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Enjoy^_^

Shippu Jinraikyaku

Chapter Ten

"Obaa-chan?" Naruto whispered, knocking slightly on the bedroom window of the hokage. "Obaa-chan?" Naruto let out a yawn. He wanted to go to sleep so badly, but what he'd just heard had to be passed on to someone with a high rank. And because he didn't know of any ANBU, and the jounin he knew were either sleeping or on a mission, he figured the next best person had to be the hokage. It was a good thing that he was close to Tsunade, or else he would've been up cookie creek. If anyone else had tried knocking on the bedroom window of the hokage, they'd be beaten, arrested and most likely beaten again.

Naruto sighed. Either Tsunade was ignoring him or was in deep drunken slumber. Naruto figured it'd most likely be more the latter than the former. Shoulders slumping in defeat, Naruto turned to leave. He would just have to come back later in the morning. In a rare stroke of genius, Naruto figured that it would be smart to leave a note or something in case he didn't make it back before Tsunade left for work. He took out a pen he had in his pocket and scribbled a brief summary of what he saw on the back of an exploding tag. He then slipped it underneath the door and left, heading towards home.

***Several Hours Later***

Hanabi hugged her knees to her chest, and let the streams of water cover her like a blanket. Even though the water was beating heavily on her face, she could still feel the hot tears escape from her eyes. She could not find any witnesses who were willing to vie for her; they were either to scared of her or thought she deserved what was happening to her. In fact, since news got out that the assassin she killed was a Hyuga, the whole estate seemed to be against her. It was almost as if the whole estate had wished if the assassin had actually killed her. She wondered the possibility for a brief moment if the clan actually was out to get her. She could remember all of the hurtful things everyone said when she went to the Branch family asking for witnesses. If they didn't slam their door in her face, they called her names and said unrepeatable things. Had she really been that bad towards them? Was she really a, …a bitch?

The only people who'd been helping her was Neji, Mameha-baa-sama, her father, and, believe it or not, Hinata; though Hinata pretended that she could care less. Hanabi figured if things weren't looking great in her favour, she'd have to make a run for it; she wasn't going to die just yet. She couldn't leave Konoha though. If she did, there would be an endless search for her, every moment she'd have to be on he run. There was no such thing as a Hyuga missing nin, the set who tried often didn't make it very far. Konoha had far to much allies for her to hide anywhere fast; it would take a long time to get to enemy territory, and besides, before she even reached, she would bound to buck up with Konoha allies or ninja. If she were to run, her only choice would be to hide in plain sight. And to do that, you needed friends, something she didn't have. She could only think of one person who'd have a weak inkling to want to help her, and she doubted that person would want to put up with the risk….then again…

A sharp knock resonated throughout the bathroom, followed by a sharp voice, "Five more minutes, Hanabi!"

Hanabi scowled. Also, since word got out, the branch family had been calling her by her name only, instead of Miss Hanabi or Hanabi-sama, it was now Hanabi or you girl. Not that she minded but it was sort f disconcerting. By the way she had guards now, from the branch family. She found them funny because all of them knew that, if she really wanted to, she could kick their asses and make a run for it; they were afraid of her.

Hanabi sighed and turned off the water. She stood up and stretched. Water ran down her body like tiny rivulets ran down a mountain. In a moment of complete randomness, she stepped out of the tub and shook herself like a dog, causing water to splash everywhere. She stood in front of the fogged up mirror and quickly tied her hair into a loose ponytail. Then she pulled a few strands loose from both sides of her hair that they fell loose over her face. The loose bangs was an added benefit as they helped hide her features, thus if she lost focus, her bangs would hide anything her face might reveal. Usually she wore her hair out, much like her father does, but special occasions called for practicality; in the event that she had to run, she'd look more dangerous this way, especially with her newly perfected glare. They'd think twice before attacking her.

Hanabi carefully tied the kunai pouch to both thighs. They were special kunai that would not be detected by any byakugan: they were compliments of Mameha-baa-sama. She then donned on her fishnet shirt, followed by a sleeveless black shirt. Then she quickly slipped on a pants-skirt so short that they couldn't be classified as an article of clothing. They had to be short, so that they didn't get in the way if she needed to use the kunai. At least the skirt part was a modest length,, ut it had a high slit. You couldn't really notice it if she didn't move fast. Then finally, she shrugged on her Hyuga robe. It was a thick cloak made of a heavy material; it was almost a burden to put on. With one last check in the mirror Hanabi donned on her new glare and walked out of the bathroom.

When Hanabi entered the living room, everyone quieted and turned to look at her. She'd been looking at the ground, but as soon as she held her head up, and unleashed her piercing glare, everyone turned their head elsewhere, pretending to find something else of interest. Hanabi glanced around the room. It seemed that the ANBU investigative team had yet to arrive. She recognized the Hyuga medical examiner talking with someone from the council, some reps from the branch family was here, along with a few of the Guard. Hinata and Neji were no where to be seen. So who was going to speak on her behalf, or was she to speak for herself? Not that it mattered, she was always on her own.

She claimed a seat next to a member from the council. This member was known as the worst one in the decrepit bunch of retired ninja and Hyuga heads that made up the council.

"So," The elder member began, "how did you kill him? They aren't letting us in to see the murdered body until the ANBU have arrived."

Hanabi almost flinched at the word murder. In a sharp and arrogant tone that was bound to irritate the old member, she replied, "The unfortunate assassin met his ill-fated demise from a reflexive jyuken strike to the chest. It was a technique that was to be used in dire circumstances. And I do believe that being in a corner, with someone trying to cut your throat is a dire circumstance. Don't you think?"

With that said Hanabi, raised her chin at the council member, and rudely turned her head at him. It felt good to put him in his place. She tried not to smirk when she heard Mameha-baa-sama shout from somewhere in the kitchen, "You let him know girl!"

Several of the other people, who were in the room, snickered. The council member made a rude noise and walked proudly outside. After his exit, the tension in the room became noticeably lighter.

Hanabi was about to leave, to go and obtain something to drink, when a servant announced that the ANBU had arrived. Hanabi instantly went in panic mode, though her face was still impassive. The moment of dread was approaching fast, and she was not ready for it, despite the pep rallies she'd been giving herself in the bathroom.

Hanabi had been expecting the investigative team to consist of a few masked ninja, however, she and everyone else, was surprised to see the hokage's aid accompanying the team. The medical ninja dressed in her usual dark robe, was the odd one out amongst the ANBU, who were dressed in the standard black cloak.

Shizune glanced around the room, searching for Hanabi. She'd heard a lot about the girl from Kakashi. She found it interesting that Hanabi would choose Naruto to have an affair with. According to Kakashi, he'd caught the two on several occasions in very compromising positions. Of course, this was supposedly a secret, as Naruto would never pass Hyuga standards.

Shizune let out a chuckle as she gazed the room, which caused several of the infamously arrogant people to stare at her. She pretended not to hear the curious whispers as to why the hokage sent her own aide along with the ANBU. A murder within the Hyuga compound was big news. The hokage sending her aide and guard to investigate a murder was bigger news. Shizune figured her presence here would add fuel to the gossip mill that was already ablaze.

Before Shizune could approach Hanabi, Hiashi materialized in front of her and said, "I am most surprised that you are here Shizune-sama. I can't begin to fathom why the hokage sent her aide, or how she got to know of this case, as the rest of the clan is just becoming aware of this incident."

Shizune smiled at him and said, "Hiashi-sama, it is quite a pleasure to meet you, though not under these circumstances." They bowed to each other before Hiashi motioned for her to follow. "As for why Tsunade-sama sent me," She continued, "I myself do not know what her true motive for sending me here for, however, I can tell you that she is most interested in Hanabi, although I have yet to figure out why. I presume, if she was not so busy, she would've come here herself."

It wasn't until Shizune stopped talking that she realized that almost everyone who was in the room was behind them.

Hiashi thought for a moment before asking, "How is it that hokage-sama became aware of this incident so fast? I mean, I know she has access to an unlimited information channels, but it is an enigma that has me truly puzzled." Before Shizune could answer him, he quickly added, "I don't mean to come across as defensive, but I would like to know if I would need to tighten security around here."

"Aaah," Shizune said, she'd been expecting this question. Well, if it wasn't for Naruto, she wouldn't have known about it. Shizune replied, "Well, funny thing about that really, one of our ninjas who was on patrol spotted some suspicious looking people, which he chose to shadow. The people he shadowed just happened to be one of the assassins that got away and his boss or something. Our ninja wasn't able to follow them so he documented what he saw, and slipped it underneath the hokage's office. Naturally, when Tsunade-sama went in she spotted it and sent us straight away. The ninja hadn't left his name so we weren't able to do an immediate follow up, but an inquest is ongoing."

Tsunade had told her that she was not suppose to reveal that Naruto was the one who'd found out about the assassin. Tsunade was being cautious just in case the people behind the assassination were in the clan itself; she didn't want anyone ordering a hit on Naruto.

Hanabi, who'd been listening to Shizune's explanation, almost wept in relief; Shizune's presence and explanation was all the witness she's need. Though, it would even be better if she could find out who this ninja was and asked him to testify on her behalf. She'd be in the clear soon enough if things went her way.

When the group of fifteen or more ninjas reached the supposed 'murder/crime' scene, Hiashi undid the seal in front of the door, and told the Hyuga medic nin, who were inside preventing the seal from destroying the body, that they were now relived of their duty. The ANBU quickly substituted with the Hyuga medics, and kept on preventing the seal from activating; Shizune had yet to do her examination of the body.

When Shizune stepped into the room, and crouched over the body, everyone decided they wanted to see what she was doing thus, they tried to squeeze their selves into the room, which was only big enough to host five people comfortably. Noticing the sudden increase in body heat, Shizune faced the crowd of arrogant seniors and politely said, "I think it would be easier, and much faster, if there were less people in the room. So with the exception of Hanabi and Hiashi-sama, I would greatly appreciate it if the rest of you would please leave." When no one budged, she added, "Unless you guys are willing to see me slice open this body, exposing decaying flesh and viscous blood, while I use my scalpel to scrape away organ tissue and bone tissue to be analyzed; to which I'll also have to remove organs, which is bound to be unpleasant as they'll be a horrid yellowish green tinge, and their might be maggots in the intestines that I might have to remove, let's not forget the smell which could pose several serious health risks along with…."

The room was empty before she got to finished. Shizune, along with one or two of the ANBU, chuckled when the door closed with a bang. "What a shame, ninjas that are squeamish, lawl." Shizune said, prepping her hand.

An unnerved Hanabi, along with a slightly twitching Hiashi, stood in one corner away from Shizune, looking quite uncomfortable. Hanabi swallowed and asked, "Umm, Shizune-sama, are you really going to do that stuff?" Hanabi was quite sure if she had to sit and watched what Shizune described, she'd either pass out or show the medic nin a digested version of what she had for breakfast.

"Of course not," Shizune exclaimed, "I only said that to get rid of them." Shizune swore she saw Hiashi sighed in relief. Returning her attention back to the task at hand, Shizune proceeded to inspect the body; which detailed her running one hand covered in blue chakra down the length and width of the body, while running another hand covered in green chakra up the width and length of the body.

Hanabi had no clue as to what the medical ninja was doing, but from a visual perspective it looked like she was either molesting the body or sensing for something. Hanabi preferred to think the medic nin was doing the latter.

Shizune stood up, her task complete. She cleansed her hands and stated, "Well, cause of death is major damage to all major internal organs, definitely a deed done by a Hyuga. So, care to tell me what happened?"

Hiashi redirected Shizune's questioning gaze to Hanabi. Hanabi sighed and recounted in meticulous detail what happened. After that was done, Shizune recorded what was said on a scroll she had hidden in the mystiques of her robes.

"So that is all?" Hiashi asked. He had to take care of some other important business now, along with scheduling the time for Hanabi's trial.

Shizune nodded at his question and watched as he exited the room. Through the open door, she could see the people who she'd kick out swarm around him like bees to honey. Hanabi was about to follow suite but was stopped in her tracks when Shizune place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "May I have a word with you…in private?"

Hanabi awkwardly nodded and motioned for Shizune to follow her. Shizune sent one of the ANBU a glance before following Hanabi out. She was confident that they could handle the job from here on out.

Hanabi lead Shizune, in silence, past the main family complexes, past the training grounds and into the forest. When she was satisfied that they were a good distance away from prying eyes, she stopped.

Shizune smirked and playfully asked, "Are we even in the border anymore? Shall I summon Ton-ton and ask her to fetch my travel documents?"

Despite her impassive composure, Hanabi heard a rare chuckle escape her lips. Hanabi said, "The reason I took you so far is that they can still use their byakugan to read our lips, this way, if they try, they'd have to be quite near, and I'd sense them if they did."

Shizune nodded, not that she minded. "Anyway," Shizune started, "the reason I basked to speak with you is to tell you that I lied when I said that we didn't know who the ninja was that tipped us off." At Hanabi's puzzled expression, Shizune explained, "We have reason to believe that the hit on you was ordered by someone within your clan, and if I had revealed the name, they might've tried to get him too. Now the reason I am telling you this is because you will need all the help you can get. From an objective point of view of the crime scene, you look guilty by all accounts.

Tsunade-sama wishes your well being only because you seem to make our tipster happy, and she favours him like a grandson. By now you probably know who I am talking about. Our tipster was Naruto. I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse but what I do know is that, if you can get him to testify on your behalf, you'll be in the clear as, through him, you'll have the backing of the hokage, indirectly. Have fun trying to get him to willingly come down to the estate to testify, lawl. Well, I have to give my report. Good Luck." With that said, Shizune vanished in a swirl of leaves.

A confounded Hanabi, slowly slid to the forest floor. Great, now she had to see the blonde. Hanabi blushed at the last time they spoke. She wouldn't mind if things went the way they were going last time they met, though given her current situation, things were bound to be awkward if they did.

She fingered the piece of paper in her hand with Naruto's address. He'd better be home, she thought, or else…..

End

Waps, chappy done. I know…it was crappy, I knew it was crappy. This was more like a filler for me…for some odd reason, I've been suffering severe writer's block. I was aiming for my usual eight pages but I couldn't make it..*sigh*_

So, you might not be seeing anything from me for this story for awhile, though I might update a nameless story, or my story on fiction press(I've neglected that for so long). If I update this before the end of September, it's because I had a random burst of imagination.

So, on to good news, I'll be starting college soon(like in 3 weeks) ^_^ yay me! :3 i wasn't lost to the dark recesses of society, I'm going to learn stuff again I hardly will ever use …woot!

Anyway, review and tell me how crappy this was…..i still need that beta btw, if I had one to nag me, I'd probably come out with chapters faster than I do now, (hint hint)

Lawl

Shippu Jinraikyaku (a.k.a. shippu27)