Willing to take risks together and for each other-- That's true Friendship.

-Anonymous


Staring at the prone body of the Hyuga, Uchiha Itachi contemplated. She was a witness to their presence. Her teammate hadn't seen either of their faces; He'd passed out before that.

This woman, however, had seen both of them, and was, hence, a threat to their mission. If Konoha found about their whereabouts, it wouldn't be good.

He'd have to stain his hands with Konoha blood all over again.

In addition, she was completely unpredictable, as proven in her fight against Kisame.

He'd been lounging in a tree, waiting for Kisame to finish up the fight. It was supposed to be a quick fight. He had trust in Kisame's abilities, and while the two nins were capable, they were still no match for either of them.

The two were no threat, hence the fight lost his interest quickly. Just as he was about to tell Kisame to stop playing around, the Hyuga had grabbed Kisame's sword.

Foolish, his first thought had been, having been a witness to Samehade's...unique attributes.

Before he could've snapped out of his musings, Kisame's sword had flown out of his hand. He'd blinked; the only indication of his surprise.

At this point, he'd sat up, leaning forward as the fight continued.

So, he is fighting the Hyuga.

Even without his sword, Kisame greatly overpowered her. The Hyuga had to know this. She had to. There was no way for her to win.

Then, why is she still fighting?

Instead, it seemed she hadn't been satisfied with just throwing away his partner's sword. His suspicions were soon confirmed.

He watched as her hands fisted into Kisame's robe. His eyebrows shot up. He recognised the move.

Don't tell me-

And yet, right in front of his eyes, she'd taken a man thrice her size, singlehandedly lifted him off the ground and slammed him back down.

Even he had been rendered speechless for a second.

Even further, his jaw had dropped open slightly when she'd started choking him.

It was a dirty trick; one he would never have expected a Hyuga to play. He was suddenly reminded that one should never be judged on appearances.

Or namesakes, in this matter.

He should know that better than anyone.

Regardless, he mentally applauded her for it.

He was so lost in thought, that it didn't even occur to him that he should probably go help his partner.

By the time he realized it, Kisame had already thrown her away.

She was done for. At least, that's what it looked like to him. Her trump card had been to choke him, and she had failed at that. And yet, she didn't look the least bit deterred. It meant only one thing.

She had another ace up her sleeve.

Surveying his surrounding, he wondered possibly could she have in mind. Her teammate was surely out of commission, with the amount of blood he had lost. So, what was her game plan? He saw her gathering her Chakra, eyes still burning with determination. It made no sense, because-

What exactly is she trying to accomplish?

As soon as the thought was formed, he'd registered the blood on the ground. Her blood.

Ah, He connected the dots, just as she pumped her chakra into Kisame.

Itachi knew that he had time. Time to stop her, time to save Kisame. And yet, he'd stared, mesmerized as the woman slowly lifted her head off the ground. As she met his partner's eyes.

He'd simply stared as she colored the ground with his blood.

She'd damaged Kisame's insides with one, last blow. It wasn't fatal, but definitely needed attention.

Besides, that fool deserved it for underestimating her.

Never mind that fact that he'd done the same thing. She'd caught him of guard, proving her unpredictability. It all summed up into one thing.

He had to kill her.

She was too unpredictable to be left alive. Besides, if he wanted to secure their whereabouts, then killing her was the best option.

On the other hand, he preferred not to. One reason was that he was a pacifist. He resented killing, even more so when the only reason to kill her would be that she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But there was another reason, a bigger one. Itachi wanted to see her in action, once more.

Itachi was a genius. To add to that, he was also an Uchiha. His Sharingan made all his battles ridiculously short, his genjutsu abilities finishing his fights before they even started. His battle against Diedara, Orochimaru and, once, against Kisame were clear proof that.

He was always a hundred steps ahead of his opponent, and while that was a good thing, it was essentially worthless when he learned nothing from his fights. Battles were supposed to be a learning experience; he'd always taken them as such. But, the way things were, they were really just a waste of his time and Chakra.

There were, of course, some unpredictable opponents. The Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake was one of them.

And, now this Hyuga.

For a moment, Itachi wished that he had stepped into the fight. Then, maybe, he would have had the chance to fight her.

No matter, there's always a next time.

With an internal debate, he decided to let her live. Instead, he put her into a genjutsu, in which they were attacked by some rouge ninja which resulted in their current state. He turned away, jumping on a nearby tree to follow after Kisame.

Do not disappoint me, Hyuga.

Had he stayed a little longer, he would have seen her do exactly that.

After his presence disappeared, for a good few minutes, there was no movement in the clearing.

Then, a pair of white Hyuga eyes snapped open.

For a few seconds, Hinata started at the sky, watching the clouds as they passed. It helped her relax and think.

She was still alive. But, why? If she got word back to Konoha, then the Akatsuki's position would be compromised. So, in order to prevent that, he should've killed her.

But, he didn't. Why?

Shaking her head, Hinata realized that she had more important things to worry about than understanding the Uchiha's reasoning.

Kiba was in severe condition. He'd already lost a lot of blood. If this kept on, then he could die.

The realization was like cold water to her face.

Quickly blinking away the black dots in her vision, she flipped into her stomach, using her elbows to support her body.

Konoha wasn't far away, but it would be impossible for her to return back in this state. Besides, she wasn't going to leave Kiba behind.

Resting her pounding head on the ground for the second time that day, she thought of an escape route.

However, once again, she felt her exhaustion trying to take over. She'd almost passed out the first time, when she was put in that genjutsu. But, instead of giving in, she'd fought it and pretended.

This time, however, she felt that she wouldn't be able to fight it. She clenched her eyes shut.

What to do? What to do? What to-

Suddenly, her head shot up, it's owner immediately regretting the action when she felt her head spin.

From the distant past, her a voice came back to her. Her mother's voice.

"This is for you, my sweet little Dove. A friend that will look over for your for me."

Blinking rapidly, Hinata quickly but her thumb and made a seal on the ground. After she was done, she made a hand sign.

For a second, nothing happened, as Hinata began panicking, wondering if somehow the summoning contract had become void.

She was lost in such thoughts, when, suddenly, smoke erupted from right in front of her. She moved away just in time to avoid the furious beating of wings.

Soon, the smoke cleared, and in front of her stood the most beautiful, dove she'd ever seen, bigger than an average one, it's feathers the purest white.

Hinata felt something clench at her heart, as she stared into its white eyes; her mother's eyes.

It was a gift from Hyuga Hinami to her eldest; her last gift.

Hinata slowly extended a hand towards the bird. In response, it cocked its head, tentatively stepping forward. Now hesitance gone, Hinata ran her fingers along the length of it's neck, marveling at how soft it's feathers were.

Beckoning it closer, she took some of her blood from her forehead, and write down a single word on its back.

Akatsuki.

She then closed her eyes, concentrating her chakra to her forehead. The Dove moved closer, connecting its own head with Hinata's, who transferred her Chakra into the Dove's eyes.

After she was done, Hinata moved away, opening her eyes.

Instead of seeing the bird in front of her, she instead saw herself, as if looking into a mirror.

"Eyes." She croaked out, as she activated her Byakugan, unaware that similar veins appeared around the bird's eyes.

"I need you to be my eyes."

Without a warning, the Dove shot into the sky, its head turning towards the direction of Konoha. Below, Hinata made out the faint outlines of her village.

So, the Dove could see as far as she could.

Good. That was good.

Without a second thought, the Dove shot towards it at full speed.

She and Kiba had been travelling at a slow pace, and only two hours had passed. It should take the Dove only a handful on minutes.

Back at the clearing, Hinata paid no attention to the colours as they flew past her.

For minutes that felt like forever, this went on. She could feel the little Chakra she had left being drained.

As a result, she saw her vision become a little blurry. Gritting her teeth, Hinata pushed more Chakra into her eyes. Once again, her vision sharpened.

She almost cried in relief, when the blurry lines of her village began to take shape.

Closer and closer and...

She could see the gates now, being guarded by the two Chunnins.

But, she needed to see someone whom she could completely put her trust in. Someone fast enough to reach them in time.

Then, all at once, everyone flinched.

Hinata watched in confusion, as all the heads she could see turned towards her, dropping whatever they were holding in surprise. An infant started crying, a few kids covered their ears. A second later, she saw everyone else cover their ears.

"No time." She muttered to herself.

Once again, she felt her head pound, black dots appearing in her vision, exhaustion coming to claim her. She fisted a hand in her hair, and pulled. The pain was the only thing keeping her awake.

Searching for a familiar face, she gasped when she saw the familiar green and orange. Might Gai and Kakashi were talking, hands covering their ears, as they looked around.

"Them!" She could help but cry out, tears filling her eyes.

As if on cue, she felt their faces become clearer and clearer. It took a moment for her to realize that the Dove was descending.

She could've sent the Dove alone with her message. There had been no need to connect their eyes. But, Hinata had wanted Hope, assurance that her message would reach Konoha and not be destroyed by an enemy mid-way.

She saw Kakashi slowly extend a hand towards her, saw his lone eye widen consideribly as he read her message. He shared a serious look with Gai, who nodded.

She saw his lips move beneath his mask, but she didn't know what he said. But, she didn't need to, as she saw them flinch again. Her axis changed as the Dove shot into the sky, this time with two people in tow.

"Just a little more." She muttered.

She saw as the forest she was in came in view. She gasped as a jolt of pain shot behind her eyes as she struggled to keep them open. Her eyes watered. She pulled at her scalp harder.

The clearing came into view. Her heart pounded in anxiety, as she watched them getting closer and closer. She felt their chakra signature approach.

A little more. Just a little more.

Suddenly, she heard a sharp shriek. It was shrill, making her ears ring, as it echoed around her.

The Dove, she realized with a start, It is the Dove.

It suddenly occured that this was the reason everyone back home had flinched.

Then, time stopped as she saw herself come into view.

All at once, she let go, her head slumping into her arms, just in time to hear the sound of Shinobi Sandles letting gravel. Her Byakugan receded.

Kakashi smelt the stench of Death, before he even saw the clearing. Despite seeing many things, the carnage before him still made him stop in his tracks.

The clearing was painted red.

Slowly his eyes took in the bloodshed before him. The air reeked of blood, and he felt bile rise up his throat, his heart going out the unfortunate souls who had a run in with the Akatsuki.

He thought of anyone he knew with a Dove summon. No one came to mind.

He heard a cough. His eyes zeroed in on the figure in the middle of the clearing. It seemed to be a female, with the length of its midnight hair-

Wait, Kakashi stopped himself, Wait. Midnight hair?

It was a rare hair colour. In fact the only person he knew with that colour was-

At the exact moment, Hinata shifted slightly.

"S-Sen-sei?" She croaked out.

Kakashi swore.

Hinata shifted again, letting her exhaustion finally take over, as everything faded.

Faintly, she felt hands clutch at her, felt someone carefully lift her into their shoulders.

She heard voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. All that mattered was that they were safe now.

The last thing she saw was the Dove, as it nestled on the crook of her neck, cooing softly with content.

Then, everything went dark, as her body fell limp.


THERE IS TODAY'S UPDATE!!

Soooo, did you have fun reading?

Anyway-

What are your thoughts??

Ah, a small fact I forgot to mention: The ages of our characters.

Hinata and the rest of Rookie 9: 19

Itachi: 21

Kisame: I have no idea, but it doesn't matter. XD

As you might've noticed, Hinata is older in this story, 19 instead of 16.

So, yeah...

You know the drill.

ENJOY!!

-Your hungry author.