Chapter 17: The Change

"We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky."

― Walter Mosley, Blue Light

Jiraiya & Hinata-Forest Grounds North, Tanzaku Quarters

"You…don't need to stare like that." Hinata mutters, rolling her shoulders.

'Focus. Pretend he's not even here.'

Her skin prickles with heat under the weight of his gaze, Jiraiya is far and away the strangest instructor she's had compared to the teachings and lessons of Kurenai-sensei and the Hyūga Elders.

So unorthodox in his methods of learning her skillset via copying her poses, too quiet when she's used to hearing his loud banter or laughter over mundane topics.

Opalescent eyes twist between darkening obsidian and the flickers of morning light trekking along the surrounding greenery, scatterings of golds and scarlets along the forest floor. He woke both her and Naruto up at daybreak, split them onto opposite sides of the woods to start to their training.

But Jiraiya hasn't once gone to check on Naruto, studying her form and technique round after round in target practice to instructing her to do gentle fists at each and every piece of tree bark or vine within sight.

He rubs his chin, looks between the damaged targets and her current posture.

"I have the Kid pretty down pack on what his skills he has in relation to his strengths and weaknesses. You on the other hand are a mystery, a blank slate. I've hardly worked with or even came across a Hyūga in all my years of traveling about, but I do know said clan is famed for its taijutsu, especially when combined with the byakugan."

Hinata nods slowly, deactivates her byakugan to look at him fully. "My nature affinities are fire and lightning. Kurenai-sensei and Naruto have both been helping me in utilizing mixing both with my former clan's techniques. Naruto for the more physical aspects and Kurenai-sensei more in the genjutsu/defensive aspects."

Jiraiya hums, grin slowly rising to her lips. "That's great because the day will come when you're separated from the Kid no matter how much he enjoys having you around. A sacrifice can't be around the jinchuriki 24-7. You're going to need to have a multitude of ways to protect yourself as well from the Akatsuki."

Hinata swallows, that name again.

"What...What do you know about this Akatsuki group? Why are they after Naruto?"

Jiraiya pulls an onigiri out from his sleeves, shakes his head between bites. "Not just Naruto specifically. They appear to be going after the jinchurikis of every nation. As for why, that and my spies scattered about are still trying to figure out. I'm sure it's connected to the Tailed Beast's power, but for what plans, I don't know yet. Would be nice if Tsunade was willing to pass along any tidbits of info she's gathered since being away from the village all this time."

Hinata considers his expression just bringing up his former teammate's name, the way he looked at her yesterday when she wasn't paying him any attention amid her card games with Naruto to their failed attempt to tag team against those two Akatsuki members...

'He still hasn't fully convinced her to return back to Konoha with us.'

That pining look though, she's seen it before in Kurenai-sensei's eyes when looking at Asuma-sensei from afar.

Her eyes widen just a fraction.

"Oh, you're in love with her, but it must be unrequited."

A blush blooms at her cheeks as Jiraiya's attention snaps back to her with a scowl, clamping her lips shut.

If Lady Natsu or Hashijimi were here, they'd scold her on her manners, make her sit on her knees for hours while reciting aloud proper etiquette for talking to her Elders and one of Konoha's most esteemed shinobi.

Hashijimi. Is she still within the Land of Fire's borders?

'No. I can't think about her right now. Naruto is a bad influence when it comes to just saying what's on my mind.' Hinata blows out a breath.

"I-I'm so sorry. I, err didn't mean for it to come out like that-"

"Yeah, you did. Guess if it's that obvious to you, then everyone else must see it too even though I've tried to bury said feelings." Jiraiya curtly interrupts. Hinata slowly meets his gaze, his features carefully blank.

"You spend so much time around Naruto now that you're losing that trademark Hyūga politeness. Though don't tell him I said that or he'll talk my ear off!"

A frown rises to her lips before she can fully hide it.

"I don't...I don't tell Naruto everything that's going on in my life just because I'm his latest sacrifice."

Jiraiya arches a brow, dryly snorts making pearl eyes harden. "Is that right?"

"I know, or at least I have a strong idea on where Hashijimi is hiding."

Dark eyes widen a fraction as her gaze turns eastward past the mountain ranges and ravines that separate Konoha from smaller towns and villages.

'Considering Father will no longer give Hashijimi the protection of the clan, she most likely would've turned to the Hyūga's closest allies outside Konoha.' She recalls.

The Taketori clan.

And if not them, there is always the old Kohinata family, distant relatives of theirs who split away from the clan generations ago.

'I'll have to confront her on my own terms eventually.'

He waves a hand up in the air at Hinata's squirming for bringing up his feelings, grins once more.

"Anyways, I don't think they consider the Tailed Beasts deities to worship or give blood and human sacrifices to the same way each region has done over the years."

He points then to the deeper groves within the forests.

"You need to work on having more long-range abilities. Those eyes of yours let you see far, but the gentle fist is best used typically only for close range attacks. Show me what lightning and fire release skills you have."

Hinata considers her arsenal, concentrates gathering lightning into the tips of her hands. She hasn't truly used it in long-range form since the Chunin Exams.

"Lightning Release: Spider Web!"

Jiraiya follows the electrical current as it crisscrosses between grass and scattered tree branches.

"Hmm, it's a start. Though you won't be paralyzing or knocking out anyone bigger than you with this. We'll work on your speed and imbedding lighting and fire in various ninja tools first."

Hinata catches the kunai he sends her way, coats it in a mix of fire and lightning like he instructs.

"Good, now guide it to that target 5 meters away."

'There must be a catch coming.' Hinata considers, hitting the bullseye.

Lightning crackles out into the bark, flames scarring the tree with tendrils of black.

"You're not done yet, guide that remaining lightning and flames into the tree beside it. By the end of today, you should have the beginnings down of how to quickly mold your chakra into lightning or fire and control the current of its movements." Jiraiya orders.

Hinata startles at the command, electricity and fire already dissipating too fast to reconnect.

Jiraiya grins. "That's alright, we have all day!"

For the next two hours she keeps Jiraiya's advice and demonstrations in mind, but the current of her flames and lightning never goes past a few meters, disperse before she can form a proper trail.

Her hands sting from the repetition, curling her fingers to stop looking at rising blisters and cuts, blood and ashes flowing into the dirt.

"You're not even teaching her properly." A voice snorts from behind her and Hinata half turns to see a flicker of blonde hair, hazel eyes narrowing with a cross of her arms.

Tsunade.

Jiraiya takes in her flushed cheeks, scent of sake and mochi on her breath, sighs.

"Day drinking again, huh?"

Tsunade ignores his barb, shoves right past him gaze locked on Hinata alone.

Even with exhaustion burning at her every muscle, a spike of dread jabs at her chest taking in her intense stare, the smirk that curves up her lips triumphantly.

"You. I have some questions and luckily your little boy-toy isn't here to stop me."

Naruto & Sasuke-Forest Grounds East, Tanzaku Quarters

There's a deadness in Sasuke's features that weren't there before he left the village. Dark bags hang under his eyes like luggage, listlessly studying the terrain.

"Where is he?" He mutters, onyx searching the woods both low and high.

"Itachi? He escaped with his teammate, and no, I didn't see to where." Naruto volleys back.

He disperses the remnants of a half rasengan before it can explode by his face, takes in the holes of damage to the surrounding trees as leaves and bark scatter down around them. Not enough to truly cause harm the way he saw Pervy-Sage do so easily to those attempted pick-pocketers they crossed paths with on the way here.

"You gotta be quick about it Kid, gather the swirl of wind and then launch it!" Jiraiya instructs with ease.

Naruto takes in the forming bruise to the man's chest as the rasengan connects with skin, clothes ripped away from the pressure of wind. His partner immediately retreats, drops stolen goods of weapons and drugs the duo had planned to sell during Tanzaku Quarters upcoming festivals.

'I need to be able to fling people backwards the way he did!'

Sasuke steps forward and Naruto clicks his tongue, studies the sky taking in how late in the morning it's already gotten. Blackbirds escape to unharmed trees further west, wind lightly rustling through the canopies of the trees. Anything to not keeping looking at the blood dripping from Sasuke's mouth or the plum-colored bruises that dot his skin, sourness curling at his gut.

'Where's Kakashi-sensei or even one of those ANBU guys?'

"You followed us all the way out here for him?" Naruto asks back instead.

Sasuke blows out an impatient breath, charcoal eyes taking in the surrounding toppled trees, ripped earth Naruto's torn apart before landing back on blue. He gathers up his earlier rage, lets a heat encompass his chest before it can completely flicker out.

"Of course I did; this is the closest Itachi's gotten to the village in years. I need to know which direction he went in."

'I can't let this opportunity pass without at least getting a real hit on him! Not after all the training I've done to prepare to take him on.' Sasuke determines, balls up his fists like hammers knowing that time is of the essence.

Because wherever he's gone, he's covering his tracks well. Nothing about the surrounding forest paths or parallel trails give away any sign of having been recently used besides the damage Naruto's done.

It's like he vanished.

Naruto shrugs, unleashes a burst of wind scattering up leaves at his own rising annoyance.

He's barely gotten an hour of training in and Sasuke refuses to let this subject go.

"I know you're not deaf as I told you already, I don't know or care! He and his partner were trying to cut my legs off; I didn't exactly have time to ask where he was going next!"

Sasuke grits his teeth until his jaw pops at his tone, fog further coating the pallor of his features and Naruto considers then that it won't matter what he says, he isn't ever going to believe him.

"You're...lying. You have to be, you were one of the last people who saw him other than those two Sannin. Maybe Hinata will talk if you don't want to-"

Naruto grabs his arm before he can even turn, twists it backwards eliciting a low hiss.

"Bastard, I gave you your answer. Face it, Itachi isn't interested in you Sasuke; you're not even worth killing to him."

Sasuke rips his hand from his grip as if he's doused him with ice.

"Then why is he interested in you? He has no reason to be when he's never even known you previously."

Naruto scoffs, points to his stomach.

"He's only interested in the Nine Tails idiot, not me as a person."

Beads of sweat gather at Sasuke's forehead, feverish glow rising to his face as further drops of scarlet bleed out from his mouth and nose.

He goes eerily quiet, fingers shifting to his head, eyes closing, tumbling down.

Naruto reaches a hand out to steady him, Sasuke shifting out of his reach.

"Don't touch me! I'm...fine."

Naruto snorts, hovers over him letting him topple to the ground, doesn't note any physical injuries besides those bruises to his arms and neck.

"...You found Itachi already; didn't you?"

Sasuke bites his tongue before a scream can tear from his throat, draws up a fist tearing at blades of grass and dirt.

"Weak. I still need more power." He mutters before losing consciousness.

No amount of shaking or jabs awakens him, whatever Itachi did to him wasn't an ordinary technique.

Shit.

"Ugh, damn it you asshole! I'm gonna lose a day of training thanks to you being stupid y'know! Naruto curses, slams a tornado of wind into the closet tree until it crumples apart.

'Now I gotta find that old hag, she owes me anyways.'

Jiraiya is perched alone under the trees of their designated meeting point, Naruto searching the area for violet hair.

'Hinata's supposed to be with him.' His heart skitters in alarm, crimson flashing to Jiraiya for answers.

Jiraiya ignores his stare, takes one look at Sasuke's slumped form on his back and huffs as well.

"She ain't here Naruto, Tsunade took her off somewhere deeper into the woods over an hour ago."

Hinata & Tsunade-Forest Grounds West, Tanzaku Quarters

'Why did she want to talk to me?'

Silence stretches between them, only the crackle of the river and low chirps of the cicadas to fill the void. A haze lingers amid the blue of the sky, scent of smoked meats and seafood in the air reminding her Tanzaku Quarters annual carnival will officially start tomorrow. Hinata fiddles with her chopsticks, restrains back a wince as fresh bruises and cuts throb with each twist of her fingers.

'The aloe and yarrow combination will kick in soon.' She reminds herself, has to kick in soon if she's to complete this day of training.

"If you have turmeric on you, that can help with the inflammation as well if you use some of the powder to make a tea." Tsunade had advised, had taken one look at her wounds before walking ahead. She stops them by Arashiro River, waters the color of tea and sea grass.

"Things really have changed since Granny Mito's time." Tsunade mutters, absently kicks up a spray of water from the river's edge.

Hinata takes in her dry tone. "Yes, the gifts given to the jinchuriki annually are no longer so...extravagant."

Tsunade sighs, pulls out a flask from her haori.

"Yeah, don't know what sensei did to screw things up so badly between Grandpa's tenure to his own as the Third Hokage. Being a jinchuriki growing up to me meant being spoiled with luxury goods, guess that changed after the jinchuriki passed to the Red-Hot Habanero."

Hinata blinks. "...Ah, who is that?"

That name never came up in any history lesson Iruka-sensei gave them, but subjects on the jinchuriki and past sacrifices are a taboo subject to pretty much all the instructors at the Academy.

Tsunade laughs, waves it away not so drunk to spill said secrets. "No one important. That was just the nickname to the previous holder of the Nine Tails. She was known for having an even shorter temper than Granny Mito. It caused people to look at her with much more harshness and therefore give her less favorable gifts when it came time for annual appeasement to the Beast. I heard so many stories of restaurants and shopkeepers receiving property damage from her foul moods, her outright using her fists on those who talked behind her back or openly made fun of her for one reason or another."

'Sounds like Naruto.' Hinata realizes.

"People associate Naruto only with destruction that they've forgotten he's still a human being with feelings and thoughts outside the beast's."

Tsunade studies her reflection amid the waters quietly.

"Yeah, Granny Mito nearly gave into that same energy, that desire for violence."

She considers Hinata staring into the waters pensively, fingers absently brushing at her bandages.

"Hashijimi is still the Hyūga's clan's main family doctor?"

Pearl eyes stay focused on the water's ripples. "Was."

Tsunade's brows furrow when Hinata says nothing else on the matter, spins the subject a different way.

"Tell me this then, what caused the Hyūga clan to not provide the suitable bribe/donation as usual to not have one of their members sacrificed? Since the Uchiha clan's massacre, they've been Konoha's strongest clan, the ones who hate to be seen as weak. And yet this past year, they've decided to act differently."

Lilac hardens for a fraction of a moment, twists to hazel.

Hinata blows out a breath and for a moment it feels like she's talking to the very 'Ice Doctor' as Hashijimi was known as around Konoha's ER and ICU units.

"I'm sorry Lady Tsunade, but why all these questions? Why do you care? Are you planning to try and change anything about the way my former clan acts? You don't need to trouble yourself wondering. Father saw me as too weak, too kindhearted to be the next leader of the Hyūga, passing the title instead to my younger sister. Even if you don't plan to come back to the village, I still plan to find a way to ensure that Hanabi won't have to go through this same type of pain, a way to unite the main and branch families into one."

Tsunade smirks at her burst of anger. 'Ah, so that's what she's been holding in.'

She tilts her head back taking another swig of sake, revels in the way it burns then cools going down.

"Who said I'm not going to return?" Tsunade argues, surprising herself at her vitriol.

'Guess I truly don't want to see my hometown destroyed...' She realizes, peering back to Hinata.

"Weak, huh? Sounds like something Hiashi Hyūga would say I suppose, granted I haven't seen the man in years. Shinobi showing any type of weakness is how they get killed on or off the battlefield."

It's why she left the village behind despite protests from her fellow comrades on the field to her colleagues from the medical and surgical floors. Hemophobia makes her useless, not able to even use her medical ninjutsu.

"I'm officially resigning as of today at noon as Head of Konoha Hospital's Emergency Care Team. I'm...sorry. I can no longer perform my duties with the current injuries I have." Tsunade announces.

A wave of alarmed gasps and frowns make her look down to the redwood of the table, better they hear this from her than from Sarutobi or one of his advisors.

"Please reconsider Lady Tsunade! There are still too many shinobi in our ICU beds recovering from the War effort that require your expertise! The chemical warfare used by those Ame and Kiri nin have ravaged some of their bodies in ways beyond recognition." Dr. Sakamura stands.

Dr. Naramoto who she recognizes from head of infectious disease nods his agreement, standing with her. "Hospital associated infections and sepsis cases are down more by 50% thanks to the protocols you've put in place."

Only Hashijimi stays sitting, dry-eyed.

The pure white of the byakugan looks her up and down, searching for these injuries she speaks of that they both know run much deeper than skin.

She crosses her legs, hums loud enough to cut through the distress permeating the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be the greatest healer of your generation? Of all the Great Nations? All I see is a woman running away from the line of duty, though I guess we don't need a doctor around that can't handle the mere sight of blood." Hashijimi snorts.

Dr. Takumo nudges her harshly, but Hashijimi's frosty gaze stays defiant. "What? I'm only say what we're all thinking here Takumo. Yes, it's a great loss to Konoha's Medical and Emergency Care teams if Madam Tsunade goes, however, we can't afford to lose any more lives under her watch."

Any more lives.

She'd hadn't been able to save Nawaki or Dan, who would trust their loved ones under her care if she couldn't even save her precious brother and beloved?

But they wouldn't want her to live the rest of her life this way; would they?

Hinata laughs gently cutting through her thoughts. "Naruto told me something similar during the first days of me being at his apartment. Ah, err he used to not want to even spar with me."

Tsunade considers her statement with the boy who huffed and argued at the mere idea of Hinata giving up any of her personal belongings to their ongoing bet.

"And yet now he can't help but always want you close, looks ready to wrap you in his arms and kiss you every time he looks your way." She muses making a blush heat her face.

Before Tsunade can help it, a smile rises up to match hers, pausing catching a senbon needle that whizzes between them.

'We've been followed.'

A glimmer comes from woods to the south, Hinata dodging the second needle sent their way, tips of her fingers crackling to life with electricity.

"Hmm, seems you been training quite a bit with your lightning affinity Little Miss." A familiar voice calls out to them and Hinata's breath stills, heartbeat rising like an incessant drum in her ears.

Hashijimi steps first out of the shadows followed by Kabuto, nodding to the man.

He adjusts his glasses, frown dancing on his lips. "Shizune isn't here."

"No, and Tsunade won't be an easy opponent to take down I'm sure you know." Hashijimi smoothly replies.

Pearl meets pearl, continuing on.

"But the less obstacles surrounding Tsunade, the better chance Orochimaru has of her healing his arms."

Sakura-Kakashi's Apartment

"What happened to Kakashi-sensei?!"

'I shouldn't have bailed on him! I should've just gone to the grounds where he wanted us to meet, then he never wouldn't been at the dango shop and encountered these strange men.'

She blinks back the pinprick of tears, it's just like with her Dad all over again.

Too late to help before the damage is done...

Sweat dampens his cheeks, but he has no fever, no overt signs of infection she can see despite her lack of medical experience. Some type of internal damage has been done to him, pursing her lips thinking through all the medical conditions she knows.

Dusk is setting in, last rays of reds and violets falling against his silver hair, highlights how ashen gray his skin has truly become. Maybe it's anemia she considers, in that case though, why hasn't he gotten a blood transfusion yet? No, this is something else.

'How long has he been like this?'

The only abnormality to his vital signs is his racing pulse, body trembling every so often to match its speed.

She balls her hands at her sides as Asuma and Kurenai look away.

'I'm tired of being kept in the dark!' Her anger hisses, threatens to spew out into a trail of acidic barbs.

No, that will only make her look like an obstinate child.

But this is worse than how he was after his fight with Zabuza that put him out of commission for just a few days. And he handled with relative ease dealing with all those Suna and Oto ninja that attempted to invade Konoha...

Anko blows out a breath at all of her fellow Jonin's silence to answer her.

"Clearly some shit that nobody here can properly explain. Come on people, you're gonna have to tell Danzo and those other Old Farts something about what happened earlier! There were multiple eyewitnesses, but they won't be as easy to get into talking unless you get Inoichi involved."

Gai gives her what's supposed to be a comforting grin Sakura doesn't return.

"Now, now, there's no need to have the Intelligence division poke our brains! Kakashi ordered us to close our eyes to avoid landing in the genjutsu the same way he did. Luckily, even blind I can attack any enemy of Konoha with my fists of justice!" He declares.

Anko nods dully, half turns to Sakura with a shrug.

'That explains little.' Sakura sighs.

"We need...We need Lady Tsunade's help if Kakashi is to make a proper recovery." Kurenai finally mentions.

Asuma agrees slowly. "I don't think even our best medics could handle this case. Is Hashijimi still around? Or alive?"

Kurenai nudges him in his ribs, gives her a knowing glance before going on.

"I know she's fallen out of favor with the Hyūga for what she did to Hinata, but that doesn't mean she doesn't lack the medical experience and skill."

Gai shakes his head. "I heard from one of her patients she fled the village weeks ago when the jinchuriki or I mean Naruto came looking for her at her office at the outpatient clinic."

Sakura stiffens as the room quiets, swallows back forming knots.

Anko pats a hand to her shoulder.

"Sorry Sakura, but you're going to need to leave this to an expert. Give us some space to discuss what we're going to do next to keep the village safe."

She steps out of the room to let them further discuss next steps regarding Kakashi's care, the trouble Lord Third's team is still having in finding a proper successor to take up the mantle of Fifth Hokage.

'Tsunade. That's not the first time I've heard that name.' Sakura sighs, rubbing at her head.

Verdant twists back to the now closed door, Pakkun and Kakashi's other dogs hovering around his door mournfully with low whines. It's rare to see their master so severely injured, not able to even react to their barks or howls questioning who or what caused this.

"I don't really smell any blood on him; how did this happen?" Akino asks.

Shiba sniffs the air. "He released a lot more sweat than usual for it to be the usual run of the mill spar, must've been some type of fight."

Bisuke glances her way. "Did they give you any updates on what actually happened earlier in the day? I assume for Kakashi not to have summoned us that the situation was too risky to involve too many people or dogs in our case."

Sakura shakes her head, bends herself to eye level with Kakashi's ninken as equally frustrated at the lack of answers to what's going on. Anko-sensei and the others may want to keep her out of the loop of how dangerous things are right now, but no way is she just going to stay on the sidelines.

She steps out into cool evening air, moves in the direction of Yamanaka flowers.

Today or yesterday Ino or her Dad should've received those shipment of seeds that she requested. Her room has been set up with the space to begin the germination process and her own research.

'No, but I intend to find out.'

Hinata-Forest Grounds northwest, Tanzaku Quarters

All of her assumptions were wrong.

Instead of being miles away, Hashijimi is here, working with the very men who caused Lord Third's death.

"Why?" She whispers.

Ivory sharpens to her. "Why what? There are few options Little Miss to turn to for protection from the Nine Tails when casted out of the clan for doing the very duties Hiashi told me to do. His reach extends beyond the manor's walls, we both know this. I wouldn't have been safe with any of his or the clan's associates, but that doesn't mean I intend to let him or any of the other Elders get away with treating me the same way they treated you."

Hinata bristles before straightening her posture, focus turning to Kabuto.

She knows little about the man's abilities except for what she saw back during the Chunin Exams and a little bit of during the failed invasion. But he's supposedly Orochimaru's second in command, just as deadly of an opponent to deal with.

Kabuto chuckles, forms his hands upward igniting them in chakra.

"Stay behind me, I sense he can use chakra scalpels offensively to target vital organs. Deal with Hashijimi while I keep him back." Tsunade whispers, cracking her hands in preparation.

No time to ask if she's ready to truly this.

Hinata concentrates lightning into the palms of her hands as Hashijimi races in for her, fingers poised to claw and jab at her neck, twisting low beneath and around her arms.

"Lightning Release: Flash Pillar!"

The discharge of electricity unleashes a ray of white across the field, Hashijimi slowing just enough at seeing duplicates of her scatter about. The genjutsu won't last nearly as long as she wants, Hashijimi reorienting herself quickly.

"A mini light show can't only hide your chakra signature for so long Little Miss." She sneers, jabbing and popping away at her clones.

'Just a few seconds left now, her byakugan is about to find me!'

Hinata gathers the lingering electricity back to her fingertips, lunges the remnants of the surge into her abdomen.

'Too small.' Hinata winces at the thin stream. Hashijimi has watched her growth since she started officially sparring with both main and branch members, probably knows her weak spots better than Neji or Father with how many times she's treated her injuries.

Still, she topples back, chokes out a wheeze of air and blood, jabs hard into her right arm before she can fully go down.

Hinata bites through the pain as it digs into muscle, forces her gaze to stay on Hashijimi even as her arm starts to slump.

Electric shocks ripple over her skin as she spits out a glob of crimson into the grass between them.

Hashijimi pushes herself to fully stand, makes for a slow approach of Hinata's figure once more. She draws up her hand creating her own wave of electricity, smiles gently as if preparing to do another health assessment on her.

"Don't think you're the only one who has an affinity for lightning within the clan. I need to quickly dispose of you here and now before that Nine Tails Beast can come."

Hinata blinks back sweat, scents of smoke and blood singing her nose, matching her stance instead drawing fire to her palms as she rushes in once more.

"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

A wall of stone abruptly shoots up between them before it can connect, lighting instead cracking and dispersing through layers of dirt and rocks.

'Tsunade?' Hinata half-looks to the Sannin seemingly still in the midst of fighting Kabuto, catches her stare only for him to stop as well and move beside Hashijimi. He takes in her injuries with a look she can't read, ink black eyes too murky for her to tell if he's pleased or annoyed that they're at a standstill.

"You don't have any ties to left to Hinata or the Hyūga clan; do you?"

Hashijimi shakes her head while catching her breath. "No, all my connections to the Hyūga and Konoha have burned away."

Kabuto lets out a haunting chuckle then, eerie smile morphing his features as he cracks his hands, peers to Hinata.

"Good, then Naruto and Hinata won't really care if I steal your murder?"

Hashijimi turns too late, sees Kabuto's rising macabre grin right as he stabs into her chest. Tsunade freezes in place watching as her blood coats his hands, red shades of deep maroon to bright vermilion trailing down his hands.

The hand aimed to pierce Kabuto's chest drops; words too garbled to make out.

Kabuto turns his stare towards Hinata's paralyzed form, drops Hashijimi's body at her feet.

"Orochimaru has no use for a woman who can't even defeat a child, let alone properly aid in healing his arms. This could be you one day too little Hyūga girl if the jinchuriki ever bores of you."

'Breath. Breath. Stop looking at her!' Her thoughts yell out a series of commands, but nothing works, unable to turn away from the grisly site.

Her vision blurs, Hashijimi's skin paling, eyes turning glassy.

Dying before she could ask her more about the medicine she gave her or if she truly believed she was no longer in Father's good graces.

Kabuto's expression dulls. "Why bother crying over a woman who wanted to kill you?"

Hinata ignores him and his gaze turns to the north, frowning.

"Reinforcements. Tsunade, Orochimaru expects an answer from you by tomorrow at noon. It would be best if you came alone unless you want Shizune to join your brother and lover in the afterlife."

Hinata studies Hashijimi's body as Kabuto retreats, shuts her eyes while parting strands of hair from her cheeks.

She considers what Kabuto thought of her in the few days or weeks she must've traveled him and Orochimaru. It's probably similar to what most of the Hyūga clan and Konoha shinobi think of her, studying the residue of ash on her fingers.

'No, I won't be expendable like you Hashijimi.'

-x-

I bet none of you saw Hashijimi dying this way lol; sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual! I actually don't want Naruto and Hinata to be too obsessive over each other hence Hinata pointing out she doesn't always tell Naruto what she knows. Their emotions though won't be as easy to control once they become older teenagers, the training trip will have its share of spicy moments!

I think in terms of Itachi, I'm probably going to lean more towards villainy, but I haven't drafted my final thoughts yet. I just know that Sasuke, Sakura, and Itachi are going to slowly, but surely act in different ways that differ from canon in darker ways.

You know, it's not even hurricane season yet, but I'm already dealing with flooding, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and power outages in my part of the world! Stay safe everyone!

Pa-tre-ons as always get early access to chapters along with my bonus writings for both NaruHina, MHA, and my original writings! I go by TheLovelyMidnightWriter there! Check out my Insta by the same name for my travel blog, book recommendations, and anime drawings!

As always, let me know your thoughts!

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