Hinata froze in place when she saw who it was, her eyes wide with realization and shock. "I…Ita—," She couldn't even bring herself to say his name to him now. Itachi slowly walked toward her, his entire body engulfed in a black cloak that had red clouds outlined in white on it. He looked…tired. Older than eighteen. His eyes went from his red sharingan to his black eyes as he deactivated his doujutsu, and she knew he wasn't there to hurt her.

"Hinata-san, you've…grown up," he said, tilting his head. His voice had gotten rougher, and deeper, and Hinata wished to move away from it. It sounded so different from the gentle boy she'd grown up with and related to. She missed him. She had missed him dearly. She wanted to run into his arms, to the comfort he used to provide her, but she could not. It was wrong. He was a wanted nin who was capable of killing with no regard for the consequences.

"You," she took a deep breath, "you should not be here."

"I know, but I need your help," he answered as he looked over her plants and reached out to touch one. "It is something I can only trust you with." He gently caressed the leaf, Hinata watching the interaction before snapping her eyes back to his face.

Hinata clenched her fist and her eyes hardened. "Did you…kill Shi-kun?" She asked, cursing herself for the crack in her voice.

Itachi moved his gaze to her, looking deeply into her eyes. "Would you believe me if I said no?" He replied.

Hinata deflated a bit at this and slumped her shoulders. "Truthfully, I never wanted to believe it for a second. You were so…gentle. You were kind and you loved him so much, loved Sasuke so much, but you left. You left us. And I—I don't know what to make of you. I don't know if everything I'd ever gathered from our time together was real, if it was the truth," she admitted. "So I don't know if I'd believe you, but I think…I'd hear you out."

Itachi listened to her patiently and noted that while she had definitely matured, she was still the same soft-spoken and kind-hearted person he remembered. He was relieved to discover this, that she hadn't hardened up the way he was forced to, and even more so after joining the Akatsuki. He wished for her, and Sasuke, to remain as they were, but they couldn't. He needed their help finishing something he had been unable to do when he fled the village.

"He did take his own life, but it was because he had no other choice. It was the work of a Konoha Elder," he said, shocking her. "I need your help." Despite the stoic look on his face, she could sense the urgency.

Hinata took in his words and then quickly activated her byakugan. Itachi made no move to defend himself and barely moved. She checked their surroundings and made sure no one was near. She closed her eyes, deactivating her doujutsu. "Please, close the door and…take a seat." Itachi did as she asked and waited patiently. "What do you need help with?"

Itachi was silent for a moment, just watching her as she stood leaning against one of her tables with her arms crossed, hugging herself subtly. "Danzo Shimura. He was an advisor to Lord Third and he is fiercely prejudiced against the Uchiha; he doesn't trust us. He was the one who attacked Shisui for his eyes and he wasn't going to stop until he got both of them. Shisui did the only thing he could and took his own life, to protect the Uchiha Clan. I was…with him when it occurred and there was nothing I could do because I knew he was making the right choice."

Hinata gripped her arms tight, her nails digging into her skin at the image of Shisui taking his life. "I wish to say something selfish, that he didn't have to resort to that, but I was a kid when it happened. I couldn't have helped and I wasn't there."

Itachi's hand twitched as he longed to put his hand on her head just as he used to, to comfort her, but he didn't dare move. He didn't want to frighten her. He needed her. "I understand your feelings. I wish I could have stopped him or even hid him, but Danzo had operatives everywhere. There wasn't a single place that was safe for him."

Hinata nodded slowly, her nails still clutching her arm. "Danzo Shimura. I'm positive I've seen him once or twice."

"He doesn't come out in public much, and he's never alone when he does. He has people in the shadows guarding him," he explained. "Danzo is a dangerous man. He's dangerous to the future of Konoha, and he needs to be incarcerated or executed, preferably the latter."

"Why do you care about what happens to the village?" She asked. "You deserted it."

Itachi kept his eyes steady on her. "What I am about to tell you is something that only the Third Hokage and the Spymaster of Konoha know," he said. She nodded. "I am only in the Akatsuki to keep tabs on the organization. It wasn't my initial plan but I was approached just after Shisui died and took the opportunity to go as Danzo would've attempted to kill me and my family as well. Possibly even you."

"The Akatsuki. Does Hokage-sama know of this?" Itachi shook his head. "I see. It would make sense why Danzo is still around. But then why…why didn't the Third Hokage do anything about it?" She asked.

"Danzo has always been a close friend to him and he let a lot of things slide because of it. This was one of them, although I did hear that Danzo was demoted and his organization was taken away from him. However, his followers are loyal to a fault and I doubt he completely shut it down. I need your help with convincing Minato Namikaze of Danzo Shimura's crimes against Konoha," he stated. "The village will never truly be safe with him free or alive."

"Why wouldn't Lord Third tell Hokage-sama about Danzo?"

Itachi smirked proudly. Hinata was asking all the right questions. "I believe it is because he wishes to avoid conflict within the village. Should a civil war begin, it would leave our village vulnerable to outside attacks from neighboring villages," he disclosed. "It has not been so long since our last war and I suspect he wishes to keep the peace for as long as possible, even if it means sacrificing certain people. I am loyal to Konoha and the Hokage, but I know he is a man of many faults. Minato Namikaze is someone who brought about actual change within the village and I believe he can do what Hiruzen Sarutobi was unable to do."

"How could I possibly convince him?" She asked, turning her back to him and staring out of the window. This situation was almost unbelievable, but Hinata didn't see any reason for Itachi to sneak back into the village and into the territory of people with all-seeing eyes for nothing. Her instincts felt him to be telling the truth, and she was going to trust that.

"As I said, there are only two people in the world who know of my true mission. If you can get an audience with the Hokage and speak to him privately, mention me. Mention my mission. He'd have no choice but to go to Lord Third and Lord Third would have no choice but to tell him. I believe that is when things will begin changing again."

"Coming here and telling me all of this… It means I'm no longer safe, doesn't it?" She asked. "Once I tell Hokage-sama, it could put my whole family at risk as well."

"That's right. I wouldn't have come to you if I had anyone else I could trust."

"What about Sasuke?" She asked, turning to face him once again.

This time, Itachi had to look away from her gaze. "Sasuke would not trust me. He would only try to fight me as soon as he saw me, and nothing would get done. He would become impatient and run off to find me before he is ready."

"Why do you want that fight? It's the only thing Sasuke has talked about in terms of future goals. Everything else will be put on hold until he defeats you and brings you back."

"I knew that when I left, everything would be put on his shoulders. He needed to get more serious. He needed to get stronger. In order to do that, he needed a goal. Doing this…I suppose you could say is my way of contributing to his growth without being here. It is selfish, I know, to put him through this, but he needs to be strong in order to defeat Danzo, should I fail to do so," he confessed. "He needs to be strong to lead two large clans and to protect the village and his family."

Hinata's eyes filled with tears. "Your leaving changed everything. I'm so angry with you, but also overjoyed to see you and I feel guilty because I know how Sasuke feels about you." She roughly rubbed her eyes.

"I'm sorry for everything that has happened, Hinata-san, and everything that has yet to happen."

Hinata stared into his eyes for a long while before noticing the pallor of his skin. She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer, causing him to straighten just a bit more. "You look…ill."

Itachi suddenly stood and turned toward the door. "I trust you to do what you can to personally see the Hokage."

"Wait. Please," she said, reaching out and grabbing onto the arm of his cloak, stopping him. "Let me look you over. I won't…rest easy if I don't make sure you're okay."

Itachi remained unmoving for a moment before taking a seat again. Hinata activated her doujutsu and her hands lit up with a blue hue as she slowly went from his head to his feet. Though still concentrating on her current task, she thought about what Itachi was asking her to do. She knew she was at risk just knowing what happened, and if Danzo caught wind of it then her entire clan would be in jeopardy. She inwardly sighed, knowing her answer.

"I'll do it," she said quietly, still roaming her hands over his body. She paused at his lungs, her eyes narrowing as she focused her byakugan on that area. "I'm seeing something in your lungs. Your lungs… and kidneys, there seems to be something wrong." Itachi looking away proved that he knew something was wrong. Hinata pushed her chakra into him and did her best to treat the area.

Itachi didn't have any hopes that whatever she did was going to work, but the determination in her eyes stopped him from saying anything.

"I haven't seen anything like this before," she said. "I'm going to have to do some research on my findings. Can you return in a few weeks?"

"Return?"

"If I can properly diagnose you, I can possibly create medication for you to take that could help. It would also help if you write down any symptoms you experience," she explained.

"You've started making your own medication? That's most impressive," he said. "I will do my best to return in three weeks." He stood up when she stepped away and stared at her for another moment. Slowly, he raised his hand and put it on her head. He thought back to the last time he did this and he felt his heart squeeze at how much she's grown—he could only imagine Sasuke's growth. He noticed her eyes filling with tears and pulled his hand back with a smile. "I trust you won't be telling Sasuke of this visit or any future ones."

Hinata bit her lip in thought before eventually nodding. Knowing that Itachi was coming around was only going to be trouble. She would do her best to help him and then say goodbye, something she hadn't gotten a chance to do the first time.

Itachi turned toward the door and took a few steps before stopping again. He kept his back to her as he spoke, "I want you to know…that you were very dear to him. That calming bag you gave him, it comforted him in his last moments. You were there with him and you helped him," he said.

This time, Hinata could not stop the tears from falling and she was thankful Itachi kept his back to her. "You are still very gentle," she choked out, her voice thick with tears. Itachi said nothing more as he vanished from her sight. Slowly, Hinata sank to her knees and covered her face as she sobbed, doing her best to keep quiet.

Shisui


One of the things Hinata had never particularly excelled at as a shinobi was shoving things that she couldn't process to the back of her mind and dealing with them at a later time or never. It was something she had actually discussed with Itachi at one point, but that was another thing she was avoiding because she apparently had figured out how to do just that. She wasn't going to question it, but rather embrace it since it was helping her.

Now, as she stood between her teammates and before their Hokage, the guilt and the other emotions that came with them were locked away deep inside and she'd never let them out.

Minato smiled at his group of old pupils briefly before looking over the list of D-rank missions and thinking for a moment. "Hm, which would you guys prefer, painting a fence or doing some yard work?" He asked.

Hinata winced slightly at Naruto's sharp inhale. She immediately put her hand on his forearm to calm him down before bowing to her sensei. "I think we'd like to do both today. Is that allowed?" She asked.

Minato and Kakashi raised their brows. "Well, it's not exactly against the rules, is it?" Kakashi asked.

"It isn't, but all missions time out by five in the afternoon. You will fail the mission if you take it and don't complete it," Minato warned.

The trio looked at one another before Sasuke smirked. "I don't think that's going to be a problem, sensei," he said.

Hinata giggled, "You know us." Instantly, Hinata's eyes narrowed as she turned her head toward the door. Sasuke and Naruto were immediately alert. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal a small boy wearing a helmet and a long blue scarf. Kakashi, Minato, and all his office workers turned to look at the boy before a few of them sighed tiredly.

"I'm here to fight you, old man!" The boy yelled.

Minato chuckled and stood up in his seat. "Back again, Konohamaru?"

The boy ran for the Fourth Hokage but only got a few steps before Naruto was holding him up by the back of his shirt. "Hey, pipsqueak, we were in the middle of accepting a mission. Come back later," he said, voice clipped with annoyance.

Hinata gasped. "Naruto, put him down!" She scolded.

Naruto huffed, gripping the boy's shirt tighter and raising him higher. Konohamaru's feet kicked wildly as he struggled to get out of his grip. "Let me go, you blonde idiot!" Naruto's eye twitched and he brought his fist up.

"Naruto," Hinata said, her voice stern and full of warning. Naruto looked at her and gulped at the look in her eyes. Immediately, he dropped the boy and turned his back with a pout.

Hinata kneeled down next to Konoharmaru. "Are you okay, Konohamaru-kun? I ask you to forgive my teammate. He's very passionate about our ninja duties," she said, helping him up and fixing his scarf. The young boy's eyes looked at her in awe and his cheeks dusted with a hint of red. Sasuke caught this and raised a brow.

"Hinata, don't baby him," Naruto said.

"I'm not babying him," she replied, sending a look his way. "Why do you want to fight our Hokage-sama?" She asked.

Konohamaru huffed. "Because if I beat him, then I'll get to be Hokage!" He said, glaring at the village leader.

Hinata smiled softly and patted his head. "I see. You'll have to train very hard to beat him, then, won't you?" Konohamaru nodded. "If you wish to catch someone off guard, then I wouldn't advise being so loud just before you attack. In situations like that, you have to be stealthy!"

Konohamaru grinned. "You're super smart! Definitely look smarter than the idiot back there," he said, pointing back at Naruto, who growled. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at that. Konohamaru turned his attention to him then. "Is he your other teammate?"

"Yes. That is Sasuke Uchiha and the boy behind you is Naruto Uzumaki. I am Hinata Hyuuga, and it is a pleasure to meet you officially, Konohamaru Sarutobi," she said.

"You know my name!" He exclaimed, his face lit up with glee.

Hinata giggled. "I do. Your grandfather talks highly of you when I see him at formal functions."

Naruto groaned. "This kid is the Third Hokage's grandson?!"

Konohamaru smirked. "Yeah. What are you, scared?" He challenged. Kakashi caught Naruto in a soft chokehold as he made a grab for the boy.

"I don't care about titles, I'll spank you in front of everyone to see!" He threatened. Konohamaru was shocked by the words as no one else had ever spoken to him like that after hearing who his grandfather was.

"Naruto, please calm down," Hinata said.

"Thanks, Miss Hinata!" Konohamaru latched onto her arm, catching Sasuke and Naruto off guard.

Sasuke was at her side. "Hey, hands off, kid," he said.

Konohamaru glared up at him. "Why? Is she your girlfriend or something?" Sasuke's face went just barely visibly red. "Pfft, like she'd ever go for someone as boring-looking as you." Kakashi had to hold Sasuke back by his shirt as he began to lunge at the boy. Naruto was still in their sensei's grip as he laughed at Sasuke's expense.

Hinata patted Konohamaru's head. "Konohamaru-san, I ask you to be polite to my teammates. They mean very much to me," she said. He looked up at her, still attached to her arm, and nodded.

"Okay, whatever you say, Miss Hinata!"

"You can just call me Hinata."

The boy thought for a moment before snapping his fingers as he made a decision. "Hina!" He declared proudly. Hinata tensed for a moment as she thought of Shisui before shaking it off and smiling warmly at him.

"I love it." Slowly, she pulled her arm from his embrace and stood. "Now, our team is about to accept our first mission, so we'll have to go. You should head home. Everyone here is really busy and you don't want Hokage-sama to leave you even more work for you to deal with when you become Hokage, do you?"

Konohamaru shook his head vehemently. "Nu-uh! I'll be going now. Bye, Hina!" He said as he ran from the room with no farewells to anyone else.

Minato had taken his seat in the middle of their conversation, amused by the turn of events. "Well, Hinata-chan, it seems you have a way with children," he said.

Hinata blushed, bowing her head. "I apologize for taking up much of your time. We are ready to accept our missions."

Minato waved off her apology. "Don't worry about that. I think you should worry about the crush that Konohamaru has definitely developed on you," he said with a chuckle. "Okay, Team 7 has officially been assigned two D-rank missions, both on opposite ends of the village from one another. You have until five to finish and turn in your verbal report."

Kakashi walked up and took the two scrolls handed to him. "We'll be off, Hokage-sama," he said. The entire team bowed and then turned to leave.

"Bye, Dad!" Naruto said as he walked out the door. Minato smiled proudly and laughed as he heard Hinata gently scolding him to be proper with the Hokage while he was working.

After gathering supplies for the paint and heading to the address of the first mission, they discussed their plan.

"I believe it'll work best if Sasuke paints the inside of the fence, I paint the outside, and Naruto paints the edges," Hinata said. Kakashi walked just a few steps behind them and observed silently.

The two boys agreed. "Oh! The person who finishes last has to pay for lunch!" Naruto added.

As the long fence came into view, Sasuke sighed. "I don't think we'll have time for lunch. We'll have to make it a dinner."

"Works for me!"

When Hinata caught the height of the grass around the fence, she hummed in thought. "Let's see… Naruto, would you mind cutting the grass around the fence first? Sasuke and I will begin painting right behind you."

"Sounds great, Hinata, but I guess we'll have to save that race for our second mission," Naruto said.

Kakashi began slowly meandering away. "Well, I guess you three won't be needing me for this…" he said.

Hinata looked tiredly at him. "Sensei, this mission was assigned to all of us," she reminded him. "At least stay around in case there's something we have to ask you." Kakashi sighed and pulled out his book to read rather than answer as he took a seat under a tree. "I swear…"

Sasuke and Hinata got the paint and brushes ready while Naruto cut the grass. Sasuke looked around casually before wrapping a finger around her pinky as they waited. Hinata blushed but didn't draw any attention to the act and instead watched as Naruto got a few posts away.

"Let's get started," Sasuke said, picking up one of the cans and a brush before kneeling in front of the fence. Hinata separated from him and kneeled on the other side. As they worked, they would occasionally catch each other's eye and smile before returning to their work.

Kakashi caught every bit of affection two of his genin were exchanging despite his eyes not leaving the pages. If they had been paying attention to him, they would know he had been on the same page for the last five minutes. Kakashi's gaze moved to his hyperactive student and was surprised to find him smiling to himself as he cut the grass. He thought Naruto was going to be throwing a fit over how mundane their missions were going to be until they were ready for a C-rank mission. Honestly, Kakashi thought they were more than ready to go for a high C-rank/low B-rank mission, but the Hokage was the only one who could make those decisions. They do exceptionally well during practice, but that could change once they were against actual enemies.

By the time the team announced they were done painting the fence, nearly two hours had passed.

"Race?" Naruto asked, looking at them.

Kakashi spoke from behind them. "Ready, go!" He said. Hinata looked panicked for a moment before all three of them shot off, body flickering across the village by the rooftops. The Jonin chuckled to himself before going after them at a slower pace, even though he could easily beat them there.


"I just think it's a bit excessive to eat that many bowls of ramen!" Sasuke argued. Naruto slurped up some noodles before looking to the other side of Sasuke and nodding toward their teammate. Sasuke's jaw dropped when he counted five empty bowls stacked to the side as she worked on her sixth one. Naruto was only on his third. "Hinata, what the hell?!"

Hinata finished chewing the noodles she had in her mouth as she wiped the corners with her napkin. "I had to skip breakfast this morning, so I'm very hungry."

Sasuke groaned. "I know, but I'm paying."

"Well, that's why you shouldn't have lost," Naruto laughed, ignoring the broth on his chin. Sasuke grimaced while Hinata reached over and handed him a napkin.

"Naruto, you have some ramen on your face," she said. He thanked her as he wiped his face.

"Don't baby him," Sasuke said, repeating Naruto's words from earlier.

"I'm not babying him. Wouldn't you want me to tell you that there's something on your face?" She replied. Sasuke huffed and mumbled. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Sasuke sighed dramatically. "I said, 'You're right. Sorry, Mother.'"

Hinata pursed her lips before smiling at Sasuke's antics. "You're silly. I was going to help you pay anyway since I'm eating so much."

"It's fine. A deal's a deal."

Hinata smiled at him before looking over at Kakashi who sat on her other side. "How was today, sensei?"

He swallowed his food. "It was exceptionally boring."

"Yes, I think that sums it up quite well, but I'm very happy we were able to help those two elderly men. It makes it worthwhile!" She said.

"Hokage-sama seemed pleased that you three were able to finish with two hours to spare," he added. "Any other team would have taken all day to paint that fence because they would've been arguing on how to do it."

"I'm sure we won't have trouble like that," Sasuke interjected. Naruto hummed in agreement as he ate quickly to catch up to Hinata who was already finished with her sixth bowl.

"Have you three decided on who the leader is?"

"We all work together, but if one of us is more skilled than the others on a particular thing, then they take the lead. It's always worked for us," Hinata answered. Then, she tilted her head. "I don't think there have ever been any arguments between us about it."

"Yeah, it's never been a problem," Sasuke confirmed. It was something that seemed to surprise a lot of people, considering Sasuke and Naruto were hotheaded and tended to bicker a lot. When it came down to it, their teamwork was impeccable, and adding Hinata to the mix had only upped their abilities and cooperation.

Naruto wiped his mouth. "Yeah! And I guess if I had to choose who has more say between all three of us, it'd be Hinata."

Hinata blushed, shaking her head. "N-not at all! We all have the same amount of say."

Kakashi raised a brow. "No, I'm going to have to agree with Naruto on this. You just seem to have these two guys wrapped around your fingers," he chuckled. Naruto and Sasuke didn't disagree as they were aware of how much control she had over them, but they never complained as Hinata would never take advantage of it. They trusted her as she trusted them.

Her face went a brighter red. "Well, if that's true then I'd say they also have me wrapped around theirs," she argued. "The way we care for each other, this is how it is."

Kakashi looked them over for a moment before smiling. "My very first team of genin are cute. I really lucked out."

Sasuke scoffed. "Well, your team of cute genin want to know when we're going to start on our training between missions," he said.

"Don't you three train anyway?"

"That's not the point, sensei!" Naruto said. "We've been training under the same people for a while, but you're our teacher now. We have to learn from you now."

Hinata smiled apologetically. "Yes, he's right. You have a different skill set that we'd love to learn."

Kakashi sighed. "How about we get some training done after this, then?"

Sasuke looked out at the sky. "We have an hour before Hinata has to go home for her doujutsu training."

"I can send word to my father that I will be training outside for today," she assured them. "What will we work on today?"

"I think we should work on your strategic abilities," he said after thinking for a moment. "All that teamwork isn't going to matter if you have no flexible strategy."

Sasuke finished up his bowl of noodles. "Minato-sensei worked on us with that a bit before he became the Hokage," he said. "Is strategy your strong suit?"

Their sensei tilted his head. "Well, I am known for surviving impossible situations."

Naruto shrugged. "Works for me. Hinata, want me to send a shadow clone to tell your dad that you're gonna be home late?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much. I'll treat you to something sweet soon!"

Naruto's eyes lit up and he hurried to make the shadow clone that immediately ran off to the Hyuuga compound. "Make it those cookies you bake sometimes and we'll call it even." Hinata agreed. "Yes! Oh, and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei can't have any."

Hinata giggled. "I can't prevent them from eating any," she said.

Sasuke smacked Naruto on the back hard. "Yeah, idiot. Don't keep it to yourself. Maybe Kakashi and I want some."

"Ow! You don't even like sweets, 'ya bastard!" Naruto complained, rolling his shoulder to ease the pain. "Sensei, do you want any or is Sasuke just making a big deal out of nothing?"

Kakashi grinned. "The latter. Come on. Let's get going now," he said, turning away from the bar and standing. He watched as Naruto laughed at Sasuke who was putting money down on the bar for the owner, Teuchi.

"Even Kakashi-sensei thinks you're too much," Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke smacked Naruto on the back of the head as he turned and passed by the blonde. "Shut it, loser. Let's go."

Hinata followed after them. "You both need to stop it," she said sternly. She stopped for a moment before turning around and bowing to the owner. "Thank you so much! I'm sure we'll be back soon."

Teuchi smiled warmly and waved. "Y'all be safe and have a good training session!" They thanked him and left.

When they arrived at the training grounds, Kakashi turned to them. "Today, we'll be doing scenarios. I'll give you one and you tell me how you would react as a team," he explained. They nodded. "You're on a B-rank mission and transporting sensitive material through forest terrain. A group of four enemy ninja surround you. What is your next move?"

The three thought for a moment, glancing at one another before nodding. "Unless the enemy were very high-ranked, Hinata would hear them approaching if she hadn't already detected them with her byakugan. At that point, we would switch the sensitive material between the three of us in the midst of fighting," Sasuke answered.

"Keep them guessing who has it, that's clever. It keeps them in and out of focus in battle. Relying on Hinata's doujutsu and hearing can be dangerous, however. Let's say she didn't see or hear them approaching and they decide to attack from a distance. What do you do?"

"If we are in possession of an important object, then I believe it would be dangerous to continuously travel the same way," Hinata explained. "We would switch between traveling by road and by trees. If that's the case, they would have a difficult time injuring us through the forest without us detecting them. So that only leaves the open road to worry about."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, that's good. What about the open road then?"

Naruto smiled. "Even without Hinata's eyes, no one would be able to sneak up on us because I would send out a few shadow clones ahead of us and leave a few behind and around us," he said. "If they took out the clones, that would still leave us enough time to prepare to fight or take a different route before they could catch up to us."

"Perfect," their sensei said. "Let's say you're passing over a bridge and underneath it is nothing but rocks and a thin river. The enemies are on each side of the bridge and you have no way back or through. What is your next move?"

Sasuke smirks. "I can use my sharingan to place a few of them under a genjutsu and allow us to pass. Hinata will block their chakra points as we move along. Naruto will leave a few shadow clones behind to take care of the other side."

"Only Naruto can do that since he has incredible stamina and chakra reserves. We will not have to worry about him," Hinata added.

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay. All of that works well for pretty much all taijutsu scenarios, but what if they're using genjutsu or elemental jutsu? What do you do then?"

"We've figured out what elements we're most suited for. We all have lightning, Hinata and I have fire, and Naruto has wind," Sasuke explained. "In the event that we need to take out a group of people, Hinata and I will use a fire jutsu that will be strengthened by one of Naruto's wind jutsu. That's one of the combinations we've put together."

"That's very smart. What if the enemy has a higher-powered water jutsu to counter it?"

"All three of us have an earth jutsu to use that we can strengthen with a water jutsu Hinata can use should we need to," Naruto replied. "But it depends on where we are. Are we near water, in the forest, or in the mountains? Maybe we're in the desert."

Kakashi snapped his fingers. "Yes, exactly, Naruto! See, you can't be sure what strategy you may need to use until you're in the situation but it's good to think of possible ones to prepare for any kind of scenario. So for today, you three will be making three different combinations of moves you can use for every terrain you're in. This will help you remember what your teammates are capable of and to plan accordingly."

"Understood!" They said.

"Afterwards, you'll come up with a strategy against a multitude of opponents with an impressive arsenal. Each one of them will have their own strengths such as taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, or elemental jutsu. For now. As you complete missions outside of the village, you'll see that there are many strong people that you'll run into and possibly have to face off," he finished. "You'll see what I mean at some point. Once you're finished, bring it to me and we'll polish them together."

"You're saying that our strategies won't be good enough off the bat?" Sasuke huffed.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's impossible to be your absolute best as you're going to continue learning and improving. That is kind of the point of training and me. You're only genin and even though you've all been trained by powerful teachers and are better than the average genin, you're still genin. You have not been in a real battle. Once we cross that path, you'll see."

Sasuke wanted to argue, but he knew Kakashi was right. Even now, he was nowhere near as strong as his brother who's seen war and was an Anbu captain by the time he was thirteen. He remained silent instead.

"We'll do our best, sensei," Hinata said. "May we start?" Kakashi nodded and stood off to the side while the three crouched and took out their own scrolls. He pulled out his book and looked up every now and then. Each time, they were working diligently and immersed in relevant conversation. He smiled to himself as he flipped a page.


The next day, Hinata stood on the other side of the training room from Neji, her opponent. He returned from his mission a few hours ago and expressed a desire to spar against Hinata. Hiashi saw this as a perfect opportunity to see where their abilities were. Neji, due to all his rigorous training with her sensei and all the missions he went on, was faster than Hinata and now had more stamina than her. She was holding her own and keeping him on his toes, but it was clear that she was becoming exhausted. Not only that, but she was beginning to squint which was the first sign of eye strain.

"That's enough," Hiashi called out. "Your eyes are reaching their limit. I do not want you to have to wear your sunglasses for the announcement. As such, you will not be training with us until after the day has passed. Focus on your studies for now and shield your eyes."

Hinata bowed. "Yes, Father." She rubbed her eyes, blinking hard once before turning to her cousin. "Would you like to join me for some tea, brother?"

Neji smiled and followed after her. A couple of years ago, she began calling him her brother and he was overjoyed to have such a cute little sister who adored him. She often came to him for advice and to hear stories about his missions and teammates. He loved making her laugh and seeing her smile. Now that he was gone from the compound often, he wasn't able to fulfill his protector duties but he trusted in her abilities and he promised to wait for her. One day, they would fight side-by-side on the battlefield and everyone would see that they were not just main branch and side branch members; they were equals.

They sat together and enjoyed the garden in full bloom.

"How is your medication going?" Neji asked. When showed him the salve she made and had him use some, he was surprised by the ability and the quality of it. He always kept a jar on him in case of bruises, cuts, and scrapes. His teammates enjoyed using it as well, especially Tenten. She loved the scent of it and placed a dab of it on her upper lip when she was stressed or just wanted to relax. He had to limit both Lee and Guy-sensei's use of it when they once used his entire jar in one sitting. Due to their rigorous training, those two often got a bit roughed up.

She beamed. "It's going very well!" She reached into her pouch and pulled out a scroll. She opened rolled it out on the table and unsealed her medications. Across the table were different pills bottles, jars of different salves, and small vials of eye drops. "I'm still working on the eye drops for eye strain, but there have been a few setbacks."

He reached out and looked at the labels of all the bottles. "You even have some for fevers? I knew about the ones that helped for pain, but not these."

"Yes! I finally got the right combination so it not only works but doesn't taste bitter. I'm working on making chewables for people who have difficulties taking pills and dissolvables for people who are unable to chew or swallow anything solid," she explained. "I also have salves that work on healing rashes, easing poison ivy, cuts, and bruises, and a lotion that I made to help with sunburn and keeping your skin moisturized."

His eyes widened as she explained everything. "Hinata-sama, that's amazing," he praised. "I knew you were working on many things, but I didn't know you had already completed them."

She blushed and Neji thought she looked even prettier when she got shy, but he loved his headstrong cousin even more. "Thank you! And I told you to just call me Hinata when we're alone."

He smiled apologetically. "It's difficult to turn off. My apologies."

She waved it off. "It's okay. How is Uncle doing?" She asked. "Is his back any better?"

He sighed. "He's…better, but his stubbornness has prevented him from fully recovering. The pills you gave him seemed to be helping, but I just found out he ran out."

Hinata searched through her small pharmacy and pulled out a bottle. "I made some extras for him just in case. I'm happy they are helping." She held it out to Neji, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you. He will really appreciate this. He is very eager to continue going on missions, but I'm afraid he is not following the doctor's instructions on strict bedrest for three weeks. It's prolonged it to a month now."

Hinata thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not a very skilled medic but I can go over soon and check his back," she offered.

Neji smiled brightly, Hinata's favorite smile of his. "We would very much appreciate it, thank you. How about later tonight, after dinner?" She agreed and they went back to discussing her future plans for the garden and how her first mission went. Neji even gave her some great advice concerning a certain mission that she was required to have. Because of that, Hinata had to interrupt her tea time with him, pack up her things, and head to her greenhouse to work on a new "weapon."

After reading up on what she needed, she went out into the garden when she couldn't find everything she needed in the greenhouse. To be safe, she closed the door behind her and got to on creating what could be her most useful weapon as a genin doing D-rank missions, a smile on her face.

Later, an hour before dinner, she made her way to the library with her sunglasses on per her father's request. She brought along a few notebooks, a few pencils, and pain pills for the inevitable headache she got with all the reading she was planning to do. She greeted the librarian and headed to the far back of the library where the medical books resided.

She picked out books on the lungs and kidneys and diseases related to them and took them to a back table. She quickly opened them and got to work taking notes and comparing certain diseases. She quickly concluded that she needed to complete a full physical on the older Uchiha when she next saw him. Hinata just hoped he allowed her to do so.

"What could it possibly be?" She sighed quietly to herself. Research seemed to be a waste of time when she didn't even know the majority of his symptoms. She only knew it related to two of his major organs. She shook off the discouragement that was presenting itself and wrote down everything she felt was relevant. By the time the librarian came around to alert her that the building was closing, she had nearly completed one notebook.

She thanked the woman and packed up her things. She handed her books to the librarian when asked and left the building. The sun was nearly set and she only had a few minutes before Ko came out looking for her. As she walked with her bag through the village, she saw a man turn a corner and continue walking in the opposite direction of her. She narrowed her eyes as she registered the man to be Danzo Shimura.

She clenched her fists as she remembered that he was the man who caused Shisui's death and Itachi's desertion. He was the one who took away two of her closest friends and nearly ruined her best friends. She kept her eyes ahead, fully intending to walk past him without a word when he called out to her.

"Hinata Hyuuga, is that you?" He asked.

Hinata inhaled through her nose quickly before turning to him with a soft smile. "Shimura-sama, how are you? I apologize for not seeing you sooner," she said, pointing to her sunglasses. "I strained my eyes a bit during training."

Danzo chuckled. "That's quite all right, my dear." Hinata shuddered but kept her composure. When she looked up at his face, she focused on the bandages he always wore but she suddenly wondered if Shisui's eye was hidden under it. Itachi had not explicitly told her that Danzo had taken his eye but it didn't take her long to figure it out.

"It's such a nice evening, isn't it?" She said, looking toward the sunset. "Do you go for walks often?"

"Ah, yes, it is," he replied. "I enjoy going for a long walk every few days, just to see how wonderful the village and its people are. Were you also going for a walk?"

She shook her head. "I was studying in the library. I was so caught up in my books that I didn't even know it closed until the librarian came to me," she giggled. All that leadership training with her father and holding her tongue around the Elders had certainly paid off.

"Studying even when your eyes are strained? Such dedication," he said, smiling widely. "I hear you passed Kakashi's ridiculous bell test."

Hinata laughed softly. "Yes, and it was definitely some test. It kept us on our feet!"

"Then I believe congratulations are in order. Continue studying hard and doing your best."

Hinata bowed. "Thank you very much, Shimura-sama. You're very kind," she replied. "I'll let you continue on your walk. I'm sure a family member will be out searching for me if I am late."

Danzo bowed his head. "Ah, yes. We don't want that," he joked. "Have a good night, Hinata-chan." They shared another smile before turning their backs on one another and continuing on their way.

Hinata took another steadying breath and activated her byakugan to see just what was under his bandages. She focused on his bandaged arm and found herself frozen on the spot at what she discovered beneath. On his arm, there were three bursts of powerful chakra and when she focused to get a closer look, she realized they were sharingan.

"Hinata-chan? Is everything okay?" Danzo called out.

Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and calmly turned to the man. "Ah, yes! I just realized that I might have left my favorite pencil in the library," she said, blushing with embarrassment.

Danzo smiled and bowed his head. "I'm sure the librarian will keep it safe for you until you go back. Have a good night."

"Yes, thank you. You as well," she said. As calmly as she could, despite her the slight shake of her hands, she bowed her head and continued her walk home. She was aware he never traveled alone, that he had his own agents watching over him in case anyone decided to track him. No doubt they were keeping a close eye on her right now, and she needed to keep her emotions at bay. She found herself thankful for the sunglasses and no one could see through them as they had to be strong enough to almost completely block out the sun, but she needed to stop her hands from shaking. To help, she began to happily hum a song to herself and tap her fingers along to it to mask the involuntary movement.

She wasn't sure what any of this meant, but she couldn't move forward without telling Itachi of this discovery. First, she needed to have a talk with her father about the investigations into Itachi. Hiashi had informed her of their mission to retrieve him but there has been no update, and that is something she needed.

She needed to help clear Itachi's name… to help him come home.

To Sasuke.

To all of them.


We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Starting now, there will be more scenes with Itachi so let me know what y'all think about reintroducing him and the mission he's asked Hinata to help with. We also got a Twitter, so if anyone wants to follow it's hina_r3dx or just click the link I'll be adding to our profile. It's still very bare but I'd be more active on there than Tumblr. I'll also be posting updates on how the story is going, snippets of future chapters, and maybe threads of short fics and possibly taking prompts. And with the short break I'll be taking after my due date (08/20), it'll be easier to keep everyone up to date. Also congrats to the person who commented that their due date is also nearby! We're so close, just a few days before mine! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! It means a lot to us.

-hina

NEXT UPDATE: 07/08/23 (A day after my birthday!)