Chapter 22: Consequences
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It was past midnight when Kiba had just finished abducting an unsuspected target. While retrieving to the chosen location, he could smell Shikamaru along with another unknown presence. Curious as to why the shadow user seemed idled, Kiba headed in his direction. He tracked down his scent until he found Shikamaru perched on a tree, his shadow clone standing nearby, carrying an elder.
"Oi, you said to meet back at the Aburames!" Kiba whispered, his tone almost close to yelling. "What are you still doing here?"
Shino, who had also completed his task, was headed towards their meeting destination, until he was informed by one of his bugs that there had been a hold-up. Kiba and Shikamaru seemed to linger dangerously close to the scene.
He adjusted the unconscious body over his shoulder, before turning back around, following the coordination the bug had hinted at.
"What's happening?" Shino asked.
"Just a little worried," Shikamaru replied. "Toneri is not elderly by any means. Hinata may need backup."
"Heh, yeah," Kiba said, almost smirking. "With Hinata, I guess it's going to be a lot of wondering if she can take care of herself... But take it from us, she's not fragile. We came to realize that recently,"
Just as he finished speaking those words, a petite figure joined them.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.
"Where's Toneri?" Shino asked with a frown. Hinata joined them, on a tree, empty-handed.
She crossed her arms underneath her cloak. "I see him fleeing past Konoha's borders. He took his two servants with him,"
"What? He shouldn't have known that you were coming. Was he somehow tipped off?" Kiba asked the same question Shikamaru had been wondering about.
"Then how else did he know to run?" Shino replied.
"Guilty people do tend to run," Kiba said, almost hissing.
When Toneri had made it across a river, outside of her vision's range, Hinata sighed. She couldn't see him anymore.
"Do you want us to chase him down and bring him back?" Shino asked.
"No. The plan stays the same. So proceed as if I were there," Hinata replied, her gaze shifting between everyone, before lingering on Shikamaru.
"Be careful," Shikamaru said, there was genuine worry in his voice that almost made Hinata feel bad for having him involved at all.
Her eyes were downcast, her Byakugan, more lavender than usual, made her look otherworldly.
"Same to you guys,"
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Toneri looked over his shoulders. Running right behind him were his two trusted servants. His two servants were probably sleepy and tired, but they couldn't afford to slow down until they reached Suna.
Turning his gaze again, he focused on the path ahead, leaping from tree to tree at a speed that blurred their form to humanoid shapes.
His heart was beating fast, he felt anxiety, mixed with an odd feeling of Déjà vu, as though something bad had happened to him before. Which was insane. Yet, no matter how illogical, Toneri had found himself fleeing to a safe place. The illogical fear began earlier during the afternoon's emergency meeting Hinata had summoned them to. Her eyes had been unfriendly the entire time. Without having to project her killer intent, he had noticed it spilling out of her like small drops of venom. Her hatred, no doubt, was aimed at him over reasons he did not understand. There had been undeniable darkness behind her gaze, a silent promise sent his way that had made his hair stand. His fear, mixed with gut feelings, whispered to him that he was her target. And no one else but him seemed to notice this during the meeting.
The more Toneri pondered about their past interactions, the more her hatred towards him seemed inexplicable. Although he vaguely remembered exchanging dialogues in Suna, during her birthday, it was not enough to warren hostility. At the same time, perhaps he had said some undiplomatic things in the past which might've earned her distrust. Yes, perhaps that was it. He did tend to say quite problematic and compromising things. That's just who he was, Kankuro and Temari could attest to that.
Or did she not like him because he's different? That wouldn't be the first...
His stressed beating heart nearly stopped when a figure made it within his Byakugan's range. She was closing in fast.
A petite figure glided past him and landed on a tree in front of him, prompting him to stop. Toneri held a hand up to signal his servants to stand by.
"Isn't it a little too late for a jog outside the village's borders, cousin?" Hinata's eyes darted between the two servants, before focusing on Toneri. "This is considered desertion," She leaned against the tree, with her arms crossed. "I can't allow you to go. You know that, right?"
"Why am I being hunted?" Toneri asked. Nothing in his emotionless voice gave away any hints of his psyche.
Hinata withdrew a scroll and read it out loud.
"Tell me, does this sound familiar to you? Step down, name your sister the new ruler and we will return her to you,"
His two servants' attention snapped towards him. Their eyes reflected questions and confusion.
"I did not kidnap her."
"Then come back with me, willingly," Hinata replied. "It won't be that hard to prove your innocence if there's nothing to hide,"
"You're lying to me. You don't intend on letting me go alive. Why do you hate me so much?" Reaching for his puppet, his trembling hands paused. It was probably a bad idea to try to fight, since it will only make it seem like he was guilty. "Is it because I'm...different?"
She glared his way, her expression slowly softening until eventually, her eyes widened. Wait, did he not remember all the things he said and did? How much of his memories had Sasuke erased?
She bit her lip.
"Hinata-sama, please understand that we do not know what's going on," A servant said, awkwardly bending on one knee while standing on a tree.
"We would never go against you," The second servant joined in, cutting into the conversation before she had the moment to reply to Toneri. "We read your thesis. We're on your side,"
Her scrutiny shifted towards Toneri's servants as her eyes slightly narrowed, suspicious over their change of hearts. Hinata raised an eyebrow over how odd it was, their willingness to betray their lord. Did they forget that, should Toneri command it, he could easily activate their seal for punishment?
"I suppose if you capture your lord, I could overlook your involvements..." She said.
Toneri sent an incredulous look towards his servants as they shifted their stance, Byakugan active, ready for battle.
"Why do you look so surprised and betrayed?" There was a smile in her voice as she spoke. "Capture him." She commanded.
Even if Toneri himself did not remember, it didn't erase all the things he had said and done.
Toneri quickly performed the hand signs required to activate the seal on his servants, only to fail. Why didn't it work? It's not a hand sign one could easily forget. The confusion he felt lasted for a second, delaying his response as his two servants sent several knives his way. He barely dodged in time, leaping away, relocating to a clearing in the forest.
He landed on the ground.
Hinata smiled sweetly, throwing her cloak back, her eyes on the servants. They were beyond skillful, enough to allow her to believe they did not need her help.
After the two servants swiftly subdued their target, Hinata approached them as they held Toneri restrained.
"You're making a mistake..." Toneri added, trying one more time to plead his case. "I didn't do it."
Toneri had looked so delicate, so fragile, so human… And his plead would've convinced her, had she not known about the darkness in his heart. Hinata lowered her gaze and tried not to think of it further as she silently breathed out. She reached out to his neck, blocking a chakra point, which quickly rendered him unconscious.
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There was something slightly remarkable about the torture chamber the Aburame had on their property. The display of intricate tools hanging on the wall held over a hundred different torture tools to play with. It was quite a large room, poorly lit, but maintained. Not a single stain of dried blood could be found anywhere. Not even on the rusted torture devices. That may explain the scent of bleach lingering in the air. The Aburame took maintenance very seriously.
"Strap them down to a machine," Ino's voice came from behind her mask, as she stood up from a torture device she had been sitting on. She walked, parting some hanging chains as though she had been parting a curtain. "I need to siphon their chakra to keep them unconscious and low on chakra."
"What happened to Hinata-chan?" Ino asked with a frown while she helped Sai with strapping one of the elders to a wheel.
"She'll be here soon," Sai replied, emotionlessly.
"After years of kissing their asses, now their lives are in our hands, the irony," Tsume commented as she strolled over to the display on the wall. "This one is my favorite one," She said, picking up a simple teeth-pulling device.
"Lovely," Ino said, from across the room, unimpressed. "But we won't be needing those to make them talk. They don't even need to say anything. Their memories will reveal everything to me,"
Sai lowered himself to the floor, next to the elder strapped to the wheel-torture-device. He took out a sketchbook, detaching himself from the conversation. No one ever seemed to pay him any mind, used to his antics. He liked it that way. He felt like a spectator.
"Tsume," Shino said, coolly, to Kiba's mother. "We're only looking for clues that would help us find her sister, and nothing else."
"Is that true?" Shibi asked Shino, with disappointment in his voice.
Tsume opened her arms and motioned to everything in the room. "It's hard to believe that Hinata would borrow a torture chamber with no intention of actually using it..." She grabbed her favorite torture device before approaching an unconscious elder.
"Mom, stop!" Kiba said, yanking the torture device away from her hand, hanging it back on the display wall as if the most fragile weapon in the world.
"I see what afflicts your generation, you've all gotten too soft," Shibi mumbled from his side as he looked towards all the younger Shinobis, and leaders in the room. "You only have a single war under your belt, and now you believe the world has changed, along with the Shinobi heart as well. But there will always be darkness in everyone's heart, no sense in trying to fight it. How many wars do you have to fight before accepting that's really who we all are?"
Sai's hand paused, his pencil resting over the page, as if those words had struck a cord inside. When his hand resumed sketching Ino, he almost smiled. He quite liked the older generation and their open minds. Had he been born at the wrong time?
"Dad, we're aware of the darkness lurking in our hearts. Which is why it's a war worth fighting inside, since it's wiser not to let it win and overtake us."
Sai's eyes trailed to the side, something about Shino's response didn't bode well for him.
"Beauty-chan..." Sai said, to Ino, hoping to amuse himself since he felt bored. He knew what it did to her when he suddenly interrupted her work in such a way. "Turn your chin a little bit this way and remove your mask. I want to see your pretty face." He was missing her face, from his drawing. Then again, he could always just draw it from memory.
Ino seemed to twitch in response.
"Stop distracting her," Kiba said, with a glare. "We're trying to find Hanabi-chan and every second counts-"
"Everyone out!" Ino yelled from her side. She abruptly paused her mind technique, to glare at everyone from behind her mask. "You too Sai, I can't fucking concentrate!"
Yoshino and Shikamaru had been the last to leave the torture room.
Once out in the hallway, Tsume turned to Shibi.
"I just got around to reading her thesis the other day, and let's just say it left me…inspired." She removed her mask, her smile more on the mischievous side. "Such a passionate thing it was, that she wrote."
"You mean it finally inspired you to let your son rule the clan, as men are intended to?" Shibi said.
Tsume laughed.
"No." she approached Kiba and gently patted his head before turning to Shibi. "Her thesis reminded me of the first Inuzuka that set out to prove our innate superiority as females. But when the peaceful way failed, our first female forcefully took over."
"Tsume, believe me, Hinata probably has thought about it before, just ending them all," Shino remembered the encounter with Toneri, and how she almost went over the edge just with a mere whisper of blackmail. Shino was confident she had considered ending him.
"And what do you think is holding her back?" Yoshino asked.
Shino thought over his words, what would be something Hinata might say?
"The elders. They'll just sprout new leaves to take its place, like this village." Shino said, hinting at the apprentices lined up to take the elder's place.
"Oh dear, then she shouldn't be pruning leaves. The obvious answer is to pull the entire roots out." Yoshino said, her comment vexing her son, but also earning a smile from Sai.
Roots. Sai certainly didn't miss it, but the name seemed nostalgic now. Aburame, Yoshino, and Tsume, had they been Danzo's allies?
"That's called a massacre, mother," Shikamaru said from his side.
"There will be no massacre, Yoshino. I just want my sister back," Hinata's voice had been heard before she came around the corner of the hall.
Tsume immediately raised her mask back on just as Hinata had turned the corner, with two servants behind her, one carrying Toneri's unconscious body.
Shikamaru looked up, eyes widened. How in the world did she manage to get Toneri's servants on her side? That was suspiciously troublesome.
"Thank you for having us," Hinata paused briefly, in front of Shino's father, and bowed. She then hasty entered the torture chamber. "Sorry, I'm late," Hinata said to Ino, gently placing her hand on her shoulder, before pointing to a servant where to put Toneri down. "Again, thank you for doing this, Ino-chan,"
"Good. You're finally here. That guy you just brought in is the missing link to all of this." She said as she raised her head to look at Toneri, who was being strapped down to a torture device. "All the memories I've probed seem to point to him knowing Hanabi's coordinates,"
Hinata lowered her hood, her eyes reflecting. "Say, Ino, suppose someone's memories were erased, can you still read into them?"
"Yes, I can still read them. Toneri's mind was probably forced to consciously reject his memories, but the answer is always there." As if having a moment of revelation, Ino's stare lingered a little, before looking away.
She finally understood the reason for Hinata's question. A few weeks ago, Kakashi had asked her to read into Shikamaru's memories, to confirm Hinata's virtue. Instead, Ino accidentally had come across something dark. It was a memory that revealed a conspiracy. Faces she knew, were gathered around an unconscious body, trying to talk things out, until Sasuke had eventually been asked to erase Toneri's memories.
Not wanting to get anyone in trouble, Ino had kept it to herself.
As Ino probed Toneri's memories, Ino felt confident she could undo the damage, but sadly, it would take time, effort, and chakra, more than it normally did. She was exhausted just thinking about it.
"Since they're guilty, I believe is justifiable to deliver their punishment with mercy," Hinata casually said as she stood in the background. She approached the wall as if seeing it for the first time, with a slight smile on her face. She reached out and picked up Tsume's favorite tool by chance.
When his mother turned to him, Kiba only assumed she had given him a look as if to say she had been right. He rolled his eyes.
"Blood was already spilled on foreign soil. And a certain redhead will want their heads. You should send it to them," Tsume motioned to the elder strapped down to different torture devices.
"Tsume is correct, it's a little too late for mercy," Shibi said.
Yoshino walked behind Tsume and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed dangerously hard.
"My, my, I admit this may be the most eventful thing that has happened since the war, but let's not become savages or lose our heads," Yoshino reasoned as a Nara. When Tsume shrugged her off, Yoshino turned her gaze towards Hinata. "I know what happened to Matsuri-san is most unfortunate...but perhaps it's best if Gaara doesn't find out that your family wronged him, and robbed him of two Shinobis,"
Shikamaru raised a brow. What game was his mother playing?
"Cunning as always," Shibi commented, knowingly, from his side, while Yoshino smiled behind her mask.
Hinata sighed lightly. Shikamaru's mother never failed to sound so noble and confident in her choices. Hinata fidgeted with a tool as she reflected on the person she admired.
"Why should we cover this up and hide it from Gaara-san?" Sai asked, curiously, as he joined Hinata's side. He gave Hinata a side-glance as he pretended to take interest in the tool in her hand.
She had a faraway look in her eyes.
Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from her, Sai shifted his gaze away from Hinata, tilting his head slightly towards Shikamaru who had been by Ino's side, as she worked on extracting Toneri's memories. "I thought your clan was okay now, with Suna. So why cover it up?"
"We can't afford to lose Suna's trust," Shikamaru said vaguely.
As the Hokage's advisor, he had come to understand that Kankuro's friendship with Toneri, and Gaara's friendship with Naruto, earn the village huge amounts of investors, and favoritism.
"You're not part of a clan. Perhaps you should create one of your own if you want to understand the game being played around you," Shino said.
"Oh? Enlighten me some more," Sai replied, but there was nothing sarcastic about his answer.
"If the trust is broken, it will affect us too, one way or another. It's best if we just avoid the worst-case scenario." Shino added.
Sai hummed a reply, no longer interested in pursuing the conversation any further. He pulled out his sketchpad once more and settled right by Hinata.
When Hinata lifted her gaze towards Yoshino, she looked away and placed the torture tool back on the wall.
"I need a moment to think," Hinata said, as she hastily exited the torture chamber to compose her thoughts. She remembered her father had taught her to never deliberately hand over the decision of power to someone else, yet, she had allowed Yoshino to make the decisions for her, something that didn't sit well with her.
"Should I hide this from Gaara-san...?" She asked herself.
"So it's a race then," Kiba said, dryly, back in the room. "We have to find Hanabi-chan before anyone else does so that we can remove any evidence of her family ever being involved,"
Sai resumed his sketches, only this time he focused on a Hyugan servant that had been leaning against a wall. While drawing the servant, his hand paused, as he gave the Hyuga a thoughtful glance. Something about the Hyuga exuded indifference and power.
When Sai's interest lingered, the servant tilted his head in Sai's way, in questioning.
The ex-root member smiled behind his mask, almost sinisterly. That stance, that pose, it couldn't be, right?
"What about Lord Kakashi?" Everyone seemed to suddenly tense when Sai spoke. "Surely you do not intend to keep this from him,"
The Hyuga servant pushed himself off the wall and strolled over to the group.
"Thank you. That's exactly what I was wondering, too. When was my advisor going to try and fill me in on such an important mission that might affect the likelihood of my village?" The Hyuga servant said.
When he released the technique and disguise, Kakashi stood there with his arms crossed, his cloak thrown over his shoulder. And for the first time in his life, Shikamaru felt speechless.
Kakashi's eyes darted to every single masked person in the room, before his gaze returned to Shikamaru. "Nothing witty to say, Advisor-kun? You continue to impress me with all the ways you love to act all on your own."
When Hinata heard Kakashi's voice, she took a deep breath and calmly walked inside, ready to take the blame. The moment she stepped back into the room, the second servant also released his disguise, to reveal another Hyuga of greater stature.
Her eyes then widened. "Father?"
"Really daughter, a torture chamber?" Hiashi said harshly. "They are your family,"
"You said whoever was responsible will pay. Our own family wronged us." Hinata said as if to justify her actions.
"When I said that, did you think that I believed that it was our blood involved? Let me reiterate this, no one is receiving your mercy today. Did you ever stop to think of the consequences of kidnapping eight elders with no proof?"
"Yet thanks to me, we're close to finding Hanabi," She motioned to Ino and everyone around.
Hiashi shook his head, with a sad smile. "Let this one go. You lost the moment you let your temper get the best of you,"
Kakashi rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "But that's a pattern for you, isn't it Hinata-chan? It's something you should work on."
Hinata's gaze darkened, before dulling with such emptiness while she took everything in. Kakashi studied her a little more. He knew public criticism was the highest form of humiliation to a Hyuga. Her perfect emotionless stillness, no doubt meant she was preparing something clever. But he wasn't going to allow her to get there.
Kakashi took out a few sketches from his person, before passing them over to Shikamaru. Hinata blinked, as she slowly approached Shikamaru's side. He automatically leaned closer to her, allowing her access to the sketches, which no doubt belong to Sai. Sai had captured that night when Hinata had been found close to almost committing something regrettable. The drawing revealed Shikamaru's conflicting thoughts as he stood next to Hinata, while Toneri's unconscious body rested close to their feet.
Kakashi sent a nod in Sai's way as if thanking him for coming forward. It had occurred late in the afternoon, while Kakashi and Hiashi were on standby, waiting for any news on Hanabi's search. Sai had approached Kakashi with what he believed were connected concerns. After Kakashi reviewed Sai's drawings, he had a gut feeling that Toneri would somehow be in danger. Thus, he asked Hiashi for help in shadowing Toneri, since he was curious as to what kind of character would earn Hinata's dislike, which is how tonight came to be. However, Kakashi never imagined finding a conspiracy happening right beneath his nose, spearheaded by a Hyuga leader and his advisor. There was no way he could go back to sleep at night without wondering what or if they were plotting something that goes against his vision.
"Now, how did your speech go again? During the inauguration? I seem to forget..." Kakashi said as he moved his headband to reveal his active Sharingan. "Ah, I remember now. You promise to maintain the peace between all clans," Kakashi focused on his advisor the whole time. "... You both also promised to protect the peace between all countries, prevent war and any further massacre...yet instead, you go to Suna and do something like this," He said, motioning to Sai's drawing.
"So you want me to step down as your advisor, it's what you're essentially saying,"
"I'm afraid so," Kakashi replied.
"I see," Shikamaru sent Sai a look, almost questioning, for a few people were missing in the sketches. The most notable ones are their great future Hokage, and the Uchiha. Why would Sai purposely draw attention to the two of them? He must've known of the consequences of doing so. Hmm, if Sai bore a natural loyalty to Kakashi, then it's understandable why he decided to instigate things so that Shikamaru is forced to step down. But if the artist had his own goals, then that would be troublesome indeed...because what the fuck would Sai even want? Shikamaru only ever knew superficial things about him, not enough to form an idea.
Hinata sent a glare in Sai's way.
I thought I could trust you, her expressive eyes seemed to convey, for which the artist sighed.
Sai stood up slowly and placed his latest sketches away, inside his bag. He removed his mask, his dark eyes alarmingly empty as he gazed back at Hinata.
Recalling the night of New Year's eve, and that particular subdued, yet murderous look in her eyes, Sai had come to realize it was brought upon by mere words Sasuke had spoken. The Uchiha had almost convinced her to end Toneri's life, no, rather he encouraged it. Sai admits he missed nights like that, filled with lapses in judgment. He had a feeling that if Sasuke had been present right now, he would've encouraged Hinata to paint everything red. It would've allowed for a beautiful scene, littered in chaos; Something Sai was very much craving right now, since he only ever uses red pallets nowadays to paint sunsets.
Since he helped free up the position of advisor. Now with the seat empty, it was a matter of convincing Sasuke Uchiha to take the position and stay. And he had ideas. The future was going to be fun. Hinata should be thanking him right now.
Sai cocked a hip and crossed his arms, his mask resting against his hip. Sai's lips twisted into a sly grin, as his gaze trailed to the Hyuga with silver hair tied down to the torture chair. "I didn't betray you, Hime-sama," Sai finally said, mostly talking to himself. "I did it to help you find Hanabi-chan." This seemed to pacify her.
Turning to Hinata, Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hinata-chan, just give your people what they want, and believe me, all will fall into place. Let everything play out. You do know what your people want, don't you?"
Hinata pulled her hood up and pulled away.
"My people? Do you mean the branch members or the Main branch?"
"Daughter, you've written something time can not reverse and erase, I'm still proud of you. However, you rushed through everything, not letting any seeds you planted come to fruition on their own. Patience is a virtue. You know what must be done."
"I found Hanabi's coordinates." Ino's voice cut through, awkwardly, earning a sigh of relief from Hinata.
"Write them down, and send them over to Gaara, and every search party that's out there," Kakashi replied. Since he was in the room, he was completely taking over the situation.
"Wait, why are we sending them to Gaara-sama?" Ino thought they had agreed to keep this from Suna.
"A certain someone taught me a little lesson before he left the village. He had pointed out that we tend to sweep everything under the rug." His eyes lingered on Shikamaru before moving to Hinata. "Honesty is our new policy." Kakashi gauged her reaction and continued when she remained quiet. "Hinata-chan, I need you to prepare a letter of apology and a statement to send to the Sand siblings."
"Hinata-chan, if you do this..." Yoshino began, with a frown. "It will-"
"I'm sorry everyone, but it appears I, Hinata Hyuga, will be stepping down as of today..." Hinata briefly bowed with grace, before turning around and reaching the exit. As she was walking away, Shikamaru quickly followed behind.
"Are you seriously just going to do what he asked? Lord Kakashi is overstepping, it's not within his right to ask you to do something like that." Shikamaru said by her side.
Still, she did not regret anything, because at least they found Hanabi. Turning to Shikamaru, she reached out and caressed his face. "I'm sorry Shikamaru, that I dragged you into this."
"It's a choice that I can easily live with," Shikamaru reached out and pulled her into a hug, embracing her as though it had been the last time. "What are you thinking?"
"When the elders wake up, I'm not sure what father will have in store for them, or me. But I have a feeling I might not get to see you for a while, now that father knows about us. But no matter what happens, just know that I love you…" Hinata said, through a sad smile.
"You two are adorable," Yoshino said as she approached the two in the night. "But I wouldn't be too worried if I were you, for you have something that you didn't before, a ruthless reputation. And future elders will know what you're capable of. So I think they may leave you alone for a while until their next plot,"
Pulling away from Shikamaru, Hinata wiped away a tear. "How is that supposed to make me feel any better? My sister will always be a target,"
"Tell you what, why don't you come back with us? We'll help you write the apology letters and statements since we know the language Gaara would most likely respond positively to," Yoshino said.
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N/A: Took a while, but finally edited it. 5-23-21.
9-24-21
9-8-22 removed unnecesary diaguole and added a title