So I decided to make a writing/working playlist… if you're interested to know what I listen to, it's on my profile now :) I tried to credit everyone as best as I could if there's a song that sparks someone's interest. Whenever I listen to any works by Masashi Hamauzu, I want to sit down and write a fantasy novel. I imagine intricate settings of various villages, surreal forests, and elaborate canyons… You can definitely tell that I study Geology in college when I start talking about cutbanks and tributaries.
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 16
The gates of Meyven Li were carved into the canyon walls on both sides of the valley. On one side stood a hooded figure with the face of a woman whose eyes were closed. The other side had an identical hooded figure with the face of a skull, mouth open ajar. Their robes extended in a horizontal fence of rock that guarded the village inside. At the wooden doors patrolled two ninja, both in similar fashion of hooded cloaks, donned with their village headbands around their left arm. One took notice and halted as Naruto stepped forward with Lee closely behind. Hinata followed.
"We are from the Hidden Leaf Village," Naruto cleared his throat, "Our Hogake sent us here."
The second patrol stopped as well. He glanced over at Hinata.
"We don't mean harm. We just need to make use of this village's historical records," Lee cut in.
The first patrol stepped forward. He extended his arm vertical to give the signal to open the gates, which soon followed with an enormous creak that echoed through the valley. He continued to stare at Hinata. Lowering his hand, his voice cut through the wind, "the library keeper will be able to help out with all of your research. Inquire him when you arrive there; his name is Keeper Holland."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Hinata replied as she stumbled behind the other two. She attempted to keep a small smile of gratitude as the two ninja observed her. Creeps.
The inside of the village was unlike anything she had ever seen. A large main street, cut in half by a channel of water stretched into the heart of the village, surrounded by cramped buildings of shops and markets. To the sides of these buildings was a row of steps that led to the second floor of the infrastructures. They extended further into the village and even bridged across the main street's waterway. Further into the horizon, the village stacked itself as the passageways began to curve around more buildings that grew in floors. Intricate stairwells arched around the freefalling water that emptied into the main channel from various heights. The highest building Hinata could spot also turned out to be the furthest one. There stood the library, with rounded rooftops and mighty tall gates that was barely visible above the rest of the bustling town. Naruto, Lee, and Hinata stepped forward to begin their climb towards the library.
"If you think about it, this village is just like Konoha," Naruto beamed, "The busy streets filled with busy people. It's as if everyone has a job they must fill out in order for the town to function."
"You are right," Lee replied, "This town does feel very homely. It feels like a very hard working and dedicated town of people."
Hinata remained silent. From the corner of her eye she could spot a few patrol ninja that continued to stalk behind them. Naruto and Lee must have sensed their presence as well but decided to remain nonchalant. Hinata hid her hands into her pockets. This village is not used to visitors. The patrol guards are keeping a close eye on us.
Her fists clenched. A village that preserves the history of ninja must want to keep itself a secret. Outsiders who might have ill motives might use the information for the wrong reasons. That would explain its locale. Hidden right in-between a gorge valley with cliffs that guard it on all sides, the people have taken use of the prominent geology in this area to use it as a impenetrable defense. They don't take to visitors lightly, then.
The three continued up the stairwells that led to more open area markets on other floors of the village. Hinata glanced around. Despite all of these precautions, this town is still thriving with a bundle of people. It's not just a territory of a library that is protected by a well-armed patrol; there is an entire thriving village that surrounds the historical texts. It's as if it conceals itself amongst this crowd.
Hinata looked up at the canyon walls on the side of the village. The two hooded figures of a woman and a dead man, they must represent some sort of past, ancestral individual that helped carve this town to life. Though I guess it's not common to see death as a founding parent. Her mind continued to wander as they trudged through the village.
The sun was high above, warming the earth below. Yet, the village had a peculiar cool breeze as its residents worked underneath the blaze comfortably. All sorts of people surrounded the open water channel; small children hopped over the boulder of rocks that were planted across, elderly folks sat by the side on benches to feed the birds that swarmed around, the workers gathered water to far away places. By the small waterfalls that extended to the channel from the heights of the canyon, Hinata took notice of the young man who sketched the scenery in front of him. Underneath the gushing water, behind where it was dry, sat two girls playing with their dolls. This village of the Land of Gorge had taken full custom to adapting to the river ways. Hinata wondered if the rest of the land had other villages that took to contouring nature.
Naruto stopped and turned to the other two. "I think we have to take these stairs to get to the library." He pointed slightly at the set of steps that extended high above all the others they passed. These stairs curved around more buildings, just like many others. What set them apart were not only the width, but also the intricate design of railings that complemented the gleaming white marble steps.
"I agree," Lee nodded. He looked over his shoulder to Hinata, "Are we all ready to see the Keeper then?"
Hinata stared back in confusion, "Y-yeah… I'm ready."
"Good, then let's proceed." Naruto announced as he took his first footing at the marble. The other two followed close behind. Hinata took hold of the railings as she ascended which felt surprisingly cool to the touch. She gave a small shudder at the contact.
She looked closer at the etchings on the walls of the fence. Just like the village, the images depicted detailed carving of rivers within tall ravines. These waters were collected in jugs that would keep the water flowing within the small holes. The tiny outflows formed tributaries that meandered with deeply carved cutbanks and floodplains. Hinata stopped momentarily to reach out her arm to touch the artwork. Her fingers traced against the design of the depicted earth along every crease that came along. It was as if someone flew high above and drew the terrain of the land on this tiny railing fence. A shadow covered her hand. Hinata raised her eyes to the source.
Naruto stood over her crouched body, leaning forward to look at the etching as well. "I really can't get over the whole scenery of this place. Even the tiny details are impressive."
Hinata gave a nod and looked back at the drawing. "I kind of like it here. It seems peaceful."
Another gust of wind blew her hair to the side, as they grew silent. Somewhere above, another patrol ninja halted to observe their presence.
Seems.
Lee walked up to Naruto and Hinata; looking up at the passing patrol he lowered his voice. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I do believe we really should keep going. I don't feel we are truly welcome here."
Naruto straightened up. His calm expression became blank of emotion, "I agree. Sorry about that – let's continue. We need to get our information back to Konoha soon."
He looked down at Hinata who was still on her knees by the railing. She took in a deep breath and let it out just as slowly. Rising to her feet, Hinata brushed off any residue on her pants and turned to her teammates. The three continued.
"What makes you think you're leaving without me?"
Sasuke froze. His hand twitched slightly as it gripped the backpack he packed that evening. Pakkun lazily glanced over his shoulder to spot an irritated-looking Sakura. Her green eyes were piercing through the night as she stood nearby a tree with her arms folded, hidden in the shadows. She too had packed a bag that draped over her back, prepared for a long journey to the north. Sasuke finally let his nerves settle before turning in her direction.
"This won't be safe. You should stay here and help out." His voice was just as cold as her stare.
Sakura stepped forward into the moonlight. "You're going after Hinata. Why are your intentions justified and mine aren't? We're both concerned about what will happen to the group."
Sasuke clicked his tongue quietly, "Do you even know where they are?"
"Do you?" Sakura responded instantly, "You're going to be relying on Pakkun to sniff out their trail but I know exactly where they should be by now."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "How..?"
"Kakashi-sensei told me," she began, "Hinata herself told him because she knew we would turn to him first when it came to our former teammate's safety."
He gave a long frown, "Hinata just said that they're heading north."
"To the village of Meyven Li in the Land of Gorge," Sakura cut him again to his irritation, "Lady Hokage provided me with that information because she knew you wouldn't inquire anything from her. She's given permission for us to leave tonight. That's why ANBU hasn't jumped down your throat yet."
Pakkun snorted lightly, "You've prepped everything for this departure, unlike this hot-head."
Sakura smiled a little at Pakkun. She took a final step forward to stand at Sasuke's side. She continued to stare at the village gates, deep into the dark forest before them. "I have reasons to go after them as well. I can't sit here and wait patiently for their return. Whether it's for Hinata who I don't want to see harm being done to, or protecting Lee for all the times he's looked out for me… or…"
She paused.
"Or going after the person whose back I've followed for all these years… I can't remain here. I need to be near them, right behind that back once more." Sakura clenched her fists tight, looking over at Sasuke with a desolate smile, "I've decided that a long time ago, now. That is why I need to go too."
Sasuke broke his eye contact with her as he looked ahead to the forest. "Yeah, I understand. I guess we're both impatient idiots."
Sakura let out a quiet laugh, "Of course."
The gates of the library circled around the round building. At the entrance stood another patrol of ninja; this set was also wearing hooded cloaks alongside a blank, white mask with holes for eyes. The only design drawn was the demented set of smiling teeth that extended from one end of the mask to the other over the mouth area. The patrol stood in a straight line, unmoving. Another motif? Hinata analyzed the guard in front of them. Rivers and death, can this get any more bizarre?
One of the ninja in the middle stepped forward. To their surprise, a female voice spoke up. "Head Keeper is inside, waiting for your arrival. This is an area of knowledge. Please refrain from any unnecessary violence. We will persecute and eliminate you on spot regardless of our village alliance."
She took a step to her left and motioned towards the library with her gloved palm. Naruto stepped forward with Lee. Hinata followed as usual. They passed the gates and proceeded into the open grass plain before the library. Only a thin dirt path introduced the building as the gates behind them closed shut with a loud thud.
The library was gleaming against the sunlight. It's light blue walls resonated shine as the clear, vertically elongated windows blinded the three. They weren't alone in the courtyard. There were a few passing people, carrying heavy scrolls sealed with ribbon. Some were lounging underneath the trees' shades, too busy with their text to notice the visitors. This time it was Hinata who stepped forward. Still completely overlooked, it felt as if this place was lost in time. No sound from the bustling village outside managed to peek into this quiet atmosphere.
Even as the wooden doors of the library creaked loudly, not a single soul looked up. Hinata's eyes instantly wandered to the ceiling of the building inside. Her gaze traced from the lower sill of the bookshelves and raced upwards. The shelves extended so far that the books themselves brushed slightly against the windows of the dome above. She stood there, gaping at the enormous pile of text as Naruto and Lee stepped inside as well, completely enthralled by the scene. Similarly, the stair-sets extended and curved around more bookshelves, contouring. Their footsteps echoed loudly within the walls.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you, " a gentle voice called out. Halfway up one of the stairs stood a young man who started to make his way towards the three. He seemed no older than a teenager with his youthful complexion. His lanky figure was draped in a long, heavy white cloak that slid against the floor he walked. Beneath was a set of elaborately designed clothing that questioned the true nature of his status in the library for someone so juvenile.
Naruto let out a distinct greeting, "It is an honour meeting you…"
"Head Keeper of the Meyven Li library," the young man began with a thin smile, "You may call me Holland."
"Holland…" Naruto held it out, "My name is Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Vllage. These are my coworkers and close friends."
He paused to look at Lee.
"Lee," Naruto continued, "and my other good friend, Hinata."
Holland glanced at the two and observed them head to toe. He gleamed brightly in their direction. Fake-ly. "Welcome to Meyven Li. You must have travelled a long ways."
Lee came closer at Naruto's side. "I apologize for being so blunt, but we are on a very sensitive and dire mission. If it is not too much to ask, what does the library have on the 'Dream Overseer'?"
Holland tilted his head slightly in Lee's direction. "Why would the Hidden Leaf Village be interested in a children's story?"
Hinata's eyes refused to leave the young man's mouth. Barely noticeable, she caught the quick twitch when he said 'story'. Another lie. He's carefully avoiding our question.
Lee straightened himself before responding. He too took note of the deception as his smile tightened in return, "We believe that the ritual behind the story might be relevant to an issue we have happening in our village. We only wish to help out our people to proper… health."
He's also being very careful with his words.
Holland's eyes turned a shade darker as his smile grew even more bogus, "Of course, the safety of a village should always be top priority its ninja. I will see what I can find. But you must understand, our enormous records are quite extensive. It will take some time to look through all of our files."
"How long?" Hinata abruptly spoke up. The young man was taken aback by her sudden, unexpected introjection.
"T-two days… at the minimum," he responded in a strained tone, "No longer than a week."
"Is there anywhere we can lodge at for the time being then?" she continued with the persistent questioning, "We won't cause any disruption, we solely have come for any knowledge this library can provide us for the safety of our village, as you've said."
Holland put a hand to his chest, pressing earnestly, "Of course. It would be very rude on our village's behalf to not provide a place for the night." How rude indeed.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"Machi," he called out.
Behind one of the bookshelves appeared a woman with a stack of scrolls in her hands. She looked over the mass; her long bangs barely over her eyes. "Y-yes?"
"Machi, would you please escort our visitors to the hospital? Tell the nurses there to let them use the extra rooms in the far west wing for their convenience. We will be starting a data search for them today and it will take quite some time to go through our archives." Holland gave a short pause, "Please gather five more aids for the task after you come back and report to my office."
The woman shakily nodded and turned to set down the scrolls in a nearby cart. She placed them in a neat piled and gathered her oversized robes at her sleeves to scurry over to Holland's side. "Will do, sir. I shall be back shortly."
She looked at the three this time.
"My salutations to you, visitors," Machi began. Her voice was pleasantly ringing against the walls of the library as she spoke, "My name is Machi. I am the lead assistant Archiver of this library and the Head Keeper's second apprentice. Please follow me." She started to walk further into the library. Naruto, Lee, and Hinata trailed behind. Hinata took one last look at Holland who no longer paid any mind to them. His thoughts must have started to drift elsewhere as his face dropped sullen. He lowered his eyes to his hands as he pulled something from his robe pocket that Hinata could not make out. The bookshelves shielded her vision as they made a turn down a hallway.
Machi's footsteps were light and barely audible. She gave a slight hop to every step she made, seeming almost weightless as if she was drifting in midair. Her short blonde hair wisped at the current. She stopped at the end of the hall and began undressing from her robes. Hanging them on a nearby hook, she touched the wooden door to open towards the light outside that blinded them once more. Turning back and waiting until they all stepped outside, Machi finally spoke up once again.
"I must apologize for such a cold introduction," she smiled gently, "Our Keeper is very wise for someone so young. Unfortunately he is not very social."
Naruto let out a quick laugh, "So I've noticed. He seemed like he had something stuck up his you-know-what."
"N-Naruto!" Hinata suddenly called out. She gave him a stern look.
"No, no, that's quite alright," Machi replied. She was holding back giggles in between each word, "Our Keeper knows of his social incapability but he truly does try his best to improve. It's just that it's not very common for us to receive visitors so he doesn't get much practice. He's actually very worried right now."
Naruto and Lee gave her an astonished look.
"Really!" Machi beamed, "He's very nervous that he will mess up this assignment for you all. The previous Keeper was a man of high standards. Keeper Holland is always worried that he will somehow screw up and disgrace his mentors. So please go easy on him. Everyone at the library is secretly rooting for him as he continues his term as Keeper successfully."
"We'll try not to judge too much," Naruto joked.
Machi laughed at the statement and continued to lead down the dirt path. They made their way to the other side of the barricaded walls where another set of gates guarded the back of the library. Machi glanced at the patrol guards and pulled out a small red sheet of paper to present them. The guards nodded without any words of acknowledgement and began opening the gates. "Beyond these gates is our hospital. It's isolated from the rest of the village to keep any diseases that may plague us from spreading to the rest of the public."
Machi followed through the exit alongside the rest. She hid her paper back into her front pocket and continued down steep hill that led to a wide building below.
"We currently have some patients at the hospital, but none of them are suffering from any diseases that could be passed on to you all. The west wing is completely safe and is accessible to the river channel as well. All of the nurses will be informed of your arrival and can be available for any more questions that you may have."
She started walked backwards in order to face the three.
"I will also inform our north gates to keep an eye for you in case you wish to explore outside the village. Further north of here, past our Veylice Agricultural Fields begins a rock road that leads to the mouth of the Veylice mountain pass." She extended her arms above her head with a smile from cheek to cheek, "They're very beautiful around this time of year. The flowers bloom all around the creases of the rock road and just lighten up the typically gloomy pass. But Spring really does bring the mountain to life. The channels that pass through here are connected to the waterfalls originating at the mountains. It's quite a sight. If you're interested to visit them, of course."
Even Hinata couldn't help but smile at this woman's childish behavior.
The four arrived at the front doors of the hospital as a group of nurses greeted them. Machi continued to assist them inside. She continued her tourist monologue for Naruto and Lee. Hinata's attention quickly left the conversation though. She started to look around the hospital that they would be staying.
Just like the village, the hospital was as busy with nurses walking around, aiding every patient that came their way. Children were here too as they rushed past them to the courtyards outside to play more games. The patients whose doors were open were diligent as well with their activities. From novels that they were immersed within to board games that a group of senior men were loudly debating over with a nervous nurse, everyone was constantly doing something productive. The group suddenly stopped by a half-closed room. Machi gave a peek inside and then turned to a nearby nurse.
"Excuse me," she called to her attention, "Keeper Holland was interested in this patient's progress? Room 909..?"
The older nurse glanced at the three suspiciously before returning her attention to Machi. "Please tell the Keeper that the patient has remained in the same condition as the last time he's asked."
"I see," Machi looked down to her shoes, "Thank you."
Hinata sneaked a quick as Machi continued to converse with the nurse while they weren't looking.
At the opposing wall stood a long bed. The window light from outside shone dimly inside, careful not to disrupt the patient lying, eyes closed shut. The table nearby had a tray full of untouched food and a fresh batch of pink sweet pea flowers in a vase that gave the room a sweet scent. All Hinata could make out of the patient was a small flock of short, chopped dark hair that lay idly on the fluffy pillow.
"I hope she get's better," Hinata picked up the conversation again from Machi, "The Keeper seems very distraught over her condition."
"We all are," the nurse sighed heavily, "Let's just hope she's having pleasant dreams."
Pleasant dreams…
Have any of you heard of the song "Smile" by Yoko Kanno? The first part of the song played in my head when I was writing the hospital. It's a very pleasant tune :) Also! I have planned out what I want to write about this portion of the story at least up to chapter 20. Exciting :D Thank you for still reading!