A/N: Chapter Three! In case it isn't clear, Kakashi is the Hokage. I also made sure of the info on Hinata's elements from outside sources, if it is wrong, let me know. Oh, before I forget, I am keeping the one pairing of ItaIno. Her being with anyone else would not go with what I have planned for my fic. Also, the poor guy needs some loving after all he's been through, once he enters the fic.
Disclaimer: Don't own, not making money.
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Chapter Three
What to do, what to do? Hinata waved off the younger group of kuniochi that tried to greet her. At first, she had thought to go see Ino about her problem but then decided against it. It was one thing to go to the other girl for advice but not this. What if it wasn't a medical condition? Did it have anything to do with that dream? Why wouldn't it go away? She had to do something but what? If she went to the hospital, they would tell her father and then what would happen? What could she do without letting her family know that something was wrong?
The man's name kept coming up in her head as she had stared at her reflection. She knew what she saw, kind of but it shouldn't be possible. It wasn't even right, it was wrong, and she was frightened more than she had ever been before. Her feet had somehow taken over her thoughts and she now stood in front of the only person that might know for sure. It was the only person she could go to that wouldn't run to her father but would he be willing to help her?
The timid knock wasn't noticed at first and the laughter inside continued on. She almost hesitated hearing the voice of Naruto, Choji, and then Shikamaru. It was still the weekend and it was possible their get together had continued on throughout the night. If they were still at his place, would the Uchiha be willing to speak to her? It didn't matter, she had to try this course of action first. If he wouldn't talk to her then she would go to Ino. She brought her fist down to strike the door repeatedly.
The voices came to a halt inside and a few seconds later the Uchiha was answering the door. Hinata now felt stupid standing there in the simple clothing with the sunglasses in place. She had heard someone whisper as she walked, that she was trying to hide that she'd been crying because she had been dumped the day before. "Um, hi."
"He is inside, do you want me to send him out?" Sasuke wasn't shocked to see her here. Choji and Shikamaru hadn't long claimed that the girl would come to her senses and try to work things out. Was she trying to hide that she had been crying?
"No, I didn't come by to see him," Hinata wanted to fidget under the penetrating gaze. How could she explain things to him without any of the others hearing? "I need to talk to you about something, in private."
"Like what?" Was this where she told him that she suspected that the dobe was going to try to steal Sakura from him? Many had already beat her to it, all informing him that if he didn't make his move soon, then Naruto might get the girl. He stepped out to leave the door cracked barely behind him. The others knew that someone was here but not who it was yet.
"I got a problem, but please don't say anything," Hinata didn't know how to explain it so she thought it best just to show him. She lowered the shades enough to give the Uchiha a glimpse of the distorted orb. The sharp intake of breath was heard before the heavy stomps of her ex echoed from inside. She barely managed to shove the shades back up before the door was yanked open to reveal Naruto in nothing but a pair of boxers. At one time the image might have made her blush, now she just wanted him to leave.
"Hinata! I knew you'd come by, want to head to my place?" Naruto was so happy to see her. He had been worried that she wouldn't want to calmly talk about things. He had been too stunned to say anything when she had begun throwing accusations at him.
"No, she'll be coming inside and you and the others will be leaving." Sasuke informed him before reaching out to gently take the girl's arm. He wasn't sure what he had seen but he knew what it resembled.
"What? Why do I have to leave when she came over to see me?" Naruto pouted, confused about Sasuke's demanding behavior. Why would he want to be alone with Hinata? She had stopped by to talk to him, she was his girlfriend.
"No, she came by to see me and it is time for you three to leave." Sasuke turned towards the two that were already standing. They weren't arguing about it and were smart enough to let it drop.
"Right, why would Hinata come to see you? Give me a moment and we can head back to my place, Hinata." Naruto rushed inside to gather his clothes.
"Come," Sasuke led her into the flat, that was currently a mess because of the three that had started another party. What had been cleaned this morning was already back on the floor and he knew it was pointless to try to keep it clean while they were here.
"Okay," Hinata let him lead her inside and tried to timidly smile at the two leaving without speaking. She could only imagine what they were thinking seeing her here but she wouldn't concern herself about what others might think. The Uchiha hadn't told her to get lost immediately upon seeing her problem. He didn't owe her anything and was probably just curious right now.
"Want to grab some lunch before going back to my place?" Naruto was asking as he pulled down his shirt.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Hinata spoke up since the question was directed at her, despite the fact that the other male had opened up his mouth to say something. "I came here to speak to Sasuke, not you. I said all I had to say yesterday, I'm sorry but I have bigger concerns than your obsession with Sakura."
"Dammit, I'm not obsessed with Sakura. Would you stop saying that?" Naruto had no idea what could be more important than salvaging their relationship and what did Sasuke have to do anything. "And I already told Sasuke that I am not going after his girl."
"Well, that is between you two and I still have nothing to say to you." Hinata kept her dignity by not striking him for lying straight to her face yet again. She would never be so petty as to try to interfere with whatever Sasuke and Sakura had going, nor would she try to make problems between her ex and his friends.
"And I also informed you earlier that Sakura is not my girl." Sasuke snapped at the implication. Why act like he accepted that information earlier only to toss the idea back up because Hinata had stopped by? It was getting on his last damn nerve! It had been funny the first three times others had asked him during breakfast if there was something between Ino and himself. Then he had to listen to the dobe reassure him that he wouldn't be after Sakura now and he respected 'their' relationship too much. There was no relationship and he was getting fed up with the assumptions that he was going to end up with the med-nin. "Get out, I have company, and you're being rude by not leaving after being told the first time."
"I'm going." Naruto wasn't sure what was going on but he was going to find out. "Stop by my place later if you want to talk, Hinata."
"I won't," she wasn't going to change her mind. It stung to think Naruto didn't know her well enough to assume that she would try to deliver warnings to the Uchiha. She almost jumped when the door slammed shut in his wake. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems."
"You aren't, his welcome was wore out hours ago when he puked all over my couch." Sasuke had argued until it had been cleaned spotless. Everyone really thought the girl was going to crawl back and try to work things out. It was nice to see that she had some spine and would stand up for herself when she was being treated improperly. Sakura should take some pointers from the shy girl. The others would never understand why he would never be with Sakura and it was because the med-nin was lacking what this timid kunoichi had in spades, strength of character. He didn't want a complete harpy and bitch for a wife but he didn't want one that would change who she was just to please him. If Sakura would forgive him for almost killing her, would she even bat an eyelash if he were to cheat or to slap her around? Or would she be willing to overlook it all for love? "They were wrecking my place already."
"Would you like help cleaning?" She knew what Naruto was like when he made himself at home. There were empty chip bags, bottles, food containers, and a blanket on the floor.
"No, I'll get to it later. We'll have to sit on the bed, I'm afraid I have one of the couch covers drying right now." He didn't think she wanted to sit in his lap. The puke had gone all over the cushion and on the floor. The blonde had bitched the entire time he had been forced to get most of the puke out of the material in the tub. Once there was no noticeable chunks, he had thrown it in the washer. "I'm probably lucky that he is at least house broken."
Hinata hadn't felt the need to laugh in a few days. It had been a mean insult but she found it funny seeing the slight wet spot on the back of the couch. It came out more as a giggle than a hearty laugh. "You would be in trouble if he took to marking his territory."
"Disgusting, but he would be pissing on Sakura, not me." He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to do the same. "Enough about them, you came because of your eye. Want to tell me what happened and I want to get a better look at it."
"Okay," she scooted closer, trusting him not to do anything. He removed the shades and put them on the mattress. Hands cupped the side of her face, tilting it upwards so she had no choice but to look right at him. "Um, well, I woke up and it was like this."
"It wasn't like this last night?" Sasuke reached over to turn the lamp on and to point it towards the girl's face. A face that he couldn't help but note once more was very beautiful and flawless. There was no marring or imperfections on the smooth skin.
"No, it was normal when I went to bed. I was crying a bit but that was all, I don't think it would cause this." Hinata didn't know what to call it. She hoped he knew what it was or she would still have to head to Ino for advice. "What do you think it is?"
If he didn't know who was sitting in front of him, he would suggest that the girl had a partially activated sharingan in the eye. The eye was still pale silver instead of the normal crimson that came with activation but the markings were there. He wasn't sure how it was possible since the girl was a Hyuuga and possessed the Byakugan. "Did anything else happen during the night?"
"I don't think so," There was no way this could be happening to her. Both of her parents had been Hyuuga so how could she have something wrong with her eye? "Wait, I had a dream but it didn't mean anything. My sister came into the room to wake me and I noticed my eye."
"What happened in the dream? Many things can be left or inserted into someone's sub-conscious." The longer he stared at it, he was positive it was the start of the sharingan. The girl still had her own eyes so someone couldn't have performed a transplant in the middle of the night. The only way a merger was possible was if the girl carried the blood of his clan and then it meant she would possess two kekkai genkai. "Tell me every detail and we shall decide together if it has anything to do with this."
"Well," she was starting to get flustered the longer the palms head her face. For someone that was once a rogue and a killer, he had soft hands. There was also only three inches separating their heads. It didn't matter if he wouldn't think of kissing her, she had never had another male this close to her before. "I was in some kind of cave system and there was this man, I followed him into a room. It wasn't that long and it is kind of vague."
"Can you remember what he said and what he looked like?" Sasuke ran a thumb just beneath the eye looking for any signs of an incision, but he wasn't a med-nin, they might need someone else to make sure her eyes hadn't been tampered with.
"He looked a lot like Madara," Hinata felt her cheeks heating at the slight caress. He seemed to be looking for something but the touch was gentle. "He… he said something about a seal, a legacy, and his enemy's eye. I believe he said his name was Mahan Uchiha."
That name again, twice in the last twenty-four hours. What did it mean? Who was this person and what did he have to do with Hinata or Ino? "You said he mentioned a seal, did he do anything else in the dream?"
What had he done at the end? Hinata smiled recalling it, "He touched my forehead and then I woke up to Hinabi. I don't think it means anything though, it was just a dream."
"NO, it could very well explain your issue because I cannot find any signs of it being tampered with. We could always get a med-nin to take a look at it to make sure," Sasuke knew he could easily overlook it since he wasn't trained for it. "Should I get Sakura or Ino?"
"Ino, if you have to have someone look at it. I don't want anyone else to know about this." Hinata didn't want it getting back to her family and friends, not until she knew what she was dealing with. "You think the dream did this?"
"Yes, it is possible that this was sealed away and the person most likely did the unsealing. It wasn't a dream, more like you were delving deep into your own subconscious. If we can't find any tampering, then it means that the seal was holding back your second kekkia genkai." Sasuke wasn't sure how she'd feel about that. Weren't both her parents Hyuuga, so where did the Uchiha blood come in?
"Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei needs us in his office."
"Dammit," Sasuke swore realizing he had made a mistake by not locking his door. The dobe had rushed back inside without knocking and was standing in the doorway gawking at them. He sighed before dropping his hands. This would have to wait until he saw to whatever it was the Hokage wanted. "I'll be there in a few minutes so shut the door, with you on the other side."
Was her face as hot as it felt? Hinata almost hid under the bed hearing the voice and the startled gasp. Which was stupid because everyone knew that she didn't like the Uchiha and she wasn't his type. This was actually the most they had conversed without someone else there. "Um, I guess I should leave until you return."
"No, you remain here. It might not be wise for you to walk around with that until we know what is going on. I will stop by to speak to Ino on my way to the office and tell her that it is urgent that she come here and that you need her. I will return shortly, stay inside, and make yourself at home."
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"I don't think he meant it like this, Hinata." Ino shrugged since she had taken to helping the raven. It had taken her a few minutes to clock out after asking for the rest of the day off. By the time she had managed to make it to Sasuke's place, the shinobi had returned and had been in the process of packing up his belongings. Team 7 was back together for the Rank A mission and Sasuke had been forced to leave without a choice. She had arrived soon enough to receive instructions from the guy. Take a look at Hinata's eyes, if she couldn't do something about it, she was to make sure the other girl stayed there until he returned.
"He won't be back for a few days and I can't sit here with it like this." Hinata appreciated the offer since she didn't feel comfortable staying at the compound. She wasn't allowed to keep shades on at the table. Her first meal with her family and they would notice her problem. She had walked back with Ino and told her father that she was going to housesit for a friend for a week. Her father had nodded thinking she needed time alone after the breakup.
"Wow, this still smells like puke. What did he use to wash it?" Ino wrinkled her nose as she sat down on the couch. The smell wafted up from the surface that wasn't missing the cushion. That is why she didn't allow people to drink in her room.
"I don't know, I'm going to wash the smelly parts with vinegar a little later." Hinata planned to take the floor tonight, "I figure we can sleep on the floor tonight, if you stay."
"The invite was for you but I will hang around to keep you company. Maybe we can figure this out before he returns." Ino smirked wondering what Forehead's reaction would be to learn that Hinata was staying in her boy's room. "But we are taking the bed tonight. Starting tomorrow, I will take the couch. I am not sleeping on the floor and he said to make ourselves at home."
"I know, I just don't want to take advantage of his help." Hinata picked up the towel from the floor and tossed it in with the rest of the dirty laundry. "He's only helping because he is curious about my eye."
"True, but perhaps his curiosity also stems from concern. Do you realize what that means? It means somewhere you managed to get some Uchiha blood in your spermicidal baby cocktail. "You wanna tell me about this dream Sasuke mentioned that might have been the trigger?"
"Well, he thinks it was the trigger because it was a Uchiha in my dream." Hinata walked to the kitchen area to take a look inside. It was getting close to dinner time and she was famished. "I was in a cave, the man said something about a legacy, a seal, and his name was Mahan Uchiha."
"Come again?" Ino froze in place at the name. Was it possible? Could they have the same dreams? Hers hadn't resulted in a partial sharingan and for that she was grateful. "Did he say anything else?"
"Just that I'll soon learn the truth and something about my enemy's eye." Hinata closed the fridge noticing that it was almost empty of any real food. The Uchiha didn't seem to be much of a cook. "Do you think we should go get some groceries?"
"Yes, but we will soon. I had a similar dream the other night and that was the man's name. We dreamt of the same man, Hinata, only a day apart." Ino rolled her eyes when the other girl retrieved several cans of stewed tomatoes. "I'm not eating just that."
"Me either, but Ino?" Hinata put the can back up and turned around. "He said my seal would be removed first, what do you think that means? Do you think someone else is sealed as well? Do you think that person will understand why I had it sealed inside? Could he have placed it inside when I was a baby or something?"
"It sounds like it and hearing that made my stomach hurt. I know the name because he told me that my mother knew who he was and that I should ask her about him." Ino grabbed the nearest bottle and tossed it into the trash.
"Did you?" Maybe the other could help them figure out what the man wanted and what was going on. "What did she say to you?"
"Well, the first time I asked she was drunk and answered honestly. She told me that she was pregnant before marrying my father and more or less hinted that it wasn't for him and that their marriage was arranged. She also admitted that she had a thing for this Mahan Uchiha." Ino leaned against the counter. "I asked her this morning how she knew him again and she tried to say that she had no idea who it was. I brought up her admitting being pregnant and it not being my father's, she called me a liar and said I was my father's and I shouldn't repeat such nonsense."
"What do you think?" Hinata scratched the idea of asking the mother for any kind of help. Their generation knew nothing about this person and they had nowhere to start searching.
"I also asked what happened to that baby, she swore that she's only been pregnant once. Which would mean I was that baby, so what is the truth?" Ino didn't want to return home tonight and argue more. If her mother didn't want to be honest, she'd find the answers herself. The way her mother had tensed and had given guarded answers, she knew there was more to the story. She had even flushed when Ino had demanded to know if their marriage had been one of love, why had they always had separate beds?
"Maybe you are that baby but are you your father's or do you belong to someone else?" Hinata was getting more confused the longer they spoke on the matter. What were the answers and where did they fit into it all?
"Hey! I think you should ask the same questions. I'm not the one sporting the half-assed sharingan." Ino blanched noting that there were only two tea bags left in the container. Sasuke seriously needed to buy some food for this place.
"You might end up with one next, you know." Hinata flushed at the glare, "He did say I was the first which means that someone else is going to be next so it could be you. You're the only other person I know that has been dreaming of him."
"We can't exactly ask everyone if they have been." Ino groaned at the choices to make. "Okay, so he said you would learn the truth soon and what was the spill about the eye? Did he mean yours?"
"I don't think so, he said the right eye and it is my left eye that was affected. He said to find his resting place, which was in his enemy's right eye and then I would fulfill his legacy, I think that is how it went." Hinata was sure that was close to what had been said, if not word for word. "Do you think he stuck something in someone else's eye?"
"Doubt it since resting place means it is most likely his tomb, he can't fit that in someone's skull." Ino cracked her neck and clucked her tongue, "Or maybe he can. Sasuke told me that this old man left the village because he had some kind of dispute with the third. Come here, Hinata, but put on your shades first."
"Okay," Hinata slipped the cover over her eyes and followed Ino outside. What were they going to look at? No one paid them much attention as they walked down the street and turned the corner, "What is it?"
"Tell me, what do you see? Where did the dreams take us? The first took us on the mountain top above the monument and then the next took you inside a cave. What if he saw the third as his enemy?"
"Then the right eye of his enemy would mean up there." Hinata almost pointed at the mountain side but stopped herself in time. "Do you think there is really something up there?"
"Maybe," Ino had a feeling that was exactly what it meant. The third would have been a bit older than this Mahan but it was possible that it was true. There was only one way to find out, "Let's do some shopping and tonight, we go give the third an eye exam."
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Why did it feel like they were doing something wrong? Hinata shivered in the night air and hoped no one spotted them standing on the third's face. Ino was on the man's eye, feeling around for anything. "What if this isn't the way in?"
"It has to be since he said this eye specifically." Ino slapped the wall in aggravation. There had to be something here and if they wanted answers, they would have to get inside the tomb. Leave it to a blasted Uchiha to make things complicated. "Wait, maybe the door needs to be unsealed as well. There could be some kind of jutsu preventing anyone from going inside."
"Then how do we get inside?" Hinata could hear voices far below, a group of people were roaming the street, hollering and laughing together.
"Let's look around, maybe it is in the nose." Ino walked down the man's face and around so she was strolling along the rim of the third hokage's nose. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the left nostril. "Why the fuck is that group being so loud? If they keep it up then the guards might come see what their problem is and we might be asked what we are doing."
"Oh my!" Hinata giggled hearing the distant words of the laughing males below. She got what they were laughing about. Ino was swaying slightly just beneath his nostril, "You're wearing all green, you look like a booger from where they are standing."
"Really?" Ino checked the other nostril and didn't see anything. She allowed Hinata to have the laugh at her expense. She had no idea how to get into this tomb if there wasn't some kind of lever. "He didn't teach you some kind of jutsu?"
"No, but maybe he didn't think I needed one. I don't understand why he'd mention it if I can't get inside." Hinata heard the laughter getting further away as the crowd moved on. "Maybe it is the blood, like how we use our blood to summon. Perhaps, without knowing it I can summon a door?"
"Do it, it makes sense because he released the seal which was keeping your Uchiha heritage suppressed. Don't give me that look, you got that thing in your eye." Ino walked back up with her to stand on the rim of the right eye. There wasn't much room for a large doorway but all they had to do was get through.
"Okay, but if it opens are we going through?" Hinata bit down on her thumb and placed it directly where the pupil would be. For the first few seconds nothing happened for her. The wall began to shift and the jutsu activated causing the pupil area to start opening in a circular motion. "It opened, now what?"
"We go inside of course," Ino waved her forward before anyone saw them go in. Her foot found solid ground inside and it appeared to be steady enough. "There is a torch on the wall, grab it before that entrance closes and we can't see anything."
"Got it," Hinata managed to grab the item just as the wall behind them began to close shut, putting them in complete darkness. "Um, do you want to get behind me so I don't accidently catch you on fire?"
"Do it, just aim in front of you." Ino waited for the fire to ignite the light source. "Hinata, isn't your other element lightning?"
"Yes, why?" She wasn't that good with either of them, she still had plenty of room for improvement with both. HInata was positive this was the same hallway she had walked through in her dream. "Give me your hand so I can escort us through safely."
"Just don't get any ideas," Ino took the hand and tried to see where they were going. It was a cave system but there were many in the mountain, some were old escape routes out of the village. "Did you know that they are also Sasuke's? Fire is very common among the Uchiha."
"Then why don't you have it?" Hinata knew about it because she had seen him fight enough to know. Unlike her, Sasuke had managed to master his ability to use them and she was still a novice.
"Because I'm not a damn Uchiha!" Ino huffed in mock outrage. She would admit that it was possible that her mother had fooled around and that she might belong to someone else but it couldn't be a Uchiha.
"We shall see, that is the door to the tomb up there." Hinata ignored the tension mounting in her stomach at what they might find inside. The mark was on the door, confirming that it was a Uchiha on the other side. "There is probably a dead body inside here."
"Yeah, his, so do your finger thing and let us take a look. If he wanted you or us here, then there has to be something interesting behind this door besides a mummy." Ino took possession of the torch for a moment.
"It is done," Hinata pushed on the door, which creaked being opened after so long. The air inside was musty, dank, and stale. "It looks the same as in my dream, except for him."
"Wow, there really is a fucking corpse in this place. You know I'll have to start calling you Hinata Uchiha after this," Ino carried the light over to take a good look at the decaying body. From her guess, she'd say he had been dead for ten years or so. His body was preserved enough from being in a closed container but it was still a dead man.
"Please don't," Hinata didn't like looking at him, so she turned towards the only other thing in the room. "What do you think that is?"
They both walked towards the desk, inspecting the box that was placed neatly in the center. Ino reached for the lid, carefully unlatching the lever that was keeping it closed. It wasn't what she was expecting, it was a bunch of books inside. She dug in to pull out the top one and opened it to the first page. "Hey, this is his journal and it is addressed to you and me."
"Both of us?" Hinata leaned over to get a look at the inscription, it had both of their given names on the page. "So wouldn't that mean that you are the other one he was referring to when he mentioned a seal?"
"I'm not getting a damn sharingan," Ino flipped through the pages quickly to see that there was a lot written in the pages. There wasn't enough time to read all of it right now but she was curious as to why the man would want them to find it. "Maybe it is possible that somewhere along the line we have a faint mixing of the bloodlines and this man knew about it. Let's take the journal and see what it says."
"What about the other books?" Hinata watched her open up the second, it looked to be some kind of log book. "Is that an asset keeper? What are all those dates and names?"
One sentence caught Ino's eye as she flipped to the center of the book. There were locations, names, dates, occupation, and then something else. "Konoha, Keiji Hyuuga, jonin, accused of multiple accounts of rape. This date is approximately thirty years ago, do you know who this person is?"
"Yes, he is one of our elders." Hinata had never cared for the old man, he was always scowling and would stare at her like she was trash. Several times her father had called him down when his wording had been a bit harsh.
"It says, released and the witness went missing and the case was closed. This book is filled with crimes, punishments, and is some kind of record but we'll have to look at it closer later." Ino added it to the pile and grabbed the last book that had been left for them to find. "You got to be shitting me, do you see who this belonged to?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, this book belonged to the third hokage?" Hinata recognized the handwriting on the first page. It was the old man's book but why leave it here for them? Wasn't this his enemy's right eye? Why leave them his enemy's book? "What kind of book is it?"
"His journal, the first date is thirty five years ago." Ino flipped to the back, curious as to when the last entry was penned. "The last entry was almost eight years ago, so it had to be stolen before his death. There is something else in here, it looks like some kind of scroll. Let's put all this back and take it back to Sasuke's place. We can hold up in there and see what we found."
"Alright, I'll carry the torch if you got the box. We should be careful, we don't know what any of that stuff says." Hinata didn't want anyone else getting a hold of it. What if there was some dark secret about herself in the man's journal?
"After we get back, I can stick it in one of my scrolls. I put my own diary in it so no one else can read it. I'll fix it so that you and I can access it, just don't read my fantasies." Ino closed the lid to lift the box from the desk. They had what they came for and she couldn't wait to see what the man's journal said.
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Please review! I've got up to chapter 7 already written and it shouldn't be too long before the next update.