Here's the second part of my double update – hope you guys enjoy chapter four! ^_^ Hinata makes her way into Oto no Kuni, facing a few obstacles along the way!

~BlackRoseDragon13

*Disclaimer* I do not own, nor claim to own, any aspect of Naruto in any way, shape, or form. This is merely a fan work, and I receive no profit.

Chapter Four

It took Hinata several days of walking to reach the Hi no Kuni – Oto no Kuni border. As the road came to the line, she saw two buildings marking the split: one bore a Hi no Kuni flag, the other an Oto no Kuni. Breathing a sigh of relief at reaching an important point of her trek, Hinata kept walking until she reached the building on her side of the border. By then, shinobi on watch had spotted her and sent word through the building of her arrival.

The door opened, revealing a young man with a Konoha hitai-ate tied around his upper arm, a clipboard in one hand. Light blue hair fell to his shoulders, green eyes watching her as she approached. "May I ask your business, young lady?"

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I'm on a mission from Tsunade sama in Oto no Kuni, S-r-ranked."

Glancing at a page on his clipboard, the man nodded. "Ah, here it is. We got a messenger hawk two days ago. You're all clear, Hyuuga san. Good luck."

Hinata said her thanks and kept walking as the man returned to his post inside. She didn't get far, however, when another man emerged from the Oto no Kuni outpost. Large, with pale hair and dark eyes, he stepped in front of Hinata and looked down at her, making the female feel even smaller than usual.

"Business?"

Hinata frowned. "I'm on a m-mission from Tsunade sama of Konohagakure. I'm, um, supposed to come to Oto. My name is Hyuuga Hinata."

This man, looking far less friendly than the Konoha nin, crossed his arms and glared. "We don't have clearance for you, Hyuuga. And until we do, you're not setting foot on Oto land."

Hinata hesitated. Now what was she supposed to do?

"Excuse me, Shiro san, but I gave the clearance form to you two days ago...in person."

Turning, Hinata saw the Konoha nin step up beside her, his face cautiously neutral. He gave her a sideways glance before looking back to the other man.

"I have yet to get approval from my own Kage, Aoi. Not my problem."

"You know, Shiro san, it seems like your Kage has been having trouble getting back to your outpost. But I assure you that Hyuuga san here is completely approved on our end. Why not let her go while you wait for Orochimaru to bother with the paperwork?"

The larger man laughed, an entirely unpleasant sound. "And risk my neck? Not on your life, Konoha nin. I only put up with you because I have to. I'm not going to do you any favors."

Aoi sighed lightly through his nose. "Don't make this some big issue, Shiro san. Because if I have to write my superiors about Oto's...lack of cooperation, I can assure you things are going to get difficult for you. However, if you let Hyuuga san through now, it'll save you that much trouble later. Your Kage will get around to the paperwork, and no one will be the wiser."

Shiro glared openly at the smaller male, obviously considering his options. Finally, after an agonizing silence, he muttered, "Fine...but when Orochimaru finds out, I'm sending him you in my place, you got that Aoi?"

"Yeah, yeah...now, step aside and let Hyuuga san through." Aoi put his hand at the small of Hinata's back, gently urging her forward. "Next time, get the papers sent off on time so we can avoid any more conflicts, eh Shiro san?"

The large man pretended not to hear, heading back inside his outpost without a word.

Hinata looked over her shoulder, mouthing a thank you to the Konoha nin. He grinned and nodded in response, bowing lightly before turning and heading back over the border to his post.

It wasn't long before the forests of Hi no Kuni began to thin, giving way to a more arid geography. Trees still dotted the landscape, but there were small plains scattered over the land, rivers cutting through and forming valleys, and mountains could be seen in the distance. At midday, Hinata decided to consult her map, taking time to also cook a bit of rations as she poured over the parchment.

When it came to known hideouts, there wasn't much promise. Anything that had been found by Konoha shinobi had long since been abandoned, and it was unlikely anyone would return. There were speculated places of interest, but nothing solid. The only things Hinata knew for sure were a few small villages, mostly civilians and a few shinobi displaced after Orochimaru's takeover. The girl sighed. The only route she really had to take was to go to one of the villages and see what she could find out. After she (hopefully) got more information, she might be able to narrow down her search. Rolling up the scroll, she decided to simply start at the nearest village, one she had a chance to reach by sundown.

Eager to finally be back in some kind of civilization after about a week of walking, Hinata's feet seemed to lose their ache as they marched quickly toward the village. By the time she figured she should get off the road and eat supper, she saw a sign announcing her arrival in a small civilian-only town.

As it was summer, the sun had yet to set, giving Hinata enough light to look for some kind of inn. The thought of laying on a bed after days of sleeping on the ground made her smile lightly. The village was obviously winding down for the evening, and the few people out and about gave her curious glances. A bit nervous, Hinata gave them all the best smiles she could manage, trying not to look too conspicuous as she worked her way down the main road.

Eventually, a sign announced the town's only inn, and Hinata gave a tired sigh. Finally! She walked in, barely in the door when she heard a voice greet her.

"Welcome to the Fuurin inn! How may we assist you today?"

Glancing to her right, Hinata saw a small older woman barely tall enough to see over the counter she stood behind. As the Hyuuga approached, she saw that the woman was ancient – eyes squinted with age and her spine stooped, but a pleasant smile gracing her face.

"Hello. I'd like to b-book a room, please. Um...I'm not sure how long I'll be here."

"Certainly! We have several rooms available. All I need is some identification."

The girl nodded, digging in her bag for her shinobi papers. But as she placed them on the counter, the woman's eyes actually opened in shock. "You...you are a shinobi?"

Hesitant, Hinata nodded. "Yes, I'm from -"

"Out! Get out!" The woman shoved the papers away, and they fluttered to the floor. "We don't serve your kind here!"

Hinata actually felt hurt. "Ma'am, I just -"

"No! OUT!" the woman screeched, tottering through a door behind the counter and slamming it shut.

For several moments, Hinata just stared after the old lady, too numb to register just what exactly had happened. But after a time, it sunk in. For some reason, she hated shinobi. Still a bit out of it, she picked up her papers and left the building, her only thought being how disappointing it was that she didn't get a bed after all.

Outside, several passersby stared openly at her, having apparently heard the commotion from within. Terribly embarrassed, Hinata ducked her face and walked quickly away from the building, fighting tears as she struggled to figure out just what she had done wrong.

"Hey! You there! Hold on a minute!"

Dabbing quickly at her eyes, Hinata turned around to see if she was the one being addressed. Behind her, a middle-aged woman was jogging to try and catch her. "Um...y-yes?"

Finally approaching her target, the woman allowed herself to breathe deeply for a moment before answering. "I just wanted to apologize for Yunokawa san. She shouldn't have yelled at you like that. Unfortunately, not many people in this village are very kind to shinobi. We've had...incidents in the past that have rather soured the people's taste of your kind."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Hinata nodded. "I understand. If it m-makes people uncomfortable, then I'll just -"

"Oh, don't sacrifice anything for them!" The woman waved her hand as if she were shooing a fly. "You're obviously here for a reason. Don't let them get in the way of doing your job. Tell you what. There aren't many shinobi that come here anymore except to stir up trouble, but the few that have honest intentions usually end up staying at my place. Why don't you rest up there?"

Hinata's shoulders sagged slightly in gratitude. "Oh, I wouldn't be any t-trouble? I'd hate to inconvenience you at all."

Again the woman waved her hand. "Nonsense. Come on, I'll take you there now, if you don't have anything you need to do otherwise."

The sun had pretty much set, the village bathed in dusk. "No, all I needed was a room."

"Good. Come on – I'll get you set up."

People still stared as the pair made their way back down the street, taking a side road back into a more residential area. "Just ignore them," the woman murmured. "Not much happens around here, so they have to find something to look at."

Hinata watched the people warily, walking closely behind her ally.

Nearly at the edge of town, they finally came upon a large building. Hinata gawked for a moment as the woman explained, "My great grandfather just so happened to build his home on the one spot where hot water could be found around here, so he opened an onsen. It's been in my family ever since. Luckily the people here love to use it, especially the older folks, so I usually see plenty of business. You can stay here as long as you need, free of charge. Take it as my apology from all of us."

"Thank you! But I have the money to pay you."

A small chuckle escaped the woman, and she shook her head. "Naw. Like I said, I get plenty from the townspeople. It's not every day we have guests from outside the village. Come on, I'll show you the room you can use."

As soon as Hinata stepped over the threshold, she immediately felt relaxed. The smell of camphor and bath salts filled the air, the decoration simple and traditional. She could hear the murmur of people somewhere in the building, and assumed that the woman had other guests as well. She was led past a dining hall, the passageway to the pools, and up a flight of stairs to a hallway where several closed doors lined the walls.

"Two are full, but the other four are vacant. This one here has a good view of the village, if that suits your fancy."

"That would be g-great, thank you."

The room was average in size, with a large window that did indeed look out over the village in a small setting room at the end, with screens that could close it off from view. The bed rested against one wall, and a small short table stood in the middle with several seating cushions around it. A door, supposedly leading to the bathroom, was shut. In one corner was a small fireplace to ward off the chill of the northern summer nights, and a sofa was opposite the bed, with a small table at each end. A small chest of drawers sat near the bed, an oil lamp resting on its surface.

"Will this work?"

"It's wonderful."

At the woman's request, Hinata left her bag by the bed, following her back down the stairs to the dining hall. "My other guests have already eaten, but I'll go fix you something. Anything in particular?"

"I'm sure w-whatever you fix will be wonderful."

Hinata observed the hall as she waited, taking in the ornate carvings in the beams and scenes painted on the paper screens. Though she was indeed hungry, she was also excited to try the baths to ease her weary body. She silently gave thanks for her good fortune.

Eventually the woman returned, placing two trays of food on the table. "I hope you don't mind if I join you."

"I'd be honored."

After they both offered "Itadakimasu", a bit of silence overtook the women. Hinata tried her best to get glancing looks at her hostess without outright staring. She had fiery red hair that fell in tight waves down behind her back, messy bangs falling into icy blue eyes. It was obvious she worked hard, as she wore a plain working outfit, black capris and a black short-sleeved shirt that were riddled with small holes and patches. She looked tired, with crows' feet at the corners of her eyes to go with the dark circles. But she looked healthy otherwise, and from what Hinata had observed, she was strong-willed and independent. After a few minutes of this, the woman said "So, introductions. My name is Takahashi Yoko."

"And I'm Hyuuga Hinata. I'm a kunoichi from Konohagakure."

"I see. So, Hinata san, what is it you're looking for all the way out here?"

Hinata poked at her rice a bit. "I'm afraid m-most of it is classified. But I can tell you that finding Orochimaru would be a g-great place for me to start."

Yoko's face darkened. "I see. You're not the only one looking for him, I'm afraid."

Hinata's brow drew together in concern as she waited for Yoko to elaborate.

"It's that...man's fault that out country is in such dire straights. It's also why my fellow townspeople were afraid of you.

"Orochimaru took over this country a few years back, and at first it seemed like nothing had really changed. But slowly, we started noticing differences. His grunt shinobi had no honor, going wherever they pleased and wreaking havoc, stealing and causing damage. And slowly, people have started disappearing. Sure, every once in a while someone would go missing before, but it's snowballed ever since that snake entered our borders." Yoko paused for a moment. "I...had a son. He'd be a few years older than you, I think. Not long after Orochimaru's takeover, he went missing. I did everything I could, looking for him and offering rewards. But later I found out that he'd been another victim of Orochimaru's experiments. Died after going through whatever that bastard had done to him. I never even got to see his body. I just got a small amount of money from the daimyo like all the other family members. Orochimaru has the daimyo under his thumb, and nothing's going to change until someone gets rid of him." The woman stared at Hinata. "Is that what you're here for? To get rid of that snake?"

Hinata, looking sad after hearing of Yoko's loss, shook her head. "No, I'm sorry...even if I were, there's n-no way I'd be strong enough to kill him. I'm looking for someone he took from my village too..."

"I see."

The pair finished their meal in silence, and Yoko took the dishes with her to the kitchen. Hinata was left to think over the woman's words, even more thoroughly disgusted with Orochimaru than she had been before. Reading about his experiments had been difficult enough, but to speak with someone who had actually lost a loved one to his madness was horrifying. She said a small prayer for Yoko's son, wishing there was something else she could do. But it wasn't long before Yoko returned and sat down once more.

"Hinata san...I think I may be able to help you get a lead on where to find Orochimaru."

"Really?" Hinata perked up at this, adding, "Oh, please...anything you can t-tell me would help."

The woman glanced behind her, apparently nervous at the idle chatter coming from the other room. Leaning forward, she murmured, "There's a group of people near town, mostly younger, who are secretly gathering intel and fighting back against Orochimaru. They haven't done anything big yet, since they're all just civilians, but they've managed to get together quite a bit of information. If anyone can point you in the right direction, it would be them."

The Hyuuga girl nodded, but then bit her lip. "But...would they t-trust me? Since I'm a shinobi?"

Yoko thought for a moment. "I should be able to put in a good word for you. After I lost Junichi, I was one of the main rebels in the group. I still go in every once in a while, but I have to keep up my business, and I'm not as young as I used to be. Mostly I just pick up what I can from people who stay in my onsen. They trust me, so I should be able to get them to trust you too."

Not long after that, Hinata went up to her room after Yoko promised to visit the rebel headquarters in the morning. Grabbing a towel, she made her way down to the baths to soak and think before bed.

She decided to visit the main unisex pool, which was empty at that late hour anyway. All the lights were off, and she made use of the oil lamp at her bedside, lighting it and following its glow down to the bathing area. The water was green with minerals, and the humid air made Hinata tired. But she still scrubbed away the grime she'd accumulated during her travels in the showers first before slipping into the perfectly-hot water, her long indigo hair up in a bun to keep it from getting any wetter before bed.

It had been some time since Hinata had treated herself to a visit to an onsen. Between working her missions, dealing with her father, training, and her part-time apprenticeship at the hospital under Sakura, she'd had little time left for herself at all, and the warm waters of a public bath just hadn't been one of her top priorities. But now that she had sunk up to her collarbone in the pool, she closed her eyes and promised herself that she would make it more of a habit. She had found the perfect place to sit, the water just high enough to cover her, and the rocks behind her just low enough for her to lean her head back over the edge. She did her best to meditate, breathing deeply and focusing on what she had learned that day.

Hinata was eager to speak to the rebels, and garner everything she could from them. She had a feeling they would have the means to get her to Sasuke. But Yoko wasn't sure how long she would have to wait until they decided to trust her. Despite her good standing with the redhead, she was still a stranger. But Hinata sighed lightly in contentment, deciding that she wouldn't be too upset having to wait a few days in the onsen, especially with Yoko's good cooking and the pools to occupy her as she waited.

But eventually, the Hyuuga heiress had to leave the bath, her fingertips beginning to shrivel slightly. The cool summer evening had Hinata scrambling for her towel as she rose from the water, the heat dissipating quickly and leaving her chilled. Luckily her room was warm, a bed of coals glowing in the grate, one of the staff apparently already tending to the fire. Tossing another chunk of wood on to keep the fire going, Hinata set about changing into her sleepwear and unpacking some of her things. She kept her lamp lit, though, the light from the fire not quite enough to see by.

Her clothing went into the dresser, and her weapons tucked in amongst the cloth. Scrolls she left in her bag, but she paused when she saw the one from Itachi. Picking it up, she examined the outside, which was sealed. I really have nothing new to report...I probably shouldn't bother him. Despite wanting someone to talk to, she knew that bothering him unnecessarily would probably be unwise. Besides, I don't want to talk to him any more than I have to, anyway. With that, she put the scroll back in her bag, tucking it up against her bed away from the door. Though she doubted anyone would bother her, she wanted to be as prepared as possible. Crawling into bed, she blew out her lamp, watching the fire dance until she finally fell asleep.

So, Hinata seems to have found someone who might be able to help her move forward in her search for the younger Uchiha brother. But will the rebels accept a foreign shinobi into their ranks? The adventure continues on Friday! Dun dun dun! X3

As always, thanks for reading, my lovelies~ I hope you enjoyed this little double update treat ;) Reviews always brighten up these dreary days of mine, and I love getting to talk to my readers when I reply! Well...I suppose that's all for now. See you all at the end of the week~

~BlackRoseDragon13