Note: Before anything, I'd like to thank my friend, Foul Fountain of Flies / Night Strider for her touch of awesomeness on this fic. You know how I love you, dude. Thanks a lot. Well, here goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 3 - Paradise

It was late noon when the white-haired Jounin; and the three Team Eight Chuunin finally arrived at an intersection. They took the path to the left, walking a little more, before reaching the end of the road, where the sandy path met some thick greenery, followed by massive layers of foliage. The sun was now nearing the horizon; tree silhouettes protruded into the gentle warmth of the sky.

The shades fell on the four figures that had just reached the forest gateway to Taki. Shino, the hooded young man, subsequently proceeded to command a portion of his Kikaichuu to swarm ahead of them. It was customary for him in every mission for the small creatures to fly before him as a means to scout for any leads or possible impediments in their journey.

Kiba, the tattoo-faced young man, hopped on Akamaru as the four ninjas set in motion to enter the forest, leaping their way northward, with Kakashi taking the lead. Each one of them was now mutely engrossed in his own thoughts, as their movements synchronized, hopping on tree stems, their bodies darting ahead.

"Stop," Shino was alarmed all of the sudden. The three abruptly turned their heads to look at him, and then all four of them landed on the ground with soft thuds, onto a sizeable, soiled spot. The wind soughed in the upper branches. Even for the twilight, Kakashi thought that the breezy ambiance felt a little out of place.

"What is it, Shino?" He questioned composedly, his visible eye carefully examining the path ahead.

"An Akatsuki agent, twelve o'clock, thirty foot from us," the goggle-eyed Chuunin answered, and the Jounin started to frown.

"He's charging toward us, I can track his scent," Kiba uttered earnestly, his brows tightening as he confirmed, "it's Itachi. What should we do?"

Before Kakashi could direct them, Itachi had silently crept out from behind a tree and stood before them. The wind was tracing the edge of his robe, animating it like some flag in the air—a contrast to the wearer, who stood sturdy and unmoving like a mannequin.

Adrenalin began to rush.

"Guys… don't look at his eyes or at the ring on his finger," the Jounin instructed.

Crows were cawing from a distance; the scene of the forest was cold and gloomy. Kakashi thought it was strange what darkness this presence could deliver to a place, even though there was still an abounding trace of sunlight inside it.

"Fate, works in mysterious ways," Itachi spoke, eyeing the Jounin wearily, "as we meet again, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi reversed his steps slowly, nearing the younger trio. He strangely felt like sweeping them all to get them away, but of course, it was one of those thoughtless urges he had to smother because of the mere impracticality of it.

"Without Naruto-kun to back you up this time around, I wonder…" The Akatsuki agent spoke, his voice soft but all the same alarming. They exchanged stares for what seemed like a minute.

"We're on a regular A-rank mission, Itachi, and as far as I am concerned it has nothing to do with the Akatsuki," Kakashi at last replied calmly, "so why are you in our way?"

"One of those missions," the Akatsuki agent commented bleakly. "But unfortunately, things are not as simple as they seem, Kakashi-san," he swerved his gaze at the young trio, upper lip slightly curving, "the little Hyuuga over there, has intruded into a place of my authority."

Kakashi averted his eye slightly to look at Hinata. Her face had gone paler than usual with anxiety; in the semi-light of the forest it was almost luminescent.

"Hinata?" Kiba addressed inquisitively. The white-eyed girl, however, did not dare look back at any of her counterparts; nervousness seemed to have taken over as she observed the Akatsuki agent.

"So, Hinata is her name. I'm surprised she hasn't told you," Itachi averred again, "hn…or anyone, for that matter…anyway, maybe it is better that way, makes things easier."

"What the hell is this guy talking about?" Kiba commented in bewilderment. Kakashi looked at the trio, Shino did not comment as always, and Hinata cast a timorous glance at the Jounin. His curiosity about what really transpired in the woods yesterday was heightening.

Soon, he would have to seek some answers from her.

The Jounin then turned to look at the younger man again,

"I have no time for small talk, Itachi," he made a resolution. "Make way or I'm gonna have to put you out of our way."

The former ANBU captain smiled meaningfully, "then, shall we have my blade do the big talk?"

Understanding the hint right away, Kakashi lifted his hand to slide upward his forehead protector-revealing his usually hidden eye. He then drew out a kunai in each hand determinedly, and turned to look at his trio students, seeing confusion written in their faces. "Shino! Kiba! Keep away, and protect Hinata!" He instructed, forehead tightening, eyes began to pierce like those of a beast.

"Don't turn your eyes away from me, Kakashi-san," Itachi's tone was humdrum as he jumped and swept his Katana toward Kakashi with such brutish force and clashed with the latter's flanking of his double-kunai, resulting a loud clanking sound to penetrate the air.

The Akatsuki agent was persistent, as he continued to leap and sweep his Katana against Kakashi, who managed a defensive posture, shoving Itachi's hits with both kunai. With each blow, the Jounin's feet graced in reverse. The last slash, however, was too forceful, tossing Kakashi far backward, his feet scraping the ground as he tried to balance his stance.

"Fear me," he muttered again in the middle of his rapid movements. To Team Eight, Itachi's words would have been indistinct, but to the copy-nin's trained ears, each of Itachi's words was smooth and profound. When Kakashi managed to steady himself, Itachi, at record speed, slipped his Katana into its sheath on his back and leaped again toward him. And when their distance reached ten feet, the younger man executed his hand seals that resembled the movements of a mini tornado for all its incredible quickness, triggering the Katon: Housenka.

Scattered clouds of fire shot out from Itachi's mouth, heading straight to Kakashi, but with the Sharingan operating, he managed to read through and dodge them with an expeditious capering motion. The stray fire clouds hit the trees that surrounded them; Kiba and Akamaru had to leap to prevent it from swallowing them up. Some of the trees began to catch fire, heating up the atmosphere. Regardless, the fire-shots showed to be a tactical gambit, as it was a bit too late for Kakashi to dodge the later slash by Itachi, as he once again, with unparalleled speed, reached his Katana, and swung it toward the copy-nin with a swooshing sound—the blade cleanly slitting his upper left arm.

Blood spurted out, trailing along his black sleeve.

"Sensei!" Hinata shouted.

Tsunade was perusing the Akatsuki bingo book, particularly at the page with Itachi's information on it. The noon was reaching its end, the orange hues shone in to light up her inherited office lavishly. Piles of unsigned letters were stacked at the edges of her table—whenever she laid eyes on them; she began to feel the edge of her head throbbing.

Moments later, Shizune opened the office door gently, carrying a mug of freshly-brewed coffee and placed it on her mistress' desk.

"It is a rare occasion that he would pay us a visit," Tsunade commented, and Shizune, as always, lent her ears to the Hokage with unmatched loyalty. 'S-Rank Criminal' was labeled at the top portion of the page, replete with the weary-looking missing-nin's picture on its side.

"Although he is in the Akatsuki, he can sneak into this village anytime; do you know that, Shizune?"

The younger woman was curious, and replied, "I've thought about it. I know the village is delimited by a seal-type Jutsu that prevented anyone from going in and out through the village boundary. Supposedly, a person can only enter or exit through the front gate," she answered curiously, "so… how did Itachi slip in, if I may ask, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade took the mug, sipped her coffee, and smiled wryly. "Well, he was once a member of the ANBU, remember? And being ANBU, he is privileged to have access to the village with the seal-Jutsu nullified. This is made possible with the red tattoo on his upper arm, as it is infused with a key-type Jutsu that won't fade unless he dies," she finally divulged.

"Really?" Shizune was mildly surprised. "I've always thought the red tattoo is nothing more than an ANBU insignia. Silly me, Tsunade-sama." Shizune sulked.

"It's a secret amongst the ANBU. Don't you go telling it to everyone," the older woman alerted. Shizune laughed nervously, "of course I won't, Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage chuckled and uttered sternly, "I can't begin to tell you how I am glad we have Kakashi around. I'll be pickled here if we have another ninja of Itachi's caliber to betray Konoha. Uh...wait a minute…"

The blonde looked at the mug in her hand, frowning, "Didn't I ask for Sake, Shizune? Why did you bring me coffee?"

Shizune paled. She realized it was one of those days—where Tsunade's mood was not at its brightest.

"I-I thought that Sake will not be good to—"

"Shizune!"

"H-Hai...Tsunade-sama!" The apprentice immediately left the room to retrieve what was demanded by the Hokage.

If sanity was a thin frayed rope, Hinata's had possibly severed. She was not feeling entirely sane when she began to route out chakra toward her eyes. It is me you're looking for, she murmured in anger, an alien feeling vitalizing the cells in her body.

With the Byakugan operating, she saw the flow of Chakra in Itachi's body. She saw how the Chakra was moving slowly toward the Akatsuki agent's eyes, and she saw how Kakashi-Sensei's Sharingan eye took a deal more Chakra to retain the Sharingan. She proceeded to make her move. "Hinata! Don't!" She heard Kiba shout, but his words fell on deaf ears. For once… for once she would let rage take over her. As bad as it could get, it would only be her death, nothing more than death-and Kunoichi should not fear it.

She sprinted toward Itachi, who seemed a little surprised as he saw her rush to him with velocity, and he only made do with dodging her hand strike to his chest within a hair's gap. Hinata's chakra-infused hand flew up and struck his arm, sending his Katana to fly and fall clattering to the pebbly ground. Her left foot-with the right leg as axis-then spiraled to sweep his feet, but he managed to jump up in avoidance, ten feet in the air-he immediately performed another series of hand seal. "Katon: Gokakyou No Jutsu."

Itachi then lifted his hand and curled his index finger on his mouth, spitting flame. An avalanche of fire threatened to fall on Hinata just a few seconds after; and it would gobble her up in its combustion.

She was set to perform the Hakkeshou Kaiten Neji nii-san had taught her when she felt something grab her by the waist and she was then flung to the edge of the space.

Shino had used his Kikaichuu to create some kind of bug rope to send her away.

Still, the fire burnt quite a massive amount of the kikai—they fell onto the ground like swatted flies.

The remainders of the Kikai still took the shape of a rope. Shino managed to pick up Itachi's Katana from the ground with it, and hurled it against its owner, controlling it with a hand seal. At this time, Itachi was dodging his own Katana repeatedly to keep it from slashing his body; it almost seemed as though the Katana was attacking him of its own volition.

Seeing Hinata and Shino made the drastic move, Kiba was called to interfere with his Gatsuga. Smoke whorled as a combination of Kiba and Akamaru shot at Itachi like a colossal bullet; loud bombings created craters on the ground, but Itachi had jumped away fast enough and then instigated Taijutsu against Kiba, and managed to kick the young man's hip while at the same time shoving over the bug-controlled Katana with his chakra-laden hand, straight toward Shino. Shino leaped to evade the katana; it perforated a tree sharply- before landing to puncture the ground with dusts rising into the air.

In the meantime, Kiba plummeted onto the earth like a rag doll. The boy managed to roll himself up immediately, but still his sandals graced the sand inversely; fortunately Akamaru was able to keep him from ramming against a tree.

"Mushi Dama," Shino muttered in the middle of the commotion, "swarm."

Shino now gave a fresh instruction to his Kikaichuu, and the bugs attempted to circle and ensnare Itachi to feed on his chakra, but the Akatsuki agent—at breakneck speed—leaped again, high enough to perform the Katon: Housenka. His body spanned rapidly in the air as fire shot out from his mouth toward the Kikaichuu, making it seem like he had taken the form of a blazing hurricane, and the Kikaichuu descended onto the ground in ashen volume before they were even successful in entirely surrounding him.

What Itachi failed to expect was, behind him Kakashi had also jumped even higher, thrusting the Raikiri against his back. The electrical discharge seemed to be wrapping Itachi's body, he stiffened in the air with widened eyes, but his figure was immediately replaced by a piece of tree trunk, enveloped by thin smoke.

Kakashi landed silently on the ground, his hand covering the cut on his left upper arm, as the trunk fell onto the ground with a loud thud.

With that, it was over.

Their hearts were pounding rapidly in the pre-dusk silence; all of them looking at each other, visible eyes distant with unclearness of what really happened, their mouths strained with wordless questions. The sky was beginning to take a shade of golden, some crows cawed still, and in an hour darkness would be reinstated in the sky.

"Is… everyone okay?" Kakashi asked after the protracted silence, rising to full height from his kneeling position. Shoulders heaving, Hinata felt a little dizzy, but she had tried her best to not become a hindrance, though she could not believe that she had actually assailed the Akatsuki agent and disabled him from using his katana.

"Y-Yeah… what was that all about?" Kiba stuttered, enthusiasm completely gone from his voice. Hinata looked at him; she was as much confounded as the dog-nin was.

"Is he still around?" Kakashi asked, eyes checking up the surroundings. Small creatures of the night were beginning to hum, and the air was getting colder. Mercury was falling.

"He's gone; I can't trace his scent," Kiba answered, and Akamaru barked. He then sat on Akamaru's back. "Now… I realize…" He huffed, before continuing, "why they call him a genius… he was by himself… and there were four of us….and he didn't even use Mangekyou Sharingan…"

Shino was unspeaking, it seemed that he had lost a significant amount of bugs in Itachi's fire, and was mourning their loss in his own way. He walked toward the burnt bugs and halted, looking at them expressionlessly.

"Yeah, that's Itachi, alright. He couldn't use the Mangekyou, to be accurate. There are limitations on the frequency of Mangekyou Sharingan's usage. He already used it to cast Tsukiyomi at Hinata yesterday. I also did not use the Mangekyou because I used it to stop the Tsukiyomi yesterday," Kakashi explained with an exhalation. "However, I thought I told you guys to stay away."

"We couldn't do that," Shino finally voiced. "We needed to show you that you could count on us, Kakashi-sensei, because we sensed you had doubts."

"Yeah…we may not be holding a powerful bijuu or have ridiculous amount of Chakra like Naruto, but we're no slouches. We won't let that Uchiha traitor impede us from accomplishing our mission for whatever reason he holds… or lack thereof, genius or no," Kiba added grinningly.

"You said he was cool…" Shino booed, in his own 'Shino way'.

"Changed my mind," Kiba answered suavely.

"Not that I don't trust you guys but my experiences in battling Itachi had not been good ones. If any of you fall into his illusions you'd be in solemn danger. His type of Genjutsu isn't the type that can be easily cancelled with a simple Kai. You guys saw what effect his Genjutsu brought to Hinata," the Jounin explained at length. "And he's an expert in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu too. Look at his speed while doing those seals and the way his attacks were smoothly executed—they were natural movements. He is, without a doubt, a true genius."

The trio listened attentively, "but for the most part, I know Itachi isn't the type to do things without a reason, and we can discount the impression that he seriously attacked us, just now, for his own sick entertainment. He must have attacked us for a reason and it must have been a strong one."

Hinata began to look restless again.

"Yeah, he said something about Hinata intruding his place or something. I don't remember anywhere in Konoha that belongs to any of the Uchiha except the Uchiha compound. Don't understand what the dickens he was talking about and I don't think Hinata goes to the Uchiha compound either. Maybe we're too intimidating that he had to attack us," he smirked again. "Oi, Hinata. Do you happen to have sneaked around the Uchiha compound without our knowledge?

"N-No… I haven't..." Hinata stuttered, which to Kakashi's experience around her, only happened when the girl was nervous.

"Okay then. All I can say, geniuses are weird," Kiba commented, the smirk never leaving his face, "of course, that's excluding you, Kakashi-Sensei."

Kakashi's eye smiled, "it's getting dark. Let's proceed to our destination, we'll stop once we reach the river and we'll camp for the night. Then we'll resume our journey tomorrow morning. However, later on, I want to talk to you, Hinata," the Jounin notified the Kunoichi, who nodded weakly.

"Hai..."

Once the scene had been abandoned by Kakashi and his team, an Akatsuki agent reentered the battle ground. Some trees surrounding him were still smoldering from the previous burning of his Jutsu, smoke rising up into the air, and the full moon had emerged in the near-night sky. He walked to the spot where his Katana was stabbing the ground, and took it out.

The katana was nameless, but without doubt, it had saved him and murdered for him countless times in his life.

The blade gleamed, and he ran his finger along its length. So, she hasn't told anyone … yet, his inner-self spoke. 'Maybe, death is not the only option for her… for now….'

He gently rubbed the center of his chest; her Jyuuken had inflicted some damage to the vital part. He recollected the determination in her face as she attacked him with her Jyuuken.

No sign of gentleness there.

He channeled chakra to his fingers—green aura started to envelop his palm, healing the inner wound. His eyes narrowed, as sharp pain drew out crimson blood from between his tight lips.

He smiled bitterly.

'When you're alone, we'll engage in a conversation… Hinata.'

They arrived at the campsite when it was already dark, and the atmosphere was heavy with the sound of night insects buzzing. Shino gathered some firewood and lit up the campfire, while Kiba and Akamaru caught some fish from the river. Kakashi cleared the campsite from dried leaves using a wind-elemental Jutsu; while Hinata grilled some of the fish caught by her teammate in the fire.

They all sat circling the campfire and ate their fish for a few minutes. However, the Jounin only ate a piece of grilled fish and drank plain water from a small container, before excusing himself to the river.

He walked across the river, and sat on a moon-pale rock. Taking off his vest, he examined the cut on his upper left arm, assisted by the dim moonlight. The blood was beginning to get desiccated, but the cut was somewhat deep. He untied his forehead protector and placed it by his side. He then took off his shirt and rinsed the shirt in water to cleanse off the blood, before using another wind-elemental Jutsu to dry his shirt up.

Afterward, he put the shirt aside. If he wore it right away it might get smeared with blood again. Being in ANBU had taught him a great deal about survival in battles; they had him equipped with a simple medical Jutsu. He caused a green aura to emit from his palm, and placed it closely to the wound. The nature of the cut and the level of his healing Jutsu made it impossible to heal completely; but in the least, the cut narrowed, and Kakashi thought it would suffice to stop the bleeding.

"Sensei…" A voice greeted, "it… looks pretty nasty."

Kakashi turned his head and saw Hinata stand near him, bearing a medical kit in her grasp.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, refocusing his attention to the wound. "But I had wounds like this before, so don't worry. I'm fine."

"I... have a medical kit. Let me bandage it for you…" She offered diffidently.

He observed her for a second, "Hn… Why not? I think we need to have a little talk too."

The girl then sat on a rock near him. She opened the kit, took out a bandage, a piece of clean cloth and a bottle of sanitizer.

"Your hair… Sensei looks different without your forehead protector on," she commented, as she dipped the cloth in the water, and began to clean the dried blood of the cut on the Sensei's upper arm. Then she rinsed off the cloth, before cleansing the cut again, rubbing it gently against the gaping wound.

"Do I look better?" He asked, feeling the bangs of his hair brushing his bare forehead, keeping his Sharingan eye closed.

"Without it… you look…normal," Hinata answered. He was rather entertained when he saw her blush as she spoke. He was conscious that he felt at strange ease, noticing how the girl's movement seemed natural around him, as though they had known each other all their lives.

"Did I somehow look extraordinary with it on?"

"Not that. Without it… it makes you look… human," she answered awkwardly, her eyes palely glowing in the night.

"I looked less human before this."

"I don't mean it that way… you just don't… seem like an elite ninja this way."

"I guess not normal looks better then…" He answered, recalling how Naruto had once called her weird.

The boy was probably right.

The cut was now clean, and Hinata poured some sanitizer on the cut, the liquid tumbled to his wrist, glossy in the dark. Kakashi saw her grit her teeth in the process, but as she looked back at his face, she was mildly surprised.

"Didn't it … hurt?"

"It hurt as always."

"But you didn't look like you're hurt."

"I didn't show it."

Hinata took the bandage and began to wrap it around his arm, "Sensei… was a prodigy too, right?"

Kakashi sighed, "That was what they said. But in the end it doesn't mean a thing."

Because in the end; he was alone. The people who had shown him what life meant—had left. In the end, his ability had only taken him as far as this place—with her, bandaging his arm.

Not that it was all that bad—now that he thought about it.

"He thinks it doesn't mean a thing too."

"He? ...Who?"

"Uh….I—Itachi-san…"

"You wanna tell me about him?"

The girl paused, sealing the bandage with a paper tape neatly, her hands felt warm against his skin.

"I wish to… but I can't tell you… Sensei..." She decided, looking into the running water in the river to avoid his eye.

"Neh, Hinata. The thing is… you can't hide whatever it is you're hiding forever. I'm not sure what it is, but Itachi wants to kill you for it."

With that said, he took his shirt and his body twisted as he donned it, as she continued being absorbed in her thoughts.

"I hope you do realize what kind of mess you're getting into. I know you saw something. When I took you out of the Genjutsu, you looked…different," he recalled her in his memory: how her eyes were lifeless when she was unconscious, and how they were instilled with fear when she looked up at him, when he offered his hand to her, "it's like you've seen something…surprising."

Hinata looked back at him, "I've seen something that belonged to him, in the Genjutsu, something that made him who he is now."

That made Kakashi even more intrigued. "How were you able to see it?"

She almost fidgeted, "I… didn't know for certain. It's something to do with my eyes."

"The Byakugan?"

She nodded with wide eyes, "He cast a Genjutsu at me first, but I managed to cancel it. Then I was trying to disrupt the Chakra in his eyes using Byakugan, but instead… my consciousness entered his brain… and I couldn't get out until Sensei took me out. I knew Byakugan could read emotions, but I didn't know it could also read minds," she explained cathartically.

So, Hinata had been able to cancel the Tsukiyomi all along, he thought. What an irony.

"Mind-reading? I didn't know Byakugan could do that, information on the Byakugan is well-guarded all this while—under the instructions of your father, not the least." He replied contemplatively, "But all the same, I think Byakugan is possible to, and capable of doing that. So did you see the Akatsuki Headquarters or something? Or did you get any information about the leader of that organization?"

Hinata shook her head, "N-No, not things like that. Not so much the future."

"Then… are you telling me you saw his past?"

"Yes...I… saw his past," she admitted in the end. There was silence between them, as he waited for her to answer. However, Hinata seemed to be having trouble to convert her thoughts into words. "You saw the Uchiha massacre," he guessed, and her eyes gave him a confirming hint.

"Then tell me, Hinata," he asked calmly, being careful with his tone and choice of words—so Hinata wouldn't feel like it was a cross-examination of some sort. Being in ANBU, he had seen how interrogations were conducted—using Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, an even Taijutsu—whatever means that could extract information from the enemies. With Hinata, it was different.

Something about the glow of her eyes.

'If I tell sensei, can sensei promise…not to tell anyone? Because if sensei can't…then I'm not going to tell," she asked, looking down a bit when she gave her precondition.

He ruminated. "I promise, the secret will be between you and me," he then assured, "and I am a man of my words."

"Oi, Shino."

The boy with the dog called as Shino bit the hot fish meat off its bones. "Now that Kakashi-Sensei and Hinata are away, we can finally talk about this. Do you think the Hakumei had any sorta relations with the guy who blew himself at our probation a few days ago?"

Shino slowly chewed his grilled fish, campfire reflected on his goggles as he spoke, "I've thought about it. I think the dead guy did have something to do with that organization."

Kiba smirked as he devoured his own fish, "that was what I thought too, which is cool, because' we have already caused one henchman to make a mistake and kill himself. And now we're on our way to see the resident bastard and the rest of his henchmen. Let's kick their asses blue."

Akamaru was listening to both of them, and woofed, agreeing with Kiba's premise seemingly.

"As much as I'd like to, let me remind you to not underestimate that Shigai person. He was said to have been a commander of the Earth Country military, and I have a bad feeling about it," Shino revealed, "what if the Hakumei is some organization as powerful as the Akatsuki? Even the antonymic names, by my standard, are pretty ironic."

Kiba was silenced for a while, "Hey, you battled that guy who committed suicide, and we both did defeat him before he bombed his own face. At best, I thought he was on Chuunin level, so why must we fret? If that Shigai bastard is as smart as he sounds-to live up to his military commander's reputation-he should have sent someone less of a wimp," Kiba answered, "though to have died in replacement of his family was something honorable, I must say."

They both began to be absorbed in their thoughts.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I do think there's something Hinata's not telling us…" Shino divulged.

Kiba smirked winningly to Shino's annoyance.

"Heh...the thing is…we can't ask Hinata to tell us what she is keeping hidden, when we ourselves are hiding vital information from her…" Kiba replied, yawning.

He began to clean up the spot, throwing fish bones, and whatever was left of the grilled meat into the fire.

Ignoring Shino, he put his sleeping bag to lie on the ground.

"Let's sleep, Akamaru. I'm sleepy, bug-freak. See you tomorrow."

Shino continued to stare at the fire before throwing his own fish bones into it, while Akamaru moved to sit beside Kiba. Moments passed.

When Shino looked over, Kiba was already asleep in his sleeping bag. He began to place his own sleeping bag on the ground, and inserted himself in it, zippering it to close. He looked at the stars and closed his shielded eyes.

"Night, dog-breath…"

"Let me get this straight," Kakashi recited, "Itachi killed his entire clan under the Sandaime's order, because the Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'état against the village at that particular time—so by wiping out the clan, the Shinobi world, and most importantly, Sasuke, will be protected?"

Hinata nodded openly, and uttered in her nervous voice, "He has been in the Akatsuki since he was eleven… and was a double-agent for both Konoha and his clan…"

Kakashi was too stunned to speak, as the girl continued her story, "and he killed them all with help from someone by the name Uchiha Madara—who founded Konoha with the Shodai, but both the founders were involved in an altercation, and they had to fight in the Valley of the End because of it; which resulted their statues being carved there."

Kakashi sighed, "So Uchiha Madara was his instructor? Uchiha Madara is still alive?"

"Yes, during the massacre. I don't know if he's still alive now…"

Itachi's words during their confrontation when he, Naruto, Sakura and Chiyo Baa-Sama were on a quest to retrieve Gaara of the Desert a few months before played in his head in retrospection.

"So that makes it three people to have the Mangekyou Sharingan…" Itachi had said.

Kakashi decided that there was a probability the Uchiha Madara person was still alive.

"So, Itachi isn't a bad person after all," he sighed. "There was a time that I wondered endlessly why he did it…..because being in ANBU, though Itachi wasn't a member for long, I kind of knew his personality."

Both of them began to be lost in thoughts again. The water in the river continued to slosh, calming to the mind.

"What is his motive then, Hinata? Why did he join the Akatsuki and wear that evil personality?" He picked up where he left off.

"He wanted for himself to seem that way, so Konoha's image wouldn't be tarnished because the Uchiha clan massacre was under Konoha's order. He joined the Akatsuki to observe the organization from the inside, and he instilled hatred on Sasuke to make him strong…so one day….when Sasuke is strong enough, Sasuke will find him and he will die by Sasuke's hands…" The white-eyed girl continued her story.

"I see. Sasuke, huh? And yet, Sasuke desires nothing other than his big brother's death…" He muttered again, "so, being in Akatsuki is a mere subterfuge. Back at the time when he came to the village with Kisame he could have killed me, he was definitely more skillful than I was then. But he didn't, which also made me wonder…"

They both were silent, preoccupied in their own reveries. Kakashi felt one of the biggest puzzles in his life had solved, but strangely enough, it did not make him feel any lighter.

"If we tell this to Konoha, it will put Itachi in a precarious situation. If joining the Akatsuki is something he does to observe the organization, yet he does nothing to destroy them, it could mean that he knows-by himself-he is no match against the organization's manpower. And we need Itachi to watch over that organization while he still can…"

Hinata's face displayed an honest look of unease, "we can't tell this to Konoha, Sensei. That man… Danzou… he will find out about it sooner or later and use it to his advantage. He's a dishonest man…"

"Danzou, huh?"

"Sensei told me you wouldn't tell anyone…" She pleaded.

"Don't worry. This is not the right time for it to be revealed to Konoha … by us. If anyone's going to tell it to Konoha, it's going to be Itachi himself. I'll talk to him, I'm sure he will show up sooner or later. It is still not too late for him to sort things out and save his own brother from the darkness."

The darkness was sailing deeper into the night, yet the two souls were still riveted in their profound conversation.

"I've told Sasuke, to forget about revenge after he fought Naruto on the hospital roof three years ago… but I couldn't convince him," the Copy-nin voiced with regret.

"The Sharingan is a horrifying tool of power. Its powers can only awaken through tragedy. Such is inevitable to the remaining Uchiha, I guess. Back in the day I was inaugurated as a Jounin, my best friend, Uchiha Obito, only got his Sharingan initiated after he saw my real left eye got rigorously disfigured by an enemy ninja." He looked at the girl's wide eyes, "and being a genius like Itachi, as tempting as it sounds… Hinata, do you realize that in spite of it all, there are all those terrible possibilities?"

The girl was quiet, but Kakashi could almost see the conflict in her eyes.

"You are strong enough just the way you are. In your own right, you have defeated Itachi's Mangekyou. It seems to me, Byakugan also has its terrible possibilities."

The girl looked again into the water, as though searching for something there, then her sight traveled back into his eye "yet, it won't stop bad people from seeking them and stealing them from you, and in the hands of the wrong people, Byakugan will be a terrible tool of power." He paused awhile, "this world as I've seen it… will not be gentle on you, Hinata. So you must work harder… focus on your surroundings more, watch over yourself more…" He didn't know what triggered him to this obligation to remind her, but he did anyway.

Her eyes were wide, but they began to glisten.

She drew a smile, and behind his mask, he smiled too.

"You should get some sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow," he suggested quietly, as his eye began to feel heavy.

"Hai," she answered, "sensei should go to sleep too. When we're on a mission, we all sleep tight, because Shino-kun sends his Kikaichuu to roam the camp perimeter to spot any possible danger," she informed. "So Sensei doesn't have to stay on guard..."

"Ah, the wonders of Team Eight," Kakashi muttered, it made her smile curved even more.

"Oyasuminasai, Sensei." Hinata wished, before she left him sitting on the rock to muse. As he donned his vest and wrapped his forehead protector back to its usual position, he thought about how easier this mission was made by Team Eight's somewhat perfect formation, a long and short-range battle expert like Shino, a middle-range battler like Kiba, and a short-range Taijutsu expert like Hinata. With their kind of teamwork, and with Kurenai's guide, Team Eight was always fading in the background, quiet as they were—but who was to deny that they were effective?

He left the river, walked to their campsite, where the three teenagers were quiescent inside their zippered bags, sleeping in line. Kiba, whose sleeping style bore a striking similarity to that of Naruto, was lying on the left beside Akamaru. Shino was in the middle and Hinata was at his side, near the campfire.

He took his place opposite Hinata, watching the fire burned between them. Stretching open his own sleeping bag, he wrapped himself in it, staring up at the stars that were dotting the inky firmament.

Blood. He had seen it, drew it out, it was almost ritualistic; the line between empathy and mercilessness had been clearly drawn. He had seen the war, and lost people precious to him because of it. He had seen how a war bred another. He had been the one doing the cleanup when the Uchiha massacre took place not more than a decade before: the scene of carnage misty with the smell of blood.

How far will blood taint her pureness?

Would she be able to draw blood when the time arrived?

His mind emptied bit by bit, the stars were blurring, before total darkness claimed his soul.

When she woke up, she had slept for almost two hours. She watched the stars and noticed some of Shino-kun's Kikaichuu were flying infrequently across the air: the minuscule guardians of the night. The air was windy, the campfire kept ablaze. She stared at it with widened eyes.

"This world as I've seen it… will not be gentle on you."

Sensei's words played in her mind, stimulating her consciousness. The harsh reality of the Ninja world was slowly dawning on her.

Restless, she rose to sit, and saw her teammates asleep, so was Kakashi-Sensei. She took a minute to stare at his slumbering figure.

In that instant, she was afraid for him for what he had gone through; it almost drew tears from her eyes.

With assurance that he was deeply asleep, she stood, and strode quietly to the river. The water was coursing calmly, the rocks beside it slightly glowing in the dark. She trod noiselessly across the water, toward the rocks. Taking off her wardrobe, some of the Kikaichuu was circling her.

She smiled, and instructed the Kikaichuu that was familiar to her, "Don't tell Shino-kun."

Understanding, they left her, winging around the campsite to spot for other possible harm.

Alone, in the silence of the night, she stood on the surface of the water, her clothes were neatly folded and placed on a rock at the river's side. The river flowed freely under the stars, shimmering like some glorious fabric; the scent of wild flowers was permeating the air.

And so, she leveled her gentle fists to her chest, and her body started to swirl, her feet tenderly touching the water surface in her skillful skips. Droplets of water rising up into the air, circling her, each of its movements accomplished under her command, like a calm eddying of diamond dusts in the night.

This, was her own little paradise.

To be continued.

Note: The last part was written with Yoko Kanno's Strangers playing on the speaker. Hinata dancing in water—anime filler episode 149 if I am not mistaken. R & R and thanks.