The next morning, Hinata had woken up early. Her siblings all seemed to be asleep for now. Well, besides Neji, but he had headed out in the early morning for training with Sasuke. As such, she didn't see any sign of him. For now, she settled on making some morning tea in the kitchen.
She had decided last night that she would need to be up early if she wanted to return by nightfall. As chaotic as things had been the last few weeks, she still had school tomorrow. She had taken a break recently to focus on her family, but she couldn't get too far behind. Now that Sasuke was back, safe, and mostly healed, she needed to return soon.
It was a bit boring, being the only one of her siblings still in school. Even so, there wasn't much she could do since she was the youngest. She mentally pouted as she prepared her tea. She didn't care much for that boring school.
She was the eldest in her class now, and on one hand, she loved keeping an eye on the younger ones and helping them grow. On the other, though, it was a bit disappointing to have to hold back against all the younger classmen.
Hinata was easily strong enough to graduate, it was just that pesky age requirement. She mentally sighed-- Konoha ninja got to graduate as soon as they were strong enough. Then again, she supposed most Konoha ninja didn't take on the hard missions the members of the Rain village had to.
She was pulled out of her sulkings as she heard the voice of her favorite conversationist.
Itachi quirked a brow at the girl, musing, "You're up early." the kids not normally waking until one of the members came to drag them out of bed for breakfast.
Well, besides Neji and Sasuke, but those two had become early risers in recent years. Itachi had seen Neji head out earlier, Sasuke not far behind. Neji had mentioned something about training with Sasuke's 'Baby Byakugan'? Whatever that was, Itachi hadn't questioned it as he saw Sasuke sending glares at Neji for it.
Hinata, on the other hand, was up much earlier than normal. As such, Itachi was curious. The girl merely shrugged as she set the kettle to heat up. "I'm planning on heading out today. I probably won't be back until later if I don't leave early." she lightly played with the sleeves on her cloud covered pajamas, "I'm going to the leaf, so you know."
She wasn't at all surprised as Itachi's brows shot up, but his expression remained calm otherwise. He sipped from his drink, musing, "I see. Will you be taking anyone else with you?" frowning thinly behind his teacup as she shook her head back and forth gently. "Is there something particular your looking to do?"
"Yes." she nodded lightly, taking the tea off of the stove as she spoke, pouring it into a cup. "We've discovered that Sasuke's Mangekyou functions partly like a Byakugan, but with a lot of extra details. So I wanted to go and get some of the practice charts young Hyuuga use. It'll help him move along quicker." she explained, smiling thinly in amusement, "As long as he doesn't kill me for suggesting them." she joked lightly, earning a soft chuckle from the elder ninja.
Itachi praised, "That's very thoughtful of you." though, he added lightly, "Especially after Kakuzu and Hidan mentioned that you all had a little fight yesterday at lunch. What was that all about?" speaking calmly to the girl who lightly played with her hair.
Hinata nodded lightly, sitting beside Itachi with her tea to drink it with him. Out of all the people in the compound, he was the easiest for her to talk to without feeling judged. Plus he was probably one of the few who would understand her stance on not wanting to pick sides. "Yeah." she lightly sturred her tea, "Naruto and Karin are angry that we're going to try to make peace with the villages." She explained, "Then Sasuke and Neji are saying it's for the best, to make sure nothing like that happens again."
"Oh?" Itachi asked with light interest, his tone calm and unjudging. "How do you feel about it?" he quirked a brow lightly as he watched the girl looking down into her tea, taking small sips. Hinata was always so calm and timid, but never a pushover when it came to protecting her siblings. That much was obvious from the very beginning-- something Karin had learned when she had first arrived.
She bit her lip lightly as she pondered the question lightly, knowing that Itachi was never one to rush for answers. Once she was comfortable with how to word it, she admitted, "I don't want to pick a side. Everyone is just upset right now. I understand why Naruto and Karin would feel that way, but it doesn't give them the right to say that Neji doesn't care about Sasuke." she shook her head back and forth lightly.
"Then I can see why Neji feels like its the best chance at avoiding another accident, but he's so busy looking at it from the sand's perspective that he isn't even considering Naruto or Karin's. Not to mention, Sasuke seems like he's trying to do what's best, but he's clearly not really comfortable with seeing them again. Then there's Gaara telling us not to call them his siblings, but this all has to be hard for him." she sighed as her small ramble came to an end, "I just don't want to take a side because I know all the sides make sense. We shouldn't be working against each other."
Itachi was quiet for a moment, not that Hinata minded. It just meant that he was considering all the different angles, she figured. The teen relaxed lightly in the silence, almost startling as she finally heard Itachi's reply. "You are correct. You all shouldn't be working against each other." he mused. "There are no 'sides' to pick. Even if you all are going about it in different ways, you all want the same thing. You want for Sasuke to be safe and for Gaara to remain out of harm's way. Despite the bickering, you all ultimately want for all your siblings to be safe. Perhaps they just need to be reminded of that." Itachi advised, standing to set his cup in the sink.
Taking another long and quiet sip from her cup, Hinata nodded lightly. That was true. She knew none of her siblings would wish harm on each other, even if they were having a disagreement. The question was just how to get them to understand this. By being straight forward or giving a little nudge? Well, Karin and Naruto probably wouldn't be able to just talk it out without starting a fight. Then Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara would probably sense the nudge pretty easily. She'd have to think it over for a bit, she decided.
She stood, finishing her tea and setting it in the sink as well. On habit, she moved to hug Itachi at the waste, who easily returned it by hugging her around the shoulders and giving her a light pat on the head. She gave her thanks, preparing to head back upstairs to change when she heard Itachi suggest, "You are going into territory that we aren't on very good terms with. You should take someone with you." he noted.
Hinata nodded lightly, releasing Itachi from the hug as she tilted her head, "Is Gaara alright to bring?" she suggested. That way it didn't seem like she was picking sides to the others. Seeing Itachi's affirming nod, she gave a light smile. "Thank you. I'll go get dressed then ask him. We can get breakfast on the way."
"Alright, but make sure it's not too sugary. You don't need a sugar high while you're trying to be sneaky," he added, watching as she headed upstairs with a nod of confirmation.
The Hyuuga headed to her room to change from her pajamas. She slipped on a long-sleeved purple shirt with some plain black pants, settling on her normal shoes as well. Her weapon satch was attached to her thigh as usual. She brushed her hair briefly, pulling it back into a low pony-tail. Hinata glanced herself over in the mirror, stretching lightly before moving down the hallway.
She peeked into Gaara's bedroom to find him quietly stretched out of the bed, awake but not quite up yet. She figured she might as well ask now since he had glanced over at her with a slight yawn as she appeared, the red-head sitting up. Hinata noted, "I'm heading to the leaf village to pick up some things from the Hyuuga compound. Want to come with?" tilting her head lightly.
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Gaara shrugged, standing. "Sure. I'll be down soon."
Which had been true, since within ten minutes of Hinata waiting in the living room, Gaara had shown up looking awake and ready to go? He wore a simple brown top with black bottoms, eyeliner as impeccable as always. Hinata smiled thinly in greeting, taking his hand lightly and leading him towards the door. "We can get breakfast on the way. What do you want to eat?" She tilted her head as they headed into the village with an umbrella kept at the doorway, the two sliding on their straw hats too since they'd need them to hide their faces once they left the Rain Village.
He tilted his head, suggesting, "We could get some breakfast burritos." since that way they could request specifics inside. After all, Gaara knew his taste in food differed drastically from his siblings, especially Hinatas. This way they could have what they both wanted.
Hinata seemed happy with this compromise, nodding, "That sounds good to me." giving a slight smile as they headed out of the village. They sat their umbrellas by the front gate as per usual, waving the village guards goodbye. Something suddenly occurred to her as they were walking, the teen blinking lightly as she walked beside Gaara. This was there first time outside the village without any adults with them. Hm. It couldn't be that different, right?
She glanced at Gaara, who was quietly glancing around as they walked. She mused lightly. It was much easier to enjoy the scenery when the others weren't starting arguments every fine minute. The green landscape was fairly calming when combined with the light breeze.
Well, it was, until about halfway through the trip. An echoing and dramatic cry of, "How unyoungthful!" bellowed through the wind, disturbing the peace. Hinata and Gaara both startled at that, glancing at each other. Who in the world-.
They were in the middle of the forest, headed towards Konoha. It was such a secluded path, though. That must mean that the one crying out was a ninja. The only issue with that, though, was the unlikeliness of it. What kind of ninja cried out like that? It would be an idiotic move. Anyone nearby could hear you, for crying out loud! It was a quick road to death.
So the guy must not be very well trained, even if he was a ninja. Gaara mentally sighed, glancing over at his sister who nodded silently in turn. They should probably go check it out, on the off chance that it was a non-ninja. They rather not leave someone helpless in the forest if they could help it. Even if they were from another village, they had been raised better than that.
The two silently headed in the direction of the bellowing voice, stopping when they came to a cramped opening. This section of the forest seemed rather narrow, Hinata noted with a small frown. There were so many trees clumped together that there was barely space for a wagon to pass through. Roots from the trees flowed over the ground, some small, some large and thick. Shadows from the tall trees were cast down, the sun's rays barely passing through to shine a light on the small group.
Looking over the group, Gaara and Hinata both easily realized that these weren't citizens. They were members of the Hidden Leaf ninja system, based on their outfits. It looked like there were a total of four people-- that was standard for most villages. Three ninjas and one kunoichi. There also appeared to be a dog with them for some reason?
The eldest one there was probably their sensei, then. The man looked rather unusual by most people's standards, but neither Hinata nor Gaara noted this. After all, they had grown up in the Akatsuki. It wasn't like the members were known to be particularly social-friendly.
What they did notice, was that one of the members of the team looked like a cloned copy of him. Glancing them both over, Hinata easily noticed the identical bowl-cut and green jumpsuit. The boy must look up to his sensei a lot, Gaara noted. They even shared those eyebrows.
From the looks of it, it had been the jonin to call out. The man had a hand dramatically over his heart, looking at the male ninja that was holding a dog. The boy had short and shaggy brown hair, red markings, and sharp teeth easily identifying him as a member of the Inuzuka clan. The dog was probably a good indicator too, of course. The boy seemed annoyed, the white and brown dog whining against its partner's jacket. "Oh, drop the 'unyoungthful' crap, sensei! We've been out here for days. He's gone! Probably dead! It sucks, but we should collect our losses and head home." he sounded tired, as though he was explaining it to a toddler.
The pink-haired kunoichi agreed with the Inuzuka boy, the girl bobbing her head up and down quickly. Her long pink hair bounced with her head as she agreed, "Exactly, Gai-sensei! I know you miss him, but we haven't seen any sign of him. We just keep running into trouble." she tried to convince him. "Isn't this a job better suited for Kurenai's team? They're the trackers!" she insisted, hands in fits in front of her chest.
So, the guy's name was Gai, then. This 'Gai' didn't seem to care much for his students complaining. The man crossed his arms, looking disappointed. "While it may be true that they are better suited for tracking, there's nothing that compares to our youthful determination! Kakashi is counting on us to rescue him. Out of all the teams, we know him the best." he nodded with a serious look.
His little mini-me piped in, "Gai-sensei is right!" his voice just as loud as his sensei's. "We must continue looking for him! Though we did not see much of him, he is our sensei's eternal rival. Any friend of his is a friend of ours!" he spoke with determination. Hinata and Gaara silently deadpanned-- the boy reminded them a certain idiotic older brother of theirs.
The kunoichi and Inuzuka seemed to give in, both of them sighing with a round of "Yes, sensei." seeming to slump slightly at the choice but otherwise not complaining. Gai nodded in approval, and just as Hinata and Gaara thought the group was about to get moving, the jonin spoke once more.
"Though, you may be correct about us continuously running into trouble. I suppose it's that overrunning mouth of the mine, isn't it?" he chuckled, though his attitude was still rather serious. The kunoichi and Inuzuka seemed ready to agree but were cut off as the jonin ruffled their hairs easily. "No, no. Not you two," he spoke jokingly, glancing over his shoulder and directly towards the tree Hinata and Gaara were hiding in. "I see that a pair of hatchlings couldn't resist their childish urge to eavesdrop. I suppose I can't blame them, but it's rather impolite to not admit to your mistakes," he spoke with a firm nod, moving to face the two teens in the trees.
Hinata and Gaara both startled at this, not expecting to be called out by the ninja. They had previously assumed that he wasn't very skilled in the art of the ninja due to his loud tone. Now, they felt quite foolish. Of course, he was at least somewhat skilled-- he was a jonin. Him being so willing to give away his position most likely meant that he was confident in his abilities. Hinata squeaked lightly, hands moving over her mouth. Oh spirits, had they just been caught spying by one of the more advanced ninjas in the village? Gaara had similar nerves, the boy's eyes widening lightly for a brief second. Oh, this was not good.
Seeing his sister freeze up, Gaara took a breath, leaping down from the trees after sending her a 'shh' motion. His face iced over, looking at the team seriously. The younger ninja had all taken fighting stances, so Gaara's sand lifted into the air threateningly. It seemed like a lingering threat to the enemy ninja, the red-headed boy glaring at them coldly from behind it.
What they didn't know, though, was that this sand wasn't lingering in warning; but rather, in protection. If they dared to move a muscle, Gaara was ready to have it shield both him and Hinata. The red-headed boy stood calmly, ignoring the silent shifts Hinata made in the trees as he spoke with the group. Neither of them knew if they had the power to fight off the group, so they had to hope they could out-smart them.
Gaara's words were calm but full of edge as he spoke, "...Pain told you not to go after us. By looking, you're putting him at death's door." he lied easily. Honestly, it didn't seem like Kakashi was going anywhere any time soon. He seemed close with Itachi, plus their mother and father had said they were trying to come to agreements with the villages.
These people didn't need to know that, though.
Gai had a firm frown, hand lightly motioning his students to stay steady but not yet attack. He eyed the boy, speaking bluntly, "You were one of the kids in the attack on the village. Which means you know where Kakashi is." his voice even stranger to Gaara now that he was up close. So high pitched and low at the same time. "I saw someone else up in the trees. We'll have to bring you both in for questioning."
"I took part in the rescue," Gaara spoke calmly with a nod. "I also know where Kakashi is. Unfortunately, you don't have the authorization to know that," he spoke calmly, sand lightly flowing in front of him in warning, whipping around him swiftly. "I'm here alone. Go ahead and try to take me in, if you think you can." eyes narrowing at the elder shinobi as he moved into a firm fighting stance. He rather avoids conflict if possible, but he wouldn't hesitate if it came down to his and Hinata's safety. His arms crossed in front of his chest, sand swirling into daggers in the air. He tilted his head easily, musing, "Just keep in mind what happened last time your village attacked us."
Gai's mini-me spoke in a loud voice, hand folding behind him in preparation to fight. "How dare you say such things about the noble Leaf Village! We would never attack someone unprovoked." he barked, "The Akatsuki has taken two of the kages from the five shinobi villages. You attacked us without being provoked. The Akatsuki has so far proven themselves to be dishonorable by any standards!"
A pained growl cut off their argument, the small team turning quickly to the sound of pain. The Inuzuka called out angrily, "Hey! Get your hands off Sakura!" the dog falling to the ground in preparation to fight. Gaara's sand moved to circle the entire group, blocking off any outside interference.
Hinata was behind Sakura, single hand pinning both the girls to her back. A kunai was at her throat as well, Hinata's strength undeniable despite her disdain for it. She spoke less calmly than Gaara; more nervously. "Just leave us alone! We came here because we heard you cry out. We were going to help. We didn't want to start a fight, but if you continue to push, we'll have no choice!" hands steady despite her nerves. They wouldn't attack when she was holding this girl hostage, surely.
The enemy shinobi watched the two carefully, the genin looking particularly nervous as the Jonin steadied his eyes on them. The air was painfully thick as Hinata resisted biting her lip, keeping her hold on the girl steady. She eyed the Jonin firmly, her gaze held tightly with the elder ninja. If there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was to never show fear when you held the upper hand. Especially not in front of enemy ninja. Look confident, be confident. Any shows of weakness could lead to the enemies finding a weakness to exploit. Hinata wasn't an idiot-- she knew she had many.
Gaara stood beside her, his sand encasing the area in warning as his eyes iced over. His expression mimicked Hinata's, the teens standing firm as they held their hostage. Neither felt particularly ashamed of it-- after all, it wasn't as though it was unusual for a ninja to be taken captive. It, unfortunately, came with the lifestyle. They of course didn't enjoy it, but it was necessary for some situations. Gaara wouldn't hesitate to crush each and every one of these ninja if they made a move on Hinata, eventual peace negotiations be damned. What was most important right now was that they didn't cast a repeat of Sasuke's earlier situation.
Both of them felt an echo of surprise as they heard the other man's long sigh, a grin propping upon his mouth. What was he so happy about? "Understood." his laugh rumbled from his lips, the genin on his squad looking both started and painfully unsurprised by his words. Hinata and Gaara both blinked heavily in surprise, looking over at the taller man with blunt confusion. Hinata steadied her hand on her kunai, looking doubtful of the cooperation. Gai nodded, as though re-affirming his choice. "Yes, it would not be in the village's best interest to cross paths with the Akatsuki any time soon." he spoke with determination, "We will hold off on our battle between youths until we can truely show you our best!"
...Gaara wasn't really sure that was something you were supposed to say to your enemies, but if it meant they would leave them alone, it would have to do. He felt a mix of disbelief and deadpanning fall over him, the redhead wanting nothing more than to just finish Hinata's little mini-mission. Honestly, it was a good thing Karin wasn't here or she'd let them know just how idiotic it was to say that. To be fair, though, most of their siblings would probably be ready to meet the man halfway in agreement. Even Sasuke might have played along, if Gaara was being honest with himself.
Hinata watched the man, listening as he declared his plans for a good fight someday. She spoke with equal determination that Gaara wasn't quite ready for. He knew his sister could get heated when it came to her family, but he sincerely hoped she knew what she was saying. "We have no interest in a battle between youths!" nodding firmly as the man deadpanned in shock. The Inuzuka's hand rose up into a face-palm while both the men in green jumpsuits face-faulted. Gaara mentally grimaced. Oh, sister.
The man's mini-me stepped forward, Hinata momentarily gripping the kunai until it became clear that it wasn't an offensive movement. The teen rose his hand to his heart, speaking loud enough that Gaara and Hinata had to resist covering their ears. "I am Lee of the Leaf Village, and I have to say, your disrespect for the youthful lifestyle is unbelievable!" he bellowed, seeming completely serious with his words.
Hinata listened to him, shaking her head back and forth as she heard his resolute words. She mentally paused, having to take a moment to figure out how to word it so that Lee would understand what she meant. Finally, she nodded with a measured smile, "Youngth is important, but why force them to battle? Have them come together!" she spoke loudly, Gaara barely recognizing his sister as she mimicked their attitude. It seemed like she was having fun with it, though, a large grin printed over her face. Gaara silently mused, it seemed almost like she was playing a game based on her attitude.
Lee seemed as though he had entered a new world of possibilities, the dramatic boy nodding in excitement. His eyes sparkled, pumping his fist up and down as he heard her speak. "This would be a lovely idea, if the Akatsuki would stop attacking the leaf!" he nodded quickly, a vein of annoyance propping up on Sakura's forehead as he spoke. The girl was clearly annoyed at the way Lee spoke, combined with Hinata's willingness to go along with it for the sake of discussion.
"The Akatsuki might stop attacking if the leaf leaves them alone!" Hinata declared, nodding up and down quickly. "There have been talks within the Akatsuki about a cease-fire between them and the villages, so long as the villages agree to negotiate with them!" Gaara mentally deadpanning. Well, they had to find out eventually. It was better they know now if it lowered the chances of them being attacked. Besides, Nagato had already told them he would be delivering the news to both the villages. Surely, he had done it by now.
Gai looked enthralled with the possibility of 'the youths working 'side by side', since he interjected with a question of, "If these negotiations are possible, why hasn't the leaf been informed yet? It could save so many beautiful and young lives!" his hands moving around wildly. Gaara looked around briefly, eyeing Sakura and the Inuzuka as if to ask if this was normal. They both looked painfully used to this sort of thing happening. Gaara was momentarily thankful that the rain village didn't have the normal genin system. It seemed tiring.
Hinata tilted her head, pumping her fist in mimicry of the elder two as she spoke with confusion, "I don't know! The Akatsuki said they were going to tell the villages!" she assured them, Gai and Lee both looking startled by this revelation. Gaara silently tilted his head. Had they not received the message? Both Hinata and Gaara knew for a fact that Nagato had said he would be speaking with both villages face-to-face.
The Inuzuka nodded in confirmation, speaking loudly but in a much more relaxed fashion. "Yeah, we're pretty damn sure. The Jonin woulda heard about it by now if a letter of something had arrived. Plus my clan would need to sniff it out to make sure its real and everything." he assured, hand waving back and forth lightly in dismissal.
Gaara rested his hand on his chin as he listened, speaking calmly with a shake of his head, "We never sent out a letter. Fa-" he cleared his throat, "Pain told us that he would make sure the message was personally delivered. He said he had spoken with both the sand siblings and the council. It's possible that the council refused his request, though I'm not sure why he wouldn't have told us, if that was the case." he pointed out. Nagato would have told them if the leaf had rejected the offer, right? The man seemed to be preparing to go to the peace negotiations no problem. So why on earth would this be the case if the leaf had said no?
Hinata felt a small swell of panic rise in her chest as a thought crossed her mind. She could still remember the story Nagato had told her and the others.
Kakuzu had been telling them war stories from the different ninja wars he had participated in throughout the years. The children had all stared up at the man, starry-eyed and impressed as they listened to the many roles the man had played in each one. The children had soon taken to splitting into teams, 'playing war' in the back yard. Kakuzu, Kisame, and Hidan had watched over them with amusement as they pretended to bleed out or face betrayal.
Sasori, Itachi, Nagato, and Konan hadn't thought it was anywhere near as funny.
That was a talk Hinata didn't really care to remember. The sad eyes that the normally proud and serious ninja wore had been unsettling, to say the least. As the four had vividly explained why war was not meant to be fun nor a game, the kids had each felt guilt well in their stomachs.
The way Sasori had lost his parents in the war, forcing him to live with his grandmother. The way he had taken to puppets as a form of coping, which had eventually led him to run away and join the Akatsuki, leaving any form of love behind until he met the Deidara and the kids.
There was also Itachi's poor tale, the way he'd seen war for the first time when he was younger than any of them had been. The way he had made his first kill before he had learned to write. The echoing screams of his teammates as they fell around him, one by one. The way the war had torn his best friend's loving smile from his face.
It had merely been the icing on the cake when Nagato and Konan had explained what had happened to their brother, Yakiko. The way he had gone to the leaf in hopes of helping to end war, but was instead met with a knife in the back. The way the leaf had merely shoved it under the rug, never speaking of it again. The way they would never see their brother alive and well after that, his cheerful smile gone for good.
The kids hadn't played war again after that, the story of their uncle Yahiko who they'd never get to meet lingering in the back of their minds.
It was for this reason both Gaara and Hinata quickly understood what was happening, a look of terror overcoming Hinata's face while Gaara silently gripped his hands by his side. Hinata spoke seriously, her voice leaving no room for argument as she spoke to Gai, "If you're truely interested in peace, we'll need to ask for a favor." removing the kunai from Sakura's throat as she pushed the girl over towards her team. The leaf ninja looked unsettled by their sudden change in attitude, but nodded.
Hinata looked over to Gai, speaking gravely, "Tell the other jonin who would agree to a meeting that we want peace. As many as you can. Don't let the council keep our offer silent." the girl hoping she was doing the right thing. Based on the sincere nod she received from Gai, she had a feeling she was.
"We'll be sure to spread the word!" he spoke firmly, seeing the eerie seriousness of the two teens. "I would like to make a request, however." his playful and goofy attitude seemingly gone for the moment. Gaara and Hinata tilted their heads, listening as Gai spoke, "During this meeting, I'd like you to bring Kakashi Hatake, the man you took hostage. His testimony will act as a show of good faith. How you've treated him should speak wonders for how dedicated you are in wanting to find peace."
They didn't see much issue with it, since Kakashi was pretty much an ally by this point. He probably didn't even count as a hostage anymore, if Gaara was honest. "We'll see what we can do." the red-head agreed. "I'm sure it's possible."
Gai seemed pleased with this agreement, nodding firmly to the rain ninja, one hand held on both Sakura and Lee's shoulder. Kiba was standing nearby, the three genin looking interested in this new idea of peace, even if they couldn't stand the way they had been forced to listen to Lee and Gai's excited rambling in order to get to it. It would have to do, they supposed, a light sigh of exasperation and mild amusement leaving their lips as they saw their allies' grins.