guarding duties. Once, she had even managed to convince Tsunade-sama to replace one member of her personal guard for the weekend on the grounds that Yugao-senpai had needed the rest. This weekend however, Hinata had found herself stuck at home when Ino-chan, with whom she had planned to spend the previous day, had found herself involved in a last minute mission and Tou-san, upon hearing the news, had insisted she show him her progress as a kunoichi in a formal sparring contest within the clan's inner training grounds. Unable to refuse her father, Hinata had accepted before rushing to her friend Shino and getting a promise to spend the Sunday afternoon together.

Being the dearest friend that he was, Shino had accepted right away, returning her message with one of his own, brief as his missives always were, and had not made a single inquiry on top of everything else. Hinata blessed all the kami for Shino, and she promised herself to bring him one of his favourite treats on the way to see him.

Hanabi had to be found before she could indulge in her afternoon with her friend however, so Hinata started heading in the direction where she suspected her sister could be found, not bothering to track her with the byakugan. Hanabi had stormed out of the eastern entrance to the Hyuga compound, which most likely meant she had gone to the village's training grounds. It checked out with the fact that she had stomped her way out after Tou-san had informed her she would not need to participate in the little spars he had organized for the family's fighters. Although their father hadn't said it explicitly, the message had been clear. He didn't think Hanabi had any chance to best her sister or her cousin, both of whom had found their way to the last match, as had been expected by everyone involved. Worse than that, Hiashi had clearly informed her that he no longer considered his youngest daughter as an elite fighter of the clan. That, Hinata suspected, was what had infuriated her sister beyond anything else. She hadn't been present at the scene – and she was very thankful for it – but having Hanabi simply storm out must have been one of the better possible outcomes. It wasn't the first time Tou-san expressed disappointment to his daughter with what he considered to be subtlety, and it probably wouldn't be the last, either.

Hinata sprang on top of the nearest building and she was a blur of movement before her next breath, speeding away towards Konoha's borders. She activated her byakugan as she neared the grounds, sorting quickly through the teams that had elected the afternoon for friendly sessions and sure enough her sister was there, lying on her back in the middle of ground twenty-four, between a loud genin team who was trying to master tree-climbing and a duo of jonin who she could only see thanks to her gift, trying to sneak up on one another and sporting bruises that indicated a fierce battle.

She sped through the last of the buildings and entered the jonin camp, smiling briefly at the woman who spotted her on her way and shaking her head to indicate she wasn't here for them – ending her shake in direction of her fellow jonin adversary's hiding place, which sure enough the woman caught and smiled in return before disappearing away – and landed loudly beside her sister, whose eyes suddenly opened in shock before she spotted her older sister's face and her lips tightened somewhat even as her eyes closed again.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" She said after a moment's silence, and Hinata cringed a little at her tone. Hanabi had always been a fiery person with those that had breached her outer shyness and that fire lent itself wondrously well to her spouts of anger, fuelling them for days.

Instead of answering her Hinata slowly took a seat beside the kunoichi, crossing her legs in a manner that would have sent their father hailing her loudly about the proper ways of a dignified heiress and stared at Hanabi's face until the younger Hyuga huffed in defeat and opened her white eyes to stare back in defiance. "Why are you here?" She demanded, her tone as scorching as ever.

"Can't I be worried for my little sister?"

Hanabi pouted at her words, and Hinata couldn't contain her smile after being reminded of young Hanabi. "You don't need to worry about me. Don't you know? I'm barely a member of the main branch now. It'll be days before Tou-san decides to brand me and put me with the dead-last of our clan."

Hinata frowned at the words, and the smile that had lingered until now was swiftly wiped out from her face. Hanabi was smart, and Hinata knew her well-enough. Obviously she was out to hurt, and she wasn't pulling any punches. Hinata crushed the sudden burst of rightful anger that had risen within her gut and calmed herself with deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she found Hanabi's own trained on them. The little girl was smiling too, her entire face screaming her defiance at her, prompting her to raise her anger to match Hana's own. Hinata huffed and shook her head. She wanted nothing more than to start trading insults with her younger sister but what good would that do? Shino-kun would have to contend with an angry Hinata on top of wasting an afternoon for her sole benefit.

"Whatever it is you're trying to accomplish here, pushing yourself beyond exhaustion will only put your team at risk during your next mission," Hinata said, and although her voice had been kept in check she could not stop the clipped rhythm of her words.

Hanabi had at least the decency to blush before she found back her scorn and pushed it to the fore. "Just – Fuck off." She hissed at her with narrowed eyes.

Hinata pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in exasperation. "If you've got enough energy left to be angry at me, get up."

"What for?" her sister retorted, standing resolutely on her back. She'd always been the most stubborn of them all, which was no easy feat within the Hyuga clan.

"Wasn't it a fight you wanted? C'mon, get up. Let's get it over with."

After the initial shock passed, Hanabi simply glared at her, trying to dig holes in her face with her glare alone, but she met the gaze head on. After a full minute of this silent glaring contest, Hinata finally had had enough. "What, I thought you were confident in your ability to best me. Should I come back tonight?"

Almost before she had time to react her sister was low on her feet, byakugan activated and right palm thrusting towards her chest. Hinata reacted on pure, battled-honed instinct, catching her sister's wrist and using her momentum to throw her at her back, before she spun on her feet and adopted a guarded stance. Still, Hanabi did not relent, throwing herself again at her sister with a barely contained rage stricken all over her face. Hinata deftly blocked each strike out of the way, her eyes focused on her opponent, their white still not streaked with the Hyuga's trademark popped veins.

After a few minutes of their deadly dance Hanabi was heaving loudly, her chest rising and falling in an obvious display of exhaustion. She kept coming at her sister anyway but by now Hinata had not trouble at all anticipating her blows and deviating them safely away from their targeted tenketsu points. Hinata was frankly impressed that Hanabi could still lift her arms high enough to strike. She didn't need the Byakugan to see how depleted Hanabi was of her physical reserves, chakra and otherwise. Her sister seemed to be fighting on rage alone instead, her distorted face almost intimidating, were it not for Hinata's concern.

When an umpteenth blow came once more at her chest, she side-stepped instead of parrying, and caught the wrist before it could be wrenched out of her range, using her sister's own attack to send her toppling forward in an eerie repeat of the very first exchange of this improvised sisterly fight. This time, however, Hinata didn't let Hanabi catch herself and return to her open-palmed blows. She followed her instead, and threw a kick right below Hanabi's knee, sending her sister down.

Hinata followed her down, sitting upon her lower back with one her legs thrown a little out so that Hanabi's stayed locked in place. She caught both her sister's hands and bent one behind her back, completely blocking her body and stopping her from any meaningful movement. The most Hanabi could do was bending her calves to throw meagre kicks to Hinata's legs restraining her lower body.

"You're pushing yourself too far," Hinata told her. "Let go."

"Sh – Shut up!" Hanabi yelled back, and attempted to headbutt Hinata by suddenly throwing her head backwards after her sister had bent her own to speak to her. She'd almost managed it too, the little minx, but Hinata had been swift enough to avoid the blow.

"Hanabi." Hinata spoke in a warning tone. "Don't make me shut down your flow and carry your unconscious body back home."

"You – You wouldn't dare?!"

Hinata could see her blushing cheeks even with her head stooped against the dirt and her dark hair thrown haphazardly around it, obscuring her face. It was frankly amazing that she could keep her fighting spirit going with her body so ostensibly exhausted, even if it was just loudly yelling in open defiance. Sighing in exasperated amusement, she released her hold on her sister and sat crossed-legged in front of her, waiting for Hanabi to get up as well. The younger Hyuga was ready to jump to her feet after she'd struggled to put herself upright on her bum but Hinata's cold, piercing stare managed what her words had not, and Hanabi sat down, finally subdued. Though Hinata suspected that the soreness from having been pinned down as long as she had was the main reason keeping her sister from rising to her feet.

"I'm visiting Shino-kun after this," Hinata said after a minute of calmly eyeing her sister's open glare. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Why'd I want to come?" Hanabi almost spat the words out.

"To please your big sister, because she'd love to have you with her?"

"Bullshit. Why would you want me anywhere near you now that you've Tou-san's approval?"

Hinata eyed her sister sternly, lips thinning in a straight, irritated line. "I don't care what Tou-san thinks; I care about you, Hanabi. No matter how insufferable you get, I will still care about you enough to be worried about your feelings. And it worries me even more so to see you so openly distressed."

Hanabi stared back in defiance. "I am not distressed!"

"Come on. It took less than a minute to goad you into a fight." Hinata told her. "And don't you stand up again," she added in a stern voice upon seeing her sister about to launch herself at her again, fearing more for her than herself.

Finally somewhat subdued, Hanabi huffed in annoyance as she sat back on her bent legs. The younger Hyuga bent her head down, letting her dark hair fall in a curtain, obscuring her face. Being the highly trained shinobi that she was, Hinata managed to catch a glint in her eyes before she shielded them to her view, however. She patiently waited for her sister to express herself, revelling in the sudden lack of tension between the two of them.

The silence stretched between them, and Hinata feared that Hanabi wouldn't utter a single more word, but her sister had never been one for idle inaction. She almost missed the whispered words however, in spite of how close they were sat together.

"How'd you do it?" She asked from behind her curtain of hair, face still obscured.

"How did I do what?"

"How did you get so strong?"

Hanabi had lifted her face back up to stare her right in the eyes, and Hinata could see the barely kept tears threatening to spill on Hanabi's cheeks. She could count the times she'd seen her sister cry in the open and all of them had happened before she was six. But Hanabi wasn't crying here, not really, not yet. So Hinata scooted closer to her sister and caught her face in an affectionate gesture brushing over the corners of her eyes with her thumbs to catch the tears that had started spilling and make them go away. "It's a secret," she told her sister in a small, smiling voice. "But I'll tell if you come spend the afternoon with me."

"I… I wouldn't want to bother Shino-san," Hanabi replied in a small, wispy voice.

Hinata laughed heartily at that, smiling openly at Hanabi. "You couldn't bother Shino-kun if you tried," she told her. "Come on."

She stood up and helped her sister along, grabbing her shoulders to help her steady herself. Together, they went out of the training grounds, Hinata leading the way and holding Hanabi's hand

firmly, as much to help her as to keep track of her sister and make sure she was still following. They could have hopped on the buildings' tops and reach the Aburame grounds quickly, but Hanabi wasn't in any state to do more physical exertion, so they instead walked the civilian streets along with the other Konoha residents, moving leisurely through the village under the afternoon sun.

Hinata walked steadily along her sister, quietly eyeing the many buildings that stretched on either side of the street they were currently walking, shop fronts of all kinds set under apartment stories that served to house the shop owners. This being a civilian street, the shops did not offer any tools of use to the shinobi of the village, the street being lined with anything from a book store to a lovely flower shop instead, including a very busy clothes shop at which Hinata glanced curiously when they passed by, observing the small gathered group at the store front. They were all gushing and whispering excitedly in front of the displayed pieces she herself couldn't see. How long had it been since she had last been shopping for casual clothes, Hinata wondered, trying to recall the last time Ino had dragged her along in one of her occasional sprees. It had been months at the very least. And how long since she did anything other than spar with her younger sister? That, Hinata couldn't begin to recall. It distressed her more than anything had in a long time.

She caught her sister's hand and squeezed it tightly, as much in search of comfort as to give some of her own. "How about we go dining out tonight, you and I?" She turned towards Hanabi, attempting to sound casual but failing to contain the undertones that carried with her asking. "Shino as well, if the poor boy is not too tired of us by the end of the afternoon," she added with a smile; but there, too, Hinata failed to conceal the distress attached to her words.

"Um. Okay," Hanabi replied, eyes shying away from her sister's.

"Good," Hinata affirmed, and pulled her ahead once more, making her way through the small crowd pacing the street alongside the two Hyuga sisters.

oOo


Shino was sat across from them both at the small restaurant they'd all agreed upon for dinner, picking nonchalantly at his plate as he ate, nodding and humming when it would be expected of him. Throughout their afternoon spent together, first within the Aburame clan grounds and then strolling through the quieter streets of the village, he had been ever the considerate friend, listening politely to whatever they said and sometimes offering his own stories to entertain them both. Hinata had yet to be disappointed by her friend, and she felt infinitely grateful to have him in her life. Shino had been a pillar all throughout her youth, helping her in her worst days. Helping her even as he was now.

Hanabi was at her side, a little worn-out from her earlier activities still but eating heartily and with all the relaxation of someone among friends. Hinata smiled sweetly at the sight, glad for her sister's change of mood. Across the table Shino caught her eye, and she smiled at him too. The day was ending much better than it had begun. She still felt tense and unsure, not entirely able to quell her anxious mind and its worrisome dwellings on what she would still have to face in the coming days and weeks, but for now Hinata could easily ignore the part of herself that had once been an ever present paralysing force working against her. Here and now, she could allow herself a rare moment of vulnerability, speak freely without overt concern and the constant need to check her own moves and words. She relaxed against her seat and inhaled deeply, before picking at her plate.

Outside the restaurant, the artificial lights shone their small beacons against the creeping dark assaulting from all around. There was no moon up in the sky, and the usual stars lighting up the village's nights were hidden behind thick black clouds, behind the masses of their blueish shroud. Hinata found herself thinking once more of the ever peaceful Konoha nights and the inescapable feeling of something lacking in the village's streets, of a quiet too lasting in its uncontested rule over this village. Of the bright smile of a blonde who could always bring her hope, no matter how dire her circumstances.

A sudden sound right in front of her face jolted her back to her immediate surroundings. "Oi! Nee-chan? I've been talking to you!"

Hinata blinked haphazardly to find herself with two sets of eyes staring intently at her. She shook her head with a rueful smile, before the knowing look on Shino's face sent her tumbling head first into a small panic episode. "Oh, sorry Hanabi. I was just lost in thought."

"He was always thought-catching. But no one was as affected as your sister."

"Huh?" The young Hyuga whipped her head at Shino before turning back to her sister with befuddled eyes.

Hinata suddenly shot a stare at her friend, which could have been frightening if not for the redness permeating her cheeks. "A-Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask, Hanabi-neechan?"

Hanabi narrowed her eyes at her sister, turning her askance into a challenge, but Hinata stared her down with a look that spoke more words than her lungs could hope to give in twice the time, and in that fleeting moment the young timid and squeamish girl of her past was all but gone. It prompted Shino into giving a quiet, discreet smile hidden behind the cover of his jacket that went unnoticed by all present in the small restaurant but not by his heiress best friend, who caught his mirthful eyes when he thought he had gotten away with it and sent him blushing in vindictive retaliation.

"I was saying that you should have already been assigned a group of genin by now."

"Oh!" Hinata was caught utterly off-guard by that sudden supportive statement. "Well, not all jonin are assigned teaching roles. The position is usually offered to experienced ones, and I'm still years away from that."

"Yes, but you're good! Even Neji-san said you were better than him, and he's considered the best of the new generation of jonin, I mean –"

"Neji-san is very kind, but I think he tends to exaggerate things when it comes to me."

"I disagree." Shino cut in.

Hinata's eyes shot up to bore into his once again. "You're biased," she told him.

"Am I?" Shino's quiet, confident mirth was laced in every word. "Some would say I am one of the best suited to evaluate your worth as an asset."

She burst out laughing at that, drawing the momentary attention of the nearest patrons. "Oh, you are, aren't you?" Hinata asked, and took a moment to regain her bearings somewhat "So tell me, Shino. How valuable of an asset is this humble kunoichi?"

Her friend leaned back against his booth and considered the women facing him carefully, one eyeing him with the dangerous calm he knew came to her as she readied herself for a fight, the other shooting back and forth glances at them both, slowly picking up on the atmosphere. "Valuable isn't the word I'd use," he said after a moment, pausing further to gather his thoughts, or simply to manage his effect. "Were I to make an official report on the Hyuga heiress, I would be much more likely to go for terrifying."

"That supposed to be a compliment?"

"An honest statement. You see, to a lot of people you're a bit of a mystery. An insufferable one, at that. There are those who train harder than you or those who are more gifted than you are, in any number of ways. And yet, most of us fall behind. You've consistently shown your ability to overcome opponents who by all regards should have beaten you without much effort."

Hanabi made herself known again in the conversation. "Really?! I didn't know that about Onee-chan!"

"It's not that big of a thing, Hanabi-chan. I just had luck on a lot of these –"

"You've beaten Kakashi-senpai two times in a row. The number of people can be counted on one hand who've –"

"He was probably tired that day; he was barely back from a mission."

"And so were you. It was the end of the week you'd spent mastering your affinity, remember?" Shino nudged gently. "No one really understands how you've managed to outpace even the most dedicated of Konoha's shinobi but most have learned to respect you, if begrudgingly."

Hinata simply blushed and averted her eyes in the face of her friend's words. Shino had always been so effective when it came to making grand statements about her and tell them in just the right way to make them believable. And every time she did a little more, but she never quite could believe them. They were compliments, after all, as savvy as Shino was with them, and compliments were more about comfort than truth.

"There is a reason Lee-san is always pestering you for sparring sessions, you know," the Aburame son told her with another of his well-crafted smiles. "I swear, if I didn't know better I'd have come to believe he's got an obsession about you or something."

"Shino!" Hinata all but shouted, while Hanabi started sniggering uncontrollably. "You think Rock Lee's got a crush on onee-chan?"

"I'd better hope not," Shino began as nonchalantly as ever. "His boyfriend is a bit of a possessive type."

oOo


They were walking along the quiet streets of the clans' district, having left Shino behind at the gates of the Aburame grounds, not before a quickly whispered promise for them to have a serious talk next time she'd have the occasion to spend time with him, to which her friend had simply nodded and smiled in a way that managed to impeccably get off as both serene and incredibly smug (she had flicked his nose for his trouble, and he had had the good grace not to dodge the blow.) Hanabi had barely registered the exchange, having partaken in their alcohol with the belief that she'd managed to do so under the nose of her sister (Hinata should probably not have let her sister get this drunk, but she still felt guilty over this afternoon's events) and she was now struggling to hold herself together and walk in a dignified manner, half-slouched as she was over her older sister. "Oneee-chan." she slurred.

"Yes, Hanabi."

"How long has he been gay?"

Hinata sighed, hauling her sister to keep her from sliding right there and then on the middle of the brightly lit road. "We've been over this, Hana. Lee-san is most likely bisexual."

"Yes but how – how do you know? And when did he – did he..."

"A few years ago, Lee-san had feelings for Sakura-chan. And Lee-san is Lee-san, so don't you go pestering him about this. Anyway, we're here," she finished, pointing to the eastern entry gates of the Hyuga compound. They had arrived at last. Hopefully their father was not waiting somewhere to reprimand them. Hopefully Neji-san hadn't gone and confronted him directly while she was away.

In spite of the fact that it was well past midnight, the gate started to marginally open after they'd stood there for some minutes. A member of their clan dropped suddenly from the walls to stand before them. "Hinata-hime, Hanabi-hi – Is… Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, Nichita-san," Hinata assuaged the Chunin guard and offered her a smile. "She's been pushing herself a tad too much but she's lucky to have an older sister looking out for her. How has your day been?"

"It's been good, Hime-sama. Mostly boring in fact. Saiichi-taicho kept avoiding my attempts at –" The woman began before she caught herself and averted her eyes, head hanging in deference. Hinata did not have to activate her byakugan to tell she was blushing as well. "I… I shouldn't bother you further with my own problems, hime-sama, I'll let you go through."

Surprising the woman, Hinata gently caught her joined hands to have their eyes meet, before offering her another earnest smile. "I will talk to Saiichi-san. He needs to be reminded that experienced Chunin should not be assigned to guard duty for entire weeks at a time, regardless of what he thinks of them."

The Chunin bowed profusely at them, bringing her head dangerously close to the ground. "Th- Thank you so very much, Hime-sama."

"Don't mention it. And please, call me Hinata." She started placing a snoring Hanabi on her shoulders, the younger Hyuga having managed to completely doze off while resting on her sister's side. "I'll be seeing you at the training grounds, Nichita-san. Our matches are often the most exhilarating."

"Yes, Hime – I mean, Hinata-sama!"

She traipsed through the grounds with the swift effectiveness of one who knew them well, carrying her sister on her back with ease, unperturbed by the weight. In no time at all, Hinata reached the main house of the Hyuga clan, belonging to the leading family and slipped her way inside in silence and with none of the guards being alerted to her and her sister's presence. She carried Hanabi through long hallways all the way to her room and then, with them both inside the spacious, spartan chamber, started easing her into the bed, pulling the covers tenderly over her form.

It was as she readied herself to leave, leaning in to kiss her sister's forehead and wish her goodnight that Hanabi groaned softly and shifted, eyes fluttering. "Onee-chan..."

"Mmh?"

Hanabi eyes were opened now and intently fixated on her. She was visibly struggling against her exhaustion and the overbearing sleep threatening to take her in at any moment, blinking furiously at her own heaviness in sheer stubbornness of a sort Hinata only ever recognized in herself. "You didn't tell. You said you," Hanabi contained a yawn, fighting it all the way down. "You'd tell me how you got so..."

Hinata gently brushed a hair out of her face, her eyes searching. "So strong?"

"Yeah."

She mulled it over for some moments. In her mind, her friend's words were playing once again against her ears, his supporting praise, his unwavering – and in her opinion, unwarranted – faith in herself. Most of the respected figures in her life told her how apt of a shinobi she had become in the recent years, but she could never quite bring herself to believe the words. She knew that as a young Jonin she had some ability, but the comparisons that were made and which equated her prowess to living legends of their village always seemed embarrassing to her, giving mild panic episodes, all the more when the legends themselves were doing the comparing.

But this wasn't the time to try and make sense of all these things. Hinata had a sister to reassure and send to a restful and unperturbed sleep. So she raked her brain and came up with what seemed the most expeditious answer. "I'll tell you the trick, but you have to promise something. You must promise to come to me whenever you feel helpless before anything else."

"A'right. I promise."

Smiling widely at her younger sister, Hinata tightened the covers as she leaned to press a kiss to her forehead. "Good." Hanabi had already closed her eyes, so she pressed her lips next to her ear. "Everyone's got it wrong when they say I'm strong. Your sister is just dangerously stubborn. Sleep well, Hana."

She pressed one last kiss to her sister's forehead but Hanabi had already drifted off and barely budged at the repeated show of affection and intimacy. She got off from the bed without disturbing her sister's slumber and quietly made her way towards the door. She sent a last look back before closing the room behind her, but Hanabi hadn't moved an inch, the covers rising in rhythm with her breathing. Hinata smiled to herself once more and slid the panel closed without making a sound.

In moving through the house's many corridors she eventually caught sight of a clock fixated high on a wall and was again reminded of the late hour. If Tou-san ever heard of their late arrival there would be a harsh conversation to be had between the three of them. Fortunately for her and her sister, Hinata had only allowed them to be sensed by Nichita-san, who had always had the shrewdness to avoid their head of clan as much as she decently could. Other guards were patrolling the area, but passing through a Hyuga's awareness was hardly impossible. She knew the weaknesses of all the sensor types within the clan who were regularly assigned to guarding the perimeter, having defeated every single one of them in combat.

Hinata shut her thoughts before they could nag her about her own perceived strength and talent as a combat operative, and hastened to reach her own bedroom to prevent any clan member from catching her off-guard. It didn't take long before she was secure in the intimacy of her own personal space, and the panel closed behind her with no one being the wiser to her nightly escapades.

She readied herself for bed, barely saving a glance for her reflection in the luxurious vanity that had belonged to her mother once, a lifetime ago, and dropped herself into her bed, groaning quietly at the mattress' warmth. There, in the comfort of her cushy and spacious bed, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep, adrift in thoughts of her sister and herself, and the lack of closeness brought about by their growing up. She remembered a much younger Hanabi, who used to be attached to her to the point of being regularly insufferable for a barely adolescent version of herself. But then grief had come, and with it the need to strengthen their emotions, build a fortress around themselves so as to make them impregnable even to their own self-harm. She hadn't considered how young Hanabi was at the time, and now she barely had any friends of her own. But she had a sister, and it was time for Hinata to take some responsibility in the caring of her family. It was on that promise to herself that she fell asleep.

oOo


Her eyes opened in sudden fright, her byakugan triggering even before she fully rose to consciousness herself. Hinata threw the covers outward and jumped out of bed in the same motion, reaching for a small blade hidden under the bed. In the next moment she had it pressed upon the throat of a masked figure standing before her recently opened window.

The figure slowly raised their hands to show their peaceful intentions, their body remaining resolutely still. "Hyuga-san, look at the mask," they said with a clear, clam voice, pointing their fingers toward their face.

Hinata blinked for a few moments before her adrenaline slowly started depleting and leaving her system, and she took notice, at last, of the ANBU mask the intruder wore. A Konoha nin, then. She slowly lowered her weapon, but remained in a ready stance, her byakugan still activated and looking for other intruders. She found none. The rest of the compound was asleep, save for the occasional guard roaming the grounds.

"I am sorry, Anbu-san," she said at last. Hinata looked at the sky outside, still as dark as ever, and then to the clock on her bedside table. The dawn wouldn't rise for hours still. "What prompts such an early visit?"

The figure standing in the middle of the room bowed slightly in deference, acknowledging their place in relation to herself. It would have mattered had Hinata been part of the ANBU herself, but it was not the case, at least not yet. She remembered Kakashi-senapi's conversations and his not so subtle hints on the subject. "Hokage-sama has requested for you to reach her office at once. She has ordered for a specially selected group to form. The others will be on their way shortly."

Hinata straightened suddenly. This wasn't unheard of, but it was highly unusual. Teams formed on the spot meant that the Hokage did not think any of the usual groups were competent enough to handle a situation. Usually it meant missions assigned to members of the ANBU but apparently at least one Jonin was to be part of this mission. She assumed her tracking abilities would be put to use. "Wait for me outside the compound, please, Anbu-san. South-western entrance."

The ANBU simply nodded and jumped out of the window as silently as they had broken in. Not waiting a moment, Hinata started going through her packs and putting on pieces of armour. It had gone unsaid, but she had understood immediately. ANBU were not messengers, unless the situation had to be dealt with at once.

In less than five minutes Hinata was ready and jumping out of her bedroom's window herself, going from roof to roof until she reached the gate, which she leapt over with little effort. She nodded to the ANBU and not a moment after the both of them had already begun making their way towards the Hokage building, opting again for the high and more direct path.

"Do you have any intelligence on the mission details?" She asked as they were making their way in what little remained of the night.

The ANBU shook their head, and did not offer further information. Hinata did not press either, refocussing herself on the path ahead. She knew their elite not to be talkative, but her makeshift companion seemed to be unusually so. Perhaps they could not reveal anything while in the open, or the magnitude of whatever had happened was still being processed. Discreetly, she patted her leg-pouches and confirmed the presence of a variety of metal weapons inside. The weight of her alloy blade at her hip was also a comfort, although she was far from having attained any mastery over any form. Hinata was not wind, as Asuma-sensei was fond of reminding her.

Soon enough, they had reached the red imposing building and unceremoniously proceeded to scale it with as little sound as possible, jumping from wall to wall until at last they had reached the Hokage's balcony. The ANBU led her down the stairs and through a series of corridors she wasn't accustomed with.

Hinata couldn't hide her surprise when she noticed the masked man leaning against the wall next to the Hokage's office formal entrance. "Kakashi-saenpai! You part of this sudden call?"

The former ANBU turned towards and bowed with a grin. "So it would seem. I am much more confident now that I know you'll be a part of this."

She blushed slightly at the praise but quickly hid it away and went on with her questioning. "Do you have any information as to what has prompted this call?"

"All I know is that we're tracking down someone," Kakashi answered casually, leaning back against the wall and closing his one visible eye. "Hence your presence here, I would guess."

"Someone dangerous, then," someone piped in. Hinata turned to notice a tall person walking lazily towards them from the balcony's general direction. He was tall and broad-chested, with a square face which only displayed quiet assurance and calm determination. The man wore a protective metal plate over his forehead, with branches protruding from it to cover the sides of his face as well. He smiled briefly at Hinata, before turning his body and attention towards Kakashi.

The masked man seemed stunned to see the man standing in front of him. "Yamato-senpai. I thought you were still on a mission away from the village."

His covered eye glanced discreetly at the Hyuga between the two men, but Hinata caught the small movement of his face and offered no sign at all that she had spotted the discreet reaction.

"I have been called back a few days ago," the man – Yamato, smoothly replied. "I didn't think my post mission mandatory respite would be so short-lived," he added with a quiet laugh crinkling his eyes.

The two men chatted briefly, branching on topics she had little interest in before Tsunade-sama's voice boomed from the office, prompting them to come in. Hinata sent a glance towards Kakashi in askance but the man simply shook his head and opened the office door, making his way inside. She had never been part of a three-members mission before. Usually, assignments incorporating members of the skill of Kakashi were of two members when located within the country, or four outside of it. She merely shrugged at the unexpected strangeness however; she would find out all about it in a mere few minutes, and this promised to be a long, long night.

The Hokage's office was unusually tidy, but then again, Hinata had never been in the room at such an early hour. She was reminded, again, that the sun wouldn't peek over the treetops for a few hours still, and the closeness between Kakashi and this Yamato-san pointed to some skill on his part, although she did not recall having ever encountered him in the village. Her eyes met those of her superior and immediately, something about the older woman's expression set her on edge. She seemed… sad. Hinata couldn't remember the last she had seen Tsunade-sama express anything over reluctant diligence and contained disdain. But Hinata didn't keep her attention on the Hokage very long, for there was another presence in the room.

The woman had long brown hair and an imposing physique, standing taller than Yamato-san, who had been the tallest of them until now. She had harsh and straight features, dark eyes which seemed to analyse everything they set their sights on, and thin lips set in a contrite line. There was a blade at her back, angled just the right way to be drawn at a moment's notice. Hinata couldn't contain her surprise at the sight of the deadly kunoichi.

"Yugao-sensei?"

Yugao turned towards her and addressed her a smile, her face relaxing into a friendly expression Hinata knew to be entirely faked. "Hime," she replied with a bow.

Hinata remained stunned into silence, going from her teacher to the leader of their village. She had never been on an assignment with Yugao-sensei before. She barely felt competent enough to face the woman in a fair fight, let alone have her teacher be dependant on her.

Tsunade raked her throat to get the attention on herself. "Yugao here will be leading this mission. She has already been made aware of certain details pertaining to your objectives."

The four of them suddenly stood to attention, understanding at once that their duty had begun. Tsunade eyed them one after the other, until she went on with her speech.

"You will depart immediately. Your primary objective is to capture the target before they exit the boundaries of Fire Country. Elimination is strictly forbidden, no matter the circumstances. I expect you four to live up to your reputations and not make me consider disciplinary actions."

Kakashi moved forward. "Hai, Hokage-sama. What is our intelligence on the target?"

For a few seconds, Tsunade closed her eyes, and as their leader's lips tightened Hinata was faced again with a leader under turmoil the likes of which she had never experienced with the woman she revered. Then, after an extraneously long moment, Tsunade looked straight at her, and Hinata didn't need training to understand she was silently asking for forgiveness.

"You all know him. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."