The big climax is here. Here we go.

Introduction:

Even after a storm, raging waters may yet grow still. Though they may yet be tumultuous beneath their surface, the dance of their ripples still comes to a close.

Chapter 15: Close

Hinata awoke mostly to darkness. The light was off in the room and the curtains were drawn but for a small ray of sunlight telling her it was daytime. "Hnh…" she muttered. Realizing her mouth was covered by a breath mask, she moved her arm to remove it. As she did, she felt weak, like her limbs were moving through mud. She noticed the IV needle stuck in her arm and its corresponding bag to her left. Perhaps there was anesthetic in it? She tried to sit up; a sudden sharp pain made her stop. Moving her hand toward it, she felt a patch of bandages covering her flank.

Memories of what had put her in this state trickled back to her. Her brain felt foggy trying to recall. She had been on a mission with her team, and then she had gone away from them. That's right. I was captured by those Sound shinobi. And then…

Lingering wisps of fear, despair, and panic forced their way into her heart. Naruto and Sasuke had attacked her. She had thought they were there to save her – and indeed, they were – but they had been put under a genjutsu by that evil girl… Tayuya, she thought she'd heard one of the others say. They didn't respond to her repeated cries for help, nor her attempts to reveal the truth aurally.

She had tried her best to avoid their assault, all the while trying to get close enough to disrupt their chakra enough to awaken them, but their attacks were too furious, and she couldn't get an opening. She'd hoped her kaiten would do the job, but they were too skilled for that.

And then… Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun…

The fear had ascended to terror when she saw Sasuke charging toward her, arm crackling with electricity, but it reached its peak when she realized Naruto was also on her with a Rasengan. She could do nothing, caught between them, but slow them down.

And then…

The strike had been unspeakably painful, above anything she had ever felt, beyond even when Gaara had snapped her arm. She had wondered in shock if they'd disemboweled her, if her organs were nothing more than scattered, torn chunks of flesh. Somehow, through the pain, she had crawled towards them, bleeding profusely. And then, she had done what she thought would be the final act of her life and released them from the genjutsu.

Her final memory before blacking out was of Naruto, red chakra surging through him, picking her up and absconding with her toward the village.

Now she was here. Alive. The realization hit her fully. I am alive. She drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling relief after the recollection of that horrible night. Somehow, Naruto had made it back in time, and she had avoided crossing the final threshold. Naruto-kun saved me again. She smiled at the simple joy of having been rescued, specifically by Naruto, but soon she chided herself. Naruto had been forced into that rage-driven state again and she'd doubtlessly caused him a lot of worry, all because she'd fallen for a simple trap.

I'm alive, she told herself again, putting the brakes on her negative train of thought. That's reason enough to be happy.

Some time passed – Hinata wasn't sure how much – before the door to her room opened. Light poured in and with it a figure. It was that short haired woman she'd seen when Tsunade had fixed her arm. "Hinata-san," she said, a smile on her face, "You're awake! That's good." She noticed Hinata starting to sit up again and added, "Oh, please be careful when you move. You're still in recovery. My name is Shizune, by the way – I think we've met once before. I'm your attending physician. Tsunade-sama personally directed me to handle your case."

"Shizune-san," Hinata replied, "How long was I unconscious?"

"It's been three days," Shizune answered, walking over to the curtains. She pulled them open and Hinata squinted a bit as light filled the room. Flowers on the windowsill caught her eye; she wondered who had sent them. "You've been making a steady recovery in that time. The fact that you're awake now is a very good sign."

"I see," said Hinata. Do you have an estimate as to how long I'll be here before I get discharged?"

Shizune gave a half-smile as she bent down to inspect Hinata's bandaged wound. "Like I said, you're still in recovery. I'd say it will be at least a few days until you'd be safe to go home, and then days after that before you're ready to return to missions."

"I see," she said again, this time with a bit of disappointment.

Sensing her mood, Shizune said, "Think of it as a mini vacation."

"Yeah," Hinata replied. She'd been out of action for a while just recently; she wasn't looking forward to another bout of sedentary life.

"You're healing well," Shizune remarked. "Now that you're awake, I'm sure he'll be happy."

Hinata blinked. "'He?'"

"Naruto-kun. He's been visiting you every day."

Hinata blushed a bit. She had made Naruto worry, but, selfish though it was, she was glad to know he cared enough to visit.

Shizune continued scanning Hinata's injury for a few minutes more before she stood up. "Well, that's all for now. Since you're awake, someone will by with your food later." As Shizune left the room, Hinata realized she was hungry. Three days of intravenous nutrition had left her with an empty stomach.

But those concerns vanished when she saw Naruto enter the room.

"Hinata!" he called out before the door was finished opening.

"Naruto-kun!" she called back.

He rushed to her side. For a moment his arms seemed to indicate that he would embrace her, but he stopped himself. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"Better than the last time I saw you," she replied. "Thank you for saving me again, Naruto-kun." Her eyes became downcast. "I'm sorry I worried you."

Naruto shook his head. He bore a sorrowful expression. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he uttered quietly. "After all, I…"

Despite the ache in her side, she lifted her arm and placed it on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto-kun," she said gently, "It wasn't your fault. You were caught in the enemy genjutsu. It could have happened to anyone. It happened to me."

"Yeah," said Naruto quietly, though his frown persisted. Hinata knew he wouldn't be forgiving himself that easily, but figured she'd try anyway. "Another thing," he added, "Is that I used the Fox chakra again. Twice."

Silence filled the room. I know about the first," said Hinata. "What about the second?"

Naruto paused for a moment. "Sasuke and I fought."

Hinata blinked. "Why?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just to fight, I guess. He challenged me when he visited you and I… accepted. It's been something we've both wanted for a while now."

Hinata nodded. She understood their rivalry had been building ever since their academy days. But why had it boiled over then? "So, you used the Fox chakra then?"

"Yeah," Naruto admitted. It had been strange – he had been disinclined to use the Rasengan. Somehow, it felt more dangerous than using the Nine-Tails' chakra. Eyeing Hinata's wound only made that feeling worse. He didn't know if Sasuke felt the same about his Chidori. "I used it because I needed it to win," Naruto explained. "It wasn't like the other times, where it took me over when I got angry. It was more like when I first summoned Gamabunta – I felt the huge chakra, but not the rage." He took a breath. "Still, I felt weird about using it against Sasuke, even if it did help me win."

Quietly, Hinata took in his words, watching his expression of shame. "Naruto-kun," she began after a second. "It's okay."

Naruto perked up. "What?"

"I know I've called that chakra awful in the past," said Hinata, "but I've been saved by you using it multiple times now. It would be ungrateful to say it should never be used."

"Hinata…"

"I just don't want it to control you," she continued. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of it."

He looked deep into her eyes. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she breathed deeply to quell them. "I'm still me," he said with strength. "I won't lose myself to it."

Hinata smiled. Her breathing steadied and her heart rate returned to normal.

Just then realization hit her. "Speaking of Sasuke-kun, what happened to him with those Sound shinobi?" she asked. "He must have gotten away somehow, right?"

"Yeah, he said he handled them," said Naruto. "I dunno how – they seemed pretty strong, but I guess Sasuke's strong too." Naruto grinned. "Not as strong as me, though."

"Good, good."

Naruto noticed Hinata's frown. "What's up?"

"Well, it's just," Hinata began. "In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru said Sasuke would seek him out for power. What would those four be doing trying to lure him into a trap if not acting on that agenda?"

Naruto put a hand under his chin. "That makes sense. Hmm." He frowned. "Still, Sasuke didn't go with them, right? I can't imagine he'd do that."

In truth, Hinata didn't expect it out of him either. She recalled her talk with Sasuke a few weeks ago. He'd called her and the rest of the team his precious comrades. He wouldn't defect to Orochimaru, whose plan had been responsible for nearly killing all of them, would he?

Would he?

Hinata shook her head. She trusted her teammates. She would believe in them. "You're right, Naruto-kun," she replied. "Sasuke-kun probably just chased them off with his Sharingan and Chidori."

Naruto nodded at this. "Absolutely." He then glanced around the room until his eyes caught the vase. "Hey! Didja see the flowers?"

"I did," said Hinata. "They're beautiful. I was wondering who brought them."

"Why, yours truly, of course," Naruto said with a big grin. Hinata blushed. She hadn't dared get her hopes up that Naruto had done so, especially since she didn't expect him to have any knowledge of floriography. "And Sakura-chan. She brought the camel… camellias, I think they're called? But the others were mine. Ino helped me pick them out."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun, that's such a thoughtful gesture," she said, managing to talk through the heat in her face without stuttering. "And Sakura-san too, that was kind of her. I'm thankful for her visit."

"She wasn't the only one," said Naruto. "Me, Sasuke, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei yesterday… and also your dad, your sister, and Neji."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Father visited me?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I, uh, kinda yelled at him when he did."

"What?"

Naruto explained what had transpired three days ago and by the end of it Hinata's eyes were like saucers. The thought of Naruto fighting – verbally, at least – her father made her face red like a ripe tomato and hot enough that she thought steam would come out of her ears, especially since apparently Hiashi had thanked Naruto at the end of it.

"W-wow," said Hinata, unable to stop her stutter, "I'm… I'm shocked."

"Uh, sorry," said Naruto. "Maybe I shouldn't have meddled with your family affairs."

"No, no! I'm glad that you did, Naruto-kun, thank you" she said quickly, trying her best to compose herself. "It was just surprising, that's all."

Naruto grinned a cheeky grin. "No problem. We've gotta stick up for each other, right?"

Hinata smiled at this.

When Hinata's meal arrived, Naruto offered to feed her. Rather than protesting, Hinata readily accepted. She was infirm, she deserved a little treat, right? Especially since the food itself was no treat. Perhaps it was simply having something besides IV fluid in her, but she felt much better after Naruto had fed her. Things were looking up, she decided, and soon she'd be back taking on missions with her team.

On his way to the hospital, Sasuke passed Naruto. The former still felt humiliated by his defeat at the latter's hands, and so contemplated ducking his teammate, but decided it would be more humiliating to run from him.

"Sasuke," said Naruto, as though surprised to see him.

"Hey," said Sasuke tonelessly.

An awkward moment passed. "I, uh, just finished visiting Hinata," Naruto muttered.

"I'm on my way there," Sasuke replied.

"She's awake now."

"Good." Another awkward moment passed. "Well, see you," said Sasuke.

"Wait, Sasuke," said Naruto. "Listen, about our fight-"

"Save it," Sasuke said, holding up a hand. "I don't need your pity. I'll get you next time."

After a moment, Naruto grinned. "We'll see."

"Yeah," said Sasuke. "Anyway, later." As Naruto looked on, Sasuke brushed past him and continued on his way.

Soon he arrived in Hinata's room, where he greeted her with another, "Hey."

"Sasuke-kun," she said. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you awake," he returned. "Last time I saw you…"

"I was in pretty bad shape."

"Sorry about that," he said quietly. He recalled the feeling of charging through her kaiten, Chidori ready to pierce through her. Her wound looked an awful lot like…

"I already told Naruto-kun," she replied, "and I'll tell you too. It's okay. It's not your fault." Not knowing what else to say, she added, "I heard you and Naruto-kun fought."

Sasuke frowned almost imperceptibly. Of course, he'd told her. "Yeah. It wasn't great. But I learned some things."

Hinata thought he was taking it surprisingly well. "Oh?"

I'm too weak to stay here. "I need to intensify my training with Kakashi."

"How's that going?"

"Fine," he answered. "I wish it were going faster." I wish I believed it would be enough.

"I see," said Hinata.

After a pause, Sasuke said, "Well, I just wanted to check in on you. It's good you're getting better." Turning around, he uttered, "I'll see you later." I probably won't see you again.

"See you," said Hinata. She was glad for the short, if brief, visit. Sasuke seemed to be bouncing back from recent events well. Another sign that things were looking up.

As Sasuke made his way home, he sighed. He'd said what would amount to a goodbye to both of his teammates. It would have to be enough. He couldn't risk alerting them to the truth.

When Sasuke approached the Uchiha lands, he heard a voice behind him. "Excuse me, young man, can you spare a moment?"

Sasuke turned. It was an old man he didn't recognize. "What is it?" he asked.

"You are Uchiha Sasuke, correct?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Who's asking?"

The old man grinned.

"Reporting in, subject has entered the domicile, over," said the bird-masked ANBU watching over Sasuke's house.

"10-4," said ANBU captain over the radio. "Maintain position, over."

All seemed to be proceeding well. Following advisement from Kakashi, Tsunade had requested ANBU surveillance over the Uchiha lands. Kakashi had admitted it was just a hunch, but Tsunade knew better than to second guess Kakashi's hunches. Having heard about the Sound's attack on Team 7, Tsunade found it hard to believe that Orochimaru would simply give up on his goal, especially considering what she'd learned about his ambitions during their encounters when they reunited just before she became Hokage.

The ANBU captain took his mission seriously. He'd watched Orochimaru murder the Third Hokage; he wouldn't give an inch when it came to impeding his plans.

Three days later, Sasuke lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was all he'd done today besides having eaten breakfast. Kakashi had left on a new mission, leaving Sasuke with little to do but think on the events of the past several days. Of course, it wasn't like he had had his heart set on training. It was just another bit of normalcy he'd soon be without.

The past few nights had not been good. Ever since the second encounter with the Sound Four, he'd met with the same dream. It wasn't too dissimilar from dreams he'd had for years. His subconscious loved to remind him of the massacre of his family by replaying it in his nightmares. Since joining Team 7, those dreams had been growing fuzzier and less frequent. Guilt ate at him over this; deep down, some part of him believed that if he allowed himself to forget, then his family would truly be gone once and for all. Deep down, some part of him wanted to hold on to the pain.

Of course, he knew that was foolishness. Dreams or no, his family was just as dead either way. All but Itachi…

In the dream of the last few nights, Sasuke had seen a familiar sight: his brother, standing over the freshly slain corpses of his parents. But this new iteration of his nightmare came with a hellish twist: his parents' corpses were replaced by Naruto and Hinata, slashed and bloodied before him, and Itachi's cold visage was replaced with his own.

He remembered Itachi's words about the Mangekyou Sharingan: kill your closest friend to gain immense power. The dream seemed awfully in line with that idea.

What a horrible dream indeed.

He glanced at the photo of his team on his bookshelves. Rising from his bed, he walked over to the photo and took it in his hand. It was almost comedic how irate he and Naruto looked in it, while Hinata gave a soft, though definitely unconfident, smile underneath Kakashi's proud one. It was almost unbelievable how much he'd come to care about this group since that picture was taken.

And that was why he had to leave them.

If he didn't leave, he wouldn't have enough power to protect them; instead he would be the one who needed protection. Naruto, once the failure of his class, had become strong enough to overwhelm Sasuke with pure force. It had been humiliating, so much so he almost couldn't accept it had happened. Sasuke didn't have a prayer of keeping up, let alone retaking his lead, if he didn't seek drastic measures. Hinata hadn't exactly been an academic star herself, yet her own chakra had developed considerably in the time he'd come to know her.

Hinata…

What a peculiar figure in his life she was. He and Naruto had shared a rivalry of sorts since their academy days and it had only intensified during their time on Team 7, but he hadn't paid Hinata any mind beforehand. The girl had had less presence than a shadow at night; she wasn't even a footnote in his academic career. Somehow, after they'd been put on a team together, she started becoming someone real to him, a presence as bright as light against shadow.

Sasuke wasn't dense like Naruto; he could tell when one person loved another, a topic so sensitive for others his age that they had to call it merely liking someone, with emphasis to differentiate it from simple favor. He knew that he impressed all the girls in his class to the point of becoming a fixation of some of them. He found it annoying, for the most part. They liked the shining surface of the high performing pretty boy but had no comprehension, let alone appreciation, of the darkness that swam beneath. What kind of bond could he ever form with someone who didn't know his deeper self, the self who had nightmares about his dead family and friends?

Hinata was different.

For one, she wasn't in love with him. It made their relationship easier to begin with; he didn't have to worry about every interaction being seen as an inroad to a romantic relationship. Sasuke knew she only had eyes for Naruto, big, pale, awestruck eyes for the dumbest kid in class. It wasn't a mystery, despite his stupidity, and indeed partly because of it. In him she saw an ideal to strive for and as he grew stronger, she herself grew more and more to chase him.

She saw beneath the loud, moronic surface. She saw his deeper heart, full of bravery and mettle, and loved him more for it. And she hadn't needed it demonstrated to her before she did.

Sasuke felt some sympathy for her struggle, too. It had naturally taken a backseat to the main pain of his life, but once upon a time, at a more innocent age, Sasuke was also a child who wanted nothing more than the approval of his father, who only seemed to have eyes for his sibling. Hinata downplayed her own suffering around him – and indeed, he couldn't begin to call it comparable to his own – but it felt almost nostalgic to watch someone try for the thing he'd tried so hard for before his life became… this.

It felt refreshing to have a girl he could call a friend without her wanting more. It felt like she cared about him without some ulterior romantic motive. It felt good to be cared for in that way.

He recalled the night not too long ago when she'd found him in the driving rain. Her appearance had stopped him in his tracks, snapped him out of his blinded rage rampage, and brought him back to earth. She'd been so gentle with him in his emotionally raw state, so understanding and tender in ways he hadn't felt since… well, if he were being honest, since his mother died. It had touched something beneath the deep darkness of his heart, buried where only shattered joy and mangled comfort lay. It complicated things, made a mess of his mind, and if he dwelled on it for too long, he knew he would lose his chance at becoming the avenger he was destined to be.

He hoped that she would one day find the courage to confess her feelings to Naruto. He hoped that Naruto would one day hear those feelings and return them. He hoped that both of them would one day find happiness without him.

The next evening, Sasuke made his way out of the village and rendezvoused with the Sound Four. No ANBU stopped him. No one else was there to try.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called, bursting into the Hokage's office. She was panting and dressed in her flak jacket, unusual for her even after a mission. Her eyes were wide as if in panic.

"Shizune? What's wrong?" Tsunade asked, surprised at her apprentice's disposition.

"My teammates, Raidou and Genma, were attacked on the way back from our mission."

"Are they alright?"

"I performed preliminary medical treatment on them," Shizune explained. "But they were attacked by Sound shinobi! Four of them!"

So they were near the village. Tsunade frowned. "Was there anything else of note about them?"

"They were carrying some sort of large, sealed coffin. We don't know what was in it, but they seemed insistent on keeping it out of our grasp."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She hadn't heard anything from her ANBU squad, but this combined with Kakashi's hunch was too much for her to write off. "Get me Hatori," she instructed Shizune.

She nodded and a minute later the ANBU captain was standing in front of Tsunade. "Hokage-sama," he said while kneeling.

"Rise," Tsunade ordered. "Have you received any word of a disturbance from your surveillance of the Uchiha lands?"

"No ma'am," said Hatori.

"Tell your watchman to check right now for a sign of Uchiha Sasuke's departure."

Hatori nodded, placing a finger to his earpiece. "This is Hatori. Do you copy, over?"

"Yes sir, over."

"Give me a sitrep, over."

"What do you mean, sir? Over."

"Tell me if anything has changed with Uchiha Sasuke, over."

"Sir, I was relieved of that duty yesterday, over."

Hatori's eyes widened. "Who authorized that, over?"

"You did, sir, over."

He removed his finger from his earpiece. "We've been had," he told Tsunade.

"What?!" asked Tsunade.

"Our watch was disrupted sometime yesterday. Someone gave me a report – someone whose identity I thought I knew. I apologize, Hokage-sama, I'll get to the bottom of this right away." He replaced his finger on his earpiece. "Get back there and get me confirmation of Uchiha Sasuke's position immediately, over."

"Roger that, over."

Tsunade gritted her teeth, expecting the worst. "Get me Nara Shikamaru," she told Shizune.

Soon, news of Sasuke's absence was confirmed. There was no sign of a struggle in his house. Tsunade pounded her hand on her desk, leaving a few sizable cracks. "Damn it. Damn it." Orochimaru, that twisted bastard. He's already made a play for the Uchiha's power. We've been caught flatfooted.

With Shikamaru's arrival, Tsunade gave him the parameters of his new mission.

Hinata was watching Neji and her father train with a peaceful expression. Neji truly was a genius; even with firsthand experience of his ability she was still impressed by his mastery of the technique.

She'd been released from the hospital earlier in the day. Surprisingly, her father, along with her sister and Neji, had been there to welcome her back home. It had made her quite happy. She felt much better than she had when she'd woken up in her hospital bed a week before, ready to resume missions, even. She knew her doctor would disapprove; since Hinata had woken up, Shizune had transferred her case to another medic, as apparently Shizune was needed on a mission, one which had been delayed by her treatment of Hinata. Her new doctor insisted that she take another five days to fully heal, but Hinata was antsy to get moving soon.

She also needed a new jacket; her last, along with much of her flank, had been severely damaged during what she thought of as the incident, and now she only wore her dark training outfit. It made her feel horribly exposed.

Ko approached Hiashi from outside. "Hiashi-sama, you have visitors," he said with a bow.

Hiashi and Neji separated. "Who is it, Ko?" Hiashi asked.

"Actually, they're here for Neji. It's Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba, apparently here on official business."

"Let them in," said Hiashi.

"Right away, sir."

Neji and Hinata watched as Shikamaru and co. entered the hall. "Yo," said Shikamaru.

"Hey," said Neji. "What's going on?"

"I'll skip the preamble. Sasuke has left the village and is now likely heading to join Orochimaru, along with four Sound Shinobi," he explained.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun did that?" No… it's not possible…

"That's what our intel says," said Shikamaru. "I've been told to recruit highly skilled genin to retrieve him. I've decided that means you." He pointed to Neji.

"I understand," Neji replied. "I'll join you right away."

Hinata watched as they turned to walk away. She knew Naruto would definitely want to be on this mission, but he was a chuunin. She knew what she had to do. "Wait!" she called. "Take me too, Shikamaru-kun."

"Hinata-sama…" said Neji. Hiashi looked on, nose wrinkled.

Shikamaru shook his head. "You were just released from the hospital, weren't you? You're still on the mend."

"I'm fine," Hinata protested. "Please, Sasuke-kun is my teammate. Let me help bring him in."

"I understand your feelings," said Shikamaru. "But I can't have a liability like that on my team. Besides, we already have Neji and his Byakugan."

"I won't be a liability," said Hinata. "I think I've encountered the four Sound ninja that are with Sasuke-kun before."

Shikamaru thought for a moment. He recalled her bout with Neji at the chuunin exam. She hadn't won, but, well, neither had Kiba or Chouji, or himself during the finals for that matter. "Alright, come along. We'll use your expertise."

"Hinata-sama, are you sure about this?" asked Neji.

"I am," she replied. "I promise I'll be useful."

Neji saw the power behind her eyes. "Very well."

Hiashi spoke from behind them, "Neji. Hinata." Turning towards him, they saw him give a concerned look. "Please take care of one another."

The two of them took in his words. Neji bowed. "Yes, father," said Hinata.

It took them hours and hours to catch up to the Sound Four. Shikamaru's speech at the gates had inspired faith from the team, even with the jab he'd thrown at Hinata about putting a girl on the squad, but with the Sound Four's head start the trail had nearly gone cold. It was only thanks to Kiba that they managed to sniff them out. Even then, the likelihood that they'd catch the Sound Four before they reached the border of the Land of Fire was diminishing rapidly.

Eventually, they found the group. "I see them," Hinata announced as their targets came within the view of her Byakugan. Hinata wished Naruto were with them; she hadn't even had time to tell him about the mission with their strict time constraints. I'll bring Sasuke-kun back for you, Naruto-kun, she told herself. I promise. "We're almost on them." Her eyes narrowed. "It's the ones who attacked my team a week ago after all. They're carrying something. It looks like a coffin." Behind her, Neji made a surprised face, his Byakugan also activated.

"Good work, Hinata," said Shikamaru.

"Your Byakugan's gotten better, Hinata-sama," said Neji. "I didn't spot them until after you did."

While Hinata smiled at Neji's compliment, Shikamaru asked, "Can either of you see what's in the coffin?"

Hinata focused. It was hard to tell through the dense mass of chakra surrounding it, but once she pierced through there was no mistaking it. With a frown, she told the group, "It's Sasuke-kun."

"Sasuke? Is he dead?" Shikamaru asked with a shocked expression.

Shaking her head, Hinata answered, "No. I can still see his chakra flowing."

"They probably wouldn't kill Sasuke so easily, considering how much they wanted him," remarked Neji.

"True," said Shikamaru. "We outnumber the enemy, we have intel on them, and we have the element of surprise. Let's try to take them out in one fell swoop and take Sasuke back."

Just as they caught up, Hinata noticed something. "They've stopped," she told the others.

"Why?" asked Shikamaru.

"I don't know," Hinata replied, uneasy.

"Look," said Neji, focusing his Byakugan. "The coffin is opening."

The team arrived at the scene, hiding behind some bushes, and observed as the lid of the coffin came flying off and a figure emerged from it.

"Sasuke!" muttered Shikamaru.

"Something's wrong," said Hinata, eyeing him. "His chakra… it's changed from usual. It's darker, like there's something poisoning it."

"His scent is off too," added Kiba. Akamaru whimpered worriedly next to him.

"We won't get a better chance than this," said Neji.

"Right," agreed Shikamaru. "Let's go."

"Sasuke-sama, we are glad to see your evolution is complete," said Sakon with a bow.

Sasuke turned his hands over, inspecting them as if to appreciate his new state. "Hm," he muttered. Then he smiled and soon a laugh bubbled out of him, a wicked and sinister laugh that sounded nothing like the Sasuke Hinata knew.

"Let us proceed now to Orochimaru-sama," said Sakon.

"Not so fast!" roared Kiba, leaping into action with the red-furred Akamaru. "Gatsuuga! (Fang over fang)!" The two spun, launching themselves as deadly drills toward the Sound Four.

The Sound Four and Sasuke leapt out of the way. Kidomaru spat a web at Kiba, sticking him and Akamaru to the ground. "Heh, nice try," he taunted. "And nice try hiding over there!" Slinging webs at the bushes, he pulled Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji out and stuck them to the ground near Kiba.

"Ah, it's you," Sakon said, eyeing Hinata with a grin. "Good to see you've recovered since the last time we saw you. Come to say farewell to Sasuke-sama?"

"Sasuke-kun," Hinata called, "Let's stop this and return to Konoha." He didn't reply. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke turned to Hinata and the sight of him gave her fright. The pupil of his left eye was a bright yellow, the sclera black as night, and surrounding it was the pattern of the cursed seal. "Hinata," he muttered. "You shouldn't have come. I'm not going back this time."

"Sasuke-kun, please, you don't have to do this," Hinata pleaded. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she thought she could sense something deep within him giving him pause. It was hard to tell with his dark chakra flow.

Sasuke turned his back to her and looked at the Sound Four. "Deal with them, but don't kill them," he ordered.

"What's this pansy bullshit?" Tayuya asked. "These are enemies of Orochimaru-sama, we should-"

"Tayuya," Sakon interrupted. "This is Sasuke-sama's directive." Looking at Sasuke, he smiled. "We will not disobey, Sasuke-sama. We will leave them alive."

Sasuke was silent. Then, swift as an arrow, he sped away from them.

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata called.

"We'll try to leave you alive, anyway," Sakon continued, turning his gaze to the team. "But if things get out of control, and we're left with no choice, well, who can say what will happen?" The four approached the team, gleefully sadistic looks on their faces.

"Now!" Shikamaru called to the group just as the Four reached them.

Hinata and Neji suddenly burst free from the webbing and in unison swiftly liberated their teammates, to the shock of the Sound Four. As they reached Shikamaru, he performed a seal and his shadow extended, capturing the Sound Four and leaving them stuck in their tracks.

"What?!" Kidoumaru raged.

"Thanks to Hinata's intel, the plan was a success," said Shikamaru smugly. "The chakra-based webbing was susceptible to the Gentle Fist after all."

"Wh-what is this?" Jiroubou tried to struggle against his restraint. "We can't move!"

"Yeah, kagemane no jutsu (shadow mimicry technique) is pretty handy," replied Shikamaru.

"Well then," said Sakon, "We'll just have to get serious."

Grins adorned the mouths of the Four as black marks began to spread out over their skins, covering their whole bodies. Soon they began to mutate into monstrous versions of themselves, horns erupting from their heads, their skin turning red, and their eyes resembling that of Sasuke's left just moments ago.

Then, despite Shikamaru's shadow, they began to move.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Shit!" He glanced at Hinata. "Hinata, go after Sasuke!"

"But what about you?" asked Hinata, fearing the power of the massive, dense, dark chakra emanating from the Sound Four. "These guys are-"

"We'll handle them," replied Shikamaru. "That's our duty as Konoha Shinobi. As leader of the mission, I'm giving you a direct order: follow Sasuke or we'll lose him!"

Still Hinata hesitated. "Hinata-sama," said Neji, assuming a fighting stance. "He's right. Of all of us, you stand the greatest chance at bringing Sasuke back. You need to be the one to go."

"We'll be right behind you," said Kiba. "Just go!" Akamaru barked in support while Chouji nodded with determination.

Hinata took a breath before answering with her own nod. "Please take care of yourselves," she called as she bounded off.

"Like hell we'll let you get away!" yelled Kidoumaru as he spat a web at Hinata. But Neji leapt forward, disintegrating the webbing with his Gentle Fist. Kidomaru eyed him carefully. "Not bad, for a piece of trash." In truth, Neji's concern had been twofold. He did sincerely believe that Sasuke would be more likely to listen to Hinata out of all of them, but, eyeing the four before them, he also feared for her safety were she to stay and fight, even if it would give them a numerical advantage. He just hoped he was making the right decision.

Hinata bounded after Sasuke, her Byakugan trained on him. He wasn't moving as fast as she expected. Was the cursed seal influencing him or was he simply taking his time? She shook her head; speculation could wait for later. Right now, she needed to catch up and drag him back no matter what.

Finally, the trees parted and Hinata saw the top of a waterfall flanked by two massive statues. Across the river, atop the far statue, she saw Sasuke, standing still. "Sasuke-kun!" she called.

Sasuke turned slowly, once again revealing his yellow and black eye. "Hinata," he said simply, "Go home."

"I can't," she replied, her voice resolute. "I can't just leave you in Orochimaru's clutches. He can't have anything good planned for you, Sasuke-kun. Please understand that." She gave him a pleading look. "Please."

"I don't care," said Sasuke. "The only thing I care about is having more power."

"That can't be true," said Hinata, making a wide gesture with her arm. "Time and again, you've risked yourself for our sakes. I can't believe that we mean nothing to you!"

"You don't mean nothing to me," he returned. "That's why I'm doing this."

"That doesn't make sense," Hinata replied. "We don't want you to do this!"

"You don't have to understand," said Sasuke, appearing directly in front of Hinata before she could react. "You just have to go home."

Hinata began to spin, "Kai-"

Sasuke picked her up by the collar of her shirt before she could gain momentum. "And if you don't, I'll make you." Faster than Hinata could move her arms to intercept, Sasuke struck her hard in the face, sending her flying down the waterfall.

Midfall, Hinata recoiled in shock at both Sasuke's willingness to hurt her and the sheer force of his blow. His speed and power were far beyond what she'd seen from him before. It must be that cursed seal. Hinata braced herself for the impact at the bottom of the waterfall, emitting as much chakra as she could from every chakra pore to break her fall, but still she hit the water with a heavy splash and plunged beneath the surface. Empowering herself with chakra, she resurfaced, gasping for air. As she pulled herself up to stand on the water, she spat; blood came out of her mouth.

Sasuke, meanwhile, glanced down from above her. He was in awe at the power he'd gained; with this he might be able to challenge Naruto's true power. A sudden pain shot through his shoulder and he winced: the cursed seal was taking its toll. Forcing it to recede, he took some deep breaths. I can't have Hinata following me. If she needed to be incapacitated before she'd let him go, so be it. It's for her own good.

As Hinata prepared to ascend the waterfall, Sasuke suddenly landed in front of her, having taken a fighting stance, Sharingan active. "I'll repeat myself one more time. Go. Home," he told her. "This is your final warning."

"I won't go back on my words," she replied. "That's my shinobi way!"

Sasuke frowned. "Then I'll simply have to stop you myself," he said, rushing towards her.

This time he was slower. Hinata set her feet and began to rotate, crying, "Kaiten!" But before she made contact with him, he stopped himself, instead circling to the opposite side of her before backing off completely. As Hinata slowed her spin, she caught his gambit. Steel wires encircled her feet just beyond the perimeter of her spin. Sasuke tugged them with a jolt and Hinata felt them wrap around her ankles, tripping her before she could repel them.

"I've seen that move before," he said. "At first it seems like a perfect defense, but its central mechanic is also its weakness: it relies on you being able to spin on your legs. You release a lot of chakra right before you begin – enough that my Sharingan can see it – and the moment after you spin, you're vulnerable to entrapment. You could keep spinning but emitting that much chakra takes a toll even on you and you'd eventually tire out. Beyond that, you're on water, making it difficult to gain a consistent foothold, making you even more vulnerable."

"So, you've seen through it," she returned with more calm than she felt. "Clever as always, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke made no reply, instead yanking her towards him at high velocity. Trying her best to keep her composure, Hinata retrieved a knife from her pack and cut the wires. Just as they snapped, however, his foot connected with her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her and once again sending her back.

Hinata caught herself on the water, sucking in labored breath. He'd hit her in her recently healed wound, the wound her doctor had said wouldn't be mission-ready for another few days. She couldn't imagine he had done so by accident. Her expression darkened. Does Sasuke-kun really want this that badly…? She'd find out in this battle.

Standing again, she looked at him as he stood grim faced several feet away. He had effectively sealed her kaiten, but that was just one technique in her arsenal. She was still a student in the Gentle Fist, the strongest style in all Konoha. She wouldn't back down now. Taking her fighting stance, she rushed at Sasuke.

He dodged her attack and countered with another strike to her face. Hinata powered through the pain and pressed forward with a swipe at his chest, but he dodged that one too. I have to focus. In her mind's eye, she pictured Neji and Sasuke's sparring matches. She recalled Sasuke's tactics, his tendencies, even the way he improvised. But Neji was still at least a notch above her in taijutsu; she couldn't hope to match his ferocity against the same moves. She needed to figure out how to fight Sasuke her own way.

"You're fighting a losing battle," said Sasuke, attacking with blow after blow. It was all Hinata could do to diminish the damage she took from each attack; she couldn't even dodge or block fully.

This time Hinata remained silent. It was true; she couldn't deny that she wasn't able to make any headway against the onslaught. Sasuke's mastery of the Strong Fist put him on par or possibly above unweighted Lee, and that was without his training against the Gentle Fist with Neji. Defense was her only option. If only there were a way to attack defensively…

Then, suddenly, she remembered her own battle with Neji. That's it!

Sasuke kept attacking, pushing Hinata back more and more. Soon he was weaving through her guard, blocking all her attempted counterattacks with ease. He got in jab after jab all over her body, but even those small attacks were adding up to real damage. Finally, he pressed her toward the wall of the valley; with her back against it, there was nowhere to run. He attacked her wounded flank again, pounding the site as forcefully as he could.

Hinata coughed up blood as her hands weakly wrapped around the fist digging into her side. "It's over, Hinata," said Sasuke. "You're done."

Suddenly, with renewed vigor, Hinata launched Sasuke into the air with a kick to his face. Sasuke recovered enough for a clean landing, but his face showed shock. "Not yet," she replied, panting. "Not just yet, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke was stupefied. A kick from the ground to the face is the longest distance any taijutsu move must travel to meet its target. How had he not been able to avoid it? Hinata was on him in an instant, outmaneuvering his defenses and landing blow after blow. A strike aimed at his chest, Sasuke raised his arms ready to parry, but he was too slow and Hinata hit him straight in the sternum. She was pushing him back! Desperate to put some distance between them, he flipped backwards, away from Hinata. This was absurd; he'd been dominating her in the fight beforehand, how had she suddenly turned the tables?

Then he saw Hinata grinning at him.

He scrutinized his arms with the Sharingan and his eyes widened. Their chakra flow was disrupted. No, worse than that, it was severely diminished. But his arms were clean, how could she have…? Then he looked to his shoulder, underneath the sleeve of his shirt: half a dozen miniscule pinpricks on each of his arms. A similar number of marks dotted both of his legs. Tenketsu! "When did you…?"

"For the past few minutes," Hinata answered. She knew he had been educated on the ins and outs of the Gentle Fist by Kakashi during their training for the chuunin exams, but he hadn't watched her fight with Neji. Hinata had recalled Neji's strategy of taking the defensive and using yourself as bait to secretly close the chakra points while attempting to deceive the enemy. She'd seen through it then, and in this fight, she wasn't faking being on defense, but it had still paid off.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You've gotten stronger, Hinata…" he muttered, bitterness dripping from every syllable. "I underestimated you."

"Sasuke-kun, let's not keep doing this," she pleaded, wiping blood from her mouth. "I'm sure of it now. I know you don't really want to. I don't either. Let's just quit now and go back to the village; we can act like this never happened." She gave him a plaintive look. "Please…"

He met her gaze. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't afford to be weak!" Sasuke barked back. "You don't understand the pain of loss like I do. You don't know what it's like to lose everything you ever loved. It kills all joy in your life, poisons everything you hold dear, and makes you into… this!" He gestured at himself. "My life is different from yours. I don't have a family like you, not anymore. They were all murdered and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I have nothing left to call my own, no clan, no family, I only have my one goal and…" He appeared to stop himself from saying more. After a moment, voice weaker, he continued, "And if I let myself be weak, I could lose everything again."

For a moment, Hinata didn't reply. Then she spoke, "Sasuke-kun… you're right. I don't understand." She gulped. "I can't imagine what it's like to be you. I know we can't replace your family." She gave him a sad look. "But you do have us. You don't have to lift that heavy stone alone. Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun, and I… we can help you carry that weight. Even now, even after this, even if you do beat me and leave for Orochimaru," she smiled gently, "we'll always be there for you."

Images of the last year flashed in Sasuke's mind. Facing off against Zabuza. Climbing trees with his teammates. Sacrificing himself to save Naruto from Haku. Their trials in the Forest of Death. Their teamwork against Gaara. Tunneling through his sand to rescue Hinata. Naruto's immense power dominating him. Sparring with Neji while Hinata looked on. Seeing her face in the rain, illuminated by his Chidori. Enjoying her cooking after she'd patched him up. Their meeting with the Sound Four…

And the sight of Hinata on the ground, bleeding out in front of him.

His time in the Sound Four's coffin had enabled the cursed seal to show him his destiny. His pain, his frustration, his anguish, all of it would fuel the growth of his power, the power that he needed to achieve his goals. No matter the cost, he would seek that power.

He knew Hinata was telling the truth. Ultimately, he knew, in times of sorrow, he could rely on his teammates for support. But they couldn't stop the horrors of the world. They couldn't stop Orochimaru. They certainly couldn't stop Itachi. Ultimately, Sasuke needed more than they could offer.

Ultimately, to protect them, Sasuke needed to leave them behind.

"Why won't you just let me go?" he asked quietly, voice tinged with sorrow.

"Isn't it obvious?" She gave him a soft smile. "You're my friend."

Sasuke took a breath. "It's too late, Hinata," he said, resuming his fighting stance. "It's too late for me."

Still breathing heavy, Hinata resumed her own stance. "Then I'll have to stop you," she replied. But would she be able to do it? Even with weakened limbs and his seeming refusal to use lethal ninjutsu, Sasuke was a major taijutsu threat. That on top of her beaten state and the fact that he now knew her gambit meant this would be an uphill battle.

Once more they lunged at one another and Hinata's palms caught Sasuke's fists. She tried to inject her chakra into his hands, but he pulled back and threw a kick at her. As she ducked, Sasuke sprang on his hands, launching himself above her and sending a fist hammering down. Hinata tried to block it, but suddenly he retracted his fist as he landed, snuck past her guard, and nailed her in her bad side with a haymaker.

Hinata stumbled before leaping back, clutching her flank. He's faster than before! Again he charged at her. Hinata moved to use his momentum against him and strike him in the side, but Sasuke dashed behind her and kicked her in the back; Hinata hurtled away, falling onto the water. Picking herself up, she inspected him: his chakra was normal, no curse mark active, but it seemed that more chakra was concentrated in his eyes. No, he wasn't faster – his arms and legs were still sealed – he was reading her moves!

Try as she might, she couldn't land another blow on him; wise to her tricks, he was cautious enough to avoid every potential counterattack. This was bad. If she didn't do something quickly, this battle would be as good as over. Her body would give out and she wouldn't be able to fight at all.

Just then, she felt a familiar sensation, a sensation she'd felt once before, towards the end of her fight with Neji. She was molding as much chakra as she could to move her body faster and faster, but she'd hit her physical limits. There was something in her head blocking her from moving faster – something she felt steadily receding. What would happen if she pushed through that blockage completely? She zeroed in on it, flooding it with chakra.

As Sasuke approached her, it suddenly broke open.

"Haah!" she roared, slamming her palm into his face faster than he could react. He recoiled from the pain and Hinata seized the chance to land a second blow to his temple. She had tapped a fresh reserve of energy and it was buoying her speed to new heights; she wasn't going to question it. With blow after blow, she closed as many of his tenketsu as she could while he failed to evade her rapid strikes.

Sasuke could only watch as she pummeled him, unable to mount a counterattack. What the hell was happening? One second, she was helpless against him, now the tables had turned completely and her chakra was going was wild. As he attempted to anticipate her moves, she was able to redirect her strikes in an instant to catch him. Where did this power come from!? If this kept up, he would soon not be able to sustain enough chakra to even stand on the water.

Hinata knocked him down with a tremendous strike and stood over him, ready to deal a decisive blow. But then, just as suddenly as it had begun, Hinata felt the power vanish and she stumbled from the sudden exhaustion as Sasuke slowly stood up. She tried to move but couldn't manage it. Not only was her speed gone, she was worse off than before. Agony surged through every muscle of her body, the payment for her brief burst of strength coming due. She fell to one knee, her breath shaky as she looked up at Sasuke.

Recovering from her onslaught, he gazed down at her. "Whatever that was, it seems to be done," he said as his eyes scanned her. "Your chakra's withered away, almost to nothing. You put up a good fight, but it's over." His body was covered in a dozen fresh red spots, his chakra flow severely impeded, but he could still move his body. But just in case…

The curse mark began radiating out from his shoulder. Hinata looked on as the tenketsu she'd pressed filled with dark chakra. It was impeded for a moment, but Sasuke focused; with a grunt, the tenketsu opened again. Hinata could only look on helplessly. No…

He took a series of heavy breaths, groaning before steadying himself. Then he leaned down, grabbed Hinata by the throat, and slammed her in her bad side as hard as he could. Hinata choked out a cry of pain, amplified tenfold by her body's wrecked state, before he hit her in the same spot again. And again. And again.

"Go to sleep, Hinata," he said as he brought his hand back. "Go to sleep!" With extra force, he dug his fist deep into her side.

She could bear it no longer. Darkness clouded her vision. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. As she felt a damp spot growing on her flank, she began to fade. I couldn't keep my promise…

When she went limp, Sasuke loosened his grip on her throat and took her into both arms. With a breath, he forced the curse mark to recede; immediately he felt the consequences of using it. The tenketsu he'd managed to reopen by force ached in pinpricks across his body and a wave of exhaustion overtook him.

He gazed at Hinata's face, a streak of blood coming out of her mouth. Her expression was so serene… "Hinata," he muttered. "I…"

"Sasuke?" said a voice nearby.

Sasuke looked – Naruto had emerged from the woods near the shore.

"What are you doing with Hinata?" he asked, his voice shaky. He spotted the blood dribbling out of her mouth, the bloody wound on her side. "What did you do to her?" He rushed at Sasuke. "What did you do?!"

Sasuke suppressed his surprise. "Catch," he said, tossing her body at Naruto.

Naruto grabbed her out of the air as delicately as he could. Gently laying her on the ground, he put his ear near her mouth. He felt her hot breath and relief washed over him. Thank goodness. Anger seized him as he turned his gaze on Sasuke, fox features emerging. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he bellowed. "How could you do this to your own friend?!"

"She's bleeding out. You can save her or you can chase me," said Sasuke. "The choice is yours."

Naruto grit his teeth as he stared daggers at Sasuke. His fist clenched as if to prepare for a punch, but then it opened as he picked Hinata back up.

Sasuke grinned. "Good choice. Looks like our rematch will have to wait." Just as it began to rain, Sasuke turned and sped off.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called. Summoning a horde of clones, he sent them after Sasuke, who simply looked behind him and immolated them, spraying fire in a wide arc. By the time Naruto could summon more, Sasuke had already vanished. "Damn it!" Naruto swore, turning back whence he came to begin the journey home.

Hours later, Naruto raced through the forest, clutching Hinata tightly to his chest. "Come on," he said, pushing himself.

Just then he saw a figure dressed head to toe in white bearing a Leaf forehead protector leaping towards him. "Uzumaki Naruto-san!" he called.

Naruto stopped and turned to him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm with the medical corps. A group of us are here to provide support for Nara Shikamaru's team. How is Hyuuga Hinata?"

"She's hurt!"

"Give her here," said the medic. Naruto obliged, carefully handing Hinata's limp form over. The medic pulled her shirt up enough to get a clear look at her wound, surrounded by a dark swath of bruises. "I see," he said. "It seems an earlier wound has reopened slightly. It's a harsh wound, but fairly shallow. She's not in danger of death from blood loss."

"Shallow?" repeated Naruto. Had Sasuke been bluffing?

"I will attend to this wound here and then we will transport her to the hospital posthaste," said the medic. Hand glowing a pale green, he began healing Hinata's flesh.

Fox features fading, Naruto looked back towards the direction of the valley. He wanted to go back and chase Sasuke, but knew there was no point, as he would be long gone by now. It had been hard enough to chase the team's trail to arrive here, now it would be nearly impossible. As Naruto watched the medic work, he asked, "Do you know how the rest of the team is doing?"

"Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba sustained some injury but are not in danger," said the medic. "Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Neji are in critical condition after facing their foes. We applied first aid but they need emergency treatment at our facility."

Naruto grit his teeth. His friends had been put through the meatgrinder on this mission all because of Sasuke. Naruto cursed the fact that he'd missed the chance to help. If only he'd been on this mission, he might have been able to change things. He might have been able to bring Sasuke back. If only…

Elsewhere, Sasuke walked towards Orochimaru's hideout, dragging his feet now that he'd put some distance between himself and his teammates. Part of him had wanted a rematch with Naruto, but he had bet on the safer option of fleeing. Every limb ached; he never would have guessed he would struggle with Hinata that much. He had been fighting nonlethally, but even so, he was glad that his bluff had paid off, saving him from more exertion.

He sighed. It was over now. His teammates would be better off without him. Soon he'd have power, power enough to protect anyone he wanted. Best of all, he hadn't followed Itachi's directive to kill his closest friend. The nightmare hadn't come to pass. And if what that old man said was true, then…

He was making the right decision.

Wasn't he?

Once again, Hinata awoke in the hospital. Immediately she felt a great volume of bandages covering her body, with gauze covering her flank wound.

"Nng," she mumbled, sitting up.

"Hinata!" Naruto sprang into her field of view suddenly. "You're awake," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"A little banged up," she replied weakly with a small smile. "But otherwise okay."

"I'm glad," said Naruto.

"Do you know about the others?"

Naruto nodded. "They're okay. Things looked bad for a while for Chouji and Neji, but thanks to Granny Tsunade and Shizune-neechan, they pulled through."

"Thank goodness," said Hinata, breathing a sigh of relief. Tsunade-sama… Then her face turned worried. "What happened with Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto's expression grew grim. "He…" he began.

"He got away, didn't he?"

"Yeah. I got there after you…" he trailed off, but then resumed, "and I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry." He had decided to omit the portion where he had abandoned the chase to care for Hinata, knowing how she'd feel.

"I see," she replied. "I'm the one who should be sorry, Naruto-kun. I'm the one who lost to him. If I'd been stronger, he wouldn't have gotten away."

"Shikamaru was in here a while ago to check on you. I heard from him that those Sound guys were really strong," said Naruto. "Freakishly strong. He guessed that whatever they did to Sasuke, it made him stronger too. So don't worry too much about it." He took a breath with a sad smile on his face. "Though I'm betting that doesn't make you feel better, does it?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"Yeah…" Taking a serious expression, he looked Hinata in the eye. "Next time I'll get him back," he told her. "I promise."

Hinata was taken aback. Then she smiled. "We'll both get him back," she replied.

Naruto returned her smile.

Word got out about what had happened during the mission. Kakashi returned from his mission, saddened by the loss of Sasuke, but gave Hinata praise for fighting so hard to bring him back. Ino and Sakura were devastated to hear about Sasuke, but they too didn't blame Hinata. Mostly, it was Hinata who blamed herself.

When she was well enough to walk, she visited Neji's room. Neji had suffered grievous injuries during the fight with the Sound Four, but as Hinata had heard, Shizune and her team of medics had patched him up. Once more she was amazed at the power of medical ninjutsu; from what she'd heard of his wounds, if she'd seen them up close, she would not have guessed that they were survivable. "I'm so sorry you got hurt like this, Neji-niisan," she told him. "If I hadn't left you-"

"We would have lost our only chance at Sasuke," he interrupted.

Hinata frowned. "Even so, I didn't manage to stop him. If you'd been the one who fought him, then-"

"We don't know what would have happened," Neji interrupted again. "There's no sense in letting your mind get bogged down in what ifs, Hinata-sama. We all did our best. We can move forward with what is, not with what we wish it to be."

"I guess…" She looked at him plaintively. "When we're both out of here, will you help train me?"

Neji smiled. "Of course, Hinata-sama."

Later, Naruto visited Hinata again and told her of a conversation he'd had with Jiraiya. He explained that Jiraiya revealed Orochimaru's true plans for Sasuke. Hinata panicked at this, but Naruto reassured her that it couldn't move forward for at least three years. Likewise, Itachi's group, the Akatsuki, wouldn't move on their plans to capture Naruto for about that same timespan.

"I'm glad we have some time, then," said Hinata as Naruto wrapped his explanation.

"Yeah," said Naruto, but his voice sounded distant.

She tilted her head. "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Well," he began, looking off to the side. "Pervy Sage is gonna train me during these three years. On the road with him."

Her heart sank. "Oh," she said simply.

"At first he wasn't gonna do it because he thinks Sasuke is too far gone and I'd be a fool to keep after him – he told me a friend wouldn't do what he did to you – but eventually he came around. So…" he met her eyes. "I'm not gonna be in the village for three years."

"I see," she said quietly. "It's good that you'll have that experience." Her voice spoke as if detached from her, saying what she thought to be the right thing despite her inner wishes. You'll be gone from me…

"Yeah," Naruto replied and then smiled. "I promise, I'll come back stronger than ever and we'll get Sasuke back for sure."

She did her best to match his expression. "I'm sure you will, Naruto-kun."

Hinata was released from the hospital fairly quickly; her wounds were many, but none too serious. Once again she was given an order of bedrest and this time she wanted to adhere to it. But before she could, she knew what her first stop would be once as she got out: the Hokage building. Approaching the main office, Hinata knocked on the door.

"Come in!" called Tsunade. Hinata obliged and entered. "Ah, Hinata, what can I do for you?"

Hinata swallowed heavily and steeled herself. It was time to make a decision that would have major consequences for her standing in the clan. "Please make me your apprentice," she managed to say. Training her Gentle Fist with Neji wouldn't be enough, she knew. She'd been the beneficiary of medical ninjutsu enough to have learned of its potency, of the potential it could grant her. If she'd had it against Sasuke, then maybe…

Tsunade observed her for a moment. "No," she said finally.

Hinata blinked. "Wh-what? Why not?"

"I will not have a weak-willed child who cannot even stand up to her own father as my pupil." Tsunade waved her off. "We're finished here."

Hinata felt stricken. She'd hoped so badly that this would work. "B-but-"

"I said, we're finished." Tsunade looked directly at her and suddenly Hinata felt a tremendous pressure bearing down on her. The full bore of Tsunade's presence was massive; Hinata almost felt suffocated by it. Part of her mind noted that it wasn't dissimilar to the killing intent Orochimaru had leveled at them in the Forest of Death, though it wasn't as violent as that. She immediately felt compelled to run, to apologize and flee with what little dignity she could retain. Her knees almost buckled under the immense weight.

But then she grit her teeth and took a breath. With a bead of sweat dripping down her temple, she planted her feet and stood firm. She focused her eyes on Tsunade. "I can't leave – I won't leave – until you agree to make me your apprentice." She resisted adding an apology at the end. "I don't care if you try to force me out of here. I need to become strong to help Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun and I will do anything to make that happen!" She was breathing heavy; it was a better alternative to hyperventilating.

"Hm," said Tsunade. "Very well." Just like that, the pressure vanished.

"Um, what?" said Hinata, a shocked look on her face.

"You passed the test. Kakashi has already told me of your skill and character. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't quit when things get hard." Tsunade smiled. "Welcome to the medical corps, Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata's expression slowly turned from shock to relief and then to elation. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" She bowed deeply. "I promise I'll do everything you ask of me!"

"Okay, okay," said Tsunade with a dismissive wave. "Still, what will you do about your clan? I imagine there'll be some trouble there."

"I'll handle it," Hinata declared. "I will stand up to my father. I don't go back on my words. That is my shinobi way."

Tsunade grinned at her. "Good. Just know that I won't go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Hinata.

As Hinata entered the Hyuuga complex, she spotted Hiashi sparring with Hanabi. With Neji still hospitalized, it was back to training the heir.

Hanabi paused and Hiashi backed off. "Neesama," she said, "You're back. Are you okay?"

"I will be soon," she replied with a smile. Hanabi seemed pleased with this. "Um, father, I was wondering if I could have a word?"

Hiashi waved Hanabi off and the latter went to dry her sweat with a towel. "What is it you need?" he asked evenly.

This is it. Once I cross this threshold, I can't go back. "I don't need anything," she said. "I just wanted to inform you that starting now I am going to be Tsunade-sama's apprentice."

"Tsunade-sama is a medical ninja," Hiashi replied.

"Yes, father."

"Joining the medical corps is beneath those who belong to the Hyuuga."

"Yes, father," she repeated. Hanabi looked on, anxious.

Hiashi was silent. Hinata waited, counting the seconds. His silences spoke volumes and usually she could read them, but this time she was unsure of what he would say. Eventually, he turned his back to her and spoke, "You are superfluous to the clan."

Hinata felt a stab in the heart at the use of that phrase. "I know," she muttered.

"This means the clan will not concern itself with you," he continued.

"Yes, father," said Hinata, eyes downcast.

"Which also means," he turned to her with a small grin, "that you are free to choose your own path, regardless of what the clan believes."

Hinata's eyes widened. "What?"

"Do your best," he added. "You are my daughter, after all."

A smile blossomed on her face. "Yes, father," she replied with a bow.

Hanabi stood in awe at what had just transpired. She suspected that that Naruto boy's words had genuinely affected Hiashi. Maybe, just maybe, the Hyuuga were bound for change.

While Jiraiya prepared for their journey over the next three months, Naruto took on mission after mission. Some were simple C-rank missions he could handle by himself, but other times he was given his former classmates as a team. Hinata recalled with a small bit of somewhat embarrassed bitterness that Naruto had seemed awful pleased about going on a mission with Kurenai's team, but maybe she was just reading too much into it. Hinata suspected that Naruto felt guilty for not being there to chase after Sasuke until it was too late, that he wanted to be of as much use to the village as he could while time allowed. Additionally, Jiraiya had apparently depleted his savings and he wanted to refill his froggy wallet before going on his trip. Sadly for her, this meant that they had little time to see one another between missions. In those brief interims, he would tell her about the mission and how, according to him, he always excelled and did everything right. Hinata would smile at this, happy to see him gain satisfaction from his work.

She, meanwhile, began to learn the ropes of medical ninjutsu full time. She was surprised how quickly she took to it. It took quite a bit of practice to learn the yang release needed to transform her chakra for shousenjutsu (mystical palm technique), but once she mastered it, her Gentle Fist training and Byakugan allowed her to apply the transformed chakra into specific areas of the body for more effective healing. She baked a few fish with it before she learned the proper intensity, but soon she was reviving them, much to Tsunade's approval. She focused on her training as much as she could, ignoring the rapidly approaching day that she dreaded so deeply.

No matter how much she ignored it, however, it arrived all the same.

Naruto stood at the village gates, pack on his back. Behind him, Jiraiya called, "Hey, Naruto, are you ready yet?"

"Almost!" Naruto called back. He turned to Hinata, who had come to see him off. "I guess this is it," he told her, a slight sadness in his voice.

"Yeah…" said Hinata, a not so slight sadness in hers. "You have the jars of medicinal cream I gave you, right?"

"Yup, got 'em in here," said Naruto, gesturing to his pack.

Hinata looked at him as though it were the last time she'd see him. To think she'd be without him for three whole years. It felt unfair. "I'll miss you," she said softly. She wished she could say more. I love you, she wanted to tell him. I love you so much it burns me inside to watch you leave like this. You make my heart race just by being yourself. You could never know just how special you are to me. But she knew she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not when he'd be gone for so long. It wouldn't be right. At least, that was her excuse.

He gave her a soft smile. "I'll miss you too," he replied. "Well, I'll-"

"Wait, Naruto-kun." Naruto froze. "There's something else I want to give you."

He gained an excited expression. "Oh? What is it, what is it?"

Hinata paused. She took a deep breath, gathering all her courage, all that she had ever had and all that she ever could have. She would need it for the sheer audacity of what she was about to attempt. "Close your eyes," she told him.

"Okay." Naruto did as requested and held out his hands. A few seconds passed. Naruto groped the air. "Hinata?"

He heard the sound of a single step, smelled the scent of wildflowers, and then, on his cheek, he felt a soft, wet warmth.

His eyes flew open, his countenance showing utter shock. Hinata's lips were on him. He could feel her breath on his skin. His brain couldn't process it. She pulled back from her forward lean, and though she was bright red, on her face was the cutest bashful smile Naruto had ever seen. "It's a going-away present," she said quietly. "I hope you like it."

At some point, without his realizing, Naruto's hand had reached up to touch his cheek where she'd kissed him. He eyed his fingers carefully, as though they had touched some sort of rare magic. His mouth hung open; wide-eyed, he turned his head to stare at her. Slowly, his expression grew into a wide, dopey grin. He put his hand on the back of his head and scratched idly before letting out a small but earnest laugh. "Wow," he said, "Would you look at that, it, uh, fits me perfectly." Behind him, a pleased smile adorning his face as well, Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

Hinata giggled that musical giggle Naruto realized he wouldn't get to hear more of for three years. "Take it and become stronger, Naruto-kun," she told him.

"Thanks, Hinata," he replied. "I will. Well then…" Suddenly, for some reason, his throat would not let him say the word "goodbye." Instead, he opted to say, "I'll see you later," and departed with a wave.

"I'll see you," she returned, waving back. As she watched him go, her heartrate steadily slowed from its maddened rabbit-like pace to its normal rhythm. Her blush dissipated, leaving only a hint of rosiness on her pale cheeks. Her smile remained. Though some part of her was still unsure of what she had just dared to do, the whole of her being was unanimous in feeling proud that she hadn't fainted or stuttered once the entire time.

Naruto and Jiraiya faded from view. Hinata turned back toward the village, ready to get on with the day's training.

I'll become stronger too, she promised herself. Wait for me, Naruto-kun.

At long last, we have reached the end of Part 1. Fifteen chapters, eleven years, some 100,000 words and over five hundred reviews and we're done with that. Thank you for reading! Boy, that fight with Sasuke sure took its time, didn't it? I know some of you may have reservations about the way the plot developed here, but I tried to guide it as best I could.

A couple of things to note:

-Without Sakura's intel, the Sound Four had a huge head start on Team Shikamaru

-Kimimaro is definitely dead by this point

Aside from that, I am eager to hear your thoughts. I hope you liked it! Part 2 is next, so get ready for that!