A/N: bruh. this absolute MONSTROSITY took me four freaking days to edit. ugh.
on another note, omg ya'll comments are making me blush (⁄ ⁄⁄ ▽ ⁄⁄ ⁄)
Hiruzen holds back a sigh when Danzo comes to stand at his right side. Once, there had been a time when he had taken comfort in knowing his oldest, dearest friend was at his side, watching his back like their sensei had taught them to do. But that time is long gone and Hiruzen now finds himself the watcher, forced to keep a keen eye on the one he once considered a brother.
(He still does. In the privacy of his own mind. When the hours run late and he finds himself lost in memory. Danzo will always be his brother, bound together by hardship and blood. An unbreakable bond. One he can never sever no matter what damage they deal each other.)
Hiruzen supposes it was only a matter of time until Danzo found out about Hinata. Alas, he had hoped to get some answers from the kunoichi before that.
It is quiet between them for a moment, both of them watching Hinata through the viewing mirror. She is sleeping; fitfully. Hiruzen pities her. He knows what nightmares plague her. After all, they are the same ones he sees every night.
(—the feel of the earth shaking beneath his feet as the village he's sworn his life to protect falls to ruin around him—)
(—smell of blood and ash and ozone in the air, suffocating those who survived the initial attack—)
(—sound of his people screaming, terrified and dying and—)
(—taste of despair; of death thick on his tongue like bile when he finds his wife's broken body—)
"My condolences for your loss." The other man says, words stiff. "Biwako was a credit to the village. Her passing is…unfortunate."
Hiruzen ignores the pain in his heart, pushes past it with a strength he sometimes wishes he didn't have if only to grieve his wife properly like she deserves, and instead focuses on his old teammate's efforts to console him.
"Thank you, old friend," Hiruzen lets the genuine warmth he still feels for Danzo bleed into his voice, "your kind words are appreciated."
Danzo grunts, the skin around his eyes twitching, and Hiruzen wants to laugh—to cry because he misses his brother where did you go—becuase no matter how much time passes, no matter how much he changes, Danzo, at his core, is still Danzo. Forever uncomfortable in the face of genuine emotion, bristling like Kagami's cat summons.
Danzo leans forward on his cane. "This is her?" He nods at the girl shackled to a gurney behind the thick one-way window. Danzo's lips twist in displeasure. "This is your only suspect? The failed heiress of the Hyuuga?"
"She isn't a suspect," Hiruzen says in response to the other man's derision.
"And yet here she is."
"Yes," he replies; tone short and curt, "she is."
Danzo stands a little taller. The sound of his cane hitting the floor echoes in the observation room. Hiruzen is reminded sharply of where they are and who he is with.
"Give her to me. I will get you the answers you seek."
"Thank you, old friend," Hiruzen senses movement from his Anbu and smiles, "but that will be unnecessary."
Inoichi chooses that moment to walk into the room. He bows and greets both men politely. Hiruzen does not miss the way Danzo's lips purse when the young Yamanaka heir bows more lowly to his kage than him.
"I have come as requested, Sandaime-sama."
Inoichi is perfectly composed but Hiruzen can see the grief in his eyes, his father and clan head lost to the Kyuubi's rampage. He knows Inoichi will work diligently to uncover the attack's true culprit but he also trusts him to be gentle with Hinata. Hiruzen can't risk breaking the girl. Not with the last Hatake stalking the building outside, on the verge of going Feral. Hiruzen cannot risk alienating one of the village's strongest assets, not now when they are so weak and have lost so many.
Danzo's frown deepens. He turns to him.
"You are still too soft, Hiruzen."
Hiruzen's smile does not waver, amused as they revisit this age-old argument.
"And you are much too callous."
Danzo snorts before limping away.
It is three in the morning and Tsume is sitting at the kitchen table with a kunai, picking the blood of another deserter out from her nail beds when Kuromaru pads into the kitchen.
"Tsume," he says. Tsume immediately adjusts her grip on the kunai, giving her partner her full attention after scenting his agitation.
"What is it?" She demands, her muscles tensing in preparation. A hand cradles her pregnant belly.
"It is about the Hatake cub." Tsume feels her pulse quicken, bloody fingernails lengthening. Her ninken shakes himself before continuing. "Got a visit from the cub's hounds. They're…anxious. I think they came without their alpha's permission."
Tsume leans against the kitchen counter, claws digging into the ceramic tiles. The sound of them cracking is loud and echoing.
"What did they want?"
Kuromaru looks at her, his single eye boring into her.
"They believe the Hatake cub has gone…Feral or close enough."
A loud crack! and the counter finally gives under her hands. Shards of ceramic clatter to the floor noisily. The two of them still, listening. They relax when they hear nothing but the deep, even breaths of Tsume's eldest pup.
"Shit," Tsume curses, low and quiet. She'll need to go and assess the pup herself, to confirm his ninken's suspicions. If they are right—and by gods, she's hoping they're not—as Alpha of the Inuzuka, it will be her responsibility to bring him to heel. And if she can't then it will fall on her to cull the pup herself.
It is an ancient law, from the time when the Hatake and Inuzuka still roamed their ancestral packlands. It is a brutal, bloody law born from both tragedy and necessity. Becuase a Feral Hatake-Inuzuka can never be allowed to roam free, not when their hearts bay with bloodlust, their minds consumed by rage and loss. A Feral will not stop until they'd hunted and devoured whatever triggered the wolf inside. They care not for who or what they trample in their hunt, unsatisfied until at last their jaws lock around the one who harmed what is theirs.
There had been so many of her clansmen lost to their wolves in the wars. Tsume remembers seeing a team of Inuzuka-Aburame-Senju during the second war holding down a snarling, howling Hatake, her clawed hand outstretched towards the fallen body of who could only be her packmate.
Tsume will never forget the carnage that ensued when the Feral kunoichi got loose. She will never forget the sight of the Hatake's body, silver hair dyed red and all sorts of burns and gashes marring her pale skin, as she took in her final, laboured breaths, clawed hands clutching the cold ones of her dead packmate, surrounded by what had to be a platoon's worth of slaughtered enemy shinobi.
(The only reason Tsume came out unscathed—the team of Inuzuka-Aburame-Senju had stood no chance and been forced to retreat when the Hatake woman nearly clawed their faces off—was becuase something instinctual in the Feral had recognized her as one of her own, just a pup, and therefore not a threat.)
Tsume curses again, this time directed at herself because she should have anticipated this. She should have kept a closer eye on the pup, damn it! He is the textbook example of someone on the precipice of going Feral and he's been teetering on this edge for a while now.
With the loss of his packmates and now his two alphas, this shouldn't have come as such a surprise. It really shouldn't have because Tsume had visited the pup's den. She's scented the static-wolf-loyal and lavender-ash-good—two scents so deeply intertwined that, if she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that Kakashi and the girl were already mated, not just bonded.
"Kuro," Tsume begins slowly, dread pooling low where her pup is growing inside her. "where is…where is Hinata?"
For all their sakes she hopes that the girl is at least alive. Hinata's continued presence is vital to Kakashi's stability. Without her, Tsume might be forced to put down the last Hatake like some rabid dog. And that is the last thing she wants for the pup who her clan has failed so horribly.
Kuromaru lowers his head, his voice a hushed rumble. "They say she was taken."
Tsume growls low in her throat, "Who, Kuro? Tell me who took her."
Kakashi has staked a claim on Hinata. She bears his scent, his fucking mark for Moon's sake no matter that it is incomplete. Hinata is a part of his pack. And Kakashi is a Hatake—bound to the Inuzuka through blood and the Old Ways—so that means Kakashi and anyone else tied to him is Pack. It is Tsume's duty as Alpha to protect all those who are Pack.
"Anbu. On orders of the Sandaime."
What!?
Tsume snarls, blood boiling.
"Why?! On what charges?!"
Kuromaru lets loose a frustrated growl and glances away, tone biting. "They don't know. All they know is that she was taken sometime after the attack and that she cannot be retrieved. They say it is driving the cub mad."
Tsume scoffs, "Yeah, no shit. Of course he's losing it, his alphas were just murdered and his bitch dragged off to some black site."
"Well, actually," Kuromaro licks his fangs, shuffling in place, "they say she is, ah, still in the village."
Tsume laughs, ugly and biting.
"Of course she fucking is."
Tsume loves her village. She wouldn't bear her pups here if she didn't, but they could be goddamn idiots. Because dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving predator and expecting it not to bite off your fingers is exactly the kind of shit morons do.
Tsume lunges away from the kitchen counter with a frustrated growl and begins to pace. Kuromaru watches her, his tail low and wagging quickly in agitation.
"Tsume, the baby—"
"Fuck off," she snaps and rolls her eyes, "I'm just walking. Helps me think."
"I think we're going to need a bigger kitchen then."
Tsume glares but there is no real heat behind her gaze.
"Fuck. Off."
This is bad. The village has gone to shit, as much as it pains her to admit it. Fucking Kumo and Iwa are already buzzing around their borders, stirring up even more bullshit jusr to get a reaction. The last thing they need are problems from within their walls when there are already plenty of bastards outside baying for their blood.
Tsume holds no doubts that Kakashi will become a problem if he isn't already one. She's seen what happens when bonds like the one Kakashi and Hinata have are forcibly broken.
(—Tsume watches, wide-eyed and shaking, as the Hatake rakes her claws through the vulnerable belly of the Kiri-nin, his innards spilling onto the blood-soaked battleground—)
It isn't pretty. She can tell you that much.
If something should happen to Hinata—
Tsume stills, her expression darkening. Kuromaru's ears flick back against his head.
—the Sandaime is going to wish the Kyuubi had just finished them all that night. It would have been agony, yes, malicious chakra melting flesh off bone but it would have been quick. What Kakashi will do is much more brutal. He'll tear your throat out and watch as you lay there in a pool of your own blood, choking and gasping for the mercy you never spared for the others.
Or at least he'll die trying to. Probably take a big chunk of their forces down with him, the damned little prodigy.
"Fuck." Tsume groans and throws her head back, "Fuuuuck."
Kuromaru simply bobs his head in agreement.
One moment Hinata is dreaming—of what she doesn't recall, all she remembers is anger, despair, and heat—and then she's not. And yet she isn't quite awake either. Hinata blinks into the void she finds herself in and watches how the stars twinkle and sparkle under her gaze as if greeting her.
This place—
Hinata reaches for one of the hundreds of tiny lights around her.
—it is familiar to her.
Just before she makes contact, a voice speaks from behind her.
"Hello, little goddess."
Hinata turns and her eyes widen at the person standing there. Her visage flickers between a woman of great beauty—soft, dark eyes, hair like black silk, and small, pouty lips—and the other is…it makes Hinata's heart ache and her hands twitch with the need to heal and mend or—or to at least soothe, offer what little comfort she can to the reddened, mangled flesh.
But Hinata knows better than to let her impulses control her. Women like the one before her will never accept help if they believe it to be out of pity.
And Hinata feels no pity.
She will not sully this woman's battle with such paltry feelings. A warrior like her deserves more than that.
"Pardon the intrusion but—"
The rotting beauty surges forward suddenly. Hinata instinctively throws her hands forward. The woman simply leans backwards, Hinata's hands sailing harmlessly over her. Hinata jumps back when her attack doesn't connect. The woman straightens, her skin sliding over bones that crack and click audibly when she grins.
"Oh, I like this version of you." A hand, skin shriveled and yellow—death's touch, her mind whispers— traces the curve of her jaw and lower, "I like it a lot, yes. So pretty." The last word is spat like it is something dirty and foul.
Half of the woman's face is gone now, her image stabilizing. Decay cuts across her left side in ragged, uneven lines, still smoking, maiming her beauty with a rash of fire that never stops itching. Her cheek has been burnt through to the teeth so when she smiles, the charred muscle in her jaw slides against bone, blackened by some unknown flame.
"Who—who are you?"
"Ara ara, what's this?" she tuts, "not going to introduce yourself first? My, what poor manners this you has…"
Hinata flushes. She is right.. Just because this person is an unknown doesn't mean it gives her the right to be rude.
Hinata bows, perhaps a touch too low, but it's worth it if it means conveying her regret.
"M—my apologies. I am Hinata."
She straightens as soon as it's appropriate and listens to the sound of the woman's skin tearing when she smiles. Hinata holds back a wince, healing chakra humming just beneath her skin. The woman, on the other hand, makes no outward sign of discomfort. Her expression is gentle and fond as she gazes upon Hinata with her one good eye, the other an empty socket.
"...so that is what you're calling yourself this time…"
Hinata blinks. "...yes…it is?" What does she mean by 'this time'? Hinata's eyes widen. Does…does this woman have anything to do with her dreams? With this 'Hoshi' she keeps hearing about?
"Ano," Hinata begins, more hesitant this time, "who are you?"
"You would not believe me if I told you." The woman's eyes grow impossibly softer; sadder. "You never have."
"Oh." Hinata blinks again and, skipping over the fact that she's apparently met this woman before, asks, "Then if you don't mind me asking…what is your purpose here?"
Gone is the woman's sorrow. In its place is pure mischief, her single eye twinkling just like her shishou's used to before one of her pranks went off.
"My purpose here, you ask? Why it's quite simple. You see," she reaches within her moth-eaten robes and pulls out a yellow gem shaped like a magatama, "I have a gift for you."
It is beautiful, its craftsmanship exquisite and of a quality much too high for someone like Hinata.
And yet it calls to her.
("Hinata? Where are—oh there you are." Sky blue eyes glide carefully over her work, approval making them twinkle like summer shine. "You've been working hard and I think that deserves some ramen. Let's go.")
"Is it…is it really for me?"
The woman smiles softly and despite the black sludge that drips between her cracked teeth, Hinata cannot help but think it is a lovely smile. Like how a mother smiles for her daughter, patient and full of tender affection.
"It is for you, yes," she replies.
Hinata can sense no ill-intent from the woman. Her expression is kind and her body relaxed and open. And so Hinata reaches out, her hands brushing bone and shrunken skin, and takes the gift.
Hinata turns over the yellow stone, admiring its soft glow. It is like a drop of sunshine, bright and warm in her palm. Curiously, she notices that there is something else too. Hinata can sense a strong and steady thrum of lovesafetyproudsoproud emitting from it.
"It is beautiful," Hinata says and looks up at the woman who has been watching her carefully. "Thank you." She goes to put it in her pocket but is stopped when the woman clears her throat.
"It is meant to be worn." She puts a hand over her still chest. "Close to the heart."
"But there is no string—"
"Allow me," she interrupts and Hinata winces when the woman grabs a section of her hair and rips it free from her head. Hinata watches with wide eyes as the woman picks off the bits of skin still attached to the roots before twining them into a simple but sturdy braid. She takes the magatama from Hinata's loose grip and loops the braided rope through the hole.
"Be a dear and turn around for me."
Hinata obediently turns her back to her. Her mind scolds her for showing her back to this unknown but her heart is steady and reassuring.
Cold hands brush her hair away. "Oh? What's this?" A finger traces the mostly-healed bite mark Kakashi gave her. "A partial soul claim? Oh my, how brazen your wolf is!"
Hinata flushes bright red. The woman chuckles, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"There. All done."
Hinata turns around, her cheeks still hot. The pendant sits warm and safe and right above her heart.
"Beautiful." The woman says. The longing and pain Hinata hears in that single word makes her heart ache all over again.
"So very beautiful."
The dark-haired corpse walks up close, slow this time so Hinata doesn't lash out. She lifts a maggot-riddled hand and holds Hinata's chin in her chewed fingerbones.
"I was beautiful once too," she whispers.
Hinata swallows thickly. She grieves for her becuase Hinata knows loss. And this woman has lost so very much.
"Please," Hinata breathes, lifting her hands "please, allow me to give you a gift too."
The woman blinks and steps back, a scowl further butchering her face.
"There is nothing you can do for me, child. There is nothing anyone can do."
Hinata stretches out her hands and allows them to shine green with life's healing light.
"Then it is good that I am no one." Hinata sees how her words catch the woman off guard and she goes in for the kill. Widening her eyes like she's seen Kakashi's ninken do, she implores one more time, "Please, don't turn me away."
The woman's gaze flickers from Hinata's hands to her face and then back again to her hands.
She sighs and a moth flies out of her mouth.
"Very well."
Hinata approaches and gently cups the woman's face in her hands, uncaring of the smell of rancid flesh and the feeling of maggots and pus sinking between her fingers. The woman shudders and Hinata's heart goes out to this lonely corpse.
Heal, she wills, heal what death has taken.
The woman's face contorts, her voice full of loathing. "See, little goddess? There is nothing—" her words cut off as slowly the exposed hole in her cheek begins to knit itself shut. She stares at Hinata, her expression vulnerable and awed. "...what?...no, it is not possible…you are mortal now."
Hinata places her hand over the woman's empty eye socket and pours as much of herself as she can.
"Stop."
Hinata pays the woman no heed and pushes even more of her chakra into her, ignoring the fog beginning to creep into her vision.
(mine. my hime. mine. something rumbles, dark and alluring and achingly familiar. mine. my beloved. mine.)
"Stop. Please. You are exhausting yourself."
Hinata opens her mouth to tell her she is fine but her legs choose then to give out on her. The woman follows her to the ground, gathering her in her arms. She looks down at Hinata with two, perfectly whole eyes.
Hinata blinks slowly, chakra exhaustion making it hard to focus, but she gathers her strength and clumsily bats at the woman's wet cheeks.
"..you are boo… boo-ti-ful too," she slurs, tongue fat and heavy in her mouth.
( lovely so lovely. brilliant light. my guide. my heart. mine. mine. minemine mine.)
"No, I am not." The woman weeps and brushes Hinata's hair back to tuck it behind her ear. "But you, little goddess…you are worthy of adoration—of the praises the mortals sing of you." Her voice shakes with regret, with shame, "I am sorry for the part I played in your tragedy. May this life be kinder than your last. For both of you."
The woman leans forward and presses a tender kiss to Hinata's forehead. She closes her eyes and finally lets the void that's been calling out to her this whole time take her away.
(finally. yes. mine. it purrs. sleep. safe. mine. forever. yes.)
Kinoto is in line to receive his month's supply of rations when someone clears their throat behind him. Kinoto glances back and is met with a familiar painted snarl. He pockets his kunai and resumes formation.
"Three-eight-zero," he acknowledges.
"Hey-a, senpai!" The other agent chirps back and because he's always been rather mouthy when compared to everyone else (a side-effect of his civilian infiltration training), he continues with, "You missed roll call again this week. Very naughty. "
"Mission," Is all Kinoto says.
"Hm, yeah, I heard about your…" Kinoto flicks his gaze back to Mizunoto at the odd pause. "...new assignment," he finishes, weaving a light genjutsu over them that Kinoto recognizes as a simple yet efficient one taught in basic infiltration. It's designed to draw attention away from the user and muffles what is being spoken.
Kinoto is very careful not to react, clearing his thoughts of Kushina and did they find her? How? Does he have a tail? Is she alright? Did the seals hold—
"How? My mission is classified." His voice hardens. "Is there a mole?"
If there is, he will take care of it himself. He has to find out how much they know; if he has been compromised. Considering he's alive and here, in the base going about his usual routine, they can't know much.
Unless that's what they want him to think.
Mizunoto interrupts his thoughts, "Ah, no, no. Nothing like that, senpai. It's just that surveillance isn't really your specialty."
"No. It's not." Kinoto replies, letting out a sigh of relief within the privacy of his mind.
Oh, he thinks, he's talking about Hinata-sama. Kinoto will still have to look into the matter later and see if it's just his sector that knows of Hinata or if it's spread to the others or—
Kinoto slowly eyes the younger agent.
"Have you been following me again?"
"Me?" Mizunoto asks, voice painfully innocently. "Nope. Never. Wouldn't dream of it, senpai."
"..."
"Okay, maybe just a little bit but I also heard it from Hinoto who's seen you coming and going. A lot."
"..."
"...like a lot, a lot."
Kinoto flexes his fingers at his side, feeling the power humming through the seals inked into his gloves. He doesn't want to hurt Mizunoto but he will if he has to. This is too important.
(It'll be painless. The seal is meant to subdue not harm. But if Mizunoto fights back, Kinoto won't hesitate to defend himself.)
"Am I being reported?"
"Ano, no, not exactly—"
"Then what is your point, three-eight-zero?" Kinoto demands, having enough of Mizunoto games. He turns around completely so they're mask-to-mask. Mizunoto flinches and takes a step back.
Kinoto freezes. The stares of the other agents have his skin prickling. Slowly, Kinoto forces his body to move—to relax.
"Apologies, that was unprofessional of me." He says in monotone and stiffly faces forward once more, horrified at his lapse in control.
"...s'okay, senpai." Mizunoto replies; subdued. He doesn't return to his earlier spot and the space between them feels larger than just that one step. Again, that bad taste when he'd frightened unsettled Kinoe in the showers returns and settles thick and bitter on his tongue.
A few minutes pass in silence and the hairs on the back of his neck finally settle when the others turn their attention away, the genjutsu doing its job.
Mizunoto speaks quietly, just enough for him and only him to hear.
"Your new assignment…she's nice and all but...is she really worth all that effort?"
"Yes," Kinoto replies without hesitation. If these should be his last words then so be it. He shall die with Hinata's praises on his cursed tongue. He finds that he doesn't quite have the will to fight Mizunoto anymore.
"'kay."
Kinoto stares ahead in confusion and it takes a lot out of him not to turn around again because what?
"'kay' ?" Kinoto parrots.
He feels gloved fingers touch the exposed skin of his right shoulder. The muscles in his bicep twitch in response and goosebumps appear along his skin.
"'kay." Mizunoto repeats firmly. "You're…you're not alone, okay senpai?"
Kinoto stares at him; dumbfounded. When he doesn't say anything, Mizunoto tightens his grip, an almost desperate quality to his voice, "Okay, senpai, okay?"
"Okay," Kinoto says quietly.
Mizunoto lets go of him when it is Kinoto's turn. He takes the scroll containing his food rations wordlessly. As he goes to leave he catches Mizunoto's gaze through his mask. The younger agent nods at him.
Okay?
Kinoto returns it.
Okay.
Hinata lasts four days before she breaks. Though, it is not in the way her wardens had hoped for. Instead of secrets and plots falling her loosened lips, it is a mournful cry that gets louder and louder as her new reality begins to sink in.
Her shishou—her fearless, beautiful shishou—is gone. A flame gone out too soon. And Namikaze-sensei, the first teacher to treat her kindly, so tenderly, like she was his own flesh and blood, is gone too.
Gone.
Lost to her forever.
Dead.
To make matters worse, their son, little Naruto-chan, has been hidden from her. Hinata tries to take comfort in the knowledge that he is safe, but she cannot settle the anxiety that sinks its teeth into her heart, its fangs seeping poison and filling her with doubts.
Are you sure he is well? It hisses. How can you, a prisoner here, have so much faith in his safety? In the words of your captors? What is stopping them from lying to you?
No! Stop it! Hinata pulls at her hair, using the pain to ground herself. I refuse to contemplate such falsities. No, I won't, I won't, I won't, no—
Open your eyes. Open your eyes and see the truth, the child is gone—
Hinata's head falls back, veins bulging around her eyes.
"I said no!" Hinata screams, her locked chakra rising before the seals drag it back down once more. She screams and screams and screams, hoping to block out that awful voice and to rid herself of the deafening silence of her cell.
Naruto is safe, he is safe, Hinata repeats to herself, arms wrapping around her knees, he is, he is, and if he isn't …
Another spike of her chakra. The suppression cuffs burn her wrists with the heat of her anger.
…I will make them regret it.
The pendant around her neck vibrates, its color darkening slightly.
The village is a mess. A carefully controlled mess but a mess nonetheless.
"What is your verdict, Jiraiya? Can the seals be fixed?" His sensei asks from his desk.
Jiraiya stares at the man.
"'Fixed'? Are you kidding me, sensei, there is nothing to fix. The seals are gone, eaten up by the fox's chakra."
His genin teacher straightens immediately.
"You mean we are currently without any defenses?"
"Yes."
The single word sits heavily between them. The old man inhales sharply, looking every bit his age.
"What must be done?"
Jiraiya presses the heels of his palms to his eyes and groans.
"We're going to need a whole new set of seals."
Sarutobi-sensei eyes him carefully. "The fact that you have yet to do so means you've run into a problem."
"Sensei these barrier seals were Uzushio-style ones and with…with Kushina and Minato gone…anything I make won't be nearly half as good as the old ones."
"Is there truly no one else?"
"I mean technically yes, considering they haven't labeled her missing in action but I can't find her or her boyfriend anywhere."
He really did, even reached out to all his contact in-village and even outside but no one has seen hide nor hair of Hinata since before the attack. Jiraiya really doesn't like what that implies.
"You are referring to Kushina's apprentice, Hinata, correct?"
Jiraiya nods, "Yeah, she's the last living practitioner of the Uzumaki's sealing style."
The others in the village's sealing corps were all useless. The only thing those amateurs are good for is creating storage scrolls and basic barrier seals.
"I see," Sarutobi-sensei says slowly, his expression pinched. "That complicates matters."
Jiraiya looks at him, eyes narrowing. There is something the old man isn't saying. And whatever it is, he just knows he isn't going to like it.
"...what matters are we talking about?"
His teacher meets his gaze, his dark eyes cold. It is only Jiraiaya's years spent as a hardened shinobi and his time on the frontlines of the Second Ninja War that keep him from shivering outright.
"It is matters like the one that has chuunin Hinata in custody due to reasonable suspicion."
Jiraiya swallows hard.
"...suspicion of what?"
His sensei's eyes go impossibly colder, twin cores of a dead star.
"Suspicion of orchestrating the events that led to the Nine-Tail's Attack and the death of its jinchuuriki and her husband, my successor, the Yondaime Namikaze Minato."
Jiraiya gapes at his sensei.
"Sensei, let me see if I'm getting this right. You think that Hinata, my blonde, S-class brat's sweet, shy, little chuunin pseudo-daughter not only overpowered him but also the strongest of the tailed beasts' jinchuuriki, two Anbu squads, and your wife? And then somehow found a way to control the Kyuubi and used it to attack the village that she has been nothing but loyal to. Is that right?"
"Yes."
Jiraiya splutters.
Inoichi watches the young girl from behind the two-way mirror.
"I would like you to use your clan's jutsu on her."
Inoichi glances at his kage standing at his left.
"You do not believe her story?"
Inoichi had been observing from here when Hinata had recounted that tragic night's events. There had been nothing in her body language or in her words that told him she was lying about anything. Her story was well-rounded and clearly not rehearsed; detailed, but not perfect because human memory is rarely so.
She was obviously nervous, fiddling with the pendant around her neck, but her file had warned him of her timid disposition. Most likely due to an underlying fear of authority figures as a result of the demanding childhoods all heirs live.
Hinata may have been scared, her chakra sealed and no idea where she or her loved ones are, but she did not waver, her gaze steady and focused on the Sandaime and her hands had gone from her neck to her lap; very ladylike and unthreatening.
She had been nothing but cooperative.
And yet...
"No." The Sandaime's eyes narrow and his lips twist down. "Not entirely. There is something we are missing. I want you to find it."
Well, who is he to deny his kage?
"As you command, Sandaime-sama."
Inoichi enters the small medical room with Anbu Sparrow in tow.
Hinata dips her head and lowers her eyes.
"Greetings, Yamanaka-sama." She demures and turns to Sparrow to offer the same greeting. "Anbu-san."
The agent doesn't startle, not really, but he does stiffen at being addressed. After an awkward pause, he nods at her.
What a polite girl. Charming the Anbu around her without any real effort, Inoichi thinks, letting none of his amusement show on his face, I hope my Ino-chan will be just as gracious.
"Hyuuga-san," he approaches, watching carefully as her lips thin.
"Ano, it is just Hinata, Yamanaka-sama."
Her exile has hurt her, yes, but it has not crippled her. She is more than her clan; her worth is not solely defined by her family or their status. Inoichi crosses it off his list of potential weak points.
"Of course, Hinata-san, my apologies." Inoichi comes to stop a respectful distance away from the end of her bed. No need to have her defensive from the get-go. He lifts the corner of his mouth just enough to be vaguely playful. "Or would you prefer 'Hatake-san'?"
Hinata stares at him, her expression unchanging but her skin slowly turning bright pink.
"I beg your p—pardon?" She stammers after a time, taken back.
Inoichi raises a brow, donning a politely surprised face.
"Oh? Were you not aware of the Hatake clan's claim on you?"
"N—no…I was not."
Her shock and confusion are genuine. Inoichi can rule out the theory of Hinata manipulating the last Hatake's meager political ties for her own agenda.
"Then I assume 'Hinata-san' will do?"
Hinata blinks, her facial expression shuttering as she struggles for control. One of her hands has gone back to playing with her necklace.
"Ah, um, yes… that…that w—will do."
Satisfied that he's gotten her thoroughly off-balance, Inoichi decides it is time to begin.
"So, Hinata-san, I assume you know why I am here?"
Hinata nods, her colouring returning to normal, "Yes, Yamanaka-sama, I do."
Usually, when he walks into an interrogation room he is met with terror. But Hinata, when faced with the knowledge that he will be trespassing on the most private parts of herself, is unbothered. As if she has nothing to hide and everything to give.
"Then I have to ask, for formality's sake, will Hatake Hinata, chuunin of Konohagakure, consent to the Yamanaka's shintenshin no jutsu ?"
Hinata's answer is immediate though he does notice the light blush still coating her cheeks.
"Hai."
Inoichi nods. "Then we will begin immediately."
Sparrow disappears only to reappear with a steel chair that he bolts to the floor. Inoichi takes a seat and faces the young girl.
"This jutsu works best the less resistance there is so please take a moment to relax both yourself and your mind."
Inoichi breathes in and out slowly and audibly. Hinata subconsciously copies him, her shoulders dropping and her expression smoothing out.
"Good," he praises and lifts his hands in his clan's signature jutsu. "Let us begin."
Inoichi activates the technique and finds himself immediately dropped into a memory, watching it through Hinata's eyes.
What an interesting defense, Inoichi thinks curiously as the memory plays out.
A young boy, about ten years old, tugs on his—no, Hinata's—sleeve. He grins up at her, the bandaged braids at his temples swinging from side to side.
"Ne, ne, hime-neechan," he wheedles, "who's your favorite? Me or," he points to another boy, an Uchiha going by his familiar aristocratic features and wild hair, "mister grumpy-pants over there."
"Hey!" The other boy protests, stamping his little foot. Inoichi doesn't recognize him from Hinata's file. It reported she was only close with two Uchihas, one of them KIA, and the other looking nothing like this one.
And then there's the matter of their clothes...noble and almost... archaic, like something only seen in the Daimyo's palace during traditional ceremonies.
Hinata lifts her hands and cups each of the little boy's cheeks tenderly. Inoichi's heart threatens to explode at the overwhelming care and love she holds for the two.
"I love you both just the same," Hinata says sweetly, making both boys blush furiously.
The memory changes and Inoichi is swept up in a whirl of exhilaration as Hinata weaves through trees, carefree and wild, the moon's gentle light illuminating her path and her long hair flying behind her like a banner.
Inoichi is startled when he doesn't recognize any of the trees. He's never seen such tall, wide trees before, their size dwarfing even the greatest of the Hashirama trees that protect their village. Inoichi wonders if maybe this is a memory from her deployment. That would explain the unfamiliar foliage. Inoichi makes a reminder to check her records to see where she was deployed. He's curious about these trees so tall they brush the heavens.
Hinata turns to her left and Inoichi feels the way her mouth stretches into a grin and the joy that fills her being when she meets the dark gaze of the giant white wolf running alongside her, its paws beating against the earth in sync with her heartbeat.
Inoichi marvels at the beautiful creature. He's never seen such an animal before; not outside of the snowy territories in Lightning country and certainly never this massive. It is easily the size of one Sannin's boss summons.
Inoichi nearly loses the connection when he hears a loud, high-pitched yip behind him—Hinata. The noise is accompanied by the sound of smaller trees snapping. Inoichi feels his heart drop to his stomach when Hinata turns around, still grinning, and catches the sight of several long, bright tails waving above the treetops some ways behind them.
Inoichi has no time to collect himself when the memory switches and he finds himself watching Hinata's wedding day.
What? Inoichi thinks as the wedding ceremony concludes and Hinata walks off with her husband. How can this be? Hinata is only fourteen. There is no record of any marriage; arranged or otherwise in her file.
The sinking feeling in his stomach is amplified by Hinata's own reservations as she goes through the motions of removing her ceremonial makeup in front of a mirror.
Inoichi is surprised to see an older version of Hinata looking back at him-her.
What...what is this? Inoichi thinks again in disbelief as the memory yet again changes.
His confusion is quickly swept away, replaced with awe at the beauty around him as he floats weightlessly in what can only be the heavens. It is quiet here but not at the same time. Here, among the stars, the cosmos plays a hidden melody. Not one composed of sounds, no, nothing so… primitive. It is a tune made up of the quiet brought on by the solace of a vast universe. Of a thousand stars dying only to be reborn in an explosion of light. It is the sound of his blood running through his veins and the steady tempo of his heart.
Inoichi extends one finger to touch the star closest to him.
It is both cold and warm. Its cold-hot seeps in through their connection before travelling its way up his arms and then into his chest, settling itself deep inside his heart.
A voice—no, not a voice, it is so much more than that—thunders in his head.
S̷͓̏͠ ̵͖̮̰̄̔͝ḩ̸͎̮̿̂́͜ȇ̴̮͊̓̈́ ̴͔̘̺͗̓̅̍͠ ̷̮̯̋͐W̸͔͖͖̮̼̽̎̍ ̶̛͙͖̠͈̥͋̀͗̽h̶̻͈̀̓ ̸͓͆̄̄ö̵̺̏̄̈́̾ ̶̧̨̤̠͕̌̀̑ ̶̳͝Í̷̡͖͙͙̦̆̓̈́ ̶̗̍̓̉̈́̿l̷͚̮̘̫̦̋̀̊͆͘ ̶̛̞͍̱̾l̵͕͍̬̹̠̈́͛̀̍ ̸̺́͋ű̷̠̇̊͒̌ ̷̠̅͋͝m̷̘̳͙̠̮̅ ̸̤̩̩̹͂ị̶̻̋̏̿̀̌ ̸̫̮̍̔͒̂̀ń̸̖̈́ ̴̥̫̍͗ạ̶̢̊̄ ̶̻̩͍̥̼̆t̷͎̄͑ ̸͉͛̑é̵̝̜͉͖ ̶̼̈s̵̛͔̦̖̉͘͜ ̸̨̘̼̉̎͂̇͝ ̵͚̈͐T̴̜͔̣͘ ̵̨̧̩̼̻̓̕͘͝h̸̜̰͐̂͠ ̸̗͍̻͍̃̀̌ę̸̥͕̙́͂ͅ ̴̜̎̄̔̽ ̷̼̖̬̄͠Ḫ̴̙͊̆͋ ̷̜͉̻̍͋̕e̸̥̱̔͂̈́͋ ̶͈̲̭̻̱̈́ḁ̷̧̨̛̯̿̋͂ ̷̟͆v̸̯̈́̅̑̅͋ ̶̨̭̙̗̙͗͝e̴̤̥͓̘̼̓͂́ ̴̠̾̀͜n̶͙̿̃̈́ ̵͓̏s̵̮͚̿̂̏͠
Iniochi's teeth rattle in his skull, his body going numb as his nervous system is overwhelmed.
M̸̡̡̞͖͍̄̏̀ ̸̘̋ơ̸̼̣̺̊̑̀ ̷̝̌͆́́t̶̬̜̹̿̉͒ ̷̢̡̘̩̻̅͐͋̓͘h̴̛͔̭͙͆ ̷̡͖̳̟̒̆ḝ̵͎̅̕ ̵̢̟̣̑r̶̗̠̕͝ͅ ̴̭̭́̿ ̸̧̭̄̔͑͌ ̴̣̺̼̅T̷̜͈̤̩̉ ̷̢̙̊͘͝ǒ̴͉ ̴̩͇̥̓̋̒ ̵͎͇̱̅ ̷͇̹̋A̷̛̛̛͈̣̬̺͐̑ͅ ̴̘̰̄ļ̶̞̅̄̀͋͊ ̵͎͋͑l̵̟̣̼̻̥̈́̋͝
His mind creaks under the intense pressure, his heart threatening to burst if it wasn't for whatever mysterious power that has burrowed itself there, keeping his soul from shattering into a million little pieces.
B̶̙̺̤̬̰̗̪̽̈́̎̈͂ ̶̧̯̥̬̖̾̄̊̎̽͒̽̍͘͝l̴̤͐̍̓̌̏̃̀̏̓ ̵̫̟̝̞̪̣̽̈̈́̈́͗̓̂ę̵̹̳̞̪͚͓̒̋͆̒͘͜͝ ̸̢̛̺͍̳̯̞̣̦̭̃s̷̮͍͔̩̬͆̎͆͑̔ ̵̱̗̎̏̏͠s̷̢̛͙͓̲̫͇̲̟̑̌̀̿̚̚͝ ̷̝̀̄̐̆́ę̶̳̖̫̲̎͒̎̋̅̑̎̚ ̷͎̙̊̓͊͐̽̊̓͑͗͠d̷̢̢̝̩̞͍̞͖̟̒̒̽̽́̆͐̇̚͝ ̸̢͔̠̬́͗̍̔͝ ̶̡̪̦͕̣̘̀̇̈́̒͌͊̐̋͝͝ͅ ̵͉̪͎̮͕̠̞̙̍͒̍Ś̷̙̻͈͔͐̒͆̽̏̃̚ ̸̱̻̘̭̯̥̖̪͂̉̐͗̇̀̀̕ͅt̵͓̼̜̓̋͝ ̴̻̳̭̲̹̠͉̺̋ȧ̴͓̥͈̹͚̦͑̾̉̂͊͛̍ͅͅ ̶̥̫̓̈̀̎͠r̷̘̭̦̰̲̞̻̲̂́͒͆̄͑̒
Inoichi screams as each title is spoken. Each syllable splits his mind further and further apart
.
Ī̸̪͉̈́̈́͛̀͌͆̄̕͝ ̶͕͇̗̆͂̑̆̈́m̸̼̪̝̀̀̎͐̋̽̉̒̽̔̇̿̚͝ ̴̨̝̦̰̹̎̍͝m̵̢͍͕͔͍̳͚̊̋̀́̽̅͒͝ ̸̢̯̩̠͔̼͉̻͎̫̖̪̽́̆̀̊̓̈́́̄̉̃̿ǒ̷̤̱̰͑̑͑͌̋̽̏͆̐́̆̊̾͘ ̶̧̝̭͚̎̽́̈̂̾̋́͛͋̔̐̀̀̌͋ṟ̷̡̨̩͚̞̺̬̠͍̟͖̼̏͒͜͜ ̴̛͖̭̭͈̝͗̂̆̇̉͆͐̈́̔͘͜ͅt̶̡͇̫̻̐̒̂̌̓̑̊ ̴̨̮̥̩̪̗̼̳͓̖̻̳̗̲͉̇̈́́̅̔̃̑̅̆̈́̋̏͘͜͝͝a̵̹̖̙̓̄͋́̈́̒̏͒̐͌́͒͆̚͝ ̵̧̝̘̬̬͚͔̩͎̠̌̽͐̏͊̋̄͑̇͂͆́̓̚̕͝ľ̸̡̡̢̨̹͍̳͓̜̠̠͖̟͇͔̙̔̃̓́̂͑̈̃͌ͅ ̸̡̨̹̯̗̭͚̗̰͋͛̈́ͅ ̴̧̤͇̫̜̰̫̟͉̤̱̐̃̋͒̋̏̕͜ͅ ̶̢̛̛̱̮̗̻͕̺̙͎̮̋̽́̄͗͒̋͝Q̵̗̭̮̳̝̬̍̃̂̾̒̀ ̶̜̌̿͂͒ụ̸̺͎̟̀͑̌̀̈́͂̎̈̃͗̋̈́̉̑̚͝͠ ̸͍̖̲̩͍̲͐̔̾͐́̾͝͝e̷̛͕̦̬̣̬̣͇̪̩̖̾̔͌͂͐͗̅̉̊͛̉ ̶̢̫̦̫͙̘͇̮̬̒͊̔͒͝ȩ̸̡̠͙̳͚̼̄͑͛̍̓͒̿͝͠ ̷̖̝͈̳͎͔̘̹̂͗̂̈́͌̎̄̓̆̀̓̎͘̕͝ṇ̸̝̻͚̬̮͔̭̹͗̂̀̀̂̐̊͂͒́̐̀̆͘
He screams and screams and screams for what feels like an eternity.
Ä̵̡̗̗͖̰̼͕̬́̔̂̃̃͝ͅ ̶͈͇̦̩̹̪̅̑̌͊͑̉̕͜m̷̨̡͕͖̙̱̥̺̗̂̓̊̄̅̐̽̕ ̸͍͐̀͂͛̀͌̊̇͠a̶̤̞̥̓͂̽̄̑̔̕͝ ̶̢͔̪̻̮̤͂̊̀͑̓͛͒̌t̷̛̩̣͚̅͆͊͋̿͋͂ ̵͚̅͆̂͛̎͑ş̶̨̫̮̹̲̥̉̍͝ ̶͈̏̉́̾̓͐̚u̶͙̖̲̥͓͔̣̟͂͒̒̌̐ ̶̨̤̼̟̦̖͙̺͕̓̍̌̉̚͘͝-̸̧̣̥͖͂̄̍̍̿̋͝͠ ̶̨̖̪͈̟̹͇̳̔͊̃̓̍̅͠Ḿ̸̧̙̫̺̜͓̩̲͊̏͗̽͌͋͠ ̶̬̜͎̤̲͉̬̟̌̍̀̈́̊̔͜į̵̝̜̼̹̝̆̈́͋͆̉͠ ̴̬͓̫̃͂k̸̗̟͎̘͔̻̥͇͓̍̋͋ ̸̢͇̼̻̝̳̪͇̖̄̏̽̽̈͌̋̕ắ̶̡͈̝͔̞̰̺͜ ̷̨͖͋̉̎̀͊́̕͜ḅ̷̛̳̼͚͇͙̤̬̌̿̎̍̃ ̵̧̨̝͌̎̓͊͂̓̔o̷̢͇͈̳̥̜̾̋̈́́̓͋͆͠͝ ̶̩̙̝͇̠͍́̑̆͗͌̐̈̈́ş̸͙̹͝͝ ̴̣̙͓̩̯͉͔̺̟͠h̷̨̞̣͉̜̲͌̓͐̒̇̈̊̕ ̴͕̤̅̐͜i̸̛̘̥͕͚̱͒͋̋͐́̓͠ ̶̤͛̒̀͌̒͘͝'̷͈̖͓̂̀̀͛̀͘ ̶̯̞͕̙͚̱͔̗͊̐͛̍͗̓͂͜ş̵͍̭͔̰͉̜͖̇ ̶͙͉̝̲̝͚̖̺̀͒͒̇̀́͘͜͝ ̴̙̬̝̰̈́͌̈́͐́͘ ̶̙̹̰̀̓͑̿̓b̵̢̞̳̝͎̠̱͛̋ ̷͙͓͍̳̋͜ȩ̸̝̜̯̽̑ ̸̹̣͕̬̹̩͗͛̀l̴̨̞̰̗͇̎̈́ ̶̧̧̞͕͉̊̾̈̅̈o̸͎̠̺̦̯̣̺̟̚ ̷̛̰̼͔̤́̌́́͝v̸̹͔̯̮̞̪̬͒́̀̿̓͝ ̵̧̛̬͓̫̝̪̲̦̏̎͊̄̍͝ė̶̢̞̞͔͇̫̣̣̝̔̎̆̇̓̕ ̶̟͕̞̱͇̪̗̉͑̒̇̇̈͆͝ͅd̷͇͚̹̹̯̯̯̟̐̓̔̇̓͛͛ ̷̲͈̤̖̼̙̃̔̂̌̋̚͜ ̸̨̰͕̟̥̞̮̐̈́̈́̏ ̵̢͙̓̽̈̈͌͂͆͗h̶̘͈̟̥̖̲̐̌͂̅̃̀͝ͅ ̵̬͉̥̓̄͌̆̉̾̌͘į̶̮̦̦̈́̎ͅ ̷͎͉̃̏͂̿͌́̎m̶̱̖͓̣̈́̑͑ ̴̛̤̬̠͖̈́͊e̴̬͙̩̬̒̉̑
Inoichi has never regretted anything more in his life. He knows he should have woken up his wife and kissed her and his daughter farewell instead of slipping out the back window without another glance back.
L̵̡̝̘̣̰̺̩̣̞̰̪̽̃̈́͌̀̈̄̑̈́̓̕͜͜͠͠ ̴̨̛̬̜͍̬̖̳̫̘̫͎͎̘̳̬̱̳̓̎́̂́̏̔̀̅̋̓͝ͅi̷̛̞̠͓̗̟͍͉͊̾̍̍͊̊̏͊̽̍̀̒͂̃̍̈̀͆̕͠͝͝ ̸̛͉̰̩̠̙̺͙̠̽̊g̷̦̹͖̻̘͇̏̓̓̒̅̑͑̅͆͆̒̿̋̑̆̀̒̕ ̵̢̧̛̛̻̺̥̙̮̮̮͚̗͇̩̼̤̯̝̖̦̉̎̑͗̅͗̓̽͛̌̏̋́́̔͑̕͜ͅh̴̹̙̙̟̱͕̗̯̬̠̱̣̤̯͓̗̫̥̪̗̉̉͂̋͠ ̷̡̧̧̨̛̛̩̜̠͔̳̠̪͈̺̯̩͚͔̺̄͗͗͊̿͆̇͐̍̋̐͗̅̎̚̚͝ͅͅt̶͈̉̇̾̍̈́̉̈́̎͗̏͋̈́̒̽̿̇ ̴̡̳̙̦̠͍̣͉̗̦̭͙̦̭̽̈́̆̌̍͜ ̴̖̹͓̹̝͇͕̪̀̂͘ ̴̡̛͕̦͓̘̪̝̼͉͙̥̈́͊̏͆̄̇́̂̒̈́̀̿̓͋͜͝i̸̛̮͚̐͑͗͒̄̑͒͊̄̂̏̇̚̕͘ ̷͔͐͐̎̈́͆̃̈́͝n̴̞̖͎̝͕̦͇͕̖̗̤̘̙̳̹̾̊̀̃̾͌ ̷̢̮̞̻͈̼̘̪͓̣̯̝̮͚̎̈́̄̊͐͒̾̌̔́͜͜ ̸̛̘̺̻͓̲͂̀̽͛̇͒̄͗̍͋̿́͛̈́̋͐̀̚͘̕͝͝ ̵̞̞͕̿ţ̷̛̛̳͙̙͖̝̟̫͕̜̲̭̪̬͍͙͖̱̫̮͋̆̀̈́͐̔͊̿̑͌̒͛͊̋̔͛̚͘͝ ̶͖̯̗̌͑͌̓̉̊̓̀h̷̛̛̛̻͍͊͆̂̂̊̏̄̆͐̆̿́̆͛̄̃͘͘͝ ̷̧̡̻͕̩̫̭̳̤̺͕̺̐̃͂̃̌̃́͝ę̸̮̱̪̪̹̣͖͇̗̯͓̱͚̩̺̫̠͎̲̽̋̿̑̏͆̅̾͊̉̏̓́̓̌̎̕̕͘͜ͅͅ ̵̡̧̧̤̥̜̮͇̭̪̟̱̣͔͈͇̙̼̞͖̲̐̉̃̓̓̓̾̇̀̾̌̚ͅ ̸̢̧̩̬̖̞̯͕̤͔̤͐̈̇̀̆͜ͅ ̴̡̨̳̭͍̳̞͈͖͎͇͖̉̏̀͛̀̒̋͗̓͠V̴̡̧̨̛͖̬̬̩̱͙̮̣͙͍̝͕̅̽̐̎͋̉̊͌͆̚͜ ̷͍̒̅͂̎̑͒̊͌͗̄̋̌͠͠o̷̧̘͚̙̹̤̲̮̺͍̊͊̂̎͗͗̋̈͋̉̌̚͝ͅ ̴̥͙͙̙͇̞͙̻̤͔̫̯̺̜̣̳̟̪̦̩͑̌̐͂̀̋͜͜ͅi̷̦̳̙̟̟̔͗̒͋ ̸̘̱͍͓̬̜̓̈́͑̅͊̃̍̆̀̇̈́́̌̈́͐͘͠͝͝d̸̨̩́
In tandem, the stars and his mind explode in a shower of light.
Inoichi nearly loses his connection with Hinata's mind as another bout of pain wracks him. Although this one is more physical than mental.
What was that?! Inoichi panics. Kami, what was that?!
Hinata's vision is blurry and dotted black as she slowly begins losing the fight to stay conscious, her mind deteriorating as if—
A primal fear, the likes of which Inoichi hasn't felt since the war, seizes him.
—she is dying.
Hinata's vision goes all white and Inoichi would have believed she'd gone blind if he didn't recognize the familiar white pelt.
"What have you done!?" The wolf from the woods roars, standing protectively over Hinata.
"I wasn't trying—I didn't mean to, I swear it!" The child from the first memory, full-grown now, sobs.
The other one, hair much longer and eyes glowing red with the power of the sharingan, stares at Hinata in mute horror. He makes to go to her but the wolf stops him with a vicious snap of his teeth, barely missing ripping off his face, the man's eyebrows smoking where the lightning crackling between the beast's fangs had seared them clean off.
"Stay back! I will not allow you to harm her any further!"
The Uchiha just stares at Hinata, unmoving until the wolf stomps his paw, shaking the earth itself, and sending the man staggering back.
"Leave us! The both of you!"
The brown-haired man is a mess, "I'm so sorry, please, neechan, I—"
"I said GO!"
The first boy-turned-man stammers through his tears, but the wolf runs them off with a snarl that makes Inoichi's mind go blank with fear, allowing Hinata's own to swallow his.
The wolf turns to her, his tail lowering and ears flattening against his great head.
He noses Hinata's cheek and Inoichi can scarcely feel it, the girl-woman starting to go numb as the life bleeds out of her. A great whine leaves the beast's throat and Inoichi feels like his mind is going to explode when the wolf transforms into a man, but not just any man, no, this one has familiar silver spikes and the same sad dark eyes—Kakashi, several years older with red fang-like markings tattooed onto his bare face.
"Oh, Hoshi, my darling summoner," he whispers mournfully, burying his face in her neck, his voice full of self-loathing "This is my fault. I was too late."
(Hoshi? Inoichi wonders, thoughts feeling far away.)
"No, m—my love, never th—think that…you are always exactly wh—where…I need you…" Hinata's hand weakly falls atop the back of not-Kakashi's neck. Inoichi feels the burn when she musters the last of her strength to hoist herself up, burying her face in the space of not-Kakashi's neck. He shudders against her, sharp nails digging into her skin.
"I—I...I love you…" she murmurs before opening her mouth and biting down hard.
Inoichi feels the connection break but instead of finding himself back in his own body, he finds himself standing in the middle of a beautiful garden, one strongly resembling the Hyuuga's where he'd once been entertained as a guest. The moon shines down upon his surroundings, closer than he's ever seen it, bathing them all in blue light. The natural beauty is almost enough to distract from the fact he is no longer tethered to his physical body.
Almost.
"You do not belong here." He hears a voice say behind him. Inoichi whips around to find a pale stranger dressed in formal robes standing under a single purple wisteria tree, larger than any other he's ever seen before.
Before Inoichi can even open his mouth, the man taps his forehead with his ghostly fingers and sends Inoichi back to his body.
Kinoto makes sure he's assigned to Hinata's watch. They'd moved her further down the prison, to the deeper levels reserved for threats of A-rank and higher.
Kinoto is oddly delighted at the fact. It means Konoha is slowly beginning to notice her.
He watches her through the two-way mirror and what he sees does not sit well with him. The healthy flush to her cheeks is gone and her silken hair is matted and greasy. But worst of all is her eyes—twin moons—that are slowly losing their light.
That is something Kinoto cannot allow.
Hinata looks up at him from where she's curled on her bed.
"Ah, hello, Anbu-san."
Kinoto's heart thunders in his chest. It's the most alive he's felt in quite some time.
He brushes his thumb across the storage seal inked onto his bicep. Hinata jumps slightly at the sudden cloud of smoke. The smoke eventually clears and Kinoto inhales sharply when Hinata's whole face brightens—like a sun peeking through the clouds after a heavy storm—when she sees the book held in his hands.
Kinoto stiffly extends his arm, nearly losing his grip on the book.
Hinata redirects her sunny smile at him and Kinoto doesn't understand why his legs tremble or why his heart is beating so damn hard. Has he been poisoned? Did he not stretch properly? Did his seal malfunction and he's only now feeling the after-effects?
"Is that for me?" She asks him.
Kinoto can only nod, wordless before the object of his devotion.
Hinata takes the book from him. Kinoto's breath stutters when the tips of her fingers brush his gloved hands. He finds himself irrationally cursing the things.
Hinata hugs the book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, to her chest and the necklace he's never seen before( when did she—) glowing faintly. She looks to him and her smile is so sweet, her gaze so soft he can practically feel it— taste it.
It tastes like those cookies she makes for him. The ones with the colorful little shelled chocolates. His favorite.
"Thank you, Anbu-san," she murmurs shyly. "This was very kind of you."
Kinoto nods again, mouth dry, and flees leaves her cell without a word.
Inoichi wakes with a gasp, jerking upright from his hospital bed. Machines beep and whirl frantically beside him, but he pays them no mind. No, his thoughts are on other things. Things such as the absolutely fucking insanity that was his trip through Hinata's mind becuase mindscapes don't—they aren't supposed to work like that!
And yet, hers does work like that. Very well, in fact.
All those memories...they were real. Memories cannot be fabricated not without them falling apart or showing obvious signs of tampering. But Hinata's had been true and real and whole, strong enough to trap him for however long it took the entity that guards her mind to find him, disable his jutsu, and eject him.
...but how...? Inoichi thinks in awe as a team of medical ninjas enter his room and begin checking him over.
Inoichi isn't surprised to find out he's been in a coma for a week, not with how forcefully he was thrown out and how he'd been disconnected from his body. He's lucky his spirit even found his body at all.
The Sandaime is hesitant to let him try again when Inoichi expresses an interest.
"And should her mind resist you again?"
"Well, it will, but now that I'm prepared for it, I believe I can get past her defenses."
His kage sighs but Inoichi knows that he is the best one for the job. Plus, the man needs answers and fast, so Inoichi isn't surprised when he is allowed to try once more.
Hinata has been moved to a more secure cell. Their leader is nothing but merciful, allowing her basic furnishing and amenities. Inoichi even spies a small stack of books. Hinata is paler than he last saw her, the bags under her eyes so dark she looks like one of those living dead he's seen on the covers of Shikaku's horror novels.
Still, she greets him as politely as any noblewoman would.
Inoichi hums in approval at the open book on her bed.
"You enjoy plants, hm?"
He knows the answer already, her file noting a hobby for pressing flowers and gardening. She also volunteers at the hospital's greenhouse and the sign-in sheet has her as its most frequent and dedicated caretaker. Inoichi had gone down to the greenhouse and was impressed by the good work she's done, the plants all healthy and thriving.
Hinata straightens from her bow and nods. She meets his eyes and Inoichi feels that same heat-cold sensation envelop his heart as a small yet genuine smile settles upon her lips.
(Blessed Star)
(The words reverberate in the vulnerable space between Inoichi's rib cage and his heart.)
"Hai, Yamanaka-sama, I do. I find gardening to be relaxing."
"I agree." Inoichi smiles back at her, doing his best not to let his stress and confusion bleed through. He sits down on the chair that Sparrow provides for him.
"Are you ready, Hinata-san?"
Hinata takes a seat on the bed and nods, keeping her head bowed but retaining eye contact.
"Yes. I will not resist." She frowns and Inoichi senses no spike in her chakra signature that tells him she's lying. I am sorry about last time. I don't know what…"
Inoichi waves her off.
"It is alright. Your mind was only trying to protect itself. I was simply caught off-guard by your ferocity." Inoichi says with a smile. Hinata flushes at the light praise. "Now, let us begin."
Inoichi activates his clan's technique and finds himself thrown into the same memory from the first time.
The same boy from before pulls on her-his sleeve. He fights for control, unwilling to be a simple voyeur this time.
"Ne, ne, hime-nee," he wheedles, "who's your favorite? Me or," he points to the Uchiha, "mister grumpy-pants over there."
"Hey!" He protests, stamping his little foot once again.
Inoichi summons his chakra, letting it strengthen him and gain control long enough to say, "Neither."
The memory flickers. The two boys look at him in surprise.
"I don't know either of you well enough to answer that question."
The first boy chuckles sheepishly and scratches the back of his head.
"Right, right. Sorry, mister."
The other boy pushes the younger one aside and his eyes are red. Inoichi is curious at the shape they've taken on, the traditional tomoe gone and replaced by swirls.
"You don't belong here. Get out of my nee-sama's head. Now."
The memory abruptly ends and Inoichi feels something try and push him out. But he's ready for it this time and uses his chakra to anchor himself.
And then Inoichi finds himself once again in the night garden from before. He walks forward towards the small pond that the wisteria lords over from its little hill, taking care not to step on the patches of wolfsbane and forget-me-nots. He looks down into the water but instead of finding his reflection, he watches as pieces of Hinata's memories play out beneath the water's surface, the occasional red lily floating by.
The memories closer to the surface are more recent; peaceful. He sees the Uchiha boy from her file grinning at her, the sweets in his cheeks making him look like a hamster.
There are ones of her training with her teammate, Gekkou Hayate, of her sitting beside his hospital bed with a book on her lap, reading under the sun's dying light with his hand in hers.
Another memory shows her diligently painting intricate symbols under Kushina's tender guidance. He watches with a heavy heart at the memory of Hinata delivering Minato his dinner, the man working another late night at the Tower. His kage is obviously exhausted but he musters the energy to smile at her, pulling the girl into his lap with a yawn.
Most prevalent are the memories she has of Kakashi and their daily lives together. The pond shows the two of them training, sharing meals, doing chores side by side, eating out, and how they curl around one another at night, hands intertwined.
However, if Inoichi looks deeper into its murky depths he can see light and stars and what looks like a bright ball of fi—
"Is this what you were after?" A voice says behind him. Inoichi leaps over the pond and next to the wisteria tree, a kunai in his hand.
The same unknown man from before observes him passively. Then he quirks a dainty eyebrow, the first real sign of emotion Inochi has seen from him.
"You are a stubborn one aren't you."
("Stubborn asshole," Shikaku mumbles fondly from around a sake glass.)
"So I've been told," Inoichi replies smoothly, pocketing his kunai when he deems the other not an immediate threat.
And because kunai and any other weapons are useless here. But words, those can do a great deal of damage here.
"Who are you? Why do you guard this mind?"
The horned stranger turns away to face the enlarged moon hanging above them. He ignores Inoichi's questions in favor if his own.
"Tell me, mind-walker, what do you see?"
Inoichi frowns, "I asked you a question, so don't change the subject—"
"Tell me, mind-walker" the man starts to repeat, stirring the pond's water with a black staff, "what do you see?"
Inoichi opens his mouth, words sharp and ready on his tongue, but ends up choking when he sees his memory of when his darling little Ino-chan smiles at him for the first time.
"How—" Inoichi begins to ask because this is Hinata's mind they're in, not his, so there should be no way he can be watching his own memories like he can Hinata's.
"What do you see?" The man repeats again, each word hitting him like a punch to the gut.
"My daughter," he gasps in reply.
The man smiles and the image of his daughter is swept away by the ripples.
"And therein lies my purpose and the answer to both of your questions."
Inoichi frowns, "Are you saying that you are Hinata's father and that is why you guard her mind?"
"Precisely. I have the honor of being one of many who sired creation."
" What does that even mean—"
The man interrupts him, "If I allow you an audience with my daughter, what do you hope to accomplish?"
Inoichi gathers his thoughts, reminding himself of his purpose here.
"I have orders to verify Hinata's account of the night of October tenth. To confirm that your…daughter…carries no ill-intent for the Leaf Village or her people and interests."
The pale spectre quirks a brow at him, "No other orders?"
Inoichi cannot lie, not here, "No, I have no other orders."
"If that is all then I shall allow it." The man spreads his arms, his long sleeves fanning out and Inoichi watches in amazement as he dissolves into a swarm of white, luminescent moths. He has to shield his face as they rush past him, leaving a glittering trail in their wake. When he lowers his arms, he finds Hinata standing in the entity's place, eyes shut closed.
At least someone who he assumes to be Hinata. She is older, her features more defined than they are now. He takes a step closer to get a better look. The moment he moves is when her eyes open and Inoichi feels tears gather in her eyes.
Now, Inoichi is a happily married man. Madly in love with his darling wife, but he cannot deny the beauty of the goddess standing before him, his wife a pale shade in comparison. This version of Hinata is incandescent, brilliant pure chakra flickering around her like gentle flames, her robes spun from the moon's light, and her eyes—her eyes— are as bright as the stars up in the heavens. The yellow pendant around her neck shines beautifully, like the single scale of a golden dragon.
(Light In The Void)
(Inoichi begins to sweat, his eyes watering.)
"Welcome, Yamanaka Inoichi, son of Inoiki and Akira."
"Hi," Inoichi responds, voice an octave higher than normal. He flushes and clears his throat, "Ah, hello there...Hinata-san?"
She dips her chin in acknowledgement.
"You may call me that if you wish."
Inoichi's eyes narrow, "What do you wish to be called?"
Who are you, is the unspoken question. One that Hinata chooses not to answer. At least not outright.
(That's kunoichi for you, as Shikaku would say.)
Hinata smiles sadly; a faraway look in her eyes that makes her look eons older than she is.
"I've gone by many names. Most are long forgotten or in tongues that now lie dead in their speaker's tomb."
(Immortal Queen)
Inoichi stares at her, speechless.
(...perhaps eons isn't too far off the mark?)
Hinata's lips purse into a pout. It settles something inside him to know that whatever she is, she is human with human emotions.
At least, he thinks she is.
(The longer he stays in her presence the more unsure he becomes.)
"I, however, know what I do not wish to be called."
"And what is that?" Inoichi probes. Traitor? Deserter? Conspirator?
"Hime," she replies with a sigh.
(Amatsu-Mikaboshi's beloved hime)
A breeze blows through the garden rustling Inoichi's hair and sending the yellow petals of the chrysanthemum scattering.
"Alas, it seems I am fated to carry the title no matter which life I live."
Inoichi's mind blanks.
...what…?
This can't…it shouldn't be possible. Reincarnation isn't—it's not logical! It's something for devoted monks or religious zealots to believe in. As in it's not real becuase no one knows what lies beyond this life; not even the Sandaime Hokage, heralded as The Professor with his vast study, or even the Naras with all their near-infinite intellect, know what comes after.
And yet, it must exist. One cannot lie in a mindscape, not this deep. It's what makes him such a valuable asset to T&I. No one and nothing can lie to him.
"...how...how many lives have you lived?" Inoichi breathes, wanting so much to know what is in store for him at the end of his service. If his father is alright wherever he is.
Hinata smiles and Inoichi feels his mind settle at the generous sight.
"Enough." She looks off to the side towards the pond where the image of those two boys picking flowers plays out for them to see. "I have lived enough lives to drive lesser mortals mad." She sighs and it is both fond and mournful. "It's a true wonder how their souls continue to persevere...although my brothers have always been stubborn so perhaps therein lies the reason..."
Inoichi's mind, in an act of self-preservation, skips over the whole reincarnation bit in favor of the other piece of information she'd revealed.
Hinata has been an only child for years, her mother giving birth to one other daughter and no one else. No sons. Only daughters.
"...what do you mean by brothers? I thought..."
"Ano, well, in my last cycle they were technically my cousins but our then-fathers were twins and very close so they are my brothers; kin bound by blood and soul."
Inoichi knows Hiashi has a twin. But he has only one son, Neji, and none that look like the two boys so prevalent in Hinata's memories.
(The mind cannot lie.)
"Who are your brothers?" Inoichi asks, desperately trying to piece the puzzle together but getting more and more confused as more and more shapes come into play but none of them fit together, damn it!
Hinata lifts a finger and taps a long, dark nail against her chin. Her other hand fingers the scaled sheathe of the sword strapped to her hip. Yet another difference between this person and the Hinata he knows in the waking world.
"They, like myself, have had many names over the millennia. However, theirs have rarely been forgotten." She looks at him and Inoichi nearly wavers under the intensity of her gaze. "You may know them by one of their more recent reincarnations: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."
Inoichi stumbles back in shock, accidentally trodding on a moonflower. Hinata reaches out to steady him and he shivers as her cool-warm, gentle chakra seeps into him and pacifies the chaos her words cause inside of him.
Inoichi sits on the back of a stone wolf, not trusting his legs to keep him upright. Sage, he doesn't think he can take much more of this—whatever this is.
"You're really saying that—that reincarnation is real?" He asks.
Hinata slowly nods, "For those few whose souls are strong enough or those with promises gone unfilled then yes, it is."
"...what did you mean when you said 'one of their more recent reincarnations'?"
"Exactly what I said. My brothers walk among us once more. As of this tenth of October, we are all present. An occasion this world has not seen for a millennia."
Inoichi knows what happened last time—Hashirama and Madara had dealt unprecedented destruction during the Warring Clan era but they also brought about peace and the creation of his home. He knows without a doubt that their previous reincarnation must have wrought even more change, probably as much as their newer ones will stir up.
"What does that mean for us?"
Hinata looks at him, expression severe.
"Change," she intones, "it means change."
And change, Inoichi knows, can be both a blessing and a curse. After all, there can be no new growth without destroying what came before.
"Who are you?" He asks again desperately.
Hinata smiles a smile that makes him both want to weep and cheer in exaltation. It is the way a mother looks at their child before throwing them head-first into the world. It is pity for the weak and naive wrapped in love.
(Mother To All)
"I am the Celestial Body. I am Otsutsuki Hoshi. I was Hyuuga Hinata now I am Hinata." Her chakra flares brightly around her, making Inoichi squint and his heart quake at the intensity. "I am all and none. I am who I am."
Inoichi has served two kages, seen them and foreign ones dole it out on the battlefield, but even then their auroras is nothing compared to hers—ageless; ethereal. He has never felt this kind of presence in his life.
(She Who Illuminates The Heavens)
Inoichi's eyes widen as he stares up at Hinata-Hoshi whose eyes are glowing a bright gold with power and something else.
No...that isn't true...he has felt chakra like this before. Very recently, in fact.
"...w—what are you…?" Inoichi whispers, full of a prey thing's fear when faced with something much larger and so much deadlier.
Hoshi looks away towards the moon that observes them benevolently.
"The people used to say I was a goddess. Others said a demon. More often than not a princess of some sort." Hinata closes her eyes and the world here is a little darker for it. "I am and have been many many things, Yamanaka Inoichi. Priestess, warrior, sister, farmer, ruler, wife, mother, tyrant, saint, and others I have long forgotten."
It is quiet while Inoichi processes everything. It is an indescribable time later—minutes, hours, days, Inoichi doesn't know which, human concepts of time being inconsequential here—that Hinata speaks again.
She turns to him, a single eyebrow lifted up in a mirror image of her mind's guard. Inoichi's starting to think his claims are credible.
"You had questions for me, did you not, little mind-walker?"
Inoichi flushes and reprimands himself for forgetting himself and his duties.
"Uh, yes, I have been sent by, ah, Sandaime-sama to verify your story."
Hoshi nods and walks over to the pond. She kneels next to it and, uncaring when the grass stains her kimono, dips her hand inside. Hinata moves it around, shifting through the waters.
"Come," she beckons with a curl of her long, slender fingers, "see for yourself."
Inoichi gets up and kneels next to her, watching the events of that terrible night play out in front of him.
He can't help but glance incredulously at Hoshi when she positions herself between the nine-tailed fox and the Yondaime and his wife.
Hinata takes note and explains, "I could not stand idly by. Not when my own kin threatens those who are important to me."
"You consider a beast like the Kyuubi your kin?" Inoichi blurts in shocked anger.
Hoshi frowns, her chakra lashing out hot and angry against his skin. Inoichi recoils and then stills, staring at her in shock. It's not possible to feel pain in a mindscape—it isn't.
Before he can panic, Hinata begins speaking vehemently, "Kurama is not a beast, he is my brother."
"Ah," Inoichi stammers, bowing his head, sufficiently cowed, "my apologies, Hoshi-sama."
"You are forgiven. I understand my brother has done the village and ours great harm. He may be young and temperamental—"
(Young!? Inoichi thinks incredulously, temper—temperamental!?)
"—but that does not excuse his cruelty. Simply keep in mind your manners the next time you speak."
"I will."
Inoichi swallows and returns his attention back to the memory reservoir. He blanches when the death god is summoned. He glances at Hoshi who is frowning at the picture. It is said only the dead and dying can see him. Inoichi wonders which category Hinata falls into.
That is if she even belongs in any. Inoichi wouldn't be surprised if Hinata existed in a category wholly unto herself.
"...I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could fool another god's vassal."
Inoichi latches onto her words like a lifeline.
"Another god's? Do you consider yourself a god?"
Hinata's expression turns mournful.
"Anyone can become a god if enough people believe in you—if the right people believe in you." She looks sadly off to the side. "My father believed in me once...as did many others but..."
Inoichi doesn't know what to say to that. If given permission, he'll just have to share his memories with Shikaku and pray that the man can make sense of it all.
"I'm afraid I will have to report to Sandaime-sama my findings here."
Hinata tilts her head, "You think he will believe you?"
Inoichi scoffs, "I find it hard to believe and I'm the one here, but yes, maybe."
"Hm, well no matter," Hinata gets up and wipes at her knees. "It is not like you will remember what transpired here."
Inoichi freezes, feeling as if Shikaku's shadows had slithered their way under his skin while Chouza's clan jutsu squeezes his heart.
"...what?" he asks, voice hoarse.
Hoshi continues as if he never spoke, "Or at least not entirely, farewell, soul-traveler." In a move too fast for his brain to process let alone fight, Hinata unsheathes her sword and plunges it inside his chest.
Inoichi stares at the sword—could it be? Is that the Heavenly Sword of—and is ejected once again.
Shisui knocks again on the door to Hinata and Kakashi's apartment, careful not to hurt himself on the various weapons sunk into the wood by his nee-chan's friends. Again there is no answer. Hesitantly, he lets himself in. Inside he finds an empty apartment. Further investigation shows no one's been here for at least a month.
Shisui opens the fridge and gags at the smell of rotting food. He slams the door shut.
He hasn't seen either Hinata or Kakashi since...since before.
The first thing Shisui had done once they let him out of the emergency shelter was look for Hinata. Yet, after hours of fruitless search, he'd found nothing. Yes, he is not a tracking specialist not like his nee-chan, but Hinata is his nee-chan. He'd done his best but in the end, his efforts were for naught.
So he turned his attention to Kakashi. It was common knowledge that where one of them is the other one isn't too far behind. Shisui searches the memorial stone, the cemetery, the training grounds, and even goes to Gai-senpai's house, but again—nothing.
Starting to get scared, Shisui reluctantly visited the administration office. They'd just mostly finished tallying the shinobi casualties and were working on the civilian death count. He'd turned page after page, dreading each new line. In the end, he hadn't found either of their names.
Shisui wasn't sure how he felt about that. He still doesn't.
Shisui had then resorted to the true and tried method of asking around. Everybody either shrugs, tells him to find Kakashi or her teammate and ask them, or to check with administration. Shisui took their advice and hunted down one Gekkou Hayate.
Hayate was tight-lipped and no matter how much Shisui asked, poked, and even begged (he applied a light genjutsu to make his eyes bigger and watery), the chuunin never told him anything, making himself scarce.
Shisui curses him and his stupid tracker-nin cheats.
(He doesn't want to believe they're dead, that they're one of the ones whose body was too damaged to identify. He can't— he can't.)
But not even his crows—easily ignored and with their many eyes—can find them.
Slowly but surely, Shisui is losing hope.
Itachi awkwardly pats his shoulder.
"She'll come back, Shisui, she will. I am sure of it."
He grins at his best friend, knowing it doesn't quite reach his eyes going by the way Itachi frowns, and laughs loudly like Obito-nii used to do so Shisui couldn't tell he was crying.
(He always knew. He just thought it was kinder to pretend.)
"Of course, she will!" Shisui winks at the other boy. "She is my nee-chan, after all."
Itachi simply stares at him until the grin falls from his face.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...she's m—my nee-chan…"
Shisui knows the goggles don't hide his tears (they never did) but he lets himself pretend they do.
He laughs, wet and choking, when Itachi awkwardly rests a hand on his back, patting him with just a little bit too much force, but Shisui knows he's trying and that's all that matters to him.
Inoichi wakes up in the same hospital room from that first terrible foray into Hinata's mind. He winces and rubs his chest, some kind of phantom pain bothering him.
The Sandaime shows up moments later.
"Report," he commands and Inoichi complies immediately.
His kage listens patiently, nodding along while the frown on his aged face digs deeper and deeper.
"Everything she said is true. Hinata was simply following her instincts, having already deduced that Kushina was the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. With her bloodlimit and training, it was simple work to locate Yondaime-sama and Kushina-san. She knows nothing more than what we already know."
The Third cups his chin thoughtfully, "...is that so?"
"Hai, Sandaime-sama."
"Very well. It seems we have no more reason to keep her here."
Inoichi smiles wryly. "The guards will be relieved. I heard Kakashi-kun has been a pain."
"Him among others," Hiruzen says, thinking of Danzo and his successful ploy to direct the investigation away from Hinata, whom he considers irrelevant, and towards the other doujutsu wielder rumored to have been involved.
(They'd all seen the sharingan reflected in the Kyuubi's eyes. There was no use in trying to cover it up what with everything else going on.)
Hiruzen not only has to deal with spies sniffing around their borders and the recovery efforts, but now he has to worry about the escalating issue involving the Uchiha clan's potential involvement with the Kyuubi's attack.
Hiruzen finds himself mourning his successor yet again.
"You have served your village well. Rest then tend to your clan. I am sure they have missed you dearly."
Inoichi dips his head, "Hai, thank you, Sandaime-sama."
Hiruzen leaves the room with a sweep of his Hokage robes, smoke trailing behind him.
Kakashi is prowling outside Anbu headquarters when he smells her. His whole body jerks like lightning struck him, the ground giving beneath his clawed hands like wet paper. Kakashi yanks down his mask and inhales.
lavenderfearpackgrief
Kakashi has enough sense to pull back up his mask before he bolts forward. He intercepts Sparrow with a snarl because—
inktwisted-loyalty pineash
—that isn't what Anbu smell like. Kakashi doesn't think twice about lifting his headband and placing a genjutsu on the false Anbu. He snatches Hinata from the other's arms and jumps back with her to put some distance between them and the fake Anbu.
Kakashi looks down at her and is careful not to nick her with his sharpened nails when he moves her hair away from her face. He whines at the unhealthy pallor of her skin and the dark bruises under her eyes, her lips bitten and cracked. His whine quickly turns into a snarl when another imposter takes Sparrow's place, smelling of shadowother-alphabloodconcern.
Kakashi doesn't think twice before performing a series of quick shunshins all the way to their den. He places Hinata as carefully as he can into their nest before climbing in after her. He drapes himself over her vulnerable belly, his face buried in her neck, and finally, three months later, he allows himself to breathe.
lavenderpackdistressmineash
There is something else…something familiar and something not. Kakashi sniffs at her, pawing at her shirt. He finds a necklace strung up with dark hair.
deathlossgriefhateother
His nose wrinkles at the scent and he sneezes. Shaking his head, he turns his attention to the magatama glowing faintly in the darkness of their den.
freshbreezealphainksafety
Kakashi whines and holds his packmate tighter.
ours, his wolf thinks, its presence overwhelming, protect. always. guard. forever. pack.
Yes, Kakashi agrees fervently, feeling himself slipping further and further away. The price for her safety is worth everything—even his soul if need be because Hinata is worth that and more.
A/N: Inoichi was just straight up not having a very good time this chapter while my boi Kinoto over here was on cloud 9