Hinata of the White Lotus

New Mission

Orochimaru's invasion had been an utter failure.

That was what everyone kept saying.

Gaara's premature transformation had caused the enemy hidden in the crowd to expose themselves early. Without the backup from the outside force that was supposed to invade at the designated time, they had been quickly subdued. What's more, their trump card had never been unleashed.

After that, the Hokage had been freed from the barrier meant to trap him, forcing the leader of the whole invasion to retreat with his tail between his legs. Orochimaru hadn't succeeded in killing his former teacher, or in capturing Sasuke either. The last Uchiha only arrived after everything was over, all thanks to his chronically late Sensei.

After being set free from the prison that very likely might have been his death, Sarutobi Hiruzen rallied the forces of Konoha and charged into the forests outside the village. It was there they found the remaining forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure lying in wait. Orochimaru hadn't even warned them their plans had been exposed and they were quickly dealt with.

Konoha had succeeded in securing a marvelous victory. One that anyone should be proud of, especially someone that had been at the center of most of those events. After all, the casualties had been minimal.

Minimal.

Hinata hated that word right now.

"Chin up, Hinata. It wasn't your fault." Kali attempted to reassure her for perhaps the dozenth time since Hinata had come back into the eight trigrams dimension. Yet like all the times before that, it seemed like Hinata was going to ignore her.

She had come here to sulk in peace, and escape all the praise and adoration from the rest of the village. Hinata didn't like being in the lime-light to begin with. It was even worse knowing she had failed her teacher and surrogate mother. Everyone else was festive, cheering for Konoha's victory, but Hinata could only focus on her failure.

"...If you saw it like I did, you would know it is my fault." Hinata finally responded, head still buried in her knees. The one that had brought Kurenai there in the first place had been her. Hinata wanted her there because it made her feel confident. There was no one else to blame.

"Haa…" Kali sighed, shaking her head. "No, Hinata. This is my fault. I really should have told you more about myself before now. If I had, you might have been prepared for the natural energy surrounding that man who attacked you."

There were another few seconds of silence.

Before Hinata finally lifted her head from the gap in her knees. Even in this dimension separated from the rest of reality and her face looked terrible. The area around her eyes were red and puffy, cheeks stained with freshly dried tears.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, voice hoarse.

"Welcome back." Kali joked lightly, finally getting a peak at Hinata's face. When there was no reaction, she let out an awkward cough. "You can already tell by my appearance that I was a Shrine Maiden in life." She gestured to her mostly red and white attire. "The job of a Shrine Maiden is to purify the natural energy in the world. Like with human chakra, Natural Energy also has a Yin and a Yang. However, sometimes that balance becomes unstable and impurities are born. It's supposed to be my job… and by extension yours to handle those impurities when they pop up."

"Wait…" Hinata mumbled, recalling how sick she felt just being near the natural energy that had surrounded Orochimaru. "You're saying that man was somehow using impurities?"

Kali nodded gravely.

"To be perfectly straight with you, this is the first time I've ever seen another human harness an impurity." She said. "I didn't even know it was possible. Yet he somehow interacted with the impurities and mixed it with his chakra. What's more, he then weaponized it."

Hinata recalled the marks near the base of the neck of those four Otonin. They had the same energy as Orochimaru, but in more of a concentrated dose. Kali seemed to think Orochimaru had somehow formulated the impurities and passed them onto those guards.

"In other words, Orochimaru is our natural enemy." Hinata felt a fire light in her gut. If what Kali was saying right now was true, then she had a justifiable reason to seek out Orochimaru. "It's okay to go after him for revenge." She never thought she would feel this way. Sasuke had always scared her at the academy, but she felt like she understood a fraction of what he must have felt all this time now.

"Revenge?" Kali asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Hinata. Your Sensei is alive. Why do you need revenge?"

"Kurenai-sensei is dying!" Hinata yelled, jumping to her feet. What Kali said was true, Kurenai wasn't dead yet. But she might as well have been. It was only a matter of time as the poison of the sword she had been stabbed with chipped away at her life. A poison that had no cure, because of the sword's mystical properties.

"The sword of Kusanagi." Kali closed her eyes and nodded. "You're right. My priorities were messed up. I should have led with the discussion about that." When she opened her eyes back up, she smiled. As if to tell Hinata everything would be okay. "There is a cure." She said.

"You can still save Kurenai."

"What?" Hinata asked. Her mind reeled, the emotions across her face flashing too fast for her to keep up. Disbelief, anger, hope, all mixed together as she tried to understand how Kali knew about this and wondered why she would keep quiet about it for so long.

However, she already knew the answer. Kali may have appeared to be an all-knowing entity but that was far from the case. She was just a girl, no different than Hinata had been. And she was shaken up by the emergence of Orochimaru and what he had done, even if she did a good job of hiding it with her jocular exterior. Yet the fact she thought to talk about that over a cure for Kurenai was the ultimate tell of where her focus was currently at.

In the end, they really weren't all that different.

Which was also why Hinata knew that Kali would do everything she could to help her find this cure.

"You should look for the scroll written by the girl named Hinaki." Kali explained, referring to the stack of scrolls Hinata's father had left her. "She was my reincarnate several hundred years ago and one of her companions had also been wounded by the Sword of Kusanagi. She went to a volcano on a small island just off the coast of the Land of Fire. In the mouth of that volcano there's a special flower that only blooms there. If you take that flower, you should be able to remedy a cure for Kurenai's poison."

"Really?" Hinata felt tears once again gather in the corner of her eyes. Only this time it wasn't out of sadness or anger, but joy. She could undo her mistake. She could help her teacher. All thoughts of revenge temporarily forgotten, Hinata's focus shifted solely to what had to be done next.

"...There is one other thing I would like you to do while there." Kali smiled apologetically. "Near that volcano is a shrine. That shrine acts as a bit of an air spot for gathering impurities in the area. I would like you to check on its condition and if necessary perform the purifying ritual."

"Okay." Hinata nodded along quickly, but it was obvious to them both that she barely heard Kali's request. For now, Kali decided that was probably fine. She didn't think Hinata would forget about it either, and even if she did, she could always be reminded of it later.

"Well, for now I guess that's good enough." Kali sighed, but didn't actually appear dissatisfied. "With current medical advancements, I think the doctors here in Konoha will be able to keep your Sensei alive for more than long enough to complete your objective."

"Even so," Hinata sat down cross-legged. The same position she was currently meditating in the outside world. "I can't keep Kurenai-sensei waiting." Even if she wasn't necessarily racing against the clock, every second under the effects of the poison was causing her teacher great pain. Hinata only wanted to relieve her of that pain, even if only a moment sooner.

"Good luck, Hinata." Kali nodded to her in farewell. "If you need any help understanding the information in the scroll, come see me anytime. I'll do my best to help you on your journey in whatever way I can."

"Thank you, Kali." Hinata smiled back. "For everything."

She closed her eyes. And when she woke back up in the real world, it was with a sense of purpose and a direction for what to do next. She jumped to her feet, wiping her face of the dried tears in the same motion. Then she went for her desk drawer in the corner of her bedroom, pulling it open with enough force to nearly send all the contents spilling to the floor.

There were dozens of scrolls in this drawer alone. Kali had reincarnated over a dozen times in the past thousand years and most of them had left detailed accounts of the lives they had lived across multiple sagas. Something Hinata was going to be expected to do one day as well.

Finally, she found the scroll Kali had been talking about. Rolling it open, Hinata skimmed the contents to make sure the information she needed was there. It was. A description of the location, a list of the ingredients used, and even a sketch of the Moonfire Flower itself. Everything she would need to convince someone that this was a lead worth chasing.

With the scroll in hand, Hinata turned and walked for the door. She moved through the clan compound at a brisk walk, nearly a jog. Her mind was so focused now on just saving her teacher that she nearly ran smack into her father when turning the corner.

"Hinata?" He asked, almost instantly masking his surprise. "You're out of your room." She had been cooped up all by herself since the invasion ended the two days before, refusing to see anyone. Including her father and sister.

"Father." Hinata took a step back and composed herself before bowing to him. "I'm sorry for the concern I've caused you." She apologized, truly feeling remorseful for having let her depression so completely shut her down. She was also going to have to apologize to her sister later too.

"No, it is alright." Hiashi said, his voice full of both curiosity and suspicion. "...So where is it that you are heading?" He didn't miss the scroll in her hand. When he had given her the scrolls of her previous reincarnations, it had come with a warning. Those outside the clan weren't to know about them.

"There's a way to save Kurenai-sensei here." Hinata held up the scroll, not bothering to deny that she was taking it with her. "It's a little far away, so I might have to leave the village. I'm on the way to meet the Hokage now for his permission."

"I see." Hiashi nodded, closing his eyes as he appeared to contemplate what she was saying. For a moment, she feared he would try to stop her. After all, guarding the secrets of Kali's scrolls had been his responsibility until now. However, when he opened his eyes back up, she could tell that wasn't that case. "Do what you must. Returning a life-debt is something no one can stand in the way of."

It was true, Kurenai had thrown herself in front of the blade to save Hinata's life. However, that was far from the only reason Hinata was so desperate to do this. Kurenai had looked after her ever since she lost her title as Heiress. She was the only adult woman that had ever truly existed in Hinata's life. She would do this even if it hadn't been her own fault.

"Before you go." Hiashi said, pulling out his own hidden scroll. "Neji was asking about you. He seems to be worried."

"Neji-nii-san…?" Hinata had completely forgotten. She and Neji had promised to finally talk. Yet as much as she still wanted to do that, this also took priority. Something her father seemed to realize.

"This scroll is his father's last words to him." Hiashi said. "I was holding onto them until such a time I thought he was mature enough to hear them. I had planned to wait until you told him the truth and was able to gauge his reaction, but I think the fact he is already willing to hear you out is proof that he is ready." He rested a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Go on your mission. I will talk to Neji first and when you return, you can also tell him your truth."

"Father. Thank you." Hinata bowed to him once again. With that done, she then set out.

Her initial plan had been to go immediately to the Hokage Tower. Yet as she ran along the streets of Konoha, she felt the urge grow to see her teacher first instead. So Hinata changed course, making her way to the hospital. In truth, Hinata had yet to actually see Kurenai since she had been admitted. Her grief and self-anger had been too much and she wasn't capable of facing her while looking like that.

Now that she knew it was possible to save her, however. Hinata owed it to her to see her at least once before she left.

Hinata entered the hospital, stopping at the front desk to ask for directions. Upon hearing the name of Kurenai, however, the staff instead offered to show her the way. It didn't take Hinata long to realize why as she was escorted down a different hallway than where patients were normally admitted. It would appear the nature of Kurenai's wound itself meant she needed special treatment.

They entered a restricted ward of the hospital, one not with typical hospital rooms, but a darkened hallway with glass panels lining the sides. Hinata knew immediately which room Kurenai must have been in.

That was because Sarutobi Asuma was standing in the same hallway.

"Asuma-sensei." Hinata greeted, bowing to him slightly as she approached.

"Yo, Hinata." Asuma turned his neck to nod at her but otherwise didn't move from his spot. As Hinata took her place next to him and looked through the glass panel into Kurenai's room she couldn't help but let out a gasp.

Kurenai looked to be in complete and utter agony. She was breathing heavily, sweat dotting her forehead and whole body trembling. The pierced section itself had been stitched shut and bandaged, but there was a special seal placed on both the entrance and exit wounds. No doubt it was the only thing keeping the poison from spreading even faster than it already was.

"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata called without realizing it, taking a step forward and placing her hands against the glass. It was no good, her teacher didn't even seem to realize she was here. Hinata couldn't even tell if she was conscious or not.

"Hey, calm down there." Asuma said, placing a hand on her shoulder. His voice wasn't accusatory, in fact it was gentle. Yet she could feel the sternness of the command. He was just as worried for Kurenai as she was.

"...This is my fault." Hinata whispered under her breath, averting her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at her teacher like this. Not knowing it had been her negligence that was the cause of it. Even if she did save her life, how could Hinata ever ask Kurenai to forgive her for putting her through this kind of anguish?

"You must know that's not true…" Asuma shifted his hand from her shoulder, instead placing it on her head and tusseling her hair. "Kurenai loves you. If she knew things were going to be like this, she wouldn't have even thought twice about doing it the exact same way." His gruff voice was somehow comforting. Despite also being in pain himself, he did his best to sound strong for her sake.

"I will save her." Hinata's hands balled into fists and she raised her eyes to once more look at Kurenai. She saw her own reflection in the glass and the look of determination surprised herself. She didn't even know she was capable of such an expression.

"S-Save her?" Asuma asked, taken aback. "What are you talking about?" To answer his question, Hinata held up the scroll.

"I have information here about a flower that should be able to cure the poison." Hinata told him. "I'm on my way now to tell Hokage-sama about it and get permission to go after it."

"You don't say." Asuma reached up and stroked his beard, a sudden grin splitting his face. "Then we don't have any time to lose, do we?"

"You'll come with me?" Hinata asked, feeling her confidence grow at the idea of having a Jonin willing to accompany her.

"As far as the Hokage office, anyways." Asuma nodded. "The old man is pretty busy right now dealing with the aftermath of the invasion, but if I go with you I can guarantee you an instant meeting." Being the son of the Hokage certainly had its perks.

Although Hinata would admit she was a little disappointed to hear he didn't plan to accompany her on the mission. She also knew it couldn't be helped. Asuma had his own team and responsibilities to attend to, so even if he wanted to go, it was unlikely he would be granted permission.

"Thank you." Hinata felt like she was saying that a lot today. In the past she would have cursed her weakness, wondering why she always needed the strength of others to do anything. Yet now she could only feel comforted to know there were so many people she could rely on.

The two of them left the hospital together, making their way to the Hokage office. As they walked, Hinata managed to get more information on the current state of the village, things she had been ignorant of while shutting herself up in her bedroom. The damage had mostly been minimal, the fighting constrained to the Chunin Tournament Grounds.

Yet that was only the beginning of it. The Hokage had to deal with all manner of issues, such as what to do with Otogakure and Sunagakure. From the sounds of things, Sunagakure hadn't been aware Orochimaru was disguised as their Kazekage. So they were being permitted a joint investigation to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile, the true nature of Otogakure and Orochimaru's ties to it were being deeply looked into.

The fact that Orochimaru was also not just a former Shinobi of Konoha, but the Third's own student raised all kinds of issues by itself. Rumors of the invasion actually being a failed coup d'etat ran rampant and the Hokage's very authority was being called into question. Asuma didn't spell it out exactly, but he seemed worried about whether or not his father would be able to maintain his position as things were.

Hinata had never really considered the possibility of anyone else being in the position of Hokage. Certainly, Naruto always touted it as his dream, but that was years away from now at the very least. She didn't even know who could possibly be considered for the position now of all times. For as long as she had been alive it had always been Sarutobi Hiruzen that served as Hokage.

Those uncertainties now weighing on her mind, the two of them reached the Hokage Tower. Hinata just let Asuma do the talking and within minutes they were being escorted into the Hokage's office.

"Hey there, old man!" Asuma greeted, already lighting a cigarette the moment he walked through the door. He didn't even bother standing at attention, making his way over to a nearby chair and dropping into it. Hinata found her own voice didn't work, simply bowing in respect as she entered behind him and took a standing position in the middle of the room.

"Asuma…" Hiruzen glared at his son, voice too tired to even sound truly scolding. However, as his eyes turned to Hinata, his gaze softened and he gave her a soft smile. "Ah, Hinata. It's good to see you." Even his voice changed when talking to her, now full of warmth that it had lacked a moment ago.

"Hokage-sama." Hinata took another nervous step forward, holding up the scroll in her hand. She told him about the information she had learned. That there was a flower she believed could save Kurenai and how she knew where to find out. She finished by requesting to be sent to retrieve it.

"I see." The Hokage leaned back in his chair, lighting his pipe and watching the smoke for a moment as he considered what she said. "So the Moonfire Flower isn't just a legend." He mumbled, surprising Hinata.

"You knew about it?" She asked before she could control herself.

"It was once considered the final ingredient necessary to create an elixir of immortality." Hiruzen answered off-hand. "Orochimaru had also been interested in it, but he never did find it. Hearing about it again now of all times… the coincidence is unnerving." She worried for a moment that he was building up a reason to refute her. Instead he surprised her with a question.

"I heard it only blooms during a full moon. Do you know anything about that?" Hiruzen asked, causing Hinata to turn to the scroll. She unrolled it, once again skimming the contents. She hadn't seen anything about such a specific blooming cycle, but she also hadn't analyzed the scroll too deeply either, more focused on just verifying it existed.

"Ah, it's true!" Hinata found the passage in question, confirming the Moonfire Flower only bloomed under the light of a full moon. In her rush to just set out, she almost missed this vital piece of information. She didn't even know when the next full moon was.

"This means you have less than a week to get there in time." Hiruzen mumbled, already knowing the answer to that as well. "The area you described is quite far from here, but not impossible to reach in time if you leave today. Otherwise, Kurenai is unlikely to make it another month."

"You'll let me go then?" Hinata felt her hopes soar. Everything so far was going well. She might actually be able to pull this off.

"I also share the blame for Kurenai's injury." Hiruzen sighed, earning a grunt of agreement from Asuma before Hinata could verbalize any kind of protest. "I was too emotional when facing my student again. He should have never gotten that close to you to begin with." He looked Hinata directly in the eyes as he spoke. This was different from Hinata's constant self-doubt, he was simply stating the facts as he saw them.

"This is your chance to make it right." Asuma leaned forward in his chair, pointing the butt of his cigarette at his father. "A literal miracle has fallen into your lap. Surely not even you're stubborn enough to overlook this chance, right?" The way they spoke to each other put Hinata on edge. It reminded her of the strained relationship she used to have with her own father, not that she would have ever dared talk to him that way.

"Hinata will be permitted to go on the mission to retrieve this Moonfire Flower." Hiruzen confirmed, causing relief to spread to every cell in Hinata's body. Just as she started to relax, he threw her a curveball. "In fact, I intend to have her lead the mission."

"W-What?" Hinata asked, her old stutter momentarily returning. What did he mean by leading the mission? She was just a Genin. Unless… he couldn't possibly mean-?

"This timing is actually beneficial." Hiruzen reached below his desk, pulling out a green vest and placing it on top. "I haven't finalized all the paperwork yet, but it has already been agreed that with your performance both in the arena and the way you took charge during the invasion; You're ready for the promotion to Chunin."

"No, that can't be right." Hinata quickly shook her head, taking a couple steps back. "My decisions are what caused Kurenai-sensei to get hurt." She knew this had to be a mistake. There was no way that out of everyone in her graduating class that she would be the first to be promoted to Chunin.

"Your decisions are what saved the lives of so many others." Hiruzen rebutted, pushing the vest to the edge of the desk. "This won't be the last time comrades under your command are injured or even killed. That is another part of the job. You already understand the weight of that, which only makes you all the more fit for the promotion."

"Take the vest, Hinata." Asuma urged her before she could offer another refusal. "That way when Kurenai heals, you'll have good news to give her. She'll be overjoyed to know that your first mission as a Chunin Leader was to get the thing that saves her life."

That wasn't fair. If he was going to say something like that, there was no way she could refuse now.

"Okay." Hinata barely mumbled. She took a couple hesitant steps forward before striding up to the desk and picking up the vest. Her hoodie had been destroyed during the exams, leaving her in just the v-neck shirt until now. So feeling the weight of the vest on her shoulders was actually somewhat comforting.

"It suits you." Hiruzen nodded at her, earning a grunt of agreement from Asuma. "With that, let's decide your team for the mission. I'm right in assuming you would prefer to have Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino accompany you?"

"Yes, please." Hinata nodded, face turning red at the idea of having to tell them that she got promoted. Not that she would need to say anything, as the vest alone would tip them off. However, there was no way she could exclude them from the chance to help their Sensei just because she was embarrassed. Besides, they would find out sooner or later anyway.

"That just leaves one spot open." Hiruzen tapped his pipe as he seemed to consider what to do. "I suppose all the other Genin from your graduating class are on stand-by. Allowing you to pick one of them would be appropriate." He said as if trying to sell himself on the idea.

"Naruto-kun." The name tumbled out of Hinata's mouth so fast that the Hokage had barely finished speaking. She didn't even realize she had said that out loud, only figuring it out when she saw the wide-eyed looks of both father and son.

"...Naruto, huh?" The Hokage mumbled, appearing conflicted. "Well, I did say anyone from your graduating class was okay."

"I don't understand?" Hinata asked, tilting her head. "Did something happen with Naruto-kun?" If it had been anyone else and she was positive she wouldn't dare ask. Yet whenever Naruto was involved, she somehow found herself able to be more bold than usual.

There was an uncomfortable silence for several seconds following that question.

"Well, I suppose as a Chunin, you are entitled to more information now." Hiruzen sighed, looking far more his age now than Hinata had ever seen him. "As you no doubt saw during the invasion, but he began displaying the ability to use Wood style elemental manipulation."

"...Oh." Hinata snapped her mouth shut, hoping the small exclamation didn't give anything away. She didn't expect Naruto's new nature to be such a big deal and now she was starting to wonder if it had been such a good idea to merge Asura's chakra more closely with his.

"Orochimaru had been attempting to create new wood style users many years ago, but that was before any of you were born." Hiruzen said this information so casually that it took Hinata's brain a couple seconds to process the sheer absurdity of it. "Now Naruto suddenly displays it… yet I can't find any connection between him and Orochimaru's experiments."

"...Why would Orochimaru have wanted to make Ninja that can use the wood style?" Hinata probed carefully, trying her best not to give away the fact she knew anything. She did have to admit it was suspicious, as this now made three things Orochimaru had interest in which she shared in common: Impurities, the Moonfire Flower, and now Wood release too.

"It's the Jutsu of the First Hokage." Asuma was the one that answered, leaning back in his chair to take another drag from his cigarette. At that moment things clicked into place for Hinata.

She had been going backwards through the scrolls of her previous reincarnates starting from the ones closest to her. And only two reincarnations ago had been a young girl that befriended Senju Hashirama; The First Hokage. Was it possible… had that girl done the same thing for him that Hinata had done with Naruto and Asura's chakra? No, considering all the information available, it was the most logical conclusion.

This also meant Naruto's previous reincarnation had been the First Hokage of all people. Suddenly his dreams of one day being Hokage didn't seem quite so far-fetched after all. Not that she could share this information with anyone, not even him.

"Well, either way isn't it fine to let him go?" Asuma asked, putting out the stump of his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "Keeping him cooped up in the village isn't going to get us any answers. Getting some missions under his belt will probably help him in learning to control that power too. If he's got it, might as well let him make use of it."

"...Hmm." The Hokage was quiet for several more minutes before finally nodding. "I suppose he'll be happy to be put on another mission outside the village. Keeps him out of my hair for the time being too." He turned back to Hinata, giving a final nod to show his approval. "I'll allow it. And with that set, I'll also leave it to you when to gather your team and set out."

Her team.

The idea sounded weird to her. Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but like the sound of it. Even if it was also scary.

"Thank you, sir." Hinata stood straight before bowing. When she stood back up she waited for several more seconds. The Hokage said nothing further and she took that as her cue to leave. As she walked for the door, she gripped the scroll in her hand more tightly.

She was going to do this. There was no choice. If she failed, then Kurenai died. That couldn't be allowed to happen. That was why…

Hinata was going to ensure her first mission as a Chunin was a success.

No matter what.

Chapter End

AN: The idea of the Moonfire Flower and an elixir of immortality at the top of a volcano are lifted from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, the same Japanese Folklore of which Kaguya's character was inspired.