A Bewitching Dance

by Haerrlekin

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful, red-haired woman with violet eyes and a warm smile. Oh, and a white void, but that was besides the point! In which Naruto fails to summon Gamabunta and goes splat in the chasm; Jiraiya did a whoopsie, Kurama is a jerk, and Hinata brings good vibes. Who knew that crippling, life-threatening injuries could feel so good?

24. Renew and Rebuild

Good golly gog, it's good to be back!

What did I do during my break, all two of you are asking?

Nothing

And it was glorious! I really hadn't realized just how burnt out I was feeling writing for hours on end everyday until I got sick with Covid and couldn't write. Then it hit me like a brick, because I was feeling better being sick and miserable than I'd been feeling lately, completely healthy…

But then I started to miss it. I've really come to enjoy this project as part of my routine, and I just couldn't stay away any longer. Thus, the grind continues!

Alrighty, I've got some announcements to give near the end, but for now I'll spare you any further monologuing.

Let's get back on that horse:

---

The trek back to her father's estate felt heavy; measured up against the freedom she'd enjoyed while traveling with Naruto and Jiraiya -the more… painful experiences notwithstanding-, she found herself missing her time outside the walls more and more with every step that drew her closer to home.

Her hand clenched; she wished for a moment that she had just let Naruto walk her home. He had offered -requested even- to walk with her, and she really had nearly taken him up on that.

But seeing the ways his eyes flickered between her and the still dazed Sasuke, the sobbing mess that had become of Sakura stoutly wrapped around the bedridden boy like a pink-haired coat- seeing the worry gleaming in his eye, unsure of who best to support and yet unwilling to cheapen either with a mere clone…

She knew where he needed to be, even if she wished she were more selfish.

She sighed, then shelved those thoughts.

Better to just get it over with, then; no doubt, her father would have questions about her sudden departure.

Rage, if she was truly unlucky…

Hinata crossed the threshold, shoulders wanting to slump and curl, but she fought even harder to keep them straight- to remain tall. A stiff nod was offered to the two guards; they nodded back, twin winces of sympathy worn plainly on her behalf.

Ah… Rage then. That sounded like a job for 'Bold Hinata.'

The front door slid open with a sharp 'clack', long before she could even try reaching for the handle, and Hinata stared up into the piercing byakugan eyes of her father; he stood tall from the top of the stairs, seeming larger than ever as he stared her down, silently.

Behind him, Hanabi's worried gaze peeked around the bulk of their father's kimono; Hinata offered the phantom of a smile for her- reassurance that she knew her younger sister needed.

"I'm home," Hinata near-whispered, forcing herself to match the man's gaze anew.

"Hm…" Hiashi's response was deceptively placid; it wouldn't have seemed out of place, making small talk about the weather. Still, he continued to bar the entrance, silently staring his eldest down for a long, uncomfortable moment; her father's eyes darted up and down, taking in her still-frazzled hair, then trailing over her still-swollen brow and half-healed bruises; then, her change in clothing. "I see you've been busy…"

"... Yes?"

A long silence coiled around father and daughter, disrupted only marginally by Hanabi's uncomfortable fidgeting. The little girl opened her mouth to speak, likely on her sister's behalf; Hinata caught her gaze before she could and subtly shook her head. Hiashi raised a brow, clearly noticing the exchange, but said nothing; his gaze simply remained hard and unyielding, pinning her under clear reproach.

What was this even supposed to be? Did he really expect her to simply spill her guts regarding the mission?

Ah, probably… Hinata had rarely had the constitution to resist his whims for long. She could count many a time that this silent approach had worked on her.

Though- though, she was surprising even herself with the calm she'd generated. Even her father seemed a touch perturbed after another long moment, faced with her own steady stare.

One beat.

Two beats.

Then Hiashi sighed. "Explain to me why you thought it wise to leave the village without my say-so."

There was a part of her that wanted to rush into explanation- to whittle away at the impending fury she knew to be beneath his own facade of calm; to get ahead of it before it could pierce the veil and punish her as viciously as she imagined he would.

Hinata clamped down on that instinct with an iron grip, instead measuring her words twice and lacing them with a touch of steel.

"I- The mission I was given was of great importance. W-what's more, I was-" She forced herself to breathe. "I was working on an uncharitable timetable… I prioritized accordingly."

Hiashi sneered, firing right back- "And at no point did you think it a priority to speak to me before you went galivanting across the country with unfamiliar company?"

Neither Naruto nor Jiraiya were particularly unfamiliar to her at that point. Though, she doubted he wanted to hear that.

Another breath. "I asked Hanabi to relay my circumstances," Hinata retorted, after a moment.

His sneer deepened even further, his eye twitching just a tick. "Your sister is not your courier, girl," He bit back, snidely. "You should have come to me for permission, as is proper; as we've discussed!" Hiashi's tone peeled apart its facade, word-by-word, until the cool chill of his prim demeanor could hold on no longer; true fury bubbled past his surface, the bulging veins of his byakugan finding company in the throbbing, scarlet tick in his temple.

Hinata couldn't fully withhold the flinch that came as her father finally began to stalk down the stairs, his footsteps unusually loud as even the illusion of decorum left the man. "You- gods! You left to an unknown place for an unknown purpose without pre-approved protection! Use your bloody head! Do you truly think merely sending your kid sister was appropriate for that!?"

Hinata had never seen her father look so out of sorts before. Not even the day of her uncle's death, had her father broken character so utterly. It was almost humanizing, to see the man so frazzled for once. "I- was in a hurry- I needed to-"

Hiashi cut right across her, hardly even hearing her in his fury. "May I remind you that you are unmarked and but a genin; tell me- what could you have done if an enemy village had made moves to claim your eyes? You of all people should be conscious of that possibility!"

Hinata's fist clenched, shaking subtly at the reminder.

Ah… So that was his deal. For a brief moment, she'd nearly fooled herself into thinking he'd worried for her.

Her features smoothed anew.

"Well?" Hiashi roared, now looming directly over her; his pupilless eyes swelled, so wide and almost comically large, and yet so dark and teeming with rage. "Answer me! Open your mouth and speak!"

His daughter stepped back a bit, reclaiming her space and forcing herself to remain placid. It was hard, pressed as she was. Though, she surprised herself all the same as her mask continued to hold. "I was… with one of the Legendary Sannin and Naruto-kun. I think-"

"You think?" Hiashi interrupted her yet again, and this time Hinata twitched subtly with annoyance. He leaned down to eye level with her, a snarl ripping in his throat. "Have you forgotten your role? Has your time fraternizing with that Uzumaki boy jarred your senses from your blasted head!?" His breath was hot in her face as he continued. "I have tolerated your involvement with that boy despite my better judgment because he impressed me in the tournament, but if you cannot be trusted to act sensibly under his influence, then perhaps that boy is more trouble than he's worth!

That hardened her. Hinata took a long breath, then glared directly up at him, her own byakugan slowly bulging to life in her eyes. "My relationship with Naruto-kun is my business."

Hiashi's glare turned truly frigid. The bulging veins of his own byakugan seemed fit to burst and bleed out from his skin. "You are at the thin-end of my patience, girl; mind your tongue, lest you teeter right off its edge."

She knew well that her next words would not end well, but even still- "My business was also finding our Hokage a healer." Hinata forced her heart to keep steady as she held his gaze, shoring herself up to stand up straight. "I came back with that and more. I think that takes precedence over your feelings."

Pain stung her face as Hiashi's palm cracked across her cheek. Hanabi yelped, her vision darting between the two in a panic at the sudden escalation. Then her gaze hardened into a childish glare sent Hiashi's way, something close to betrayal loitering in the girl's youthful eyes as her sister stumbled.

But Hinata held.

How many times had he struck her like this? Called her weak or spineless, but then punished her for taking initiative? What, did he expect her to feel ashamed for fulfilling her duty? Or for supporting Naruto in his time of need?

Fat chance.

Tears bubbled up in her eyes, but Hinata refused to let them fall, instead slowly turning back to face him. Hiashi's fury dimmed just a bit as he took in her expression.

Still, she held, if only so Hanabi wouldn't have to see her big sister cry.

Deep breaths.

Inhale.

Exhale.

She was hurt; she was upset; but she wasn't scared.

Suddenly, after everything she'd been through, her father wasn't scary at all anymore.

'Bold Hinata' met Hiashi's glare with a truly scathing one of her own. "I'm fine, by the way."

That made him blink, slowly. "Pardon?" He was so nonplussed by her smooth response that he let her push right past him,

Hinata measured her words carefully, and when she spoke next, her tone was a razor's edge. "Since the moment I've returned, you've noticed my injuries, tried to play mind games and shout down at me for disobeying you, but not once have you asked me what happened or how I'm faring… That tells me all I need to know a-about where your priorities lie."

Hiashi's jaw clicked shut, and for the barest of moments, her byakugan nearly fooled her into thinking she saw a pittance of shame in his face.

"You asked me w-why-" She took a long breath. "You asked me why I didn't come to tell you that I was leaving, myself. Why are you pretending now like you care, when I've been expendable to you any other time?"

She didn't wait for his response- didn't care to hear it. Hinata spared the man not a glance further as she ascended the steps, taking only a moment to caress Hanabi's cheek and give her a swollen smile before she stepped around her as well.

---

Tsunade had long-since begun to regret her anointment as Hokage. Hell, the true weight of the responsibility she'd taken on had begun to set in from the very moment she'd touched down in Hiruzen's musty old office, disarrayed and uncleaned in the chaos since his ailment; the sheer scale of the wall of paperwork that her sensei had left behind for her had nearly broken her right then and there.

"-ade?"

She'd put it off for the first day or two- just long enough to focus her efforts on more immediate concerns:

First, Hiruzen, himself, and it was a real testament to the insidiousness of Orochimaru's venoms that even her own medical expertise had not yet cleared the old monkey's system in full; hell, several evenings of grueling cleansings later, and she was only just beginning to see color return to her aged predecessor's face. It would be several more than even that before she felt safe to wake him from his coma.

"-ade!?"

Then her thoughts shifted to Kakashi Hatake and that poor Uchiha boy:

Their conditions were grave in a very different sort of way; a genjutsu capable of inducing self-perpetuation trauma to a victim's psyche, even long after the initial attack- Itachi Uchiha really was one mean piece of work.

And of course, that wasn't even getting into the pitch-black, devilish flames that the young Uchiha had spread in his initial panic upon waking; the little bastard had damn near sent her heart into her throat while the kids scrambled to avoid being flash-fried by that malevolent gaze of his. Then of course, there was the odd pattern in his sharingan-

"Tsunade!" The raspy shout of Koharu Utatane startled her out of her busy thoughts.

Slowly, the Slug Sannin's neck craned up from her paperwork to regard her sensei's old friend and advisor. Looking her up and down, Tsunade stifled the urge to groan.

She was far too busy to entertain the impotent posturing of her sensei's old entourage. While Hiruzen may have tolerated their meddling under their guise as 'honored advisors', she was much less inclined to weather the same degree of nonsense as the old monkey ever had.

Thus, Koharu was disregarded accordingly.

"Not now."

Tsunade tried to duck back down to her busy work, but then a second cough reminded her of the second menace in the room. She glanced up again, and this time she did groan.

Danzo Shimura… Of course it had to be him.

The Hokage's Dark Mirror- someone who could not be so easily ignored…

He was heavily battle scarred, their marks denoted boldly by the litany of cloth binds he'd donned especially over his right eye and arm, the latter of which wore a thick cast. Her chakra sensitivity was more than refined enough to spot the sophisticated cluster of seals that bound both, but not nearly enough to pierce through the veil and determine their purpose.

Unacceptable. She would not tolerate such a weakness around such an unpredictable element; she would need to drill Naruto as well, to be better prepared and sufficiently wary in his presence.

After all, this was a man who had thrived in the wars prior, and Tsunade knew well not to fool herself into underestimating him.

She sighed, collecting herself. "If you haven't noticed, I'm very busy with the mountains of hell you lot went and left me with." She gestured leadingly toward the door. "If it isn't a matter of life and death, get the hell out and bother me another time."

"It may very well be!" Koharu marched forward, rather boldly stealing a seat for old bones to glare directly at her old friend's student. "Reports of Orochimaru's activities in Tanzaku town heralded your arrival. I've asked twice for a formal meeting to discuss such matters and you've ducked me twice-too-many."

"So you're mad that I'm too busy to waste time debriefing you like some common grunt? Get over yourself." Tsunade jeered, her upper lip curling a bit with distaste; the pen between her fingers snapped under her strength, spewing stains of ink across her table. "Shit!"

God, why did all of her sensei's items have the integrity of wet glue?

"I see your manners have not improved any, in your time away!" Koharu huffed. "We're trying to help you, girl. The least you can do is look at me when I am speaking to you!"

"For the love of-" Tsunade gave up trying to clean the mess she'd made, simply snatching up the ruined document, crumbling it to a ball, and swiping the damned thing off the table to reveal the next, thankfully unblemished document underneath. "Fine. Orochimaru opened the gates of hell on Tanzaku town and killed a ridiculous amount of innocent people."

And she had every intention of making him pay in flesh for that… Now if only she could get these pests to piss off. Let her do her damn job, for god's sake! "What do you want from me?"

Now, Danzo finally spoke. "The Daimyo is no doubt enraged. He will want to see that swift action is being taken against Orochimaru-"

"I'm handling it," Tsunade cut in, irritatedly. "Do you think I'm just sitting on my ass? My apprentice has personally found an audience with his majesty as my liaison; she is arranging an official meeting with our Lord as we speak."

"Hmmm…" Danzo's head bobbed in agreement, and even Koharu's own frustration seemed to abate just a bit, at that. "In that case, I shall be fully content to leave you in peace, as soon as I can understand how you plan to respond to Orochimaru's open declaration of war."

Ugh…

Tsunade groaned. "Look, can I sit in the damn chair and maybe handle all of this, before you assholes start trying to pile more shit onto my plate?" Really, she was getting half-tempted to just say 'screw the job', and walk out on this bloody mess! Another pen burst in her hand, and Tsunade snarled. "Oh for the love of- God, you assholes knew damn well that the village lacked leadership and you just let it all grind to a fucking halt!? What exactly have you even been doing- just sitting around with your thumbs stuffed up your bony asses waiting for someone else to come pick up the pieces!?"

"How dare you!?" Koharu rose to her feet, a furious blush bleeding across her face. "We've done all that we could just to keep this place running! You on the other hand- you should have been here to begin with! Do not presume to judge us!"

"Enough, please." Danzo's tongue was polite and inoffensive, and yet a razor's edge clung to that demand that silenced Koharu immediately. Tsunade could feel just the slightest tinge of irritation like slow-moving sludge beneath his aged flesh. "Lady Tsunade, I would certainly love to be of aid. Whatever it is that you need, I am sure that I or some of my associates can handle it on your behalf; please do not presume that you must do everything alone."

Tsunade restrained her scoff, for as charming as his words may have been, she knew far too well not to trust the old Warhawk. She disregarded the man after a moment, staring once more into the void of paperwork beneath her and taking a small pleasure in the silent frustration that rooted in his bitter old heart at being ignored so brazenly.

A proposal for funding to repair the North district, which had seen the most damage from the enemy alliance's initial surprise attack.

Approved. She'd need to take stock of the village's treasury when she got a moment to spare; perhaps if she were fortunate, she could pawn that job off to Shizune, once her apprentice returned to her side.

Another thought.

Actually, let Naruto handle it. He was a Chūnin, wasn't he? The task was usually reserved for those of a higher bracket but he'd need to learn how to manage village funds anyways if he really wanted to be Hokage; better to make it his problem- let him learn early, and see if he still wanted the dumb, stupid, ugly hat when all was said and done!

Heh… Anyways-

A proposal to commandeer old, unused territory as temporary homes for the most wounded victims of the damages. She winced, looking over the territory in question.

"-ade!?"

Pending. Actually, she could let the brat take a look at that, too. Though, perhaps on the down low; she didn't need anybody kicking down her door for 'shirking protocol' or whatever.

Next, a number of convenient contract-offers from other villages! An offer from Wave stood as being particularly appealing, proposing a whole professional team to come aid in the reconstruction effort.

And at a phenomenal price point, no less! Naruto's own name seemed to be mentioned in a personal letter from the lead builder and his family- yeah, she'd need to grill the brat for details on that when she next saw him. At this rate, she might just have to name him her assistant and start saddling a lot of these menial tasks onto his plate, while she focused on the big things- at least until Shizune returned.

He could make clones, couldn't he?

In that case, he could bring her lunch too. Katsuyu seemed quite taken with him, so she doubted the old slug would mind playing messenger very much-

"Tsunade!" Koharu's exasperated bark once again tore Tsunade from her thoughts, and a vein began to throb fiercely in her temple as yet another pen snapped in her hand. "Tsunade! Pay attention when we're-"

"For the love of- get the hell out of here!" Tsunade finally roared back, surging to her feet. "God, can't you see I'm busy!?" Her fury, potent as it was, drove Koharu to a staggering, wheezing stand, herself. The old woman stumbled back, nearly tripping over the chair she'd previously occupied; she was driven to flee by the incensed Slug Sannin's sudden tantrum. "I'm trying to stick this village back together with the bloody convenience-store scotch-tape you fucking glue-sniffers left me! How the hell do you expect me to get anything done while you useless shits are nose-deep up my ass, huh!?

"Well- I" Koharu babbled dumbly, put off by the explosiveness of Tsunade's reaction. She was so unlike Hiruzen, whose patience had often bordered on alien.

"Shut up!" Tsunade ordered the woman, and Koharu's mouth snapped shut. "Either make yourselves useful or get out of my damn face!"

Tsunade's fingers flexed, and the entire face of the Hokage's desk split down the middle, its polished luster splintering to mere sawdust. That was the last straw it took for Hiruzen's advisor to scramble out the door in a rush.

Danzo though- he watched Koharu's flight with a dispassionate stare, slowly turning back after a moment to coolly meet the cold fury of Hiruzen's successor. "I assure you, our goal in coming here was not to frustrate you."

"Tch! Well you're doing a damn-terrible job, then!" Tsunade took a breath, once more seating herself before the mangled desk and rubbing at her aching temples.

She really needed to remember to watch her own strength.

And maybe have that table remade…

And reinforced. That, and the door-knob, actually; she'd already broken that damned thing on repeat with just about every use since she'd gotten there.

And that wasn't even getting into Hiruzen's old teacups- she was getting off topic.

"I apologize for that." Danzo's apology came smoothly, and it restored her attention back to the man. Danzo then rose as well, bowing shortly to the student of his old, ailing rival. "My actions are and only ever have been for the benefit of Konoha; if you tell me that you are too busy working on the recovery to make a move against Orochimaru- perhaps I can be of aid to you after all?

Tsunade glared up from the pile of paperwork before her. "And what assistance do you think you can offer me?"

"You know well that I was a capable general during my glory days; I'm sure you can recall many missions that I specifically led or assigned." Danzo shrugged, as if trying to play that off as 'no big deal'. "If you would only assign to me the means, I could organize a team against Orochimaru. All out war against another Hidden Village -however small- would be ill-advised, given our current condition. However, with your blessing, I am confident that I can put some pressure onto him to your benefit."

"You think you can take on Orochimaru?" Tsunade fought the urge to scoff.

"I would make him bleed for raising his hand against us," Danzo shrugged, visibly disinterested in her apparent lack of faith. Within though, she sensed just a pinch of irritation.

'Go fuck yourself.' She really almost said it. Danzo wasn't exactly the kind of person she wanted running around with any kind of authority. Just as firmly as she knew of his tactical prowess, so-too did she know of his blatant disregard for others- their own people included. Loyal as he seemingly was, the man was undoubtedly a loose cannon…

But even still, Danzo wasn't exactly wrong. Every moment that Konoha remained impotent, that was another scheme the snake was getting to enact, unimpeded; another moment that Konoha was allowed to look toothless in the eyes of the rest of the world.

But she could not reasonably mobilize against someone like Orochimaru all by herself- not while the village was in such dire straits; she needed help, plain and simple…

What's more, giving the old bastard something to do worked in her favor too; so long as he was busy serving a mutual goal, he was less likely to put himself in her way.

Even if she loathed the idea of giving that kind of man any kind of power.

"I'll call for you when I've decided," She finally allowed, and Danzo merely bowed again in response.

"I will await your call then."

---

Sakura had hardly let up on Sasuke since the Uchiha boy had awoken and the danger had passed; she clung to him incessantly, grooming his hair and face- anything she could to reassure herself that Sasuke had truly recovered.

To his credit, their raven-haired friend and teammate had endured the girl's pestering for far longer than he ever had before. Maybe he was still just dazed; perhaps he simply understood that the girl was distraught and needed that comfort. Whatever the case, he let it slide, despite his own discomfort with her.

But as the days passed and Sasuke grew more aware- had more time to ponder and grew less confuddled by his circumstances, his irritation with her gestures seemed to grow more and more, the pink-haired girl's attentions corroding at his patience

Were it just that, Naruto would've been content to just let his friend suffer a little; Sakura meant well, and while Sasuke could whine and complain all he wanted, Naruto knew that on some level, the Uchiha appreciated to be worried about.

But there was more to him than that; it had been hard to spot at first, but that wailing, screaming well of agony that Sasuke had awoken with- it had not truly ebbed in full since he'd awoken.

Instead, Sasuke had merely seemed to bury it, stuffing that angry, roiling coil of emotion so deep beneath the surface that even the best efforts of Naruto's chakra sensitivity could hardly get a read on him.

It was Naruto's greatest source of worry- more so than the still-pending reconstruction effort, and even the litany of tasks that Tsunade seemed hellbent on stuffing in his arms.

Finally, he sighed. "Lay off him already Sakura," Naruto finally intervened, just as Sasuke's patience seemed to finally grope at the end of its rope. Sakura glanced back at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression, the girl caught somewhere between trying to spoon a mouthful of oatmeal into Sasuke's clenched jaw. "You're smothering him, ya know."

Sakura glanced back at him, a touch of indignance in her glare that withered just a bit under the authority in his tone. It gave way to a tinge of worry that sparkled in her jade-green eyes as she took in the darkened bags that hung under her blonde teammate's visible eye. Then, she cast a look back at the painfully blank facade of Sasuke's and then grew a bit sheepish. "R-right, sorry…" She pulled back, fingers twitching to brush her crush's hair out of his face, but mastering it.

Naruto and Sasuke briefly locked eyes, and the former saw his friend's lip twitch just a bit in sync with him; something close to amusement threatened to bubble right on out.

Then, agony. Sasuke's eyes looked past him, and the boy froze up entirely; his suddenly glassy, oddly-patterned sharingan stared into the void, something close to terror screaming in his chakra before that was handled and stuffed beneath the sand, anew.

It was only one painfully long moment, then Saske's face smoothed over again, his features and even chakra fighting to stay frustratingly placid.

Naruto nearly looked back, but mastered the urge, for he knew he would find nothing.

"Distract him," Kushina advised, and Naruto was quick to oblige.

"You hungry?" Naruto threw himself atop Sasuke's bed, looking to shift his attention from his self-destructive thoughts. His nonchalance was calculated, for he knew Sasuke would not care to be babied. "I've been running around doing errands for Auntie all day, so I haven't gotten to do more than stuff a crumb or two like a bloody ninja pigeon." Naruto snickered, heedless of Sasuke and Sakura's equally blank expressions. "She's gonna want some takeout, so I'll grab you a bite while I'm out doing rounds, yeah?"

Sakura perked up, grabbing onto the lifeline with both hands. "Y-yeah! We can get you some food!" She chimed in, positively.

We? Naruto side-eyed the girl, a bit of annoyance rising on his end now. The two of them were being friendly for Sasuke's sake, but Naruto still wasn't sure he wanted to be alone with her for long.

Still, he did not contradict her.

Sasuke did not respond immediately. His lips parted, a silent stream of words bubbling forth that never spilled past his lips. He wetted them, glancing down at his cloth-clad lap, his fists balling beneath the layer with clear frustration bundled in his touch.

"I'm good," Sasuke finally rasped out, a long shake of his head following. "I want to sleep."

An obvious lie; the deep bags under his friend's own eyes were one of many signs that Sasuke had been avoiding sleep like the plague since Tsunade had revived him from his nightmare.

Still, the dismissal was clear, and Naruto was remiss to betray that wish.

Sakura looked to the blonde for aid, wanting to argue, but not knowing how. She sniffled a bit as Naruto grabbed her bicep with deliberate gentleness, letting her pull herself to her feet while subtly shaking his head.

"S-Sasuke-kun, you like tomatoes, right?" She hedged, a bit shyly. Sasuke nodded hesitantly, a pinch of curiosity peeking shortly behind his eyes. Sakura seemed to cheer up just a bit, a decision made up in her mind. "We'll bring you something good, so you can eat it when you wake!"

Sasuke merely stared at her, and Naruto could sense her losing confidence in her decision, so he feigned a chuckle. "Just say you want some space, ya dingus. We can handle it."

Sasuke frowned, looking just a little guilty. "I… I want some space."

A wide grin stretched across Naruto's face as he saluted. "That's the spirit! We'll leave your food with your nurse; you can ask her to bring it to you when you feel ready. How's that?

Sasuke bobbed his head, the tiniest of smiles prodding shyly at his lips. "Yeah… Thanks."

Right then- Naruto led Sakura off with a palm at her back, silently bidding her not to look back at their teammate even though she clearly wished to. Still, she obeyed his direction, and it was only when he had closed the door behind them and led her near the stairs that she finally whipped around the snap at him.

"We shouldn't have left him like that!" She growled, her tone somewhere between a whisper and a shout.

"We were overwhelming him," Naruto retorted with a tired shrug. "He's not in the right mental state to deal with us hovering around him a bunch."

"I just wanted-"

"Stop, Naruto cut in a touch coldly, and her jaw snapped shut, something meek bubbling up in her watery eyes.

"S-sorry…"

"Oh go ahead and take her lunch money too while you're at it," Kushina sardonically chuckled. The humorous lilt she said it with did not do much for the guilt in his heart though. Wincing, Naruto forced his own heart to calm, so that he would not snap at the girl again.

Softening his tone a bit for her, he told her- "Look, I know you mean well; I want to help him too, ya know." He stepped closer, forcing down his own discomfort to comfortingly rub the girl's shoulder with closed knuckles and catch her eye. "But it's not about what we want; we gotta put Sasuke first- gotta ask ourselves what he needs." Then he sighed. "And right now, what he needs is some space to process things a little and get a hold of himself. We're just gonna make him worse if we just keep pushing without ever giving him a chance to push back."

He knew because he was the same.

"He's clearly still damaged by the genjutsu. You might need to try finding him a specialist- a professional who can help him cope, ya know?"

Yeah. Naruto plucked the offered information from his mother's thoughts, considering it:

The Yamanaka had a number of medical specialists dedicated to the healing of the mind. When she had been alive, it had been a largely underfunded program whose great promise had unfortunately gone underappreciated in favor of other programs, far more suited for dealing damage than repairing it. Besides, ninja by and large had a well-practiced, 'foolproof' strategy of burying their pain in work and/or vices…

"And maybe punching a wall or person every-so-often to take the edge off it all." Kushina snickered, dully.

But it was worth looking into, at least.

Though, getting Sasuke to agree to it would be its own thing entirely. The Uchiha survivor was far too proud to accept that he needed that kind of help; hell, if anything, he was more likely to take offense and clam up especially hard, if approached wrongly.

"So there's nothing we can do for him?" Sakura looked distraught.

"Her friend is a Yamanaka, isn't she?"

Naruto nodded. "You wanna help?" She nodded, almost desperately. "Invite Ino to hang out with us tomorrow; tell her I'll shave her head bald and shiny if she declines." Naruto started down the stairs, and his pink-haired comrade hastened to follow after him.

"Ino-pig?" Sakura huffed. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Her family specializes in mind jutsu right? Who better to help deal with obvious mental trauma than people who are gifted in that field." A thought. "But please don't do anything without me, and we definitely should not make any decisions without Sasuke's consent. That'll just piss him off, and we really can't risk alienating him right now, do you understand me?"

Sakura frowned deeply, but nodded hesitantly. "O-okay, I can do that."

Good. In that case- "You go see her right away; I'll go grab him some munchies."

Divide and conquer, and all…

Sakura was startled. "Wa-wait! I thought we could do that together- er, maybe get lunch or something- y'know, as a team-"

"See ya." Naruto flickered away, leaving the girl frustratingly alone.

"You know, that was a little rude of you…" Kushina's chide was expected, but betrayed slightly by the tiny chuckle that followed. Naruto could only shrug, for he had little explanation for himself.

Sakura was trying, and he could give the girl some respect for that, if nothing else. It wasn't the first time she'd tried to get a moment with him; on some level he could at least recognize that she worried for him too- that she was trying to be a better teammate and friend to him.

"I didn't know if you were safe…"

His eye twitched a bit at the memory, the boy forcing himself to retain the illusion of placidness. "Somehow, I think I'll learn to live with myself."

---

When Shikamaru invited Naruto out the following day, Naruto had been just a bit caught off-guard. He and Shikamaru were friends, and the fact that the naturally lazy guy had still cared to come see him in the hospital meant a hell of a lot to him. Hell, the trust and respect he'd offered to Naruto in the exams too- if Naruto hadn't considered him a friend before that point, they certainly were now.

But it just wasn't Shikamaru's style to go looking for people.

Still, Naruto couldn't exactly complain. Staring up at the sky above, Naruto had to admit that the guy certainly knew how to relax, something that he sorely needed right about now.

"That one looks a bit like an eel, yeah?" Shikamaru languidly pointed at a particular cloud, just above them. Naruto snickered.

"I guess so?"

"Mhm…" Shikamaru lightly jostled Choji, who really never seemed to leave the Nara boy's side. "How about you, Choji? What's that one look like to you?"

Choji grunted. "Ramen noodle."

Naruto immediately interjected- "Okay, so it's not just me!" The three shared a short chuckle, then Naruto pointed at another. "That one looks like a spider."

Shikamaru squinted at it. "I don't know… I was thinking it looked like an octopus."

Choji pointed at a completely different cloud. "That one looks like it can cook."

Shikamaru blinked rapidly, locking onto the cloud in question. "Er- I guess it does look like it's got a spatula in its hand?"

Sensing the joke, Naruto pointed at another cloud. "That one looks like it's a good kisser."

"W-what?"

Choji pointed at a cloud to their far right. "That one looks like it's well-educated."

"Hold on, I-"

Naruto pointed at their far left. "That one looks like it's got a stable, well-paying job."

"That's literally just a formless blob-"

"With a good ninja insurance plan." Choji interjected.

Shikamaru sighed. "You guys are making fun of me…"

"That one looks single!" Naruto snickered loudly. "We'll put in a good word for you Shika!"

"Oh shut up!" The lazy Nara boy thumped his shoulder and- "Shit!" Shikamaru cursed loudly, flexing his bruising, twitching knuckles. "God, are you stuffing bricks under your clothes or what?"

"Er- sorry…" Naruto winced on his behalf. "I- uh, I eat my vegetables?"

"Is that code or something for steroids?" Shikamaru groaned, rising up to a sitting position. "Or is it radioactive goo- is that how you grew another pair of arms?" He eyed the secondary limbs, the hands of which clasped conspicuously at the blonde's abdomen.

Naruto chuckled. "They're just prosthetics." He waved with one of them, wiggling their four-fingered digits for the other boy to see. "I needed them in Tanzaku, and- er, they're actually super useful to just have on stand-by."

"Speaking of which- how are you, by the way?" When Naruto merely tilted his head in question, Shikamaru huffed. "Word of Tanzaku is spreading like crazy; everyone in the village knows by now that you went on a whole hero's quest with one of the Sannin."

Choji sat up too, offering from his bag of potato chips and adding- "I heard there were zombie ninjas?"

Shikamaru snickered. "I heard that you pulled a millennia-old sword from a stone and slew a dragon."

Ah, so that was why he had invited him out. The only thing stronger than Shikamaru's inclination toward laziness was his own curiosity. Naruto grinned a little, snagging a couple of offered chips with a thankful nod for Choji. "No sword, and not a dragon; just a giant-ass snake. We got our asses kicked a little, but Hinata and I made it out, fine."

Heh… More like scraped by, by the skin of their teeth. Naruto wasn't exactly content with the way things had settled. All that senseless carnage-

He stifled the urge to sigh.

"All the more reason that you need to keep up your practice," Kushina reminded him, gently. "If you wanna master your dances, you've gotta get them to a point where you can maintain them at all times- normalize their strain until they're as effortless as the breath in your lungs."

Yeah… Stay the course…

Working on all of them at once wasn't exactly feasible- not when several of his dances currently conflicted with one another. Thus, he'd chosen three:

The Eel's path for flexibility and evasive proficiency, calibrated to weave around everyday obstacles and normalize the maximizing of his spatial awareness.

Whirlpool, to best manipulate his natural course of momentum, and respond accordingly to that of others; he'd especially chosen it for its natural synergy with the Eel's path.

Lastly, the Lion's maw, calibrated to maximize grip strength and depth perception when handling objects…

Maintaining each was taxing in their own unique ways, like carrying a heavy load without relief.

But he'd live.

Now if only he'd stop accidentally breaking things…

"Congrats to you two, by the way." This time, Shikamaru patted the blonde's shoulder gently. Naruto blinked twice, having to remind himself that he had been mid-conversation with the Nara boy. "Kiba was pissed; that guy was convinced it'd take you and Hinata at least another four years to start seeing each other." He patted his pocket meaningfully, and Naruto frowned at the thought that his comrades were taking bets on his love life.

Kushina's snickering within wasn't really helping.

"Sorry." She giggled again, and Naruto really didn't think that she was.

Shikamaru took his frown a bit differently. "Right, I guess you probably don't really wanna hear about him, huh?" Wincing a bit, he ducked his head. "My bad."

Naruto blinked twice. Then he merely shrugged. "It's fine. I'm over it, believe it."

It wasn't really meant to be a lie, but Shikamaru saw it all the same, giving him an odd look that made him think about it for a moment longer.

He supposed he wasn't truly over it, but there really was no point in holding grudges anymore.

"There you are!" Ino's voice was naturally loud, something that she and Naruto had once had in common. Both were naturals at making themselves the center of attention; hell, the two had clashed often if only for that reason alone.

All in good fun though. As self-centered as the girl seemed to be, she had always been surprisingly alright to him.

Well, 'alright' when compared to some others, he supposed…

Ino stalked up to her fellow blonde, standing over the whisker-cheeked boy with her hands on her hips and an indignant frown on her face that he matched with a sharp-toothed smile that made her flinch a little. A worry-faced Sakura trailed closely behind the girl, glancing between the two blondes with concern. "What's this you said about shaving my head, huh? You wanna say that to my face!?"

"I'll kiss your face if you don't stop looking so damn cute," Naruto snapped right back, and Ino's face bled pink with scandal.

"W-w-what the heck are you talking about, you idiot? Aren't you and Hinata- I mean I heard that you two were-"

"I'm joking. Hold on-" Dragging himself to his feet, Naruto dusted the grass off his kimono top. Then, looping his two right arms around a frozen-still Ino, he pointed upwards. "Oi, Ino, what does that cloud look like to you?"

Stonily, she glanced up, then back at the boy who was now way too close. "Er- I-I guess it looks like a salaryman? See, it's got a little briefcase. Wait- why do you have so many-"

"That's what I'm saying!" Naruto cheered, dancing away from the girl and twirling in place. Shikamaru groaned, doubling in noise when Choji guffawed and slapped his back.

"W-wait, what are you guys even talking about?" Ino groaned too, once again palming her hips to glare at Naruto. Her eyes lingered especially on his dual sets of limbs, the metallic prosthetics gleaming a bit with the sunlight. "You better not be making fun of me!"

"I'm not, I'm not," Naruto stressed, his grin ever-present. "Sakura and I do need your help though, unless you're a stinky ugly coward… Are you a stinky ugly coward?"

"Oh shut up and just tell me what you want already!" She growled, quickly losing patience with the boy's antics. She glanced between the two present members of Team Seven. "Sakura, what does he want?"

Sakura glanced Naruto's way, a silent plea in her eyes for the boy to be more serious.

"Quit deflecting," Kushina ordered her son, just a touch sternly. "You're the one who called for her, so stop wasting her time."

Naruto winced.

Right… 'Sorry.'

Naruto sobered up in an instant. "Er- I-It's Sasuke."

That got everyone's attention.

Shikamaru spoke up. "I'd heard he wasn't doing too well. He left the village and came back unconscious; no one knows what happened to him." Then his eyes narrowed. "Do you know?"

Naruto nodded. "His piece of shit brother played ping pong with his brain, believe it." The others' faces began to pale at the mention of Itachi Uchiha; even Sakura, who had not yet had the full story thus far.

"I was there when it happened and- uh, it wasn't pretty. He did some kind of genjutsu attack that screwed Sasuke up real bad…"

"Oh…" Ino licked her lips, looking like she wanted to say something. Her eyes darted after Sakura, sympathy bleeding into the usually bratty girl's features. "Is- is he going to be okay?"

Naruto merely frowned. "Auntie patched him up as best as she can but-"

"Wait, 'Auntie'?" Shikamaru cut in, but a moment later- "Actually, later… Sorry."

"Mhm… Aunt- er, Tsunade- he tried hard to ignore the several widening eyes, at that- woke Sasuke up the other day, but he's obviously not doing well at all. He won't even talk, really. So we're just trying to do what we can to help him out, ya know?"

"O-okay…" Ino shuffled in place, suddenly feeling rather small. "But what do you need me for?"

Naruto shrugged. "Your whole family specializes in mind magic."

"It's mind-transfer jutsu-"

"Ninja mind magic, right," Naruto cut in, much to the girl's exasperation. "We're hoping you might be able to help us find someone who can work with him- er, like a doctor or something, ya know?"

"A doctor? For what, his head?" Ino seemed a bit nonplussed. "Er- I guess I could try if it's for you guys… My dad might know somebody?" Ino frowned, not really seeming very sure, herself. "But do you really think Sasuke-kun would be okay with that?"

Sakura clutched at her elbow, mirroring her friend's expression. Naruto on the other hand-

"Ha! That stubborn jackass would sooner clip both his balls and swallow 'em before asking somebody else for help." Naruto chuckled to himself, ignoring the two girls' twin squawks of indignance. Then he was serious again. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate it. Let me convince him; for now I just need to know that we have someone who can help, so I know I ain't just making empty promises to him.

---

She couldn't breathe.

It was agony from all sides, collapsing down upon her ribs with overwhelming force; she tried to claw her way free, to choke down even one precious mote of breath and reset herself.

But she was too fragile- far, far too weak to pry away the massive, broad-bodied club that stole her breath. It writhed and twitched, almost giggling as her ribs snapped and parted, bit by bit. Eyes squinted and half-blinded with tears of pain, she tried to follow the long, brutish limb that commanded the object of her torment.

Blue-skinned flesh tensed, swollen and bulging with vascularity; another push from that arm, and Hinata felt the wall behind her begin to give, and her body warped in kind.

Hinata tried to scream for Naruto; he was only a few meters off, but he was so frustratingly absent, suffering his own torment at the hands of Itachi Uchiha's scarlet gaze. Louder then- Jiraiya would surely help!

But her voice barely rose- too small for her own good.

Then she heard that dreaded laugh- unconcerned with her best, and mocking her for her weakness. She gazed up at its source and her heart lept in her throat, taking in the vicious, shark-like jaws that commandeered his roughened, blue-skinned face.

"That's the spirit, kiddo!"

Then she was awake, tearing up from her bed with a gasp.

For several moments that felt far too long, she merely clutched at her chest, shuddering and wheezing while she fought to get herself under control.

Inhale…

Exhale…

Inhale-

Her fingers ghosted over the memories of old wounds, healed over but never forgotten. She could still remember the sensation of having the life choked out of her as he-

She stilled that thought.

Exhale…

She was fine… She had lived; she'd saved Naruto, and he had saved her.

She was fine; they were fine…

Hinata bullied her attention away from the phantom aches in her chest, eyeing the slow ascent of the sun with a breath of relief.

Something else. She needed something else to occupy her mind.

She prepared quickly for the day, and though she had her own complaints with being back at home, having her own shower again was at the very bottom of that list

When she stepped out though, still damp and not yet proper, she eyed the conspicuously placed note that had been placed near the center of her bed.

Courtyard, 8AM.

Hinata sighed, seeing that it was jotted in her father's meticulous pen. A look at the clock told her she still had time, so Hinata instead turned her gaze to the myriad drawers that were all but bursting with the ocean of clothing Hana had rather generously dumped onto her.

And wasn't that an odd problem to have? So much to wear that one couldn't choose. It was part of why she'd always tried to keep it simple. She'd rarely had the capacity to spare for such decisions in the past…

But there was something almost empowering now, having so many choices to make for herself. The distraction too. Even of something as menial as picking clothes for the day- she didn't exactly mind it right at that moment.

Hinata dressed quickly, fixing her hair and noting its growing length in the horizontal mirror; now, her front bangs nearly reached the swell of her chest. The back had grown out as well, no longer as neat and cropped as she had often preferred, much to her father's own exasperation.

"You look like a little boy." Those days, his insults would made her flinch, hiding deeper within the bulk of her oversized coat to escape the scorn in his eyes.

But she'd rarely had the confidence to try any other way…

She wondered if Naruto could style it for her.

Ah, the note.

It found her gaze again, and mood soured anew by the imposition of her father, her steps nonetheless ferried her where she'd been ordered; her father already stood in wait.

I see my note was well received." Hiashi nodded appreciatively at his daughter's early arrival. Then he raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing just a touch as he took in the thin orange jacket and stylish, off-white pants she'd chosen: The former had been chosen with deliberateness- a silent reminder of her stance with him, regarding her relationship.

She doubted he'd missed it.

Her pants were comfortable- loose and airy around the hips and thighs, with twin mesh strips running along the inner and outer length of each side; the length of the fabric from the knee-down tapered to a tight finish.

There was hardly anything inappropriate about his daughter's wear, but seeing such a bold statement from her was yet another sign to the man that his daughter had changed- was changing still, even. While he was pleased to see that his daughter seemed to have found some spine, he wasn't yet sure that he liked the subject matter that had sparked it.

Critique was swift on his tongue-

I didn't think you'd care...

He arrested its travel, forcing his jaw shut as he really eyed his daughter's dispassionate energy, clearly so unenthused to be in his presence.

Hinata for her part merely cast her gaze beyond her father, where Hanabi and Neji had already convened as well. Neji received a polite nod, four courtesy's sake, if only. Hanabi's childish glare aimed right for the back of Hiashi's head should have been hilarious, but Hinata found she wasn't in much of a laughing mood.

Hiashi once again took control of the situation. "I recall the two of you promising a spar, when you were both able-bodied once more." Hiashi spoke leadingly, shifting his gaze between Hinata and Neji. Hinata frowned in turn.

She had not really agreed or disagreed, though she doubted Hiashi would be pleased to hear such a thing.

Neji merely winced. His expression seemed to border just a bit on apologetic, even as he stood and approached at his uncle's beckon. Her cousin eyed her remaining stiffness, remnant signs of wounds that were mended, but pained, still.

"The two of you have been through a great deal between now and your last officiated bout, I'm sure."

Hinata fought to keep her face placid as memories of that last battle intruded on her focus. It was hard though; her heart stuttered just a bit as the two cousins locked eyes. Neji-too appeared uncomfortable at the mention, though Hiashi paid neither any mind. "I think now is as good a time as any for me to gauge your growth against one another, wouldn't you say?"

'Not really.'

But both knew better to argue with the obvious order. Though Hanabi, still younger and less experienced as she was- "But father! Hinata is still recovering; shouldn't she be allowed to rest more before-"

"Silence, Hanabi." Hiashi's tone was hard, leaving no further room for argument. The youngest of the three fell painfully silent, glaring fiercely down at her knees. Hiashi seemed keen to move on, but upon witnessing the younger girl's demeanor, so much like his eldest's had often been- "This is to be a mere spar between..." He measured his words carefully. "Between family; an opportunity for the two of you to gauge where you are, so that I may teach you accordingly. Do not treat this so much as a competition, but as a learning experience."

Hinata raised an eyebrow at her father's rather talkative mood. Even Hanabi looked up, something curious, or even a bit perturbed in her posture.

"Now, I expect the two of you to act with grace and decorum befitting of your stations…" Hiashi gestured their way as he stepped back. "You may begin when you are ready."

Blunt and without fanfare; now that was Hiashi's style… Hinata could not quite restrain her sigh, nor the irritation that was bubbling up for the man.

Surely, this was punishment for speaking out of turn, a few evenings prior. Neji was simply her father's tool on this day, dishing out her father's punishment on his behalf.

She'd been ducking the man for several days now, eager not to disturb the tentative 'peace' that had risen between the two in the wake of their argument, just days prior.

They had not spoken more than a few awkward words, with not even the great Hiashi Hyuga seeming to have words to address the topic of their contention.

Though, now it appeared that Hiashi was done being avoided. Weapon or not though, it at least seemed that this time, unlike all the times prior that her father had used him to punish her, Neji did not seem very enthused at the notion.

She supposed that at least counted for something.

Another sigh, then she took her stance. Neji's eyebrow raised as he took his own; when they'd last fought, their stances had been nearly identical. After all, both had been drilled relentlessly by the same man, and thus had favored Hiashi's own take on the Gentle Fist: a 'strong' style, which largely favored grounded maneuvers and counter attacks.

But hers was lower, slimming her profile and shifting her weight; Neji's rousing byakugan could already see the girl's form was freshly improvised to better suit a more mobile approach. There were a number of obvious holes in it, but the fact that she had tried at all-

Rarely had Hinata ever taken the initiative to experiment with the gentle-fist; certainly not ever in combat such as this, however 'soft', Hiashi seemed to be trying to present it as, this time around."

A sharp cough from Hiashi urged the two to get on with it, and Neji snapped forward to obey on reflex, the knife's point of his own fingers closing in to strike his cousin.

But she was already gone.

Shock lasted only half a second, but it still was far too long as Hinata rolled between his legs in an instant and took his back, her own strike whipping out with far greater speed than he had ever seen from the girl before.

The precision of her aim- hell, the rush of her chakra too. It was like he was fighting somebody completely different!

Neji tilted just enough to shift clear of the blow and lashed out with his elbow to part her own guard. He was already hunting for a counterattack of his own, but then Hinata did something peculiar. She tilted forward at an angle, twisting her body with incredible flexibility until her fingers could clutch the ground beneath their feet and sharply shift her weight; her shoulder that he had been aiming for tilted narrowly out of his reach. At the same time-

Pain fired off in Neji's hastily blocking forearm as his cousin's leg coiled around with speed and crashed in on a barely halted collision course with his head. As he stumbled back, his guarding limb burning and limp, he understood.

She truly was different. Comparing the stoic mask that his cousin had donned for him today to the shuddering little girl he'd hurt just some short months prior- it was like night and day.

How had she grown so much, in such a short time?

"Point, Hinata." Hiashi sounded almost proud, but Hinata paid the man no mind, righting herself immediately. She took her stance again, but this time it was different-still; even lower than the last, but better balanced, and with both arms crossed ahead of her. The right forearm stopped short, completely guarding her face at the jaw; the left arm lay almost completely extended, fingers curled into a loose claw and angled upward.

Almost like an invitation.

Neji frowned. While he hardly wished the girl ill anymore, he'd be lying if he said his pride wasn't stung by the rather abrupt upset. He jammed his thumb into the chakra point she'd disabled, chipping away at the chakra she'd injected into him.

Damnit, why were her strikes so persistent?

"Your accuracy with the gentle fist has grown substantially." Trying to smile at the girl felt a bit odd, especially with the bit of frustration that threatened to bubble right up. Still, Neji forced an encouraging grin forward with a fair incline of his head. "Well done."

Her head bobbed in turn, just a bit of her typical shyness corrupting her mask of apathy. "... Thank you."

"Again!" Hiashi barked.

This time, Hinata did not wait for Neji's approach. She blitzed forward with speed that nearly lost the boy another point right there, lashing out with a flurry of strikes that aimed low and forced her foe to continually backpedal. Each impact was a collision of chakra as their strikes met between each combatant; they sang out in mutual crackles, and Neji blanched at the realization that he truly was losing ground.

Taking a short leap to clear a wide swing from the girl, Neji lashed out with a kick; he gaped as she tilted all the way back, bridging her body in an instant before rocking forward yet again to strike while he was off-balance. She started by spinning in place in an open feint, which caused Neji to stumble trying to step over a sweep that never came. Then, planting her palm to the ground, Hinata lashed out with a reverse roundhouse, angled upward to take the boy's head; Neji slipped just out of the way, meaning to punish her awkward positioning with a rapid chop, only for Hinata to twist even further and impact his approaching limb at the wrist with her knee.

"Point, Hinata," Hiashi observed yet again as Neji reeled backward, a grimace on his face as he shook his stinging wrist.

But Hinata did not let up or return to neutral. Instead, she pivoted into another lunge; her fingers clasped together into one central point, chakra swirling intentionally and aimed at center mass. But Neji responded quickly; he stepped in, weaving the strike with minimalism as he leveled his own blow to punish her rather reckless rush.

Then he flinched as Hinata's outstretched fingers tensed into a palm and a loud 'boom' sounded right by his ears! Hinata launched backward, just out of his immediate reach, and disoriented by the sudden sound, Neji was too slow to respond as she braced herself on her heel and snapped out with a duo of kicks that collided surely with his bicep and shoulder.

"Point, Hinata," Hiashi uttered for the third time, something close to genuine shock invading the forced neutral of his tone.

Neji cocked his arm back again for an encore, this time spinning to aim upwards. His burst of chakra roared through the open air, blasting him towards Naruto's dome…

"You copied my technique," Neji muttered, curiously.

A highly concentrated gentle-fist strike aimed at thin air, using the blowback from the unfettered chakra waves to change one's momentum on the fly…

Neji hurled himself forward with a growl, intent on finally scoring some points of his own, but then Hinata was gone again, and Neji's eyes snapped up in chase for the now airborne opponent. Her body twisted, and an axe-kick that felt far too heavy drove into his readied guard; at the same time, her other leg swung in, hooking her inner thigh around his neck with surprising flexibility and clinching; Neji gasped as his cousin locked him into an impossibly tight grapple with her legs, his neck and face reddening with strain as she then leaned fully back, dragging him with her own weight and hurling him with leg strength he hadn't even known she had.

"Ack!" Neji crashed roughly onto his shoulder, disoriented, but unharmed as his chakra bubbled to smoothen his impact; he rolled twice to right himself against Hinata who was already well within his guard again. A backhanded swipe caught a stray lock of his hair, and a guard of Hinata's own was well-in-play to deflect Neji's own hasty return and part his defenses.

Her legs tensed, and Neji anticipated another kick, now knowing the damage those legs of hers could do. Unwilling to leave himself open to that, his chakra spewed away from him and he spun; the rotation carved away from his body, boring through the dojo's floors and narrowly missing Hinata as she rightly leapt away before the cast could fully complete itself.

Still- "Point, Neji," Hiashi announced. Hinata brushed away the line of blood that Neji's rotation had drawn from her face. "Mind yourself, you two; this is a spar." His voice was hard; Neji winced a bit, glancing down at the wreckage he'd caused.

"My apologies."

Hinata only nodded, merely taking her stance anew.

Then their spar had picked up, and though Neji had finally ended their scrap in his favor, battling back from his disadvantage to ultimately score the win he couldn't quite keep the frown that had spread on his face from loitering.

"Four-to-five, Neji," Hiashi announced, a gesture of his hand calling for the two to drop their stances and face him. "I see that I was right to call for this spar… Hinata-" His eldest daughter nodded back shortly. "It is good to see that you have been growing so well, as of late. Your rather-" Hiashi frowned a bit. "sudden adaptations to the Gentle-Fist are a bit unorthodox and clearly require further refinement; though, I am at least pleased to see that you are taking your training more seriously now."

Hinata merely frowned, but said nothing.

Hiashi's own frown deepened, put off just a bit by his daughter's persistent show of apathy. Ultimately though, he shifted his attention Neji's way. "You're doing well too, as always… Though, you're still tunneling in too hard with your byakugan. Hinata used that against you twice to score easy points before you thought to adapt your methods. Naruto Uzumaki also used that to make a fool out of you during your battle with him; you'll need to break that habit before it earns you more than just a few bruises."

Neji's eye twitched just a bit at the reminder, but he mastered his irritation and bowed. "Thank you for your advice, Hiashi-sama."

His uncle merely nodded back. "Hanabi! Learn well from these two." Hanabi nodded and bowed shallowly, looking just a bit out of her element with the whole exchange.

Come to think of it, the tension of the household surely wasn't good for the the girl. Hinata doubted her sister had failed to notice it; she had always been oddly perceptive, even amongst the rest of their kin.

Hinata finally spoke up, unprompted for the first time that day. "I would like-" She stopped, freezing just a bit at the trio of curious gazes.

"A Hyuga does not ask for permission."

Right… She gulped a bit, but pushed onward. "I'll be taking Hanabi out this afternoon."

Hanabi's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, shock abounded across her features at the rather bold demand; even Neji seemed rather put off. Hiashi's stoic gaze found that of his eldest again, the tiniest of frowns pursing at his lips. "After she has completed her morning training."

The blue-haired girl nodded, seating herself with crossed legs as Hiashi wasted little time in drilling the smaller girl as usual. Neji, staring between his two cousins, merely shifted awkwardly before finding a spot beside the eldest.

"You fought well," he tried, deliberately keeping his eyes on the practicing Hanabi. "I didn't expect to see you of all people fighting so viciously."

And wasn't that a conundrum? Hinata had been acting differently here at home- far at odds with the smiling, blushing girl he'd seen once or twice around the village, in the presence of Naruto Uzumaki.

Hinata had rarely been the emotive sort, sure. But even still, she often wore her heart in her eyes; Neji had never had to fight to know what the Hyuga's heiress was thinking.

Hinata merely nodded politely, at his praise.

"I-" Neji shrugged a bit lamely. "I heard that you went to Tanzaku…" It was to his own shame that he'd come across that information rather late; even then, only because Lee was quite the gossip.

But then again, Hinata had seemingly been content to spend as little time at the estate as possible, since her return from her abrupt mission. He did not blame her; word of her rather volatile confrontation with Hiashi was something he had heard. The tension in the household was something that everyone had noticed, even with the girl seemingly doing her best to stay away from home as often as possible. Whatever had been said between the two had clearly left an impact on Lord Hiashi, who seemed almost in a daze, at times.

When she nodded again, this time a bit hesitant, he frowned. "I- well, are you- er, alright?"

A spark of something, finally. Neji spotted something close to… Terror? Or was it rage? Her body tensed, coiling with something guarded, and even a bit dangerous.

Then it was gone. "I'm… fine, thank you..."

"O-oh…"

And that was that.

---

"So then I said: If you strike me down here, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine!" Katsuyu's story cut itself off around a bowl of ramen, the tiny slug's straw-like proboscis draining away at the contents that the Ichiraku family had prepared for her.

"Yeah? What happened then," Naruto asked her, curiously.

"Then he struck me down, so I exploded and melted his face off!"

"Er- oh…" Naruto looked just a bit green.

"Yep! It's kind've my thing. I studied it as an elective, back in university."

"You took… Exploding people as an elective?" Naruto fought to keep a straight face, even as Kushina roared with laughter in his head.

"Absolutely! It's a seriously undervalued skill with a ton of potential in the rising job market, dear." The tiny slug matriarch took another long slurp from her bowl. "Ah! Nothing like a salty bowl of ramen to make you shrivel up and die happy!"

Naruto snickered at her words, polishing off another bowl of his own at record pace. "Yeah, isn't that like- poison to you?"

"In a sense!" Katsuyu's squishy body hunched a bit, in what Naruto assumed was her idea of a shrug. "But a little bit of micro-poisoning builds character, Young Naruto-kun! Remember that!"

"Makes sense." Kushina nodded, vigorously. His mother seemed especially taken with the quirky guardian-slug.

"Oh, and thank you again for inviting me out," Katsuyu pulled herself free again just enough to say. "It's been a long while since I had a summoner who treats me to lunch! Normally it's me who does all the cooking."

It really was nice to be thought of!

Naruto merely nodded. It had been a spur of the moment thought when Katsuyu had arrived on Tsunade's behalf, the newly crowned 5th Hokage once again demanding he bring her lunch.

He didn't really mind the errand; Tsunade usually took the time for them to have lunch together while she taught him a thing or two. But it was a bit rude delegating her companion to that of a mere messenger for such mundane purposes, wasn't it?

Well, Katsuyu didn't seem to mind, it seemed.

Naruto put that thought out of his mind, instead sending a searching glance after the third member of their little trio. Tayuya's scarlet hair was all kinds of out of place as she shoveled down yet another bowl.

"Oi, slow down and savor that. I won't have you disrespecting the ramen gods or my wallet like that." He'd invited her and her team out for one bowl each, mostly out of courtesy; though, only Tayuya herself had seemed comfortable or at least bold enough to actually take the offer, demanding to eat for all three of them. Kidomaru had politely declined, seeming rather out of it; Sakon and Ukon both had barely even acknowledged the offer.

Tayuya though- Clearly, she had no such reticence.

"You and your ramen gods can savor my ass, Twinkie." She gulped down a mouthful, so great that it nearly lodged in her throat. "Shit!" She choked, half-laughing around mouthfuls of broth and noodles. "This shit is amazing! You guys just get to eat this whenever you want!?"

Naruto shrugged. "Technically it's not very good for you in excess, but I'll gladly hold that loss if it's one of old man Ichiraku's bowls, ya know?"

"Heh! I'm flattered!" The old shop owner called out from the back. "Ayame, how about a couple of drinks, before that poor girl chokes?"

As if on queue, Ayame came forth with a pitcher, filling the trio's glasses.

"Oh shit! What's this!?" Tayuya marveled at the glass of clear liquid.

"Er- water?" Naruto gave her an odd look.

"Wait, why is it so clear then?" Tayuya frowned at the glass, then glared at Naruto. "You fucking with me or something, Twink-lord? You'd better not have put some of your weird sissy juice in my drink."

What the hell did that even mean?

"... It's clean water," Naruto growled back, a twitch in his eye. Tayuya's eyes seemed to bug right out of her head.

"W-wait, ain't that some rich-person shit? I didn't know this place was fancy like that, man." Suddenly, she was starting to look just a bit self-conscious, measuring her bites with a sense of consideration that had not been there before.

"Ugh, Orochimaru is awful," Kushina complained, fingers inching tentatively after the glossy shell of the oversized, eight-legged creature that she was seemingly hellbent on taming. It hissed at her a bit, but at least had grown docile enough not to attack the woman on sight anymore. Now, it instead seemed intent to lay atop the sandy beachside of Uzu's coast, just close enough to Kushina that the woman would not follow after it any longer.

That was good. She was a bit too out of shape to be wrestling giant metal spiders anymore, as she had rather shamefully discovered.

"I'm pretty sure most places that aren't damned backwater crap holes like Sound have clean drinking water," Naruto half-muttered, though Tayuya seemed to have already tuned the boy out in favor of starting her next bowl. "Remember you get three bowls. After that, you're on your own."

"Yeah, yeah… I can count, asshole." Tayuya finished the thing in record time, plopping her bowl down with a muted burp and patting her belly. "So how's your boyfriend doing?

He blinked several times.

"Er- what was his name? Satsuki? Sokka? Sausage- or something? He tried to roast us alive."

"Sasuke?" Naruto gave the girl an odd look, but did not rise to the obvious bait. "He's- uh…" His expression soured. "He's refusing to see me and Sakura-"

"Sakura and I," Katsuyu and Kushina interjected nearly as one, and Naruto merely groaned.

"Yes mother," He bit out in kind. Turning back to a chuckling Tayuya, he added- "He doesn't wanna see anybody."

His talk with the Uchiha survivor hadn't gone quite as well as he would have liked. Naruto had expected an argument- maybe a bit of bribing to get on the boy's good side… Sasuke had hardly even acknowledged him, merely shrugging noncommittally and refusing to engage with any talk on the matter. When Naruto had come to see him the following day, his friend's head nurse had informed him that the boy didn't want to see him at all.

Sakura had reported the same on her end, and the glare she'd given him over that had been particularly scathing.

"Maybe he just needs some space?" Kushina offered, hopefully.

Maybe… He'd thought about sneaking into the boy's room, if only just to check on him before bed, the evening prior; though, in a rare show of maturity -"hey!"-, Kushina had firmly advised against it.

Now, days later, Naruto was thoroughly at a loss. He dumped his head into his hands, not willing to let the ex Sound-ninja see him stress, and yet teetering far too close to that edge.

"At times like this, the only sane and healthy move is to drown your woes in the salty teat of ramen-y goodness," Kushina goaded him, sagely. "Go on, X'omaa. Drink deeply, and be reborn anew!"

Fair enough!

Draining the leftovers of his bowl, Naruto added- "I pestered his head nurse and she told me he just sits in his bed and stares at the wall all day."

Then there were those funky fresh new eyes of his, with a pattern he'd never seen from any Uchiha before- even back before the massacre. His nurse had rather conspiratorially confided to him that Sasuke's eyes had rarely changed back from that odd, star-like pattern, and his clear signs of discomfort with them only furthered the blonde's worry.

Tayuya frowned, taking a bit more of a serious air. "Sounds to me like he ain't all there… Maybe he's disassociating?" Naruto tilted his head, and she sighed. "Ain't you supposed to be some kind of smartass or something? Disassociating is when-"

"I know what disassociating is, you little paint-huffer." Tayuya merely grinned, toothily, and he continued, the ghost of a half-smile on his own lips. "I guess I know a thing or two about disassociating…" Hell, even these days, Mito's memories and thoughts tended to overlap a bit with his own, if he let his thoughts drift for too long. Still- "I ain't really versed in medical business, beyond the little bit that Auntie has mentioned in passing." Even still, he knew well that most people didn't just shrug that kind of thing off. "I'll see if I can get her to check him out for me again."

It probably wasn't wise to keep pestering her about Sasuke, considering the load on her plate.

But- "with all the math that bitch has me doing for her, I think she owes me that much." Naruto massaged his temples, already envisioning the wall of documents Tsunade would have him and his clones sifting through later.

Bank statements, IOU's, Official records from claimed resource-deposits and the like- His head hurt just thinking about it!

Kushina winced. "Yeah, Minato and I used to spend days, combing over all of that each quarter. Take it from your mother, dear- it doesn't get any better."

Wonderful.

"You said he's got Orochimaru's hickey on his neck too, didn't ya?" Tayuya's energy seemed to dim immediately just on mentioning the thing, and Naruto forced himself to pay attention to her again. Tayuya's fingers trailed upward, ghosting over the mark with a light shudder. A bold ring of kanji had been erected around the thing, courtesy of Naruto and Kushina's own efforts.

Removing the seal as it was, was completely out of the question. Hell, even just cutting the seal's influence off from its host was a bit of a tall order, especially considering how deeply ingrained it seemed to be with them.

Thankfully though, at least limiting its influence was probable, provided none of the ex Sound ninja messed with it too much. It was a temporary measure though, at least until they could find a more permanent means of removal.

Though, that time with Tayuya had honestly raised a ton of questions- many of which he had opted to keep between himself and Tsunade, thus far. But with all the work on both of their plates, they simply had not had a real chance to address any of them.

"Lemme ask you something: Have you ever had moments- er, where you just know things? Weird perspectives on things you're not even sure you've done; odd cases of deja vu?"

Tayuya blinked, slowly. "I don't think so? Does that damn seal really go that deep?"

Naruto's frown only deepened. "How long have you had this thing?"

"Since I was a kid." Tayuya's response was swift. "I remember a few times that he 'upgraded' it, but I don't really remember not having it…"

"Right…"

Tayuya spoke again, dragging his attention back to the present. "I'd never really thought about it much until I started making plans to dip, duck, and dash, but whenever I was feeling particularly shitty, it felt like the mark was always at its most active… Goading me, taunting and shit- your buddy might be struggling in more ways than you think, man."

Naruto thought about it for a moment, then pursed his lips. "But his is supposed to be sealed. That shouldn't really be-"

"Have you seen the seal?" Kushina cut in, and Naruto froze.

"What?" Tayuya leaned forward, prodding at his shoulder. Naruto ignored her in favor of his mother.

No, he hadn't. At least, not well enough to do a proper quality assessment. Sasuke was far too self-conscious about the damned thing to just let him map it.

"Kakashi surely picked up a thing or two under Minato, but Orochimaru is a much bigger fish than he's used to dealing with. You saw how scary his older seals can be when we were getting theirs under wraps. No doubt, his will be even more problematic than theirs, ya know."

Yeah. Without Kushina's guidance, he doubted the sealing would have gone even half as smoothly. He had no idea how to even begin with Sasuke's, if it turned out to be any kind of upgrade.

"Something tells me that whatever he's gone and put on Sasuke might be a different beast entirely…" He felt Kushina's worry with his own. "We need to get a look at that seal, as soon as possible."

Oh goddamnit. Naruto once again stuffed his face into his hands, biting back the urge to scream. He was half successful, a muted groan ripping into his waiting hands instead.

"Oi! What the hell's wrong with you!" Tayuya really jostled him this time, tearing him from his thoughts.

Slowly, the boy pried himself free, and Tayuya gulped at the volatile gleam in his gaze. The faintest clinking of metal seemed to sound, rather distantly. Then it was gone so quick she swore she imagined it, and Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "My bad…" He made no effort to explain himself though, instead reaching for gama-chan. "I gotta go talk to Auntie. It's probably urgent."

If nothing else, maybe she'd have some advice for him.

"Probably? Asshole, I can't go places without you or princess babysitting just yet, remember?" Tayuya glared at him. "And you sure as shit ain't leaving me stranded here at a damn ramen stand like some scorned lover!

"Then get the hell up already!" Naruto took just long enough to let Katsuyu onto his shoulder before he hauled a squawking Tayuya over the other and began marching off.

"H-hey! I have legs, ya know!"

"Stubby little midget legs that can't run worth shit!"

"I'm not even short, you dickhead!"

"But you are flat!"

"I'll flatten your damn face if you don't leave my itty-bitty titties alone!"

Ayame watched them all go, a wide grin on her face as she collected the pile of notes Naruto had left them as payment.

"Those two really do bicker like siblings, huh dad?"

Teuchi Ichiraku could only laugh.

---

"Come find me again when you have eyes like mine…"

Itachi's goading was a plague- a parasite that clung at Sasuke's thoughts and sipped greedily at his fears.

Even now, he could clearly make out the looming shadow of that man.

Watching.

Waiting…

And though he dreaded to be left alone with him- more than that, he feared to see him lurking behind those two.

Naruto and Sakura- really, they were such pests, buzzing about in a pointless effort to help him. Sakura, touching and grooming him like a damned bird or something; Naruto, nonchalant and clownish as ever, and yet even he seemed ready to bend over backwards for the young Uchiha's convenience.

It was maddening. Infuriating!

They meant well; he knew they meant well! And he wanted to appreciate it- he wished he could… But he just couldn't.

They didn't understand- couldn't understand…

He didn't blame them either… But when he looked at them- stared into Sakura's worried eyes or felt himself almost sharing a grin with Naruto, his thoughts flashed and Itachi was there again, splitting scarlet smiles across their throats. Then again, and they were burning, flesh peeling away and crisping at the ends- blackening and crumbling away as those hellish black flames ate away at their bodies.

His heart accelerated; Sasuke forced himself to breathe, for he knew he could not afford to lose control again. He glanced upward, taking in the scars he'd left in the room that day, when his eyes had changed. He'd refused to change rooms; he needed the reminder.

That they were in danger. From Itachi…

From him… Sasuke choked down a sob, unwilling to let that bastard Itachi see him cry

He caught his eyes in the reflection of the little hand-sized mirror Sakura had brought for him days prior, at his request.

They were so far unlike any other sharingan he'd ever seen- even that of that freak Itachi's, himself! A black iris with several crimson ovals that overlapped to form a star.

"Eyes like mine…"

Black flames reflected in his gaze.

He had nearly killed them. Some part of him realized that- understood that his friends truly would have died, had that blonde medic-woman not put him back under. Saw the wariness that Naruto and Sakura had worn when their eyes trailed up and found the scars in the walls.

And didn't that just hurt? More than even the ever-present headache behind his eyes:

Whether by Itachi's design or mere fate itself, he finally had eyes like that man- finally had a power potent enough to kill him. He should have felt strong- strong enough to protect them…

And yet he'd never before felt so helpless.

---

Alrighty, that's the chapter for now. Not a whole lot happened, but that's to be expected, since I'm still acclimating to writing for this again.

There's still a ton of stuff that I want to address- namely what's been going on with Team Eight, advancing things with the Sound ninjas, addressing things with Kakashi, Iruka, Hiruzen's condition- etc

It's a whole lot, and the more I tried to pack into one chapter for it, the more I felt like I was losing focus. So we'll say this chapter is me dipping my toe into the matter while I figure out what angle/order I plan to address all of this from.

This was originally only half of a much longer chapter that I'd been writing on-and-off during my break, but honestly, editing that behemoth had started to get a bit frustrating.

Which brings me to my promised announcement:

Chapter length has been one of the things I'm usually fairly proud of; I like that I can give you guys high quality chapters of fairly great length at a relatively consistent pace, but my hiatus has made it all the clearer to me that it's just not really sustainable. More than the actual writing, the editing is hell; I often finish these chapters in like- a day or two then spend literally weeks straight, just editing and rewriting because the chapters are so long that they honestly tend to lose focus.

Which is why I'll probably be cutting length down a bit, moving forward. What that means is that chapters should hopefully come a bit more frequently, but in smaller bites that I hope will be much easier to edit and perform quality control with. This should also allow me to be a lot more intentional with my writing in general, with each chapter getting to follow and advance certain plot points with much greater specificity.

That's the plan, at least. Give it like- 3 chapters and watch us hit a new length record while I complain because I can't just seem to chill tf out.

Anyways...

Next chapter should hopefully not take too terribly long to reach you guys. But there's a lot of work that needs to be done to smoothen the transition between last arc and the next; I expect I'll be needing to address a whole lot of stuff to set the stage accordingly.

Just be a bit patient with me while I get back into the swing of writing this story.

It's good to be back.