Hinata was awake before the sun rose and got ready for her outing with Naruto. She kindly asked the cooks in the kitchen to make an extra breakfast and then gathered a few things so she and Naruto could sit comfortably.
"'Nata?" She turned to see Hanabi rubbing the sleep our of her eyes while holding back a yawn. "What are you doing? Do you have a mission?"
Hinata ruffled her sister's hair affectionately. "No, but I'm meeting Naruto to hang out a bit before we separate for training."
"Do you think…you'll have time to watch me train today?" her voice was so meek that Hinata felt her heart squeeze.
"I'll make time, don't worry. I have studying to do at the library, training with Kushina-sensei, and then I have to spend time in my greenhouse. How about we do some training together just before dinner?"
Hanabi's face lit up. "Yeah! I can't wait!" She wrapped her arms around her sister and squeezed tightly. "Have a good day, big sister!"
Hinata rubbed her back and watched as her sister walked back to her room, no doubt about to get some more sleep. Her sister had progressed rapidly and she felt proud but also worried. If she caught up to Hinata at such a young age, the Elders would be insisting Hanabi was a better fit for as Clan Head. She thought her younger sister would make an excellent leader, but it was clear to her that Hanabi enjoyed the freedom she had now. She didn't want to be the Clan Head.
"Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama is here for you," Mitsuki said.
Hinata gathered everything quickly and thanked her maid before rushing out the front door. She nearly ran into Naruto, who caught her by the shoulders and steadied her.
"Whoa, what's the rush?" Naruto laughed.
"I just didn't want to keep you waiting," she said. "I brought breakfast for us so we can get our strength up before training."
"My mom said you came to talk to her. I'm guessing she said yes to training you?" Hinata nodded. "That's good. Mom's real strong."
When Naruto sighed a little too heavily as they walked to the training grounds, Hinata lifted a brow. "Are you okay?" She asked gently.
Naruto shrugged. "It's just…we'll probably have to face each other."
Hinata's eyes went to the ground and her expression turned sad. "I've never wanted to fight against my comrades," she said quietly. "Especially not my best friends."
Swinging an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close against his side. "We'll be fine, you know!" He assured her, though he felt the same way. They continued on in silence, the village slowly waking up the further they walked, until they reached the training grounds and set up a small area where they could sit comfortably.
"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Hinata observed.
"Yeah! This sunrise's gonna be awesome," he said excitedly. They took a seat and Hinata handed him a lunchbox so they could eat while they waited. "This smells amazing!"
It wasn't much longer before the sun began peeking over the horizon. Pink and purple littered across the sky and they both watched in awe as a hint of yellow merged and flowed perfectly with the contrasting colors.
Naruto turned to look at Hinata and his breath caught as the colors shined across her face, lighting it up with warm colors. He almost wanted to cry at the emotions he was feeling, the love and anger and sadness. Part of him felt like he would've had a chance to win her heart if she hadn't already been promised to another, and that's what made his heart clench the most. The what-ifs. They got dangerously close to driving him insane sometimes.
"Hinata…" He mumbled, his eyes never leaving her face. Hinata turned to face him with that gentle smile she always had on her face, but there was a special look in her eyes that he felt she reserved just for him. The curious look that sprang to her face alerted him that he needed to say it now. "I—I love you."
Hinata's eyes went wide for a brief moment before she smiled widely at him. "I love you, too, Naruto," she said happily. She had never had someone other than her sister and her mother tell her that. To hear it coming from one of her best friends, it made her feel warm.
Naruto reached over and put his hand on hers, squeezing it. "No, I mean I really love you. In the forest, when I thought I was going to die from that snake… one of the only regrets I had was not being able to tell you how I felt about you."
Hinata stared down at their hands for a moment before looking up at his face with wide eyes. She didn't know what to say. She felt her mouth open but nothing wanted to come out. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt one of her best friends and then her mind went to how Sasuke was going to react to this news.
Naruto, seeing the conflict in her eyes, pulled his hand back and smiled sadly. "I know your situation, and I'm not telling you because I'm trying to steal you away or get between you guys. I'm only telling you because I can't bear to hold it in anymore. I wanted to tell you proudly, you know," he explained.
Hinata's eyes watered at the pure adoration she saw in Naruto's eyes. She felt happy that he felt she deserved that kind of kind of love from him, that he felt she was worthy, that he felt…proud of these emotions for her. She felt her heart squeeze almost painfully at the fact that his smile was anything but happy, that it held any trace of sadness.
"Naruto…" Was all she could say. Naruto's eyes stayed on hers, eager to hear what she had to say. "I'm—I'm so honored to be on the receiving end of your feelings, and I'm only sorry that I cannot return them." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Thank you so much for telling me. I'll cherish your feelings forever."
Naruto's jaw nearly went slack at her words and her easy acceptance of them. "Do you think if you weren't part of a noble clan…?" He left the question open as he couldn't bring himself to finish the painful question.
Hinata's eyes turned sad. "I don't know," she said. "I feel like dwelling on that kind of question will only lead to pain, and the last thing I want to do is hurt someone precious to me."
They were sitting so close together, but it felt like they were miles apart. Naruto pulled his hand out from under hers and turned his face away. He knew nothing was going to come of this, but he realized a part of himself was hoping there was at least a small part of Hinata that felt the same way. A part of her that wanted to just run away with him and leave all her responsibilities, for him.
Hinata wasn't sure what to do. She had never been in this situation before, not like this. Even with Sasuke, he hadn't outright confessed anything…not like Naruto was doing right now. Naruto was wearing his heart completely on his sleeve and part of her felt like Naruto's what-if question was something that could've been a reality, if things were different. There was only one thing that she could say, something that made her smile poignantly.
"Maybe in another life," she said so quietly that it almost sounded like a whisper. Naruto turned toward her so quickly that he felt a twinge in his neck. His eyes darted around her face, taking in as much of her expression as he could and committing it to memory. He knew it was completely unfair of him to ask her that question, but her response eased his pain and he suddenly couldn't find it in himself to apologize.
"In another life, huh?" He sighed, staring up at the sunrise with a smitten look on his face. "That sounds good to me. I can wait, no matter how many lifetimes it takes, you know." He smiled at her and was pleased to see that pretty blush of her staining her cheeks.
Hearing Naruto speak so seriously with that smile she always found charming, Hinata moved closer and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whimpered, her fear of possibly losing one of her best friends evident in her gratitude. Naruto's arms wrapped around her and held her as tight as he could without hurting her. They stayed like that longer than what was appropriate, but Hinata was eased by the fact that there was no one around. When they pulled away, she hesitated for just a second before pressing her lips to his cheek and smiling at his shocked expression.
His hand went to his cheek as he processed what had just happened before giggling like a lovestruck fool. He didn't take it for more than what it was. An expression of gratitude and closeness. She was silently telling him that she cherished him and she always would. Suddenly, his heart didn't hurt anymore. He felt at ease for the first time since the engagement was announced, like a weight was off of his chest and he could finally breathe easily.
They continued watching the sunrise together, sitting in a comforting and happy silence.
Hinata had been shocked to hear that Naruto was going to be trained by a Sannin, and honestly a bit jealous and as though she was being left behind. She was scheduled to meet Kushina in the afternoon and she decided to spend her afternoon training at the Hyuuga training grounds. On her way there, she released chakra from her body and rushed to the fields. She didn't know if she was being paranoid or not, but she didn't want to risk Shino seeing any of her training. After all, the Hokage had told them that the month was to be used to gather intelligence as well as training.
Kakashi had given her a sealed scroll that contained weights for her to use and she strapped them on before running laps around the grounds to help build her stamina and speed. She was completely drenched in sweat thirty minutes in and had to taker her jacket off in order to continue. With the sun shining brightly and not a cloud in the sky, the heat was beating down on her. Eventually, she even had to put her hair up in a high ponytail because it was distracting her too much by sticking to her face and neck. Maybe she should take a page out of Ino's book and start wearing her hair up as well.
After an hour, she decided to work on her taijutsu with her byakugan activated. It was a great way to prolong the use of her doujutsu and try something else she had in mind. Knowing she was going against an insect user, she decided to try focusing her eyes to see just how small she could see. For now, it wasn't as focused as she would like but she was going to continue working until she could see Shino's insects as though they were humans.
She stopped when her eyes began burning and moved on to working on the main house techniques her father had taught her. Rotation, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and the Vacuum Palm. Suddenly, she got a few ideas concerning her moves and wondered if they could possibly work. She knew she was going to have to fight Shino long-range due to his bugs and that was her weak point, judging by her fight with Sakura. Hinata knew she was going to have to find a way to fight with her Byakugan long-range.
She got to work, occasionally activating her eyes to check her surroundings and shooting chakra from her body every few minutes.
Sasuke was on the ground panting, Kakashi standing over him with that same lazy expression that irked him—especially during times like this.
"Get up, Sasuke," Kakashi commanded. "If this is the best you're capable of then you can kiss that promotion to chuunin goodbye. Whoever wins between Naruto and Hinata will be facing you next, and you know how tough they are. If you lose to Gaara, you'll be left behind."
"Shut up, I know," he huffed through his teeth as he got to his feet. His teammates were always going to be his toughest opponents and a great motivator, but right now Kakashi was just annoying him.
"I don't think you do because your taijutsu skills are laughable right now. Maybe I'm wasting my time here," his sensei replied. Sasuke growled and went for the Kakashi again. "If you need more of a motivator…if you can land a decent hit on me, I'll teach you a new technique that will put you way above the others."
This seemed to be right thing to say as Sasuke's eyes lit up and he started fighting like he meant it once again. Kakashi was blocking and dodging hit after hit, but the strength behind them was steadily increasing, showing Sasuke's excitement. Kakashi slid back after Sasuke faked him out with a punch and instead went for a spinning kick.
Kakashi smirked. "That's all it took? I should've just said that from the beginning," he sighed.
Sasuke shrugged. "I guess you just like doing things the hard way. So, what's this jutsu you want to teach me?" He asked, keeping his doujutsu active to watch closely.
"I accidentally discovered this move when I failed to master a jutsu the Fourth Hokage showed me long ago. I wasn't able to change the shape of my chakra correctly, but I ended up creating an entirely new jutsu. I'm going to show it to you now, so watch closely." With that, he went through the hand seals—Ox, Rabbit, and Monkey— and held his hand out as lightning chakra he built into his hand was so powerful that he was able to hold it. The jutsu was loud and sounded strangely like a plethora of birds chirping.
Sasuke watched in awe as Kakashi aimed it at a large boulder behind him and it broke it pieces. His speed was so incredible that Sasuke wouldn't have been able to follow it if his sharingan hadn't been activated.
"This jutsu takes up an incredible amount of chakra. As it is, I can only use it five times a day," he explained. "This move will be crucial to you as a sharingan user as this move, though very effective, leaves you wide open to attacks. The trick to this is your doujutsu and speed."
"I see. My sharingan will allow me to see any moves made toward me during my attack and my speed will allow me to counter it. It's just like when I was fighting against Lee. I could see all of his moves but my body couldn't keep up," Sasuke stated.
"Exactly. Okay, it's time for you to try it. Focus your lightning chakra into the palm of your hand. This move will take great chakra control."
Sasuke focused his chakra.
"Okay, Ero-Sennin, I'm ready to start my training!" Naruto announced as he walked back into his house and saw the Sannin.
Jiraiya's face went bright red with embarrassment and anger. "That is not my name!" He yelled, glaring at the young boy.
Naruto shrugged. "Well, are you ready or not?" He sighed. "I only have a month!"
Jiraiya waved him off as he moved past him. "Yeah, yeah, just follow me."
The genin walked beside the older man at a leisurely pace. "So you taught my dad everything he knows then? Like, you're the reason he's so strong?"
Jiraiya smiled proudly. "Well, I wouldn't say the whole reason. Your dad was quite the prodigy growing up and now look at him, the Fourth Hokage. He could've taken the seat much sooner, when he was around twenty or twenty-one but he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Kushina and he still felt he had a lot to learn," he explained.
"Wow, dad really loves her, huh?" He hummed. He knew his parents loved each other quite a bit, but they didn't really kiss or hold hands—at least, not in front of him.
"Of course he does!" The Sannin laughed. "You and your mother mean the world to him, kiddo. He prolonged it longer when your mother became pregnant with you, and then even longer when he took you and your friends as students."
Naruto smiled widely, happy at the thought of meaning more to his father than his job. It wasn't that he doubted it, but sometimes he felt like he wasn't as important and it was comforting to hear that his progress meant a lot to Minato.
When they arrived at the designated spot, Naruto looked around to see them by a secluded lake and waterfall. He liked how quiet this space was and how much privacy he was going to have from a byakugan user since they were on the opposite side of the Hyuuga compound where he knew Neji was training.
"Wow, this place is awesome!" Naruto said. From his right, he could hear Jiraiya giggling in a way that reminded him of when he caught him in the woman's section of the hot springs. His master was currently crouched in the bushes, peeking through with a giddy, red face. "What are you doing, Ero-Sennin?"
"Just some research for my next novel," Jiraiya sighed dreamily. When Naruto peeked over, he saw half-naked women splashing each other with water in the lake.
"You're here to teach me, not do your so-called 'research'!" He called out. Jiraiya didn't seem to be listening and that's when he got the idea to use his own special jutsu. His mother would kill him if she ever found out, but he figured his master could keep a secret if he threatened to tell her about his perving in front of him.
Naruto did his Sexy Jutsu, a thin bikini on in case he could use the naked version to his advantage in the future. "Oh, Jiraiya-sama~" He sang, voice high-pitched and sultry.
Hearing this, Jiraiya turned around completely confused before his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "What's this?!"
Naruto played with one of his pigtails, blushing and acting coy to draw him in. "If you keep staring at me like that, Jiraiya-sama, my body's going to feel so hot." Jiraiya laughed dorkily and scribbled notes down furiously in his notebook for future reference.
"Where'd you learn this kind of jutsu?" The man asked curiously, but it sounded a bit off-handed as he was staring intently at intimate parts.
Naruto transformed back. "I developed it on my own a few years ago," he said, staring unimpressed at his teacher. At seeing Jiraiya look so disappointed, he sighed in defeat. "Look, if you can teach me awesome new jutsu, I'll transform again but without the bikini top on."
Jiraiya's face lit up. "You mean completely topless?!" Naruto nodded. The older man patted his head. "You're a very giving kid." He took a seat by the lake, now that the women had left at some point. "Okay, let's get started then!"
"Finally!" Naruto cheered. He took a seat next to Jiraiya.
"All right, kid. So I know about you being a Jinchuuriki. Something I want to teach you is how to utilize it. I heard from your father that you cannot access it unless you feel extreme negative emotions, correct?"
"That's right. It's kinda like I have blue chakra normally, but when I get really upset, it comes out as red."
"I want you to do your best to access it right now. Just try it," he added when Naruto looked like he was about to protest. Naruto stood back up and concentrated but he could only feel his normal chakra.
"I can't seem to do it. I was trying to tell you earlier, but that creepy Orochimaru dude did something weird to me in the forest," Naruto said, looking uncomfortable. "He did something to my stomach."
Jiraiya thought for a moment before nodding. "Take off your shirt and show me." Naruto pulled off his sweater and shirt. "Okay, now try to channel the Nine Tails's chakra." The genin did as he was told, but he couldn't seem to summon up any of the red chakra.
"It's not working. I don't know how to tap into it yet," Naruto sighed.
"I guess we only have one thing left to do… You're gonna have to use up all of your normal chakra until there's nothing but the Nine-Tails chakra left," Jiraiya said seriously. "You better get started if you want to learn something cool today. I have a pretty cool thing lined up for you today."
"Like what?" Naruto inquired.
"Well, like the summoning jutsu. Do you know what that is?"
"Oh, yeah! It's like Kakashi-sensei's dogs!" Naruto said excitedly. "Hinata explained it to me."
"Yes, it's like Kakashi's dogs, but yours will be toads. Like mine and your father's," he explained. "So you better get to work on exhausting yourself or we won't be able to cover it today."
Immediately, Naruto summoned at least thirty shadow clones, pleasantly surprising the Sannin, and then began fighting himself.
"Smart kid, even though he's still kind of an idiot," Jiraiya mumbled. "I should've told him to do it as a woman." He sat bored, watching his student rough up his clones.
Maybe next time.
After a few hours, Naruto was panting on the ground, the rocks digging into his back, when Jiraiya clapped his hands together and ordered him to try and tap into the beast's chakra. Naruto slowly got to his feet and focused. Slowly, a seal on his stomach appeared and then the one Orochimaru had appeared on him appeared around it.
"I see the problem now," the Sannin said. "Orochimaru put an odd-numbered seal over your even one."
Naruto hummed. "That's why my chakra's imbalanced. Do you know any way to take it off?"
Jiraiya, already having charged chakra to his fingertips, thrust his hand into Naruto's stomach and unsealed the coarse work that Orochimaru had done. The wind left Naruto as he flew back with a gasping grunt.
"Okay, it's gone now!"
Naruto glared at the man as his breathing slowly evened back out. "That hurt, Ero-Sennin!" He groaned.
"Yeah, well, at least it didn't have the same effect as getting it. You were probably passed out for a whole day! Anyways, now that we've figured out the seal and your chakra, let's get back to work!"
Jiraiya summoned a toad who held the contract. "Here, sign this in your blood," he said, opening the scroll and pointing to the next empty space in the contract, right next to his father's. "Then, we'll get started!"
"All right!" Naruto hollered.
Hinata was getting ready to leave her medical lesson with Kushina when Minato walked through the door. He smiled at her warmly when he noticed her getting her shoes on.
"Hinata-chan, hello. Were you doing some training with Kushina?" He asked, patting her shoulder in greeting.
She returned the smile. "Yes, sensei. I was just heading out."
"I see. I'll let you go then," he chuckled.
She caught his arm. "Actually, if I could speak to you privately, I'd really appreciate it." It was rare to catch Minato outside of his office and she needed to take advantage of the chances when they appeared. She needed to pass along the information regarding Danzo and his possible alliance with Orochimaru.
He regarded her for a moment before his eyes turned serious. "I suppose this is an urgent matter between teacher and student, am I right?" She nodded. "Very well. Let's go up to my office."
Minato found his wife in the living room and told her that he needed to speak to Hinata in his office for a few moments and then he would be down shortly. Though she looked curious, she accepted it easily and went back to her book. He led Hinata upstairs into his secured office and locked the door behind him.
"Take a seat," he told her softly, not wanting to make her uneasy. Just as he had done with Jiraiya, he leaned against the front of his desk and gently urged her to speak when she felt comfortable.
Hinata activated her eyes briefly before her shoulders slumped, the tension falling out of them. "Sensei, I have more news of Danzo," she said.
"What is it, Hinata-chan?" He made sure his smile was reassuring.
"It's about the bandages he wears. I happened to catch a look underneath them and made a horrifying discovery." Her hands shook and she longed to hug herself but refrained from doing so. Minato watched her closely and noted that it was similar to when she first told him of Itachi and Danzo on the night of the engagement announcement. He knew, then, that she had had this information then as well but was waiting for…something. Or someone.
"What did you see?" He asked, kneeling down in front of her and putting his hand on her shaking ones. "It's okay. You're safe in here, and I would never let anything happen to you."
Nodding to herself, she looked up into his eyes with a determined look glinting in them. "I believe he is currently hiding Shisui Uchiha's eye in his head. On his arm, is three different sharingan fused into it," she stated. Minato's eyes widened just a fraction before schooling his features.
"I see. Those were old wounds of his, but I assume he used the bandages to his advantage. How exactly did you discover this?"
"I was coming home from the library one evening and ran into him while he was out on a walk. He stopped me for a brief conversation and then we parted ways. I used my byakugan to check for Shi-kun's eye, and that's when I made my discovery," she explained. "I had my sunglasses on. I can assure you he and his men didn't see me looking."
Minato stood back up and leaned against his desk once more. "I see. You were smart to do it then, while you had your sunglasses on. The last I remember you wearing those, however, was just before your engagement. Why did you wait this long to inform me?" He questioned.
Hinata looked back down at her lap with a sigh. "I needed to figure out who could be skilled enough to do such a procedure on him and to also get answers to my own worries."
"You mean your source needed to do some digging?" Hinata nodded. "What is it that they discovered?"
"Orochimaru is the only one twisted and skilled enough to do such a thing. His recent actions during the chuunin exam only solidify his involvement. Danzo needs to give Orochimaru something in exchange for the work he's done on his arm," she thought aloud.
"You're saying Danzo is letting Orochimaru in and out of the village?" Minato hummed.
She shook her head. "No, I don't. I think Kabuto Yakushi is," she said. "I believe Danzo is just letting him do what he wishes so long as he doesn't completely destroy the village."
Minato took this into consideration. There was plenty Hinata didn't know, but she seemed to draw valid and reasonable conclusions on the limited information she had as well as exclude things Minato was positive she was still withholding to protect herself and her source.
"Yes, I think you could possibly be right. I think that calls for higher security during the final phase of the exam," he said. "Now, this next part is very important, Hinata-chan. Have you felt anyone at all following you?"
Hinata thought for a moment. "I haven't, but…" she thought back to the boy at the library. "I think he might've sent someone to check on what I was doing."
"What do you mean?"
Hinata leaned back informally, tired. "There was a boy, around my age, who came up to me in the library and started asking questions of what kind of research I was doing. I didn't hear him approach at all and I thought it was maybe because I was so preoccupied with my studies, but something told me not to dismiss it. Because I had never seen him before," she explained. "He said his name was Sai, but he had no surname."
"Sai?" Minato asked. He pulled out the scroll and unsealed it to begin writing notes on everything she had revealed.
"But I don't think it had anything to do with seeing what I knew about him. More due to my involvement with the Uchiha Clan and my previous engagement to Itachi Uchiha," she suggested. She wasn't entirely sure, but she just felt that it had something to do with the older Uchiha and she needed to be exceptionally careful.
"Do you think Danzo was thinking about using you against Itachi?" Minato asked, looking deeply into her eyes to assess the truth from her.
Hinata sighed softly. "I don't even understand why. Itachi Uchiha…he's not part of my life anymore," she said, not fully lying but also not being completely open. "He left us, left Sasuke, five years ago."
Minato sighed to himself. "Hinata, I have to know… Is Itachi—"
"Sensei," she interrupted. "Please don't make this any more difficult for me. There are people I have to protect at all costs," she said gently but with force. She had to stay alive so Hanabi could live her own life and she needed her family to be safe.
Minato rubbed his face. "I understand. I have a feeling, but I will not bring it up. After all, this is valuable information we're receiving. Thank you for sharing such sensitive information with me. I will do my best to act accordingly for anything during the final stages of the exam," he assured her. "You're very strong, Hinata-chan. Very courageous."
Hinata bowed her head. "Thank you, sensei."
Minato sealed the information away and pocketed the scroll. "I'll escort you out." She followed him down to the front door and out to their small front gate. "Thank you again. If you come across anything else, please let me know as soon as you can." Inwardly, he sighed. It was difficult for Hinata—or anyone, really—to catch him outside of the Hokage office and by himself. He needed to come up with a better way to secretly communicate with the Hyuuga.
Hinata bowed respectfully to him. "I will do my best, Hokage-sama." Minato watched her walk away briefly before he heard his son calling him.
"Dad!"
Minato waved back excitedly. "Naruto!" Next to his son was his old sensei. "How was training?!"
"I signed a summoning contract!" Naruto exclaimed happily. He jumped into his father's arms.
Jiraiya sighed. "Yeah, but he can only summon up a tadpole."
"Ah, whatever, Ero-Sennin, I'm still doing great!" Naruto tched. "Is Mama home? I'm starving!"
"She's inside," Minato chuckled, even more so when Jiraiya's eye twitched at the nickname his son had given him. He couldn't exactly argue with it since it was pretty spot on, so he didn't bother scolding his son. Naruto ran inside to greet his mother and beg for her food.
"Was that Naruto's teammate I just saw leaving here?" Jiraiya asked. "Is Kushina training her?"
Minato nodded. "Yes, that's right. She's training her in medical ninjutsu and fuinjutsu since she isn't as proficient as she should be in it. Let's head in. There's something I wish to speak to you about privately."
Jiraiya followed him back up to his office soundlessly, only stopping to greet Kushina who was listening to her son recount the day with her. The look of pure love on her face as she listened to him prattle on made Jiraiya smile. Things could've been completely different.
After Minato locked his door, he turned to Jiraiya seriously. "We have a problem, sensei." Noting his tone, Jiraiya took a seat and listened closely to what his old student was about to disclose. "Danzo possesses the sharingan. Four of them," he said. "This is much worse than we imagined."
"How did you find this out?" Jiraiya asked. "Are you sure it's accurate?"
"Positive. I got confirmation from my source. I told you how terrified they were, yes? This was why. They saw it themselves. He has one in his head, where his own eye should be, and three on his arm. I believe he's working with Orochimaru."
The Sannin rubbed his chin. "That is a problem. Orochimaru is very much capable of that, being an experimenter and taking into consideration his whole part in these exams," he said, thinking deeply. "You think he's planning an attack on the village, right?"
"Yes, that's right. We said he didn't have the manpower to attack, but I think he is going to get it by the time the finals take place. We have to be prepared," Minato said. "But we also have to do it discreetly."
"I agree. Do you also believe Danzo has something to do with it?"
Minato shook his head. "I'm not sure. Danzo wants what's best for the village, in his own way, but I believe he also wants my position. You know how he's always been. Ever since Lord Second chose Lord Third over him to be Hokage."
"You're right. I'll speed up gathering any intel on him, but he knows my position and what I'm capable of. If he catches any hint of me sniffing around, he's going to go make it impossible to get to him," he stated. "This is going to be tougher than I thought. I was hoping I was never going to have to spy on anyone from my own village."
"I apologize for putting you in this position, but you're the only one who can do it."
"Are you positive?" Jiraiya suddenly asked. "I mean, your source got close enough to discover the secrets he was hiding. If they can get close again, they could find out more."
Minato knew this made sense, but he couldn't risk that. Hinata had mentioned someone coming up to her, someone she had never seen or heard of before, but that she had not lately. Danzo's sights weren't set on her anymore and he wanted to keep it like that. He couldn't put her in harm's way.
"I know, but I cannot do that. They're feeding us very useful information, and I think that's enough for now."
The Sannin stared at Minato for a moment before thinking to himself. Danzo wore bandages and never traveled without his own men protecting him. The only person who could see beneath that and from a distance was a Hyuuga. A Hyuuga like Naruto's teammate who had just left the Uzumaki house before they arrived. Hinata Hyuuga. She was currently engaged to Sasuke Uchiha but had once been promised to his older brother and village deserter, Itachi Uchiha—the one he had figured to be the source's source.
He settled down into the chair more and he continued thinking. If Itachi hadn't killed Shisui but had been a witness to his death at the hands of Danzo Shimura and his men, then that's a motive for him wanting to bring the official down. But due to his current status, he couldn't just get to him without injuring more of his own villagers and possibly endangering his own life as Itachi was very powerful but Konoha had some of the best ninja known in the shinobi lands, which led him to bring in someone he trusted. Not an Uchiha, that would involve too many emotions. Not just a standard friend, as Itachi didn't have many of those and obviously this wasn't something he could just entrust to anyone. It only left one person.
Hinata Hyuuga.
She was gentle and understanding. She was an older sibling. She had cared for him deeply at some point. If there was a chance to prove his innocence, then he knew she would take it. At least, that's what he figured she would do.
Minato, standing opposite of him, could see the gears turning in his head and knew that he had figured out who his source was. Jiraiya could be trusted and he had not broken his word of mentioning her name. It was Jiraiya's job to gather intel and make deductions, and he excelled at it.
"I see," his sensei eventually said. "I understand. Your source has gotten quite mixed up in a dangerous game of politics… and they aren't even Clan Head yet."
Minato sighed softly. "I'm afraid you're right. But they're very good at deductions and working with what little information they have. I'd say they would do well at having a job like yours in the future."
Jiraiya laughed. "Well, with their special abilities, they'd probably do even better than me!" Minato chuckled at this in agreement. The byakugan was perfect for reconnaissance and espionage. "I'll get to work."
"Thank you, sensei."
"Don't worry about it. I also wanted to let you know that Orochimaru put a seal on top of the one you put on Naruto, and it caused his chakra to become imbalanced. I took it off, but it's safe to say that he now knows that Kushina is no longer the Jinchuuriki for the fox. He's strategic, but word will get out that Naruto is housing the demon and enemies will come after him."
"We've been prepared for the day that an enemy discovered this secret. We'll be fine. But Naruto needs to learn how to control the chakra of the beast," Minato said.
"I'm working with him now to see if he can start tapping into its chakra at will, but it's proven difficult. We'll keep working at it though. He's a tough kid, smart too."
"He is. I look forward to seeing the results."
Hinata was on her way home when she saw Shikamaru waving her down. She smiled brightly and stopped so he could catch up.
"Hey," he said. "Have you finished training?"
"Yes. I was on my way home," she said. "Would you like to see my greenhouse?"
"I was just about to ask you that." They began walking in the direction of the Hyuuga Compound. "How's your training been going?"
Hinata eyed him, a grin on her face. "It's been going well. And yours?"
Shikamaru sighed. "It's so much work, but hey, if it helps me get promoted to chuunin," he shrugged, "then I'm all for it."
"Are you training under Asuma-sensei?" She asked.
"Yep. He's being really strict with me. What about you? I heard Kakashi took Sasuke under his wing."
"I'm training under Kushina-sensei, and my father is available if have any doujutsu questions," she replied. "There's no one else for me to go to."
"How about we train together?" Shikamaru suggested.
Hinata giggled. "We may have to face each other during the final phase. It wouldn't make sense for us to do that," she said. Shikamaru understood and knew the answer before he even asked. It made sense, but he wanted to see her more than he had. Ever since they graduated, he rarely saw her. He wanted to change that.
"Yeah, you're right," he sighed again. "Maybe…we can just settle for meeting a few times a week. You can tell me all about your plants and stuff."
Hinata visibly brightened. "You're interested in hearing about them?!"
She looked so excited that Shikamaru couldn't help but smile fondly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm interested," he admitted, looking away with a slightly red face.
"I'm happy to tell you anything you want to know!"
"Well, I wanna know everything," he lied easily.
They remained quiet the rest of the way to her place. She was greeted at her front door by Mitsuki. She offered to bring them refreshments, but they declined and Hinata told her they were going to be in the greenhouse looking over her progress.
"Hinata-sama, Sasuke-sama sent word earlier that he was going to be by at his usual time this evening. Would you like me to escort Nara-sama out of the compound before then?" She asked tactfully. In such a modest clan such as the Hyuuga, it was seen as almost scandalous to be alone with a man one is not betrothed to. It could be considered indecent.
"No, Shikamaru-san is our mutual friend. I'm sure Sasuke-san would love to see him as well," she assured her. "He is very interested in plants and herbs, and has asked me to teach him a bit of what I know." At hearing this, Mitsuki looked relieved and Hinata was not sure whether to feel offended by that or not.
"Yes, Hinata-sama." Mitsuki bowed to them and left them alone to go back out to her workplace.
"I forgot about how strict your clan is," Shikamaru huffed. "They should know that you are not anything like that."
"They do. But I'm afraid that…" she sighed softly. "It's not important, but I do want to warn you that eyes will be on us. Normally, dojutsu use is prohibited within the compounds unless we are training or there is a threat."
"I'm guessing I'm the threat?"
"To be frank, no. I am. The minute any of my Elders see me doing anything wrong, they could use that to make my sister the heiress instead." She spoke lowly and barely moved her lips as she knew they were watching.
Shikamaru quickly caught on. "I see. That's troublesome. It must suck to live under such a microscope. Any misstep or show of weakness could be used against you," he thought aloud.
Hinata gestured to the plants on her desk, so their backs were facing any eyes intruding. "Yes, that's exactly why I've kept what happened in the Land of Waves a secret from everyone in my family but my father and cousin Neji," she said, leaning forward and pointing as though she were talking to him about the herbs on her desk and what they were used for. They could read her lips if they wished to, but they had always found her garden talk boring, and she wasn't worried about it.
He nodded as though he was taking the information in. "What happened in the Land of Waves?"
Hinata just barely tensed up. "I nearly died," she admitted, her voice tight. "Zabuza got me with his blade and I nearly bled out."
Shikamaru clenched his fist before relaxing it and putting his hands inside his pockets. "That must have been terrifying," he said softly.
"There's a lot I have to live for. I would gladly give up my life for my comrades and to protect the client of my missions, but I will not allow my sister to be used as a political pawn and forced into a life set for her," she declared.
"You love her."
"Yes, more than anything. She's my sister. I will live my life however they planned, but Hanabi will live hers as she pleases."
"Why do they want to replace you?" He asked.
"Well, they fear I will be too soft, too much of a pushover, and bring the clan down. They fear I'm too open to change and they're deadset on their traditional ways," she explained.
"That is way too political for our age, but I guess it makes sense. We're from noble clans and all that. More importantly, I'm sorry about the experience you had on your mission, but I'm relieved you're still here."
Hinata smiled at him and then went on to actually explain the different types of herbs and plants and what their uses were. She then told him what she was specifically using them for, the healing salves and tablets.
"That's really awesome, Hinata," he said once she was finished.
"Thank you!" She picked up a premade jar of her salve and handed it to him. "Here. I just realized I've never given any to you. They're good for cuts, bruises, and scars, and the smells are good for easing anxiety," she explained.
Shikamaru took the jar and opened it to give it a smell. "Wow, I really like this. Thanks!" He put it in his pocket and leaned against one of her tables. "These exams have really been something, haven't they?"
Hinata nodded. "They have. It's tested us in ways I didn't think it was going to, but, of course, that's due to the man who got involved." She looked down at her cup of tea and glared. "I don't know what he's planning, but I will never let him get to Sasuke. Even if it kills me," she said, voice unwavering.
Shikamaru smiled, but it held a hint of sorrow in it. "You care that much about him?"
She looked up at him, slightly taken aback. "Of course. He's one of my best friends and my teammate. He's part of the Rookie 9, as they call us," she explained.
At her explanation, Shikamaru chuckled and his heart didn't hurt as much. She just saw Sasuke as a friend right now. She was engaged to the Uchiha, but her heart was still right there sitting across from him. He had more time to prepare himself.
"Sasuke's coming," she suddenly, a small smile on her face.
"I guess that's my cue," the Nara sighed, straightening himself up. "I had a great time talking to you. We should do it more often."
Hinata got to her feet, setting her cup aside. "I'd love that. Send me a messenger bird anytime."
Sasuke knocked on the greenhouse door with a grin. "Hope I'm not interrupting your date," he said, eyeing the Nara.
Hinata's went a bit red while Shikamaru laughed. "Oh, man, Hinata, you've gotta look forward to a jealous husband," he teased. Sasuke glared, frowning even more when Hinata laughed.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?" She asked him.
"No, thank you. I don't wanna be glared at the entire time I'm here. I'll send a messenger bird your way so we can plan for another get-together soon. I loved hearing about your work," Shikamaru said. He patted Hinata's shoulder and then left, passing Sasuke with ease. "I'll head out myself. See 'ya."
Sasuke watched him go for a moment before turning back to Hinata with a softer look. "Did you have a good day today?" He asked curiously as he took the unoccupied seat that Shikamaru had refused.
Hinata took her seat and picked her cup back up after offering Sasuke his own. "It was…eventful. I watched the sunrise with Naruto," she said quietly.
Sasuke looked down at his hands in his lap. "Sorry I missed it. How did it go?"
"It was…" a sigh, "did you know?" She asked.
"...Yes. It wasn't really a secret."
"I see."
"How did he take your rejection?" Sasuke asked when he couldn't stand it any longer.
"I think he and I are possibly closer than before," she explained. "There are absolutely no secrets between us and I think it's made us more comfortable with each other."
Sasuke's heart squeezed at this. "Do you like him?" He felt breathless and the ringing in his ears was suddenly becoming too loud.
Hinata reached over and squeezed his hand. "There will be no one in my heart but you," she assured him. "I'm to be your wife."
He looked up at her with slightly widened eyes and reddened cheeks. "If you keep saying things like that, Hinata, I can't be held responsible for how I may react," he all but whispered, voice hoarse.
Hinata's face went bright red and she covered her cheeks with her hands. "S-Sasuke!" She squeaked. The Uchiha caught her off guard with how direct and flirty he could be sometimes.
Sasuke smiled fondly at the sight before him. "You're a cute sight, and it's very welcome after having to spend the day with Kakashi-sensei."
She perked up at this. "Oh! How's your training been?" She asked.
"It's rough, but he's teaching me this really powerful jutsu and it's all worth it." He held his dominant hand out to her so she could see the slight irritation of it. She took it and looked at it closely. "It's a bit rough on my hand, but you're definitely going to be amazed when you see it."
Hinata took out her salve and started applying it to Sasuke's hand. "If it's causing this kind of damage after only a day or so, then it must be very powerful. I'm excited to see it."
"How about you?" He asked as he watched her work on him. "Learning anything new?"
She shrugged. "Well, I have a few ideas on how to utilize my byakugan, but I'll have to figure it out on my own since my father is so busy with Neji," she explained. "I'm also making sure to research plenty of insects. Shino will be a tough opponent."
"I agree. There are many targets to keep track of, but your eyes will help with that. What are you going to do when you face Naruto?" He had been worried about this since he saw the lineup. He knew they were going to give it their all, but he also knew how difficult that was going to be.
"I'm not going to hold back, and neither will he."
"It's bad enough that we can't even exactly say what we're doing during training or even train together," he sighed. "I think we make each other better."
Hinata giggled and she pulled out bandages. "Well, once we see each other's new moves, we'll be newly motivated! We know just about everything about one another, so I think it's okay that this is happening. I'm relieved it's only for a month though."
"I know it's only a matter of time before we all face each other seriously," he added. "Not in any competition or exam or anything, but purely because we want to and we feel that we're at our prime."
She wrapped his hand up until it was completely covered, resembling Lee's, and looked at him seriously. "We could get seriously hurt like that, but I agree. I think it would be fitting if it ended in a draw."
Sasuke laughed. "It would be just like us, wouldn't it?" He flexed his hand to test out how the bandages felt. His fingertips were left uncovered and he was thinking about keeping the bandages on in order to protect his hand as much as he could while using the chidori. "Thank you."
"Of course," Hinata said. "You're working hard, but don't run your body into the ground or you won't be at your best for the final stage."
"I could give you the same advice," he replied. "Probably to Naruto, too. I'm going to take the day before the final stage to run through my game plan for Gaara but I'm going to take it easier. And you?"
"Yes, I'm going to do the same. I don't want to stress out my byakugan. I've been pushing it closer and closer to its limit in order to get it stronger, but it's been difficult. My eyes are already sore."
"Well, I'd say if you're going to lose your sight, the earlier that happens, the better. It would be too risky to hold it off until later," he proposed. "If you're going to push it as far as it can go, then do it soon."
"I had already been planning on it. I'm going to take a day to seriously strengthen my doujutsu, but I'll have to remain home and train here. I can't risk Shino-san's bugs getting near me when I'm incapacitated," she sighed.
Sasuke took her hand and squeezed it firmly. "We're going to give it our all. To become chunin. That's our first step together as Team Harmony. And another step closer to bringing Itachi back home."
Hinata's chest tightened with guilt and she longed to tell him everything she knew and everything she had been doing, but she made a promise and she was doing all of this so he could have his brother back knowing he was not a criminal.
"We're going to do whatever it takes," she said quietly. "To bring him back to you and your family."
Sasuke stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I should take you out on a date again soon. How about the day before the finals, when we'll both be taking a break?"
"I would love that," she replied easily with a smile, pushing Itachi to the back of her mind. In the long run, she knew that helping Itachi was the right thing to do…even if she had to lie to her best friend about it for now. It was all to bring him back home. She just hoped he realized that when it inevitably came to light because she knew it couldn't be a secret for long.
Hi! We hope y'all liked this chapter and how Hinata took Naruto's conversation. A lot of information and deduction was done during this chapter and I really hope it made sense to everyone :)) Please let us now what you thought of it!
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 12/16/23