I hesitate to ask for this, because I've never done it before. The people in the room aren't helping, either.

"What is it, Hinata?"

"I... was wondering if I could I could be given a brief furlough..."

Lady Tsunade's eyebrows jump up. "Oh. That's it? How brief did you have in mind?"

"Just a week..."

She thinks it over for a second, but quickly decides. "Request for furlough approved," She says with a smile. I breathe out, relieved. "A week won't hurt, and besides, you've had almost that long off between missions before. Enjoy the time, Hinata."

"I will. Thank you, Lady Tsunade." I bow, and make my exit from the mission room. I won't really have any of the time to rest, though. Soon I'll have to make a day trip to Miyazaki Shrine, and depending on how things go with that, I may need to make another trip to Tanzaku Quarters. I head home to think, wandering around in my own thoughts.

When I get home, I'm almost to my room when my mother catches up to me in the hall. "Dear," She says, touching my shoulder. "You have a letter." She extends it to me, and I see that it's from Aoba.

"Oh..." I see the look in my mother's eyes and begin to blush. "He was researching something for me; it's part of something I'm working on." My mother gives one of those "I know what this is really about" kind of nods, and turns back down the hall. As I step into my room I remember part of that project, one that my recent trips to Tanzaku Quarters have distracted me from. Perhaps I'll get into testing it on one of the next days off I have.

I sit down at my writing desk, and open the letter.

"Hinata,
I spent a little time researching ghosts, as you asked me to.
The answer really should have been quite obvious, especially
to someone of my talents. You see, though the Daiyagan is
able to see emotions, those emotions must be generated from a
physical source- i.e., the chakra coils. And, since ghosts do not
possess them, it would not be possible to see a ghost with the
Daiyagan. I hope your search goes well.

Kindest regards,
-Aoba Yamashiro."

I sigh. He'd said the area around me was clear, hadn't he? I think of the other dojutsu of Konoha, the Sharingan and the Byakugan, and briefly lament their inability to help. Wait- there does happen to be one more... but I've seldom talked to him, and I'm not sure if he would be willing to help. It wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose. Alright. Though everyone in the village knows where he lives, I find the way almost familiar to me, despite having never been there before. Walking past the unused buildings gives me an uneasy feeling, but soon I arrive, and take a breath to prepare.

I knock. There is a silence for a minute, but then footsteps approach from the other side, and the door opens. As I see Sasuke, the watched feeling slams into me, and I almost gasp. "Hey," He says, with a lift of his chin.

"M- may we talk for just a minute...?" Sasuke shrugs, and turns to let me in.

"Naruto too busy to come by?"

"Uh, n- no. This is just for me..." Sasuke makes a somewhat cold and annoyed expression, and I swallow. "You see, Sasuke, I've had this watched feeling following me, and... I was wondering if you might be willing to take a look at me, to see if there's anyone or anything close by..."

Sasuke looks me over, and I shiver. The watched feeling is almost as bad as it is with Naruto right now. "That it?"

"I... meant with your dojutsu..."

"The Sharingan?"

"No, the... other one."

Sasuke narrows his eyes at me. "He told you, didn't he? He was supposed to have kept it a secret."

"He didn't have to tell me. I figured it out on my own, that the Mangekyo Sharingan matures into the Rinnegan when the wielder faces and then is able to accept his or her own death." Sasuke continues to stare at me, but then he closes his eyes and sighs.

"Might as well. But this stays between us, alright?" I nod, and when Sasuke opens his eyes, I see the Rinnegan. They dart over and around me, and then just as suddenly as they appeared, they're gone. "You're clean."

"...Thank you, Sasuke. Have a good day." He shrugs, and I leave his house. On the way back home, my mood lowers. If the Rinnegan itself is unable to detect anything out of the ordinary, then I don't think any dojutsu will be able to. The shrine maiden and learning sage mode are the only options left.

The shrine maiden. Now that I think of it, I should probably visit and explain. I nod, and once home I gather a few nutrient bars for a snack, and make my way to Miyazaki Shrine. The run goes without incident, and a bit into the afternoon I arrive. The sky is gray with rain clouds, but there aren't any drops falling. After a moment I catch my breath and enter the shrine. The maiden is meditating inside, wisps of incense floating above her head like clouds. She doesn't look up, and quietly I make my way over to sit next to her. "What is troubling you today?" She says gently without looking up.

"...A few different things. But... there is a man who may be coming by here in a few days, looking for someone called The Rainmaker. If I am not here when he arrives, could you keep his message to The Rainmaker for me?"

"You picked an odd place for such a meeting."

"It was the first place that came to mind when I was speaking with him." There's a faint pull on the shrine maiden's lips, and I realize that she's smiling. "...Would you be willing to do this for me?"

"I will." The shrine maiden looks up at me, her piercing eyes alive with a happy light. "And, if you are The Rainmaker, would you mind making it rain? I miss the sound of rain on the shrine's roof."

"I'll do it." I smile, and the shrine maiden closes her eyes. I speak to my ancestors silently for a moment, and then leave to head out. I take a second to prepare, and then make the hand seals. "Rainmaker Jutsu!" Very quickly the clouds open store, large drops coming down. I retract my chakra, and find it's still raining, so I jog over to the box and make a small donation before sitting on the steps to have one of my nutrient bars for a snack. As I eat it I think of a good target for the next experiment of mine. I know how I feel around Sasuke, and Naruto, but there are other ninja who might not know me that could work. A name comes to mind, and I almost recoil. That reaction, though, is how I know it's a good choice. I sigh, and start my run back to Konoha.