Chapter 2 - Prized
She had always felt powerless, but she had never felt so ignorant.
Her tears uncontrollably fell, and she wondered if there could be—another fate that was as monstrous and empty as one that had fallen upon Itachi's shoulders.
Ever since her childhood, right to this age of adolescence, she had always asked anything near her, from the walls inside the Hyuuga compound to the influx of water in the stream, to everything—knowing she would never be answered—why was she borne inside a body too weak and a mind too fickle to ever live up to her father's demands?
Why couldn't she be like Neji nii-san and Sasuke? Why couldn't she be the one to fit people's expectations with ease?
She did not know any better.
Something that she had always thought would be a blessing to her was a mere curse upon Uchiha Itachi. Magnificent strength, congenital agility, and talent she had always wished for had always been his curse.
The night in the Uchiha compound was bleak, but the expression of incalculable agony was striking in the moonlit faces of the mutilated Uchiha. Bodies were beheaded and skewered—and a crimson stream was sloshing at her feet-cold and concentrated and rancid. She felt lightheaded, but she did not know if it was the sight of the bloodbath or simply the consciousness of everything causing nausea. The village's ulterior background and underhanded history-it were all too much for Hinata that she almost couldn't withstand it.
She wondered how Itachi could have survived and what Sasuke's reaction would be once the truth was bared before him. She wanted so gravely to sleep.
But what if she never wakes up? Should she wake up?
And if she ever should, would Itachi be waiting beside her, ready to rip her head off for trespassing on the gates to his memory?
As she sat on the ground, resting her face against her folded knees and wrapping her arms around her legs, her fingers trembled, and her body rocked rhythmically; amidst the arena of death and despair. The night in this past was eerie black.
And rotten red.
Kakashi was standing at the edge of Hinata's bed, observing her. From where he stood, no noise from outside the walls could be heard, silence spreading all over the room like a plague before Yamato, Shino and Kiba arrived to the hospital room early that night.
"How is Hinata, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba enquired as Kakashi had expected, immediately positioning himself to stand opposite the bed, his face demonstrating a look of sheer apprehension.
The white-haired man sighed. "She's calmed but hasn't woken and is heavily drugged. What happened to Itachi? Did you guys defeat him?"
Some seconds passed before Yamato answered, "He left."
Kakashi did not know if he should comment. He was only relieved that Yamato, with Shino and Kiba, did not have to face Itachi, for he knew what the latter was capable of. But there was something strange in Itachi's manners and words when he confronted him in the woods that day.
I have no other choice, Kakashi-san; Itachi's voice kept playing in his mind like audio on repeat.
A new puzzle formed, and pieces were still missing. What could have left him with no choice other than to kill Hinata?
"Kakashi-senpai…" Yamato's address severed his string of thoughts. "Do you think she's been attacked with the Tsukiyomi?"
"I don't know for sure. She might have been. Otherwise, she would have woken up."
"Damnit," Kiba cursed, gritting his teeth, manifesting anger he barely managed to suppress. "Look, her eyes are wide open, but she's not awake."
Kakashi saw them, a pair of eyes glowing like orbs in the shadows but guttering with the passing second. And her hair was fanned across the pillow, almost like a doll's in its stiffness.
"When one is being infected with genjutsu, even if it's a high level one, such as the Tsukiyomi, one can't regain consciousness because one has no control over his or her chakra, if I am not mistaken," Shino uttered out of the blue.
Kakashi was impressed at the boy's keen observation and replied,
"Yes, unless the flow of Chakra in the infected body is disrupted, or in my case, when I was attacked using the Tsukiyomi, Itachi programmed my mind to hallucinate within three days. So after three days, I regained consciousness."
"Like in hypnosis," Yamato interjected.
"Yes, I guess."
"What if we disrupt the chakra in her body?" Shino suggested.
"How are we able to do that?" Kiba questioned in response.
"The Hyuuga. If we could call Neji here, he could try disrupting her Chakra with his chakra control ability," the young man responded. Kakashi's mental question on why Tsunade had given Shino more opportunities to become Team Eight's leader in missions compared to his teammates had been answered.
"Unfortunately, Neji isn't here. He's gone on an A-rank mission with the rest of Team Gai just now," Yamato explained, causing Kiba to exhale in disappointment.
"And as we all know, Hinata's dad won't come, and he won't let Hanabi come to help either," the Inuzuka heir added.
"Kakashi-senpai. What about the Sharingan?"
Kakashi didn't respond, instead paying attention to Yamato's explication.
"You could hack Deidara's arm to another dimension using the Mangekyou Sharingan, meaning-you do have the ability to control space. So if you could control space, you would have the same ability as the Hyuuga—you can try halting the flow of Chakra in Hinata's mind."
The room became silent at the new premise offered by the wide-eyed Yamato.
"I guess I can. It should be natural for one with Byakugan to do that, but with the Sharingan, it would require vast amounts of Chakra and some training, too—it's equal to using the same amount of Chakra to project the Tsukiyomi, though not as considerable as the amount to blow limbs to another dimension."
Kakashi averted his gaze back to the unconscious heiress, "but I guess we don't have any options now, do we? Okay then. I'll give it a try."
"Go ahead, Kakashi-senpai."
"I need at least five minutes to charge my Sharingan."
"I want to go tell Kurenai-sensei about Hinata," Kiba informed. "I'm counting on you, Kakashi-sensei. Let's go, Akamaru."
The face-tattooed young man left the room, followed by his loyal companion. Kakashi bared his Sharingan eye, and Chakra began to amass inside it.
"Here goes nothing."
"Out for a walk in the woods, eh?"
Uchiha Itachi looked lackadaisically at the man with a spiral orange mask-who was sitting on a chair at the dining table. The former did not say a word; instead, he sat on the chair in their temporary resting place- a large area at the edge of a mountain. It was a secret place encircled by huge trees-not even a lone insect found its way there.
The former ANBU captain drew out his Katana from its sheath and cleaned it lethargically with a piece of white cloth, ignoring the old man with deliberation. The light reflected from the gleaming blade in his hands moved playfully in his pallid face as he swung the sword back and forth skillfully, albeit lightly.
"Don't tell me you went to Konoha again," he guessed in amusement as though the whole idea was nothing short of blasphemous.
"It's just a three-hour journey from here. I decided to visit," Itachi replied, at last, he refocused on his weapon.
"A man can never forget his place of origin. Even if that place is the origin of his disaster—he will never yield," Uchiha Madara added, rotating a Kunai with his index finger like a mini windmill, "he is enslaved by his memory."
Madara's words invoked no reaction from Itachi.
"Not a big talker, as usual, eh Itachi?" The older man was tempted still.
"You're forgetting one thing," Itachi responded again.
"What is it?"
"Mouth… is the origin of all disasters."
The older man seemed thrilled. "Is that a threat?"
A minute passed, and in that instant, Itachi was deaf to the world as far as he was concerned.
"This place is beginning to bore me. If it wasn't a direct order from Pain, I wouldn't bother stooping myself to doing something like being on standby," the man with the orange mask complained.
"It can't be helped. The border is where Shinobi cross everyday. We've got to keep an eye on them."
"Boo. At a time like this, I wish we could see everything from here, so there will be no need to mobilize. Going out to check up the border annoys me out of my wits. They all didn't know my capability and decided to give me some pain-in-the-ass task like this. I guess I'm just too old for this kind of job."
The all-seeing-eyes, the notion crossed Itachi's mind.
He spent a minute staring into space, lost in his thoughts. "Do you...happen to know anything about the Hyuuga?"
"The white-eyed people? Oh, yes. Their bloodline ability was said to have been where the Sharingan originated."
"You don't know for sure?"
"Even I… don't know everything," Madara answered, pausing, "pre-Konoha; all clans were scattered all over the Fire Country. They moved to Konoha following the Uchiha and the Senju clans when a solid foundation of the village was established after all-they were Ninja families who would fight for many reasons. The war, honor, you know… all that."
Itachi sheathed his Katana and put it back to his side.
"But the fact remains that the Uchiha and the Senju clans founded Konoha. Why do you ask?"
Itachi became conscious that he had little to no knowledge about the Hyuuga, and he did not even know where or how to begin his investigation.
"Nothing."
"I can't see her Tenketsu points, Tenzou," Kakashi decided, as Chakra gradually built up inside his left eye, "So if I blindly try to disrupt her flow of Chakra, I might end up amputating one of her essential veins, and that would cause Hinata's body hefty damage. As I said, that kind of ability comes naturally to the Hyuuga and probably only to them."
Yamato sighed, and Shino remained silent.
"But there's something else I can do."
"What is it?" The new captain asked, a slight hint of curiousness audible in the tone of his voice.
At hearing Yamato, Kakashi ambled towards the lying Hyuuga, peeled off his gloves, and reticently placed them on a table beside the hospital bed. He then slipped his left palm behind Hinata's head, another palm behind her right shoulder. Both Yamato and Shino observed the masked man's actions as he lightly lifted the upper part of the girl's body.
Her chin somewhat slanted upward; her hair cascaded against the pillow; her unclosed eyes were wide but almost lifeless- looking into nothingness. Kakashi looked downward—straight into the white orbs, right eye closed, as his left eye began to intensely smolder.
Mangekyou Sharingan.
"We have a word from Neji-kun, Hiashi-sama."
Hyuuga Hiashi was guiding his second daughter, Hanabi, on the Jyuuken fighting arts when his henchmen came to bring the news. The ample space in the middle of the Hyuuga mansion had always been the family training location, where he conducted special Jyuuken lessons for Neji and Hanabi.
The lanterns were burning brightly at a few corners of the courtyard, reasonably lighting the space. Some Sakura trees beside the fence-enclosing the wooden complex were in full bloom, petals toppling, forming some kind of ivory deposit on the terrain beside the floorboards.
"Go ahead."
"Hinata-sama is admitted to the hospital," one of the messengers notified nervously.
"Again? How…surprising," Hiashi said with such boredom in his voice that even the messengers felt a little disheartened.
"Uh…. Neji-kun asked for you to visit Hinata-sama at the hospital."
"Neji should know better; there is no need for such," the long-haired man, dressed in a grey robe, answered sternly.
"But you've gotta know who caused her to be admitted to the hospital this time," the messenger continued, unwilling to give up.
"Was it the Lightning Shinobi again? As long as they didn't obtain any information about the bloodline secret, I have no reason for serious alarm," the old man retorted. "You two are dismissed."
"But it is important for you to know this. The one who attacked her wasn't a Lightning shinobi."
"Then who was it?
"Uchiha Itachi."
Hiashi turned to look at the messengers. Hanabi halted her gentle fist movements and turned to look at the men.
The reaction on the face of the Hyuuga patriarch changed from grim to something closer to intrigue. He deliberated, forehead mildly pleating at the incredible detail.
"The late Uchiha Fugaku's son, huh?" He muttered.
"Nice place, isn't it?"
Hinata opened her eyes and saw that her surroundings had changed to entirely different settings. There was no more blackness encompassing and consuming her; instead, she was sitting in the middle of a space that was altogether airy and gigantic as a field of snow that expanded as far as her eyes could see.
She looked up and saw the white-haired scarecrow standing before her; both his palms slipped into his pocket. Mesmerized, she stared at him for a few seconds. She perceived again how his perceptible eye was smiling at her as though taking over the role of the lips.
She wondered, behind the mask-are the lips smiling just as soothingly?
"Kakashi-sensei…"She greeted, as she had not seen him for a while, "why are you here?"
"Just checking up; what are you up to?"
"I've been here for so long….I… can't remember …."
"It doesn't matter," the Jounin took out his palm from his pocket and extended his hand towards her. It was not gloved. Instead, some ivory light was emanating from his palm. She hesitated at first, but she remembered that the last, whole person she saw before getting herself fenced in this realm was him.
How long has it been? She couldn't remember the length of Itachi's memories, at least the most significant ones-spanned for months.
"Don't you want to go?"
After a moment's hesitation, she took his hand, and he grasped her fingers; her palm was tiny inside his own. He jerked her up, and she stood again. There was no more blood, no more death—
"Don't overthink. Just follow me."
"Where?"
She followed his steps, and he slightly veered his figure to look at her.
"Home."
As consciousness slipped gently into his being, Kakashi saw Hinata's eyes flutter, and the white orbs commenced to glow.
"Welcome back, Hinata," he greeted. She seemed too weak to say anything at; first; only her lips were curved in a nervous smile as her cheeks reddened.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized and delicately placed her back onto the bed. He slowly took his gloves and reattached them to his palms. Hinata inclined her head, looked around and saw Yamato and Shino standing on one edge of the room.
Hinata smiled—but it was one of those smiles laced with disappointment. "I've been…a burden again, Shino-kun."
Shino did not answer immediately; it was almost impossible to tell what he was feeling at that moment, with the jacket high, covering half his face, and the goggles obliterating his eyes.
"You know it; you have never been a burden," he reacted at last.
"Hinata!" Kurenai entered the room in a rush. She took place opposite Kakashi on the other side of the bed, her hand holding Hinata's shoulder, "Are you okay?"
Hinata smiled again. "I'm fine, Kurenai-sensei. I'm sorry to have made you worry again," she answered meekly. Afterward, Kiba and his dog entered the room, standing beside the door.
"Don't worry, Hinata. I want to be by your side at a time like this. The way I always do," Kurenai replied, holding her bulging belly with another hand. Wearing a long sundress, she was well into her sixth month of pregnancy.
Kakashi knew how it felt to grow up without a father.
"The way we all do," Kiba spoke, smirking—tiny, hardly perceptible fangs jutting out from the back of his lips made him look feral.
"Thanks, Kiba-kun. Thanks, everyone. This, with my three sensei, with my teammates, this is my home," she stated again, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
Kurenai smiled and brushed the forelocks of her hair.
Home… the word rang in Kakashi's head.
How long had he been without it?
That morning Hinata had woken up feeling renewed and had seen Kakashi sleep soundlessly, his head tilted to his shoulder-sitting on a chair with both hands flanking his signature green book.
Everybody else had left, but he had stayed in the hospital room to accompany her. She had felt safe the moment vigil deserted her the night before—she had slept without dreams or nightmares haunting her even with the lights turned on for the whole night.
It had been so long since she had had a dreamless sleep—that she tried, full of hope, to cling to it—eyes closed tight as her consciousness slowly drifted—but then visions of the massacre flashed in her mind—making her open her eyes, pushing her back to reality.
No matter how hard she tried, now, the visions would return to engulf her at these most solitary moments. Her mind was currently equal to a cloth that had been soaked in blood. Now that it had been stained, no matter how hard it would be washed or scoured, the stain wouldn't completely disappear.
Disappointed and saddened, she raised her body and sat on the bed, looking through the large glass window. Judging by the sun's position, Hinata estimated that it was almost eight in the morning-some small birds were tweeting as they settled on the damp tree stems. She stared at them emptily; soon after, she inclined her head and saw that Kakashi had also opened his unmasked eye.
"Ohayo, Hinata," he greeted her as their gaze fixed on each other. Hinata wondered about the face behind the mask again, but realizing she was in no position to; she quickly repressed her curiosity.
"O… Ohayo, Kakashi-Sensei," she answered in timidity. "You shouldn't have stayed here. I'm used to this place."
Kakashi slowly stood, setting aside the small wool blanket provided by the hospital. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to waking up in this place too. Did you sleep tight?"
"Yes, I did. Thanks for being here. I… really appreciate it," she replied, pushing her blanket off, and getting off the bed. She took her sandals to the corner of the floor and put them on afterward.
"No problem," he said amicably, "now, are you ready to tell me what you saw on your journey?"
There was an emphasis in the tone of his voice on the last word that reached her ears; it hinted at the sensei's curiosity about Itachi's genjutsu.
The images of the past flickered again; Hinata always tried to keep a calm face. But inside, there was a vicious whirlwind—an inner battle of weighing whether she should reveal to the white-haired sensei—the real reason behind Itachi's perceived betrayal, a secret so great that even the Uchiha prodigy had seemingly decided to bury himself with it should the time arrive.
But the question remained, what right did she have to let it slip?
"Hinata."
A notable clan perished, lives lost, fraternity disengaged, a lifetime doomed as an unloved criminal-all because of his love for the village.
"Hinata…?"
"I… can't remember what I saw, Sensei."
There was a long pause between their conversations as the sensei seemed to be deliberating. Hinata looked down, trying to look normal, when she knew she was failing miserably.
"If you're feeling okay, leave this place, go home and rest. I'm going to meet the Godaime to report your condition," the new Team Eight Sensei answered, readying to exit the room.
"Wait… Sensei. What about our planned mission?" Hinata asked rather weakly. Kakashi halted his steps and precisely answered,
"Canceled."
Hinata was surprised at his words, "Why… it couldn't be canceled, Sensei?"
"Why couldn't it?" He answered with a question, eye curving into a 'smile' again. "You're not in the healthiest state for us to continue. Missions can wait, Hinata," he continued softly.
"But… I don't want Shino-kun and Kiba-kun to be unable to go on a mission because of me," she said, looking down at the floor, almost panicking. What would Shino-kun and Kiba-kun think about it? Even if they were not going to express or show it, Hinata knew it would be their biggest letdown. Team Eight had not been sent off on a serious mission since long before Asuma-Sensei encountered his demise in the hands of two Akatsuki agents.
Kurenai-Sensei, since then, had been resting in her apartment, carrying his unborn child inside her.
"I'm sure they will understand. Right now, you have to rest and replenish your energy," Kakashi tried to console her.
"I'm fine now. I can do anything; just… don't cancel the mission. The three of us haven't been on a real mission for six months now, Kakashi-sensei. We've only been put on standby all that time," she explained lengthily. Kakashi listened to her patiently, slipping both palms inside his pockets in his usual gesture.
"Now that we've finally been granted a mission, I don't want to be a reason to hamper my teammates of a real mission experience," Hinata replied wholeheartedly, stepping closer to the sensei in her attempt to convince him.
Kakashi was silenced.
"You sure you're okay?" He finally uttered after a long minute of assessment.
"I'm okay. I'm perfect," Hinata had answered with a hopeful tone.
Kakashi sighed.
"You follow me to the Godaime's office and talk to her then. The mission was canceled on her suggestion when she visited you while you were asleep."
Hinata did not expect the Godaime to have visited her, but she smiled absently.
"Thanks, Sensei."
"Do you have any inkling as to why Itachi attacked you?"
There was an air of authority in her speech, but Tsunade had always spoken in that tone. The girl looked blurry at that question, for a moment, tilted her head to look at Kakashi, who was looking at her from the corner of his eye. Shizune, standing beside Tsunade's desk, seemed to be sharing Hinata's sentiment, too-a look of compassion visible on her face as Hinata tried to explain to the Hokage.
"N-No, Hokage-sama. I….don't know why he attacked me," she answered, eyes wide, her fingers almost fiddling together in her nervousness.
"Hmm… this seems strange, Hinata. If you're such a magnet for criminals, I can't be careless dispatching you to a mission so you'd become some crook's victim. Do you understand that? If anything's gonna happen to you… I won't know how to answer to your father," the Godaime then continued sternly, "that's why it was best for me to cancel the mission; it's for your good," she concluded with an air of finality.
"But… how can it be any better, Hokage-sama? If you don't trust me, I will stay this way..." Hinata protested. "I promise this time; I will do better. I don't want to be the one to cause my teammates' chance to experience a mission with Kakashi-Sensei to waste away."
The young girl seemed to have given up, looking down at the floor. Kakashi wondered what had caused Itachi to choose Hinata instead of her two Chuunin teammates, who were more intimidating than her—if one were to consider their size and ability. But then again, someone like Itachi, who had decided to kill his entire clan in a murder spree, would not have been as predictable as Kakashi would have hoped for him to be.
"Tsunade-sama, maybe we should give Hinata a chance. After all, she's going on a mission with her teammates and Kakashi. I'm sure they're going to look after her well…" Shizune said with fake laughs, trying to dilute the seriousness of the blonde sitting on her chair with her brows narrowed.
"Look, not that I mean this with disrespect, Tsunade-sama. But I think Hinata's got the point—it was my fault to have directed them poorly last time. I should not have dispersed them in the woods in the first place, but I thought since Team Eight hadn't been sent to missions for a long time, it would be better to have them undergo something close to the real thing….before the real thing," Kakashi explained calmly.
"If Team Eight again lost their chance to do a mission, they'll be left behind. It's not fair for the three of them as the other teams seem to have improved greatly," he continued again, hoping his words would make sense to the disbelieved Godaime.
"Besides, at their level, even someone as good as Shikamaru might be facing the same problem against someone like Itachi."
"Hn…" The Godaime began to nod.
"If you'd let Hinata undertake this mission, I will do everything within my capability to ensure her safety," Kakashi finally assured. The blonde seemed to be contemplating, as she did not respond to him after a few seconds.
"Please, Hokage-sama…" Hinata pleaded again.
"Leave by 1 o'clock. I should have briefed all of you this morning, but it's already 10.30, and I have a meeting with the Konoha elders after this. Shizune will brief you on the situation at the Konoha gate by 12.30. Ask her should you have any questions," the Godaime finally approved. Hinata's face seemed to have been lit at the recent upshot. Shizune seemed excited, and so was Tonton, the pet pig in her arms.
"Thanks, Hokage-sama. I promise, I….won't disappoint you," she pledged in appreciation and bowed to the superior.
"And make sure you have all the stuff to be packed before you go. And eat something decent too. Good luck to all of you."
Itachi soldiered on in the forest, teleporting himself from one spot to another in his journey to return to Konoha. He looked up at the sky-some crows gliding in the air, cawing, deluding him into believing they were accompanying him on this journey back.
Something was developing inside him, and he could not tell if it was excitement—but he had not felt alive for a long time. Indeed, toying 'against' Kakashi was fantastic—as the favored copy-nin was a fierce challenger. Strangely, Kakashi had inspired him in ways unknown, possibly would never be known to the latter in the past years.
And Itachi would like to think his previous victories over the white-haired Jounin; had been the real reason behind the awakening of Kakashi's own Mangekyou Sharingan.
And yet, where Kakashi and numerous other skilled men had failed, the Hyuuga maiden had triumphed. His notorious Mangekyou Sharingan had been rendered useless against her—the meek girl with her vacant pair of Byakugan eyes. And he could not wait to see her again, but his strong motive had no regard for how much she resembled his late lover—or how the gentle radiance of her eyes had comforted him in the brief instant he had seen her. The girl harbored a great potential—but it was such a pity that he had to kill her.
Itachi wished he had not been robbed of other options.
When Hinata entered the Hyuuga compound after she met with the Godaime, she saw her father standing on the platform, watching the mini-waterfall beside it. She noticed how the corner of his eye scrutinized her as she strode to one of the hallways leading to her bedroom, but he did not greet her.
Internally debating whether or not she should approach her father, Hinata finally halted her steps upon entering the threshold.
Hyuuga Hiashi was her father. She wanted to tell him that she had not seen him for months—but when she saw his cold gestures— somewhat a signification of his impending snide remarks, Hinata decided to keep it to herself.
Nonetheless, she had been raised in the bosom of the Hyuuga tradition—and she had been taught well of the meaning of family, and by entrenched courteousness—she decided that she should at least tell him that she was going away for a mission.
She continued her prolonged steps, her fingers tremulous as the distance slowly dissipated between them. After what seemed to be an uphill walk, she stood near him, looking down at the ground instead of looking at him in the eyes.
"Otou-san…" She addressed awkwardly. "I'm sorry I….couldn't return yesterday. I spent the night at the hospital."
Hiashi remained stiff, watching the small waterfall sluicing down the stones specially brought from the river by his henchmen; clearly, watching the water gush was more interesting than listening to her, she had thought.
As a child, Hinata used to sit on the platform by the mini-waterfall, dipping her feet in the liquid and feeling the water travel against her skin. Water passages were like Chakra, they flowed freely, but from her practice, she had learned that they could be disrupted. They could be shaped and controlled, and they could be deadly.
Just like Chakra.
"And… um...I'm going on a mission. I will leave by noon."
"I need to ask you questions before you go. Why did S-rank criminal like Uchiha Itachi attack you?"
"I…I don't know, Otou-san. I was training with Kakashi-sensei, Shino-kun, and Kiba-kun before he attacked me with Genjutsu…"
"Never mind what he attacked you with or why he was there, but clearly, it was a sign of weakness, wasn't it? Am I correct if you had been strong, you wouldn't have been an easy target?"
Hinata realized; that what her father had said was probably true, but she did not answer. Answering would only fuel more questions from the Hyuuga patriarch, and she was too tired of explaining to deaf ears.
"I don't know what good your training with those boys has done for you so far. Not only that you were hospitalized because of the attack, but you've also given a none-too-pleasant impression to Hatake Kakashi, who is the most skilled Shinobi serving for Konoha to date, about the future Hyuuga clan matriarch," he continued, each word mixed with a tone of harshness that cut through her heart.
"Now that I've lost face to him, you tell me how I can face him next time, that my firstborn daughter is an evident weakling."
It was hard enough for Hinata to bear that title—she was first born, but she did not exist. But Hinata set aside the bitterness and replied, "I…promise I will never embarrass you again, Otou-san."
"You say that all the time. It is time to prove it," he replied coldly. "Go pack your stuff for your mission. And don't be a hindrance to your team."
"Hai…otou-san…"
She walked towards her bedroom, entered it, and closed the door quietly. Her bed had not been slept in; she took out her backpack from an old wooden closet by her bed and placed it on the mattress. She only brought the important stuff—a dozen Kunai, a soap bar, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a medical kit, and a few pairs of clothes. She then put them neatly in the pack, zipping it to close.
Peeling her clothes off, she entered the somewhat spacious cubicle attached to her bedroom and turned on the tap. The slightly steamy water tumbled, cleansing her body, mildly numbing her—but she was determined that she would not cry.
Suppressing the sadness, she was also aware of the other feeling of trepidation, slowly gnawing in the pit of her stomach, embracing her in its gloom—in the growing realization that she would—before long; meet Itachi again.
" Oi…."
Kakashi waved his hand as he was last to arrive when Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were already waiting at the gate with an unsatisfied Shizune, standing with her arms across her chest, mouth tight and teeth gritted. Hagane Koutetsu was also there, leaning against the gate, grinning lively, understanding full well that Kakashi had been at the cemetery. Asuma must have told Koutetsu about his routine trip there each time he was going to begin a mission.
Now, Kakashi had been there not just to pray for Obito but to visit Asuma too.
Shino, who seemed to have unrivaled patience, appeared peaceful, while Kiba was smirking as he sat cozily on Akamaru's back. Hinata, however, looked absent. She had looked more absent than any other times he had perceived her. She was standing at one corner, preoccupied with looking at something he could not decipher.
It was not something Kakashi had not noticed. However, he decided to let her be.
"So, now that Kakashi-san is finally here are we ready for the briefing?" Shizune sarcastically, and Kakashi smiled indifferently, "Yes, I think we are."
"Okay then, Konoha File 254, Team Kakashi – one Jounin, three Chuunin. We have a request from the Earth Country to annihilate a village and tomb-raiding group called the Hakumei. Chief of group unknown, but rumored to be an ex-commander of the Earth Country military, he is called Shigai," Shizune said formally. Kiba scratched his chin while Kakashi began concentrating on Shizune's words.
"The members of this tomb-raiding group are estimated to be nine. Since a year ago, they have raided three villages in Earth Country and killed the villagers—casualties reported were ninety-two—with sixteen missings."
Akamaru yawned.
"The Earth Country has a history of the Tombs of 4 Priests of the Earth, which three tombs from it have already been raided by the Hakumei. The tombs contained four types of gemstones, and Hakumei is rumored to seek these gems to summon Ashi Nadzuchi, the Earth God."
"What is it with their fascination with Gods?" Kiba commented unexpectedly, however, ignored by the Hokage's apprentice.
"The last tomb with the gem intact is located northeast of Iwa, in a town called Tenshi. An ANBU operative has managed to gain information that this week, Hakumei will infiltrate the Shrine that holds the tomb to get Ruri, the last gemstone. Currently, the town is being guarded by a horde of Earth Shinobi, but they have asked for Fire Country's assistance because Hakumei is known to be skillful and slick," she continued again, "Shigai is a vicious man; he recruits members but holds the families of said members hostage."
"Uh, what does that mean?" Kiba asked, beginning to be interested.
"It means, if they make mistakes that risk the group or fail any task, their family members are to be killed as a punishment-one family member for each mistake. When all family members have been killed, the Hakumei member will be killed last and replaced. It was rumored to be the method to ensure member loyalty."
Kiba suddenly got off Akamaru's back. "That's mean; some sick people think they're so bright… " He muttered in a tone filled with revolt.
"The only way for a Hakumei member to save his family when he makes a mistake is to be killed or commit suicide. If the Hakumei member dies, the family will be salvaged," Koutetsu interjected genially. Shizune groaned. Koutetsu giggled, "Hey, I was testing that formal tone…."
"Hm…" Kakashi nodded slightly.
"However, nobody knows currently why Shigai wants to summon Ashi Nadzuchi. The journey to Iwa will take 12 hours across Taki. From Iwa, a means of transport will be arranged to Tenshi by Kamiya, an Earth Shinobi who is our contact representing the Earth Country. It takes 6 hours to go there by transport—so it will take approximately two days to get to Tenshi, " Shizune continued again,
"Here, this book contains all our information, including Kamiya's picture. I entrust it to Kakashi-san. Kamiya also has been informed of Team Kakashi and will be waiting for all of you in the Town of Iwa at an Inn called Tenka."
"Hn. Thanks. I suppose we should start our journey now. Are you guys ready?" Kakashi asked in his soft-spoken manner.
"Hell, yeah!" Kiba answered energetically. Shino began to walk towards the gate, followed by the dog-nin.
"Hinata?" Kakashi asked the seemingly blurry Hyuuga.
"Huh?...Hai…"
"Have you noticed she's been quiet since leaving the hospital?" Kiba asked as they walked along the path to Taki. Surrounding them was an endless line of serialized Pine trees; the sun shone brilliantly, and the sky was dazzling blue. Hinata had separated herself, walking ahead of them, while Kakashi followed behind.
"Not really. It will be obvious if you're the quieter one," Shino retorted in his calm smugness. Kiba grimaced. "Aw, come on, man. There's something she's not telling us."
"Knowing Hinata, she would have told us if she needed to," the bug-nin commented again, "besides, she could just be tired. She's only been attacked by an S-rank criminal yesterday, and now we're on an A—rank mission. We should give her some space."
"Oh, as a certified Hinata expert, you can brief me on why she didn't mention Naruto today. Usually, not an hour goes by without her talking about him once," Kiba rambled still.
"What's that supposed to mean? We've watched over each other for years. I can even tell most things about you—like how you won't stop harassing me about this matter even as we make our way to the Town of Iwa," Shino paused, observing the walking Hyuuga, "though I do agree that she does seem a little… lost."
"Man, if it's yesterday's mishap that's bothering her, she shouldn't blame herself for what happened. The attacker was Uchiha Itachi, after all. Nobody would have expected her to win against that man," Kiba replied; it amazed Shino the extent of his chattiness.
"Hm, which leads me to the next question, of the three of us, why did Itachi choose Hinata?" Shino questioned, almost rhetorically.
"Beats me. Who the hell knows the inner workings of an S-rank criminal? If he had chosen me, I would have felt special. Man, it's Uchiha Itachi! How many times were we told the anecdotes, the story of the Uchiha prodigy who killed his entire clan? He's so cool, if—"
"Here we go again."
If Kakashi's calculation was correct, the man who blew himself with an exploding tag at the interrogation by Shino and Kiba had a relation with the Hakumei. The suicide, more or less, was an act of love over cowardice—love for the family—that had caused the man to forfeit his own life. Cowardice would have had the man still living.
It was still too early to conclude, but all the details so far seemed to be pointing in one direction. Now he had to figure out their motive for seeking Hinata. What would be their desire for her?
Kakashi stared at her, who was walking in front of the three of them, distanced by ten feet. She marched, but from her posture—her shoulders were slouched, and her head tilted downward—Kakashi discerned she was walking almost aimlessly.
She did possess something prized, and that something owned by Hinata was her Kekkei Genkai—the age-old Byakugan of the Hyuuga.
What would the Hakumei want with the Byakugan?
He looked at her again; the wind blew delicately, trailing her hair with its invisible, gentle hands. He then took out his Icha-Icha Tactics from inside his vest and began to read some of the paragraphs. The destination was still far….
To be continued…