Mission time with some split POV!
Chapter 55:The aftermath is secondary
Hinata knocked on the door and listened to the shuffling inside before it swung open. Hanabi's face appeared, mouth set in a sulky frown.
"Can I come in?"
Hanabi made a show of considering her options before ultimately pushing the door open wider and stepping aside.
Hinata entered, habitually taking in the difference between their rooms. Hanabi's was an eclectic mix of girly decorations and ninja gear, both taking equal importance, unlike Hinata's where all ninja weaponry was tucked out of sight leaving only scrolls, books and herbal medicines on display.
Beneath the façade of indifference, Hinata could see the thinly veiled curiosity with which Hanabi was examining the package in Hinata's hands. "I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow and I should be back in time for your birthday, but just in case, I wanted to make sure to give this to you," Hinata explained, holding out the gift.
Rather than reach for her present, Hanabi crossed her arms, face falling. "You might not be there?"
"You know how unpredictable missions can be," Hinata said apologetically. "I'll try my best to make it back on time. I'd like for us to get dinner as usual. And I want to clear the air too." She paused here and recalled the conversation she'd had with Sasuke when he'd walked her home, giving his perspective as a younger sibling. "I'm sorry for keeping things from you. I meant it when I said that I planned to tell you. Because I do think you're a very capable ninja — a very capable person — both strong and kind and someone that I trust so much. I'm sorry that, in trying to protect you, I made you doubt that. I promise to do better as your older sister." With a gentle smile, she pressed the gift into Hanabi's hands. "Don't open it until your birthday."
Rather than meeting her gaze, Hanabi stared down at the wrapped gift. "You know I'm not going to do that."
Hinata let out an airy laugh. "At least wait until I leave."
"Leave the village or leave the room?"
Hinata laughed harder, shaking her head. "I need to go get ready for my mission. I've already made a reservation at your favourite place for six."
Upon leaving Hanabi's room, Hinata was only a few steps out in the hallway when she heard the sound of the door swinging back open and her sister's quick footsteps on the floor. Two spindly arms wrapped themselves around her middle, crushing her into a tight hug.
"It's really, really, really cute — I love it!" Hanabi squealed.
"Hanabi!" It came out as the furthest thing from a reprimand, too filled with amusement. "I'm glad you like it."
"Can I help you pack?" The question was muttered into Hinata's back.
Wrapping her own hands over her sister's, Hinata gave them a light pat. "Of course. We can get some snacks and you can tell me all about your last mission."
Hanabi gave a little "whoop" of excitement, finally letting go so she could grab Hinata's hand and haul her towards the kitchen, their joined laughter ringing through the house.
The next morning Hinata walked Hanabi to the training grounds before heading to meet the others at the Hokage Tower.
"Good morning everyone," she greeted upon finding Sasuke, Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru in the lobby, receiving a chorus of greetings in return. "Sorry I'm late!"
It was her first time seeing Naruto since their emotional conversation by the swings and Hinata couldn't help but to sweep her gaze across him, avoiding direct eye contact. Because Naruto was Naruto he smiled genially at her which only made Hinata feel worse for her cowardice.
"You're not late," Sasuke said as she came to a stop by his side.
"Everyone was just early," Shikamaru clarified. "A rarity around here."
Tilting her head to the side, Hinata asked, "Are you on this mission, Shikamaru-kun?"
Shikamaru let out a long sigh. "Nah, just seeing you all off."
"Kakashi-sensei bailed and stuck it on him," Naruto explained in a loud whisper.
Hinata watched as both Sasuke and Shikamaru rolled their eyes, caught each other's eyes mid-roll and grimaced. She quickly hid a smile behind the palm of her hand.
Clearing his throat, Shikamaru said, "Someone want to go pick up Fujiwara? T and I are getting him ready."
"I've got it," Ino volunteered, raising two fingers in a small salute.
"Then the rest of you can pick up the carriage," Shikamaru continued, starting towards the exit
"Carriage?" Naruto asked, following by Shikamaru's side. "I thought Sasuke would just…" He pointed at his own left eye.
"Fujiwara's got to be restrained and escorted, checked in at the capital gates then brought to the holding cells at the court," Shikamaru droned in a bored tone. "Standard process."
Naruto made a face. "Seems like a waste of time," he muttered under his breath petulantly.
"Naruto-kun, I'm sure there's a good reason for it. And it would be more comfortable for Fujiwara-san," Hinata offered.
"The kid's hands and feet are going to be chained together. I don't think he'd enjoy being thrown over Sasuke's shoulder and marched through the streets," Ino added, shooting Naruto a judgmental look.
"Chained? Is that really necessary?" Naruto asked, running his left hand through his hair. His right arm was still noticeably missing. Hinata wondered if it still wasn't ready or if they simply hadn't had time to schedule the real procedure.
"Standard process," Shikamaru and Ino said together.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
As a group they continued out onto the street until reaching an intersection, at which point Ino peeled off in the direction of the hospital. It was early enough in the morning that not many civilians were out and about other than shop owners on their way to open up their businesses.
Shikamaru led them close to the village gates before turning onto a narrower path and into the stables. While Hinata and Sasuke trailed Shikamaru calmly, Naruto looked around with open curiosity at the stalls, more specifically at the horses within them.
A kunoichi with her hitai-ate on her head and a green bandana peeking out under it to secure her brunette locks away from her face was standing in front of one of the stalls, feeding an apple by hand to an intimidating looking horse.
"Whoa," Naruto uttered in awe, "I've never been in here before."
Startled, the kunoichi whirled around. "Oh! Naruto-senpai!" she exclaimed. She started to bow only to splutter as the horse she had been feeding nosed into her cheek and gave her a wet lick across the face. "Ack!"
Shikamaru tucked his hands into his pockets, unfazed. "Morning, Yuna-san. I put in a request for a carriage suited up for prisoner transport — is it ready?"
"Kaito, stop it!" Yuna scolded the horse, quickly giving it the rest of the half-eaten apple. "Yes, I have it ready for you, Shikamaru-san." She attempted to casually wipe off her spit covered face, eyes constantly darting towards an oblivious Naruto.
"Am I the only one who hasn't been here before?" Naruto asked Hinata and Sasuke.
"Chichue has to take a carriage up to the capital for formal visits. He thinks the practice is…frivolous and isn't fond of animals, so we don't keep any at the compound and simply rent from here when needed," Hinata said.
When Naruto turned to Sasuke, the other boy simply shook his head. "Then why aren't you more excited?!" Naruto balked.
"…they're horses."
"They're cool!"
"You have talking toad summons."
"…do you think there's a horse summon?"
"Whoa! Good point, Hinata-chan, there must be!"
"I know you've seen horses before, why are you this excited?"
"Am I not allowed to be excited about things just because you're gloomy about everything?"
During this entire back and forth, Shikamaru had been chatting with Yuna quietly. Finally, he looked over his shoulder and raised his voice. "Oi! One of you idiots need to sign the check-out form."
Hinata tilted her head to the side, exchanging looks with Sasuke and Naruto on either side of her. Sasuke looked back at her all too amused while Naruto's face crumpled into a frown.
"Who are you calling idiots?!" Naruto yelled back. Nevertheless he jogged up to the Nara.
Sheepishly fiddling with the ends of her sleeves, Hinata watched as Naruto chatted with Yuna, undoubtedly peppering the kunoichi with questions about her job. Though Shikamaru appeared exasperated, Yuna didn't seem to mind. She spoke with a smile, eyes fixated on the blond and fingers twirling through the strands of hair not held back by her bandana. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed entirely focused on the horses.
Hinata couldn't help but compare Naruto's lighthearted attitude today to the heartwrenching pain of just two days prior. She knew better than most how adept Naruto was at putting on a mask. The way Naruto was treating her so normally despite their last interaction was both worrying and a relief.
For months now, it felt like a constant back and forth between them. Everytime it seemed like they'd finally gotten to a place where they could be around each other without feeling like they were walking on eggshells, the pendulum would swing in the other direction and they'd be back where they started.
Awkward.
Tense.
The likelihood that Naruto was hiding his sadness to make this mission go easier was upsetting to Hinata and yet she still felt gratitude warm her heart.
It was so very Naruto to put others before himself.
And, selfishly, even if at least some of it was pretend, Hinata missed being able to joke around with Naruto.
Hinata missed him.
She missed her friend.
Hinata shook her head, realizing she'd been staring at Naruto for a full minute. Feeling Sasuke's gaze on her profile, she turned to him with a curious expression. When no question was forthcoming, Hinata tucked her hair behind her ear and offered him a small smile. "We should go help him out. It won't be easy for him to sign the forms," she said, "Naruto-kun is right-handed."
Sasuke continued to stare with unreadable eyes for a moment. Then, he said, "I'm left-handed."
Hinata blinked. Her lavender eyes trailed down Sasuke's face, to his left shoulder down to where his arm used to be. Recalling him taking notes on Jiraiya's research and writing a letter to the Daimyo, her brows drew together in confusion.
"I learned how to do most things with my right hand when I was younger. It's still annoying though."
Looking up at Sasuke with wide eyes, Hinata was reminded of how studious Sasuke was at the academy, top of the class but never content to rest on his laurels, always trying harder, training longer, striving to be better. "Sasuke-kun is really cool," she murmured.
Sasuke's reaction to her words was almost delayed, a slow widening of eyes before he abruptly looked away, a pink-tinged ear sticking out from dark hair. "Let's go help the idiot out," he said a little gruffly, striding forward.
Nonplussed, Hinata followed. "I can sign for the carriage," she offered.
The distance between Konoha and the capital of Hi no Kuni was about a day's worth of traveling at a ninja's pace. The carriage would slow them down a little, the two horses having to haul such a heavy weight limited their speed. Naruto had volunteered to drive and Ino had claimed he needed supervising, sitting at the front of the carriage next to the blond and bossing him around. Though Sasuke didn't necessarily trust Naruto's ability to handle the horses, he suspected Ino had simply wanted to avoid walking.
In any case, that left Sasuke and Hinata on the ground on opposite ends, Sasuke at the front as the first line of defense and Hinata bringing up the rear while scouting ahead with her byakugan.
They stopped periodically, finding streams to let the horses drink and rest. Fujiwara also got periodic checks from Ino, the blonde kunoichi being the most familiar with how to safely remove his restraints to feed and water him.
Not unlike the horses, in Sasuke's opinion.
Shaking his head to chase away the phantom feeling of the containment jacket he'd sat in while awaiting his own judgment, Sasuke turned to send a sidelong glance to Hinata. She was with the horses by the stream, carefully petting the side of one while its head was dipped down to drink. To her right stood Naruto, chattering away.
Sasuke frowned, looking back at the carriage to see Ino stepping out and closing the door behind her.
"He's still so scrawny and he's not going to get much bigger if he keeps eating so little," Ino commented. "It's kind of messed up that they make jackets like that in his size."
Child-sized containment jackets to go along with child-sized ANBU uniforms. Sasuke refrained from voicing the dark thought.
A melodic giggle carried over by the wind, almost buried under Naruto's loud squawk, had Sasuke's head whipping to the side.
Hinata had a palm over her mouth, but it did little to hide her mirth, eyes squeezed shut by her raised cheeks. Naruto was struggling to pull his sleeve out of the mouth of one of the horses.
"That idiot's really going to be our Hokage." Ino's voice was a little fond under the annoyance. "They're getting along well," she added, meaningfully.
Choosing not to react, Sasuke instead continued to watch as Hinata helped Naruto rescue his shirt sleeve and as they both began guiding the horses away from the stream.
"Our next stop will be our last for the day," Sasuke said once Hinata and Naruto were close enough. "It's getting dark."
"Mm. I'll keep an eye out for a good place to set up camp," Hinata agreed.
"Does anyone want any snacks or drinks?" Naruto asked. "The horse girl gave me a bunch of stuff for some reason. Maybe it was expiring and she wanted to get rid of it?"
Ino cackled. "Horse girl?!" she crowed. "Oh man, Hinata, how did you deal with this?"
Hinata shook her head, an expression of embarrassment on her face.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Ino snorted. "Never mind, I wouldn't know where to start. Anyway, I'm not interested in empty calories, much less expired ones."
"There's some good stuff in there though!" Naruto said. "Sasuke? Hinata-chan?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "This isn't a leisure stroll, idiot. Let's get going."
As Naruto openly sulked, Hinata piped up. "Maybe we can have them for dessert later?"
Mollified, Naruto agreed and they started to hook the horses back up to the carriage.
Meanwhile, Ino climbed onto the front seating and then turned expectantly to Naruto once he had finished up. "C'mon, Naruto. Like Sasuke-kun said, we need to get going. We're on a schedule."
"I'm getting sore sitting up on the carriage," Naruto groaned. "Think I'll join Sasuke and Hinata-chan on the ground."
"What?! And leave me to deal with the horses? No way!" Ino complained.
"Wait, why were you supervising me if you don't know how to deal with horses?"
Irritated, Sasuke ground out, "How much time are you planning to waste, Naruto?"
In the end a compromise was reached: Naruto made a clone to man the carriage while the original bounced around from the front to the back, chatting with whoever was closest between Sasuke, Hinata or Ino. Sasuke eyed his friend as he once more drifted towards the back near Hinata. The exact words they spoke were lost in the noise of the wheels of the carriage against the dirt road, only the light cadence audible.
After a few more hours on the road Hinata navigated them to a clearing to set up camp. While Naruto and Hinata set up one tent each, Ino took care of the horses and Sasuke busied himself with the fire. By unspoken rule it seemed everyone had relied on Hinata to feed them and she didn't disappoint. The aroma of the tonjiro she'd prepared in Konoha being reheated over the fire soon surrounded them, driving their hunger to a peak.
Spooning a generous portion into a mug, Hinata passed it over to Ino. "For Fujiwara-san."
"Thanks, Hinata. Smells great, it might even get a reaction out of him." Getting to her feet, Ino started towards the carriage. "You guys can go ahead without me."
Hinata was quick to protest. "We can wait!"
A loud grumble sounded just as she finished speaking.
"You sure about that?" Ino asked with a laugh.
"Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't speak for everyone," Hinata murmured apologetically.
Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "I can wait!" He didn't sound very convincing.
Sasuke shook his head. Table manners were hardly a top priority on a mission in his opinion; there was no sense in holding off on eating when they were hungry. Still, he waited dutifully, refraining from reaching for the pot of tonjiru.
Seated on a log in front of the fire, Sasuke's skin prickled from its warmth. Hinata sat back down beside him, having gotten up to give Fujiwara's portion to Ino. Naruto sprawled down across from her on Sasuke's other side, forming an incomplete circle.
It was late enough in the day and the foliage was thick enough around them that very little sunlight made it through. Common nighttime noises of the forest could be heard: buzzing insects and the occasional rustling bushes. The crackling of the fire was a pleasant addition to this soundscape. Sasuke was reminded of the many nights he'd spent in distant lands during his journeys. Whether it was in Hi no Kuni or some foreign country, some things were universal.
Glancing to the side and taking in the sight of midnight blue aglow with fiery orange and red flames tinged lavender when reflected in pearlescent orbs, Sasuke decided that the company was also a pleasant addition. Turning to the other side, he saw Naruto curled around his stomach with a look of utmost concentration on his face, as if physically holding his hunger at bay. Sasuke barely held in an eyeroll.
After some time, Ino exited the carriage holding the mostly empty mug and sat down across from Sasuke, completing the circle.
"He didn't eat it all?" Hinata asked, worrying her bottom lip.
Ino shrugged a bit helplessly. "You've seen him. He's gained a few pounds since we got him, but he's still underweight for his age. His stomach can't handle too much."
Hinata hummed in acceptance, but Sasuke could see the subtle line between her brows from lingering concern. He started to shuffle closer, mouth open to speak though he didn't know what to say to comfort her, but then the sound of a loud grumble broke through.
"Ahhhhh — sorry, sorry!" Naruto groaned. "But can we eat now?"
Hinata startled, eyes wide, before softening. The line between her brows disappeared completely. "Of course, Naruto-kun," she said with a soft giggle. "Let's dig in."
Using the ladle, she emptied out the contents of the pot into four bowls. By request, Ino's portion was smaller and Sasuke noticed that his and Naruto's share were more generous than Hinata's. While accepting his bowl, Sasuke poured some of his tonjiro into Hinata's own bowl, ignoring her small sound of surprise. Naruto was too preoccupied with stuffing his face, but Sasuke caught Ino's watchful blue eyes staring at them before he averted his own to the fire.
They ate quietly at first, worn out from a day of traveling and eager to fill their empty bellies. Then Ino spoke, having finished her smaller portion first.
"You know, his scrawny size might work in his advantage at the trial," she said, picking back up on the topic of Fujiwara, knowing well that it hadn't left any of their minds. "And he'll need every advantage he can get since he's still pretty much refusing to say more than a sentence or two."
Considering the last time Sasuke had heard Fujiwara speak at length he'd been raving like a lunatic, he wasn't so sure that was a bad thing.
"Well, that's why he's got us," Naruto declared. He took another big gulp of soup. "What he did was wrong, but…they should know the full story before they make a decision. Everyone deserves that."
Ino tapped her well-kept nails against the empty bowl in her hands. "It would be even better to show them the full story…" She gestured to her back. "Those scars…"
Brows raising, Sasuke glanced at Hinata and Naruto and saw twin frowns adorning their faces but no traces of surprise. He expected Naruto to say something in response to Ino, but instead the blond stared into the fire with a faraway look in his eyes.
Instead it was Hinata who spoke, making Naruto's head shoot up. "Ino-san, I understand that you want the best for Fujiwara-san, but that…" She pursed her lips before continuing, voice soft but firm. "If Fujiwara-san chooses to, that's one thing, but for us to suggest it…that would be too much."
"Why not?" Ino asked, straightening up. "It's going to be in his medical records anyway. The scars, the burns, the poorly healed fractures, the malnutrition. All of it. Wouldn't it be better to take control of it?"
It dawned on Sasuke that they weren't talking about the consequences of Fujiwara's fusion with the white zetsu or their battle at the capital. The scars they were speaking of were from something else entirely.
"That's why," Hinata said. "Because everyone will know, whether Fujiwara-san wants them to or not. The proof of the pain he endured…exposing that vulnerability is something Fujiwara-san should get to decide."
Lavender met blue across the fire and Sasuke watched as some kind of understanding passed between Hinata and Naruto.
Naruto had fought Neji in the chunin exams. Sasuke remembered him going on about the match-up beforehand, righteously angry and ready to confront Neji on Hinata's behalf. Sasuke had missed the actual fight, but the story had reached his ears in the aftermath. He'd had more pressing things on his mind at the time, but it had still registered through his spiral of dark thoughts.
Hinata had been in the hospital at the same time as him after the first round, just a few doors down.
With narrowed eyes, Sasuke looked away from them. Instead he directed his gaze towards the carriage in which Fujiwara sat. "Even if they don't execute him or imprison him for life, that's hardly the end of it," Sasuke pointed out darkly. "He can't stay at the hospital forever and he's an adult even by civilian standards, so the orphanage isn't an option. Not that it would be a great one anyway. There's a reason no one was too worried about those boys that went missing. Then you've got the ones who age out and end up on the streets."
"Like Oda-kun and Miki-chan," Hinata murmured sadly.
Sasuke took in her downturned expression and his voice lost some of its harshness when he responded, "Exactly."
"But it doesn't really matter, does it?" Naruto said, uncharacteristically serious. "Not to them. We're gonna propose rehabilitation and community service, but they don't want to know the details about where he's gonna live, who's gonna feed him, his health or anything like that. They don't care. Not as long as it doesn't come out of their pockets."
It was a reality Sasuke had lived. One he knew Naruto had as well. A paltry allowance from Konoha and the occasional visit from the Sandaime to soothe his guilty conscience was all they'd been afforded after the powers that be had made decisions that permanently altered the course of their lives.
Civilians at least had the orphanage, but there were no homes for children like them. No one to make sure they were eating properly or knew how to budget or do laundry or keep a house clean. As long as they continued to show up at the academy to learn to be good little soldiers in the service of Konoha, they were someone else's problem.
"They keep cutting funding for the orphanage as it is. And that's for regular, non-criminal kids. For someone like Fujiwara, there's no place for him," Naruto concluded grimly.
"There's no place for ninja once they retire either," Ino admitted. "The ones with trauma or permanent disabilities. People like Sai and the other ROOT members. We don't have systems to care for them or help them reintegrate after coming back from undercover work or after leaving active duty. Our bars are filled with ninja drinking their problems away."
Sasuke frowned, thinking of the Godaime and the night Naruto came home drunk. Curious if she was thinking of the same night, he turned his gaze to the midnight-haired kunoichi and followed her lavender eyes to Naruto. Looking at the blond now too, Sasuke wondered if one day Naruto would end up in that same place, drinking away the regrets of the sacrifices he had to make to become Hokage and of the impossible decisions he had to make once he got there. Would he end up following Tsunade's path and take up her habits of coping?
"…but it doesn't have to be that way," Hinata said softly. When all of their attention turned to her, she shrunk a little before catching herself. "I remember feeling helpless as a child, trapped in a system created by the adults around me. We told ourselves we would do it differently. That we would change things when we grew up." Hinata looked around at them, the dancing flames reflecting in her wide lavender eyes complimented the inner fire within them. "We're not children anymore. We finally have the power to change the system."
"Unless we become part of the system," Ino said morosely and Sasuke silently agreed.
"Hinata-chan's right," Naruto said. "We just have to make sure we don't lose sight of that drive we had as kids."
Averting his gaze from Naruto's bright aura, Sasuke stared into the flickering flames of the firepit. Sasuke's drive as a child had been relentless but misguided. A quest for vengeance and justice. An outlet for the rage inside of him.
That rage was now diminished, Sasuke's actions underground with nae-ROOT and the council had proven that. He didn't want it back, but it left an empty space inside of him he wasn't sure what to do with.
A soft press of a thigh against his brought Sasuke back to the present. Hinata's expression was brimming with warm concern. Her entire being was focused on him for what felt like the first time all day and Sasuke basked in it.
"Even if you quit being a ninja to take up…woodworking, if it made you happy, that would make me happy"
Unconsciously, Sasuke's lips tugged into a small smirk and Hinata's expression cleared. Her plush lips curved upwards which Sasuke's own then mirrored, his smirk turning into a small smile.
Woodworking, preparing tea, cooking meals…a life filled with such mundane things didn't sound too bad.
Lots of thoughts being thunk.
Thanks as always to everyone who continues to keep up with this fic
MVH