Chapter 12.
Hinata was in her favorite teahouse, patiently waiting for a friend to arrive. Sakura was forty minutes late, not an unusual occurrence nowadays. She was basically managing the hospital since Tsunade and Shizune left Konoha. Even the lunchbreaks that she was supposed to have were often ignored in favor of another urgent matter that Sakura had to attend. Seeing her friend work so hard gave Hinata mixed feelings. She admired the pink-haired kunoichi, striving to follow her example and become better herself. However, comparing her own achievements with Sakura's never failed to dampen the Hyuga woman's mood. It wasn't helpful in the least, but Hinata couldn't prevent herself from feeling inferior to her friends sometimes.
All her friends seemed busy with work, with many becoming clan heads after the war. She could imagine their workload going through the roof in these times of crisis. With others working so diligently, Hinata once again felt useless. She was no longer given active duty, she was not involved with Hyuga clan matters, and whatever job she did manage to get was more or less her volunteering to help her friends however she could.
Naturally, with no full-time job, she threw herself into training. She spent hours upon hours every day in a desperate attempt to catch up to her comrades. Kakashi's regimen improved her progress immensely, and after only three months she could feel herself being considerably stronger than before, in every way. She was determined to keep working hard, no matter the circumstance. If she couldn't do anything right now doesn't mean she won't need to later. In the meantime, she needed to keep in touch with her friends, in case any news regarding the opposition arise.
Looking out the window in case she spots her friend, Hinata wondered how great it would be to have a portable phone. She would call Sakura and ask where she was and when was she coming. Just as she began entertaining the idea of feasibility of mobile phones, she saw her arrived friend's form behind the glass.
"Hey," she heard Sakura call her as soon as the woman stepped foot inside the cafe. "Sorry for being so late, work's driving me nuts!"
Hinata smiled understandingly. "Trouble with technicians again?"
"This time it's a nurse," pinkette groaned irritatedly, plopping on the chair opposite to Hinata. "I swear they don't read the standard operating procedures at all! It's always the new ones that manage to mess up, and it's always me who has to fix everything after them!"
"Well, it's understandable if they are new at work, they have no experience after all."
"Tell that to Tsunade-shishou," Sakura scoffed. "She chewed me out every time I did something wrong, and let me tell you, my mistakes were nothing compared to the things I see from those people on a daily basis."
"That's different. You were her apprentice, she had high standards for you."
"And I have reasonable expectations of my own colleagues. Is it so hard to call a pharmacy and investigate why a drug was removed from the regimen?! I don't have to do everything myself!" her pink-haired friend said loudly, throwing hands in the air.
Sakura often tended to get excited easily, especially if she was angry or upset. She noticed her lack of indoor voice made some of the customers look their way with disapproval. Apologizing sheepishly, the medic finally picked up the menu.
"So," she started, much quieter than moments ago, "got any news?"
"Nothing interesting. I was hoping you'd tell me something, actually."
In truth, there was so much to tell, but it all revolved around Kakashi, and Sakura wasn't comfortable discussing it in a public place. Or rather, such action was not sensible considering the circumstances.
"Well, there is one thing I'd like to speak with you about, but I can't talk about it now," she finally gave in.
"We can meet again after work, at my house," Hinata suggested understandingly.
"Sure," her friend replied. She then playfully narrowed her eyes, "So it's your house now, huh?"
Hinata did not miss the insinuation in Sakura's tone.
"You know what I mean," she said, pouting. Anyway, she lived there, so she might as well call it her place for simplicity's sake. Calling it "Kakashi's house" sounded weird, considering that they were married and lived together.
They talked a bit more about other inconsequential matters, enjoying their desserts before parting. Sakura promised to visit later that evening. She was also hoping to see her sensei while at it. Apparently, it's been quite some time since they had a casual conversation. All the times the medic interacted with Kakashi lately had been exclusively concerning work.
Hinata wondered if Sakura knew about Kakashi's plans, remembering how assuredly Sakura defended him. She never said anything disapproving about him, dismissing every rumor about her former teacher. Kakashi's student was as adamant in defending him as was his wife. Hinata wouldn't be surprised if he included Sakura in his plans. If he was willing to tell Hinata so much, then there was no doubt Sakura was privy to even more. Plus, Sakura was an important figure in Konoha's hospital, so there was even more sense in letting her know.
Trying to skip some time, Hinata wandered around, exploring Konoha's streets. Most of the destroyed streets were restored back to how they were before the war, but she still noticed minor differences here and there. Like how the streets seemed dirtier, less maintained. Where the streets once bustled with activity now only empty spaces remained. Hinata knew it had to do with more than just the depletion of Konoha population and the post-war crisis. Danzou's regime did not approve of large public gatherings, which in turn made it nearly impossible for a group of friends to hang out together on the street. It always started with little things, she thought ruefully, eyeing the desolate public spaces of Konoha. People still went out to have fun, be it at the park or a bar; it were the miscellaneous little nooks that lacked life nowadays. Hinata remembered old men playing shogi on the tables outside, bands of teenagers gathering at the promenade playing music and sharing laughter; she remembered the buzz of women's benign gossip and the boom of the firework blasts during festivals… Nowadays everything seemed duller and ill-natured. The elderly were embittered, youngsters scared, gossip has become vicious (she'd know, she experienced it firsthand), even festivities no longer felt like a holiday. How could they, when Danzou's Root was around every corner? Monitoring, overseeing, controlling – these seemed to be the motto of their new Hokage.
Hinata felt familiar anger make itself known in her mind. No longer having the mood for a walk, she turned and went straight back home. The new area she was passing through on her way felt more packed with its new buildings, constricting. Tall and looming over the streets, they were plain and identical, transforming once bustling neighbourhoods full of charm into dull residential areas. Fortunately, only a fraction of the village received such "renovations". Konoha simply had no need for new buildings, since they have pretty much rebuilt after the war, and the village had no money to turn this initiative into a large-scale reform. It was amazing how in a span of less than a year Konoha was able to rise back up, its citizens, both shinobi and civilian alike, combining forces to restore their home. Too bad they couldn't cooperate like that again when it came to other things…
In her frustration Hinata almost passed by a certain piece of "folk art" on the fence to her side. Tracing back a few steps, the Hyuga frowned when her suspicions turned out to be correct. There was yet another demeaning graffity of Kakashi. Lately more and more of those started popping up at random places. Konoha maintenance workers had their hands full with erasing or painting such things over. They seemed to only get rid of the ones that were about Danzou, though. Hinata could've sworn that the inscription on the alley fence involved Danzou and Kakashi together a day ago. Now, however, the insults were only about Kakashi, any mentions of Danzou have mysteriously disappeared. This was just a suspicion, but she was sure it was no coincidence. There was no point in erasing only a part of a graffity. Unless the workers were too lazy to finish their job, it was clear that they had no qualms about leaving untouched any insult directed at her husband.
She studied the offending image on the fence, anger filling her with every second she looked at it. There was no mistake, just yesterday she saw workers painting it over! It used to depict Danzou and Kakashi partaking in a certain sexual activity, with Danzou standing behind Kakashi who was on all fours. The fallic imagery was drawn with exaggeration, and now, with Danzou's body painted over, it only increased the focus on the more vulgar part of the picture. Offensive remarks underneath just added to the insult.
Despite the air temperature approaching negative values, Hinata felt herself boil with rage. A strong and quite unusual urge to punch someone or something suddenly washed over her. She very nearly came to destroying the fence itself, reminding herself at the last moment that it still was state property, and the money spent on reparing it could have been spent on something more useful. Instead, she looked around, hoping the damn workers left their paint after finishing their job of erasing Danzou and leaving Kakashi. Thankfully, there was a can of yellow paint stashed under a moldering plank just at the base of the fence. Arming herself with her discovery, she went to properly paint over the abomination that people called protest. Half-an-hour, and the angry red of the graffity was replaced with the calm yellow of a newly painted fence. Satisfied with her work, she put the paint back where she'd found it and proceeded to continue with her walk. And so help her if she sees anyone paint another graffity…
Deciding that training would be perfect to blow off her steam, she went straight to the backyard once she arrived home. Hinata wasn't surprised to find that her husband was already there, clearly having been training for some time already. He seemed to be practicing ninjutsu, standing there in the middle with an expression of extreme concentration. Sensing her, the man slightly inclined his head and murmured a greeting.
"Hey," she greeted in return. "You are early."
Kakashi just nodded, all focus back on whatever jutsu he was performing. She was about to begin her own routine, when she heard him speak.
"You smell weird," he told her, sniffing visibly to confirm his observation.
"You know just the right words when talking to a girl," she teased, chuckling. Honestly, even Sai should know by now that this kind of statement was a sure taboo.
"It's just normally your smell is different, so I couldn't help but ask if something happened."
Hinata wondered if this was how Kakashi was so good at discerning others' states of mood. Afterall, a person's smell changes when they feel some strong emotions, be it fear, anger or other forms of stress.
Kakashi didn't interrupt his jutsu, still attempting to converse while concentrating. At least he had the decency to look sheepish. Hinata decided to humor her husband.
"How do I normally smell?" she asked innocently.
Kakashi felt himself falling into a trap. He thought it wise to simply tell the truth this time.
"Pleasant," he answered. Simple and true.
Hinata just hummed in response, before asking another question.
"And how do I smell now? What is different?"
That was a question he knew the answer for.
"Like cheap paint." Easy reply. So far so good.
He watched his wife from the corner of his eye, and his answer seemed to disturb her. Didn't he tell her the truth? His initial assumption was that she helped someone paint their house or something of sorts. Hence the paint smell. However, seeing her reaction now made him doubt his assessment. Could it be that it was her new perfume? Like an aroma of the season or something equally fleeting, like most fashion trends were these days.
"You can smell it?" she asked, bewildered. "Even though I used it to paint a small wall for about twenty minutes?!"
"Why are you acting so surprised?" he countered, relieved that his initial guess was correct, and he didn't say anything offensive. "Your teammate, Kiba, I bet he could smell it too."
"Yeah, but he is Inuzuka."
"So what?"
That seemed to perplex her even further. She considered his words, there was no reason for him to not have a keen sense of smell, if you really thought about it. After all, it wasn't unique to Inuzukas only. After looking at it from that angle, Hinata recovered.
"Is there anything you are not good at?" she jokingly complained.
"Well, I am not good at talking to people."
"What's true is true."
"Aren't you supposed to comfort me instead of driving the dagger deeper?" he deadpanned.
"Are you supposed to tell a girl that she smells weird?" she quipped back with a smirk.
"It's true, though."
"Then it's good that we are both honest with each other." She smiled, "It's also good that we both can amend our issues."
"If you put it that way, then surely learning social interactions is harder than changing your smell?" He too felt like smiling. Although his banter with Hinata was not as aggressive as with Hanabi, it was equally enjoyable.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to help you," Hinata said, already feeling refreshed five minutes into her warm-up. "What are you doing anyway? You've been standing here with an intense look the whole time."
Kakashi sighed, finally breaking his concentration. "It's a new jutsu I am trying to develop. As you know, I no longer have the Sharingan," he started explaining, still feeling a little self-conscious. "Without it, performing Chidori or any of its variations, like the Lightning Blade, is extremely dangerous – I would simply move too fast for me to see things properly. It kind of causes a tunnel vision, so there is a risk of becoming vulnerable to a counterattack."
"I see. I also suppose that because you move so fast, you cannot maneuver it very well, making it even more dangerous," Hinata supplied.
It was as she said. His signature technique was now almost useless to him. When the Fourth Shinobi War ended, he hadn't given it much thought, but now he felt the absence of his strongest weapon keenly. During his missions, which were much safer and far in between, he still managed to struggle somewhat. He was so used to his Sharingan and his most reliable jutsu that he instinctively kept summoning it at the battlefield. Thankfully, his skill so far had allowed him to perform Chidori unscathed, but he knew that against more seasoned opponents there was no chance of him not to run into a counterattack.
Hinata must have sensed his gloomy mood. "You still can use it, right? You can immobilize your opponent and finish them off with your Lightning Blade," she suggested, attempting to cheer him up. Only after the words left her lips did she realize how stupid that sounded. What was the point of wasting such a powerful technique to do something that a kunai or any other offensive jutsu could accomplish just as effectively?
"That's true, I suppose." Kakashi looked down unenthusiastically. "Although it still diminishes the technique's use a lot," he replied, pretty much confirming her thoughts.
Hinata could clearly see that the loss of Sharingan and his signature technique was a sore spot for her husband. She could only imagine how it felt for him to give up on his Chidori: to lose something you worked so hard to invent and perfect; something you were once so proud of…
"Kakashi," she started, mustering her most convincing expression. "The Sharingan does not define you, nor does your Chidori. It never did. Even without them you are one of the best ninjas in our village. The fact that you are trying to overcome it by inventing a new jutsu is a proof of your character." She smiled, giving him an encouraging pat on a shoulder, "Besides, I'm sure that new jutsu of yours will be just as awesome."
She seemed to succeed in her efforts. Kakashi smiled, letting out a relieved chuckle and stopping his concentration once again to properly thank his wife.
"You are right. My Chidori had done its job in the past years. It's time for me to create something new," he said, determination filling his whole being.
"That's my Kakashi!" Hinata exclaimed happily. "Now, show me what you've got."
If Hinata knew what effect her words would make on her husband, she would've felt much less embarrassed for uttering them. Kakashi stood dumbstruck with a goofiest expression she had ever witnessed on his masked face. Seeing him like that made her slightly less self-conscious about making all the moves herself. Somebody had to, afterall, she reasoned. And it wasn't likely to be her husband, who wouldn't see a hint even if it hit him in the face.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was slowly returning to his usual operating mode.
"Right," he cleared his throat, beginning to explain the rationale behind his new jutsu.
After a short summary of his progress, which, admittedly was not much, Copy Nin sat himself comfortably to listen to any feedback from the Hyuga master.
"So, you are essentially combining two jutsus?" Hinata concluded, trying her best to understand all the advanced theory Kakashi had been dumping on her over the course of the past twenty minutes.
"Simply put, yes," her husband affirmed. "You see, the Chidori was actually my attempt to copy Minato-sensei's Rasengan. I tried to use the same methodology but adding lightning chakra instead of wind."
"And now you are trying to add an anti-sealing jutsu on top of that," she finished, starting to get where Kakashi was coming from. A jutsu that could be used offensively and also break seals would be extremely useful. "But isn't it pretty hard, layering one jutsu on top of another?"
"Precisely," Kakashi replied. "Which is why I am not doing that."
"Now I am confused," Hinata furrowed her dainty brows, which never failed to elicit a mushy feeling in Kakashi's head.
"How many people do you know who can seemingly effortlessly combine jutsu?" the Jounin asked by way of answering her confusion.
'Hmm, maybe just one…' she thought right before voicing her thoughts.
"Naruto" they both said in unison, Hinata giggling while Kakashi nodded approvingly.
"Naruto can make about a dozen different variations of Rasengan, with different chakra natures, different sizes and different ways of performing it. For him, it is pretty much intuitive, since he has so much chakra, but for an ordinary ninja it would be extremely hard."
"I see… So Naruto-kun can combine techniques because the loss of chakra that accompanies such a process is not significant for him," Hinata stated, looking at her husband for affirmation.
"Indeed," he nodded, impressed by her knowledge of the concept."Simply speaking, Naruto has so much chakra that he can allow himself not to care about the massive increase in the cost of such a combined jutsu compared to performing them individually."
"But how does that help your case?"
"Ah, this is where it gets interesting…"
And so Kakashi proceeded to give his wife another lecture on chakra theory and ninjutsu. He looked so passionate when telling her about Second, Third and Fourth Hokages' research that Hinata couldn't bring herself to interrupt him, even though she didn't know half the terminology that left his masked lips. He presented such a teacherly image that the woman found herself unwittingly losing focus, spellbound by the pleasant voice of her husband.
"… and in concordance with Tobirama Senju's postulate on the transformation of chakra during chakra manipulation, it would make sense! Especially because Minato-sensei's own inventions were heavily inspired by Lord Second's contributions, so my own technique which is not dissimilar to sensei's has significant advantages over the conventional method of layering one jutsu on top of another," Kakashi made a pause, noticing his wife's absent expression. "Sorry, I am boring you with all the rambling."
Hinata, who so far had been in a daze, immediately sprung to reassure her husband.
"No, not at all," she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. She couldn't just say that she couldn't pay attention because she was admiring him, could she? "I-I, uh, just trying to keep up. We never studied this topic in such depth at the Academy," she tried to improvise an excuse. Afterall, it was true; they never did study advanced ninjutsu.
"It's fine," Kakashi dismissed, "I know that this is not the most interesting stuff…"
"I think I understand your intentions overall," Hinata felt that she needed to add before Kakashi gets too upset. "And if I understand it correctly, you are trying to mimic the bloodline limit techniques."
"It is kind of like bloodline limits!" Kakashi exclaimed, eyes widening in realization. "Hinata, did I ever tell you that you are amazing?"
Said woman only blushed in response, muttering that he could stand doing it more often. She couldn't bring herself to repeat her words louder and more clearly when he asked, so she tried to return the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"I said that your idea is amazing," she replied instead. "It could revolutionize ninjutsu!"
It was Kakashi's turn to get embarrassed this time. "I wouldn't say 'revolutionize'…"
"What are you talking about? If what you are saying is true, then it might be possible to potentially seal a jutsu and use it in a one-off way. Even those who don't know the technique would be able to perform it!" Hinata argued, feeling immense pride for her husband. She could already imagine kids learning from books written by Kakashi Hatake. Oh, sweet dreams...
"Disposable jutsu? Come on, that's a dream," Kakashi replied, feeling uncharacteristically humble from Hinata's praise. "Anyway, your remark about bloodline limits sparked an idea as to why I failed to stabilize my technique."
Copy Nin was truly astonished at the overlook he'd been making up until this point. Had Hinata not told him about it, he might have never even considered such a possibility. Sometimes a second perspective was what one needed to progress, he thought smiling to himself.
"Alright, I'm ready to test it out," he said, turning to his wife with a grateful smile. "I'm sure you have your own practice, so I won't be taking your time any longer."
"Yeah, let's start training," Hinata agreed. "You'll show me your progress afterwards."
"You got a deal," Kakashi replied, returning to his creative process with renewed vigor.
They spent the rest of the time training in silence, each doing their own thing, until Hinata's eyes caught a bright flash before a booming sound of explosion broke out from behind. She turned towards where the sound came from, only to see Kakashi lying on the ground, coughing from the smoke. Worried, she immediately ran to his aid. It looked like his new jutsu backfired on him.
"Thanks," he croaked, standing up with her help and shaking off.
First thing Hinata did after asking if he was alright was to carefully inspect him. The sleeve on his right hand was tattered, with scorch marks on the edges of what little fabric that remained. Interestingly, the only part of his arm that received any damage was his hand. Even upon a brief glance she saw that it was burned.
"Give me your hands," she ordered. "What happened?"
"It was the jutsu," he replied flatly, confirming her suspicions. "As you can see, I failed." And just as he thought that he'd finally figured everything out. What was he missing?
Something told Hinata that Kakashi's frustration was more due to him failing the jutsu, and not nearly killing himself in the process. She couldn't help but make her exasperation show as she thought about how inconsiderate of his health her husband was sometimes.
She carefully peeled a ruined glove from his right hand. The burns on his hand were severe enough to warrant medical attention, with skin turning pale pink and small blisters forming on his palm.
"You should be more careful. What would you do if the explosion was stronger?" she admonished, leading him inside the house to get his injuries treated. "Is that how you created Chidori? By burning your hands with electricity until you figured out how to control it?"
"I admit that I had similar problems back then whith Chidori," he started carefully, hand habitually going to the back of his head, only to wince from a sharp shot of pain, "but still, Chidori came more naturally to me." He made sure not to touch anything with his burned hand from that point. If the pain hadn't stopped him from touching anything, then Hinata's stern look surely had.
Hinata ushered him inside a bathroom, running a tap for Kakashi to put his hands under.
"Put your hand under the water," she ordered after making sure the water was lukewarm. "I'm going to find something to cover it."
With those words she went on her search, leaving him to do as she bid. He didn't understand what all the fuss was about, it was just a little burn. He had worse wounds in the past. He stitched himself for crying out loud!
Hinata came in just as quickly as she left, cutting off his internal rant with an authoritative voice.
"Keep it under the water for some more time," she said, stopping his attempt to move his hand.
"It's just some second-degree superficial burns, no need to fret," he grumbled.
His statement seemed to stop Hinata in her tracks.
"How do you know?" she asked, not hiding her impressed tone.
Kakashi smiled, remembering his genin team getting amazed at his every action. It was somewhat even more pleasant to know that he could impress his wife so.
"I am an elite ninja; these kinds of things are a must to know."
"I have seen many so called 'elite ninjas' to not know a single thing about first aid," Hinata commented dryly. "It's as if they skipped even the academy lessons."
"Then they are fools," was his confident reply. "You cannot call yourself a good ninja if you can't treat your own wounds."
"Then you must know why your burns must be treated?" his wife challenged, carefully taking his injured hand with her smaller ones. "Superficial does not mean you can ignore it."
Her gentle touch clashed with the stern way she was talking. Perhaps it even contributed to his compliance. It was hard to resist reason and kindness.
"Alright, you win," he knew when to concede, "but I am not going to a hospital." Just as he knew when to press the bargain. There was no way he goes to a hospital, especially with Hinata, like some child brought by his mommy.
"Lucky for you," Hinata answered, rolling her eyes, "I happen to know medical jutsu."
She proceeded to prove it once again by healing his hand, a faint green glow emanating from her own palms. Kakashi watched with fascination as the blisters disappeared, the power of medical ninjutsu never ceasing to amaze him. He wondered who first had the idea to use chakra for healing, thinking that he himself would never come up with something like that when he set to create Chidori. No, all Kakashi cared about in his youth was to become stronger. The whole point of his invention of Chidori was to have a jutsu that could challenge his teacher's Rasengan.
"That's a very useful jutsu," he said as if he was seeing it for the first time, examining his healed hand and flexing it for good measure. The sting of the burn was still there, but it no longer felt like touching anything would bring a lot of pain.
"It is," Hinata agreed. "Doesn't mean you can go ahead and injure yourself again, though. You'll still need to give it some time to rest and heal completely. Your burns were serious enough despite what you say, and they still need to heal by themselves."
"I always wondered how does one feel when performing medical jutsu," Kakashi said absently and was surprised when Hinata responded.
"It feels like you are intruding, but at the same time you are completely welcomed," she said, before a sudden idea struck her. "Kakashi, I think I found a way for your jutsu to work!"
"Really?" Kakashi said, still absent, before his wife's words registered. "Wait, really?!"
Hinata nodded enthusiastically.
"There is this book in Konoha library… I can show you. I may not be an expert like Sakura, but I could at least give you pointers and explain the basics if need be."
"No need to sell yourself short. I've seen other medics perform Mystical Palm Technique, and you are as good, if not better than them. In fact, your chakra feels much gentler than an average medic's. I would be honored to learn from you."
Kakashi's praise was so thick Hinata couldn't help but feel it was undeserved. "Flattery won't save you from this," she said, lifting a box of cling film. As expected, her husband groaned like a petulant child.
"Must you do it?" he complained, watching her wrap the plastic film around his hand. The wrap was uncomfortable and made his hand feel too warm and sticky for his liking.
"That's to make sure you don't touch anything with your bare hand," she retorted.
"Just admit you are doing this to take revenge. We both know my hand is healed enough and doesn't need any further protection."
"Say any more and I will report your injury to Sakura," Hinata threatened, her voice reminding Kakashi of the way she talked to Hanabi when the brat messed something up. "I'm sure she'll find a more appropriate treatment option."
"Alright, alright," he saw no point in arguing. He'd take Hinata's revenge over Sakura's any day, no need to snitch. "I'll keep the wrapping." For now. "So, about that idea of yours..."
Hinata nodded again, beckoning for him to follow. Perhaps Kakashi wasn't as hopeless at looking after himself as she thought.
"Do you think I will be able to apply that idea of yours by tomorrow?"
'Wait what?' Hinata let out a sigh. Of course.
"I guess nothing would convince you to take more care in this sort of things. You can't expect to start doing this just after you got yourself burned," she scolded, gesturing to his injuries.
"I told you before, I'm special," Kakashi grinned. "Besides, I have already made some solid progress. I figured out all the theory, I think. With your help, I'm sure we'll create the best lightning jutsu yet."
Hinata noticed that somehow, they managed to already leave the house, her legs taking her outside for no reason, other than just continue to be in his company.
Thankfully, the library was nearly empty by the time the pair entered the building. The last thing Hinata wanted was to see people glaring at her husband or sending her sympathetic looks. Finding the exact row and shelf, Hinata located the book in question.
"Here," she said, putting the tome on the table and opening it. "Chapter 13: Physiology of Kekkei Genkai," she read aloud, "there is a small passage about bloodline limits that always got me curious."
With those words, she pointed on the part of the chapter that contained the relevant information.
Kakashi quickly skimmed the words, his eyes widening after each sentence he read.
"Hinata, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked, re-reading the chapter, this time paying more attention to its contents.
"If you mean that the same principles could be applied to your situation, then yes," his wife nodded with a smile.
Kakashi was flabbergasted. Teamwork was once again saving his sorry hide, it seemed. Hinata, with her medical background was of huge help to him today. If he wasn't sure before, now he was certain that if not for her, then he probably would've been stuck in the theory stage for a very long time.
"The Effect of Chakra Reserves Size on the Aptitude of Jutsu Learning: A Retrospective Observational Study… chakra transformation… elemental vs non-elemental as covariates… subgroup analysis…" Kakashi read the words not fully believing how he had lucked out with such a resourceful wife. "It does not answer our question, but it is more than enough to get us started," he said, satisfied with Hinata's finding.
"I'm glad," was all his wife said, a content smile adornig her face.
"Hm, this book doesn't seem like your usual medical literature," Kakashi commented, flipping through the pages curiously.
"It's not," Hinata confirmed. "I just like reading stuff like that to expand my knowledge."
"I wonder who the author is."
With those words, Kakashi closed the manuscript, revealing the names of the authors. A single name was written right underneath the title. Despite the fading ink, it was clear who wrote the book.
"Orochimaru," Hinata gasped, "could it be…"
"It's him," Kakashi affirmed. Afterall, there were not many Orochimarus who had no last name and did scientific research. "Look what I found, in the contributions section," he pointed at the bottom part of the first page.
"Tsunade Senju."
Orochimaru and Tsunade were friends and teammates long ago. It would make sense that the scientist would receive help from the leading medic of the village. Deciding that they had enough revelations for today, the pair proceeded to rent the book and go home.
"Wow," Hinata was unable to hold her excitement once they left the facility, the book safely stored in her bag. "Isn't it so cool! I mean, this book is practically an artifact from the legendary Sannin!"
Kakashi chuckled, steam letting out from under his mask in the outside chill. Sometimes Copy Nin forgot that with all her maturity and maternal behavior, Hinata was still an eighteen-year-old girl who had the likes of Ino and Tenten as her batchmates. He couldn't help but pat her head affectionately.
Hinata, who did not want Kakashi to treat her like a child started to pout. Before she could voice her opinion, she felt his hand sliding down her head's side and tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The Hyuga froze at the unexpected action.
'Didn't you want his attention to be more adult-like?' echoed a traitorous voice in her head.
And now when he was actually doing it she was getting embarrassed? No way. Mustering all the courage she had, Hinata clasped his hand which had already began moving away and returned it back to her cheek. The warmth she felt right after was not just from Kakashi's gloved hand on her skin.
Copy Ninja himself was surprised at his wife's actions. However, it did not register in his pragmatic mind that her intentions were a little more than an attempt to warm herself. He put his second hand on her other cheek, rubbing her face gently.
Just when Hinata started leaning into the touch she felt him remove his hands.
"Are you warm now?" he asked, tightening the scarf around her neck. "Why don't you wear your gloves?"
"Really?" she asked sarcastically, disbelief at her dense husband practically seeping through her voice. She didn't get to ponder on her cruel fate as a flurry of white flakes started to fall around them. "Oh, look! It's snowing."
"Really." Kakashi followed her gaze, indeed it was beginning to snow. "And you are right, it is snowing. So you better put those gloves on."
Hinata sent him a mock glare before following his advice. She'll get through to that thick skull of her husband's later.
"Come on, we are already outside. Let's have a little detour on our way home," she urged instead. "You can tell me everything about your ideas on that jutsu of yours."
Hinata pulled him ahead, suddenly playful with the change in weather.
"Alright," he chuckled, "just let me put my scarf on and we can go."
They donned their winter clothes and left the library premises, going for a walk. Hinata never saw Kakashi wear anything apart from his uniform, but this time he sported a warm jacket, with a khaki colored scarf completing the ensemble. He looked so different in casual clothes, almost more relaxed. More approachable. He seemed to notice her staring at him, and she felt her face heat up for being caught.
"I've never seen you wear anything other than your uniform," she said, attempting to explain herself.
"I used to wear this scarf every day when I was a kid." He touched the aged fabric of his scarf. "Now I just take it when it's particularly cold, like today."
Of course, he would be the type to keep things forever until they could no longer be used. The scarf was battered, its color fading and the seams coming out of the edges. She even spotted a hole in it! Hinata took a mental note to buy him a new scarf.
"Does this scarf… have a special meaning to you?" she asked, trying to gauge if he'd be okay with wearing another.
"Not really," was his nonchalant reply. "It just seemed as a waste not to use a perfectly good scarf."
'Perfectly good, my foot,' the Hyuga woman thought. Even a homeless person would have a better scarf. Maybe she should buy him a scarf that he will surely hate, just to teach him a lesson. She'd make sure to throw his own words at him, that it would be a waste not to use a perfectly good scarf. Yes, she smiled devilishly, she could gift him something outrageous! A ridiculous color, perhaps, like pink, or maybe purple.
"Purple," she muttered, suddenly remembering their training this afternoon.
"What?"
"I just remembered," she turned to Kakashi, who still tried to figure out why his wife had a scary smile one moment and a look of revelation another. It frightened him a little if he were being honest. "When you exploded your jutsu, I saw a flash of light, and I think it had some purple in it."
"You saw it too? I thought maybe it was the flash from explosion affecting my eyes."
Hinata shook her head.
"No, I'm sure I saw purple."
Kakashi stopped suddenly, covering his face with his healthy palm. A small chuckle left his lips, followed by more humorless laughter. Hinata watched him, confused with his weird behavior. Well, more weird than usual.
"Purple," he repeated, a rueful smile still on his face behind the mask. "Of all colors, my new signature jutsu is going to be purple."
And then it hit her.
"You know, you can stop laughing already," she heard Kakashi grumble after a few minutes of her ceaseless cackle.
"I'm sor-sorry," she managed to squeeze out, before another fit of laughter took control of her. "It's-it's just– Imagine yourself"–she panted, clutching her stomach–"imagine yourself, with a purple scarf, silver hair, and… shooting purple lightning from your hands!"
"Purple scarf?" Kakashi was no less confused. 'Where did that come from?'
"And-and," apparently, his wife was not done laughing at his expense, "your name would be Kakashi the Purple Scarf of Lightning! And enemies all around the Elemental Nations will be petrified with fear at the mere sight of your purple scarf!"
With those words she went on to an uncontrollable bout of giggles. It wasn't that funny, but the image of a stylish looking Kakashi, with a purple scarf and a pompous attitude was just too absurd. Coupled with his initial reaction upon learning that his jutsu was going to be purple, it was too much for the Hyuga.
"Alright, that's enough," he said with mock sternness. "Your talent for naming could rival my sensei, by the way." What kind of nickname was 'Purple Scarf of Lightning' anyway? Now he was really scared for poor Furuto, because chances are, it would actually be the boy's name.
Hinata seemed to finally calm down. Short winded from all the laughing, she stopped walking to allow some time to recover. An occasional chuckle still escaped her lips, though.
"So," she started when they resumed their walk, "any reason why it is purple?"
Kakashi thought for a moment. He couldn't come up with any concrete explanation, so he went with his theory. He'd been thinking on it and this hypothesis formulated in his mind.
"I think the lightning chakra release takes form of a lightning," he started.
"Obviously." Hinata couldn't help the sarcastic comment. She was surprised at how playful and bold she could be when she was with Kakashi.
"And in doing that, it also takes the color of lightning," he finished, ignoring his wife's teasing remark. Honestly, what was with Hyuga and snow? They always seemed more liberal when it snowed. At least the ones he knew, which he admitted, weren't many.
"This makes sense," Hinata agreed. "Although I have never seen purple lightning in person…"
"It does happen," Kakashi assured. "I don't know why, but it does happen. I suspect the air must be different for it to appear."
"Does that mean that your new jutsu will have other new properties, aside from the ones that you already want?"
Hinata's question made Kakashi wonder. The only times he saw purple lightning was when it was about to rain heavily. Could it mean that he would be able to summon rain if he releases a lightning strong enough? If yes, then an ability like that could come in handy one day. He pondered on it for what felt like a very long time, because when he finally took notice of his surroundings, everything was completely covered in snow.
Hinata ran forward, spinning gently, trying to capture everything around.
"Beautiful, isn't it," he heard his wife blissfully exhale after stopping a few meters ahead of him.
Her lone figure stood in the middle of a street, watching the surroundings with glee. The snow whirled around her form, white snowflakes landing on the dark blue of her hair. Eyes gleaming with warmth and a content smile adorning her face, she truly looked a vision. Kakashi simply nodded in agreement, feeling a lump form in his throat.
"Hanabi would've loved it," he heard her say.
"You talk as if she never saw snow," he noted, forcefully willing himself back from the dreamlike state Hinata put him under, lest they never get home.
"As long as I remember, we were never allowed to play outside when it snowed," she whispered, sadness contorting her delicate features. "Or rained. It is just not becoming of a Hyuga to wallow in snow and dirt," her voice took a bitter tone, before she sighed again. "I think she would be studying now, so she won't have time to go outside anyway."
Damn Hyuga and their conceited sense of superiority. Even a robot like Kakashi had a pleasure to play around with snow and splash in a puddle when he was a kid. His own father joining in sometimes, both building snowmen and playing snowballs. Where was Hanabi's feisty spirit? Why didn't she just disobey the damn elders and sneak outside to have fun sometimes?!
"You know what," he said, an idea coming to his mind. "It looks like it's going to snow for quite some time. Why don't we go and fetch Hanabi-chan?" They still had a good two hours until it starts to get dark, so why not bring the brat along to have some fun?
This time it was Kakashi who was pulling Hinata ahead, and she had no problem with it. Her husband's scarf fluttered behind his back as they ran in the direction of the Hyuga clan. They were going to take Hanabi outside. For that she was willing to be led anywhere. And if it's Kakashi who is leading her, well then she'd follow him to the ends of the earth.
Not long and they reached the Hyuga clan residence. Passing through the gates with no trouble (after the Hageshi incident Hyugas have warmed up to Kakashi somewhat), they advanced towards the main wing, where Hanabi would be having her lessons. Technically, she doesn't finish till 5 o'clock, but Kakashi assured Hinata that he'd be able to excuse her early. The pair entered the building, greeting everyone on their way before finally reaching their desination.
Kakashi was prepared for anything before he opened the doors to that room. Thus, he wasn't in the least bit fazed when they were met with Hiashi Hyuga's surprised stare behind the door. Apparently, the father did take some part in his daughter's upbringing, for there was Hanabi, and it looked like they were in the middle of a lesson.
"Good afternoon, Hiashi-sama," quickly bowed Kakashi, before the situation could get awkward.
Hiashi nodded by way of greeting, "It is a… surprise to see you, Kakashi-sama. I see you brought Hinata with you."
"Yes…" was his only reply.
Smalltalk was never Kakashi's forte; before he recovered and continued with what they came here for, Hinata had gotten ahead of him.
"Hello, father," she spoke with a polite smile, "we were wondering if you'd allow us to take Hanabi for a walk."
That seemed to surprise the Hyuga patriarch even more, since he looked between his two daughters and Kakashi questioningly, as if asking 'Really?'. Hanabi was even more startled, she stopped her calligraphy practice and now listened to their conversation.
"It is as my dear lady wife, says," Kakashi spoke, clearing his throat. "We simply wanted to visit and take Hanabi-chan outside while we are at it. The decision was completely spontaneous."
"I see…" was Hiashi's reply, before he stood up from the desk. For a second, Kakashi thought that he will not be saying any further, but the man spoke again. "Your help in our clan matters is greatly appreciated, Kakashi-sama. Hanabi, you may collect your things and accompany your sister and good-brother."
Hanabi, to her credit, had quickly finished with tidying her desk and stood ready to go; the excitement on her face was clear to anyone present in the room.
"Do not forget to finish your assignment," Hiashi said by way of dismissal.
His daughter eagerly nodded, almost running to her big sister to give her a hug. She was about to leave for her room to dump the books and wear something suitable for the weather outside when she heard Kakashi's stern voice.
"Hey, brat, where is my greeting?" After he received his lackluster greeting, she finally tried to leave, but Kakashi once again stopped her, taking her by the collar, "And don't forget to say goodnight to your father."
Hiashi watched in bewilderment as his daughter casually wished him goodnight and ran away, before her brother-in-law could stop her again. Although the man was no longer planning to do it. Kakashi just bowed again, this time a little deeper, and excused himself.
"You husband… is a strange man," Hiashi said to the only daughter left present in the room.
"He is unpredictable," Hinata agreed, a smile creeping up on her lips.
"It was good to see you, Hinata."
Hinata was a little surprised to hear those words from her father, but with all the weirdness today she was more prepared. "It was nice to see you too, father," she said, before giving him a bow and leaving as well.
By the time Hinata arrived at the gate, her sister and Kakashi were already there. She looked Hanabi over and deeming her outfit insufficient for the temperature outside, she told her off. Hanabi, of course, was no less stubborn.
"It's fine, neechan," she whinged, obviously not wanting to lose any more time going back and changing. "Let's go!"
With those words, the girl sprinted straight ahead through the gates. Hinata was annoyed by her sister's unruly behavior, but let it slide. Kakashi chuckled beside her.
"I told her to at least wear a hat, but…"
"Whatever. Let her have it her way, if she freezes out here or gets cold it will be a lesson," Hinata huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You can be scary sometimes, you know that?" Kakashi pointed. On the other note, "We should go after the brat, before she gets lost."
The pair went towards the direction their charge ran off to. They soon found Hanabi, she was waiting for them at the entrance to the local park.
"Took you long enough," she told them.
They still had a couple hours before Sakura comes over for a visit, Hinata noted, entering the park with Kakashi and Hanabi. She looked around; the fresh snow seemed to rejuvenate the place, bringing the seemingly forgotten joy to the streets of Konoha. There were many people outside, playing and having fun with the snow. She could see snow sculptures everywhere, small and big, proudly adorning the white expanse of the park.
"So, what do you want to do, Hanabi-chan," asked Kakashi.
Said girl was looking wistfully at other people's snowmen.
"Dunno," she said, kicking the snow. "Whatever, I guess. Going out seemed nice enough."
Hinata smirked. It was obvious that Hanabi wanted to build a snowman but was embarrassed to say it.
"Well, how about we build a snowman, then? If you don't mind," she then leaned to Hanabi, whispering conspiratorily, "Kakashi wanted to build one, but he told me not to tell anyone."
"Yeah, I don't care. Let's do a snowman or whatever."
Kakashi smirked under his mask. The girl's contrasting behavior was so amusing sometimes.
With that, they each went to build a snowman. Of course, with Kakashi and Hanabi, it quickly turned into a competition on whose snowman will be better. Kakashi, due to having his one hand burned, had to work at a disadvantage. One would think that when you have only one hand, you'd better do something easy, but not Kakashi. He went for a complicated sculpture of Pakkun, one of his ninja hounds. Needless to say, he failed miserably; Hinata hoped that today he learned that lifting a snowball bigger than his body with only one hand is not a good idea.
"Looks like I won, loser!" Hanabi taunted, standing beside an impressive snowy replica of the Hokage Tower. The girl certainly didn't hold back on gloating.
"If I had both of my hands, I'd shown you," he said, standing up and shaking off all the snow.
"Yeah, yeah, losers always have an excuse ready," she said smugly, making Hinata giggle. "Even neesan's snowman is better than yours."
'Wait what?' Hinata looked at her sister outragedly, a mock expression of betrayal on her face. "What do you mean, 'even neesan's'?"
"Not so funny now, heh?" Kakashi commented, causing his wife to send a glare at him. "But I have to disagree, I think my sculpture is still better than Hinata's."
"No way!" Hanabi exclaimed, pointing at a headless monstrosity that Kakashi called a pug. "Look at yours, it's not even finished!"
"Yeah, but look at hers," he pointed at Hinata's snowman. "It's small and so unrefined."
"When you point it out like that, I guess it is hard to determine a second place," Hanabi agreed thoughtfully, stroking her chin like an expert evaluating a piece of artwork.
"Excuse me!" Hinata was beyond provoked. How dare they team up on her! Kakashi, the bastard, he was just trying to weasel his way to the second place! "At least my snowman is complete! And does it matter if Kakashi's is better than mine or not? It's not like I was competing with you guys."
"Hinata is right," Kakashi unexpectedly provided, surprising her. Normally he would never settle for a last place. "It doesn't matter who is first and who is last," he said sagely, before quickly adding, "so mine is a second place."
Hinata should've seen it. Before anyone could protest, he shamelessly attempted to change the topic, asking about what they should do now. An idea came to Hinata then.
"How about we play snowball?" she suggested, innocently enough.
After receiving everyone's agreement, she turned to Hanabi, "Hanabi-chan, how about we show him how it's done?" she said, gesturing towards Kakashi, who seemed to only just realize the severity of his situation.
"Sure, sis." Hanabi smirked, getting the clue. The brat was all too happy to gang up on him.
Before he could even formulate the plan of retreat, he was bombarded with snowballs from both directions. With nowhere to run, he fought back fiercely, but he was at a huge disadvantage; not only did he have to fight on two fronts, but he only could use one hand to do it! Needless to say, he was quickly overwhelmed and had to cut loose.
A half hour later, they all were heading back to the Hyuga clan. Wet from snow and sweat, they nonetheless looked happy. Hanabi chatted excitedly with Hinata, the girl's energy seemingly limitless. It was getting dark, and the air became colder. Kakashi could hear Hanabi's teeth start chattering. He looked at his wife, she also seemed to notice.
"I told you to wear something warm," Hinata admonished softly, exasperated.
"I'm not cold," the girl stubbornly protested.
"I can hear you shake."
Hinata's voice was deadpan. Kakashi mentally winced, imagining the unimpressed look his wife was giving her sister right then. Taking pity on Hanabi, he pulled off his scarf and handed it to the brat.
"Here," he said. He was ready to argue but to his surprise the girl took the proffered cloth without a sound.
"Thanks," she muttered, wrapping his scarf neatly around her neck.
The rest of the journey Hanabi spent in silence. Kakashi, however, found himself having a conversation with Hinata. He didn't even notice when they reached their destination.
"It was nice of you to give up your scarf," Hinata quietly said, thinking in her head that it was a perfect excuse for her to give him a new one.
"Oh, come on!" they heard Hanabi groan. "Will you two stop flirting with each other? In case you didn't notice, we came home."
"Wh– I'm not–" Hinata stammered, "Where did you even learn such words?"
"Oh, please," her younger sister replied. "I'm not a kid," as if saying that out loud changed the fact that she actually was one. "Anyway, it's just a stinky scarf," she huffed, getting flustered herself.
"Hey," protested Kakashi, "This scarf was around when you were not even in your parents' plans! This is a relic!"
"An old, stinky scarf then," Hanabi replied flatly. "Whatever, I'm going back home. See you guys later."
They waved her back, wondering at her swift departure. As soon as she disappeared from their view, they promptly headed to their own home, wishing to get away from the singeing cold as fast as possible.
"You know," Hinata commented, "She never did give you your scarf back."
With all her talk, Hanabi didn't seem to mind wearing Kakashi's scarf. It wasn't like her sister, and Hinata hoped this meant that Hanabi was warming up to her good-brother.
Kakashi just hummed in response, as if agreeing with her thoughts.
Hinata remembered that in all the spontaneity that happened today, she never told Kakashi that Sakura was coming over to visit. Their quiet trek back home was a perfect opportunity to remedy that.
Eventually, they reached their house and already were dry and changed their clothes by the time the pink-haired kunoichi arrived. Exchanging pleasantries, all three of them sat for dinner.
"So, how have you been, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura inquired, putting her hand under her chin and leaning upon the table.
"Maa, I'm fine. I am more interested about you, Sakura-chan."
And just like that, he dodged almost every personal question that had occasionally popped up during their conversation. Of course, it might have been due to the fact that most of those personal questions were about his and Hinata's relationship… Instead, he asked a lot. Hinata was a good observer; she noticed the way Kakashi asked questions, always making sure that they couldn't be answered with a smiple "yes" or "no". Usually, he expertly wove a conversation to get what he wanted while at the same time giving enough to satisfy his companion, but never anything useful. With Sakura, however, he was more open, and while still resisting to talk about himself, he was generous with supporting the conversation, something he normally never did with others. Even with Hinata, he was seldom to start a conversation himself, opting to listen and supply answers, albeit comprehensive.
'This must be what it is for him when he is completely at ease,' she thought, wistfully. Would he ever be as comfortable with her as he is around Sakura?
Suddenly, the atmosphere completely changed. Hinata was pulled back from her heavy thoughts, only to find herself in an even more distressing environment.
"I don't sense anyone," Kakashi said, almost whispered.
"Me neither," Sakura nodded.
Realizing what conversation was about to unfold, Hinata forgot all about her petty woes and activated the Byakugan, quickly scanning the perimeter around the house – nothing.
Getting an affirmative nod from Hinata, Kakashi gestured to his study, "It's got high level protective seals," he explained.
Once inside the study, he locked the door and signed everyone to take a sit. Hinata brimmed with excitement – finally she will be involved in the active fight. She knew that it was selfish of her to get excited over it, like it was some field trip, but she couldn't help but feel glad that they deemed her trustworthy and capable enough to be included in their plans.
An hour into their discussion, and Hinata could already see the grasp of Kakashi's plans. He frequently used his ninken, disguised as stray dogs to spy on key people in Konoha; maintained contact with Tsunade herself, who was currently on the run; kept in touch with Sasuke, who was actually alive; and monitored Naruto in prison. Apart from the three of them, Yamato, Gai and Sai were also involved. This made a lot of sense in retrospect, as there was always something off about Sai's behavior whenever Kakashi was discussed. Almost like he tried too hard to cover up his knowledge.
Hinata tiredly slumped into her chair with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples.
"Too much?" asked Sakura, understandingly. "I told you that dumping everything at once like that is a bad idea!" she turned to scold Kakashi, who was furiously apologizing. Hinata smirked, 'Some things never change'.
"It's all just so sudden," she said, "I need some time to digest this."
"This is only the tip of the iceberg," Kakashi said seriously. "If you'd like, I will tell you more."
Hinata looked at him questioningly. She had so many questions, but she knew the most important one at the moment. All the others can wait until later, when she'd sorted out the things she learned today. She appreciated that Kakashi trusted her with complete information though. Perhaps the gap between them was not as wide as she'd imagined.
"If it is as you say, then why didn't you tell the others? Shikamaru is making his own plans, they have a resistance…" Hinata asked instead the question that had been plaguing her mind ever since she learned that Kakashi was on their side. The fact that it was actually him who sent the warning letter to the Nara only made the question more valid in her head.
It seemed like a question he'd already received before, as Sakura too directed questioning look at her sensei.
"There are several reasons…"
"Like?" Hinata demanded gently, trying to understand her husband's motives.
"Well, first of all," he started, after a momentary pause, "by not involving each other we ensure that if one of us fails, another would still be safe to operate; if Shikamaru's resistance were to be exposed and eliminated, Danzou would likely lower his guard, thinking that he won, when in actuality he only defeated one opponent out of two." Before Hinata could protest, he swiftly continued, "Also, the fewer people know the lower are chances to get caught and consequently, the higher are chances to succeed." He then looked sheepishly at the floor, "The second reason is that… Forgive me but I do not trust all of your friends completely."
The implication that he didn't tell them because he thought they'd screw up left hanging unsaid. If Hinata were to think about it, he had a reason to be cautious, with Tenten's recent outburst at the trial and their group's emotional investment in the cause. She could see how an experienced and cool-headed veteran like Kakashi was having trouble trusting a bunch of kids.
But they were not some impulsive kids, Hinata argued. They were shinobi, they went through war and were heads of their clans. Shikamaru was one of the smartest and most level-headed people she knew, and she had no doubt that Kakashi could trust his judgement.
"I can see where you are coming from," she reasoned, "but don't you think that Shikamaru at least needs to know?"
Judging by the expression on Sakura's face, her friend agreed with her.
"We had this conversation with Sakura before…" Kakashi clasped his hands, placing his chin on them and taking a moment to re-evaluate. Shikamaru was a great asset during the war, and Kakashi could see him filling in his father's position both as a clan head and Jounin Commander sometime in near future. If Sakura and Hinata said so, then…
"Let's do it," he finally said, looking at both women and noting an identical expression of hope mirrored in both of their eyes. "I trust your judgement, Sakura, Hinata," he smiled.
"Oh, so when Hinata says so you readily agree," Sakura playfully complained, glad that her sensei finally saw reason.
"I guess I just needed a third person's perspective," Kakashi justified sheepishly, remembering how trusting his wife earlier this day made everything easier.
"It's okay," Hinata interjected, secretly happy that Kakashi changed his mind only after Hinata spoke to him. "We all make mistakes, and Kakashi might have been right."
"If you are going to be so pessimistic, he will change his mind," Sakura rolled her eyes. "The way I see it: We need help, and Shikamaru is both trustworthy and able to help. So why the hell did we drag it for so long?!"
It was in moments like these that Sakura reminded Hinata of Tsunade-sama; the same no-nonsense approach and resolution in every gesture. No wonder she so seamlessly managed to take over the hospital, staff there probably didn't even notice Tsunade's absence.
"It's settled then," Kakashi put an end to their meeting. "I'll let you guys know when to inform Shikamaru of our true intentions. I would ask you to keep quiet until then."
Sakura looked like she was about to protest, but Hinata got ahead of her by speaking first.
"We trust your judgement," she said, repeating his words. She exchanged a playful glance with Sakura, who smiled and nodded in agreement.
After Sakura left, Hinata managed to convince Kakashi to go straight to bed.
This day had been a whirlwind of events, and both of them immediately went to sleep, a feeling of well-deserved exhaustion accompanying their last thoughts as their heads touched the pillow.
Here is the new chapter. I know, I know, too much fluff. I'm sorry, okay?