This chapter is pretty much about how Itachi has changed and Hinata's relationship with the two Uchihas have changed. It might not be so important in the story line but I thought it should be in anyways. I hope you guys enjoy it! :D
TIME SKIP: Hinata; 13 , Itachi; 17, Shisui; 18
"Let's go out."
"Again?" Itachi sighed.
"I-I feel bad... it's always you two who have to d-do the s-sneaky stuff..." Hinata poked her forefingers together.
"Yeah, yeah but it's not like you can mask your chakra na? Hinata-Chaannn."
Hearing that just made her feel worse and knowing this Itachi glared at Shisui making him sweat a little.
"Eh, yeah but you know you're still young and you're still a genin..."
"I-I failed the C-Chunin exams..." She muttered. Initiate Itachi glare part two.
"H-Hey let's go to the Asumi!" Shisui changed the subject trying to lighten the mood and get Itachi to stop glaring. "It's been so long since I've eaten at Asumi!"
"W-What do y-you think I-Itachi-kun?" Hearing her say his name turned him back into a temporary softie.
"Anything is fine,"
"Asumi it is!" Shisui cheered.
Hinata giggled, eager to see them transform in to their secret identity.
"It's Torro and Zorro time!" Shisui chirped.
Itachi was less enthusiastic about the whole thing.
They made a hand seal and were covered by a puff of smoke, before revealing their alternate selves; Itachi was Zorro a man with handle bar mustache, broad jaws and narrow eyes.
Shisui was Torro, a man who looked like a woman with no boobs and a beard.
It was their way of hiding their real identities. Though it was kind of awkward, they'd always get stared at by the people in the streets. Once when they had run in to Hinata's team mates they had to pretend that they were her foreign friends from the Land of the Snow coming to visit, just in case they pull the 'you-don't-seem-to-be-from-around-here' thing.
They would only resort to this on the really, really boring days. But so far throughout the one year they've been friends they've never got to go to any festivals together.
But their friendship has deepened quite a lot. Hinata could safely say that these two are probably her closest friends besides Kiba and Shino.
"Shall we?" 'Torro' grinned. Hinata nodded in reply. She felt kind of guilty, because she didn't or couldn't really help out with the masking of their identities. She thought she could just "Henge" along with them, but they said it was risky because she couldn't mask her chakra yet, like they easily could.
"Tempura!" 'Torro' hopped to the booth near the end. Hinata and 'Zorro' looked at each other and shook their heads as they watched the idiot make a fool out of himself.
Usually, if you're behind the scenes you would want to keep a low profile. But obviously Shisui didn't get the memo.
He was smart though, for choosing the booth at the very end; farther away from everybody else.
It was fun, going out with them, Hinata thought.
"Come," Itachi called.
It was still bugging him, the way he felt around Hinata. Especially since now she was more comfortable with him; she won't hesitate that much to touch him. A tug on the shirt was okay, the tracing the back thing was alright, but when it comes to direct contact it would scare him.
A slight touch would make him tense and make his belly feel all weird and fluttery. He always wondered what the hell that; he remembered having it once when his father found the stack of Icha-Icha books under his bed. But other than that, she was the only one who made him feel this way. Does she feel the same?
They had hugged a few times when she had great news. That time a year ago when she had failed the Chunin exams, had to be the only time HE initiated the hug though. That was also the first time he really didn't want to let go of something.
He felt her grab his arm tightly all of a sudden, and those feelings came back. His mind came back to earth, and his heart started pounding. Struggling to keep calm and sustain his impassive facial expression, he held his breath. His head slowly turned to the object of his thoughts, staring back at him with her huge ivory eyes. Her grip loosened and she let go. He started breathing but his heart was still racing. His eyes never left her.
"T-The waiter a-almost... sorry." She bowed her head.
Breathe Itachi, breathe.
"It's alright, just stay close."
Shit! Why did I say that?!
For the next few moments until they reached the table, he had wondered if he was going to apologize for saying that or if she actually wanted him to say that? Or if it even had any meaning at all to her?
When they reached the table, another thought came to mind, and his belly started having those stupid fluttery feelings again.
"Hinata-Chan! Why are you sitting next to him?" Initiate Itachi glare part three, Zorro style.
"O-Oh, I just l-like the cushion s-seats." Itachi's brows sunk down.
Really? That's why?
"Aw, come on! I'm all alone here!"
"O-Oh, a-alright,"
She's getting up!
"No, I think it's best if she sits here. You might do weird things again." He said as calmly as he could.
"Oi! Ita- I mean Zorro! What does that supposed to mean? I am just... feeling a little alone over here."
"If that's so, then I'll – "
"Nah, nah! It's okay, just sit there." Shisui sulked and folded his arms.
Yes!
They hardly ever go out together; they'd gone out four times before in the entire year of their friendship (Well in Itachi and Shisui's defence they'd have to put up with ANBU missions most of the time). Yes, that is pretty depressing. But usually when they do, they'd go to small stalls or weird shopping outlets to buy weird trinkets that Hinata adores and forces them to wear; well not force exactly, all she has to say is "I-I think this will l-look nice on you t-two," while looking at them with her huge, innocent eyes and they'd give in.
They had never been to big restaurants like Asumi together before; generally speaking, they'd never sat in places with booths before. So these kinds of situations had never come to light.
Usually, at the stools in the small stalls they'd go to Hinata would sit in the middle of the two; but in this situation it was either sit with Shisui or Itachi or cramp up together like sardines.
The waitress arrived with two menus and placed them on the table, leaving afterwards without another word. Itachi was about to call the waitress again for another menu when,
"W-We can s-share menus Itachi-kun," Hinata giggled. Not knowing what to say and a little embarrassed, he just nodded.
Honestly, he didn't know why he was so nervous. Hinata was a timid, shy thirteen year old hanging out with two dudes a few years older than her and she didn't seem nervous at all.
Of course, if this happened a year ago it would be a different story, but that's not the case.
He tensed again when she slid closer to him, placing the menu in the middle. She was blushing slightly at the close proximity, but other than that she seemed perfectly fine. She was very comfortable with Itachi at this point; he was just like an older version of Shino (Shisui being the second Kiba). He leaned down slightly, but wasn't focusing at all on what to order.
"I don't need a menu, I want tempura!" Shisui exclaimed. Hinata giggled, and Itachi ignored him.
It's not like he's never talked with a girl. It's not like he's never hung out with a girl. It's not like he has never been touched by a girl, definitely, thanks to his fan-girls. So, why? What the hell is this annoying feeling?
He was so close to her he could actually smell her hair; he didn't know what it smelled like but he loved it and it was killing him. At one point he just wanted to bury his face into her hair and sniff it all day long. He wanted to back away, but he couldn't. He hoped that she'd maybe back away, but she didn't and he really didn't want that either!
Her head was right below his face, he couldn't even actually see the menu with her head in the way but it wasn't like he cared. Until of course, she raised her head and practically crashed her skull on to his chin.
Hinata squeaked and immediately backed away (how disappointing) while pressing her head with her hands, leaving Shisui blinking, confused.
Itachi placed a hand on to his chin, but his face remained expressionless watching the girl wince.
"Hinata, are you alright?" He sounded as thought nothing happened, really.
"M-mm I-I am s-sorry It- Zorro-kun. Do-does it hurt?"
Like hell.
"No, its fine."
How can a small head like that pack so much of power?
"That's why you should always sit beside me, Hinata-Chan!" before he could initiate Itachi glare part four, the waitress showed up.
"Are you ready to order?"
Shisui looked at the two, both nodded; even though Itachi definitely wasn't ready to order.
"Yeah, uh, can I get the tempura platter? Large!"
The waitress nodded, scribbling the order down into her notepad before pointing the pen at Hinata.
"Um, steak p-please!" The waitress nodded, then raised a brow at Itachi. Itachi blinked for awhile.
"Steak." He was obviously still blur.
"But you hate steak." Shisui peered. "They do have onigiri with seaweed here you know."
"I," He started, trying to organize his thoughts and words properly.
"Onigiri with seaweed, and cabbage soup." There, much better.
The waitress nodded, stuck a piece of paper on their table and left. While Shisui still watched his friend.
"Y-you don't like steak?" Hinata looked up at him and for a moment he was just admiring her face.
"Zorro-kun?" No response.
Hinata cleared her throat. No response. She shook him lightly and whispered "Itachi-kun," and he snapped back to reality.
Damn it!
"Not really."
"He's not really a meat eater," Shisui answered for him. "He likes weird food like cabbage and seaweed." Shisui shuddered.
Hinata giggled, while Itachi was spacing out; cursing himself for being such a fool in public. The benefits of Henge no jutsu; no one will know it's you.
After a few moments of conversation; mostly among Shisui and Hinata, the food arrived.
"Itadakimasu,"
"Say, Hinata-Chan." Shisui separated his chopstick,
"When's this mission of yours?"
"I-I am not sure... I-I heard it's a C-rank mission b-but we will be travelling in a f-four man cell but no jonins are coming I know t-that much."
"Why?"
"Because Konoha is currently lacking of manpower." Itachi answered before biting into his onigiri.
"W-we're still recovering f-from the invasion." Hinata said as she struggled to cut her steak.
Itachi sighed inwardly at the sight. A kunoichi who can't even cut a steak... usually he'd judge but Hinata just looks cute. He didn't even realize that he was smiling at the girl. "Hinata," He called.
She turned, only to be poked in the forehead.
"Z-Zorro-kun!" She pouted and rubbed her forehead. Her eyes widened slightly as he grabbed her plate, wanting to cut her steak for her.
"I-It's – " Hinata reached out for her plate and this time got slapped on the hand.
"Ow!"
"I am cutting it. Be patient." Itachi smirked.
Shisui was eyeing the two from where he was sitting with narrowed eyes. He couldn't believe that was his best friend; he was so nice!
She waited awkwardly for him to finish, and ended up staring at his bowl of soup.
"What? You want some?" Itachi voiced. Hinata tensed and shook her head.
"It's okay, you can try some."
Shisui had a wry look on his face. The guy sitting in front of him was definitely not the Itachi he knew. But then again, Hinata did have a weird effect on people.
Reluctantly, Hinata grabbed the bowl wanting to avoid arguments or weirdness; she knew that if she said no, he would still urge her to try or say something like "suit yourself" and make her feel guilty for some reason.
She took a spoonful into her mouth and squinted slightly
Too much pepper.
"I-it's nice." She lied, pushing back the bowl.
"Hn."
"Hinata-Chan! Want some tempura?" He had to admit; he felt a little left out and wanted some of Hinata's attention.
"S-sure,"
Though he knows Shisui doesn't like Hinata in that way, Itachi get pretty jealous. He isn't even sure about his feelings towards the girl really.
"Here," Itachi handed the plate over to her.
"A-arigato..." Itachi nodded and went back to eating his onigiri, then moving on to his soup.
He put a spoonful into his mouth and raised a brow.
Too much pepper.
He shot up and his brow went up higher the minute he heard Shisui chuckling mischievously.
Hinata sunk into her chair, a bit frightened by his sudden chuckling.
"What?" Shisui pointed at his spoon and smiled slyly.
"Indirect kiss."
...
Cue insane Hinata blush.
Hinata nervously jabbed her fork in to her cut steak and shoved it down her throat, avoiding eye contacting with either of them.
Itachi managed to look stolid.
"It's just sharing a spoon." He said, even though he could feel waves of heat in his gut, travelling to the rest of his body.
"Yeah, it's nothing really, it's just sharing saliva." Shisui shrugged.
Hinata's breath hitched and Itachi just cleared his throat while initiating, his death glare.
He wondered when Hinata would agree to go out with them again.
Hinata shuffled around her room, finding her sweater and getting ready to go to the Hokage's office.
It would be the first time coming face to face with Tsunade-sama, the new Hokage after the third had passed away.
She had to make sure she looked just right; professional and serious. She looked in to the mirror and almost died. She looked nothing like a strong shinobi, she looked more like a sheltered, timid little girl than ever this morning. Nevertheless she was going to be late if she doesn't hurry. At least if she doesn't look strong or professional, she would at least be praised for being punctual.
She rushed to the Hokage tower, hoping to get there before the others. She stood before the office door. She gulped, breathed deeply and finally knocked.
"Enter!" A loud, demanding voice answered. She was afraid of her already.
She opened the door slowly, as if to show them a glimpse of her presence to see if she was the one expected.
"Come in," The woman demanded. The girl nodded and entered, closing the door behind her. She tilted her head and saw two others already standing before the Hokage; one was Naruto, the other was Lee both staring at her. She looked down, feeling a bit alarmed and disappointed that they got here first.
"Hinata!" Naruto waved. "Hinata-san!" Lee stood still.
"Naruto-kun, Lee-kun," She bowed.
"You're on this mission too Hinata? Sweet!" Naruto flung his hands behind his head.
"Yes, it will be indeed interesting to work together with my rival's cousin! I am looking forward to working with you, Hinata-san!"
Hinata smiled, then realized someone was missing. "A-ano, isn't it supposed to be a four man cell?"
"Yeah –"
The door cracked open, and a familiar face emerged.
"You're supposed to knock, you know." Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"Hn," was the boy's reply.
"Sasuke! You're here!"
"Be quiet, dobe." He is obviously not a morning person.
The Uchiha then caught sight of the Hyuuga girl, and slightly raised his brow.
"Hyuuga." Hinata flinched, reminded of the Chunin exam incident.
"S-Sasuke-san good morning." She bowed.
"Alright, save the niceties for later. Now let's get to the mission."
The four stood straight, facing the Hokage. "Baa-chan, please don't tell me you're assigning me; the great Naruto-sama to one of those lame-ass D-rank missions!"
"Stop shouting you brat! This mission is C-rank."
"Like that's any better!"
"Shut up and listen!"
"Hmph. For my standards I should be getting S-rank missions..." Naruto grumbled.
"Cheer up, Naruto-kun! With passion and hard work we will definitely get assigned to higher ranking missions! Never underestimate the power of youth!"
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples before sitting up straight and resuming.
"Listen closely. This is a C-rank mission but do not underestimate it! Naruto, I am talking to you."
The woman narrowed her eyes and Naruto stuck his tongue out. Obviously he has a death wish.
"You four are to hunt down the Kuro tsume."
"Kuro tsume?" Naruto suddenly became interested.
"I thought it was just a legend." Sasuke stated.
"Kuro Tsume is not just a legend. It attacked a group of travelers on their way here just two weeks ago. I want you to find it, immobilize it and bring it back here so we can lock it up."
"Ne, ne! Tsunade no Baa-Chan, I thought you said this was a C-rank mission? Who is this Kuro Tsume guy?"
"Kuro Tsume is a viscous beast Naruto. It is said to look like a dog-bear hybrid."
"So, its named Kuro Tsume because it had black claws?" Naruto questioned.
"Precisely."
"AH! You're assigning me to some bullshit animal hunting mission?!"
"Naruto! The Kuro Tsume is one of the most terrifying beasts in the Fire Country!" Yes, she did exaggerate. And for more effect, she stood up and slapped her hand on to the table.
"This is not to be taken lightly! I assigned Genins to this mission because the all of the Chunins are already out on missions! That includes your comrade Shikamaru!"
Finally, Naruto seemed to have silenced. Sasuke seemed to be having a raging headache thanks to Naruto AND the Hokage screaming their heads off. Hinata was frightened, and Lee was listening to the elevator music in his head. Once the air cooled off, she sat down once again.
"Tsunade-sama, please try to calm down..." Shizune smiled.
"I am assigning Sasuke as the team captain," As she said this she gave Naruto a warning glare not to start another outburst.
"Hinata, I put you in this team because of your Byaakugan. You are to scan the area for sightings and inform the Sasuke if you see anything suspicious."
"H-hai, hokage-sama."
"Also, I believe with your Byaakugan you are able to target certain points of the body and immobilize?"
"Y-Yes, but so far I've never t-tested on animals..."
She felt slightly mocked when the Uchiha let out a light chuckle.
"It's fine. Just keep in mind that if the tranquilizers that I provide you with do not work, you will have to immobilize the beast by yourself. Hinata, this is also where you come in."
She nodded.
"Shizune will hand you the said tranquilizers and you will leave tomorrow morning right after dawn. Understood?"
"Hai!" They said in sync.
"Alright, you may leave after receiving the tranquilizers. Good luck."
"Boy, this stinks. I can't believe Tsunade no Baa-Chan would do this to me."
"Naruto-kun! You mustn't lose hope! Because as long as you –"
"Yeah, yeah passion, youth, work whatever." Naruto sighed. Hinata giggled at the two of them.
"Hyuuga." She jumped upon hearing that dark husky voice. She turned back to face the Uchiha.
"I need to talk to you."