The next morning, Hinata woke up before the sun had even come up. Moving as silently and smoothly as she could, she extricated herself from Hanabi's hold and slipped out of her sister's room and into her own, then got ready for a day of training.
She got dressed in the dark, grabbed a bag with a change of clothes and a bottle of water, and headed out for her team's usual training grounds to warm up and do some individual training, for the first time in weeks not having to worry about someone seeing her train.
Then, once the sun had risen and she felt fully warmed-up, she set off to find Yugao.
The Byakugan was useful on missions, but within the Village, especially one as heavily populated as Konoha, Hinata relied far more on her familiarity with her friends and mentors than her dojutsu to find people. Even Kiba admitted to having difficulty locating people within Konoha so Hinata tried not to take it as a personal failing.
She was fairly proud of herself when locating Yugao only took her about half an hour, finding the kunoichi in the fourth place she looked: the hidden training grounds near the south entrance to the ANBU HQ.
She was less content when she realised that Yugao wasn't alone.
Hinata felt a little dejected, but she should have realised Yugao was older, had a life of her own outside of the time she spent with Hinata and her team, and wouldn't always be available. Sighing quietly and resigning herself to more individual training, Hinata was about to turn away and leave when every instinct in her body suddenly screamed for her to duck.
Not a second after she dropped into a crouch, three senbon lodged themselves in the tree to her left, at the perfect height to have hit her neck if she hadn't ducked in time.
"This is not a place for genin, kid!" a voice called out, and Hinata had no doubt that it belonged to the person who had opted for the 'attack first, ask questions later' approach.
(she could understand it)
"Hinata!" Yugao called, finally spotting her once she straightened, and Hinata saw her senpai's gaze flicker from Hinata's wide eyes to the senbon lodged in the tree beside her, visibly making the connection as she immediately rounded on the kunoichi who'd thrown them. "Kami, really, Satsuki? If she had been a kid, you'd have knocked her out for hours!"
"I-It's okay, senpai!" Hinata tried to diffuse the situation, stepping out of the trees and into the training grounds proper. "I'm sorry for interrupting, I'll go-!"
"'Senpai'?" one of the other kunoichi echoed, a grin Hinata didn't much like the sight of pulling at her lips. "You got yourself a gremlin, Uzu? You?"
She eyed Hinata with interest, then, faux-apologetically corrected, "Sorry, I meant genin."
"Shut the hell up, Kimiko." Yugao snapped back, though even Hinata could tell it wasn't in real anger. She swallowed when Yugao gestured for her to come closer but obligingly forced her feet to move, grateful when Yugao moved to meet her half-way.
Hinata felt some of her anxiety recede when Yugao wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, putting herself between Hinata and the other kunoichi when she bent down to speak directly to her.
"Did you need anything?" Yugao asked quietly, her eyes flickering over Hinata's face concernedly, seemingly not paying any heed to the other kunoichi. "Everything alright at home?"
"I-" Hinata began, wondering why it was so hard to just say plainly what she had been after. "I wanted to spar. But I can just train, sorry for bothering y-!"
Yugao's finger landed on her lips, cutting off the rest of her apology, though when she glanced at Yugao, the kunoichi didn't look annoyed or upset. If anything, there was a seldom-seen spark of mischief in her eyes.
"Kimiko, feel like sparring with Hinata-chan?" Yugao called, but her eyes never left Hinata's, visibly gauging her reaction to the idea.
"If you don't mind that the kid will end up in hospital, then yeah, sure, why not, I could do with a break." Kimiko replied lightly, her tone at odds with her words. She met Hinata's gaze over Yugao's shoulder and grinned, sharp and unapologetic. "I don't believe in holding back."
Yugao snorted quietly, but she waited for Hinata to nod before she released her, gesturing towards the more central part of the field where Kimiko was waiting.
"Do your worst." She murmured with an encouraging grin, then turned to join the rest of the group Hinata had interrupted, while Hinata squared up against Kimiko.
Hinata took a deep, steadying breath, met Kimiko's gaze, and let herself relax.
At least here, against a kunoichi who, if her guess was correct, was one of Yugao's ANBU friends, she didn't have to worry about accidentally killing her sparring partner.
And that was…liberating.
"Throwing a genin at an ANBU is a little mean, even for you." Nara Yoshika muttered as she sidled up to Yugao to watch the spar between Kimiko and Hinata, and Yugao could feel the weight of Yoshika's gaze on her, but she didn't turn to meet it. "This wouldn't happen to be the same Hyuuga genin who forced the Godaime to double the ANBU guard around the Hyuuga and Inuzuka Compounds, would it?"
"Hinata's not a genin." Yugao replied, knowing that Yoshika wasn't really asking.
No matter how notable Hinata's accomplishments over the past year, her and her team were still fresh chunin, and despite having some well-known names in their corner, she didn't expect her ANBU friends to be paying attention to genin team gossip.
Which, for the purpose of curbing some of Kimiko's arrogance and providing Hinata with sparring partners who she could go all-out against, worked out perfectly.
"Go!" she called finally, biting back a grin when Hinata immediately Shunshined into Kimiko's blind spot, striking out with a kick to the back of Kimiko's knees that the kunoichi only just managed to jump over, clearly not having expected such a quick attack.
Kimiko struck back as soon as her feet touched the ground, a vicious elbow strike that would've knocked Hinata clean out if the girl had stayed in place.
But Hinata had learned the hard way that staying in one place for too long was a bad idea, so Yugao wasn't surprised when the girl reappeared to Kimiko's right this time, fingers curled in the typical Jyuuken strike, though her Byakugan remained off.
Yugao watched as her teammate and Hinata fell into a lightning-quick bout of close-combat taijutsu, until Hinata seemed to realise the reason Yugao had thrown her at Kimiko: the woman was a taijutsu mistress through and through.
Hinata was a Hyuuga.
But she wasn't just a Hyuuga.
Yugao watched as the girl created some distance between her and Kimiko then proceeded to throw a point-blank Wind jutsu at her opponent, and while Kimiko substituted to get out of the way, Hinata's hands continued to run through seals.
Kimiko wasn't idle, however, and she covered the distance separating her and Hinata in a flash, fist drawn back to strike, forcing the Hyuuga to relocate again.
And then, right as Hinata's feet touched the ground twenty feet to Yugao's left and once more in Kimiko's blind-spot, Kimiko froze.
Hinata didn't take her chances; she flash-stepped to just behind Kimiko and drew a kunai, holding it lightly to Kimiko's neck, then laid her other hand on Kimiko's shoulder blade and likely broke the kunoichi out of the genjutsu she'd trapped her in.
Kimiko flinched, and even as far back as she stood, Yugao could see the moment she noticed the knife at her throat and the fact that she'd just been beaten.
"Hyuuga genjutsu user?" Kimiko asked, and to Hinata's credit, she immediately lowered the knife and stepped back, letting Kimiko turn around to face her. "Ain't seen that yet."
"My sensei is Yuhi Kurenai." Hinata replied quietly, and Yugao felt Yoshika react to that particular titbit of information next to her.
After all, Kurenai may not have ever been ANBU, but any non-Clan kunoichi who made it to jounin gained a degree of respect for accomplishing the feat.
And Kurenai herself was also fairly infamous in certain circles.
(Yugao wasn't sure if she dreaded or looked forward to the day Hinata would find out)
Three hours after she'd interrupted Yugao's training, Hinata was panting, more than a little cut up and bruised, and with muscles she hadn't even known she had screaming at her.
While she had been in ANBU in her first life, having joined after the War, and she had been training with Yugao for the better part of eight months in this time, there was something to be said for training with a group of ANBU-level kunoichi, all with vastly different skillsets.
In short, Hinata was getting the workout of her life, and it was only mildly comforting that the other kunoichi weren't beating her to zero.
Her one accomplishment was that she had managed to neutralise Yoshika's Shadow Possession, and though it had caused quite a stir among the kunoichi the first time she'd broken herself out of the technique, they had respected her explanation that she promised not to share how she had done it, as per Shikaku's request.
"I keep forgetting the kid's a Hyuuga." Satsuki cursed when Hinata closed the tenketsu in her right shoulder. "What kind of madman are you, Uzu, to make a Hyuuga diversify? They're already terrifying."
"That was all Hinata's initiative." Yugao shot back, her grin as sharp as her katana.
Hinata ducked her head to hopefully hide how her cheeks warmed at the obvious pride in Yugao's voice. She had been relieved to find that her friendship with Yugao had translated well into the 3v3 they were now engaged in, to the point that she barely had to think about where Yugao would be, she just knew.
"I can't believe Hinata-chan's weapon of choice is senbon. Failing to educate your mini-me there, Uzu." Kimiko tutted, and even as she dodged Yoshika's kunai, Hinata still caught the moment Yugao rolled her eyes.
"We also train with Genma." Yugao explained, and as one, Kimiko and Satsuki stilled, before twin, knowing grins broke out on their faces, and even Minami hitting Kimiko with a water bullet didn't manage to dim the grin.
"Ah." Satsuki muttered, as if she'd been awarded some great knowledge, then threw a Fireball point-blank at Minami in turn.
"Yeah, no, that explains it." Kimiko laughed, swooping in to pull Hinata away from Yoshika and engage her in more lightning-fast taijutsu. And then, just as Hinata was settling into the push-and-pull of a close-combat bout, Kimiko met her eyes and grinned. "Shiranui's pretty, isn't he, Hyuuga-chan?"
And Hinata tripped.
She heard the other women start laughing, Kimiko's comment and her subsequent reaction having been caught by all, but she wasn't thinking about that just then: she was thinking about the fact that she couldn't catch her balance, couldn't see her opponent, couldn't protect herself.
She felt more than saw Kimiko move to capitalise on her sudden advantage, and Hinata's survival instincts kicked in, the spar ceasing to be just a spar.
Before she could fully fall, Hinata Shunshined to just behind her opponent, caught herself on her hands and redirected her momentum, striking out with two low one-two kicks to the back of the woman's legs and forcing her to drop to her knees.
Then, before the other kunoichi could react, Hinata was pushing off the ground and planting her foot on her opponent's back at the same time as she reached for the other woman's wrists and twisted, earning herself a sharp hiss of pain.
The enemy was stronger than her so she couldn't hold both wrists in one hand, which meant that her options for incapacitation were-!
-but before she could summon the Lightning jutsu to her hands, Hinata's entire body froze.
Startled out of her single-minded drive to take out the enemy before the enemy could take her out by the sudden stop to all motion, Hinata's awareness slowly returned to her.
First, once the ringing in her ears went away, Hinata remembered where she was. Then, once she could hear beyond her own panting breaths, she realised that none of the other kunoichi she'd been sparring with were laughing anymore.
Then, once that realisation registered, Hinata felt her head move, chin tilting down, and she caught a glimpse of a thick band of shadow wrapping around her whole body, effectively restraining her.
It took a few more seconds of staring uncomprehendingly at the shadow for Hinata to realise that the other end wasn't connected to Yoshiko.
"You good?"
She really shouldn't have been surprised when Shikamaru came out of the treeline, leisurely approaching where she'd been sparring, though his shadow was still keeping her from moving.
"…Yes." Hinata managed after a beat, belatedly realising that she probably would've – at the very least – disabled Kimiko with her Lightning jutsu if Shikamaru hadn't caught her. The guilt hit fast and hard, and Hinata tried to ignore the way her breath shook on the exhale. "Thank you, Shikamaru."
The Nara grunted in response, coming into Hinata's line of sight, his eyes sharp as they watched her intently.
"I'm going to release your arms." He announced after a beat, then, when Hinata didn't protest, he proceeded to do just that, and Hinata felt her control of her hands and fingers return gradually.
When she didn't move beyond letting out another shuddering breath, Shikamaru tilted his head. "You gonna let her go?"
Hinata jumped as if burned, only then remembering that she was still holding Kimiko's arms, her foot planted on the woman's back like she was a dog to be put down.
Feeling bile rise in her throat, Hinata released first one, then the other wrist, letting Kimiko catch herself on her hands instead of face-planting into the dirt.
"I'm so sorry, Kimiko-san." She choked out, grateful when Shikamaru moved the shadow so she could lift her foot off the kunoichi's back, letting the woman climb to her feet slowly.
"It happens." Kimiko muttered once she'd straightened, turning so she could pin Hinata with a sharp look, the earlier good humour gone from her gaze. "When did you say you graduated?"
I didn't, Hinata wanted to correct, ill-at-ease with the non-sequitur, but she kept her mouth shut. "Fourteen months ago."
Kimiko didn't outwardly react, but her words were damning all the same: "You could stand to be a little worse as a shinobi." She advised, something like pity now in her eyes. "You might live longer."
And then she turned and walked off to join the rest of the group Hinata had been sparring against, and Hinata caught a glimpse of the worry in Yugao's eyes before her attention was once again drawn to Shikamaru.
"Think you can walk?" Shikamaru asked quietly, and Hinata didn't want to think about what her face must have looked like just then to merit the note of obvious concern in the teen's voice. Wordlessly, she shook her head, aware of the adrenaline and sheer panic still coursing through her body and making her legs feel shaky even with Shikamaru's shadow still supporting most of her weight.
Shikamaru just nodded, as if having expected the answer, and turned away from the clearing, heading back between the trees, his shadow guiding Hinata to follow along at the same leisurely pace he had used before.
Only once they were hidden among the trees and a fair distance from the clearing did Shikamaru guide her to lean against a tree and eye her assessingly. "Heads up."
And then Hinata felt the shadow recede fully and she sagged, her back scraping against the tree trunk as she slid to the ground, legs giving out. She put her head between her knees and took deep breaths in a desperate attempt to quell the panic still bubbling within her.
"Hey," Shikamaru called, and there was a shift in the air, as if he'd moved, but Hinata didn't lift her head to confirm, "she said it's fine. Stop panicking."
When that did little more than make Hinata bite her lip to quiet her heaving breaths, Shikamaru huffed. "Honestly, looking at that group, I doubt it's the first time someone came at her with murderous intent. Those women looked scary."
Hinata laughed wetly, the reaction startled out of her at Shikamaru's words, and she lifted her head with a shuddering breath, the shame she should have felt at the tears in her eyes and her messy appearance oddly distant.
"There you are." Shikamaru nodded once they made eye-contact, offering her a wan smile, and Hinata had been correct in her earlier guess that he'd moved to crouch before her.
"How-" Hinata cleared her throat, not having expected her voice to come out so rough, "how did you know?"
She didn't know how to explain what she meant, how to ask how Shikamaru had noticed something even she hadn't realised at the time, but Shikamaru seemed to understand the vague question because he sighed, tapping his temple with one finger.
"You had the same look in your eyes as that time in the hospital." He explained, and though his answer was also vague, and to her eyes, he looked a little uncomfortable all of a sudden, Hinata understood immediately what he was referring to.
The time you nearly broke my wrist because I triggered you.
She probably should've felt more ashamed, but in that moment, all Hinata felt was relief.
Relief that Shikamaru had noticed, had remembered, and had had the foresight to step in and act before she did something she would have regretted.
"Thank you." She breathed, leaning back and letting her head thunk against the tree trunk, the dull pain grounding.
Shikamaru huffed a laugh, dropping his weight to his heels instead of perching on his toes, and tilted his head, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "You're probably the first person to thank me for trapping them in Shadow Possession."
And Hinata laughed quietly, eyes closing, able to appreciate the irony of the situation now that she was no longer hyperventilating, and let herself relax in the quiet comfort of Shikamaru's presence.
"It felt different." She mused after a few seconds, keeping her eyes closed as she thought back to the feeling of being caught with the tendril of shadow. "Your shadow. Did you modify it?"
"Thought about what you said about conduits when we were training for my fight with Neji." Shikamaru admitted, and there was muted surprise in his voice, as if he hadn't expected Hinata to notice the difference. "When you're feeling up for it, I'd like to run it by you properly. See if you can break out of this one, too."
Hinata smiled, hearing the wry humour in Shikamaru's voice at the last part, then she opened her eyes a sliver as something occurred to her.
"What were you doing at the training ground?" she asked suddenly, noting that while she'd had her eyes closed, Shikamaru had shifted so he was sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out instead of crouching.
"I was looking for you, actually." The brunet replied, and Hinata's curiosity piqued. "After you gave me that note to hand to my dad yesterday, I found out Inoichi-oji is hosting another Ino-Shika-Cho dinner. Those dinners are always a drag and we haven't played together since before you went to Kumo, so…"
He trailed off with a shrug, but when he met Hinata's gaze and realised that she wasn't following, he sighed exasperatedly. "I'm inviting you to the dinner, Hinata. I know dad gave you a standing invitation, so don't start on the 'imposing' or 'Clan-only' nonsense, alright?"
And Hinata just looked at Shikamaru for a beat, another thought occurring to her belatedly, yet with all the subtlety of a thunderbolt at the realisation that she hadn't even considered arguing the invitation.
Shikamaru had calmed her down. Had made her comfortable enough to close her eyes and drop her guard despite having been on the brink of a panic attack not minutes previous. Had made her laugh when she'd had tears in her eyes. Had spotted something she herself hadn't even noticed, and acted accordingly, to her benefit.
There was a deeper realisation waiting just out of reach, or, perhaps more accurately, waiting for Hinata to actively reach for it.
So instead, Hinata redirected, gazing at Shikamaru thoughtfully: "Do you think I could bring Neji and Hanabi?"
Ino had suspected that the adults probably had ulterior motives for the spontaneous Ino-Shika-Cho dinner since the moment her dad casually suggested she 'invite some friends' over for the day.
Back at the Academy, before they'd fallen out, she used to have to beg her parents to allow her to invite Sakura to the dinners, and even then, her success-rate had been less than fifty percent.
So suddenly having her dad suggest she invite friends outside of their three Clans had set off alarm bells in Ino's mind, though she'd only smiled at her dad and ran off to do just that.
But it took seeing dozens of people walk onto their Clan grounds, people Ino only vaguely recognised, such as Chouza-oji's genin team, or her dad's Intelligence co-workers, for her suspicion to become a nigh-certainty.
She was relieved when Sakura and Kiba arrived a few minutes ahead of the time she had told them, especially when she caught sight of Chouji and Shino walking a little behind them. Ino rushed through greetings, corralled her old classmates towards one of the more isolated outdoor tables, and ran inside to hand her mother the desert Sakura had brought and the bottle of some alcohol or other that Kiba claimed his mother had bullied him into taking.
"The adults are planning something." Ino declared once she made herself comfortable at the table Sakura, Kiba, Shino and Chouji had settled around, keeping her voice low but urgent.
Chouji paused where he was telling Kiba something about a restaurant they both liked, shooting Ino a surprised look. "What makes you say that?"
"Think about it!" Ino urged, looking to Kiba and Sakura for support. "They never invite so many people to a random dinner in the middle of the week. Something's up."
She could see a small frown form on Sakura's brow as she doubtless did a mental review of the previous Ino-Shika-Cho dinners she'd attended, but before she could say anything, a familiar voice rang out to their left.
"If something was up, telling all your little friends about it would be precisely the wrong thing to do, kiddo."
Ino didn't have to turn to know that it was Genma who had spoken, but she did regardless, spotting her sort-of-sensei with two other men she'd never seen at his side.
"I hate that you can still sneak up on me." Kiba grouched to Genma, getting an amused huff from the man and a fond hair ruffle in lieu of greeting.
"Genma can sneak up on anyone, at pretty much any time he wants, kid." One of Genma's friends shot back, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes from view, though Ino hazarded he was laughing at them. "Don't take it personally."
Ino shot the man a measured look, knowing from first-hand experience that Kiba has been able to sense Genma coming on more than one occasion, but she kept her mouth shut, watching Kiba instead. She didn't miss the look the teen exchanged with Shino, but when he turned back to Genma's friend, it was with a shrug and a cheerful grin that Ino would've once believed without a second's hesitation.
"Thanks for the advice." He replied lightly, grin bright but not big enough for his eyes to close the way they did when the expression was genuine. "Anyway, Genma-san, is something up, or were you just doling out general wisdom?"
Ino resisted the urge to face-palm and she could see Sakura stifle a groan at the blunt question, but Genma just laughed.
"No idea." He replied just as cheerfully, hand falling from Kiba's hair to his shoulder and squeezing briefly. "I'm just here for the food."
"…Alright." Kiba accepted after a beat, seemingly having decided the answer to be truthful. "The chicken skewers smell amazing, by the way. Probably a good place to start if you want good food."
Genma thanked him for the pointer and though he didn't quite drag his friends away, Ino didn't miss the way he pointed them in the direction of the outdoor food tables while he himself headed for the main house.
Curious.
"Why didn't you correct that man?" Sakura asked as soon as Genma was far enough away that he was unlikely to be able to hear them without reinforcing his hearing. "I know for a fact you can sense Genma-san coming about half the time."
And in testament to how much they had all grown since their Graduation, Kiba just shrugged.
"What would be the point?" he asked lightly, scratching absently at his cheek. "Let him think what he wants. Anyway, I find it hilarious that Shikamaru's late."
The change of subject was far from subtle, but right as Kiba finished speaking, Ino caught sight of Shikamaru's characteristic ponytail and barely resisted the urge to gape. Sakura must've caught her reaction, however, because she followed her gaze to the side gate of the Compound and Ino watched as her eyebrows climbed up her forehead at the sight.
"Well. He's here now." Sakura murmured, watching as Shikamaru and Hinata and two other Hyuuga walked onto the Yamanaka grounds.
Ino raised her arm and waved until Shikamaru noticed her and adjusted course accordingly, and she was briefly annoyed that she was too far away to hear what he muttered to Hinata when he caught sight of their little group, prompting a ghost of a smile to appear on the Hyuuga's face.
"You're late!" she greeted when he finally reached their table, coming to a stop by Chouji's shoulder while Kiba stood up to pull Hinata into an enthusiastic hug, the other two Hyuuga hanging back, as if unsure of their welcome.
"I'm not a tracker, and some people are hard to find." Shikamaru shot back grouchily, drawing a snort from Shino.
"Training?" the Aburame asked, getting a nod in response once Kiba finally released Hinata from the embrace.
"With Yugao-san or Hana?" Kiba checked once he sat back in his seat and offered a cheerful wave to the youngest Hyuuga.
"Yugao-san." Hinata confirmed quietly, voice still as soft as Ino remembered, though the lack of a stutter and the hard look in her eyes was new.
"And half a dozen scary women." Shikamaru added under his breath, drawing another blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile from Hinata, but Ino barely paid attention, her eyes stuck on the three Hyuuga and the silent conversation Hinata appeared to be having with a boy Ino vaguely remembered from the Chunin Exams. She didn't miss how the younger girl was half-hiding behind Hinata, though her eyes were scanning over Ino and her classmates with a level of intelligence Ino wouldn't have expected from her age.
"Ino-san," Hinata spoke suddenly, her voice still quiet but surprisingly effective at cutting off all conversation around their table, "I apologise for bringing extra guests without notice."
Ino blinked, momentarily too baffled by the odd formality to speak, then gathered herself. "It's not a problem! Are they your friends or family?"
"My cousin Neji and my sister Hanabi." Hinata introduced, stepping aside slightly so her sister was more visible to the table at large, though Ino didn't miss the comforting hand she laid on the girl's lower back.
"Hi Hanabi-chan, hey asshole!" Kiba greeted cheerfully, and just like that, the sudden tension was broken. Hinata's sister let out a startled snort of laughter at Kiba's greeting, and Ino watched the girl as her hand flew to cover her mouth, her eyes wide and scared, if Ino was reading her right.
Scared of what, though?
But when nobody commented on the reaction, the girl relaxed in increments and eventually headed over to Kiba's side when the Inuzuka scooted over and patted the bench next to him, while 'Neji' carefully sat himself down next to Sakura, looking like he half-expected to be chased off.
"Anyway, Hinata, don't worry! There's so many people here today, what's two more?" Ino addressed her old classmate, realising Hinata still looked a little unsure of her welcome.
And then, before Hinata could reply, Shikamaru huffed and tugged on her elbow, pulling her back from the table.
"Told you it'd be fine." He grouched, then turned towards the main house. "We're going to get food. Anyone want anything?"
Ino barely listened as the others relayed their orders, her eyes wide and stuck on Shikamaru, barely resisting the urge to gape unattractively for the second time in as many minutes. Instead, she watched as Shikamaru and Hinata headed off, walking comfortably close to each other, arms brushing every other step, Shikamaru's head bent slightly as they talked quietly.
To her side, Kiba snickered, his eyes on Shino.
"Told ya." Kiba grinned, and Ino was surprised to see Shino incline his head in acknowledgment. "Do you think he's realised yet?"
"Considering he makes you look tactful?" Shino replied, his arched eyebrow visible over the rim of his blackout glasses, "Doubtful."
"Fuck you," Kiba shot back, laughter in his voice instead of the offense Ino would've expected to hear back at the Academy, "but point."
"Realised what?" Hinata's cousin asked suddenly, and Ino turned to look at the admittedly pretty brunet. Hell, if he'd been in their year, she would've been hard-pressed to pick between him and Sasuke if asked who was better-looking, and that alone was enough to catch her attention.
"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty-boy?" Kiba shot back, no heat to the words but sharper than he'd been talking to Shino, and Ino couldn't help but wonder what the Hyuuga had done to Kiba to deserve the treatment.
Still when she caught Kiba's eye and raised an eyebrow, Kiba grinned, sharp and mischievous, and Ino knew that she wouldn't have any problems with getting Kiba to spill on what it was he'd noticed about Shikamaru.
"Aaaanyway," Ino called, clapping her hands and drawing the attention of her friends once again, "what do you think the adults are planning?"
Inoichi knew the importance of plausible deniability. Throwing a dinner party and encouraging Shikaku and Chouza to invite anyone they got along with and could reasonably be expected to know was one way of engineering such plausible deniability amongst the part of Konoha's shinobi population who, if his, Shikaku's, and Chouza's scheming were to be found out, could be asked for testimony.
After all, you can't be scheming to expose an Elder if you're busy playing host, no?
But in all his far-sighted plans, he had forgotten about one important detail:
"Your kid suspects something, Inoichi-san."
Inoichi looked up from his hushed conversation with Chouza and Shikaku, meeting Shiranui Genma's steady gaze and trying not to remember how scarily efficient the man had been during his brief stint in T&I before Minato had poached him to be a bodyguard.
When Ino had told him she was being tutored in poisons by 'Genma-san', Inoichi had been glad – the man was one of the best at what he did, and he had many successful apprenticeships to his name, both official and not.
But he had also been worried; for someone like him, Genma's easy-going nature was more alarming than Kakashi's obvious coping mechanisms. Genma had seen just as much war, perhaps even more than Kakashi by virtue of his lesser-known background and skillset, had had just as many people close to him die, whether by an enemy's hand, or their own, yet he never let it show.
And Ino already hid things from him and her mother, Inoichi knew. He didn't want her to start hiding the important things, too.
"On what basis?" he asked at last, aiming for idle curiosity but unsure how close he hit.
"The number of guests." Genma replied simply, then tilted his head. "Anything in particular you want the people to witness?"
And Inoichi felt Shikaku snap to attention, either at the fact that Genma's tone hadn't changed, or at the startlingly apt inference of the purpose for this dinner, so Inoichi smiled placidly, aware it didn't reach his eyes.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"So a dinner like any other?" Genma confirmed, seemingly turning the idea over in his mind. "Alright. You got it."
"Just like that?" Shikaku asked, apparently unable to help himself, far less used to Genma's general disposition and easy-going nature than Inoichi and Chouza.
"Just like that." Genma agreed, the line of his shoulders still loose, the ever-present senbon clacking against his teeth when he shifted it to the side and smiled. "Unless there's something you want to tell me?"
Shikaku scrutinised Genma silently, but it was Chouza who spoke, smiling at his old student when Genma met his gaze.
"You're close with the Hyuuga heir, aren't you?"
Inoichi reasoned that it was only Genma's familiarity with and trust in Chouza that prevented his guard from going up at the question, but there was a perceptible wariness in his eyes that hadn't been there before when he replied; "Reasonably so."
"Did you ever think she wasn't a normal genin?" Shikaku asked then, taking over from Chouza, and now, the easy-going smile from before dimmed slightly.
"'Normal' in what sense?" Genma checked, and though his tone still sounded like he was only asking about the weather, Inoichi knew better.
"Kakashi suspected Hyuuga-chan was ANBU, Genma-kun." Chouza revealed, and at his words, the tension that Inoichi hadn't even noticed build for all that he'd been watching Genma since the man walked up to them suddenly disappeared from the man's shoulders.
"Kakashi's an idiot, then." He huffed, back to smiling, seeming oddly relieved at the news.
"You don't agree?" Shikaku checked, his own voice perfectly bland, and Inoichi couldn't help but wonder what his friend was thinking about the vastly different assessments of the little Hyuuga.
"Of course not." Genma replied, seeming almost miffed to be asked twice.
"She knew about the seals. Both of them." Shikaku revealed, but Genma didn't blink. "Any reason you can think of that she could have for knowing about the other seal?"
"That depends." Genma allowed, serious once more, but not concerned, at least not in the way that Shikaku told them Kakashi had been. "On what Ebisu told Shino, and what Shino then passed on to his teammates."
"Why would Ebisu-?" Chouza began, but Genma cut him off.
"You need to talk to Shibi-sama, sensei." He instructed, the old title only giving more urgency to his words. Then, he turned to Inoichi. "If this is at all related to Kurenai's Psych-nin, he'll be useful."
"Is this the worst-kept secret among the ranks, or are you just particularly well-informed?" Shikaku asked then, and Inoichi stifled a startled laugh at his friend's clearly disgruntled tone.
"I happen to count Kurenai, Kakashi, and Yamato amongst my closest circle, and Ebisu is my friend and genin teammate." Genma replied, and when he put it like that, it made a startling amount of sense. "And in regards to Hinata; she's a good fit for ANBU, I won't deny that. Her whole team is. But she's not ANBU yet, and Kurenai, Yugao, and myself will sooner fight Bear than allow them to be poached for the ranks before they're good and ready to make that decision for themselves."
Inoichi caught Shikaku's gaze at that declaration, wondering if his friend was thinking the same thing.
And then, Inoichi watched as Genma stilled suddenly and turned, only to find the very Hyuuga they had been talking about mere inches behind him.
But the girl showed no indication of having heard them, merely inclining her head politely at Inoichi and Chouza and offering a small smile to Shikaku. Then, she ducked under the arm Genma had raised and gave the man a brief half-hug, visibly relaxing when Genma's hand settled lightly on the crown of her head.
"Kiba wanted to send you a fruit basket." The girl murmured in lieu of greeting, tilting her head slightly to meet Genma's gaze, the non-sequitur making the man snort. "Would you mind?"
"Of course not." He replied, suddenly much softer around the edges than he'd been while he'd been talking to Inoichi and his fellow Clan Heads. "Though I do gotta ask what I did to deserve it."
And the girl shot Genma – a man more than twice her age and experience, and a man who she had no real reason to know, much less be this familiar with – an almost exasperated look, like she couldn't quite believe he was asking.
"Everything, really." The Hyuuga said quietly, an odd weight to the words and a sort of wistfulness on her face that should have looked out of place on a preteen. Should have. "But particularly for your help before Kumo."
"Ah." The single syllable seemed to encompass a lot, and Inoichi was aware that there was much he was missing from the interaction, yet he was fascinated regardless. "Well, I'm not one to turn down free food, but don't feel obligated. It was a pleasure."
The girl just hummed, contemplative, then stepped away, Genma's hand slipping from her head easily and falling back to his side, though the soft edges remained.
"Thank you anyway." She said, then her eyes swept over Genma's body, as if only just seeing him. A small frown appeared between her brows as she took in the tokujo's charcoal pants, burgundy sweater, and black turtleneck peeking out from beneath, and when she met Genma's gaze again, there was worry in her eyes, though Inoichi had no idea what prompted it. "Take care, Genma-san."
And then she was walking away with another nod at Inoichi and Chouza, her gaze lingering briefly on Shikaku but not addressing the Nara directly. Inoichi watched as she walked over to Shikamaru and took two plates stacked with food from the boy before they both walked out of the house and into the garden without so much as a backwards glance.
"Impossible kid." Genma murmured quietly to himself, his hand absently rising to the collar of his turtleneck, before he seemed to realise that Inoichi's attention was fully on him once more and he was all-business once more, the soft edges from before nowhere to be seen.
Inoichi studied the tokujo for another brief moment, then turned and met Shikaku's gaze with a raised eyebrow, knowing from decades of friendship that Shikaku was more than likely already on the same page.
Kurenai had seemed like an obvious choice to bring into their operation, premature as it was, but she was also too close to the situation to be objective, and Inoichi had spoken with her shrink enough to know that, if it came down to it, the woman would always put her students first. Always.
Kakashi, once he'd started taking his role as sensei more seriously and, according to Ino, also sporadically dolling out training to genin outside of his own team, initially seemed an even greater asset to have on their side in this, especially considering his background.
But Shikaku had declared Kakashi too unpredictable, too personally involved, to bring into their operation at such an early stage, dismissing the man with nothing more than an assurance that they were doing something, but not letting him in on anything more damning than that.
But Shiranui Genma?
Genma was perfect.
"Come to my office tomorrow morning." Shikaku instructed, looking away from Inoichi and meeting Genma's gaze, proving that yes, even without Inoichi using his Clan's hiden, they were on the same page. "I might have a job for you."
Hiashi assessed the reaction to him naming Hyuuga Takao of the Branch House as Hideki's replacement, feeling something that felt uncomfortably like worry niggling at the back of his mind, just waiting to be acknowledged and dissected.
(he also couldn't help but wonder who he would've named prior to his conversation with Hinata, but that was neither here nor there)
His daughter's advice – because it had undoubtedly been that, despite the manner in which it had been delivered – had rang in his head for the last two days, ripping away his choice of ignorance about the discontent within his own Clan.
Now, as he watched the reactions of his kin, the reasoning for that discontent was startlingly obvious.
The Branch House Elders were openly surprised at the nomination, and few bothered to hide it. The Main House Elders were more complex: while there was some surprise, one or two pleased nods, or general ambivalence, there was also clear disdain on two faces, and something that looked not unlike disappointment on another.
"Hiashi-sama," Moroi, a Main House Elder since the times of Hiashi's father, began, quickly smoothing his face of any disdain, "are you certain that's the best course of action? I would advise-"
"-what I'm certain of," Hiashi began, not bothering to even his voice or bite back his own irritation at being questioned, "is that your inaction allowed Hideki to nearly seal my daughter."
Hiashi let go of his hold on his KI then, feeling it release like a shockwave across the dojo where the Elders always met, with him at the epicentre.
"And the only one to defend her had been Elder Junpei of the Branch House." Hiashi continued, ignoring the way some of the Elders had stumbled under the force of his KI. "Frankly, I do not care much for you right now, Moroi-san, much less your advice."
He reeled his Killing Intent back in, feeling cold satisfaction at the way Moroi breathed deeply in relief. He adamantly ignored the open surprise on the faces of the Branch Elders, aware that this display was outside of his usual behaviour, but the threat to Hanabi and the assault on Hinata had set his blood boiling.
He allowed himself one more out-of-character act, then swept out of the dojo, leaving the Elders to their meeting:
"If anything like that happens again, rest assured that I will make Hinata's reaction to Hideki's treason look like mercy."
The weeks after the dinner at the Yamanaka Compound passed in a blur.
Hinata spent the days when she was not being sent on C-Ranks with mish-mash teams training with her team, playing with the puppies at the Inuzuka Compound, and training or playing with Hanabi, making sure to shower her sister with physical affection whenever they were away from prying eyes.
She couldn't quite make up for the lost time, but hopefully Hanabi wouldn't suffer as much from the lack of positive physical contact as she had the first time.
The news that Shino had officially apprenticed himself to a chunin duo renowned for their bukijutsu had been both surprising and not, as was the announcement that a week and a half after the dinner at the Yamanaka, Kiba got sent out with a specialised team for a month-long diplomatic mission. Hinata had been amused but grateful when he'd recounted – a little miffed, but with obvious relief – that Tsunade had sharply informed him that he was being sent there for his nose for poisons, but to keep his actual nose out of the diplomatic proceedings.
The Inuzuka were not particularly famed for their tact, even if Hana and Kiba had somewhat broken from the mould.
The most interesting of all, however, was what Kurenai had handed Hinata about a week after the dinner at Ino's.
"If you want to reply, you'll have to stop by Intel. They're a bit paranoid about Village secrets." Was all her sensei had said, an unusually unreadable look on her face, but she didn't look angry, so Hinata tried not to worry.
And then, once she had unfolded the letter – it didn't escape her notice that the envelope itself had already been open – she understood why Kurenai had looked so serious.
Dear Hinata-san, the letter read:
I apologise if this is presumptuous of me since I realise that we never agreed to remain in contact. However, since coming back to Kiri, I find myself thinking back on our conversations more often than I'd care to admit. Thank you for opening my eyes to something I hadn't realised was a problem in my perception of myself.
I know there will doubtless be limits to what you can share - even I am not able to write without censure - but how have you been? I hope your return home has been uneventful and your inevitable Chunin promotion rightfully celebrated.
Despite my poor performance against you, I have also been promoted and, in the spirit of pursuing my own interests, recently signed on for the medic programme at the hospital. I'm uncertain how my master feels about it, but I haven't asked and he hasn't volunteered any information.
Stay safe,
Haku
(P.S. what's your favourite colour?)
At first, Hinata had laughed. Then, she'd cried, and had to tearfully explain to Kiba that it wasn't anything Haku had said directly to or about her that made her cry, and that no, thank you, she didn't need him to ask Akamaru to 'do unspeakable things to the Mist-nin's nether regions next time they see each other'.
She'd carefully refolded the letter and tucked it into the inner pocket of her jacket, resolving to write to Haku when she next had some time to kill.
Beyond the letter from Haku and her teammates pursuing their own areas of interest now that they had the freedom granted to do just that by the title of 'chunin', Hinata's days after the dinner at the Yamanaka kept to a comfortable routine.
(She tried not to think about the fact that neither Yugao nor Kakashi had showed up during that time, a fact that clearly didn't escape Kurenai's notice, though her sensei was at least kind enough to not mention it out loud)
And then, it was suddenly a month since Hinata's conversation with her Father, and when she came down for breakfast in her family's wing of the Compound, she was surprised to find her Hiashi already sitting at the low table, dressed in training clothes and with two scrolls on the table beside him.
"Hinata. Good morning." Her Father greeted, startling Hinata slightly, though she murmured her own greeting and set about putting together a quick breakfast.
"It's been a month." Hiashi announced once Hinata had finished eating, the meal having passed in silence, and Hinata nodded as she rose to clean up after herself.
"I am aware." She replied softly, trying to understand what she might expect from her Father. "Do you have anything planned?"
Hiashi regarded her evenly, then rose from the table as soon as she was done drying the last plate.
"I believe," he began as he approached the door that led to their family's dojo, smaller than the other Compound ones, but far more private, "that it is time for you to learn the Kaiten."
Hinata's jaw dropped.
Haku-san,
It is not presumptuous at all, please don't worry. I am glad and grateful you reached out; I too enjoyed our conversations.
I have been well, mostly. There was a…disagreement between myself and one of my Clan members, but, forgive me, I cannot explain any more than that over letter, beyond assuring you that the problem has since been handled. The conflict did, however, mean that my promotion was largely forgotten about, and I am glad for that. Big celebrations make me nervous.
Congratulations on your promotion and I assure you that it is deserved. Also, I am pleased you have signed up for the medic programme – I hope you will find healing as helpful and rewarding as my teammate.
I, too, am worried about one of my mentors, but I haven't yet gathered the courage to go and talk to them about it. I accidentally reacted the way I did when you first approached me on the cliff and nearly hurt one of their friends. I've been told that I shouldn't worry and that it was unlikely to have been the first time that had happened, but, well. I still worry.
My favourite colour is cerulean.
What's your favourite food?
All the best,
Hinata