SasuHina dealing with the aftermath of the last few chaps


Chapter 49:You don't want to run away (I won't let you anyway)

When Hinata drifted to consciousness it was to the familiar feeling of bandages wrapped around her eyes. Head pressing back into a pillow, she breathed deeply, recognizing the scent of the hospital and, incongruously, white lilies.

She'd overdone it again.

Then the memories came rushing back and she sat up with a gasp. "Sasuke!"

A hand on her arm kept her anchored to the bed. "Hinata-sama."

The sound of Neji's voice calmed her. She turned to him blindly. "Nii-san! Where's Sasuke-kun?"

"He's fine. He hasn't woken since your team found the two of you, but from my understanding it is chakra exhaustion. He is expected to wake once it's recovered."

Relief flooded Hinata's body, flushing out the adrenaline and dizzying her still sleep-clouded head. She let herself slump back down onto the bed. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes. Because of what you did to their chakra, we were able to capture all of nae-ROOT."

"What about Ino-san? And the children?"

"Fine as well. Ino-san has already talked herself out of her hospital bed and down to T and I to interview nae-ROOT. As for the children, I believe they are being observed over night but will be discharged come morning."

Fingers playing with the thin duvet, Hinata asked, "And Io-san?"

Neji paused and Hinata's knuckles whitened. "…Io-san?" he asked.

"The iryo-nin. She was attacked in the hospital before I…" Hinata trailed off, biting her lip.

"Ah. My apologies, Hinata-sama. I do not know."

"Oh…"

The hand on her arm squeezed gently before retreating. "If you try to rest, I can inquire after her condition."

Hinata freed her lower lip from the worrying of her teeth. "Thank you, nii-san," she said gratefully. Now that most of her fears had been assuaged, it was difficult to resist the call of sleep. Especially with her vision already filled with darkness. Before she slept again she thought she heard Neji talking to someone else just outside the room, but she was too far gone to catch any words.


It was evening when Hinata woke again. The lights seemed to be off and there was no sunlight playing across the bandages on her eyes. Moreover it was quiet, the lack of hustle and bustle in the hospital corridors a sure sign of the late hour.

Someone was in the room, moving carefully at her bedside. The sound of pen against paper suggested it was an iryo-nin.

"Hello?" Hinata's voice came out as a croak, throat parched.

"Oh, you're awake! Here, please drink."

A pair of hands wrapped Hinata's around a glass. Hinata drank eagerly, her energy recuperated. When she handed the glass back, she asked, "Um. Do you know if Uchiha Sasuke is still resting?"

"Uchiha Sasuke?" There was the sound of shuffling papers. "Yes, he's still here."

Hinata perked up. "Is it possible for me to visit him?"

"Visiting hours are closed," the iryo-nin said apologetically. "And you need to rest."

"Oh…" Hinata couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Hinata heard the iryo-nin shift in place. Then, the woman said, "Well…technically visiting hours are for visitors, not other patients. A little while might be alright. If you're feeling up to it and you don't disturb him."

"Really?"

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

Hinata nodded fiercely.

With the help of the iryo-nin, Hinata got out of bed and navigated the hallways into an adjacent room.

"Here you go," the iryo-nin said in a hushed tone after getting Hinata situated in a chair. "You can stay until I finish up my rounds, but then you'll have to go back to bed."

Hinata nodded in agreement. As the woman started to leave, Hinata called out quietly, "Um. What's your name?"

"Fumiko."

"Thank you, Fumiko-san."

"...thank you, Hinata-san. For saving Io-chan."

With that, the door clicked shut and Hinata was left alone in the darkness, eyes still wrapped and only the sound of steady breathing keeping her company. Slowly, wary of making any noise, Hinata nudged herself forward until her knee brushed against the edge of the bed. Reaching out, she splayed her hand out on the mattress, searching.

When her hand met a sheet-covered limb, Hinata sighed. The heat of Sasuke's body was unmistakable. Lightly, she trailed her fingers up until the starched hospital sheets turned into warm skin. For the first time since she'd woken up, Hinata felt herself truly relax.

Absentmindedly, Hinata began to stroke her thumb along Sasuke's arm, reassured by his presence. She found herself sinking into her thoughts, trying to sort out what had happened in that room with Genji. The memories were blurry and Hinata was reminded of the time in her childhood after the attempted kidnapping and her mother's death.

She remembered their conversation and seeing Fujiwara and the other children. She remembered understanding Mayumi was gone and attempting to use the full force of her chakra to escape. She remembered meeting Hamura in her mindscape, though now, with the antiseptic smell of the hospital grounding her to reality and without the threat of immediate danger, Hinata had a hard time believing that had been real. But after that…

Hinata frowned.

Suddenly, the body under her hand moved. Long fingers caught her smaller ones in their grasp.

"Hinata."

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata gasped. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

Sasuke didn't respond, instead opting to pull at her hand. His movements were nowhere near his usual strength.

"Sasuke, what —?"

"…you're too far."

"Eh?"

Sasuke tugged more insistently and Hinata finally understood. "Um, Fumiko-san will be back soon…and she said not to disturb you."

"Hinata…"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Hinata huffed out a laugh at Sasuke's almost childish obstinance. It was difficult to deny him when she was also denying herself. "Okay. Just for a little bit."

Hinata slid blindly onto the bed, doing her best not to disturb Sasuke, but he must have adjusted to make room for her because with his guiding hand it was a seamless movement. Hinata turned towards Sasuke, the warmth radiating from him a dead giveaway even without her sight. Their knees knocked together in the narrow space of the hospital bed, half of Hinata's body was suspended off the edge.

"Hi," she said, a content smile curling her lips. She laid her head against the corner of the pillow.

"…hi," Sasuke imitated. She could tell from his voice he was making fun of her, but she didn't mind.

His hand cupped her cheek and she leaned into it happily. Then his thumb ran across the bandages covering her temple and she felt a pulse of pain, wincing. The thumb immediately moved back to her cheekbone, caressing the skin there apologetically.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Hinata whispered into the space between them.

"That's my line," Sasuke said. His thumb paused in its stroking. "If something had happened to you…" His voice broke off and something about the tone hurt Hinata's heart. She covered his hand with her own, wanting to offer comfort. It seemed to work and Sasuke intertwined his fingers with hers, drawing both their hands to the limited space on the bed between them.

"It's the same for me. I was really worried," Hinata said. After the strange period of blankness in her memory, she recalled Sasuke calling her name. She'd never seen him look so exhausted, like he could barely remain standing. Then once the portal had collapsed, he'd done so as well and it had scared her to death.

"…sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for something like that."

A pause. Then a chuckle. "You're really stealing all my lines tonight."

Hinata smiled. "It's good advice."

"For you. Because you apologize too much. Most people would say I need to apologize more."

Hinata wrinkled her nose. "I don't think so," she denied. She struggled to think of a situation where she'd had such a thought. "I like you the way you are." She said the words without much thought and it was only after the long break of silence that they caught up to her. Heat filled her cheeks. "I-I mean —"

Suddenly Sasuke was hauling her forward with a burst of strength that caught Hinata off guard. She found her face pressed into his neck, lips still parted in a gasp. Surrounded by his scent, Hinata felt the pace of her heart quicken. "S-Sasuke?"

His chin dug into the top of her head. "Just…stay. Here."

Hinata thought about protesting, about reminding him that the iryō-nin would be back to take her to her room. Instead, she snuggled deeper into him. Underneath the scent of dirt and antiseptic, she could smell his detergent. "Okay."


Somewhere in the depth of a dreamless sleep, Sasuke felt a shift. Then a breathy gasp filtered through and Sasuke woke with a jolt, sharingan spinning to life as he pulled Hinata closer to him.

"Sorry, sorry." Hands raised in the air placatingly, Kakashi didn't appear the least bit intimidated by having both of Sasuke's dōjutsu trained on him. "If I had known there would be a tracking ninja in here, I would have been more careful," he said to Hinata. "You two looked cozy. Sorry to disturb." This was aimed at Sasuke, not that Hinata could tell with her eyes bandaged. She shrunk into his side and Sasuke glared at Kakashi.

"What do you want?"

"Thought I'd see if you were awake. I need to talk to you about something."

Reluctantly, Sasuke deactivated his sharingan. The curtains were closed, but the light of dawn crept around their edges. "It couldn't wait?" he asked gruffly.

"No." Kakashi at least had enough tact to sound contrite.

"I can go." Hinata moved as if to leave, but Sasuke tightened his grip, pleased by the soft sound she made and the flush rising up her neck.

"Stay," he told her. Then, to Kakashi, he said, "Go ahead." If it was truly something confidential, Kakashi would have called him to his office. A personal visit suggested something of a different type of sensitivity.

Kakashi raised his brows, but relented after a moment. "We're going to be talking to Koharu and Homura. You should sit in."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. The two elders had clearly not been involved with nae-ROOT's plot. This wouldn't be an interrogation. Even if it were, Sasuke wasn't part of T and I. "Why?"

"It'll be good experience for you, if you're going to help Naruto out in the future."

"Uzumaki Naruto is not as different from the previous Hokages as you seem to think…Chasing after a friend who defected from the village to join not one but two enemy organizations. Fighting for that friend's freedom even after he turned against the people of the Leaf and tried to destroy Konoha. Does that sound familiar?"

Sasuke recoiled.

The severe faces of Homura and Koharu flashed through Sasuke's mind. Koharu's cold eyes even with his sword to her neck.

Koharu's face warped into Danzo's and now Sasuke's sword was in his hand, held to Sasuke's neck. That same coldness in Danzo's one eye. Unrepentant as he dared to say his brother's name.

"Go to Itachi so he can lecture you."

Danzo's arm catching Karin in a chokehold, the lack of remorse Sasuke felt when he saw the shocked realization on her face as blood dribbled down her chin.

"Don't move move…Karin."

Karin's face twisted into Orochimaru's snake-eyed smirk.

"I do so enjoy seeing the progress of my protégé."

A brush of silky hair against his skin brought Sasuke back to the hospital room. The scent of lavender and chamomile grew stronger as Hinata leaned in to look at him with worry lining her brows. Sasuke swallowed and looked away. "I'm not going to be on the council," he said lowly.

Kakashi looked surprised. "It would give you power over what happens in the village. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Pursing his lips, Sasuke avoided his former teacher's probing gaze.

Seeing that Sasuke had no intention of responding, Kakashi looked at Hinata. "What do you think, Hinata?"

"Eh?" Hinata startled. Head whipping up in the direction of Kakashi's voice. "Me? I…" She trailed off before shaking her head. "I think Sasuke-kun should do what he wants. That's all."

Kakashi tilted his head consideringly and then his eyes closed in another enigmatic smile. "Hm. I don't think Sasuke's ever had trouble doing that," he said simply. "So you won't join?"

Sasuke wrestled with the choice internally. He didn't realize he was clenching his first in the fabric of Hinata's shirt until her hand came to rest on his, fingers rubbing soothingly against his knuckles. "Fine," he said finally. "I'll go. Just to make sure they tell the truth." That wasn't the real reason, but Kakashi nodded like he believed him anyway.

Releasing Hinata from his hold, Sasuke got to his feet. "I'll walk you back to your room."

Hinata's head followed him as he navigated around the bed. He helped her up and even though they both knew she could do it herself, she allowed him to do so without a word. Hand trailing down her arm, Sasuke paused at her wrist, squeezing gently, before taking her hand in his.

It was early enough that there were only a few people in the hallway, but that just meant that the three of them stood out more. Ignoring everyone else, Sasuke concentrated on Hinata as she recalled the path she'd taken the previous night. Her room was only a few doors down, a fretful looking older woman standing outside.

Hinata bowed at the call of her name, mumbling out, "I'm sorry, Fumiko-san."

Fumiko's eyes softened when they landed on Hinata. "It's fine. Let's get you back to bed. I'd like to check your vitals."

Hinata bobbed her head in a nod before turning to Sasuke. He took the opportunity to soak in her appearance. Her lips were dry and her hair needed to be washed. Sasuke became aware of his own grimy state. The chakra burns Hinata had left on his hand had been healed, but the skin felt raw and sensitive. He was in desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes.

Hinata smiled shyly up at him.

Sasuke could stay in this moment forever, aches and pains and all.

Running his fingers through her bangs, Sasuke then laid them under her chin, tilting Hinata's head up a little further. Her bandaged eyes cast a shadow over the moment. Sasuke worried about what lay beneath them. The ghostly blue that had accompanied Hinata's trance-like state flashed through his mind and Sasuke had to tamp down a frown.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked. There was a slight tremble to her voice, a sweet blush colouring the apples of her cheeks under the heat of his gaze.

Sasuke wanted to press closer. Draw that blush out even more, feel it against his own skin. Draw out more trembling sounds from her lips, drink them down with his own.

He swallowed roughly.

Fumiko was staring suspiciously. Kakashi was still present as were the other hospital staff members.

Sasuke stepped back, letting his hand fall back to his side. "I'll be back."

He waited until the door closed behind her before leaving with Kakashi.

"You might want to practice discretion," the older man said as they walked. "If any rumours reach the Hyuuga, it'll be Hinata that suffers."

Sasuke kept his gaze forward. He'd suspected that was the reason Kakashi had escorted them. To curb any wild imaginations from going too far at the sight of him and Hinata exiting his room together so early in the morning. His pride stopped him from thanking his former teacher. "Hinata can handle her clan," Sasuke said instead. He meant it, too.

Kakashi made an impressed sound. "You're probably right," he conceded. "Little Hinata-chan has grown a lot."

Sasuke grimaced. "Don't call her that, you creep. I know what kind of books you read."

"Ouch. Just how low is your opinion of me?"

"It continues to reach new depths."

"Not a day goes by that I don't regret becoming a jounin instructor."

"Yeah. Me too."


Unsurprisingly, Sasuke and Kakashi were the last to arrive.

Naruto appeared to be regaling everyone with a detailed account of his visit to the orphanage to check on the two kids who had been taken.

Homura was at least attempting to feign interest. Koharu's eyebrow was twitching with irritation.

Shikamaru looked to be taking a discrete nap.

Kakashi sailed into the room, unconcerned by the glare Koharu shot him. "Ah, isn't that just like our village hero?" he said with a gesture to Naruto. "Kissing babies, rescuing cats, escorting old ladies across the street."

It didn't escape anyone's notice that those were all regular excuses Kakashi used for his lateness.

Well, almost anyone's…

Naruto frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? I wasn't doing any of that stuff."

Shikamaru palmed his face.

"Never mind," Kakashi said, eyes curling into a smile.

Koharu huffed impatiently. "Enough with your nonsense."

Expression growing more serious, Kakashi nodded. "Let's get started."

The conversation that followed confirmed what Sasuke had already deduced. The two elders had been lured into a trap by Kiyoko and captured, waking up restrained in the underground tunnels once used by Danzo. They had recognized Mizunoto by his voice as one of Danzo's closest charges and had heard him give orders to incapacitate Naruto, to infiltrate the Konoha Jōhōbu and Toshodokoro and to capture and secure the Konoha power station and water supply in order for the organization to be perfectly poised for a coup.

"They didn't need us. We were bait. For him," Koharu muttered with a baleful glare at Sasuke.

"You're alive aren't you?" he returned, voice glacial.

"You —!"

"Technically speaking, though Naruto may be next in line, he doesn't have a formal position. Neither do the two of you," Shikamaru noted, drawing frowns from both Koharu and Homura. "But eliminating you would cause instability among the villagers. It's unlikely Sasuke was the sole reason you were taken. Nae-ROOT wouldn't have risked that."

"Kanoto was able to break out of T and I using Shinranshin no Jutsu," Kakashi pointed out, glancing at Sasuke.

Sasuke grimaced. "Mizunoto could use that jutsu too."

Shikamaru made a low noise in his throat. "Between the two of you, there's a lot of village secrets he could have gotten access to. They previously stole the Fūin no Sho and were targeting the Konoha Toshodokoro; information gathering is a priority to them."

"We weren't put under such a jutsu," Homura refuted. His eyes slid to Sasuke. "Him on the other hand…"

"As you know, skilled users can enter the mind without revealing themselves. Meanwhile kekkei genkai like the sharingan and the byakugan provide a certain amount of protection against such attacks," Kakashi said, unimpressed.

Grudgingly, Sasuke spoke up. "Normally my sharingan deflects techniques that work on the mind, but with Mizunoto's poison…it wasn't as effective."

Kakashi and Shikamaru managed to temper their reactions, but Naruto's surprise was displayed across his face. Sasuke averted his gaze, meeting Koharu's. Her hand was at her jaw, touching the skin Sasuke remembered cutting through. Now not even the slightest scar hinted at what had happened less than twenty four hours ago. Sasuke wondered if Tsunade herself had tended to the elders.

Koharu's expression shuttered and she dropped her hand.

"I could see everything he did," Sasuke continued. "He didn't try to access any memories."

After a pause, Shikamaru spoke. "We should have someone take a look at them. See if Mizunoto went looking for anything."

Koharu bristled. "And him?"

The thought of having a Yamanaka root around his head had Sasuke jerking up.

Koharu didn't deign to look at Sasuke, speaking directly to Kakashi.

But it was Naruto who answered. "This meeting isn't about Sasuke. And you don't have a say about what happens. That's up to the Hokage."

Homura frowned at Naruto, but Koharu kept her eyes on Kakashi, waiting.

Kakashi shrugged. "This meeting isn't about Sasuke," he reiterated. "Let's try to keep on topic. That way we can all go home sooner."

The corners of Koharu's lips twitched as she pressed them into a thin line, but she said no more on the topic. They recounted the rest of what happened succinctly. Once they had wrapped up, Koharu started to leave without sparing another glance at Sasuke, but Homura paused and spoke.

"This resentment that you hold…" he started before trailing off. "It's impossible to make decisions for the good of the village that please everyone. Someone will always suffer." Homura's eyes shifted to Naruto and then back to Sasuke. "…It seem you will understand that soon from personal experience."

Not for the first time, Sasuke bit back the impulse to spit out an insult and storm off in a rage. His pride kept him in place. From behind him, he heard Naruto loudly call out, "Hey! You know he saved your life, right?" But Sasuke kept his gaze locked onto Homura's, refusing to back down. Finally, he said, "I'm not like you."

It was Homura that gave in, breaking the stalemate and turning to follow after Koharu.

"Grouchy old bastard," Naruto grumbled once they were gone. "You think they'd have some gratitude."

Kakashi shook his head. "Some people are too stuck in their ways and their worldview."

Naruto crossed his arms against his chest. "Like Sasuke'd be anything like him when he's on my council," he scoffed. He looked at Sasuke like they were sharing a joke, but Sasuke remained stiff.

"Naruto…" Kakashi started.

"I'm not going to be on the council." It was the second time that day Sasuke was repeating the sentiment. Though his insides twisted the same way they had before, he managed to say the words more certainly this time.

"You — what?!" Naruto spluttered. "But you said —"

"The Hokage gets to appoint the Konoha Go-Ikenban?"

Sasuke frowned. "I wanted you to replace them. I didn't mean with me." Something like hurt sparked beneath the confusion in Naruto's eyes and Sasuke beat down the guilt inside him. Instead, he started to leave. "I'm going."

"You're so full of shit!"

Sasuke froze. "What?" he asked dangerously.

Naruto glared back defiantly. "You heard me! You're running away again."

"Running away from what?" Sasuke scoffed. "I never wanted to tie myself any further to this place."

"Have you told Hinata that?"

Sasuke's eyes blazed. "Don't —"

Suddenly Kakashi was bodily separating them. "Cool off, you two," he said sternly. "We just barely avoided a crisis, not without casualties. Naruto, my office."

Naruto continued to stare Sasuke down over Kakashi's shoulder until Shikamaru bumped him from the back. "Come on. I'll treat you to ramen if you make it to lunch without an incident."

Sasuke watched in a tense silence as the two other boys left the room.

"Sasuke," Kakashi called. Once he had successfully pulled Sasuke's attention from the empty doorway he seemed at a loss for words. Shaking his head, he said, "Why don't you go back to the hospital? You were in bad shape yesterday. Take some time to recover."

Sasuke grunted.

"And before I forget," Kakashi continued. "You did good yesterday."

Not expecting the praise after having just been scolded, Sasuke's eyes widened.

"I mean it. It was the best possible outcome, all things considered. Mizunoto and Kiyoko captured alive. Utatane, Mitokado, Fujiwara and the other kids safe. You and Hinata back in one piece." There was a smile in Kakashi's voice. When he reached out to ruffle Sasuke's hair, Sasuke was too surprised to stop him.

"Well, I'm off!"

Now alone, Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fix the damage caused by Kakashi. "Creepy old man," he muttered to himself.


Shortly after Sasuke dropped her off at her hospital room, Kiba, Shino and Akamaru stopped by for a brief visit, filling her in on what had been happening above ground while she was held captive and wanting a play by play of her own experience.

"That's so badass!" Kiba crowed. "There was this monstrous flare ofchakra and then a few minutes later there was thisthis moment when every single one of those nae-ROOT fuckers just dropped, but no one on our side knew who did it. To think Team Eight gets the bragging rights —"

"This is Hinata-chan's accomplishment," Shino interjected.

"Kurenai-sensei's gonna be so disappointed by your lack of teamwork. Is this what you're teaching the brats at the academy? Guess we'll know who to blame when they finally make it onto the field."

Turning bodily away from Kiba, Shino told Hinata, "Sensei said she would visit later today. I suspect she intends to pick up some baked goods."

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Oh, Shino-kun, tell her she doesn't need to —"

"Hinata-chan, you too?!"

"I will do no such thing," Shino said.

They couldn't stay long, but left with a promise of a congratulatory dinner both for Hinata's feats and recovery and without once mentioning the scent of white lilies that had hovered over the conversation.

Not ten minutes after they had departed, Hinata found herself being ushered out of the room.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"There was an urgent…request for you to be moved to a private room," Fumiko responded, sounding harried as she pulled Hinata around several corners.

Hinata blanched. The private rooms were for VIPs. Kages, visiting diplomats and clan heads. For her to be moved to one made her feel abashed. "It's…I don't need —"

"It's already been decided, Hinata-san — ah! I mean, Hinata-sama."

"Hinata-san is fine!"

But Fumiko wasn't listening, too busy guiding Hinata through a door and onto a much softer bed.

"Here you go, Hinata-sama. I'll put the flowers Naruto-san brought you here on the left nightstand." The sound of something being set down followed. "There's a washroom to your immediate left and access to an outdoor patio further down. I'll go fetch you breakfast. If you need anything, you can use the remote on the right nightstand to call for a nurse." With those hurried instructions, Fumiko exited the room. Hinata heard the shoji door slide shut, dampening the noise from the hallway, which was already limited due to the exclusive nature of the room, segregated from the common areas of the hospital.

With a resigned sigh, Hinata sank further into the mattress. Then, unable to resist their scent, she reached out and gently captured one of the white lily petals between her forefinger and thumb, relishing in their smooth texture.

Shaking her head, Hinata got to her feet, deciding to map out her new room. From the bed, she followed along the wall to the bathroom door, then past it where she edged around a small nook furnished with a table and two chairs. Continuing to trace her hand against the wall, Hinata found the entrance to the patio. Hand splayed across the sun warmed glass pane of the door, Hinata paused. Through the bandages, she was able to perceive the change in lighting.

Backtracking to the bathroom, Hinata let herself in. Opting to leave the lights off, she began to unravel the bandages from her eyes. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking once, twice, until her vision focused. Lavender eyes reflected back at her from under disheveled bangs in the mirror above the sink, the light coming into the bathroom from the open door enough for Hinata to note the lines in her skin from where the bandages had been wrapped tightly.

Taking in the state of her hair, Hinata absentmindedly wondered if there was a brush in the cabinet on the wall. Letting the bandage fall onto the edge of the sink, Hinata tried to comb through her hair with her fingers. Suddenly recalling the pain when Sasuke touched her temple the previous night, Hinata carefully swept her away from her face, tucking it behind her ears, and then immediately froze.

"There is something that you want…I will help you achieve it, if that is what you wish…But you must be certain."

The deluge of lost memories from her time with Hamura hit Hinata with enough force that she had to grasp onto the sink for support.

The pain of chakra carving into her skin from the inside out, the blood on the sides of her face the final touch. Eyes flying open to a pair of forceps millimeters from her cornea, the cold metal making contact and the pulse at her temples followed by indigo chakra racing up the serrated edges of the tool, jumping to the fingers looped through the handle and up an arm until it encased the entire body. Genji's blood curling screams. The full force of her chakra eating through her restraints.

Hinata's grip tightened on the sink, knuckles going bloodless. There, on either side of her face, several centimeters from the corners of her eyes, lay thin, indigo coloured, flowerlike designs, no larger than an echinacea petal.

A seal.


Hyuuga shenanigans incoming...

Thank you to everyone who continues to read and take the time to leave me reviews

I'll be out of the country for the next two weeks and won't be able to post :( but will get back on schedule as soon as I get back home!

MVH