Hinata of the White Lotus

What Comes Next

Hinata opened her eyes.

When she had even closed them, she had no idea. The battle against Amaterasu had left her completely drained, body broken beyond what even natural energy could heal in a single setting. The last thing she remembered was Kurenai throwing her over her back and carrying her off to the hospital. She thought that they had been talking about something, but by that point the delirium must have set in. Hinata realized now that she must have passed out.

It felt like she had been asleep for a long time… although technically she was still sleeping. The world she had woken up in wasn't the real world, but rather the interstate where Kali existed. This time it was different from usual. On one side of her was the lush green forest that comprised Asura's domain. And on the other side were the burnt down remains of another forest. It was almost like a line had been drawn, the fire that burned down the other forest all stopping at exactly the same spot, creating a clear divide between the two worlds.

The sky above was covered in a shimmering aurora now, this being the first time Hinata had seen such a phenomenon inside the interstate. And as if it was binding holding these two strange worlds together, the eight trigrams design sat etched directly in the exact middle of where the two sides of the forest intersected. Of course, floating in the center, just above the pinyin was the same girl that could always be found here.

"Kali…" Hinata held her head low, unable to even look at her. She had failed her past life. None of the reincarnations before her had ever let a god make it into their world before. Hinata was the first and only one to have made such a blunder. And when she tried to fix her mistake, she had been beaten to within an inch of her life.

"Look at me, Hinata." Kali said, her voice gentle and soothing. It was obvious even without saying anything that she didn't blame Hinata for what had happened. "I told you already, something about this cycle was different. A man harvesting impurities and another with access to a dead god's domain. Even I hate to say it… but a god getting through was just an inevitability under those conditions. There's nothing you could have done." Even if what she was saying was true, Hinata couldn't forgive herself.

"I should have been training harder as your disciple from the beginning!" Hinata shook her head, tears falling from her eyes and falling at her feet. "Instead I was only worried about myself." She had put the Chunin Exams first. Then Kurenai-sensei. And then Tayuya. And then and then. More excuses would have followed, and the end result would have been the same. She never would have been ready as she had been going.

"You're not only my reincarnation, you're also your own person." Kali spoke patiently and without an ounce of frustration. "All of your previous reincarnations lived their own lives. They had their own adventures and overcame their own trials. In the end, this is just another step on your own journey. What you choose to do from here on out is your choice." Even if she said that, there was no decision.

"I can't just let Amaterasu go!" Hinata finally lifted her head- and saw Kali smiling brightly at her. As if she knew that was how she would answer.

"Of course you can't." Kali giggled. "That's just the type of person you are. Kind to a fault and always willing to help others, even if it hurts yourself. That's why I'm going to help you… together we'll stop Amaterasu."

"Kali…" Hinata choked back more tears. That was right. She wasn't going to stop Amaterasu because of destiny or anything like that. It was because Amaterasu's existence in their world threatened the lives of all the people she loved.

"Hinata… your parents chose a fitting name for you." Kali continued, her grin turning smug. "One who faces the sun. Perhaps this isn't quite what they had in mind when they picked your name though." It was an embarrassing thought, yet something about it made Hinata giggle through the tears she was barely holding back. The mention of her parents reminded Hinata of everyone in the outside world.

"I hope my clan and everyone is fine," She knew nothing of what was going on or for how long she had been out. So much had happened. Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared somewhere, Itachi's fake death had been exposed, and the leader of Root was killed. And that was only the stuff she knew about. How much else had happened?

"They're fine. I can assure you of that." A voice Hinata hadn't expected to hear answered her. She spun around to see Itachi walking up from behind her… along with someone she didn't recognize. He was a young man, his eyes closed, and parts of his body shimmering as if he was a ghost. "Ah, him?" Itachi asked, noticing her gaze. "This is Uchiha Shisui… my best friend, whom I thought I lost."

"A pleasure to meet you." Shisui greeted, still not opening his eyes. Rather, it looked like he couldn't. That was because Itachi was the one that had his eyes now, Hinata recognizing the chakra signatures as one and the same.

"I'm just as surprised." Kali noted, none of the emotion actually carrying over into her tone. "I knew the gods must have loved you in order to have granted you Kotoamatsukami, but to think you could use the Mangekyo to become a transmigrant in the same way as me and my cousins." It was high praise coming from her, and to a descendent of Indra, no less.

"You exaggerate what I'm capable of." Shisui waved away her words with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm only capable of manifesting this way because Itachi is carrying on my will and wielding my Sharingan. I very much doubt I'll be able to transmigrate beyond this." It at least explained why Itachi had been able to enter this realm now, as someone with the power of a transmigrant.

"All the same, it's come at a convenient time." Kali acknowledged. "We need all the strength we can get, considering what stands before us." She then glared at Itachi, "Of course, it wouldn't be necessary if someone had properly taken heed of my warnings."

"You're right." Itachi bowed to them, hanging his head low, body bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle. "Allow me to make up for mistakes by assisting you in whatever way that I can."

"P-Please raise your head, Itachi-san! I'm just as much at fault as you are." Hinata quickly waved her hands back and forth, a small blush covering her face. To think the true Hokage would bow to her of all people. "More importantly than that, can you tell me what has been happening? How much time has passed?" She still needed information.

"…You've been unconscious for two weeks." Itachi admitted bluntly, causing Hinata's eyes to go wide. Two weeks!? Just how much could have happened in that time, she wondered. "Your body was in terrible shape, and no matter how many times we tried, we couldn't get this meditative state to work. So I sent Naruto on a mission with another one of the Sannin, the legendary toad sage, Jiraiya, to retrieve his last teammate, the Slug Princess, Tsunade. Upon their return, she was able to heal you and then entering this interstate became possible."

It was all a little too much information for Hinata to take in at once. As Itachi explained further, Hinata understood that Jiraiya was the "weird perverted sage" that Naruto had been waiting for the day she helped him merge his tenketsu with Asura. Apparently the toad that scared her had been his, and he decided to leave them alone to train themselves, rather than interfere.

While Naruto had been busy on his mission, Itachi had his own hands full. Part of the truth of the Uchiha massacre had come out, Uchiha Obito and the now deceased Danzo's role in all that was used in part to clear Itachi of guilt. More importantly than that, the people had seen Itachi fighting to defend them against Obito and the giant, black-flame breathing hydra he summoned.

It wasn't unanimous by any means, but Itachi was allowed to temporarily maintain the position of Hokage alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen. He didn't say it, but Hinata wondered if he hadn't used Kotoamatsukami to help reach that decision, if only a little quicker than it would have otherwise been. The role of the Hokage left him even busier, especially now that he could do it out in the open. It seemed he didn't even have the time to speak with his brother, although the two of them had talked long enough to promise a proper conversation at a later date.

As Itachi already said, no one Hinata knew had been killed during the battle. That wasn't to say there weren't casualties, numerous civilians and dozens of Shinobi were killed throughout the entire conflict, including the clash with Root. The remaining members of Root had laid down their arms when they learned of Danzo's death and were awaiting rehabilitation now.

Sealing away the black flames had been the most difficult part of beginning to repair the village. Just touching the flames was a death sentence, and they never went out, so it was slow, delicate work. All in all, half the entertainment district had to be completely rebuilt, more damage than what had been caused in Orochimaru's failed invasion.

As for Amaterasu and Obito- their location was as of yet unknown. Wherever they had gone, it was far away from here. Itachi suspected they had gone to the figurehead of Akatsuki's village, but even he didn't know where that truly was. It turned out the Akatsuki always gathered by use of holograms, and he had never even seen most of their true faces. The only one they could have asked, the entity known as Black Zetsu, had perished in the black flames. For now, there was nothing to be done about the two of them except prepare for when they would appear again.

"I understand," Hinata said, slightly disappointed in herself when she realized that she was actually relieved. Somehow, knowing that Amaterasu couldn't be found felt like a blessing. She knew this was likely a traumatic response to the beat-down she had received, but that didn't make it an easier pill to swallow.

"What about Indra and Asura?" She asked, looking at the world around them. The lush green forest was definitely Asura's, which led her to believe the burnt forest must have been Indra's. However, she hadn't seen any sign of either of them up until this point.

"They should be here any minute now," Kali answered. "I'm sure they had plenty to discuss with their own reincarnations." No sooner did she say this, and the sound of rustling could be heard coming from within the forest to her right. A moment later, Naruto stumbled out of the foliage with a loud yelp, falling flat on his face.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata ran to him, bending over to offer a hand and help him up. She was so relieved to see him after everything that had happened. They had been seeing each other practically everyday ever since their mission for the Moonfire Flower, and even though it had passed in the blink of an eye for her, she still felt the passage that two weeks of time held since last meeting.

"Ah, Hinata! You're okay!" Naruto ignored her hand completely, instead jumping up and wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you in your fight against that crazy god lady. Sasuke was being a real dumbass and I had to set him straight. When I heard there was a chance Granny Tsunade could do something for you, I begged the Perverted Sage to take me with him, y'know! Hinata…?" He asked at the end, seemingly only just now realizing she hadn't heard a single bit of his rambling tirade.

It wasn't that she meant to ignore him. The hug was just so sudden that her brain couldn't process anything else. Her whole face burned bright red, the blush stretching all the way around to her ears and the back of her neck. Against the pale of her Nichiren Byakugan it was only all the more obvious too.

"…Ah!?" Seeing her face now, Naruto remembered the conversation he had with Tayuya and Anko just before everything had started going to hell. He still didn't truly understand that conversation, but he knew one thing for sure. "Hinata… you're not dango." He said clearly and concisely, making the same point Anko had.

"Y-Yes…?" The statement was so shocking, Hinata briefly forgot her embarrassment. She didn't have the slightest idea what he meant by that. What part of her had even reminded him of dango, she wondered.

"Yep!" Naruto patted her roughly on the shoulder, finally standing straight up and pulling her with him, completely clueless to what even he had actually been trying to say.

"I'm sorry about him," Asura had the decency to look embarrassed enough for the both of them as he emerged from the forest behind his reincarnation. "To be fair, he's been hanging out with that toad sage for the past couple weeks. I think this is supposed to be his idea of flirting?" Even he didn't sound sure.

"Flirting!?" Naruto and Hinata squeaked together, both of their faces turning red this time. It was only then that Naruto seemed to realize how close the two of them were actually standing to one another.

"Ahwawa! He jumped away from her with a weird yelp, hands held high above his head as if to show his innocence. If anything, that only made the whole thing look more suspicious, to the point that Hinata couldn't even bear to look at him anymore. Instead she could only stare at the ground, pressing her index fingers together in an old nervous tick that had until recently disappeared.

But wait a second, if that had been flirting… did that mean Naruto had been trying to compliment her with his dango comment? And didn't that mean… he was aware of her as a woman? She couldn't help herself, eyes darting up for a split second before then returning back to her feet, too quickly to actually see anything. Taking a shaky breath, she mustered up her courage to take another peek.

What she saw was Naruto unable to look at her, hands still in the air and face blushing deep red. Hinata didn't know a lot of things like romance and all that… but this definitely meant he was at least aware of her, right? Just that thought alone made her heart soar. That meant- she had a chance?

The idea seemed so ridiculous with everything else going on- no, especially because of everything else going on, she was beyond happy to see at least something was going well for herself. Even if his feelings didn't amount to something, just the fact that he would even begin to consider her was beyond anything she had hoped for.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn't good for either of them.

Hinata knew that the moment she accidentally glanced up at Asura's face. That wasn't to say he was giving them something like a disapproving pout. No, his attention was entirely elsewhere. Specifically on the other side of the Eight Trigrams diagram at the two people who just appeared:

Otsutsuki Indra and Uchiha Sasuke.

The tension in the air was palpable, even Kali unable to make one of her usual quips as the two brothers glared at one another from either side of her territory. For a moment, it seemed like no one was sure of what was about to happen. After all, these were two brothers whose battle was so fierce, they started reincarnating just to continue it.

Asura strode forward first, stepping onto Kali's territory and crossing the distance between them. As if not to be outdone, Indra started moving a second after his younger brother, the gait of his steps noticeably wider. The two of them met in the middle, Asura being forced to look up and Indra glaring down. Kali sat in between them, glancing anxiously back and forth, the first time Hinata had ever seen such an expression on her face.

"Yo Aniki, you look like hell." Asura nodded to Indra's left arm. The whole arm from the base of the shoulder was gone, Sasuke being in possession of it now. The same way Asura's arm from the elbow down was now attached to Naruto. Instead, the two brothers had wisps of purple and green chakra that had taken the shape of their missing appendages.

"Is that seriously what you have to say to me after all this time?" Indra snapped, his Sharingan eyes continuing to glare down at his unperturbed younger brother. The longer he glared, the angrier he looked to become, until finally it seemed like he was about to explode. Except the next words out of his mouth weren't a hate-filled tirade, but instead a simple platitude, "Thank you for helping my idiot reincarnation." He grumbled, suddenly unable to look at him any longer out of sheer embarrassment.

"Of course, we're brothers!" Asura laughed, beaming up at his big brother with a smile bright enough to light up the night sky. It seemed like something so insignificant, but what they were all witnessing now was the end of a feud that had lasted over a thousand years.

As if realizing that, Sasuke also approached his big brother.

"Itachi," He said, pausing to glance over at Naruto, who nodded at him enthusiastically while giving two thumbs up. "Help me understand what happened that night. I need to know why things had to end up the way they did. I'm not saying I can forgive you… but at least let me understand you." It was a simple request, yet so much had to happen for him to reach that moment.

"Of course," Itachi agreed, before then turning and nodding to the transmigrant behind him. "You remember Shisui, right? He'll help me explain everything. We'll talk until you have no questions left. Like how I should have before that night ever happened." With that, the two brothers began their long road to reconciliation.

The others left the three of them to talk about the Uchiha Incident. Meanwhile, Indra and Asura began sharing information on what they understood happened in their lives just before Naruto and Sasuke. As they talked, they began to wander over towards Indra's domain, inspecting the burnt soil as if to consider how to begin mending it.

This left Naruto, Hinata, and Kali on their own.

"If you've got anything left to take care of, I recommend you be quick about it," Kali said, giving Hinata a meaningful look and nodding her head ever so slightly in Naruto's direction. "That is, if you were really serious about properly being my disciple and following in my footsteps."

"I am." Hinata answered, trying her best to ignore Kali's obvious signals and fight down the rising blush. She had resolved herself, knowing she couldn't run from her responsibilities any longer, not with the stakes having been raised as high as they now were. It was her duty to get stronger, along with everyone else.

Only something about Kali's wording caused her to frown. What did she mean by "be quick about it"? It was almost like she was implying that she didn't have any more time.

"I plan to begin instructing you on elemental transformation," Kali continued, her expression somewhat apologetic. "After that battle against Amaterasu, it's obvious we need to work on your ranged style." That didn't seem so bad to Hinata, as she remembered the powerful techniques Kali had used in the Tsukuyomi Realm. Those would certainly be beneficial, so then why? "Unfortunately, time is short and we need to do it on the road. It's time for you to be going on that pilgrimage." It was only then that she was beginning to understand what Kali meant.

"A pilgrimage? Where we going?" Naruto asked, completely oblivious to what they were talking about.

"Not we. Just Hinata." Kali corrected him. "You've been to one of the shrines already, so you know the Hinoshita clan takes its job quite seriously." She was, of course, referring to the shrine that had been on Toyama island, just outside Koto City. Only Hinata had been allowed near the shrine itself, and it stood to reason that all the others were the same. So minus that one, along with the one in Konoha, there were eighty-six other shrines in total spread throughout the entirety of the Land of Fire.

"How long will it take to visit all the shrines?" Hinata wondered aloud, although in her heart she already knew the answer. She also knew this wasn't something she could just ignore. Amaterasu was looking for ways to gain even more power. The shrines gathering impurities would be one such way for her to do so, which meant they all had to be purified.

"Considering you'll be training on the way…" Kali paused long enough to do the calculations in her head.

"I expect you won't return to Konoha for at least two years."

The Village Hidden in the Rain

Yakushi Kabuto leaned on the railing at the balcony of a tall gothic skyscraper, gazing up at the dreary gray sky.

One week now he had been here in this village. And in that whole week, the rain hadn't let up for even a second. True to the rumors, it would seem. The entire country was like this, constantly covered in a blanket of gray, the sky weeping without end.

It was no wonder the people of the country were so down on their luck, when even the world itself appeared depressed. Such a place like this was the perfect place for the birth of Akatsuki.

"Kabuto, it's time." Orochimaru said, appearing at the other end of the balcony and beckoning him forward. Like Kabuto, Orochimaru had begun wearing his old Akatsuki cloak.

"Is this really alright?" Kabuto asked his master, not fully understanding why Orochimaru would so easily rejoin the organization that had disgraced him. Of course, it had been Itachi that forced him to flee, and he was no longer a member, which might have had something to do with it.

"The winds of change are blowing." Orochimaru answered cryptically. It was always like this with him, the Snake Sannin simply following his whims. Soon enough it was just as likely that he would get bored of the Akatsuki and they would return to the Sound Village. For now, however, two of them walked several flights up the building, their destination unknown. As they came upon the roof, it was Kabuto's surprise to see his other master also here.

"Sasori-sama," He bowed immediately, the sharp gaze of the puppet Hiruko setting him on edge. He half expected the tail attached to its back to lunge at them the moment they appeared. For this man had once been Orochimaru's partner, and he viewed Orochimaru's betrayal of the organization as a slight against him too, vowing to one day kill the Snake Sannin.

"You have some nerve to come slithering back here, Orochimaru." Sasori glared at the Snake Sannin, ignoring Kabuto completely. However, despite his gruff warning, he did nothing to attack the pair of them. It seemed like he hadn't forgiven him, but for the moment there was some kind of truce to be had between them.

"It's fine, ain't it?" Deidara, Sasori's current partner and a known terrorist originating from Iwagakure, said in a chipper tone. "With Itachi and Kisame gone, we needed more people to take their place anyways." It was strange to find a man so optimistic among such a group of criminals.

"Quite a number of people are gathering." The last man making up their small group spoke. He was also someone Kabuto recognized well, Kakuzu of the Waterfall Village, a renowned surgeon and a man Kabuto respected greatly for the skill of his craft alone. Big names all around, it would seem.

At first, Kabuto had thought he was referring to this small gathering, but that wasn't the case at all. He was looking over the side of the building and down at all the smaller structures below. Curiosity getting the better of him, Kabuto joined the Immortal Zombie and peered below. It was exactly as Kakuzu said, thousands upon thousands flooding the streets and rooftops of the gothic city. It would seem every single resident of the whole country had been called, all of them flocking despite the heavy rain.

"Just what is about to happen here?" Kabuto wondered out loud. He had never seen such a gathering before, the numbers in which the people came truly staggering. Just what kind of zealotry would drive them to come in such a deluge?

"The arrival of a true god." A blue haired woman known as Konan descended upon them, wings made of paper on her back, giving her the appearance of an angel. As she landed, she paused to glare at Kakuzu. "…Where is your new partner?" She asked.

"Hidan's right here." Kakuzu pulled back his cloak, revealing a severed head. Kabuto had heard the rumors of the man's extreme brutality and tendency to kill all his partners, but he hadn't expected him to keep his head. And for what purpose?

"God damn it, this fucking hurts!" The head screamed, still quite alive. "Just you all wait, I'm gonna fucking kill you all as sacrifices to Jashin-sama, the one true god! Not whatever phony bullshit y'all are peddling here-" The screaming head was muffled by Kakuzu's cloak closing back over it. Even so, they could continue to hear him rant out obscenities.

"As you can see, I doubt he'll continue to be a member for much longer. Whatever rumors you have stirring up about this new god or whatever has gotten him quite worked up." Kakuzu said with a shrug, acting like it wasn't actually any of his concern.

"That is unfortunate." Konan responded, before turning to look at the rest of them. "I trust there are no problems among the rest of you?" Her question was greeted with silence, which she interpreted as complicity. "Very good, then I ask that you also direct your gazes above. The unveiling is about to begin." At her beckoning, the five gathered Missing-Nin all approached the balcony, turning their attention to the only building that stood taller than the one they were on.

It was an ugly tower, four humanoid faces at each side, connected to two smaller towers. The face looking out over the city had concentric-circles patterns in its eyes, with its tongue stuck out. Standing upon this tongue was a young, orange-haired man. He had previously been known as the god of the village, Pain. Yet his reign was at an end with the arrival of a true god.

"My village, my country!" Pain spoke to them, his voice carrying over the sound of the rain and reaching the thousands of gathered people. Everyone gave him their attention, ignoring the rain as it beat down upon them. "For too long our country has been plagued by the rain and the cruelty of the five great nations. From today, that will all change!" He stepped to the side, dropping to one knee and inclining his head.

A portal opened, Obito stepping out from it, and bringing a black-haired woman with him. Like Pain, he dropped to one knee in reverence.

"Behold our goddess, Amaterasu!" The two of them spoke together. "By her power, this village will no longer be one hidden in Rain, but in a New Dawn." At their proclamation, Amaterasu held up her hands.

The effect was almost instant, the ceaseless rain coming to an abrupt halt as the clouds opened, revealing the dazzling light of the sun. Its rays dried the faces of the people. For many, this was the first true exposure to the sun they had ever received. The masses fell to their knees. Some of them began to weep, others cheered, and all of them began to chant the goddesses name. Kabuto, and the members of the Akatsuki could only stare in shocked silence. Even if none of them said it, they all knew what this meant.

A new world order was about to come.

Departure

Following Kali's bombshell statement, things seemed to begin moving quite quickly, yet at the same time contradictingly slow.

The shout of surprise and protest hadn't come from Hinata herself, but Naruto. He demanded that Kali reconsider her proposal. At the very least, he insisted that he also be allowed to tag along.

Kali had been adamant in her refusal. Naruto had to stick close to Sasuke. Now that Indra and Asura had finally reconciled, they needed to begin learning to work together. It was what their father had always wanted, and she wouldn't be responsible for delaying that further than it already had. Such logic couldn't be used to convince him, however.

It was only when Hinata finally asserted that it was something she had to do on her own that Naruto finally relented. After all, he still had to take the Chunin Exams again if he wanted to get promoted. That seemed to be enough to get him to agree, if only for the time being.

After that, Hinata had appealed to Itachi to give her the leave of absence necessary for her pilgrimage. He readily granted her request, vowing to use his powers as Hokage to ensure that her training trip would be allowed to continue smoothly, although he did have conditions. She had to submit a detailed agenda of her expected path, and he would assign an Anbu escort.

Hinata agreed. After all, traveling by herself for two years would have been lonely otherwise. Besides, there was no telling what kind of trouble she would run into out in the wilderness. Having an escort between shrines would provide peace of mind and someone to speak with from the village.

All their business concluded inside the interstate, the eight of them decided to end things there. Hinata then awoke in the hospital, surrounded by Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi. Before they left, Hinata asked that Naruto pass on a message to several groups, asking them to come visit her. Once she recovered, it wouldn't be long before her departure and she needed to tie up as many loose ends as possible before then.

Her first visitor wasn't any of those that she had requested, but the one responsible for healing her in the first place: The Slug Princess, Tsunade. She was a much younger looking woman than Hinata had expected, going by Naruto's description of her, but she didn't dare mention that. According to Tsunade's prognosis, Hinata would be allowed to leave the hospital in three days.

Only three more days.

That was how much longer she would have left in the village then. It was a lonely thought, to think she would be leaving so soon. However, she had vowed not to run away from her destiny any longer than she already had. So she accepted the news with a forced smile and her gratitude.

On the first day, her team came to visit her.

"Akamaru, that tickles!" Hinata giggled, trying to keep the Ninken at bay as it licked happily at her face.

"He was worried about you, as were the rest of us." Kiba stood at the foot of her bed, not even trying to call his dog to return. It would seem he deemed the licking a suitable punishment for having scared them all with the extent of her injuries.

"We've also heard about the journey you're planning." Shino stood a little further back, hands in his pockets and facial expression hidden by his sunglasses and collar. However, he couldn't hide the slightly dejected sagging of his shoulders. Even Kiba's smile seemed a little worn, the two of them clearly hurt that she would be going on the pilgrimage without them.

"Now, now, you two." Kurenai sat on a chair at Hinata's side, her gentle gaze currently fixed on the two genin. "We discussed this. Hinata's doing this because she has to, I'm sure she's feeling guilty enough about it already." It was exactly as she said.

Hinata had grown a lot with this team. If not for them, she would have never taken the Chunin Exams, which meant she would have never met Kali and set her destiny in motion. They were an important reason for her becoming who she was now. She hated the idea of having to be apart from them for so long.

"Don't think you're the only one that's going to be getting stronger!" Kiba pounded a fist on his chest, before then extending it towards her. "By the time you get back, we're going to be Chunin too! You got that?"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it." Hinata finally managed to get Akamaru off her face, the ninken now sitting in her lap, content as she continued to pet him behind the ears.

"You're forgetting that we are still short someone to take the exams with." Shino deadpanned, still not quite able to leave all the negativity behind. Although Hinata preferred to just think he was being practical.

"You two just leave that to me." Kurenai said, turning to Hinata and winking as if sharing some kind of secret. "I've already found the perfect candidate to take the exams with you."

It wasn't until the next day that Hinata knew what her teacher had meant.

"Tayuya-chan… that headband?" Hinata asked, Tayuya and Anko being the next group to visit her.

"Yep, I'm officially one of you guys now." Tayuya fiddled with the headband that she wore around her neck, much in the same way that Hinata usually had hers. "Although they only welcomed me as a Genin. Kinda bullshit if you ask me." She grumbled, but the small blush on her face conveyed her true feelings.

"Please take care of Kiba-kun and Shino-kun." Hinata was relieved to know that such a strong, reliable person would be taking her place. Certainly, it was lonely to know your position was being filled, but if it was going to be anyone, she was glad it was her. Besides, if she continued to master her sage mode, she would make an excellent tracker yet herself.

"Don't forget that I'm the one that pushed for your recognition." Anko reminded her, although it seemed far from the first time she had done so. "Well, you did fight pretty hard for us on that mission, and we did manage to catch that Sakon guy, so it's not like we needed to keep interrogating you anyway." It would seem the two had started getting along much more in the past two weeks.

"Yeah, yeah." Tayuya knocked Anko's teasing hand away, before walking around the bed and over to Hinata's side. "Seriously, I owe you for giving me a chance, even when you didn't have to. I'm only here now thanks to you. So you can definitely count on me to keep those idiot guys on your team out of trouble." She promised.

"Thank you." Hinata responded, those simple words of gratitude all she needed to convey.

"By the way, I need to apologize, myself." Anko admitted, rubbing the spot where her curse mark used to be, before it got eaten by the impurity that had become the portal for Amaterasu. "I really should have listened to you and let you purify it back when you first offered. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did if I had taken your warning more seriously." She bowed deeply, something which Hinata still couldn't get used to.

"Please don't worry about it." Hinata tried to wave off her bow, hoping she would lift her head soon. "We all got tricked by the enemy's plan. No one person is at fault for everything that happened." It took a lot for her to be able to admit that, and not place all the blame on herself.

She supposed that meant she had grown a little too.

"By the way," Tayuya added, hiking a thumb over at Anko as she talked. "She offered to take me in. No offense, but I wasn't exactly comfortable staying at the Hyuga compound without you there, so I went against my better judgment and took her up on the offer." That explained how they had become so close recently, at least.

"It's quite alright." Hinata nodded in understanding. If it wasn't for the fact that they were her family, she wasn't sure she could handle living there either. The thought of leaving that home, however, was the thought that terrified her the most about this encroaching journey. "Speaking of my family, can you ask them to bring something?"

And it was on her last day in the hospital that her family came to visit her.

"Nee-sama!" Hanabi threw herself on Hinata's bed, knocking the air from her lungs as she embraced her in a crushing hug. It was a good thing she had almost completely recovered, or the tackle might have set her stay in the hospital back another couple days.

"Hanabi, I missed you." Hinata returned the hug, squeezing her sister as tight as possible as if to make up for lost time. And to make up for the time that would be lost. For as much as she missed her this time, their next separation was going to be that much longer.

"Hinata, I am glad to see you alright." Hiashi stood at a distance, simply watching over his two daughters with a warm smile. In truth, it looked like he wanted to join their hug, but they all knew there was still a long way to go before such barriers could be broken down.

"I've brought your bag, like you asked." Neji was the last member of the family to join them to come and see her. He stepped forward, placing the bag next to Hinata on the bed. To her surprise and pleasure, he remained close by. It wasn't much, but it showed how much better he had come to think of her since their fight in the Preliminary Matches.

"Why did you need your bag already?" Hanabi asked, ending the hug but continuing to remain snuggled up against her on the bed. Hinata didn't mind, but it did make it hard to unzip with one hand.

"For this." Hinata answered, pulling out a small vial filled with an orange liquid. "It's the Moonfire Elixir. The last vial… and I want you to have it." She handed the vial to Neji.

"Me?" Neji asked, taking the vial, his face masked with confusion. "Isn't this what you made in order to save your squad leader? What use for it would I have?"

"It's for the Caged Bird Seal." Hinata looked at her father as she spoke now, trying to gauge his reaction. She told them about the mark that Itachi had been branded with and how the elixir had removed it. "I believe the same thing can be done for Neji-nii-san, for all of the branch clan one day." Of course, they would have to retrieve more of the Moonfire Flower to create the elixir, but she could leave them instructions on how to do that.

That all pended on her father's approval, of course. Or so she had assumed.

"Let's do it." It was Hanabi that answered. "I'm supposed to be the clan head one day, aren't I? Well, when that time comes I want to take my place over them not as the main family and branch, but as one united clan."

"Hinata-sama… Hanabi-sama…" Neji couldn't say anything more than that, simply holding the vial and continuing to stare at the two of them as if dumbstruck.

"I see." Hiashi closed his eyes and nodded with a small smile on his face. "To think the day would come that I see both of my daughters mature before my very eyes." When he reopened his eyes, they could see his resolve. "Very well then, first we will verify the elixir works with Neji. After that, we can begin thinking about how to inform the others." He declared.

"Hiashi-sama… thank you. I thank all of you." Neji didn't know where to look, eventually returning his gaze to the two sisters and bowing towards them. "I will never forget this debt." He promised them.

"There is no debt to be paid." Hiashi corrected him sternly. "We are simply fixing a wrong that should have been addressed a long time ago. There will be some resistance among the elders, but I will handle that. It's time the Hyuga left their archaic ways behind and stepped into the future. Any branch member that wants the elixir shall receive it." He nodded to his daughters, his eyes beaming with pride.

With that, Hinata had finished all her unresolved business in the village.

The next day she was released from the hospital… and made her way towards the village gate. Towards the first steps of her two year journey.

The bag on her shoulders felt heavy… but not with any actual weight. No, it was the weight of anxiety that she truly felt, unsure about so many things and what the future held. Would she be able to endure Kali's strict training? Would the journey between shrines go smoothly? And what about Amaterasu? Would she simply do nothing while she was allowed to train?

None of these questions would be answered simply by worrying about it. The only thing she could do was move forward and hope for the best.

That seemed like such a simple thing now, but it had taken Hinata all this time to finally learn that.

Finally, the gates leading out of the village came into view. As Hinata approached them, she saw a familiar head of long purple hair atop an Anbu mask waiting for her.

"Yugao-san!" Hinata called, instantly remembering the Anbu member that had come to help them during the battle between Itachi and Kisame. At the time, she had praised Hinata for her decision making skills and ability to perform under pressure. However, in that time since then, the truth of everything that had happened had now come to light, and Hinata couldn't help but worry that Yugao might resent her for her deception.

"Hinata of the White Lotus. It is a pleasure to meet you again." Yugao greeted, quickly dispelling any of those earlier concerns. "To be honest, when I heard the details of this escort mission, I requested to be the one assigned to the task. Rest assured, I won't let any harm befall you." She promised.

"Thank you." Hinata said, bowing deeply. "I'll be in your care." She was relieved to see that the person she would travel with was a familiar face, if only barely. It at least ensured that this pilgrimage would be starting off on the right foot, which was something she desperately needed.

"If all your preparations are in order then, shall we depart?" Yugao asked, seemingly ready to head off at a moment's notice.

"Yes, I believe everything is ready." Hinata answered, turning around to look one last time at her beloved village. The Hokage Monument loomed in the distance, the faces of the four Hokage looking down at her and over the forests of their home… and at the young boy sprinting towards them, waving his hands wildly to get their attention.

"Hinata! Wait!" Naruto called, his voice barely reaching them.

"Naruto-kun!?" Hinata started to move in order to meet him halfway, turning around awkwardly as if to ask Yugao for permission. It was only when the woman in the Anbu mask nodded her forward that Hinata found the courage to start running to meet him, all the weight from earlier completely gone, the bag on her back feeling as light as a feather.

"…I made it." Naruto stood doubled over in front of her, hands on his knees as he gasped desperately for breath. It would appear he had run here all the way from the other side of the village as fast as he possibly could, that being the only explanation for the state he was currently in.

"You came to see me off?" Hinata couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or overjoyed, her facial expression settling somewhere between both, ears burning red and shy smile splitting her face.

She felt that she had settled everything that needed to be taken care of before she left the village: ensuring her team would be able to take the exams without her, making sure Tayuya would be okay, and giving the last vial of the Moonfire Elixir to Neji. If there was only one thing that she regretted having not done… it would be confessing her feelings to Naruto. Yet even now, she felt the courage flee from her just standing in front of him.

"There's something I forgot to tell you," Naruto said, regaining his breath as he stood up straight. He beamed at her, blue eyes gazing proudly into her pale irises as he gave her a thumbs up. "I kept up my end of the promise, y'know! The timing wasn't great, but I technically beat Sasuke in a one on one fight. So when you come back, I'll be waiting! Let's have our match at that time."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata's eyes went wide as she stared at his bright smile, face overflowing with confidence. With everything that had happened, she completely forgot about that promise they had made with one another. Things had gotten really convoluted along the way- what with the exams being canceled- culminating in the arrival of a Goddess. But in all that chaos, Naruto still remembered his promise to her.

It was such a simple gesture, yet something about it caused her feelings to overflow. The smile on his face, the determination in his eyes that looked only at her, and his ability to always remember his promises. It reminded her of everything she liked about him. Just like when he cheered for her in the fight against Neji, which allowed her to begin changing herself to begin with.

"…I love you." The words slipped out of her mouth without even thinking about it. Never mind it wasn't even an appropriate response to his earlier proclamation, it was so out of left field that even he looked shocked by her sudden confession. Hinata had almost thought it was just her imagination and that she hadn't actually said anything, but there was no hope for that now.

"Huh?" Naruto gaped, staring at her blankly now as the gears in his head cranked into overdrive, trying to understand exactly what she meant. He had only just recently even started thinking about what it meant to love someone as a person thanks to Anko's advice. So of course, he had no idea how to respond.

He may not have known how to respond, but the dots were starting to connect. That had been the point of Tayuya's question, and that was why Hinata had sometimes seemed so strange around him. If he plugged her feelings into what he thought had just been her being weird until now, many things started to make sense… and somehow that made him feel warm inside, causing a small smile to subconsciously split his blushing face.

Hinata didn't know how to take his reaction. He wasn't saying anything, but he looked far from offended or horrified by the idea either. That meant that… she had a chance, didn't it? No, forget about anything like a chance, she was about to leave the village.

If she wanted him to take her feelings seriously, she had to make a bold move now. Something that would guarantee he wouldn't forget about her confession over the coming two years or misunderstand what she actually meant. And if it was going to be something bold… then it could only be one thing.

Hinata stepped forward, closing the distance between them while he was still in shock. Grabbing the collar of his jacket with both hands, she pulled his face forward while her own closed in- and planted a quick peck on his lips. It lasted a span of time that couldn't even be called a second. That was as bold as she was capable of being.

Then, without even waiting to see his reaction, she turned on her heel and ran towards the gate. "Yugao-san, let's go." She ordered quietly as she passed by her escort, head lowered to hide her face, but there was no hiding her bright red ears.

Yugao looked at Hinata's retreating back. Then she glanced at Naruto who stood dumbstruck, not seeing anything, fingers pressed up against his lips. Once more she looked back at Hinata who was practically jogging to get away from him. Then she chuckled.

"You got it." Yugao said, following after her. She was really looking forward to their journey, and to Hinata's growth along the way.

It was only a short time ago that she made a name for herself at the Chunin Exams. Since then she had done battle with the Akatsuki, saved her teacher, earned the title of the White Lotus, stood against a very god, and just now had overcome the most challenging thing of all: confessing her feelings.

Everything had started from a simple wish to change herself. And she was only just getting started.

Part 1: End

Post Word: Here we are, at the end of the first half of this story.

Before this update, I also did some touch-ups to the rest of the story to make things consistent and hopefully a smoother reading experience. No major plot points or anything has been changed.

As you can probably guess, the next chapter will take place after a two year time skip. I was debating about marking this part one as complete and then starting a separate story for part two, but I'm pretty sure I've decided against that for the time being. Even though the story is continuing, however, I tried my best to give as many characters as I could complete character arcs throughout this part one. Then the next part will see these characters challenged in new and different ways as they reach the next step of their development.

So while this isn't the end, the first stage of this journey is complete. Thank you to everyone that has stuck it out with me through this adventure. I really appreciate all the faves, follows, and reviews that have been left and am really grateful for all the feedback I've received. I hope to take that feedback and use it to continue to grow as a writer and also take the lessons I've learned and put it into the next stage.

Thank you all again and I'll see you in Part Two!