The Girl Who Spun Through Time

Chapter 3

Ah. She is lost. What will she do, I wonder?

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable." The man leaned back, toying with his pipe. Sunlight from the window behind him gave his many wrinkles a warm cast, while also covering the upper half of his face in an impenetrable shadow. "And yet, rather alarming."

Hinata shifted in her seat, her hands clasped in her lap. Her father was standing behind her, his arms crossed. He was staring out the window, a severe expression on his face.

"So… one more time. This 'Akatsuki'." The old man rolled the name off his tongue, languidly drawing his pipe away from his mouth. "They will be after Naruto, will they?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. They did terrible damage to the village…"

"So I've heard." Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed, leaning forward and setting his pipe down on his desk. "Fourteen years, yes?"

"Fourteen years," Hinata confirmed.

"But of course, I wasn't there to see it," the Sandaime chuckled grimly. "To think that I'd be killed by Orochimaru…" He leaned back into his chair, leaving his pipe behind, and sighed. "Well, it was to be expected, I suppose. It would hardly do for my greatest failure to go unpunished."

"You shouldn't say things like that, Sandaime-sama," Hiashi spoke up. "How could you have known that he would go to such lengths? Slaying the Kazekage…"

"Orochimaru hates the Leaf like he does nothing else," Sarutobi said, looking over Hinata's shoulder. "Those are exactly the kind of lengths I would expect him to go to, if it could secure the village's destruction."

He dropped his gaze to Hinata's. "However… you mentioned the Godaime Kazekage, didn't you? Suna's Jinchūriki?"

At Hinata's confirmation, Sarutobi laughed. "Incredible. So young; and the carrier of a beast as well." He leaned back. "And the Uchiha... There are certainly interesting, and terrible, things in your future, Hinata."

"About that, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said, stepping forward and laying a hand on Hinata's shoulder.

She winced, a spike of soreness shooting down through her arm. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have, but it certainly wasn't comfortable.

"Should we perhaps," Hiashi continued, "address that problem as soon as we can? I can have men watching the heir, if you wish. With the Byakugan-"

"Leave that to me," Sarutobi said abruptly. "I will handle Itachi Uchiha personally. For now… don't trouble yourself with the affairs of other clans."

Hiashi nodded politely, and the office lapsed into silence.

The Sandaime stared at Hinata's father's hand for a moment.

"Hiashi," he said slowly. "Answer me something, will you? Your daughter has certainly addressed enough questions for now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said formerly, and the Sandaime raised one of his wrinkled hands.

"Enough of that," he chuckled good-naturedly. "On a day like today, Hiruzen will do."

Hinata's father hesitated, before inclining his head slightly. "Very well… Hiruzen," he slowly said.

"Good," the Hokage smiled. Then, his face turned to ice, the warmth fading from his eyes, and he slowly rose from his chair, hands splayed against his desk. The wood groaned, and Hiashi's eyes widened slightly.

Hinata watched in confusion, and not a little trepidation. The Hokage didn't look like the kindly grandfather he'd seemed when she'd seen him all those years. Now, he was The Professor.

"Hiashi," the Hokage said, his voice bleeding authority. Hinata unconsciously straightened her back, bringing her hands away from her lap. Her father let go of her shoulder.

"Why did you bring her here like this?"

"I… I'm sorry, Sandai… Hiruzen?" Hiashi said. He didn't sound frightened; just wary.

"She's obviously in pain," Sarutobi said, gesturing at Hinata.

How did he know? She tightened one of her hands, ignoring the numbness in her fingers.

"I'm… I'm really not," Hinata murmured. "This is more important anyway…" The Hokage glanced at her, and she froze.

"Not in pain?" he asked, striding around his desk and coming to a stop in front of her. He knelt down, and took one of her hands in his own. It was warmer than Hinata would have guessed.

"Hinata," he said kindly. "Don't lie to me."

The Hyuuga heiress winced, as Hiashi watched both the Hokage and his daughter with concern.

"Your injuries aren't even close to healed," the Hokage continued. "I see it in the way you sit, the placement of your hands; how you moved when your father put his hand on your shoulder. It is obvious."

She really had been stupid, Hinata thought to herself, if she'd thought that she could have hidden something from the Third Hokage.

"So…" The old man raised his head to Hiashi. "My question is, again: why did you bring her here like this, Hiashi? Could she not have visited the hospital first?" Something masquerading as a smile crept onto the Sandaime's lips. "We've got years, after all."

Once more, her father hesitated. "Hokage-sa…"

"Hiruzen," the Hokage carelessly corrected, maintaining his hold on Hinata's hand.

"Hiruzen," Hiashi conceded. "This… I have my reasons. I would prefer to discuss them with my daughter… alone."

"Oh?" the Hokage asked, releasing Hinata's hand and standing up. He barely came up to Hiashi's chin. "Clan secrets, eh?"

"Of a sorts," Hiashi admitted. "If you would allow us to leave for a moment, I can-"

"No need," the Hokage snorted. He turned away, reaching down towards his desk and seizing his pipe and distinctive white hat. "I was in need of a walk anyway."

"But… Hokage-sama!" Hiashi said, shocked.

"We can't kick you out of your own office!" Hinata spoke up.

The Hokage just laughed. "Trust me: it's not as special as you think. Though…" He placed his hat upon his head, and raised his pipe. "It is one of the most secure places in the village. You can speak freely here."

He strode towards Hiashi. The other man instinctively stepped aside, but he didn't say anything as the Sandaime brushed past him.

"Hiashi…" the Hokage murmured, just loud enough for Hinata to hear. "I hope your reason is a good one."

And then the old oak door swung open, and the Hokage was gone.

Hinata blinked, and turned to her father.

He stared back at her, incredulity and not a little guilt in his eyes.

"Did we just steal the Hokage's office?" she asked quietly.

Her father's eyes shifted a little, towards something warmer. "Indeed we did," he deadpanned. "Truly, the Hyuuga are the strongest in the Hidden Leaf."

Hinata giggled, and then coughed, her throat feeling like sandpaper. Her father sunk down next to her, his expression moving back towards serious.

"Hinata," he said morosely. "First, let me apologize for any suffering I brought you."

"It's fine, father," Hinata smiled. "It doesn't hurt that much; I just need some rest."

Hiashi grimaced. "You may not get it."

Hinata hesitated. Her fingers wandered towards each other, before she viciously crushed the impulse to rub them against together. Now was no time to indulge in her nervousness. "What do you mean?"

"It would have been better to bring you to the hospital, my daughter," Hiashi admitted. "Our medics did what they could, but the Hokage was right. You're not quite healed yet. However, time was of essence."

Something cold stole over Hinata's heart. "Father? Why? I'm not going to…" Her mouth snapped shut, and her father's eyes grew horrified.

"No! No," he said again, more calmly. "You are not going to die. Nothing like that! You are fine."

Hinata's relief was palpable. "Then why-"

"I don't know how much longer you'll… be here, Hinata," her father admitted, grimacing once more.

"Be here?" Hinata stared at him, something heavy swelling in her gut. "You mean-"

"In this time," her father confirmed.

"I don't…" Hinata shook her head. "I don't understand. You're saying I'm going to be sent back? To the… present? The future?

"Where you came from. Your 'present'," her father said. "Hopefully, with the changes you set in motion all around you."

"How do you…" Hinata started to ask, before something her father had told her about two hours ago crept across her mind.

'You have done something that has only been accomplished once before in the entire history of this clan.'

"What happened to the other one?" she asked, straightening up. Her father looked at her questioningly. "You said that only one other person had traveled through time like I did," Hinata said, biting her lip. "What happened to him?"

"Her," her father corrected. "And she vanished."

"Vanished?"

Hiashi nodded. "After eight hours."

"Who was she?" Hinata asked.

Hiashi hesitated, before his face flattened out again, his confidence returning.

"That doesn't matter."

Hinata stared. Her father had never lied to her; she couldn't understand why he was doing so now. Every line on Hiashi's face, every crease, even the way his eyes darted up and to the left for a moment, indicated he was.

She resolved to find out later. If her time really was short, she couldn't afford to be caught up in details.

"Eight hours?"

Her father nodded. "Indeed. She simply disappeared, vanishing from under her guard-ians' eyes without a trace," he said, correcting himself midway through one of his words. "The Byakugan sees all: what she did was no shunshin, or a teleportation jutsu like the Yondaime's. It was judged she had returned to whence she came. And indeed, thirty years later, she appeared, inexplicably, even though…"

Her father hesitated, and then waved his hand, beginning to pace around the room. "Well, she didn't exist anymore, thanks to certain circumstances. Yet, she appeared anyway: a clear indication that after her time was up, she returned to her present, though it had been drastically altered by her actions."

He sighed. "She was also still blind."

"Wait… blind?" Hinata gasped. Her father flinched.

"This is why I rushed you, Hinata," he muttered. "I was afraid you would disappear much quicker." He resumed pacing the room. "It's no exact science, but for a long time the Hyuuga have attempted to replicate your predecessor's feat. Willful travel through time would ensure that no one would be able to challenge the Leaf, or this clan, would it not?"

He frowned. "But every attempt ended in failure, or worse. The damage the Byakugan receives forcing itself through time is catastrophic. So when you arrived, badly injured, but with entirely functioning, nearly undamaged eyes, I began to worry."

Hiashi finally stopped pacing. "And when you slept for six hours without vanishing yourself, I couldn't allow the risk of you disappearing before I understood why. Why you were here, and what had done such damage to you."

He looked out the Hokage's window, out onto the village. "I had several clan medics do their best to heal you as you slept, but as you no doubt feel, it was by no means comprehensive. Again, I hope you will forgive me for that."

"Of course, father." As always, Hinata managed to be demure, even as another ache set her ribs on a dull sort of fire. "But… if I've been here for six hours already…"

"Seven," her father corrected her.

"Seven, yes," Hinata said. "If I've been here seven hours… and I haven't gone back to my present? Could I vanish at any moment?"

Hiashi stared at her for a moment. "I don't know," he finally said.

Hinata looked down. She'd been afraid of that.

Her father kept speaking, even though she was no longer making eye contact with him.

"I suspect it was the method of your travel," he said. "You were… assisted?" He chuckled grimly. "I suppose that's the best word for it. The leader of Akatsuki, 'Pain'; the man who possesses the Rinnegan. He attacked you as you used the Sixty-Four Palms: struck you, somehow, as you moved through time. I believe he gave you a push, so to speak."

"Almighty Push," Hinata said distantly. She raised her head, meeting her father's eyes. "That's what he called it."

He smirked. "An appropriate name, then."

"I was lost," Hinata continued. Her father's smirk slowly faded, replaced by undeniable curiosity. "Lost somewhere… I don't even know how to describe it. Endless. I was falling through it… or floating." She smiled faintly. "It was very confusing. But… I think I understand what happened."

She stood up, her left leg minutely shaking. The Hyuuga robe her father had given her trailed softly against the wooden floor.

"I was pushed into the past. I didn't travel myself," she said quietly. "That's why my eyes weren't damaged; that's why I haven't been pulled back yet."

She mulled the idea for a moment, before nodding. Then, she looked back to her father.

"How long will I be here?"

Hiashi watched her for a moment, his eyes narrow. "It's impossible to say," he admitted. "You are an anomaly. There's no way to know how long you will remain here, or even if you will travel back at all. It's entirely possible you could vanish at any moment."

Hinata leaned back, looking around as her father watched her with something between concern and wariness. Outside, the sun rose higher as noon approached. There was barely a shadow remaining in the Hokage's office.

Her brow furrowed.

She didn't know what to feel.

There was disappointment: undeniable, gnawing at the bottom of her stomach and rendering the greater part of her hollow. Fragile. She had done something incredible, something that only one other had done in the history of the clan.

She had traveled through time. She'd met a dead man. She'd met herself. It was the most remarkable thing that had ever happened to her.

And now, it was already going to be drawing to a close. If her father was right, her time in the past was limited. Very limited.

But, below the disappointment that she would be leaving before the novelty had faded, Hinata felt something deeper.

Relief.

Relief that she wouldn't be trapped in the past. Relief that she wouldn't have to be the one to go about securing the present, making it a better place than it was. Relief that people more capable than her would be in charge of it, and that she would be able to return to a changed future, one where the Akatsuki had never demolished Konoha and brutalized Naruto.

Relief that she wouldn't have to grow up around her friends, watching them from a distance, unable to reconnect with them.

And, an undercurrent below the undercurrent, a twisting toxin that had defined most of Hinata's life, one that pulled itself to the surface now…

Fear.

Fear that she would return to a future that wasn't hers. Fear that she wouldn't understand what had happened around her.

Fear she would be left behind.

'Don't be selfish.' It almost sounded like Neji. Neji, who now had a father because of her. 'It's only a possibility; you can't give up the Leaf's future just because you're afraid.'

She knew that. But the fear didn't disappear. It only grew deeper, freezing her gut.

Hinata stared out the window. Out at the village.

She had an idea.

Perhaps, this one time, she would be selfish.

Her father's eyes narrowed as she stood up, her left leg slightly shaking.

"Are you leaving?" he asked. She looked to him. The familiar frown had reasserted itself.

"If I really am here only temporarily," Hinata said quietly, her voice uncertain, "if I really might leave without warning…"

She took a deep breath.

"There's something I have to do."

Hiashi didn't hesitate. He just nodded.

"I can't let you out of my sight, you know," he said with a hint of regret. "The Hokage…"

"I know, father." Hinata smiled. "But I'd have to go rather far for that to happen, wouldn't I?"

Hiashi paused for a moment, and then a grin, a craggy mirror of Hinata's, crept across his face. He stepped aside.

"Good luck, my daughter."

Hinata nodded and then, without a backwards glance, strode past him and out of the office.

She couldn't see him, but Hiashi watched her go with a hint of bemusement.

And a cloying pride.

The adults wore wary looks, but the children didn't care.

Hinata marveled at that. She'd never seen it like this.

They must have been too young to understand. They didn't see the suspicious looks and pursed lips.

They just saw a blond boy their age wearing a wide smile, and decided it would be perfectly acceptable to play with him.

The older kids, however, weren't the same. There was a clear demarcation between any of the children over the age of five and those under.

But it wasn't one the adults had enforced. It was just the natural consequence of the orphans' preference. Those that had been there longer considered themselves above the rest: it was only natural.

Though that didn't make it right.

Shifting slightly on her bench, Hinata leaned back, laying her head on the backrest and staring up into Konoha's cloudless blue sky. The street around her was mildly busy: civilians, some on business and some not, rushed and ambled respectively, filling the village with pleasant chatter. There was a shinobi or two among their numbers, but they were unobtrusive, and usually given a respectful distance.

One of them, a young chūnin with unusually spiky hair and a temporary medical eyepatch, glanced at Hinata as he slid by, his feet not making a noise on the paved street. Her Byakugan made it clear, but she didn't look up at him. Instead, she just closed her eyes, though it did nothing to impede her vision, and after a minute the man picked up his pace again, vanishing back into the crowd.

Hinata sighed. She didn't want more questions. Not that they would matter, in all probability.

Her gaze wandered back to the building across the street, and the Hyuuga bit her lip. Coming here had been a mistake.

It only served as reminder of what she might lose.

Naruto, three years old, with adorably chubby cheeks, a thick, trusting grin, and stubby, childish limbs, was not the Naruto she knew. Not yet.

And maybe not ever. She simply couldn't know.

But that wasn't necessarily bad.

Naruto's battle against his loneliness may have inspired her, but that didn't mean it had been a good thing.

If she could change something, with what time she had left… plant the seeds of something to be different…

Hinata opened her eyes, and her head came back up. The Byakugan deactivated.

Slowly, she pulled herself off the bench, ignoring the ache in her legs. A man nearby looked at her for a moment as one of her legs twitched, but she took a deep breath, straightening up, and after another second he moved on with an invisible shrug.

She took a step forward, and then another. A crushing sensation of dread pulled itself out of her throat, and she swallowed it, smashing it down deep into her stomach.

Now wasn't the time to worry.

Now was the time to make a direct change, no matter how small it was.

It took Hinata about thirty seconds to reach the other side of the street. Navigating through the crowd on legs that felt hollow wasn't easy, but most of the pedestrians noted her slow pace, and made room for her to pass through.

She paused in front of the entrance, doubt worming its way up through her body again, filling her hollow legs with lead.

Then she blinked, shattering the deadlock, and opened the door.

"Hello!" There was someone there to help her immediately: a young woman, just a little bit older than her, with dark eyes and a warm face. The caretaker stopped when she saw Hinata's eyes.

Her tone dropped, becoming more formal, but not losing its natural cheerfulness. "Oh, Hyuuga-sama! What can I do for you today?"

Hinata smiled, and the girl smiled back, her worries at one of the main ninja families visiting the rather tiny orphanage slipping away.

"I'd like to speak to one of the children," she said patiently, clasping her hands in front of her.

The girl's smile didn't fade, but her eyes gained a questionable aspect. "Oh? That's… somewhat unusual." She looked Hinata over for a moment. "You're a little young for adoption, aren't you?"

Hinata's face burned red, and the girl backed off as quickly as was humanly possible. "But, I mean… I suppose you're more than old enough to-"

"It's… it's not that," Hinata muttered, and the woman shut up. "I just want to talk to one of them."

"Just talk?" the caretaker asked, before shrugging. "I guess... if you want to, there's nothing against it. Did you have a child in mind or-"

"Yes," Hinata said clearly. "Naruto Uzumaki."

At that, the young woman's warm face froze over.

"Why?" she asked carefully.

"I have something to tell him."

The caretaker blinked. "You have something to say to… him?"

If the girl's face had frozen, then Hinata's made hers look like a desert by comparison. The caretaker took a step back as the Byakugan flashed at her. Hinata's mouth drew into a severe line, and she took a half-step hobble into the girl's personal space.

"Yes," she said coldly.

"Ah…" the girl croaked, going pale. "Alright then. If you'll just follow me-"

"I can find my own way," Hinata flatly stated, and then she swept past the sweating caretaker, leaving her alone in the entrance hall.

Hinata didn't have much time; she had to make the most of it.

As she slowly half-limped her way down the hall, she wondered just how much time that really was.

"What's wrong with your eyes lady?"

He stared up at her, his own bright blue eyes wide. A small plush toad sat on the floor in front of his crossed legs.

Hinata stared back.

He was so small.

"My eyes?" she echoed back, unable to think of anything else to say. She knew why she'd come here, but now that reason seemed petty and pointless in the face of the reality before her.

"Yeah!" he peered into them. "They're all white! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Naruto," she said, her voice distant. "They're supposed to look like that. It's a Kekkei Genkai."

"Keka Genke?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. "What's that?"

"It's kind of like… I was born with them," Hinata settled for. "I can still see." She let out a small smile. "In fact, I bet I can see better than you."

"Wuh!?" Naruto scrambled to his feet, glaring up at her. "No way! I can see better than anyone!"

Hinata frowned. "Really?"

"Uh huh!" Naruto insisted emphatically, nodding his head.

"Okay," Hinata said, her smile spreading. "What's on the other side of that wall?"

She pointed to her left, at a rather plain wooden wall. There was a tapestry hung across it, depicting a man with thick red armor and bushy, midnight-black hair. Hinata didn't recognize him.

Naruto squinted. "It's a picture of a supercool ninja!" he declared, grinning widely. He looked sure that he'd won.

"And behind the wall?" Hinata asked him.

He turned to her, his face twisting into an adorable frown. "How would I know? People can't see through walls!"

Hinata activated her Byakugan, the veins spiralling out. She half expected Naruto to stumble backwards but instead he just stood stock still, staring at her. His mouth fell half open.

She turned to the wall, pretending to focus, her forehead scrunching up.

"There's a desk on the other side," she said calmly, as Naruto continued staring. "There's a women sitting at it, with long black hair, and an orange dress."

"That's Nanako-sensei!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "She teaches us how to write and stuff!"

Then, his eyes swelled in an almost comical realization. "Hey wait! How can you see her?!"

Hinata tapped her temple knowingly, and Naruto made an exaggerated "Oh…" sound.

They were both silent for a moment. Hinata's eyes brought the street outside into clear focus.

She frowned. That couldn't be-

"Hey, Lady?" Her attention fell back to Naruto, who was sitting down again. He was toying with his frog, pulling errantly on one of its legs.

"Yes Naruto?" Hinata asked quietly, sitting down next to him. The veins withdrew, her Byakugan deactivating.

"Who are you?" he asked. "People don't usually come visit me, 'cept for Jiji, but you're not all wrinkly like him. Did I do something wrong?"

Hinata stared at him, frowning slightly.

What was she supposed to say to that?

Oh, Naruto, I'm one of your friends from the future. The last I saw of you, you were flat on the ground with holes in your hands and legs, telling me not to get myself killed. Don't worry, you'll become a strong ninja just in time for someone even stronger to come along and beat you.

You also inspired me to become a shinobi as strong as you. You will be brave, and kind, and never, ever give up, even the face of someone you can't possibly defeat.

She blinked.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Hinata had never sounded more sure of anything in her life. "I came to check on you."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked back. "Check on me?"

"Yes." Hinata took an unsteady breath, ignoring the throbbing in her shoulder. "You are very precious to me. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Naruto just stared at her.

It was entirely possible he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Precious?" he said, his mouth twisting around the word.

"Yes Naruto." Hinata's frown disappeared, transforming back into a gentle smile. "Someone I knew made a vow, once, that he would protect people who were precious to him, no matter what. I decided to do the same. There was no way I couldn't check on you: I want you to know that no matter what, no matter what happens, there's going to be someone looking out for you."

There was another pause as the little blond boy absorbed her words. He nodded meaningfully, closing his eyes, trying to make it look as if he understood them perfectly.

"Are you going to take me away?" Naruto asked innocently.

Hinata blinked again.

"I see some of the other kids leave," Naruto said quietly. "Bigger people come and take them away. Are you here to do that to me?"

"I can't, Naruto." Hinata almost choked on the words. Now, he was staring at her, his curiosity fully peaked.

"Why not?" he said.

"I have to leave soon," Hinata practically whispered. "I don't know when. I can't take you with me."

"Oh." He didn't sound disappointed.

But a faint light abandoned the vibrant blue of his eyes nonetheless.

"Do you have to go now?" he asked.

She could leave at any moment. Be pulled away any second. Just vanish from besides him. And who knew what would happen to her afterwards.

Or it could be hours from now. It really didn't matter anymore.

"No," Hinata decided, settling herself besides him. "I can stay for a while longer."

And so she did.

She limped outside about three hours later, leaving a sleeping Naruto behind her. He'd passed out in her lap, and Hinata had taken that as her cue to leave.

She didn't feel any better. In fact, she now felt more unsure of everything than ever before.

Perhaps she shouldn't have come. All she'd done now was make a promise she couldn't possibly fulfil.

Hinata turned the corner, moving away from the crowds still traversing the streets. And then she slumped, leaning against the wall. Just sitting with him, talking, entertaining him, taking in the surreality of his presence, had been exhausting.

She really was alone now. All of her friends were like that. Would she even know any of them when she returned to her own time?

The Hyuuga let out a long, trembling sigh.

There was something else, too. Something that had caught her attention hours before, when she'd first looked through a wall for Naruto.

She activated her Byakugan, ignoring the twinge in her chakra system.

And she saw him.

A story above her, and two streets away. But doubtlessly peering in her direction, his brow furrowed, the stress lines on his face already forming.

He was younger. The lines were softer. His hair was shorter; he was shorter.

But it was undeniably him. His was not a forgettable face.

Hinata almost laughed.

Of course he was here.

It was almost inevitable. With her luck, the kind of luck that had thrown her back through time, that had doomed her to return to people she hardly knew, that had made her father lie to her for the first time in her memory…

With that kind of luck, was there any doubt that she was being followed by Itachi Uchiha?

AN: Haha wow. My update rate is terrible, huh?

Blame college. And Not Sick. But mostly college.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Serendipity, out.