I know we're all worried about Hinata, but lets check in on Sasuke first

Chapter 46: You've been bitten by a true believer

Perched on the rooftop of a sushi restaurant, Sasuke eyed the shabby-looking okonomiyaki stall across from it skeptically. It didn't look like much, but had been included on the list of Team-Eight-approved restaurants Shino had shared with him. The Aburame had gone as far as to underline Hinata's favourites.

There were still a few hours before Sasuke had to report to the Hokage Tower with his mission partners. The atmosphere in the village center was unchanged, no indication that the civilians were aware of Naruto's surgery. If the information had leaked as they meant it to, nae-ROOT's plans didn't appear to involve the villagers.

"Uchiha-san."

Angling his head over the shop's eave, Sasuke found Fūma Kiyoko staring back at him clad in a deep green kimono that contrasted sharply with her red-painted lips. He'd been aware of her presence since she entered the vicinity, but though she'd proven to be adept at detecting him, he hadn't expected to be addressed.

Kiyoko smiled winningly, cocking her head to the side. When she showed no signs of leaving, Sasuke nimbly dropped to the ground, keeping several feet between them.

The other day when he'd sent two snakes to tail Daishiro and Kiyoko, only one of them had made it back.

It hadn't been Kiyoko's.

"It seems luck is on my side," Kiyoko said. "I've been looking for an opportunity to speak with you privately, but you are a difficult man to get a hold of. I rarely see you among the villagers."

Sasuke raised a brow. Keeping watch from above, he'd hardly been among the villagers now. Moreover, Kiyoko herself rarely had time to leisurely roam the village streets.

Undeterred by his silence, Kiyoko continued, "Well, how about it? Can you spare some time to join me for tea?"

As Sasuke followed Kiyoko down the streets of Konoha, the hairs on the back of his neck raised. He recognized the path she was taking. It was one he'd been monitoring everyday.

Kiyoko slipped smoothly into a narrow alley. With her back to him, Sasuke fed chakra to his right eye, vision sharpening almost imperceptibly until it landed on a supposedly plain wall where every minute detail was traced over to spotlight the glaring discrepancies.

There was a high level genjutsu hiding a cellar door that Sasuke's sharingan saw through. Without bothering to release the genjutsu, Kiyoko unlocked it and pulled it open. She knew the genjutsu couldn't fool Sasuke and didn't appear to be concerned by this at all when she met both his activedōjutsu.

"After you," she said, stepping aside with a smirk.

Sasuke shot her a look from the corner of his eyes, but entered first nonetheless. He'd mapped out this area thoroughly during the days he spent on reconnaissance. If Kiyoko's aim was to steer him into an ambush, she wouldn't succeed in finding him at a disadvantage.

Kiyoko followed him down quickly and then took the lead, guiding them through the narrow tunnels made of hardened mud reinforced with a mixture of wood and stone pillars. She turned into a small room furnished sparsely with a table, three rickety chairs and four cobwebbed bookshelves. Kiyoko managed to seat herself without disturbing the dust on the table's surface.

"I'm afraid I lied about the tea, Uchiha-san," Kiyoko said, faux-regretfully.

Deliberately avoiding looking at the back wall where he knew a blood-activated seal was drawn in the shape of a circle, Sasuke replied, "I think we both know you lied about more than that."

There was a smug glint in Kiyoko's dark eyes. "Sit." It was an order wrapped in a courteous voice.

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke examined Kiyoko's face. Finally, he de-activated his sharingan andsat.

"If you were to look up the blueprints to the building we're under, you wouldn't find this cellar," Kiyoko started conversationally. "Konohagakure. A hidden village. Made by ninja for ninja. Naturally during the initial construction, these types of underground bunkers were built for security, known only to the founders and their most trusted circle of nakama. Often they were built unbeknownst to the property owner, sometimes even without the knowledge of one of the founders. And each time the Hokage title was handed down, only some of this knowledge was passed on because we're a secretive sort. Each leader only knowing a fraction from the one before, creating their own new secrets and passing on a fraction of those. Secrets upon secrets."

Kiyoko fastidiously moved a stray strand of hair into place. Contrary to her luxurious kimono and made-up face, her nails were unpainted and cut short. "The building above us was destroyed during the attack by the Akatsuki. In fact, this entire block was reduced to rubble. The only thing remaining from the original construct is this cellar. We're sitting in true Konoha history here." Kiyoko gestured around them with a sardonic upturn to her lips. "Dusty and forgotten."

Sasuke stared back at her, unimpressed. "You didn't bring me here for a history lesson."

Kiyoko's smirk widened. "That's where you're wrong, Uchiha-san. That is precisely what I brought you here for. Do you remember meeting my brother at the succession party?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed slightly at the non-sequitur. "The fan."

"You could say we both are," Kiyoko repeated her words from back then. "The Fūma clan is a distant relative of the Uchiha. Not like the Hyuuga and the legends of old, but a far more ordinary relation. The Fūma shuriken may not be as impressive as the sharingan…" She paused for a beat and Sasuke took note of the hint of bitterness in her voice. "But there's a reason the Fūma clan is still around while you are the last remaining Uchiha."

Sasuke stiffened. He stopped the chakra rushing to his eyes from activating his sharinganonce more, but that didn't prevent his rinnegan from flashing.

"I see I finally have your attention," Kiyoko said triumphantly. "Good. The rest, I'll leave for him to explain." She got to her feet gracefully and moved towards the back wall. "I'm sure you've been curious about this," she said. Taking the tip of her thumb into her mouth, Kiyoko bit down sharply without flinching. Using the blood that surfaced, she drew the kanji for 'release' in the center of the existing seal.

The seal lit up, casting a blue tint across Kiyoko's features. The portion of the wall within the seal limits seemed to melt away, opening up a tunnel at least ten meters long.

Sasuke had no radio or means of contacting anyone and though he might be able to summon a snake without Kiyoko noticing, he had no way to give it instructions. There was no telling what was on the other side of the tunnel and it would be hours before his mission partners were due to arrive.

Without prompting, Sasuke passed Kiyoko and stepped into the tunnel.

He would just have to keep her talking until then.

Hinata's head felt heavy. She was on her back, her vision blurry around the edges.

A man was looming over her, his hitai-ate glinting in the moonlight. The engraving on it looked like the shape of a cloud.

She blinked.

Her head was still heavy, body weak. A different man was looking down at her; light hair and light eyes and skin as pale as the moon.

She blinked again and the man's face changed.

Brown hair falling around brown eyes as they peered down at her.

"...awake already? …doesn't seem right…weight…chakra reserves…the sedative should have…"

She blinked and the man was gone. The glare of the fluorescent light pierced her eyes. Lids fluttering, Hinata felt moisture gather around her lash line. She tried to speak, but it came out as a moan.

"Hinata-san, how are you feeling? My apologies for all this, I wasn't expecting to see you there." Genji's voice floated through the air, less garbled than before though the owner was outside of Hinata's line of vision.

How much time had passed?

She turned her head to her side and immediately squeezed her eyes shut at the wave of dizziness. Another whimper escaped her. She tried to move her hands to hold her head, but couldn't.

Genji made a sympathetic sound. "You're likely experiencing some nausea and disorientation. I have to say, I'm a little surprised you're conscious. Based on my calculations, that dose should have kept you down longer." He huffed a sharp breath through his nose. "Well, I suppose there was a reason I was never the top of class."

Persevering against the dull fog coating her mind, Hinata peeled open her eyes. She could now see Genji tinkering with some objects at a workbench off to the side. The walls were a slate grey. So was the floor. The main source of light seemed to be the lamp hanging directly above her, with a softer yellow glow originating from where Genji was standing. On the wall to her right there was an array of large glass tubes filled to the brim with incandescent blue.

Moving her head was not an easy task and had to be done slowly. As she twisted her neck, Hinata realized why she couldn't move her arms.

It wasn't just the sedative.

A beige jacket was wrapped around her. Thick leather straps buckled her arms and legs to the slab she was laying on. She squirmed and the sound of rustling filled the room.

"I hope that isn't too tight. I had to be careful, there are too many breakable things here. You understand, right, Hinata-san? Fortunately, Mizunoto-san had someone get me one of the chakra-suppressing jackets from the confinement cells when I asked."

The dread that had been collecting in her gut had to be pushed to the back so that Hinata could focus on continuing to analyze the situation. The more she blinked, the more her vision cleared. Hinata could now read the kanji of the seal on the jacket.

Genji was wrong. It wasn't quite a suppressing seal, it was a containment one. Hinata could still feel her chakra coursing through her body. When she tried to gather it in her hands and direct it at the jacket, she could feel the resistance stopping the chakra from leaving her body.

These types of jackets were built to tame S-ranked criminals.

Yet Hinata doubted they could contain the chakra of an amatsubito like the Ōtsutsuki.

Her head was slowly clearing. If she unleashed the full force of her chakra in a concentrated pulse she might be able to break through the seal. She just needed to buy some time while she recovered her strength.

Finally turning her head away from the jacket, Hinata's continued investigation of the room came to an abrupt halt. It took every ounce of control she had to stop from making a noise.

Across the room, chained to the wall with his mouth taped shut, Fujiwara stared back at her. Three other children were chained up near him: two boys matching Naruto's description of the missing orphans and a freckled girl with brown braided hair tied with yellow ribbons. Oda's friend Miki.

"G-Genji-san," Hinata's voice came out as a strangled gasp. "W-Why…why am I here?"

"It wasn't my intention to bring you here, I never thought I'd get such a chance. But when the opportunity fell right into my hand, it felt like fate. Mizunoto-san was against it, but I'm not a part of their organization. I don't need to listen to them." Genji answered easily enough, his back to her as he worked.

Noting how forthcoming he was being, Hinata dared to probe further. "Organization…you mean nae-ROOT?"

Genji hummed absentmindedly. "That's what Mizunoto-san calls them. He's an interesting man. I don't know how he knew, but he approached me because we have similar ideals. He wanted to support my research. Honestly, if it weren't for him I might have given up." He gestured to the array of phosphorescenttubes Hinata had noticed earlier. "His group has been donating chakra, but I haven't been able to go beyond the known techniques of replenishing existing reserves in order to instead expand an individual's inborn limits."

"Your research…you need Fujiwara-san for it?"

At this, Genji set down whatever he was holding and turned to face her. "Yes! Fujiwara-san was another golden opportunity from the universe! I was struggling for so long with the question of what differentiates a ninja from a non-ninja and then he came along with an alteration to his chakra network by an external force!" Genji's eyes were alight with excitement that then dimmed. "Of course, the first attempt to study it didn't go well, thanks to you Hinata-san. I had to do my best to cut out that parasitic limb." He paused for a moment before adding kindly, "I don't hold it against you though."

Hinata did her best to hold Genji's gaze from her position. She remembered looking into the underground bunker with her byakugan when Fujiwara was first abducted from the hospital.

"Target located. Two hostiles present: one shinobi and one indeterminate."

"The parasite wasn't very useful by itself. I couldn't figure out how to integrate it with the nae-ROOT members. Even with a larger sample size of both ninja and non-ninja at the succession party, it only affected two ninja. No clues on how it was able to bind to a non-ninja lacking a developed chakra network and grant him abilities he normally wouldn't have." The fervour had returned to Genji's expression. "It changed him. Made him remarkable."

There was something about how he said that word. "Remarkable?" Hinata asked. Every time that she'd seen Fujiwara, from that first time in the capital to, most recently, bedridden at the hospital, she never would have described him as such.

"Haven't you ever wondered why some people are born differently, Hinata-san? Why children of non-ninja occasionally possess highly developed chakra networks? Or conversely why, rarely, children of ninja are born unable to mold chakra?"

Hinata's brows drew together. Sakura and Lee came to mind.

"Moreover the other differences. Greater chakra reserves, affinity for multiple chakra transformations, strength, speed, intelligence. Why are some born more talented while the rest of us remain mediocre?" He regarded her with a contemplative look. "I suppose you would know what it means to be unremarkable surrounded by remarkable people, Hinata-san," Genji said.

Despite herself, Hinata flinched.

Growing up with Neji, one year older but light years ahead, there wasn't a time when Hinata didn't know she was unremarkable. Then came Hanabi, further solidifying this fact.

"She's a failure who's inferior even to her younger sister Hanabi, five years her junior. We don't need her here in the Hyuuga clan."

The whispers of the prodigious Uchiha heir, witnessing Sasuke's brilliance first hand at the academy. Sakura's intelligence, Shikamaru's lazy genius. And then there was her, the invisible girl, fading into the background.

"Mayumi-san was like that. If she'd found out about her abilities earlier, maybe she would have been a ninja. But there was enough time for her to switch from the nurse track to iryō ninjutsu. She left me behind and I ended up failing out."

"We went to school together. Mayumi-san was brilliant from the start, top of our class! Meanwhile I was barely scraping by. She was so far ahead, I had no way of catching up."

When Genji had told her that, Hinata had thought he'd been talking about something far in the past, she hadn't realized he was talking about something not that long ago.

"The feelings I had when that happened…the first time I heard someone put it into words was at the chunin exams. Mayumi-san had started at the hospital and was able to get me a position in administration. We went to watch the finals at the stadium together, but she was on standby so I was sitting in the crowd alone. It was something another person from your clan said, the one fighting against Naruto-san…"

As Genji looked at her, Hinata stared back with wide eyes recalling the same scene. Neji and Naruto facing off, sneering obstinance versus dogged determination. Neither willing to give up their opposing philosophies. The pain in her chest from her healing injury as she watched from the stands.

"Figuratively speaking, everything inherent about people is set. People must live within their different respective currents. Are you going to say that anybody can become the Hokage if they just work hard?"

"Your dreams will come true if you just work hard. That's just an illusion," Genji quoted.

"But nii-san lost that day. Naruto-kun beat him," Hinata countered.

"He did," Genji agreed. "And I began to wonder if hard work could turn the unremarkable remarkable." He splayed his hands out. "That's what this is all about."

Hinata swallowed haltingly and then tried again. "Mayumi-san…the way she speaks about you, I'm sure she's never considered you unremarkable, Genji-san."

Genji's expression faltered. "Mayumi-san…" He shook his head. "Telling others not to worry is a luxury only remarkable people have. I'm tired of watching from behind as they move forward. Have you never felt like that?"

Lips parting to speak, Hinata shut them wordlessly, unable to utter a denial.

"I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you."

How many times had Hinata been compared to the remarkable, talented people around her and been found wanting?

How many times had she been the one doing the comparing and ended up berating herself for not being good enough?

Or smart enough?

Or fast enough?

Or strong enough?

How many times had Hinata wondered why it was that they seemed so out of reach?

Why was she always the one left behind, unable to keep up?

What could she do to change that? Was it even possible?

Genji's lips curled into a small smile. "Now Mayumi-san will remain still, while I catch up." He angled his head back to glance over his shoulder. "She's not going anywhere."

Hinata tensed. Neck straining, she failed to see past the workbench to the corner of the room Genji was staring. Instead, she looked back and Genji, seeing no trace of conflict on his face, just sick satisfaction.

"I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time."

Watching and hoping for change, it had never once occurred to Hinata to wish for others to slow down. Instead, seeing their brilliance had inspired her to want to change herself.

Praying for someone's failure to make up for your own inadequacy…

"I'm nothing like you," Hinata asserted firmly. "I would never wish to hold someone back to make myself feel better. That's not ambition, that's self-pity."

Genji turned back to her, face hardened. "Well, we're worlds apart after all. A kekkei genkai is the epitome of unearned, inherent remarkableness. What did you do for those eyes that elevate you from even the most talented of your peers? The luck of birth. The plan to researchdōjutsuwas much farther down the line, but there's no guarantee I'll get another chance like this..."

Hinata's blood ran cold.

Genji disappeared from her line of sight, moving to his workbench. Hinata took stock of her stamina and focus, squirming against the restriction of the vest. Her vision was only blurry around the edges now and she felt more stable. The dread of what was coming next had a sobering effect on both her mind and body, adrenaline coursing through her veins and burning through the last of the sedative.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Hinata exhaled slowly trying to calm her galloping heart. It wouldn't work unless she was calm.

Her heartbeat resonated loudly in her ears. As it decelerated to a steady rhythm, the darkness behind her lids was broken by that familiar indigo glow. It was hard to believe how uneasy it used to make her just a few months ago. Now it was her best chance at getting out of here.

That same iron door loomed above her, more than twice her height. Approaching cautiously, Hinata pressed the palms of her hands against its surface, able to feel the warm current of pure energy locked behind it. The indigo chakra leaking out around the edges of the door no longer seemed sinister, but it still frightened her.

The latch was above her head, clasped tightly. Hinata had never had to think about unlocking it before. With Sasuke there to guide her, it came naturally.

She stretched out her arms, hands and fingers extended, and then, when she still couldn't quite reach, toes straining to close the distance. Her fingertips just barely brushed the edge of the latch. Grim faced, Hinata dropped back onto her heels and clenched her fists. Then, she jumped.

The latch was within reach —

A gloved hand gripped her head, latex-covered fingers digging into her skin to pry her left eye open. Hinata greeted the bright light with a sharp gasp. The iron door was gone and she was back in the underground room, strapped to an operating table.

Genji had returned.

"Please try to relax. It will makes things easier."

The hand not holding her was wrapped around a pair of forceps. Fluorescent light glinted off its sleek metal edges. The tips were a hairsbreadth away from her eye when a muffled yell and the sound of clanging pierced the air. Distracted, Genji pulled back slightly to stare across the room where Fujiwara was making a ruckus.

It was the most active he'd been since arriving in Konoha and it struck Hinata that there was more than her life on the line. If she didn't make it out of here, there was no hope for Fujiwara.

Then Miki and the other boys followed suit. Screaming behind the cover of the tape across their mouths, banging their arms against the wall to rattle the chains loudly. They were counting on her too.

Hanabi and Neji. How could she protect them if she didn't escape? And the Hyuuga, she wouldn't be able to change them.

And Sasuke. If she died down here, Sasuke would…

Hinata exhaled slowly. Closing her eyes, she visualized that same iron door, just as big and out of reach.

But it wasn't a real door. And this wasn't a real place.

This was the inside of her mind. She didn't need to bend to its will, it would bend to hers.

This chakra wasn't Hamura's. It was hers.

She just needed to call…

…and it would come.

The iron door burst open just as a voice called out.

"Byakugan no Hime."

Who do you think that was?

Thanks everyone for your patience glad to be back!

Also so sorry about messing up the posting T_T I had accidentally named chap 45 as 46 because I can't count, so when I tried to post chap 46 this time they were both named that way and I ended up reposting the last chapter...

MVH