Meh. I made a horrible mistake last time... I mistook chapter six for chapter eight! Please forgive me! (Is crying!) Anyway, thakyouverymuch, like usual, AiRyO-ChAn. That was cooooool! :D! The way I made those letters! ANYWAY, I think this will be the LAST Hinata POV chapter before the prelude to the Massacre. Pray.
Chunin Exams
Before Hinata had known it, the time had come. The time for the Chunin exams. The time that Hinata had been dreading for the past three years. The time when she was supposed to kill her family.
She had been putting this off until the last moment. And she knew that it would be put off until the last moment; as she kept on hoping and wishing that her family would change their minds, that no, in fact, they were innocent, that they didn't deserve to be killed... No, Hinata already knew that that hope was false. Hyuugas were stubborn and never changed their minds.
But, she decided to give them one last chance. If they didn't change their minds before the Tournament, she would kill them then. Until then, she'd take the Chunin exam, and observe the Sand shinobi that would be there.
And so, she went to ask Kurenai if she could enlist them in the Chunin exams. It didn't take long to convince her- Kurenai was deathly scared of her. Not that Hinata could blame her. Hinata was scared of herself, too. After all, the blood of those bandits would forever stain her hands.
The day of the first exam came all too quickly. She, along with Kiba and Shino, found herself in a strange building- where she was supposed to register for the exams. It was filled with all types of shinobi- Genin from the Sound, the Mist, the Rock, and the Sand (the ones that the Hyuuga were talking about having an alliance with). There were a couple of ninjas from the Sand, but only one team stood out to her: the one with the red haired Genin. He had that aura that screamed of murder and arrogance. She had to keep an eye on him.
They were lead to a room, one with desks in it. A lot of people stared at her as she entered, although she didn't see why. Was her frustration and grief that visible? Or was it the fact that she was dressed all in black? Yes, she was dressed all in black: black shorts, with black tank top, and black sandals. And yes, she was aware that it was juvenile to dress depending on you mood. But she couldn't dress all in bright colours, not when that day was coming soon.
Hinata wondered what the desks were for. Where they there to take a written test? If so, that was ridiculous. Ninja had no need for written tests; the only thing that Hinata could think of was information gathering, and even that was debatable. Oh well, she would find out soon.
A scarred man soon gave out numbers, having them sit according to their numbers. Hinata found out that she was next to Naruto, and at the edge of the bench. The old her would have trembled at the joy of just being near Naruto; while right now, she barely noticed. How could she notice, when something so crucial was coming up?
In from of her was the red haired Sand shinobi. Hinata took this chance to observe him, and go through everything she knew about the Sand: that they had a Sand Jinchuuriki (Something that Hinata learned about while going through books in the library. Supposedly, they were the humans that had beasts sealed in them; specifically, the Tailed Beasts. While researching the Sand in the library, she had found out about the Jinchuuriki, and how the Sand had the One Tailed Beast in their possession. The other information was restricted to only Jounin, and she was not able to find out more. But, Jinchuuriki were very powerful, and Hinata could bet anything that they were going to use it for the attack.), that they were low in the economy scale right now, and that their village was in the desert (Duh, Hinata, she thought to herself crossly. Sand. Of course they'd be in the desert.).
Then the scarred man started talking, and other Chunin gave out paper... tests. What blasphemy was this? Hinata wondered incredulously. "On these tests, there are nine questions. You will pass or fail depending on your scores. You pass or fail as a team. If you have zero points, your team fails. If you cheat, you fail. Immediately. Does anyone want to give up, now? If you give up now, your whole team is taken out." No hands went up. So they were bringing in teamwork in this, were they? Well, that was fine.
"Oh, and remember." The masked man continued, and Hinata then saw his name on the board. Morino Ibiki. So that was the name of the scarred man. "Look underneath the underneath. You have one hour. Begin!" Hinata thought on what he could have meant.
Ninjas had no uses for tests. The only kind of missions they got sent on was information gathering missions. And he did say to look underneath the underneath. He said, not to cheat. He emphasised that. That meant to cheat; it just meant to not get caught. Look underneath the underneath. She knew that Kiba and Shino knew what to do; she was especially lucky. She could just use the Byakugan.
And that was what she did. Instantly, she could see everything around herself, including the answers to the tests (even if they were in blue). She started writing. Around twenty minutes later, she was done. There was some chap a few rows in front of her that had had all the answers written down (he was not a Genin, she was sure), so she had copied off him.
Only then did she notice a frustrated Naruto next to her. She wanted to help him... she really did... but the destruction that would befall Konoha was more important, right now. He could always take the exam next year. Yes, with that thought, she kept her head down, waiting for the time to end.
Seconds ticked, and more people were caught. They got sent out; one by one, they left the room. Naruto was just getting more and more frustrated, having nothing written down on the paper. Hinata ignored him. She wondered how Shino and Kiba were fairing; but, then again, Shino had his bugs and Kiba had Akamaru. They'd be fine, and they'd pass. But the time was dragging on, and the people in the room were decreasing in number.
Finally, the clock chimed, signalling the end of the hour. The man's voice boomed. "That is the end of the hour. Now, let me tell you: give up now." There were outraged cries from all around the room. Hinata kept quiet, wanting to see where Morino was going with this. "Because if you fail the tenth and final question, you will never become a Chunin, and will forever stay a Genin. Your whole team will fail. Give up now, and try again next year." Half of the people left. It was only then that Hinata remembered exactly who Morino Ibiki was.
Morino Ibiki the torture specialist. He was able to give a full grown man a mental breakdown in a mere three minutes. He was a survivor of enemy capture; he was able to escape, too. And he was trying to get all of the weak willed in the room to fail. Hinata relaxed. Look underneath the underneath, was what he said.
Naruto started to put his hand up. Halfway up, he seemed to change his mind, and instead, slammed his hand down onto the desk. "I may stay a Genin forever," He declared, having all the eyes of the room on him. "But I will become the Hokage!" And then he sat back down, crossing his arms on his chest. Instantly, the uncertainty of the room vanished, everyone's will strengthened. That was the Naruto she knew and loved, Hinata thought, relaxing. He always seemed to give everyone confidence. Herself included.
That was when Ibiki started talking yet again. "Is no one leaving?" Everyone stayed quiet. "No? Well- You passed!" Ibiki grinned, a real grin. Hinata looked around the room. There were over thirty people; she looked around to see who she could recognise. Naruto's team (which included Sakura and Sasuke. She held in a shudder. She hadn't seen him since that strange library meeting.); Neji's team (with Lee and TenTen. She seemed to hold a sad non reciprocated crush on Neji.); the red-head's team; Ino's team (so all of Rookie Nine passed, huh?); and Kabuto's team (at the beginning, she had noted him talking to Rookie Nine.).
Suddenly, a kunai entered the room, accompanied by a strange, dark haired woman. She had on a large cloak, and enthusiastically introduced herself as Mitarashi Anko. Hinata instantly knew that this woman was a sadist, someone who enjoyed violence and pain. She proved correct, as Anko introduced the second part of the exam, and took them over to the, 'forest of death'.
Sure enough, the woman turned out to be a sadist. There she laughingly explained the next objective of the exam. "You get one scroll. The Heaven, or the Earth scroll." She showed them what each one looked like. The earth scroll had a green seal, while the other scroll had a white seal. It seemed simple enough. "You have to get to the Tower in the middle of the forest of death. To pass, you need to have both scrolls. Half of the people on this field will be eliminated. You need to have all of your team with you. You have seventy two hours." She told them, grinning.
Naruto tried imitating Anko to ease the tension that had accumulated all around. It quickly stopped, however, when Anko drew blood with a kunai. Then a strange looking man passed the kunai to Anko with his very long tongue. Hinata was instantly suspicious.
In the books, it was written that Orochimaru had a long tongue, like a snake. It was a long shot , but could that strange Genin be Orochimaru in disguise? It was highly unlikely, but very possible, and had Hinata on her guard. It wouldn't do to give away her knowledge to the enemy (Orochimaru). Before they began, they had to fill out a form, so that no one would have any legal trouble if anyone died. Anko (the sadist) seemed to get excited at the word, 'death'. Hinata would not comment further.
Afterwards, she wondered if she should give Naruto the ointment that she made (she made it beforehand, just in case). In the end, she decided not to, because she might need it for herself. Naruto was strong enough to take care of himself. With that thought in mind, the ointment remained hidden in the pockets of her black shorts.
All too soon, the anticipated second part of the Chunin Exams began. Everyone had their own entrance, and the moment Anko's whistle was blown, they went in. Hinata, Shino, and Kiba found themselves in a forest, with Kiba excited, despite Hinata's looming presence. "Let's set up traps!" He turned his grinning face at Hinata, and froze. Hinata's Byakugan was activated, and was able to sense another team, around a kilometre away. "No. I want to get this over with. Wait here." She commanded, and then she was off.
With a destination in mind, she left them there.
Half an hour later, she was back, ready to head back to the tower, scrolls in hand (It was silently agreed that she would carry the scrolls.). She licked the blood from her fingers. She hadn't killed the team... just injured them, forcing them to give their scroll to her. She had checked with her Byakugan if they had the correct scroll beforehand.
On the way to the tower, Akamaru started whimpering. It was strange- he had only whimpered when he met her, and hadn't whimpered since. It must have been a very strong chakra for him to start whimpering like that. "What's wrong, boy?" Kiba asked, worry showing on his face. Akamaru whimpered, and then Kiba turned with a determined face towards Hinata.
"Akamaru can sense a very strong chakra. Shall we go and investigate?" Kiba asked Hinata fearfully. Hinata thought about the idea. What did they have to lose? Nothing. And a gut feeling told Hinata that what Akamaru was sensing was that red head. The one that Hinata suspected was a Jinchuuriki.
"Fine." She answered bluntly, ignoring Kiba's sigh of relief. She activated the Byakugan, and started running. It took them a while to get to the strong chakra; with every step, Akamaru's whimpering was increasing. Hinata could see six people, six chakra signatures. They seemed to be about to engage in battle.
When they started to approach the other chakra signatures, Hinata held up a hand to stop the others. "We shall approach quietly, and then we shall observe." She whispered, not wanting to alert the others ahead of her. Akamaru had hidden himself in Kiba's jacket.
They arrived just as the two teams engaged in conversation. "Give us your scroll." The blonde woman started to talk, until the red head held up a hand to silence her. She instantly quieted. Hinata observed that she was deathly afraid of him. The opposing team remained oblivious to the greater power in front of them. Instead, they laughed.
"Give us your scroll. Or I shall kill you." Hinata was awed at this sign of mercy. He was not as blood thirsty as he seemed; he was giving them a fair warning to save themselves. It was only their stupidity that caused their deaths. Still, Hinata could sympathise with them. They wouldn't know what would hit them.
"As if someone like you could kill us." One of them laughed, and attacked. He took out his umbrella, making it rain poison needles. Hinata watched as the red head defended himself... with a shield... of sand. There was no doubt about it now; this was the Jinchuuriki of the Sand. After all, the One Tailed beasts was made up of sand.
Akamaru was shaking at this point. "Is it my turn, now?" The red head seemed to have turned slightly psychotic. He didn't seem to have very good control on the Shukaku, nor did he seem to want to have good control, either. "I'll make it rain blood." Then he smiled, a horrid smile, that created shivers even up Hinata's back.
The opposing team seemed to finally sense the danger, and tried to run for their lives. They handed the scroll over. But Hinata knew that it was far too late; the red head had little to no control over the blood thirsty beast that it harboured.
The blonde haired woman tried to stop what she knew would come next. "That's enough, Gaara. We have the scroll. Let's just move on... please?" Her plea went on ignored. 'Gaara' raised a hand, unleashing some kind of jutsu upon the opposition.
Sand engulfed the scene. It rose from the ground, and the gourd on the boy's back. It was everywhere. Hinata watched with a morbid fascination as Gaara closed his fist, slowly, controlling the sand that had captured the team. They screamed, blood curling shrieks, but Gaara showed no mercy. He had given them a choice; their ignorance is what led them to this position. But still... the brutal slaughter was horrifying... even to a desensitized person such as Hinata. They were crushed to pieces, and Gaara didn't go back on his word... it really did rain blood. Hinata had a terrible flashback of her nightmares.
After all that was said and done, Gaara turned to leave, heading for the tower. Hinata's eyes widened in realisation. Now was the chance to learn more about the enemy! She stood up from where she was, capturing the attention of his team. She blatantly ignored her team's avid protests. "You are actually, very merciful for a Jinchuuriki." She said, staring straight at Gaara. Gaara's blank face morphed into an ugly grimace.
"And who are you?" He asked, turning his body to face Hinata. She pointed to her eyes, rolling them skyward in the process. That answered Gaara's question, while the other two seemed very flabbergasted. They probably had no idea just what exactly Hinata was on about. Kiba and Shino had stood up from behind her, trying to make themselves as small as they could.
"As a sign of truth, can we accompany you to the tower?" Hinata asked, not noticing how intimidating she really was. "I am the heiress" She informed them, answering his silent question. The male decided to interrupt.
"Oi. Oi, what are you talking about?" He demanded aggressively, but he didn't intimidate Hinata... not one bit. Gaara silenced him. His pupil less teal eyes bored into hers. Then he turned, and started walking. Hinata led walked after him, with a confused Shino and Kiba at either side (Akamaru was still hiding under Kiba's coat).
And so, strangely enough, they made it to the tower, all together, with no problems. At least, outwardly. There was a flurry of thoughts fluttering around Hinata's head. What if she warned Gaara of Orochimaru? Or would that be too obvious? But... even without the Hyuuga, the Sand and the Sound were a formidable force. She didn't think that she'd be able to convince Gaara... but maybe if she warned him, if she told him how untrustworthy Orochimaru was... but would Gaara heed her warning? It was worth a try, anyway. Right when they were in front of the tower, Hinata decided to intervene.
"If I could speak to Gaara... privately." She said, her eyes scrutinizing Gaara. The blonde haired woman stepped in to protest, but Gaara, like usual, silenced her. His eyes were focused on Hinata's. He stepped up to follow Hinata, as she motioned for Shino and Kiba to wait for her there.
She led him away, out of sight, until it was just her and Gaara. "You might find this suspicious." Hinata started, her posture relaxed. "But I am only going to warn you. Heed my warning if you wish. If you don't, it's your loss." She paused, staring at Gaara. "You would do well not to trust Orochimaru... or the Sound. Please speak of this to no one." She said, and turned away, heading back to where her team mates were.
"So you won't try to kill me? So you aren't an assassin?" came Gaara's incredulous voice, stopping Hinata in he tracks. She turned back to Gaara, confused.
"What... are you talking about?" She asked, facing Gaara. He was still staring at her, no longer having a blank look on his face.
"You're trying to make a normal conversation with me... knowing that I'm a monster? You aren't afraid of me?" Gaara asked, looking more and more vulnerable by the minute. Hinata sighed. How could people treat Gaara like this... forcing him to think in that mindset? Yes, Hinata knew that Gaara had the One Tailed Beast inside of him... but that didn't make him a monster. And yes, he killed. But wasn't Hinata supposed to kill, as well? Weren't all shinobi supposed to kill?
"You are not a monster. The real monster is the Shukaku. Bearing a monster doesn't automatically make you one. Whoever taught you to think in that mindset is wrong. As far as I can see, you have two eyes, two arms, and two legs. That isn't that different from me, is it? Now I really have to go." She said, excusing herself, leaving Gaara to ponder upon those words. She had no idea how much she had effected Gaara, who in his life, had never heard such kind words.
She made her way back to her team, still slightly puzzled upon Gaara's response. But decided not to think about it, and just pass through the rest of the exam.
Upon entering the tower and opening the scroll, a Chunin came to explain the next part of the exam. Really, it was just a prep talk.
A few days later, Hinata was called in the room with all of the Genin that had passed the Forest of Death. To her relief, she found Naruto there, as well. That was when the Jounin and Hokage decided that there were too many Genin left, and told them that it was time to take part in the preliminaries. Hinata's mind went blank. Should she take part in this? She hadn't wanted to take part in the tournament, anyway. She couldn't. She would have to kill the Hyuuga and flee Konoha before that. But should she take part in this?
The first matches passed quickly. Sasuke vs. some other guy from Konoha. Sasuke made eye contact with her as he won (was she supposed to be flattered?). Next, Shino was called. He won his match (Hinata felt some semblance of pride, then). The male in Gaara's team. He won. Sakura vs. Ino. Tie.
Finally, it was her turn. Fate decided for her, whether to take part or not; she was up against Neji. She knew that the Hyuuga would be alarmed if the 'weak' Hinata managed to beat the Hyuuga prodigy. And now was a crucial time; it would be horrible if they learned of her techniques. She would no longer have any advantage. That was why she stayed where she was, when she was called up, and calmly told the referee that she forfeited. "I forfeit." She stated, ignoring Kiba and Shino's confusion. They probably knew that she could beat Neji easily. But she wouldn't. Not now, anyway.
In the end, after some intense matches, they were dismissed. The tournaments would be in a month; a month for Hinata to prepare herself, a month of hoping that the Hyuuga would stop the farce. Even though she knew that they wouldn't.
After all, the Hyuuga had their pride.
This chapter was slightly longer than intended to be. But it was very boring! But anyway- I bet Cjhoax looved the GaaHina moment, there. Yes, he changes ever so slightly after hearing what Hinata told him. (Coughalotcough). So Naruto would have an easier job convincing Gaara to come over to the bright side! Ehem. Anyway... next chapter is Jiraiya and Itachi action. Stay tuned!
Review, review, review,
Aurora-chan!