Later that week, all dressed in their mourning attire, Team Harmony met in front of the Hyuuga Estate before somberly making their way toward the top of the Hokage Tower. They were already on the verge of being late for Lord Third's services when they decided to stop waiting for Kakashi. Hinata had used her Byakugan to locate the Jonin and said nothing when she saw him standing at the reason he was always late, only urging her best friends to get going.
When they arrived, all of the shinobi in the village were standing in formation, though it was very informal, and the three took their positions at the front after Konohamaru waved them over. The young boy stood closely next to Hinata and she had her hand on his shoulder, knowing no words could help at the moment.
She looked forward at the pictures of the lost ninja from the invasion and was shocked to see Gekko Hayate's photo right there next to Lord Third. She couldn't possibly connect the dots between Hayate and Orochimaru. He hadn't been there to proctor the last stage of the exams, and she could only assume it was because he had already been killed. She concluded that he must have seen and heard something he wasn't supposed to. She clenched her fist tightly, angry at the needless killing that man was causing.
It was quiet. So eerily quiet that not even the sound of singing birds could be heard. It was as though the world had stopped moving when Hiruzen Sarutobi took his last breath. Out of respect and mourning, the entire village had shut down for today specifically. Last night, the civilians had held their own vigil in honor of their previous leader.
Kakashi had arrived just as it began raining, taking his place behind his team and looking on at more friends he had lost in his short lifetime. Most days he could go on, but there were days when it weighed heavily on his shoulders and he could barely bring himself to get out of bed.
No one moved an inch, allowing the rain to soak them down to the sadness in their bones, and this is when the service began. "We will begin the memorial service for the Third Hokage, who lost his life in this battle, as well as those who sacrificed themselves to protect our village," Homura spoke.
"I just don't get it," Naruto spoke softly, his voice barely heard by his team and sensei. "Why kill all of these people? Why leave my dad to suffer? All for…power?" He sighed. "I can't accept that."
"There's always going to be someone evil just for the sake of it," Sasuke replied. "Someone who doesn't care about who he has to crush. Orochimaru is one of those people."
"And we exist to stop people like that," Hinata added. "Sometimes they will come from the same place we do, and that especially makes it our duty to stop them." Truthfully, she didn't care about bringing Orochimaru to justice; she wanted him dead and that thought terrified her.
"We'll do whatever it takes," Naruto concluded.
At the end of the service, as people began dispersing after placing their flowers in front of the fallens' pictures, Konohamru broke. He held his face in his hands as he cried. Hinata got down on her knee and pulled him into a tight hug.
"It will be okay," she assured him gently. "I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but I promise that it will be okay." Konohamaru said nothing and only continued crying on her shoulder. "Remember that he is not gone, not truly. He still lives on within us, and especially within you. His hopes and dreams, they're with all of us."
"His will of fire," Kakashi said. "His will has been passed down to all of us."
Sasuke glared down at the rooftop. Will of Fire. It was similar to what Itachi had told them when Shisui died. The ones who attacked Lord Fourth belonged to the same group Itachi had defected to. Sasuke felt partially responsible for Minato's condition due to this. He just couldn't let it go, and he was afraid Naruto was secretly angry with him, too.
"With how promising this generation of shinobi are," their sensei pointed out, "Lord Third doesn't have a single thing to worry about. Teams 7, 8, and 10 are some of the best we've seen in a while." He didn't want to mention Itachi around Sasuke, knowing the boy felt especially sensitive regarding the rogue nin lately.
Hinata smiled up at her sensei, her arms still firmly wrapped around the young Sarutobi. "Konohamaru-kun, do you want to get some food with me?" She asked him.
The said boy finally pulled away and wiped at his tears and nose. "I need to start training harder," he said. "I'm meeting up with my team."
She nodded understandingly. "I'll take a raincheck then, okay?" At his smile, she stood back up and waved him off as he ran to his team, who was waiting for him by the stairs. "He's a strong person."
"Yeah, he'll be fine," Sasuke acknowledged. "Let's get going." He was being impatient but Kushina had agreed to let Hinata look over Minato at their house today, and Sasuke wanted to know as much as he could. After all, he was going to ask Minato to seriously train him one-on-one, but if he couldn't then he needed to look elsewhere. Immediately, his mind went to the silver-haired ninja walking behind them.
After all, Kakashi had a sharingan and he'd much rather go to his sensei than anyone else in his clan. His father included.
When they arrived at Naruto's house, it was eerily calm. With what was left of the Anbu and also the Uchiha Police Force, there wasn't a person near the house. The area was on complete lockdown.
Sasuke tilted his head and looked at Hinata. "Do you sense anyone nearby? Like any of the people guarding?"
She was silent for a moment before nodding her head. "Yes. I can sense a few."
The Uchiha sighed. "I'm going to need to discuss that with Father. I'm sure you're sensing the Police Force, how embarrassing." He was disappointed, though he knew it was probably cocky rookies that assumed they were the best going into the force.
"We're all constantly learning," she pointed out.
Just as they reached the door, Kushina opened it with a bright smile. "Thanks for coming! We're sorry to miss the services. Minato isn't well enough to be up and about just yet and I wasn't gonna leave him alone, you know? Kakashi isn't with you?"
"Don't worry about it, mama. Kakashi-sensei left. He said something about depressing clothes and changing," Naruto said as they walked in. "Where's dad?"
"He's lying down upstairs. I'll make us some lunch," she said. "You boys can help me, so we can give Hinata her space to work." Naruto and Sasuke frowned but said nothing and moved to the kitchen while Kushina stayed behind.
"Is something the matter?" Hinata asked when she saw the hesitation in her sensei's demeanor.
"I don't want you to take offense to this, Hinata-chan, truly. But I have to say this. Please don't blame yourself if it's something you can't fix. There's still a lot for you to learn in medical ninjutsu," the older woman explained gently.
Hinata smiled, touched that Kushina would want to assure her. "I'm only going to look with my byakugan to make sure nothing was missed, sensei. I hope it's something I can help with, but I'm not so arrogant to think it's something I can fix, especially on my own. It's okay. I've taken no offense."
Kushina visibly slumped with relief. "Great! We'll be making lunch. Just come down when you're finished." Hinata bowed politely and made her way upstairs.
"Minato-sensei?" She called out.
"In here," she heard from the open door at the end of the hall. When she went into the room, she was saddened to see how weak their Hokage looked. His skin was slightly pale, just barely enough to notice, and he had gotten noticeably thinner. His cheeks were slightly sunken in and the bags underneath his eyes were very dark with exhaustion. He sat propped up against the headboard.
"Are you in pain, sensei?" She asked, immediately going to his bedside.
He shook his head. "No. I'm just a bit tired, is all. How were the services?"
"It was beautiful. Everyone came together to say farewell to Lord Third," she said. She unsealed a journal and then activated her doujutsu. "I'll look you over now." She concentrated diligently, slowly making her from the top of his head to his toes. "Where were you hit?"
Minato held out his left ring finger. "They scratched me here."
Hinata took his hand and focused on pushing her byakugan to see as small as it could. Training to fight against Shino tremendously helped to prepare her for something she didn't realize she would ever need.
"I still see some traces here around the wound. I was told they used a general antidote, but it doesn't appear to have helped," she murmured, speaking more to herself.
"Because it was someone so proficient in poisons, they have no doubt that it is a new strain. They're currently trying to make the antidote, but they haven't had much luck."
Hinata studied the cut closer and found a microscopic connection from the poison surrounding the wound internally to his chakra network. She recorded everything down in her journal before setting it aside and then placing a glowing hand on the small wound. She turned off her byakugan and felt around the area before nodding to herself.
"I see," she muttered. It was no surprise that the medics here did not find the connection. Only someone exceptionally skilled with medical ninjutsu who knew what they were looking for could find it. She only found it herself because of her doujutsu. Finding an antidote for something such as this was going to be almost impossible. But it was that 'almost' she was counting on.
Minato watched her with an amused and proud look on his face. Watching his young student work so hard to help him made him feel warm and excited to see just how skilled she would become. How skilled all of them were going to become.
"Did you find something?" He asked.
"Yes." She put his hand down and looked at him. "That small bit of poison still there seems to be expertly latched onto you and it's connecting to your chakra network," she explained. "I believe that this is the way it's meant to work. Even if a medic carefully extracted the poison, there will still be an extremely small amount left behind because it's connected to your network, meaning that the doctor would mistake it for your chakra."
Minato leaned his head back and sighed. "So it's very sophisticated, then." Hinata nodded. "Thank you, Hinata-chan. I'm very grateful."
Hinata bowed her head. "I'm grateful for the chance to help, Hokage-sama."
Minato waved her off. "What did I tell you about that formal talk when were not at the tower?" He chuckled.
"It's hard to turn off," Hinata laughed.
"I understand. Ah, so there's something else we need to discuss, I'm afraid."
Hinata straightened up, prepared for what was coming. "Yes, sir."
"Was your source aware of what was going to happen today? That both Orochimaru and The Akatsuki were going to be invading?" He asked seriously.
She looked down at her lap. "Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure. They apologized. All they said was they were sorry regarding the next day and then left. I didn't know how to interpret that."
"Hinata, I don't have to tell you how dangerous your relationship with your source is. You're becoming privy to information that, should it get out… you could be tried for as a traitor. This time, you didn't know what your source was trying to say. Next time, it could be clear and you won't get to me in time again."
Hinata clutched the hem of her jacket. "I understand that very well, Hokage-sama, but this mission is important. The wrongdoings within the village need to be exposed. It's very much worth my life," she said with conviction, looking directly into his eyes. "Lives were ruined, sensei, and no one ever paid for it."
Minato stared at her for a moment before leaning back with a small smile. "I see much of your mother in you," he said, shocking her. No one had ever given her such a compliment. "You resemble her looks, yes, but her beliefs and the strength to stand by them also."
"I never… I don't—" remember her, she finished in thought. She looked down at her lap again. "Thank you, sensei."
Minato reached over and put his hand over hers. "Your village is indebted to you," he stated. "No matter how this ends, your intentions are pure."
Hinata couldn't respond to that and chose to smile thankfully instead. There were plenty of horrible ways for this to end for her, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. She was already in too deep. Danzo and Orochimaru needed to pay for what they did and the lives they destroyed. Should she end up in prison or be sentenced to death for bringing any crimes to light, then so be it. She would firmly have no regrets.
"Before you leave, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I will not be able to leave this bed for a long while. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hinata nodded and pulled out a seal she had recently painted on a square paper. "Yes, sensei." She moved it between the mattresses and placed it deep enough to not be touched by anyone else.
Minato smiled. "Brilliant. Thank you, Hinata-chan."
She returned his smile before asking him more questions about fuinjutsu and his space-time ninjutsu.
When Team 7 left the Uzumaki residence, they hadn't gotten far when Jiraiya stopped them.
"Naruto, we're going on a mission," he said with a grin. "We leave at sunrise."
Naruto, though excited, raised a brow. "Where are we going?"
The Sannin looked around and nodded when he saw there wasn't anyone around. "So, until your dad gets better, they're going to have someone else act as Hokage. Just to help him out," he explained. "Our mission is to go find her and bring her back."
"They're already replacing my dad?! He's not dead!" Naruto yelled.
Jiraiya gave him a serious look. "You know full well that the village cannot be without an acting Hokage," he replied. "Your father deserves to rest without worrying about this village. Once he's better, the hat will be returned to him."
Hinata put her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "He's right, Naruto. Your father is very sick and needs complete rest. It's just for a little bit." She offered him a smile when he turned to her looking for reassurance. She nodded at him and his shoulders sagged.
"Okay," he said quietly.
"If it helps, I'm gonna teach you an awesome new jutsu," Jiraiya added, knowing how excited that would make the boy.
Naruto immediately brightened up. "Really?! What kinda jutsu?"
"It's one that your father created." The blonde thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. Jiraiya waved it off. "Don't worry about it. He only uses it in battle. But know that it's awesome and you'll want to learn it."
"Who's going to be taking over?" Sasuke suddenly asked. "You said you had to go get them, so it must be some kind of outsider then?" He didn't like that idea, and it didn't even make sense to him.
"She's not an outsider. She grew up here. You'll know her as one of, if not the most, talented medic to ever grace our lands."
Hinata's eyes lit up. "Tsunade-sama?!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "The very one!"
She could barely contain herself. "Oh, please, Jiraiya-sama, I'd love to go as well. There's so much I want to ask her," she requested.
"Well, I'll talk to the council about it. Besides, having you around might be good for Naruto, what with your doujutsu and all," he added when he saw the hard look the Uchiha was giving him.
"If they're both going, then I'd also like to come along," Sasuke said.
Jiraiya frowned a bit. "Actually, I was talking to Kakashi earlier and he mentioned wanting to train you seriously with the Sharingan," he said. He didn't want Sasuke around when he was positive Orochimaru was also on the search for Tsunade. She was probably the only person who could successfully heal his arms. Bringing Sasuke would be a mistake. Having Hinata come was already a large risk.
Orochimaru has never gotten a byakugan and he was aware it was something he desperately wanted. He was hoping the Sannin was too injured to think about going for the young Hyuuga, but he wasn't counting on that. Truthfully, he didn't want Hinata out of his sight when her supposed source could show up to her at any moment. With Minato down for the count, he needed to step up and make sure she was safe. They decided it would be better after the invasion and speaking with Minato.
Telling Naruto about the mission in front of her was the best option, as they knew she looked up to the Slug Princess.
Sasuke wanted to argue but decided against it as he needed to train and there was nothing the pervert standing in front of them could teach him that would be useful. He didn't want Hinata to go so far away out of the village without him, but it couldn't be helped. He wasn't going to ask her to stay behind when she was looking forward to one-on-one time with the medic she admired.
"I understand," he said instead.
"How long will we be gone?" Naruto asked, worried about leaving his dad for too long.
Jiraiya shrugged. "It could be a while. She's pretty elusive. She gave up the life of a shinobi years ago," he explained. Then he looked to Hinata. "Don't be disappointed if she's not how you think."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," she bowed.
"Aw, you're so polite, Hinata-chan!" The man gushed.
Behind Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke moved closer together. "Don't leave her alone with him," Sasuke whispered.
"I'm on it," Naruto replied.
"I don't think anyone higher up is going to have an issue with you tagging along. So you both be at the village gates on time. Hinata-chan, I'll send a message to your father, but be sure to discuss it with him as well."
"Yes, Jiraiyma-sama!"
"Sure thing, Ero-Sennin."
When Hinata arrived home, she was called into her father's office. She was met with Hiashi's exhausted look.
"Is everything okay, Father?" She asked, taking a seat in front of him on her knees.
"I've just received a message from Jiraiya requesting to take you along with him and Naruto to retrieve Tsunade-sama," he said, holding up the scroll. "Why would he want to take you along when the village is distressed?"
Hinata bowed her head. "I requested to go. It was the perfect chance for me to meet Tsunade-sama personally with enough time to learn from her while we're returning home. I understand that it could be considered reckless, but there will likely not be another opportunity such as this one," she explained. "Please allow me to go."
He stared at her for a long moment before humming. "Very well. You've proven yourself capable enough to complete missions outside of the village, and I will trust that you will protect your bloodline trait at all costs."
Hinata couldn't contain her smile but she knew her father wouldn't hold it against her, especially when it was just the two of them.
"We'll be leaving at dawn," she said, bowing her head. "I must quickly pack everything, and say goodbye to Hanabi."
Hiashi dismissed her. "Of course. I will see you when you return."
Hinata left her father's office with a glow on her face. She was excited for the opportunity to ask Tsunade any questions she had, especially those concerning Rock Lee's and Minato's conditions. When she arrived at her room, the first thing she packed were copies she had made of her research regarding them as well as a scroll of Itachi's condition. She didn't know how long they'd be gone.
Her thoughts went to the older Uchiha and she couldn't deny the sadness in her chest when she thought about not seeing him before she left the village. Realizing it, she immediately took physical steps back and shook her head to get rid of that feeling. She quickly packed anything she might need, using her fuinjutsu to make sure everything was compact and neat. After, she quickly moved to her greenhouse to stock up the hiding place for Itachi in case he came around while she was away.
While she was neatly packing them away, she sensed Sasuke coming and immediately stuffed everything in there and put it away, the panic making her heart race.
"Hey," Sasuke said, knocking on the doorframe. "I just wanted to spend some time with you tonight since I'm supposed to be with Kakashi when you both leave."
Hinata calmed herself before turning to him with a smile and a guilty conscience. "I'm happy to see you. I was just checking in on my plants."
Sasuke looked around at her work. "Do you need someone to check in on them while you're gone?"
She shook her head. "Neji assured me he would come in multiple times a day unless he was on a mission. But thank you." He walked with her to the garden they first spent time in back when they were five.
"Are you going to miss me while you're away?"
Hinata blushed but nodded. "Of course. Will you…also miss me?"
Sasuke's grin grew as she hadn't hesitated in her speaking since she was a kid, meaning she was a bit nervous. It assured him that she was, in fact, taking his feelings seriously. He never had any reason to doubt it, but he still held that insecurity.
"Maybe I'll be too busy training to think about anything else," he teased. Hinata giggled, easily understanding what he meant.
"You're looking forward to training with Kakashi-sensei, then?"
"It'll be nice to get some one-on-one training, and I definitely didn't want to train with my father. He makes too many comparisons that'll only get in my head and anger me. Kakashi's the better choice, and he has a sharingan," he explained. "Plus I'll have the chance to ask him how he got it. My father hasn't shared any details, only saying that they accept him having it."
"I have been curious about that before but I didn't want to pry, especially since it's not a doujutsu I have," she admitted. "I didn't think it right of me."
Sasuke shrugged. "I don't mind sharing if I find out. I trust you."
At these words, Hinata's eyes went to the flowers in front of them, the guilt of keeping such a huge secret weighing down on her even more. Sasuke trusted her so wholeheartedly, and she didn't deserve it.
"Thank you," she replied. And it was all she could say. She didn't deserve his trust, but she would spend the rest of her life thanking him for the time he did trust her… before it was broken. She knew he was going to find out one day, and she had been slowly preparing herself for that day. For the day he either finds out himself or her guilt gets to be too much.
Sasuke reached out for her hand and held it tightly. "Just for a little bit," he assured her. She accepted it, but could barely look at him. "Looks like you'll be meeting Tsunade-sama soon. How do you feel?"
The Uchiha knew how much his fiancée looked up to the older medic and wanted to learn from her. However, from Jiraiya's words, the Sannin was apparently not the same person she used to be.
Hinata half shrugged. "I'm actually a bit anxious. She left the shinobi life for a reason and I'm afraid I've built her up in my head too much, and I won't be able to deconstruct that by the time we find her," she admitted.
He squeezed her hand. "It'll work itself out, so try not to stress yourself out too much."
All of a sudden, Hinata pulled her hand out of Sasuke's and put some distance between them. He didn't get a chance to ask anything before Hanabi burst out of the shoji doors and into the garden, promptly answering any questions he had.
"Sister!" Hanabi called out happily before stopping when she saw the Uchiha.
"Is everything okay, Hanabi?" Hinata asked.
"I heard you were going on a mission tomorrow morning." The younger Hyuuga wrapped her arms around her older sister and clung to her. "Do you have to?"
Hinata laughed softly, putting a hand on Hanabi's head. "This is a special chance for me to learn from someone privately. I have to take it, but I'll be home before you know it!"
Though pouting, Hanabi accepted the answer. "Will you be able to write to me?"
"I'll send you souvenirs from the places we visit."
At this, the young girl brightened up. "Thank you, sister!" Then she looked at Sasuke briefly. "I'll leave you to your alone time, now."
Hinata's face went red. "Hanabi! It's nothing like that," she admonished. "You must be careful of the things you say here."
Hanabi waved her off. "I know how the Elders are, don't worry. I won't say anything!" Then she turned and ran back inside after giving Sasuke a knowing smirk. He couldn't do anything but exhale a laugh.
"Your sister seems to be growing up fast," he remarked.
Hinata puffed out her cheeks just a bit. "She says things that are unladylike and Father often has to get after her." Then, she smiled fondly. "But I'm so thankful she didn't have to grow up with all that pressure on her shoulders. She gets to act her age, and nothing makes me happier than that."
Sasuke thought back to his own brother, and if Itachi had ever truly thought of him the same way. He'd once overheard Itachi saying similar things about him to Hinata, and he believed it. He believed his brother genuinely thought that, but that was then.
Hinata looked over at him and her smile turned sad. "You'll bring him home," she said.
"I don't think I'd ever consider him my brother ever again," he admitted. "What he's put our mother through, it's unforgivable. She has so much faith that this is somehow just one big misunderstanding, but I don't know. I even briefly thought about giving up the shinobi life in order to fully take care of her, but I just couldn't."
She didn't know about that. She always thought Sasuke had even more resolve to be a shinobi, but she now understood his reasoning. If she had to do everything he also did for his mother, then she would probably have the same thoughts. However, as the heiress of her clan, she didn't necessarily need to become a shinobi as it was a high-risk profession, but she wanted to prove herself to her Elders and herself. Especially after the news of Hanabi came.
Hearing his words about Itachi struck a chord with her as she knew the truth. Everything he has done has been for Sasuke, but her best friend didn't know about any of it and he couldn't be faulted for his feelings. Maybe his mind would change once he knew the truth about it all.
She could only hope.
Hi! We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! After this, there is one more chapter before the end of this arc. Currently, I'm writing the final fight between Sasuke and Naruto so we're very close to the end of this part of the story :)) Please review and let us know what you think!
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 02/17/24