A/N: How's everybody liking the direction I'm taking so far? Any guesses on where all of this leads to? Go ahead, take a guess. Where are Naruto, Hinata, Keisuke, Haruka, Sakura, Sasuke, Hiashi, Neji, and Hiroto going to be at the end of this story? What do you think will have changed with them?

While you're pondering that, take a gander at this and tell me what's good or bad about it. I promise I will love you forever if you do.

Chapter Seventeen: Waking Darkness

The Village Hidden in the Leaves spent eleven more days underneath the shroud of the black clouds. Every now and again, a peal of thunder split the atmosphere, or a brief drizzle would dampen the ground, or a gust would claim a poor villager's hat. These instances were few and far between each other, and caused only a minor nuisance. However, one thing still brought unease to the hearts of the populace—the fact that this ominous gathering of thunderheads had settled over only Konoha and no place else, its radius ending just two miles or so beyond the village borders.

What this portended, none could say for certain. Whispered rumors flew of a device or jutsu to alter weather patterns, brought to bear on them from a foreigner. Others suspected the terrible wrath of an ancient demon just awakened from its slumber, and jumped at loud noises, fearing another Kyuubi had come to the village. Most people, however, chose to shrug it off and go about their business as usual; after all, what had they to fear since their military power had replenished over the past years? Daily life for the village, and for those on the crusade to reform the Hyuuga clan, was conducted normally—or as close to normally as it could be.

Keisuke and Neji, under Shikamaru's direction (he complained of being made a secretary, seeing as he was the one doing all of the mission paperwork and the running back and forth to deliver it), continued to search every marked zone on Kakashi's map thoroughly and repeatedly until there was no inch left unobserved, at which point they would begin again. When they were not searching, they were sleeping, and they ate whatever they could scrounge in their search zones. Such was the importance of the mission. Keisuke was motivated to find something as soon as possible; he wanted to return to other, more personal matters.

Haruka had acquiesced to Hinata's plea to be left alone, though she continued to be on watch against the spies of both Hiashi and the council and was able to take advantage of numerous photo opportunities. She managed to keep these to herself, though it tore something within her to not be able to share them. Given the opportunity, she would have shoved the snapshots of the incident at Ichiraku ramen triumphantly in Keisuke's face and gloated over her success, but Keisuke was never at his house when she came to call, and he never stopped to exchange harassment for very long when they passed on the streets. The Hyuuga outcast's discontent was prominent more and more often.

Naruto and Sakura continued their mission, the former with a will, the latter not so much. Apparently, Hyuuga Hanabi was very proud to be what she was and being assigned a bodyguard was clearly considered an insult by her point of view. On top of that, Hanabi often insinuated that she found her own clansmen to be the most effective guardians. Sakura would have liked to point out that if she didn't think she needed protection, then it shouldn't matter to her who was doing the protecting, but the medic was not willing to provoke open complaint. Hanabi's insinuations, delivered politely and coolly, were at least tolerable, but Sakura had never been a great fan of direct complaint from anybody, and once started, Hanabi could crank out more complaints in an hour than Naruto had ever managed in a week, even in his younger days. The pink-haired shinobi was, for once, envious of her blond teammate, who was having no such trouble at all.

Hinata continued to enjoy her time with Naruto, though not a day passed where she did not worry that this time out might be the last. So many things might have gone wrong; one of Haruka's new acquisitions might escape into the wrong hands; or the Advisory Council might suddenly change their interpretation of what was "businesslike conduct" and make the dreaded decision; or Keisuke and Neji might find something at any moment and end their mission, freeing Neji to take over the task of her protection. Still, Hinata managed to have a good enough time, laughing at Naruto's antics, blushing profusely at Kiba's more-than-barely-audible remarks to Shino, and reveling in the pride she felt whenever the blond praised her for the performance in practice or for the exquisite taste of the lunches that she had started bringing him every day.

All of them had their successes and their woes, their progress and their setbacks. Shinobi life went on, and the omen of the thunderheads neither dissipated nor hurled any calamity upon them.

Beneath them, however, the shadows stirred, and began to grow restless.

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"I say to you again: we have no hard evidence. Hiashi still clings to a measure of power, and without photographic proof he will not give way. We can do nothing!" The eldest advisor's wheezy voice was taut with exasperation. For days he had been listening to the same old pleas, for days given the same answer.

"First Elder, our associates have been observing the girl since the beginning, and that was eleven days ago! Surely, some proof must have been gathered..." Just like all the others, this advisor was impatient and caused the First Elder much grief.

"It has not, Hiroshi," sighed the First, knowing that he was going to have to waste yet another ten minutes reiterating his entire argument. "Our civilian agents are incapable of gathering photographic evidence in the presence of the traitor, Haruka. Any camera activity other than her own would be noticed and the film would be immediately confiscated, after which she would be on guard against the agent who was responsible for it. In those rare and happy instances where Haruka is not present, Hinata-sama does nothing out of line, and therefore yields nothing of value to us."

"Then why do we not incapacitate her and do it by force?"

"Haruka is too wily to allow herself to be caught while wandering again. She is a crafty one; once on her guard, she will be difficult to locate, and in the event that she is located, the circumstances by which she is found will alert Hinata-sama and allow the prey to escape."

"There must be something that we may..."

"There is nothing. Not while Uzumaki Naruto remains on this assignment. If we are to have any luck, it will be after his mission ends, not before. For the moment, the side of the false Great Father has the advantage, and will not lose it until these supposed disciples of Orochimaru hidden beneath the village are found."

The advisor called Hiroshi fell silent at last. The First Elder exhaled, grateful to the gods for cutting his argument short. However, he had barely drawn his next breath before he was interrupted yet again.

"While I agree," rasped the elder across the table, "That we can do nothing under present conditions, allowing the false Great Father to have the upper hand for too long may afford him time to find a weakness in either ourselves or in Hiashi, and tilt the scales of balance even more into his favor."

"Agreed," voiced a middle-aged female Hyuuga, "We cannot stand by and let this go on. If we are unable to find hard proof while the Snake Sennin's forces lurk in the shadows, then let us have those shadows lifted!"

"Are you suggesting that we attempt to find them ourselves, Hinako?" asked the First Elder warily. "Surely you are not volunteering our forces to go off on a wild goose chase to find nothing, or to be brutally slaughtered if they by chance do find them?"

"Of course not," Hinako huffed, tossing her fraying auburn hair. "I am suggesting that we plant evidence in the secret places of the village and arrange for them to find it."

"Now you are arguing for having our own people arrested and interrogated?"

"No! I mean to have them find evidence that the Sound shinobi have been here but abandoned their mission. In all honesty, I believe that's why they haven't attacked yet; Orochimaru noticed that Akatsuki has been more active lately and withdrew in fear, or else one of Hokage-sama's search parties came too close for comfort."

"The Hokage and the village council do not share your sentiment, Hinako," said the First with baleful eyes. "They would know such evidence to be falsified, planted. They will not be satisfied unless they can confirm bodies. Either that, or they will search a year before they will give up."

Hinako looked livid, but kept her mouth shut. The First swept his gaze around the council chamber.

"Are there any more suggestions that have not yet been offered? If not, then this meeting is..."

"I have a suggestion, First Elder Takashi-sama." All heads in the room turned to the door which had, just moments ago, been closed, locked, and guarded. The tall figure that stood in the doorway was immediately recognized, and many of the advisors cringed.

"Captain Hiroto," greeted the First Elder, "I was not aware that the guards had been ordered to let you pass. It seems that I must reprimand someone later."

"Do not bother," growled Hiroto. "They were not ordered to admit me. I won my way through by force, and with little difficulty, I might add. You may wish to consider using more accomplished Hyuuga for door security."

"Captain, you have just 'won your way through' the best that we had. Not surprising, for what are ordinary Hyuuga to the might of one such as yourself?"

"You may dispense with the flattery, Takashi-sama. I am not interested. What are you imps sneering at?" Hiroto said acidly, turning eyes of scathing molten silver upon a group of younger advisors in the back of the room.

"Please, Hiroto," pleaded the First with undaunted politeness, "You say that you come to offer your suggestion, which is welcome. You need not pay any heed to my junior council members; they will be dealt with properly, I assure you. Sit down, please, and share your opinion with us."

"Thank you, but I will stand," said Hiroto, waving off the chair that the First indicated. He leveled a blazing glare at the offenders in the back.

"Very well," said the First, maintaining order. "Your suggestion then, Captain Hiroto."

Hiroto glared sidelong at the objects of his malice a little longer, but said what he had come to say. "My suggestion," he said, voice filled with ice, "Is that you allow me to plant this evidence that you so desperately need. Hatake Kakashi searched the ruins of Orochimaru's laboratory thoroughly, but he does not possess our eyes. He found only one of the factory chambers, the one where the clones were given life. My men uncovered the second chamber, where Orochimaru's scientists used the genetically modified Kedoui bloodline limit jutsu to transform them into the perfect likeness of the devil child."

Hiroto grinned with satisfaction at the advisors' grim expressions. "This technology is now in our hands."

"You lie!" came the protest from one of the frightened junior councilors in back. "You are loyal to Hiashi! You are undoubtedly part of a grand scheme to wrest the political power back into his hands!"

Deathly silence reigned in the chamber. The older advisors shared dark, knowing glances; they knew the mistake that the whelp had just made.

Hiroto's face did not discolor, his fists did not tremble, and his mouth did not retort with angry shouts. But no matter how calm he appeared to be, all could see the change that had come over the Captain's eyes. They focused upon the younger councilor as the eyes of the all-consuming, monstrous dragon, pools of silver-white murder pulling their victim in to drown.

The victim was brave enough—or perhaps terrified enough—to remain where he was as Hiroto crossed the room towards him. Good for him; if he'd moved one inch, the angry Captain's jab would have ruptured his heart. As it was, the thrust impaled the section of wall behind the space that was under the man's left armpit. The young man twitched, and looked up into Hiroto's eyes, which caught hold of him and held him like a mouse pinned underneath a cat's paw.

"I respectfully remind you, sir," said Hiroto coolly, "That while you and your fellows hold sway the minds of our peaceful citizens, the military might of the Hyuuga clan is still firmly ruled by Hiashi-sama. The only reason that your plotting and subversion is allowed to continue is because Hiashi-sama, who was once a strong and worthy leader, has become enmeshed in concern for his family, and grown soft; he no longer believes it is acceptable to use force against our own clansmen."

All of the advisors, including the First Elder, grimaced. They knew that everything he said was completely true, despite all that they wished to claim.

The poor young advisor was much more shaken by what came next.

"I have no such qualms. Step out of line just once, and you may find it difficult to sleep at night. Hiashi-sama is Commander-in-Chief, but the fighters will obey my order just as readily as his. Oh, you councilors may have some converts," Hiroto cast a smug look at the two guards collapsed outside the door, "But as you can see, they are too few and not the most reliable. You have been warned." Hiroto withdrew his hand from the hole in the wall, and walked back towards the door, much to the young man's relief.

The First reasserted control. "Captain Hiroto, though the whelp was undoubtedly speaking out of turn and rather rudely, he did present a valid point. As you say, the military Hyuuga are firmly under Hiashi-sama's heel, including yourself. How may we be certain that you intend to help us?"

Hiroto smiled, an ill omen. "If I had wanted to destroy your cause, I could have done so a long, long time ago. Yet, I have reason not to, though those reasons are not for you to know. You may take up my offer or not; it makes little difference, for my aims will be accomplished regardless."

The room was again quiet as the First Elder considered. In all his years of service on the council—more than anyone else, for which he was called the First Elder—he had never been presented with such a radical, shadowy, and absurd idea. Yet, if Hiroto could deliver what he promised, the false Great Father's advantage would be negated far sooner than they could have hoped for. He could see the eyes of the other councilors, could see the fear and distrust of Hiroto and their desire to have nothing to do with this scheme of his. But Takashi was an old man, nearing the end of his life; the stress of enduring their constant protests, forever and ever until the end of his numbered days, was not something that he wanted to leave the world with.

The other advisors wanted to act. He would leave the world as the one who led them in action.

"How soon can you be ready to lead Hokage-sama's search teams to your cloned Sound ninja, Hiroto?" asked the First.

No Hyuuga had ever been more horrified and fearful of a smile.

"I began preparations eight days ago. We will be ready tonight."

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Keisuke knew that Naruto had undergone changes the moment the blond boy walked into the ramen store. The change was not noticeable to the naked eye, but Keisuke was not one to rely on eyesight. The change was felt in Naruto's aura. Though it remained decidedly jubilant and strong and healthy, and Naruto greeted Ayame's—the true Ayame—cheerful welcome with cheer of his own, Keisuke was not blind to the shifting and squirming of Naruto's inner substance.

They sat together for the first time in many days. Naruto was here without Hinata this time, the reason being that Neji had called off for his sleeping break and had offered to keep watch while Naruto ate and contact him through Keisuke's repaired radio if she went anywhere outside her house. Keisuke just happened to be searching the environs of Ichiraku Ramen at that moment, and happily agreed to run communications between the two. He knew it wasn't authorized, of course, but it was easier to seek forgiveness than permission, in his book.

They engaged in pleasant and mostly meaningless conversation, catching up on what they'd been doing, laughing or commenting on humorous stories, comparing favorite ramen flavors (Naruto did most of the talking on this subject, and would have gone on endlessly had Keisuke not changed the focus at the first opportunity to the black clouds over the village), and anything that had nothing to do with what they were really thinking about.

Although pointless, it did much to lift Keisuke's spirits. Despite all odds against him, his crusade against the Hyuuga system was slowly marching towards victory. Naruto himself seemed to be having fun. Satisfied, Keisuke was about to tell Naruto that he'd enjoyed talking and had best be on his way, but a sudden question from his blond companion stopped him.

"Keisuke nii-chan, you've been in love before, right?"

This question was so unbelievably random that he nearly fell over on his stool. Bewildered, he replied, "I suppose that's true... yeah. What makes you ask?"

"No big reason, really. But... uh..." In his aura, Naruto's subtle turmoil crested.

Ah, Keisuke thought, suddenly understanding. So that's what it was...

"You've never really been in love before," finished the blind man, "And you wanted to know what it's like. Right?"

Naruto averted his face, trying to cover up the embarrassment he felt at asking this question. Keisuke nodded in recognition of the gesture.

"I thought so. It's not something us men are extraordinarily good at talking about," he said. "Have another bowl. It'll help you."

"Ehehe..." Naruto, his stability somewhat restored by this offer, motioned to old man Teuchi, but the ramen cook was already there with the sixth helping.

"What's that? I suddenly can't hear anything at all! Ayame, please fetch the hydrogen peroxide! I'm going to need my ears cleaned!" Teuchi clapped his hands to his ears as he spoke and both he and Ayame walked out of the lobby. He winked at them before he disappeared.

"Ichiraku-san is kind to offer us this privacy," Keisuke observed.

"Yeah," said Naruto, slurping up some of his noodles.

The blind man leaned forward onto the counter, pulling off his sunglasses and running a hand through his unkempt brown hair. "Now," he said. "I presume you were talking about the kind of love one has for his or her spouse?"

Naruto gulped down his mouthful and stared into his bowl. "Yeah, that's the one."

Keisuke folded his arms over the countertop and said, "I'm not exactly sure how it is for a woman to a man. Nor can I really say that the customs of courtship and marriage are exactly the same as they were when I was married, seeing as that was likely several centuries ago. I can't tell you anything about the outward manifestation of this thing we call 'love.'

"What I can tell you is that when it happens, for a man, the first thing you want to do is grab on and never let go," he said, recalling fond memories of his past life. "In that stage, it's all about the stuff that teenagers can do when their parents aren't around, but you can get that much from a simple crush... you start to see the differences when the pair runs into problems. The parents find out, one of them has to move farther away, et cetera. The first signs of real love is the ability to make the commitment to get around those barriers and all barriers to come."

Naruto took this in, nodded, and waited for him to continue.

"Second stage: You find a barrier that you never thought you would have to overcome—the other person. Everybody keeps secrets, kid. When people live together long enough, those secrets start to come out, and not all couples survive some of those secrets. The second signs of real love are seen when the two of them can forgive each other for what hides beneath and love each other regardless. This is usually the most emotional part."

Making sure to note this important information down in his brain carefully, Naruto slurped up more ramen. Keisuke had been right; it was easier to talk about when there was pork and miso in front of him.

"Yeah, and...?" he said, looking at him expectantly, "What's the third sign?"

Keisuke picked his arms up off of the counter and folded them over his chest. "Well, let's see," he said, "Once you're committed, and once you're out of things to hide, you should have developed a number of things between you. One of them is mutual trust," he counted on his fingers, "Another is a mutual understanding—both of you know where the other is going in life, why you're taking the other with you, and what purpose your togetherness serves on that journey. It's important that you keep up-to-date on the understanding, and constantly reaffirm it, or you forget and the relationship will corrode over time.

"If you can go through all of that, and you still haven't killed each other, you're in love, kid," Keisuke said. "Be sure you don't call it love ahead of time, before you've gone through it, then you'll be in a place you really, really don't want to go. Trust me, I almost went there once, myself." He chuckled over that particular memory, and put his sunglasses back on.

"So," Naruto said, finishing his ramen, "What you need to check for is commitment, secrets, trust, and understanding... right?"

"Yep," Keisuke said, standing up. "That's about it."

"What's the hardest part?" Naruto asked.

A memory of a voice shot through the blind man's head. "Getting her to shut up when she's being a nuisance," he said.

"Huh?"

"Uh, er... never mind. Different for every person. You'll figure it out," Keisuke amended. That wasn't Yuka's voice, he thought. Yuka never chided me like that, not once... Then he groaned mentally. Suddenly, he had the image of a set of small pale hands to go along with the voice, and a familiar silk shirt and tough black pants, with studded leather bracers on the forearms that just screamed "rebel." No face came to mind, for he had seen through the person who possessed those hands and those clothes; the eyes of the person he saw through could not turn back to see that person's face. But he knew well who they belonged to.

Shit, he thought, I really need to keep a handle on my imagination, or who knows what it will show me when I'm riled up by my final victory...

"Oy, Keisuke!"

The call from the door of the Ichiraku ramen restaurant was Shikamaru's. "What are you doing sitting around here?"

"Just helping my little brother do his duty, Nara-san." Keisuke meant both the duty of protecting Hinata and the secret duty that Keisuke meant him to carry out. Granted, it would be a long time before Naruto had any influence on the Hyuuga beyond the girl, but it was never too soon to give his full support.

Shikamaru flashed an annoyed glance at Naruto, but did not comment. "If you're finished," he said, "I need to speak to you and Neji as soon as possible."

"Got it," said the blind man, "I was just leaving. Give me a second to pay up."

Shikamaru nodded, grunted, and left. Keisuke left a stack of bills on the counter, and then went for the door himself.

"See you later, Keisuke nii-chan!" Naruto waved. "You really helped me out. Thanks."

Keisuke turned and faced him just as he was stepping out. "No problem, Naruto."

Suddenly, it seemed to Naruto that Keisuke was having indigestion. His face had screwed up, and his hand had gone to his chest. He leaned against the door as if it were a lifeline.

"Keisuke nii-chan?" Naruto questioned, "What's wrong?"

Controlling himself, Keisuke turned to walk out the door. Before he shut it, he called over his shoulder. "One last thing, Naruto, before I forget," he said. "When you've gone through all the steps, and you're sure as hell that you're in love... Make damned sure that you don't outlive her."

The door closed.

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Leaping through the night, Haruka carried her new trophies towards Keisuke's house. This time, she would be certain that the blind bastard synchronized and saw them. Let him try to escape... she'd waited long enough, and she would have his acknowledgment without fail. Her braided hair, black as the void, whipped in the wind, a show of defiance in the little tranquil moonlight that pierced the clouds.

Over fifty photographs had been accumulated. Every one was a small miracle, for skill was required to snap the camera without being seen, especially when one had to be on the lookout for enemy Hyuuga that prowled the streets. Each one was a treasure, for never before had such artful depiction of two happy teenagers taken place. The happiness itself was a miracle, made possible by Haruka's genius. Nobody in the world could deny her prowess now, especially not an eyeless, weak-minded, closed-thinking former human icicle.

She was just about to make the final leap onto Keisuke's roof when she nearly tripped right over Uzumaki Naruto, who was lying prostrate on the rooftop below. Exercising superior reflexes, Haruka landed catlike on the roof beside him, crouched down to see his face.

"Naru--?"

"Ssshhh! Quiet, Haruka nee-chan! They might hear you." Naruto's voice was hushed and carried a sense of urgency. Joining him in prostration on the rooftop, Haruka lowered her own voice.

"Who are we eavesdropping on?" she asked. "More importantly, don't you have a Hyuuga heiress to protect?"

Naruto's grimace was barely visible in the pale moonlight. "Yeah," he replied, "But I think this may be big. Huge! Maybe could make the bodyguard job completely unnecessary."

While the end of the bodyguard job meant the end of most of her fun, Haruka knew the importance of what he was getting at. Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke were a huge thorn in the side of Konoha, and a thorn in the side of Keisuke's Hyuuga Redemption Alliance. To eliminate that threat meant eliminating obstacles all around, in the long run. She kept quiet. After a moment, she heard the voices below for herself.

"You're sure this is it, Shikamaru? The stronghold we've been looking for?" Haruka recognized the voice as Keisuke's.

"No," came the reply, "I'm sure there's something of the Sound ninja's down there. The noises I heard... but I don't know what it is. That's why I've come to get you; it's not safe to go poking around in there alone."

"Judging the nature of the sounds and the ease of access to the trap door, can you roughly guess how many people are down there?" This voice was Neji's.

"At least ten," said Shikamaru after a moment of thought, "But it could be as many as thirty."

"It only takes one to assassinate a person," said Keisuke thoughtfully.

"But we don't know if their intent is a silent assassination or theft. It could be a large-scale raid, in which case there would be more of these hiding places." Neji.

"Maybe there are tunnels underneath that lead to other holes? This one is hidden smack in the middle of a massive sewage system and water supply grid, after all." Keisuke.

"It doesn't matter. Our orders are to learn as much as we can without engaging in combat." Shikamaru. "We'll be going through tight spaces. Neji, Keisuke, since both of you can find your way around and detect trouble in the dark, one of you will be on either side of me at all times. Neji will be in front, since he is the best at close quarters combat. I will be in the middle, where I can use my long-range techniques at a safe distance and communicate orders to both of you efficiently."

A pause, where presumably the other two nodded.

"All right," Shikamaru continued. "Remember, we are not to engage the enemy under any circumstances other than immediate self-defense, in which case they must be dealt with swiftly and quietly. By 'deal with' I do mean kill; we don't want to knock anyone out just to have them wake up and sound the alarm when we're deep in enemy territory. Are you okay with that, Keisuke?"

The blind man might have replied harshly, but he remembered that he was the new shinobi in town... Shikamaru had to know that he could be trusted to do what had to be done. He replied respectfully.

"I have no problems with taking lives that would take other lives."

"That's good enough, I suppose," said Shikamaru, although his tone indicated that a simple "yes" on Keisuke's part would have been fine.

"One more thing: If you encounter either Orochimaru or Uchiha Sasuke, flee immediately. Do not attempt to fight either one, and don't play the hero so that others can escape; Orochimaru has a reputation for what he does with heroes."

Another pause, more nodding probably. Then...

"Okay, follow me. The entrance that I found is in the pipe system below the Hokage tower..."

Atop their roof, Haruka and Naruto stood up.

"Damn it!" said Naruto. "Someone's finally going to do something major about the Sound, and I'm stuck on guard duty..."

Haruka's hand went to his shoulder. "We're going after them."

"What? But..."

"Like you said, Naruto, the success of this mission means the success of your other mission. Besides," she said, her face getting the first inklings of the battle-carving "Sadist's Glow" upon them, "That blind idiot won't go long without tripping over something and waking up the whole hive. Against all those Sound, he's definitely not going to survive without me. I'm doing him a favor." Yeah. That's it. He'll owe me for this for sure.

Naruto gave his own foxy smile, the one that made everyone want to put all their faith in him.

"All right!"

OoOoOoOoOoO End Chapter Seventeen OoOoOoOoOoO

A/N: Hoo-rah! I felt good after writing that chapter for some reason. Maybe it's because there's going to be some ass-kicking in the next chapter... Yeah, that's probably it. Go, ass-kicking! Whoo!