Rokudaime

Hinata spun and planted a foot squarely in the middle of her opponent’s back. The smaller girl fell forward and rolled, whipping around to face her as she regained her feet. Hinata saw the telltale wrist flick of a reach for shuriken and dodged to the side. The three stars fell in a neat pattern: top, bottom, middle. If she’d moved forward or back, they would have struck her.

A kunai in each hand, she swiftly circled her serious-faced opponent. With any luck… She darted forward to strike a final blow. “Hold!” a sharp, deep voice bellowed. Her body froze, practically in mid-air. Kanashibari no Jutsu. The muscles in her legs began to cramp, forcibly holding her body in a precarious position. Sweat ran down her face, stinging her eyes.

Her father stood, unfolding himself from his position on the floor. “Hinata, you are dismissed,” he said briskly. He released the jutsu and she fell to the ground, unprepared. Hanabi, her younger sister and opponent, turned and glared at her with contempt. The seven-year-old spit on the floor in contempt before trotting to her father to take his criticism and praise.

She could hear her father begin to scold Hanabi as she pushed herself up off the floor, limping a little as one of the intermittent muscle cramps that were an aftereffect of the Kanashibari no Jutsu struck her calf muscles. Hinata sighed and headed to her room.

She was aware that by making her spar with her seven-year-old sister, her father was trying to either motivate or crush her. She just hadn’t decided which one yet. He had banned actual jutsus, and they used blunted weapons with chalk on the tips to mark their hits, but she felt that was just a precaution so Hanabi didn’t get hurt. Everybody else was right though. She wasn’t strong. She couldn’t even beat her own little sister, and that was a difference of five years. Hanabi could barely control her Byakugan and could still beat her…

Hinata turned and shoved the window open, letting in a gust of fresh air and blowing all the thoughts of her family out of her head. Taking a deep breath of the clean breeze, she relaxed a little. She pushed a large cabinet aside, revealing a hole in the wall behind it. She reached her arm in and pulled out a large wooden box, closed with two silver latches on the front. It contained her entire collection of home-made medicines. Her hand traced over the bottles full of liquids and powders, finally selecting a large blue glass bottle. She held it up to the window, one eye to the liquid level, shook it, and uncorked it, swallowing a dose. The bitter liquid stung going down her throat. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra, speeding the medicine through her body. In a few moments, the muscle cramps in her legs eased.

She recorked the bottle and replaced it in the wooden box, glancing over the other medicines. She realized she was low on bruise ointment. With a soft clack, she set the box on the low table beside the window, spreading her supplies out in front of her. Selecting a few powders and a new bottle, she settled in, willing to spend the whole day in her little solace, alone.

A few hours later, she looked up, blurry-eyed from a new medicine she’d decided to try. It was supposed to be stronger, for deeper injuries, like broken bones, to make them heal faster. However, as far as she could tell, the only thing stronger about it right now was its odor. The stench made her eyes water. She sighed. Nothing she’d ever made before had ever smelled this bad. She debated throwing it out the window, then decided that then people would wonder. It’d be too much trouble. She scraped the noxious ointment into a jar, putting a cork into it. The odor lingered, and she wrinkled her nose, opening the windows a little wider.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she’d probably missed lunch. She’d gotten so lost in her work, most of the morning had quickly flown by. Debating about where to eat, she decided that ramen might be good. Her stomach agreed. Packing away her medicines in their hole in the wall, she set out for the restaurant where Naruto ate most of the time. Ramen might be good, but seeing Naruto would be better.

Passing by the Yamanaka family’s flower shop, Hinata saw Ino arranging a beautiful bouquet of bright yellow flowers. With a sparkling smile, the blonde passed the flowers to a waiting customer.
Hinata looked fixedly at the ground as she passed by. She’s so pretty… I could never compete with her. Blonde hair, beautiful… She’s even a good ninja… I’m definitely not as good as she is… I wish I could be though… Ino tucked a large purple flower behind her ear and laughed at something her father told her. Hinata glanced up at the sound, sighed, and then sat down at the ramen bar, ordering a bowl of miso ramen. Morosely, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, trying to keep her mind blank.
Nobody really cared about what happened to her. The only reason her family even seemed to care was because she was the inheritor of the Hyuuga lineage. Somehow, a small part of her told her nobody would care if she died. Well, maybe they wouldn’t care, but they’d at least notice, right? “Poor Hinata,” they’d all say. “I guess I kind of liked her. That’s just too bad…”
“Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei!” A familiar voice called out. Hinata’s head snapped up in time to see Iruka and Naruto sit down a few seats down from her. The orange-clad genin was clinging to Iruka’s back and pointing at the menu, still shouting.
Unconsciously, Hinata raised her hands to her cheeks, feeling their warmth against her palms. Quietly, she watched the pair out of the corner of her eyes. Then, berating herself for her stupidity, she ran a little extra chakra towards her eyes and enabled the Byakugan. “Hey, hey! I’m going to go broke, Naruto,” Iruka complained. Hinata giggled a little at Naruto’s enthusiasm. The pair sat down on the stools, still talking and laughing.
Naruto playfully shoved Iruka, who shoved back. They continued their game until Iruka fell off his chair, toppling over onto the ground. Hinata gasped, almost certain that Naruto was going to get it. Instead, her old teacher got up off the ground and dusted himself off, laughing so hard his face was bright red. To retaliate, he grabbed Naruto in a headlock, pulling him off his stool and into a puddle. Although their actions should have amused Hinata, they instead had the opposite effect. Just once, she wished she could have somebody in her life as close to her as Iruka was to Naruto.
Unexpectedly, Kurenai sat down beside her. “Enjoying the sights?” Hinata’s teacher asked, raising her eyebrows and looked pointedly towards Iruka and Naruto.
Hinata’s blush multiplied, and couldn’t be hidden by her hands alone. With an embarrassed squeak, she pulled her sleeves up and covered her face with those.
“Oh, stop it,” Kurenai muttered, elbowing Hinata. “I’m a girl too, you know. You like Naruto…and Iruka…well…” She twitched her eyebrows twice and then winked. “He’s not so bad for someone like me.”
Hinata gaped at Kurenai’s unusual manner. “Kurenai-sensei?” she asked, a little worried.
“I know, I know. I’m acting weird. But then again, so are you.” Kurenai looked over at her student, waiting for her reply.
Hinata looked down into her half-empty bowl of ramen, tapping her index fingers nervously together. She didn’t reply, mind racing through possible answers. Why was Kurenai being so straightforward about Naruto? Was it the medicines hidden in her bedroom wall? Had Kurenai found out? Was it something else entirely? Was it why Kurenai was acting strange?
Somehow, although Kurenai was much older than her, Hinata felt more comfortable around her than with Kiba and Shino. She trusted her team mates, of course, but there were only so many things she could say to them without being embarrassed. There were many things she couldn’t even mention to them. Not only that, but both were so distracted. A lot of times, it seemed as if Kiba cared more for his dog than for her. The same was true for Shino, except with his bugs. It wasn’t like Hinata wanted anything more out of them than friendship, and just to spend more time with them. But it seemed as if they were always busy, and Hinata ended up alone.
Hinata’s silence truly didn’t surprise Kurenai. A length this long, however, was unusual. “Hinata?” she asked eventually, leaning closer to the counter to try and see her student’s face. A few feet away, Iruka and Naruto continued to tussle and goof off.
Hinata, meanwhile, struggled to hold back tears. Suddenly, it seemed as if the whole world around her was perfect, except for the part that involved her. Everything taunted her, teasing her with its joy. Her own personal little rain cloud hung over her head, sapping the happiness and life out of everything she did. No one cared. She took a long shuddering breath, holding her head in her hands. Kurenai reached over and soothingly stroked Hinata’s hair. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, sitting up straighter. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.” Hinata only shook her head, still silent.
“It wasn’t you,” she finally said, voice shaking. “I’ve just…just had a really bad day.” She sighed deeply, finally trying to relax. Clenching her hands into fists and bringing them down from her face, it felt as if her chest was expanding for the first time in ages and that she was only beginning to breathe now. Eyes slightly red, she turned towards Kurenai.
“How about all four of us get together later?” Kurenai suggested, trying to think of something that might make Hinata feel better.
The young genin nodded, a little brighter at the prospect of getting together with her team without a mission to go on. Kurenai stood, obviously planning to get Kiba and Shino together. “I’ll meet you in half an hour? Outside Kiba’s?”
Hinata nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered. The sound of splashing and a shout rang out from across the street.
“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto yelled in outrage. Hinata looked over to see him getting up from a mud puddle in the middle of the road, soaking wet. Iruka was laughing again, and trying to make a hasty and silent disappearance.
Kurenai turned back to Hinata once more. “Hey,” she whispered, jerking her head towards Naruto. “Go talk to him. He could be a really good friend.” With another wink, Kurenai was gone.

Hinata ran most of the way to Kiba’s house, stopping only when she reached the boundary of the Inuzuka property. Kiba had told her once that people running excited the dogs and caused a lot of trouble. Since then, Hinata had been very careful to walk slowly and calmly near Kiba’s place.
Pushing open the gate in the fence, she was immediately assaulted by barking dogs, in sizes ranging from ankle to almost waist-high. Most of them were dogs that were cared for by the Inuzuka’s, although they weren’t nin-dogs. A few of them, though, were, and Akamaru was among them. Laughing, she pushed the dogs aside, trying to struggle through the canine sea. Picking Akamaru out of the crowd, she lifted him into her arms. The tiny dog happily licked her face, tail wagging. He barked a little. At that, his owner’s head shot out of one of the house windows, looking concerned. Kiba looked down, saw Hinata and smiled. In a few seconds, he was down the stairs and outside.
“Hey Hinata,” he greeted her, tucking his hood down behind his head. Tousled black hair looked as if he hadn’t combed it that day, and Hinata knew he probably hadn’t. He didn’t really care about things like that.
“Kiba-kun,” she replied, offering Akamaru to his owner. After Kiba took his dog, she hugged him, wrapping Kiba in a loose embrace. Surprised, he barely had time to move before she let go of him. “I’m glad to see you,” she continued. “We’d better hurry. I think Kurenai and Shino are already waiting.” A little confused, Kiba followed her silently.
Truly, she was glad to see him. He was someone she knew she could trust, if not fully confide in. He’d saved her life a few times during their missions, and she was grateful for that, but she regretted that she had never done the same for him. It wasn’t that the opportunity didn’t come up; it was just that she wasn’t brave enough. Kiba took the lead and usually Shino and Hinata just followed.
True to form, Kiba took the lead and Hinata followed him out to meet the other two members of their team. Kiba easily vaulted the fence, deciding it was easier to do so than to fight through to the gate. Hinata jumped over too, not wanting to be troublesome. As Hinata had said, the other two were waiting. “What’re we doing today, teach?” Kiba called abrasively, eyes twinkling with mischief. Kurenai favored him with what she herself called ‘the Kiba glare’. It was reserved especially for him.
“We are here,” Kurenai began formally. “To have fun.”
“No mission?’ Shino asked quietly, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“No mission except to not do anything close to work.”
“Yes!” Kiba shouted, jumping in the air in glee. Akamaru barked happily and ran in circles, hopping. Kiba looked down and frowned at his canine partner. “No, you can’t go home,” he commanded sternly. Akamaru barked a few more times. “I don’t care about your girlfriend. She can wait.” A few more barks. Kiba rolled his eyes, ignoring the dog.
“Can we play hide and seek?” Hinata asked timidly. Kurenai was usually willing to let them play that. Hide and seek, though usually a children’s game, worked out quite well for this team. Their skills were all tested, both in hiding and seeking. Hinata’s Byakugan, Kiba’s extreme senses and partnership with Akamaru and Shino’s relationship with his bugs all came into play. Their abilities only made the hiding part harder. It made them all think about where they were hiding, much more so than usual. For example, Hinata had learned that to easily hide from Kiba, she only had to duck into a particularly ripe-smelling trash barrel. Her scent was then overwhelmed by the odor of the garbage. Maybe not the best place to stay for an extended period of time, but when the price of losing was set at 500 pushups and sit-ups, it didn’t matter all that much. Not only that, but Kiba began to learn his weaknesses, and how others exploited them. In time, he’d learned that the first place he should check was the trash.
“Yeah! Search and destroy!” Kiba burst out, barely containing his enthusiasm. The others of the team all suppressed laughter. Ever since Kurenai had introduced the game, Kiba, at the least, had always been excited about it. ‘Search and destroy’ was only his latest name for it.
Shino nodded his agreement, looking towards Kurenai for further instructions. She obliged them. “Target area: All of Konoha Village.” She emphasized the last word. She didn’t want a repeat of ‘Kiba’s Forest Adventure’ again. “Time frame: Until 5:00 p.m. today.”
Her students dropped into ready position. “Assassin-nin…” Kurenai paused, deciding which genin to choose. Dropping into a matching crouch of her own, she finally chose. “Shino,” she announced. In a split second, all four were gone. The game had begun.

Hinata took off towards the hospital, the one place she knew Shino hated. Part of her said it was cheating to play off his weaknesses. Another, more ruthless part of her, said it was just the way of life.

Kurenai followed her only female student on a whim. Although she usually trailed the one she’d dubbed “assassin.” Her intuition told her that Hinata needed supervision. Not only that, but Shino was getting much too good at detecting his teacher’s hiding places.

After resting on the roof of the hospital and watching Hinata take cover in a thick-foliaged tree, Kurenai decided to just stay where she was. Lying on her stomach, she glanced up in time to see the bright-red flare almost halfway across the village. Shino had caught Kiba; the assassin had changed.

A few hours later, the game had been expanded into the forest outside Konoha. It was almost five o’clock. Kurenai was still staying near Hinata. The genin had been the assassin four times, the jounin once. In order for the position to change hands, it all came down to chalked weapons and taijutsu fighting. If the “assassin” knocked their opponent to the ground or marked them solidly with a dull red-chalked weapon, the other person became the “assassin.” If the other person won, the first person was “killed” and had to wait five minutes before moving again.

Kurenai yawned and sighed, beginning to grow tired. It had been a long day. She’d been up before 2 in the morning and still up now. It had been fun though. Draping herself over a tree branch, the jounin began to doze off, blearily blinking at her student below.

Hinata watched as her teacher fell asleep, odd red eyes finally closing in a light nap. The genin drew her legs up to her chest, wondering why Kurenai had been acting so strange today. The jounin had been very… protective. Usually Kurenai was calm and collected, completely unlike the person Hinata had seen at the ramen place.

Sighing, she looked up at the sky, trying to see through the thick trees. A patch of black caught her eye, darker than the rest. Looking closer, Hinata saw it was a cat… no, a kitten, stuck in the branches. It wasn’t moving. She climbed silently and slowly towards it, hoping it was still alive. As she got closer, she was rewarded with a pitiful meow and a struggle to get free.

Concentrating on the small animal, Hinata carefully worked its shattered leg free from the branches. “I don’t know how you got here, baby, but you sure are hurting,” she whispered, cradling the tiny black kitten against her body. Quietly, Hinata made an improvised splint from a stiff twig, tying it gently onto the cat’s leg. The game wouldn’t be over until nine o’clock tonight, and she couldn’t take time out to make a real splint right now. He only meowed once in pain, but didn’t try to bite or scratch her at all. In fact, when she was done, the kitten gingerly climbed up her shirt and nuzzled her face, purring.

Hinata giggled as its whiskers tickled her skin. Abruptly struck with an idea, she picked up the fluffy black cat, checking its gender. “You’re a little boy, huh?” she asked him, scratching him obligingly under the chin. After a while, the realization that she should pay attention in order not to get caught by the others occurred to her. Glancing across the clearing, she was that Kurenai was still asleep.

This little kitten though… If it had an owner, it wouldn’t have been left hanging in a tree. That meant she could keep him, right? Her heart twisted as she thought of giving the black cat up, surprising her. She’d barely found him. He was only a tiny kitten. He didn’t even have a name. Deciding she’d give him one later, she tucked the cat gently inside her sweatshirt. He automatically climbed up her front and poked his head out underneath her’s, like Akamaru and Kiba did all the time. Hinata laughed as he began to purr again.

Distracted, Hinata barely noticed when a dark figure dropped out of the trees behind her. Attributing the slight noise to the forest, she didn’t even turn. The cat’s purr changed to a growl. Finally, Hinata turned and glanced over her shoulder. The flash of kunai caught her eye, and she ducked suddenly. Those weren’t blunted weapons. The glint was all too real. Her unseen opponent cursed, but she was unable to target him by the sound. A shape barely identifiable as a person in the weakening light shot out of the trees behind her. Not able to turn in time, the attacker’s kunai bit into the backs of Hinata’s arms as she fell forward, barely missing her back.

Overwhelmed with sudden pain, she was unable to land correctly, instead landing heavily on her side. Her head slammed against the ground and mist briefly passed over her vision. Struggling to stay conscious through her pain, Hinata could feel the warmth of blood running down her arms. One arm seemed to bleed more than the other. Slowly, she rolled over to put pressure on the heavily bleeding arm, trying to staunch it. The kitten nuzzled her, meowing with what sounded like concern.

“Byakugan,” Hinata whispered, forcing chakra towards her eyes. The dizzying effect of 360º vision kicked in and she saw her opponent above her. He may have caught her off-guard, but he wouldn’t catch her again. From the feel of it, her left arm, the one bleeding more, had been struck more solidly than her right. Testing her arms and grip, she found her left was almost completely immobile, while her other was stiff, but workable. Getting slowly to her feet, Hinata finally pushed herself off the ground and up into the trees.

Kurenai woke instantly at the sound of body hitting body, cursing herself for ever falling asleep. The thick sound of flesh hitting the ground was next. Peering cautiously out of her tree, she saw that Hinata was the one on the ground, but the spreading stain on her shirt definitely wasn’t normal for their game. She feared the worst, until Hinata slowly rose to her feet, and then painfully pushed off into the trees. Kurenai could tell by her student’s slight weaving and listing towards one side that the girl had the Byakugan’s 360º vision enabled. Either that or she was in extreme pain.

Forcing herself to remain where she was, the jounin only watched the battle below. Hinata had proved herself before. She could easily take this opponent down. If she couldn’t, Kurenai would always be on guard.

Breathing heavily, Hinata leaned against the trunk of a tree, Byakugan searching for the attacker. An assassin? Why would anyone want to kill her? The cat wriggled in her arms and she stroked him absently, trying to get him to calm down. Left arm still immobile, she used her right to draw a pair of kunai from their pouch. The dark form of the mysterious attacker dropped out of the trees once again, giving her an opening. Firing both kunai, she immediately moved to a different position, keeping herself hidden. Surprisingly, both kunai hit, striking him in the back and thigh. Suddenly, the man vanished in a blur, reappearing behind her. Turning with a shout, Hinata dropped automatically into the Hyuuga fighting stance. Assassin already upon her, she laid a palm flat against his stomach. The impact jarred both arms. Wincing in pain again, she watched him leap away once more. She didn’t know what the power of the Gentle Fist had done, but she suspected it wasn’t much. He was much faster than her, and he definitely had more stamina.

Carefully watching behind her, Hinata turned in time to intercept his next assault. He practically crushed her under his weight, smashing her down into the thick branch she rested on. Instinctively shoving him off of her, Hinata added the Gentle Fist. Blood began to dribble from the assassin’s mouth, warmth dripping onto Hinata’s face. She barely avoided his next kunai, the blade brushing a trail of blood across her cheek. He finally rolled off of her, groaning in pain from his internal bleeding. In the split second before he vanished again, Hinata lunged for him, grabbing him by the ankle. Shoving her injured arm into action, she stabbed a kunai into his foot, cutting tendons and touching bone. Disabled and injured, the assassin wouldn’t be able to escape. Even dead spies held information, but Hinata didn’t think she’d be able to handle his body, even if he was unconscious.

Kurenai solved her problem for her, firing two kunai from the trees above. Both hit dead-center in the man’s chest, both weapons touching. Jumping from above, Kurenai landed in a three-point stance in the trees near the pair. Two fingers reached for the man’s neck. No pulse; he was dead.

“Hinata?” she began, turning toward her student. Blood covered her clothing, and there was a distinct waver to her movements. With a slight moan, Hinata pitched forward, landing heavily. Worriedly, Kurenai approached her, kneeling by her side. A tiny black cat struggled out of Hinata’s sweatshirt, taking a protective stance on Hinata’s back, hissing and spitting. “I’m a good guy,” Kurenai whispered soothingly. Gently touching Hinata’s neck, she felt a faint, but even pulse.

“Kakashi, come out of there,” Kurenai finally said, looking up at the trees. The more experienced jounin appeared suddenly, nodding his head towards Kurenai.

“You’re very skilled,” he complimented her. “Or I’m losing my touch.”

“You weren’t trying that hard,” she snapped in reply. Tone softening, she continued, “Thanks for coming with. I really thought something funny was going on.”

“You and your feelings,” Kakashi scoffed, kneeling to inspect the assassin’s body.

“Its woman’s intuition,” she shot back. Gathering Hinata carefully into her arms, she stood. “She’ll be staying at my place tonight.”

“She’ll be safer there,” Kakashi answered, holding up a small medallion. “Hyuuga crest. This guy’s official.” Tucking it into Hinata’s hand, he saluted towards Kurenai. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kurenai nodded. “We need to have a meeting.” In a blur, Kakashi was gone, vanishing into the trees, taking the body of the assassin with him. Turning towards the village, Kurenai began her own journey back.

Climbing slowly up the stairs of the jounin’s apartment building, Kurenai began to make a plan for the unconscious girl in her arms. The Hyuugas were a strange clan, and also very dangerous. Her own father would disown Hinata immediately if he could. Tomorrow, after her meeting with Kakashi, she’d talk to Tsunade, and if it all worked out, the Hyuuga’s after. Silently opening the apartment door, she slipped inside. Laying Hinata on the bed, Kurenai carefully and slowly bandaged her student’s wounds. Finally tucking Hinata into bed, Kurenai headed out to her own new make-shift bed, laying a sheet over the couch and settling in for the night. Although she was tired, thoughts flowed through her head so fast that it was impossible to sleep.

Write to Alina-Cantha
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