Urg... Trust me, these chapters, as much as they are necessary for me to reveal the plot twist, have been boring me as much as they have you.
Secrets
Itachi had always been a light sleeper; it had been ingrained into him as a ninja since birth - to be alert even while unconscious. Perhaps that's why he awoke as soon as Hinata did, even though he had been the one to suggest a rest in the first place (no matter what the circumstance, one should always sleep when they can).
It had startled him awake, enough for him to go over to the adjoining bed where she was - wide eyed and trembling. When he approached even closer, he noticed that she wasn't trembling - she was shivering and sweating at the same time. Worried, he sat next to her, his hand slipping under her dark, sweat-soaked fringe. He exhaled a sigh of relief when he affirmed that she didn't have a temperature - she wasn't sick.
How strange - the thought that two years ago, he wouldn't have touched her so intimately with a stick. How things changed... But right now, that wayward thought was beside the point. "What is wrong?"
Hinata jumped, as if she had noticed him only now. Itachi didn't know whether he should be glad or annoyed - glad that she was comfortable enough not to notice his presence, annoyed that it might be because she didn't see him as a man in the first place. So he tried feeling nothing at all, and continued questioning her of her state.
"N-nothing, really. Just a dream." As she said this, Hinata shakily curled into herself. Itachi raised an eyebrow, calling her bluff, and awkwardly put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. For warmth or for comfort, he didn't even know anymore. But what he knew was this: her dreams weren't normal. Say that dream about the two Uchiha and Obito, for example - did it have something to do with her superior eyesight? Maybe she was able to see the past, like she was able to see through walls and behind her?
But more importantly, "What was the dream about?" If he was right, it would be important - maybe a warning, maybe a sign. Of what? Hinata would have to tell him before he would be able to assume anything.
"Um," she stumbled. Itachi's onyx eyes narrowed dangerously. Hinata never stumbled or stuttered; that meant that she was severely shaken. "Shikamaru. I saw Shikamaru."
Itachi's mouth curled into a thin line: Shikamaru. It was four syllables, but more than that, it was a male name. She dreamt about a male. He was appearing in her dreams. Why was this so disgruntling? Itachi's lips tightened even more as he tried to ward away that dangerous way of thinking - he had more important things to focus on. "Why did you dream him? What did you see?"
"I saw us," damn her for being so vague. It was like she was purposely withholding information to keep Itachi on edge (never mind it was a thing that he usually did). "When we were acting like a couple. I saw us. I was there. It was disturbing, to see myself - but more than that, I saw Shikamaru." Itachi extruded more calm than he felt. Hinata's words confirmed his theories - there was something unnatural about her dreams.
He had had his suspicions long before this, but to see them confirmed like this was still a startling revelation. And if that were so - and she was talking about Shikamaru (who he suspected to be one of the people whom she called her 'ex-classmates') - this could be bad. Very terrible indeed. "Who was Shikamaru? And better yet, what did he do in your dream that caused you to act like this?" He already assumed most of the answers - all he needed was corroboration.
"He knows, Itachi. When we were passing by, I watched them - all of them. He had this startled expression on his face, and then he turned around. It was like he was puzzled about something, and he was looking at us-" Itachi interrupted her before she could get any further in her panicked rant. Normally, she wasn't like this; which meant that she really did care about the Hyuuga scroll and learning how they were connected with Iwa.
"You do not know that," Itachi continued before she could interfere with what he was trying to say. "He did not chase us, after all. That means that he suspects us - but he does not know that we are here, and more essentially, he doesn't know who we are. Which means that in the worst case scenario, our time here is limited - otherwise, he will not even know we were here."
By the end of Itachi's small speech, it was obvious that Hinata was thinking rationally once more. Itachi was only glad that she was able to listen to reason in the first place. "But he will find out - Shikamaru is a genius; a Nara," Hinata paused, letting that piece of information sink in. She was certain that Itachi knew who the Nara were - a prominent clan in Konoha, renowned for their intelligence and quick wit. "The heir of the Nara, in fact. If he has suspicions, he will surely ascertain them - it is but a matter of time."
Well, that explained everything. From her jittery behaviour yesterday to her near-tears state today. But all of this made one thing very clear... "You're right. It's a matter of time." Itachi smirked, and Hinata only seemed confused. "Meaning that we're going to have to throw all caution to the wind - investigate the Hyuuga without Akatsuki's cover."
"I do not... believe you." Her tone was blunt and cutting; he remained unsurprised. He was a very cautious person, after all, and she knew that. "All you're inferring is that it won't be as impeccably planned as you had originally wanted it to. If Akatsuki set off sometime today, it'll take them around half a day to get to Suna with their speed: either way, chaos will be created today."
"Correct," Itachi stated, turning around to look at the clock that hung from the wall behind him. "It is now two thirty in the morning. We managed to sleep for four hours... I take that it should be enough. As a wise man once said: the sooner you start, the sooner you finish."
At that, they both got up in order to prepare for the day and freshen up. One would think that a ninja did not do mundane things such as brushing their teeth or changing their clothes; one would be wrong. Even if they were ninja, Itachi was painfully reminded time and time again that they were human, too.
One hour later, they were lurking underneath the Hokage tower, doing their best (and succeeding) to not look suspicious. "The Third always changed shifts every four hours," Itachi muttered, activating a sound barrier around them. "But I'm unaware if the Fifth changed that. At any rate, once the ANBU come over to change shifts, we defeat them in order to impersonate them and infiltrate the building. We let my eyes handle it from there." Itachi tried not to sound too confident with his eye abilities.
"Should it really be so easy to infiltrate the most guarded point in a ninja city?" Hinata's voice was wondering, but it also retained a hint of disgust, too. Itachi understood why: he was disgusted with the Kage's weakness, too, when he first thought of it.
"As everyone assumes that it is well guarded, it gives enemies fear, which makes the guards confident. It is exactly that confidence which causes security to be lax and careless... making it amusingly easy to infiltrate." Explaining his thoughts made him feel somewhat empowered. Was it because he knew that Hinata would understand him?
Her smirk seemed sardonic. "Reverse psychology in mass numbers," a declaration that Itachi agreed with.
They fell into a mutual silence, waiting for the ANBU to appear. The did appear, but at four thirty instead of four. Itachi guessed that it was because Tsunade still hadn't decided how to change the shift hours, and not to make it too obvious, moved it up by half an hour. It was a smart move to those who were impatient; unfortunately, they were not so.
It was Hinata who alerted him of their presence, having her Byakugan activated. It was him who approached and decapitated (not literally) them instantly, using the element of surprise and his Sharingan. Even if they had masks, as long as they looked at his hands or eyes - they were knocked out unconscious, instantly. Sometimes Itachi thought that he relied on his Sharingan a bit too much. But that was only sometimes. Either way, it would be wasteful of a ninja to not use all tools available to them.
They donned the ANBU uniforms, neatly discarding the unconscious ANBU somewhere where they couldn't be seen. Itachi smirked at the irony of the situation; the mask that covered his face was a weasel one. It brought some nostalgia from the time where he had wholeheartedly been allowed to serve (and had) Konoha. Glancing at Hinata, he noticed that she bore a rabbit mask - something that he normally would have never thought suited her. It didn't quite frankly... but... it did make her seem cute.
Just a little. Damn his distracting thoughts. He didn't know whether to be grateful or disappointed when they had to change their appearance in order to mimic the previous (and legitimate) ANBU.
They entered the Hokage Tower confidently, trying to seem tired. It was a very delicate process - while the ANBU would have been on watch, they would also have tried to hide their exhaustion behind a composed exterior. They had to fake faking vigour. Then again, they were being cautious - there was also a high chance of them simply infiltrating without anyone noticing.
Itachi had rarely thought about it before - but when did the Hokage rest, exactly? If the ANBU swapped every four hours, that meant that the Hokage had to be awake around every four hours in order to listen to reports. And even then - did she (in this case, thinking about the fifth) ever leave the Hokage Tower? There was no way that it would stay abandoned throughout the night - which meant that it was guarded by ANBU and powerful figures. But even then, even an ANBU or two wasn't a very good match against an Akatsuki...
They were making a fatal mistake in surmising that their enemy was weaker or below Kage level. What if that enemy were on Kage level, or something close to it? What then? Panic while the enemy completely manages to secure almost every important document in that village's history? Konoha was... too full of holes.
But now was not the time to be assessing the village's strengths and weaknesses, Itachi scolded himself, paying rapt attention to his surroundings in the corridor. They were empty... But one had to be alert, because they never knew when the other could strike. Itachi had always thought that the number one important characteristic for a ninja was patience - waiting. Because you always had to wait for the right moment, in no matter what you did. Timing had always been, and always would be essential.
And he was right, because just at that moment, two other ANBU appeared walking towards them. They seemed energetic and not tired at all - which meant that they were the people that would be switched on for four hours. Inwardly, Itachi hoped that they wouldn't notice anything different, since he really didn't want to knock anyone else out - but it would not be so.
The two immediately seemed to be suspicious of them - it was the way that their eyes flickered upwards, and Itachi knew he'd have to use his Sharingan. This would cut the amount of time that they would be able to browse by half - but then again, they'd momentarily be able to get what they needed with the help of Hinata's Byakugan.
In two seconds flat, the two 'esteemed' ANBU were cast away to the side of the hallway, far away into the realms of unconsciousness. Hinata and Itachi continued their journey, slightly wearier than before. Who knew who else they would meet? And who knew whether the Hokage was even sleeping?
Hinata must have shared a similar sentiment as she activated her Byakugan to check the building. Scowling, she immediately deactivated it. "The Hokage's put barriers around the rooms. It's impossible for me to see with my eye justsu - as this is Konoha, they have been able to make counter-jutsu for the Byakugan. " Oh - it was nice to know that they were still on guard, even though there were two Hyuuga left. Itachi didn't feel discouraged: it wasn't like they were going in blind. They just wouldn't have an all-seeing vision - and besides, wasn't that what the disguises were for?
Five minutes later, they had finally arrived in front of the entrance to the Hokage's office, each of them doing their best to mask their large reserves of chakra. They just needed to hide enough so that they would be able to seem like regular ANBU - nothing less, nothing more. And even if the Hokage realised the change in chakra - it would already be too late. They only needed the first few seconds as Itachi made eye contact to put her into a sleeping or hypnotised state. The first few seconds of an attack were always the most vital - and it was usually the element of surprise that won the battles.
Steeling herself, Hinata raised her hand to knock on the door. Itachi stopped her before she could do so and discreetly created a sound barrier around them. "ANBU don't knock - they teleport themselves in. When I was in ANBU I did so and assumed a kneeling position as I reported - but I don't think that enacting that would be correct. Instead, we shall stand as I make eye-contact with her." Hinata looked like she wanted to ask him a question, but refrained from doing so.
A smart choice, as the next moment, Itachi teleported both of them inside the room, the sound barrier broken.
A woman who looked to be in her early thirties had her head against the desk, looking drunk. Itachi blinked. Was this the famous Senju Tsunade? If it weren't for her blatantly obvious Hokage robes, Itachi probably wouldn't have guessed that it. And she genuinely looked drunk - and asleep - but Itachi didn't have a doubt in his mind that as a medic, she was easily able to control her liver and make it disperse all the alcohol in her system making her sober in a matter of seconds.
So he wasn't going to take any risks. "Lord Hokage?" He questioned, his smooth voice making the woman stir. "Lord Hokage, we have something urgent to report to you." Maybe it was because she was drunk, or maybe because it was so early in the morning (the middle of the night, really), Tsunade unguardedly brought her head up to face Itachi, falling straight into his trap.
Her head limply fell back on the table, and Itachi could hear a light snore coming from her direction.
Hinata stayed silent for a few moments before opening her mouth to speak. "That was disgustingly easier than I originally thought it would be. I did not even do anything, Itachi - you could have easily handled this by yourself." Itachi thought that she almost sounded bitter, but maybe it was just him.
"All the better for you to save your strength. According to my calculations, we have around fifteen minutes before she breaks free of my genjutsu and wakes up. You have those fifteen minutes to find all the documents you need before we can be on our way. The sooner we leave, the better." Frowning, Hinata obediently listened to his (somewhat helpful) instructions, activating her Byakugan and heading to the room next door.
"I believe this it the Hokage's private archives - they're usually kept safe by the Hokage themselves. I am certain that I'll find a few of the documents that I'm looking for here." Hinata's voice was serious and almost absent minded - no doubtedly she was already looking for traps and books with her eyes, even though she was still walking to the library itself with Itachi following.
The aforementioned library was not actually very far away; it was only the adjoining room to the office itself. In theory it would be very easy to defend - but in practice, it was very easy to find, Byakugan or not.
And that's what she did; in a hurry, Hinata concentrated on looking through the archives and books. The different sections. Meanwhile, Itachi used that time to keep and watch and observe the Hokage who was still unmoving in her sleep. He felt on edge - it was almost like she was pretending, when he knew that she wasn't.
Without any further complications, Hinata collected a total of four scrolls that looked useful and on the topics she was searching for. Itachi wasn't very sure what they actually were and what they contained, but he trusted Hinata enough to know that whatever she had picked up was exactly what she wanted and that it would be useful to her (maybe that trust was partly do to the fact that she could see all the pages at once...).
Instead of using the main entrance like they did when entering, they exited out of the windows - and continued their hurried run across the city to exit it. There was no time for words, only for actions. But, Itachi wondered, why was it so much easier to get out rather than in? Wasn't it usually the other way around?
They ran for around ten minutes straight, until they managed to get out of there (by skipping over the wall). Luckily since it was so early in the morning, there were no people out on the streets - making their journey and hurried escape much easier. It was tense for around fifteen more minutes, until Hinata stopped, seeming to deduce that they were far enough away from the scene of fraud. "Is the Hokage awake by now?" Her question showed her anxiety.
"Probably. But she also doesn't remember anything. I made sure that she will wake up disorientated and with no idea what had just occurred." Itachi would have smirked at his achievement if he hadn't felt so sorrowful of how... weak Konoha was. Even if he had managed to defeat the Hokage, she shouldn't have been fooled so easy; then again, she didn't become Hokage because of her strength - even though that was certainly a part of it - but because of her medical abilities.
"You should have told me that... earlier." Hinata's tone was dark, her eyes seething. If Itachi was any less of a man (yes, Hinata, he thought, a man) he would have cowered. "At any rate, that means I am safe to open these documents." Itachi glanced at the titles: Hyuuga Rebellion, Hyuuga History, and Counter Measures. Hinata took the first one, Hyuuga rebellion, and undid the (weak) seal that stopped the scroll from opening. She activated her Byakugan, and Itachi couldn't help but admire the way she sped read/skimmed throughout the entire thing in less than five minutes.
Hinata's expression hadn't changed, but that was what worried Itachi. At the end of it all, the expressions she was supressing would explode. "What did you find out?" He inquired tentatively, not wanting to cause an explosion. And he was also curious - this was, after all, the reason why they came here in the first place.
"Sixty years ago, the Branch House rebelled - well, a member of the Branch Hyuuga rebelled, taking the rest of them with him. They, as we found out before, allied themselves with Iwa - and attempted to overthrow Konoha. Obviously, that failed..." Hinata trailed off, and proceeded to read through both the Hyuuga History scroll and the Counter Measures in chronological order. Itachi waited patiently for her to do so, not wanting to hurry her. All of this new information must have been earth-shattering for her. "That would be because the Main House found out and betrayed the Branch."
Ah, betrayal. Something he was familiar with - too familiar with. "What did Konoha do?"
"Konoha put in restrictions - the Hyuuga were not to be trusted with high official jobs like ANBU and the like. Also, the Caged Bird Seal was invented - Counter Measures is a detailed scroll explaining exactly that - a way to control the Hyuuga. Because all of this was kept secret, they used the 'sealing of the Byakugan' as a front to fool the public. Because the Main betrayed the Branch and told the Hokage and Konoha, there was no need for them nor their generations to go through the seal." Hianta sighed, and Itachi felt her bewilderment. It was almost like everything she had ever believed in was shattered - and Itachi didn't know what to say that could comfort her. So he reached out to hold her hand; it was shaking.
She must still feel a bit numb, Itachi reflected. It would probably take her a couple of days for her to completely come to terms with what she had found out.
"I will tell you the rest later," Hinata's voice sounded broken, and it somehow affected Itachi, too. "We need to go back to the Akatsuki base - Pein will be furious if we are not there for the One Tail's sealing."
Uh. That went fast. Thoughts? Reviews? Aurora. Edited by Tamani - 09.01.2015