I hope you guys like this new spin on the story. For those of you who are wondering (maybe?) – yes, I wrote the story of the Dream Overseer as well as the Paradox Man. I don't know how well you all would enjoy my drabbles though… But also, thank you very much for all of the reviews, favs, and follows! I feel so loved \;-;/

Summary: In everyone's eyes, Hinata has remained the same, even after so many years have gone by. She's still the same innocent, gentle, caring young woman. Even when the news of Naruto and Sakura hitting it off, the village felt incredibly sorry for the girl who had been in love for so long. But to Hinata, that was just what she had wanted everyone to see. Deep down, concealed behind her mask, Hinata is a completely different person. And only one person has been able to see behind the lies… and now he's more than determined to reveal the truth.

Pairing: Sasuke and Hinata

Rating: M to be safe

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the Dream Overseer concept

With Eyes That See the Bigger Picture

Episode 15

Hinata repelled against the tall figure in less than a second. Her eyes filled with horror, her heart racing beyond all control. She felt weak in the knees, unsure of what was happening – unsure of who was standing in front of her. One thing was for certain; this was not Sasuke. This man's appearance was a mirror image of him, but the presence was dead. Hollow. As if no life resided within this man. Hinata could not sense a hint of chakra from him either. None of it made any sense. Concentrating, Hinata attempted to remember what she had last seen before opening her eyes here.

A flash of yellow. Naruto. Naruto was with her. And Lee. They had both been together. They had arrived at an outskirt village in the Land of Lightning that day after their long haul from Konoha. They had found a place to spend the night. They even visited a local food stand.

And then what?

Hinata searched her mind to try to piece the memories together. But nothing was coming clear.

She looked up at the Sasuke figure, focusing her vision now. She was more than certain now. This was not Sasuke.

All of a sudden, this Sasuke figure cringed. His elbow joints popped as his right hand began to slide down his side, disconnecting from the rest of his body and falling on the grass below. His left hip followed. And the left shoulder blade. His face skewed, the Sasuke figure collapsed in a mixture of flesh ooze and began to seep into the soil – spreading out before completely disappearing beneath the earth. All Hinata could do was watch the scenery unfold in front of her, feeling sick to the stomach. The moon above turned gray. The night clouds thinned in an instant and vanished. There were no stars. Hinata's heart dropped to her soles.

What the hell is going on?

She shut her eyes tightly, hoping for an explanation the next time she would open them.

Out of nowhere, the loud cries of sea gulls forced her to regain vision once more. This time, instead of a grassy field, she stood at the edge of wooden pier overlooking a deep, red ocean. Hinata nearly lost balance at the shock.

Her eyes darted around to capture her new surrounding. The wooden pier extended on both sides of her, seemingly endless parallel to the ocean. The railings were waist height and covered in sea moss. A large building that connected to the pier on the sands stood behind her. Its massive heights overcompensated its incredibly shorty width. The windows were tiny and elongated vertically. Each was covered with drapery so that it was impossible to see what was happening inside. Hinata's eyes continued to roam around before her heart nearly stopped once more. Without picking up anything prior, she finally felt something next to her.

This time beside stood a small child. No more than twelve at best, this little girl had on an incredibly large blue hoodie with yellow stripes. She wore grey shorts and a pair of sneakers to compliment. Aside from her waist-long jet-black hair, nothing was out of the ordinary about this girl. Aside from the obvious. Hinata stepped to the side away from the girl's direction. Regardless, the girl continued to stare at the red ocean. She took notice barely as she turned her head slightly in Hinata's direction. Her vibrant green eyes were gentle, peaceful. She tilted back on her feet.

"How interesting," she began, "You're not that different from Holland."

"W-who?" Hinata barely managed to squeak out a response.

"Holland." She restated, "He's an old friend of mine. His perception of me was also very clear from the beginning. I don't usually expect people to notice me that quickly."

Hinata carefully choose her words, "Why not?"

"Because everyone is typically too busy with what they're dreaming of. They don't normally take notice to me until much later, if at all." The girl beamed, "I'm like a secret spy!"

"Then," Hinata paused, "I'm dreaming?"

The girl glanced around, "Seems like it. You have very interesting dreams. I didn't know how I should have dressed for it. I thought about putting on some sunny beach dress but your dream is very cold. The breeze here called for a sweater."

She spun around on her soles.

"I think it's because you have your mountains so close to the beach."

Hinata slowly glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, behind the large wooden building rose a concentrated set of mountains in the horizon. The beach sands extended far back, nearly to the hills. The breeze blew against her cheeks, but she could not feel the temperature.

"This isn't your initial dream though, am I right?" the girl asked, "The first dream you dream is typically the representation of your subconscious domain. Everything else that you dream is the additional layer. For example, this pier is just another product of your subconscious. Do you remember what your initial dream was?"

Hinata looked down to her feet. Her voice strained.

"I think… I think there was grass. Maybe…"

The young girl suddenly gave Hinata a heavy pat on the back. The contact shocked her to feel how real it felt. "Hey! It's okay! People don't usually remember their initial dreams. Otherwise you'd be aware of your subconscious and then… well… it wouldn't be a subconscious anymore!"

Her goofy smile plastered across her face reminded Hinata of Naruto's silliness.

"Are you… are you a product of my subconscious as well?"

"Me?" The girl pointed at herself in surprise, "No, no! I'm not part of your subconscious. I'm my own separate being. Just like how you're different from Naruto and Lee."

"How…?

"Your subconscious mentioned them." The girl raised her hand to point to her right side. Hinata looked behind the girl to spot Naruto and Lee standing far off on the pier as well. It seemed as if they were throwing small rocks to see who could swing the farthest. Their faint laughter finally caught her ears. "This Naruto and Lee is a product of your subconscious though. They're not real in this world."

Hinata looked back at the girl, "They're not real, but you are?"

"'Real' is a relative term here," the girl smiled, "Nothing in this world is 'real'. While you are able to create objects from your mind, you, as a person solely, are 'real' in this world. No one created you. You exist as an individual; a non-constructive being without anyone tampering with your existence. Similarly, I am an individual existence as well. I wasn't created from anyone's subconscious because I am a being in the real world dreaming, just as you are."

Hinata bit her lip in anticipation, "How do you know if the person in your dream is real or not?"

The girl clasped her hands together, "That's really easy, actually! If you are able to create something in this world, you are able to destroy it as well. That's what you did before. That young man that you were with was not real. You realized this and your subconscious instantly rejected the image. You can virtually do the same if you concentrated enough with those two boys. Even this whole pier! That is why people dream a lot of dreams, not just one. Their subconscious is constantly creating and destroying. If you tried to destroy me, however, your subconscious wouldn't accomplish that."

She swung to her side, mounting the railings and bending far over the edge. Hinata's heart suddenly escalated to her throat.

"C-careful!" she called out, "You might fall!"

The girl bent farther forward before tipping and falling full hurdle. Hinata scrammed to the railing, grabbing the girl's sweater before being pulled over the edge as well. The fall felt real. The gust of wind from loss of gravity felt real too. But there was no contact of water that was supposed to happen. Instead, Hinata opened her eyes to find herself on a fuzzy, bright pink surface of what appeared to be the top face of a giant dice. She glanced around.

No longer was she on the beach. The loud clamoring of casino machines substituted the seagull gawking. Hinata rose to her feet shakily from the fall. Below the dice was a large, neon yellow run-walk that led toward an array of various brightly lit buildings and infrastructures. Large fences barred the run-walk on both sides over which she could see the rest of a city spanning to unknown lengths. Everything was lit beneath a deep green night sky.

"Are you coming or not?"

Hinata's neck snapped in the direction of the girl's voice. She was standing below the pink dice, safe and sound. This time, instead of her previous attire, she had changed to a violet bubble dress with teal polka dots. Her hair was put up in a bun and secured with a large yellow bow.

"Looks like your subconscious is itching for something more fun," she grinned, "I wouldn't mind something more fun too! The red ocean against the grey sky was getting a little dreary."

Hinata slowly slid off the side of the dice, still dazed and confused. "Are we in your dream now?"

The girl looked dumbfounded, "No… we're still in your dream, silly. Didn't you notice it? Your subconscious destroyed and recreated once again. This dream is still yours."

She raised her hands to her sides and twirled in a circle around Hinata.

"Your mind is working great wonders! This dream looks quite exciting and entertaining." She giggled, "I wonder if we'll meet your other two friends here again? We need to start exploring!"

She stopped momentarily and reached out to grab Hinata's hand. Pulling roughly, the girl started to skip forward, down the run-walk. Hinata stumbled after without a choice. The two headed deeper and deeper into the city. Further down the road, past the buildings and people, engulfed into a crowd of vivid colours. Deeper and deeper…

"Stop!" Hinata suddenly called out.

All the lights turned off in an instant.

The girl halted, not turning towards Hinata. Her grip loosened.

Hinata paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She tried her best to elaborate, "I don't understand… I don't understand why you are here. I don't understand why I am here… with you."

She gaped slightly as the rest of the words refused to come out properly.

"Who… who are you?"

The girl completely let go of Hinata's arm. She lifted her head to look ahead. Her eyes became hollow and blank. Taking in a deep breath, she responded. "Anemone. My name is Anemone, like the flower."

Anemone turned her head to face Hinata; her green eyes brilliant in the darkness.

"I think it's time for you to end your dream."

Hinata opened her eyes to a white ceiling.

It's not that she felt anxious or high strung as usual… she just felt immense tiredness within her limbs. She raised one hand towards the ceiling only to have it come crashing down to her side. She felt like she had no energy left within her, regardless that she probably spent hours in a bed. Her door creaked, as it slowly swung open. Naruto stood at the frame, peeking in slightly.

"Lee thinks we should head out in an hour. You should start getting ready." He announced, "Good morning."

"Morning," Hinata replied, not looking up at him. She sat up and glanced out the window.

"Did something happen?" Naruto asked quietly.

Hinata shook her head, "Just bad dreams."

Just bad dreams.

Sasuke stared aimlessly at his hot beverage. A hurdle of people had already gathered at the café and was conversing amongst each other in a low uniform mumble. His thoughts were roaming about, not paying much attention to anything that was going on around him. Sasuke stirred his drink with a plastic spoon as the mixture swirled into one distinct brown colour. His research had come to an end. Not only couldn't he figure out where Hinata, Naruto, and Lee had gone, the motive was still unanswered. The bigger shock came when he realized that they were not headed to the Land of Wind. The biggest shock hit him when he realized just how much she had lied to him. He started to recall her words, how perfectly crafted her lie was. Land of Wind. Gaara. C rank mission. Everything she stated only reassured him at the time that this mission was supposed to be 'easy'. Nothing about her tone ever suggested that she was hiding something.

How perfect of a liar you are. I should have expected.

But what really stuck out to him was that Naruto had also followed the exact same lie when he talked to Sakura. It was as if they had collaborated on what they were going to present, practiced out their monologue, and performed it for anyone who asked. Sakura had been just as easily fooled as he had been by their intricate lie. Their execution was flawless. It only made sense that Lee had most likely done the same.

Sasuke unexpectedly felt another presence at his side as Kakashi slid in the seat next to him.

"Morning." Kakashi stated. It was obvious he was still half-asleep.

Sasuke nodded.

"Still irritable that you weren't picked to go on the mission?" Kakashi asked as he pulled out his book to roam through the pages where he last left off.

"I'm not irritable." Sasuke replied bluntly.

"Doesn't look that way to me. I would think I knew my former student."

His eyes trailed to the older man who was now staring back at him.

"I'm pissed. But not because of the mission." Sasuke snarled lightly. His grip tightened around his cup, "I'm pissed off that those three decided to play me an idiot about where they were headed."

"They didn't tell you?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke glared up at him, "They told me where they would be going. Turns out that they lied. Now I'm left here with a panicking Sakura who is driving me up a wall."

Kakashi set down his book, "So they decided to conceal the truth from you. Have you ever wondered if they did this for your own protection? As a fruitful ninja, you should already know the motivation behind these tactics. They're only carrying out orders and doing whatever they can to keep you and Sakura safe."

Sasuke's expression screwed in anger as he bolted to his feet, "And what about them? Who will keep them safe when they run into danger? By the time the news reaches us of their tragic end, it would be too late for either of us to do anything about it!"

"Lower your voice," Kakashi hissed as he rose to his eye level, "Naruto and the others knew of the risks they were taking up when doing these kind of missions. They know by now that their safety is no longer the concern when it comes to protecting Konoha. As a fruitful ninja yourself, shouldn't you already be aware that concealing information about their assignment from you and Sakura is necessary so that neither of you let your emotions jeopardize the safety of the village? When they took this mission they realized that this is all beyond the scope of just their connection with you and Sakura. This mission is solely focused for Konoha's well being; not just two dwellers of it."

The two remained standing as Sasuke's gaze strained in frustration.

"You don't want to admit it," Kakashi continued, "But you are being selfish in this matter. Hinata chose the safety of Konoha because that meant you would not be put to harm. Instead of trying to disrupt the peace she has left with this village, why not trust her in her decision?"

Sasuke clenched his fists.

Kakashi reduced his voice. "Why not continue to protect this village so that she will have something to return to after she completes her task?"

"And what happens when she fails?" His tone was sharp and crude. Sasuke grabbed Kakashi by the collar roughly, "What happens when neither of them return and are found dead? What is the point of keeping this village safe if none of them are going to come back to it?"

Kakashi brought his own hand around Sasuke's wrist and clasped it just as much force causing him to flinch. "What of it? That is the ninja way. Protect your village at any cost. Sacrifice your life for the safety of your motherland. Your childish behavior is the reason why ninja resort to information warfare. Radical emotions of outside sources are what place the entire assignment at risk. It is what threatens the village itself. Don't you think it's about time you pull that stick out of your ass and start using your head for once?"

"E-excuse me," a nervous looking waitress approached the two. She fidgeted in place before gathering enough courage. "Please, we don't want any trouble inside the café. W-w-would you please leave if you have any unfinished business? You're disrupting the other customers."

Kakashi turned to her with a small smile, "Of course. We apologize for the inconvenience."

His grip tightened as he brought up his other hand around Sasuke's neck and forced him forward. Dragging the young man with him, Kakashi pulled him harshly outside and into a nearby alleyway between the café and another bustling building. He thrust Sasuke into the small passage, letting loose of his grip. He turned around to face the main street before swinging back and landing a straight punch to Sasuke's left cheek, sending him on his back.

"The Academy should have explained that much to you." He stood above, massaging his fist.

Sasuke sat up instantly. A thin line of blood dripped down his chin where a purple bruise began to form. He spat on the ground. "So what now? You're going to stop me from seeking them out?"

"Oi! What do you think I'm here for?"

His torso spun in the direction of the voice. Further down the alleyway, behind Sasuke, sat a small brown pug. His half-lidded eyes were tiresome.

"First it was finding this brat now you want me to seek out that idiot and his two friends?" Pakkun looked ahead towards Kakashi, "Does that mean I'm travelling him?"

"That is correct. Trace Naruto's scent and follow it. Sasuke will join you." Kakashi looked back down to Sasuke, "The two of you are leaving tonight, once the gates are about to close. Intelligence provided that they're headed in the northeast direction despite what has been going around. Don't pay attention to nearby information, just follow your nose."

Pakkun nodded and trudged towards Sasuke. He lunged forward landing on his shoulder. "I'm guessing you need to fix yourself up and pack. While you're at it, grab some snacks."

Kakashi reached to his pocket to pull out something that looked like a small piece of scrap paper. He bent forward to hand it to Sasuke. On the sheet was very clean and precise handwriting that he quickly recognized. "She wanted me to pass this on when they were far out of the country."

Sasuke took the paper to inspect it.

Employ defensive genjustsu. Seek out north only if necessary.

"Hinata's scent should still be on it," Kakashi motioned to Pakkun, "Use it to help you find Naruto. She should be with him and another ninja. The three of them in theory are always nearby each other. If their trails split, follow Naruto. Understood?"

Pakkun raised his paw in acknowledgement. Kakashi glanced at Sasuke.

"You're free to split from Pakkun. But know that his nose will better track them than your senses will considering it has now been almost two days. It's up to you whether you want to follow my orders or not." Kakashi rose back straight to have his back face the other two. Walking forward, he quickly disappeared into the crowd of people.

(Get back to studying for your finals! ;_; )