Hinata woke up early in the morning so she could go and train before having breakfast with her father and her sweet sister, Hanabi. She did it every morning since she returned from the moon. It had taken her almost an year to get use to Hamura's chakra. It had taken a toll on her when they returned from their mission.
She was training with Hanabi when it happened. When she tried to activate her byakugan. She didn't realize that Hamura's chakra had completely fused with her own and when she had tried to use her chakra, it overwhemled her. But eventually, she learned to control it and now, it was as easy as it was before.
Many people didn't know about this. The exceptions wereher father, the Hokage, Hanabi and her rescue team which included: Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Shikamaru. They decided to keep it hidden because they didn't want any unnecessary attention. Her father had proposed that idea.
Anyways, here she was, at the training grounds at dawn, punching a dummy. She was just warming up a bit before starting her actual training. After a while, she activated her byakugan and concentrated her chakra unto her two fists. Her fists were soon engulfed with purple chakra, taking the shape of two lions on her fists.
Gentle step: twin lion fists.
She yelled and lunged to attack a nearby tree. As soon as her fist made contact with the tree, it broke into two pieces. She smiled in satisfaction as she stepped back. She continued to attack with her fists and after a short while, she decided to practice the new jutsu she had been working on. But she failed everytime.
She concentrated on her chakra again and tried to use her lightning realease. She stood there as she closed her eyes and activated her jutsu: twin lion fists. She exhaled and suddenly lightning started to crackle from her clenched fists. She tried to use the lightning style with the twin lion fists but everytime she tried, her hands ended up getting hurt.
It was her fifth attempt and this time, it was a failure too. She yelled in pain and grabbed her left hand as it suffered more damage than her right. She winced and fumbled around her bag that she brought with her for bandages. She then tied it around her hands. It was a good thing that she came prepared. As she was still tying up the bandages, an anbu appeared before her.
"The Hokage has summoned you, Lady Hinata," the anbu said as he bowed slightly. She nodded and with that the anbu disappeared.
She shook off some dirt from her cloths and prepared to go to the Hokages office. She knocked at the door and waited for a response. A faint 'come in' was heard and she entered.
She found the sixth Hokage surrounded by a pile of paperwork as he smiled at Hinata. Her attention soon drifted to the window where Sasuke was sitting. His one leg was resting on the railing and the other was dangling down. His face was blank as ever as if there was no one else in the room beside him. He turned his attention outside the window.
"You summoned me, Hokage-sama," Hinata said as she bowed.
Kakashi gave her a smile and said, "Please, Hinata. Just call me Kakashi. No need for such formalities."
Hinata just smiled. Kakashi sighed as his gaze focused onto her hands.
"Have you been training? Are you still having difficulty getting use to that chakra?" Kakashi asked with a concerned tone.
"O-oh, no. I-I have it under control now. Don't worry about that, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata said and reassuring smile appeared on her face. "I have been working on a new jutsu, that's all."
Kakashi nodded and his face became serious. He pulled out a scroll and placed it infront of Hinata. She looked at the scroll and noticed that it was in a foreign language that she didn't recognize. She knew how to speak several tongues but she didn't knew this one. Perks of being a former heiress.
"This scroll was retrieved by Sasuke from a cave that belonged to the Otsutsuki clan. The scrolls that he found were all written in this odd language and we believe that it's some kind of a coded messege. We have already used sharingan and rinnegan to decipher it but it is no use. Maybe you can help with your byakugan." Kakashi explained with serious face as his eyes never left Hinata's.
She nodded and activated her byakugan as she examained the scroll. First it was just the same as before. She couldn't read a thing. Suddenly the letters and symbols started to move and she could understand it all.
She read it and a gasp escaped her mouth. Her eyes widened and she looked up at the two men who were looking at her with such seriousness she could feel it in the air.
Were they that curious about it? She thought. Even Sasuke had come closer and was standing beside the table. She cleared her throat and started to tell them about the scroll.
"I-it's not a messege. Its like s-someone has noted the instructions after receiving a messege b-but it's not complete. The instructions end mid sentence here," she explained as she traced her lips with her thumb and forefinger. It was her habit. Whenever she was thinking or trying to figure out something, she would do that.
"Instructions about what?" Sasuke asked in a serious tone, almost threatening. She looked up at him andswallowed hard as she found herself under the Uchiha's threatening gaze.
What's up with him? It's not like I am the one who wrote it! She thought nervously.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said as he noticed his glare and Hinata's nervousness.
Sasuke sighed and took a step back. Hinata took a breath and continued, "I-it's the instructions about how to extract the chakra fruit."
The room became quite for a moment.
"But it doesn't exist anymore. So the information is useless then," Kakashi said with a sigh. "It must be for Kaguya when she came here."
"No," Sasuke said with a frown on his face, "The cave was old, ancient but the scrolls were not. Some of the symbols on the floors were not that old. Almost looked new compared to the other ones."
Hinata nodded in agreement and said, "You are right. This scroll doesn't seem that old. Only a few years, if you ask me."
"So that means that the other people from the Otsutsuki clan have come in search for the chakra fruit." Kakashi said in a cautious tone.
Hinata nodded in agreement as her brows furrowed and her worries were evident on her face. To think that only four years after the war, and another threat like Kaguya had come. So early when the the scars of the previous war were still fresh in many hearts and minds. Including her own.
"We still don't know if that's true," Sasuke said, "and it's still not confirmed that the fruit even exist."
Kakashi's lips pursed into a thin line and he looked at Sasuke, "Continue to look into it and keep it between us for now."
They both nodded and Sasuke took the scroll and tucked it safely into his pocket. "I'll go back to the cave and look into it." He then looked at Hinata and said --or more like ordered, "You are coming with me, Hyuga. We will leave tomorrow morning."
Hinata was taken aback for a moment but came out of her thoughts and stuttered out, "W-w-what? M-me?"
"Yes, you go with him, Hinata. Try deciphering the symbols carved inside the cave," Kakashi said in his 'Hokage' tone, "Consider this a S-rank mission." Hinata nodded.
He then turned to Sasuke and gave him a smile as if he wanted something from him. Sasuke seemed to notice it and his blank expression changed to an annoyed one.
"What is it, Kakashi?" He asked annoyingly.
"Why don't you stay a bit longer, get some rest and spend some time with your friends. They really miss you."
Sasuke contemplated for a moment. He really was tired and he needed some rest too. He clicked his tongue and grunted out his usual response, "Hn. Fine."
"Alright," Kakashi said happily, "You are dismissed."
Hinata nodded and soon she and Sasuke were dismissed. They both left the building and Hinata realized that she still hadn't eaten breakfast yet. She made a note to buy some cinnamon buns from her favourite shop. She glanced up at Sasuke and thought of bringing him along. But she dropped the idea as she suddenly met his glare. It startled her.
"Do you have something to say, Hyuga?" he asked in his monotone voice.
"Eh? N-n-no," she said as she focused her attention infront of her. Her cheeks burned as she was caught staring. Sasuke always seemed to glare at her for some reason, she thought but she shook it off thinking that maybe it was how he had always looked at people that he couldn't help it now.
"See you later, Sasuke-kun," she said softly and started to make her way to buy her delicious cinnamon buns. But she suddenly halted as she remembered something and turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun." He turned her way and waited for her to continue. "W-where are the other scrolls? I want to study them."
He nodded, "Follow me." He said as he led the way. Hinata quietly followed behind. Her thoughts were full of that scroll. She couldn't get it out of her head. If that chakra fruit really exist then they really were in trouble. Or maybe she made a mistake deciphering the scroll. It wasn't that easy to read it, even with her byakugan. She really had to look into it again, she had to make sure.
They both kept walking through the crowded street and Hinata noticed the look on people's faces. She knew those looks all too well. She had been given the same looks by her clansmen. By her own father. Even by Neji, at some point. Those looks were full of disgrace, shame and hatred. But those looks weren't directed towards her. No, they were all for the man infront of her.
Hinata never blamed her people for treating her like that. Nor she ever resented them. She believed that she deserved such treatment because she was weak. Both, mentally and physically.
But now, for the first time, there was a feeling of resentment in Hinata's heart, towards the people who shot those looks towards them, towards Sasuke. He didn't deserve such treatment. Sure, he had done things that compromised the village's safety but he was simply lost. And now when he had found his purpose, people were resenting him.
He was protecting the village from the shadows whereas Naruto protected the village by being the ray of sunshine and hope for them. Even Hinata could see that. Even though her thoughts were always filled with Naruto, her eyes always looking for him and always thinking about what he'd be doing, even she knew that Sasuke travelled to protect the village. Always wandering here and there in case of anything that might endanger the village.
She looked up at the Uchiha who didn't seem to be fazed by those looks. He simply ignored them and continued to lead the way. Hinata didn't know what to do. She felt an urge to just go and comfort the lone Uchiha. She knew how it felt when she recieved such looks and wanted someone to just comfort her. She wondered if Sasuke felt the same. She couldn't tell, his face betrayed nothing.
She didn't know how to comfort him or if he even cared about it, but she tried anyway. She increased her pace so that she could be side by side with Sasuke. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She realized that she had nothing to say that would comfort the Uchiha.
What was she even suppose to say? Okay... How about she tell him to ignore them. Wrong idea, he was already doing that. Or maybe she could tell him not to worry about it...?
Terrible idea, Hinata! It was same as ignoring them! She mentally face palmed herself.
Or maybe she could tell him to...
Her thoughts trailed off as nothing came to her mind. She unconsciously bit her lower lip as her brows furrowed a little. Now she was feeling bad for doing nothing.
Sasuke eyed her carefully as she came by his side. She was looking his way while biting her lip and a frown was clearly shown on her soft features. Sasuke wondered what she was thinking about so hard. Suddenly, she looked saddened. It made him curious because only a while ago she was giving him her soft smiles and now she was frowning and was sad.
Maybe she was distressed because of the scrolls, he considered but dropped it as he realized that she must be feeling uncomfortable by the looks he had recieved. Yeah. That was the reason, he was sure of it. Sasuke felt like smirking because it was the first time he could tell what Hinata Hyuga was thinking.
But the joy was short-lived as her face lit up and a bright smile made its way to her lips. Sasuke frowned as he again had no idea what was going on in her mind. On second she was frowning, other second she was sad and now she was happy. Now he was having doubts that whether he was right about her thoughts or not.
How annoying...
Before Sasuke could say anything, he heard Hinata's stomach growling. She seemed to snap out of her thoughts as her face went red and she lowered her gaze.
"Let's stop by that shop first," he said in his usual cold voice as he pointed to the shop and started headed towards it. Hinata was surprised a bit but then quietly followed him, her cheeks still flushed.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't have breakfast this morning," hinata said as she continued to look at her feet. Sasuke said nothing as he continued to lead the way.
They stopped by a bakery and Hinata bought some cinnamon buns. Although they were not from her favourite shop but she was happy that she got to eat them.
Hinata offered some to Sasuke but he only said, "Let's go," and walked away. Unknown to Hinata, Sasuke was observing her this whole time. He was actually surprised that her mood could change so quickly by just getting some buns. He wanted to learn more about her and he surely was starting to enjoy himself. He usually prefered to be alone most of the time; especially in the morning, but he realized that he didn't mind Hinata's presence at all.