Maybe Hope isn't the most dangerous thing a person can have. Maybe Love is.

-Lauren DeStefano


Ino was a Yamanaka.

Her clan, though, nowhere near as ancient or powerful as the Hyuga or the Uchiha, did have their own specialized Jutsus which earned them their name.

Most Yamanaka were in ANBU; They tampered with the minds of their enemies and prodded them for information. It was also sometimes used as a means for mental torture. It was their mind techniques that made them a, somewhat, difficult opponent. In fact, the Interrogation Unit in ANBU had quite the use for Yamanaka.

Up until recently, Inojin Yamanaka was the Head of the Interrogation Unit. However, after his death, the honour was passed on to his daughter.

Hence, said daughter was unsurprised when she was called in for another assignment. It was only natural that they ask her.

A person's mind was a very fragile organ, and tampering with at always had some kind of an effect of the person going through such a process.

Ino Yamanaka was the best they had, and they trusted her to extract the required information as delicately as possible from Hinata's mind.

The information being whether she leaked any intel on Konoha to the Akatsuki, or helped them in any other form.

Ino was a Yamanaka, so it was completely understandable for her to be in the Interrogation Room. What didn't make sense was the presence of two other dunderheads. Namely:

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji.

Uchiha and Hyuga.

Uchiha and Hyuga.

They had no business here.

Ino couldn't help but twitch her eyebrow, sneaking a narrow-eyed glance at the two.

Sure, they might be more than a little strong, and more than a little good looking, but that didn't mean that she would just agree to whatever they said.

Arrogant bastards, Ino thought bitterly. She mentally scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Besides, Sai is much better.

"Are you both sure about this?" Kakashi asked for the millionth time. Both geniuses nodded in response.

Finally tired of their crap, Ino snapped.

"Bullshit!"

All eyes turned to her.

"Kakashi's agreed to it." Sasuke began, narrowing his eyes at the annoying blonde, "So, what's your problem then?"

Pouting internally, she pursed her lips.

She wanted to enjoy the full experience of the assignment. Which really just meant the she wanted to see Uchiha Itachi shirtless.

Or, even better, naked.

But knowing the other two, they would probably make her skip that part.

The part where they make Kazue.

Clearing her throat, Ino fixed a glare on both of them.

A different approach, then.

She clenched her fists.

"This could hurt Hinata too, you know." She met their eyes, "Having one person go into your mind is painful as it is. Three would be hell."

It was, of course, an exaggeration. Knowing this, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Ino. Catching his eye, she sent him a look.

You better keep your trap shut, Shika.

He rolled his eyes.

"Besides, do you have any idea how much chakra it takes to go into a person's mind? If all three if us to go, there is no guarantee that we wil be ably to go through all the necessary memories. And a second trip would be too risky."

She watched as Neji's and Sasuke's eyes flashed, though the 'facts' did nothing to deter their conviction.

She only gaped at them. Were they really willing to take the 'supposed' risks?

Sensing the atmosphere thicken, Kakashi looked at Ino.

Why wouldn't she want them to..?

And, then it hit him.

Oh..OH!

He grinned under his mask at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

Ino, you never change.

For a moment, he thought about denying Neji and Sasuke from entering Hinata's mind. All their reactions would be totally worth it. But then, he changed his mind.

Itachi had been his comrade once upon a time. Kakashi supposed that, if nothing at all, the least he could do was preserve his modesty.

He cleared his throat.

"Lady Tsunade will be here by the bedside the whole time. In case Hinata's condition worsens, Shikamaru, who will also be here, will use his Shadow Manipulation to break your connection with Hinata's mind, and you will immediately be pulled out."

Beside him, Sasuke stepped forward.

"In case of Chakra exhaustion, if it works, I will replenish your Chakra with mine." He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm going there, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Sasuke didn't care if he sounded childish. The thing is, he had to see him. He had to see his brother.

Just one last time.

Ino groaned internally, all her fantasies being crushed from becoming reality. Warily, she turned to Neji.

"And you?" She questioned, her hands on her hips, foot tapping impatiently against the floor.

The guy in question averted his eyes, remembering all that Sasuke had told him, a few days ago.

"I need to confirm something." He said, speaking for the first time. Slowly, his eyes turned towards Sasuke, "And I won't rest until I have."

One look at his clenched fists, and Ino knew be won't take 'No' as an answer.

At last, Ino huffed.

"Fine."

From the corner, Shikamaru yawned, muttering under his breath about how troublesome she was being.

What a drag.

"Now, here are the rules."

Sasuke almost snorted, but stopped himself from doing so when he registered her serious tone.

"Firstly, do not, by any chance, do not let go of me from the beginning of the process till the end. If you get lost in her mind, it will be very difficult to get you out. It could seriously hurt Hinata, too."

She held up another finger.

"Secondly, you will not touch anything. In a particular memory, you will be a part of its events itself, so although you will not be seen, your actions can and will interfere with the memory."

She looked at them pointedly.

"Worse case scenario is that you can become a permanent part of the memory, which will change the way things are right now."

Eyeing both of them, she finished,

"You will be there as an observer, nothing more. Clear?"

Both nodded in response.

"At three pm sharp, the Mind Searching will begin." Ino sighed, remembering one last thing.

"Until then, I want you both to eat as much as possible. Being in someone's mind takes a toll on the one doing it, and since this is going to be your first time, it's going to be worse for you."

Then, she lowered her voice, muttering, "Wouldn't want you fainting and interrupting a baby-making session, now do we?"


A few hours later, they were all gathered in Hinata's room. They meaning Ino, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Tsunade.

The former Hokage was leaning over Hinata, checking her vitals. Shikamaru was leaning against a nearby wall, eyes closed, presumably napping. The remaining three were standing in front of the patient's bed.

Usually, such procedures took place in the underground Interrogation Rooms, but since Hinata was unable to move, as doing so might endanger her life, the extraction process was going to take place in Hinata's Hospital Room.

Neji took a deep breath, taking in Hinata's pale form.

This was the first time he was seeing her since she returned.

Slowly, his eyes slid along her body, down the length of her arm, and resting on the red ring adorned in her hand. He inhaled sharply, recalling Sasuke's words.

"It belonged to my mother, an heirloom belonging to the Uchiha Matriarch, passed on from one generation to another."

Hinata? The Uchiha Matriarch? His wife? Unbelievable.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Ino stepped forward.

She sighed, approaching both of them.

"Ready?"

Both nodded.

Placing a hand on either of their forehead, Ino concentrated on her Chakra, directing it to flow into took their minds.

A choked sound escaped both of them, both gritting their teeth at the foreign Chakra entering their body.

She tried to be as gentle as possible, but considering how still and tense both of them had gotten, it clearly wasn't enough.

She pursed her lips.

Just a little more, and....

Ino relaxed. After a moment, both Neji and Sasuke relaxed too.

Part one was a success.

Hesitating, Neji slowly opened his eyes. Were it not for his inhuman self-control, he would have screamed. Ino had fore-warned them about the pain they might experience when she connected their minds, but it had still caught him off guard.

It was almost as bad as the Caged-Bird Seal.

It felt as if someone was repeatedly punching his head. He had the sudden urge to pound it against the wall.

Then, suddenly, it was gone, leaving behind a dull throb as a reminder. He relaxed when Ino directed her chakra behind his eyes, cooling the pain that might still persist. When she was done he felt as fresh as ever.

She made a handsign, as invisible threads wrapped around their minds, connecting them each other.

Now, their minds were one.

"Now comes the harder part."

The voice was Ino's, and for some reason seemed to be echoing all around him. It took a moment for him to realise that the voice was coming from within his head.

They could now hear each others thoughts.

"Now, both of you." The voice said, "I want you to hold onto my shoulder and at any cost, do not, and I repeat, do not let go."

Another voice cut through, thick with impatience.

"We get it, damn it. Get on with it."

Ino's eyebrow twitched.

Shaking her head, she placed both her hands on either side of Hinata's temple. Taking a deep breath, she gave her chakra a push.

Suddenly, a very heavy weight fell on top of them, pushing them down until they felt that they would be crushed by he sheer force of it.

Ino pursed her lips. This was something she could never get used to, no matter how many times she went through it.

The air around then grew hot and damp, humid, adding to the difficulty of breathing. Neji and Sasuke closed their eyes, trying to keep their breathing even, even as sweat trailed down their foreheads at the effort.

Then, just as suddenly as the weight had come, it disappeared.

Instead, both felt the breath leave their body, as they experienced the euphoria of falling.

It reminded Neji of the nightmares he used to have, where he kept falling and falling and falling. And then, he'd wake up.

And that is exactly what happened.

The three slammed into something, though felt no pain at their landing. Slowly, the feeling disappeared, until it was gone completely.

Sasuke slowly sat up. It was pitch black everywhere. He looked at his hands, turning them around.

Was it just him, it were they really glowing?

Straightening himself into a stand, he looked around in awe. Beside him, Neji had the same reaction. Their bodies were outlined by light. Other than that, everything was as black as darkness.

Sasuke watched as he stepped forward, his feet creating ripples on the ground as if it were water. Maybe it was.

Both were broken out of their trance by a voice.

"This is Hinata's mind." Ino began her explanation, "Usually it's filled with the thoughts of what a person is thinking, but since Hinata is unconscious, her mind is currently blank."

Turning towards them, she said,

"A person's mind has a lot of memories, and going through all of the would take forever. So, I just make a handsign and say a keyword: Something that I'm looking for in a memory. It can be the name of a person, place or an event."

Turning away from them, she made a handsign.

"Now watch."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Uchiha Itachi."

For a painfully long second, nothing happened. Sasuke could hear the pounding of his heart, as he looked around.

Still nothing.

Then, they heard a sharp sound. The type made when a wineglass was gently hit by a spoon.

Cling!

In the far corner, a square appeared. It was also illuminated with light, it's inside nothing but a blend of colours. Soon, the colours began separating to take form of pictures.

Sasuke squinted his eyes to get a better look and then-

Cling!

He whipped his head to the opposite side from where the sound had come. Another square. Then, again.

Cling! Cling!

Looking one way, another sound was heard in the opposite direction.

Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling!

"So many." Ino whispered, eyes wide.

One by one, all the memories came forward, until all three of them were bathed in light.

Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling! Cling!

Again and again and again, the sound came. Then, abruptly, it stopped.

From one of the memories, a breeze blew.

Then, they heard a chuckle. A deep carefree chuckle, as gentle as a caress.

Staring at the square nearest to him, Sasuke watched, the colours contorting and separating, taking shape.

The first to do so was the moon. A full moon.

Slowly, a hand appeared, it's palm facing the moon, as if holding it. It was bathed in moonlight, the red ring on its finger glistening, contrasting sharply with the pale hand.

Hinata's hand, Neji realized with a start.

Slowly, another hand came up, bigger and slightly darker, and interlocked with Hinata's, its long, elegant fingers tracing the ring.

Sasuke's heart stopped.

Was that...?

But, his jumbled thoughts were halted when a voice cut through, as soft as the breeze kissing their faces.

"Uchiha Hinata."

Without permission, Sasuke clamped a hand on his mouth to stop himself from gasping as his brothers voice came from apparently nowhere but echoed all around.

"Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Sasuke staggered back, as he slowly slid to his knees. How long had it been since he'd heard that voice?

"Too long." He whispered.

Beside him, Ino stepped towards him, and gently helped him up.

"Come on." She whispered softly, "We have secrets to uncover."


AND THAT CONCLUDES THE FIRST PAST OF THE BOOK!!!

WHOOOOP!!

*jumping aroung doing cartwheels and summersaults even though I can do neither*

AHHHH...

There it is. We are ifficially done with part one. The next part will be the past. Meaning...

THE NEXT CHALTER WILL BE THE FIRST ITACHI/HINATA MEETING!!!!

Thank you, my loves for bearing with me for this long!! You have no idea joy much your reviews mean to me :3 :3 Plus, I'm so glad that I'm finally done with this. Now, we can get to the more interesting part of the story. I know you all have been waiting for a long time for this moment, so thank you again!! I hope you will not be disappointed!!

A side note: I'm not exactly sure how Ino's jutsu and stuff works, so I made it up. XD. Plus Ino is such a menace, lol. Definitely one of my favourite characters.

And, the dialogues written like "this" are the thoughts of the person which everyone can hear.

And the one written like "this" are the one only that person thinking them can hear.

Just wanted to clear that up.

Anyway, ENJOY!!

-Your proud author.