Hinata of the White Lotus

Creeping Shadow

Tobi sat atop the head of the Fourth Hokage's monument, the light of the waning moon casting The Village Hidden in the Leaves in an eerie glow.

It had been a long time since he had come back here. He preferred not to be here at all, in fact. This time it couldn't be helped. Interesting things were brewing deep in the shadows of Konoha, an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

"You've picked a curious place to agree to meet." The voice of an old man said behind him. Tobi didn't bother to turn around, listening to the rhythm of a cane striking the hard rock of the sculpture.

Shimura Danzo took his place by Tobi's side, also gazing fondly over the village.

"Given our current situations, I believe we both could stand to benefit from exchanging information." Tobi said, ignoring Danzo's earlier observation. "Our mutual acquaintance Itachi has started to make his move."

Uchiha Itachi. He had sought to fake his death and hide from Tobi, as well as the Akatsuki. Such a trick wouldn't work so easily on him, however. What Tobi didn't understand; why would Itachi sacrifice his eye and use Izanagi when it was still far from blind?

"Indeed." Danzo didn't seem surprised by the information. "I have reason to believe he has taken Shisui's other eye and is using it to manipulate Sarutobi." As he spoke, Danzo placed a hand over his right eye. "He is now acting as the Shadow Hokage, controlling the village from behind the scenes." He concluded.

"Shadow Hokage." Tobi snorted, unable to hide his mirth. "What an ironic title." It would seem things were getting more interesting here than he had expected. Just what was Itachi planning, he wondered.

"It is no laughing matter." Danzo snapped, smacking his cane on the hard rock to emphasize his point. "The integrity of the village is at stake. If it gets out that the village is being run by a clan murdering traitor, we will be torn apart at the foundations." It was incredibly ironic that Danzo would say such things, considering his hand in such affairs. However, Tobi didn't care to comment on that.

"Don't misunderstand." Tobi instead said with a shrug. "I don't care if the village stands or falls. All the same, it is also inconvenient for me if Itachi has the power of an entire village behind him." The fact of the matter was, Itachi knew far too much about Akatsuki. With the backing of a village, he could pose serious harm to their plans.

"So then you pledge your allegiance to my side?" Danzo asked, to which Tobi could only laugh.

"Akatsuki doesn't have the manpower to help you in this brewing civil war." Tobi said, waving his finger back and forth as if chiding an impatient child. "Having said that, I'm working on a little side experiment at the moment as well. If that bears fruit, I may be able to use it to shift the balance in your favor." He held up a hand as if going for a shake. "Deal?" He asked.

"As if I have a choice." Danzo reached down to grab Tobi's hand, but instead of coming into contact with flesh, he slipped right through it like the hand wasn't even there.

"Got'cha!" Tobi burst into another fit of laughter, holding his sides and kicking his legs in the air in hysterics.

"An annoying power as always." Danzo didn't share Tobi's good humor. "If I find you intend to betray me-"

"Relax, relax." Tobi waved away the concern. "Eliminating Itachi is beneficial to us both. So long as those interests align, you can be assured of my cooperation."

"And?" Danzo asked. "What exactly is this side experiment of yours and how can I expect it to benefit me?"

"Right, right." Tobi nodded, placing a thumb on his chin and nodding several times to himself. "In order to help with that, I was actually hoping you could give me some info."

"Something you don't already know?" Danzo scoffed in disbelief.

"I saw something interesting on the last full moon." Tobi said, looking up at the waning moon and causing his Sharingan eye to shine in the light.

"What do you know about Hyuga Hinata?"

Hinata and her team stood lined up in front of the Third Hokage.

It had been a little over two weeks now since they set out in search of the Moonfire Flower. In that amount of time, a lot had happened. Too much to even be believed by all rights, Hinata herself surprised by the sure density of events as she recounted them to the Lord Hokage.

On the very first night they were attacked by the Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi and Hoshizaki Kisame had come after them, their objectively allegedly unknown. Hinata left it out of her report that they were after Naruto for the Kyubi inside, but she suspected the Hokage already knew that. She also excluded her entire encounter in the Tsukuyomi world with Itachi.

The facts as they were known was thus: Itachi, for reasons unknown, betrayed Kisame and the two battled to the death, slaying one another in combat. Hinata, as leader of the mission, used her authority to command her team to back up Itachi and in doing so, they had also killed the living weapon known as Samehada. Or as it was more commonly known as, one of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.

However, in reality Hinata had reason to suspect Itachi was actually alive and had only faked his death. Of course, she couldn't say as much without giving away what else she knew, so that part was also omitted from her report.

After the Anbu retrieved the corpses of the Akatsuki, Hinata and her team continued on their way to the Moonfire Flower. At their destination, they were attacked by two of Orochimaru's top ranking subordinates; Kaguya Kimimaro and Uzumaki Tayuya.

Their objective was known. Kimimaro was after Hinata in revenge for sabotaging their plans during the Chunin Exams. He had been goaded into action by Tayuya, who was using him to escape from Orochimaru and turn herself over to Konoha for cooperation. During the battle, Naruto lost an arm and Kimimaro's curse mark went berserk, leaving her team no choice but to kill him. No corpse was left behind, the entire body disintegrating upon his death.

While these events transpired, Hinata had sent a Shadow Clone to retrieve the Moonfire Flower and make the elixir necessary to save Kurenai's life. These were the facts as they were agreed upon.

Nowhere in her report did she talk about the shrine she had attempted to purify or the impurity that had been born from it. Kimimaro's seal went berserk on its own. Even Tayuya, with her own curse mark, was unaware of the reason.

Afterwards, they verified Tayuya's story and sent Akamaru on ahead to ensure Kurenai received the elixir as soon as possible. To Hinata's relief, it would appear that Akamaru had arrived in only a couple of days. The elixir had already been administered and Kurenai's life was no longer in danger.

She and her team arrived just this morning. However, as they neared the gates to Konoha they had been intercepted by the proctors for the first and second stages of the Chunin Exams; Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko. They took custody of Tayuya, but only after Naruto got verbal agreement they wouldn't do anything drastic.

Uzumaki. The same last name as Naruto. What exactly did that mean? Unfortunately for them, Tayuya had as few answers to that inquiry as they did. Like Naruto, she had assumed it was simply an insignificant family name. For them both to have it implied otherwise, and Naruto wasn't about to turn his back on the first sign of family he had found. Which is why he promised to come for her as soon as their mission debriefing was over. Which their part of the report was.

The only thing left now was to wait for the Hokage's verdict.

"It sounds like quite the adventure you all had." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, voice full of dry humor. The small smile he had quickly disappeared as he turned his attention to Naruto. "You should report to the hospital. Have your arm looked at. It may not be causing you discomfort at the moment, but you should still check for infection."

Hinata was glad the Hokage also said it. She had tried to persuade Naruto to stop at any kind of hospital on the way, but he had been adamant in his refusal. Apparently he greatly detested such institutions, for what reason she couldn't imagine.

"I'll go as soon as you set Tayuya free." Naruto said, lacking the respect he should have shown in front of their superior. This wasn't just about Tayuya. He was upset that other members of his clan were out there and yet he was only just finding out about it now. Something he seemed to be holding against the Hokage in particular.

"…I'll do what can be done to speed it along." The Third relented, not calling Naruto out for his disrespect. It was apparent he was also tip-toeing around the topic of the Uzumaki Clan, and didn't wish to exasperate Naruto further, less he dig deeper into it.

"I-If I may." Hinata stepped forward, not accustomed to interrupting the Hokage of all people. "Tayuya-san came to us because she saw what I could do to Orochimaru's barrier. I believe she trusts me. That's why… I ask for permission to look after her." What she said wasn't entirely the truth.

Tayuya had come to Hinata because of the Nichiren Byakugan. However, that only made Hinata more willing to trust her. Not to mention she had been a critical force in their battle against Kimimaro, even if that had also been her fault.

"Hmm… interesting." The Third nodded to himself for several seconds as he considered her proposal. "I can't see how it would be a problem. She would be hard pressed to try anything when surrounded by the Hyuga. I'll grant the request." He decided, earning relieved smiles from both Hinata and Naruto. "Before we decide on such new assignments, there is the matter of your compensation for this mission."

"Compensation?" Hinata asked. Ninja missions were normally split into ranks based on difficulty. The more dangerous the mission, the higher the reward. Based on the starting parameters of the mission, she suspected it would have been considered a C-rank. After all, there was no reasonable expectation they should have engaged with enemy Shinobi, despite the fact it had turned out that way.

However, such a matter of compensation was usually determined because there was a client behind the mission. Someone who was providing the money. This mission didn't have any such person. This was because Hinata had come with the information personally. There had been no benefit to the village aside from saving one of their Jonin.

"Of course, there is no monetary reward upon completion of the mission, since there was no client." The Third said. "Your mission is considered a success and your records will be updated to reflect that. Yet there is also the matter of the bingo book to take into account." Hinata's eyes widened as the Hokage pulled an old book out from his desk drawer and flipped to the appropriate page. "Uchiha Itachi of Konoha and Hoshigaki Kisame of the Bloody Mist. They were both considered S-rank bounties and the reward for their heads reflects this. Even split amongst the four of you, it will serve as a nice stipend."

"All four of us!?" Kiba shouted, unable to contain himself. If he had a tail, there was no doubt it would be wagging a mile a minute.

"Is this really okay?" Shino asked, trying to maintain an air of calm about him. "We did not contribute much to either death. They simply killed one another." It was exactly as he said. Hinata didn't think she could in good conscience accept the reward. Not when she was also hiding so many of the details.

"Your actions may very well have ensured that outcome." The Third countered. "If nothing else, consider it a reward for having survived not just that encounter, but the entire mission. The four of you went far and beyond your duties and we would be remiss to not award you for all you've done." It would seem he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Furthermore," He added, smiling at Hinata. "The truth may be that they slayed one another, but the rumor mill within the village seems to suggest that Hinata was the one to strike them down." The other members of her team turned to look at her, her face quickly turning several darker shades of red. "Word travels fast from the port city of Koto as well. Many merchants saw the battle against a giant dinosaur-like monster and the young girl clad in white that brought it down and those stories have been circling throughout the entire Land of Fire."

No, no, no. Hinata tried to shake her head to deny this. Like if she somehow was able to downplay it here and now, she could put a stop to these rumors. Never mind it was far too late for that now.

"I believe," The Third then dealt the final blow. "You are being referred to with the epitaph of The White Lotus." He said.

Hinata felt her knees wobble and the strength of her legs nearly gave out beneath her. This was… this was the worst. It had been bad enough within the village after just the invasion. All the praise and acknowledgment everyone had given her, which she already hadn't deserved. Now it was going to be compounded even further? All from a series of misunderstandings that just kept stacking on top of one another and gaining momentum.

"Congrats, Hinata!" Naruto said, thumping her on the shoulder. He, along with her teammates appeared oblivious to her distress. It was every Shinobi's dream to one day earn their own epitaph, like Kakashi the Copy Ninja. Such names pretty much guaranteed you would constantly have work, as clients often requested the aid of renowned Ninja. However, Hinata neither desired nor needed such an honor.

She already had enough to deal with.

"I believe that concludes our business for the time being." The Third stated, shaking her from her thoughts. "Be sure to stop at accounting on your way down and they will ensure you receive your shares for the bounties." The four of them bowed to the Hokage, Hinata's a little more listless than usual.

It was fine, however. Because she could finally go see Kurenai. The whole mission had been to save her, even if things had gotten pretty complicated along the way. All she wanted was to see her mother figure and hug her. Thank her for having taken that sword for her.

Of course, things were never that easy.

"Ah, Hinata." The Third called out as they all turned to leave. "Could you stay behind for a while longer? There is something more we need to discuss." He said, like he had only just remembered.

Hinata agreed, despite the fact she would rather not stay here any longer than she had to. She couldn't refuse a direct order from the Hokage, of course, so she told her team to go on ahead. She would meet them at the hospital soon. It might have even been better this way, not barraging Kurenai all at once with guests, but instead filtering in one at a time.

Kiba and Shino, along with Naruto went ahead, all of them sending her one last concerned glance before they filed out of the office. She knew Kiba and Shino would go to the hospital, but what about Naruto? Did he even know where they were keeping Tayuya? If possible, she also wanted to go together with him. They were supposed to be working more closely together anyways for the sake of Kali and Asura. However, before that she also had her duties as a Ninja.

As Hinata turned back to the Hokage, he smiled at her disarmingly. It didn't seem like the topic was anything serious, yet he seemed intent on waiting until the coast was absolutely clear. Just what could he want to talk about that required such secrecy? Whatever it was, she had a feeling she would know in the next couple moments.

"I believe it is all clear then." The Third said, speaking to someone. It took Hinata's brain several seconds to realize they weren't the only two in the room. No, somewhere in the back of her mind she had already figured that out. Standing there in the back was a figure dressed in black. A member of the Anbu Black Ops, right?

It was strange though. Like every time she turned her attention away from the man standing in the back behind the Hokage, she forgot he was there entirely. No- it wasn't that she forgot. It was that she was made to forget. Some kind of powerful genjutsu was altering her perception, and suggesting she ignore his presence.

Such a powerful Genjutsu caused the image of one other person to bubble to the forefront of her thoughts. Someone she had only met for the first time recently.

Uchiha Itachi.

The man in the back stepped forward, pulling down the mask to reveal his face. Hinata's gaze dropped to the floor immediately, unwilling to look him in the eye. She had made that mistake once already and had nearly been tortured to the brink of madness for it. She would not make the same mistake again.

"Seems you have become stronger since last we met." Itachi spoke to her casually. He pulled out a chair, dragging it along the hardwood floor, creating a loud, irritating scraping noise in what was no doubt a deliberate act. Even still, Hinata did not raise her eyes. He placed the chair down in front of her and took a seat. His legs up to the knees were in her vision now, but she would not be made to bring her gaze any higher.

"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked. She had expected him to be alive, and she knew their paths would likely cross again one day. What she had not expected was to find him again so soon, and in the Hokage's office of all places.

"I was forced to change my plans after my encounter with you. And the girl named Kali." Itachi said pointedly. It wasn't like he was accusing her, but you couldn't call his tone pleased either. More importantly than that, he had just now spoken about Kali. Her existence was supposed to be a complete secret, even from the Hokage. However, Itachi knew about her and he was now freely speaking her name.

"I'm sorry about that." Hinata apologized out of reflex, although what she was apologizing for exactly she didn't even know. She was just terrified of him, despite having fought by his side against Kisame in order to ensure their mutual survival.

"Well, it's of no matter now." Itachi seemed to realize this and so lowered his voice slightly, as if to try and pacify her. "All the same, I will admit it strange. Having to offer over the reward for my bounty. Killing me has earned you quite the reputation, Miss White Lotus."

"D-don't call me that!" Hinata's face immediately turned bright red, and before she knew it her head shot up as she rebutted him. Anything further she had to say died on her tongue as the Byakugan once again met the Sharingan. This time, however, she did not fall prey to Itachi's genjutsu. He simply maintained eye contact with her, seemingly sizing her up.

"…You're a hard one to pin down." Itachi admitted after several quiet moments of contemplation. "Are you strong or weak? Brave or cowardly? Sometimes it seems like both at once." Those words cut deeper than he could have imagined. Even still, she tried not to let that show on her face.

"I'm just trying to change is all." Hinata whispered. She knew she was weak and cowardly and she despised that about herself. That was why she was trying to appear brave and strong. Just like how Naruto was.

"I see." Itachi responded in monotone. Another several seconds of silence passed. Hinata wondered what he was thinking. Why was he here and was the Hokage okay with allowing him to be here? She glanced beyond Itachi and saw the Hokage had leaned back in his chair and was going over some scroll, not even paying attention to them any longer.

"Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked. He didn't so much as glance up at her. It was like they weren't even in the same room as him.

"He's under my genjutsu." Itachi answered instead. "He won't disturb us as we talk." When Hinata looked back down at him, one of his Sharingan had transformed. Mangekyo Sharingan. Yet this one was different from what she had seen before. His original Mangekyo had only been a three-pronged shuriken. This one was seven.

"You broke the caged bird seal?" Hinata asked. If it was possible, she wanted to ask him how he had done it. Maybe a similar method existed to be able to remove it from the branch members of the Hyuga clan.

"No, I didn't." Itachi reached up, pulling off his headband to reveal the marking Kali had placed on his forehead. "I replaced one of my eyes and awakened an Eternal Mangekyo. It seems the Eternal Mangekyo is strong enough to escape the effects of this altered caged bird seal. However, my right eye is still incapable of using Amaterasu." He explained.

"I see." Hinata knew she shouldn't have been disappointed. If anything, it was a good thing he hadn't found a way to recover his full power. If what Kali said was true, then using jutsu like Amaterasu- which was merely a power borrowed from the gods- was actually incredibly dangerous.

"Actually, I would like to ask you to remove it." Itachi admitted. "The thing is, there is a power struggle happening in the village now. The left eye I'm using used to belong to Uchiha Shisui. His right eye is in the hands of Shimura Danzo, who seems to have realized my presence. Danzo is not someone I can take lightly and I need both eyes if I'm to fight him."

Hinata's mind reeled as she tried to keep up with the information. A power struggle? As in to decide the future Hokage? Hinata didn't know who this Shimura Danzo was, but she doubted he was someone that could be trusted if he had also stolen someone's very eye. Of course, the same could be said for Itachi…

"You've placed Hokage-sama under a Genjutsu, yet you want me to help make you stronger?" She asked him directly, feeling a small spark of anger flickering in her stomach. In the first place, she couldn't just accept he was using the Hokage like he was some kind of tool. Neither of these men deserved power.

Of course, she also knew she wasn't strong enough to fight Itachi by herself. Even if she objected to him having put the Hokage under a Genjutsu from the beginning, what was she supposed to do about it? She didn't have the power Kali had. Something Itachi knew, which was why he revealed himself to her like this. Or so she assumed at least.

"The Third trusts my judgment." Itachi said. "I've only placed him under the genjutsu for the moment out of respect for you. I don't know much about your abilities, but I understand you're not trying to expose the true nature of them."

Once again, Hinata felt her face flush lightly in embarrassment. One of the rare times she allowed herself to become angry about something and it had been a misunderstanding. She didn't know whether to thank him or apologize, but in the end did neither.

"Even if I wanted to remove the caged bird seal, I don't know how." Hinata answered his earlier inquiry instead. "I've decided to look into it in order to help my clan, but I don't have a solution yet." She wished she could answer his expectations. If only because it meant she could also help her clan too.

"I believe you." Itachi said, sounding surprisingly not disappointed. "However, are we sure that Kali-san does not have a solution?" He then asked.

"She told me that she doesn't." Hinata answered with a shake of the head. She didn't believe Kali was lying either, as she knew what Hinata really wanted to do with such knowledge. Just because Hinata believed her, didn't mean Itachi would so easily.

"Allow me to speak with her again." Itachi suddenly suggested. "At the very least I would like to hear it from her directly."

"It's not that easy." Hinata shook her head, feeling panic begin to set in. "I speak with Kali by meditating. I don't think I can just bring you into my meditation."

"Leave that part to me." The moment Itachi finished speaking and the room they were standing in disappeared, replaced by a world of pure white. "This is a genjutsu created with Kotoamatsukami. It's not as good at creating illusionary worlds as Tsukuyomi, but it should suffice for the meeting."

If nothing else, Hinata preferred this to Tsukuyomi. This place felt more like a blank slate, completely devoid of anything. The Tsukuyomi had been filled with dread and foreboding. Both were jutsu powered by the Mangekyo, meaning Itachi was attempting to use the power he borrowed from gods to close the bridge to Kali. A hunch that appeared to pay off almost immediately.

"You really don't learn, do you?" Kali asked, having materialized in the genjutsu much quicker this time then she had the first. "You want me to kick your ass again that badly?" She walked forward from behind Hinata, taking her place next to her previous life. The two girls stood side by side, Kali standing nearly a full head taller than Hinata.

"I'm here to negotiate." Itachi said, holding up both hands to show he meant no harm this time. "It can't be helped that this is the only way for me to communicate with you."

"Tch," Kali clicked her teeth. "Not that I ever wanted to speak with you again." She then turned to Hinata, talking directly to her instead of him. "Tell him about the same warning I gave you."

"About the gods?" Hinata asked, earning a nod. "You probably shouldn't use your Mangekyo Sharingan so easily, Itachi-san." She said, turning to address him. "The gods use your Mangekyo as a gateway to this world. If you aren't careful, they may be able to cross over some day." Even though she was the one saying it, she didn't really understand that much herself.

"I will take that warning to heart." Itachi said easily. Perhaps too much so, as if he really didn't intend to keep the promise at all. "Out of curiosity, what is a god like Kotoamatsukami like?" He asked.

"Kotoamatsukami strictly speaking isn't a single god." Kali answered begrudgingly, as Hinata didn't know the answer to such an inquiry. Which had perhaps been Itachi's real goal in asking such a question. "You should think of it as a meeting spot for the gods, similar to Kamui as well. For this Shisui person to be chosen for such a power, the gods must have had truly high expectations for him."

"Yeah." Itachi agreed with the final part of her statement. "He was… well, something incredible." The smile on his face as he said that was terribly lonely. Several seconds of silence followed before he seemed to remember himself. "You know why I've called you here then?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Kali admitted with a sigh. "Although you shouldn't have bothered. If you really had listened to a word Hinata said, you would know why we don't want you to have access to your other Mangekyo." She turned to glare at him.

"Danzo is not an opponent I can defeat without Amaterasu." Itachi remained steadfast. "However, I can at least promise to only use it when absolutely necessary."

"You really don't get it." Kali sneered. "Amaterasu of all the gods is one I definitely don't want crossing over. She is vain and wicked in ways you cannot possibly comprehend. And what you use for a technique is only a small fraction of her power." It was the closest to sounding scared Hinata had ever heard Kali before.

"You spoke as if you met her." Itachi noted.

"My grandmother and her were childhood friends, apparently." Kali responded. "And believe me, if my grandmother can talk about someone in such a way, then she's the real deal." It was the first Hinata had ever really heard Kali talk about her grandmother. She vaguely understood Kali was closely related to amazing people, most of which were now myths, but she rarely explored that part of her life.

"I think I finally understand what it is you are." Itachi murmured, talking mostly to himself. Unlike Hinata, he hadn't had anything explained to him. "My only question is, why have I not heard of your Nichiren Byakugan before now? Surely such power would be famous if someone as powerful as you appeared every generation." He surmised.

"Not necessarily." Kali said with a nonchalant shrug. "You're young, so maybe it's hard for you to wrap your mind around, but the idea of Ninja villages is only very recent. Hinata is only my second cycle to be born into such a system. Before the establishment of villages, clans were mostly only interested in one another for the purpose of war. And my power wasn't meant for such means."

"I see." Itachi nodded, looking at Kali's shrine maiden outfit now and putting the information together. "We've gotten quite far away from the original topic, so I'll ask one more time. Is there really no negotiation to be had?"

"Just not gonna let it go, are ya?" Kali sighed, shaking her head. "…To be honest, I did think of something that might work. Although it's a long shot."

"You have!?" Hinata yelled, unable to stop herself. The last time they talked about it, Kali said she would think about it, but had she really come up with a possible solution so fast?

"It's really just a coincidence." Kali admitted. "That you would go on a mission to find the Moonfire Flower at the same time you decided that you wanted to remove the caged bird seal."

"W-wait. You mean…" Hinata slowly said, already putting the pieces together in her head. "The Moonfire Elixir might also be able to destroy the caged bird seal?" Of course, it made sense when she thought about it. The Moonfire Elixir worked by overheating your chakra system, literally burning out any kind of affliction. If it worked on something as powerful as the poison from the mythical sword of Kusanagi, then it wasn't out of the question that it would work on something man made like a seal.

"It's just a theory." Kali quickly added. "I would say the odds it works are only about one out of three. It might not do anything… worst case scenario it might kill the one who takes it. The caged bird seal was only meant to disappear upon death, after all."

"I will accept those odds." Itachi didn't hesitate. "If it works for me, then you can also help your clan. We both stand to benefit from this. You prepared extra vials that you brought back with the village, did you not?" He asked Hinata.

"I did." She answered. In total she had prepared three vials of the elixir. One of them had been sent back with Akamaru and already used to heal Kurenai. She had two left now. If she gave one to Itachi and it worked… then the last one she could give to Neji.

"Not so fast there." Kali interjected, taking a step forward to stand between Hinata and Itachi. "We haven't agreed to anything yet. You said you wanted to negotiate, right? Well, as it just so happens, there's one thing you can offer us."

"Name it." Itachi once again answered immediately. He truly was determined to get the power of his own Mangekyo back.

"I know you somehow managed to gather the Totsuka Blade, along with the Yata Mirror. In exchange for giving you the vial, I ask you to give the mirror to Hinata." Kali made her bargain and for the first time, Itachi hesitated. "It's a fair trade. We're taking a big risk, giving you back the ability to potentially summon an egomaniacal goddess. Amaterasu also has some connection to the Yata Mirror, which might even explain why you were able to find it. But that means if the worst does happen, we can potentially use it against her."

"…I understand." Itachi relented. "In exchange for the Yata Mirror, you will help me restore my Mangekyo Sharingan. That also means if the Moonflower Elixir fails to work, you'll share with me any other methods you come up with." That was assuming the elixir didn't also kill him.

"What do you say, Hinata?" Kali stepped back, allowing Hinata to make the final decision. After all, this was still Hinata's life and the consequences would ultimately fall on her as well.

"I accept." Hinata would have done so, even if Itachi hadn't agreed to give them the Yata Mirror. She had to know if this would work. For the sake of Neji and all the others in the branch family that had suffered from their clan's traditions.

"Then we have a deal." Itachi smiled down at Hinata, as if he knew she would have accepted either way. "You are a kind child." He told her.

"Right?" Kali agreed, for perhaps the first time her and Itachi seeing eye to eye on anything. She seemed to realize this herself, because a second later she said, "Now get out of here if you have no further business with me."

"Very well." Itachi inclined his head, but it failed to hide his small smirk. In a blink, the world of white was gone and they were back in the Hokage's office. Once there, Itachi reached beneath his cloak and pulled out a scroll. Unfurling the scroll, he placed it on the floor and revealed a small summoning seal. Channeling chakra into the seal, he produced a small, circular hand mirror. The backside of the mirror was pure bronze. "The Yata Mirror." Itachi stated, picking it up and handing it over to Hinata.

"Is it really alright?" Hinata asked, taking it from him. The mirror was surprisingly light and she didn't feel any kind of power coming from it. Was this mirror really all that special?

"The Yata Mirror is an ethereal tool." Itachi said, his eyes having yet to turn away from the mirror he had just handed over. "In its physical form, it doesn't have much power. When combined with my Susanoo, its true potential came out. Perhaps by doing the same with your Nichiren Byakugan, you can achieve a similar result."

"But what about you?" Hinata knew she shouldn't be pushing the point. Itachi hadn't wanted to give up the mirror either. This was their agreement, however.

"Even if the elixir works, I cannot use Susanoo anymore after losing the light of my original left eye." Itachi said simply, having already come to terms with it. "Perhaps this is for the best, as you might find a better use for the mirror than I now can."

"…Okay. I'll try." Hinata pulled off her travel pack and slipped the mirror inside. As she did that, she also pulled out one of the last two vials of the Moonfire Elixir. The orange liquid inside shined oddly, as if it was giving off its own light.

"Thank you." Itachi took the elixir from her and examined it closely. "I need to make preparations before I use it. If the elixir is as dangerous as Kali-san fears, then I must minimize those risks. After I have the results, I will send a crow to inform you of the outcome."

"Please be okay." Hinata was still terrified of Itachi if she was being honest. However, she truly didn't want to see him perish either. After all, he was one of the few people who also shared her secret.

"Thank you." Itachi whispered, the smallest ghost of a smile on his face. Their business concluded, he stood back up and placed the mask upon his face once again. The moment he did, Hinata found it almost impossible to feel his presence. He was there, she knew that because she could see him. Yet even while looking right at him, she paradoxically kept forgetting he was there.

The effects were so great, she ended up leaving the office without even being able to say goodbye. Hinata turned back to look at the door. Almost without thinking she activated the Nichiren Byakugan, attempting to observe Itachi with the power of her enhanced vision. What she found instead… was a blank space. It was like the mask he was wearing acted as a barrier against natural energy itself. No wonder she couldn't feel his presence, she realized. It was almost like he was standing in a separate dimension. Just what was that mask? Knowing she wouldn't get any answers for the moment, she decided to head down.

The list of things she had to do was long enough already. At the top of that list was visiting her teacher in the hospital. Hinata made her way through the tower, stopping at accounting to collect the bounty, a hefty bag containing more money than she had ever seen before in her life. She still felt conflicted about accepting the money, even more so now that she had just spoken with one of the people the bounty was supposedly for. However, she also accepted that paying out his own bounty helped Itachi sell the lie of his death.

So with a heavy heart, she pocketed the huge sack of money and left the tower. As she stepped out under the sunlight of a beautiful afternoon day, the sound of a loud argument reached her ears.

She recognized one of the voices immediately: Naruto. It would seem he hadn't gotten very far, stopping just outside the tower after running into someone. Hinata had yet to deactivate her Nichiren Byakugan, using it to find him quickly. As always, Asura's shade hung off his back.

The one Naruto was arguing with… Uchiha Sasuke. It perhaps wasn't a surprise, the two of them always at one another's throats. In a lot of ways, they had appeared as siblings while at the academy. It was only now that Hinata realized how accurate that actually was.

For in the same way Naruto and Hinata had the shade of some ancient chakra hanging off their back, so too did Sasuke. The third person that was also trapped in the cycle of reincarnation and the one Asura had asked for her help in locating.

Otsutsuki Indra.