Hinata: Byakurenden

The Raikage


Itachi and Hinata entered the restaurant located inside the Land of Iron together.

The very first thing they noticed was the smell, the delicious aroma of grilled meat wafting throughout the entire establishment. Smoke hung near the ceiling, being sucked into vents littered across it, each individual table containing its own grill for the customers to cook their food themselves- A style of restaurant familiar to them both, this being traditional Land of Fire yakiniku.

The moment the waitress behind the welcome counter saw them, she immediately began to escort them towards the rear of the restaurant where the private rooms were located. They didn't even need to introduce themselves, the Hokage's robes introduction enough. As they followed the waitress, the conversation of every table they passed by ceased, the occupants taking notice of their presence.

Hinata barely had time to worry about all the attention they were receiving. Right now, she had to focus on controlling her breathing, emptying her mind of any unnecessary thoughts.

The Raikage was someone they absolutely needed as an ally. It didn't matter that he ordered to have her kidnapped on the eve of her third birthday. And it wasn't important that when that attempt failed, he demanded the head of her father, whom they thought was responsible for killing her would-be abductor. It was all in the past, the life of her uncle traded in exchange so her father could live. All because Kumogakure wanted her eyes. Again, it was very important she didn't think about any of that.

In only a few moments they would be brought face to face with the Raikage, about to discuss the future of their world and what they would do about Amaterasu. And she still hadn't managed to gain her composure.

"Hinata, you'll be fine." Itachi must have noticed, turning to whisper back at her just before they reached their destination. "You're the White Lotus, who defeated the two most infamous traitors to their villages of all time, Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi." It was a terrible joke.

Hinata didn't defeat either of them. Itachi defected to their side after Kali sealed his Mangekyo Sharingan. Then he and Kisame killed each, Hinata's only contribution to that fight was taking out Samehada, killing the living sword by striking it in a natural tenketsu point. Of course, Itachi's death hadn't actually stuck, as he used Izanagi to reverse causality and undo his death in that fight.

None of this was his point. Despite not actually doing anything, the story that the people spread was exactly as Itachi said it. The credit for their deaths had gone to Hinata and it was what had made her title as the White Lotus a household name throughout the country and beyond.

It really was a terrible joke. Yet she somehow couldn't help but let out a nervous giggle, the previous tension all being released with it. More importantly, it had taken her mind off of the complicated past she had with Kumogakure. It didn't erase the fact that it had happened, but she felt like it was even farther away now.

Just in time too, the waitress having come to stop in front of a sliding door made of wood and paper. She gave a polite knock before sliding the door open to usher Itachi and Hinata in. They took off their sandals before stepping up onto the raised platform and entering the private booth where their guests were waiting for them.

"You're finally here, Hokage!" The Raikage boomed between mouthfuls of food. The grill in front of them was completely covered in meat, the Raikage picking huge pieces of it off the table and eating them in one bite before his chopsticks then scooped up large servings of white rice to follow.

The Yondaime Raikage had dark skin with a large muscular build, pale blonde hair combed back, a small mustache and goatee. He wore the ceremonial robes of the position, white and yellow as opposed to the white and red of Itachi's own.

Next to him was his chosen guard for this meeting, a woman that was currently placing more meat on the grill and turning over the other pieces. She had long, straight, blonde, hair bound with taut bandages, dark eyes and red lipstick. She wore a short-sleeved black and purple blouse and black pants, both of which had a design similar to clouds on them, and the standard Kumogakure Hitai-ate.

"Yes, my apologies. Although I do hope the food is to your liking." Itachi replied cordially, although it was debatable if the Raikage even heard him, in the middle of pounding back a large glass of beer. He slammed it on the table, the empty glass making a loud clack. A moment later and the woman to his left was refilling it from one of several large bottles.

"You picked a place with good meat and beer, I'll give you that. My name is Ei, the Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure. The woman next to me is Nii Yugito, Jinchuriki of the Two-Tailed Cat. Any funny business, and her Biju will sense it." The Raikage hadn't even glanced at Hinata yet, which was probably for the best. He was singularly focused on Itachi, in particular being wary of his Sharingan eyes.

Itachi could no longer use Kotoamatsukami, the gods unwilling to provide their aid, which meant Itachi wouldn't be able to use the ultimate genjutsu to convince the Raikage to help them. Just because he couldn't use that ability, didn't mean the Sharingan couldn't be used to cast subtle illusions, and the Raikage was right to be wary of them.

Hinata was forced to reassess the way she had been looking at Yugito. This would be the third Jinchuriki she had met until now. Naruto and Gaara were very different in personality, but there were also a lot of similarities in how they had been treated growing up. She wondered if Yugito had similar experiences. Even if that had been the case, she was now sitting beside the Raikage in a meeting as sensitive as this, so her merit had been proven.

"Pleasure to officially make your acquaintance. My name is Uchiha Itachi, the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure." Itachi nodded, tipping his hat to conceal his Sharingan eyes for just a moment before removing it altogether to place it beside him. He didn't deactivate the glowing red eyes, unwilling to show weakness in front of the Yondaime Raikage, who followed strength above all else. "And joining me today is Hyuga Hinata, our village's very own White Lotus."

The moment her name left his mouth and Ei's eyes snapped to Hinata, forgetting about Itachi and his Sharingan altogether. He barely seemed to register her attire, the shrine maiden robes personally stitched by the Hinoshita clan, instead focusing on her face. In particular her Byakugan eyes and unmarked forehead. Ei snarled as he looked at her, revealing two vampiric-like fangs.

"What kind of game are you playing here, Hokage?" The Raikage asked, rounding back on Itachi as if just looking at Hinata disgusted him.

"I am not here to play games, Raikage-dono." Itachi held his gaze, speaking evenly while keeping his voice level. "I'm here to have a serious discussion about our future. Unless you would like to take a trip down memory lane first?" It was a big gamble, goading the Raikage right out the gate before they had even finished their introductions. However, Itachi knew he had to take back some power for these negotiations to have a chance at being successful, and if he had to rattle the Raikage to do that, he would.

"Heh, how about you?" Ei smirked back, placing one of his massive hands on the table as he leaned forward. "You sure you're comfortable talking about the past, Hokage? Or maybe I should call you Uchiha Itachi, the clan butcher. Now I wonder how it is that someone like you, who used to be the most wanted traitor to your village, became the Godaime, huh!?"

"I'm not surprised that you aren't aware of all the details." Itachi maintained his cool, not even blinking when his heinous past actions were brought up. "The former administration did an excellent job at keeping the truth hidden. My actions prevented a coup-d'etat that would have torn the village apart. Afterwards, I took on the role of a traitor so I could infiltrate a dangerous criminal organization and spy on them to assess their threat to the village. After gathering significant intel, I returned to become the Hokage, the Sandaime recognizing my ability and resolve as adequate for the role. How about you, what's your explanation for the Hyuga incident?"

Hinata was amazed at how easily Itachi lied, weaving the truth throughout to add authenticity to the whole thing. Her awe at his talent was briefly interrupted, Yugito placing a bowl of rice and plate of meat in front of her. The two women met eyes, and nodded silently at one another in acknowledgment. Hinata decided to accept the food, picking up her chopsticks and tasting the beautifully grilled meat while the two Kage continued to spar with their words.

"Don't make me out to be the morally bankrupt one here!" Ei slapped the table another couple times, before lifting his glass, only pausing when he noticed Itachi didn't mimic the action. "Hey, Yugito! Get the Hokage a beer too, would you?" He snapped at her.

"Already done, Raikage-sama." Yugito passed another large glass filled with the bubbling liquid over the table and Itachi accepted it, taking a smaller swig in comparison to the huge gulps Ei did.

"Now where was I?" The Raikage continued, pounding his glass down on the table again. "That's right, don't you compare the butchering of a whole clan to a single dead man. You say that your actions were for the good of a village, and that goes doubly the same for everything I've done, ya hear me?"

"That single dead man had a name." Itachi placed his beer down, picking up his own chopsticks as Hinata passed some of the meat Yugito gave her over to him. He smiled in thanks to her and Hinata returned the gesture, pleased to hear him stick up for her deceased uncle.

"The death of one man is a tragedy, and the deaths of ten-thousand is a statistic." Ei grumbled to himself, eating another mouthful of rice. "Don't get all philosophical on me, Hokage. That quote was born on the day my father died." It was a legendary tale, the previous Raikage fighting for three days and nights against an army of ten-thousand to let his comrades escape before he was finally felled. "I know all about Hyuga Hizashi, the twin brother of the man we actually requested."

"Yes, my village deceived you in order to keep the Byakugan for ourselves." Itachi didn't deny it. "You deceived us first by trying to kidnap the young woman sitting next to me." The blame game could go on forever, extending back to the previous wars if they wanted it to.

Hinata felt like she understood that now. She couldn't necessarily forgive the Raikage for ordering her kidnapping, but she realized now he had been hurt in his own way. Just the brief mention of his father seemed to sober him slightly. A fact he too seemed to realize, so he hurried to get to the main subject.

"Exactly right, and so I ask you this question: How do you propose our two villages come to an alliance when we can't trust one another?" Ei pointed an accusatory finger directly at Itachi. At first glance, it seemed like he was dismissing the idea of an alliance out of principle, but upon closer inspection, Hinata got the feeling that he was actually considering it.

"Because our current way of life depends on it." Itachi answered. "I know you can't be ignorant to the major shifts in the world. So tell me, how much do you know about this religion that has arisen in Amegakure, or as the people call it now, Akatsukigakure?"

"Don't expect me to just share all my village's intel so easily." Ei folded his arms, ignoring his food for the minute, even as Yugito continued to grill more for him. "I know that the members of that criminal organization you spied on claim to have summoned a goddess to our world, and she goes by the name of that old sun goddess, Amaterasu. I also know the religion she founded has become incredibly popular since they started making these claims. That's all I'll say."

It seemed that Ei didn't actually believe in Amaterasu's godhood or had any real idea about the power it was she truly held. It was hard to blame him, as he had never experienced her terror firsthand. He also wouldn't know about what happened to Sunagakure yet, one of the great nations already toppled by her influence. To him, it just seemed like some new religious cult was getting a little uppity and out of hand.

"What if I told you her power was the real deal?" Itachi asked, leaning forward to show Ei that he was serious. "The Akatsuki summoned Amaterasu inside our village and she made a mess of things two years ago. According to my intel, her power has only gotten greater since then and she's amassed enough power to threaten the delicate balance our world exists on."

"Are you serious?" The Raikage threw back his head and laughed as if to mock Itachi for believing in such fairy tales. "You can't mean to tell me you believe in things like those old gods and such nonsense like that!?" There was even a tint of anger in his accusation, like the very idea was insulting his intelligence.

"I'm not asking you to believe in her divinity." Itachi clarified, taking another small swig of his beer. "Call her a goddess, an alien, a fraud, or whatever you like. I'm just telling you that her power isn't something we can ignore. If we don't band together, she'll wipe us out one by one. We cannot stand against her while divided."

"Hmm…" The Raikage rolled the idea around in his head for some time, everyone else taking the opportunity to enjoy their food while they waited for him to reach his own conclusions. "You say you have some intel? It must be pretty convincing if it's got you this worked up. So let's have it." Despite having refused to give away his own information, he was now demanding theirs.

"That's fine with me." Itachi didn't seem to mind the hypocrisy. "We have nothing to hide, and if it will convince you to help, we'll share all that we know." He then nodded to Hinata. "The White Lotus has just returned from the stronghold of the enemy. She'll share everything with you now, starting from the mission she was hired for." Until now, she had managed to go this whole meeting without speaking. No more it would seem.

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Hinata said, forcing her voice to sound strong and full of confidence. She feared that someone naturally confident like Ei might see right through her, but she couldn't show such weakness like that self-doubt now of all times.

She had learned a few key things about the Raikage throughout his banter with Itachi, and the most important of which was that he responded to strength. Itachi had barely apologized to the Raikage before asking about the food and then antagonizing him with Hinata's presence. Yet instead of storming out, the Raikage had responded with a fierce attack on Itachi's own past and character. When Itachi merely let the insults roll off his shoulders with a sip of beer and called out the Raikage's own less than squeaky clean past, Ei had already forgotten entirely about being kept waiting.

It was so masterfully handled that if Hinata hadn't been paying close attention she might have even missed it. Now that they were actually on topic, the possibility of an alliance with Kumogakure wasn't so far fetched as it initially seemed.

Hinata told them about her trip to Sunagakure, altering some of the details about Gaara to make them easier for a skeptic like Ei to accept. If he didn't believe in gods and goddesses, there was no way he would believe in transmigrants and souls of previous Jinchuriki. The important information was the fall of the village itself and the battle against Sasori. She also left out the specifics of her fight against Kabuto, but that was because she would rather not remember it.

After that, she told them about their abduction by Obito and the long day they spent in Akatsukigakure. Once again, she altered some of the details, such as how Amaterasu's intent was to summon her god brothers by using her infant sons as vessels, instead just framing it that they were conducting unethical experiments that would create a new ultimate weapon. She didn't hold back about the ceremony at dusk, despite her shame of simply standing there and watching as those people were immolated.

The whole time she spoke, the others continued to eat their food and listened to her story intently. There were no interruptions, despite the absurdity of parts of her story. When she was done, Yugito passed her a glass of water and Hinata gratefully drank from it to parch her hoarse throat.

"It's really true that Sunagakure is no more?" That was the first question Ei asked when she finished downing the glass.

"The Sage of the Desert, Gaara, accepted the role of Kazekage after everything was over." Hinata said with a nod. "He will corroborate the story on the day of the Summit." That part would be easy to prove, as there was someone from another village that could verify her words. It was after this that would be difficult.

"I understand." Ei lifted a full glass of beer and drank it all, making loud glugs with each gulp. When it was gone, he let out a loud burp. "So let me ask you this then, if Amaterasu is really so powerful and terrifying, why didn't you kill her while you had the chance? No matter how strong, a pregnant woman should be an easy mark for the White Lotus." He uttered her title with a sarcastic bite.

It would seem the Raikage was of the same opinion as Kali. Hinata hadn't dared ask Itachi or anyone else about what she should have done, fearing their answers would be the same. She thought about admitting her mistake, but she remembered how Itachi had spoken to Ei at the beginning of their meeting. It was a gamble, but she decided to try the same tactic.

"I know this may be difficult for someone that would order the kidnapping of a girl on only her third birthday to understand, but I won't kill a pregnant woman, no matter how evil she may be." Hinata said resolutely, careful to make eye contact the whole time no matter how awkward it was. "Those children have committed no crimes and just because they are her children, doesn't necessarily mean they will be born evil. My resolve to stop Amaterasu has not wavered, but I also will not compromise myself to do it."

There was total silence following her condescending proclamation. The whole time, Ei continued to stare at her and she couldn't help but wonder if she had really gone and done it now. Even still, she didn't dare avert her gaze for fear that would reflect her weakness. It felt like forever that they continued to glare at one another, and she worried the restaurant would close before this staring contest came to an end.

Then, in an instant, it was over. The Raikage threw back his head once again and let out another loud, raucous burst of laughter even stronger than the first. She had no doubt the whole restaurant could hear him, and maybe even those waiting outside.

"It would seem you're just as the rumors say you are, White Lotus!" Ei grinned ferally at her, eyes shining brightly. "You know, it really is too bad that our kidnapping attempt failed. You would have fit in well in Kumo!" She couldn't tell if he was joking or not, so decided to just ignore the remark altogether.

At least she had successfully fooled him. He would have been really disappointed to know how she really was, but she had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding. For once, the rumors about her were working to her advantage.

"Hinata is where she belongs." Itachi, however, wouldn't let that remark go so easily. "There really would have been war if your kidnapping was a success." He held up his half-full glass of beer and the Raikage clinked it with his freshly refilled one. The two then shared another drink.

"You've given me a lot to consider today, Hokage. And you as well, White Lotus." Ei moved towards the sliding wood and paper door. "I will hear what the Kazekage and the others have to say at the Summit. After that, I shall give you my answer. Until then." He opened the door and began to put on his sandals.

"It was an honor to meet you both." Yugito bowed to them, before then facing Hinata. "I apologize for the crass humor of Raikage-sama. However, you've managed to impress not only him, but myself as well. I look forward to meeting you again." With that, she followed her leader and the private room rang with silence.

"Somehow we made it through that." Itachi let out a sigh of relief, lifting his glass and finishing the beer. It was an uncharacteristically funny sight for someone usually so stoic, that Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the image. Just like her, he had a hard time dealing with the big personality of the Raikage.

Everything about him was just so extreme, like someone that was living every part of life to the utmost. At first he seemed overly serious, yet he had displayed such a wide range of emotions despite this being their first meeting. When he was angry, it felt like his gaze alone could crush you. When thinking about his father, his sadness had the depth of an ocean. When he laughed, it shook the whole building. He had such a powerful, all consuming presence, now that he was gone the private room somehow felt wider and emptier than it actually was.

"That did actually go well, didn't it?" Hinata asked just to be sure. She didn't actually know how meetings between the Kage were supposed to go, but she got the feeling it wasn't generally like that. Or maybe it was?

"In no small part thanks to you." Itachi agreed with her while managing to throw in praise at the same time. "Obito doesn't realize it yet, but he made a mistake in bringing you here instead of somewhere else." Something about his words made her want to reject them. He said it was Obito that made a mistake, but he wasn't the only one.

"…You don't think I should have killed Amaterasu while I had the chance?" Hinata asked, unable to look at Itachi as she asked the question, instead poking at a piece of meat that had gotten cold with her chopsticks.

"I would have been more troubled if you decided to do that while on your own." Itachi answered without missing a beat. "At one point I also thought I had to do everything on my own, and it resulted in me killing my whole clan. You maybe would have accomplished your short-term goal, but you would have died doing it. And without you, Obito or someone in that village would have just summoned a new god or goddess somehow. Then we would be back where we started, only you wouldn't be here to help us."

"That's… I hadn't thought about it that way." Hinata felt so ridiculous now. Of course that was what would happen. Just defeating Amaterasu didn't solve the problem. She was here because their system was seriously broken and people desired an existence like her to fix it for them. They were trying to take a shortcut, just like she had been.

"No one can come up with all the answers by themselves." Itachi said, and it was obvious he was talking from his own experience. "Rely on your allies when you have to. That's not a weakness, it's just practical." If only everyone realized that. If they would all just rely on one another, they could literally solve any problem, and then there wouldn't be a need for some greater power like Amaterasu.

"Thank you, Itachi-san." Hinata said, momentarily forgetting that he was the Hokage. She started to stutter out an apology and began to correct herself, but he simply laughed and waved it off.

"Anytime, Hinata." He replied. It really was strange. When they first met, they had been enemies. Then they became unlikely accomplices, both working to meet their own ends. Now they were allies with a truly common goal. And knowing that made her feel stronger.

Together, they had overcome the first hurdle towards a united force that had a chance of standing against Amaterasu and her religious zealots. The road ahead only got more difficult from here. They had managed to barely convince the Raikage to consider their alliance.

The next step was at the true Gokage Summit.


Chapter End


AN: I think one of the most fun parts of writing chapters like this is being able to stick four characters, all of whom have never shared a scene with one another in canon, and just let them have a conversation.

Of course, the Itachi and Hinata in this story are much different from the people they were in Canon by this point, but it was still a fun chapter for me to plan and put to the page. I hope it was also entertaining for everyone reading it.

The Raikage talked about anecdotal value in this chapter briefly. The real-world quote often attributed to Joseph Stalin went something like this: "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic." I changed the numbers slightly and added some context to why such a saying would exist in their world by using the story about the Third Raikage's death.

Please look forward to the next chapter, see you all then!