Chapter Two
Grass
Hanabi – 11
Konohamaru – 12
It had been a while since she last saw her friends.
But she did like her new friends. Her team.
She told father as much.
"Don't let them see you be weak, Hanabi."
That was just typical Hiashi, though.
There wasn't really much for her to be weak about.
The day they met Tora-sensei was the last action-packed day they had as a team. Over the next several months, they had found missing cats, weeded old ladies' gardens, ran on village errands for the Hokage (was it appropriate to send children to pick up sake?), and the furthest from the village they were able to go: finding herbs for the hospital.
That was about it. D-rank, after d-rank, after d-rank.
Her sister told her to be grateful for the work. It was showing her what it was like to be part of the town.
"You're getting to know people."
And get to know people she did. She was very familiar now with the old woman who they weeded the garden of (she always had candy for them) and very familiar with the cat that keeps escaping the main Nara household (it hisses a lot). She was familiar with Lady Hokage's favorite alcoholic beverages (again, appropriate?) and possibly the most useful familiarity was beginning to recognize certain herbs and their uses in healing.
So maybe it wasn't all bad. Besides, with the war effort, their jobs around town were actually pretty important right now, as all viable chūnin, jōnin, Anbu, you name it, were dispatched. They hardly even saw their sensei most days during that time. There was no one left to tend to the village, to guard it. So Hanabi felt comfort in that.
But as the war came and left in as little time as it had started, and after a long period of mourning, things were slowly getting back to normal. And with that, the trio were itching for something more. Soon, they would be granted that wish.
"Hey kiddos." This was how Tora addressed them. Hanabi didn't really mind, she was a kid after all, and Jun regarded it with fondness, but Eiji always rolled her eyes.
"Hey, lady," Eiji responded, as she often did, earning a snort from the Nara.
"Got some good news." Tora lifted herself from the tree trunk she had been leaning on, waiting for their arrival. All listened intently. "I requested our first c-rank mission."
"REALLY?!" Eiji hopped in the air in excitement, looking back at the other two.
"Figured I'm done torturing you with my little cousins cat." She smirked, winking directly at Eiji.
"Wait—"
"Go get packed up for a six-day trip. We're leaving in two hours."
"Six days?" Hanabi inquired nervously. She worried it might be too long in case any diplomatic assignments were to crop up. Tora looked at her and nodded.
"Never fear, I cleared it with your old man." Tora gave her a reassuring smile and Hanabi tilted her head thoughtfully. Guess she really does think of everything. "Now go on. Meet me at the front gates in two hours. Don't be late."
With that, the trio bolted back towards town.
"Our first c-rank!" Eiji repeated as they ran, her voice full of glee.
"I can't believe it," Jun added, though his voice sounded nervous.
"I wonder what it is," Hanabi mused. A six-day trip meant they were going somewhere pretty far, a two day trip there, four day trip back or vice versa if it were escorting walkers. "Maybe escorting?"
"Ooh, yeah, I bet it is. Some fancy nobles or something," Eiji agreed, beaming towards her.
Some fancy nobles.
The idea of being the one escorting them around herself seemed pretty funny to her. Usually when she went out on political assignments, she had some chūnin, the occasional jōnin accompanying her along with the usual Hyūga guards. Now she might be the one accompanying politicians and nobles. How fun.
When they got to town, they broke off towards their respective homes. When she made it to her room, she opened the door to find several maids already packing for her.
"Oh, Lady Hanabi!" Natsu emerged from the gaggle of maids, throwing her arms around her. Hanabi sighed. "Are you sure you're ready to go on such a mission? What if something happens?"
"Natsu." Hanabi peeled the older woman off of her, resting her hands to her sides with a pat. "I am ready. More than ready. Besides, I'll have my sensei and team."
"Ah." Natsu sighed, nodding. "Well, we're just about done packing your things." Hanabi glanced over her shoulder, seeing her shinobi satchels being laid out meticulously. "Lord Hiashi has a very specific way of packing shinobi tools, he wants you to become familiar with it."
"He does?" Hanabi eyes widened a bit as she noted how things were being placed. Natsu nodded with a tight smile.
"Yes. You'll grow to know it." Natsu carefully pulled the girls shoulder to bring her to the completed pack. "As a genin, you're aware you're only allowed three pouches, but three pouches is more than enough for a Hyūga." She pointed at the first pouch. "This one goes under the top right of your robe." She picked it up and carefully tucked it into her robe. "It contains senbon and explosive tags." She pointed to the second pouch. "This goes on your hip. Kunai and shuriken." She helped fasten it around her hips. "And finally, this one is your medical supply. Ointments, food pills, bandages, and so on. It goes around your left thigh." Finally, she strapped the last one to her. "And that should be all you'll need, outside of your pack of living necessities."
Natsu turned Hanabi to face her mirror and she stood still, observing herself. Since becoming a genin, she had traded in her smaller, pale yellow robes for something that more resembled the ribbons she and Moegi had purchased that day. A darker yellow closer to the top, morphing to darker orange as it went down, until very dark orangish-red flame patterns emerged from the bottom, and a pale yellow obi to secure it. She also opted for footwear closer to what her sister had, knee-high open toed sandals.
And as she observed herself, she could see no trace of her shinobi gear, and had to smile. She knew one day, if she proceeded, she may don the flak jacket and all would be able to see clear as day she was a shinobi. For now, she enjoyed the idea that no one could tell she was in fact a shinobi.
As she helped the maids pack her bag, she felt the presence of her sister behind her. She turned to find her beaming down at her, causing Hanabi to flush. "What?!"
"I'm just proud." Hinata held out her hands, which Hanabi begrudgingly took, allowing herself to be gathered in a hug. "You'll do well, I know it."
"Well, yeah," Hanabi mumbled, returning the embrace. "Of course I will."
Hinata giggled. "Don't let your ego cloud your judgement." She pulled back to look down at the littler sister, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her nose. "It's your first time out in the field. You should always be prepared for enemies."
"We're living in a time of peace, I really doubt I'll run into anything." Hanabi rolled her eyes, looking to the side.
"Don't be so sure." Hinata's voice became laced with warning. "C-rank mission still have the possibility for danger. That's why they're higher than d-rank."
"Okay, okay," Hanabi conceded, holding up her hands in defense. "I'll tread carefully, okay? Show off that Hyūga prowess." To this, Hinata softened.
"Of course." Hinata nodded, giggling slightly. "Almost ready?"
"Yep." Hanabi turned, checking inside her bag. "Clothes, food, water…all you need, right?"
"Here." Hinata reached into her pouch to pull out a small scroll. "It's a summoning scroll for Lady Tsunade's summon, Lady Katsuyu. She asked that you have one on you at all times."
"Really?" Hanabi asked, gingerly taking the delicate scroll.
"It will only summon a small version of her, but if you run into inescapable trouble, you can summon her and Lady Tsunade will know immediately," Hinata explained, "and she can perform some light healing. Watch my hands." Hanabi looked down to see her sister performing the hand sign for summoning.
Boar – Dog – Bird – Monkey – Ram
Hanabi focused intensely, mimicking the movements as her sister did them. She did remember this hand sign from the academy, but had to admit she didn't remember the full sign. She practiced it a few more times before nodding to her sister.
"Got it."
"I hope you do." Hinata smiled weakly, patting the top of her head. "Be sure to bid father farewell before you leave."
"I will."
After securing her pack to her back, Hanabi slowly made her way to her fathers study. The guards in front quickly notified him of her presence, and he was calling her in within moments. She bowed and kneeled as she always did.
"Tora-sensei said she spoke with you about this mission," Hanabi started, unsurely. Hiashi nodded.
"Indeed she did. Snarky one, she is…" Hiashi grumbled, looking towards the side of him. "I found the terms acceptable. She is quite confident in your abilities, so I have no reason to believe she would put you in undue danger."
"Thank you, father." She bowed once more. As she grew older and become more experienced with shinobi work, a side of her father was being revealed day by day – one that isn't quite so cold and hardened. One that is a bit softer, a bit more trusting. It was strange, but she couldn't complain.
"Go now, then." Hiashi nodded at her. "And demonstrate Hyūga talent."
"I will." Hanabi bowed once more before getting to her knees. "Thank you, father."
On her trek through town, Jun had crossed paths with her, and so they walked together at a moderate pace, having time to spare.
"Are you nervous?" Jun asked, fiddling with the straps of his pack. Hanabi shook her head. He sighed, "I am."
"Don't be." Hanabi tried to exude confidence. "We'll be alright. They wouldn't give us this assignment if we weren't ready. Besides, how many enemies are left after a great war?"
"You'd be surprised, I think." Jun frowned. "War can stir up a lot of bad blood after the fact."
"Huh?" Hanabi questioned, looking down at the boy.
"When people lose loved ones in the war, sometimes they blame those who participated in it," Jun reasoned. "Like, say, someone in a smaller village experienced a casualty due to the effect of war. What's stopping them from blaming the Leaf? Or the Wind? Or Stone? Or—"
"Okay, I get it." Hanabi sighed. She had to admit this wasn't something she had considered too deeply. Jun might be right. Suddenly, she felt a little knot beginning to form in her gut, the familiar start of anxiety. Damn it, Jun.
As they drew nearer to the front gate, she could hear excited chatter—excited chatter from a voice she recognized.
"Heeeey! Hanabi!"
Konohamaru.
"Oh, look. It's the kids you hung out with in the Academy." Jun pointed towards the trio. She felt little butterflies slowly undoing the knot in her stomach as they got close enough to see their figures. It had been a few months, as both teams were busy with their, well, busy work, and she noted they had all grown a bit taller, and all three had replaced their goggles with their Leaf headbands. Konohamaru's hair was a little longer on the sides, he sported a high-collared black and green coat, tan pants and boot-style sandals similar to hers. The most notable part was that his blue scarf was gone. For some reason, that bothered her a bit.
Once they were within a few meters of each other, she gasped when Konohamaru swooped her into a tight hug.
"Put her down, Konohamaru!" Moegi snapped, causing Konohamaru to stick his tongue out at her.
"Hey Hanabi!" Udon waved as Konohamaru dropped her, causing her to stumble. Jun grabbed her shoulder to help her even out.
What an odd sensation. She felt a bit nostalgic, being around all of them.
"Looks like we're going on our first c-rank mission—together!" Konohamaru was practically yelling, his voice laced with excitement. "Isn't that awesome?"
"O-oh?" Hanabi questioned, finally getting a word out.
"Didn't you know?" Moegi questioned with a head tilt. Hanabi shook her head. "An escort mission to the land of Grass. We're picking up a pretty large group, so they wanted two teams."
"Ah, our sensei doesn't really tell us things," Jun offered weakly, rubbing the back of his head. To this, Hanabi smiled.
"Yeah, she's pretty light on detail." Hanabi chuckled, glancing between the group.
So she was right. An escort mission. With…her friends!
Jun checked his watch as an older man joined them. "Oh, this is Ebisu-sensei." Konohamaru pointed at the man.
"Hanabi." Hanabi bowed, and Jun copied her.
"Where is Eiji?" Jun questioned, glancing around. "It's been nearly two hours. For that matter, where is Tora-sensei?"
"She operates on her own schedule." Ebisu rolled his eyes, folding his arms.
"Sure do." Tora appeared behind him, causing him to jump. "Long time no see, Ebisu."
"A-ah, Tora." Ebisu nodded towards her, straightening out and pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "Are we ready to embark?"
"No," Tora said flatly, "I still need my last student."
"Well?" Ebisu questioned with raised eyebrows. Tora shrugged.
"She still has one minute," she responded coolly.
Hanabi nervously rubbed her palms together as she activated her byakugan to scan for the girl. She sighed a breath of relief when she picked up her chakra signature near the front gates. Jun sensed her as well, piping up, "she's just there."
As Eiji landed in the middle of the group, still strapping on some of her satchels and packs, Tora lowered her eyes. "You were almost late, Eiji." Something like disappoint seemed to be in the background of her normally cool, calm voice.
"I had to pack for two!" Eiji defended as she finished securing her packs, pointing towards Yorimaru.
"Alright, lets head out." Ebisu gestured towards the trail in front of them. Konohamaru fist pumped before bolting forward, and Hanabi found herself compelled to trail right behind him. Something about his energy…drew her to him.
Their first true mission, where they would finally get their hands dirty. And she got to do it with her friends.
Truly, she felt lucky.
"Here will be a good place to set up camp."
Fourteen hours later, and they were finally stopping for the night as the sun hung just underneath the trees. Tora lifted her arms behind her back, taking a deep stretch along with a yawn as the six genin pulled off their packs.
"Konohamaru, go gather water from the stream, east." Ebisu gestured to his right after summoning a few buckets with a scroll. Konohamaru nodded resolutely.
"Join him, Hanabi." Tora repeated the act with her own scroll, shoving the buckets in her hands.
"Yes, sensei." Hanabi nodded, looking towards Konohamaru who was, as always, grinning her way. She forced a small smile as he beckoned her. Within moments, they had leapt to the stream and were each dipping their buckets.
"So, how's it been?" Konohamaru asked casually as Hanabi turned to return with the buckets. She stopped and tilted her head at him. "They can wait a bit. It's nice to be away from the adults for a bit, y'know?"
"Ah, I suppose," Hanabi replied, albeit feeling a little bad not returning right away. "Good, just a lot d-rank missions."
"Ugh, same." Konohamaru plopped down into a seated position next to the stream and removed his boots, dipping his feet in. "Ahhh—c'mon, it feels good!"
"Shouldn't we…" Hanabi started, glancing behind her.
"Live a little!" He repeated those words from the day he convinced her to try chocolate covered banana dango. She bit her lower lip in thought.
Couldn't really hurt, could it? Tora did deem it a safe place to rest.
She nodded and set the buckets down, carefully pulling off her sandals and taking a seat next to him. With a little sigh, she looked up at him as he kicked his feet, staring at the lake. She tilted her head. "How was your recovery? I wanted to come visit, but father insisted I give you and your family space…" She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to reference the attack from Pein. It was true, father had stopped her from seeking him out, but she was also busy fretting over her sister. She felt compelled to let him know she was concerned about him, though.
"Oh, that? A breeze." He swiped at his shoulder, giving her a little reassuring wink. "He barely touched me!"
"Aah." Hanabi smiled, turning away from him as she dipped her toes in the water, a little gasp escaping at the cold.
"How's your team? You like 'em?" Konohamaru kept the conversation going, wiggling his toes in the water. "See, told you it feels good!"
"Hmm," Hanabi hummed as her feet became acclimated to the water. "I do like them. Jun's a bit of a scaredy cat, though." She giggled, eliciting a chuckle from him as well.
"Ah, yeah, Jun's always been kind of shy. Lucky he's got you, though." He smiled down at her, bumping his elbow into hers. The heat in her cheeks was becoming too familiar. "Missed hanging out with you."
"Oh?" Hanabi questioned, staring at her reflection in the lake, unable to muster the courage to look up at him.
"Yeah. Not the same without you to tease." His playful voice rang in her ears.
What is this feeling? She wished it would go away.
"Quit that," she finally responded, shaking her head. He simply chuckled.
As suddenly as she saw it from the corner of her eye—a kunai headed straight for her temple—Konohamaru was already in front of it. She gasped as she fumbled away from him, the loud clash of metal-on-metal ringing through the forest.
"Enemies," he said, simply, grabbing her by the forearm to pull her up. She felt dizzy at the sudden change in environment. One moment, her stomach was full of butterflies, threatening to make her float with happiness. The next, her stomach was full of lead, as a move on her life was made. "C'mon."
"Uh, right." She nodded, gathering herself as she frantically tried to remember what each pocket contained.
Within moments, they found themselves surrounded by shadowy figures. The attacks came quickly, and Hanabi felt a flurry of anxiety hit her—she was afraid. Why was she afraid? She had been preparing for this for years! Two moved in on her and two moved in on him, and she sucked in as deep a breath as she could as she readied herself, byakugan activating. She quickly held out her forearms to take the brunt of the blow when she realized they weren't carrying weapons in their hands.
This is what her taijutsu training was for. It was time to put it into action.
She leapt as far backwards as she could until she was right in front of a different enemy and quickly ducked to avoid the incoming punch, allowing it to hit the other enemy. Then she lunged forward with her palms out, hitting them square in the abdomen, closing two chakra points. Then another hit to the shoulder, another chakra point. She flipped backwards as two more converged on her, then fell into the trademark Hyūga fighting stance before shouting—"Rotation!"
A whirl of blue chakra surrounded her as she spun, and in what felt like less than a second, she was skidding to a halt, finding both enemies incapacitated a far distance away.
"WOW!" Konohamaru yelled as he battled the other two. "Hanabi that was—ugh!"
"Konohamaru!" Hanabi gasped, bolting towards him as one of them grazed his shoulder with a kunai, but was stopped by the appearance of their sensei's.
"Go, Hanabi!" Tora commanded as she locked her fingers together, whispering her jutsu.
"Take Konohamaru!" Ebisu added as he landed his heel in the back of the one who had struck him with the kunai.
"I can handle myself!" Konohamaru barked, straightening himself out.
"Come on—" Hanabi tried to grab the cuff of his jacket, but he snatched it away. "Konoha—aah!"
A hot, searing pain in her thigh made itself known immediately. Warm liquid began to pour down.
"Shit, Hanabi!" Konohamaru's voice was the last thing she heard before it all went black.
"Shit, Hanabi!" Konohamaru was flooded with panic as he watched a shuriken sink into the flesh of her thigh. Her eyes were blown wide as she looked down, and he watched in horror as her knees buckled. He leapt forward to catch her.
"Damnit, Konohamaru!" Ebisu's enraged voice called.
"Shit, shit, shit—" Konohamaru thought he was going to vomit up his own heart as he immediately tucked his arms under her knees and neck, hoisting her up.
"Get her the hell out of here!" Tora's voice boomed, louder than he had ever heard it. He swallowed thickly as he bolted with her in his arms, body acting out of pure instinct and not really paying attention to where he was going, just away. Her body was completely dead weight. She was well and truly passed out.
"Hanabi," he whispered against her forehead, hoping to receive a response.
No. No, no, no.
Why did he do that? Why did he always have to be so stubborn? Why didn't he listen?
Now he was quite possibly carrying a dead Hyūga princess.
Maybe that was an overreaction, but at the moment, it didn't feel too far from reality.
And the skin that was making contact with her was burning. As if he was carrying a burning body. It hurt, it hurt so much.
"Hanabi, please." He didn't recognize the desperation behind his voice. It felt so foreign, he hadn't felt like this since…his grandfather…
"What the hell happened to her?" He sighed a short breath of relief when he heard Eiji's voice, knowing he was close to camp if she was sniffing them out, but it was short lived as he looked back down at Hanabi's unconscious form, and the feeling of something sticky against his abdomen…her blood, flowing from her thigh directly onto the cloth over his stomach. Focusing chakra in his bare feet, he gave one final push for a large leap, landing in the middle of their camp.
"Hanabi?!" Moegi's panicked voice rang in his ear as he fell to his knees, carefully laying her down.
"Move." He was taken aback by Jun's commanding voice, a level of which he hadn't heard from the boy before. He couldn't help but obey, scooting backwards as the boy pulled out a medical kit. "Take out the shuriken."
"Wh-what?" Konohamaru stuttered, eyes blowing wide.
"Now!"
"Okay!" Konohamaru choked out, hand hovering over the shuriken lodged in her thigh. His stomach tightened to the point of pain as he grabbed one of the points.
"Quickly, don't hesitate."
"Right." Konohamaru took a deep breath and plucked it from her thigh, the sickly squelch of wetness following which made his stomach turn. Ready with bandages, Jun immediately began wrapping her thigh. Konohamaru watched as he tied it off, then rubbed his palms together before hovering over the wound. A pinkish hue of chakra emitted from his palms. "You-you're a healer, Jun?"
"I've been training in it," he whispered, concentrating on the wound.
"Don't distract him!" Eiji grabbed the scruff of Konohamaru's collar, yanking him backwards.
"Ah-jeeze!" Konohamaru reached behind him to bat her hands away.
"What's going on, Konohamaru?" Udon asked, he and Moegi stepping in front of him.
"I-I—" Konohamaru held up his hands, then let them fall, as well as his head.
"Careless." The irritated voice of Tora called from behind them, and all five looked up to find their sensei's approaching, both roughed up and staring daggers at Konohamaru. As Jun finished up, he got to his feet to join the group.
"I think it will heal fine," Jun quietly told the group, causing Konohamaru to look up at him with hopeful eyes. "What happened, Konohamaru?"
"You risked her life!" …Tora?
"You should have gone when I told you to." Ebisu…
"Konohamaru, why?" Maybe Moegi?
"Seriously." Udon.
"Be easy on him…" Jun, probably.
"You're a real piece of work, you know!" Definitely Eiji…
Hanabi groaned as she squeezed her eyes shut tighter than they already were, bringing a hand to her forehead to rub. Everything ached…but her thigh felt especially sore.
Oh, right…I got stabbed.
"Hanabi!" Immediately several voices called for her, causing her to put her hands over her ears. Her head began throbbing.
"Hanabi, I'm so sorry." Konohamaru's voice was…gentle. Softer than she's ever heard it. There was sorrow there. It made her heart hurt.
"Damn right you are."
"Eiji, please…" She managed to choke out in a hoarse voice. "Leave him be."
"Do you need anything?" Jun asked quietly to her right.
"My head…" was all she could get out before a particularly hard throb sent a shiver down her spine. It was painful.
"Back up," Tora's voice commanded, recognizing the sound of someone kneeling next to her. A long, slender set of fingers carefully lifted her head, and she felt the edge of a water bottle on her lips. She carefully sipped before it was taken. "I'm going to give you a pill." Hanabi nodded weakly as she stuck out her tongue to receive it, then was offered more water. "Give it a little bit, you'll feel better."
"C-can I help?" Konohamaru's weak voice asked from the side, and she felt his knee brush against her elbow.
"Yeah, by backing up," Moegi muttered from a distance.
Finally, she peeled one eye open and found Tora and Konohamaru hovering over her. Tora's usual nonchalant expression was gone now, instead her face was contorted with worry, similar to Konohamaru's.
"You scared me, little lamb," Tora chided, gently resting her head back down.
"Sorry…" Hanabi mumbled, lips down turned in a frown.
"Don't be sorry, I should be sorry," Konohamaru quickly interjected, grabbing her hand.
The warmth of his hand on her icy one sent tingles—from her fingertips to her neck. She managed a small smile. "You're…arrogant."
"Ha!" Eiji barked a laugh to the side.
"Yeah…" Konohamaru finally gave her a smile, albeit a weak one as he rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. "I guess I am."
He squeezed her hand briefly before Ebisu called for him. "Come, Konohamaru. I will go with you to get water, since you can't manage it without an adult."
"Ah." Konohamaru was being strangely obedient now. Must be the guilt. As his hand left hers, she felt strangely empty. Slowly, her head began to feel less full, less puffy and strained. As it did, she felt herself slip back into unconsciousness.
By dawn, Hanabi had managed to stay conscious long enough to eat with the group, and the food in her stomach was soothing. The group was quiet this morning, somber, as if everyone was afraid to say anything. She hated it.
"So we should arrive there tonight, right?" she asked into the space of dead air around them. Ebisu raised his eyebrows before nodding.
"Yes…" He paused before adding. "As long as we can make time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eiji asked pointedly, and Tora let out a sigh.
"It means Hanabi might not be up to full speed," she said, flatly. Hanabi frowned.
"N-no, I'll be fine," Hanabi cut in, "really."
"We'll see." Tora eyed her thigh. "There's no shame in it, Hanabi. You sustained a pretty serious injury."
"It's not that bad." Hanabi mindlessly rubbed her fingertips over the wound site. Konohamaru couldn't help but stare down at it as well.
"I don't wanna make it worse…" Konohamaru whispered, eyes dropping to his food. Hanabi pressed her lips into a thin line. He had been apologizing and checking on her for the past 30 minutes she had been awake. Frankly, it was exhausting placating him.
"Quit feeling sorry for yourself." The words left her before she could stop them, earning a surpised look from each person in the group—all except Konohamaru who simply winced, still staring down at his meal. "I'm fine."
"Alright, let's just eat." Ebisu's voice forced them all to look back down at their food.
Damn it. They think I'm weak.
She glanced at Konohamaru who had a fairly blank expression on his face, seemingly lost in thought. She felt a bit guilty for snapping at him, but she didn't want everyone thinking she was some weak little girl who was going to ruin their first c-rank mission. No, she was a Hyūga.
Demonstrate Hyūga skill.
After an hour of eating and preparing their packs, Jun had her sit for a quick healing session in the hopes it would improve her performance.
"It feels warm," Hanabi commented as he concentrated on his hands.
"So I've heard. It makes my hands warm." Jun chuckled with a smile. "Does it feel any better?"
"Yeah, a lot." Her nose crinkled briefly. It was a little fib. It did feel better, but not that much better. She figured it couldn't hurt to lie a little though, to improve his confidence in his ability and project that she was feeling better.
"Phew." The chakra dissipated, and Jun pulled his forearm over his forehead to wipe away non-existent sweat. "That's all I got for now."
"Thanks, Jun." Hanabi patted his arm before he got to his feet, holding a hand out for her. She took it and they went to double check their supplies before Ebisu announced that they were setting off.
Hanabi was determined to show them she was fine, so she pushed herself. Harder than she should, probably, but she'd be fine. She ignored the sting of pain in her thigh with each leap. She also ignored the concerned looks the group would give her. She projected nothing but stoicism.
Shortly before the sun had completely set, they approached the gates to the hidden village. Ebisu and Tora signaled for them to hang back while they approached the guard with a scroll.
"We made it! In time!" Eiji clapped her hands, turning to the rest of the group.
"How's the leg?" Jun asked Hanabi quietly, to not draw attention. Hanabi rubbed at it for a moment before nodding.
It wasn't great. But she'd survive.
"Come," Tora called with a wave, prompting the group to continue onward.
It was a tiny village, but it had rich biodiversity surrounding it. Giant bamboo and mushrooms covered a good portion of the town. The shinobi who greeted them nodded simply as they made their way through the village, until they reached a structure that reminded Hanabi of the Hokage tower.
"Why don't you six explore the town a bit?" Tora turned to the group, looking over them. "Leave the political stuff to us geezers."
"Really?" Moegi asked, excitedly. To be left alone as kids in a new village was a thrilling prospect.
"But behave!" Ebisu warned, leering down at them. "We are in foreign land, and you are representing the shinobi of the Leaf. No causing havoc!"
"We wouldn't dare." Eiji beamed her toothy grin up at the two, earning a look.
"Don't worry." Hanabi stepped forward, gesturing towards everyone. "I also have a reputation to uphold."
"That's right, isn't it?" Tora nodded, waving her hand. "Go on."
The six turned around from their sensei's and looked out ahead. It wasn't the biggest, but there was a shopping and entertainment district, so that's where they naturally ended up. Eventually, they ended up breaking into groups, and Hanabi found herself walking alongside Konohamaru.
"Ooh." Hanabi stopped in front of a weapons store, peering inside. Konohamaru stopped next to her, tilting his head. She looked up at him and watched his gaze shift to the shuriken, and he seemed to visibly wince. "Hey. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He shook his head, shoving his fists into his pockets. "Just feeling…stupid."
"You're being stupid," Hanabi said, bluntly, causing him to look up at her. "Can you quit blaming yourself? I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
"I…I know that." Konohamaru shook his head again, looking back inside the store. "But my ego got the better of me, and you got stabbed Hanabi, because you were trying to get me out of there. That's shitty of me."
"Kinda." She shrugged. "But I forgive you. So can we let it go, please? I'm tired of seeing you pouting."
"I'm not pouting," he hissed, eyeing her from the corner of his eye. She let out a laugh at his response, to which he reached out to nudge her side, causing her to jump slightly. Caught off guard, the sting in her thigh got the better of her and she sharply inhaled, causing him to immediately grab her elbow. "Shit, sorry!"
"Oh my GODS!" she huffed, shoving his hand off of her. "Konohamaru. Stop."
"Ah—right!" He held his hands up, taking a step back. "Got it."
"You better," she mumbled, turning her back to him as she entered the weapons store, him trailing behind her.
"Aren't you two a little young to be here?" The shop keep eyed them as they walked in, but quickly straightened up when Konohamaru turned his head towards the man, showing off his Leaf headband. "Oh. Shinobi. From the Leaf, eh?"
"Sure are." Konohamaru saluted the man dramatically, causing Hanabi to roll her eyes briefly.
"What brings you?" The man asked, and Hanabi shot him a glare.
"Shinobi business, I imagine," she answered before Konohamaru could, causing the man to shudder.
"I see." The man nodded, seemingly taking the hint.
It was interesting, the Leaf didn't have their own proper weapons store, surprisingly. There was talk of one being opened, but it hadn't happened yet. Most of their weapons were exports and government issues. Most who wielded unique weapons got them on their travels. The idea of having a unique weapon from her first mission outside of the village delighted her.
After a few moments of browsing, she stopped in front of a glass case displaying two obsidian black kunai, wrapped in patterned red and blue rope. She tapped her finger to the glass gently, admiring them. The obsidian black gleamed from the lighting above, and she found the patterning to be quite pretty—with just the right amount of lighting, some of the interlacing rope looked purple.
"Those are cool," Konohamaru commented over her shoulder, to which she nodded, biting her lips together. He side-stepped next to her, looking closer. "It's a set…how much are these?"
The shopkeeper approached, eyeing them warily. "I'm afraid they're likely out of your pay grade."
"You think so?" Hanabi asked with an amused smirk, reaching into her robe for her coin pouch.
"Hyūga money." Konohamaru snickered, likewise pulling out his coin pouch. "You forget I'm also the third—"
"Hokage's grandson, oh no, Konohamaru, I remember," she teased back, looking at his pouch. "Guess we're both just spoiled, hm?"
"Maybe." He grinned as the shopkeeper's mouth went slack looking at their respective pouches. He shook his head quickly and straightened up.
"Right—those were actually forged in the land of Lightning by one of their famous blacksmiths – Glaten Ryo, you might have heard of him?" The shopkeeper bounced his eyes between the two, but let out a simple sigh when they both gave him a blank expression. "What I mean to say, is that they are very special and high-quality material, meant to be shared between two comrades."
"Ah?" Konohamaru perked an eyebrow, glancing down at Hanabi. "Super special kunai to commemorate the day, then?"
She looked up at him with a little smile before looking back at the shopkeeper. "Like he said, how much?"
As Hanabi and Konohamaru exited the shop, they both held their kunai up above them, letting them glitter under the moonlight and lanterns around the district. Hanabi gently bumped hers against Konohamaru's and they both let out little laughs as they bumped elbows as well.
"Well, we'll always remember our first c-rank, huh?" Konohamaru mused, winking down at her. She nodded, feeling like the world around her was just as it should be. Her thigh wasn't bothering her, she was being independent, buying her own weapons, she was in a foreign town, having experiences. Glancing around the shopping district in the full night sky, it felt livelier than it actually was. The warm glow of the lanterns felt soft and comforting, the scraping of metal utensils on metal woks with the spitfire sound of grease on flames sounded like a tune, the smell of Takoyaki mixed with Taiyaki filled her nostrils until her lungs were full of the delicious mixture. It felt so good.
"Hey, little lamb."
Ah, yes. She was on a mission.
"Sensei." She bowed shortly as Tora appeared in front of her.
"Little lamb…" Konohamaru whispered behind her in a playful voice, causing her to shoot him an irritated glare. Tora glanced between the two, eyes on their kunai.
"Those are pretty nice. Glaten work?" She observed, tilting her head with crossed arms.
"Oh—yeah, how'd you know?" Konohamaru beamed, shoving the kunai forward to give her a better look. She raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips tugging downwards slightly.
"Everyone knows Glaten. Anyway." She waved a hand. "In about an hour we're meeting there," she continued while pointing towards a larger building, with a sign reading "Grassland Heights", "for dinner as teams and sleeping arrangements. Got it?" She glanced between the two as they both nodded. "See you in an hour."
"We get to sleep in a hotel!" Konohamaru fist pumped, which Hanabi found amusing. Hotel life wasn't exactly foreign to her, but she realized it must have been to many shinobi. There was a lot of camping involved in shinobi life. "One hour, huh…hey, I saw a little arcade down the street, you wanna check it out?"
"Arcade?" Hanabi questioned, head tilting.
"Yeah…video games?" He chuckled as he mimicked the movements of a joystick and buttons, looking at her with amusement. Her face remained blank and he shook his head, snatching her hand. "C'mon!"
"Ah—fine—" Ahe stumbled under his grip, refusing to let the sting in her thigh manifest as a painful gasp. Within moments, he was tugging her into a little storefront dotted with about twenty machines, all colorful and bright and noisy.
"You never played one of these?" he questioned, gesturing. She shook her head, glancing around warily. It was a bit overwhelming. He gasped in a mockingly dramatic fashion before steering her towards a rectangular box that was dotted with cartoon figures of "scary" ninja, bamboo trees, large mushrooms, kunai, shuriken, swords, and various other caricatures. "Pinball! It's a good place to start." He fished out a coin from his pouch and slid it into a slot down below, and Hanabi flinched as the machine seemingly came alive, loud dings and flashing lights. She looked at him weakly, confused. His cocky smirk wasn't helping.
He stepped behind her and she gasped when his arms suddenly covered her own, his chest dangerously close to her back. "Wha—" She stopped as his curled his fingers around her hands, guiding them. She realized he was…helping her, she supposed.
"Here." Now his voice was right in her ear and it sent a shiver down her spine. "Ah—don't be nervous," he teased as he moved her hands over a button on either side of the machine. "Those are the little paddles." He demonstrated as he pushed her fingers into the buttons, forcing the paddles to flicker up and down. She did her best to concentrate, experimenting with them but having absolutely no clue what their purpose was. He moved her right hand over a knob. "When you pull this back and release it, a ball pops out. The goal is to make sure it doesn't fall between the two paddles."
"But they're not connected." She frowned, glancing down at the paddles. His breathy laugh in her ear was distracting.
"That's the point, dummy."
"Hey—"
Before she knew it, he had grasped her right hand with his and pulled back the knob he had talked about, then released, quickly pushing her hand back over the metallic button. She watched as the ball flew to the top, then began its wacky trek down. As it made its way down, it hit various objects, producing their own individual noises and light patterns—until it hit a slide, and suddenly it came very close to the bottom, and she panicked momentarily. She felt his fingers guide hers aggressively, and she was surprised to see the ball go flying as the left paddle whacked it.
"There! Like that!" Konohamaru's hands left hers, and so did his arms, and suddenly she felt a little cold. She froze momentarily, and the ball slid over her right paddle, and before she could hit the button, it had slipped past. She cursed herself, dropping her hands. "Hey, what happened! Ah—it's okay. You get like six balls."
"Oh?" she questioned, looking at him to her left. He beamed down at her with a nod, pointing at the knob that launched the ball.
With that, Hanabi felt determined. She was going to win this 'video game'. The Hyūga skill.
"Uh, Hanabi, I don't mean to be a bummer, but it's almost been an hour."
"But-I-haven't-won-" She spoke between hits of her paddles, eyes laser focused. A full hour later, and she was on the sixth ball. She found she had picked up on the game quite quickly and couldn't tear herself away.
"There's not really a way to win pinball." He gave a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. She ignored him.
He couldn't help but look at her with admiration. When she put her mind to something, she really put her mind to it. Teaching Hanabi Hyūga to play pinball in a little village outside of the Leaf and watching her marathon it was not something he ever expected to do, but something he was thoroughly enjoying. He hated to tear her away from it. So he decided they could be a little late.
Had he gotten a little too close for comfort? Maybe. If she had made any move to shrug him off, he would have backed off immediately. But she didn't, and the guidance was mostly innocent—it had paid off, hadn't it? Still, he couldn't help but enjoy having an excuse to wrap himself around her, she felt quite nice in his arms, actually, and whatever shampoo she used was sweet, maybe strawberries.
Did he have a crush? Yeah. Did he know it would never amount to anything? Also, yes. So he would take what he could get. He knew after this mission, they probably wouldn't be seeing much of each other again for a while.
Perhaps that was for the better, he thought. His arrogance had resulted in her injury, and that thought weighed on him. The Hyūga princess, and he had been responsible for her taking a shuriken to the leg and passing out. That's pretty shameful in his book, and it's even more shameful because he cared about her. Seeing her fall to the ground, having to remove that shuriken from her thigh, seeing tears in her eyes as she struggled to lift her head to drink water—all of it was a gut-wrenching for him.
So they could be a little late. He didn't know the next time she would get to truly enjoy herself like this again, so what was the harm, really? Dinner with the teams sounded good, yeah, but this was better.
Mindlessly his fingers traced the handle of the new kunai they had bought together as a set. He wondered if she placed the same significance on it that he did, wondered if she would treasure it in the same way he planned to, wondered what it meant to her. To him, it was something that connected them and their first experiences together, and he planned to take it with him wherever he went. He would have to keep an eye on her to see if she did the same.
"DAMN!"
Broken from his thoughts, he looked up to see her throwing her hands up, the machine lighting up wildly. He grinned as he looked up at the score. "That's a really, really high score, Hanabi."
"Bah." She kicked her foot forward, folding her arms dramatically.
"We really gotta go anyway." He nudged her side to which she batted his hand away. Every touch made his skin tingle and for reasons beyond him, he wanted more of that tingle.
"Let's just go." She pouted and he thought the way her bottom lip stuck out was pretty cute.
When they entered the restaurant portion of the hotel, they found their teams already digging into their meals.
"A little late?" Tora said with a little amusement behind her voice.
"Where've you guys been!" Eiji asked exaggeratedly, the rest eyeing them as well.
"Hanabi was just kicking ass at pinball, I couldn't stop her!" Konohamaru threw up his hands in defense.
"Pinball, huh?" Moegi clicked her tongue. "You're corrupting her, Konohamaru."
"Just hurry and order," Ebisu scolded, gesturing to the two pillows left open, one next to Tora and Eiji on one side, the other across with Moegi and Ebisu.
Quickly, the two took their seats and ordered.
"Now that we're all here," Tora said with pointed glance between the two, "we'll be getting up 6 sharp to prepare. We'll meet in the lobby, and go over our plans. We are escorting a group of 10 and their insects—"
"Insects?!" Udon interjected, a worried look on his face. Tora perked an eyebrow at the boy.
"Yes. They are an insect-using clan, we're escorting them to the Leaf for business with the Aburame," Ebisu explained.
"Oh, gods," Eiji grumbled, stabbing at a piece of pork on her plate and feeding it to Yorimaru. Konohamaru and Hanabi received their meals in the meantime. "I freakin' hate bugs."
"Well, bad news for you I guess, because we're going to need three people to carry cages." Tora's voice was light with amusement. "I'm inclined to have the complainers be the ones to carry them."
"I agree." Ebisu had a small smirk on his lips as well. Hanabi twisted her lips briefly. Bugs didn't really bother her, she had a bit of experience with her sister's teammates kikaichu. When they were controlled by insect users, they could be the most harmless things on the planet, and vice versa. So with their masters near them, it should be fine, right?
"If they're insect user's, shouldn't the bugs just…be inside of them?" Jun asked reluctantly with a tilted head.
"Good point," Tora conceded. "I can't reveal all the details, but these insects don't have a host yet, intentionally. It's so the Aburame can study them, and they'll be trading their own in return. Building relations and all that." Jun nodded in understanding. "Anyhow, I'll take volunteers first. Three carry, three guard those carrying."
"I'll carry." Hanabi raised her hand, receiving surprised glances. She shrugged. "Bugs don't bother me."
"Alright, good. Who else?" Ebisu questioned. Jun and Moegi volunteered next, Moegi with a little hesitation. "Alright, and those who'll guard—"
"I can guard Hanabi," Konohamaru quickly interjected, earning a little glare from Ebisu.
"Udon will guard Hanabi," Tora corrected, "Eiji with Jun, and Konohamaru with Moegi. Got it?"
Hanabi glanced at Konohamaru curiously, noting the deflated look on his face. Was he really that determined to protect her after their run in with enemies? She brushed the thought aside.
After dinner, Jun took a moment to tend to Hanabi's wound with a light healing session. He had remarked that it looked nearly completely better, and Hanabi felt that way, too. Then the teams broke into gendered groups to make for their respective rooms.
"It's not often there's an even split of ladies and gents," Tora mused thoughtfully, opening the door to their room with two beds on either wall.
"It'll be so nice to be around girls for a while." Moegi sighed in relief. "You don't know how annoying it is to be the only girl with a bunch of stupid dudes."
"Oh I know." Tora laughed as Eiji launched herself into one of the beds, Yorimaru hopping on her back. "I was the only woman on a team for a long time. And that team worked with Ebisu's team pretty often, which were all boys."
"It did?" Moegi perked an eyebrow up at the older woman, taking one of the far beds. Tora nodded as she settled into the bed next to Eiji. Hanabi looked on with curiosity—it was hard to envision their sensei's as little genin like they were. She could only imagine smaller versions of their adult selves, Tora sarcastic as ever and Ebisu serious as ever. It was an amusing thought. "What was Ebisu-sensei like?"
"Konohamaru, I reckon." Tora threw her legs up, laying back in an upright position. "Idiotic, reckless, a lot of heart. We butted heads a lot. I mostly just wanted to nap."
Hanabi giggled at the thought, setting her pack down on the bed next to Moegi. Moegi also shared the laugh. "I can't even imagine."
"Yeah, well. Our academy days were filled with war." Tora put her hands behind her head, eyes fluttering shut. "Then we got to spend our adult days filled with war. Changes a person."
"Oh, right." Moegi sighed, clenching the fabric of the sheets on the edge of the bed. Hanabi also deflated at this, feeling a bit guilty. Thick tension filled the air, as only Tora seemed to know how to bring on, until she cleared her throat.
"Anyhow, this isn't a slumber party, ladies." She peeped one eye open. "Get that light. I need my ten hours."
"Wait, really?" Eiji exclaimed, sitting up. "I can't go to sleep this early!"
"Not my problem." Tora yawned, crossing her ankles as Hanabi dutifully got up to turn off the light. "Night."
Hanabi shifted her pack to the ground and climbed into her bed, pulling the sheet over herself. She laid, staring directly up at the ceiling, the only source of light being the dim glow of the moon streaming in from between the curtains. Her eyes were having trouble drifting closed as she thought of the events of the day.
It almost felt surreal, so different from her life back home. When she went on diplomacy assignments, there was never any time for…fun. Exploring a village? Nope. Weapon shopping? Oh no. Arcades? Absolutely not. Close contact with a boy? Good heavens. She could only imagine father's face if he had seen what transpired today. Camping, fighting enemies, sustaining an injury.
Instantly dread filled her chest. She wondered how father would react if he heard she had taken a shuriken to the leg. She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of: him being upset that she was hurt, or his disappointment that she let herself get hurt. Maybe they wouldn't tell him? She surely wouldn't divulge that bit of information if she didn't have to. She made a mental note to ask Tora about it.
She turned on her side in an attempt to get comfortable, one hand under her cheek. The shimmer of her new kunai caught her eye on the nightstand next to her, and she gently reached out to touch the handle. Her first weapon that was uniquely hers. Well, uniquely theirs. A symbol of her first mission out of the village as a full-fledged shinobi. Both she and Konohamaru argued about paying for it before settling on splitting the bill. Maybe it was better that way, so they could both feel they truly had a claim on the weapon. Her heart felt full as she reminisced on their day together. It felt nice, to be so at ease with someone that wasn't her sister or Natsu.
She decided she made the right choice, asking to join the academy.
The trek home wasn't completely slow. The insect-users weren't old men and women, they were shinobi in their own right. It was the delicate way the insects needed to be handled that slowed them down from a shinobi pace. But, they kept a good stride and even arrived half a day early to the village. It was a quiet trip home, with little whispered conversations as to not disturb the bugs, plus the people they were escorting weren't the most talkative bunch. Maybe it was just an insect-user thing.
Hanabi found Udon to be a fairly articulate boy, making decent conversation. Of the three, he was the least familiar to her, but after their three-and-a-half-day journey together, she could confidently say she knew more about him than she had previously. It interested her to find out he was the first shinobi in his family, and that his family worked more as higher-class civilians—school professors, medical professionals, mathematicians, engineers. He came from a high-standing background as far as regular working people were concerned. He felt it made him an outsider as a shinobi but found comfort in his teammates.
She almost felt like she could connect with that. While her clan was a high-standing shinobi clan that practiced jutsu, she also felt like an outsider coming in. Many in her clan don't receive classic shinobi training, many stuck to strict Hyūga teachings, never branching out from their Byakugan and taijutsu training. Perhaps she and Udon had more in common than she at first realized, and that brought her comfort. Once they arrived, she made sure to thank him for sharing those parts of himself, and he returned the gesture.
After dropping off the cages to the Aburame compound, where she had a brief interaction with Shino, the teams made their way to the Hokage tower to report in.
"Back early, that's a nice surprise," Tsunade greeted them as the group bowed. "Everything go smoothly, then?"
"For the most part, yes." Ebisu nodded, glancing Tora's way. Tora looked back at him and nodded.
Oh no.
"We had one mishap," Tora added.
"Oh?" Tsunade questioned.
"Sensei—" Hanabi whispered, taking a small step towards her. Tora waved her hand.
"There were rogue forces on our way. They ambushed Konohamaru and Hanabi. Unfortunately, Hanabi sustained an injury from a shuriken to the thigh." Tora spoke confidently without pause. Hanabi visibly deflated, shoulders sagging.
"She did, did she?" Tsunade glanced down at her legs, an eyebrow raised. "Well, are you alright, Hanabi?"
"It was just a little scratch!" Hanabi interjected, swiping a hand at her thigh. "Really, nothing to get worked up about. I'm completely healed." She pushed her robe to the side slightly to expose a small scar. It had healed up very well, despite her fib on the severity of the wound.
"Good to hear." Tsunade nodded, lifting from her seat to stand in front of the desk. Hanabi sighed in relief. "I'm sure you'll ensure Hiashi is given the full report, Tora."
"NO!" Hanabi thundered without hesitation. She slammed her hands over her mouth instantly, realizing her blunder. She couldn't speak to the Hokage like that!
Damn it!
"Hanabi," Tora hissed, grabbing her elbow to pull her back. Tsunade looked down at the girl with widened eyes, raised eyebrows.
"Problem?"
"I—I apologize Lady Hokage." Hanabi bowed twice, then bent deeply for her third bow. "I just don't want to worry my father over something so…trivial."
"Ah." Tsunade nodded and Hanabi caught her hand waving her up from the corner of her eye, so she straightened up. "I understand, but it is part of our agreement that he receives full reports from your sensei. Can't be helped."
"Then I'll go with you." Everyone glanced at Konohamaru who had his wrists locked together behind his back. "So I can explain that it was my fault."
"Konohamaru, no—" Hanabi tried to interject, but was cut off by Tora.
"Fine with me," Tora said, casually before turning to Ebisu. She patted her hand heavily on his shoulder. "I trust you to fill out the report then, eh old friend?"
"What?" Ebisu snapped with irritated eyes meeting her amused ones.
"Yes, Ebisu, if you would." Tsunade waved her hand again, circling back to her desk to plop into her seat. "The rest of you are dismissed for now."
"Wait, are we escorting them back?" Eiji asked before the group could disperse. Tsunade shook her head.
"No, they're capable of returning home without having to carry cages of insects."
"So we were just…pack mules?" Moegi asked, looking offended. Tsunade let a little smirk slip as her head dipped to her paperwork.
"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound as dignified. You're excused."
As soon as they were back in the village on their way to the Hyūga compound, Hanabi laid into Konohamaru.
"Damn it Konohamaru! Why did you have to do that?!"
"It is my fault." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets without looking at her.
"I told you, over and over again, get over it!" Hanabi snapped, fists balling. "It wasn't your fault, it was my fault! I'm not used to combat! I've never been ambushed! I was too slow—if I hadn't been so naïve, I could have helped take them down! But-but I let my guard down. I let myself get hit, it's not—"
"Hanabi." Tora's voice was gentle as she stopped the two, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Let Konohamaru take responsibility for his actions. What you say may be true…" her eyes trailed to the side, "…but in the end, you both made mistakes. It's okay to own up to them. You both should."
"But—" Hanabi breathed, looking from Tora's earnest eyes to Konohamaru's dipped ones, staring at the ground, "—my father, I don't know…I don't know how he's going to react."
Tora sighed as she gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let me handle it, little lamb."
As they neared the gates of the Hyūga compound, Konohamaru's stomach might as well have been in one of those bingo ball tumblers. He felt queasy, but maintained a stone cold expression. If there was one thing about Hyūga that he knew, it was that they could practically smell fear and uncertainty, or maybe see it? No, this was not the time to give off any indication that he was nervous in the slightest if the steely gaze of the two guards in front were anything to go by. They parted the gates for the trio, and Konohamaru's senses felt…dimmed.
It was like a palace. A cold, hard, marble white palace. Everything looked so…clean. It was almost unnerving. As they followed Hanabi through the confines of the compound, he felt like a hundred eyes were on him, and the funny thing was that it was quite possible there were from any area imaginable. He thought back to that 'Rotation' move Hanabi did, thinking back to how it immobilized him with awe. The way the flash of deep blue chakra emanated from every part of her body, creating essentially a dome around her, flinging all her enemies far and wide. He couldn't even imagine learning a move like that. The speed at which she moved—she was essentially a blur before being enveloped in the chakra.
If she could do that, he wondered what all these older Hyūga could do. The thought almost made him shudder—almost.
Confidence.
Finally, they stopped in front of a sliding door that, once opened, revealed the older Hyūga, sitting at a low table with paperwork in front of him. It almost reminded him of his grandfather—the wrinkles, the tiredness behind the eyes, and yet, the power he exuded. When he lifted his head to meet them, his eyes instantly fell on Konohamaru, and this time, he did flinch, ever so slightly. Those milky eyes seemed so sweet and warm on Hanabi, but on Hiashi Hyūga, they looked downright icy. The three gave deep bows.
"Who is this, Tora?" he questioned, eyes returning to Tora.
"Konohamaru Sarutobi, you might know him." Tora smirked, tilting her head towards the boy. Hiashi's eyebrows raised in momentary surprise, but was immediately replaced with that cold look once more.
"Ah, yes. The Honorable Grandson." Hiashi set his pen down, and rose to his feet.
Konohamaru almost utterly panicked when the old man strode toward him, stopping a meter away. Then, in a move Konohamaru could have never predicted, the man bowed. To him.
"It is an honor to see you once more."
An honor?
"I am Hiashi Hyūga, leader of the Hyūga."
Of course I know that.
A swift hit to the back of his head from Tora broke him from his paralyzed state and he realized—
Shit, I'm supposed to bow.
"Uhm, no, no Lord Hyūga." Konohamaru instantly bowed, deeper than he thought he'd ever bowed in his entire life. "The honor is mine, of course."
Both rose to face one another and Hiashi nodded, taking several steps back before lowering to his knees, and the three immediately followed suit.
Did that really just happen?
"I see you are back early. This must be good news," Hiashi started, and Tora nodded.
"Indeed. The mission was a success. All participants made it back with…limited injuries." Tora picked her words carefully, earning a raised eyebrow from the Hyūga leader. "During our two-day trip to the Grass, we encountered rogue shinobi." Tension began to quickly fill the air as Hiashi's eyes bounced between Tora and Hanabi. Konohamaru glanced over to find her with her head held high, no hint of nervousness or panic on her face that he had seen earlier.
This is the Hyūga way, I guess.
"They intercepted Konohamaru and Hanabi as they were gathering water. They fended for themselves very well." Tora was intentionally playing them up. "I was told that Hanabi executed your clan's Rotation technique, incapacitating three of the seven." Konohamaru looked hopefully at Hiashi, but was disappointed to find his expression did not change. Damn, these Hyūga were impossible to read. "Unfortunately…as they attempted their escape, a shuriken struck Hanabi in her upper right thigh." Konohamaru stared intently at the man, baffled by his lack of emotion. "It did not strike any vital organs and was quickly patched up by her teammate, Jun, who is training in medical jutsu. We completed the mission with no further problems and Hanabi has completely healed, save a small scar."
Silence filled the air once Tora finished, and Konohamaru decided it was his time. "It-it was my fault sir." He almost expected Hanabi to interrupt him, but was a little surprised at her silence. Not that he wanted her to, it was just so unlike her to…not. He cleared his throat as Hiashi turned his attention to him. "I was being…rash, and she was trying to ensure my safe escape. She didn't leave my side even though I refused to leave…and that's when she was struck."
"He…carried me back, though." Hanabi's voice finally entered the conversation, but that was all she said.
"I regret my actions," Konohamaru continued, swallowing thickly, "I apologize to both your daughter, and you, sir."
If there was anything else that the Hyūga were good at, it was bring on long, awkward silence. Tora and Konohamaru fidgeted for a few moments before Hiashi finally spoke. "I see."
"Otherwise, everything went very smoothly," Tora added, "Hanabi did great. The Mori clan extends their deepest compliments."
"Very well," Hiashi ended the dialogue. "Thank you for your report, Tora." He turned to Konohamaru. "And you. Please extend my well wishes to Moriko." He tensed at the mention of his mother.
"Thank you." Tora bowed before nudging him.
"Uhm—of course. Thank you, Lord Hyūga." He quickly bowed as well before stealing a glance at Hanabi, who seemed to match her father's steely gaze. She didn't look so warm and innocent now. He clenched his teeth together before following after Tora.
"I'll escort you." Konohamaru looked up in surprise at the familiar voice, finding Tadashi's looming figure over the two.
"Hey there, Tadashi." Tora waved lazily, to which Tadashi nodded.
"Hey, I know you!" Konohamaru pointed at the Hyūga, and could almost make out a tiny smile ghosting his lips. "You guarded Hanabi the whole time she was in the academy."
"I did." Tadashi nodded as he led them through the corridors.
"Long time no see." Konohamaru finally felt a bit more relaxed at the sight of a familiar face.
"Indeed."
"How is your leg?"
Hanabi bit the inside of her cheek as she rubbed her fingertips over her thigh. She crinkled her nose. "Completely fine. It was a scratch."
"Why would you need to be carried back? Do not lie to me."
She sharply inhaled at his tone. "It…went in about two centimeters…and I fainted."
Hanabi looked down in shame as her father paused, then let out a sigh. "The life of a shinobi entails such events. It does not surprise me. I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon." She looked up at him to find his face fallen, looking towards the window. "But your sensei seems to think you still performed adequately. I am…pleased to hear that you successfully demonstrated the Rotation in combat."
"Yes, father." She could barely contain her excitement at the change in subject. "As soon as I had more than two coming at me, I was able to launch them away. I think if I…I hadn't hesitated, I would have been able to take out the rest."
"Hmm," he hummed, glancing at her thigh. "Very well." She readied herself to leave, recognizing his tone as the one that signified the end of the conversation. "Hanabi." She paused, looking to meet his eyes. "Ensure you conduct yourself with decorum in front of the third's grandson, will you?"
"Oh." Hanabi hesitated before nodding. "Of course, father."
"And have a nurse look at your wound. That's all."
"Thank you."
When she finally returned to her room, she could barely keep herself up. Immediately, she sunk into her bed, letting the maids around her work to remove her satchels. She didn't realize until just now how exhausted she was. The trip itself wasn't the most tiring, it was all that came after it. Meeting with the Hokage, begging to not tell father, having to listen as Tora report her injury to father, watching Konohamaru and father interact. It was all almost too much to bear. She couldn't believe her eyes when her father actually got to his feet and bowed to him. She only ever saw that happen with other diplomats and the Hokage themselves. For him to stand up and bow to someone outside of that—it was unheard of. She hadn't realized just how important of a person Konohamaru was.
And then the relief that came with their conversation after. He wasn't disappointed, she could tell. He seemed concerned, almost. And that change in attitude was a surprise, but a welcome one. It all hadn't been so bad, after all. She hoped against hope that it could stay that way.
