… And now I have to update it now that I saw I got over 300 reviews. :) All of you, thank you so much for the support… And don't forget to read Enigma! Until that gets over 25, it probably wont be a focus so….

Infiltration

"Are you ready?" Surprisingly, it was Itachi who asked the question. After all, this journey was a hard one for the both of them… And it felt like neither one of them was ready for it. Itachi noted that Hinata looked especially uneasy: there was an unseen terror in her eyes, an anxiety in her movements.

He himself, however, had struggled to keep his normally flawless composure. To think that… To think that he was returning to the village where he had killed his clan for an infiltration mission of all things… Well, it was better to not think about it and keep his mind clean. Blank. As blank as a slate.

… And it wasn't like it was the first time he returned to this village, either. Now what seemed like a long time ago before he met Hinata, he had come here for his mission with Kisame, to capture the Jinchuuriki of Konoha: the Nine Tails. But somehow…

It was as if he was naked this time. The cloak that covered his soul had been uncovered within the presence of Hinata; there was no need to pretend anymore: no need to keep back the bay of tumultuous emotions that sometimes consumed him. Because next to him now stood a person that was acquainted with all his pain, with all his suffering. There was no need for the lies that existed between him and everybody else because they had the same goals, dreams, aspirations… The same mentality: they were people who have gone through the same experiences. Experienced the same betrayal. Corrected the same mistakes. And maybe that was why he fell in love (as humorous as it might sound) with a fourteen (turning fifteen next week) year old girl.

But maybe because he was naked this time, he'd be able to overcome the scars that have haunted him since his early teenage years, once and for all. With Hinata by his side, that distance that seemed impenetrable to cross because just that bit shorter. It was almost like he could achieve the impossible.

And he would, because he knew he already had.

"Yes," her tone was soft, seemingly hesitant. And that was surely normal for a girl of her age and personality; but it was unnatural for someone of her status and profession and countenance in general. Because Hinata was normally a very cold person. Like snow. Circumstance had made her so; had made them both so.

"Good," and it made him so, too. "Because we must leave now, whether you are ready or not."

It was true. Deidara and Sasori would set off for Suna tomorrow, leaving him and Hinata to leave for Konoha today. In the midst of the confusion they would make, a window of opportunity made way for themselves. Investigating the Hyuuga and the past would take time that the Akatsuki would create.

Sharing a mutual look of understanding, the Akatsuki members took off into the early dawning sun. It would take around half a day to get to Konoha with the speed they were travelling. When there, sneaking in would cost maybe around an hour, and finding their way without seeming suspicious would take another one. So to his calculations, they would be free around midday.

Itachi himself had already worked out a few plans of action (he was never one to be unprepared, no matter what the situation). But sometimes, it was best to decide when one was already there, and that was exactly what they would do. Because life, fate, destiny - whatever one might call it - worked in mysterious ways.

They ran through the treetops, travelling rather recklessly (that was unnatural for them, as they were usually ever-so-cautious) but speedily, nevertheless. Both of them lost in thought, even though they remained alert, years of training and habit deeply ingrained into their actions. For shinobi such as themselves, it was impossible to undermine the instinct to survive; because honestly, it was just that instinct that made them survive so long already.

When they were around one kilometre off of Konoha, Hinata skidded to a sudden stop, surprising Itachi. Turning his head to face her, his onyx eyes burned with curiosity and worry. Her feelings were probably as much of a catastrophe as his own: were they really so close to Konoha? Why were they here? Couldn't it have taken longer? Shouldn't they have come here a long time ago? Confusion, mixed feelings, he could understand it very well…

And staring at her eyes, he understood her inner turmoil, and automatically moved to comfort her. Her eyes were unfocused, and the tips of her fingers were trembling, ever-so-slightly. "Itachi," her voice, usually so cold and emotionless (and normal) was cracking, breaking. "What… What have I done? I can't… I can't do this. Not here… Not with you." Not ever.

And although he felt exactly the same way, there was no way he could convey those feelings so easily. This certain hesitance, this pause: it was something that only he could understand, and he hoped beyond hope that no one would ever, could ever, feel this again. But he couldn't put it into words... Not without betraying the love locked deep in his heart. "Hinata," Itachi spoke, hoping that his tone was as austere as he wanted it to be, "you have to own up to your actions. If you know you did the right thing, what are you so afraid of? Instead of losing control as you're doing now, it is time for us to be infiltrating Konoha. You want to know of the Hyuuga, do you not?"

The insanity in her laughter was apparent, but so was the relief. "You are right, Itachi. You're the only one who can lecture me like this, you know. I'm as grateful as I am infuriated." Cracking a broken (but rareand oh-so-true) smile, she instantly continued moving.

Shaking his head at her antics, he smoothly moved to follow her. Their steps were untraceable, light. Quickly speeding in front of Hinata, he pulled her to a stop. "While I'd love for us to switch identities, I'm afraid that'd be impossible with Kakashi in the village. Instead, conceal yourself - we'll head towards the eastern entrance."

"I'll choose the entrance," Hinata muttered, contradicting his orders. "I'm the one who has the Byakugan," she added, the veins besides her eyes beginning to grotesquely bulge.

Grudgingly, Itachi acquiesced to her logic. "And which one should we use?" His tone was cool and nonchalant.

She scowled, keeping her eye jutsu activated. "The east one."

With a flip of her hair, she put on her cloak so it covered her face. Itachi managed to conjure up contacts that would make their eyes - so rare - seem less suspicious. With a sigh, Hinata put them on, her usually white eyeballs now being marred with blue; Itachi's were a light green.

They stared at each other for a moment before Hinata's nose twitched, betraying her amusement. "You look strangely appealing in neon green, Itachi," she mumbled, turning away from the murderous look on his face.

"I could say the same thing for you, Hinata," the sarcasm was heard on both ends. But there was something rather bothersome with the bland blue colour that now represented her eyes. He didn't understand why it bothered him quite so much. Would it have been better if he had brought brown contacts instead of blue?

Together, they took off: black cloaks covering the red clouds on their being, contacts firmly in place, hoods covering their faces. While looking suspicious, they also managed to look nonchalant, in order to avoid the eye.

The eastern gate came into view much too soon. Itachi frowned; he knew exactly how Hinata was planning on sneaking in, and they had no other option… But still, the idea disturbed him greatly. It was not for the fact that they would have to knock out the guard but more with Hinata using her water powers to drain the victim and dehydrate them… He didn't want her to dirty her hands anymore.

But that, of course, was an idealist idea that was much too hard to come by. No, that idea must be discarded: because before Itachi viewed Hinata as a woman, she was a shinobi. Born to kill; born to harm.

The guard was someone unknown to the both of them: with blonde hair and green eyes, he looked relatively young. Hinata tilted her head upwards, in an unconscious effort to seduce and avoid detection. Something in Itachi's gut twisted, but he ignored the feeling.

"Your documents, miss?" The guards face, obviously unexperienced, looked on expectantly. Hinata smiled, and produced a paper, before handing it to him. As their hands brushed against each other, she managed to discreetly such away the water in his being, leaving him to look exhausted and faint.

Itachi observed as she immediately brought back the paper (which he suspected to be blank), looking worried. "Are you okay?" This time, he spoke up from besides Hinata. She gave him a surprised look which he ignored.

"Fine just, just-" he was unable to finish his sentence, fainting on his feet. Catching him swiftly, she gently pushed him to sit against the gate before taking out a water bottle and pushing it against his lips. While he was unconscious, she made him drink enough to avoid suspicion… Something that Itachi would have done anyway, but still couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. She was actually paying attention to his teachings.

After nursing the guard (that unpleasant feeling did not leave his gut... it only twisted further, much to Itachi's annoyance) back to 'health', she moved through the gate, leaving Itachi standing there. Awkwardly, she turned around before enquiring, "Why are you still here?"

Without skipping a beat, Itachi replied. "It's good to be cautious, and you're not up to standards. We must erase his memories, just in case something happens."

Hinata arched one delicate dark brow. "Wouldn't that make us just more suspicious?" Itachi shook his head, and kneeled down beside the fallen Konohan ninja. With one finger, he lifted up the eyelid, his eyes staring into those which were still 'asleep'. Easily, he activated his sharingan (which looked extremely queer considering that he was wearing contacts) and delved into his mind.

Without any effort, he erased his memories of the past five minutes and finally came to a stand. Resuming walking, it was his turn to be confused when Hinata came to a standstill. Not needing to express his words verbally, he cocked his head. Hinata sighed, and folded her arms. "I am sorry to inform that your contacts were burned off by your power," she didn't mention the sharigan… just in case someone listed. "You have black eyes now."

"Was that all?" A cool tone that sounded unconcerned. "If you must know, I always bring backups," and without a second's thought, he slipped on his contacts - now a light brown.

"I do know. But I still hoped." With a cheeky smirk, Hinata ran a few steps ahead of him, in the direction of the main street. But that was when she came to a sudden stop; Itachi noticed that she was perceptibly shaking.

Catching up to her, he followed her line of sight: the main street in Konoha. Understanding her shaking, and why she was shaking, his hand grasped her cloak: a silent sign of the fact that he was there, and that he would support her no matter what happened.

When she felt his presence, so close to his own, she visibly relaxed. Then, with confidence that astonished them both, she began her journey once more on these streets that she used to roam in her youth. Itachi, also feeling his own sorrow, focused on the unjudging presence near him.

Hinata's feet trotted down familiar paths, familiar streets. The familiarity of it all was like a breath of fresh air to her, who had been travelling the unfamiliar and unknown for the past two, nearly three years. But that same knowledge brought stabbing psychological pain that she chose to ignore. To lock up and shove so deep down inside her and throw away the key. But, even though she wished that she would never have to deal with such a feeling ever again... She'd knew she'd have to, sooner or later. The past was an inescapable shadow that clung to her every movement, to her very identity.

And finally, finally, with Itachi in tow, they arrived at the abandoned Hyuuga district. And although she should be hungry, as it was midday and she hadn't eaten anything since dawn - she strangely felt full. Full… and rather than hungry, rather empty instead.

Itachi watched the expressions flit through her face. He knew that there were many things that one could feel, many things that he felt when he first came back to the Uchiha district - but he had yet to know exactly how she would react.

And it was how she reacted that was also staggering: with cool objectivity, she activated her Byakugan (remembering to take off her contacts) and surveyed the mansion.

She took in the following: everything was how she had left it. An indicator that Hanabi did not visit. Dust layered the floors and furniture, and the blood stains that she left had not been cleaned. The food on the table had not been put away; instead, it lay as a mouldy clump… she could almost smell it.

If only the Hyuuga could see it now. She was sure they'd be horrified... Disgusted. Disgruntled. Even humiliated. But thinking about this and that was disturbing, just as how it was disturbing to know that what was once a great and noble clan was disintegrating, dissipating before society's very eyes. And she was horrified, too. It was like a slap on the face, to know that years of her life were given away for the sake of one goal, of peace... And that those very years were forgotten, as if everyone bore amnesia. That the great, prideful Hyuuga clan, the one existence that had threatened Konoha itself, didn't seem to matter anymore. It didn't seem to matter to anyone but her, who had destroyed it with her own hands.

Hinata wasn't sure how long she just stood there, with Itachi by her side, her Byakugan activated. She wasn't sure how long she stood there - but she was sure that her eyes searched through every nook and cranny in the building before giving up.

Unsuccessful, she slumped against Itachi's shoulder. Even though she had searched everywhere, there were no possible scrolls anywhere - there were no possible indicators that there was any hidden place within the whole compound.

Which made sense. How do you hide something from the all-seeing eyes? Everything lay bare in front of their white eyes. Her white eyes; Hanabi's white eyes. Hinata didn't know if Hanabi could even properly use the Byakugan anymore: when everything happened, Hanabi had been only seven.

Smelling Itachi's scent in an effort to calm herself down, she shook her head. There was nothing here. Itachi sighed; he'd been hoping that to not be the case. Now they'd have no options but to infiltrate the Hokage tower and get into the Hokage's accounts of what had happened so long ago, regarding the Hyuuga clan. It should be easy in a physical sense; mentally and psychologically, they'd struggle to hold themselves in.

Especially Hinata, Itachi noted. He'd been in Akatsuki for longer than she has, and he'd been isolated away from the rest of the village as a child. Unlike him, not only was she still an adolescent, but she'd also been involved with teams (Team 8, if he could remember correctly) and teachers.

Fortunately, luck was on their side. Horrible as it was thinking the logical and cold way he did, now that the Third Hokage had died, it'd be much easier. Not only has the Fifth never seen them before, he didn't think she'd met either of them personally, either. And while she had some knowledge of their respective eye jutsu, it was not as extensive and personal as the Third's information was.

And so, Itachi's plan was formulated within minutes. Aiming for simple and effective, they'd impersonate some of the ANBU, much like they did back in Iwa. After that, using the ANBU's influence they'd get into the Hokage's scrolls, finding what they had to. Immediately after Hinata found about the Hyuuga's secrets, they'd quietly leave the Leaf. It all sounded fairly easy… But Itachi was sure that further complications would arise along the way.

Which reminded him… He had been meaning to get a look at the Uchiha records and see if there were possibly any Uchiha who had bodies unaccounted for. Hinata only had strange dreams once in a while now - too exhausted to even dream properly, he mused - but the fact that they were there at all was somewhat ominous. After all, it was kind of unlikely that only he and Sasuke were left in the world; somewhere, someplace, there might be an Uchiha that just could be causing trouble.

It was his responsibility to make sure there were none.

They should probably do that now… It was highly unlikely that another such opportunity would arise, especially since they had to be done by tomorrow evening (just when the Kazekage's kidnapping would transpire) and get back to base by dawn the next day, in order to begin the converting of the One Tails.

… Thinking about it, after the One Tails, there'd be just three more Jinchuuriki that they'd need to catch. Itachi and Hinata had already contributed to one, but his guess was that they'd need to find one more - probably the Three Tails, or something along those lines.

Pondering too hard was not helping him achieve his goal of searching the Uchiha archives, Itachi reminded himself. Glancing at the girl (she was becoming a woman now, under his tutoring - the change was mind-boggling) next to him, trying not to be too distracted by the glossy sheen of her hair, he spoke. "There's something that needs to be thoroughly investigated… Now that I have the opportunity to do so, I will make sure not to procrastinate."

"It's not like you ever procrastinate," Hinata doubtfully mumbled under her breath. "But whatever you say. What exactly is it?" She could not help her curiosity, but Itachi couldn't help but notice how easy it was for her to talk and ask him questions now. Once upon a time (when she had just entered Akatsuki), it was hard to say more than two words to each other without politely being at each other's throats (until that dreary day when the truth had, inevitably, been unbound).

"… You'll see. I'll explain as we walk." With a prompt and sweeping gesture, they took off at a brisk pace. Not detecting a presence nearby, Itachi began to talk, just loud enough for Hinata to hear what he was saying. "I believe you are familiar with archives and scrolls that each and every clan keep, as records?"

Hinata nodded, not needing to signal him for Itachi to go on. "Yes. As I was saying, each and every clan have some. Every clan is different… And as you remember, the Uchiha have trust issues, due to the course of history within the Country of Fire, and Konoha in general." Hinata couldn't help but roll his eyes at the history lesson that she already knew. "Because of this, there have been two sets of archives…"

"Private and public, I suppose?" The corners of Itachi's lips lifted ever-so-slightly.

"Correct. Private and public. And, as it is… To our knowledge, only me and Sasuke, and now you, know of their existence. Not even the Hokage has been notified of them, as they are well hidden, even for Byakugan users. While Byakugan can see through most genjutsu, this exact one is exceedingly difficult to penetrate."

"And I know this… Why?" The distrust in Hinata's tone was highly amusing. Were his (slight) sadistic (the question that Hinata had always wondered: how was he even considered a pacifist?) qualities showing?

"Of course, with your eyes, it'd be easier to find what exactly I am looking for…" Hinata sighed, accepting her fate, and her large headache that would come after it.

And Itachi was still amused.

Uuh, short chapters, short chapters. This is Beta'd! Thank you ever so much, Tamani! Also, thank you for the 300th review mark! That is actually what prompted me, believe it or not….

Cheers, Aurora