AN: Again, thanks to the most wonderful editor I could ever have, Night Strider.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 4 – Galatéa

"So, Nakata is dead?"

A woman who looked like she was in her early thirties asked, but the amused look in her face hinted that there was neither sadness nor regret as she spoke. The man, whom she was speaking to, was sitting in a chair, dining at a table. He curved the left side of his mouth at the question, and turned to look at the woman.

She had straight black hair that fell to her waist. Her skin was rather pale, with meticulously rimmed Kohl eyes and lips painted blood red. She was wearing a white long-sleeved kimono, and from the waist below, she wore tight knee-length black pants; her legs were gracefully thin as a gazelle. Even though she seemed very feminine, her face exuded the kind of intensity that could only be possessed by a skilled ninja.

"His name disappeared from the scroll, it could not have meant anything else," the man answered in a deep voice, not looking at the woman at all. His face regal and insipid, half his shiny black hair was tied in a ponytail, while the rest of it fell to the base of his neck. His skin was rather tanned, his cheekbones were too high to be called handsome, but he certainly was compelling. Wearing a black vest, his leanly muscled arms tensed a little as he took his cup and drank his Saké.

The room was empty, save for the dining table set and a few types of decoration and painting embellishing the walls. The lilac-colored wall-surface was arid, some of its paint was chipped here and there, while the window panes were decrepit, stained with gray dusts and tiny red markings that mysteriously resembled dried bloodstain. Shadows of moving men could be seen through the glass, where the main entrance to Taki was situated.

"He's an inept candidate in the first place. He could not get the Hyuuga heiress, who is known to be the weakest of the Hyuuga main-house member, and that tells a lot about his capability, do you not notice?" She continued to speak softly. She was beside a door, next to a mounted deer head on the wall, "and you guys are surely underestimating Konoha. To even think of attempting abduction inside the village in broad daylight, what the hell were you thinking?"

The man put his metal cup back on his dining table lazily and looked at the woman before answering, "Forget Nakata. We're doing group-downsizing, if you haven't noticed. So, he's a good riddance; we've also released his son now that he's dead, and we're shifting to plan B. I've made sure the Konoha ANBU stationed in Iwa got the information on our plan to infiltrate the tomb. Luck is on our side, and things have been going according to plan so far."

"What are you implying?"

"Instead of sending another one of us to Konoha to fetch her, she is coming here for us;" he added serenely, "Shigai-sama will be utterly pleased."

"And how do you know for certain that is happening?" The woman asked doubtingly.

"She will be here with three other Konoha-nin as a part of the mission to stop us," he answered solemnly, looking back through the window, "once you're in the game long enough, all you need to do is pull some strings and the puppets will move according to your will."

The woman sighed sharply, "Stop speaking in riddles, Daisuke. Do you mean she herself is coming to Iwa and will take this route in Taki as we speak?" She questioned with distrust before pausing, taking time to think. The man ignored her, letting her muse in peace while he continued sipping the Saké.

"I see," she continued, calming and nodding slightly as a clear picture began to form in her head, "so that's why you asked me to come here initially?"

"Yes," he replied just as calmly, "but I had to put in some efforts, making known to the ANBU that a tracking team would be needed to get to us. And it was within my knowledge the Hyuuga heiress is a part of the most effective rookie tracking team in Konoha," he explained, making his plan clearer for her.

"Brilliant. I'll take over from here then," she replied with cool determination and a smirk on her face.

"Do as you please, Banshi. But I have to tell you, should you fail, I, as Shigai-sama's right-hander will have to wipe you out myself. You know how it is in our organization, once you've been chosen to accomplish a task; you can't afford to fail," he continued, not even looking at her as she looked at one hand, caressing a manicured thumbnail with her index finger.

"I know, but save it, because I ain't going to fail, I've made it in the organization for two years now," she said with heightened brows, before continuing haughtily, "What makes you think I'll get myself killed for trying something against a Hyuuga heiress?"

The man sighed; "I don't like looking down on underdogs; that's why."

The woman chuckled.

"Or are you interested in getting the heiress yourself?" She teased, black eyes glinted with amusement.

"That is not necessary. You alone would be enough to get this task done," he answered sharply. "This is the picture of her I've managed to get from the Earth Shinobi who will welcome them in Iwa. He doesn't realize I took it, however. The Hyuuga heiress is a soft little lady; she does not look intimidating. Though, you have to keep in mind that one of her companions is Sharingan Kakashi," he continued, drinking his Saké once more as he took out a picture from inside his vest and put it on the table "and it's not going to be as easy as you think it would be."

"The copy-nin? Oh..my…" Her face lit up at the information, her eyes began to be distant, as if recalling something, "good, because I've always wanted to meet him, the man of a thousand jutsu himself," she answered, smirking, brushing the forelock of her hair when she finished her sentence.

"Don't fail. We can't afford to lose good people. With Nakata dead, there are only you, me, Yoshizaku, and Shigai-sama left," Daisuke said again, his tone pretty serious in contrast to the playful woman before him. The woman was pretty surprised at his words, while the man maintained his casual demeanor.

"What? ….where are the others?"

"Let's just say, in order to achieve our goal," Daisuke said warmly, "expendable people have been expended."

Banshi knew there was a price to pay for her involvement in the Hakumei, but she did not mind. She was running a brothel in some town in the Earth country, and business had been blooming. However, there were criminals who threat merchants for money.

And there were also bandits who would threat merchants for anything.

At least, with the organization as backup, she did not have too much trouble surviving—a woman with a business in a callous world ruled by ruthless men. And to say the least, having lived roughly, she was not exactly afraid of the prospect of being killed if she failed her mission. Her membership in the Hakumei was returned with their protection, but whenever her skill was needed, she would be called upon, and she would get the job done. The purpose of the organization did not bother her, as long as her business got a proper endorsement.

"Sucks to be them. Right now I'm dreaming up a strategy to fetch the Hyuuga for Shigai-sama," she added, before nearing him at the dining table, took the picture and looked at the face printed on the glossy paper." You're right, she's a pretty girl, but girls like her don't usually put up much fight, you know, those girls who are raised properly in prospect to be married off to some rich merchants and be good wives?" She scowled, "I had girls like her work in my place. Should I capture her dead, or alive?"

"Alive. Her eyes will be of no use to us if she's dead too early," he answered thoughtfully.

"Hmph. Though I don't understand the reason, because it would be much easier for us to bring her to Iwa if we take her out, I'll follow your order… You want her alive, I'll get her alive," she answered, leering again, before slipping the picture into the folds of her kimono. She then walked back to the door, leaning her body against its frame; relaxingly crossing her arms. Daisuke stood, and walked to the glass window on the right side of the room, and looked out through the glass pane. Taki was more of a hobo jungle than a place of residence. Every day, new, unrecognizable faces walked upon its street. Or maybe their faces were just nothing spectacular and easily forgotten, to put it simply.

"Actually, I agree it will be easier if we kill her first, but that will tamper with the order, and if we don't follow the order, her eyes will be dysfunctional and we would have gone through all this for nothing," he explained again, his eyes still fixed on the view outside, as though waiting for something, or someone to appear.

Someone worthy of attention.

"I don't understand. Are you saying you're going to coax her to give you her eyes? And she'll agree to it?" Banshi continued probing, it all seemed like a big joke to her, from the way she was speaking.

"There will be a certain measure to get her to give the eyes," Daisuke answered enigmatically. "I'll just ask her, like a real gentleman."

Banshi chuckled, before answering in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, you and your unfounded confidence. Good luck sweet-talking the little princess into giving you her Kekkei Genkai."

Daisuke did not seem to mind.

"I, for one," he replied genteelly, "never said it will be a sweet measure."

Uchiha Itachi: the man who wandered through a decade as an outlaw. He was once a son, always a brother, a former ANBU captain, an Akatsuki agent, a traitor, and first and foremost—a murderer.

When the sun had resplendently emerged in the sky, he was woken from his light slumber by cold dews dropping onto his eyelids. Eyes ajar, he felt the pattern of lights shift on his face, caused by the stirring leaves. His vigil intensified, but his chest still felt a little heavy. The first thing he did was lifting his hand and placing his palm against the center of his chest. Green light radiated, penetrating his skin to slowly fix the newly attained injury. It did not feel as painful as the first time he attempted to heal it last dusk, but minus the pain, it would not make such a difference, especially with the current state of health he was in. He recalled the events that led him to be here instead of elsewhere: his little visit to Konoha, right to the point where her finger touched his chest.

He was distracted, and he was not focused, and he stiffened when he saw her approaching, which left him exposed to her attack.

To think about it, it was impossible for him to not be distracted. He did see someone who resembled a lover whom he once slaughtered with his own bare hands, approaching him: an angry apparition exacting her revenge.

She was thirteen when he last saw her. The only differences, perhaps, were the color of the eyes and hair. His lover's eyes and hair were black, a noticeable trait that had differentiated an Uchiha from the people of the other clans. And compared to the white-eyed girl, his lover exuded more confidence, unlike the timid teenage girl; who was now-however he wanted to deny it—the source of his disturbance. Perhaps, this was just his mind playing one of those tricks on him; another one of his pathetic reasoning to pacify himself, to make less severe the fact that he himself had been incomprehensibly unable to justify his intentions to test her out in the woods with his Genjutsu.

It was probably the most thoughtless thing he had attempted; an impulsive decision that was now causing his own disadvantage.

And to top it, he was attacked by a bunch of thieves before stumbling upon the Jounin and his students yesterday, which caused him to take longer to get to them.

But the thieves were nothing to shout about. Five thieves; and they charged at him like mad dogs. Most of the time, he was only evading their attacks, before he took one of them down with a swift Katana-stab to the throat. Immersed in blood, the body fell onto the ground as he took his Katana out effortlessly.

And the rest of the thieves began to flee with the speed of light.

Or that was how he remembered it.

He had slept sitting on a stem of a tree that was located quite far from the Konoha-nins' campsite—where most of the annoying Kikaichuu would not be able to spot him. After all, he had already killed five Kikaichuu that had managed to trace him there last night; and they had been quite a nuisance in his fight against Kakashi and his team last dusk.

Sure, Mangekyou Sharingan and it would all have been settled.

But the girl had proven she could be spared, because she had kept the secret long enough, and he only killed when he had to. Adding to that, she could attempt halting his Chakra flow with her bloodline, and if that were to happen again, it would be inane for him to let it happen in the presence of Hatake Kakashi.

He raised his body to stand on the stem, looking far into the forest. Bombinating insects, earthy air, moss-covered pebbles, nearby falling leaves, the sound of creaking branches and the scent of the water: all that made this morning wonderful—was making his objective clearer. Delicate mist was clustering in the air, and more pearlescent dewdrops fell onto his face and his eyes.

He felt the water wet his irises, cold and rejuvenating. It looked like it was a good time for a bath.

In one swift movement, he darted to the river, his black hair swaying wildly as it brushed against the wind, and he then landed on a rock just beside the waterfall. Straightening his frame, he raised his hand and undid the small metal hooks of his robe, removing the black cloth with imprinted red clouds and placed it on the rock, along with his Katana, the only memento he had left from his ANBU days.

Last dusk was mere entertainment, he told himself darkly, looking up at the skies; the larks were flying lazily amidst the white screen, the sun was hiding behind thick layers of cloud.

Yet, he got himself injured. He had underestimated the Hyuuga once, and he was not in the habit to make the same mistake twice. He would not let her get too close to him next time, unless… he was at an advantage.

He stepped into the water, the surface leveled to his knee. He walked right into the torrent of water, the weight of the liquid cascading on his body.

What if he were to test Byakugan out, drive it to its limit; the thought ambled in his head, his face crushed by the pouring water.

All his life he had been given the impression that Sharingan was one of the peerless Doujutsus, what more of Mangekyou Sharingan, and his previous encounters with so many foes had proven just that. Myriads of men had fallen before its power, but the girl alone had been able to deflect it.

With the storm coming as he had predicted, he needed to find out more about the Byakugan. His own bloodline ability had evolved from the Byakugan, and too little information could be derived from the said white eye bloodline though its powers had long been glorified by the Hyuuga. Other than Kaiten and some other bloodline Ninjutsu to seal the Tenketsu that Itachi had been graced to have seen during his days in Konoha, he thought he pretty much had seen all of the bloodline abilities.

But the girl; whether all Hyuuga could do the same as she could, or the ability had been developed by her and her alone.

What would be the result if the same torture he had endured was inflicted on the girl? What if her best friends were to be taken away from her?

There was no telling of how far he could go now. And perhaps, after all of it was done, when he would finally find the answer, he could carry on; drag himself into the storm to welcome his own end. Because he had decided only by one person's hands that he would die, a long time ago.

He made a hand seal as an orange aura masked his form for a few seconds, and the liquid enclosing his body and clothes vaporized entirely. Then the aura was dismissed, leaving him fresh and clean for his journey. Putting on his cloak, he realized Leader would summon him to explain his abandonment of the task to watch the border with the old Madara.

He had his fabricated reason prepared.

So for now, he decided to follow the girl, to see how she would handle the information she had gained, to see if she should be rid of, and perhaps; to test her blood limit.

Did he need any more reason?

Taki was as busy as Hatake Kakashi had remembered, only this time, there was some sort of festival going on in the middle of the town. Leading his three younger companions, he walked calmly through the street with them tailing him close, where various stalls were placed on left and right pavements of the asphalt surface. Old structures were situated near the stalls, some were people's residential buildings and the rest functioned as restaurants and inns for visitors. At a corner, a seller was offering all types of steel weaponry; his stall was surrounded by a few men who were looking through his unique collection of swords, scythes, knives and spears.

Children were running through the crowd, laughing and giggling with dripping ice-cream in their hands. The lingering smell of Yakitori, Gyoza and hot Dorayaki mixed in the air, projecting a heavy air of a feast. Kiba's mouth watered, seeing a Ramen stall; feeling his abdomen with his palm.

'Isn't he going to take us to lunch already?' Kiba protested inwardly, seeing the Jounin too relaxed, even though the latter only had small bits of grilled fish last night. Hinata and Shino were looking at each other, both not saying anything, but they were actually feeling annoyed at their complaining stomachs. At another corner, a hawker was frying donuts in vats of cooking oil, and Akamaru too, began to salivate and bark.

Kiba watched a boy, who looked like he could not be younger than Konohamaru put a hot donut in his mouth before munching it greedily, what was worse was he could smell the food like it was being paraded right in front of his nose.

Sugary.

Succulent.

Man, can things get any worse.

As though he could listen to the boy's protests, Kakashi inclined his body a bit; the spike of his hair waved a little as he showed a smiling eye, "you guys must be hungry."

No shit, Sherlock, Kiba retorted inwardly, "Just a bit."

"We'll spend a few hours here for lunch and hot spring before we proceed to Iwa. Is that okay?" The Jounin suggested, causing a grin to spread on the dog boy's face.

"That's more than okay, Kakashi-Sensei. Do you want to eat at one of the hawkers or in the restaurant?" He continued, beginning to imagine all the finest dishes and desserts he had seen, imagining himself devouring them all happily.

"Either is fine for me, actually," the Jounin answered, and turned his head to look at the stalls.

"It's decided then. I'll go to one of the restaurants and book our table. I'll get the best plenty of food to feed us," Kiba uttered again, eagerly.

"I thought you were only a bit hungry," came the response of the bug boy, as he slipped his palms inside his pockets.

"Akamaru's really hungry. Right, buddy? Hey, I'm only doing Akamaru a favor. You guys go and get a look around; I'll get back to you in a bit. Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba answered, smirking. At that rate, all he could think of was good, delicious food that would leave him figuratively full for a week.

"I'll go with you. You might be ordering some canine biscuits for all I know," Shino commented casually, which caused the dog boy to smirk even more naughtily. "Canine biscuits are at least more edible than leaves, stems, spoilt fruits, flowers, other bugs, or any bugs food now, right, creepy bug guy?"

"Dog-breath."

"Bug-freak."

Kakashi sighed. He could not deny how the two reminded him of a milder version of Naruto and Sasuke, though. Both teenagers then walked to a line of restaurants, seemed to have forgotten their earlier bickering, busily discussing the most suitable place for them to have lunch.

"Actually, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun are real good friends," Hinata noted with a little hesitation, looking at her teammates, before turning to look up at him, "so Sensei doesn't have to mind them."

Actually, to Kakashi, who had been observing them, that was given. He remembered Shino and Kiba's little scheme in the forest a few days before, and even he, as a teacher had kept it from the Hokage's knowledge for a reason.

"Yeah, I know. They are partners in crime, to put it truthfully," he commented, visions of a bloody scene in a forest formed in his mind, "and they really care about you too."

Perhaps, the way they cared for Hinata struck a chord within him, as they were willing to give their lives away to protect her.

Perhaps there was something in their bonds that reminded him of himself; of bonds that formed around him. It was almost funny to think that Kurenai had succeeded in teaching her students what teamwork and friendship were, that Shino and Kiba had even taken them to a greater context, while he, who often preached about teamwork and friendship, had failed at keeping Team Seven together. Failed at having Sasuke contented with Chidori. Failed at convincing Sasuke that it was only a matter of time and hard work before achieving what he wanted.

He thought he had enough time to convince Sasuke. He thought he would be able to prevent the boy from making the same mistake he made.

"That leaves only the two of us here now, Hinata. Is there anything I could get you before our lunch?" He offered, trying to get his mind off thinking about his former student. He already had enough on his plate to think about, especially of the recent things. They were confusing him at worst, but he could not back out.

This might be his last chance to save Sasuke, and save the girl too.

"Um… Nothing, actually," she answered, looking at the crowd instead of him. He observed her like he always did. She seemed calm, but he could sense she was worried.

"Little lady, would you like a cotton candy?"

Kakashi looked to his right at the sudden address of a mellifluous voice and saw a woman with a basket of cotton candies stand beside them. Hinata was a little surprised too at the venture from the stranger, who was smiling rather sweetly.

"I… um…" She hesitated.

"Look at them. I have different colors," she said, baiting, as she raised her basket to Hinata like the latter was some child, "blue as the sky, green as the grass, and white… like your eyes…" She said again, lowering her neck so her face was leveled with Hinata's own, looking straight at her eyes.

"Oh my," she put a palm on her mouth in amazement, "are those real?"

She looked a little nervous, "my… my eyes?"

"Yes. They're about the prettiest, most peculiar pair of eyes I've ever seen," she complimented so easily.

Indeed, Kakashi thought again.

"They're bloodline eyes…they belong to my clan," she answered with a little blush staining her cheeks.

"Really, some clan that must be… and who is this, your boyfriend?"

Kakashi almost fell when he heard her question. Hinata's face became even redder, "he's my Sensei," she answered immediately. Thank the Lord he had a mask on, he wasn't thrilled with the idea of both girls being able to see his expression at the remark.

"I thought so. Seems too old to be your boyfriend," she replied like an expert, and Kakashi sighed.

Do I really look that old?

"Umm… I don't like eating sweet food before lunch. So no thanks, ma'am," Hinata answered politely, and the woman nodded.

"It's nice meeting you, white-eyed girl," she said cheerily, before turning to look at Kakashi. "Nice meeting you too."

Kakashi only nodded, watching her long black hair swaying along as she swiftly turned her body to leave them. Kakashi thought he saw a hint of something in the stranger's eyes.

Something that hinted dark amusement.

He watched her stride away, trying to remember if he had seen her before, but he gave up when her face did not fit any image he recalled from the folds of his memory. He looked up; the cloud was shifting sluggishly like the lazy drift of a bubble.

"You don't stutter as much anymore," he said, before looking down at her, trying to break the silence.

"There… there's no reason to," she answered, looking up at him as she did so.

"There isn't, indeed," he replied. She looked down at the ground, "Kakashi-Sensei, last night…"

"What about last night?"

"I...was thinking," she paused, and continued, "…what if you don't manage to talk to Itachi-san. What… what if he gets to me first?"

Kakashi crossed his arms. That had been something he had been thinking about.

"I'm worried about that. But to tell the truth, I'm also worried about something else."

"About what?"

"Our mission, mostly."

"That organization? Um… They're probably just an ordinary organization. Besides, we have you as our master in this mission; I'm not really worried about it."

Kakashi did not respond. The girl had too much faith in him. Hinata, if you only knew…

"I… I've always been a burden to everyone. I couldn't take care of myself before this. Kurenai-Sensei, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun were always saving me in missions," she continued, looking far into the distance, as Kakashi took note tolerantly.

"I want to able to protect them too… I want to be physically stronger. I want to be able to cause major damage with Taijutsu, or block Taijutsu strikes as good as Shino-kun… or as you. I… You… You get what I'm talking about, Sensei?" She asked, as she inclined her head to look at him again.

He did not answer immediately; he himself was looking far into space, which stretched into infinity, before responding, "I have an idea of how that could be done. But I'll tell you about it later when we continue to Iwa, after we finish our bath at the hot spring and lunch at the restaurant."

"Okay," she answered, her face suddenly lit by his words. He smiled.

"Looks like Kiba-kun and Shino-kun have booked our table," she said. Kakashi looked to his right and saw both Kiba and Shino motioning them to come to the restaurant.

Standing amidst the trees, a man dressed in red clouds on black cloak, with an orange mask covering his face stood with his arms crossed. Accompanying him were four men with some kind of blue uniform, standing scattered, with ghastly expression in their faces. The cloaked man was rather averagely built, compared to the rest of the men, who seemed to be led by another tall, bald man.

"So, Itachi was on his way to Konoha when you lay in wait for him?" The cloaked man questioned. Only to a select few men around the world was he known as the oldest man to survive almost a hundred years unscathed.

"He was taking on a path straight there when he reached the undergrowth junction. And we managed to slow him down, like you told us to," the leader replied groaningly, impatience was present in his gestures and the tone of his words.

"But you still didn't get any information on why he was heading to Konoha," the masked man stressed again, which was welcomed with a sigh by the gang leader.

"We did ask, but the guy didn't talk much, and he didn't scare easy. Can you really blame us for it?"

"You didn't accomplish your task, so how am I supposed to pay you, hmm?"

"We did slow him down," the bald man replied again jeeringly.

"Ah, I was just testing out my luck. I was thinking worthless clowns like you could never have defeated him. Yep… turned out I was right," the masked man said casually, and the bald man was fuming.

"What the hell, man? You made us go through all that to prove a point? You didn't even tell us the bastard was ludicrously strong. We barely escaped, and he killed one of our men, and for that, you're going to pay us 10 million Ryou, double the amount you promised."

The masked man was not intimidated, "How about… I don't pay you at all?"

"You do realize you're outnumbered, don't you? You refuse, we're gonna kill you, funny man," the man spat back with a scowl.

"That's a threat? Hn… fascinating…" He retorted, leaning his back against a tree and putting his finger against his chin in a gesture of a thinker, "you see, they say it's not about the quantity… or something to that effect. Hmm… What was it they said again?"

The men looked at each other, perplexed, before the leader answered, "whatever, we just want our goddamn money, or we take you out."

"O' really?" He cooed dangerously, before disappearing in a blink of an eye, and reappearing behind the gang leader. The bulky, bald man began to shake at how quiet the cloaked man had executed his jutsu, without even forming hand seals. 'He didn't just use Shunshin, did he?'

"Do you have any idea, just who you're threatening?"

Upon finishing those words, Madara's right arm curled around the gang leader's neck, putting a Kunai against the bigger man's throat only too swiftly. He didn't realize how skillful the orange-masked man was, until he saw the latter did not even use hand seals to elicit the Shunshin. "Let me give you a display of my capability. Now look at that tree," he ordered softly, his index finger pointing at a Pine tree from behind the gang leader's left shoulder.

"Now you see it…" A flash of red oozed from the right-eye hole of the orange mask on his face, and the lower portion of the tree broke completely, causing the upper part of the trunk to collapse with an earsplitting bump to the ground, as though it had been hacked by a giant, invisible axe. Dried leaves flew up, vestiges of cracked wood rose and fell dead on the floor of mosses, shocking a few nearby crows which rested on a few dried branches of adjacent trees. The crows flew away irritably, cawing complainingly from the sudden impact of the crashed trunk.

"Now you don't… so, can you imagine what I can do to your waist… or neck…or arm…"

While Madara did not even finish his words, the men scampered away as though they had seen a ghost in their midst. One of them fell rolling on the floor, but he immediately stood back up, looked back at him, before continuing to run again.

"Cowards, and their art of running never fail to amuse me," Madara commented in a bored tone, "oh well, there goes entertainment of the day."

His body flickered, and he appeared on a branch of a tree. He placed his palm against the trunk to support his body and stared at the sun. The wind was blowing violently; and his silken black robe trailed splendidly.

'Zetsu. Maybe Zetsu could find out.'

Years and years of scheming, he had succeeded and failed, but he was never tired. He was experienced enough to know that regardless of age, without passion; he would not be truly living.

'Itachi. What are you up to?'

"You guys must be really hungry," Kakashi decided, seeing the table arranged with dishes of the scrumptious kind. The dining room was small, but enough to occupy the four of them. Well, five, if one took Akamaru into account.

"Yeah, we have Omuraisu, fried Udon, Miso soup, Oden, Calamari Tempura, Teppanyaki, Sushi, Yam Ice Cream, Soy bean juice and Saké for you. And the good news is, we're paying for all these," Kiba said proudly, as they all sat down around the table.

"You are paying for all these for me?" Kakashi was a little surprised.

"Yes. We always do pay for our sensei when we are on a mission," Kiba replied and looked at his goggle-eyed friend, "don't forget to pay me, bug-freak."

Shino did not react, only an annoyed frown formed on his forehead, while he began to put a piece of Oden into his mouth. Hinata started her course by drinking a glass of plain water, and Akamaru was happily munching a sirloin beside Kiba.

Kurenai, what a lucky sensei you are, Kakashi thought, "I'm thinking I like the three of you, I won't mind if I have to be Team Eight sensei for a little longer," he said with a smile, taking a pair of chopsticks and made a praying gesture by placing his palms together, "Itadakimasu!"

"Achoo!"

The cerulean eyed, blond boy looked at the pink-haired girl beside him, wide-eyed, as they hid inside an array of thick shrubbery.

"Both of you sneezed at the same time," another unusually pale boy, who was sitting in between them commented, peeking out of the bushes.

"What, is it weird?" The pink-haired girl retorted with a contorted face, and looked back through the bushes for the enemy.

"Hehehe. Kinda…." Naruto answered, putting his hand at the back of his head and grinned widely as he did.

"Be alert, guys. Make too much noise and the enemy will spot you," Yamato reminded. The Mokuten user had integrated himself with a part of a tree trunk behind them, and stuck his face out of the wooden shaft, before disappearing into it again.

"Yes, Naruto. Way to hint the enemy of our location," Sai said again. He did not sound sarcastic, but seriously, it was the lack of tone that made Naruto want to punch his face.

"Can you stop yourself from sneezing?" He shot back and grimaced, "You're goddamn annoying you know that? No wonder you don't have any friends!"

The pale boy was not a bit distracted, "At least I don't have small pen—"

The blond boy grabbed the boy's shirt before he could say more, "You don't have a pen—"

Naruto could not finish his words because something whizzed through the air just past his face. A Kunai planted itself in the trunk behind them, only a few inches from Yamato's face that was sticking out of the trunk. It was still vibrating when the three slid to the ground to hide.

"Nice one, Naruto."

"It's your entire fault!"

"Kids, may I remind you of the horror of my wooden cage?"

"If both of you don't stop squabbling, I'm going to beat you two silly," Sakura warned, lying with her back flat on the ground.

The enemy was charging at them in the distance, screaming as he did so, as though drawing the power of nature into his body.

Naruto grinned, "To think about it, this is kinda fun. Kakashi-sensei must be dead bored at the village, right Sakura-chan? Poor old man."

He then stood up, and made a hand seal. Ten more Naruto emerged in a puff of smoke, and charged at the man, "Bring it on, asshole!"

"Sensei?"

"Hm?"

Kakashi was still eating his Udon, while facing the wall to prevent his new students from seeing his face, when Hinata addressed him.

"Shino-kun, Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun have gone to the hot spring for their bath. Since we have the time, could you… tell me about your idea, for me to get stronger?"

Kakashi put his plate aside, and took a kettle and poured his remaining hot Saké into a small cup, before tilting back his head and gulped the liquid in one go. He then put his mask back on, before turning to look at her.

"This is just something that came to me when were chatting. Do you have problem throwing a kunai?"

Hinata thought about something, before answering, "Um…usually, my kunai wouldn't penetrate into trees or anything as deeply as Shino-kun or Kiba-kun's kunai when I throw them."

"Lack of strength," he answered, then crossed his arms as he mused, "I'm afraid it is something inborn, but nothing you can't work out."

"I can overcome that?"

"Yes, actually, it is just something simple. From the way you move and the way you execute your Taijutsu, I conclude that you are a bit hesitant and you lack sufficient force to create real impact with your strikes. Even if you do use chakra, the lethality of your strikes is often diminished because of this," he explained.

"Then… what does sensei suggest I do about it?"

"Think of it like this. Let's say you're targeting a tree with a Kunai. When you throw a Kunai, you must always aim at the tree behind the tree you're aiming. It is only that way you can draw real power and even speed to create impact with any thrown weapon, do you get it?"

Hinata's eyes widened. Why did I never think of that before?

"It works the same way in Taijutsu. Imagine the person you're striking is a foot away from his real body in a real fight, so you'll be hitting something distant, your body movements will naturally increase their strength and speed. So combine this with the use of Chakra, since you already have chakra control at your expense, even a single blow could be deadly to your opponent."

"I understand very well now. Thank you, Sensei," she answered, feeling stupid all of the sudden.

"One more thing. Thanks for saving me yesterday," he said briefly. And he felt the bandaged wound on his left upper-arm. "I'll get this fixed after this."

She felt her cheeks hot from his words.

"I… It was my fault that he attacked us."

"It wasn't, and you know it. However, I'm asking you to not attempt anything like that in the future. You were lucky when you did that. Something was off with him when he saw you coming."

"Really?"

Kakashi sighed, "Hinata, he is the best of his generation to come out of Konoha, and he's better than me or my generation. The reason he let you touch him wasn't his carelessness, but something else I'm not sure about. You shouldn't dash at him like that next time."

She realized that Kakashi-Sensei made a lot of sense, and nodded.

Pinning her hair up, Hinata's body was swaddled in a thick white towel. She stood and dipped her toe a little into the steamy water and felt it warm her skin. She took off her towel and put it on the floor just beside the spring, before putting in her leg, adjusting to the heat. Contented, she waded into the spring, and soaked her body in the water. It was almost three thirty in the afternoon, and there were two women in the spring with her.

Usually, she had Kurenai-sensei to accompany her, but this time she had to be in the spring alone. At any hot spring bathhouse, visitors usually peaked at dusk, when most people were done with their day jobs. And even sooner than she expected, the two other women were done bathing, and quietly they stepped out of the spring, leaving her the only one there.

Enjoying the solitariness, she thought about her childhood, about the first time she visited a bathhouse with her team more than three years ago. They were children then, and Kurenai-Sensei had done her best in teaching and protecting them.

She missed her, amongst other things.

She knew about her relationship with Asuma-Sensei, though she had kept it a secret. Kurenai-sensei never said anything, but she often saw the glint in her eyes and Asuma was always waiting for her with flowers at the bridge of the Nakano River after she was done bathing in a hot spring with Hinata.

She wondered; if solitary life was destined to great Shinobi or Kunoichi.

For a short while, Kurenai-Sensei had known what it was like to have someone with her, but even that was soon taken away.

She was standing in front of Asuma-Sensei's mausoleum not long after the latter's departure when Hinata approached her. Hinata asked, whether she still wanted to be a Kunoichi, whether she would let her child become a Shinobi and sacrifice for the village, for the people after losing someone so dear in her life.

Kurenai-sensei only answered with a strong smile in her face, though Hinata knew she was broken beyond words.

"There are only two important choices in life, Hinata: doing, or watching."

Hinata decided she would not sit back and watch anymore.

Warmth and calmness.

If there was anything he savored more than his indulgence of the Icha-Icha books, it was these.

Sitting against a ceramic wall with his body enclosed in hot, clouded water, his tensed muscles felt neutralized. Keeping his face covered with a small towel, he watched both Shino and Kiba wade in the water. Kiba was always grinning and happy, brushing Akamaru's long fur, ignoring everybody else in the bathhouse. Shino looked a lot thinner with his jacket off, Kakashi almost did not recognize him at first without the heavy wardrobe. Taking a deep breath, he placed his palm against the wound. Healing emerald light started to cast out of his palm to repair the wound. Little by little, the wound narrowed, as though it was being sewn close with a magical, invisible thread.

The shooting pain began to register in his brain.

"Hinata, get dressed and come with me."

Hinata looked over and saw Kakashi stand beside the spring, and her heart skipped.

"Sensei!" She almost gasped, as she covered her chest with her hand and folded up her knees, "You, you shouldn't get in here… this is—"

"I want to tell you something really important. I'll wait for you outside. It's your teammates. And hurry," he demanded, before turning his body and walked out of the female bathhouse.

Hinata was surprised, but her attention was focused on the urgency of his voice. Did something happen to Shino-kun and Kiba-kun?

She immediately stood and stepped onto the ledge beside the spring, water dripping on the floor as she picked up the towel from the spot she had left it lying. She went to the wooden drawer beside the spring and took out her folded clothes, taking a few minutes to put them on. After that, she walked out of the bath house and saw Kakashi stand at another corner in the crowd, about twenty meters from her, "here, Hinata," he motioned.

Hinata tried to think at first, but she half-ran to him instead. However, he kept moving away, getting farther and out of her reach.

"What… sensei, wait!"

Hinata watched her steps in the crowd, being careful to not hit children who were running in the street against her direction. He was swift, and sneaky and efficient. Hinata felt her heart pound, thinking about all the bad things that could have happened to her teammates.

Please. Not them, they are the only ones who care about me!

"Where are you taking me?"

She thought she saw him smile.

"Sensei?"

In between the crowd, she saw him exit into a lane, and though her instinct told her something was unpleasant with the current predicament, she continued her steps, running into the lane where she saw him enter a gateway that led to a deeper and darker wooded area.

'What is he doing? Is this a test?'

She only saw his shadow now, and from her instincts and knowledge, she used Shunshin to teleport and then using her bloodline, she tried to sense his chakra from a distance and finally arrived at a dark, spacious spot in the woods. Kakashi unexpectedly was standing calmly beside a tree, with both arms crossed.

"Sensei?"

She greeted him. She walked toward him and stopped beside the tree. In a swift movement, Kakashi grabbed her and pushed her against the tree. She was too surprised, and looked up at his face.

"What…"

He chuckled lightly.

"Now… we have some time alone to ourselves."

Hinata felt her heart beat faster, like it was going to pop out of her chest. She only stood, watching him raise a gloved hand to touch her cheek.

"Hinata…" He murmured.

At a sudden rush of realization, Hinata balled her fingers and punched his stomach with the greatest strength she could muster, causing him to fall backward, his back gracing the forest floor like an empty can.

As though he was surprised, he stiffened, and something dark formed on his face as he tried to stand up.

"For a weak-looking girl, you do pack a punch, Hinata. How do you know I am not the actual copy-nin?"

Hinata felt her blood race.

"Chakra signature. I've memorized his Chakra flow and… y-you're not Kakashi-sensei," she tried not to shout, but her voice was shaky with a feeling she could not place.

"Aha. Looks like you've been in close contact with Sharingan Kakashi. Have there been interesting things going on between the two of you?" The man asked wryly.

"N-No. I don't know what you're talking about," she answered, trying hard for her voice to not falter against the rush of blood in her veins.

"Like a teenager, always confusing her feelings and whatnot," 'Kakashi' commented, something in his gesture was implying an unnatural grace of a woman.

"J-Just show who you are," she answered, trying to ignore the things mentioned to her.

"Well then, have it your way…" 'Kakashi' answered, and a puff of smoke broke from his body, which was immediately replaced by a slender body of a woman with long, shiny black hair and Kohl-rimmed eyes.

"You're…" Hinata said, as she registered the person in front of her, "the cotton candy lady…"

"No shit, little girl. Now choose. We can avoid cat-fight and bloodshed if you agree to follow me," she said conceitedly, "because you know; there is no way you can win if we were to fight."

Hinata felt her knees weak.

"But why… Why do you want me?"

"Not you: just your eyes," the woman answered, brushing her hair from shielding her view.

"My eyes? But for what?"

"Stop questioning too much. The hell should I know? I was given instruction to get you to come with us, now come with me, or suffer," she threatened again.

How far will these eyes make her suffer? How far will these eyes take away her happiness and her freedom? Eyes that had twice got her almost killed, by a Lightning Shinobi, and by her cousin.

These eyes were doom.

She straightened her posture, and pressed her hand forward, right foot pressuring the ground as she moved her left leg backward.

With the resolve that she did not even know she possessed, she answered, "come and get them."

Tbc.

Uh dear Jaggarte, do I still get your firstborn child? XD