Let's start this from the beginning

Kabasawa Mines

VI

There was only one instance Hinata could remember during which she had experienced killing intent directed at herself.

It had happened shortly after their sparring session with Team Guy. Having evidently decided to one-up their training regime, Itachi-sensei had demonstrated just how terrifying it could be to be on the receiving end of killing intent. He had held back, of course, and the knowledge that they weren't really in danger had helped as well, but the experience had nonetheless been intense for not only her but Shino and Kiba as well.

Now, however, she was more grateful for it than she could have ever imagined at the time.

After all, as scary as it was to be on the receiving end of it once again, her opponent's killing intent was almost negligible compared to her sensei's, and it was for that reason Hinata didn't freeze when another handful of these flashes flew toward her.

"Oh, come on," the petite woman whined in a high-pitched voice as she watched Hinata jump away to avoid her attacks, looking down on her from her position on top of the wall. "Why are you dodging? Don't tell me half a dozen projectiles are already too much for you?"

Hinata ignored the comment, well aware that she couldn't allow herself to be riled up like this. I need to get closer, she thought while swallowing the lump she felt in her throat at this idea. She has the advantage right now, but if I can cross the distance, I-

As if reading her mind, another volley of projectiles, at least three times as many as before, flew toward her and forced Hinata to focus solely on defending herself rather than on how to attack.

Abruptly changing direction, she jumped back to avoid the brunt of the attack while blocking the few stray shots that came dangerously close with her palms. In theory, that should have been it, but just like the last time, she felt her hand heating up with every successfully blocked projectile. Before, she had been distracted by her emotions to give it much thought, but now, things were different. Now she realized that this wasn't normal and couldn't mean anything good.

Using her Byakugan to get a look at her palms while still keeping most of her attention on her opponent proved that suspicion to be true. While not yet injured, they were clearly inflamed, and while she couldn't see colours with her Dōjutsu activated, Hinata was sure they would be bright red.

Her opponent could impossibly know where Hinata was looking at any given moment, but that apparently didn't stop her from guessing correctly.

"Oh my, so you finally noticed? Took you long enough." She then giggled, the innocent and – as much as Hinata hated to admit it – melodic sound that was so out of place on a battlefield making Hinata shudder. "For all the pride your clan seems to have in these fancy eyes of yours, you're rather blind, aren't you? One would think something like this would be hard to miss, but oh well. You wouldn't be the first Hyūga to fall for this, and you certainly won't be the last."

"Not the first Hyūga?" Hinata muttered, her forehead furrowed. The woman had said something similar earlier, too. "You…"

"My techniques are perfectly suited to kill your lot, y'see. One could even say they're tailormade just for that very purpose."

Something about that rang a bell in her head. These comments about her – or, more importantly, her family's – techniques aiming at the Hyūga Clan's weaknesses and even the attacks themselves were somehow familiar. It felt as if she had heard about all of this before, as if she should recognize them, but no matter how hard she tried, she just-

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "You're from the Taiyō Clan!"

How could I not recognize her? she berated herself, all the panic she had managed to suppress so far returning with a vengeance. I should have realized it from the start!

The Taiyō Clan was in many ways a Hyūga's worst nightmare. Originating from the Land of Wind, they were a relatively small but influential clan that was one of the first ones to join their nation's hidden village back in the day. The secret technique they used was similar to the one of Konoha's Nara Clan, but instead of controlling shadows, they bound light to their will and used it in battle.

Hinata remembered what she had been taught about them in her lessons. About the havoc they caused not only in the last three wars but also all the way back during the Warring States Period. Usually, while also effective in single combat, their skill set was most suited for a support role, but when their opponent was a Hyūga, things were different. Then, their techniques became absolutely deadly.

Bright, dazzling light was, after all, one of if not the greatest weakness of the Byakugan, and a Taiyō's techniques were neither as weak nor as limited as a simple flash bomb might be.

There were ways to defend against them, of course. Hinata's ancestors would obviously not have accepted that they were completely defenceless against any foe and thus invested much time and energy in finding ways to counter them. That being said, just like they looked for possible counters, the Taiyō in turn looked for ways to overcome them.

Consequently, while it wasn't entirely one-sided, the Taiyō Clan still held a big advantage over the Hyūga.

Furthermore, what counters existed weren't meant for fresh Genin but experienced ninja. Even though Hinata remembered some of the strategies that proved successful in the past, she wouldn't be able to use them – at least not very effectively.

She had been told growing up to either avoid such a confrontation altogether or, if that wasn't an option, try to flee and get some reinforcement at the earliest opportunity.

Unfortunately, neither of these things was an option right now.

Some emotion Hinata couldn't quite place flashed in her opponent's eyes as her till-then amused smile turned into something more sinister. "Bravo, little one. It seems you aren't completely clueless after all. However, I left that name behind when I deserted my village. These days, I'm just good ol' Yuwaku."

Hinata barely registered these words. Not only was her opponent a few years older than her and had more experience, but she also used techniques that were super effective against her. She had planned to mostly stall and wait for reinforcements, hoping that the fleeing Nezu and her entourage would alert the guards and Itachi-sensei, but that didn't seem like such a good strategy anymore. It hadn't been a good plan before, but with Yuwaku – a Taiyō – as her opponent, the situation had changed.

After all, if her sensei was currently on patrol away from the mansion, all reinforcement she could get were some samurai at best and regular soldiers at worst. With such a dangerous opponent, that would probably not be enough.

So, what was she supposed to do now?

"Oh, please don't make such a face," Yuwaku continued, whatever emotion had gone through her earlier once again fully hidden behind a sweet smile as she pushed herself off the wall and onto the ground. "You're too pretty to ruin your looks with such a frightened expression."

Hinata's only reaction was to take another step back while trying her best not to tense and keep her form calm and relaxed.

Yuwaku buried her face in her hands with a sigh. "Seriously, girls these days really don't know how to value their appearance, do they? You need to smile more and-"

She broke off in mid-sentence to lash out with her free hand, knocking the kunai that had flown straight at her head away before it could hit her.

"Really? Attacking me while I'm still talking? Don't they teach you manners in Konoha or is this a Hyūga thing? You will never find a boyfriend if you behave like that, y'know."

"A ninja must exploit every opening that presents itself to them."

Hinata was proud to say that even though her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she could feel cold sweat running down her back, her voice barely wavered.

Her opponent snorted at that, somehow managing to make even that sound delicate. "Well said," she said amused. "Or should I say well parroted? Not that it will do you much good, mind you, but I guess I can give you points for trying." Then, her expression turned thoughtful. "You know, the longer I think about it, the less I actually want to kill you. Why don't you desert your village and join us?"

"What?" She blurred that question out before she could stop herself. To be fair, however, that offer came out of nowhere. Why did that woman think she would even consider something like that?

"Just think about it for a moment!" Yuwaku continued, growing visibly more and more excited about her own idea by the second. "No matter whether it's Konoha, Suna, or any other of the hidden villages, the people living there are only tools to them to further their own power; the shinobi, their weapons to enforce their agendas. People like me whose families use secret techniques and especially families like yours with special bloodlines are nothing but well-bred attack dogs cherished for their potential use but without worth as an individual.

"As a missing-nin, you would be free to do as you please and live your life as you want. There would be no duties to a village that doesn't give you anything in return, no duties to a clan that asks more and more of you until there's nothing of you left to give, and no false sense of camaraderie that's ultimately just one more chain binding you to the prison that is the village. The only person who would have power over you would be you yourself!"

For a moment, Hinata was too shocked to even think. Of all the things she might have expected, this certainly wasn't one of them. However, it was when she got over her initial surprise that the most unexpected thing of all happened:

She felt pity for the other woman.

If one read between the lines – look underneath the underneath, to quote what her sensei had once said – and think about Yuwaku's words, it wasn't hard to understand what motivated her. All these supposed advantages of being a missing-nin and all these criticisms about the hidden villages probably stemmed from her personal experiences. She didn't just say all of this to convince her but actually and truly believed in what she said.

To be so bitter about both her family and the place where she was born and raised… how could Hinata not pity her?

Yes, her own relationship with her family was complicated to say the least, but not in a thousand years could she imagine abandoning them. In fact, it was her dream to bring change to her clan and improve the lives of all its members, so how could she possibly just walk away from them?

"No," she said, and for the first time since Yuwaku's appearance, she didn't feel scared out of her mind. Hinata would be lying if she claimed to be completely calm, but at the very least, she felt as if she could think clearly now. "Shinobi are humans, too, even if they have to serve as their village's swords."

She remembered the few time the Sandaime took the time to visit the Academy grounds and talk with the students, or the visits to the Hyūga Compound to speak with her father about her clan's situation and whether there was anything he could help them with. If he, who was unquestionable in charge of the village, showed such obvious care, how could someone possibly claim that the people under his command were mere tools to him?

"My duties to my clan may be strenuous, but I fulfil them to help protect each of its members."

All the lessons in etiquette and all the countless hours of training that went into mastering the Gentle Fist existed solely to prepare her for the day she would take over as head of the clan when she would have to protect and nourish it so that the next generation could grow up happy and safe.

An image of a grinning Hanabi flashed before her inner eye before she pushed it to the back of her mind.

"And you're wrong. I do get something in return for all my hard work."

The thankful expressions of clients after yet another done D-Rank mission, the tasks that were so menial to her team meaning so much more to Konoha's residents; the gleeful laughter of children that could grow up in peace; the warm feeling in her chest when her sensei, uncle, and sometimes even her father praised her achievements – there were many things she got for doing her part. Many things that made all the hard work worth it.

"Konoha is my home, and I won't abandon it."

In truth, Hinata had never really thought in depth about her relationship with the village she had grown up in. Had never really thought about what the place meant to her. Now, however, after listening to such a dismissing point of view on them, all these things she had always known but never vocalized simply poured out of her.

Yes, things weren't perfect, and no, not everything was fair, but that was not the point. These things could be improved with time, and right now, it was more important to focus on the positives.

The things worth fighting for.

Yuwaku's face remained expressionless for a few seconds before it suddenly transformed back into the same smile it had had before. Now, however, it somehow looked much more sinister. "Well, that's a shame," she said, though her voice didn't sound disappointed at all. "I would really have loved to have such a cute girl by my side, y'know. I'm sure you would have grown up to be a beautiful woman, too." She sighed, this time wisely without burying her face in her hand. "Nothing I can do about it, I guess. I will just have to settle for playing with you for a bit. I should even be able to earn some money with you as well! You don't have a seal on your forehead, so I can sell you and your eyes separately to get double the profit!"

Hinata swallowed once but managed to otherwise keep her composure.

For a little more than a second, she hesitated. If she did what she had in mind, there would be no going back. No second chance. She would have to trust that she could stay alive until reinforcement arrived, preferably with Itachi-sensei as part of it.

She had to accept that she might very well die.

The thought scared her just as much as it had earlier, and as all of this went through her head, she could feel her knees shaking. However, unlike before, she didn't let that get the better of her and instead remembered her own words:

She had something worth fighting for, so she couldn't back down no matter how terrified she might be.

But if she wanted to fight Yuwaku, Hinata had to make the first step. She couldn't leave the initiative to her opponent if she wanted to stand a chance. Maybe if she hit quick and hard enough before Yuwaku could even react, Hinata could actually win this.

Forcing all her doubts into the furthest corner of her mind until they were nothing more than a silent whisper in the back of her head that she could ignore, she pushed herself off the ground with as much power as she could muster.

Unfortunately, rather than being caught off-guard, Yuwaku merely grinned as she clasped her hands together in front of her before Hinata had crossed even half the distance between them.

"Genwaku Taiyō!" (Blinding Sun)

A moment later, a radiant light flooded the area.

When Itachi-sensei had finally decided to teach them Ninjutsu, Kiba's mind had immediately jumped to all the amazing techniques he had heard and learned about growing up. To all the legendary shinobi whose prowess was enough to shatter mountains and split the sea.

Then, when it turned out he had an earth affinity, his thoughts became more precise; from summoning a thousand spikes from the ground to creating earthquakes, he imagined all the awesome things he would learn to do.

Imagine his surprise – and more importantly, his disappointment – when the first actual technique he learned was how to move underground.

Not that he stayed that for long, mind you. As it turned out, there were quite a few neat tricks one could do while hiding beneath the surface.

The current situation was a perfect example.

Kiba was waiting more or less patiently for his target to arrive, carefully paying attention to the vibrations of the steps that were constantly getting closer. He needed to strike at the most optimal time, neither too soon nor too late. After all, if he failed, it would be Akamaru and Shino who paid the price.

Kiba jumped into action when he felt that his target was directly above him by pushing his hands through the surface.

There was a surprised cry as Kiba grabbed the ankle of his target, who judging by the voice was a man, stopping him in his tracks before pulling them down until the man was buried in the ground halfway up his knees.

That's what you get for not using the trees, idiot.

Simultaneously, another set of vibrations a bit further away alerted him to the fact that the next phase of their trap had been initiated.

Taking that as his cue, he let go of his target's ankles and emerged from the underground a few metres away just in time to witness Shino smacking the bulky man with long white hair, who was just in the process of straightening himself up, in the face with a six feet long staff.

Kiba, having been hit by the weapon himself more often than he could possibly count during their training sessions, winced in sympathy before getting a grip on himself.

That wasn't the end of it yet, however.

Normally, Shino's attack would have been enough to throw their opponent away, but with his legs stuck into the ground, it merely resulted in him tilting backwards until his back hit the ground with a 'bang'.

Then, capitalizing on the opportunity, Akamaru came flying down towards the man with a Tsuga that hit him squarely on the chest, resulting in an explosion that shattered not only the ground but hopefully their opponent as well.

And ultimately, finishing their ambush off, Shino sent a swarm of his insects that would suck the man dry of his chakra just in case he had somehow survived the previous attack to end this for good and leave him absolutely defenceless.

All in all, their strategy worked as well as one could hope for, and although Kiba's own part in it was something he would usually consider boring, the fact that they had just beaten their first enemy shinobi ever was enough to satisfy him for the moment.

"Heh, that's what I call a success!" he exclaimed while throwing his fist into the air, quickly joined by an excited bark from Akamaru. "That went like a charm!"

"The effect of surprise is not to be underestimated. Even an otherwise superior opponent will fall if they don't get the chance to fight back."

"Eh, don't be like that. I know you're feeling just as giddy about this as I am."

Shino merely scoffed before looking away, but while his high collar and sunglasses might hide much of his face, it wasn't enough to hide the slight blush on his cheeks.

Unfortunately, before Kiba could tease him about it, another voice spoke up:

"You're rather excited for a bunch of children, aren't you?"

For one second, nothing happened. Everything stood still. Then, just as Kiba realized what had just happened and was about to jump around, the insects around their supposedly beaten opponent were blasted away.

"What the-"

"How-"

"I can't believe some snotty-nosed brats got the drop on me," the white-haired man interrupted them both while slowly getting back up, pulling his feet out of the ground without any apparent trouble. "My reputation would be ruined if anyone hears about this."

This was the first time Kiba saw the man standing upright, so it was only now that he realized just how massive he was: he was at least seven feet tall and packed from head to toe with muscles to the point where his arms were as thick as Kiba's head. Also, as if existing solely to enhance his menacing look, an angry scar ran from his left temple all the way over his eye and lips down his chin.

However, the most noteworthy wasn't his general appearance but the complete lack of injuries!

Their attacks had definitively connected. There was no doubt about that. The man wouldn't have hit the ground if Shino's staff attack hadn't hit his face, and the tattered remains of his sleeveless waistcoat proved that Akamaru's Tsuga had clearly hit as well. His nose should be shattered and his torso a bloody mess, but instead, none of that was the case.

What was the case, on the other hand, was that there was some kind of transparent layer on his skin that sparkled in the sunlight.

"Shino," he whispered without letting his eyes off the man, "any idea what that is?"

"Assumingly some kind of Ninjutsu," Shino replied with what Kiba considered a supremely unhelpful answer. "Something that was a similar effect to your own technique, too."

"But it's transparent! It surely isn't some kind of earth release, and the other elements don't fit either."

"It might be a Kekkei Genkai."

"It is," the man spoke up, his voice an annoyed drawl. "Crystal Release, to be more precise. You better don't expect any of your worthless attacks to work on me. None of them will break through my armour."

"Crystal Release…?" Shino muttered before visibly tensing as he realized something. "That's a bloodline from Iwagakure, isn't it?"

Kiba was far from the most well-versed person concerning other villages' clans and bloodlines, but even he recognized this one. And how couldn't he? The Kesshō Clan was famous - or rather, infamous - in Konoha for its deeds in the Third Great Ninja War, in particular for the creation of Chiiwa Canyon, which lined almost the entire border with the Lands of Rain and Grass and was one of the country's most powerful defences.

Last he heard, however, the clan actually went extinct at the tail end of the last war.

"Congratulations for paying attention in history class," the man replied dryly. "Not that it will do you much good, but I guess it's better to die knowing what to expect instead of dying ignorantly, huh? Anyway, what I want to know is what you're doing here."

Kiba took an impulsive step forward. "Well, why don't you tell us what you're doing here first?"

"Calm down, Kiba," Shino said as he stepped up next to him to put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let yourself be riled up. Why? Because you will only play into his hands if you do."

"Oh no," the other man chimed in, "let him be. I have no need to use such cowardly strategies to deal with the likes of you."

"The likes of us, huh?" He ignored Shino's tightening hand on his shoulder. "And what do you mean with that?"

"Nothing, nothing. All I'm trying to say is that some green Genin fresh out of the Academy aren't the likes of opponents I need to worry about. Now, if your sensei was here, well, then I would be in trouble. But the two of you on your own? No big deal."

"I will make you eat these words, you bastard! Itachi-sensei trusted us to protect these people, so there's no way we will let you do as you please!"

"So he really isn't here himself, then?"

"Kiba-"

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that he was playing right into his opponent's hands, but he couldn't help it in the heat of the moment. Shino's voice, too, was barely registered over the rush of anger and - although he would never admit it out loud - fear he felt at the moment.

"Of course not! We're more than enough to take care of you!"

At once, the man's attitude changed completely.

Where before, he had appeared to be somewhat annoyed but for the most part calm, all that vanished as his expression turned into an ugly snarl, the big scar making it look even more terrifying.

"You're a real idiot, aren't you?" Even his voice sounded more sinister now. "All you had to do was tell me he was somewhere around here and I would have had to run. Instead, you basically admitted to being helpless like a newborn baby even after your teammate tried to calm you down. Walking into such an obvious trap… seriously, don't they teach you anything in Konoha?"

Kiba opened his mouth, but no words came out. No way, he thought with growing panic. No fucking way did that just happen.

Unfortunately, it very much had.

"Shit."

The other man simply began to laugh.

"Kiba," Shino said, sounding more serious than he could remember him ever having been before, "you need to calm down now. We need to come up with a plan."

"What good is a plan when I already fucked up?!"

"That-"

"He's not wrong," their opponent interrupted them once again. "It's already bad enough that you're only fresh Genin while I'm an experienced shinobi. If you were at least from some clans with useful abilities, you might actually be able to put up somewhat of a fight, but judging from the ugly mutt and all these insects, you're an Inuzuka and an Aburame, aren't you?" He chuckled before turning towards Shino in particular. "Damn, I actually pity you a bit, boy. I mean, what kind of sick family injects their children with bugs of all things?"

Shino didn't immediately react to that, but Kiba was more than accustomed enough to his behaviour by now to note the way he tensed at that comment.

One of the things he had learned early into their friendship was to never talk down on the other boy's clan, no matter how light-hearted the teasing might be.

"Kiba," he said, voice decisively calm. "We can't let him go after the captain and his men."

He nodded, throwing a dark glare at the white-haired man while trying his hardest to ignore the squeezy feeling in his stomach. "I know."

"I propose we approach him with Plan Red."

"Sure."

"So you're really prepared to throw your lives away to protect some stupid fools you don't even know?" The man gave another hearty laugh. "I mean, I would obviously kill you regardless, but if you chose to run away now, you might actually have had a chance to get away!"

Now, it might not be the best idea to provoke their opponent even more, but Kiba couldn't keep his mouth shut. Although, to be fair, riling their opponent up was kind of part of Plan Red, so while it wasn't really his intention, he had no problem justifying his outburst with that reasoning in mind. "Well, not everyone is a damn traitor who abandons their village at the first sign of trouble!"

The last traces of amusement fell from the man's face. Then, "Very well. If that's what you've decided, I will gladly oblige you."

Kiba opened his mouth to shout another insult at him, but the missing-nin was faster.

He fell into a fighting stance and clapped his hands together. "Just know that it was Gouzen Kesshō who killed you!"

"Shōton: Doryūsō!" (Crystal Release: Crystal Flow Spears)

A second later, dozens of pale purple crystals burst from the ground.

The two clans Yuwaku and Gouzen belong two don't exist in canon. They're creations of my own. On that note, although I took the idea of Crystal Release from the anime, my version is not exactly the same, so don't be confused if something contradicts what was said there.