Hinata of the White Lotus

Arrival

Hinata was weird.

No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only possible conclusion Uzumaki Naruto was able to come up with after all this time. He knew that he wasn't exactly the most intelligent Shinobi out there, but even he had hoped he would be able to come up with more than that.

Yet that was all there was to it. She was just plain weird. Until not too long ago she had been an unknown. A background character without a face, let alone much of a personality. Despite having been in the academy with one another since the beginning, this was all she had ever been.

Now she knew his darkest secret, one he hadn't even known until very recently. She knew about the demon fox and respected to keep his secret from the others on her team. She told him she didn't care about the fox, she didn't even really know about it. All she knew was him.

That was what she said. Yet he didn't feel like he knew a single damn thing about her.

Why was that?

No answers to his questions came and instead he heard the slightly amazed gasps of his team. Returning to reality after mindlessly jumping through the forest for most of the morning, Naruto immediately realized why as his own surprised breath of excitement joined them.

It was the ocean.

An endlessly blue sea stretched out before them, the team of four looking out over it from atop a large hill at the exit to the forest they had been leaping through. In order to avoid the risk of any pursuers catching up to them in a populated area they had avoided the main roads. This led to them arriving at their location a little off target. To the North they could see it, Koto City, the closest port to their destination.

"We made it…" Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. More than any of them, she seemed to be feeling the pressure as leader of this mission. Arriving on time should have been easy, but their detour hadn't done them any favors. They needed to get a boat to the volcanic island tonight. That was the only way to ensure they could pick the Moonfire Flower, a flower that only bloomed during a full moon, that would save Kurenai in time.

Naruto felt a pang of guilt, knowing full well this time crunch was his fault. Hinata would never tell him it was, but he knew it deep down to be the case. Those people were after him for the fox inside. She picked him for this mission and this was the result. No- this wasn't the time to be thinking about things like that. They still had time!

"Let's go!" He whooped, throwing a hand over his head before charging down the hill and bee-lining it towards the port town. The others hurried after him, the four racing down the hillside, the sea breeze blowing through their hair and the smell of salt tainting their nostrils. It reminded Naruto of his mission to the Land of Waves, the last time he had smelt the sea.

At the time, Naruto had yet to find his Ninja Creed. Now, however, he was different. He never went back on his word. And his word for now was to undo the damage he had done to this mission. He would make sure no one else got in the way between Hinata and her goal of saving her teacher. This was what he could do to make things right.

From atop the hill where they emerged, the port town of Koto had looked quaint, but the closer they got to it, the more Naruto realized it was a city large enough to rival Konoha itself. This perhaps wasn't a surprise, as this city served as the main source of trade between the Lands of Water and Lightning, two other major nations in their own right. Under such conditions, it was only natural that Koto flourished as a major hub of three great nations.

The very walls to the city stood towering over them now, the team of Shinobi running along the side until they found a large gate with which to enter. The four of them walked right in, ignoring the line of people under inspection. One of the guards to the city glanced over at them, but upon noticing their headbands denoting their affiliation simply returned to his work. Yet another perk of being a Shinobi.

"What do we do now that we're here?" Kiba asked, Akamaru yipping as if in agreement to the question. Like Naruto, he was taking in the sights of the unfamiliar city. Despite not knowing what to do next, the group hadn't stopped walking as if their destination had already been determined.

"We head to the harbor and secure transport." Shino answered as if the answer was obvious. Although Naruto didn't actually see why it was so.

"Transport?" He scoffed. "We're ninja! Why don't we just run across the water? It's not like we need a boat or anything." Back in the Land of Waves he hadn't yet learned to water walk and so taking a boat to sneak into the country couldn't be helped.

"The island we're going towards is considered sacred ground." Hinata answered, her voice barely carrying over the sound of the crowd around them. "We need permission to go there."

"...That so?" Naruto clicked his teeth, still not really understanding the big deal. They were ninja, right? If they weren't allowed to go there, then all they had to do was sneak in.

No further conversation followed and Naruto's attention ended up drifting to the city around them. It was very different from Konoha, the roads and all the buildings made entirely of brick and making the port town feel more like a fortress than a place to live. Ninja were nowhere to be seen and the local protection appeared to fall to guards wearing metal half-helmets and wielding spears.

The majority of civilians meanwhile seemed to be merchants. Large carts were pulled along the wide roads and numerous stalls were set up outside the brick buildings. The bustling of this city put even Higaoka to shame, meaning if a battle broke out here then it was going to be even more difficult to ensure the local populace didn't get caught up in it.

"You alright?" Kiba asked, snapping Naruto from his thoughts. The two usually loud-mouthed shinobi had fallen a few paces behind the more quiet members of their company. Hinata didn't even seem to notice, walking at a brisk pace, eyes constantly glancing up at the sun that was beginning the back-half of its journey through the sky.

"Yeah, I'm good." Naruto mumbled, subconsciously speaking quietly enough so as not to distract their team leader. "Say… Kiba. You'd know if someone was following us, right?" He had no idea if he was being paranoid or not at this point, but he couldn't afford to take any chances.

"Hmm… I haven't noticed any consistent smells, no." Kiba shrugged, reaching down and scratching at Akamaru's chin, prompting the small dog to let out a yip in agreement. "You thinking someone more is after us?" There was a hint of suspicion in his voice, Kiba still not aware of what had actually led to that battle the other night, but he seemed to be drawing his own conclusions on that.

"No idea." Naruto shrugged, not worried about it either way. It wasn't like what he said now was a lie. Maybe that organization was still after him and the fox. Maybe not. "I just don't want to be caught unprepared like that again."

"...Yeah." Kiba nodded, dropping his suspicion and glancing around their surroundings as if plotting his own strategies. "Least we can agree on that." It wasn't just Naruto, but even Kiba hadn't actually been able to contribute much in the last battle. Hinata had been the only one to deal any real damage. They had only provided back-up and had been otherwise helpless. Something they both silently agreed to not let happen again.

As they came to this tacit agreement, the surroundings around them began to change as they left the central city and arrived at the harbor. Once again the stench of salt assaulted their nostrils and several turns later the sea opened up before them. Beyond the massive ships docked at the harbor stretched the calm, endless blue of the ocean. Endless save for a lone mountain in the distance. From here it looked small enough to grasp in their hands. That was their destination, but just because it looked close, Naruto knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Nothing ever seemed to be.

"So… will any boat do, or…" Kiba asked as they all came to a stop and seemed to be coming to their next decision.

"Y'all looking for transport?" A passing sailor seemed to notice their indecision and called out to them. Hinata looked hesitant to speak with this stranger before swallowing her nerves and began explaining their situation. The moment she mentioned wanting to head to Toyama island the worker frowned, however. "Hmm… if you wanna go there, y'ere gonna need to talk to the Hinoshita clan." He told them, before then sending them in the direction.

As they set out towards where they had been instructed, Naruto couldn't help but grumble about his earlier idea. "Is it really so bad if we just run there?" He asked. "At the rate we're going, we're just wasting unnecessary time." The sun wasn't exactly low in the sky, but they still had to sail all the way over to the island before then scaling a literal mountain to the mouth of the volcano. Time was anything but on their side.

"For now, let's talk to the Hinoshita clan." Shino said, hands in his pockets and not appearing to be concerned at all. Naruto didn't get it, Kurenai was his teacher too, wasn't she? Didn't he care? "We have no idea what awaits us on the island. For all we know, we would be running right into danger." Or perhaps he wasn't as cold hearted about it all as Naruto assumed. He just wanted to make sure things went right.

So they made their way to the Hinoshita clan compound, which was mercifully close. In fact, their home was built into the harbor itself. That wasn't to say it fit in with the rest of its surroundings- no, it was like this home existed in a completely different world from everything around it. Looking more like an old fisherman's lodge, even the single boat looked lonely docked on the wooden pier when contrasted against the large concrete ports. If anything, the home they were approaching looked more like it would fit in at Konoha rather than the stone labyrinth it was in.

"This really the right place?" Naruto couldn't keep the doubt from creeping into his voice, even the brick path turning to dirt as they got closer. The little bit of nature surrounding the house made the whole scene feel ancient and tranquil. Despite being a sight they were all familiar with in Konoha, this somehow felt foreign.

"One way to find out," Kiba shrugged, not looking any more confident in their destination. If this turned out to be a dead end too, then Naruto was going to really push for the idea of sprinting across the sea and to the island while they still could.

"...This is right." Hinata whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear. It didn't even sound like she believed it herself. She was saying it just because she had to. That was the impression Naruto got anyway.

As they approached, someone happened to exit from the shack at the same time. It appeared to be a coincidence, as the young girl looked just as surprised to see them as they were. "Ah, you're…" The girl was perhaps a few years younger than them, her short blue hair tied in a short ponytail similar to Hinata's own hair. If Naruto didn't know any better he would say they were related. Like she was having the same thoughts, the girl's eyes remained fixed solely on Hinata. "...Wait here." She suddenly said, turning back inside the house and calling out to someone.

A moment later and a woman identical to the younger one, just in her thirties emerged from behind her. "Oh… you really showed up?" She asked, as if knowing that they were on the way.

"Yes…?" Hinata answered, appearing just as surprised as the rest of them. The woman approached them, the younger girl walking in her shadow. Every step she took felt rehearsed, like she was performing some sort of ritual.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." The woman bowed deeply when she stood in front of them, her younger clone mimicking the action. "I'm Hinoshita Rei and this is my daughter, Mio. To be honest, I wasn't ever really sure you would come around." Hinata fidget on the balls of her feet, hands coming up to press her fingers together. When she didn't say anything, Rei continued. "We heard about you from my mother, of course. She met the last Shrine Maiden who came to purify the Toyama Shrine, but I hadn't even been born at that point, as even she was just a little girl no older than my Mio."

"Ah… I see." Hinata answered. Another several moments of silence passed as it seemed even the woman opposite of them had no idea how to proceed.

"What's this about a Shrine Maiden?" Naruto asked, not having followed anything the lady said at all and wanting to get the conversation on the road. "We're Ninja, y'know?" He flicked at his headband for emphasis. "And we're going to the island for a-"

"To purify the shrine!" Hinata suddenly cut him off, practically stumbling over her words with the speed in which she said them. It was at that moment that Naruto remembered they were supposed to be keeping the Moonfire Flower a secret. Still, it seemed like if this family was responsible for transport to the island, then they would probably know about it, right?

"Really?" Rei interlaced her fingers and smiled brightly. "I'm so honored you finally came around. And here I thought you wouldn't come until Mio was old enough to operate the boat." Whether what Hinata said was a lie or not, it appeared to have convinced the woman in front of them. "So how about it then?" She continued the conversation entirely at her own pace. "You and your guards are welcome to stay the night and then I'll take you there first thing in the morning tomorrow?" She proposed.

"Actually," Shino stepped in for their leader. "We need to be there tonight. It's of the utmost urgency."

"We?" Rei asked with a tilt of the head, her smile slipping slightly. She glanced back at Hinata and almost looked apologetic as she continued. "You must not have heard from your predecessor, but I'm actually only allowed to transport the Shrine Maiden herself to the island. We can certainly go tonight if that's your desire, but your guards will have to stay here." There she went, referring to the rest of them as guards again. Naruto had half a mind to tell her to look at Hinata's neck, where she had her own Leaf headband that signified her as a ninja, not some shrine maiden.

"That's fine." Hinata said before he could do just that. "I uhh… the shrine needs to be purified by twilight tonight." Was Hinata making this up as she went along? Naruto didn't know, but he believed she had to be, because this was the first he had heard about all this shrine business since they set out.

"Hold on a minute!" Kiba shouted, apparently in the same state of confusion as Naruto. "What do you mean we're not allowed on the island? This is the first we're hearing about this."

"It's fine, Kiba-kun." Hinata said, her voice rarely authoritative. She turned to them and smiled, but somehow it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's not quite what we planned, but can the three of you please wait here?" A bark from Akamaru caused her to quickly correct herself with, "The four of you. I'll be back tonight."

"Well, it can't be helped then." Shino resigned for all of them, adjusting his glasses and nodding at them. "After all, we're simply here to guard you. Isn't that right?" It would appear for the sake of the mission they were just gonna play along with the misunderstanding. At least for the time being.

"Fine…" Naruto relented, throwing his hands behind his head and glancing sideways. He wasn't happy about this at all, but he supposed it was alright in the end. It wasn't like he was gonna know which flower to pick anyways or how to make the medicine. So he supposed seeing her off this far was good enough. Even if it didn't sit right with him.

"In that case, shall we get going?" Rei didn't seem to waste any time, extending an arm towards their families dock as if to invite Hinata. At least that much Naruto could appreciate, as they had wasted enough as it was.

"Please." Hinata nodded to her, but instead of following right after her new guide, turned to her team one last time. "Thank you, everyone… I'll be back soon." She whispered, voice shaking despite herself. No matter how strong she was or had gotten, Naruto was still reminded of that timid girl back at the academy. He just didn't understand it.

"We're counting on you!" Kiba grinned at her, and even Shino added his own quiet words of encouragement. Unlike Naruto, they had gotten used to this side of her. It was like they didn't even notice how strange it was that someone so strong could be so unsure of themselves. It made Naruto wonder if he was the only one really conscious of it.

"Mio, I'll leave them to you and grandma, okay?" Rei asked her daughter, earning a quiet affirmation. Nothing left to be said, Rei and Hinata made their way to the boat. Naruto and the others watched them go until the boat took off and was sailing out to sea.

"Well, shall we head inside then?" Mio asked them like it really wasn't any of her concern, hands slipped in her pockets. She was completely unlike her mother in personality, despite the two of them being nearly identical in appearance. She started to walk towards their home, gesturing for them to follow her inside. "It'll just be my grandma and me until our mom returns with the shrine maiden, but we can at least set out some tea and senbei if that fits your taste."

"Thank you for the offer." Shino said, but didn't move from where he was standing. "Please head inside first. We'll be sure to follow after you shortly."

Despite his suggestion, Mio didn't move right away. Instead she turned to look up at him curiously. "You're not gonna run after them if I do that, right?" She clarified. Naruto couldn't blame her for thinking that, because he had just been considering it himself.

"It's okay, please don't worry about us." Shino reassured her, before his voice suddenly became gravely serious. "Head inside and don't come back out for any reason until we give you the okay." The way in which he said it immediately caused Naruto and Kiba to tense up. As if sensing this herself, Mio nodded wordlessly before jogging back towards her home. As she pulled the door closed she gave them one last look of concern. Then with a loud click she disappeared and the three of them were left alone.

"Hey, Shino…" Kiba asked, Akamaru already sniffing in the air. Naruto glanced back and forth between them, still not entirely sure what was happening.

"I shall explain as briefly as I can." Shino adjusted his glasses, turning to look at both of them. "I left several of my Kikaichu behind at the scene where we were last attacked and ordered them to tag any Shinobi that entered the area. Ever since then I've been keeping tabs on their locations. Of the five groups that entered that area, only one of them has also been heading in our direction. According to my information, that group will be here… in about thirty minutes."

Naruto and Kiba stared at him in shock for several silent seconds. They then glanced at one another before back at him. It was Kiba who broke first. "Hey, Shino! What the hell man!? Why are we only just hearing about this now?"

"Why?" Shino repeated as if the answer was already obvious. "Our mission isn't to engage with enemy Shinobi. It's to get the Moonfire Flower and save Kurenai-sensei. I didn't mention that we were being tracked until now, because it wasn't relevant to our mission. However, things now have changed. Hinata has gone on ahead and we are still here. We need to decide for ourselves what to do and believe in Hinata, our captain, to see the mission through."

While Naruto didn't like the way he said it, he couldn't help but agree with everything Shino just said. No matter what, he was right to not let Hinata know they were being pursued. If she knew that too, she definitely wouldn't have set out without them. This way she could focus on her mission without the distraction. He just hoped by the time the enemy got here that they were out of the range of her Byakugan.

"Then what's the plan?" Kiba asked, glancing over at Naruto as if to accuse him of something. "If it's like last time then…"

"Ah-" Naruto gasped in realization. That was right, if they were following him, then all he had to do was lead them away from here. They would follow after him, right? Slowly, his surprised gasp turned into a feral grin. "This time… we'll be ready for them, yeah?"

"Hey, hey." Kiba quickly shook his head. "You can't seriously mean to fight them head on, right? If they're on the same level as last time then we don't stand a chance!" What he was saying was absolutely right. Naruto knew that, yet he didn't care. Instead he held out one fist directly in front of himself while striking his chest with the other.

"I didn't get to show off my stuff last time or during the finals of the Chunin Exams… but don't think I'm the same as the last time we fought, alright?!" He declared with all the confidence he had. He was going to fight… and he was going to win!

That was how he made it up to Hinata for having made a mess of things until now. He would watch her back while she got the flower. And when she came back he would prove that she had been right to choose him for this mission.

"Now then, let's go meet whoever it is that's coming for us!"

Kimimaro stopped as he walked out into the sunlight, squinting his eyes against the fierce glow of the setting rays that signaled the final light of day. The ocean was dyed a bright orange, the wind blowing the scent of salt up the hillside and into the forest he had just left.

He turned behind him to see that their guide, Zetsu, had disappeared. He thought about calling out for it, but decided against it. If it wasn't here anymore that could only mean one thing; His target was near.

"Tayuya." Kimimaro ordered, looking at his red haired traveling companion. She still stood in the forest, the canopy providing her shade from the sunlight and obscuring her from its harsh rays.

"I already know." Tayuya pulled at her flute as she stepped back into the forest, disappearing into the darkness. Several moments of silence passed before the sound of her playing reached his ears. Accompanying that music was the sound of several heavy footsteps. From the darkness emerged three imposing figures, twice as tall as Kimimaro was. They were like ogres, muscular to the point of deformity, their bodies all twisted and scarred in one way or the other.

Kimimaro smirked as the three orges walked past him, but as he turned to join them he felt a pulse. His whole body shook like it was experiencing some kind of internal earthquake. Despite himself he gave a single ragged cough, raising his hand to his mouth to try and stifle it. Blood sprayed from between the tips of his fingers and dyed his whole palm red. The ogres stopped moving temporarily as the music stopped.

"Pay it no mind." Kimimaro glared back into the forest, before forcing his body to move and striding forward. The music rejoined him a second later as the ogres followed behind. He walked down the hill leading towards the port town. Every step he took felt like thunder in his own eardrums. Just the act of breathing felt like it was a concentrated effort. As if he didn't force his lungs to move they would just stop on their own.

This truly would be his last battle. He knew that from the moment he stepped out of the hideout and quit receiving Kabuto's medical treatment. Whatever Tayuya's motives were he couldn't say for sure, but it wouldn't be his concern for much longer either. The only thing important to him now was making himself useful to Orochimaru one last time. By wiping out the Hyuga girl, he could purge the stain that girl had inflicted on him by ruining his plans.

That was the only thing left to him now.

"Yo, I've been waiting for ya!" A voice called out to Kimimaro, jolting him from his thoughts. He had been so concentrated on simply putting one foot in front of the other that he hadn't realized he had walked right up to the walls of the city. The sunlight didn't reach them here, the walls casting them in a pleasant shade.

"You are…" Kimimaro didn't recognize this kid at all. Yet at the same time he definitely knew him. "Blonde hair and that orange jumpsuit. There's no doubt about it." This was the kid that Tobi was after. However… Kimimaro didn't care about that. "Where is the Hyuga girl you're with?" The question seemed to surprise the blond, his confident expression vanishing for a moment. It only lasted that long, before that smirk returned.

"If you wanna know that… you're gonna have to beat me, y'know!" He declared, hiking a thumb at himself and planting his feet more firmly in the ground. Kimimaro stared at him emotionlessly, not even able to bring himself to get excited for the battle. This wasn't the fight he wanted.

"Well… I did make a deal." He sighed, leaning his head to the side and exposing his shoulder. In truth, he had no intention of honoring the promise to fight this kid for the Akatsuki, but it seemed like fate was on their side. If defeating him would bring out the Hyuga girl, then all he had to do was make quick work of him. "Don't worry, I won't kill you." He said, a bone poking out from the flesh of shoulder. He reached up and with a sickening feeling he pulled the bone loose. There was a wet sound as his skin ripped open and blood fell out, but his skin quickly repaired itself as his Kekkei Genkai took effect.

"Eh, don't think you could even if you tried!" The blond pointed at him before then dropping his thumb. "The name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm not sitting back this time! Ya hear me? I'm coming right at you!"

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. Something about this wasn't right. There was no way this kid had just come out in the open to fight him. That would be insane. Was this a clone? A distraction to pull his attention while the real one and his team fled?

"It doesn't matter…" Kimimaro decided, nodding to the ogres. He would let them deal with this while he looked for the real one. The sound of Tayuya's music was faint now, but it was enough. The ogres leapt forward, all three of them charging Naruto head on.

"Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called, a dozen clones of wood forming around him and jumping forward to intercept the ogres. As they did, Kimimaro widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Wood clones…?" He whispered, not quite trusting his own voice. That meant then… this could only be the original. There was no way they would leave a clone behind with enough chakra to separate into this many clones. "What the hell are you thinking?" He asked, taking a deep breath. Energy filled his body and he prepared for battle.

"I already told you!" Naruto pulled out a kunai and charged.

"This time I'm the one bringing the fight to you!"

Chapter End

AN: The Hinoshita（日野下）clan are cousins of the Hyuga（日向）

If the Hyuga clan are those who "face the sun," then the Hinoshita are those who live in the "fields under the sun". Or something like that. I just chose a name related to sun, since it seemed to be an important theme of the Hyuga clan.