*A/N: This. Is. Not. Mine. Naruto. Belongs. To. Papi. Kishimoto. Musashi. And. Viz Media. Ya Know.

Konoha Village: Hinata's POV

As our team is making our way to the Hokage's office after my little stunt yesterday, I can tell Kurenai sensei is pretty interested in me. No, not in that way, but in how a cat finds a mouse after chasing it. I definitely showcased a bit more skill than normal, but, who cares at this point, all that matters is that I continue to get stronger, I got a clan to lead after all. Despite being in my inner musings, I was still conscious of my environment, moving around some people who were in my path while at it. Also, since I am still knowing of my surroundings, I definitely did catch the slight glances Kurenai sensei sent my way. Yup, definitely interested in my strength.

Hokage Tower

As team 8 walked into the Hokage's office, bowing in respect Kurenai cringed slightly at the smell of Hiruzen smoking his pipe. "Ah, Team 8, don't worry you have done enough D-ranks for you to be finally qualified to do higher-ranking missions." Said Hiruzen in a grandfatherly voice full of wisdom. Team 8 visibly sagged in relief at the good news of no more chores. Kiba fist pumped, "YOSH, FINALLY, we can get our hands on a real challenge!" Kiba yelled earning a slight slap on the back from Kurenai chastizingly. Hinata giggled and sighed in relief as Shino remained calm. "Indeed, I can test my own strength in a real battle if we are to get into one." Said Hinata in her thoughts as she and the rest of the team straightened up for the orders of the Hokage. Hiruzen chuckled, "Indeed, you have qualified for a higher level, however, you are all quite young to do any B-ranks or higher, at least not until you become chunin."

Team 8 nodded with Kiba looking slightly downcasted. Hiruzen cleared his throat and sat up slightly straighter, commanding attention from all in the room at the Kami no Shinobi. "As your first higher-ranked mission, I have a C-rank reconnaissance and retrieval mission, I choose your team for this for the fact that your team is best suited." "Yes sir." Team 8 said in unity. Hiruzen nodded and spoke, "Your mission is to make your way to the outskirts of the Fire Country Capital, there have been some reports of potential bandit activities with a chance of a lower-ranking shinobi. Your job will be to eliminate all possible threats to the Capital and retrieve documents relating to the budget that our Daimyo will be assigning to our village for the next few years. If you encounter any higher-level threats, you are to retreat to a safe area and use a message bird to request any support, I will then assign an ANBU to help out. This mission should only take a couple of days going at low chunin speed. Am I clear?" "Yes Sir!" Team 8 replied. "Good, your mission begins in one hour, pack what you need and a little extra in case of emergency, you are dismissed," Hiruzen said. Team 8 bowed and then left the office, making their way to the first floor of the tower.

Hinata's POV

My first real mission, and I'm feeling a feeling of absolute excitement. My heart is beating slightly louder than usual with a devious smile on my face as the wind ruffles my dark blue hair after stepping out into the open. Kiba looks to me, "AHHHH, Hinata seems pretty excited for our mission, hey, hey, if we meet any scrubs can you let me and Akamaru get the first hit?" Asked Kiba, earning a chuckle from me and a slight glare from Kurenai. "Kiba, don't jinx our mission, you should know better," reminded Kurenai with an intense look. Damn, she's gorgeous with that look. "What!?!?" I yelled internally, shaking my head slightly at the random thought, I need to focus on the mission for Kami's sake. Kurenai looked at me in concern at my antics, "Are you alright, darling?" She asked. My face erupts into crimson, "N-Naw I'm fine, I just can't wait for this mission, I'd like to finally test my skill." I answered with a slightly determined face even though it was about as red as a tomato. Kurenai sensei nodded, "You all should be careful, it's rare but lower-ranked missions can turn into something more, I recommend spending a bit of time with family before the mission, we're not in war times, but things can still take a turn." Said Kurenai. We all nodded and bit our goodbyes until we met for the mission in an hour at the front gate of the village.

Hyuuga Compund: Hinata's POV

Stepping through the entrance to my once hated but now slightly uncomfortable home, I immediately look for Hanabi. As I was walking through the halls of the house, I just so happened to catch Neji walking out of the library with a slightly tired face. Holding in a giggle at his suffering from studying, I waved at him, "Oi, Neji nee-san, you seem slightly tired, no?" "Hm, I'm not tired, I just need to rest my eyes a little," Neji said with a slight smile. I Shook my head at him still being the strict prick, "Can I ask you something?" I asked. Neji nodded. I continued, "How was your first C-rank mission, I'm asking because I just got my first mission?" A face of slight shock took over Neji's features before he answered, "Interesting, well, for me, I had to do reconnaissance on a shinobi station in our village to the east. It was uneventful but, you should keep on watch no matter where you may be." He responded. I nodded and smiled, "Thanks nee-san!" I said before wrapping my arms around Neji for a tight, bone-crushing hug. "ACK, H-H-HINATA SAN, MY BACK!" Neji declared, earning a slight chuckle from me and a slight increase in pressure. "O-O-O-O-O Kami, Hinata, can you please…?" Neji said while struggling to breathe. I finally let go as Neji gasped for air with a blush on his face in embarrassment, "S-s-so troublesome." He said. "I'll try to be back in a week, okay," I said while starting to walk off. "Hinata san…" Neji said as I turned back around, "Remember, never let your guard down, things can turn around quickly." Neji said with a face of concern. I nodded and thanked him, walking off to find Hanabi, completely missing Neji grabbing his back in slight pain. "Damn, how strong has she gotten? He asked in a pained whisper.

Hyuuga Compound: Hanabi's POV

Even though I'm not a clan heiress, I still have sandals to fill. Nibily moving around a wing chun doll in the training dojo, working on my taijutsu like usual around this time. Mother, before she died was said to be a great commander for her unit, from what I heard from father. From the many ups and downs of our clan, one major down that has not been talked much about compared to the caged bird seal is that there haven't been many strong women. Unfortunately in our world, women are not respected much, and in our clan, it's only worse. I don't understand. Why does it matter? If someone is strong or a great person, why does it matter what their gender is? I threw a 3 palm combo at the dummy in frustration, then side-stepping, bedding down slightly with my right palm opened, aimed at the dummy's spot where the kidney would have been, landing a hard blow that nearly knocked the 50-pound dummy back a few inches. I sighed and stopped to cool off, putting thoughts of the unfair world to the back of my head for now. Turning around to look for my towel, I was startled when I saw big-sis Hinata in the doorway with a slight smile.

"Kami, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT, YOU GET ME!" I shouted earning a chuckle from Hinata, "My bad, my bad, sorry, no need to be dramatic." She said, yawning at the last part. I rolled my eyes and huffed. "I just came to say that I'm going on a C-rank mission, I probably won't be back for a week," Hinata said grinning. I turned to her in shock, "O-oh, I see…" I said. "When I get back, you, me, and Neji can probably train, maybe with Ko as well if he's not busy." Said Hinata. "Sister, I heard that a higher-ranking mission can be pretty dangerous, are you sure you are gonna be fine?" I asked. "Ah, don't worry about me Hanabi Chan, I may be able to handle an A-rank without too much issue, after all, remember what I did to Father when I graduated?" My face adopted a look of understanding, after all, if she was able to handle Father, who is an elite jonin and leader of our clan, she could probably take on some pretty strong people.

Hinata giggled before poking my forehead, "Don't get so down, keep at your training and…" She trailed off as she reached into her waist bag for her ninja gear. "Here's this scroll I found some time ago, it helped me get pretty strong if you're wondering." I looked at the scroll, "Lost Ways of the Enlightened Man, what is this?" I asked. Hinata smiled, "You just have to find out yourself, but I would say it is pretty good." She said before walking away and out of the dojo. I blinked, then blinked again, then looked down at the scroll in wonder, "What could be so good about this scroll?" I asked, not realizing the power in this one non-threatening scroll. I then walked to the nearest sitting area which was just a rolled-up tatami mat and sat down to read the scroll.

Compound Hallways: Hinata's POV

There's a lot going through my head at the moment, the fact that I am about to embark on my first real mission out of the village, what has become of me in all of these years of work, and what Hanabi will grow into in some time. It has been a while, I was so…fragile, so broken, so …damaged. Even now, I still do not fully understand why my father treated me in such a manner, as only a little child. Either way, it makes no difference now, I'm at a point to where I have surpassed him, and my future as a leader is secured. No one can get in my way at this point.

After turning a corner of the hallway to get to my room, the very last thing I was hoping to happen, was happening. My father, standing against the wall next to my room door, looked down at the ground. My heart stopped as my mouth became dry, what does he want now? I've been trying to avoid him as much as possible since our last fight, whether he acts slightly more nicely now or not is no matter, I still feel as if my stomach is twisting when around him. I pause in my steps, roughly 7 meters away from him, he seems to not yet notice me, but you cannot really sneak up on a Hyuuga. Then again, for me to even make it to 7 meters away from him, a jonin, without him noticing is already a feat, clearly, he is deep in thought.

It was at that moment that I decided, hesitantly, to start the conversation with him to get this over with. Straightening my back slightly, and quietly clearing my throat, I finally got his attention as he looked at me, with a face of what I assume was guilt, then looked back down at the ground. "Hinata, my daughter…" He said in a deep and somewhat gravelly voice. I froze again, not this crap again. Those eyes…he has those same eyes from when I defeated him a couple of weeks ago. Eyes that wreaked of somberness, of grief. What am I supposed to do now? Does he want me to feel guilty for him? Is he trying to guilt-trip me? I closed my eyes for a moment to breathe in, and then I exhaled, "Yes, Father…" I said, as my body was starting to shake slightly along with my voice.

After that, he finally turned to me and walked slightly closer to me with his gaze downward. This action caused me to freeze up slightly with my body shaking a bit more, "What the fuck do I do?" I said inwardly in panic. I cast my gaze downward as my hands clenched into fists. My bangs fell over slightly, blocking a bit of my face. "Hinata, I…I will not ask for your forgiveness. Please, do not believe that I want you to pity me, but I…I have failed you many times over, I…I…I was truly a monster." He said. "Fuck!, Kami-Damn it! Why are you here? Why can't you leave me alone?" I yelled in my head as my lips started to tremble and my eyes welled with tears, ready to fall at any moment. Seeing my current state, he sighed, "I'm truly sorry, my child, I will not bother you more." He said as he started to walk past me. Tears started to run down my face as my eyes squinted slightly in distress, "Yeah, you fucking do that. You are nothing but a fucking waste of time, trying to make me feel bad for you, after all you have done to me! Just keep fucking walking, just like all the other times. You asshole, just walk past me without a second thou…" My inner monologue was cut short as he, while I was in my thoughts, turned around to hug me with his head pressed against the top of mine.

My heart completely froze. W-what was he doing? Why is he…? Why is he hugging me? I never…I never thought he would…As I couldn't hold it in much longer, my tears started to pour out as I let all of my years of emotions out. My cries could be heard from across the hall although they were not extremely loud. I cried for what must be the hardest crying I have done up to this point. He never did this to me. Never. He never even called me his daughter. "W-why?" I asked in a shaky whisper. "I have failed you, but…not anymore, not this time…I will not bear to see you broken any longer…definitely not for my own selfish motivation…you are special to me, HInata, I just failed to properly realize that." He said quietly next to my ear as I started to calm down slightly, my cries now only slight sobbing and sniffling.

"I-I'm sorry…Father." I whispered out still looking downward. "No. You should not be. It is my fault, everything. In no way is any of this your fault." He reprimanded. "N-no." I said as I turned around to face him, wiping my face of tears, "I should not have treated you like how I did when you tested me after graduation, I…I let my anger control me back then, I should have faced you properly, and…without any extra powers." I said. He looked at me puzzled, then his face showed understanding, "I will not ask you about those powers if you do not wish to share, however, I assure you, I deserved what I got…and probably worse." He continued while fixing my hair. "What do you mean worse?"

I asked, I never particularly liked him, nor felt safe with him, but I never wanted anything more than embarrassment doe his actions, I just wanted his reputation to be ruined. "Hinata, I treated you worse than trash, my own daughter, my flesh and blood. If you were to kill me, out of justice or revenge, I would've deserved it. It should've been me that died, not your Mother." I stood in shock, he really meant that. I sighed, "Look, that's the past now, and I never wanted you dead, just, embarrassed for what you have done, I just wanted your reputation to be ruined, for everyone in the clan to hate you, not for you to be killed by my hands for the sake of revenge, even though I was tempted at times." I said.

He smiled slightly, "Oh, but you should know that sometimes, isolating your enemy is worse than death. Cutting all ties of the support group around your enemy will guarantee that they are weakened. Even the strongest of opponents would not last in that situation." He said. As I finished wiping my face, "I can't tell you about my powers yet since I have a mission out of the village, but, I will tell you soon." I said with a small smile. He nodded and brought me in for another hug, "I shall give you time, but be ready for anything, even when you think you are safe, the threat is never gone until you have spilled their blood and their eyes go blank." At the somewhat out-of-nowwhere, but wise advice considering my job, I nodded and thanked him as he then walked away. I stood frozen for a bit, and my mind blank at everything that happened. After all of these years, even after my training with my upgraded eyes, I never felt truly free. I got so much stronger, but that didn't matter. Even after that nightmare of Hanabi, dead, laying at my feet bathed in blood, with the blade in my hand, when I first had that shift in my mentality, it didn't matter much. No, not even when I finally defeated him and secured my spot as clan heiress. I was trapped still. My…anger…my resentment…my frustration. It was still there, keeping me warm at night, maybe too warm. Too warm to the point where I frequently had nightmares and couldn't sleep and my rage just bubbled hotter. When he destroyed my mother's song, it sent me over the edge. I trained much harder and got much better, but I was still hollow. But now…now I truly feel free. I feel complete now, finally whole, but now isn't the time to think too much, I have a mission to prepare for.

Konoha Front Gates: Hinata's POV

Finally arriving at the gates and seeing my team filled me with even more vigor. A sly, determined smirk crossed my face as I came walking up to them, my hair cascading down my back in a high ponytail as my bangs covered my forehead. Still wearing my usual outfit consisting of black spandex shorts, a white t-shirt, and modified ninja sandals with my ninja standard pouch on my hip and a kunai set strapped to my right thigh. Seriously, this outfit is comfortable as hell. I nodded to Kurenai sensei as she nodded back, "You are slightly late Hinata, is everything fine?" I scratched my head and blushed in embarrassment, "Sorry about that sensei, it won't happen again." I said. Kurenai nodded her head as she looked at everyone else, "Everyone ready?" She asked and we all nodded. "Well, let's not wait much longer, we have to make it to the Fire Capital by Wednesday. Everyone, in formation alpha, this is a lower ranked mission out of the village, but keep on guard no matter what, try not to hesitate if or when we encounter danger. Let's go!" She commanded as we headed off through the front gates of the village. "HEY, HEY, HEY, YOUR PAPERS! Ah, never mind!" Shouted Izumo, one of the gate guards, however, we were already too far to turn back.

End of Chapter

A/N: Hoped ya liked it, ya know. I'm gonna try to make the next couple of chapters a bit longer since we are starting to come down to the last couple of arcs. Please leave a constructive review on how I did for this chapter or the whole story, it would be much appreciated. I'm thinking that the next fanfic I upload should be fully done so it can be uploaded at one time, instead of a chapter a week since, from my perspective at least, you would be able to read the entire story and not get too bored waiting for another upload. Anyways y'all, Katomi, signing off.