The Beginner's Guide to Starting a Mission

The passage to Kiri was a pleasant one. Hinata spent most of the journey on deck of the ferry, watching the waves froth excitedly around the intruding hull. The music they created lulled her mind into a fluid calm she had missed over the last few weeks. It was Hinata's favorite time of day. When the sun was readying itself to depart from the world by casting an orange tinted light over all it held dear. It gave everything such a cosy warmth. Like drinking hot chocolate under a blanket during a particularly chilly night.

The waves became more and more rambunctious the closer to Kiri they drew. Sloping in and out of each other in a game of childish chase. Occasionally, a particularly large one would crash against the base of the ferry and spray water across her face, bringing with it the scent of salt and seaweed. This was the part of the journey Hinata was most looking forward to. Fire wasn't a land-locked country but it's surface area was so massive, it might as well be. It was at least a five-day journey from Konoha to the coast so seeing a body of water as large as this was a rarity for one as busy as her. Especially now so soon to her branding.

One of these days, Hinata was going to take her little sister and spirit her away to a beach so she could see the ocean. Not once in their childhood had either of them been allowed to see one together. Or for that matter gone on any sort of outing that wasn't completely in the best interest of the family. It was clear that Hanabi's destiny was to become the new clan head. Hinata believed hers was to make sure that every day of freedom her little sister had left was going to be filled with laughter and wonderment. To show her why this beautiful world was worth protecting. To give Hanabi an upbringing much better than her own.

Hinata smiled at the prospect.

A packet of cigarettes flew past her shoulder. The ocean greedily swallowed up the small box of paper, plastic and a lung's worst enemy. Sasuke appeared by her side, looking very unimpressed with the sights before him.

Hinata gave him a bewildered glance which he caught, "I hate cigarettes", he told her, "Only smoke them when Fugaku is around. He hates them even more than I do". He kicked at the old railing bordering the deck. It wobbled at the unwarranted abuse.

Hinata didn't know what to say to this latest insight into Sasuke Uchiha so she remained silent.

A small island in the distance waved at the ferry as it sailed by. The orange light of the sun made the piece of land glow like firelight. Fishing boats who opted to stay out in the water later than usual were reluctantly retuning to the island, still trying to obtain one more catch for the day. She could see tiny people milling about the island's docks. Admiring that was a much better option than responding to Sasuke's comments.

"The dossier", Sasuke said. Thinking that he was finally asking to read it, Hinata reached around to retrieve it from her pack. "Just the cliff-notes", he added, already sounding greatly put upon.

"Oh, well… there wasn't enough time for them to gather much information so there isn't a lot… so…", she began. Sasuke's gaze was growing steadily impatient. Her perpetually high-strung nerves were dancing a fast-passed jig under her skin.

The ferry neared a small row boat containing a fishing man and little boy. The cast of the withering sunlight left them as nothing more than featureless silhouettes. The man leaned back and stretched his arms up into the air, basking in his bubble of peace, uncaring of anything but his son and the task at hand. The man and boy started to laugh, loud enough that Hinata could almost hear it over the waves.

She kept her eyes on the pair as she said, "The Chocolate Cosmos is currently owned by Kirigakure University. They care for the plant in their own private green house which is somewhere on campus."

"Security?"

"None that isn't customary to an institute of high standing such as K.U. Civilian security guards rather than shinobi. Though Tsunade noted that something as valuable as the Chocolate Cosmos might have its own form of security. It is not offered for public viewing so only a handful of people ever really see it and flash photography is forbidden so they weren't able to find any pictures of the plant". Briefings were second nature to Hinata. It was a procedure she had committed to since she was 11 years old. It was the only time she allowed her mouth to run wild without second guessing every word. And as long as she didn't look directly at Sasuke, it was as easy as briefing her own Team back home.

The boy in the rowboat yanked hard on his fishing pole. Something was playing tug-of-war with him on the other end of the line.

"These people do have a kink for flowers", Sasuke sneered. He must have heard some of the numerous tourists discussing the festival as they boarded the ferry. Some of them were so excited that they were already wearing flower themed clothing and makeup.

The tourists were very, colourful.

"Anything on missing persons? Homicides in Kiri?" He asked. Hinata shook her head. "Is there anything else in the dossier?"

"Some maps of the Village. Times when best to send word back home of our mission's progress. There really wasn't much t-time…", Hinata trailed off. Usually Konoha gave her shinobi pages and pages of information before they head out on a mission. Made sure each team was fully prepared in every way possible before leaving her walls. Even the most insignificant fact could end up saving a shinobi's life. The file Tsunade and A gave her however was anorexic of information, filled mostly with commonly known facts of Kiri.

The fisher boy was having trouble reeling in his prey. Whatever he had caught on his hook was bigger than his small arms could handle. His father quickly dropped his pole to help his son.

"They expect us to do this blind", Sasuke snarled. Hinata saw his jaw sharpen from her peripherals. "They don't even have the decency to call it rain as they piss all over me"

Hinata couldn't help the quick glance she gave him, "What do you mean?"

"That sick son of a bitch isn't kicking his heels all the way in Kiri", Sasuke vented, pointing in the general direction of their destination. Hinata didn't need him to clarify their new subject of conversation. Only Orochimaru could bring out this level of disgust in her partner's eyes. "This is just their way of getting rid of their two biggest fuck-ups".

"Ho-Hokage-sama and Raikage-sama only want to help us catch the killer. Isn't approaching our problem from every angle the be-best way to accomplish this?", Hinata asked softly.

She needed him calm and as committed to this mission as she was otherwise it could all unravel into one giant mess. So much could go wrong. They were already at a disadvantage because they didn't trust each other. They weren't familiar with each other's fighting style. And he took no pains to hide how much he despised her and her kin.

Sasuke gripped the railing with one hand and turned to her fully. His tall frame arched over her, "They already know who's behind this. I know who's behind this. I'm sure even you have some idea. We sure as hell aren't going to find that slithering piece of shit in Kiri". He took a beat before asking, "Tell me, why do you think they paired us up?"

The non-sequitur of a question took her off-guard, "Hokage-sama always teams up the most compatible shinobi for a mission".

He leaned in closer to her. She got the impression that he often got his way by simply being in close proximity to his target. By intimidation or other means. "You think we're compatible?"

"I-I mean, our Kekkei-Genkei can be quite similar" she muttered. She took a not so discreet step back.

He breathed in deeply and leaned back. Maybe he was at least trying to be patient with her. Sasuke kept his voice low as he said, "They stuck us together, sent us to the ass end of nowhere because the best way to get rid of pesky children is to keep them busy. Orochimaru is behind this and I'm the only one who can stop him. But instead of doing that, I'm forced to play along with this wild goose chase while babysitting you".

The knuckles of his hand gripping the railing had turned paper white.

Hinata felt conflicted as she listened to him. While Orochimaru reigned king on her short list of suspects, she also felt that Sasuke was allowing his past to cloud his perception of the present. Preventing him from seeing anything else. From being open to any other possibility. Not that she could say that she didn't sympathize with that sentiment.

The Uchiha Scandal had been discussed greatly throughout the past ten years. Each version of the story was so inconsistent with the other that it was difficult for Hinata to determine which one to be true. Therefore, the night before the mission Hinata plucked up the courage to finally ask her cousin what really happened. It was part of Neji's job in their family to know everything about everyone. Hinata couldn't decide whether to be grateful of her cousin's plentiful knowledge or worry about what he might know about her.

Although she felt guilty for prying into his personal life, Hinata eagerly listened to her cousin. She needed to know what she was getting into with a partner like Sasuke Uchiha.

They had been sitting in her private room so as not to disturb her sleeping father and sister in the adjoining bedrooms. "You are aware of what occurred in our first Chunin exams", Neji had begun. She hadn't learned of Orochimaru's and the Sand's attack until after the fact. At the time, she had been too distracted by her own recovery and self-pity to notice much else.

"I do. And why he sought an Uchiha, but not why he went after Sasuke-san specifically", Hinata said. She was sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest and feeling herself quickly become enraptured with her cousin. He wasn't the type of man who spoke simply to make noise. He spoke with purpose.

"I can only speculate", he said from the chair across from her, "The household heard rumblings of Orochimaru approaching Itachi-san first, however the Uchiha have steadfastly denied this. Sasuke-san was most likely the closest in strength to Orochimaru's original target. As well as the weakest in will. A mere convenience most likely".

"He was also a child, Onii-san". A fact that many people seemed to forget. About all the people she went to school with. Neji shrugged -a small lift of his right shoulder- as if that didn't matter. "Do you know why Sasuke-san joined him?" she asked.

Neji shook his head, "You would have to ask him. What is important for you to know is how he was retrieved and the subsequent aftermath". His voice was made for late night storytelling, smooth and low. he untied his hair and let it hang freely before continuing, "Itachi-san was strictly forbidden from retrieving his younger brother. Especially after Naruto-san's first failed attempt". That mission was a blow to all the young men in her life. The injuries the Sound nin had dealt them was an eye-opening lesson of how cut-throat the world could be. They all grew up a little too quickly that day.

Neji noted the faraway look his cousin held but didn't comment. Instead he said, "Then five years ago, word came in of Orochimaru's demise. By Sasuke-san's hand. It was the excuse Itachi-san and Naruto-san needed to make another attempt. They located Sasuke-san near Suna's boarders and dragged him back to Konoha. For his crimes of desertion, he was given two years probation, one of which was spent confined within his clan's walls. He was stripped of all his achievements and titles. Forced to wear Chakra Cuffs for 14 months without reprieve. Stricken from all Main House records. And put to work as a lowly administrator for the Uchiha police department. He has only just managed to work himself up to a patrolman. Not exactly the position his high standing birth warranted. If it were not for the recent murders of our people, Sasuke-san's name might have been stamped down until it became nothing but a footnote in Uchiha memory".

"Why was Uchiha-sama unable to protect his son from such harsh punishment?" she asked. Surely his father wouldn't be happy with his clan's attempt to bury his own son.

"It was Uchiha-sama who set the guidelines for Sasuke-san's castigation. He would not allow the disgrace of his youngest to taint the rest of his family. Especially Itachi-san".

He chose his clan over his own child.

"It did not aid Sasuke-san's case when it was discovered that Orochimaru had evaded death. He had merely weakened the snake". Neji leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He made sure to level his cousin's petal soft eyes with his own, "I tell you all this, Hinata-sama, to warn you of the difficulties that await you. Sasuke-san will not be a pleasant man to work with and you are to do it alone until the unforeseeable future. He graduated from the Academy with a C in Positivity and a Fail in Cooperation. I doubt the man's disposition has improved much after the Scandal. Take care during your mission. Trust in your own abilities and never let your guard down while you are with him".

"You speak as if you think he will hurt me, Nii-san. We are partners after a common goal. Surely he will remember that".

A small tight-lipped smile was all the reply he offered.

After a few more minutes of talking, Neji left her to rest. She kissed him on the cheek -a gift she could never offer her father- and wished him pleasant dreams. Hinata on the other hand, found it difficult to find hers. She couldn't stop thinking about the cruel manner the Uchihas treated one of their own. For making a mistake while he was still a child. She would have loved to say that she spent the night wondering if her father would treat her the same way as Fugaku did his son. She would love to but that would be a lie. She already knew the answer.

Hiashi would have erased her completely. In every possible sense. All for the good of the clan.

So Hinata could not fault Sasuke for his closed-minded hate of Orochimaru. The man had exploited him as a young boy. Stole his childhood from him. His family. His home. No matter how much the Uchiha frightened her, she couldn't allow herself to see him as the two-dimensional villain everyone else painted him as.

"Uchiha-san…" the crisp ocean breeze carried his name for her. The sun was well on its way into setting. Hinata had been in a daze for longer than she realised though he didn't seem to care. He was still highly agitated but his eyebrows were not as sharply turned down as before. "I… I swear to do everything in my power to complete this mission as quickly and efficiently as possible... So that we may join our brothers in Otogakure and defeat Orochimaru-san. Together".

The coward in her regretted the promise the second it left her lips. Her father would be livid if he heard. She shivered just thinking of his disappointed glare.

Going against his wishes to appease an Uchiha? He would be disgusted with her.

"Oh really? You'd rebel against Daddy Dearest? The good little Princess?" Sasuke asked. He leaned his hip on the railing and studied her again. His crossed arms portrayed how much he believed her.

"You are not the only one who worries for their people. Who hurts for them", she thought of Kiyoko Hyuga, who would have found the colours of the setting sun beautiful, "I will help stop this monster. No matter what it takes. No matter what I must do", she made sure to keep her eyes locked on Sasuke and thought of Kenshin Hyuga who would have loved to fish with the man and his son, "I can't stand the thought of losing anyone else".

He studied her face for a moment longer, suddenly serious. He seemed to be looking for something, "You're assuming I care about any them. Maybe I'm only doing this 'cause I get my kicks off inflicting pain", he said and as he turned to leave her alone again.

Before he was too far away for her to hear him, Sasuke said, "I'll hold you to your promise".

Alone again, Hinata worried her lip. Watching the turbulent waves did not give her as much peace as it did before.

She thought about the rowboat fisherman and his son. She wondered if the boy managed to reel in his catch or if he lost his prize as so many people do. A part of her thought she could still hear their laughter over the incessant waves even though they were long gone by now. Though this time, for just the briefest second, she could have sworn she heard a little girl join in their merriment. A little girl whose white eyes sparkled so brightly before they were ripped out.

The Beginner's Guide to Starting a Mission

Hinata knew they were within Kirigakure's borders the moment they crossed into it. The ferry travelled through a thick curtain of rain that drenched her hair in less than five minutes. Her bangs plastered themselves onto her forehead, obnoxiously getting into her eyes. She quickly grew tired of flicking it out of the way and just opted for pushing her hair into a side parting. She had tried the hairstyle once before as a teenager, while she was still trying to find her most comfortable self. Hanabi once told her it suited her better but she couldn't bring herself to wear her hair that way on a regular basis. Not after Ko commented that it made her look exactly like her mother.

The Village was pretty, even with the fog. It was a mixture of lush greenery and giant slabs of rock sticking out of the earth. The granite towered high above everything else. The cylindrical buildings were structured to fit around the natural landscape rather than the other way around. Because of the density of the fog, it was difficult to see anything outside of the Village's perimeter. It felt like standing in the middle of one of those water-globes Hinata saw in the numerous giftshops after disembarking from the ferry. Forgetting that there was a world outside of Kiri must have been an often occurrence for the people who lived there.

After setting up their base in a forest near one of the public camp sites -a place that supplied privacy while still maintaining their image as ignorant tourists who 'couldn't possibly know they were on private land because there weren't any signs'- Sasuke decided they should split up again.

He sent her to Kiri University in the guise of a possible student so she could map out the campus housing the Chocolate Cosmos.

"Meanwhile, I'll go case the Village morgue and see if there are any weak points in their security. We're gonna give them a quick visit tonight and confirm what I already know. That there is nothing worth staying in this oversized sauna for", Sasuke informed her. When Hinata suggested they should stick together he said, "Didn't you promise you would help me complete this wild goose chase as quickly as possible? This is how we do it. Ideally, I want to be on the ferry back tomorrow night. At the latest ".

It was relatively easy to join one of the university's tour groups. During the festival K.U. had opened its doors to anyone who wanted to pop in for a quick visit. Hinata's tour guide (an alumnus named Ami who had waxy pale skin and curly peach coloured hair that feathered around her face like a cloud) told the group of six that most international students don't consider K.U. a possible institute of education because of the great distance it took to get to them. Therefore, the festival was prime hunting time for the them.

Hinata remained silent in the back of the tour group. Ami walked them through every floor of the tall, circular building as she spouted historical anecdotes, success statistics and the biographies of all the accomplished graduates. Oftentimes Hinata let her tour guide's words flow over her in a stream of useless information as she studied the people around her. But every once and a while, she found herself paying more attention than she thought she would.

What if she were attending the Open Day for more legitimate reasons? As a potential student. Neji would be by her side, shooting off questions about every little thing until he intimidated Ami into a simmering mess. Hinata would blush and admonish her cousin for being so forceful but secretly grateful that he did it so she wouldn't have to. Even in her fantasies Hinata was too much of a coward to do something as dauntless as ask simple questions.

"What subjects are you guys interested in?" Ami asked, interrupting her own stream of forgettable K.U. facts. She was one of those unfortunate women whose voice stopped aging at 5. She sounded like a cartoon character.

A boy recovering from a bad case of acne said, "Hotel Management" while the tall, lanky boy who was there with two older men said "Events Planning".

"And you?" Ami asked Hinata. Her smile was wide and a little too blinding for the Hyuga. The rest of the group turned to see her answer. A couple of them looked like they were only just now noticing her even though she had spent over an hour walking around with them.

"Oh! Uhm… Botany". Hinata quickly replied. Her hand fluttered around her chest at the sudden onslaught of attention.

"That's great! We have a fantastic Botany curriculum and the largest onsite greenhouse of any university! Not to mention our modules are not only theoretical but practical too" Ami advertised.

The tour didn't last much longer. Hinata made a note to memorize the building's layout; the locations of all the entrances and exits; the number of rooms (325 including restrooms, closets and storage rooms); how many people were in the building at any given time; and the many camera blind spots. Ami walked the group back to the foyer to say their goodbyes and give her thanks for visiting.

It was while Ami was going through a particularly heavy booklet of the botany curricula – a distraction tactic for Hinata to observe the habits of two large security guards sitting behind the reception desk nearby- that Sasuke finally arrived. The other members of the tour group had already left by this point.

He sauntered -sauntered- into the building with his hands in his pockets and a boyish grin on his face.

It looked so out of place on his sharp features that Hinata couldn't help but gawk dumbly at him. "There you are, Hina-chan! How did it go?" he asked her. His tone was light and boisterous, nothing like how it usually was.

Hinata's reply was to gape at him. Opening and closing her mouth like a confused fish. Maybe this was one a new type of Uchiha genjutsu.

It must be.

Sasuke put his arm around her shoulders. Hinata immediately stiffened and tried to maneuver away from him. He just tightened his hold and asked, "Hey, sis! How did it go? What did you think of K.U.? Do you think you'll enroll?" He turned to Ami who lost the ability to see anything but Sasuke, "You must be the tour guide! Thanks for looking after my lil' sis. She can be pretty shy". He spoke behind his free hand which he held straight against his mouth, as if sharing a secret only with Ami. A luminescent blush appeared on her pale skin.

"It was a pleasure! Your sister was absolutely delightful!" Ami's voice raised in pitch. It was almost a squeak now. Any second it would be too high for human ears to hear.

"Did you learn anything? See anything interesting?" Sasuke asked Hinata.

She nodded to him, "Ye-Yes. It is a very nice campus. They just renovated the top three floors and… and they have their own greenhouse. There wasn't enough time to see it though".

"Oh no, really? But isn't the greenhouse the reason you want to enroll here?" He languidly cast his gaze over Ami, "Is there no way we can take a quick gander now?"

"Well… you see- "the dreamy smile Ami wore since Sasuke's arrival faltered slightly. No one was supposed to enter the greenhouse during the festival. A lot of the contestants participating in the competition used it to house their plants. They could be very particular about who was around their entries.

Sasuke leaned closer to Ami as if to tell her a secret "Come on. Please? I know it'll mean the world to Hina-chan. It'll only be 5 minutes I swear", he put one hand over his heart to illustrate his promise.

Ami's smile returned with a vengeance. If Hinata thought her smile was blinding before, it was a scorching sun now. "I guess if it's only five minutes… Sure, why not?"

Sasuke grinned, "You're a life saver! It would have broken Hina-chan's heart if she didn't get the chance to see it and I wouldn't get to win the Best Big Brother of the Year award". Sasuke peeled himself off Hinata and put one hand on Ami's back, "After you"

Ami was practically glowing.

They exited the building without sparing Hinata a second glance. She had suddenly become the third wheel to a meeting between the two love interests in an overdone romantic novel. She hoped they didn't do anything too affectionate in front of her. The uncomfortable thought made the skin on her arms itch.

Walking into the greenhouse was like walking into a room set to 'boil people alive'. The wet heat gave Hinata a hard slap in the face as she walked through the glass door. If the greenhouse wasn't so large, the denser air would have been suffocating. There had to be a window (or ten) somewhere that she could open.

It was a Grower Greenhouse, the kind usually saved for the cultivation of a specific crop. The ground was carpeted with waterproof rubber that squeaked every time they took a step. There were rows and rows of different tropical plants, growing in and around each other. The deeper into the greenhouse they walked, the grander and more colourful they became. Every conceivable colour was represented, cushioned by shiny green leaves. None of the security cameras Hinata found in the main campus were in the greenhouse.

The smell of earth and life reminded Hinata of home.

Sasuke whistled through his teeth, "It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be", he said. He walked on his heels and swiveled his head from side to side.

"Cool, isn't it?" Ami said, "People come from everywhere just to grow their plants here. Oh, and don't worry about the sprinklers", she pointed to the ceiling that was adorned with hundreds of said sprinklers, "They're set to a timer and shouldn't go off for another couple of hours"

"Looks like we're all alone here", Sasuke said as he walked up to Ami, "Thanks for the help, but we can take it from here", he placed a hand on the back of Ami's neck. She became transfixed on his eyes as they transformed from a dark brown into a vibrant red. Ami had never seen such a thing before. Not even from the few remaining doujutsu users in Kiri. They were so pretty.

Ami dropped to the floor. Her head gave a loud thud. Sasuke made no move to soften her fall.

He stepped over the unconscious woman, his demeanor reverting to its usual angry state. The smile became a frown. The soft eyes became a glower. The carefree posture became a stiff back that was ready for a fight. He might as well have morphed into a different person entirely.

"Uchiha-san!" Hinata exclaimed as she rushed to Ami. She knew her tour guide was still alive from the steady rise and fall of her modest chest but she couldn't help but place two fingers on Ami's pulse point anyway. Just to make sure.

The Hyuga carefully lifted Ami, trying to be as respectful as possible. There was a bench mid-way down the greenhouse that she laid her cargo on. While arranging her into a more comfortable position she saw that there was a light bruise on Ami's forehead so Hinata pulled out her clan's secret ointment and used the pads of her fingers to massage it into the affected area. It would only take a few moments for the medicine to work its wonders.

Maybe she should find Ami a blanket.

"I wish you hadn't done that", Hinata muttered quietly.

"She was in the way. You'd prefer I killed her?" Sasuke asked, "Next time I'll keep that in mind. You'll just have to make do with a simple genjutsu for now".

"Of-Of course I didn't want you to kill her! B-but the fall could have really hurt her".

Sasuke rolled his brown eyes and made a 'Tch' sound in the back of his throat. He obviously didn't care. "Where is it?" He pulled a leaf off a random plant, looked at it with disinterest and flung it to the side.

"Is it safe? To use my Byakugan?" Hinata asked. Sweat had begun to accumulate on the back of her neck and scalp. The small hairs there frizzed up into loose curls. She wiped some of the moisture away with the back of her hand.

"I wouldn't have used my Sharingan if it wasn't".

Her eyes activated. She could see every plant in the greenhouse in the finest detail. From the curve of the petals to the vein like roots in the soil. If she had the time she would have used it to admire their intricate workings. Kiri's climate gave birth to such a different kind of plant life than what she was used to in Konoha. There was so much she could learn if she were allowed to just stop and look. Unfortunately, her partner didn't seem the patient type. "It isn't in here", Hinata whispered to herself.

"What?" Sasuke had wandered some little ways down one of the aisles of orchids.

"The Chocolate Cosmos. It isn't in here".

"Then, where is it?" he said through his grounding teeth. See? Not a patient man at all.

Hinata lifted her arm and pointed behind Sasuke, "There is a locked door over there. Its cloaked by something like a genjutsu designed to make your eyes avoid it. But I can see the chakra signature of whoever left it".

Sasuke looked at the spot she indicated with his Sharingan, "Hn. I can see it now. Must be made by one of those weird Kekkei Genkei they have around here. It's not bad". He sounded vaguely impressed. "Does this not-genjutsu cover the entire room?"

Hinata nodded.

"Makes sense. We'd have seen it from the outside otherwise". Sasuke looked annoyed. Well more than he usually did. "I take it if I just break through whoever put it up will notice?"

"Most likely. But- But there is a weak spot. A small one".

"Where?" he hovered his hand over the invisible barrier. Maybe he wanted to find the weak link in the chain himself.

"Underneath the room. In the very center", Hinata replied. The barrier looked a lot like a balloon. Whoever built it did so while standing in the middle of the room so its strongest point was above them and its weakest below. They did a good job of tying off the balloon but not enough to make it impossible to untie it again.

"So, he won't notice if we break through there?" Sasuke asked.

"Uhm, no. It will just be less likely that they will sense our presence. We will have to be proceed carefully". Hinata clarified

"Perfect", he muttered as he took a step back and placed one knee on the floor as if about to propose to the hidden door.

Sasuke performed a couple of hand seals and touched the floor with the pads of all five fingers of his right hand. Sparks of lightning shot out of the tips of his fingers. The rubber carpet moved apart as if revolted by his touch. Hinata watched Sasuke as he channeled more chakra to his arm and into his hand. It was wild. Electric. The cement of the floor moved apart next. Then the compacted dirt that lay beneath gave way as well. With his lightning, he was digging them a hole in second and doing it with much more finesse than Kiba or Akamaru ever could. She could tell that he was barely tapping into his chakra reserves to do so.

"Am I well below the barrier?" he asked

"Yes, Uchiha-san"

"Tell me when I'm below the weak spot".

"Yes, Uchiha-san", she repeated. Then a moment later she said, "Stop please. Four feet and three quarters up and you will reach the underside of the barrier".

"Noted". The tunnel made a right angle and went vertically up by exactly four feet and three quarters. Sasuke pulled back his chakra with a snap.

Without further ado, Sasuke disappeared through into the tunnel he had just willed into existence. He didn't tell her to follow nor glance back to look at her. Didn't matter. She wasn't going to stand there and wait for him to give her permission. She had made a promise.

Going onto her hands and knees, Hinata crawled into the newly made tunnel. It was dark enough that she was glad her eyes were abnormal. The soil was damp and cool to the touch which was oddly refreshing. Her fingernails grabbed onto any loose dirt and refused to let go. As she crawled, a stone dug into her left knee so opting out of wearing tights for this mission turned out to be a good thing (broadcasting her bare legs was embarrassing but it was far too hot and humid for the accessory).

Sasuke stopped at the turn and arranged himself so that he was squatting in the tunnel. His hair brushed with the floor boards of the secret room. "We're going to have to do this together", Sasuke grumbled at her.

She was afraid he's say that.

There wasn't much space in the turn for Hinata to maintain any sort of personal space. She had to kneel between his spread knees to fit. His long legs caged her into place. Her elbow accidently banged against one of his bent arms while she tried to gather some more space. She apologized profusely for that. She had no idea where to put her hands so she just wedged them between her legs. Even though she was pressing herself against the opposite wall of the tunnel, Hinata was very aware that they were breathing the same air. Even though they weren't touching, she could feel him all over her body. At least it was too dark for him to see the blush prickling her cheeks.

Sasuke placed one hand on the underside of the floorboards. Hinata followed suit.

Depending on the level of skill, it can be quite easy for one person to break into a barrier. Simply tear apart its power with your own. Slipping through unnoticed without damaging the barrier is another matter entirely. You need help to do this. The more the merrier. If you concentrate and don't allow distractions to permeate your meditation, you and your fellow nin can bend and mold your chakra with that of the barrier, tricking it to reshape into an open door.

For someone with eyes like Hinata, it was a beautiful sight to behold. The three distinct chakra types initially repelled against one another, like different kinds of oils fighting for the same territory. Then the chakras rubbed off on each other and became like water flowing in different directions. Dancing around and through each other. Waltzing to a song she could not hear. Even the floorboards moved for them. An opening to the secret room came into being.

This room was obviously an extension built onto the original greenhouse. The glass walls were opaque and there was no rubber carpet to cover the planks of wood. It was less humid and much smaller than the grower greenhouse. So small you could only take three steps in before you hit the flower bed that took up the entire length of the wall opposing the locked door.

The flower bed was sectioned into six different compartments for six different plants. They were crafted from a sturdy black plastic and sparkling clear glass. Each compartment buzzed with their own ecosystem. Small gadgets and seals to make one house cool and wet while another dry and scorching. One of them was even snowing.

The Chocolate Cosmos grew in the compartment to the far right. The flower was rather unassuming. Its petals weren't large and plentiful. Its stalks weren't lush with green leaves. In a garden, you'd walk right past it without ever knowing it was there. It was its sweet scent of cooked vanilla that was its saving grace. It attracted anything with the capacity to comprehend scent. Hinata wanted to push her nose into the brownish/red flower and inhale until she went dizzy.

Sasuke gave a bored glance at the plant before he became more interested in the filing cabinet next to it. He opened the cabinet labelled with their flower's name

"The dossier said we had to look for anything strange like out of place chakra traces. Hokage-sama would also like us to retrieve some samples for her to test", Hinata said.

Sasuke ignored her. He pulled out a seemingly random file and started to read it.

Hinata tugged at the end of her long braid. She had no idea how to work with someone like Sasuke Uchiha. At least her father tried to hide his distaste for her sometimes. Sasuke's attitude towards her made her want to shutup and blend into a dark corner. But she gave her word that she would complete the mission to the best of her capabilities. Keeping her promises was one of the only things about herself that she had any real pride in. She wasn't going to let Sasuke break her streak, "Did you… Did you find anything, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke sighed through his nose, "Some bills. Turns out the Daimyo has been paying for the up keep of the plant. He's footing over 31,000 yen every month and according to the insurance company", he waved a document from side to side, "it's still in his name. Apparently, the esteemed university's been exaggerating their ownership. They're basically overpriced babysitters for a damn plant". His upper lip curled up as he put the papers back into the cabinet, "Well?"

Hinata blinked, unsure of what he was asking.

"Chakra traces? Samples?" he stressed.

"R-Right!" Hinata extracted two small vials from the bag around her waste. She opened the compartment housing the Chocolate Cosmos and shoveled some of its soil into the first vial with the cap. With a little more care, she filled the second with pollen. Her mother would roll in her grave if Hinata harmed the rare flower in any way. She secured both vials back into her bag.

Hinata hadn't deactivated her eyes yet so she didn't need to wait to say, "I can't find any sign of chakra, Uchiha-san. None that shouldn't be in the area".

A common misconception is that only shinobi are capable of maintaining chakra. In reality, everyone and everything does. Even inanimate objects have the smallest touch of it if you know how to look. What made a shinobi a shinobi is that they are the minority who can tap into that power source for their own benefit. Even increase it if they choose to. Chakra in civilians remain dormant but it is still everywhere. It is in the water they drink and in the oxygen they breathe.

It was this piece of knowledge that made something tickle the back of Hinata's mind. Something about the air around the Chocolate Cosmos was wrong. She funneled more chakra into her Byakugan. The details of her surroundings sharpened considerably. She could count the number of lashes around Sasuke's eyes. Could see the miniscule grains of soil wedged in between the floorboards. There was a worm borrowing around 183cm below the greenhouse they just vacated. It would collide with a stone in 14 seconds.

All was as it should be. Nothing was out of place.

But the tickle became an annoying itch.

She put even more power into her eyes. It was a risk. If anyone on the campus happened to be a sensory type they would be discovered. However, Sasuke didn't tell her to stop (he didn't even react to what she was doing) therefore she kept going. She could now see the Nature Types Sasuke had an Affinity for. His Fire Release was a thick miasma of orange and red that swirled round and round and round his body. Large jagged streaks of pure white crackled in and out of the red; his Lightning Release. Hinata could tell that the latter was his Primary nature type since the white was the more vibrant of the colours. As a Hyuga, Hinata shared the same affinities as him only Fire was her primary and lightning was her Secondary. For two clans who loathed each other so much, they had a great deal in common.

Hinata could see more than just his type of power. She could see his anger. She could see his hate. He was drowning in it. Willingly.

There was something hanging above the Chocolate Cosmos. Hinata tried to decipher what it was but every time she focused on it, it seemed to jump to her peripherals. Like imaginary lights that danced in front of your eyes any time you squeezed your them too tightly. Just a little more chakra…

A sliver of pain shot through her brain. Hinata immediately deactivated her Byakugan and pressed her fingers into her eyes.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, suddenly standing by her side.

"I-I must have over st-stressed my eyes", Hinata mumbled. She rubbed her eyes like a weeping child until the pain receded into a dull, pulsing ache.

"Let me see".

She shook her head and turned away from him, "I'm fine. It is go-going away now".

"You're acting like a baby", Sasuke grunted. He forcibly turned her back around and replaced her hands with his much larger ones. Gently, Sasuke angled her face up and commanded her to open her eyes. He was a lot closer to her than she thought he was. His red pupils were all she could see. Sasuke stretched the soft skin around her eyes, "There isn't any inflammation in your sclera. Did you bring any eye drops with you?" He let go and took two steps back.

Breathing became easier for her again.

"Y-yes", she replied. Surprise at his concern for her well being made the corners of her lips rise. Maybe he cared about others more than he showed.

"Your Byakugan is the only thing of value you've got. Do me a favour and wait until after the mission before you decide to fuck them up".

Her lips slackened down into a frown. Never mind.

"Did you see anything?" he asked her.

"I did. Above the Chocolate Cosmos is a…" Hinata paused, trying to find the right word for what she saw, "is a void". At the incredulous look she received she clarified, "There is a space above the flower where chakra doesn't exist. At all. Like it never has before and never will again. I've… I've never seen anything like it".

"That's impossible" The tomoe in his red eyes increased as he looked at the area around the flower, "I don't see anything".

"But- "

"You sure you're not seeing things, Hyuga?" He turned his Sharingan on her. A chill went up her spine. As well as doubt.

She'd only seen the void for a second before the pain was too much for her. If someone as powerful as Sasuke couldn't see it, then what are the odds that she could?

"That's enough. We've wasted enough time here. Let's go", Sasuke rearranged the papers back into the positions he found them then promptly left the room through the tunnel.

Hinata stared at the Chocolate Cosmos one more time. She was so sure she had seen it. If her eyes were no longer trustworthy then what was? She followed him out of the room. The opening in the barrier would fade away in less than 45 minutes.

While Sasuke filled in the tunnel, Hinata tended to Ami. She sat the unconscious woman up and wiped away the ointment with a clean tissue. The bruise was gone. Hinata let her eyes revert to the false dark purple of her disguise.

Any second now Ami should wake up from the genjutsu "-which is my favourite part of working here!" Ami said. Her illusion must have involved some sort of conversation between the three.

"I bet", Sasuke said as if he knew at all what she was talking about. His false smile was back on. It was honestly the most frightening expression he had yet to wear. It just looked so wrong on him. "Thanks so much for showing us the greenhouse. It really made Hina-chan's day. I really owe you one".

Ami grinned at his praise. For all the attention she was receiving, Hinata might as well not exist.

Just like the void hanging over the Chocolate Cosmos.

The Beginner's Guide to Starting a Mission

She was standing in a morgue.

Hinata started her day in Kirigakure's number one university and ended it in Kirigakure's number one morgue.

Save for a handful of guards, the building was relatively empty as it was well after working hours. Avoiding their patrols and security cameras was laughably easy. At least it was for Sasuke who cased the building while she was touring Kirigakure University. Hinata silently followed him through hallways made of overly shiny linoleum and unhelpful signs hoping no one noticed the open back door Sasuke lockpicked so they could enter the building.

The operating room where they performed their autopsies reeked of skin itching chemicals and florescent lighting. Almost everything was made of overly sanitised stainless steel. If it wasn't, then it was painted a dull off-white. In the center of the room was the operating table adorned with high-powered lights and fitted with its own drainage system. To Hinata's right was a wall of metal drawers big enough to contain the dead beings inside them.

Sasuke was searching what must have been the desk of morgue's pathologist. It was cluttered and stuck out as an overly sore thumb in the pristine room. There were at least three mugs partially full of stale brown liquid amongst numerous thick books. He was holding a bouquet of files in his hands.

"They only have six customers staying the night. Must be a slow one", Sasuke said. He reached for one of the stray mugs, gave it a quick sniff, then gulped its contents down despite looking disgusted. Hinata doubted it tasted very nice. "Woman, 48, died from a drug overdose of several different opioids. Found in a public toilet", he put that file aside and moved on to the next one, already forgetting the first, "Man, 31, drowned after falling off his boat and getting caught in the tide. Probably happens a lot around here".

The blasé tone of his voice as he spoke of the dead near them unnerved Hinata. How familiar was he to the Grim Reaper? Every time she felt the entity brush past as it took another life, it shook her perception of the world for days. Sasuke spoke as if he invited the Reaper to his home daily for tea.

He leafed through the third file, "A homeless man in his 50s suffered from cardiac arrest. Classified as a John Doe". He flipped back and forth through the pages. He put all the files down and looked thoughtfully at the wall of corpses.

"Did you find something, Uchiha-san?"

He must have been in one of his better moods because he explained his thought process rather than snap at her, "The other files are detailed. Filled with descriptions of the condition the body was found in. Their medical history. Who was there upon moment of death", he walked towards the drawers and tapped his fingers against the numbered labels, looking for one in particular. "Our friend John's file has the bare minimum. Three pages worth of nothing".

"But if he is a John Doe, wouldn't the lack of information make sense?"

Sasuke found the drawer he was looking for. He pulled it open, "Yes. But even people with no recorded history get autopsy notes from their pathologists. It stops the bleeding hearts from claiming us cops don't give the homeless and underprivileged as much attention as the rich. Which they aren't wrong about by the way".

Out came a body shaped white sheet with a pale foot sticking out of it. A tag tied to the big toe had 'John Doe', a date and a signature written on it. Sasuke pulled down the sheet to reveal the corpse underneath, though thankfully only down to his waste. John Doe was wearing nothing but a bushy salt & pepper beard and eyebrows that were endeavoring to take over his eyes. A fresh 'Y' shaped scar covered the entirety of his chest, a result of a recent autopsy.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, "The lack of wounds and defensive marks are consistent with the autopsy report", Sasuke said more to himself than to his partner. He flicked through a few pages of said report, "It says here they performed a TOX Screen but the results are missing. What do you see?"

Hinata's Byakugan concurred with the autopsy report. The post-mortem incision was the only mark on the body. He didn't even have a paper cut. Hence, she ignored the superficial and the random bits of information her eyes were telling her (like he was a heavy drinker during his lifetime from the sorry state his liver was in) and homed in on his heart to see whether the coroner's cause of death held any credence. The lump of muscle had begun to wither but the cold conditions the body was kept in prevented rot from setting in too far. "I do not see any Plaque buildup in his Coronary Artery", she said. In fact, the fatty deposits were minimal within his body "It is very unlikely that this man died of a heart attack. I have to disagree with the pathologist's prognoses".

"Hn. I thought as much. Nothing we find here is reliable", Sasuke said with an exhale.

"And…" Hinata began. She knew what she was about to say wasn't going to go well with Sasuke. Telling him what she found was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment.

"And?" Sasuke prompted.

"All 361 of his Tenketsu points were ruptured during his death. N-Not a single chakra pathway survived".

He gave her a hard stare, his red eyes effectively intimidating her. "Are you sure?" he asked, making sure she understood the consequences of what she was saying. He planned on leaving Kiri the next day. He was going to send Tsunade a message of their failure to find anything substantial then join his brother as quickly as his Summon could take him to Oto. If Hinata was telling the truth, then they had no choice but to stay in the Mist.

Hinata nodded her head slowly. Technically she wasn't breaking her promise since she said she would complete the mission properly, but she still felt guilty for displeasing her partner.

Sasuke sneered at her and took out one of his kunai. It was so well hidden it seemed to come out of thin air. He sliced along the length of John Doe's inner arm, uncaring that it was a clear sign of their break in. Sasuke pulled and prodded at the cut longer than he needed to, "Damn it! He was exsanguinated too". Just like their clansmen.

"Yes", Hinata said. She had already known. The missing blood made the inside of his body look lighter than normal to her Byakugan eyes.

The poor man. Desecrated even in death.

She deactivated her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at his pitiful state anymore.

He stared at the cadaver for a long moment, eyes a dark red. He was reluctantly coming to a decision. Hinata would not dare interrupt him by spouting some useless platitudes. Not when his anger sparked around him like hundreds of tiny sparklers. Finally, Sasuke said, "Looks like we'll be staying in Kirigakure".

Somewhere nearby a door closed. In a flash, Sasuke recovered the corpse, closed the drawer and shot to the light switch to flick it off. Hinata squatted behind the examination table. In the dark she kept herself perfectly still, listening. Someone wearing soft-soled shoes was approaching from another corridor. Their footsteps were slow and consistent, not belonging to someone hurriedly searching for intruders. Hinata had to resist the impulse to activate her Byakugan.

The soft steps became louder.

Sasuke was across the room squatting behind the pathologist's desk. She could just make out the left side of his face poking out. He gave her a look that told her to stay put and out of sight. Being caught now would constitute failure.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. It opened.

They switched the light back on again and entered the room. They had a heavy tread which made Hinata think the unknown person may be male. One that was either tall or overweight. They were a shinobi from the increase of chakra in the room but not an exceptional one. Hinata would be surprised if they were anything above a genin. Completely suppressing chakra when not utilising it was a technique you learned as a Chunin. This individual was practically oozing theirs.

What sounded like an exuberant number of keys jingled as the unknown man stopped in the middle of the room, "There better not be anyone in here". The voice was definitely male. It held an exasperated edge to it, as if he has had to say this many times before.

With a sigh, he moved towards the large examination table. Towards Hinata's hiding spot.

He circled the table from Hinata's left. On the balls of her feet, she trapped the air in her lungs and carefully moved in the opposite direction. Quickly but quietly she kept the table in-between them so he couldn't see her. The backs of her thighs and spine felt the strain of the uncomfortable position.

The man stopped again, "I'm serious. If it's ya creepy kids again I aint gonna let ya off so easy this time so come out now before ya make things worse".

Hinata really wished he would hurry up and leave. She was now in full view of the open door. If anyone else happened to pass by, they would see her instantly. She risked a quick peak at their uninvited guest. He was a short rotund man with a jovial face that could place his age anywhere between the early 20s and mid-30s.

He scratched his protruding belly idly. If he had found the back door they left open and was convinced that there were intruders on the premises, then he sure didn't look it. Especially for a security guard (he was wearing a blue uniform that labelled him as such).

The security guard ambled around the room, fiddling with his keys and touching things at random with a bored air. "I'm gonna count to three. If ya don't come out by then there's gonna be a world a' hurt". He started towards the writing desk where -unless he had moved without her seeing- Sasuke was hiding.

"One".

Should she do something? There was nowhere for Sasuke to go without being seen. Then again, he was more than competent to handle the situation. He would be furious if her intervention put their mission in jeopardy. Sasuke could use some sort of substitution technique but that would leave a trace of their presence. Maybe he had some other jutsu that she didn't know about that could help him.

"Two"

Should she do something? No. No, she will trust that everything will work out for the best.

The security guard was almost at the table. Any second now and he will see the obsidian ends of Sasuke's hair.

"Th-"

Hinata sprung up from her hiding spot. In two quick strides, she was behind the taller man. He began to turn around, sensing a presence and wanting to investigate. She didn't give him the chance. With the round lower part of her palm, where her hand meets the wrist, Hinata gave one quick and powerful strike to the base of the guard's neck. It was one of the pressure spots Hinata couldn't help but memorise after years of seeing it every time she used her Byakugan.

So much for trusting that everything will work out for the best.

The guard crumpled to the ground. His knees gave out as if the bones in his legs had suddenly liquified. A long pause ensued where Hinata stared wide eyed at the prone form.

Sasuke stepped out from behind the desk. His dark eyebrows looked especially agitated. "I had it handled", he grumbled. He didn't sound too annoyed with her.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry", Hinata said.

Sasuke gave the security guard a critical eye. "It only took you one hit", he commented as he nudged the man's belly with his foot. From anyone else, Hinata might have thought they were trying to compliment her strength, but from Sasuke, she got the impression he was instead insulting the guard's lack of it.

"You know we'll have to take care of him, right?" he said.

Hinata wasn't sure what his version of 'take care of' was nor did she particularly wish to find out. She grabbed one of the abandoned mugs on the desk then strategically splashed the cold coffee underneath and around the guard's feet. Dropping the cup next to her work of art, she hoped it looked like the mug had accidently knocked over and inadvertently caused the guard to slip as a result.

"Not even this guy is stupid enough to believe that old trick", Sasuke said.

Hinata gave him a small shrug, "It worked last time"

"Do this often, Hyuga? Pull juvenile pranks?" he asked, raising an eyebrow

"My team and I prefer not to kill unless we absolutely have to"

The dulled look in his eyes told Hinata how much he valued her morals. "Let's just get out of here before we give anyone else brain damage. Two is enough for one day", he headed towards the door, "Make sure everything is back the way we found it. Tomorrow we find John Doe's killer", he finished as he disappeared. She doubted she'd find him waiting for her outside.

With her hands on her hips, Hinata glanced around the room, trying and failing to keep her eyes off the unconscious man lying on the floor next to her. Was it panic that made her strike out at him? An irrational bout of fear that forced her hand?

The unfamiliar giddy trickle of excited adrenaline still traveling through her system gave her doubts.

Boy did that take a hell of a long time to right. Sorry you guys had to wait a century and a half to read it but I really wanted to get this chapter just right. I sure hope it was worth it.

Hope to see you guys again soon!