The second part of the Chunin Exams was not going as Hinata imagined.
It turned out that a massive brawl took place in the dining hall, destroying all of the food in the process. Choji, being the food loving teen that he was, ran out in the desert night to travel across the checkpoint to the sensei's room in hopes of food. Sakura and Ino chased after him because of the dangers the desert contained.
And all three of them were held captive by a gigantic sand creature that lived in the desert. Hinata and Gaara saw the situation from their rooftop vantage point and tried rushing into help them—
But Hinata's newest friend saved the trio with a simple kick to the creature's head, causing it to let them go and retreat back to the desert. While everyone just wanted a moment of peace after such a chaotic event, Fū was greeting them with hyperactive energy, asking to be friends and play games. Most thought she was a bit crazy.
Until Hinata greeted her with her famous sugar sweet smile. Fū perked up even more than she already was, excitedly giving Hinata a hug without a second thought. After coaxing the girl into letting her go, Hinata introduced the energetic girl to her comrades and friend.
Staring at the new girl for a few moments, Gaara had given the moon-eyed girl an inquisitive look, wondering, "How do you always make friends with jinchurikis?"
That single question opened the door for Fū to ask a thousand and one questions to Gaara about him and the tailed beast. After the first twenty or so within a few seconds, Gaara calmly used his sand to take the girl to her assigned room. While three of the Konoha ninjas found it amusing, one—a particularly nosy one—asked the Hyuga girl and the Kazekage what exactly they were doing on the rooftop together.
The . . . extra details, will remain secret in this stay for now.
Hinata simply brushed what rumors that would start away by claiming that they were talking about their friend Naruto, wondering where he was training now.
Gaara had to admit that the Byakugan Princess was quite skilled at bending the truth to where it was still a lie, but believable at the same time.
After all the excitement, but still no food, the genin returned to their sleeping quarters for the night. The Konoha genin managed to share two rooms; one for the boys and the other for the girls. When Hinata, Sakura, and Ino returned to their room, Tenten was nowhere in sight. The girls found it odd, but assumed Lee convinced her to join a last minute training session or something.
'Something' proved to be the correct option when neither of her teammates have seen her the next morning. When it came time to reporting outside for the start of the second session, Tenten came rushing up to her teammates, forming her two hair-buns like she had just gotten out of bed. Oddly enough, Kankuro showed up behind his siblings a few moments later like he had been running late as well.
How odd . . .
Once everyone had finally arrived, Temari re-explained the rules of the second exam, in case anyone forgot over-night. Just like before, each team would be given either a heaven or earth scroll without knowing what any other team has. They have three days to obtain the complete set and return back to the checkpoint in order to make it to the final examination.
Since the desert was so unpredictable, every genin had to sign a waiver before they could participate. It merely stated that the person who signs it understands the risk they would take along with the fact that they could die by desert causes and Suna would not be responsible for any casualties.
They were all crazy to have actually signed that.
Nonetheless, within a few minutes, every team set off in their separate directions.
And Hinata wished it would have ended already.
Just like the day before, Kiba and Shino were paying her no attention as they navigated through the desert. They trek ahead of the young woman as they tried to come up with ideas on how to get a scroll without having to fight too hard. When Hinata tried to voice her opinion on the subject, she was either interrupted or ignored.
What was going on with them?
It wasn't until the final day of the final exam when they finally approached another team, actually fighting against them. Kiba and Shino were very insistent that they could handle their chosen opponent on their own, for the first time in three days speaking to Hinata. But by the time Hinata finished off her opponent, Kiba and Shino were struggling against theirs.
Hinata thought she was being a good teammate by helping out. Although she stepped in, the two were able to give the finishing strike. She thought they would have been satisfied with that.
But they still scolded her, claiming they had everything under control without her help.
"We are a team," Hinata reminded them. "We are supposed to work together, as three people, not two. I am a member of Team Eight just like you two. That's not going to change."
"Hopefully it will once we become chunin," Kiba remarked as he grabbed the other team's scroll. "You keep holding us back and getting in the way."
"It's true," Shino insisted. "We keep failing missions because of you."
"You two are being ridiculous," Hinata insisted. "I don't know what's going on with . . ."
Trailing off, Hinata turned around, sensing something off in the distance. Activating her Byakugan, her eyes widened in surprise and curiosity.
"Sandstorm," Hinata announced to her teammates. "A massive one. It looked like . . . someone created it."
"Don't be ridiculous," Kiba spat. "Why would anyone create a storm in the middle of an exam?"
"If it is a sandstorm, we need to find shelter," Shino suggested, "because we don't want to be caught in it."
Despite it being such a logical explanation, Hinata focused on the storm as Kiba's question repeated in her mind. Why would someone create a sandstorm in the middle of such an important event? Were they trying to see how the genin would react? Or were they after someone?
Or two?
Help us!
Gasping in realization, Hinata rushed toward the center of the storm—
Never once hearing her teammates call out for her to stop.
While traveling to where the center of the sandstorm was thought to be, Hinata ran into her cousin's squad along the way. Apparently, Neji had sensed that something was off about the storm as well and the team agreed to investigate, even though they only had two Heaven scrolls, no Earth scrolls. Lee was verbally worrying about that fact while Tenten, on the other hand, was more concerned about Hinata being alone in the desert without either one of her teammates to accompany her. Hinata merely shrugged, claiming that they weren't acting like much of a team toward her.
Within a few minutes of them grouping up, the four found the source of both the sandstorm and the trouble. A man strumming a strange instrument had two chakra chains protruding from his chest and inside a giant cocoon a few hundred feet away. The chains were attached to two shinobi inside the cocoon, who just happen to be—
Child! Help us!
Princess! Save us! Please!
"It's Gaara and Fū!" Hinata announced to Team Guy. "The enemy is trying to take their Tailed Beast chakra! If that happens—"
"They'll die," Tenten answered bluntly, yet knowingly. "I'll send a message to Ka—the tower, in hopes that they send reinforcements while you guys plan a way to stop them."
By the time Tenten had the message sent, a plan was formed. Lee would distract the enemy while Tenten helps Neji and Hinata inside the cocoon before joining the distraction. Once the two Hyugas were in their designated positions, things got a little interesting.
Observing the way the two Hyugas used their Byakugans to assess the situation, the Kazekage wondered, "How did you know we were in trouble?"
"I saw you while trying to find a way back to the checkpoint," Neji claimed. "As for Hinata—"
"I heard them," Hinata insisted before quickly clarifying, "Shukaku and Chomei, I mean. They were calling out for help."
Gaara snarled his nose at the unfamiliar name. "Who is—"
"You heard Chomei?" Fū gasped dramatically. "And you know his name? How is that possible?"
"I don't know," Hinata admitted bashfully. "I just learned that I could hear the Tailed Beasts when we arrived in the desert. I don't know why now is different than before."
"The chakra chains are absorbing the Tailed Beast's chakra through a single chakra point," Neji deduced after some careful thinking. "Tailed Beast or not, it is still chakra. If we block that point, the flow will stop and the chain will become loose enough for us to pull out at the very least. This may hurt for a moment."
But the one to get hurt was Neji.
Before Neji could touch the chakra point, Gaara's chakra lashed out at him, lightly burning his hand.
"They want Hinata," Neji concluded as he flexed his injured hand. "They don't trust me, especially Shukaku for what I did years ago. They know Hinata because of her kindness and friendship with you two. They will let her block the chakra point. No one else."
"It is worth a try," Gaara agreed, though he added cautiously, "Please try not to make me pass out from the pain."
Hinata smiled her normal heart-swooning smile, but there was a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "I make no promises. This may sting a little, so I'm going to count to three. One. Two—"
Like the sneaky moon-eyed girl that she was, Hinata hit the chakra point in the middle of her countdown. Shukaku's chakra didn't lash out at her like it had at Neji. Instead, the chakra flow stopped completely with the chain slowly pulling out on its own. Hinata purposely blocked Fū's chakra point while she was distracted.
After a few moments, both chains were out of the jinchuriki's and out of the protective cocoon. Fū decided to wait until they could hear that the enemy was defeated before dropping her jutsu.
"That was so cool!" Fū cheered as she observed the restricted enemy. She gazed up at Neji before she gasped suddenly. "Your eyes! They look just like Hinata's!"
"We're from the same clan," Hinata informed softly yet politely. "Neji is my cousin."
Fū gasped dramatically, swarming Neji in a second. "Hinata is my friend!" She declared. "Gaara is my friend too! I want to make one-hundred friends! Will you be my friend?"
Neji backed up when Fū came too close, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "If I say 'yes', will you get away from me?"
At that question, Hinata pulled Fū away from her cousin just as Gaara mentioned hoping to see them all again before retreating to the checkpoint with Kankuro—the reinforcement—following him back while having no idea what happened previously. While Fū reluctantly went to find her teammates so they didn't worry about her, Hinata was about to do the same thing—
But Tenten stopped her. The older teen didn't like the idea of Hinata traveling in the desert by herself without company. Her teammates shouldn't have let her go off on her own in a place none of them knew. Neji and Lee easily agreed, practically forcing the younger girl to join their team until they made it to the designated meeting area. When they arrived—
Kiba and Shino didn't give her a second glance, but they did ridicule her for making them wait on her before they could check in.
"I'm sorry I value my friend's safety instead of a ruthless competition," Hinata retorted defensively. "If you don't feel the same, then you don't deserve to be Hokage."
With a glare and growl, Kiba turned his back to Hinata, walking off as Shino wordlessly followed. Sighing softly, Hinata slowly followed behind so they wouldn't be disqualified from the competition—
Never knowing about the worried glances Team Guy was giving each other from such a strange interaction between teammates.
Once the second examination was officially completed, Lord Gaara made an announcement that the rest of the exam was cancelled, but the genin could still be promoted as 'chunin'. From watching through his sand eye, Gaara made a detailed report of each candidate's performance and will have it sent to their village leader for review. They will decide whether or not a genin is promoted.
Since it was such a late day when the second exam ended, Gaara offered to allow everyone to stay in Suna for the night so they can stay well-rested for their journey home.
The only squad to not accept the invitation was Fū's. She wanted to return home so she could tell her village leader all about her adventure and the new friends she made along the way. Before she left, Fū made sure to hug Hinata and promise to meet again.
When Fū hugged Hinata, the Byakugan Princess felt something off when her friend's hand laid on her back. It was a cold sensation in that spot until Fū pulled away. Then, Hinata's body felt as though it was on fire but also a surge of energy—
Like chakra.
Fū only smiled mischievously as she moved to give Gaara a hug, which surprised everyone including the Kazekage himself.
As she left and everyone went to enjoy the Hidden Sand Village, Hinata didn't join them. Instead, she stayed behind to take Gaara's offer on using Takamaru. There was so many things she wanted to write, so many things she wanted to tell the boy of her dreams, but she didn't know where to start. There was only so much space on a single scroll and it would be selfish of her to ask for two, especially since it would cause the messenger bird to struggle.
So, after thinking about it for so many hours, Hinata kept the message short and simple. She wrote about how she wished his training with his god-father, Lord Jiraiya, was going well and that she couldn't wait to hear all about it. She reassured him that everything was going well in the village, though it was quite boring without him there.
At the end of the letter, Hinata admitted to missing him terribly, though she knew the training was more important than her. She insisted that she couldn't wait for him to come home when he was ready, so they could be together again, just like before.
Early the next morning, Hinata went to the Kazekage's Mansion with the scroll in hand. Somehow, she managed to not blush when her friend joked about not reading her love letter. Gaara warned that a reply wouldn't be possible. As soon as Takamaru drops off the scroll, the messenger bird has to return to Suna so the Council wouldn't be suspicious. The Council has been spying on the letters received for Gaara and his siblings, so he didn't want Hinata to fall victim to it.
Although the idea of not having a reply did upset her, Hinata hid it well with her warm smile, claiming that knowing he would get the letter was more than enough.
After saying good-bye to their comrades in the sand, those from Konoha made their way back to their village. For the entire three days, Kiba and Shino didn't say a single word to Hinata, not that she really noticed. She was to busy wondering what Naruto's reaction would be to the message.
But a few comrades did notice and planned on speaking to Lady Tsunade regarding it.
Speaking of the Hokage, she appeared to be in quite the chipper mood when the chunin candidates arrived in her office for the exam results. For obtaining both scrolls, Hinata's team, Sakura, Ino, and Choji were promoted to chunin. Although they only had one scroll, Tenten and Lee were promoted for their excellent skills and the ability to adapt so quickly on the battlefield.
As for Neji, he received a double promotion, from genin to jounin, because he has more than proved that he is capable of chunin-level threats and interactions.
With all this wonderful news . . .
There just had to be something that ruins Hinata's day.
Child . . .
Hinata flinched, not expecting to hear the new voice. Chomei? She clarified, zoning out of the group's discussion to focus on the Seven-Tails. What's wrong?
I'm so sorry . . .
Gasping suddenly—grabbing the attention of all in the room—Hinata fell to her knees as she hugged herself in despair, sobbing over and over again, "No, no, no . . . it cant be true . . . she can't be . . ."
None knew really what to do since they never seen Hinata act so hysterical before. They didn't know what would cause her to act so irrational and so unlike herself. Neji and Tenten eventually crouched down to the young Hyuga girl's height, one comforting her while the other tried to get answers out of her.
Gazing up at the two, Neji couldn't hide his surprise of seeing so many tears streaming down Hinata's cheeks. He has never seen her cry before and honestly believed that she never has—
Until now.
"They killed her," Hinata sobbed sorrowfully, the tears refusing too stop. "Fū is dead!"
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Having finished eating lunch by the built fire Pervy Sage—or Jiraiya, if preferred—made, Naruto Uzumaki was just about to start training once again when a peculiar bird sat next to him on his log. Noticing the scroll on the bird's back, the blonde-haired boy barely had time to grab the scroll before the bird flew off in the direction it came from.
Cautiously opening the scroll, Naruto glimpsed through the letter. The more he read the contents, the wider his smile grew. Placing the scroll in his pocket, Naruto stood with a new determined goal in mind. "Pervy Sage, can we finish training while we're on the road?"
"We can make it work," Jiraiya reassured. "Where are we going?"
Naruto's smile grew wider as he declared, "I'm going home, to my Byakugan Princess."