The paths from The Land of Lightning to The Land of Steam were obvious from the gradual disappearance of slopes along them as well as the added greenery. Snapped out of his stupor, Naruto noticed the differences of the country to others he'd been in. Ninja and foreigners were far more prevalent in the countryside and the roads but smiled at everyone. A few occasionally ran, unknowingly to two of them sensing the equivalent of two human Tailed Beasts guarding what they saw as a normal one. Orochimaru would lead them through the thicket every time, careful to keep more of a low profile closer to the Leaf. It forced Naruto to practice molding his chakra into earth beneath his feet, rightfully concluding it was how Kakashi did the dig trick, over the Fireball Jutsu.

"Are these people even shinobi?"

Orochimaru tilted his transformed head at the question. "The Hidden Steam Village has given up on conflict, but they still train ninja."

"Ninja that don't participate in violence?" Jugo was as confused as Naruto at the idea.

"It's absurd, I know, but there are many other things ninjutsu can be used for besides killing."

"Like constructing things," Naruto said, remembering the lab. "Doesn't that take away normal jobs though?" Part of the reason why he hated D-rank missions was because they could've easily been done by normal people.

"Yes, but this land is prosperous. It has evaded destruction in the past by its neighbors through trade. Even the Cloud is wary of offending them: the damage to its economy from withdrawn trade would last too long to anyone's liking and a full-on invasion would do the same as well as trigger a response from the other villages."

He scoffed. "What a fucking joke. They have the balls to fuck with everyone else but can't handle a bunch of pussies?"

"Don't be mistaken. The Cloud, The Leaf, and The Mist operate in this land without much interference. In choosing peace, they forwent the strength to resist anyone in a meaningful capacity but made destroying them more of a difficulty."

"...Without power, you can't protect anything."

Orochimaru nodded. "But what is power?" He glanced at the boy.

"Us, what else?" Naruto lifted an open hand to accentuate his point.

Jugo raised an eyebrow at it. "I just noticed you're healed already."

"Been that way before we left The Land of Lightning." He looked at the dirt road through the greenery. "Speaking of, how long until we get back to The Land of Rice?"

"A couple days, maybe two weeks." Orochimaru met his questioning gaze. "Why do you think we went there in the first place?" He tilted his head towards Jugo. "He is hardly the only unique shinobi I have gotten hold of."

"We're going to be running around with a freak show?" Naruto winced before shooting their first member an apologetic look.

Jugo literally shrugged it off. "I absorb people, kill them, feel great during both, and feel bad about it after: I belong in a cage."

"Don't say stuff like that."

"But it's the truth."

"Then you'll never get any better."

"Is that what you want, Naruto?"

He parted his lips and stopped himself. 'You've been quiet."

"And you've been moping."

'I…' Thoughts drifting, he sighed. 'My heads been a fucking mess. I know I shouldn't have thought about it, but I had nothing else to do.'

"At least you're out of it...for the time being."

'Fuck you, Kurama.' Naruto scowled.

"I've witnessed every event in your entire life: this is just one of those things you do."

'People get sad!' His face scrunched. 'You were in two people before me and alive for who knows how long! You should know that!' Looking down at his stomach, he raised an eyebrow. 'Did you just sleep the whole time?'

"If only. Mito lived a life most would kill for. Kushina was sheltered for the most part after that Cloud ninja incident, albeit shunned for acting like you. She'd whine about your father, nearly killed those masked fools when he was back in the village, and forget all about it."

"Are your ribs still broken?" Jugo asked, a look of remorse on his face.

Naruto looked up and blinked. "...A bit sore."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh stop." He waved it off. "I laughed at Kimimaro being dead: I should've seen that coming."

"Still, I'm sorry."

Blushing, he looked away. Few people had ever apologized to him honestly. He realized what Anko was apologizing for that training day not long after he heard she knew. Sasuke couldn't be trusted anymore, and he shut him down before he could. Kakashi and The Third both did so while keeping secrets. It, weirdly, made him feel loved.

"I approve."

His face scrunched. 'Of what?' It shifted into a scowl. 'Seriously, fuck you.' The snickering in his head made him happy rather than angry as it used to.

A gray-haired man in an open black jacket with a ridiculously large fur-trimmed hood appeared over the road horizon. Equally ridiculous, a triple bladed red scythe rested over his shoulder. His beige-blue pants, white undershirt, strange amulet, and ankle-high open-toe boots were tame in comparison. He looked past them until he was close enough in range. Pure murder was in his eyes.

The three of them gave it back in turn, not once flinching nor moving away. It was good no civilians were nearby or they would've soiled themselves. While neither party knew each other, the look was more than enough. A world as big as theirs guaranteed they weren't the only ones. Parting being amicable was still to be decided.

The stranger grinned. "Have you heard of our lord and savior, Jashin?"

"No soliciting," Orochimaru said, continuing to lead on.

"Fair enough." Shrugging, he went down the path past them. "Have a good day!"

Naruto and Jugo waited until they were far away enough to look at Orochimaru. "Who the fuck was that guy?"

"I don't know, which is somewhat concerning."

Only time would tell for that.

Far before Anko and Hinata saw the Leaf's front gate, she made sure to destroy the map scroll just in case. A few fiery breath embers and wind-infused blowing turned it into ashes. Danzo likely had little need for it anyway and would approve of her getting rid of any possible evidence. They were both persons of interest related to the biggest debacle of the Leaf's existence. A chance of being searched was more than zero, so it had to go.

Kotetsu raised a hand in greeting when they were a few feet away. "Welcome to the Hidden…" Drifting off, he tilted his head at Anko facepalming.

"Really?" Izumo, to his right, said more than asked.

"The only difference is her hair is down," Hinata deadpanned. "How did you make chunin?"

Anko shook her head. "He's even fucking seen me like this before."

"That… That was years ago!" Kotetsu protested.

Izumo sighed. "You're just digging yourself deeper." He locked eyes with Hinata's blank. "We've been told to keep an eye out for you… Hyuga."

Her lips remained a thin line, knowing full well he forgot the name they gave him. "Idiot; you're both idiots." Blood rushed to her face when a hand caressed her scalp.

"You learn so fast," Anko praised.

Several anbu flickered around them, settling into stances. "Anko Mitarashi and Hinata Hyuga, we have orders to deliver you to Lady Fifth," their apparent leader said.

"Easy." She held up her hands, driving Hinata to do the same. "We've come willingly." Her legs started moving before theirs. "And we're going willingly."

Just as it was that day years ago, civilians watched her being escorted to the Hokage Residence. It was only a bit different. No passerby ninja joined in, being dismissed when they approached. Other anbu she noticed ignored them and went on their way. She wasn't nearly as much as a high value target as then.

The floor tiles of the Hokage's office were replaced, but Tsunade, looking utterly unamused and tired, still sat behind her paperwork filled desk with an equally displeased Jiraiya by her side. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"She was feeling down; I was feeling down." Anko shrugged. "Figured we needed some time away from it all and to talk to each other about it."

"Is that all you did?" Jiraiya's eyes and tone were accusing.

Hinata, remembering the aftercare, blushed alongside her. "We trained taijutsu because Anko-sensei was feeling off physically, cried over Naruto, and talked each other down from pursuing him."

"Pervert," Anko accused, more than a little amused of the irony.

He grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that!" His eyes glanced at the sleeping banded krait around Hinata's neck.

"'Anko-sensei?'" Tsunade outright stared at it.

"What can I say? I made an impression." Anko patted her head, making her blush again. "Even gave her something to remember me by."

"...A neurotoxic snake?"

"It's a shy one with a low rate of envenoming." She stroked its neck with the tip of her finger. "Perfect fit, right?" Her twitch nearly made her laugh.

"I don't have time for this." Tsunade sighed. "I can't rely on you if you're willing to run off without notice after everything that's happened." She turned to Jiraiya. "Since you've already read up on everything we have, you can start your search." Focusing back on the two women, she singled out Hinata. "Anko can leave, but you're staying right here." A firm pat against a pile of papers created a sound much like a beaten drum.

"We'll catch up later." Anko nudged Hinata towards the Hokage before leaving with Jiraiya in tow into the halls of running workers.

"You know," he said, "you could've just asked for permission."

She laughed, like a child caught stealing candy for the whole family. "Do you think she would've approved?"

"Probably not but still." His face softened with concern. "Are you alright?" Looking down, he frowned. "That Cursed Seal wasn't removed by the old man for a reason, and I know you know that."

She stopped, bringing him to one too. "I'm fine… Honestly, I haven't felt this good in a long time!" Her tone and resulting smile were genuine.

"Talking it out really helped you, huh?" He managed to smile back.

"I was keeping in too much." Anko kept walking, leaving him behind. "Goodbye, Jiraiya."

He stared into her back as his lips thinned out against each other. There was something off about all of it. Anko was behaving exactly like the woman he knew after a personal tragedy. While it could've been a sign of growth, she could've been repressing it. Hinata wasn't someone he knew enough to make any conclusions off of. Nothing was wrong, which made it feel wrong.

Back in the Hokage's Office, Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Hinata setting down her pack. "Looks like you bounced back."

"Should you really be letting me examine all these documents and believing me when I summarize them?" She asked, eyes veiny. "I know it's mostly approvals, but some of these are important."

"Don't you know by now anything truly important travels by word and sealed scrolls? Sabotaging the prosperity of the village is hardly in your interests either."

She murmured. "Then let's get started on the Fire Daimyo's proposed tariffs for border towns."

Tsunade listened to summary after summary and stamped paper after paper. Something felt off about her. Despite lacking the same spirit, Hinata was performing better than she did last time. It was a welcome change but an odd one. She would've cared more if it didn't help her with the absolute boredom that was pencil-pushing though.

Both weren't viewed as necessary toward retrieving Naruto or for protecting the village, so they got off lightly. The real difficulty would come in achieving their goal. Luckily, one of them had more than a few ideas and full knowledge of how to. Her partner was a convenient and lovely tool towards reaching it. None knew a serpent had coiled around a white flower.

Sasuke and Kakashi took some time during their training to practice their Sharingan Genjutsu. It went from Kakashi instructing Sasuke to Sasuke instructing Kakashi. That surprised both. Even though Sasuke never used his Sharingan to its full potential, wary of being complacent in taijutsu and ninjutsu, he was outclassing someone with years of experience with it. Each knew something was up.

"I don't understand." Sasuke squinted at the chakra of Kakashi's Sharingan contrasting the rest of his body's. "Even if an implant is weaker than having one naturally, I shouldn't be able to do this."

"Maybe, but it's not like we have a lot of records relating to Dojutsu implants."

"Clan secrets."

Kakashi nodded. "Like a Sharingan beyond the three tomoe." He blinked at his look. "I don't blame you for keeping that one: chances are Naruto would've been just as hurt if you told him yourself." Glancing away as Sasuke brooded over it, he hummed. "It looks like a pinwheel, right?"

He snapped out of it. "How do y–"

"Hey, Kakashi!" Jiraiya walked out of the practice field thicket and whistled at the brown splotches marking hard training. "I see you're all preparing for the future."

Sakura, really three of them, looked away from Yugao, who they had surrounded with one buried underground for extra measure, to him, Tenzo having been sent off on a mission. "You…" She dispelled the clones and began walking over.

He smiled. "While I'd normally be open to teaching a young pretty thing like yourself, I just ca–" A savage hook to his stomach took the wind out of his breath.

"Pervert!" Anger vented, she stomped back toward her anbu training partner.

He rubbed his bruised stomach. "Wh-Wh-What was...that for?"

Kakashi stood up. "I got the same treatment." Walking over with Sasuke in tow, he raised a hand in greeting. "Can't say neither of us had it coming."

"Oh...right."

"You really trained Naruto's father?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Technically, I trained them both." Jiraiya took a deep breath and sighed. "There is so much I should've seen coming during our time together."

Kakashi nearly did the same. "Tell me about it."

Sasuke resisted the urge to shake his head. "Why are you here?" He pursed his lips at the serious look on the man's face.

"Tsunade gave me the go-ahead to start tracking Orochimaru, so I figured I'd say goodbye." Jiraiya looked from the interested members of Team 7 to the training one. "As much as I could use company, there's no one I can bring on this." He rested on Kakashi. "Keep an eye on Anko; something's off about her."

"She's back?" Kakashi squinted. "Just what exactly is off?"

"That's the thing: I've only seen her as happy when she was with Naruto and Orochimaru."

Sasuke turned to his sensei. "You said she left with Hinata."

Jiraiya nodded. "She was with her when she came back." He pursed his lips, still unable to make a conclusion.

"They both loved Naruto." Kakashi, also unable to think of anything, shrugged.

"Maybe they found a lead on him?" Sasuke proposed. "But if that was the case, why would they keep that to themselves?"

"Yeah, we should keep an eye on them; we're probably not going to be the only ones after a stunt like that."

"Good." Jiraiya raised a hand, bidding farewell. "I'll be sure to return with something, if not him, and hopefully Tsunade will let all of us go at it first." He turned and started walking with a frown on his face.

Sasuke stared back at Kakashi. "How do you know?"

"Itachi used his to put me in a genjutsu where he stabbed me for three days straight, several dozen times a second." He frowned beneath his mask at the terrified recognition in the boy's eyes. "You too, huh?"

"My… My mother and father. He...made me watch him kill them for a day."

"...Sasuke, how long have you really had the Sharingan?"

His brow furrowed. "Since the end of our mission in The Land of Waves."

"You're telling me you just jumped to two tomoe?" Kakashi blinked, remembering Obito awakening his at the same stage. "Uh, I guess that can happen." He scratched his temple as Sasuke shot him a blank stare.

"What are you getting at?"

He shrugged. "That the Sharingan can awaken and develop without you even realizing it." Their eyes met. "Don't panic."

"If this is another gen...jutsu..." Sasuke drifted off at the sight of his Sharingan whirling into a slanted pinwheel. "...Kakashi, what did you do?" He nearly stepped back at the drastic change in the air.

"Let's just say...this isn't the first time my actions have led to losing my comrades and leave it at that."

"Keeping secrets…" The soul-sucking look in his sensei's eyes told him he wasn't going to pry it out, maybe ever. "Alright… I understand."

"Thank you." He hummed, eye swirling back to normal. "When I first used it, I didn't even know what happened. My target was there, I felt a sharp pain in my Sharingan, and then he was split in half as if something twisted him apart. Took me a while, but I was capable of using it again on a practice dummy by really focusing." He almost laughed. "It's what I used against Orochimaru when he almost captured Naruto and what I was counting to end it all with. Same with Itachi, but he was faster with his."

"So it's either the same as any other jutsu or being the actual owner helps in its usage."

Kakashi shrugged. "It burns through a lot of my chakra, so I've been hesitant to practice or use it in case I might kill myself, and the hero who gave me this Sharingan has been dead for a long time." He frowned. "My vision with it hasn't quite been the same, but it's still adequate enough."

Sasuke nodded. "That must be it then: your use of the Mangekyo diminishes the overall ability of the Sharingan." He put a hand to his chin. "But if that's the case…"

"Unless we find another person with the Mangekyo Sharingan or somehow sit down with Itachi for an honest talk, we'll never know for sure." Kakashi nodded as he did again in agreement.

The sheer irony.

Tsunade's paperwork was done in record speed. While the Hokage wanted to keep her temporary assistant for a while in case of more, she couldn't justify it without looking lazier than she already did. An anbu was dispatched to notify a certain someone. The quickness and efficiency of her work made the girl rather joyful of her technical victory over Tsunade's attempt to punish her. It sunk like a rock when Hiashi speed-walked through the office door.

"Hinata Hyuga."

She inclined her head. "...Father." The bags under his eyes told her more than any words could.

They were drawn to the striped snake around her neck. "A gift from Mitarashi?"

"Anko-sensei is a wonderful person." She smiled at his stoic face. "I am well now, father."

Holding back a groan, Tsunade looked to the Hyuga patriarch. "I trust this won't happen again?"

"It will not, Lady Hokage." Hiashi turned and began walking, leading Hinata with her pack out of the office.

Neither said a word. Each could feel the tension, but what happened when they cut it could not be done in front of others. It was unbecoming of their clan. Hiashi's confession to Kurenai took place far out of anyone's sight for such a reason. His taste for tempura led to him establishing an understanding with the stand owner and his employees, so he knew they could keep whatever they overheard or saw to themselves. If not, his clan had significant influence over certain village regulations.

With no one in normal sight in the village woods, Hiashi activated his Byakugan, and, seeing no one was in hearing distance, concentrated on his daughter. "What happened?"

"We trained taijutsu because Anko-sensei was feeling off physically, cried over Naruto, and talked each other down from pursuing him." Not a single part of her shook, twitched, nor wavered.

"...So you are well?"

"Yes." She did not need to control herself to make him believe it. "It is as I said, I am well again."

He almost murmured. "Even so, I cannot have you running freely."

"I will be sure to submit myself to the branch family's cursed seal." His frown almost made her smile. "Is that not the only step left after house arrest?" She tilted her head. "You are not standing in the way of my execution, so why bother?"

"Can I not do one thing for my daughter?"

She turned back to the village and began walking. "You have not been for my father for years."

A smile found its way on Hiashi's lips. "I have never been more proud of you," his voice broke.

Hinata did not activate her Byakugan in time to see the tears emerging from his eyes. It was only until she was back in the hustle and bustle did she use her dojutsu. While Anko implied they'd see each other when they needed to, she didn't want to go home to her clan nor Kurenai. The range of her Byakugan was enough to cover a good deal of the village. She climbed up a nearby wall before darting from rooftop to rooftop. Finding her laying on her bed in an outskirts house took a small while.

Anko was not at all surprised when a knock came to her door. Not bothering to throw on her coat, she walked to her front door and opened it. "That was fast."

"Should I take off my sandals, Anko-sensei?"

"You can keep them on." She would've normally laughed, but it was better to be direct in her case. "Come in; take that thing off your back."

Hinata stepped in, shut the door behind her, and took off her pack. When Anko laid herself down on the couch and gestured her to join her, she obeyed. "...I feel strange."

"It'll pass soon." She nuzzled her cheek.

Her eyes sparked with worry. "You… You said Orochimaru did the same thing to you, Anko-sensei. Does that mean he'll try it on Naruto?" She blinked at her laughing.

"First, he'll have to get through his massive reserves of chakra. Second, he'll then need a way to restrain The Nine-Tails'. Third, he'd have to find a way to do all that without anyone noticing several Tailed Beasts worth of chakra being expended. Fourth, Naruto already knows Orochimaru shouldn't be trusted under any circumstance. It's just impossible."

"He's safe then." She nuzzled her back. "That's such a relief."

"Speaking of Cuddly Whiskers, we should go shopping for new clothes he'd like on you." Anko held her before she could rise. "In a little while." She giggled. "There's someone I need to introduce you to after."

"Who, Anko-sensei?"

"You don't need to know right now." She stroked her head.

She nodded. "...Right."

They rested for almost an hour. When it was over, they checked if anyone was monitoring them through Hinata's Byakugan and found none. Each transformed into women with their same proportions, Hinata making sure to transform her living snake necklace into an actual snake necklace, before leaving, rightfully wary of being seen together. Clothes shop after clothes shop they graced their presence. Sleeveless turtlenecks, fishnet shirts, hooded jackets, pants, short shorts, skirts, regular turtlenecks, thigh-high fishnet stockings, miniskirts, shorts, undergarments, gloves, sandals, high open-toed boots, elbow-length gloves, and masks were in bags held by giddy Anko clones transformed into different people when they were done. Most of it was things she approved of and wanted for both of them.

Hinata, smiling and also holding bags, followed a line of transformed Ankos back through the door to her place. "How do you have such money, Anko-sensei?"

"I'm a jonin: I can take A and S-rank missions," the closest to her said.

Another nodded. "They pay out the ass."

One set theirs down on the floor. "What the fuck are we doing?" It looked back on the others doing the same. "We promised the old man we'd be better." Dropping its transformation alongside them, it shivered. "There's no coming back from this."

"Now you're against?" Another scoffed.

The clone nearest to it crossed its arms. "Where was this before?"

"Yeah." The Anko by Hinata, also back to her normal state along with her snake, grabbed her face. "It's already done."

"And we gave her more than one out."

"Was this or the rope; we did her a favor," another chimed in.

The closest rolled its eyes. "The old man's dead, we weren't enough for Naruto, and we weren't enough for Orochimaru either."

One more nodded. "It's time we held the leash." It licked its lips at the girl.

Its shivering worsened. "She didn't know, like we did when we let him." Grabbing its face, it whimpered. "What have we… I..." Its voice broke before it turned to Hinata. "You have to sta–" It, along with the rest, dispersed into smoke.

"...Anko-sensei?"

The real Anko threw up her hands from the release sign. "Shadow clones." Beckoning the confused girl, she smiled. "Come here."

Hinata walked into her embrace. "What...were you about to say?"

"Stay with me," she whispered into her ear.

"Right." She returned her hug. "I will."

Strangeness and questions quashed, they unbagged what they bought. Anko's wardrobes were sparse, as she typically wore the same items, so nothing was left out, save what they were going to wear. It may as well have been a formal affair requiring, not that Anko really cared, some form of modesty. She decided on a dark blue miniskirt to replace her orange, a sleeveless turtleneck of the same color to wear in place of her coat, the elbow length black gloves, and a matching set of high open-toed boots. For Hinata, she arranged an outfit to honor her wishes: a fishnet undershirt, a dark blue hooded jacket, matching short shorts, the thigh-high fishnet stockings, black high open-toed boots, and matching gloves. Pants were too much of an obvious choice and would resemble her too much. Their forehead protectors and the snake had to stay behind, but Hinata could carry Naruto's as long as it was out of sight.

Anko waited until nightfall before getting dressed alongside her, a set of various masks left out on the bed. "Which one do you want?"

"I-I…" Hinata shivered as the awakened branded krait slithered off her the exact way it got on. "This one." She put her hand over an elegantly painted kitsune mask.

"A bit obvious, don't you think?" She fit her head and arms through her turtleneck, evening it out against her fishnets.

"The right kind of obvious?"

"Best kind." She undid her skirt. "He's probably going to know it's you anyway."

Hinata zipped down her jacket and took out Naruto's forehead protector. "The person we're meeting?"

"Yup." She put on her new one.

Ruffling clothes replaced their talk. When they were done, two masked figures, the smaller hooded, stepped out of the Mitarashi Residence into her backyard. She followed the taller up the wall on to the roof and into the darkness. A part of her wanted to activate her Byakugan, but it was pointless: she couldn't distrust her. Their surroundings were nothing she was familiar with when they stopped.

A masked woman only one of them recognized stood at the entrance. "Anko Mitarashi." She didn't need to see past her odd mask to know. "Hinata Hyuga. I've been expecting you and was given orders to lead you both." Turning, she stepped into blackness.

"You heard her." Anko followed, herself leading the girl.

Hinata, unable to make anything out other than the two women, observed what she could. "...You are nicely shaped." She blushed beneath her mask at the slip.

"Thank you; I can tell you are as well," the unknown woman said, her voice an odd yet beautiful monotone.

Danzo's face was the same as it always was at the sight of them emerging from the murky hall. "Mitarashi." He focused on her tag-along. "Hinata Hyuga."

"Lord Danzo." Hinata blinked.

"Do I even need to say anything?" Anko tilted her masked head. "Give me your best agents, and we'll be back with my little bastard before the other villages even knows he's gone."

He undid the bandages over his right eye. "First." His Sharingan almost glowed in the sparse light. "Hinata Hyuga, will you betray the village again for Naruto Uzumaki?"

Her eyes widened at his. "No," she answered, not needing to lie.

"How is anyone supposed to trust you after already doing so once?"

"They can't."

"Are you here of your own free will?"

"Yes." It was impossible for her to lie if she believed it.

"Is there anything or anyone you are not willing to sacrifice to retrieve Naruto Uzumaki?"

She didn't need to think. "Anko-sensei." Her appreciative coo made her blush.

"Will you betray your clan for the village?"

"Yes."

He turned to Anko. "A word." He stepped out of hearing distance and waited for her to stop near him. "I am impressed."

"Your approval fills me with shame."

"It is almost enough to make me ask."

She scoffed. "Even if I did tell you, it isn't something you'd do. These puppets you keep around are so boring; I have no idea how you stand them." A sultry moan purred in her throat. "Unless you play with them, like that one." She nudged her head in the guide's direction.

"What are her limits?"

"She'd sleep with me and kill everyone she loves except Naruto; what do you think?"

"As I said, I am impressed." His eyes lingered on her mask as she took it off.

"You of all people are speaking well of me." She shook her head, loose hair shaking with it. "I am fucking losing it."

"On the contrary, I think you are in more control now than you have ever been."

She put her two-faced black and white mask with contrasting marks back on. "That's not a good thing."

Danzo looked to the patient girl. "I have always wanted a Hyuga agent." He was not fazed by Anko's masked face nearly touching his.

"She's mine." Her whisper was like a hiss. "We work with you, not for you." She backed off. "Keep her from the gallows, if you really want the Leaf to last the end of our lifetimes."

While not ideal, it was something he could work with for then. "Done." He turned to one of the dark corridors and began walking. "You will have two of my best when they have returned."

"Finally." She walked back to Hinata.

Snake and flower joined found shelter by a mighty tree's roots.

AN: A day off but that's better than months, huh?

I thought the questioning should've been extensive at first until realizing neither Anko nor Hinata would be that important with the mother of all wars looming on the horizon. Does not mean they're unwilling to take precautions just in case.

Things are weirdly slow despite days moving past, I know. Just a lot I've set up and still a lot I need to. Like, the Akatsuki for instance. I'll let it be if they know what's happening or not because why spoil my own story before it's even written yet?

I weirdly felt like making a Hinata awaken Sharingan on top of her Byakugan one-shot fic unrelated to this or something like that. When I was writing scenes, I realized just how much angst she must've had in canon on top of what I've given her. The Sharingan's custom genjutsu on top of the Byakugan's range extension is just broken. I want to play with it. Best set during her match with Neji after Naruto gives her the cheer she needs.

Last chapter made me lose a few favorites and followers. Can't blame anyone or you if you're still reading. That was extreme and easily the most twisted thing I've written so far. Just to let you know, I'm tossed between "this isn't going far enough" and "this might be going too far" when I write those moments. I just couldn't justify Hinata not being executed or sidelined for literal in-story years as anything but a reactive character after what she did.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a Review or PM.