White Dog Night

by Nate Grey

Kiba gives his life to save Hinata, and she and Akamaru must unite to save each other. But with the biggest threat to their lives being her own clan, the only safe place for a shy girl and her little white dog may be outside Konoha's gates...

7. Foxes and Hounds, Part 1

Notes: It would be a very good idea to read both chapters of "Rise of the Rokudaime" if you haven't yet. Also I take some liberties with Kyuubi and seals in general, but it's nothing too fantastic, I don't think. And sorry for the wait on this one, but I'm wrapping up Hinata's portion of the series, and consequently there's a LOT going on here. The next chapter will be more of an epilogue that rounds out Hinata's tale (and, incidentally, prepares you for someone else's).

And so there's no confusion, I changed the chapter title at the last minute; this was tentatively titled "The Greatest Hokage," but it ends up being more about other things. And because this chapter was sixty pages before editing, and still roughly fifty afterwards, I thought I'd be nice and split it in two.

White Dog Night

Part 7: Foxes and Hounds

A Naruto Fanfic by

Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Hinata awoke with a start as something with a powerful odor passed under her nose.

"I knew it; she just fainted again," Sakura sighed as she gently brushed Hinata's long hair out of her face. "Naruto, help her sit up."

Strong arms wrapped around Hinata's body and carefully moved her into a sitting position against a nearby tree.

"Hinata, I'm getting the feeling you're not really ready for this," Sakura murmured softly, looking a little worried.

"Why?" Hinata asked hoarsely.

"Because that's the third time you've fainted in the same mile. I know you probably can't help it, but the last thing we need is you passing out at the gate. Things will probably be tense enough as it is."

"I-I'm just a little nervous," Hinata muttered, looking down.

"Maybe you should eat something?" Naruto suggested at once.

"I don't think she could keep anything down right now," Sakura disagreed.

Naruto scowled a bit childishly. "Well, we have to do something! Otherwise she's just going to fall off of Akamaru again."

"Perhaps she should walk."

All three of them turned to see Hanabi and Neji standing a few feet away, looking annoyed, among other things.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked after a long moment.

Hanabi sighed. "You're worried about her falling off of her dog again. The obvious solution is not to put her back on the dog. If nothing else, the fall would be shorter next time."

"I don't think-"

"That's fairly obvious, but I don't see how it helps the situation. Let her walk. There is no need to treat her like a helpless child."

Sakura glared at her. "She's not well-"

"She is afraid," Neji corrected, "and the only thing to do is face that fear. If she truly required medical attention, we would know before you did."

Sakura wanted to argue, but Neji did have a point. She'd had to call for a Byakugan user more than a few times in her career as a medic-nin, and the latest time, it had been Neji himself that helped her with a rather difficult case.

"I'm sure I can walk for a while," Hinata said quietly as Naruto helped her stand. She wobbled a little, and leaned on Akamaru as he quickly moved closer.

"Try picturing Kankurou naked, but with a puppet's body," Naruto whispered in her ear.

Hinata turned her head to gape at him.

"What? That always wakes me up really quick. Gets me in the mood to run, too."

That didn't put Hinata in the mood to run at all, although she did have to cover her mouth to keep from giggling too loudly. And for some reason, the image got stuck in her head, and she largely forgot to be nervous.

Hanabi hadn't said much at all since they'd started the trip, but she had encouraged Hinata to consider what she intended to do once she got settled. Hinata knew that she wanted to pass the chuunin exam right away, but after that, it got a bit hazy. Sakura had mentioned that there was always a need for more medic-nin, and that Hinata probably had the right disposition for it, since she hated to see people get hurt and suffer. Naruto was convinced that Hinata would make a good Academy teacher, and claimed that he would've done a lot better at that stage if he'd had a cute teacher. Sakura thought he would've done even worse, and Hinata agreed, but she decided not to say so.

Neji, surprisingly enough, suggested that Hinata might be happier working in the Yamanaka flower shop, and Hinata was touched that he'd remembered how much she liked flowers. Sakura was a little embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that, and Naruto teased her mercilessly, swearing he was going to tell Ino that Sakura had nearly lost her a potential employee.

---

Not surprisingly, Hinata started feeling a little queasy when she spotted the gates of Konoha, and more specifically, the guards. She didn't think Shino would be on hand to provide a distraction this time, and wasn't quite sure what kind of welcome, if any, she was going to get.

But either by coincidence or design, Hanabi was the first one to reach the gates. She didn't say much, but whatever she said had an instant impact on the guards, as they moved aside to let the party through. Hinata had to wait for a moment while one guard checked her temporary pass, and stared into her eyes longer than she was comfortable with. Finally, though, he returned her pass with a gruff but heartfelt, "Welcome back."

Hinata was confused until Sakura pulled her aside. "That man was seriously wounded during the chuunin exams. Hanabi spotted a blockage in his heart and saved his life. She and Neji helped a lot of people then. That was when they first started believing that it was possible to change fate. I don't think either of them would feel that way if you'd stayed."

There was no time for Hinata to ponder that little revelation, because Akamaru began to bark like mad as he bolted down the road, nearly knocking two women to the ground as he jumped at them.

"Akamaru, stop!" Hinata cried as she chased after him. Akamaru hadn't misbehaved in years, and she couldn't imagine what might have caused him to act up now. She was just about to start offering apologies to the two women when she finally recognized them, and immediately understood why Akamaru had 'attacked' them.

Inuzuka Hana and Yuuhi Kurenai stared unbelievingly at the huge dog towering over them, then at Hinata, and then back at the dog.

"A-Akamaru?" Hana whispered in shock as the dog pressed his nose into her hair. "There's no way! How did you get so... BIG?"

Hinata was about to offer an explanation, but when she saw how intensely her former sensei was staring at her, the words died in her throat.

"Hinata," Kurenai said in a firm, frightening tone, narrowing her red eyes.

"Y-Yes, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata whispered, feeling twelve years old all over again.

"You are over ten years late for your next training session. You've set an outstanding record for tardiness in this village, and I sincerely hope that you don't intend to make a habit of it on my watch, young lady."

Her eyes widening, Hinata quickly shook her head. "No, of course not, sensei!"

"Good," Kurenai replied softly, her voice trembling as she drew Hinata into her arms and kissed the top of her head. "And if you ever worry me like that again..."

"I won't!" Hinata promised, shutting her eyes tightly as she felt what could only be Kurenai's tears dampening her hair. "I'll never run away again, sensei!"

"I know you won't," Kurenai murmured into her hair. "Because Shino and I are going to watch you every moment until you pass the chuunin exam, even if I have to keep you under my own roof again."

"Could I really stay with you?" Hinata asked hopefully when Kurenai released her.

"You'd have to get it cleared with the Hokage first," Kurenai answered with a smile. "And speaking of the Hokage, don't you have a meeting you need to get to? Naruto, Sakura, you two better come with me."

"We'll come and get you later, Hinata!" Naruto shouted, waving as he and Sakura left to follow Kurenai.

"And I'd say this is one dog in need of a thorough check-up," Hana declared, patting Akamaru's neck. She aimed a sharp look at Hinata. "You know, when you promised you wouldn't let him get fat, I didn't expect him to come back over ten times his original weight."

"He's not fat!" Hinata insisted weakly. "It's all muscle..."

"Hmm. I'll be the judge of that. If he's in good shape, I'll drop him off tomorrow morning. And if he's not, then it'll just be me in a really foul mood."

"Have fun with your family, Akamaru," Hinata murmured, dropping a kiss on his nose. "Tomorrow I'll give you a nice, long belly rub, okay?"

Akamaru barked happily, his tail wagging as he followed Hana.

"I have some pressing business to attend to at home," Hanabi said abruptly. "Hinata, onii-san will make sure that you get-"

"He will do no such thing!" an angry voice interrupted.

Hinata turned around to see Tenten glaring at Neji, and just behind her, Temari, who was trying very hard not to laugh. Before Hinata could make any sense of the situation, Tenten grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from Neji, who sighed and shook his head.

"It appears I will be accompanying you, Hanabi," he said, turning away from Tenten all too readily.

In response, Tenten made some rather rude gestures behind Neji's back, which she obviously knew he could see, if he'd been so inclined.

Temari clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from snickering.

"WE'LL take you to the Hokage, Hinata," Tenten announced loudly. "Since SOME people can't be trusted to look after your well-being."

Hinata could only look on in confusion as Hanabi and Neji quickly departed. "What just happened...?"

"Lover's spat," Temari answered as they walked. "Don't worry, you'll know all about them one day. Let's get moving, before that vein in Tenten's forehead pops."

Sure enough, when Hinata looked, there was a bulging vein on Tenten's forehead that easily rivaled those that supported the Byakugan.

"But... what were they fighting about?" Hinata asked.

Temari shrugged. "I know it had something to do with Hanabi leaving the village in full shinobi hunter mode, and Neji not doing anything to stop her. You can try asking Tenten, but odds are she'll just break the nearest object and stomp around for a while. And whatever you do, don't mention his name, or she'll rant for a whole hour."

"You want to know why we're fighting?" Tenten demanded. "Because Neji is a big, coldhearted... JERK!"

"What, he forgot your anniversary?" Temari guessed.

Tenten shot her a scathing look. "At this rate, there won't ever BE an anniversary for him to forget!"

Hinata couldn't help feeling guilty. She'd never seen Tenten and Neji have any problems, not until the day she'd activated his Cursed Seal. It hadn't occurred to her that they might never move past it, and so far as she knew, Tenten was the only woman alive stubborn enough to put up with Neji for extended periods. If something drove them apart, there was a very good chance that Neji would be alone for the rest of his life.

"Tenten... you know how Neji is," Hinata murmured. "He wouldn't apologize unless there was no other choice, and he doesn't mean to upset you..."

Tenten snorted. "If he had just been honest with me, I wouldn't be mad. Instead, he deceived me and over half of the village. He promised he would never shut me out of his life, or lie to me, and he's broken both of those promises recently. So since he's so happy being secretive, he can just do it by himself!"

"Yeah, let him sweat for a while," Temari agreed. "It'll do him some good, I think. Once he figures out you're the best thing he's got, he'll come around."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"Sure, I'm sure. And how would you know, anyway? Naruto's always been a jerk. He's just an unusually sweet jerk, so it's not as obvious. I guess Tenten likes her men sour."

"And you like yours bland," Tenten countered.

"At least I know mine doesn't have any secrets," Temari said, smirking. "Too much work to keep them from me."

---

Hinata had no idea what to expect as the twin doors to the Hokage's office swung open. She'd completely missed out on the reign of the Godaime Hokage, who, according to Naruto, had been a hot-tempered old lady who was equally violet whether drunk or sober. He hadn't said anything descriptive about the current Hokage, though, and now that Hinata thought about it, no one had. It was almost as if they were purposely keeping her in the dark.

She could see no reason for that as she stepped into the office, but assumed it had something to do with tighter security in the village. She was technically still a missing-nin, after all, and that was why she needed the Hokage's permission to stay in the first place.

The room had a slightly strange feel to it, and Hinata only became aware of that after standing in it alone for a few minutes. Something about the air made her feel like she had walked into a trap, and she was just about send chakra to her nose for a big sniff when she heard the doors close behind her.

"Have a seat," said a rough, somewhat familiar voice.

Hinata turned her head and gasped in surprise. "Morino-san?"

"Good to see all that time away didn't hurt your memory," Morino Ibiki commented as he moved past her and sat down behind the desk.

She glanced around a few times before slowly sinking into a chair. "Am I in the right place? I was supposed to see the Hokage about changing my... status."

He grunted. "They keep the Hokage pretty busy these days. I'll be the one handling your... let's call it a transfer, for now. Unfortunately, you've got three things working against you: you're still a genin as far as we're concerned, there are a few powerful people who don't completely trust you, and last, that business in Suna basically made you Hanabi's ward."

"How is the last one bad?"

"It's bad because Hanabi will probably be named the new Hyuuga clan head within a few months. So she'll either have to accept you back into the clan, or pretty much put you out on the street. And knowing the elder Hyuuga the way you do, you realize why we provided a list of places for you to stay. Hanabi's young, and she can only do so much right away that her clan elders will agree to."

"Is there nothing I can do?" she asked.

"You can start by finding a place to stay, and once that's approved, picking up your training where you left off. The chuunin exams are just over two weeks away, and I strongly suggest you take them for several reasons. First, having been out on your own for so long, there's no reason you shouldn't do well. Second, becoming a chuunin in good standing will give you a lot more freedom around here. You'll still be watched, but not as closely, and you'll literally be your own person. After that, you could choose a career, get your own place, even distance yourself from the Hyuuga. But all of that depends entirely on you proving that you're competent and trustworthy."

"I'll take the exams," Hinata said softly. "But... I'll still need two teammates who haven't passed it yet..."

"That's no problem," Ibiki answered at once. "One of the teams intending to participate unexpectedly had a member drop out. You can take the exam with them. They're young, but I hear they're very talented. You could probably teach them a few tricks, if you can get them to listen to you. Now, do you have any idea where you'd like to live for the time being?"

"Yes. My sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, offered to let me stay with her."

"Good choice. Very good choice," Ibiki noted approvingly. "Now the only trouble is the Council of Elders."

Hinata stared at him, clearly confused. "I don't understand..."

"Those people I mentioned? The ones that don't trust you? They're all on the Council. It's nothing personal, I'm sure. Probably they're just respecting Hiashi's memory, although it's a damn foolish way to do so. But the worst they could do at this stage is keep you out of the chuunin exams, by requiring that you be vouched for by three respectable people in the village. The catch is, they'd have to come forward on their own. I doubt it'll be a problem, though. Between Naruto and Sakura, the word will get out. All you really need to worry about are the exams."

Hinata bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Morino-san. You have been a great help to me."

He shook his head. "Don't thank me, Hinata. Hanabi wouldn't have brought you here if she didn't want you to get your life back on track. Just make sure that you honor her commitment to you."

Only when he had dismissed Hinata did Ibiki sigh and turn to his associates as they canceled the genjutsu that had hidden them from Hinata's eyes. "Well, what do you think?"

"I say she's got an honest face," Anko said. "And I don't trust anybody."

"She hasn't changed, from what I've seen," Kakashi murmured. "But I haven't decided if that's good, or bad. Yet. I'll need to speak to her to be sure."

---

Hinata had just stepped out of the building and into the afternoon sunlight when she heard a voice call out to her.

"I've never thought it right for a young woman to have to go anywhere alone. Shouldn't that dog of yours be with you?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Hinata cried happily, whirling and throwing her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!"

"Is it, now?" Kakashi asked slowly, a little overwhelmed by the display of affection. "And why is that?"

"You have no idea how much your lessons have helped us!"

"I'm pretty sure there was just the one," he pointed out.

"Well, yes, that's true," Hinata admitted, releasing him. "But it helped us so much! Akamaru is stronger than ever, and he can even stimulate chakra production on his own now!"

"Sounds like you have one very gifted dog. Where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, Hana insisted on giving him a check-up, and he probably could use one. Besides, he should have some time to visit with his family."

"So, are you happy to be back?" he asked in what had to be one of the most disarming tones she'd ever heard.

Hinata knew at once that it was the kind of question she shouldn't have hesitated on. And yet, she was positive Kakashi would instantly know if she weren't being completely honest with him.

"Yes," she said quietly, "but... being here again reminds me of the reasons I left... and that some people might not want me here, or alive at all, for that matter. I guess what I mean to say is that... it doesn't quite feel like home anymore. And I'm afraid no place ever will, now."

To her surprise, he laughed, though not unkindly.

"You sound just like Naruto. Whenever he's sent somewhere he doesn't think he'll like, he starts complaining before even giving the place a first glance." He reached out and gently patted the top of her head. "What I mean to say, Hinata, is that you haven't even been here a whole day yet. Maybe you should wait a little longer before deciding there's no place for you."

"I suppose you are right," Hinata admitted, lowering her head. "It's just... I don't want to be disappointed. And if I don't belong here, then where?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, Naruto and I know a nice family in the Land of Waves, but again, let's not be too hasty. I assume you'll be staying with Kurenai? She was one of your most vocal supporters before the Council of Elders, so I doubted she'd let you end up anywhere else."

"She was very insistent," Hinata agreed. "It will be nice to stay with her again. I always liked her home."

"Ah... I should tell you that she doesn't live in the same place anymore," he sighed. "She moved quite some time ago."

"Really? Why?" Hinata asked curiously.

Kakashi's exposed eye closed, and she could tell he was grinning behind his mask. "You see, Hinata, when a woman and a man have certain feelings for each other, they sometimes decide to live together in sin."

Hinata abruptly stopped walking, her mouth dropping open in shock.

Kakashi didn't pause at all. "Of course, that doesn't apply here, seeing as how your sensei got married. Poor Asuma bawled like a baby."

"Oh... that's so sad," Hinata whispered.

"No, it was pretty funny, actually. Obviously you've never seen a grown man in tears while his new bride tries to pretend she doesn't know him. I'm positive Anko has a picture hidden away somewhere for future blackmail..."

"They... got married?" Hinata asked in shock.

"I know, I couldn't believe it, either. But Kurenai did change her name, and it has been a few years, so I'm starting to think they might actually be serious about the whole thing."

---

The first thing Hinata noticed about the Sarutobi compound was that it was large, and yet somehow still modest. There were very few signs that this clan could have produced the Sandaime Hokage, and she thought that was rather fitting. The Hyuuga were more likely to remind everyone of their power, but this clan seemed more concerned with quiet dignity, much like the late Sandaime himself.

The second thing she noticed was Konohamaru, since he appeared in front of her less than three steps from the main entrance.

"Welcome, Hinata-san!" he said, flashing an almost unnaturally wide smile at her. "If there's anything I can do to make your time with us more-"

"You're Hanabi-chan's boyfriend, aren't you?" Hinata interrupted.

A rather pleased blush settled in the young man's cheeks. "Not exactly. At least, she never calls me that, but I know she'd kill me if I even thought about looking at anyone else the way I do her. We, um, have an understanding. You'd really have to ask her, and I'm not sure she'd tell anyone the details."

Hinata could see that Konohamaru had been trained not to give too much away about his relationship with Hanabi. But she wasn't going to let him off that easy. "How long have you two been together?"

He shrugged. "Depends on who you ask. I say from the moment we met, or when we became teammates, but Hanabi-chan only counts from when she first returned my affections. Either way, a long time."

"So then you've had plenty of time to ask her to marry you?" Hinata asked bluntly.

Surprisingly, Konohamaru's face fell. "More than enough. And if I thought there was even a chance that she'd changed her mind in all this time..."

That made Hinata pause. "You mean, you did ask her? And she said-"

"She didn't say no, exactly," he cut in. "But she didn't have to. There were... certain circumstances, and she decided that it was for the best if we stayed exactly where we were."

"But why-"

Konohamaru shook his head. "It's her business, Hinata-san. And I only know some of the reasons, anyway."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

He sighed. "Of course it does. But I can't complain. I know she'll never look at anyone else the way she looks at me, and that's enough. She doesn't give me everything I want, but I'm never lacking what I need. That's more than most people can say."

"You really do love her, don't you?" Hinata asked softly.

"With every breath I'll ever take," Konohamaru replied quietly. He blinked, shook his head slightly, and smiled. "Sorry. I was supposed to be giving you the grand tour. Kurenai oba-san would be really mad if I forgot to do that."

Hinata knew from experience that her sensei could be quite stern when she was displeased, and didn't doubt that Konohamaru had learned that very quickly. "Does she still do the genjutsu that makes you hear nothing but crickets for an hour?"

He grinned. "Yeah, but she usually just makes me listen to Ebisu-sensei for ten minutes. Compared to that, I almost prefer the crickets. Now, we'd better get to that tour before I really get in trouble."

The tour didn't take very long; Konohamaru just showed her the most important areas that would apply to her (bedroom, bathrooms, and kitchen), figuring she'd find the rest on her own. He also showed her his room, though Hinata wasn't quite sure why. The walls were all covered in life-size drawings of random villagers, most of them strikingly beautiful women. Konohamaru claimed they had helped him perfect his impressions, and Hinata believed him only after he'd turned into a likeness of her that rivaled her Shadow Clones.

She was quickly starting to suspect what it was that Hanabi liked about Konohamaru. Just being in his presence made her feel younger, and it was very hard not to smile when his eyes lit up every few minutes as he entertained her with stories of his adventures with his teammates. He was very much like Naruto, she realized with a start (the drawing of girl with a distinct resemblance to Naruto helped her make the connection), and wondered if Hanabi enjoyed or disliked that about him.

Hinata wasn't sure how long they'd been talking when a huge yawn suddenly slipped out of her mouth.

"I should've guessed you'd be tired after traveling," Konohamaru said apologetically. "Sorry I kept you from your rest, Hinata-san."

"Don't be," Hinata replied at once, smiling at him. "I've missed out on so much of my sister's life, and I like hearing stories about her and her friends. And you can stop trying so hard to impress me. I would never stand in anyone's way, if they could make her happy. And something tells me that you do."

"I try," Konohamaru admitted, scratching his head. "I've only seen her somewhat satisfied at best. I like to think that one day, I'll be able to make her happy, but I just don't know if one person alone can do that. But if she'd go to Suna to get you back, then maybe, between the two of us... we can get a smile or two out of her."

Hinata giggled softly. "That's definitely the best plan I've ever heard."

---

Though she'd only planned on a short nap, it was dark out when Hinata woke up in the room that had been set aside for her, which meant she'd been sleeping for at least a couple of hours. The room itself hadn't been used in some time, though the last occupant had probably been very young, if the childish doodles along the bottom of the walls were any indicator.

It occurred to Hinata that Naruto might be looking for her, since he'd mentioned coming back for her. Of course, being Naruto, he hadn't bothered to mention an hour or even a time of day, so for all she knew, he might not show up until the next morning. Konohamaru would probably know how best to get in touch with Naruto immediately, and once that was taken care of, she could worry about the rumbling complaints coming from her belly, as she had been too nervous to eat earlier.

Before Hinata could decide on anything, however, she heard familiar sounds floating through the house: Naruto saying something rather loudly, and immediately being shushed (somewhat violently, most likely) by Sakura. Smiling, Hinata got out of bed and hurried from the room, growing more excited with every step. She couldn't wait to tell them how well the meeting with Ibiki had gone, but as she drew closer to the voices, Hinata realized something.

There were definitely more than just two of them.

Preparing herself for anything, Hinata slowly poked her head around the final corner, and got quite a pleasant shock.

The first thing that caught her eye was the huge banner hanging from the ceiling, which read, "Welcome Home, Hinata!" And then there were the people under it. Hinata suspected they had been meaning to yell "Surprise!" as she entered the room, but she'd done it so quietly, and most of them were currently too busy arguing with each other to notice her. It took her a whole minute to realize that, with the exceptions of Kiba and Sasuke, every member of the Rookie Nine was in the same room again. There was also plenty of food spread out on a long table, and what looked like a pile of gifts over in one corner.

Shikamaru was the first to notice her. Not surprisingly, he'd been leaning against the wall the whole time, ignoring everyone else. With a huge sigh, he walked over and leaned in close so she could hear him over all the noise.

"So I hear you might be thinking about teaching at the Academy?"

"Um, well, maybe," Hinata answered hesitantly.

"Good," he said at once, seeming very relieved. "I've been looking for someone to lecture a class on wilderness survival. You'd be welcome to bring Akamaru, the kids would love that. It would only be for a few days, and you could only do it after you became a chuunin. Keep in mind, if you don't do it, I'm down to Temari, and I don't think either of us wants her influencing the next generation of ninja."

Shikamaru quickly excused himself, saying he had some paperwork waiting on him. Since everyone else (except Chouji, who was eating, and Shino, who was simply standing) was still arguing, Hinata made her way over to the gifts. As she'd hoped, they were all for her. There was an adorable plushie of Gaara from Temari (they were all the rage in Suna, since nobody but Temari ever got to hug him), a box of enormous cinnamon buns from Chouji (one was missing...), a book on basic healing jutsu from Sakura, a huge bouquet of flowers from Ino, and an odd little safe that looked exactly like a smiling toad from Naruto. Hinata also found a scroll from Kurenai with an extremely detailed training regimen that she was expected to start the very next day; a scroll from Ibiki with the names of the two genin she was going to team with for the chuunin exam, as well as their usual training area; and a final scroll from Hanabi, warning Hinata to keep her distance from the Hyuuga compound for the time being, and to always have either Akamaru or a jounin she trusted with her (surprisingly, Hanabi had also indicated that both Naruto and Sakura were acceptable substitutes).

"You need to be very careful, Hinata," Shino said quietly, suddenly right next to her. "Being in the village again only means you're safe from the hunter-nin. It falls to us to keep you safe from the villagers themselves."

Hinata knew he was referring more to her former clan than anyone else, but it still made her feel like the whole village was out for her blood. And though the thought frightened her, she knew Shino would rather have her paranoid and alert than relaxed and dead. "I'll keep my eyes open," she promised with a faint smile.

"Speaking of being alert..." Shino calmly picked up the Gaara plushie and threw it at Naruto's head.

"Hey, what... AH!" Naruto cried, ducking and covering just in time for the plushie to sail over his head and land neatly in Sakura's hands.

"Oh, grow up, Naruto," Sakura sighed.

"You wouldn't be so calm if it was the real Gaara flying at your head!"

Sakura paled a little at the very thought. "Well, OBVIOUSLY, but it clearly wasn't! Gaara isn't short and cuddly!"

"That we know of," Naruto corrected. "He could be using sand to make himself taller, and Temari had to learn cuddling from someone."

Ino threw up her hands in frustration as she finally spotted Hinata. "Just great! This has to be the worst surprise party in the history of parties! She's already gone through the presents, and half the food is gone, CHOUJI!"

"It was getting cold," Chouji replied defensively, his mouth half full.

"I really shouldn't eat too much, anyway," Hinata pointed out. "Kurenai-sensei isn't going to go easy on me tomorrow, or any other day, for that matter."

"And you!" Ino snapped, pointing forcefully at Hinata. "You know damn well you're supposed to be the wallflower! Who said you could turn into a wildflower while nobody was looking, huh?"

Hinata could only stare at her blankly, not sure how to answer the question.

"Doesn't matter, I suppose," Ino sighed, reaching out to lightly stroke Hinata's hair with a bright smile. "I think you look better as a wildflower, anyway."

"Um... thank you?" Hinata murmured softly, wanting to smile, but unable to tell if she was being complimented.

Naruto groaned. "Ino, don't you ever get tired of talking about flowers? Even Chouji stops talking about food long enough to eat it."

Ino just smirked. "One day, Naruto, you're going to be so in love you can't think straight, and then you'll beg me to teach you everything I know about flowers. And I won't do it. I'll just tell the poor girl what a mess you are, and let her decide if she wants to waste her time trying to clean you up."

"I happen to LIKE being a mess, for your information. Makes it easier to hang onto people when you're sticky."

"Ugh!"

"Look, it's working right now," Naruto laughed, wrapping his arms around Hinata and Ino. "You've all been trying to get away for years, but in the end, you always get dragged back."

"I'll give you one thing, Naruto," Ino said, making a face. "Your scent, at least, is consistent, but it would never sell in my shop. You're just lucky Hinata is too nice to say so."

"Hey, I don't smell!" he protested. After a short pause, he looked to Hinata hopefully. "Do I?"

"It's... not a bad smell," Hinata muttered, her cheeks red. "It's just... a Naruto smell."

"I fail to see the difference," Ino stated flatly.

Hinata ducked her head. "I don't mind it..."

"Don't you dare look smug, Naruto," Sakura added quickly. "Hinata's been sleeping beside a giant dog for ten years. She's the ONLY one outside of the Inuzuka who wouldn't mind your scent. You'd better marry her before her nose has a chance to go back to normal."

Instead of replying, Naruto just laughed as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever heard. Hinata was too flustered to ask Sakura if she'd been kidding, and didn't dare approach Ino for fear of what she'd say (and more precisely, who she might tell). Consequently, Hinata spent much of the night shooting nervous glances at Naruto. But unlike all the times she'd watched him when they were much younger, this time Naruto caught her eye several times, and even when she turned away, blushing furiously, she could feel his eyes lingering on her.

It wasn't that Hinata didn't enjoy the attention from Naruto. She'd always assumed that men would find her too plain, quiet, or weak when she was younger, and hadn't bothered to think about marriage seriously since then. After she'd left the village, human contact had been limited to the people she ambushed and stole from, and it wasn't until Temari had earned her trust that Hinata actually remembered how nice it was to be around people sometimes. And she'd always enjoyed simply being near Naruto, so actually having him focus on her was rather thrilling. But actually marrying him... well, it didn't seem bad exactly, it was just a really big step that they hadn't even talked about. Neither of them belonged to a clan, and while Temari and Kurenai might offer some support, Hinata didn't want to spend the rest of her life living on someone else's kindness. She was also fairly certain that Naruto would want a large family, having spent much of his life without one to call his own, but Hinata wanted a home of her own before that happened.

Besides, she had several other things to worry about now. If Naruto really intended to marry her, he'd have to wait until her life had calmed down some. That just gave her one more reason to pass the chuunin exam and get her life back.

---

Married life didn't seem to have changed Kurenai's attitude towards training. About the only difference Hinata could detect was that her sensei was even stricter, and apparently didn't feel at all guilty about dragging Konohamaru out of bed, too. He assured Hinata that he was used to it, but even that was said around a yawn.

They spent most of the morning outside reviewing genjitsu, which admittedly had always been Hinata's weakest area (but then, that had been true for Kiba and Shino as well). Konohamaru being half-asleep proved to be very good for practice, but once they were ready to move on, Kurenai hit him with one that made his eyes practically double in size.

"Hanabi in a bathhouse," Kurenai murmured in Hinata's ear. "Works every time."

Hinata frowned. "That seems cruel, Kurenai-sensei."

"I know. Hanabi suggested it to me. Keeps him interested, I suppose. Anyway, I have yet to hear a single complaint." Kurenai paused for a long moment. "Your sister is a remarkable young woman, Hinata. She has a way of... bending the world to her will. And I, for one, am exceedingly glad that you have a place in her world."

"So am I," Hinata murmured faintly, suddenly realizing what might have happened to the people who hadn't fit into Hanabi's world. Thankfully, such thoughts were pushed out of her mind when she looked up to see Temari walking towards her, leading an Akamaru that was much whiter than he'd been yesterday. Hinata had noticed that his coat had gotten a little duller during their stay in Suna, but had assumed it was just reacting to all the heat and sand, since no number of baths had helped. That Hana could have him looking this good overnight was just another advantage of being in Konoha again.

"Remind me to wear pants the next time I visit the Inuzuka," Temari said, brushing at her long, toned legs. "I swear they train those puppies to lick legs or something. I'd still be prying them off if Akamaru hadn't saved me."

Hinata had to look away to keep from laughing at the longing glance Akamaru gave Temari's legs before he walked over and poked his nose against Hinata's neck. "I missed you, too," she cooed, laying her head against his. "And don't worry, I haven't forgotten your belly rub. We'll get to it later today, I promise."

"That's probably a good idea," Temari added, "because I'm supposed to take you back to see the Hokage right now. Which reminds me, what happened at your meeting yesterday?"

"I never actually did get to meet the Hokage," Hinata sighed. "Morino-san said he was handling my case instead."

Kurenai and Temari traded amused glances.

"Okay, I think the joke's gone on long enough," Temari chuckled. "Hinata, I'm only telling you because the last time something like this was hidden from you, you didn't take it so well. Maybe they were doing it for security reasons at first, but there's no need for it now. There currently is no Hokage... or at least, there's no one person you could call that. Kakashi, Anko, and Ibiki are sharing the duties for now. How they still find time to play jokes like this on people is beyond me."

"Oh, that's one of the few things that Anko and Kakashi work hard at," Kurenai assured her, rolling her eyes. "They'd probably go crazy if they couldn't have fun. Well, crazier."

---

Hinata was still trying to wrap her mind around Kakashi, Anko, and Ibiki being the most powerful people in Konoha as she, Temari, and Akamaru entered the Hokage Tower. Ibiki, at least, she remembered as a no-nonsense commander, and could actually imagine him being chosen to lead the village. Kakashi was more friendly and easygoing, and the single impression Hinata had of Anko was of a female Kiba: loud and eager to fight, in other words.

Several of the guards gave them funny looks, more than Hinata had gotten yesterday, so she had to assume that dogs didn't exactly frequent the Tower. Still, after Hanabi's scroll yesterday, she felt much safer having Akamaru and a jounin she trusted accompanying her, and anyone who felt threatened by that probably didn't have good intentions toward her, anyway. She knew Kakashi wouldn't mind the dog's presence (if Anko was really like Kiba, she wouldn't, either).

The atmosphere inside the Hokage's office turned out to be a lot different than it had been yesterday, and the reason for this was, quite simply, the largest amount of dango Hinata had ever seen in one place. A great deal of it was piled high on a platter in the center of the desk, but there were several crates of the stuff scattered throughout the room. Anko and Naruto were seated side by side on the same crate, popping dango into their mouths at an alarming rate. Kakashi was standing over them with a stopwatch, and Tenten was watching them closely, clipboard in hand as she scribbled something down every few seconds. Ibiki and Neji seemed determined to pretend none of that was happening mere feet from them, and Sakura was looking on in a kind of fascinated horror.

Temari took one look and groaned. "Oh, crap. I forgot about the dango tourney. Hinata, you may want to look away. It's been proven that watching this for too long can actually ruin your appetite for a week, or cause blindness in the unprepared."

Hinata summed up her feelings in one word. "Why?"

"Bragging rights, mainly," Temari replied, shaking her head. "Naruto doesn't even particularly like the stuff. He's only doing it so he can say he defeated another Hokage at something."

"But you said-"

"I know, I know. They're still Hokages to Naruto, though. Just slightly smaller." Temari pointedly ignored the glare that Anko shot her. "Kakashi, can't you get them to take a break?"

"Nope," Kakashi answered without looking up. "They agreed. No breaks."

"Intermissions? Halftimes? Rest periods? Barf breaks?"

"I specifically remember they said no barf breaks."

"But that was probably just for them. What about the rest of us?"

"Fair enough." A few seconds later, Kakashi lowered the stopwatch, earning twin muffled protests from Anko and Naruto, who were still chewing madly. "Temari has a point. Besides, Hinata needs to get this issue resolved as soon as possible. You can always pick up where you left off when we're done."

Swallowing noisily, Anko motioned for Tenten to put the platter aside for the moment. "Alright, what have we got, Ibiki?" she asked, shoving a grinning Naruto off of the crate after he belched in her ear.

"Just as I figured, the Council of Elders met this morning and decided to be an annoyance yet again. Hinata needs three highly respectable parties to vouch for her before she will be allowed to participate in the chuunin exams." He produced an official-looking scroll and laid it out on his portion of the desk. "Once that's taken care of, she shouldn't have any problems for a while."

Ibiki had barely finished speaking when Neji stepped forward. "I have been authorized by Hyuuga Hanabi, future head of the Hyuuga Clan, to sign on her behalf."

Anko rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Let me guess: those old skeletons in your clan are putting her to sleep with their boring lectures right now?"

Neji stared at her for a few seconds, apparently trying to decide if he should be loyal to his clan and therefore be offended, or be realistic and simply smirk. Finally, he grunted and said, "Something like that," before he signed the document and stepped back.

There was an awkward moment in which no one moved, and Hinata began to think she wasn't going to get the final two signatures. But that was when Temari stepped up, only to have Naruto slide the scroll out of her reach.

"He said highly respectable people, nee-chan," Naruto teased with a grin.

Temari scowled and punched him hard in the shoulder. "I'm signing for Gaara!" she growled, snatching the scroll away from Naruto and quickly signing it.

"Two down, one to go," Kakashi sighed, drooping visibly in his chair. "I wish I had a way to pass the time..."

"What happened to your little orange books?" Temari asked.

"Anko took them so I wouldn't be distracted during the dango tourney," he reported sadly.

Normally, Hinata might have found the exchange somewhat amusing (or at least embarrassing), but she was far too worried over where that last signature was going to come from. She was half-hoping that Kakashi would eventually say he was joking around and sign himself, since he was the only other highly respected person present that knew her well. But she also assumed that would defeat the purpose, since the "Hokage" was the one that had presented the document in the first place.

It was at that point that Hinata became aware of some very loud talking just outside the office doors. Either no one else heard the commotion, or they were all ignoring it, but both soon became impossible as the doors slammed open to admit the guard who came flying in and landed rather painfully on the edge of the desk. With a low groan, he slid limply to the floor and stayed there.

Naturally, Hinata had every reason to believe they were under attack, so when the tall, top-heavy blond woman stomped in with a furious look in her brown eyes, Akamaru had already tensed and prepared himself for anything, while Hinata seized a kunai beneath her coat.

It was only the surprised, delighted cries of "Shishou!" and "Baa-chan!" from Sakura and Naruto, respectively, that ended any thoughts of attacking for Hinata. Indeed, they both pushed past her in their haste to reach the older woman, who they immediately latched onto rather like children. And while the woman didn't seem quite as furious as she had been mere seconds before, she still looked annoyed, at least to the point where she smacked the back of Naruto's head quite roughly, in Hinata's opinion. Sakura, however, she favored with a warm smile.

Even stranger, this arrival was immediately followed by that of a second woman, who was the polar opposite of the first: she had dark hair, was considerably slimmer, and barely made a sound as she walked in. In addition, she instantly moved to Naruto and carefully fingered the growing knot on the back of his head, worrying over him in a sisterly way that Naruto outwardly shrugged off ("I'm fine, Shizune nee-chan, really!"), but inwardly probably deeply appreciated.

"Ah, it's always a pleasure to see you, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi greeted brightly as he stood up. "How long has it been since-"

"Am I interrupting something, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked in a tone that suggested she hoped that she really, really was.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, we were just in the process of collecting signatures so that Hinata will be able to take part in the chuunin exams." He paused there, clearly for effect. "Although I can't imagine why that might be of any interest to you. I'm fairly certain you two have never met, and we're essentially looking for character witnesses, people who can attest that Hinata is trustworthy enough to be held responsible for the lives of two young genin during the exams." Kakashi paused again, being sure to meet Hinata's eyes. "Then again, your signature certainly would help her case a great deal, what with you being a former Hokage and all..."

Suddenly, all of the reverent stares that Tsunade had been getting since she walked in, even from Neji and Ibiki, were starting to make sense to Hinata. She was literally standing in the presence of greatness and hadn't even realized it. Consequently, she felt doubly ashamed when Tsunade finally turned to look at her. The woman could have dispatched her without even batting an eye, was definitely Hinata's best chance of participating in the chuunin exam, and Hinata had very nearly attacked her.

After a long moment of staring at Hinata (as well as a quick but clearly impressed glance at Akamaru), Tsunade tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's true that I don't know her," she admitted, "but I can learn all I need to by asking her to solve a simple word problem."

Hinata wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried. She was glad Tsunade didn't want to fight with her, at least, but she had no idea what sort of question she might be asked. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Sakura looked slightly anxious, and Naruto actually looked as if he were trying to figure out a way to help Hinata cheat her way into the right answer already. How she knew that from the blank look on his face, Hinata wasn't sure, but she also didn't think he would be much help. The bulk of her most recently gained knowledge had come from Kiba and Akamaru, and she was fairly certain Tsunade wasn't going to ask a question that they might have been able to answer easily.

Tsunade cleared her throat and began in a grave tone that let Hinata know just how serious this all was. "You are a young, lovely medic-nin, on your way home from working the afternoon shift at the local hospital. As you pass the bathhouse, you notice a man, upside down, tied to a post. His face is completely obscured by bruises, and he is bleeding from the head. Your training kicks in at once, and you decide to help the man as best you can. You have only four options to start with: treat the bruises, stop the bleeding, untie him, or check his pulse. What do you do first?"

Hinata simply stared at her, somewhat at a loss. Certainly she'd had to treat her own wounds many times, but she had never really found herself in such a position before. It was an awkward situation, to say the least... and now that she thought about it, maybe there was a good reason for that.

Bathhouses tended to be popular, so the idea of someone being so seriously hurt near one begged the question of why no one had seen him, and if they had, why hadn't they helped him?

"I would check his pulse," Hinata decided after several moments of thought. She figured the first thing to do was make sure the poor man was still among the living.

"You find his pulse surprisingly strong," Tsunade replied at once. "Too strong, in fact: it's racing. Knowing this, you further decide to either assist him, or simply walk away. What do you do now?"

That was even more puzzling. What could possibly make a medic-nin walk away from a patient after finding a strong pulse? Hinata turned this over in her head a few times, and then her eyes widened, even as a blush rose in her cheeks.

"I would walk away."

Naruto looked shocked, as did several others in the room. Sakura, however, was grinning.

"And why would you do such a thing?" Tsunade asked, a hint of a smile on her own lips.

"Because the man is obviously a pervert, and he deserves whatever fate he meets as a result of his perverted actions."

Tsunade threw back her head and laughed loudly, slapping Hinata across the back. "I don't know that I'd leave her in charge of any genin, but I'd take her on as a morally-minded medic-nin any day, and that's always been good enough for me." Accepting a pen from Shizune, Tsunade signed the scroll and slid it across the desk. With that, she turned and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I should warn you now, Hinata. I've been trying to get a Byakugan user in my ranks for years now, and I have no intention of letting your talents go to waist. The training won't be easy, but it could save your life, and hopefully, someone else's. Hanabi had potential, but she was better suited at handling lives on the front lines. We'll soon find out where your own talent lies."

"I'll do my best, Tsunade-sama," Hinata promised with a polite bow.

The blond woman smirked at her. "I should think you'd have to, since you'll be training almost nonstop in order to prepare yourself for the chuunin exams. You'll have fundamentals with Kurenai in the mornings, afternoons with your new teammates, and at night you'll be getting a crash course on how to be a proper medic-nin... or a mother thoroughly capable of patching up her overly mischievous brats, whichever you'd prefer. Sakura will help you there."

Sakura's face turned bright red. "I will?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Of course you will, since you've treated plenty of children."

"But they weren't MINE," Sakura insisted a bit desperately.

"And so you'll be more than capable when they finally ARE yours," Tsunade concluded firmly.

Sakura fell silent, torn between being pleased at Tsunade's high praise, and very much embarrassed since more than a few people were staring at her, as if she had kids popping out of her at that very moment.

"Don't let her reluctance fool you," Tsunade said to Hinata. "Sakura is one of the best medic-nin on my staff, and more than qualified to teach you. She's especially popular with children." The older woman lowered her voice a bit. "I think her hair reminds them of cotton candy."

At that point, Anko demanded that everyone who didn't have a part in the dango tourney leave immediately, and after a brief and very nearly violent shouting match with Tsunade, the office emptied rather quickly. Ibiki talked Tsunade into going with him to deliver the scroll in person, since it would have more impact on the Council. Temari was just about to take Hinata and Akamaru to meet their new teammates when Neji walked over to them.

"Hanabi would've been here if it were at all possible, Hinata," Neji said quietly. "She really is meeting with the clan elders... and I'm afraid they knew all too well what they were keeping her from."

Hinata shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Neji. It's enough that she sent you."

He frowned. "Her name on that scroll would've carried more weight. If Tsunade-sama hadn't shown up, I'd actually be worried about your chances. I'd hate to think that after all the trouble we went through to-"

Smiling faintly, Hinata reached up and placed a finger against his lips to silence him. "You've both done enough for me, and I'll always appreciate it. But I'm the one that has to start over, and that means doing things for myself. I'll never refuse your support, but I'm the only one who can prove that I deserve to be here. I never really had the clan's backing when I did belong to it, so it's no great loss to me now. I have friends who care about me, and I have you and Hanabi-chan to watch over me. It's enough. It's more than enough... more than I ever thought I would have."

It was only when Temari snickered that Hinata noticed Neji's cheeks had a trace of pink in them, and realizing the cause, she quickly pulled her finger away from his mouth.

"Not that isn't great to see you two getting along," Temari said, forcing herself not to laugh out loud, "but we really should get going."

Neji vanished before Hinata could say goodbye, and Temari instantly doubled over in laughter. "I can't believe you tamed him!" she gasped between breaths.

"What? I didn't!" Hinata protested, blushing slightly.

"Yeah you did! Had anyone but Tenten done that, he would've broken their finger off!"

"I didn't do anything! Neji just... he feels responsible for me now, that's all..."

"True," Temari agreed, "but that doesn't mean he has to let you get away with anything, and yet he does. He must have a really big soft spot for you. I never would've guessed he'd be happy to have you back. But then, I didn't think he even could be happy, until now."

Hinata didn't want to admit that Temari was right, but Neji had never felt more like a protective older brother than he had a moment ago. She couldn't help wondering if it had been the same for him, and if that was why he'd really run off so quickly.

---

Upon learning that the two genin she was to team up with were actually Shikamaru's students, Hinata wasn't sure what to think. It certainly seemed like he was just trying to get out of working, as usual, and Temari somewhat confirmed that suspicion when she admitted that he didn't spend much time with his students anymore. But according to her, this was because they were so far ahead of their peers, Shikamaru had simply run out of things that he was allowed to teach genin, and had largely left them to learn more on their own. Hinata didn't think that was a very effective way of teaching (or teaching at all, for that matter), but her first assumption proved to be quite wrong.

Her first clue came shortly after first laying eyes on the two nearly identical genin in the forest, who were, if her eyes were to be believed, practicing summoning jutsu.

"No, no, NO!" the black-haired bespectacled girl snapped as Temari, Hinata, and Akamaru approached. "Now you're not using enough chakra, Tatsuo! And look, you're getting woozy again! I told you it was time to take a break!"

"I can do it, Tomoko!" the slightly shorter boy growled. "Back off! I can't concentrate when you're yapping in my ear!"

"You can't concentrate because you've lost too much blood, stupid!"

"You've got four eyes, and you still can't see that you're driving me crazy? Just shut up for a minute!"

"Are they always like this?" Hinata murmured.

"Oh, no," Temari replied with a smirk. "Sometimes they fight."

Hinata was about to ask the difference when the boy suddenly picked up a rock and threw it at the girl. Normally, she would've thought that was a bit excessive, except he'd done it to block the incoming kunai the girl had launched at him first. In the next second, they were rolling all over the place, pummeling each other with their fists and whatever else happened to be in reach at the time.

Hinata glanced at Temari uncertainly. "Shouldn't we stop them?"

The Sand jounin shook her head. "I would, but I forgot my bucket of ice-cold water today. They'll get tired in a few minutes."

Sure enough, just five minutes later, both genin were sprawled out in the grass, too exhausted to do more than half-heartedly call each other names.

"Jerk."

"Nerd."

"Pig."

"Brain."

"Tatsuo, that's not really insulting."

"It would be if you knew enough to wanna be cool, Tomoko. And trust me, being a brain is not cool."

"Well, I guess you'd know, since you're definitely not a brain. Sometimes I doubt you even have a working one."

Temari cleared her throat loudly as she stepped into view.

"Oh! Temari nee-san!" Tomoko cried, scrambling to her feet. "We didn't see you there!" She bowed at once, her face red.

"Yeah, you were a little busy killing each other again," Temari sighed, shaking her head. "Now, that's perfectly healthy for siblings, but if you're going to do it as often as you two do, at least be aware of your surroundings. Otherwise you might end up being killed by someone you never even see."

"I knew you were there," Tatsuo insisted, glowering at Tomoko. "But even if I'd wanted to to tell her, she never listens to me, so it wouldn't have done any good."

"I do too listen!" Tomoko shouted, but it was clear from the embarrassed look on her face that Tatsuo's claim hadn't been entirely inaccurate.

Tatsuo snorted. "So then you also heard the other woman and her dog?"

Tomoko blinked, looked again, and flinched slightly when she finally noticed Hinata and Akamaru standing a few feet behind Temari. "Okay, I didn't hear them," she admitted sullenly.

"Don't feel bad, Hinata's always been pretty good at being overlooked," Temari replied, patting Tomoko's head. "Anyway, she's the temporary teammate you've been hearing about."

Tomoko's eyes widened in apparent joy, but Tatsuo scowled and kicked at the grass.

"Aren't you a little old for a genin?" he demanded. "How many times did you fail the exam, anyway?"

Hinata narrowed her eyes slightly. "I've met much older genin, and I only took the exam once. Although when I did, I had much better manners."

Tomoko grinned at her, but Tatsuo was still unimpressed.

"I don't have any reason to respect you. We're both genin, in case you forgot, and even if I am younger, at least I never failed!"

"That last part may be true," Hinata said with a smile, "but I think you have a very good reason to respect me, and his name is Akamaru."

Tatsuo opened his mouth to reply, but swallowed his words as Akamaru took a step forward, baring his teeth and growling softly.

"I think it would be much easier if we all worked together," Hinata pointed out. "We all want to become chuunin, don't we? I'll help you if you help me." She offered a hopeful smile, as well as her hand, to Tatsuo. "Truce?"

He stared at her hand, his eyes shifting briefly to Akamaru. "Fine," Tatsuo grumbled at last, giving her hand a quick shake before dropping it. "But you better not get in our way!"

"Of course not," Hinata replied at once. "In fact, I'll be sitting over here, out of the way, getting to know your sister, while you work on whatever you were doing before we arrived."

"Oh, but Tatsuo can't-" Tomoko began to say.

"I'm sure your brother can keep himself occupied while we talk." Hinata said this not only because she really did want to talk, but because she'd seen the look in Tatsuo's eyes when his sister began to imply (again) that he would make a mistake without her guidance.

"Well... okay," Tomoko agreed, glancing back at her brother once more before following Hinata over to a nearby tree.

"You two fight all the time, don't you?" Hinata said quietly.

Tomoko nodded. "Yeah, but only because he doesn't like it when I'm right and he's not, which happens pretty much all of the time."

"So why is it that you don't think he can do the jutsu on his own?"

"He's been trying it all week, and he still hasn't gotten it. Besides, he didn't even have enough chakra in his last attempt, so there's no way he could-"

"I DID IT!" Tatsuo suddenly shouted.

Tomoko spun around, her mouth dropping open in shock as her brother ran up to them, pointing excitedly at the blue and white creature sitting on his head. It looked somewhat like a small lizard, except it was just shy of chubby and seemed rather harmless.

"Um..." Tomoko said after a long moment. "What is it?"

"He's a dragon!" Tatsuo replied proudly.

"Are you sure?" she asked at once.

He glared at her. "Of course I'm sure! I signed a contract with the dragons, just like you did with your dumb birds!"

"At least my summons are recognizable as birds," Tomoko murmured.

Tatsuo's eyes narrowed. "You're just mad because I did it without your help! See what I can do when you're not shoving your stupid advice down my throat?"

"If you had actually taken my advice when we started, you'd probably be able to call on a real dragon by now. Do you really think Keiji-kun would be impressed if you showed him that little thing?"

Hinata suspected that wasn't the right thing to say, and she only became more convinced when she sensed a sharp rise in Tatsuo's chakra. Before she could do anything about it, Temari caught her eye and shook her head slightly.

It was difficult to describe what happened next, partially because it happened so quickly, but mostly because Hinata wasn't sure if she could believe what her memory told her later on.

Tatsuo's eyes, which had been black from the moment she met him, suddenly turned red, which, not so coincidentally, was the same color as his little dragon's eyes.

Even stranger, a tiny pair of blue, scaly wings unfolded from the dragon's back, and though they only flapped once, Tomoko was suddenly slammed against the tree hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Combined with the cold glare her brother was giving her, this left Tomoko unable to do anything when a dragon's head composed entirely of flames flew straight at her.

Hinata nearly cried out when Tomoko vanished in the explosion of flames, but instead let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the girl had been replaced with a log at the last possible second. Tomoko reappeared seconds later, now with a small eagle perched on her shoulder. From the stunned expression still on the girl's face, it was pretty obvious that the eagle had been the one to save her.

"Impressed now, Tomoko?" Tatsuo asked coldly as his eyes reverted to black again. "Don't you ever insult the power of a dragon again!" With that, he turned and ran off, the little dragon on his head hissing at Tomoko all the while.

Only after her brother was gone did Tomoko sink to the ground, the color draining out of her face. "I've never seen him so angry before..." she whispered.

"You know better than to insult a summoned creature, Tomoko," Temari sighed. "What did you think was going to happen when your hothead brother summoned a dragon just like him?"

"He shouldn't have had enough chakra left for a summon! And I know he doesn't know that fire jutsu..."

"You told me the day I met you that summons work differently in your clan. That they can manipulate your chakra and make it their own. As for how he pulled off the summon in the first place, you can thank Hinata's handshake."

"What?" Tomoko blinked and turned to look at Hinata. "What does she mean?"

"I'm sorry," Hinata apologized, bowing her head. "I just saw how badly he wanted to succeed, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to give him a little help. So I widened the chakra channels in his hand when I touched him. If I'd known he was going to attack you like that..."

Tomoko looked more confused than she did angry. "But why did you help him?"

"Because I know how it feels, to always have someone say you can't do something. Even if it's not true at first, after a while, you could start to believe it, and then you would allow it to be true. I didn't want that to happen to your brother."

The girl's face fell. "I never said he couldn't do it! He was just tired, and I wanted him to rest before he tried again!"

"But you said that in a way that hurt his pride, as well as his pride in his latest accomplishment. You can't be surprised that he got angry."

Tomoko turned away stubbornly. "I have to be tough on him, or he'll never be stronger than me. I know he will be, one day, but only if he gets into the habit of always working hard now."

Hinata smiled. "That's fine, but do you ever stop to compliment him when he gets something right? Even if it's just a smile or a pat on the back?"

"I've never done those things. It'd be weird if I did them now. Tatsuo would just think I was playing a trick on him."

"Then I'll try talking to him, while you think of what you want to say the next time you see him. Where would he go?"

"To visit Keiji-kun, in the hospital," Tomoko replied at once. "Tatsuo will want to show off his dragon, and Keiji-kun is his best friend." She hesitated, suddenly becoming shy. "Thank you, Hinata-san. And please, don't blame Tatsuo for what he did today. I wasn't in any real danger. Our summons protect us when we're unable to protect ourselves. My brother was just... letting off some steam. He'd never really-"

"I understand, Tomoko," Hinata assured her with a smile. "I have a brother myself, and it's only recently that we've really gotten along. Tatsuo just needs to know that his sister respects him."

"You really think you can talk him into coming back, Hinata-san?"

"I do, and please, I insist that you treat me the same way you would any other genin."

Tomoko could only stare up at her in shock. "But I couldn't do that! It'd be like... yelling at Temari nee-san!"

"But your brother was right: we are all genin. I've been one a bit longer, but we'll all have to take the same exams, and as part of the same team. I wouldn't want to cause any other problems for you. Just think of me as a slightly older teammate."

"No other genin I know has a dog bigger than me," Tomoko murmured nervously, glancing at Akamaru.

"Oh, he's really very nice most of the time," Hinata replied at once.

"Most of the time?" Tomoko asked weakly.

"Well, he is a ninja hound. He does much more than just keep me company. But he likes attention just as much as any other dog."

"So... could I pet him?"

Hinata simply looked at Akamaru, who walked over to Tomoko and licked her cheek a few times before laying down in the grass. "Why don't you spend some time getting used to him?" Hinata suggested as Tomoko carefully ran her hands through Akamaru's white fur, a look of wonder on her face. "He knows Temari, so he should be fine without me for a while."

"But you won't be fine on your own without him," Temari said, pulling out a kunai with a tangled knot of golden hair tied around the handle. "Good thing I did remember to pack this today." She spun the kunai around her finger a couple of times before almost absently planting it in the ground.

Almost immediately, a column of white smoke burst from the ground, and Naruto emerged from it seconds later, handing the kunai back to Temari. "You needed something, nee-chan?" he asked with an easy grin.

"Hinata needs an escort to the hospital, and I'm busy," she replied simply. "You weren't doing anything too important, were you?"

"Uh... no. But if Shikamaru asks, you haven't seen me, and I didn't duck out of our game because he was winning again." Naruto turned, nodding at Tomoko and kneeling to briefly rub Akamaru's head, before he finally stood and offered Hinata his arm. "You're not hurt or anything, are you?" he asked in a low voice.

"No," Hinata answered with a smile, wrapping her arm around his. "One of my new teammates is there, visiting his friend. I'm just going to talk to him."

"Tatsuo, right?" Naruto said as he led her away. "I've heard of him from Shikamaru. He's supposed to be even more stubborn than I was at his age. What do you think, Hinata?"

Hinata hesitated in answering him. "Ah... well, you had a good reason to be stubborn, Naruto-kun. But I haven't known Tatsuo long enough to know if he has one, too. I hope to find that out today."

"He can't be all bad, if he'd visit a sick friend," Naruto reasoned. "I've had friends who wouldn't even do that much."

"They don't sound like very good friends, then, unless you were contagious?" Hinata ventured hesitantly.

He shrugged, scratching at his cheek. "I don't know. I've always healed fast, so they probably just weren't worried. It was still nice when people bothered anyway, knowing that about me. Sakura-chan always stopped by, and Kakashi-sensei would at least send notes telling me to stop milking it and get back to work." He paused and blinked, as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, and nee-chan would always walk me home when I got released. I think she was more worried about me trying to sneak out before I was all better."

The affectionate mention of Temari reminded Hinata of something that had puzzled her. "Naruto-kun," she murmured softly, "how did Temari use that kunai to call you? Was it... a summoning?"

Naruto grinned proudly. "It's something I picked up along the way, and it's sort of like a summoning, but not really. It's just a way for me to be there right away, if someone should need me. I'd tell you how it works, but there's a really long story behind it, and I'd probably have to keep stopping to explain a bunch of things you missed out on."

Hinata didn't doubt that was true... and yet, for some reason, she got the feeling that Naruto had just purposely avoided directly answering her question. "You... give those... special kunai... to your precious people, then?" she whispered haltingly.

He nodded, apparently not seeing where she was headed with her line of questioning. "I guess you could say that."

"So... Sakura has one, too?"

"Yeah..." His blue eyes slid toward her, taking in her face for a long moment. "Why do you ask?"

"It must be really nice for them," Hinata said, lowering her head. "Being able to call on you anytime like that. You'd always be there when they needed you... for anything at all..."

"It's really only supposed to be for emergencies," Naruto explained. "But now that you mention it, nee-chan has been abusing it quite a bit. Maybe I need to put a limit on-"

"I want one!" Hinata blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, her face glowing red.

He stared at her in obvious surprise. "You do?"

She slowly lowered her hands. "I-It's just... Gaara said... I was precious to you, so... I thought... I hoped..."

Naruto seemed to be considering it, but he didn't look especially convinced. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, but you've almost always got Akamaru with you, so I figured you wouldn't even want one."

"But...!" Hinata took a deep breath, trying to order her thoughts. "Naruto-kun... I-I don't just want one... I need one!"

"What are you talking about, Hinata?"

"Sakura and Temari are safe here. But I'm not, and it scares me. I can't go anywhere without someone watching over me, and... I'd really like for that someone to be you. I know you'd never let anything happen to me, because I know how far you'll go protect... the people you love..." Hinata bit her lip and stepped closer to him. "So, please... if I really am important to you... like Sakura and Temari keep telling me, then... promise me you'll be there, if I need your help."

The look on Naruto's face bothered her a great deal. She could see that part of him wanted to protect her, even more than she wanted him to. But the other part was holding back, almost as if he wanted to see how long she'd survive without him. Finally, he sighed and ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"You are precious to me, Hinata," Naruto muttered. "But these kunai... they represent much more than that. There are things I need to tell you... things I should have told you the night you left. I wanted to go after you, but, well... after that kiss, my brain didn't really recover until the next day. The point is, I can't give you a kunai until you understand some things about me. And after everything that's happened, I don't think you'll be ready to hear it all until after you pass the chuunin exams."

"But what if I don't-"

"You will," he said confidently. "I know you will."

There was an uneasy silence that seemed to stretch on forever, until Naruto extended his hand, a silent question in his eyes. He was asking her to trust in him, to believe in his decision, but Hinata honestly didn't want to. She didn't want to accept this at all. She knew it was selfish, but the idea that someone else might be closer to Naruto than her made her unhappy and nervous. Of course she trusted him, but she didn't want to be second in his heart. It was times like this when she envied Akamaru, who could make up his mind about people inside of a minute. Certainly he changed his mind now and then, but even in those times, he almost never hesitated. He didn't need to think things over, because he saw things on such an instinctive level.

He'd changed his mind about Naruto, hadn't he? Hinata could still remember when Akamaru would've growled at Naruto on sight. Even when Hinata had begun taking care of the dog, he'd still been a little uneasy around the blond. It wasn't until they'd encountered him again in Suna that Akamaru had actually accepted Naruto as a fixture in Hinata's life. She had been so pleased at the time, she'd never bothered to ask Akamaru why he'd changed his mind. What was it about Naruto now that Akamaru sensed he could trust? Hinata had a feeling that if she knew that, she'd never doubt Naruto again.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the warm sensation of Naruto's fingers interlacing with her own. Hinata realized with a start that she'd reached out and taken his hand without even knowing it. But she couldn't take it back now, not with the way Naruto was beaming at her. Seeing a genuine Naruto smile had once been a rare thing, and she never wanted to do anything that might make them less frequent.

That, and Hinata suspected she would've taken his hand eventually, anyway.

---

Tatsuo turned out to be a very easy find once Hinata and Naruto stepped into the hospital. She had just been about to approach the reception desk when she spotted Tatsuo sitting on the floor along the far wall, hugging his knees to his chest, and staring straight ahead, his eyes red from crying. His little dragon was still perched on his head, and it was stroking his cheek with its tail in an attempt to soothe him.

"Oh no," Hinata whispered, fearing the worst. "Naruto-kun, I think-"

"You talk to him," Naruto interrupted, squeezing her shoulder. "I'll be right here if you need me."

She nodded, barely even hearing his words as she walked over to Tatsuo and sat down beside him. The dragon gave her a brief, wary look, but seemed to recognize her and relaxed somewhat.

"Keiji's gone," Tatsuo reported dully.

"I'm so sorry," Hinata said quietly. "I lost my best friend when I was your age, too."

He blinked and glanced at her. "How?"

"The chuunin exams," she replied simply. "I wasn't ready, and he gave his life to protect me."

Tatsuo's eyes widened. "You mean... he's dead?"

Hinata nodded, unsure of why he sounded so surprised. "Yes... so I have some idea of how you feel."

"What?" Tatsuo asked blankly. "But... Kieji isn't dead. Not really, but..." He sighed heavily. "He's gone. His parents decided they didn't want him to be a ninja anymore, so... they're leaving the village today."

"Oh," Hinata said, feeling a little silly. "How did he get hurt?"

"Keiji was the first one of us to summon anything. He's a genius, you know. But he never knew when to stop. He wanted to have the most powerful summon in Konoha, so he kept calling on bigger and better bugs, until he finally used up all of his chakra on the biggest one. They put him on bedrest, and he was fine mostly, but he just kept summoning bugs. His parents were scared, because Keiji's older brother was a ninja, and he died right after he made chuunin. They wanted to stop Keiji before he got that far." Tatsuo swallowed hard and shook his head. "It's just such a waste. He's a great ninja, and now... he'll never be anything like what he wanted. And even if we work our butts off to pass the exam, he won't be here to see us do it. It's not fair!"

"I don't think our situations are so different," Hinata said at last. "We each had a friend who laid down his dream. The only difference is that yours had no choice in the matter."

"So... what did you do?" Tatsuo asked slowly.

"I picked up his dream, and tried to make it my own the best I could. That's how I got Akamaru. I promised to take care of him, for my friend." Hinata gently placed her hand on Tatsuo's knee. "I think you should pick up Keiji's dream. Get stronger, for him, for your sister, and for yourself. It's a way of honoring the sacrifices he made, even if doesn't know you are."

Tatsuo considered that for several moments. Finally, he gave her an appraising look and decided, "You know, you're the first girl I've talked to that makes any sense at all. So I guess you're okay."

Hinata almost made a point of informing Tatsuo that he should be more polite to females, but decided it was simpler to just thank him for the compliment and invite him to lunch with her and Naruto.

---

That night, inside her room in the Sarutobi compound, Hinata had her first lesson with Sakura, and it was nothing like Hinata had been expecting. Sakura spent most of the time reiterating how important precise chakra control was, then had Hinata open and close the chakra channels in her arm to get an idea of how skilled she was. Hinata was a little hesitant at first, but Sakura kept insisting that she didn't mind the discomfort at all.

After that, much to Hinata's surprise, Sakura simply made small talk while waiting for the stiffness in her arm to fade. From the way Tsunade had talked about these lessons, Hinata had expected them to be much more difficult, but it was possible that Sakura was trying to ease her into medic-nin training so it wouldn't seem so overwhelming.

"I don't think any of this should be too challenging for you, Hinata," Sakura said as she packed up the few scrolls she'd brought along. "You seem to have a pretty good grasp on... the, um..."

"The techniques of my former clan?" Hinata offered, far more easily than she once would have.

"Yeah. That," Sakura replied uncomfortably. "Anyway, I'll start you on the real stuff tomorrow night. But I should warn you, some of this might be made easier if I brought in a Hyuuga that's had some experience in healing. Hanabi and Neji are the only ones I know of that might be willing, but if you'd rather just stick with the one-on-one sessions, that's fine, too. Just something to think about before we get too involved."

Hinata nodded slowly, but her mind was already drifting to another matter. "Sakura... has Naruto-kun... has he been seeing someone?"

Sakura paused, turning to stare at Hinata curiously. "You mean, like dating? Not that I know of, and he tells me nearly everything. And if he didn't tell me, the only other person who would know for sure is Temari. Why?"

"We were talking today," Hinata murmured, "and... I got the feeling he doesn't trust me. Not completely, anyway. And I just wondered if that was why."

With a sigh, Sakura ran a hand through her pink hair. "Look, Hinata. Naruto... you know he's not like most people we know. He had a hard childhood, and so no matter how much he smiles, he's a very guarded person. It's not that he doesn't want to let you in, it's that he has to be careful about who he lets get close to him. Everyone has their secrets, and Naruto's are bigger than most. It's not his fault, but it is his responsibility, and he takes it seriously. If it seems like he's pushing you away, he's only trying to protect you. Some people just can't handle the darker truths, and Naruto has already suffered through too many betrayals."

Hinata frowned. "But... you know his secrets, and so does Temari, and neither of you have turned on him."

"That's true, but it was different for us. Temari knew his secrets before she got close to him, so she was able to make an informed decision. I found out afterwards, and by then I was too close to just walk away. But you're in an even worse position, because you're in love with Naruto, and he very likely feels the same for you." She smirked as Hinata turned bright red. "Don't try to deny it, I can see it when you're together. Just make sure that Naruto is your One True before you try to take this any farther. Otherwise, you'll end up regretting and resenting, and I think you've both had enough of that."

End of Part 7A.