By the time Hinata went outside, Sasuke was waiting for her. Hinata smiled at him and bowed her head politely. He returned the gesture.

"Good morning, Sasuke. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," she greeted him.

He shook his head. "I got here a couple of minutes ago. How did you sleep?" He asked as they began walking towards the training ground with their backpacks.

"I could barely sleep, so I ended up studying. And you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It took a moment, but I eventually slept. So, did you get any at all?"

She nodded. "Nearly four hours." He smiled and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "Are you ready for this test?" She asked, smiling down at their joined hands.

"Definitely. We went over the plan quite a bit yesterday, and I'm sure we'll get it down." He released her hand and they continued on in silence until they heard Naruto calling for them.

"Hey! You guys ready?!" He called out.

Hinata put a finger to her lips. "Naruto, there are still people sleeping, so please refrain from being loud, okay?"

Naruto blushed, covering his mouth. "Whoops, sorry," he said, the words muffled from behind his hand. Sasuke sighed and nodded his head toward the direction of the training ground. "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'." With a sigh, Naruto followed after his two friends.

They arrived at the training grounds a few minutes ahead of time and looked over their surroundings slowly as they didn't expect their sensei to show up on time. They worked to set up some seals to access different weapons—should they need them—as well as explosive tags gathered in a certain area. Sasuke and Naruto kept Hinata's warning in mind.

'Kakashi-sensei somehow just…knows. He's clever and intuitive. Don't think these traps are going to work.'

Once they finished canvassing the area, they sat on the grass to rest up before their test—a few moments were spent admiring Hinata's doujutsu when she revealed it to them. She was thankful they didn't seem disturbed by it. There was nothing to do but wait and meditate. Six hours later, their sensei strolled in with a casual wave.

"Morning, everyone! Ready to start the day?"

Naruto shot up. "You're late again!"

"Yes. I was on my way over here when—"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke interrupted. "At least you're here. Let's just start this test."

"Quite the charmer, huh?" Kakashi tilted his head.

"About as charming as you," the Uchiha shot back.

Kakashi pulled a clock from his bag and set it on one of the three tree posts. "Alrighty, then. It is now eleven and you three will have until noon—one hour—to take these two bells from me," the jonin explained as he held up two silver bells attached to red strings. "If you can't get them by noon then you go without lunch, but not only that… you'll be tied to those posts and will have to watch me eat in front of you."

Hinata blanched. "He's not bluffing," she said immediately, remembering those times a few years ago when he did the same to her.

"No, I am not. To make it more interesting, Hinata's lunch is included with a cinnamon roll; Naruto's lunch is ramen from Ichiraku; Sasuke's lunch is, according to his mother, his favorite dish of hers," Kakashi stated, smirking from beneath his mask.

"My mother helped with this?" Sasuke asked. "Tricky."

"She was more than happy to. Now, is everyone ready?"

"Wait. Why are there only two bells?" Hinata asked.

Kakashi patted her head. "Always the observant one, hm?" Sasuke glared at the hand on her head but was shocked that she didn't seem to mind. "That's because at least one of you will fail and get sent back to the academy." Naruto growled but said nothing. Sasuke moved closer to Hinata once Kakashi removed his hand. "Anything goes. If you're not coming at me with the intent to kill, then you're never going to get these bells. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei!" They replied in unison. The three spread out as though they were going to flank Kakashi.

"Ready… begin!" Instantly, surprisingly, they shot to the threes. Kakashi blinked and then shrugged it off as he pulled out his orange book to read while he waited.

In the trees, Hinata activated her Byakugan and located both of her teammates and their sensei. Sasuke, behind Kakashi in the trees, and Naruto, opposite of her to their sensei's left. She took a deep breath as she pulled out three shurikens before swiftly launching them at the jonin and body flickering toward another location. Using her doujutsu, she saw Kakashi in the position she'd just left, reminding her just how fast he truly was. She knew her trap wasn't going to work, but that wasn't the point. She just needed time. Sasuke and Naruto had moved to the secondary positions, just as she made it to hers. She made a seal, keeping her eyes firmly on the jonin.

Kakashi, although unsurprised by the absence of the target, was surprised by the explosive seals littering the area, and quickly moved out of the area just as they went off.

"Well, at least you're being serious," he announced as he returned to his spot in the middle of the field. "It's making me kind of like you guys."

Hinata focused on her teammates' locations and waited for the signal. She saw Sasuke hold up his hand and then she jumped out to rush at Kakashi with a kunai after deactivating her byakugan.

"I'm honestly surprised you're the one coming out here. I would've thought the blonde was the hot-head," Kakashi said as he casually dodged her attacks without moving from his spot.

"Maybe I'm more hot-headed than you think!" She yelled. Just then, Naruto shot out of the trees and landed next to her.

"Hinata! We agreed to wait!" He hissed.

Hinata clenched her fists, the action not going unnoticed by Kakashi. "I told you that I don't need protection!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Are you two seriously getting into an argument right now?" Kakashi sighed. He was oddly disappointed.

"I mean, are you that surprised?!" Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Hinata.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hinata said, wiping tears from her eyes angrily before they could fall.

"What I mean is how else were we supposed to distract Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto smirked. A hand shot out of the ground at that moment and gripped Kakashi's ankle, surprising the jonin.

"Oh, that's right," Hinata agreed. They lunged at him as Sasuke began pulling him down.

"I'm pretty impressed, truly," Kakashi praised. "But that's not going to be enough to stop me." He used the substitution jutsu.

"Who said anything about stopping you?" Sasuke suddenly said from the right. "We just need those bells." He held the tiger seal and blew a huge fireball toward Kakashi.

"You'd risk your own teammates?" Right then, Naruto and Hinata popped. Shadow clones. Kakashi used another substitution jutsu and narrowly avoided the fireball. He was awestruck by the amount of heat coming from it. It felt hotter than Itachi's had at that age. Interesting. What he considered more interesting, though, was that they were capable of creating shadow clones. He wondered why Minato had even taught them such a jutsu at a young age.

Looks like it was time to step up his game. No more reading. He put his book away.

"Their teamwork seems sloppy, but they've perfected it," he said to himself. "Seven years will do that." When Minato had first appointed him as a Jonin instructor, he was appalled and a little offended even but with only a few anbu left in favor of the Uchiha, he had no choice. He was extremely picky when it came to his pupils and he was pleased to see these three would be coming to him. He really was starting to like them, but liking them didn't matter right now. Their skills did.

Kakashi wasted no time in jumping back to the center of the field. "Time for another lesson," he announced. A few moments later, the three-man squad appeared before him and Kakashi smirked.

Naruto moved first and launched himself into battle. Kakashi was on the defensive, but Naruto was beginning to land some hits. He smirked to himself.

Hinata dropped low with a kunai and went for his legs, swiping at them with her weapon and then kicking at them when her sensei dodged. When her leg made contact with his, she sent chakra into it, causing him to drop to his knee. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at the exchange.

Sasuke came from the rear, landing a punch on Kakashi's head. He smirked as he followed up with a spinning kick and then paused. This didn't feel right. He looked at Hinata and found her smiling at him shyly with a bright blush on her face. Something was definitely wrong. Hinata never lost focus in a fight, not after the times she hurt Naruto and disappointed herself.

Naruto had Kakashi backed up against a tree as he delivered the final blow and then swiped the bells. "Yes! We did it!" He cheered, facing his friends with a huge grin. Hinata gave him a bright smile before leaning in and kissing his cheek.

"You're so amazing, Naruto!" She exclaimed. Naruto, face now red, chuckled sheepishly.

"Th-thanks, Hinata! That means a lot, you know!" An arm went around his shoulder and he turned his head to see Sasuke looking at him in awe.

"You're pretty cool. Maybe you can train me later," Sasuke said. Naruto grinned and agreed. Suddenly, he snapped to and found himself tied to a post. He struggled against the binds, grunting loudly.

"I doubt you'll be getting out of that," Kakashi said as he came into Naruto's line of vision with rope in his hands. "Looks like you're the first to lose. I'll be tying up your friends now." Kakashi turned his back on the blonde and made his way toward his teammates, who appeared to be in a trance.

"Sasuke! Hinata! Snap out of it!" He called out, struggling almost violently against the rope. Even if he failed, they still had a chance and he wasn't going to let them miss it. "Hey, sensei! There's a rip on the butt of your pants!"

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively as he continued on. "I don't believe that, but if it's true, then a little breeze never hurt anyone." Naruto growled, his eyes darting around as he tried to think of something.

Hinata discovered it was a genjutsu when she began landing hits on the jonin. It wasn't that she had no confidence in her skills, it was that she knew how strong Kakashi was and he wouldn't have gotten hit by many of those attacks. They hadn't practiced much with genjutsu as their sensei weren't especially gifted in that category, but they taught them how to release themselves and their teammates if necessary.

She made the sign. "Release!" And she instantly found herself back in the real world, facing the real Kakashi.

"You can spot genjutsu now?" He asked. He was near her with rope and jumped back. To her right, she saw Naruto tied to a post and Sasuke now just coming out of his own genjutsu. "Impressive." The timer went off. "Well, that's lunch. Naruto doesn't get any."

Hinata and Sasuke shared a look. "Will you be joining us, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I have a quick meeting to attend, so I'll be gone. But if I find out either of you gave him food or untied him, I'm instantly failing all of you," he warned, his voice dark and serious. "Well, I'm off!" Then he disappeared with a cheerful tone.

Sasuke and Hinata immediately ran to their teammates. "Are you okay?" Hinata inquired worriedly.

Naruto sighed in defeat. "Yeah, everything but my ego is fine."

Sasuke snorted. "You didn't realize you were in a genjutsu?"

"Nope! It was convincing. How did you two figure it out?" He asked.

"I was landing hits on him too easily," Hinata explained as she grabbed their lunches and took a seat on one side of Naruto while Sasuke took the other side.

Sasuke grabbed the lunch box she held out to him. "Same here. Plus, he made Hinata way too shy during a fight." He opened the box and nearly drooled at the smell. Immediately, he started digging in, even though he felt a bit guilty.

Hinata placed her lunch aside and opened Naruto's before getting up on her knees and putting the noodles near his mouth. "Here," she said gently, smiling at him.

Naruto was nearly brought to tears. "Hinata, thanks, but you shouldn't. I don't want you to fail because of me," he said, ignoring his grumbling stomach.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Besides, Kakashi-sensei isn't here."

"She's right, loser. Just eat the noodles," Sasuke said with a small smile.

Their teammate smiled gratefully and eagerly ate the noodles Hinata fed him. Every few bites, Sasuke would hold a canteen up to his mouth. The noodles were nearly gone when Hinata and Sasuke felt a menacing aura behind them. Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared directly at their sensei.

"What are you two doing? I specifically said not to feed him!" Kakashi spoke curtly. "Are you two incapable of following orders?!"

Though not unfrightened, Hinata stood and faced him, Sasuke at her side. "Naruto is our teammate. We will not leave him without if there's something we can do about it," she replied, proud that her voice hadn't shaken.

Sasuke took a step forward. "Fail us if you want. Either way, and bells or not, we wouldn't leave anyone behind," he added.

Kakashi glared with his one visible eye. "Is that really what you're going with?"

"Absolutely," they said in unison.

Kakashi stared at all three one by one before clapping his hands together and smiling. "You pass!" He said. Had Naruto not been tied up, he would've fallen over. Sasuke and Hinata even stumbled.

"We…pass?" Sasuke asked. "But none of us got a bell."

Kakashi chuckled, patting Sasuke's shoulder. "Getting the bells never mattered. This was to test your teamwork and resolve."

"But we've been a team for years!" Naruto pointed out.

"Ah, yes, but there were only two bells and I mentioned one of you would be tied to a post. By choosing your teammate over following the rules, you passed. See, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum," Kakashi explained. "So, you pass. You're actually the first team to do so. The rest just blindly followed my orders. You're officially Team 7 and Genin; you'll start your first mission tomorrow."

The three were silent for a moment before Naruto let out a loud cheer, kicking his feet excitedly as his arms were still tied down. Sasuke smirked wide enough for it to be considered a smile, while Hinata couldn't help but laugh as she bowed.

"We look forward to learning from you, Kakashi-sensei!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. The jonin smiled warmly beneath his mask at their excitement.


The trio and their sensei were currently sitting in a booth at Yakiniku Q. Hinata sat across from Kakashi and to the right of Sasuke who sat across from Naruto.

"Uh, thanks for the invite," Kakashi said awkwardly after a moment.

Hinata smiled, unaware of the tension. "I wanted to ask why you never told me you were teaching now," she said. "Not that you have to tell me anything, but I suppose I'm just surprised you never mentioned it."

Kakashi rubbed his neck. "Well, I guess I was initially upset about being taken out of the Anbu, so I didn't really want to talk about it," he said with a shrug.

She nodded understandingly. "Do you feel better about it now?"

"I suppose. There's nothing that can be done about it, so there's no use in being upset as it won't change anything," he explained.

"Hey, if you're this powerful Jonin, how come you totally fell for that eraser thing?" Naruto asked. Sasuke raised his brow curiously.

"I just wanted to see if you would be stupid enough to actually do it. I'd been watching you three for a few moments before. I saw everything," Kakashi replied. "It was gutsy, I'll give you that. But any other Jonin would've probably failed you on the spot for something that childish."

Naruto sank down in his chair a bit before shooting up again. "Wait, you were there? Why'd you keep up waiting so long then?" Kakashi shrugged but didn't explain any further, annoying the Uzumaki.

The waitress popped up and took their orders, giving Kakashi her full attention with a blush on her face. Sasuke raised his brow at this while Hinata giggled. Kakashi gave them a questioning look.

"What?" He asked.

"I guess you're popular even though they don't know what your face looks like," Sasuke replied, nodding to the waitress who kept looking over often.

Kakashi followed his gaze, watching as the waitress fumbled when they locked eyes. He turned back to his students. "I don't really know either, honestly. It's not like I've ever spoken to them, but I will admit that it is very flattering."

"You're not interested in having a relationship?" Hinata asked curiously.

The Jonin shrugged. "Not really. My work is the most important thing to me right now. A relationship doesn't fit in it. What about you three?" Sasuke and Hinata tensed just a bit while Naruto chuckled softly with a small blush as he avoided looking at their female teammate. Kakashi observed their reactions and filed it away for later.

"We're too busy training to be the best team the world will ever see," Sasuke answered for them. "We don't have time to think about things like that." Hinata nodded her head in agreement, Naruto reluctantly doing the same.

Kakashi grinned. "That's surprisingly mature of you," he teased, referencing the Eraser Debacle.

Sasuke scoffed. "Hinata and I are Heirs and even Naruto has a title. We're not some young kids."

Kakashi raised a brow. "The shinobi world considers you adults, yes; however, you're all still very young. There's no shame in acting your age sometimes," he assured them. Hinata's eyes widened at the familiar words, words that Itachi Uchiha had spoken, and she realized then. Kakashi noticed her look. "What?"

Hinata looked at him with an awe-filled gaze. "You're a gentle person," she said. All three looked at her with disbelief.

Naruto spoke first, "This guy? Gentle? No way!"

"I actually agree with Naruto," Sasuke added.

"I'm on their side this time," Kakashi admitted.

Hinata giggled. "I suppose you three don't have to understand, but this is just what I feel," she said, attempting to explain but finding that she couldn't put it into words. She left it at that and was eternally grateful that this is when their food came out. The rest of lunch went by with steady conversation and the sharing of food.

Naruto and Sasuke watched closely at Kakashi eating but were disappointed to find that he'd already eaten the bite going to his mouth by the time they registered it. Hinata, familiar with his eating process, paid it no mind but giggled at her friends' disappointment. She was sure they'd see his face one day.

Kakashi paid for the entire meal despite the three pulling their wallets out—aside from Naruto who pulled out his frog pouch that he called Gama-chan—and pulling out the proper bills to pay for the entire meal. A small argument on who would pay between the three of them ensued before Kakashi came back and stated that he took care of it. He refused to accept any repayment and said that it was a treat for his students.

"Just don't make a habit of it," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Your sensei doesn't always make the best decisions financially."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You mean when it comes to those explicit books you read all the time?" Hinata's face went bright red, and this didn't go unnoticed by him. He raised a brow. "Have you read those?"

She shook her head vigorously. "N-not at all! But I did happen to catch a glimpse. It was indeed…explicit," she said, trailing off. Kakashi chuckled beside her and put his hand on her head, causing Sasuke to glare again.

"Don't put your hand on her head," Sasuke snapped, pulling Kakashi's hand off.

Hinata's brows went up while Kakashi bit back a laugh at the Uchiha's possessiveness. "Sasuke?" She asked, unsure of how to ask what he was doing.

Sasuke avoided her eyes and shrugged. "It's nothing. Just don't do that," he said to their sensei.

Kakashi put his hands up and moved back. "I didn't know it would bother you so much. I'll make sure not to do it again," Kakashi assured, though Sasuke picked up an amused tone in his voice.

Sasuke nodded and pointed behind him. "Hinata and I are heading home for our training," he said. "Thanks for lunch, Kakashi-sensei." Then he started walking off.

Hinata bowed to the Jonin. "Please excuse him. Thank you, sensei. We'll see you both tomorrow!" She said before turning to catch up with her brooding friend.

Kakashi turned to Naruto, who was now watching his friends walk away. "Sasuke's a bit…possessive, isn't he?" He asked the blonde.

Naruto shrugged. "He's been that way with her forever. I think it might have to do with the fact that he doesn't have any friends that are girls, so he keeps a close eye on her or something," he explained.

Kakashi learned at that moment that Naruto didn't know about Sasuke and Hinata's engagement and withheld a sigh. He knew, soon, the whole village was going to know and he hoped that their team didn't crumble right as it officially started. Kakashi closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

'Don't make me regret this, sensei…'


When Hinata caught up to Sasuke, she put a hand on his arm to stop him from walking. "Why are you upset?" She asked him.

"I don't like it when he does that to you." Hinata couldn't seem to catch his gaze and waited patiently for him to elaborate. With a sigh, Sasuke slumped his shoulders. "Itachi used to do that to you, and Shisui would mess up your hair that way, too. I notice that…you seem to get sad when Kakashi-sensei does it. I don't like that," he explained.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you for looking out for me. It's true that it does make me sad, but it makes me happy as well," admitted Hinata. "Back when Kakashi-sensei first trained me, I realized that trying to shove everything into a box and putting it away was only going to hinder the grief I was experiencing. I wanted to embrace it instead. The memories make me sad sometimes, but they mostly make me happy."

Sasuke, in the middle of her explanation, finally met her eyes and saw she truly believed that. It relieved him. "I'll try not to be too hard on Kakashi-sensei, then."

Hinata giggled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that." She looked around for a moment before reaching over and grasping his hand tightly. "Thank you for understanding." Sasuke, with red cheeks, squeezed her hand back. When they let go, they continued walking toward their compounds.

When they got closer to the Hyuuga Compound, they were both shocked to see Hiashi and Fugaku waiting at the gates. They shared a look and instantly realized what was going to happen.

"Hinata, Sasuke, I trust you passed your survival test?" Hiashi asked.

Hinata bowed. "Yes, father. We are officially genin."

"We had no doubts you three would pass," Fugaku spoke. "I'm sure you are both aware of what happens now."

Sasuke bowed before his father. "Yes. It is time to announce our engagement to the village," he supplied. He couldn't stop his mind from going to their absent teammate. He needed to have a talk with Naruto before the announcement, but he couldn't specifically tell him any details. He clenched his fist, cursing himself for being born into a clan. Things would be different—easier—if he hadn't been born an Uchiha, but he was proud of his heritage and, despite all that had happened, he enjoyed his life.

"Yes, that is correct. Let's talk inside and we will explain the process and give you the date it will be announced," Hiashi said, opening the front gate and leading everyone to his office. Along the way, he asked Mitsuki to bring them refreshments.

When everyone was sitting, Hinata kept her eyes firmly on the floor in front of her with a neutral expression. Next to her, she could sense the tension coming off of Sasuke. She wished to comfort him, but she couldn't display such affection in front of their fathers and so she refrained from doing so.

"The engagement will be announced this Friday afternoon, five days from now. Our clans were given permission to use the main strip of the village to arrange a large gathering for anyone who would like to attend. All clans will be in attendance as well as some civilian families. We have sent word out into the village of the gathering and are expecting a huge turnout," Fugaku explained.

"You and Sasuke are going to be wearing matching traditional clothing and are going to remain separated until the announcement is made," Hiashi continued. "After such pleasantries, the announcement will be made and the food stands will be opened. There will be musical entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Is there anything either of you would like to add?"

Sasuke glanced at Hinata before looking up at Hiashi. "No, Hyuuga-sama. Everything is most agreeable. Hinata-san and I are eagerly awaiting the announcement and to share in the festivities with our village," he said. Hinata bit back a proud smile. Though neither of them were in agreement with Sasuke having to speak for her, it was part of clan customs that they were adamant about changing once they took over.

Fugaku and Hiashi both looked pleased—Sasuke was sure Hiashi was pleased but he couldn't tell based on his facial expression. Every day, he was thankful that Hinata did not have that same stoic look on her face—and Sasuke's shoulders relaxed just a bit. Hinata noticed this change and her eyes softened, relieved.

"Very well said, Sasuke," his father praised. Mitsuki knocked and entered the room when permitted with a tray of tea and sweets. When their tea was poured and plates were given, Hiashi cleared his throat.

"Your test with Kakashi Hatake, how did it go?" He asked. The two clan heads noticed the excitement in their eyes.

"We didn't beat him, but we caught him off guard a few times," Sasuke explained.

"How so?" His father asked before taking a sip of his tea.

"First, we surprised him by luring him into an area littered with explosive seals. Next, Hinata-san and Naruto-san distracted him while I went underground and attempted to pull him down," he explained. "Naturally, he used the substitution jutsu and then I used the fireball jutsu on him."

"Afterwards, he put us in a genjutsu and while Sasuke-san and I managed to release ourselves, Naruto-san was captured," Hinata added.

"It turned out to be a test of teamwork and our dedication to one another. We passed with flying colors, apparently. We're his first team of genin," Sasuke concluded.

Hiashi hummed. "Yes, I had heard about Kakashi-san's history as a teacher, in that he'd failed all genin that came to him when they failed to pass his test. You three have improved greatly over time and we expected nothing less from either of you."

They bowed their heads. "Thank you, father," Hinata replied.

"When do you begin taking missions?" Fugaku asked.

"We start tomorrow morning," Sasuke answered.

"I see. Sasuke, you and I will be leaving now to train." Sasuke nodded and bowed his head in thanks to Hiashi.

"Thank you for visiting us, Uchiha-sama," Hinata said. Fugaku smiled and then nodded at Hiashi before leaving the room with Sasuke in tow. "Father, I request permission to practice Rotation during training today. I believe I have it down and would like your opinion."

Hiashi's eyes seemed to soften as he looked at his daughter. "I grant your request. Let us go to the training room. Neji will not be able to join us as he is away from the village on a mission."

Hinata smiled proudly as she thought of her cousin. Neji had mastered Rotation a few months ago, but Hinata had yet to get it down. This, as she overheard from clan members gossiping, bothered the Elders and they used this to plant more ideas that she is not capable of leading. When she heard that they were beginning to consider Hanabi, she felt angry. She wanted her sister to live the life she wanted and not have to be burdened with the duties she was.

Hanabi deserved to fall in love with whomever she wanted and marry that person, have kids, and not worry about all but one of them getting branded. She didn't want her to feel she had to be the best, she wanted her sister to feel confident and content no matter her skill level. Once she had heard that being discussed, Hinata immediately left to train vigorously. She was determined to be the best she could possibly be, for Hanabi but also for herself.

Later that evening, she entered her greenhouse with a huge smile on her face, happy that she had perfected Rotation. She happily hummed as she checked on her plants, watering the ones that needed it and checking the measurements on others. She moved to her desk where she made capsules, tablets, and salves to continue on her current project: creating eye droplets for doujutsu users to use for eye strain. She had lost her eyesight a few more times since and wanted to create something that would heal their eyes faster.

In her greenhouse, she normally felt at ease and calm but it was different today. She felt tense and she couldn't place why. Her answer came in the form of a voice she hadn't heard in years, a voice she didn't think she was ever going to hear again.

"Hinata-san…"

That voice…


We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Things are going to start picking up for Hinata behind the scenes, so I hope everyone looks forward to that. As for the poll, Sasuke is pretty much the winner but it was fun to do 3 The Team Kakashi Arc will last from chapters 19-24. After this arc, we'll be taking a short break because I'm supposed to be giving birth sometime around then. I don't want to pause in the middle of an arc. I hope y'all understand! I'm hoping to complete Part 1 of this series before my due date approaches but, at the pace I'm going, it might not happen. I'll do my best though! 3

-hina

NEXT UPDATE: 07/01/23