MLeggyLeaf: Lol. Actually, I never thought of Hinata replacing Sasori that way…but that just gives me ideas! Thanks M'!
HimaHaeDen: Don't worry…no SasuSaku. As much as I love Sakura… I really don't like the chemistry between the pair. Lol…(I love you!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
-o-o-o-
Chapter Seventeen
Sakura continued to heal Sasuke's wounds with her chakra-glowing hands. Letting them touch gently on the damage part, she began to mend the broken tissues and removed a few splinters. The Uchiha was unconscious; Sakura suspects that he was under some kind of dojutsu.
She knew dojutsu's can be dangerous, especially if one is under a Tsukuyumi. But Sakura was not worried for Sasuke if it comes to those things. He was an Uchiha after all...it would be just a matter of time before he returns back in to reality—all he needs was to find the end of the dream's loophole.
The Akatsuki left with Hinata almost an hour ago, and to her relief, they did not do anything more to Sasuke—especially his scary older brother.
But why did Hinata look like a willing hostage when she left with the two missing nins?
Shaking her confused head, Sakura reasoned that she was a little too far from them to know what really happened. Yes, she saw Hinata prevented Itachi from doing something to Sasuke, and she saw Itachi listened to the girl as she was saying something…
So something more significant must have happened right?
But the Akatsuki named Kisame said that Hinata was the new replacement for Sasori…
"Hinata…the new Akatsuki?" Sakura whispered as the pondered upon the thought. If what the shark-like man said was the truth…what's going to happen? How would everyone react back in Konoha? The Konoha eleven…Hinata's family…her clan? And Sasuke…?
"This is messed up." The Haruno murmured again, this time; biting her lip to control the different emotions she was feeling right now. If that was real…it would surely be very…very…messed up.
She can never imagine Hinata wearing the same dark cloak as the Akatsuki members…she can never imagine her turning her back to the village that she pledge her life into.
(f) "No!" Sasuke felt like he was going to lose his mind at the words that came out of Hinata' mouth. She can't be serious. No…this can't be happening. "Hinata…what the hell are you saying?"
Itachi pondered at the idea for a second. What the Hyuga just proposed could be Sasuke's way out of here with his life intact, along with the pink haired kunoichi he was with. But in exchange, it would be harder for the heiress to get out of the mess she herself has weaved.
The girl just created her own prison.
Hinata looked at him with pleading eyes as tears were falling from her white orbs down to her clothes. Itachi knew then that the girl was desperate…he could feel it emitting from her.
Desperate to get his brother out of here and save him.
"Please…I promise I won't try anything along the way. I'm going to train with the others without complains…just l-let the two Konohans go." The Hyuga was shaking—the weight of the words and promises that she was releasing were starting to pull her down like heavy stones. "Itachi-san…I promise!"
Sasuke shook his head and gripped Hinata's arm very hard that it made her wince. "You can't do this to me…You are going to get yourself branded as a rogue…a missing nin!"
"What made you think that you I'm going to trust you?" Itachi asked, eyes studying the Hyuga.
The bluenette stood firm."I never go back on what I say. That is my Ninja way."
Sasuke shakily straightened himself up. "Hinata, this is crazy! The village will brand you as a criminal!"
Hinata pulled away from Sasuke, took a step behind Itachi and looked at the ground. "Gomenasai…Sasuke-kun. It seems like I would be willing to go that way for the people that I care for…very much."
"That may be your nindo…" It was Itachi. "But I need to be sure." The taller man made a few swift hand signs and a crow materialized with a puff of smoke. The bird flew around them until it swooped down into Sasuke's gaping mouth and forced itself in. Sasuke coughed and tried to pull the bird out but it was too late—it already entered his body. Gagging, Sasuke dropped on the ground, holding his neck as his windpipes were temporarily blocked.
"It's a jutsu I created." Itachi looked at the Hyuga. "If you try even one trick…it would kill Sasuke from the inside."(f)
Hinata hung limply on Itachi's shoulder as they were leaping into the trees with a much faster pace compared to their earlier speed. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks like endless waterfalls and they dropped one by one on the Uchiha's dark cloak.
Behind them, Kisame was staring at her with a puzzled expression on his face. The girl was small compared to them…but he suddenly realized that she may be the bravest. In the past, he killed all of his comrades for the sake of finishing a mission. It was against his will but his village leaders commanded him to do so…And like a pawn, he did. That's why he left in the first place…that's why he became a missing nin. He wanted to destroy all the villages and stop the people who are greedy for power to prevent them from using Shinobi as their personal puppets.
But this weak girl just showed him something that made his past memories with faithful comrades and friends flood inside his mind…making his head spin.
Hinata felt her carrier stopped on his tracks then land on the ground softly. Sniffing, she hastily wiped the tears from her face with her filthy hands, only smudging her face with dirt.
Itachi put the girl down, noticing how red her eyes were. Gesturing at Kisame, he pointed at the opposite direction of the path they were taking. "Kisame…I'm sure they would mark us down and the way we used. You better go the other way to mislead them…in case they want to follow."
Kisame nodded, but his fish-like eyes were glued on the girl. "Leave it to me."
"Then try making the tracks as obvious as possible." Itachi removed the cloak from his body, revealing a few minor wounds and bruises. His arm has a serious looking wound but it seems like it already stopped bleeding. "I'll meet you in the hideout near Suna."
"Yeah…just…just don't do anything hasty to the girl." Kisame adjusted his sword and the leather straps that binds it. Giving his partner a curt nod, he ran to the opposite direction of the forest.
He disappeared behind a bush.
-o-o-o-
Hyuga Hanabi whimpered in fear as she saw her father lose his composure for the first time in her life. The Hyuga clan head was on a rampage, throwing everything he could find on his office to the wall. Some of the servants who came running upon hearing the crashing sounds were also stunned at the sudden outburst.
Hiashi's hair was a mess, his robes slipping off his body to reveal his night clothes. Gritting his teeth, he kicked at the hard wooden desk and finished it with a gentle fist.
The desk cleaved into two like butter.
"Otou-sama…" The thirteen year old Hanabi called, afraid that his father was losing his mind. "Otou-sama…what's wrong?"
Hiashi faced his second daughter and there were tears in his white, strong eyes. Hanabi took a step back, surprised at the glistening droplets on his pale face.
"I just want…" The usually stern voice broke. "I just want your sister back…" Hiashi Hyuga dropped on the floor of his office, breathing heavily like a child. For a moment, Hanabi can see no stern Hyuga head…but just a father.
A father who loves his daughter very much.
"I just want Hinata to come back…" Hiashi's Byakugan deactivated. He really doesn't care anymore. The Hyuga servants can talk behind his back all they want. They can laugh at him and he won't even utter a single word. In all his years as a father, he never realized how much he loves his children until now. Yes…he has showed calm and compressed his worries when Hinata was abducted—just to set a good example for the clan. It was the rational thing to do anyway.
But as the days turned into weeks…
The worry and uneasiness he felt was starting to eat at him from the inside…and this morning, he dreamed about her—crying his name for help while the rebel nins were gauging her eyes with glee…he wanted to help her, to get his daughter back.
And then he woke up.
After that, he started to crack, all well guarded feelings flooded out of him without control.
Hanabi kneeled beside the weeping father. "Otou-sama…please stop."
"Your sister…"
"Hinata-Nee is strong…and stronger above us all in spirit." The younger heiress encircled his father inside her thin arms. It was the first time that she touched Hiashi this way. "She's going to be fine Otou-sama…Hinata-Nee is going to be fine. She'll return to us…you'll see."
-o-o-o-
Itachi dropped his coat on the ground beside the Hyuga as he seated himself on the grass. No exchange of words can be heard except the natural sound of rustling leaves around them. Looking at the large gash on his shoulder, the older ex-shinobi began to examine his wound.
Stealing a glance at the girl, he saw that she was looking at him intently. Her face was smudged with dirt and it was tear streaked.
"How could you do that to your brother?" Hinata finally decided to be the first one to break the silence. "How could you do that to him?"
"What is he to you?" Itachi deadpanned, turning his attention from his wound to the heiress.
"He's one of my closest…friends."
"He cares for you…deeply."
Hinata smiled sarcastically. "I am surprised that you can recognize an act of care and concern…Itachi-san."
"Hn."
Hinata's eyes dropped to the ground and her arms encircled herself. She was feeling really heavy from the inside and she feared that if she can't hold all her emotions back, she's going to collapse from its intensity. Unconsciously, she found herself rocking her body back and forth. "I'm going to die soon…I'm sure of it."
"Ah…you're thinking that death is your way out of the Akatsuki."
"I don't know…" Hinata admitted, still rocking back and forth. "I will keep my word. I'll go with you and do anything that I'm assigned to do because I am a rogue nin now…not by abduction but by my own will." Hinata's lips turned into a sad smile. "But I'm going to die…I know it. Starting from the inside I will…" For how could she not? For by agreeing to be an Akatsuki, she just severed her ties from the village she was trained all her life to protect.
Not to mention that it also just severed all her ties from her family…her friends…her life.
"I don't think so." Itachi reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her a little closer to him. When they were just a foot apart, he took out a kunai from his pouch and something from his pocket.
It was her forehead protector.
"A girl brave enough to make a stand for her comrades is strong enough to withstand the burden of being an Akatsuki." Itachi gave her the kunai and placed her forehead protector on her lap. He waited as she stared at the leaf insignia while running her fingers on the smooth metal plate.
"I don't want to be like…you." She told him, lips starting to quiver. "I never wanted to be a rogue of the leaf."
"But it seems like destiny itself has pushed you to become like me…Hyuga-san."
"And it pushed me into it without mercy." With shaking hands, Hinata tightened her grip on the kunai as she swallowed all her conflicting emotions inside. With a clenched jaw, she stabbed the kunai's blade on the metal and ran it in the middle of the leaf symbol, making it a long, straight line.
With that one engraved line on the forehead protector, Hyuga Hinata of the leaf was gone.
-o-o-o-
I'm going to end the chapter here. Sorry if it's short. I figured the other scenes would be good if I start it on another chapter. (Please review though…because I usually tend to base my plots on the way readers views my story.)
I'm just excited for the coming chapters…I got so much inside my head! Lol. (Won't it be exciting…if Hinata's closest friends like Shino or Kiba…or Neji for instance, would face her by chance…and has no choice but to engage her in a fight?)
Shout outs to: Morgenbitch, RiceballXlover, RyoPyoTurtle, cathyscloud9 (I'm going to upload the one shot as soon as I can. :p), Tamani, Doddlehead (You really wanted for Sakura to die? Lol…), Sadie321, Aoi IchiMatsu, and Butlikeewlawlz.
See you next chap!
-crazygurl12