-Division 13 Captain's Office-
"Okay, so I called you in to discuss the ryoka you brought here again." Ukitake started off, "Before I go before the council I'll make a deal with you." he looked Daisuke right in the eye as he said this
"What deal would that be taichou?" he inquired
"I will give you a classified mission to the living world for the purpose of training the girl and your brother. Then upon your return I will test them both on their knowledge and skill level. If I feel they aren't good enough then I won't even try to convince the council to let her in. Is that clear?" he asked sternly
"Hai! Taichou, may I leave? I need to get started training them right away."
"Wait. I'm not done. You have a set time limit to accomplish this goal. I will give you 3 months to complete this task, in 3 months time you have to return and I will put them to the test. The final catch is they both have to pass or she doesn't get in. After all, I remember your request was to get them in together. If they can't pass together, they can't get in together."
"I got it."
"Good. Now you may leave. Good luck to you all; I look forward to seeing those kids." Ukitake sent him away with a confident smile.
'I know for a fact that he'll pull it off. I just had to put the pressure on him to make sure. I can't wait to see how this all pays off. Hmm… maybe I should promote him to fukutaichou?' Ukitake thought to himself as he left his office. 'I'll just see how it goes before making a final decision about that.'
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-District 75: Daisuke's House-
"Oi! That was pretty good sis! You're really good at hand to hand fighting. The only problem was you kept hesitating to strike. You just have to be more sure of yourself is all and you'll be fine. I know for sure you could kick my ass easy!" Mitsurugi told her with a sincere grin
They had just got finished with their morning training and were now taking a lunch break when they both heard the familiar two taps on the front door. Mitsurugi went to answer it while Hinata started preparing the food. He was shocked but happy to see his older brother at the front door.
"Hey aniki! Whatcha doin' here? Don't you have work to do and stuff?" he asked him but quickly added, "Not that I ain't happy to see you or anything like that." he finished with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head
Chuckling at him, Daisuke replied "I know otouto, I know. I came here because I have an assignment that has to do with you and Hinata-chan."
"Me and sis? What's it gotta do with us?" he questioned as he let his brother inside and closed the door
"I'll tell you but I only wanna say it once and to both of you, so I'll wait 'til imouto-chan comes in."
"Huh? Hey Daisuke-niisan, it's good to see you again! What are you doing here?" she curiously tilted her head to the side
"I'm here to take you two on a trip!" he grinned at their surprised expressions
"Wait a minute! You said you had a mission that had to do with us brother! So what do ya mean you're takin' us on a trip?"
"Well you see, my mission is to take you both to the real world and train you for 3 months. I have to make sure you're strong enough by the time we comeback so you can pass the test you'll have to take. But don't worry, I'll have both of ya whipped up into shape in no time, so go get packed. We're leavin' as soon as possible."
They both raced to grab what they'd need for the next 3 months for training and such while Daisuke grabbed certain books on the 4 methods of fighting for shinigami and other books that varied from the history and legends of Seireitei to how to properly perform konso, plus he brought strategy and hollow classification books along with practice weapons. He needed to make sure he taught them enough of everything, more like taught Hinata enough since she's behind Mitsurugi in training because he had a head start. Once the dynamic duo were set they headed out to the gate that would take them to the living world.
"Just so you know we'll be going to a remote area to train for total privacy and concentration that way no one can come and distract us. Fair warning too, I'll be working you like a slave driver so brace yourselves." at that they both gulped audibly, "But don't worry, we'll still have fun during our training. Now for the first order of business. How much did you teach her Mitsurugi?"
"Just the basics like how to sense reiatsu and how to call on and control hers. She learned really quick and even taught me a few tricks and helped me improve my hand to hand combat." he finished proudly while ruffling her hair, which of course caused her to blush from the praise
"Really now? That's great! Hmm… if that's the case you just might catch the attention of Soi Fong-taichou if you're any good. She's the head of Division 2 and the best at Hakuda and Hohou in all of Seireitei at the moment."
"Ano… what's Hakuda and Hohou?" Hinata asked tentatively
"Oh! That's right, I never told you about that." he snapped his fingers at that realization and quickly dug through his duffle bag full of books and pulled out one book for her to read, "Read those; they'll give you an in depth explanation on the 4 styles of fighting. But to answer your question now, Hakuda is bare hand military combat and Hohou is another one of the four styles of fighting, it's the step method. There's more on all of that in the books I brought along. When I'm not physically training you, I want you to study those books and when I say study I mean read and learn from them, alright?" he finished sternly
"Yes aniki." they both said in unison as they reached the gate
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-In Konoha-
"Can you believe she went missing like that? The Hyugas are in an uproar about it." a chuunin whispered to his colleagues
"Yeah, I know. It's crazy ain't it? And to think it's not the first attempt at kidnapping her." another added
"Mhmm. It's just the first time it succeeded." a third interjected
"Some say she ran away." a fourth came in
"Really? I've been told that she died." a fifth shocked everyone
"No way!"
"Are you serious!"
"You're kidding!"
"That's a lie!"
"Nope. I heard that's what happened." he told them solemnly
"Hey, wasn't she in Iruka Umino's class?" the second chuunin professor asked
"Yeah, she was. I wonder how he and his other students are taking it?" the first said
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-With Iruka's Class-
"Guess I should start role call now." Iruka said sadly to himself, "Aburame Shino!"
"Present." he responded quietly
"Akimichi Chouji!"
"(munch, munch) Here!"
"Haruno Sakura!"
"Here sensei!" she stated in a sing-song voice whiled eyeing Sasuke
"Hyu… Inuzuka Kiba!" he called out difficultly after his slip up
"Over here." Kiba replied flatly and then Iruka continued down the list to finish
"Alright! Now class, we'll be reviewing the history of the Yondaime Hokage and his sacrifice…" he droned on as most of the class tuned out the repetitive lecture
"Hey did you hear about Hinata-san?" Ino asked Sakura being the gossiper that she is
"Yeah. It's a shame what happened to that girl." Sakura responded
"Some think she ran away."
"I heard she was abducted." she told Ino
"Really?"
"Yeah, some guy said he saw her run off towards the woods in a panic and then a little later someone or something followed her in." she said in suspense
"Oh my God!" Ino gasped in horror
"I know!" and they continued to swap stories about the disappearance
"This sucks, right Akamaru?" Kiba complained to his k-9 companion and received a whine of agreement in return. They had liked Hinata and knew it'd be different now that she's gone.
A moment later the class was interrupted by a very late academy student bursting through the doors. The young and short blonde had a silly grin on his face as he scratched the back of his head.
"Late again dobe." Sasuke said coolly from his seat
"Yeah! Why're ya always late, ya doofus?" Kiba yelled out
"Shut up you bastards!" he yelled at them both as he shook his fist at them
"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" Ino and Sakura double-teamed him
"Naruto! What have I told you about being late?" Iruka caught his attention
"Hehehe… gomen nasai Iruka-sensei." he said nervously
"(Sigh) Never mind. Just go to your seat and try to be on time next time." Iruka told him disappointedly
"Will do sensei!" he replied as he went to his seat; sitting down he noticed that something was off in the room, "Hey! Isn't somethin'… I dunno… missing here?"
"Hinata-chan's not here baka! Haven't you heard?" Kiba replied
"Nope. What, is she sick or somethin'?" he asked in confusion since he was totally clueless
"No! Gosh! What, do you live under a rock? She's been kidnapped!" Ino shouted at him
"Now that'll be enough of that!" Iruka shouted, "No one knows what happened to her but she isn't here. That's all any of you need to know. Don't say things like that because spreading those kinds of rumors can get you into trouble. Now pay attention!" he chastised them
'What? She's missing? I wonder if she's okay. Hopefully they'll find her soon. Be safe wherever you are.' Naruto (for once) silently prayed for her well-being before coming back to reality.
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-Hyuga Compound-
"Still no signs of her yet?" Hiashi asked a bit dejectedly although you couldn't tell from his stoic façade
"No Hiashi-sama; there haven't been any clues to her whereabouts as of yet sir." a Branch House member bowed to him
"That'll be all." he said icily, his anger over his eldest daughter's disappearance getting the best of him
'Who would be able to pull this off without so much as one flaw? That's damn near impossible, especially since there's a house full of Byakugan users! Why would anyone try kidnapping her again when the last time was such a failure? I've failed to protect our daughter Haruna, can you ever forgive me?' Hiashi was lost within the storm of raging emotions and dismal thoughts, when his youngest child snapped him out of his reverie.
"Otou-san? Did they find onee-chan yet?" little 6 year old Hanabi asked quietly
"No they haven't Hanabi-chan." he said softly to her
"Why not? Why can't they find her? When she would run off before, they always found her and brought her back. Why can't they now?" Hanabi started getting louder the more she asked
"I don't know." Hiashi answered with a sigh
"Why aren't you looking for her, 'tou-san? Why are you just sitting there? Why don't you go find her and bring her back?! I want my nee-chan back!" she threw a tantrum while crying for her sister, "Bring her back 'tou-san! Bring her back!"
"That's enough Hanabi!" Hiashi yelled
"No! Go find her! If you don't then I'll go!" she said as she turned to run out
She didn't get very far when Hiashi grabbed her and then turned her around and slapped her. "That is ENOUGH! You will do no such thing! Stop this foolishness at once! I won't have you become weak like she was! Get rid of these ridiculous emotions and forget about her! She's gone and most likely won't come back, now stop this!" he bellowed
"I HATE YOU!" she screamed at him, "You never cared about nee-chan did you? I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
"That's fine. Guards! Take Hanabi to her room and make sure she doesn't leave at all without either one of you, understood?" he ordered 2 Branch members while once again composing himself into the emotionless man he appeared as to others
"Hai Hiashi-sama!" and with that they escorted the new heiress to her room
"What's happening to my family?" he questioned himself aloud while shaking his head
'Forgive me Haruna, my love. Forgive me Hanabi. Forgive me Hinata. Please forgive me.' He pleaded mentally with the women of his life.
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-Training Grounds-
"Hey." Tenten said as she walked up to her teammate
"Hn." was the stoic response
"I, uh… heard about your cousin." she began tentatively, "I'm really sorry about that."
"What are you apologizing for? You weren't involved, besides it's better off this way." Neji told her
"How can you say that?" she asked in disbelief, "Your little cousin is missing; I thought that this would be hard on you. Don't you miss her? Aren't you worried?"
"No."
"Why not?" her eyes widened at his answer as she stared on incredulously
"Because she was weak and insane and a failure. A true embarrassment to the Hyuga name. This is her destiny. She's the reason why… forget it. She's getting what she deserves for all of her shortcomings. Good riddance to useless garbage." he said harshly
"I never knew you… hated her so much. Maybe… just maybe she IS better off gone, then that way… that way she won't be stuck with a family that doesn't care." Tenten finally whispered while looking to the sky
"Greetings comrades! Has our beloved Gai-sensei arrived yet to teach us the ways of youthfulness and…" Lee rambled on when he met up with them, instantly evaporating the depressingly tense atmosphere
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-With Daisuke and the kids-
"Well we're here!" Daisuke breathed in the fresh air of the living world
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Mitsurugi called out observing their surroundings
"So this is where we'll be training?" Hinata asked quietly
"Yep!" Daisuke smiled as he ruffled her hair
They were standing in what appeared to be a large clearing in the middle of some unknown forest. In the background was a huge set of mountains with snow-tipped peaks and off to the side was a vast lake with a waterfall streaming into it.
"Let's get set up first. The sooner we start the better." he told them
After setting up camp they went to the center of the clearing and the kids braced themselves for the start of what would be a rigorous training schedule for the next 3 months.
"Since we've only got a short amount of time to train I figured we'll have to use the fastest possible methods to improve." Daisuke started off, "I won't lie to you; this'll be very hard and somewhat dangerous. This is the most extreme but most effective training technique around. It's been dubbed the Urahara Kisuke method."
"What is it?" Mitsurugi questioned
"This training regimen is more or less for Hinata-chan but that's only for the first part of it. Since imouto isn't exactly dead she can't be a full-time shinigami."
"But she can be a shinigami, right?"
"Yeah. But it's harder for her to unlock her abilities, so that's where the technique comes in. It'll get her to awaked those powers of hers in a matter of days, 3 to be exact." he told them while holding up 3 fingers
"How do you know it'll take 3 days?" Hinata asked this time
"Because that's all you'll have to pull it off. You see, if you fail to activate your powers, you'll turn into a hollow and I'll be forced to kill you if that happens." he responded gravely causing Hinata to pale and nearly faint
"WHAT?! But aniki, you can't do that to imouto-chan! There has to be another way!" Mitsurugi yelled at him in shock for even suggesting that
"There is none as efficient as this and because of our limited time together this is the best and only option. Think of it as an incentive to succeed. Once she awakens her skills we'll take it from there. Don't worry you two, I know she'll do it. I have faith in both of you!" he finished with a smile
"Of course she'll do it, she's our sister! And she's the best!" Mitsurugi chimed in while throwing his arm over her shoulders, it helped to boost her confidence
Taking a deep breath she asked, "Okay… What do I have to do?"
Smiling at her Daisuke said, "Just come with me and relax; I'm sure you'll get it."
He led her deep within the surrounding forest towards the waterfall. Once they reached the ridge of it he had her climb to the top with him. Standing on the bank up top he went toward her smiling all the while.
"What are you do…" She never got to finish because the next thing she knew Daisuke had pushed her down. "What was that for?" she asked annoyed; she failed to notice that her body was lying face down in front of her
"Oh nothing much. Just getting you ready for your training." he grinned at her
"I don't see how pushing me is getting me…" She stopped her complaints when she noticed Daisuke holding up her body, waving its hand at her. "Oh. My. God." Then she fainted; Mitsurugi could hear his brother's laughter all the way down in the clearing.
Hinata woke a few minutes later to see her nii-san wiping tears of mirth from his eyes and stifling chuckles. "Whew! That was hilarious! Your face was priceless imouto-chan!" he said while pinching her cheeks, "But on a serious note let's do this. Here's what's going to happen; I'm gonna hold your body here hostage while you try to climb the walls of the waterfall to get to it."
Noticing the relief cross her features he continued, "Now it may sound easy but it ain't. You could get up to the top but to get your body back you'll have to get through me and I'll most likely send you back down to the bottom of the waterfall. Another catch is that while this is happening your chain of fate" he pointed to it, "will be eaten away as you go through encroachment."
"Then what can I do?"
"I would suggest getting your body back, but as you are now you won't be able to beat me so you have to get your shinigami powers and soon because the encroachment process has already begun." he told her as he showed her the chain-eating worms getting their free meal, "Now enough talk." Without further warning he tossed her to the awaiting lake below.
"This'll be a LONG three days." he whistled as he waited for her to come back to the top
A/N: It's been a while since I updated this story because I've been unbelievably busy so if I made anyone wait for the next installment I apologize. Just fair warning, now that school is getting closer to starting time for me I'll have even less free time to update anything let alone this story. But for now let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, Read and Review!